173: Fight for the Immortal Source: The Old Monster's Test and Lin Fan's Counterattack

The anomaly of Burial Immortal Valley was like a red-hot iron thrown into a stagnant pool, completely disturbing the peace of the entire Cultivation World.

More and more powerful auras tore through the sky, descending upon the edge of this cursed land.

They were the old aristocratic families of Central Continent, the reclusive Loose Cultivators of the Northern Region, and the Demonic Path magnates of the Southern Border.

Every single one of them was a Soul Transformation Stage old monster who could make a region tremble with a stomp of their foot.

At this moment, however, they were all like wild dogs that had smelled blood, their eyes flickering with the same greed and anxiety, guarding against each other as they slowly infiltrated the valley.

These people were all elites among elites, and they quickly noticed another "anomaly" besides themselves.

That strange figure that repeatedly appeared and disappeared in the center of the destructive storm.

True Person Jueying's face was so grim that water could drip from it.

His secret technique to capture Lin Fan failed, not only causing him to suffer a backlash but also making him completely lose track of his target.

He realized that it was utterly impossible to monopolize this immense Opportunity by himself.

His gaze swept over the several old monsters whose auras were no weaker than his, and he instantly made a decision in his heart.

"Fellow Daoists, this place is perilous, and I'm sure you've all experienced it," True Person Jueying's voice, like the friction of metal and stone, spread throughout the area.

"The exotic treasure at the core cannot be coveted by a single person's strength."

"In this old man's opinion, why don't we temporarily join forces to first clear out these mutated beasts in the outer periphery of the valley, and then explore the source of that immortal light together? How about it?"

A burly man in scarlet armor, exuding a scorching aura, snorted coldly.

"Join forces? Jueying, what are you old fox planning? Don't think we don't know."

"There's clearly a strange thing floating in that immortal light. Are you trying to make us your cannon fodder to probe its reality?"

True Person Jueying's expression remained unchanged.

"Whether it's a pathfinder or a stepping stone depends on how you all think about it."

"That thing is immortal and indestructible, extremely bizarre, perfect for testing the dangers ahead."

"If it is destroyed by the Restrictions ahead, we will know to retreat."

"If it remains safe and sound, we can follow behind and reap the benefits of the fisherman."

"When the time comes to retrieve the treasure, we can each rely on our own abilities. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

This overt scheme directly targeted the deepest greed in people's hearts.

The several old monsters exchanged glances. Although they were still wary, a hint of tacit approval appeared in their eyes.

They knew very well that continuing to waste time like this would only deplete their magical power in vain, or even cost them their lives here.

Using that "immortal" monster to scout the way was undoubtedly the safest choice at present.

A silent Alliance was thus formed... And the protagonist of their calculations, Lin Fan, was completely immersed in his own world at this moment.

He naturally sensed the prying of those old monsters and even clearly heard their "overt scheme."

There wasn't a ripple in his Divine Soul.

He even felt like laughing a little.

Pathfinder?

You probably don't know that I am the top VIP player here.

Lin Fan's spirit was already highly concentrated.

He no longer passively drifted in the sea of energy, waiting for death to arrive, as he did before.

He began to actively plan his "death-seeking" route.

[Target locked: Three miles ahead, dense area of spatial cracks.]

[Estimated death gain: High probability of obtaining 'Spatial Law Fragment Comprehension'.]

[Risk assessment: Extremely high.]

[Execute!]

Lin Fan's "body," like a nimble fish, used the push of an energy tide to accurately rush towards that area.

There, spatial cracks invisible to the naked eye were densely packed like a spider web.

It was a recognized place of absolute death in this core region.

"He moved!"

"It's in that direction!"

True Person Jueying and the others were invigorated.

They immediately activated their magical power, and several massive torrents of energy, like roaring giant Dragons, pushed fiercely from behind towards Lin Fan, trying to send him into the spatial crack area faster.

They wanted to see if this "immortal" monster could still reassemble under such absolute cutting force.

However, just as those torrents of energy were about to hit Lin Fan.

Lin Fan's "body" suddenly sank downwards.

He deliberately collided with a twisted strange fish with metallic teeth that silently swam past from the Chaos below.

"Pfft."

His body was instantly bitten in half by the strange fish and torn to shreds.

[Detected being killed by 'Void Realm Maw', death method: physical tearing.]

[Triggered highest authority: Infinite Rebirth!]

A golden light flashed.

Lin Fan's figure re-condensed in another location.

And those terrifying torrents of energy jointly unleashed by True Person Jueying and the others, having lost their target, slammed fiercely into that spatial crack area.

"Boom!"

The collision of energy and spatial cracks triggered a violent chain reaction.

The Law of the entire area instantly ran wild.

Dark cracks, like enraged venomous snakes, spread madly in all directions, forcing True Person Jueying and the others into a frantic retreat.

"Damn it! He dodged it!"

"This thing seems to be able to predict danger!"

The old monsters' faces were ugly.

They didn't know that Lin Fan, relying on the Elementary ability of "Chaos Law Comprehension," had already calculated their attack trajectories and the energy flow of this area with perfect clarity.

He wasn't avoiding danger.

He was choosing the optimal "monster-grinding" method.

That previous death had given him another sliver of experience in "Chaos Law Comprehension."

Although he didn't get the spatial fragments he wanted, it was by no means a loss.

This composure, treating everyone as "experience packs," allowed Lin Fan's state of mind to reach an unprecedented sense of control.

However, just as he was feeling satisfied with his exquisite operation.

That omnipresent, chilling curse power seemed to be provoked by his activity, and its concentration suddenly increased.

This time, it no longer induced feelings of world-weariness.

Instead, it directly attacked the deepest fear within his heart, the one he had deliberately hidden.

After yet another "death," the golden light of Rebirth appeared but was slow to reshape him.

Lin Fan's consciousness plunged into an endless darkness and stillness.

No System prompts.

No energy flushing.

No pain.

Not even the sensation of time passing.

Only eternal, absolute "nothingness."

A voice, deep within his Divine Soul, echoed. That voice was his own.

"It's over."

"The so-called infinite Rebirth is just a dream."

"This is the final outcome."

"True, eternal death."

Images flashed through his consciousness.

A blue planet, bustling cities, office cubicles, the white hairs at his parents' temples... These were the long-sealed memories of his "past."

Safe, yet ordinary.

Real, yet distant.

An indescribable panic, like a cold tide, instantly engulfed his Divine Soul.

His greatest reliance, which he had always possessed, was stripped away.

His confidence in "courting death," that madness that scorned everything, was fragile and vulnerable under the shadow of "true death."

He had always warned himself to be cautious, to fear death.

Because he knew better than anyone that once the trump card of Rebirth failed, he would have nothing.

His Dao Heart, at this moment, experienced an unprecedented wavering... At the edge of the Forbidden Zone.

Beyond the grey mist.

Li Hanyue, sitting cross-legged, her eternally ice-cold, beautiful face suddenly lost all color.

Her body trembled violently, uncontrollably.

"Pfft."

A mouthful of fresh blood spilled from her lips, staining her moon-white long dress.

"Senior Sister!"

Zhao Linger and Su Meier were greatly alarmed and quickly stepped forward to support her.

Li Hanyue, however, seemed not to hear.

Her clear, cold eyes stared intently into the depths of Burial Immortal Valley, her pupils reflecting extreme terror and pain.

Just now.

Through the invisible Divine Soul link of the Dao Companion covenant, she felt a fluctuation more terrifying than any before.

It wasn't the searing pain of a Physical Body being torn apart.

It was an absolute "nothingness," a Divine Soul completely returning to stillness.

Lin Fan's aura had vanished.

Not severely wounded, not suppressed.

It had completely evaporated from the other end of that link.

As if this person had never existed in this world.

Her heart was clutched by a giant hand named "despair," then crushed, little by little.

No.

Impossible.

He promised he would return.

He couldn't die.

A never-before-felt, resolute and sharp will rose defiantly from Li Hanyue's crumbling Dao Heart.

That will, like a peerless divine sword forged for a thousand years, condensed all her beliefs, all her emotions.

She couldn't enter the Forbidden Zone, couldn't go to his side.

But she could send her "Dao," her "Sword," along that Divine Soul link, cutting upwards in reverse!

"Lin Fan!"

"Wake up!"

She used all her strength to let out the most mournful cry in her Divine Soul.

That cold and pure Sword Intent, carrying her unyielding will, transformed into an invisible stream of light, breaking through the barriers of time and space, breaking through the Chaos of Law, and fiercely piercing into the dark abyss named "Heart Demon" that had swallowed Lin Fan... In the darkness.

Just as Lin Fan's consciousness was about to completely sink.

A cool and familiar sharpness suddenly pierced into his Divine Soul.

That sharpness dispelled the stillness.

Bringing with it Li Hanyue's cold yet anxious aura.

He "saw" her pale yet incredibly resolute face.

He "heard" her heartbreaking cry.

Lin Fan's Divine Soul suddenly trembled.

What nonsense about true death!

I haven't even finished farming rewards, how could I die!

My Dao is a Dao that cannot be killed, a Dao that grows stronger the more it dies!

A mere illusion, and you think you can shake my foundation?

"Break, for me!"

A majestic Dao rhythm, mixed with the aura of destruction and immortality, erupted from the Origin of his Divine Soul.

The darkness that enveloped him, like ice and snow melting under the sun, instantly shattered inch by inch, crumbling to pieces.

[Warning! Detected host suffering a super-standard 'Heart Demon Curse' attack!]

[Host forcefully broke through the illusion with 'Indestructible Dao Rhythm', Dao Heart received extreme tempering!]

[Congratulations to host, gained a brand new comprehension of 'Cycle of Reincarnation'!]

[Congratulations to host, Indestructible Dao Rhythm has been promoted!]

The familiar System prompt, like heavenly music, sounded again.

Lin Fan's consciousness returned to the turbulent sea of energy.

The crisis, once again, was transformed into a huge Opportunity for him.

In his eyes, there was no longer any fear, only cold rationality and an even stronger desire for exploration... "Boom!"

A loud bang interrupted Lin Fan's comprehension.

Not far away, a Transformation Initial Stage Cultivator, who was too eager for quick success, could no longer hold back after seeing Lin Fan "disappear" for a long time, thinking he had finally been annihilated.

He risked rushing into a relatively safe area and saw a wisp of Immortal Realm Origin energy, as thin as a strand of hair, slowly seeping out from a crack in the ground.

His eyes red, he conjured a jade bottle Magic Treasure, desperately trying to collect it.

However, that wisp of energy, as if possessing life, instantly pierced through the jade bottle and directly drilled into his glabella.

"Ah—!"

The Cultivator let out a scream that was not human.

His body, like an inflated balloon, rapidly expanded.

Golden cracks appeared on his skin, and brilliant immortal light frantically shot out from the cracks.

He wanted to call for help, but couldn't even utter a single word.

The next moment, his body, under the gaze of all the Soul Transformation powerhouses, exploded with a roar.

There was no blood and gore.

His entire being, along with his Nascent Soul and Divine Soul, was completely "purified" and "evaporated" under that extremely pure power, turning into a dazzling mist of light that dissipated into the air.

A Soul Transformation mighty figure, just like that, was gone.

This scene was like a basin of ice water poured over their heads, extinguishing the flames in the hearts of all the old monsters present.

They finally deeply realized that this immortal Opportunity was highly poisonous.

And just as they were trembling with fear.

Lin Fan made a move that made their eyes almost pop out.

He actively approached another energy leakage point.

The Immortal Realm Origin energy there was several times richer than the one that had just killed the unlucky fellow.

Under everyone's gaze, Lin Fan's "body" directly and stiffly charged into that energy.

"Hiss..."

The familiar sound of dissolution echoed.

His body was "purified" again.

But this time, at the moment of Rebirth and reassembly, Lin Fan, relying on his already enhanced "Immortal Source Resistance" and "Immortal Source Affinity," actively guided a tiny wisp of Immortal Realm Origin into his Physical Body that was being reshaped.

An indescribable pain, accompanied by a tingling sensation of his Physical Body being tempered, came simultaneously.

[Absorbed a trace of Immortal Realm Origin, Indestructible Physique gained a slight enhancement.]

[Immortal Source Affinity experience +10.]

It worked!

Lin Fan was overjoyed.

He was no longer simply enduring the impact.

He began to "absorb" these deadly poisons, which others avoided, on a small scale, transforming them into his own nourishment.

As one diminished and the other grew, his advantage was expanding wildly like a snowball.

After an unknown number of "deaths" and Rebirths.

On the System panel, the long-awaited voice finally sounded.

[Congratulations to host, 'Curse Resistance' has been raised to max level!]

[Congratulations to host, 'Chaos Law Comprehension' accumulation has reached the critical value!]

Lin Fan could clearly feel that he was only one step away from completely mastering the secrets of this core of Burial Immortal Valley.

He needed a catalyst.

A more Advanced "experience pack" that would allow him to complete his final transformation.

He cast his gaze towards the deepest part of that chaotic energy vortex.

There, the immortal light was the strongest, and the Law was the most chaotic.

Just as he was about to delve deeper for the final sprint.

"Roar—!!!"

A strange roar, without any warning, suddenly came from the deepest part of the valley.

The sound was unlike any known living creature.

It carried a primal wildness and loneliness that spanned eons, and even more, a supreme majesty that brooked no intrusion.

Under this roar, the chaotic Law of the entire Burial Immortal Valley stalled.

All Soul Transformation Cultivators, including True Person Jueying, instantly turned pale, their hair standing on end.

An extreme fear, originating from the instinct of life, choked their throats.

It was as if a truly terrifying guardian, slumbering in the abyss of this Forbidden Ground, had been completely awakened by these uninvited guests.