Li Fan had met Gongsun Qixuan very early on.
In subsequent lifetimes, the anomalies of the Profound Net always seemed to have this man lurking behind them.
That included this lifetime, when he had inexplicably been transferred to the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' Formation Planning Hall headquarters to take part in the development of the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation...
All of this proved that Gongsun Qixuan was far from ordinary.
After communicating with the Heavenly Profound Mirror's avatar several times, Li Fan had also gained some understanding of Gongsun Qixuan's identity.
He had been the subject of observation and the human template when the Heavenly Profound Mirror created its human avatar.
As for why Gongsun Qixuan had been chosen from among the Alliance's countless cultivators, the mirror's avatar had explained it as purely random—a matter of chance.
Li Fan, of course, did not believe that for a moment.
Based on his own memories and observations, Gongsun Qixuan's bearing truly did share a certain resemblance to the Heavenly Profound Mirror's avatar.
Li Fan had even suspected that he might simply be another human avatar of the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
Searching for information on him within the Heavenly Profound Mirror made everything appear perfectly normal. Yet digging just a little deeper revealed that all the intelligence had been fabricated.
Before taking up his post in the Congyun Sea, his whereabouts had been an absolute enigma, known to no one.
As if noticing Li Fan observing him from hiding, Gongsun Qixuan cast an almost imperceptible glance toward the sky.
Yet he quickly looked away, coughed softly, and began directing his subordinates in dealing with the anomaly.
His method was quite peculiar: he retrieved a small figurine woven from withered grass from his robes.
He tossed it into midair.
Then, with unspoken coordination, his subordinates from the Heavenly Secret Hall placed even smaller straw figures in every corner of the area where the anomaly had erupted.
Under Li Fan's scrutiny, the eerie dark energy did not corrode the Heavenly Secret Hall cultivators who had ventured in.
Instead, it was powerfully drawn to the tiny straw figures they carried.
Like surging dragons, the darkness was siphoned into the straw figures.
"Hmm?"
Li Fan's interest was piqued at once.
Examining them closely, he found that each straw figure seemed to have a life of its own. As the dark power flooded inside, bizarre smirks, agony, fury, and various other expressions surfaced on their faces.
One could even hear faint rustling sounds whispering from them.
Acting like nodes, the straw figures absorbed the dark energy and channeled it into the largest straw figure suspended in midair.
The operation to purge the anomaly lasted for three days.
In the end, the anomaly spreading across the area vanished completely, and the realm's normal Heavenly Dao once again gained the upper hand.
When Gongsun Qixuan retrieved the straw figure from midair, something occurred that made Li Fan's pupils contract slightly.
On the surface, it looked as though Gongsun Qixuan had merely tucked the straw figure back into his robes.
In reality, however...
It was more as if he had unhinged a massive maw and swallowed the straw figure whole in a single gulp.
In that split second, Li Fan felt a layer of gloom shroud Gongsun Qixuan.
His coughing, too, grew increasingly frequent.
Only after rushing to the next outbreak site did his condition slightly improve.
Naturally, Gongsun Qixuan did not deploy the straw figures for every anomaly.
For the vast majority, once a thorough investigation confirmed there was no risk of spreading, he simply ordered his men to cordon off the outbreak area and left it at that.
High among the clouds, Li Fan watched thoughtfully. *The mild ones are left for the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao to naturally digest. But those that cannot be contained and only grow worse are sucked into his own body using these figures.*
In Li Fan's eyes now, Gongsun Qixuan had become an amalgamation of numerous anomalies.
Many distorted, chaotic rules intertwined within him, sending chills down one's spine.
If he were to die abruptly for some reason and this cluster of anomalies erupted all at once, several provinces would likely be plunged into devastation in an instant.
*No wonder every time I see this fellow, something feels strange.*
*Accommodating the Dao within the physical body...*
*This is hardly something a cultivator's mortal frame could achieve.*
A flicker of wariness crossed Li Fan's eyes, and he widened his tracking distance slightly.
Recalling how Gongsun Qixuan had managed to genuinely deduce the future from nothing more than the fabricated phrase Li Fan had spouted—"Heavenly Profound spirit lock, Xuanhuang unified as one"—a theory regarding Gongsun Qixuan's true identity instantly formed in his mind.
*When the Heavenly Profound Mirror sought to emulate a human avatar, with its aloof pride as an immortal artifact, how could it truly observe and learn from ordinary mortals?*
*And when attempting anything, the simplest way is to look for precedents and learn from a forerunner...*
*Therefore...*
A sharp gleam flashed in Li Fan's eyes as numerous clues coalesced in an instant.
*The only entity an immortal artifact would learn from must be another immortal artifact that had already successfully assumed human form!*
*Gongsun Qixuan must be one of the immortal artifacts that vanished from the Xuanhuang Realm long ago, transformed into a human!*
Judging from how the Kunqian Bone Hand possessed by Ou Shangtian might be the remains of an immortal, everything within the Xuanhuang Realm took part in the Heavenly Dao's operations and the world's cycles.
Those lost immortal artifacts were very likely the same.
*Taking human form, or becoming a wonder of Heaven, or perhaps...*
Li Fan suddenly had an inkling of where Dharma Transmitter Jiang's almost heaven-defying abilities came from.
*Perhaps they also stem from the transformation of an immortal artifact...*
Having grasped the crux of the matter, the way Li Fan looked at Gongsun Qixuan changed entirely.
Amidst his wariness lay a trace of greed, tempered by caution and vigilance.
Immortal artifacts—anything touched by the word "immortal"—were forces that could never be underestimated.
Not to mention that Gongsun Qixuan had long since fallen under the Heavenly Profound Mirror's gaze, and was moreover burdened with countless anomalies, like a ticking time bomb that could detonate violently at any moment.
*A rare treasure indeed, but one to be seen and not touched.*
After staring fixedly for a long time, Li Fan finally let out a soft sigh and slowly pulled his gaze away.
*Besides, in this lifetime I am still in a cooperative relationship with the Heavenly Profound Mirror. The main objective is to sever the Web of the True Immortal first.*
*No hurry. Now that I have discovered his true identity, there will be plenty of opportunities ahead...*
The desire in Li Fan's eyes gradually faded.
Below, Gongsun Qixuan frowned slightly, as if sensing something.
His fingers pinched in rapid divination.
Yet he failed to deduce anything of consequence.
Scenes of his past encounters with Gongsun Qixuan resurfaced in Li Fan's mind.
*It seems his original form might have been an immortal artifact associated with deduction and divination.*
*Judging from his current performance, though, taking human form appears to have diminished his power considerably.*
Li Fan stroked his chin.
*Still, this gives me some inspiration.*
*There are still many secrets waiting to be unearthed in the Xuanhuang Realm.*
*Back then, the Xuanhuang Realm held many existences bordering on immortal artifacts. Not to mention that after fusing numerous cultivation worlds, could so many worlds truly lack existences of equal caliber?*
*Even if the Dharma Transmitter took some away, a few must have slipped through the net.*
*My thinking was too narrow before. It isn't limited to objects—people might actually be the far greater treasures.*
Chapter 1035