At this moment, the Tianyang Puppet was still acting purely on instinct.
It took Li Fan quite some effort to teach it how to use the Return to Origin Formation to temper and strengthen itself.
Fortunately, Tianyang was entirely obedient to his senior brother, Li Fan.
Even the most clumsy student will eventually learn with enough practice.
Seeing Tianyang gradually become more proficient, Li Fan felt a sense of relief.
"If someone comes to disturb you, don't kill them. Just capture and imprison them, and wait for me to return to deal with it."
"If you encounter someone you can't defeat, don't be reckless. Slip away quietly and meet up with me later to discuss our next move."
...
After giving Tianyang a few instructions, Li Fan flew out and sealed the cave.
"The strongest combat forces on the surface of Congyun Sea are just a few Soul Transformation True Monarch."
"Now that I have Junior Brother Tianyang backing me up, I can do a lot more."
Looking down at the unnamed island below, Li Fan smiled faintly. "From now on, I'll call you Shenhua Island."
"Once Tianyang completes his own repairs, I can also have him help refine mechanical puppets."
"If materials aren't scarce, creating a few Nascent Soul-level puppets shouldn't be too difficult."
"Although mechanical puppets can't be compared to true Nascent Soul cultivators, they are advantageous in that they don't tire and can overwhelm with sheer numbers."
The more Li Fan thought about it, the happier he felt.
After a while, he calmed himself and retrieved Tianyang's remains from his storage ring.
He still received the prompt that [Truth] could absorb it, but that familiar hunger was no longer there.
After considering it, Li Fan ultimately decided not to absorb it.
"I've already obtained everything I can from Tianyang's remnant memories. Absorbing it again wouldn't be very meaningful."
"It's better to keep it. Who knows, it might come in handy later."
Cultivators in the Xuanhuang Realm surely have ways to utilize Eternal Remnants Memories.
However, even in his previous life, when he reached the Level Thirty authority level, he hadn't found any relevant information.
Speaking of Eternal Remnants, Li Fan couldn't help but think of the skull of the first cultivator infected by the Mortal-immortal Plague that he had seen in his previous life.
"Maybe it was precisely because it was attached to an Eternal Remnant that it was placed at the center of the Divine Treasury Museum."
Collecting his thoughts, Li Fan did not return to Ten Thousand immortal Island but instead quietly arrived outside Liuli Island.
Finding the giant Liuli Fish, Li Fan concealed his aura and descended to the seabed.
He didn't act immediately but waited for something.
Time passed slowly, and when the moment arrived, matching the node in previous lifetimes when Li Fan re-entered the cultivation world and used the Formless Killing Intent to kill the Giant Liuli Fish, he replicated the process and retrieved the exquisite Luminous Azure Pearl.
With an ample supply of Enlightenment Pills now, the Liuli Pearl had become somewhat redundant.
But Li Fan didn't kill the giant Liuli Fish for the pearl.
He did it to ensure the attack on Lingwucao Island and the series of subsequent chain events would occur.
The reason for waiting until the anchor of the 8th year to act was to avoid the impact of any deviations from the time node.
Everything in the world is in a constant state of dynamic evolution, interconnected with one another.
His early arrival in the Xuanhuang Realm was like a stone falling into a pond, affecting many things.
Li Fan couldn't guarantee that the events from previous lifetimes wouldn't change in this one.
All he could do was minimize the deviations as much as possible.
"Stirring up the Spirit Mist Grass incident is critical to the Tianling Continent war, True Monach Jicheng's bounty, and the emergence of the Tianxuan Spirit Lock Formation."
"It must not fail."
"If it really doesn't work..."
The giant Liuli Fish was reduced to nothing in an instant, with streams of blood drifting upward.
A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
After finishing this task, Li Fan made another trip, collecting two blue-blooded corals.
Although that bit of contribution was insignificant to Li Fan now, it allowed him to connect with Chen Ying, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Medicine Hall.
And this person would soon head to the Five Elements Great Cave Heaven.
As long as he used the *Formless Killing Intent* to monitor him, Li Fan would be the first to know when the Tianling Continent war erupted, giving him the opportunity to take advantage of the chaos.
Returning to the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan chose to submit the task.
He also inquired whether the other party was refining the Ice Intent Heartless Pill.
"Can you infer what pill I'm refining with just one main ingredient? Are you, by any chance, skilled in this field?" Chen Ying asked, curious.
As expected, his interest was piqued, and Chen Ying sent an inquiry.
"Haha, I don't know much about alchemy. I just know a bit about deducing and calculating." Li Fan replied with a smile.
"I wish to explore the Fallen Immortal Realm, and I have a feeling that the pill you are refining might be helpful. Hence, my inquiry."
Chen Ying exclaimed, "Is the art of deduction really that mysterious..."
"Wait, could you be that ancient cultivator from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect who woke up from slumber?"
At that moment, seeing Li Fan's name, Chen Ying suddenly recalled something and asked in surprise.
"Haha, that's me, but it's just an empty reputation. You don't need to take it seriously!" Li Fan responded humbly.
But Chen Ying was thoroughly intrigued.
He insisted on meeting Li Fan in person and even offered to give him some Ice Intent Heartless Pills for free.
Feigning reluctance, Li Fan eventually agreed.
They arranged to meet at Chen Ying's residence on Ten Thousand Immortal Island.
It was well known that cultivators could purchase caves on Ten Thousand Immortal Island to live in.
However, the price was not cheap.
None of the Congyun Sea cultivators Li Fan had befriended in previous lifetimes had indulged in such luxury.
Even Zhang Zhiliang hadn't splurged on a residence to enjoy himself.
"It seems alchemy is more profitable than formations," Li Fan mused as he arrived in front of Chen Ying's cave.
Sensing Li Fan's arrival, a green door suddenly opened.
What seemed like a simple, small residence from the outside turned out to be an entirely different world upon entering.
It was like stepping into a valley, where many different kinds of herbs and spiritual plants grew in the extensive spirit fields.
The concentration of spiritual energy in the valley wasn't particularly high, and Li Fan didn't see anyone tending to the plants.
Yet all these spiritual herbs and plants were thriving.
Li Fan guessed that it might have something to do with the layers of different colored restrictions that enveloped the spirit fields.
"Ah, Daoist Li Fan, you finally made it!" Chen Ying's hearty laughter echoed from afar.
Li Fan looked over and saw him emerging from a patch of crops taller than a person.
Ignoring his somewhat disheveled appearance, Chen Ying flew straight toward Li Fan.
"Eight Mystical Grass... but the ordinary kind isn't usually this tall."
"I've heard that Chen Ying is not only skilled in alchemy but also very adept at cultivating spiritual plants. Seeing it today, his reputation is well-deserved."
Li Fan's mind became more active.
"Daoist Chen Ying, it's a pleasure to meet you!" He greeted warmly with cupped hands.
Suddenly, his expression changed, and he stared intently at Chen Ying.
Chen Ying was taken aback and touched his face, feeling puzzled.
"What's the matter, Daoist Li Fan?"
Seeing Li Fan's serious expression, he couldn't help but ask.
"I observed your face and feared that you might face a bloody disaster in the near future!" Li Fan shook his head and said in a deep tone.