Chapter 71 – The Many Faces of the Separated Realm

After leaving Glazed Glass Island, Li Fan followed He Zhenghao’s directions and flew westward for two days, arriving at a stretch of sea riddled with hidden reefs and whirlpools.

Activating the Form-Concealing Talisman, Li Fan dove beneath the waves and found the entrance to the separated realm among the ruins deep on the ocean floor.

An unremarkable well.

Descending into the well, Li Fan sensed a familiar aura all around him—one similar to the Ruins Abyss of Great Xuan.

He continued downward through the passage inside the well. After an indeterminate amount of time, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him.

When he came to his senses, the seawater around him was gone. He now stood in a pitch-black, boundless expanse of space.

“It seems the immortal-barren grand formations that seal off each small world are all the same,” Li Fan mused, gazing out across the void.

A colony of over ten thousand Rift Whales lurked in the darkness, tirelessly carving through space, pushing the separated realm of Great Li ever further from the cultivation world.

Just like Great Xuan, where Li Fan had been before.

Rift Whales were extremely sensitive to the presence of mortals, yet completely ignored cultivators.

Still, Li Fan chose to carefully skirt around the Rift Whales before arriving at the thunderstorm layer.

At that moment, He Zhenghao’s instructions surfaced in his mind.

“The immortal-barren grand formation isolates the separated realm from the cultivation world. If you try to force your way through, even a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator must tread carefully. But as long as you follow the method I’ve described to traverse the formation, it won’t trigger the formation’s attacks…”

Li Fan circulated the spiritual energy within his body according to He Zhenghao’s instructions, then flew into the thunderstorm layer.

He hovered in place for a while. Violent bolts of lightning crashed down ceaselessly around him, yet not a single one struck him.

“It really works. With this, I can pass through the immortal-barren grand formation even without the Taiyan Vessel. That ordinary wooden boat given to the mortals of the separated realm must use a formation to lock in this same fluctuation, thereby avoiding the grand formation’s attacks.”

“The Taiyan Vessel passes through the immortal-barren grand formation using a method built into its formations from the very beginning of its construction. What He Zhenghao did was essentially crack the formation’s defense system and create a secret backdoor just for himself.”

“Looking at it that way, he wasn’t exaggerating after all. His attainments in formation arts truly are extraordinary.”

With the information verified, Li Fan saw no reason to cross with just his physical body.

He promptly released the Taiyan Vessel and navigated through the immortal-barren grand formation with practiced ease, heading toward Great Li.

……

Great Li, like Great Xuan, was a mortal world, and the general conditions were similar.

The only difference was that at the center of this world stood a volcano several thousand meters tall.

The volcano erupted once every two to three hundred years, causing countless casualties.

Moreover, the intervals were growing shorter and the eruptions more massive.

The ruling elite of the Great Li Dynasty feared that one day the volcano would transform their entire world into a hellscape of molten lava, and so they searched desperately for a way to escape.

But they never found one.

Until fifty years ago, when an immortal master suddenly appeared. He promised to take a group of people away from this place every ten years.

The condition was that they help him gather the materials on his list.

The nobility of Great Li naturally agreed with great enthusiasm.

And so, their arrangement had persisted for fifty years.

With the next agreed-upon exchange drawing ever closer, lookout officials kept constant vigil in each of the four watchtowers of the Great Li capital.

Thus, the moment Li Fan flew over the capital, the continuous tolling of bells rang out from below.

Before long, the Emperor of Great Li led his civil and military officials to appear before Li Fan.

“We respectfully welcome the immortal master!”

In the plaza, the Emperor of Great Li and all his officials fell to their knees, crying out in unison.

“The appointed day has arrived. Have you finished gathering the materials?” Li Fan looked down from above and asked in a cold voice.

The Emperor of Great Li hastily replied, “Reporting to the immortal master, every item on the list has been fully prepared.”

Li Fan nodded. “In that case, take me to collect them.”

And so, personally escorted by the Emperor of Great Li, Li Fan was led to the imperial treasury.

Inside, the materials He Zhenghao had requested were neatly sorted and stacked by category, each labeled with its name and quantity.

Li Fan swept his spiritual sense across the treasury and nodded with satisfaction.

Not only was nothing missing, but every item slightly exceeded the required amount.

He loaded the materials into the storage ring He Zhenghao had given him, and with that, the mission was complete.

Smooth sailing, without a single hitch.

Apart from the travel time, the risk was essentially zero.

No wonder He Zhenghao had been so fixated on this—it was truly a deal with enormous returns for minimal effort.

Li Fan handed the formation-inscribed wooden boat to the Emperor of Great Li. Watching the joy spread across the emperor’s face, Li Fan suddenly spoke up. “I wonder—is the Prince of Zhennan of Great Li present today?”

The emperor froze. In the past, the immortal master had always taken the materials and flown away without a word. He couldn’t fathom why the master would suddenly ask about the Prince of Zhennan.

Not daring to be negligent, the emperor replied with some trepidation, “Reporting to the immortal master, my brother has been stationed in the southern frontier year-round and is not in the capital.”

“However, his son, Xiao Heng, is here.” Afraid of angering the immortal master, the emperor quickly added.

Li Fan nodded. He knew Xiao Heng was being kept in the capital as a hostage, so this came as no surprise. “Where is he now? Take me to see him!”

The emperor had no idea where a mere hostage prince spent his days. Unable to answer, he stood frozen on the spot, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Fortunately, a eunuch attendant beside him quickly whispered a reminder: “Your Majesty, that Xiao Heng should be fostered at Academician Su’s residence.”

“The Su family…” Li Fan’s heart stirred when he heard this.

The emperor, for his part, breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly arranged for someone to lead the way.

Before long, Li Fan found Xiao Heng at the Su residence.

He was still just a small child of seven or eight. Suddenly surrounded and stared at by so many strangers, his little face was full of anxiety.

The small figure overlapped with the image of Xiao Heng in Li Fan’s memories, and he let out a soft laugh.

“I see that this child possesses extraordinary talent. He is certainly no ordinary person and is destined for great things,” he suddenly declared.

Everyone present reacted differently to these words, all turning to look at Xiao Heng, who still wore a bewildered expression, completely unaware of what was happening.

Then Li Fan gently extended a finger and pressed it against Xiao Heng’s forehead.

He transmitted the 《Xuanhuang Purification Mantra》, along with instructions for the accompanying medicinal regimen.

“When I return in ten years, I will personally come to take him away.” Sweeping his gaze across the crowd, Li Fan spoke in a calm, measured tone.

Instantly, everyone who had been harboring ill intentions broke out in cold sweat, trembling with fear.

The Emperor of Great Li naturally understood the meaning behind Li Fan’s words and hastily pledged, “Rest assured, immortal master. I will personally see to it that he is well taken care of.”

Li Fan nodded with satisfaction.

For now, he had yet to establish a firm footing in the cultivation world, and in two years he would be exploring the Cloud-Water Celestial Palace—his future was uncertain.

The best he could do for now was transmit the 《Xuanhuang Purification Mantra》 to Xiao Heng and wait until the time was right before returning to bring him into the cultivation world.

With his business in the separated realm concluded, Li Fan prepared to take his leave.

But then a young, tender voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.

“Please, immortal master, save my sister!”