The probability of fishing up high-quality treasures from the fishing pond had nothing to do with one's cultivation level.
Rather, it depended more on one's sincerity in angling and one's comprehension of the Dao of Angling.
In fact, the more intently one sought a specific goal, the less likely one was to catch it.
In short, it was profound and enigmatic, much like ordinary fishing.
Arrangements would be made for the victors of the Sacred Dynasty Fishing Tournament to fish at the pond.
Most of these participants possessed mere Qi Condensation cultivation, with the strongest among them only reaching the Nascent Soul realm.
Given their limited experience and knowledge, they would never imagine that this tiny, unremarkable pool of water was actually an immortal artifact capable of reeling in world-tier treasures.
Whatever harvest they obtained, every single one of them would naturally regard it as a bestowal from the great Sacred Emperor.
Furthermore, there was no need to worry that any of them would court death by using the fishing pond to comprehend the Dao of Angling—as Senior Stone Slab had done in the 119th lifetime—thereby provoking a reaction from the Nameless True Immortal behind it and getting reeled away instead.
Aside from a very few exceptional treasures hauled from the pond that caught his eye, Li Ping intended to let the anglers keep whatever they caught for their own use. He might even focus resources on nurturing them.
"In this lifetime, let me see whether the treasures within this pond are truly inexhaustible. And..."
"Whether the fortune and creations of the myriad heavens can overpower Xuanhuang!"
Fixing his gaze upon the ten thousand anglers in the Sacred Capital, all gripping various rods and brimming with eager anticipation, Li Ping seemed to see the countless supreme treasures of the starry skies streaming into the Sacred Dynasty.
While the Sacred Dynasty Fishing Tournament was being organized in full swing, a desolate hill stood on the northwestern border of Yongyun Province.
Inside a dilapidated temple atop the peak, Zhong Shentong, having cast a line only to come up empty-handed, suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness.
Just as he was about to call out to the Dao child Liuli, he found that she too had fallen fast asleep, snoring softly.
Zhong Shentong smiled faintly and inspected the protective formation around the small temple. After confirming nothing was amiss, he lazily settled onto a reclining chair and dozed off.
No one knew how much time had passed...
When he woke with a sudden start, he found himself in a dark, unknown space!
Instinctively, he moved to retrieve his trump card defensive treasure from his storage ring, only to discover that at some point, he had been stripped completely bare!
Zhong Shentong's face twitched. He knew he was thoroughly done for this time. His captor was utterly ruthless, leaving him not the slightest opening.
"Still, I'm alive, which means they don't intend to kill me. On the surface, I'm just a destitute Qi Condensation cultivator nearing the end of my lifespan. Dealing with me wouldn't require such elaborate measures. So, is it for the fishing pond?"
Zhong Shentong's thoughts raced, and he understood in an instant. Yet rack his brains as he might, he could not fathom how news of such a supreme treasure had leaked.
There had been no warning whatsoever!
"Wait, what about Liuli?"
Zhong Shentong had personally fished that little girl out of the pond and watched her assume human form. Over time, he had come to view her almost as his only kin. Now that he was imprisoned, she had likely met with disaster as well...
Just as his thoughts were in turmoil, a chilling voice suddenly rang out in the pitch-black space.
"Break through to the Foundation Establishment stage within seven days."
"Otherwise, die!"
There was no intention of conversing with Zhong Shentong. The voice ceased entirely after those words.
Yet the icy killing intent surrounding him, nearly tangible in its density, made Zhong Shentong understand that this was no idle test.
If he failed to break through, he would truly be killed!
"I've been stuck at the late Qi Condensation stage for over fifty years. To all appearances, I'm an old man with one foot in the grave, utterly hopeless of breaking through. No sane person would make such a demand of me. Unless..."
"They guessed that I cultivate the Profound Art of Life and Death!"
The more he thought about it, the more unfathomable the mastermind seemed. Though they had never met, the other party appeared to know everything about him down to the finest detail.
...
While Zhong Shentong was plunged into endless trepidation, in another pitch-black space, the Dao child Liuli seemed completely oblivious to the looming peril, still sleeping soundly.
Li Ping materialized before her, observing her in silence.
After a long while, Li Ping spoke placidly, "Fellow Daoist Baihua, pray reveal yourself."
Silence answered him; nothing stirred.
Li Ping narrowed his eyes. "Must I repeat myself a third time, Sect Master of the Wansheng Realm's Heavenly Lotus Sect?"
His tone was soft, yet to certain ears, it struck like a clap of thunder.
No longer concealing itself, a radiant burst of golden light flashed, and a figure emerged from the Dao child Liuli.
Daoist Baihua glared fixedly at Li Ping. "Who in the world are you?"
Baihua was certain she had never laid eyes on this man before, yet he had accurately named her identity...
In an instant, countless figures flashed through Baihua's mind, yet none matched.
"Merely a fellow wanderer among the stars who has lost their homeland. The past is done; why must you dwell on it, Fellow Daoist?"
Those words sent Baihua's mind spinning even further, as though returning to those horrific moments of antiquity when world-destroying catastrophes erupted one after another.
"What matters more is the future," his next sentence added, thoroughly seizing her attention.
"The future?"
"Currently, in the Sunken Star Sea, this place is all that remains as a solitary pure land. Yet the Xuanhuang Realm of today is no longer the Xuanhuang Realm of old. Over countless years, fragments of myriad realms have been cobbled together and integrated into it. This New Xuanhuang Realm has long transcended the ordinary concept of a cultivation world," Li Ping said in a low, distant voice. "If you search carefully, Fellow Daoist, you might even find remnants of your former Wansheng Realm."
Baihua's expression shifted. "What are you trying to say?"
"Since the Xuanhuang Realm absorbed the fragments of myriad realms... then in this New Xuanhuang Realm, there ought to be a place for us as well. If they refuse to grant it, we must fight for it ourselves," Li Ping stated proudly. "The native forces of the Xuanhuang Realm are far too colossal. Only by uniting do we stand a chance of reclaiming what is ours. Aside from the Wansheng Realm, I have also found fellow Daoists from the Tianji Realm..."
Li Ping spoke with calm confidence and eloquence.
Daoist Baihua was visibly swayed.
*If the Xuanhuang Realm truly absorbed fragments of our world to resist the Immortal Ruins, then this place can indeed be considered my new home.*
A tremor of emotion surged in Baihua's heart—an irrepressible feeling of someone who had drifted without a home for countless years, only to suddenly find a place where she might belong once more.
"Still... the cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm are not so easy to reason with." After pondering, Daoist Baihua remained hesitant. She still vaguely remembered how that lone Loose Immortal back then had barred all the survivors of the myriad realms outside.
Though times had changed and that Loose Immortal was now missing, the Xuanhuang Realm had recently given rise to a new Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable...
Could outsiders like them truly gain any advantage against Him?
Chapter 1162