Eat the marrow to know the taste.
Li Fan now fully understood the power of a high-grade Dao Transformation Stone, and without hesitation, he captured the other two targets. Even though their stones were only top-grade, they were still valuable.
After absorbing a total of three high-grade Transformation Stones, Li Fan felt a long-lost qualitative leap, akin to breaking through a great cultivation realm.
Yet he did not expand his consciousness recklessly. Instead, he used his enhanced planning and analytical abilities to deduce how to successfully break away from the [True Immortal Network], return smoothly to the real world, and even gain advantages from it.
"But it still isn't the Dao Transformation Stone Mother, which can even deduce real-world levels. Adaptability is still key," Li Fan thought silently. Many complex calculations and possibilities swirled in his mind.
After three full days of seclusion, he summoned his clone, Li Qing.
"You can go to Cong Yunhai first and preemptively intimidate Chaoyuan Zong. If all goes well, their relics will end up in Jiushan Prefecture," Li Fan instructed.
"Meanwhile, have the monks in each small world consume the Yaowang Zong elixir, forcibly upgrading them to the Golden Elixir realm. Once they've reached that level, you can lead them forward. With your guidance, they should fight through Chaoyuan Sect's corpses and blood. By the time they reappear, they'll have collectively advanced to the Nascent Soul realm, making exploration of the Bloody River much safer."
The clone instantly recalled every detail about Chaoyuan Sect.
Chaoyuan Zong was an ancient cave sect, hidden in a sea of clouds and beneath three seabed faults. Before disaster struck, it had escaped to Jiushan Prefecture.
From previous expeditions by Shuo Feng, Zhang Haobo, and Su Xiaomei, Li Fan had learned the Chaoyuan Sect's secrets: it was a local sect of the Xuanhuang Realm. Following the catastrophe, it seemed to vanish from the world. In reality, the sect had entered a strange liminal state, existing somewhere between reality and non-reality, effectively isolating itself. Time had nearly stopped within the sect to avoid disaster—its original plan.
But chaos intervened. The Heavenly Lord Chuanfa transformed the area into a sea of clouds, burying Chaoyuan Sect deep underground. The fusion of realms then caused strange changes within.
When Su Xiaomei and her companions entered the ruins, the monks appeared to live normal lives—but in truth, they had all become faceless, bloody creatures, unaware of their transformation.
When confronted, these faceless monks went berserk, attacking with animalistic ferocity, regardless of cultivation level. They did not use magical powers, but their speed, resilience, and rapid regeneration made them extremely dangerous. Only by severing their bloody faces could they be killed.
Once destroyed, a red light would rise from each faceless monk, attaching itself to the killer. These red lights contained the original power of Chaoyuan Sect's world. Once monks left the sect, the lights accompanied them, acting as a potent tonic. Nascent Soul monks could even advance directly to a great realm with this energy.
Foundation-building rare items, Golden Elixir methods, and Nascent Soul Cave Heaven techniques would evolve into this red light naturally. If one mastered special sacrificial refining, they could directly absorb this energy to bolster their forces.
Li Fan did not know why Chaoyuan Sect had developed such phenomena, but he guessed it might be due to the fusion of Xuanhuang Realm with other worlds.
Li Qing, reviewing the sect's story, nodded. "If the red light is useful to me, my realm could even surpass yours," he said with a smile.
Li Fan smirked. "Then you'll need to kill more. Just like ordinary monks require more resources to advance to Hedao, you'll need extra to advance toward godhood. Even so, with Black Sword Heaven's power, you might hold your own for two or three rounds against my men."
Li Qing smiled, saying nothing. His orders were clear: explore the Bloody River fully. Any secrets discovered would be reported to Li Fan simultaneously.
Meanwhile, with the upgraded Transformation Stone, the Final Disintegration Disc could now unleash its full computational power. Li Fan began breaking through the restrictions of the Heavenly Master of Transmission while creating a new formation inspired by his ideas.
He studied the white light in his body—the origin of the Tianxuan Mirror. While the mirror claimed that its origin could not be increased or decreased, Li Fan wondered: what if he kept it after becoming real?
"It's possible a new mirror origin could appear in the world out of thin air. If Tianxuan Mirror doesn't respond… this could be very useful," he mused.
Li Fan had only two blank anchor points left but already suspected how to create more. Previously, anchor points increased by absorbing monks' Golden Elixir foundation-building items.
He realized the next step would likely involve absorbing what monks need to create life—the caves themselves. Though he had visited many caves, he had not absorbed any hints yet. He guessed this was because the caves themselves had to regenerate before they could be used.
When Li Fan first used the newborn Five Elements Cave to form a "baby," he felt a strange stirring in his heart. At the time, however, he was focused entirely on seizing the moment when Dongtian arrived and successfully conceiving the child, leaving no room to dwell on subtle feelings.
Only recently, after upgrading the Taoist Stone, did Li Fan meticulously review every detail of that experience—and a new realization struck him.
"If nothing goes wrong, a new Five Elements Cave Heaven should emerge in Tianling Province [The Root of Heaven and Earth]. We'll know for sure when we try," he thought.
The original Five Elements Cave Heaven had already been absorbed and promoted by him. Its resources were depleted, and it would take time to cultivate a new cave.
"If my speculation is correct, I should be able to add a few more anchor points," Li Fan's eyes gleamed coldly. "Finding the newborn cave sky will be difficult, but the Xuanhuang Realm is vast… If necessary, I can even annihilate a cave sky and reshape it. That's also an option."
In his past, Li Fan had sought monks' Golden Elixirs to increase anchor points, which had inadvertently led him to encounter Ruo Mu. Now, with the Xuanhuang Realm's resources at his disposal, he could destroy the Dongtian at will. Not arrogance—simply the truth: few in Xuanhuang Realm could truly challenge him.
Meanwhile, Master Qiaogong had made an exciting breakthrough of his own. He approached Li Fan, eager to use the Source Power Essence.
"Thanks to fellow Daoist Fang, despite some limitations in weapon refining, his mind is completely unconstrained," Qiaogong said excitedly. "I've prepared a preliminary plan to refine Tianyang's body. Just wait and see!"
He gestured toward the void. A towering puppet figure clad in black metal armor appeared, its design partially modeled after the Ancestor and shaped according to Tianyang's wishes.
"The appearance can change freely, but that's not the main point," Qiaogong continued. He expanded the image, revealing the puppet's internal structure. Channels resembling human blood vessels spread throughout its body, and golden Source Power Essence surged like an unending river.
"The key difference between immortal puppets and mortal ones is their ability to absorb external forces, continuously evolve, and become stronger like living beings."
"Since Tianyang's body can simultaneously function as an object and host a monk's spirit, he has met the hardest condition to become an immortal puppet. Now, we just need to refine him step by step."
Li Fan frowned. "Is this just material stacking? Can it actually enhance Tianyang's power? He's a Hedao practitioner now—after refinement, how far can he go?"
Qiaogong's confidence never wavered. "Absolutely no problem! Tianyang's current state is like a monk ready for promotion but lacking resources. He possesses the body of a puppet and the spiritual wisdom of a monk. Since there's already a path to immortal puppet, why bother seeking new methods in Xuanhuang Realm?"
Li Fan's eyes brightened as understanding dawned. Normally, monks in Xuanhuang Realm were constrained by rules set by the Heavenly Lord of Transmission. But Tianyang, as half-monk, half-puppet, could progress through two different promotion paths—monk or artifact—simultaneously.
Qiaogong's excitement grew. "Once completed, it's uncertain how strong he will become, but he will definitely not be weaker than Xuanhuang Realm's immortal monks."
Li Fan nodded. "Then proceed."
He handed over a body suffused with golden Source Power Essence to Qiaogong, who immediately examined it with interest.
"If your idea works, it means we could mass-produce immortality-level combatants," Qiaogong murmured. "With this refinement, anyone with strong perseverance could become a half-puppet, half-monk, then be upgraded using the essence of source power…"
Li Fan raised an eyebrow.
Qiaogong, still focused on Tianyang, paused before shaking his head. "It's not that simple. The Incarnation Dao Cultivation Technique is extremely difficult. Transforming the body into an object—or puppet—can cause one to lose their human nature entirely. Only those with extraordinary willpower and spirit can survive. Tianyang's perseverance is rare in this world."
Li Fan recalled the [Eternal Remembrance] in Tianyang's bones and silently nodded.
Qiaogong then emphasized the greater restriction: "The essence of source power. What you brought is valuable, but it barely meets the basic refining requirement. The gap between mortals and immortals is immense. Even ten times this amount might not suffice. Refining a single puppet consumes enormous energy. That's why large-scale production is necessary."
Li Fan, however, remained unconcerned. With sufficient resources and people of strong will, source power essence could be accumulated over time. Immortality-level enforcers could be cultivated, and the effort would pay off.
The only concern: whether large-scale use of Source Power Essence might attract the attention of a Faceless True Immortal. In theory, they should not care about source power, but the Flower of Dao remained closely linked to the Root of Dao that true immortals pursued. If the energy reached a certain magnitude, even a True Immortal might take notice.