Back in the ninth year of Anchor, Li Fan had once accepted a merit mission: assisting the Congyun Sea Martial Practice Hall in clearing out the red-haired beasts on Wanlai Island.
Those strange beasts fed on sound and reproduced at an astonishing rate. They could even fuse together, forming monsters whose strength far surpassed their individual average.
After a grueling battle, the Martial Practice squad successfully wiped out a certain number of the red-haired beasts and completed the mission smoothly.
Surprised, Li Fan had asked Jiang Zhengji why they did not completely eradicate the beasts on Wanlai Island.
Jiang Zhengji told him that headquarters of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' Martial Practice Hall had a recurring assignment: every year, branches across the realm had to gather and turn in a required quota of strange treasures capable of absorbing sound. And the required amount kept increasing.
At the time, Li Fan had merely found the task rather peculiar.
From the look of things now, was it all to counter this Chizha Abyss?
Sure enough, the thought had barely crossed Li Fan's mind when he heard Huangfu Song remark with a sigh of feeling, "The demonic sounds rising from the bottom of Chizha Abyss are terrifying beyond measure. The Alliance tried every method under the sun, but none could block them.
"Silencing arts and soundproofing materials had no effect whatsoever.
"It wasn't until later, when a cultivator brought out a stone frog magic treasure capable of swallowing and spitting sound, that they discovered strange treasures of this kind had miraculous effects.
"Perhaps because these treasures possess no sentience or complex thoughts, the demonic sounds that prove fatal to cultivators have a drastically reduced effect on them.
"Truly, every creature has its vanquisher!
"The Alliance gathered many such treasures and finally held the defensive line at Chizha Abyss. And for safety's sake, they relocated the Eternal Immortal Bastion back to its original position to suppress the abyss."
"Then is our trip there because something happened to the Eternal Immortal Bastion?" Li Fan asked.
Huangfu Song shook his head. "With that lord presiding over the Eternal Immortal Bastion, along with the vast accumulation of strange treasures, the defense line is virtually unshakable.
"In fact, the incident this time occurred outside Chizha Abyss..."
Huangfu Song was about to elaborate when his expression shifted slightly.
Glancing out the window, he instructed, "Get ready, we're setting off.
"Kid Xue, drink your tea. Traversing the White Mist burns through a good deal of lifespan. This is free compensation for you two—miss it now, and it's gone."
With that, he shifted his seat and sat upright in a formal posture upon the circular seat beneath him.
Seeing this, Li Fan followed his example and seated himself properly.
Sensing outward slightly, Li Fan felt as if he had stepped into another space in an instant, isolated from the cabin.
Xue Mu had just downed the spiritual tea when the flying boat shuddered violently. He lurched, nearly tumbling to the floor.
Yet this sudden acceleration had no effect whatsoever on Li Fan or Huangfu Song.
Both of them looked at Xue Mu, smiles spread across their faces.
The flying boat seemed to be accelerating constantly. It took Xue Mu quite some effort before he clumsily managed to sit down on his circular seat.
Once Xue Mu had settled in, Huangfu Song put away his smile and picked up the topic from before: "Not long ago, the Alliance discovered signs outside Chizha Abyss, not far from this Lost Domain, that another Lost Domain is about to form.
"Dealing with Chizha Abyss was already difficult enough. If these two Lost Domains were allowed to merge, who knows what would happen?
"So the Alliance issued orders to relocate this newly appearing Lost Domain to another empty expanse.
"At the same time, we are to construct Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formations outside both Lost Domains to facilitate future surveillance and monitoring.
"That is our mission for this trip,"
Huangfu Song said impassively.
Those few sentences contained quite a heavy amount of information.
"Lost Domains can be relocated?"
"Lost Domains can merge?"
Xue Mu and Li Fan asked simultaneously.
Huangfu Song glanced at them and explained, "A Lost Domain simply means that once you enter a specific region, the spatial structure changes.
"Outside this region, everything is normal.
"That is the boundary of a Lost Domain. If one has grasped the Dao of Space, naturally one can excise and move this entire area.
"Though it's a bit troublesome, it's nothing too difficult.
"Of course, that kind of work falls to us old fogies. We can't expect youngsters like you to handle it.
"Your task is merely to assist in constructing the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation and seal off the Lost Domain."
Li Fan gave a slight nod.
Xue Mu was still puzzled. "Senior Huangfu, if Lost Domains can be relocated, why not just move Chizha Abyss away instead of spending so much effort suppressing it?"
Huangfu Song smiled grimly. "Indeed, why?"
Xue Mu was instantly struck dumb, not knowing how to respond.
Huangfu Song looked deeply at Xue Mu and said slowly, "Who knows what even more terrifying thing might emerge once it's moved? Better to obediently suppress it. At the very least, it's currently at a stage we can handle.
"Once the Heavenly Profound Mirror..."
At the exact moment Huangfu Song's words abruptly cut off, a creeping shiver of dread struck Li Fan's heart.
A chilling cold spread across his body, as though something was slithering over him.
His chest felt hollow, as if something were slipping away quietly without him noticing.
Xue Mu's face went pale. And although Huangfu Song's expression remained calm, the fleeting fear in his eyes did not escape Li Fan's notice.
Devouring.
Li Fan opened the True Reversion interface, only to find that his physiological age of 49 had actually become 50 in that brief span of time.
Fortunately, his psychological age remained rock-solid, leaving him completely unfazed.
However, he could not let that show. Li Fan feigned intense nervousness as well, asking, "Have we already entered the Essence-Devouring White Mist?"
He then looked out the window.
Sure enough, all was an endless sheet of white; nothing could be seen.
Huangfu Song nodded. "Chizha Abyss isn't too far from the edge of the White Mist. We'll be there shortly.
"The closer you get to the Lost Domain, the stronger the Essence-Devouring White Mist's power to consume lifespan becomes.
"Inside this Dust-Crossing Boat, it's manageable. But without protection, if one were to venture into the Lost Domain alone, even a thousand years of lifespan wouldn't be enough.
"Remember this well: while inside the Lost Domain, you must keep a Black Death Talisman on you at all times.
"Otherwise, with your mere Golden Core cultivation, you'd probably turn into bleached bones in the time it takes an incense stick to burn."
Huangfu Song warned them with a solemn expression, then recalled something and added, "Well, they'll distribute them to everyone before we disembark.
"They will be collected back before we leave as well."
Neither of them had expected the mission location to be this perilous.
Already a man of few words, Xue Mu became even more silent.
Though he forced himself to look calm, he could not conceal the trepidation in his heart.
Li Fan also maintained his facade, appearing composed yet tinged with fear.
With Huangfu Song having finished everything he needed to say, silence fell over the cabin.
Yet the silence did not last long.
Before long, a rustling sound abruptly rose by Li Fan's ears.
"Heal..."
"Heaven..."
Li Fan's heart jumped. He looked at the two men beside him.
"Did you hear anything?" he asked.
Chapter 349