Back then, outside the void of Tianling Province, after successfully stealing the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven and breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm, Li Fan had been preparing to slip away unnoticed.
Only to discover that a cultivator on guard below named Sun Qi seemed vaguely capable of detecting his presence.
He had even sensed the Formless Killing Intent.
One had to know that even an ordinary Dao Integration cultivator would find it exceedingly difficult to perceive the Formless Killing Intent cast by Li Fan at the Nascent Soul realm—an intent borrowed from the Mandate of Heaven.
Yet it had somehow been discerned by a mere Golden Core cultivator.
All signs indicated that this Sun Qi was no ordinary person. Thus, Li Fan had casually unleashed a thread of Formless Killing Intent to lock onto him.
For a long time, Sun Qi had displayed nothing out of the ordinary. Just like any common cultivator, he cultivated and carried out missions assigned by the Alliance.
Not until recently, when Tianling Castellan Sun Liancheng sought him out and gave him a Huajian Invitation.
Inside the Lost Domain, Li Fan, who sensed the images transmitted from hundreds of millions of li away, paused slightly.
"The more favored one is by Heaven and Earth, the harder it is to defy the Principle...?" Li Fan murmured thoughtfully.
"Brother Li, are you reaching your limit?" Huangfu Song's voice pulled Li Fan back to reality.
Dongfang Yao roared, "Just get behind me! Huangfu, how much longer?"
"Just the last one percent! Once that's done, this Lost Domain will be completely mapped! Hold on a bit longer!" Huangfu Song shouted.
"Damn it, hurry up!" Dongfang Yao threw a punch, tearing dozens of shadow beasts that had crept close into shreds.
Li Fan looked outward. Countless black shadow beasts surged from all directions like ocean waves, surrounding the three of them tightly.
This was already the third Lost Domain they had explored during this period.
Compared to the desolate and deathly stillness of the first two, the danger level here had multiplied several times over.
Across the seemingly tranquil ground, countless strange beasts formed from shadows lay hidden among the jagged crags.
During the day, there was hardly any movement.
Once night fell and a crimson moon rose, however, beneath the orange-red moonlight, the shadows seemed to come completely alive.
They launched frenzied attacks against the outsiders intruding upon the Lost Domain—Li Fan and his companions.
These shadow beasts were not only swift and stealthy, but their destructive power was also astonishing.
Even with Dongfang Yao's exceptionally formidable physical body, taking several claws had left him dripping with blood.
What gave Li Fan and the others an even bigger headache was that even after exerting every ounce of strength to slaughter every last one of these rabid shadow beasts,
the next night, when the crimson moon rose again, the shadow beasts sprang forth anew.
Not only was their number not diminished in the slightest, but they also seemed to retain the memories of fighting them from the previous night.
This instantly plunged the trio into a grueling struggle.
Only after burning through nearly all their supplies did they barely manage to hold their ground in the tide of shadow beasts.
On the third day, before they even had time to complete the exploration of the entire Lost Domain,
the crimson moon descended ahead of time.
Their situation instantly grew precarious.
Fortunately, Huangfu Song and Dongfang Yao were quite capable, and Li Fan was concealing the vast majority of his cultivation and combat prowess.
So it was merely a close call without real disaster.
Though the defensive line they set up seemed on the verge of collapsing under the shadow beasts' onslaught at any second, it was remarkably tenacious, holding fast and refusing to break.
Finally, when the Sky-Measuring Mirror finished recording all the data,
the three struck simultaneously, clearing their immediate surroundings in an instant. Then, the Puxian True Boat soared into the heavens, rocketing straight toward the crimson moon in the sky.
Even driven to madness, the shadow beasts could not stop them and could only watch helplessly as Li Fan and his companions flew into the crimson moon.
"Fuck, that was way too close!" Seeing the familiar white mist around them, the blood-soaked Dongfang Yao couldn't help letting out a curse.
"I'm never listening to you again, Huangfu. If we'd listened to Brother Li and not fought to the death with them on the first night—skirmishing while mapping instead—we would've finished and gotten the hell out ages ago." After grumbling, he took a deep breath, and several bone-deep wounds on his body writhed as they slowly healed.
"Sigh, you can't blame me. Who told the damn Alliance to set such rules? The Qingxuan points reward for a hundred percent exploration is double what you get for ninety-nine percent. Isn't that just forcing people to map out every single corner?" Huangfu Song wiped the cold sweat from his brow, speaking with a touch of aggrieved innocence.
Li Fan, on the other hand, remained rather calm. "After all, the true danger might very well be hidden within that remaining one percent. Exploring it completely eliminates the peril directly. It makes sense for the Alliance to do this."
"Let's look at what we gained this time instead. Over sixteen hundred points more, plus what we had before..."
"Only twenty-four hundred points."
The faces of all three darkened.
"I didn't expect the value between different Lost Domains to vary so drastically."
"I really miss when thirty thousand Qingxuan points were so easy to get..." Dongfang Yao grumbled.
"Shut your trap!" Huangfu Song snapped in annoyance.
Li Fan did not join in their bickering, his gaze fixed instead on the Qingxuan point exchange list appearing on the Sky-Measuring Mirror.
"Dissociation Disc: 50,000 Qingxuan points."
"Remaining quantity: 8."
Li Fan gave a cold snort inward. *Sure enough, they're using this thing to dangle in front of people. I wonder which sucker bought the first one.*
This time, perhaps to boost cultivators' enthusiasm for exploring the white mist, the rare treasures on the Qingxuan point exchange list had limited quantities.
Available only until supplies ran out.
However, the rewards were indeed lavish. Among the Heavenly Profound Mirror secondary bodies on the list, aside from nine Dissociation Discs, there were also two others: the "Spirit of the Profound Mirror" and the "End Stone Platter."
The Spirit of the Profound Mirror was a nascent consciousness possessing a considerable degree of intellect. It could be fused into any magic treasure to multiply its might.
As for the End Stone Platter, it was the newest secondary body produced, named after its appearance as a circular stone platter.
Its specific functions had yet to be discovered.
*This End Stone Platter seems to be the Calamity Extinction Stone Platter. In my previous life, the members of the Heaven-Overturning Society used it to mass-produce Bane Stones that could shield against the Profound Net's perception. The Heaven-Overturning Society's cultivators researched it for many years before discovering its wonderful use. It was only recently born, so it's only natural that the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals hasn't figured out its effects yet.*
*One hundred thousand Qingxuan points...*
Li Fan stroked his chin, unable to keep from thinking back to the several regions he had secretly noted along the way where the wailing cries of "Heavenly Physician" constantly echoed.
Based on his experience over this period, he couldn't hear faint cries of "Heavenly Physician" from every Lost Domain.
Yet whenever the cry of "Heavenly Physician" appeared, it meant that a Lost Domain could definitely be found nearby.
*They can't all be the testing grounds of that Heavenly Venerable who reverses life and death.*
*There's some risk, but it's not like I can't give it a try.*
Li Fan felt a stir of eagerness in his heart.
-----
While the true body was exploring inside the white mist, in the Beast Seed Realm, Xu Bai was already preparing to head to the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters.
"Sect Master, why are you taking off all the protective treasures I forged for you? Do you have some grievance against Old Fang?" Fang Zaiji panicked when he saw Xu Bai taking off the folding fan, white robe, and sachet one by one.
Xu Bai chuckled softly. "Once at the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters, if real danger strikes, these things won't be of any use anyway."
"Rather than letting them be buried along with the avatar, it is better to leave them here."
Liu San glared fiercely at Fang Zaiji, then comforted Xu Bai: "Young Master need not worry. I inquired with Daoist Jiao, and Alliance cultivators who use the Law-Audience Jade Plaque almost never encounter any mishaps. Essentially all return safely."
"Presumably, Young Master's avatar should be unharmed as well."
Xu Bai waved a hand. "Neither of you need worry; it is merely an avatar. Even if it is lost, it can be refined again."
"Elder Liu, is the Spring and Autumn Great Dream Formation ready?"
Liu San nodded solemnly. "I have already linked the consciousness of this avatar of yours separately to a blank node. If he encounters an overwhelming force, it can help him maintain a moment of mental clarity."
"That will suffice." Xu Bai smiled.
Then, alone, he stepped out of the Valley of Longevity.
Traveling across several provinces via teleportation arrays, he arrived at Fuyu Province in the central region of the Alliance.
In an uninhabited wilderness, he activated the Law-Audience Jade Plaque.
Before long, a square doorway materialized out of thin air. A black-robed cultivator stepped out from within.
Looking at the Law-Audience Jade Plaque in Li Fan's hand, the black-robed cultivator spoke no unnecessary words.
He simply led Li Fan through the transparent doorway.
A blur flashed before his eyes, followed by a faint dizzy sensation, and Li Fan already knew he had arrived inside the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters.
Unlike the statue of the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable seen in his previous life,
the illusion the avatar beheld upon entering the Alliance headquarters this time was a frail figure seen from behind.
With hands clasped behind his back, looking up at the sky, he sighed softly:
"Ahead, the immortal path cannot be trodden, for the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable stands above!"
Chapter 706