Freedom came abruptly, but the crisis was far from over.

The Lifespan-Devouring White Mist ceaselessly consumed Li Fan's lifespan, even more ferociously than it had within the Lost Domain.

Amidst the boundless White Fog, Li Fan once again sensed the location of the Severed Hand Immortal City.

He immediately pushed the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning Evasion technique to its limit, streaking toward it like a comet.

Just as Li Fan was putting increasing distance between himself and the Lost Domain that held the "Chaos" Stone, a faint, inexplicable fluctuation, eerily similar to the one previously emitted by the stone fragment, emanated from behind him.

The endless, vast White Mist seemed to ripple slightly in response.

Hmm?

Li Fan didn’t turn around, but he could tell the "Chaos" Stone Lost Domain was slowly disappearing, or perhaps concealing itself. Either way, he had no time to worry about that now.

The Eternal Immortal Fortress was still far away, and the Lifespan-Devouring White Mist was gnawing away at him without pause, driving his biological age up at a horrifying pace. The nearer he got to the Roaring Abyss, the faster his vitality drained. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

156, 178, 193...

He watched the figures jump across Return to Truth’s panel, and a long-forgotten weakness surged back. The sudden aging made him feel as though he’d become that withered old Grand Preceptor of Great Xuan again.

The fortress was almost within reach, yet by his calculations, what little lifespan he had left wouldn’t be enough to cover the last stretch.

A hard decision flashed through his mind. Without hesitating, he pulled out the Rebirth Longevity Fruit from his storage ring and swallowed it.

A flood of vitality burst from his abdomen, rushing through his body like a raging torrent. The heaviness of age and frailty vanished at once, and his biological age limit jumped from 599 to 899.

Reenergized, Li Fan didn’t dare waste a second. He streaked ahead like a bolt of purple lightning, cutting through the White Mist and charging straight toward Severed Hand Immortal City.

Even though the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning Evasion I learned from Senior Brother Zhang is faster than any movement art I’ve seen in the Myriad Immortals Alliance, it’s still not fast enough!

Without the accompanying Purple Firmament Thunder Invocation Art, it’s ultimately incomplete. It’s fine most of the time, but in a desperate, life-or-death sprint like this, the value of speed becomes painfully clear.

264, 378, 492...

As the numbers soared, his face gradually shifted from a youthful scholar’s to that of a middle-aged man. Yet his mind remained icy and calm, untouched by the rapid loss of years.

If I have the chance, I must get a top-tier escape technique.

Besides the Derivation Jade, Zhong Shentong’s multicolored divine light also seems worth pursuing.

To reach Nascent Soul-level speed while still only at Foundation Establishment...

Thinking of Zhong Shentong’s feats, Li Fan closed in on the Eternal Immortal Fortress.

567, 689, 734...

“Who goes there!?”

A furious shout burst from within the severed bluestone hand, punching through the White Mist and striking Li Fan head-on. His speed immediately faltered.

Cursing inwardly, he etched that voice into his memory. Keeping his expression steady, he called out clearly and evenly, “I am Li Fan, a Golden Core array master under Dean Ji. I’ve been assigned to assist with constructing the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array at the Roaring Abyss. Help!”

At the same time, he drew a severed bluestone finger from his sleeve—the token Leng Yingyi had left him.

This item was how Li Fan was able to lock onto the position of the Eternal Immortal Fortress with absolute precision, despite the dual assault of the endless White Mist and the demonic sound tide.

"What?" A trace of surprise and alarm colored the voice.

Li Fan accelerated once more, flying toward the torn wrist of the severed hand.

His earlier cry for help had indeed worked—the entrance was opened.

Li Fan shot forward like a bolt of lightning, crashing headlong into it.

The influence of the surrounding White Mist vanished instantly, and Li Fan's current biological age finally settled at 842/899.

He was now a man on his deathbed, approaching his final years.

A pervasive sense of weakness flooded his entire body. Li Fan couldn't even control his angle of descent; he plummeted straight to the ground, tumbling and skidding for a long time before slowly coming to a stop.

"Cough, cough..."

Just as Li Fan tried to speak, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and passed out completely.

Having made such a dramatic entrance into the Eternal Immortal Fortress while appearing on the verge of death, he naturally drew everyone’s attention at once.

It just so happened that the Eternal Immortal Fortress had been isolated by the great sound tide for some time, which fueled countless whispers in the shadows.

Theories ran wild.

Some even swore with absolute certainty that this demonic sound tide was entirely a plot by the Five Elders Council.

Now that the Five Elders Council had turned the tide of battle, the Myriad Immortals Alliance was retreating on all fronts.

There were fears that the Eternal Immortal Fortress would change hands any day now.

Fortunately, the master of the Severed Hand Immortal City, Junior Lord Shang, made an appearance and promptly suppressed these increasingly outlandish rumors.

The rumor-mongers were hung in the air above the city center, whipped day and night as a warning to others.

***

Within utter darkness.

Though Li Fan’s body lay unconscious, his mind had never been so lucid.

It was a profoundly paradoxical condition.

Yet, like simultaneously experiencing the strength of youth and the weakness of old age, it was unmistakably real.

The weakness, of course, came from his current body; nearly at the end of its lifespan, its “oil” was almost burned out, not far from its final limit.

The strength, however, came from his soul.

After enduring countless trials, repeatedly skirting death, and at last arriving at the Eternal Immortal Fortress, Li Fan had, in practical terms, fulfilled the requirements of “inversely refining the Dao Heart.”

The suffocating frustration and resentment in his chest suddenly vanished.

The great millstone that tempered his mind received an unprecedented surge of nourishment.

Drop after drop, a cold, icy essence seeped in to sustain his soul.

Within him rose a feeling of growth akin to breaking through to a new realm.

And this strengthening of the soul was not a one-off occurrence. It continued thereafter like a thin stream that never ran dry, steady and inexhaustible.

Deeds bring recompense. This is the reward for inversely refining my Dao Heart.

And I’m afraid the full act of inverse refinement won’t truly be concluded until I actually save those people from Outpost 01-11.

Even with a first-time bonus, the effects of this Xuanhuang Heart-Refinement Sutra are terrifyingly powerful.

Li Fan quietly savored the sensation of his soul steadily growing stronger. It made him feel as though he could abandon his flesh and persist in the world as a soul alone.

An indeterminate amount of time passed.

Sensing someone approaching his sleeping form, Li Fan focused his mind and willed his body to awaken.

The sensations of the body once again took precedence, and a wave of powerlessness washed over him in a sudden, heavy wave.

Li Fan coughed lightly, struggling to push himself upright.

"Fellow Daoist, you're awake?!" A member of the Qingxuan Garrison hurried over to support him. "Fellow Daoist Li Fan, we have already verified your identity with the Strategy Array Hall. What in the world happened? You should be at Outpost 01-11 right now. How did you return to the Eternal Immortal Fortress? And in this condition..."

The man seemed to have a belly full of questions, firing them off in a rapid barrage.

Li Fan, however, noticed something else. The moment he regained consciousness, a patch of shadow had coalesced in the corner of the room. It was almost imperceptible, but with his recently strengthened soul, Li Fan perceived it with perfect clarity.

Keeping his expression neutral, Li Fan slowly began to recount his ordeal.