From the currently known information, it can be deduced that the golden wish power—the nectar of all spirits—is the residual trace of the Faceless Immortal's pursuit of the Great Path.
It is said that one is born with desires and follows the path until death.
The golden wish power Li Fan absorbed before seizing his body had been purely energy, without any belief or "desire to pursue the Tao."
But at this moment, Li Fan sensed an extremely subtle desire to seek the Dao emanating from the golden wish generated by Dao Xuanzi's feedback.
Even after being filtered by the stone statue, most of it had been intercepted.
The remaining remnants among all the golden willpower shone as conspicuously as the bright moon in the night sky.
Li Fan noticed it clearly the instant it was generated.
"Truly pursuing the Tao leads to immortality. As expected, to improve his skills, he risked life and death alongside his brothers and chased the one who entered the land of immortality."
"On the surface, it looks carefree and easy, but in truth, the heart that seeks the Tao is so deep and resolute."
The desire to pursue the path embedded in the golden willpower lasted only a moment before vanishing instantly.
Li Fan felt a sudden emptiness in his heart, as if he had lost some precious treasure.
However, the sensation was quickly suppressed when the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Curse spontaneously activated.
"With the Canghai Pearl, Dao Xuanzi's future in this life is bright. Even if Kou Hong knew about another rare artifact, the One Hundred Thousand Mountain Cauldron, he did not rush there. Instead, he patiently accompanied Dao Xuanzi to rebuild the foundation successfully. These two brothers truly have some bond."
"Perhaps I should take better care of them in the future…"
The interlude ended, and Li Fan refocused on the bamboo sea of Tianquan Prefecture before him.
Quietly, Lin Ling and the others had infiltrated the bamboo sea under Li Fan and Mo Rubin's cover.
An ambush formation was laid within, waiting for Xuan Sushang to take the bait.
Among the approaching enemy, only Lin Ling appeared slightly nervous.
Tianyang remained dull, while Daoist Baihua, an immortal monk who had survived the great catastrophe, was composed and well-informed.
As for Li Fan and Mo Rubin, they treated the Feixue Immortal as their own.
Time passed slowly, and soon two rainbow lights streaked across the sky, landing just outside the bamboo sea.
The Bamboo Sea protective formation activated, and eighteen female cultivators, arranged in two neat rows and dressed in red, stepped forward to greet them.
But the two figures did not glance at them and walked straight into the Bamboo Sea Cave.
"Huh? Lu Xichan? Why is she here too?" Mo Rubin murmured, slightly surprised but unshaken.
He still looked at Li Fan for confirmation. "Are you certain?"
At the same time, he transmitted general information about Lu Xichan.
Lu Xichan had studied under the previous generation's Chief Formation Master of Cezhentang, Lu Xia. Her life path seemed ordinary, smooth, and unremarkable—but she had flawlessly taken over her master's footsteps.
In the succession of power, her ability to remain calm and unshaken was enough to prove her excellence.
Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly. "There's nothing to fear. One Dao Integration is a catch, two Dao Integrations are still catches. There's no difference."
"But since Lu Xichan is the chief of formations in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, using the capture formation deduced from the Inanimate Formation Crown carries some risk. If reinforcements arrive, things could go badly."
Li Fan suddenly changed the subject—a trick to deceive Mo Rubin.
The ambush formation in the bamboo sea, in terms of complexity alone, was at least a generation ahead of the Tianxuan Locking Spirit and Xuantian Sealing Spirit formations.
Even though Lu Xichan's formation mastery was at the top of the Formation Hall, breaking this ambush quickly was impossible.
This was evident as she entered the formation without detecting any hidden dangers. The reason Li Fan pointed this out was purely to conceal the origin of the ambush formation.
Mo Rubin considered this, then said, "Even if the formation is broken, it will take time. Act quickly and capture her before she finds the flaws."
At that moment, Mo Rubin's possession technique activated. A gray, line-like mirror appeared out of thin air before the monk.
Its dim light flickered, and in an instant, another monk appeared, identical to the first.
The mirror continued to multiply: two became four, four became eight, and then it stopped.
From beginning to end, there was no fluctuation in their breath.
Lin Ling and the others stared in astonishment. Li Fan could sense that each of the eight monks was fully alive; he could not distinguish one from another.
"When the battle begins, I'll use these bodies to provide as much support as possible," Mo Rubin transmitted.
"But it won't last long…"
After Xuan Sushang and Lu Xichan entered the bamboo sea, they rested in one of the bamboo buildings.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Li Fan and his allies did not peek—they merely confirmed that the targets were in position, awaiting Shuo Feng's arrival.
Shuo Feng, considerate as ever, did not make anyone wait.
As crimson snowflakes slowly drifted through the bamboo sea, Shuo Feng's figure gradually became discernible.
He glanced at the bamboo building nearby, his face filled with dissatisfaction.
But before he could show it, he took a deep breath and calmed himself, approaching the bamboo house.
"Mother…" Shuo Feng said slowly.
"Hehehe, Feng'er has returned home. Come in quickly—your Aunt Lu is here too!" Xuan Sushang's voice came from the bamboo building, light and youthful, more like that of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl than a mother.
Shuo Feng pushed open the bamboo building's door and entered.
Xuan Sushang and Lu Xichan's eyes immediately locked on him.
At that moment… a sharp shout rang out like thunder across the bamboo sea.
"Brother Shuo, don't worry! Little brother, I will help you convince the court to grant your freedom!"
Li Fan's message arrived just in time, startling not only Shuo Feng and Xuan Sushang but even Mo Rubin and Lin Ling.
"Do it!"
Lin Ling and the others returned to their positions. The formation, powered by the four Dao Integration cultivators, immediately locked in.
Mo Rubin unleashed his ability without hesitation. Eight identical bodies exploded simultaneously, and from each body, a vague black shadow erupted.
The shadows expanded, enveloping the entire bamboo sea in an instant.
"Haha, Feng'er is impressive now…" Initially, Xuan Sushang was momentarily stunned but still smiled faintly.
She thought Shuo Feng had entangled a few troublesome friends and was resisting, as he had before.
But as the formation unfolded and shadows blotted out the sky and sun, Xuan Sushang's expression darkened.
She realized the ambush's power far exceeded anything Shuo Feng could have orchestrated.