Chapter 629: Longevity Valley Stands After Millenia

Li Fan considered it for a moment, then set the matter aside.

"You may spend one hundred thousand contribution points to preserve the current progress of this advanced deduction.

"The next deduction can continue from this saved point.

"You currently have three save point slots. Additional slots can be unlocked by spending contribution points."

Li Fan was silent for a long moment. In the end, he reluctantly chose to save the progress.

He then performed a divine ability infusion for the Heaven-Breaking Heart Sword.

A burst of seven-colored radiance erupted from the miniature figure of Li Fan. The figure shifted from ethereal to solid, slowly growing tangible, until at last it became a seven-colored prism drifting gently before him.

Li Fan grasped it. In an instant, the prism seemed to dissolve, shrinking smaller and smaller, and countless images and insights came flooding into his mind.

It was a new divine ability, a perfect fusion of the Congyun Sword and the Heaven-Overturning Palm. The result of the divine ability infusion surpassed even what he might have achieved through his own comprehension alone.

By the time the prism in his hand vanished, Li Fan had already fully mastered the Heaven-Breaking Heart Sword.

"Congratulations. You have successfully learned a new divine ability.

"Would you like to apply this new divine ability to your personal character template?"

Li Fan confirmed without hesitation.

Moments later, a brand-new miniature Li Fan appeared before him. The figure's bearing was steady, and the aura faintly emanating from it was far stronger than that of the previous one.

Li Fan used the new character to challenge other cultivators. Heaven and earth were instantly overturned. In the midst of flashing sword light, the opponent was quickly defeated.

"Battle experience has been accumulated. Would you like to extract and infuse it?"

The Tianxuan Mirror's prompt sounded again.

"Not for now. Activate the automatic challenge function," Li Fan said quietly.

"Proxy mode has been activated. In this mode, the designated character template will automatically seek suitable targets for combat. Each proxy battle costs ten thousand contribution points," the Tianxuan Mirror's mechanical voice echoed.

This fee is much more reasonable.

Watching the miniature figure engage a new cultivator in battle on its own, Li Fan exhaled slowly and temporarily withdrew from Seated Dao Discourse.

Not much real time had passed, yet he felt as though he had lived through an entire lifetime.

He cleared his mind and fell into conversation with other cultivators about the Tianxuan Mirror's divine ability deduction function. Only then did he realize how wasteful his own approach had been.

As a rule, ordinary cultivators who wished to deduce a divine ability still relied primarily on their own comprehension. They turned to the Tianxuan Mirror only when they stood at the final threshold and could not cross it on their own. The reason was simple: the contribution point cost of the Tianxuan Mirror's divine ability deduction was simply beyond what most cultivators could afford.

But viewed from another angle, contribution points are nothing more than a currency the Myriad Immortals Alliance uses to sustain its own operations. They hold no real intrinsic value.

If one could obtain the Tianxuan Mirror's permission, could they not deduce whichever divine ability they desired? In the two thousand years since the Myriad Immortals Alliance has been rebuilt, how powerful must the cultivators at its upper echelons have become?

A chill settled in Li Fan's chest.

Then he recalled a suspicion he had formed long ago: that the Tianxuan Mirror was the true master of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

Looking at things now, even if reality fell short of that, it was clear the cultivators did not hold absolute control over it. It was less a matter of one side dominating the other, and more a relationship of mutual cooperation and mutual restraint.

This was visible in the fact that when the Myriad Immortals Alliance was controlling the Xuantian Spirit-Sealing Array, they had still needed to dig up and track down the Dharma King of the Xuantian Sect.

Having mastered a new divine ability, and having gone without a proper fight for a long time, Li Fan felt the urge rising in him. He looked around, but found no suitable opponent.

Fortunately, fate was accommodating. A perfect sparring partner soon presented itself.

Liu San sent word that he had returned to Embodiment Island.

Li Fan's attention sharpened. He slipped quietly out of Congyun City and made his way back to the island.

Liu San looked a few years older than when he had left.

So the Samantabhadra True Boat truly cannot eliminate the effects of the Lifespan-Devouring White Mist entirely.

Li Fan kept that realization from his face. He stared at Liu San, then let his expression shift with apparent alarm. "Liu San, what happened to you? Your lifespan has decreased?"

Liu San nodded.

Li Fan let fury rise into his features. "Bastard! When I bought that Samantabhadra True Boat, the man swore it could completely isolate the effects of the Lifespan-Devouring White Mist. He dared to deceive me! Just watch me go settle the score with him!"

He made to leave, as though barely holding his anger in check.

But Liu San, watching Li Fan's display of outrage and concern, felt a glimmer of emotion. He stepped forward quickly and caught Li Fan's arm. "Young Master, forget it. We are new here. Better to avoid trouble than invite it. It's only a few years of lifespan, and this old servant's life is cheap—so what if I give a little of it for the revival of the Medicine King Sect? Besides, it's natural for a merchant to oversell his wares. He may not have meant to deceive you."

Li Fan's expression shifted through several changes under Liu San's persuasion. At last he snorted coldly and abandoned any thought of immediate revenge.

"Did you gain anything from this trip, Liu San?" he asked, his voice settling after performing his charade.

"I did not fail in my mission!" A smile broke across Liu San's face. "Heaven has not abandoned our Medicine King Sect! I searched nearly every location you marked and found nothing. Just as I was ready to give up, I found traces of Longevity Valley at the very last one!"

A glint crossed Li Fan's eyes. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Liu San's face lit up as he pressed on. "I went into the valley to look. Because Longevity Valley sits within a White Mist Barrier, it seems not a single cultivator has entered the secret realm in thousands of years.

“Compared to when we last left it, everything inside has greatly developed. Whether the density of spiritual power or the concentration of spirit plants and medicinal herbs, all of it is much higher than before. And the array we set up back then is still running. Over the years it has automatically collected and stored batch after batch of mature herbs."

He spoke on at length before finally concluding, "If we retake Longevity Valley, the Medicine King Sect's revival is within reach!"

Li Fan's face brightened with genuine excitement. "Excellent. Elder Liu, you have rendered a great service this time. In a few days, once matters here in Congyun Sea are settled, we will travel to Longevity Valley together."

Liu San nodded in agreement.

Then, as if a thought had struck him, his brow furrowed slightly.

Li Fan caught the shift at once. "What is it, Elder Liu? Is there something on your mind?"