There are tens of thousands of mirrors in the world.
Yet the only one that could make Li Fan this solemn was the Heavenly Profound.
Although the square mirror in Huangfu Song's hand differed from the Heavenly Profound Mirrors he had seen before, the familiar aura radiating from its frame made Li Fan nearly certain that it was inextricably linked to the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
Sure enough, Huangfu Song whispered somewhat nervously, "Watch your words, Brother Dongfang. Unassuming as this little mirror looks, it is a magnificent creation developed through the collective efforts of nearly every distinguished formation master in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals."
"The Heaven-Measuring Mirror."
Li Fan's eyes flickered slightly, while Dongfang Yao remained utterly baffled.
He grumbled impatiently, "Stop acting like a shy girl, swallowing half your words. Just spell it out plainly!"
Huangfu Song was not offended. Gently stroking the Heaven-Measuring Mirror, he remarked with emotion, "You wouldn't understand even if I went into detail. You only need to know that this is one of a batch of supreme treasures forged using formation cores and crafted from Qingxuan Mirrors as raw material."
"It can be thought of as a portable Heavenly Profound sub-mirror. More crucially, the user possesses almost complete administrative authority over it."
Hearing this, Dongfang Yao's eyes went wide. "A Heavenly Profound sub-mirror? Such a treasure—lend it to me so I can play with it!"
With that, he reached out to snatch the Heaven-Measuring Mirror from Huangfu Song's hand.
Yet something unexpected happened. His hands clearly reached the square mirror, only to pass right through it—like drawing water with a wicker basket, grasping nothing but empty air.
"A fake?" Dongfang Yao froze on the spot.
"Heh heh." Huangfu Song tossed the Heaven-Measuring Mirror in his hand with smug satisfaction. "Naturally, such a treasure belongs only to those who are worthy. Without the Alliance's authorization, an ordinary cultivator couldn't touch it even if they were lucky enough to lay their hands on it."
At this point, Li Fan, who had been quietly watching the show, finally spoke up: "Brother Huangfu must have paid quite a hefty price to borrow such an extraordinary treasure."
"However, what actual benefit does this Heaven-Measuring Mirror offer for our expedition into the white mist?" Li Fan asked, looking at Huangfu Song with a slight frown.
Huangfu Song stopped keeping them in suspense and explained, "The Heaven-Measuring Mirror, as the name implies, can measure the heavens and earth. In the vast white mist, even a cultivator's divine consciousness cannot penetrate very far, forcing one to inch forward step by step, relying purely on luck to explore. But with this Heaven-Measuring Mirror..."
Huangfu Song smiled. "Everything within a hundred-zhang radius becomes visible down to the finest detail. Even with the white mist blocking the way, it remains crystal clear."
"It's just a pity that after exhausting all the merits I saved up over the years, I could only borrow a low-grade Heaven-Measuring Mirror from Dean Ji. If it were a top-grade one, it could survey everything within ten thousand li in the blink of an eye," he added with a tinge of regret.
"A radius of a hundred zhang is already extraordinary. With such an exceptional tool, our exploration of the white mist will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort," Li Fan praised.
Huangfu Song added, "The Heaven-Measuring Mirror shares an innate origin with the Heavenly Profound Mirror, so we don't need to stockpile the information we discover and wait until our return to settle the rewards. Instead, as soon as the Heaven-Measuring Mirror takes in information about the surrounding area, our contributions are recorded in real time."
"There's something that good?" Dongfang Yao exclaimed in delight. "I was dreading the hassle of having to return every so often. Now that's settled—we can just plunge headlong into the white mist."
"Unlike you two, your brother here has neither wealth nor influence. Dead broke, all I have to offer is brute strength!"
Dongfang Yao thumped his chest and promised, "Whenever fighting is needed, leave it to me. You two can just sit back and watch the show from behind."
Li Fan shook his head. "Brother Dongfang jokes. Were it not for you, how could I have had the fortune to meet Brother Huangfu? That I can stay one step ahead of other cultivators in exploring the white mist—half the credit belongs to you!"
These words made Dongfang Yao beam with pride.
After conferring for a while and deciding that all preparations were complete, the three resolved to set off at once.
"Ordinary white mist regions will at most yield a few contribution points. If we want truly lavish rewards, we must seek out uncharted Lost Domains. Even with the Heaven-Measuring Mirror paving the way, the white mist is so vast that it's no different from fishing for a needle in the ocean. However, I once heard Dean Ji mention that Lost Domains attract and merge with one another. Therefore, discoveries are very likely to be made in the vicinity of known Lost Domains. As it happens, I know of a Lost Domain within the White Mist Barrier of Tianyu Province known as 'Roaming Script and Living Characters.' We might as well try our luck there," Huangfu Song suggested.
"'Roaming Script and Living Characters'? What kind of damn place is that?" Dongfang Yao scratched his head and asked curiously.
"Supposedly, among the charted Lost Domains, its threat level is considered low. It's just that the writing inside cannot be fixed in place by any means; the characters drift through the domain's sky like living creatures. The sight is rather extraordinary," Huangfu Song briefly explained.
Li Fan nodded in agreement. Dongfang Yao naturally had no objections either.
Thus, steering the Puxian True Boat under Huangfu Song's guidance, the three charged into the White Mist Barrier.
The moment they entered the vast white mist, Huangfu Song tossed the Heaven-Measuring Mirror above his head.
A faint cyan glow radiated from the Heaven-Measuring Mirror and expanded outward, forming a circle with a radius of a hundred zhang centered on the Puxian True Boat.
Bathed in the cyan light, Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly. After a thorough inspection, he found nothing amiss with his body, and only then did he temporarily set his mind at ease.
"How unlucky. Someone has already beaten us to this spot," Huangfu Song shook his head repeatedly.
"We've only just entered the White Mist Barrier, so it's normal for others to have gotten here first," Li Fan remarked offhandedly, though his attention was already fixed on a massive map that had suddenly appeared in his mind.
The vast majority of the map was an expanse of hazy white. Yet a few small dots and thin lines had already appeared, steadily eating into it.
Zooming in, a small black dot marked his own current location.
The surrounding area was a patch of dark cyan, forming a stark contrast with the boundless white outside.
*It only shows that the region has been surveyed, but gives no indication of what is actually inside, does it?*
Li Fan was not surprised by this.
The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals had launched the white mist exploration initiative with an obvious objective in mind. The environmental data within the white mist was top secret; how could they easily reveal it to the cultivators serving as pathfinders?
Huangfu Song steered the Puxian True Boat toward the direction of the "Roaming Script and Living Characters" Lost Domain, detouring around the dark cyan regions displayed on the map. They pressed on while earning contribution points along the way.
The vast white mist was like an endless ocean.
Throughout the journey, there was nothing to be seen except the white mist.
Li Fan checked his contribution through the Heaven-Measuring Mirror; the points grew at an excruciatingly slow pace.
After three or four days, he had gained barely over two hundred points.
*For an ordinary cultivator, this rate of earning wouldn't be considered slow. But to me, it's utterly useless.*
*No wonder Shuo Feng looked down on it.*
Beyond contribution points, there was another currency known as "Qingxuan points," which could be exchanged for special resources.
However, Li Fan's Qingxuan points were currently at zero, so he could not view the specific catalog.
Chapter 694