After leaving Yin Yin Island, Su Changyu's spirits were lifted, and it took him a while to calm down from the excitement.
"I didn't expect to have such a strange encounter on this trip."
Although he still had some distance to go before Foundation Establishment, unlike before, he was now filled with the motivation to cultivate, eager to reach Qi Condensation perfection and establish his foundation as soon as possible.
"After 'establishing my foundation with myself', my cultivation speed should be able to catch up with Xiao Heng and Xiaomei." Su Changyu thought to himself.
Without delaying any further, he discerned his bearings and flew straight towards the deserted island.
In the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan reviewed the scenes he had just witnessed through Su Changyu, his brows furrowing slightly.
"I didn't expect Su Changyu to inexplicably run into Master Yin and come into contact with the secrets related to the Self Foundation. It seems that the intuition I had earlier is indeed true."
Li Fan was quite looking forward to whether Su Changyu in this world could successfully 'establish his foundation with himself'.
However, Li Fan was more concerned about Master Yin's condition now.
When Li Fan first met Master Yin in the thirteenth year after the anchor point, his hair was still both black and white.
Now, in just twelve years, he had become completely white-haired.
This kind of rapid aging was almost impossible for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
It indicated that Master Yin's mental and spiritual depletion had been extremely severe over the years.
What concerned Li Fan even more was that all the test subjects on Yin Yin Island, as well as many treasures that Master Yin had treasured, had all been destroyed.
Yet, Master Yin seemed to be indifferent.
Or...
Those things should have been destroyed by him personally.
Thinking of the sudden burst of fire on the island, as well as Master Yin's increasingly crazy expression.
"Is he trying to commit suicide?"
Li Fan's heart stirred.
To confirm his speculation, Li Fan left the Tianxuan Mirror and hurried towards Yin Yin Island.
When he arrived at the destination, the square building had indeed turned into ruins.
The burning was quite thorough.
After searching around, Li Fan found nothing valuable.
Standing quietly above the ruins, Li Fan frowned.
"Why?"
"Master Yin should have been studying the secrets of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma over the years."
"What did he discover that made him want to take his own life?"
It's worth noting that the desire for survival among cultivators is far stronger than that of ordinary people.
It's rare to hear of cultivators committing suicide.
"Did he really commit suicide, or was he forced to?"
Master Yin's somewhat crazy words from before floated into Li Fan's mind: "Aren't you curious? Why can a plague from mere mortals infect cultivators? If we can figure out the source of this anomaly, perhaps we can solve the Immortal-Mortal Miasma from its root! By then, I will be remembered as a great figure in the entire cultivation world!"
Li Fan's expression became somewhat serious. "I used to think that he was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator and couldn't possibly discover anything. So I've always ignored him."
"I didn't expect him to really discover something."
"Perhaps, in the next life, I should focus on 'taking care' of him."
Li Fan contemplated silently.
Just as he was about to leave after surveying the ruins of Yin Yin Island, he suddenly froze.
A breeze blew by, and amidst the blackened ground, a shining white light suddenly appeared.
Li Fan flew closer and retrieved the glowing object.
It seemed somewhat familiar.
A white rib bone.
It seemed to be the most valued item of Master Yin, the rib bone of the first cultivator infected with the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.
While Master Yin himself turned into ashes in the raging flames, this rib bone miraculously remained intact.
It's said that this was something many people fought over, and it indeed seemed to have some significance.
Li Fan casually stuffed it into his storage ring.
Returning to Ten Thousand Immortals Island, he had the Tianxuan Mirror appraise it.
However, he only received the result: "Cultivator's remains, worth 1 contribution point."
"It seems that it's only valuable to a specific group of people." Li Fan shook his head and put away the rib bone again.
He sensed the situation of the various prodigies.
"Xiao Heng has arrived at the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace. However, instead of going in, he's been standing outside, looking up at the huge blue building suspended in the sky. I wonder what he's contemplating."
"Su Xiaomei and the others seem to be not far from the ruins of the Chaoyuan Sect."
...
"It's almost time for a bountiful harvest."
At this moment, within Li Fan's dantian, two Karmic Bodies had already formed completely.
The third Karmic Body was gradually taking shape.
"This accumulated cultivation can be transformed once I break through to the Golden Core stage. If I accumulate enough Karmic Bodies, maybe I'll break through again as soon as I enter the Golden Core stage."
Li Fan couldn't help but reveal a joyful expression like that of an old farmer.
"As for He Zhenghao..."
"Why hasn't there been any feedback on his cultivation during this time?"
Due to the distance, Formless Killing Intent was unable to sense the situation on the other side.
After some thought, Li Fan sent him a message to inquire about his current situation.
But he received an automatic reply: "In closed training at the Garrison Academy, unable to reply, please forgive me."
"So, fellow Daoist He has already entered the Garrison Academy?"
Calculating the time, it had been almost three years since He Zhenghao took office.
"Jing Xuan is indeed reliable, and the contribution points were not wasted."
"After the formation training in Tianyu Province, the Cong Yun Sea should be finished. By then, I'll go directly to Tianyun Province to meet with fellow Daoist He."
...
Just as Li Fan was secretly planning for the future.
Su Xiaomei's group of three had already arrived at the Thousand Mile Swamp, the site of the ruins of the Chaoyuan Sect.
Finally reaching their destination, Su Xiaomei looked excitedly at the spectacular buildings not far away, eager to rush into the ruins in the next moment.
Zhang Haobo, however, looked puzzled. "Wasn't it said that the ruins attracted many cultivators to come and explore? Why is it so deserted here? Where are the people?"
Shuo Feng also frowned. "It's indeed suspicious. But there's no need to think too much about it. Let's go forward and see what's going on."
At the entrance of the ruins of the Chaoyuan Sect, it wasn't as lively as the rumors.
Some cultivators hesitated to move forward, neither daring to enter nor willing to leave.
After inquiring a bit, they learned why the ruins, which had been bustling just a few days ago, had now turned into this appearance.
It turned out that seven days ago, a Golden Core cultivator who had come seeking opportunities mysteriously disappeared.
When he reappeared, people found that he had become an existence similar to the phantoms that occasionally appeared in the ruins.
Moreover, they could hear and see him frantically searching through the ruins of the Chaoyuan Sect, trying to find a way to return to his original form.
But this Golden Core cultivator seemed to have gone to another realm of existence and couldn't interact with the people in reality in any way.
Nor could he leave the range of the ruins of the Chaoyuan Sect.
After leaving Yin Yin Island, Su Changyu's spirits were lifted, and it took him a while to calm down from the excitement.
"I didn't expect to have such a strange encounter on this trip."
Although he still had some distance to go before Foundation Establishment, unlike before, he was now filled with the motivation to cultivate, eager to reach Qi Condensation perfection and establish his foundation as soon as possible.
"After 'establishing my foundation with myself', my cultivation speed should be able to catch up with Xiao Heng and Xiaomei." Su Changyu thought to himself.
Without delaying any further, he discerned his bearings and flew straight towards the deserted island.
In the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan reviewed the scenes he had just witnessed through Su Changyu, his brows furrowing slightly.
"I didn't expect Su Changyu to inexplicably run into Master Yin and come into contact with the secrets related to the Self Foundation. It seems that the intuition I had earlier is indeed true."
Li Fan was quite looking forward to whether Su Changyu in this world could successfully 'establish his foundation with himself'.
However, Li Fan was more concerned about Master Yin's condition now.
When Li Fan first met Master Yin in the thirteenth year after the anchor point, his hair was still both black and white.
Now, in just twelve years, he had become completely white-haired.
This kind of rapid aging was almost impossible for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
It indicated that Master Yin's mental and spiritual depletion had been extremely severe over the years.
What concerned Li Fan even more was that all the test subjects on Yin Yin Island, as well as many treasures that Master Yin had treasured, had all been destroyed.
Yet, Master Yin seemed to be indifferent.
Or...
Those things should have been destroyed by him personally.
Thinking of the sudden burst of fire on the island, as well as Master Yin's increasingly crazy expression.
"Is he trying to commit suicide?"
Li Fan's heart stirred.
To confirm his speculation, Li Fan left the Tianxuan Mirror and hurried towards Yin Yin Island.
When he arrived at the destination, the square building had indeed turned into ruins.
The burning was quite thorough.
After searching around, Li Fan found nothing valuable.
Standing quietly above the ruins, Li Fan frowned.
"Why?"
"Master Yin should have been studying the secrets of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma over the years."
"What did he discover that made him want to take his own life?"
It's worth noting that the desire for survival among cultivators is far stronger than that of ordinary people.
It's rare to hear of cultivators committing suicide.
"Did he really commit suicide, or was he forced to?"
Master Yin's somewhat crazy words from before floated into Li Fan's mind: "Aren't you curious? Why can a plague from mere mortals infect cultivators? If we can figure out the source of this anomaly, perhaps we can solve the Immortal-Mortal Miasma from its root! By then, I will be remembered as a great figure in the entire cultivation world!"
Li Fan's expression became somewhat serious. "I used to think that he was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator and couldn't possibly discover anything. So I've always ignored him."
"I didn't expect him to really discover something."
"Perhaps, in the next life, I should focus on 'taking care' of him."
Li Fan contemplated silently.
Just as he was about to leave after surveying the ruins of Yin Yin Island, he suddenly froze.
A breeze blew by, and amidst the blackened ground, a shining white light suddenly appeared.
Li Fan flew closer and retrieved the glowing object.
It seemed somewhat familiar.
A white rib bone.
It seemed to be the most valued item of Master Yin, the rib bone of the first cultivator infected with the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.
While Master Yin himself turned into ashes in the raging flames, this rib bone miraculously remained intact.
It's said that this was something many people fought over, and it indeed seemed to have some significance.
Li Fan casually stuffed it into his storage ring.
Returning to Ten Thousand Immortals Island, he had the Tianxuan Mirror appraise it.
However, he only received the result: "Cultivator's remains, worth 1 contribution point."
"It seems that it's only valuable to a specific group of people." Li Fan shook his head and put away the rib bone again.
He sensed the situation of the various prodigies.
"Xiao Heng has arrived at the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace. However, instead of going in, he's been standing outside, looking up at the huge blue building suspended in the sky. I wonder what he's contemplating."
"Su Xiaomei and the others seem to be not far from the ruins of the Chaoyuan Sect."
...
"It's almost time for a bountiful harvest."
At this moment, within Li Fan's dantian, two Karmic Bodies had already formed completely.
The third Karmic Body was gradually taking shape.
"This accumulated cultivation can be transformed once I break through to the Golden Core stage. If I accumulate enough Karmic Bodies, maybe I'll break through again as soon as I enter the Golden Core stage."
Li Fan couldn't help but reveal a joyful expression like that of an old farmer.
"As for He Zhenghao..."
"Why hasn't there been any feedback on his cultivation during this time?"
Due to the distance, Formless Killing Intent was unable to sense the situation on the other side.
After some thought, Li Fan sent him a message to inquire about his current situation.
But he received an automatic reply: "In closed training at the Garrison Academy, unable to reply, please forgive me."
"So, fellow Daoist He has already entered the Garrison Academy?"
Calculating the time, it had been almost three years since He Zhenghao took office.
"Jing Xuan is indeed reliable, and the contribution points were not wasted."
"After the formation training in Tianyu Province, the Cong Yun Sea should be finished. By then, I'll go directly to Tianyun Province to meet with fellow Daoist He."
...
Just as Li Fan was secretly planning for the future.
Su Xiaomei's group of three had already arrived at the Thousand Mile Swamp, the site of the ruins of the Chaoyuan Sect.
Finally reaching their destination, Su Xiaomei looked excitedly at the spectacular buildings not far away, eager to rush into the ruins in the next moment.
Zhang Haobo, however, looked puzzled. "Wasn't it said that the ruins attracted many cultivators to come and explore? Why is it so deserted here? Where are the people?"
Shuo Feng also frowned. "It's indeed suspicious. But there's no need to think too much about it. Let's go forward and see what's going on."
At the entrance of the ruins of the Chaoyuan Sect, it wasn't as lively as the rumors.
Some cultivators hesitated to move forward, neither daring to enter nor willing to leave.
After inquiring a bit, they learned why the ruins, which had been bustling just a few days ago, had now turned into this appearance.
It turned out that seven days ago, a Golden Core cultivator who had come seeking opportunities mysteriously disappeared.
When he reappeared, people found that he had become an existence similar to the phantoms that occasionally appeared in the ruins.
Moreover, they could hear and see him frantically searching through the ruins of the Chaoyuan Sect, trying to find a way to return to his original form.
But this Golden Core cultivator seemed to have gone to another realm of existence and couldn't interact with the people in reality in any way.
Nor could he leave the range of the ruins of the Chaoyuan Sect.
