Chapter 700: The Life And Death Of Worlds

“We’ve finally escaped!”

Huangfu Song and Dongfang Yao’s relieved voices rang out beside Li Fan’s ear.

Li Fan turned to study them, and saw that they looked far more haggard compared to himself.

In the short time since he’d last seen them, they had aged considerably. Streaks of white had appeared in their hair bundles, and wrinkles had emerged on their faces.

“Brother Li, if it weren’t for you charging ahead and drawing away most of the death qi, Huangfu and I would probably have been finished here!” Dongfang Yao said, still shaken.

Huangfu Song nodded in agreement.

“You two should take another Longevity Pill. I still have some left.” Li Fan produced a jade vial, his face filled with pained reluctance. Yet without hesitation, he tilted it, pouring out the three remaining pills.

“I should have bought more from that man when I had the chance,” Li Fan sighed, handing two pills over to Huangfu and Dongfang.

The two men, seeing this, couldn’t help breaking into grateful smiles.

“I knew I hadn’t misjudged you!” After solemnly taking the last Longevity Pill, Dongfang Yao remarked, “Brother Li, you are a truly loyal brother for refusing to abandon us in a life-or-death crisis. People like you are rare in the Xuanhuang World!”

“It is our fortune to have your company, Brother Li,” Huangfu Song added after refining the Longevity Pill’s power and dispelling the negative effects of the death qi.

After a moment, he changed the subject, “By the way, Brother Li, where did you obtain these Longevity Pills? Their effect is extraordinary. I’ve already swallowed six in a row, and I can still feel their surging vitality. This is truly a divine medicine, yet I’ve never heard of it before.”

“I’m ashamed to say, I bought them from a cultivator I happened to meet in Tianyu City. At the time, I heard him boasting about how effective the pills were, but I was skeptical, so I didn’t purchase many. In the rush, I even forgot to keep his contact information,” Li Fan said, shaking his head regretfully.

Huangfu Song showed disappointment at this. “A pity. Once the Immortal Alliance officially implements the new policy, a divine medicine like this will surely spark a frenzy among cultivators. If we could have stocked up in advance...”

“We should first focus on how to get out of here. All we’ve done is escape the Silent Sea of Death; we haven’t successfully exited this Lost Domain yet,” Dongfang Yao interjected, cutting off Huangfu Song’s fantasy without mercy.

At these words, the three finally examined the azure blue sea around them. It was a stark contrast to the black, deathly silence they had just left.

It wasn’t just different; it was their polar opposite.

The previous sea was thick with death qi, difficult even for Spirit Transformation cultivators to resist. Here, it was like the morning sun, like youth, like all living things in spring.

All things burst forth, teeming with life.

It felt like a world just born, brimming with energy.

It subtly influenced the three intruders, making them feel “younger” in both mind and body.

“What’s your take, Brother Li?” Dongfang Yao asked.

Li Fan remained silent, pondering.

Huangfu Song offered his own speculation: “This Sea of Vitality may be one part of this Lost Domain, with the Silent Sea of Death as its other side. Two sides of the same coin.

"Then, correspondingly, there must exist a central node here as well. Life and death are different, so the two central nodes should not be in the same position in their respective worlds. If we just find the central node of this Sea of Vitality and pass through it, perhaps we can escape this Lost Domain."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Yao scratched his head. "Why wouldn’t we end up back in the Silent Sea of Death?"

Li Fan smiled, answering for Huangfu Song. "Because the array in this Lost Domain is the Life-Death Reversal Grand Array. Besides, given the concentration of death qi we saw in the Silent Sea of Death, if there truly was a place with such immense vitality connected to it, it would be as obvious as a single drop of ink falling into water. But we scoured that entire Silent Sea of Death and didn't encounter a single thread of life force. That means the exit of this blue Sea of Vitality isn't back there."

"Brother Li's thoughts align perfectly with my own!" Huangfu Song exclaimed in admiration.

"Fine, fine. Since you both say so, let's hurry up and find this so-called central node." With his two good brothers in agreement, Huangfu Song had no choice but to concede. He urged them to set out quickly.

This Sea of Vitality seemed to be an ordinary ocean. Aside from having a greater variety of sea creatures, nothing else was unusual about it.

As they traveled, the three encountered no danger at all. Everything went smoothly.

What delighted Huangfu Song was that exploring this place still counted as charting new territory within the White Mist. Their Qingxuan Points kept skyrocketing, which filled him with excitement. He declared they had come to the right place, having apparently forgotten the near-death crisis they had just escaped from.

Li Fan deliberately feigned a trace of happiness to fit in.

His true focus was on a different question.

Was this Sea of Vitality the goal of that Eternal Heavenly Venerable's experiment—the one who reversed life and death?

To create a brand new world of life from a world of extinction.

Elevating from the life and death of living beings to the life and death of worlds themselves. That is indeed a step further.

Who exactly is this powerhouse?

Li Fan felt that there might be other secrets hidden within this, but they were beyond his ability to speculate on for now.

If my guess is correct, then the Principle of Life and Death within heaven and earth has already been reversed by someone. At this point in time, Immortal Venerable Lan Yu, who also sought to reverse this principle to attain the Dao, has not yet feigned his own death and made his final gamble.

Perhaps I can profit from this somehow.

But it is a dangerous game, skinning a tiger. One must be cautious. Lan Yu has survived from the ancient cultivation world until now; he is no simple figure.

As Li Fan pondered these thoughts, the three of them finished exploring the entire Sea of Vitality.

And in the end, they did indeed find the location of the central node.

"Last time I let you take the lead, Brother Li. This time, let me go first." Sensing the faint, almost invisible whirlpool ahead, Dongfang Yao patted his chest and volunteered.

Li Fan naturally had no objection to this.

Huangfu Song also nodded, not competing with Dongfang Yao, and simply followed behind him.

Li Fan took the rear, and the three plunged into the whirlpool one after another.

The familiar White Mist surged in from all directions. This terrifying phenomena that could devour their very lifespan was now a welcome sight that filled all three with relief.

"We finally made it out alive!

"We earned over thirty thousand Qingxuan Points this time. No one in the entire Immortal Alliance could have gathered more than us!"

Huangfu Song raised the Heaven-Measuring Mirror immediately, eager to sync the recorded data to the Tianxuan Mirror.

Yet, the next moment, his face twisted in shock, and he let out a sharp cry.

"What happened? How did our Qingxuan Points reset to zero?"