Mortal: Li Feiyu, who came from the realm of a supreme being

The Chaotic Star Sea also has four seasons, the reason for which Li Feiyu doesn't understand. He lived in Baimu Village for three years, focusing his energy on researching and practicing the Soul Coffin Secret Technique.

Deducing a cultivation technique is one thing, but actually practicing it is another. Even with his aptitude, it still took him three years to master the Soul Coffin Secret Technique; others would probably need around ten years. Fortunately, although cultivators generally have a short-lived mindset, their lifespan is undeniably long, making it worthwhile for a Core Formation cultivator to spend ten years cultivating this technique.

It's not just a defensive technique; if you were to encounter a powerful cultivator attempting to possess your body, you'd reap even greater rewards.

Han Li was very insistent on going to the outer sea to hunt demonic beasts, as it was related to his seclusion to break through to the Core Formation stage. Li Feiyu also needed demonic cores, and Xin Ruyin needed various pills to increase her chances of forming her Core. She only had one chance, so she had to maximize all the necessary support conditions.

As long as she can form her core, she can hold out until Li Feiyu reaches the outer realm.

Only after mastering outdoor martial arts can his skills become more diverse, unlike now when he is in the Enlightenment stage, where any outdoor martial arts techniques he learns are fraught with hidden dangers.

Upon seeing the text appear on the Thousand-Mile Talisman, Li Feiyu simply replied with the time and location, and then left the village.

……

Li Feiyu disguised himself as a middle-aged man and used his Li family identity to go to the outer sea to meet up with Han Li. Han Li not only remade the puppet, but also got the Rainbow Grass sorted out. He called Li Feiyu over mainly as a precaution.

After all, he was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and Qu Hun was a Demon Core cultivator, so his margin for error was ultimately limited.

Li Feiyu had also practiced the "Great Evolution Technique" for three years and could now control more than a hundred puppets, so he also released more than a hundred puppets.

Han Li was stunned when he saw these puppets: "Aren't these my puppets?"

"Yes, after we separated that day, I went to retrieve the formation. Seeing that these puppets were still intact, I took them with me." Li Feiyu smiled faintly. "I just happened to get the 'Great Evolution Technique' from you, so I practiced it a bit, and now I can control these on the second level."

"These are mine..." Han Li said, dissatisfied.

"What do you mean 'yours' and 'mine'? You escaped so quickly that day, and I risked my life to cover your retreat. Anyway, it's something you left behind on the battlefield. What's wrong with me taking it afterward?"

Han Li thought for a moment but couldn't find a reasonable rebuttal. Moreover, if Li Feiyu controlled hundreds of puppets, the hunting efficiency would undoubtedly be greatly improved. The most important thing right now was to determine the allocation so as not to be taken advantage of again.

"Alright, alright, but let's agree on this first: the demon cores will be split equally in the end."

"Can."

The two's monster-hunting operation went relatively smoothly overall. During the trip, they even encountered some very unique-looking monsters, which made Li Feiyu exclaim that they had broadened his horizons.

In the original story, Han Li spent a long time preparing in the early stages, but after Li Feiyu joined, he became less cautious. He learned about the habits of the monsters while hunting them, and Li Feiyu was also well-restricted by the formation.

Three years later, Li Feiyu felt that the inner core of the demon beast was almost ready, so he said he wanted to leave early.

Aside from taking half of the demon core, he didn't take much of the demon beast materials, since he wasn't planning to refine his natal magic weapon for the time being.

He planned to consider the issue of magic weapons after he reached the next Core Formation stage, so he decided to skip it this time.

However, since he took four of the five level-seven demon cores with him, Han Li said he would continue hunting.

Li Feiyu left the remaining puppets to Han Li, and also left an extra set of good trap formations, in exchange for a batch of pills for the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages.

Han Li wasn't entirely willing. He secretly calculated that although Li Feiyu was the main reason for hunting the level seven demon beast, he still felt he had lost out by having four level seven demon cores taken away. But then he thought that those Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment pills were no longer of much use to him, and would be a waste to leave them. He might as well pack them up and exchange them for some real benefits from Li Feiyu.

"Alright, I'm going back into seclusion now. I hope you'll have reached the Core Formation stage by the time we meet again, otherwise I'll have to bury you when you're old."

"Get lost, you can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth," Han Li said, dissatisfied.

"I'm really leaving now, Brother Li with the pseudo-spiritual root. Be careful on your own in the outer sea." Li Feiyu said in a high-pitched voice, then transformed into a beam of light and flew away.

Qu Hun unleashed a slash, but the crimson blade light couldn't catch up with his escape light at all.

"Damn it... Don't worry, I'll definitely reach the Core Formation stage!" Han Li muttered to himself.

……

After returning to Tianxing City, Li Feiyu bought a large puppet and then left quickly.

He drilled a hole on an island with extremely thin spiritual energy, filled all the demon cores into the puppet, and then placed it in the center of the formation.

On the Wanli Talisman, Han Yunshu still hadn't replied to the message. She had recently started her own seclusion. That's the downside of cultivating immortality; although lifespan seems long, a single period of seclusion can easily be measured in years.

Li Feiyu added the message about sealing the demon core in the cave to the end of the message, and then put away the Thousand Mile Talisman.

After leaving the deserted island, he headed to Thorn Island.

Six years later, the Li family's residence was deserted. It was only after inquiring that it was learned that the core members had moved away, and those who remained were all from the collateral branches.

It seems that Xuan Le's mission was carried out well; the Li family is basically defunct, with not a single cultivator left.

Li Feiyu used a Thousand-Mile Talisman to inform him that he could start spreading the rumors that the Li family had a disciple with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, and that the disciple's identity would be set as the grandson of "Li Xuan".

To gain a local identity in the Chaotic Star Sea, he orchestrated the rise and fall of an entire family—a seemingly flawless script. With such deliberate planning and unsuspecting actions, who could possibly find a flaw?

That night, on Thorn Island.

Li Feiyu casually found a secluded spot on the island, set up a few array flags to create a simple barrier, and then stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for Xuan Le to arrive.

Before long, a streak of light landed ten feet away.

Xuan Le quickly approached, her expression respectful yet expectant: "Greetings, Master."

"Sit down." Li Feiyu pointed to the blue stone beside him and sat down cross-legged.

Xuan Le sat down as instructed, her gaze falling on Li Feiyu's face, hesitant to speak.

"I mean what I say about the restrictions," Li Feiyu said bluntly. "After tonight, you'll be free. But before that, I have a question for you."

"Please ask, Master."

Li Feiyu looked him up and down, then suddenly asked, "Are you satisfied with your face?"

Xuan Le was taken aback, not expecting such a question. He subconsciously touched his face, somewhat confused: "This... I never thought of that. Cultivators have techniques for preserving youth, and this appearance... I personally think it's quite good."

Li Feiyu nodded, raised his hand and waved, and three scrolls unfurled out of thin air, hanging in front of Xuan Le.

The first painting depicts a dark-skinned man with an ordinary appearance; his features are so plain that he would be easily lost in a crowd.

The second picture shows an exceptionally handsome young man with refined features and an otherworldly air.

The third picture shows a resolute and mature man with sharp features and a calm gaze.

Xuan Le looked at the three portraits, increasingly confused: "Master, what is this...?"

"Pick one," Li Feiyu said, "the one you like."

Xuan Le froze, his gaze shifting between the three portraits. He didn't understand Li Feiyu's intentions, but having followed him for many years, he knew that his master always had a reason for his actions. After a moment's hesitation, he pointed to the second one: "This one... is more pleasing to the eye."

Li Feiyu smiled slightly: "Okay."

Before she could finish speaking, Xuan Le felt a sudden tightness in her body—the restriction that had been dormant for many years suddenly activated!

He froze, unable to move, and unable to even speak. In horror, he could only watch helplessly as Li Feiyu raised her hand, spread her fingers, and pressed it against his face.

"Don't move."

Li Feiyu's voice was calm, but martial arts true energy and life-generating magic power simultaneously flowed from his fingertips into his face.

The next moment, Xuan Le felt as if countless ants were crawling all over his face, densely packed, both painful and itchy. Those "ants" burrowed into his skin, into his flesh, crawling, gnawing, and reshaping his facial bones.

He tried to scream, but no sound came out.

White smoke rose from his face, making him look extremely eerie in the night.

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly.

After an unknown amount of time—perhaps just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, or perhaps an hour—Li Feiyu finally withdrew his hand.

"alright."

Xuan Le gasped for breath, his body drenched in cold sweat. He didn't care about anything else; his first instinct was to touch his face.

The texture has changed.

What he touched was no longer the face that had been with him for decades.

Li Feiyu raised his hand and a water mirror froze in mid-air, facing Xuan Le.

"Senior Brother Xuan, are you satisfied?"

Xuan Le looked in the mirror, her pupils suddenly contracting.

The person in the mirror had handsome features and an ethereal air—it was the portrait he had just chosen.

The same.

He suddenly turned to look at Li Feiyu, his lips trembling, unable to utter a word for a moment.

"This...this isn't an illusion?"

"No." Li Feiyu said calmly, "I used a little trick to reshape your facial bones and flesh. It wasn't a magical transformation, there were no fluctuations of spiritual energy, and any cultivator would see that this is your natural face."

Xuan Le stood there, stunned.

He looked down at his hands, then looked up at his face in the mirror, over and over again, as if he couldn't believe it.

To shed the identity of Li Xuan.

This was something he had been thinking about ever since he accepted that mission. But what he thought of was changing his name, leaving for a distant land, and living in anonymity. He never imagined that one day, even his face could be changed—and so completely, so seamlessly.

"Master..." His voice trembled, and he didn't know how to begin.

He was given this life by Li Feiyu, so how could he possibly thank him for this great gift?

Li Feiyu waved his hand, interrupting his thoughts: "The restriction on your body has been lifted. However, there's one thing I need to remind you—"

Xuan Le immediately focused her attention and listened intently.

"There are some remnants of it," Li Feiyu said. "For the next hundred years or so, you cannot mention anything about me, whether in words, writing, or even a hint. Otherwise, you will surely die."

Xuan Le's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded emphatically: "Your subordinate understands."

This is nothing.

If he can't say it, he can't say it; he never intended to. Compared to completely shedding his old identity, this restriction is perfectly acceptable.

Li Feiyu stood up and patted his sleeves: "There are no other taboos. From now on, you can travel far and wide on your own... Oh, and give me back the Thousand-Mile Talisman."

Xuan Le immediately returned the Thousand-Mile Talisman and the Li family's token, then took a deep breath, stepped back, and solemnly bowed.

This time, it wasn't a subordinate's courtesy to their master, but rather a cultivator's respect for another cultivator.

Li Feiyu did not dodge and accepted his bow.

"Go."

Xuan Le raised her head and looked at that face that had remained calm and composed throughout. All her unspoken words ultimately boiled down to one sentence:

Thank you.

He stopped calling him "master".

Li Feiyu nodded, turned around, and vanished into the horizon in a flash of light.

Xuan Le stood still, watching the departing light disappear into the distance, without moving for a long time.

After a long while, he looked down at the unfamiliar face in the water mirror and suddenly chuckled softly.

From the southern sky to the chaotic starry sea, more than thirty years have passed, and he has finally gained true freedom!