Nearly half a day later, Li Fan buried Manager Song's corpse on the spot as well, turning over in his mind the information about the "Profound Heaven Sect" he had pried from the man's lips.
More than two hundred years ago, Manager Song had only just joined the Purple Cloud Sect, still merely a young child.
It coincided with the Purple Cloud Sect's centennial jubilee, and the entire sect was steeped in an atmosphere of harmonious celebration.
Yet unexpectedly, an uninvited guest arrived out of the blue.
The guest's status was so exalted that even the sect master of the Purple Cloud Sect was forced to receive him in person.
A special inspecting envoy sent by the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao.
This inspecting envoy gave the sect master little face, stating bluntly that they had received an informant's tip: a major wanted criminal of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao was hiding within the Purple Cloud Sect and required a thorough purge and investigation.
Though the entire Purple Cloud Sect was deeply humiliated, facing an inspecting envoy who embodied the will of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao, they had no choice but to cooperate with the inquiry.
At the time, no one knew who the criminal actually was, but the scrutiny was so stringent that every single disciple of the Purple Cloud Sect was interrogated one by one.
Even Song Hesong, who had just entered the sect as a mere handyman, was not spared.
Song Hesong was not entirely clear on the final outcome.
However, after the inspecting envoy departed, rumors began circulating within the sect.
A true disciple of the Purple Cloud Sect had mysteriously vanished.
Many suspected that this true disciple was the wanted criminal.
Although the sect established strict rules forbidding such baseless hearsay, paper could not wrap fire after all.
With the passage of time, the secrecy requirements surrounding the incident gradually relaxed.
Later, when Song Hesong took up the post of manager in Ningyuan City, his predecessor solemnly exhorted him to remain on guard against remnants of the Profound Heaven Sect.
Only when he pressed out of curiosity did he learn that the true disciple taken away back then had been a spy covertly planted inside the Purple Cloud Sect by the Profound Heaven Sect.
"The Profound Heaven Sect, once the foremost sect under heaven.
"Its might cowed the world; cultivators from every other sect had to hang upon its every whim.
"Later, it was overthrown by the united front of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao. It was precisely that sect-exterminating war that cemented the Ten Sects' position of leadership.
"Yet a centipede dies but never falls stiff. Though the Profound Heaven Sect collapsed overnight, remnants still lurked hidden in the world.
"To eliminate any possibility of the Profound Heaven Sect rising from the ashes, the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao issued an extermination decree. Anyone who possessed the slightest tie to the former Profound Heaven Sect was to be executed without mercy.
"And the alliance of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao, having already consolidated its dominance, was still so wary of the destroyed Profound Heaven Sect because..."
A strange gleam flickered in Li Fan's eyes.
"The supreme treasure of the Profound Heaven Sect vanished without a trace during the battle of annihilation.
"And that supreme treasure was called...
"The Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror."
*The Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror,* Li Fan repeated silently to himself.
"This mirror could be called a supreme treasure of heaven and earth, endowed with boundless miraculous wonders. The Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao even posted a bounty: any person, solely with this mirror, could exchange it for a seat in the Longevity realm.
"...
"Regrettably, after so many years, the remnants of the Profound Heaven Sect have suffered nearly total annihilation, teetering on extinction.
"As for the whereabouts of the Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror, they are even more out of reach."
Li Fan slowly digested the information he had obtained from Song Hesong.
*Could that Mr. Bai be a member of the former Profound Heaven Sect?*
*He might be, or he might not.*
*Yet the Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror ought to be the Heavenly Profound Mirror of later generations. It's just unclear why the two characters 'Xuan' and 'Tian' were swapped.*
*Leaving aside the fact that the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao have already fallen, making secrecy unnecessary...*
*Even if someone genuinely wished to conceal its origins, they could have adopted an entirely new name. There was no need for such a transparent cover-up.*
*Could there be a deeper meaning behind it?*
*Did the Dharma-Transmitting Immortal Venerable pioneer the new method specifically to upend the cultivation order and avenge the destroyed sect?*
Li Fan still could not be certain.
Nonetheless, Li Fan had ultimately taken a step closer to the truth of the cultivation world.
After a long while, Li Fan suppressed his swirling thoughts.
"The two pivotal figures have been dealt with. Next are just a few insignificant lackeys."
Hesitating no further, Li Fan's true consciousness broke out from Li Chen's vessel, revealing his original appearance.
Li Fan crept silently toward Chu Liang and the others.
Upon meeting, without a word, he unleashed the divine ability Insect Binding.
In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he had captured all four of the remaining ambushers.
At this point, save for Li Fan, not a single cultivator remained in Ningyuan City.
The incident of [Retrieval of Longevity Fruits in Ningyuan] had finally been successfully resolved without a single mortal casualty.
"I hope this is the last time I come here.
"Mr. Bai, don't let me down,"
Li Fan mused to himself.
He moved about no longer, quietly standing suspended in midair above Ningyuan City, awaiting the arrival of the time limit.
After a long time, the surrounding scenery slowly began to blur.
Li Fan's expression stirred, and he looked down below.
He saw a slender figure in green whose face could not be discerned.
Standing in the middle of the street, the figure looked up at him.
Beside him snuggled a mortal woman clad in an elegant pale-pink dress, her features likewise indistinguishable.
"So that's how it was..."
Just as Li Fan was pondering this, the surrounding scenery abruptly vanished.
In its place appeared another tableau.
Above an expanse of endless ruins, only a lone green-robed figure remained, standing at a loss.
Faint bloodstains could be seen covering his hands, as though he had previously tried to dig for something among the rubble.
"Is this the original history?"
The vision went black.
Li Fan felt a wave of dizziness; the next second, he returned to the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
His head felt heavy and dazed. Sensing carefully, he realized there were surprisingly two gains from this trip.
One was *Purple Empyrean Righteous Intent*, a secret technique from the *Purple Empyrean Thunder-Controlling True Scripture* that cleansed the soul and purified body and mind.
*Senior Brother Zhang, could it be that ending your own life was also an obsession of yours?*
At this thought, Li Fan's expression grew somewhat strange.
"Still, it comes at a good time. It saves me the trouble of seeking out a cleansing mantra elsewhere.
"Of this *Purple Empyrean Thunder-Controlling True Scripture*, I have already mastered three secret techniques: the Purple Empyrean Soul Searching Technique, the Purple Empyrean Divine Thunder Escape, and the Purple Empyrean Righteous Intent. What a pity that I have had no chance to see the foundational scripture itself. I'm afraid there will hardly be another opportunity to complete it in the future."
As for the second gain from this excursion to the Fallen Immortal Realm...
Li Fan calmed his mind and sank his awareness within.
Within his sea of consciousness, three jade-green, translucent fruits lay quietly.
The mere aura wafting from them gave Li Fan a jolt of vigor, making him feel considerably younger.
"Rebirth Longevity Fruits.
"Consuming each one extends life by three hundred years.
"So this is the reward for resolving Mr. Bai's obsession."
Fighting down the impulse to consume them himself, Li Fan shifted his gaze away from the translucent Longevity Fruits.
"To me, three hundred years of lifespan is merely a single cycle of reincarnation.
"Yet to other cultivators, these are virtually priceless treasures.
"Rather than devouring them myself, it would be better to maximize their value and trade them for something more useful.
"Still, what exactly to exchange them for will require further planning."
Setting this matter aside for now,
Li Fan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately abandoned the thought of searching for information related to the Profound Heaven Sect and the Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror.
There certainly wouldn't be any results.
If he searched for it forcefully and inadvertently drew the attention of certain entities, forcing him to restart, that would be truly unfortunate.
Chapter 285