Chapter 232: Endless Calamities

"Exceptional cultivation talent, huh..."

"Perhaps Third Senior Brother only wanted to encourage Tian Yang before he died."

"If Tian Yang's talent were truly astonishing, how could he have stopped at the Golden Core stage during his lifetime?"

"He needed to absorb and refine the earth's power for thousands of years just to barely achieve Soul Transformation."

"He took an unconventional approach and deviated from the norm. Although he eventually became a Soul Transformation cultivator, it definitely had nothing to do with extraordinary talent."

Li Fan shook his head and sighed to himself.

After a while, Li Fan began to summarize the information he had gained during this period.

Initially, when he first entered the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, he learned from Qin Tang and the Gu Daoist about a massive and extremely brutal war that occurred in ancient times.

Although he couldn't find any relevant records in the Tianxuan Mirror, possibly due to the influence of those powerhouses above to cause cultivators to forget tragedies, the horrifying war scenes mentioned in "Seeking Immortals" hinted at the existence of such a war.

From the Eternal Remembrance of Tian Yang, Li Fan gained a deeper understanding of the cruelty of this war.

Even the small mountain sects in the cultivation world at that time were almost completely annihilated.

It could be imagined how devastating this war was.

Who were the two sides in the war? And what were they fighting for?

Tian Yang's eldest senior brother, Si Xing, had disdainfully referred to the other side in the conflict as "barbarians."

But judging from the results, the strength of the opposing side was definitely not weak.

Although the Ten Great Immortal Sects ultimately emerged victorious, it could only be described as a disastrous victory.

Li Fan, having encountered powerful Dao Integration cultivators in his reincarnations, knew how terrifying they were.

However, during ancient times, Dao Integration powerhouses were not rare. In fact, they were quite numerous in those powerful sects.

Not to mention, the Ten Great Immortal Sects undoubtedly had the presence of Longevity Immortals.

Just thinking about it made it clear that when these sects united, they formed a formidable force.

What kind of enemy could push cultivators to such a desperate situation? Li Fan was full of doubts.

The truth was hidden in the fog of history. Even with so many opportunities, Li Fan had only glimpsed a small part of it.

To truly understand what happened back then, Li Fan needed more information.

Thinking of this, Li Fan quietly suppressed the scattered thoughts about the ancient war in his mind and turned his attention to another matter.

"In the 'Ancient War Era,' sects prospered. The alliance of the Ten Great Immortal Sects held absolute dominion over the entire cultivation world."

"Even in the jade slip left by Senior Brother Lian Chang, there is no record of the new law of plundering the heavens and earth."

"So it can be inferred that the Ancient War Era should have been before the Immortal Ancestor's teachings."

"Perhaps it was precisely because of this Ancient War that these ancient sects suffered significant damage to their vitality."

"The Immortal Ancestor's new law could only develop fully in the space created by this war."

"With the arrival of this reform period, the new law eventually replaced the old ones."

"However, over the years, the cultivation world returned to its former glory."

"Yet, as cultivators plundered the heavens and the earth, they faced the backlash of the heavens and the earth. Cultivators could not practice the same technique, and the 'Great Calamity Era' suddenly arrived."

"In the early stages of the Great Calamity Era, inevitable conflicts occurred, but the overall order could still be maintained."

"But as time passed, more and more cultivators approached their lifespan limits, and collapse became inevitable."

"At this critical moment, the Immortal-Mortal Miasma erupted. This is what they call the 'Great Plague Era.'"

"Faced with the threat of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, cultivators had to temporarily halt the mutual slaughter and seek ways to solve the problem of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma."

"The mass slaughter of mortals was ineffective, so they could only relocate them to nearby subworlds."

"When this world was devoid of mortals, the problem of Immortal-Mortal Miasma was completely resolved."

"True chaos and slaughter arrived. The orthodox order of the cultivation world, which had lasted for countless years, collapsed overnight. Everything fell apart, and cultivators became like ants, struggling for survival."

"This period was the 'Great Dark Age.'"

"Even the darkest days will always pass. When the number of cultivators dropped to a minimum, the slaughter finally ceased."

"At this point, the cultivation world had already become a Desolate. Only solitary cultivators, who had survived the Great Dark Age, lived in this desolate land."

"This period can be referred to as the 'Desolate Age.'"

"After that, the establishment of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association heralded the emergence of a new cultivation order in the Xuanhuang Realm."

Li Fan organized various observations since entering the cultivation world.

A clear historical progression slowly emerged.

"The vitality of the cultivator civilization is truly tenacious." Li Fan couldn't help but sigh.

"Even after experiencing so many calamities, after nearly going extinct, they can still sprout and grow anew from the ruins."

Thinking ahead, Li Fan realized that his future opponents might be old monsters who had survived each of those calamitous periods one after another.

Li Fan couldn't help but feel his scalp tingling.

However, he was fearless.

"I can fail countless times."

"But no matter what cultivation level you guys are at, as long as you guys fail once, you guys have completely lost."

"What do I have to fear?"

"I will execute those who obstruct my longevity."

Li Fan had already understood that this new order in the Xuanhuang Realm was somewhat similar to the fish gambling.

Just becoming the new fish king was not enough to survive.

He also had to evade the collective hunting of those ancient fish kings who were watching eagerly before he could truly have the qualifications to control his destiny.

His thoughts gradually calmed.

The world of [Truth]'s simulation was not over yet.

Li Fan speculated that Tian Yang's 'plot' had not yet concluded.

Moreover, in this world similar to the Fallen Immortal Realm, time flow was not consistent with the real world.

Li Fan was in no hurry to leave.

He decided to stay in the cave and use Tian Yang's body to cultivate the Ancient Body Transformation Dao.

Practicing the ancient method was a novel experience for Li Fan.

Unlike the direct and brutal nature of the new law, the old method emphasized understanding the cultivation technique itself and contemplating the Dao.

Compared to the mechanical and repetitive cultivation process of the new law, Li Fan found the practice of the old method to be more enjoyable.

Of course, this was because Li Fan's current body could cultivate.

For an ordinary person without the aptitude for cultivation, it would not be so enjoyable.

Without the need for rare Heavenly Treasures, Li Fan broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage after reaching perfection of Qi Condensation.

Following a natural progression, Li Fan advanced rapidly, reaching the mid-Foundation Establishment, late-Foundation Establishment...

Until he finally stopped after achieving the perfection of Foundation Establishment.