Chapter 584: 556
After seeing Han Yi off, Li Fan turned his gaze towards the southwest.
His gaze seemed to cross thousands of miles, landing on a deep trench at the bottom of the ocean.
This was where Han Yi had first emerged after his hasty escape from the Small World.
“A Small World without mortals, only the Beast Species…” Li Fan frowned slightly.
According to Han Yi’s recollections, Li Fan surmised that the creatures in that Small World resembled the Beast Species he’d encountered several times before; beings that were half-human, half-beast.
But there were subtle differences.
Even though they were a blend of human and Demonic Beast, the “human” part was more prominent in the Beast Species.
The creatures that Han Yi had encountered in that Small World, however, leaned more towards “Demonic Beasts.”
This could be discerned by whether they had a human head or a beast head.
What was even more intriguing, according to the legends Han Yi had heard about that world…
In the beginning, the majority of the inhabitants of the wilderness were half-beast, half-human. There were also quite a few who were wholly “human”.
But as time passed, their descendants occasionally exhibited mutations with a higher degree of beast-transformation.
At first, these mutants were deemed heretical and were abandoned, or even hunted.
However, some of these mutants survived and demonstrated formidable power.
Things started to change.
They slaughtered their previous villages and migrated deeper into the wilderness, establishing a new order.
There, the higher one’s degree of beast-transformation, the higher their status.
The stark differences in ideology inevitably led to war.
In the wilderness, strength was respected. Individuals with high levels of beast-transformation obviously possessed more strength than the ordinary breeds.
Although the mutants were initially outnumbered, causing the battles to remain inconclusive…
Over time, as the number of mutants increased, they started to display an overwhelming prowess in the war.
After the bloody killings, the dissenters naturally disappeared.
And so, the wilderness transformed to the one Han Yi saw, a place where “beasts were revered, and humans were heretical.”
“Maybe it’s related to some fallback options Emperor One prepared for the Demon Clan. But it seems, his plan has failed.”
“Once the bloodline of the Demonic Beasts was stimulated, it was much stronger than ordinary humans.”
Li Fan then thought of the divine entity in that world.
The Heavenly Mandate Mystic Bird.
Though there were other beings within the Mystic Bird Tribe…
When Li Fan saw the statue of the divine entity, a strange feeling arose within him.
This Heavenly Mandate Mystic Bird was none other than “Little Black”, the bird he had possessed in the Fallen Immortal Realm and which had once followed Xu Ke around.
There was no solid evidence, perhaps it was just a peculiar resonance due to the fact that Li Fan had once possessed it.
“It actually perished?”
“Strange.”
“Even a mere Azure Luan Bird is still alive and well. There is no reason why a Mystic Bird, which merged with the destiny of a Small World, should have perished first.”
Li Fan frowned, puzzled.
After a moment of thought, he eventually came to acceptance.
In humans, strength often symbolized long life.
However, this logic didn’t necessarily apply within the Demonic Beast Tribe.
Although interested in that Small World, Li Fan knew that now was not the time for exploration.
Does not belittle the danger of that Small World, just because Han Yi, as a Perfect Energy Cultivator who cannot harness Spiritual Power, was causing a storm there.
Remember, Han Yi, with the Fate Scripture of Heaven to manipulate the loose Heaven’s Fortune, is essentially half a Son of Destiny.
Naturally, he would turn calamities into blessings, and dangers into opportunities.
If Li Fan were to act rashly and enter without the means to utilize Heaven’s Fortune, who knows what kind of bad luck he might encounter?
Upon entering, one might run into a thousand-year-old Demon in the heart of the wilderness.
After all, the premonition of danger Li Fan suddenly had when he intended to follow Han Yi into the abyss was not ungrounded.
Before he had learned the method to manipulate Heaven’s Fortune, Li Fan would not take the risk of entering into unknown dangers.
“No matter, I will soon learn what happened back then in the Fallen Immortal Realm.”
Li Fan withdrew his gaze and headed towards the nearest Guard Island.
Soon, he arrived at ChongWu Island.
The guard of Chongwu Island was named Huang Ranqi, at the Final Stage Foundation Establishment.
As a nominal subordinate, Li Fan had a bit of information about him.
He was a man who was pedantic about trivial matters, but utterly confused about important ones. He made small mistakes frequently and was insatiably greedy.
Clearly he was the perfect choice.
Hiding his true cultivation level and only revealing the aura of the Perfect Stage Foundation Establishment, Li Fan made his visit.
“Fellow Daoist, what is your name?” Huang Ranqi handed over a cup of tea with an amiable smile.
At that moment, Li Fan was in his original appearance, not in the guise of an “Ancient Tianji Cultivator”, so Huang Ranqi naturally did not recognize him.
Li Fan cupped his hands in salutation: “My name is Li Fan!”
“Cough, cough…” Upon hearing Li Fan’s words, Huang Ranqi, who had been leisurely sipping his tea, almost spat out the liquid in his mouth.
He coughed intensely to alleviate his embarrassment.
After a moment, Huang Ranqi asked incredulously, “So, your name is also Li Fan?”
Li Fan, upon hearing this, looked puzzled and asked curiously, “Why does Huang Daoist say ‘also’? What do you mean by ‘also’?”
“Could it be that you too know a cultivator named Li Fan?” He soon seemed to understand and exclaimed in surprise.
“Hehe, could it be that you’ve been secluded in cultivation for many years and have not come out? Even the title of the Emissary, you don’t know?” Huang Ranqi squinted his eyes and scrutinized Li Fan carefully.
“You’re right! I used to be a Loose Cultivator in the Misthaven Sea. A few years ago, I went out in search of opportunities to break through. However, I accidentally got lost in a dangerous Small World and it wasn’t till recently that I managed to escape.” Li Fan shook his head, implying a mix of emotions.
As he said this, he vividly described to Huang Ranqi his experiences in the Small World.
“No spiritual energy, but a plethora of Demonic Beasts everywhere?” Huang Ranqi was indeed captivated by the peculiar scenes Li Fan described.
“For someone to survive in such a dangerous place, you must have extraordinary luck.” He also remarked.
Li Fan nodded in response, “You’re absolutely right. It’s during these life-and-death moments that one often has epiphanies. So not long after I came back, I succeeded in breaking through my bottleneck and achieved Perfect Stage Foundation Establishment.”
“As I’ve said before, I used to be a loose cultivator. I didn’t want to join the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals because I desired ‘freedom’, rather than being overworked. However, after experiencing this great disaster, I had a change of heart. As long as one can survive, ‘freedom’ is really nothing!”
Li Fan said sincerely, “So, I would like to ask you to recommend me!”
Huang Ranqi contemplated for a while, examining Li Fan up and down, but did not agree immediately.
“I heard that recently there’s been tension between the Five Elders Organization and our Alliance of Thousands of Immortals, often leading to conflicts. Are you by any chance a spy sent by the Five Elders Organization?”
Huang Ranqi suddenly asked.