Chapter 198: Thousand Years of Style

“Purple Firmament Purges, Penetrates the Divine Soul…”

In an instant, a Soul Observation Art, only tens of thousands of words long, appeared in Li Fan’s mind.

“Junior Brother, wait here, I’ll be back soon!” Zhang Qianmo said, and without waiting for Li Fan’s reply, he floated away.

“Purple Firmament Soul Observation Art…” After carefully reading this unique Soul Searching Art of the Zixiao Sect, Li Fan had already grasped it by seven or eight parts.

The art clearly stated that in the current Cultivation World, the major Sects, righteous and evil Cultivators, Daoist/Immortal Cultivators, and various demonic beasts were constantly fighting among themselves. Killing people for treasures, searching souls, and refining souls were all common occurrences.

So-called soul searching was to read the memories in the opponent’s Divine Soul through a certain method. It varied according to the style and habits of each faction.

Some were cruel and tyrannical; after soul searching, permanent damage would be inflicted on the Divine Soul. Even if the Cultivator whose soul was searched did not die, he would henceforth be like an imbecile, unable to even take care of himself.

Others were ingeniously unique; while searching Divine Soul memories, they would also coincidentally alter and distort memories, imprint mental brands, and turn former enemies into the most loyal servants.

However, the Zixiao Sect’s Soul Searching Art was the most righteous and peaceful.

It would not cause much damage to the Divine Soul; only during the process of soul searching would one experience pain as if the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning was directly striking the Divine Soul.

If one recuperated carefully afterward, they could recover as before.

But from then on, an inexplicable fear would be left in their heart. After sensing the presence of a Zixiao Sect Disciple, they would feel as if they had seen a natural enemy, unable to muster the courage to resist.

Li Fan, like Zhang Qianmo, extended his hand into a claw and grabbed one of the captives.

Operating the Purple Firmament Soul Observation Art, countless images surged in like a giant wave in an instant.

Similar to how he had reproduced the Sitting Mountain Sutra by refining a Clone in the past, except that the memories viewable by the Soul Observation Art were more vivid.

Scenes appeared one after another. Li Fan discarded trivial, irrelevant matters and only viewed the relatively important parts.

This Foundation Establishment cultivator was named Liu Tu.

More than forty years ago, he was just an ordinary mountain villager.

One day, while hunting in the mountains, he got lost and accidentally entered a valley.

He was surprised to find that this valley, hidden deep in the mountains and usually rarely visited, had gathered many people for some unknown reason today. Some were powerful Daoist/Immortal Cultivators, but more were ordinary Mortals like himself.

They were now sitting together, regardless of their status, listening intently to a young Cultivator speaking passionately at the front.

“Decades ago, I, like the vast majority of you here, was just a Mortal with no power to control my own destiny. Although my heart longed for the Immortal Path, I regretted not having a Spiritual Root and being unable to cultivate.”

“Fortunately, I personally witnessed an Immortal Venerable imparting the Dao and obtained a supreme Cultivation Technique.”

“From then on, no Spiritual Root is needed, and one can still cultivate!”

“In just ten short years, I have already achieved the Golden Core Realm!”

“The Immortal Venerable said: The Immortal Dao is…”

Under the young man’s live teaching, dozens of these Mortals actually condensed the roots of heaven and earth on the spot and entered the Qi Refinement Stage.

Liu Tu listened intently. Although his Aptitude was slightly inferior and he couldn’t immediately refine Qi,

He still memorized the Five Spirits Qi Induction Method.

After returning home, in less than half a month, he actually succeeded in guiding Qi into his body and became a true Daoist/Immortal Cultivator.

After that, Liu Tu found and joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, an organization spontaneously created by the New Law Loose Cultivators.

After choosing the Heavenly Net Divine Art, one of the most popular Cultivation Techniques, as his main Cultivation Technique, Liu Tu cultivated for another five or six years and established his Dao Foundation with the Heaven And Earth Treasure [Mountain Spirit Ginseng].

After that, Chu Liang found him and arranged to ambush Senior Brother Zhang Qianmo and Junior Brother Li Chen, who were coming to Ningyuan City to collect the longevity fruit.

The title of Zixiao Sect Inner Sect Disciple made Liu Tu somewhat fearful. However, with Song He Song, a Golden Core Realm Cultivator, as the leader, plus the temptation of the Purple Firmament Thunder Control True Art, Liu Tu inexplicably agreed.

After all, according to the intelligence, these two from the Zixiao Sect were only Late Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Who would have thought they would encounter Zhang Qianmo, this monstrous Genius who could pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger and slay a Golden Core cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage…

“Bang!”

After the soul search, Li Fan threw the limp Liu Tu to the ground and slightly pressed his aching temples.

He calmed his surging Divine Soul.

The Soul Searching Art had infinite marvelous uses, capable of revealing all the memories and secrets in an enemy’s mind.

But it was not without risks.

The consumption of one’s Divine Thought was also astonishingly high; in Li Fan’s case, it was a situation of excessive consumption.

Even more so, if one encountered someone who would pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger, seemingly completely subdued but then launching a fatal counterattack at the moment of soul searching.

If caught off guard and unable to defend, one’s Divine Soul would suffer severe damage, not to mention the risk of being “reverse soul searched.”

“Although I am only a Divine Sense Incarnation in this Fallen Immortal Realm, and my Divine Thought intensity is not as strong as my original body, the consumption of this soul search is still a bit too high.” Recalling Zhang Qianmo’s relaxed and at ease demeanor just now, Li Fan couldn’t help but suspect if he had used the wrong method.

But after looking through Li Chen’s memories and pondering for a moment, Li Fan understood.

At this point in time, the cultivation of elite Disciples within major Sects was comprehensive and without regard to cost.

There was no shortage of various Heaven And Earth Treasures, and various strange secret arts were almost freely chosen.

From practical combat training to tempering Divine Sense, and even direct guidance and advice from elders and powerful individuals within the Sect.

As long as you performed well enough, these were all resources for your rapid growth and strengthening.

In contrast, in the current Cultivation World, a perfectly good Cultivation Technique was forcibly split into several different parts, clearly intended to limit the Cultivator’s combat power.

Want Heaven And Earth Treasures to strengthen yourself? Want secret arts to defend against enemies?

Alright, first do tasks and accumulate contribution points.

Even if you accumulate enough contribution points, you still can’t find it.

Oh, perhaps your Rank is not high enough. Do more meritorious tasks and accumulate for a few more years!

…

Although he didn’t know the situation on the Five Old Men Association’s side, he imagined it was probably similar.

Most Cultivators at the current level in reality probably wouldn’t even be considered at the level of a side-branch Loose Cultivator in Zhang Qianmo’s eyes.

After all, according to Liu Tu’s memory, the original Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance provided Cultivation Techniques that included various wondrous arts and secret methods.

Taking the Heavenly Net Divine Art, which had the most Cultivators, as an example, the contents of the Cultivation Technique could be described as all-encompassing, covering everything.

Qi Concealment, Evasion Techniques, Divine Sense tempering, Physical Body strengthening, Qi Refining, Alchemy, Talisman Making, Formation…

Every detail was covered, everything one could wish for.

It could be said to be the best introductory Cultivation Technique.

Although various aspects might not be top-notch, its strength lay in its comprehensiveness.

Li Fan couldn’t even estimate how expensive this Cultivation Technique would be sold for in the current Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

And this was just one of the dozens of Cultivation Techniques provided for free in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance at this point in time.

The comparison made Li Fan sigh, “Damn it, how did the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance turn into this?”

The difference was already so great compared to the Loose Cultivators of this time, let alone compared to an elite Disciple of a major School like Zhang Qianmo.

Although Li Fan possessed the exotic treasure Huan Zhen and had undergone a hundred Reincarnations, his Divine Sense far surpassed that of ordinary Cultivators.

But after all, he had not undergone systematic strengthening.

Nor had he supplemented with any Heaven And Earth Treasures.

So, there was still a considerable gap between him and Senior Brother Zhang.

Li Fan checked his own condition, his brows slightly furrowed.

“Due to excessive Divine Sense consumption, the time I can stay in this Fallen Immortal Realm has also sharply decreased.”

“Originally, I could maintain it for about half a month, but now I can only stay for seven or eight days.”

“However, according to Chen Ying, I have already made some gains. I can leave the Fallen Immortal Realm early.”

“I just need to reverse-simulate the ritual in my mind.”

“I just don’t know if it meets the conditions for bringing items back to reality.”

To bring items and information from the Fallen Immortal Realm back to the real world, specific conditions must be met.

What those specific conditions were, Chen Ying had been vague about when she introduced it that day.

Currently, no information about the Fallen Immortal Realm could be found in the tianxuan mirror, so Li Fan could only explore it himself.

“The more valuable something is, the harder it is to bring back.”

“The Heavenly Net Divine Art is out of the question for now. If I can bring back the Purple Firmament Soul Observation Art, my goal will be achieved.”

“What exactly are the conditions? Kill Zhang Qianmo?”

Li Fan currently had no clue.

“No matter what, let’s return to reality first.”

“Perhaps I can recall the specific contents of the Soul Observation Art in reality?”

After pondering for a moment, Li Fan made a decision.

He directly began to reverse-operate the ritual in his mind.

A wave of dizziness struck, and in an instant, the surrounding scenery shattered like starlight.

Li Fan’s consciousness returned to the tianxuan mirror.

Li Fan began to carefully recall the various scenes of this trip to the Fallen Immortal Realm.

Every specific detail and every conversation with Senior Brother Zhang was still fresh in his memory.

But when he tried to recall the Purple Firmament Soul Observation Art and the Heavenly Net Divine Art, he couldn’t remember anything.

It was like drawing water with a bamboo basket, all for naught.

“Sure enough, it’s not that easy.”

“The treasure is already in my hand, but it’s like a flower in a mirror, or the moon in the water, unattainable…”

“This feeling is truly unpleasant.”

“I still need to go in again and search for the specific conditions.”

“Fortunately, the last time I voluntarily withdrew. The time interval required for re-entry is also greatly shortened.”

During this waiting period, Li Fan purchased a Song Wei Talisman, disguising himself as a Golden Core cultivator.

Then he bought an Appearance Changing Pill, disguised himself, and arrived at Set Fish Island.

Affected by the lingwu grass incident, the number of Cultivators gathered here had significantly decreased.

Li Fan casually picked a fish to bet on, then subtly inquired about information regarding the Fallen Immortal Realm from the Golden Core cultivators in the crowd.

Through some casual conversation, Li Fan learned that their entry points into the Fallen Immortal Realm varied each time.

Sometimes, as soon as they entered, they would be caught in a battle between righteous and evil, and be casually slain by the powerful individuals on the battlefield.

Sometimes, if they were lucky, they would possess the body of a Disciple from a certain School, but it was truly difficult to find the conditions to bring out Cultivation Techniques in just a dozen days. They could only regretfully watch the Cultivation Techniques disappear from their memories.