Chapter 56 Compassion Protects Mortals

The surrounding seawater constantly poured into the black hole, only to be evaporated into water vapor the moment it touched the edge of the black hole.

Due to the extremely high temperature above the black hole, the air was completely distorted.

Under the shroud of the rising mist, a peculiar black and white spectacle was formed.

Li Fan, piloting the taiyan boat, watched this scene from mid-air and was suddenly overcome by endless fear.

Wanxian Island… just like that, it was gone?

Scenes from his time on Wanxian Island flashed rapidly through his mind.

The Dharma Transmission Plaza with its ten thousand statues, the countless Cultivators coming and going endlessly,

and even the magnificent, grand buildings in the center of the island that were said to house Soul Transformation Stage experts…

Just like that, it was gone?

Not even a layer of dust remained.

What kind of power could accomplish all this?

The malice of the Heavenly Dao?

Li Fan did not know.

Faced with this shocking scene, Li Fan's mind was in total chaos.

To Cultivate, to attain longevity.

Li Fan's long-standing goal seemed so ridiculous at this moment.

In the face of this sudden disaster, Immortal Cultivators had become just like Mortals, no different from ants.

Once the fear in his heart was born, it was impossible to suppress.

"Escape! Escape this damn place!"

Li Fan's eyes turned bloodshot, and he piloted the taiyan boat, fleeing desperately towards the west of the Congyun Sea.

He wanted to escape to the mainland, far away from this sea area that was like a purgatory.

Just like that, Li Fan flew for who knows how long with his mind in chaos.

"Boom!"

The taiyan boat seemed to have collided with something and was forced to stop.

Fortunately, it had a defensive formation, so the boat was not destroyed and he did not die.

Under the violent impact, although Li Fan suffered minor injuries, he gradually calmed down because of it.

He looked outside the taiyan boat.

There was nothing there.

In the distance was a continuous coastline; he was not far from the mainland now.

Li Fan controlled the taiyan boat, attempting to fly forward.

"Boom!"

Something was blocking Li Fan's path.

Li Fan rammed into it repeatedly.

But he could not advance even an inch.

Li Fan tried other directions, but it was the same.

An invisible barrier separated the Congyun Sea from the nearby mainland.

Allowed to enter, but not allowed to leave.

Li Fan was stunned.

A term suddenly came to his mind.

A turtle in a jar.

After a long while, Li Fan laughed out loud.

He looked up at the sky.

So ruthless.

Then he became somewhat dazed; should he summon 【Huan Zhen】 and return to the initial anchor point?

Or should he look around some more?

Li Fan became somewhat helpless, having lost his goal.

He piloted the taiyan boat, wandering over the Congyun Sea.

He passed by Nightfall Island; like the other islands, it was a scene of the apocalypse, with no survivors.

He passed by Liuli Island.

The island's protective formation was shattered, and He Zhenghao was nowhere to be found.

The island was littered with corpses, with no signs of life.

Liuyun Island, Zhongqiu Island…

All had turned into dead zones.

Occasionally, he would encounter other Cultivators who had survived like him, but they had all gone mad.

Upon seeing Li Fan, they would scream and flee as if they had seen a ghost.

…

Finally, somehow, Li Fan returned to Taian Island.

Here, he finally felt a long-lost sense of vitality.

Perhaps, the entire Congyun Sea only had these few living people left.

Li Fan walked down the street, looking at the Mortals on Taian Island.

They did not yet know what kind of catastrophe had occurred outside Taian Island, and their faces still revealed smiles of having survived a disaster.

Little did they know, what awaited them was inescapable doom.

However, perhaps ignorance was also a blessing.

Witnessing such an apocalyptic scene, they would probably have nightmares every night for the rest of their lives.

Li Fan couldn't help but mock himself.

He continued walking, and suddenly, sounds of devout prayers reached his ears.

"May the Savior Immortal Master bless us, bless us with favorable weather and good harvests, so we have food every year."

"May the Savior Immortal Master bless us, protect my Yu'er so she can grow up safe and sound."

…

Li Fan was taken aback and turned to look.

It turned out that a temple had been built somewhere in Taian Island.

In the temple, a statue was enshrined, and on the tablet in front of the statue, the words "Savior Immortal Master" were clearly written.

The statue looked vaguely similar to Li Fan, with its eyes slightly lowered, looking compassionately at the people kneeling in front of it.

"Savior Immortal Master…" Li Fan was silent for a moment.

After a long while, he let out a long sigh.

"Fine, I will protect you for as long as I can."

…

However, trying to protect Mortals under the killing intent of Heaven and Earth was clearly not an easy task.

Originally, Li Fan thought this disaster had passed.

What he didn't expect was that the real disaster had actually just begun.

One year, two years, three years…

The sky still showed no signs of raining.

The sea level began to drop, and the seawater began to move further and further away from the islands.

Even with the seawater desalination formation, it became increasingly difficult for the Mortals of Taian Island to get water.

Each time, they had to walk for a very, very long time to find water.

They did not know why Heaven had sent down such a disaster, but they feared that the Congyun Sea would eventually dry up completely.

So, every household began to enshrine a wooden statue of Li Fan, praying day and night without stopping.

Li Fan was also helpless.

A great change in Heaven and Earth—how could he possibly resist it?

The only good news was that in these three years, perhaps because most of the Cultivators in the Congyun Sea had died, the killing intent directed at Immortal Cultivators between Heaven and Earth slowly dissipated.

Li Fan also took this opportunity to re-Cultivate to the Qi Refining Middle Stage.

"The day you stop praying to me, I will return to the anchor point." Being prayed to day and night by a group of Mortals was indeed a peculiar experience.

He activated the "Discernment" Divine Ability, watching the increasingly heavy Death Qi on the Mortals' heads, and decided secretly.

"Wait, why is there a hint of white hidden within this black Death Qi?"

Li Fan was stunned.

Since his cultivation was restored, Li Fan would inspect the Qi of Taian Island every day.

This time, for some reason, he discovered a glimmer of life that he had never been able to perceive before.

Where did this vitality come from?

Li Fan pushed the "Thousand Machines Jade Universe Golden Chapter" to its limit and discovered that the vitality of the people on Taian Island was tied to him!

He was even more confused.

After confirming it again and again, Li Fan realized that the vitality indeed originated from himself.

But not from Li Fan himself, but from an item on him.

An item he was about to forget.

Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects: Cang Hai

Because it had not yet taken shape, this cang hai pearl had been placed in a corner of the taiyan boat.

Only today, under the reflection of the Qi, did Li Fan remember it.

Unlike when he first saw it more than a decade ago, it was now a deep blue, with dense water vapor contained within it.

As if a vast sea was truly gestating within it.

"When one vast sea passes, another vast sea is born."

Li Fan stared blankly at the cang hai pearl in his hand, and suddenly thought of something. He piloted the taiyan boat, flying straight up to ten thousand meters in the air, and looked down.

The Congyun Sea below, due to the long drought, began to expose large areas of the seabed.

One undersea mountain range after another gradually revealed its true form.

And the original islands of the Congyun Sea were clearly the peaks of these mountain ranges.

Kou Hong's enthusiastic face suddenly flashed before Li Fan's eyes.

He had once said to Li Fan: "No matter. If you go out, Fellow Daoist, you can come to Lingtian City in the Congyun Mountain Range to find me."

Li Fan laughed.

Congyun Sea.

Congyun Mountain.

It was the same place all along.