Beacon to the Outer World

"Li Chen?!" In an instant, the face of a frail young man flashed through Li Fan's mind. *He was actually the secretly hidden Dharma King of the Profound Heaven Sect? How is that possible?* Li Fan was thoroughly shaken. This Li Chen was none other than the very person Li Fan had possessed in the Fallen Immortal Realm during the "Retrieving Longevity Fruits in Ningyuan" incident. An inner sect disciple of the Purple Cloud Sect, Zhang Qianmo's junior brother! Yet... Li Fan had descended into the Fallen Immortal Realm and taken his place many times. He knew every single memory in the young man's head down to the finest detail. Li Chen was merely a child from an ordinary mountain village who was accepted into the Purple Cloud Sect only because he showed a good aptitude for cultivation. There were simply no memories belonging to an ancient Dharma King of the Profound Heaven Sect. *There are three possibilities. First, this Dharma King was merely akin to a divine soul parasitizing Li Chen's body. The Fallen Immortal's dying gaze mirrored all living beings in the world. What was replicated in the Fallen Immortal Realm was only a creature's innate self; any other foreign entities within the body were not reconstructed.* *The second possibility is that during the time the Longevity Fruits were retrieved in Ningyuan, the Dharma King had not yet occupied Li Chen's body. Only after Li Chen was gravely injured in that incident and brought back to the sect by Zhang Qianmo did the Dharma King lurking in the Purple Cloud Sect take advantage of his vulnerability to take his place.* *The final possibility is...* *The Dharma King of the Profound Heaven Sect possessed earth-shattering cultivation and hid himself profoundly. Even that Fallen Immortal, capable of perceiving everything in the world, could not see through his secrets.* *Thus, what was created in the Fallen Immortal Realm was merely superficial.* ... After a careful analysis, Li Fan felt the third possibility was unlikely. If even a cornered Dharma King possessed cultivation comparable to a Fallen Immortal, just how terrifying would the overall might of the ancient Profound Heaven Sect have been? They never would have been overthrown by the coalition of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao. *Inside the Fallen Immortal Realm, things are almost indistinguishable from the real world. Even spiritual energy trajectories and cultivation technique circulation could be replicated; a remnant soul inside a body should not have escaped an immortal's discerning eyes either.* *In that case, was Li Chen possessed by the Profound Heaven Sect's Dharma King after falling unconscious?* *The Dharma King's actual condition was probably far from good, lingering on his last legs at best. After narrowly escaping the pursuit of the envoys from the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao back then, he remained hidden in the Purple Cloud Sect. During that period, he might have switched through multiple bodies before finally becoming Li Chen.* Piecing together the information gathered from various channels, Li Fan unraveled the layers and reconstructed a likely truth. Immediately after, his heart began to race with excitement. A Dharma King of the Profound Heaven Sect had existed since the ancient era of cultivation. The secrets he possessed had to be countless. If Li Fan could search his soul and seize his spirit... *It is definitely worth a try.* *When the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals unearthed him in this lifetime, the Dharma King was still in deep slumber; his defensive capabilities couldn't possibly be very strong.* *If I can control him, not only will I obtain countless secrets and techniques, but I'll even secure an identity to walk the Xuanhuang Realm with in the future, rather than having to constantly disguise myself as a Heavenly Mechanism Sect cultivator. That ruse has far too many flaws.* Li Fan felt strongly tempted. *Still, I cannot be careless,* he thought, catching himself. *Back then, the Profound Heaven Sect held the authority of Heaven, and every Dharma King in the sect must have been in the Longevity realm of the old methods. Even though he must have been severely wounded during the sect's destruction and slept for so many years—his strength surely far diminished—* *an ancient titan, especially one who has lived for an unknowable age, might still harbor hidden trumps. I still need to send an avatar first to test the waters.* *It's worth the gamble. In any case, it won't be any more dangerous than scheming against the Heavenly Physician.* These thoughts flashed by in a single breath. Even though his expression barely shifted, that momentary variation in emotion was still caught by Jiao Xiuyuan. A curious look appeared in Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes, and he couldn't help asking, "Fellow Daoist, could it be that you and this Li Chen are truly old acquaintances?" Li Fan shook his head slightly and quickly replied, "Hardly old acquaintances. We've only crossed paths a few times." "Back then, I thought he was just an ordinary disciple of the Purple Cloud Sect. I never expected..." "One truly can know a person's face, but not their heart!" Li Fan sighed. Jiao Xiuyuan knew Li Fan was not telling the whole truth. However, everyone had secrets, and he had no intention of prying further. "Heh heh." "Then why were you inquiring about the identity of this sleeping ancient cultivator in the first place, Fellow Daoist?" Jiao Xiuyuan asked tentatively. Li Fan cupped his hands. "I was merely entrusted by someone else." Jiao Xiuyuan looked thoughtful, nodded, and said no more. The two exchanged pleasantries for a bit longer. As they were about to part ways, Li Fan casually asked, "By the way, do you still have those Small Medicine King Cauldrons I asked you to excavate earlier?" "Sold long ago," Jiao Xiuyuan replied. "Back then, you didn't seem to care about them in the slightest. Why bring up old business again now?" he asked with some curiosity. "A passing whim—it just came to mind, so I asked. Don't read into it, Fellow Daoist." Li Fan smiled mysteriously, dodging the question, then turned and walked out of Thousand Li Hall. He left Jiao Xiuyuan standing in place with a furrowed brow, looking startled and suspicious. Yet Jiao Xiuyuan made no move to stop him. ----- After departing, Li Fan first returned to the Heavenly Profound Mirror and searched for Small Medicine King Cauldrons. According to Jiao Xiuyuan, when the ruins of the Medicine King Sect were sealed by the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, the ground had been dug three feet deep, and anything of value inside the ruins had been carted away. Jiao had only managed to dig up two of them back then. Yet now, looking at the market, Li Fan saw that there were as many as seventeen Small Medicine King Cauldrons listed for sale. These had evidently leaked out from within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals. Li Fan was already well accustomed to this sort of thing. At present, the true purpose of the Small Medicine King Cauldrons was still unknown to the world. Wealthy and unrestrained, Li Fan bought up every one of these stray cauldrons in an instant. This sudden movement immediately drew someone's attention. "Fellow Daoist Li Fan, was that your doing?" "What secret does this Small Medicine King Cauldron actually hold?" "Did you deduce something again?" Jiao Xiuyuan, who had just disconnected communication not long ago, sent a hurried message of inquiry. "Guess," Li Fan replied with a laugh, ignoring whatever response the other man might have. Shrouding himself in the secret art *Covering the Sky with One Hand*, he headed straight for Cangwu Province. Barely pausing for a breath, he used teleportation arrays one after another. In less than half a day, he had arrived at the Abyss of Cangwu. Purchasing a travel guide for the Abyss of Cangwu, Li Fan followed the route from his memories of Xiao Fan and the others in his previous life, heading downward. Passing through the Forest of Spirit Whispers and Puppet Gorge, he reached the Lost Labyrinthine City a hundred thousand zhang underground. After considerable effort, he finally found the exact spot where the Medicine King Cauldron would crash down in the future. Indeed, Li Fan intended to wait here like a hunter waiting by the tree stump for a hare to strike, biding his time for the meteor to fall from the sky. Inside the Medicine King Cauldron lay all the cultivators of the Medicine King Sect who had been forced into slumber. Every single one of them was like a lamb waiting for slaughter.