Listening to Yijue's chanting, Stone Slab understood implicitly.
Within the Dao Transformation Stone in his sea of consciousness, miniature figures of Stone Slab instantly separated out one by one.
The recorded images from the Genesis Stone Slab, drifting down like snowflakes, were diverted into these different sub-bodies.
The effect was so immediate that Stone Slab felt a sense of relief he had not experienced in ages.
"This is merely a buffer. To thoroughly resolve my latent affliction, they must also be stored."
Stone Slab came to an understanding.
As his thoughts shifted, those thousands of miniature sub-bodies expanded continuously, merging directly into the Dao Transformation Stone.
Under the tempering of Stone Slab's arts, the originally azure crystal transformed into a miniature version of himself.
Peering through the eyes of this transformed stone slab, one could see hundreds of millions of different stone slabs arranged in crisscrossing rows and columns, stretching on endlessly like opposing mirrors.
"I have already squeezed the computational power of this Dao Transformation Stone to its utmost limit. As expected of an otherworldly marvel—just a single high-grade specimen can bear the Genesis Stone Slab's information without any strain..." Stone Slab marveled inwardly.
"Furthermore, these recorded data remain under my control. Sorted and analyzed by the Dao Transformation Stone's countless sub-bodies, they can be retrieved even faster than before."
With the hidden hazard eliminated, he did not rise immediately.
Instead, he savored the peace and quiet he had not known for tens of thousands of years.
No longer were countless images and discordant noises constantly crowding his sea of consciousness. The pristine, tranquil emptiness nearly moved Stone Slab to tears.
Only after a long while did Stone Slab finally stand.
Facing the Sacred Emperor before him, he gave a solemn bow. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for this grace of recreation!"
"It was merely a trivial effort!" Though the Sacred Emperor said so, he accepted the bow openly.
Leaving the center of the formation, the Sacred Emperor waved his hand, and the void aperture overhead was concealed by an enigmatic aura.
Returning to the Sacred Emperor Throne, Li Ping spoke frankly: "Though I have helped Fellow Daoist resolve the affliction of the stone slab's chaotic influx of information, I will not use this as leverage to demand anything of you.
"Whether you are willing or not depends entirely on your own heart's decision."
Stone Slab could tell that the Sacred Emperor before him spoke with utter sincerity, and he was deeply moved.
He stated candidly, "My rise and fall have always been tied to the Xuanhuang Realm. In the past, I was tortured by endless agony and thus had little interest in the mortal realm. But now that I am free, I naturally will not stand by with folded arms."
To Stone Slab's assurance, Li Ping merely nodded slightly.
He did not bring up the previously mentioned plan to ensure Xuanhuang remained the orthodox lineage.
Instead, he asked about another matter.
"What do you two think of Archmage Tiandu?"
"If I clash with Chuanfa, will he intervene?"
When this question was asked, the expressions of both Stone Slab and Yijue turned slightly strange.
Seeing that Yijue had no intention of speaking, Stone Slab took the initiative to reply, "As far as I know, the Archmage has been resting and recuperating high above Daoyuan Province all these years. Outside matters...
"I fear it would be difficult to catch his attention."
Stone Slab glanced at Fellow Daoist Yijue. "Back then, when the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao were driven to desperate straits by the great calamity, they sought help from the Archmage more than once. Yet they could not even get past his doors.
"After departing Tiandu in those days, there was never another chance to return."
Stone Slab's tone carried a slight sigh.
"King Xuantian's character was towering and noble. Yet for your own selfish desires, you Ten Sects colluded with an outsider like the Archmage to destroy the Xuantian Sect. You could truly be said to have aided the tiger," the Sacred Emperor remarked flatly.
Stone Slab offered a wry smile and did not make excuses.
Daoist Yijue showed no change in expression. "The Sacred Emperor has keen insight. Regarding what happened back then, the Ten Sects were indeed at fault. But all has become fleeting smoke and scattered with the wind. The original perpetrators are all long gone. As for King Xuantian...
"A battle between him and the Archmage was inevitable. Even without our Ten Sects, it would have been so. Moreover, according to accounts from those who were present at the time, King Xuantian's disappearance was rather bizarre. It was not entirely the Archmage's doing.
"Once King Xuantian vanished, the Xuantian Sect was nothing more than loose sand. It was only natural for the Ten Sects to inherit authority. During the era of the Xuantian Sect, the oppression of the realm's cultivators was excessive. After the Ten Sects took power, they largely adopted policies of rest and recuperation, allowing sects large and small to welcome a rare period of peace."
Yijue spoke slowly, not to exonerate the Ten Sects, but to state simple facts.
Stone Slab cooperatively projected images from those days within the Sacred Emperor Peak.
Watching the rapidly flashing scenes, Li Ping nodded slightly.
After a moment of silence, Li Ping said, "The Archmage faintly transcends this realm. While the possibility of his intervention is very low, we still cannot fail to guard against it."
Stone Slab and Yijue froze slightly, surprised that Li Ping still had not altered his intentions.
"However, I have my own methods; you need not worry.
"How much do you two know about today's Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals?" Li Ping opened another topic.
Stone Slab pondered for a moment and shook his head slightly. "The Alliance Headquarters is located within the space of the Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror. It forms its own realm, shielding it from the perception of the Genesis Stone Slab. Although I have records of the scenes across various provinces of the Alliance over the years, I actually know very little about the Alliance's core secrets.
"However, the highest echelon of the Alliance—the Dharma Transmitters—are all surviving cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm from back then. I have all their information here. But it is limited to the period before they hid inside the Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror.
"Ever since the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals was rebuilt, they gathered resources from across the Xuanhuang Realm to enrich their respective exclusive worlds. Reinforced by the Dharma Transmitter secret treasures, their current strength must be worlds apart from back then. The information I provide can only serve as a reference," Stone Slab said solemnly.
A point of blue light, condensing a massive amount of visual and auditory information, floated slowly before the Sacred Emperor.
Absorbing it, countless scenes instantly surged into Li Ping's mind.
"This is enough," he said in a deep voice.
Just then, Daoist Yijue coughed lightly. "Regarding the scenes within the Alliance Headquarters...
"Our Crossing Adversity Sect actually has some clue."
"Oh?" This time, even Stone Slab was somewhat surprised.
"That can't be right, Yijue. Back when your entire sect was suppressed by Chuanfa, the present Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals didn't even exist yet, did it?"
Feeling Stone Slab's skeptical gaze, the golden figurine of Yijue gave a slight smile.
"It was a stroke of coincidence. Back when the Alliance Headquarters was being built, a space where one of the World-Observing Divine Eyes was situated happened to be excavated and grafted into the Alliance Headquarters' space.
"Though it is not in a vital core location, over so many years, it has observed a few things after all. We are not entirely in the dark."
As Yijue spoke, like someone presenting a prized treasure, the Book of Crossing Adversity flipped rapidly, its shifting light and shadows slowly condensing into a book page.
It gently drifted before Li Ping.
Li Ping absorbed the page and swiftly browsed through the recorded imagery.
After a long time.
"Within the Xuanhuang Realm, are there any other such World-Observing Divine Eyes that I cannot perceive?"
The Sacred Emperor spoke again. Instead of offering praise, he asked this question.
Daoist Yijue hurriedly stated, "Aside from the special circumstances of being shielded by the Tianxuan Treasure Mirror, all other Divine Eyes have already been reclaimed by the Sacred Emperor."
"However..." Daoist Yijue hesitated slightly.
"Speak freely."
"Those locations where the World-Observing Divine Eyes were originally stationed—although the Divine Eyes have now been reclaimed, because they were stationed there for so long, the space itself in those areas has already been tainted with some of the Divine Eyes' characteristics."
Hearing this, Stone Slab's expression turned rather grave.
Yijue continued, "In other words, our Crossing Adversity Sect can still sense what happens near those 'points.' It's just that the clarity is not as good as the Divine Eye's direct observation."
As if to prove his claim, Yijue flipped through the Book of Crossing Adversity, simultaneously projecting the countless flickering scenes recorded across those different points.
The radius was a ring smaller than what the World-Observing Divine Eyes covered, and the images were quite blurry.
Yet, just as Yijue said, only the performance had degraded; the most crucial function of monitoring was indeed still present.
"Yijue, what is the origin of these World-Observing Divine Eyes after all?"
Stone Slab pondered for a moment, visibly shaken, voicing the very doubt in Li Ping's heart.
For the Divine Eyes to alter the intrinsic nature of the space itself was far from simple.
If one scrutinized it closely, this could already be considered, in a certain sense, defying the principles of Heaven and Earth.
Daoist Yijue did not conceal it. "Back when the Heavenly Sword Sect forged the Boundary-Splitting Divine Weapon, breached the realm boundary, and departed, shaking all of Xuanhuang, I once went to visit the ruins of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
"That boundary-splitting rift was a shatter of space leading to who knows where. If an ordinary cultivator recklessly ventured into it, death and the dissolution of their Dao would be the only outcome. However, our Crossing Adversity Sect's 'Eternal Calamitous World' allowed me to temporarily survive within it."
The expression in Stone Slab's eyes became exceedingly vivid.
"Even so, I risked a nine-out-of-ten chance of death to enter the boundary-splitting rift. Tracing the aura of the Boundary-Splitting Divine Weapon, I pressed deeper, hoping to confirm whether the Heavenly Sword Sect had truly succeeded...
"Unfortunately, the boundary rift restored itself faster than I anticipated. A power I had never seen before—one that did not belong to the Xuanhuang Realm—was actively mending the wound. Having lost track of the Boundary-Splitting Divine Weapon, and having reached the absolute limit of what I could endure, I had no choice but to turn back in defeat...
"These World-Observing Divine Eyes... were refined using that very power I collected from within the boundary rift."
Daoist Yijue's voice came to an abrupt halt.
Yet the scene depicted by his words forced the other two in the hall into deep contemplation.
Stone Slab suddenly realized something. "In that case, the World-Observing Divine Eyes weren't deliberately crafted by you to take this form. Rather, it is the manifestation of the power's fundamental essence?"
Fellow Daoist Yijue nodded.
"Otherwise, how could our Crossing Adversity Sect have suddenly produced a technique that even Chuanfa was helpless against?"
A sudden silence fell over the Sacred Emperor Throne.
In Li Ping's perception, this little golden figurine of the Crossing Adversity Sect was not lying.
If so, the implications of his words were chilling to contemplate.
Did this mean there was still a higher level of power, just like the World-Observing Divine Eyes, monitoring the Xuanhuang Realm?
What kind of existence lay behind it?
Was it beyond the High Wall, or...?
Stone Slab suddenly thought of something, his expression shifting.
Yet the words caught in his throat, and he stopped.
Li Ping naturally noticed Stone Slab's abnormality, but merely locked his divine sense onto him slightly without speaking up.
Realizing Li Ping's wariness, Stone Slab waved his hand. "Fellow Daoist misunderstands.
"I merely recalled a rumor regarding the origins of the Xuanhuang Realm.
"It was information I stumbled upon in the deepest layers of the Genesis Stone Slab. It dates back at least several hundred thousand years."
These words immediately drew the attention of Li Ping and all the paper figurines of the Crossing Adversity Sect.
Stone Slab furrowed his brows, reminiscing as he spoke: "In the era before the calamity descended, when the immortal Dao flourished, our Xuanhuang Realm appeared somewhat distinct amid the boundless starry sky.
"Aside from having more frequent exchanges with the Upper Realm and possessing numerous immortal artifacts, our Xuanhuang Realm had existences known as Great Heavenly Venerables.
"You must know that after cultivators ascend, they essentially sever all connection with the lower realms. Yet these Great Heavenly Venerables could not only contact the Upper Realm, but they could also guide items from the Immortal Realm down to Xuanhuang.
"Moreover, Great Heavenly Venerables possessed authority within the Xuanhuang Realm that was beyond the reach of most cultivators..."
Speaking to this point, Stone Slab looked toward Li Ping.
Li Ping shook his head slightly. "I have no memory of this."
Stone Slab thought nothing of it and continued, "However, the Great Heavenly Venerables back then were different from what we recognize as Great Heavenly Venerables today. Their cultivation and strength were not necessarily high. It was more like an..."
"Official post."
Stone Slab pondered for a moment before uttering those two words.
"Just like an official position conferred by the Upper Realm. As long as one received the recognition of the Upper Realm, even a frail mortal lacking the strength to truss a chicken could assume the role of Great Heavenly Venerable.
"Today, it is completely different. Without absolute strength, one cannot gain the recognition of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao and certainly cannot attain the position of Great Heavenly Venerable.
"When the difference between the two began to emerge, I do not know. What I wish to say, however, is this...
"The power within that boundary rift that manifested the World-Observing Divine Eyes does not necessarily come from beyond the sea of stars. It might simply be an intrinsic characteristic of the Xuanhuang Realm itself." Stone Slab glanced at Li Ping again.
This perspective prompted even Yijue of the Crossing Adversity Sect to lower his head in contemplation.
"The earliest Great Heavenly Venerables were able to control the world with mortal bodies. What they relied upon was likely a power hidden deep within Xuanhuang, similar to that of the World-Observing Divine Eyes. For some unknown reason, however, the connection between this power and the Xuanhuang Realm was mysteriously severed at some point."
Stone Slab's words echoed across the Sacred Emperor Throne.
Even Li Ping had never known the ancient secrets touched upon by this discourse.
"Before the path to immortality was severed, changes imperceptible to ordinary cultivators must have occurred within the Xuanhuang Realm," Li Ping said in a deep voice.
"It is merely my speculation. My point was that we need not worry excessively over powers from beyond the sea of stars. Even if there truly were external interference, since they have not appeared despite the Xuanhuang Realm existing for so many years...
"Presumably, their reach cannot extend this far," Stone Slab said softly.
"I believe so as well," Fellow Daoist Yijue agreed, regaining his previously untroubled demeanor.
"For now, what we must face first remains the threat of Chuanfa. As for these things..." Li Ping concluded as well.
"While we need not dwell on them overly, we still cannot fail to guard against them."
The Sacred Emperor offered the exact same phrasing he had used when speaking of Archmage Tiandu, leaving both Yijue and Stone Slab utterly taken aback.
"I have my own methods; you need not worry."
Chapter 1254