A moment later, another beam of light shot out from the opposite end of the square box.
The small box shook violently, as if this took an enormous toll on it.
Seeing this, Li Ping channeled a wisp of golden Source Power into it.
Having received nourishment, the square box slowly stabilized.
Eventually, the light at both ends faded, and an object identical to the one previously enveloped in the sphere of light appeared in the Sacred Dynasty's treasury.
Li Ping drew both light spheres into his hands and inspected them closely.
Within the two light spheres were two identical swords.
They appeared to be forged from ten-thousand-year glacial ice, their blades radiating an icy-blue light.
"The Ten-Thousand-Year Icebound Sword, forged from the Core of Gloomy Chill—an anomaly that caused the complete freezing of an entire realm.
"If its frigid chill is fully unleashed, it would suffice to freeze an entire province of the Xuanhuang Realm in an instant.
"I believe that even in today's Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, this sword would be a treasure of considerable value.
"And yet..."
Li Ping looked at the other Ten-Thousand-Year Icebound Sword in his hand.
He could not discern the slightest difference.
"To think it was duplicated so easily by this small square box," Li Ping mused, his thoughts churning.
While Li Ping was pondering, the square box squirmed and shifted back into the form of a kitten.
Seemingly exhausted from the exertion, it looked rather listless.
It opened its mouth, gave a yawn, and refused to leave, curling up directly on Li Ping's shoulder and falling fast asleep.
It clearly wasn't faking; it had lost all interest even in feeding on the golden Source Power Li Ping offered.
Li Ping did not chase it away.
Keeping such a treasure on his person was a good idea anyway.
"For now, it seems that when this treasure transforms into a square box, its function is replication.
"It can produce an exact replica of an object. This treasure still seems to be in its growth phase; there are certain things it cannot replicate yet. Moreover, each duplication takes a tremendous toll, requiring a certain period of recuperation and recovery.
"What's more, it doesn't just have these two forms of a square treasure box and a cat. There should be other transformations..."
Li Ping stroked the sleeping kitten, which let out an unconscious little mew in response.
"Interesting.
"My painstaking preparations were not in vain. The fishing pond has finally given me a pleasant surprise.
"Since it appeared in the world as a cat statue, I'll call it Cat Treasure."
When Cat Treasure was fished up, it had merely been inside the most ordinary white light orb.
Yet clearly, Cat Treasure, possessing the ability to duplicate things, could not possibly be of mere white quality.
"Though it might be because it wasn't activated at first... Regardless, it was able to fool even the immortal treasure fishing pond.
"The origins of this Cat Treasure are far from ordinary.
"It might even come from beyond the High Wall..."
With a flash, Li Ping returned to the Holy Emperor Throne.
"This Cat Treasure will be a great aid in my struggle against the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals."
...
Inside the Sun Clan secret chamber.
Li Fan's true body and his other clones had long known of Cat Treasure's existence.
However, in this lifetime, Cat Treasure could realize its greatest value in the hands of the Holy Emperor, so there was no rush to use an anchor to swap it over.
"Besides, it is still in its infancy. Further observation is needed to see where its true limit lies.
"Aside from man-made magical treasures, can it replicate wonders of heaven and earth from the Xuanhuang Realm, or even something like the Terminal Dissociation Disc?
"If it can..."
Li Fan considered it, but realized it would merely speed up his collection progress a bit.
After all, wasn't every reset with Trueness effectively a duplication of the entire world?
With that thought, Li Fan's slightly stirred state of mind instantly settled into calm.
His focus returned to the Sun Clan.
The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters had lifted its lockdown. Sun Luyao had been summoned and thoroughly questioned by Mirror Keeper Fu.
Yet concerning the seven-colored rainbow light capable of escaping Xuanhuang, the strictest secrecy level was still maintained.
Even with the combined probing of the Heavenly Profound Mirror's origin and the Boundless Mirror, nothing could be uncovered.
Li Fan was in no hurry either.
There were no walls that did not leak wind; no matter how tight the security measures, they would eventually fail with the passage of time.
All he had to do was wait patiently.
Besides, he was not the only one in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals interested in the seven-colored rainbow light.
Through the Heavenly Profound Mirror, he monitored the Alliance constantly.
As soon as they uncovered the secret through whatever means, it meant Li Fan would know it as well.
"Senior, can the method you mentioned to resolve the obliteration wind calamity really work?"
Sun Luyao, who had always been terrified of Li Fan, suddenly spoke up to ask.
"It's like this," Sun Luyao quickly explained before Li Fan could answer. "Lately, for some reason, strange images keep flashing through my mind. They're things I've never experienced before. Thinking it over, they're most likely left behind by that obliteration wind calamity..."
Prompted by Li Fan's clone, Sun Luyao projected the images he saw.
The scenes were blurry and shifted extremely rapidly.
Li Fan could only make out what appeared to be countless living beings turning to ash in an instant.
And the methods those beings displayed as they struggled on the brink of life and death...
did not seem like something ordinary cultivators could unleash.
"A scene from the Immortal Realm Great Tribulation."
Li Fan pondered inwardly, but let none of the gravity show on his face.
He scoffed coldly. "Stop scaring yourself. Do you think what afflicted you was the genuine obliteration wind tribulation? It's merely a lingering remnant passed down through countless iterations.
"Rest assured. As long as your brother can find news regarding the You people, I am ninety percent certain I can purge it for you."
Such a confident tone put Sun Luyao's heart slightly at ease.
In his eyes, the myriad methods this mysterious senior displayed were probably on par with legendary true immortals.
Sun Luyuan did not keep them waiting long.
Three days later, he quietly returned to the secret chamber.
Unlike his previous heavy demeanor, an irrepressible joy was written across his face.
"Brother, did you find a lead on the You people?" Sun Luyao asked.
Sun Luyuan shook his head. "I'm still looking into that. I believe there will be news soon."
"Then why are you..."
Sun Luyuan lowered his voice, unable to hide his excitement. "Heavenly Venerable Chuanfa contacted the Alliance this time, and while doing so, swept his gaze over the headquarters. He issued instructions and made some personnel adjustments.
"That old fogey Fu hasn't made much progress in strength over the years, and it seems Chuanfa singled him out for criticism. Terrified out of his wits, Fu will be entering seclusion to cultivate for quite a long time, so he won't be able to keep tabs on us for now."
Sun Luyao was overjoyed to hear this.
"Right, when the Heavenly Venerable inspected the Alliance, did he discover anything about the Heavenly Profound Mirror's human clone?" Sun Luyao asked.
"That I don't know. But judging from the current situation, he doesn't seem to have noticed.
"I've been monitoring the human clone as well, and there are no anomalies for the time being."
Chapter 1221