Chapter 688: A Hundred Flowers Bloom In Tianling

"It simply extracts and amplifies the effect of the demonic beast bloodline within me, and I absorb the result. It doesn't change my physical body.

"As for my ancestor, I don't even know which demonic beast it was. I have no other special abilities, though my body is particularly good at taking a beating." Dongfang Yao spoke with a hint of pride.

"As long as you can't kill me, I recover in just a few breaths." He patted his chest, producing a resounding thump-thump.

"The legacy of your predecessors, and your own good fortune…" Li Fan sighed, shaking his head.

After a moment, Li Fan asked again, "Fellow Daoist, it seems you are not far from breaking through to the Spirit Transformation realm. Do you intend to advance here?"

"No, no. I came here for two reasons: first, to temper my body; second, to contemplate this World Breach." Dongfang Yao spoke with ease. "My defenses are extremely strong, but I lack offensive methods. Once a fight breaks out, I can only be a punching bag. Isn't that infuriating? So I found this place. It suits me perfectly."

"World Breach..." A barely noticeable glint flickered in Li Fan's eyes. "You've mentioned that term several times. Does it mean something in particular?"

Dongfang Yao shrugged. "I don't know the specifics. But from the vague memories my ancestors passed down, I know something like a scar of the Xuanhuang World lies here. It's several times more dangerous than ordinary spatial rifts.

"And..." He paused.

"Before I came, I made some inquiries. Cultivators occasionally witness a wondrous scene within this great whirlpool: a colossal pillar of light erupts from the center, piercing through heaven and earth, and the entire world trembles as the wind and clouds shift hues.

"This magnificent sight lasts only a few breaths before it vanishes, without a single trace left behind, as though the pillar of light were an illusion. Some say it's a Time Mirage, an event that truly happened thousands of years ago. I don't quite understand it myself."

Dongfang Yao seemed to have no guile. He told Li Fan everything he knew.

"I understand something of Time Mirages." Li Fan's gaze shifted slightly as he began to explain.

"When specific conditions are met, this world can record a scene, and that scene manifests repeatedly at particular points in time..."

Dongfang Yao's eyes lit with realization. "So that pillar of light tore through the Xuanhuang World’s boundary and created this great whirlpool? Remarkable! If I could comprehend even a fraction of its power..."

Excitement flashed across his face as he spoke.

When the black fissures erupted again, he howled and charged back into the center of the vortex.

Southern Abyss Sacred Beast Mountain, World-Breaching Divine Armament...

If that's true, then a similar scar of the Xuanhuang World should exist at the former site of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Perhaps I can ask Shuo Feng for the exact location where he found Sword.

While Dongfang Yao comprehended the power of the World Breach, Li Fan did more than watch.

Formless Killing Mechanism had already locked onto Dongfang Yao.

Li Fan lacked the physical strength to charge recklessly into the center of the vortex the way Dongfang Yao did, but he could still observe and study the power of the World Breach through Dongfang Yao's perspective.

Interesting. It resembles the power produced by five elements convergence. No wonder Time Mirages appear here too.

While Li Fan's true self stood outside the great whirlpool, comprehending the Dao amid the wind and rain, his avatar had already arrived in Tianling City.

Xu Bai's peerless beauty drew every eye that passed, but his expression stayed aloof, and his robes marked him as someone of status.

For the moment, no cultivator dared strike up a conversation with him.

He simply strolled through Tianling City at his leisure.

In time, word of the Tianling Flower spread through the entire Myriad Immortals Alliance.

What had once been a niche interest circulating among specific circles was niche no longer. First came Li Fan's bounty offer of a longevity treasure. Then Shuo Feng and Lu Xuejing sent people to make inquiries. All the while, the scattered disciples of the Medicine King Sect quietly fanned the flames from the shadows.

With so many forces working in concert, almost any cultivator not completely cut off from the external world had heard something of the Tianling Flower.

After so long, with the combined efforts of all parties, the world finally accepted an unwelcome truth:

No more Tianling Flowers were left in the world.

The bloody war between the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council had felled countless cultivators, and the entire province had been steeped in bloodshed.

The Tianling Flower, born from the spirit of heaven and earth, sensed the shift. Now a faint, red tinge of bloody aura stained the landscape of each petal.

"A blasphemy against beauty, an insult to elegance!"

"Alas, what do we gain from all this war and fighting? In the end, cultivators die in vain, and the world is no longer as beautiful as it once was. Peace was hard-won. We must cherish it, Fellow Daoists. Let's not ignite conflict again!"

Some lamented; others reflected.

But some saw only an opportunity.

"Though the original Tianling Flowers are gone, this flower of mine carries barely any blood aura. It's almost imperceptible, scarcely different from the seeds of that bygone era. Fellow Daoists, if you're interested, come see for yourselves."

As its fame skyrocketed, so did the value of the Tianling Flower.

Certain sharp-eyed cultivators seized the opportunity to speculate, carefully selecting varieties with minimal blood aura to sell. After all, with the original seeds gone, substitutes still had their worth.

Not many cultivators were willing to pay for them, but the Myriad Immortals Alliance held a vast population, and the annual yield of Tianling Flowers stayed fixed, with the less bloody ones especially rare. Prices climbed higher and higher.

Tianling City, somewhat desolate after the great war, grew bustling once more.

Some came for the spectacle, hoping to feast their eyes. Others arrived hoping to speculate and profit.

The merchants selling Tianling Flowers innovated too, creating a brand-new game.

In their shops, they displayed Tianling Flowers that had not yet bloomed.

Customers could try their luck, betting on how much blood aura the petals would reveal once the flower opened.

Anyone fortunate enough to pick a flower with very little blood aura could resell it for several times the price.

Of course, most buyers took a crippling loss.

But the world never lacked cultivators who believed in their own luck, and these tightly budded Tianling Flowers sold out almost as soon as they hit the shelves.

Luck, is it...

Xu Bai stood within the crowd, a faint smile touching his lips.

He reached out and chose a stem at random.

"Shopkeeper, I'll take this one."

After paying with spirit stones, Xu Bai didn't take it away. Instead, he waited patiently for the flower to bloom.