“Over three hundred years have passed, so the Xuanhuang Realm must have exhausted so more of the Immortal Ruins. Yet it still has not collapsed...” The Artisan Master Qiaogong’s aning was self-evident.
Li Fan nodded in agreent: “All realms have perished, with only the Xuanhuang surviving. Cultivators like you and , who fled from other cultivation worlds to seek refuge here, are certainly not few in number. Yet all of us remain cautiously dormant. This is perhaps due to the awe inspired by the force that shelters the Xuanhuang Realm.”
“To be frank with you, Fellow Daoist, I have so knowledge of formations. When I first arrived in the Xuanhuang, I observed a vast formation faintly enveloping the entire world. Its power level is so high that it might even compare to the legendary immortal-grade formations. Shocked to my core, I have always kept a low profile in my actions.”
“I dare not make such a grand spectacle as you have with the Lingyuan Sect!”
The Artisan Master Qiaogong smiled bitterly upon hearing this: “It seems you have had your eye on for quite so ti!”
After a long pause, the Artisan Master Qiaogong explained: “The Lingyuan Sect may appear quite large-scale, but in truth, it is rely a ragtag bunch. It is not even taken seriously by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. Nine Mountains Prefecture has a unique geographical environnt, bordering the Five Elders Association, with a mix of dragons and snakes. Rather than ticulously managing it, it is better to let the Lingyuan Sect grow wildly unchecked.”
“At the very least, I hand over a portion of the massive source power I harvest each ti.”
“I just do not know what exactly happened during these three hundred years...” A trace of gloom flashed in the Artisan Master Qiaogong’s eyes.
Li Fan imdiately smiled: “Fellow Daoist, you are truly just scaring yourself. In fact, over these years, the Lingyuan Sect’s developnt has been thriving. It only suffered an undeserved calamity not long ago, getting implicated when the Immortal Ancestor’s dharma manifestation suddenly appeared and wiped out Nine Mountains Prefecture in a single glance.”
As he spoke, Li Fan projected the scene ahead of the initial display of might by the Immortal Ancestor’s dharma manifestation.
The Artisan Master Qiaogong took one look, his face twitching, and cried out in shock: “What cri did they commit to draw the hand of the Immortal Ancestor?”
“Naturally, it was choosing to side with the Five Elders Association in the war between two colossal behemoths,” Li Fan explained.
The Artisan Master Qiaogong’s face was instantly filled with disbelief, then he said hatefully: “How utterly foolish!”
After a bout of incredulity, the Artisan Master Qiaogong seed to think of sothing and said with so doubt and surprise: “That is not right. I can clearly sense that even now, nearly a million people in the world are still cultivating the Vital Essence of All Living Beings Technique...”
“Oh, that,” Li Fan replied very calmly. “I could not bear to see your foundation destroyed just like that, so I took it over.”
The Artisan Master Qiaogong was completely stunned upon hearing this: “You...”
In an instant, his thoughts raced, and he understood everything: “No wonder you found my location not long after my revival...”
“No, you must have located my revival thod long ago, right?”
The Artisan Master Qiaogong’s expression kept changing.
Li Fan rely nodded slightly: “Rest assured, Fellow Daoist, I harbor no ill intent. Otherwise, I would not have told you everything so candidly.”
“Oh? Then what exactly are you...” The Artisan Master Qiaogong’s face alternated between dark and clear.
“Naturally, it is because I see that your skills are extraordinary, possessing the creation of seizing heaven’s craftsmanship. Thus, I wish to invite you to join us and plot great endeavors together!” Li Fan said with a solemn expression.
Afterward, Li Fan detailed the rhetoric about the Federation of All Worlds and restoring the True Immortal Lineage of Salvation and Mortal Compassionate.
“There is actually a True Immortal lineage?” The Artisan Master Qiaogong narrowed his eyes, half-believing and half-doubting.
It was not until Li Fan transferred a strand of golden Myriad Spirits Nectar that the Artisan Master Qiaogong was once again inexplicably shocked.
“Source Power Essence?!” He blurted out a term different from the one described by Daoist Hundred Flowers.
“Oh? What then is this Source Power Essence? In our Wansheng Realm, we call this Myriad Spirits Nectar,” Li Fan asked with keen interest.
Artisan Master Qiaogong stared fixedly at the item in Li Fan's hand, as if he had seen so peerless treasure: “Source Power is the foundational power that drives a cultivator's realm advancent. And Source Power Essence is the fundantal force that gives birth to Source Power.”
“Or, to use a saying that was popular in so cultivation realms long ago, the realm is the core, and cultivation is the fruit. The Source Essence is the true body of the [Dao Flower], and the ultimate source and root of it all is the [Dao] that propels the developnt of all things.”
Li Fan's mind recalled Daoist Hundred Flowers' description of the Myriad Spirits Nectar.
That was the discarded portion left behind by a Naless True Immortal while absorbing the traces of the [Dao].
“Fellow Daoist's taphor is indeed quite novel,” Li Fan said, constantly pondering these words with a thoughtful expression.
Artisan Master Qiaogong, however, kept his gaze fixed on the Source Essence in Li Fan's hand, unwilling to look away.
“Does the Dao Flower have poison?” Li Fan suddenly asked.
Artisan Master Qiaogong was stunned for a mont, then understood Li Fan's aning. After a mont of contemplation, he explained: “It is harmless to believers. For non-believers, it will surely bring backlash!”
“Rember, the root of the Dao and the flower of the Dao are powers that we cultivators who have not yet ascended to immortality cannot grasp.”
“If we wish to utilize them, we must borrow from the [Immortals].”
“But the [Immortals] are already existences beyond our comprehension. As they pursue the root of the Dao, they inevitably leave behind traces of themselves. Thus, the Dao Flowers, Dao Fruits, and Dao Cores generated from this all carry their unique aura.”
“Mortal flowers in the world follow the process of taking root, branching, blooming, and bearing fruit. But we cultivators in pursuit of the Dao seek the cause from the fruit. We search for the ultimate source, the root of the Dao...”
“Such ethereal and elusive matters: if not personally comprehended, and one seeks a shortcut without fully grasping the true essence of the Dao Fruit's power, then rashly tracing back to the root of the Dao, one can only rely on others' achievents.”
“Do you understand what I an, Fellow Daoist?”
Perhaps because he had personally witnessed a true Dao Flower, Master Qiaogong, in his agitation, spoke at length in a single breath.
“According to Fellow Daoist's explanation, borrowing the power of the Dao Flower seems to have few drawbacks?” Li Fan asked.
“That is natural, as long as one does not pursue other roots of the Dao in the future,” Master Qiaogong replied.
Li Fan thought for a mont and instantly understood: “One root bears one fruit?”
“Exactly. Once tainted by the power of the Dao Flower, one can scarcely escape it for a lifeti. If there is a chance to advance further in the future, one can only follow the path already set, pursuing that fate-bound root of the Dao in the void. But the road ahead already has a True Immortal who has gone first...”
Master Qiaogong smiled: “So, either beco a follower or vassal of the other party. Or slay them and beco the supre one on that Dao path.”
“Oh, right, I forgot to ntion one thing. The fruit arises from the root; if the root withers, the fruit will surely decay as well. So, once the Immortal at the source perishes, all those downstream who borrowed his power to touch the Dao Flower will also die violently.”
“But after all, they are Immortals; the probability of their fall is far smaller than that of us ordinary cultivators.”
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