Chapter 385: Wood Water Generates Decay
"Biological Age: 882/899."
Working tirelessly, Li Fan glanced at the Anchor Point panel.
The consecutive selfless efforts were not without cost.
When Li Fan emerged from the state of complete immersion, akin to enlightenment, in the formation process.
An uncontrollable sense of weakness surged up.
Under extreme pressure, his biological age increased rapidly.
Now, Li Fan truly reached the end of his life.
"It's time to rest."
This thought involuntarily popped into his mind.
But immediately, he regarded it as the main material for the Reverse Training Dao Heart.
Suppressing all slackness and exhaustion.
"If I don't push myself harder, how can I seek transcendence in this extremely dangerous cultivation world?"
Li Fan said to himself inwardly, then rallied his spirits, forcing his aging self to burn the last moments of his life, once again engaging in the formation work.
The expressions and reactions of Yan Hang and others below were all within Li Fan's expectations.
In fact, they didn't need to report to him.
When Li Fan applied to cross-regional work with the Recording Tablet just now, he had already explained his current physical condition to Qi Buyi.
After Qi Buyi's unsuccessful persuasion, he readily agreed to Li Fan's request.
"Theoretically, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance should extend my lifespan. But nothing is absolute, I also need to prepare for the unexpected moves of the Alliance."
"Fortunately, I have contributed enough, and there is still a Longevity Fruit left. When necessary, whether to buy or exchange, I can also find some life-extending items. Striving for a bit more time in this world."
...
After Yan Hang and the others submitted their report, it seemed to sink without a trace, without any ripples.
While the Five-Person Group was puzzled and disappointed, Li Fan himself seemed unaffected, earning their increasing admiration.
So, amidst the calmness, another half year passed.
On this day, the serene Water Subworld suddenly underwent a drastic change.
The azure water world unexpectedly trembled violently without warning.
Caught off guard, Li Fan's formation process was forcibly interrupted.
Subconsciously wanting to observe what was happening around, but feeling like the whole world was spinning, dizzy and unable to do so.
Fortunately, Yan Hang and the others reacted very quickly.
The moment the mutation occurred, they flew to Li Fan's side, taking out various protective treasures to surround and shield him in the center.
Within the protective barrier formed by layers of radiance, they finally managed to somewhat isolate the impact of the external upheaval.
Only then did Li Fan see clearly what was happening in this water-attributed Subworld.
The straight line where water and wood intersected seemed to be squeezed by a tremendous force at this moment.
Creating a wave-like distortion.
The perpetually calm water surface was now churning with towering waves.
Rising high into the sky, it connected with the invading wood-attributed Subworld above.
Amidst the immense, thunderous friction, the giant inverted tree above the heads of everyone seemed even closer.
The pointed branches continuously extended downwards, becoming incomplete and desolate upon touching the water Subworld.
But this only slightly slowed down their growth momentum, as they still steadfastly pierced through the boundary between the two realms.
The originally pure and tranquil water-attributed spiritual energy between heaven and earth gradually became chaotic.
Li Fan and the others watched solemnly as the drastic changes unfolded in the Subworld.
However, they had already received a reminder from Qi Buyi through the Recording Tablet.
"Everyone, don't panic, this is a sign of further development of the Five Elements Integration."
"It's progressing even faster than we expected. It seems everyone needs to speed up their progress."
"Be cautious of the changes that may occur when the two realms intersect. Report promptly if you encounter any special situations."
...
Once change occurs, there's no stopping its momentum.
However, human adaptability is also terrifyingly strong.
Soon, Li Fan and the others became accustomed to working in the environment of occasional surging waves and thunderous friction.
For them, these disturbances affected their state of mind at most, but posed no actual threat.
The real danger came from the strange creatures born during the fusion of the water and wood realms.
These were monsters formed from the fallen debris of the inverted giant tree that had mixed with both water and wood attributes after falling into the water Subworld.
They came in various shapes, all composed of withered wooden bodies.
The azure water flowed incessantly on the surface of their wooden bodies, resembling blood visible on their exterior.
They possessed extremely aggressive attacks and were highly sensitive to the aura of cultivators.
Even if separated by thousands of miles, they would spontaneously seek out the nearest cultivator to attack.
The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had tried many methods, but so far, none have been effective.
Thus, combat became inevitable.
Although the bodies of these monsters resembled withered wood, their texture was unexpectedly hard.
Even the full force of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator's attack could only leave superficial wounds on them.
Fortunately, their method of combat was rather crude, and their numbers were relatively scarce.
The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance usually operated in groups of several people, engaging in collective actions.
Relying on numerical superiority and excellent equipment to suppress them.
By expending some time, they could eliminate the monsters without much danger.
After each battle, Yan Hang and the others would meticulously report the process through the Recording Tablet.
After collecting numerous data, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance also compiled the tactics for fighting these monsters and distributed them to every cultivator.
In various Subworlds, due to the different attributes involved in the fusion, different types of monsters appeared.
The type of monster encountered by Li Fan and his group, where wood and water were merged with wood dominating, was named "Decaying Wood".
There were two most effective methods to deal with Decaying Wood.
One was fire-attributed techniques. Under the scorching flames, burning wood and boiling water would turn Decaying Wood into flying ashes.
The second was separation-type techniques.
Completely separate the flowing blue water from the body of Decaying Wood.
Decaying Wood would then collapse on its own, transforming from a terrifying and ferocious monster into pure wood and water energy in the blink of an eye.
The separation technique was not only useful against Decaying Wood but also remarkably effective when dealing with monsters of other merged attributes.
Unfortunately, it was too obscure, and only a few cultivators mastered it.
So, everyone had to rely on conventional techniques of various attributes to cope.
With the summarized battle strategies, the cultivators became more adept at dealing with the monsters generated in the Subworlds.
However, most cultivators still remained anxious.
On this day, another batch of withered wood debris fell, transforming into monsters resembling both humans and beasts, attacking Li Fan and his group.
Quickly, the Yan Hang Five-Person Group rushed to meet them.
While Li Fan set up formations, he observed the battle between the two sides.
"Compared to the initial encounters, these Decaying Woods have indeed made significant progress in their combat methods and techniques."
"These individuals separated from the inverted tree seem to possess a collective consciousness."
Watching the intense battle not far away, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a sense of astonishment.
"This is just a fusion of wood and water attributes. If another one or even several more attributes are added, wouldn't the monsters become even more formidable?"