Chapter 384: 360: Every Loss Has Its Gain

Translator: 549690339

Suddenly escaping from the predicament, the crisis, however, had not yet been resolved.

The Element Devouring White Fog continued to swallow Li Fan’s lifespan, surging even more violently than in the Mystical Realm.

In the vast white fog, Li Fan regained sense of the position of Duan zhang Immortal City.

The next moment, he pushed Violet Sky Escape Technique to its limit, rapidly heading towards it.

As Li Fan gradually moved away from the Chaos Stone Maze where the Chaotic Character Stone was located, an inexplicable fluctuation, similar to the one previously emitted by the shattered stone, subtly came from behind him.

Even the boundless white fog seemed to ripple faintly.

“Hmm?”

Without looking back, Li Fan could feel that the Chaos Stone Maze seemed to be gradually disappearing.

Or rather, hiding.

However, Li Fan couldn’t concern himself with it for now.

The distance from here to the Eternal Immortal Stronghold was still significant.

Under the relentless devouring of the Element Devouring White Fog, Li Fan’s age was also rapidly increasing.

The closer he got to the Roaring Abyss, the faster his lifespan was devoured.

156, 178, 193…

Staring at the ever-changing numbers on the Zhen Panel, Li Fan felt a long-lost sense of weakness surging in his heart.

Rapid aging in an instant made him feel like he had returned to his old self, the frail Grand Tutor Da Xuan.

The Eternal Immortal Stronghold was within a stone’s throw, but after calculating his remaining lifespan, he realized he wouldn’t survive the upcoming distance.

With a flash of decision in his heart, without the slightest hesitation, Li Fan extracted the Ethernal Life Fruit from his storage ring and swallowed it in one gulp.

Exuberant vitality erupted from within his belly.

It spread throughout his body like a gushing river in an instant.

The sense of aging and weakness disappeared instantly, and the upper limit of Li Fan’s physiological age changed from the original 599 to 899.

Li Fan felt invigorated, not daring to delay. Like a purple thunderstorm, he tore through the boundless white fog.

He headed straight for Duan Zhang Immortal City.

“Although Brother Zhang’s Violet Firmament Divine Thunder Jitsu is much faster than the escape techniques I’ve seen in the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals, it’s still too slow!”

“Without the Violet Firmament Thunder Secret Technique, it lacks something after all.”

“Usually, it’s nothing, but at this critical moment of life and death, the importance of the speed of the escape method is highlighted.”

264, 378, 492…

His age was growing rapidly, and Li Fan gradually transformed from a young scholar to a middle-aged uncle.

But his heart remained cool as ever, unfazed by the ebbing of his life.

“If there’s a chance, I must find a superior escape method.”

“Aside from Yan Fajue, Zhong Shentong’s Seven-color Divine Light also seems good.”

“It can surpass the speed of the Nascent Soul Stage at the Foundation Establishment Phase…”

As Li Fan was reminiscing about Zhong Shentong’s deeds, he was getting closer and closer to the Eternal Immortal Stronghold.

567, 689, 734…

“Who dares to intrude!?”

A furious shout rang out from the Broken Palm of the Blue Stone, passing through the white fog and struck directly at Li Fan.

Li Fan’s flying speed was momentarily slowed.

Cursing inwardly, he instantly committed this person’s voice to memory.

His expression remained calm and steady, shouting in a steady voice: “I am Li Fan, a Golden Core Array Master from the Jiyuan Institute.”

“I am responsible for assisting in the construction of the Tianxuan Soul Locking Array outside the Roaring Abyss.”

“Save me!”

At the same time, he took out a severed finger made of blue stone from his bosom.

It was thanks to this token left by Leng Yingyi that Li Fan was able to accurately locate the Eternal Immortal Stronghold amidst the twin onslaught of the boundless white fog and the Demon Sound Tide.

“What?”

The voice expressed surprise and panic.

Li Fan sped up again, flying towards the ruptured wrist of the severed palm.

His call for help was indeed effective.

There was indeed an entrance opened up there.

Li Fan dashed in like a gust of wind.

The influence of the surrounding white fog disappeared instantly, and Li Fan’s physiological age finally froze at 842/899.

Death was imminent.

Weakness encompassed his entire body; Li Fan could not even control his angle of flight and crashed directly onto the ground.

He was airborne for a while before gradually coming to a halt.

“Cough cough…”

Li Fan was just about to say something but he coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood and fainted.

A cultivator with white hair, who looked like he would drop dead at any moment, appeared in the Eternal Immortal Stronghold in such a conspicuous manner.

This naturally attracted the attention of the public.

The Eternal Immortal Stronghold had been isolated by the Demon Sound Tide for some time now, so it naturally led to many rumors.

There were all sorts of stories.

Some even swore that the Demon Sound Tide was entirely the Five Elders Organization’s conspiracy.

Now that the Five Elders Organization had turned their defensive tactics into an offensive one, the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals was retreating at all fronts.

The Eternal Immortal Stronghold would change hands very soon, apparently.

Fortunately, Shang Shaojun, the master of the Duan zhang Immortal City, stepped in and put a stop to these increasingly outrageous rumors.

The rumormongers were hung up in the center of the city, whipped day and night, as a warning to others.

Li Fan was lost in a void of darkness.

Although his body was unconscious, his spirit was extremely lucid.

It was a very contradictory state of affairs.

But it was as real as the sense of renewed strength and impending demise he was experiencing then.

The weakness naturally stemmed from the fact that this worldly body was nearing its end.

The strength, on the other hand, came from his Divine Soul.

After facing numerous trials and tribulations, and surviving near-death experiences, Li Fan finally arrived at the Eternal Immortal Stronghold.

He had effectively completed the “Reverse Cultivation Dao Heart” mission.

The frustration and indignation in his heart dissipated in an instant.

The Grand Millstone of Heart Refinement was nourished in an unprecedented way.

Drops of chilling energy nourished his Divine Soul.

A sense of growth equivalent to breaking through states appeared in Li Fan’s heart.

What’s more, the growth of the Divine Soul was not a one-time phenomenon.

It was like a trickle of water, continuous and unending.

“With action, there is reward. This must be the reward for the Reverse Cultivation Dao Heart mission.”

“I suppose the mission won’t truly be over until I manage to rescue the people at the Jiaxu outpost.”

“Given the special bonus for the first time, the effect of Xuan Huang Heart-refining spell seems to be a little terrifying.”

Li Fan took time to feel his Divine Soul gradually growing stronger.

It even made him feel as if he could abandon his body and exist purely as a Divine Soul.

After what felt like an eternity, he sensed someone coming toward his unconscious body.

With a flicker of his spirit, Li Fan slowly woke up.

The physical sensations took over again, and a wave of weakness hit him once more.

After coughing lightly, Li Fan struggled to sit up.

“You’re awake, friend!” A member of the Qingxuan Army hurried over to support Li Fan.

“Li Fan, we have confirmed your identity with the Array Strategy Hall.”

“What exactly happened? You should still be at the Jiaxu outpost. How did you end up back at the Eternal Immortal Stronghold?”

“And how did you end up in this state…”

He seemed to have a myriad of questions, firing them off one after the other.

However, Li Fan noticed a shadow suddenly appearing in a corner of the room as soon as he woke up.

Although the shadow was barely discernible, Li Fan could detect it clearly because his Divine Soul had grown stronger.

Without betraying any emotions, Li Fan slowly recounted his ordeal.