Having collected the spiritual sand, Li Fan left the cavern and returned to the sea surface. With all the materials gathered, it was time to begin crafting his avatar. Naturally, this couldn't be done under the watchful eyes of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's Profound Mirror.
Li Fan pondered for a moment and continued flying westward. There, on an uninhabited island, lay a cave mansion once established by Sikong Yi. It had been concealed using the Heaven-Stealing Sun-Swapping Sect's methods, making it difficult for ordinary cultivators to detect. Sikong Yi had also hidden there to craft his own avatar. Thus, Li Fan decided to head to that cave mansion.
After flying for two more days, he was nearing the uninhabited island. Li Fan vaguely sensed someone's presence on the island, and his heart tightened. He concealed his presence and quietly approached.
"Strange, it should be on this island," a distant voice said, somewhat familiar. Li Fan focused his gaze and saw the sneaky figure of Jiao Xiuyuan. He was scratching his head with his left hand while staring at a square object in his right hand. The item resembled a compass, but its patterns and symbols were far more complex. A red light emanated from it, spreading around before returning with a "beep" sound.
"Impossible, I shouldn't have gotten the location wrong. But why isn't the Spirit Disc working?" Jiao Xiuyuan was puzzled.
"What are you looking for..." At that moment, Li Fan's voice suddenly rang out. Jiao Xiuyuan was startled, nearly dropping the Spirit Disc.
"Friend Sikong?" He turned around, looking at the figure obscured by a concealment talisman, whose appearance was unclear, and tentatively asked.
"Earlier, you sent people to sneakily follow us, intending to infiltrate my cave mansion while I was away?" Li Fan said coldly, his tone unfriendly.
Jiao Xiuyuan laughed awkwardly, "Misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding." His eyes darted around as he quickly asked, "Where is Friend Bai Li?"
Li Fan didn't answer, instead taking out the Green Wood Purple Fire Array Diagram and enveloping Jiao Xiuyuan. The purple fire blazed, and amidst Jiao Xiuyuan's screams, he turned to ashes. A scent akin to charred wood filled the air.
"Just as I thought, a puppet." Li Fan wasn't surprised. He looked at the uninhabited island below and activated the Heaven-Stealing Sun-Swapping Technique. He faintly sensed the presence of a hidden cave mansion within the island's forest. Flying over, he stopped in front of an ordinary-looking coconut tree. Gently touching it, he felt a pull as his aura resonated with it. Releasing his resistance, he was drawn into the tree.
Though called a cave mansion, it was quite simple, barely accommodating two people without feeling cramped. There was nothing of value inside. However, Li Fan only intended to use the place temporarily, so he wasn't particular about it. He wasn't worried about Jiao Xiuyuan seeking revenge. After all, attempting to infiltrate someone else's cave mansion was dishonorable on his part. Moreover, this location was so remote that even if he wanted to seek revenge, by the time he traveled the long distance, Li Fan would have already completed crafting his avatar and left.
Li Fan dismissed these trivial matters, taking out all the necessary materials, calming his mind, and beginning the crafting process. For this avatar, Li Fan didn't plan to expend much effort or seize another cultivator's fate. In his plan, this avatar was merely to deceive others and draw attention away, allowing him to acquire the hundred thousand contribution points. This avatar was also meant to remain behind, observing the red flame as it burned the sea. Since it was destined to perish in the end, there was no need to be meticulous.
The crafting began. Li Fan extracted a drop of his own essence blood, using it as the core, controlling the blood of myriad beasts and the flesh of a hundred animals, mixing and condensing them into a human form. He then operated his cultivation technique, sensing the various strands of fate drifting in the world. These drifting strands of fate mostly belonged to the flora and fauna on the surrounding islands. Each was very weak, but there were many.
Li Fan carefully plucked a wisp from each of these drifting strands of fate, gathering them together. As he gathered more strands, his control became increasingly difficult. He knew not to be too greedy, lest he lose control and suffer a backlash from the fate strands. When he felt he had reached the limit of what he could control, Li Fan ceased adding more strands. He infused this new blank strand of fate into the mass of blood and flesh before him. Instantly, a faint vitality emerged from it.
The crafting process was already more than halfway successful. Li Fan then added the remaining materials one by one. Bones, organs, skin, hair... all slowly took shape. Li Fan then adjusted the avatar's appearance. It was neither too handsome nor too ugly—a plain, common face that would be hard to spot in a crowd. Moments later, a blank-faced visage appeared before him. Li Fan scrutinized it for a while, nodding in satisfaction.
Next came the final step. Li Fan focused his mind and pointed at the avatar's forehead. "Sever!" He severed the avatar's connection to its source of fate. The avatar finally became an independent entity. Li Fan and the avatar looked at each other. Another body, a new perspective. This feeling... was somewhat peculiar.
Controlling the avatar, he walked, lay down, stood, and moved. After a while, Li Fan gradually adapted. He took out clothes from his storage ring, and the avatar put them on. Bowing to his original self, he said, "Greetings, fellow Daoist!" The original smiled, "From now on, you'll be called Lin Fan!" "Agreed!" The avatar Lin Fan was a small realm lower than the original, possessing only mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivation. Moreover, he hadn't cultivated any techniques, merely possessing a realm.
With the avatar crafted, the next step was to have him join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. There was no need for Li Fan to introduce him. Lin Fan, wearing the storage ring containing the Cloud Water Scroll, flew to the vicinity of Lingyun Island. Li Fan followed quietly, in case of any unexpected situations. Fortunately, nothing untoward occurred. After successfully meeting the guardian of Lingyun Island, Lin Fan expressed his desire to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. The other party had no objections.
Thus, after a familiar process, Lin Fan arrived at Ten Thousand Immortals Island and opened his own Profound Mirror space. Li Fan also returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Island, though the two did not meet. Lin Fan took out the Cloud Water Scroll and chose to complete the task worth a hundred thousand contribution points. Meanwhile, Li Fan focused his mind, sensing the situation on Lin Fan's side.
The Profound Mirror remained silent for much longer than usual. After a long time without a response, Li Fan wondered if something had gone awry. Finally, the Profound Mirror's voice sounded again. "Unable to determine the authenticity of the Cloud Water Scroll, please wait a moment." ... "The task issuer requests to visit your space, do you accept?" Lin Fan was taken aback, then agreed. Moments later, an elderly man with white hair and a kindly face appeared before Lin Fan. The old man exuded no aura of a cultivator, seeming like an ordinary mortal.
(End of Chapter)