After pondering for a moment, Li Fan shook his head and snapped back from his reverie.
Even if he possessed the ability to analyze the fishing pond, Li Fan would not rashly act. The terrifying scene of Senior Stone Slab being inexplicably fished away was still vivid in his mind; how could Li Fan repeat the same disastrous mistake for fleeting petty gain?
With the lesson of his 119th lifetime, until he was confident of directly contending with True Immortal-level existences, he would never actively provoke Them again.
In any case, the treasures within the fishing pond could be obtained through patient, continuous angling. At most, it would be a little slower, and time was the one thing he did not lack.
"Once the Wuliang, Hongmeng in a Square Inch grand array is deduced, perhaps I can test its effectiveness on the Yanfa Jue."
The clone briefly checked on the true body's situation and mused inwardly.
Within the Yanfa Jue's space, time seemed to have lost its meaning.
Every day brought the exact same sight: the unchanging sphere of Yanfa light ceaselessly spinning. And the little Yanfa loli had grown somewhat accustomed to Li Fan's intimidation, gradually even becoming brazen and fearless. If not for the presence of the other two Dao Integration guardians, Li Fan certainly would have given her a taste of his methods.
However, drawing too much attention was currently ill-advised, so he had to endure and hold back for now.
"Fellow Daoist Sun, judging by the time, an honored Dharma Transmitter should be coming by to inspect things over the next few days. We'll need to be mindful when that happens." Just as Li Fan was focusing most of his mind on deducing the Wuliang array, Hua Yueye, who had remained silent all along, suddenly recalled something and sent a voice transmission to remind him.
Among the precautions he was told upon taking up the post, there had indeed been a mention of periodic inspections by Dharma Transmitters. Thus, Li Fan was not surprised and nodded in understanding.
"Once the honored Dharma Transmitter completes the inspection, use of the Law-Audience Jade Plaques will likely resume. Things should liven up around here then."
"Those able to come here and request the Yanfa Jue's aid in deducing cultivation methods either hail from prominent clans or possess monstrous fortune—in any case, their future achievements are bound to be extraordinary. While performing our duties well, there is no harm in forging good ties with them. Who knows, a hundred years from now when we leave, those connections might come in handy," Hua Yueye kindly advised.
At this point, Elder Zhang Xu chimed in, "That is precisely true. Over hundreds of years, though the Yanfa Jue space remains unchanged, the outside world could easily be turned upside down. Having an extra path open is always a good thing."
Though they were Dao Integration powerhouses, those who came to garrison this place for five hundred years were generally not the core members of their clans. Planning ahead for the future was only natural.
Half a month later, a Dharma Transmitter arrived to inspect the place as expected.
Dharma Transmitter Lang. Li Fan had seen him once in the Council of Dharma Transmitters.
Ignoring the three guardians, Dharma Transmitter Lang walked up to the little Yanfa Jue loli with a smiling face.
The little girl rolled her eyes, then covered her ears with both hands, wearing a look that said, "No matter what you say, I can't hear you."
Dharma Transmitter Lang seemed accustomed to this and was not upset.
A row of silver needles appeared by his hand.
Dharma Transmitter Lang pinched one between his fingers, then thrust it toward the head of the Yanfa Jue.
The little girl's body trembled slightly, yet some power seemed to hold her bound. Unable to resist, she could only let the silver needles sink one after another into different acupoints across her body.
This seemingly cruel scene left both Zhang Xu and Hua Yueye afraid to utter a word.
Yet Li Fan caught onto the subtleties, his eyes flickering.
This acupuncture technique of Dharma Transmitter Lang was not meant for coercion or control.
Rather, it was a top-tier therapeutic method to nourish qi and blood and smooth out circulation channels. Sure enough, after waiting for nearly half a day, Dharma Transmitter Lang retrieved the needles, and the little Yanfa Jue loli looked noticeably healthier.
Her little cheeks were flushed rosy, as if she had just finished a bout of vigorous exercise.
"She isn't just healthier. Rather, the element of humanity within her has become active again."
Li Fan stared at the Yanfa Jue, noticing the clues after careful observation.
Over the course of being with the Yanfa Jue day and night during this period, Li Fan had faintly noticed that while the little girl occasionally displayed human temperaments, for the vast majority of the time, she operated like a pure machine, relentlessly deducing cultivation methods without stopping for a moment.
Her desires to "slack off and rest" were likely natural reactions arising from being overworked.
It was not something inherent to her nature.
Moreover, as time went on, this tendency toward pure mechanization became increasingly pronounced.
"No wonder the Dharma Transmitters need to inspect periodically; it is to preserve the Yanfa Jue's humanity."
"Perhaps compared to a pure wondrous item, having the Yanfa Jue directed by an innocent little girl yields far better results."
Yet toward Dharma Transmitter Lang, who had "helped" her, the Yanfa Jue showed no pleasant countenance whatsoever.
Puffing her cheeks, she glared venomously at him until he casually sauntered off. Only then did the Yanfa Jue slam her hands onto the tabletop to vent her frustration.
Afterward, she collapsed onto the long table and fell into a deep sleep.
The day after the inspection was the Yanfa Jue's recuperation period, during which she could freely rest.
The little girl slept soundly, her snores practically shaking the room.
Yet Li Fan noticed that the giant sphere of Yanfa light above her head still seemed to be rapidly shifting, ceaselessly deducing something.
"Interesting," Li Fan mused.
Just as Hua Yueye had predicted, once the Yanfa Jue threw herself back into endless work, the restrictions on the Law-Audience Jade Plaques were lifted.
In addition to her original deduction workload, the little girl now had to shoulder the extra task of deducing customized cultivation methods.
No wonder her attitude toward these petitioners seeking the Law was utterly foul.
Except toward the rare few cultivators with exceptionally handsome looks.
Meanwhile, the responsibilities of Li Fan and the other two Dao Integration guardians also grew heavier in turn.
After all, they had to remain constantly vigilant against whether hostile factions might send malicious attackers among these petitioners.
Fortunately, the odds of this were not particularly high.
With three Dao Integration cultivators monitoring the area together, all was expected to remain peaceful and secure for the near term.
...
In the Sacred Dynasty of Great Qi, within the void outside the pocket world.
The Immortal Severing Formation, originally used to isolate mortals, had already been modified by Li Ping to become part of the Grand Formation of Heaven and Earth Myriad Spirits.
Li Ping had even specifically tamed and bred a pod of Realm-Rifting Whales to carve out additional void around the Daqi pocket world, serving as a natural protective buffer.
At this moment, within the dark void that should have been completely empty, a colossal entity a hundred times larger than the Daqi pocket world lay concealed.
It was none other than the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven!
Daoist Hundred Flowers had lived up to expectations. At the cost of nearly sinking back into slumber, she had finally transported it back in secret without alerting the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
She was, after all, an ancient method Longevity cultivator; in terms of strength, she still surpassed ordinary Dao Integration cultivators.
Of course, that the mission went so smoothly was also thanks to Li Ping's assistance in concealing it with formations.
Holy Sovereign Li Ping gazed at the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven from afar, feeling the Dao-One Worms proliferating madly within it, his expression impassive.
Chapter 1168