"Get moving! We can't stand against this damn thing!"
Huangfu Song cried out in panic as he laid down several formations around the exterior of the Puxian True Boat.
The flying boat's escape speed surged several times over in an instant.
Yet that terrifying corpse giant still relentlessly pursued them.
What was more, its speed seemed scarcely slower than the Puxian True Boat!
"Quick, back to the nearest province, Luoyan Province! A monstrosity like this can probably only be handled if the Alliance authorities step in!"
Without needing to be told, Li Fan was already piloting the boat along the fastest escape route.
And yet...
Judging by the distances on their map and their flight speed, they should have burst out of the white mist long ago.
Instead, boundless white mist still enveloped them on all sides, appearing as timeless as the millennia.
"Trouble. Without realizing it, we seem to have been dragged into a Lost Domain by this corpse giant," Li Fan said, his expression darkening.
"What?" Huangfu Song paled in fright. After inspecting their surroundings, he realized Li Fan was right.
"This... we can't defeat it, and we can't outrun it. Isn't this certain death?" Dongfang Yao's face turned slightly pale.
"We run while we think of a way," Li Fan said decisively.
The Puxian True Boat maintained its blistering speed, searching for an exit from the Lost Domain, while the corpse giant dogged their steps, seemingly determined not to rest until it seized them.
Several times, the Puxian True Boat was nearly grabbed by the giant's hands. Fortunately, each time Li Fan relied on the boat-piloting skills he had honed years ago in the Immortal Severing Formation to steer them clear of disaster.
"Damn it, why is it clinging to us like this? What bitter grudge does it have against us?" Unable to bear the nerve-wracking pressure any longer, Huangfu Song roared in helpless fury.
"Hm?" This offhand complaint actually jogged Li Fan's thoughts.
This horrific, eerie corpse giant was clearly connected to the Heavenly Physician. It lacked conscious will and seemed to act purely on instinct. Why, then, was it relentlessly pursuing the three of them?
All while howling with bitter, resentful wails as it gave chase.
*Could it have sensed the aura of the Heavenly Physician on me?* Li Fan wondered at once.
Yet he soon dismissed that suspicion.
Not only in this life—ever since his clone had shown a flaw before the Heavenly Physician, leading the Physician to tear open the Tianxuan space in pursuit and forcing Li Fan to trigger True Reversion, Li Fan had not crossed paths with him in a very long time.
Much less could he be tainted by the Heavenly Physician's aura.
Li Fan then glanced toward Huangfu and Dongfang beside him.
They could not even hear the words "Heavenly Physician" uttered by the corpse giant. Naturally, it was even less likely that they had any connection to that supreme powerhouse.
*So is it something I'm carrying that drew this corpse giant?*
In a flash of inspiration, Li Fan sensed a distinct possibility.
Scanning and taking inventory of everything on his person, he unhesitatingly discarded several suspicious items, yet none of them altered the corpse giant's behavior.
Finally, Li Fan locked his gaze onto a white rib bone.
This was the sole item dropped from Master Yin's body after Li Fan killed him in this lifetime.
It belonged to the very first person infected by the immortal-mortal miasma.
*Could this be the cause?*
Li Fan pondered for a moment, then gripped it in his hand.
Feeling its strange texture—both icy cold and warm to the touch—Li Fan hurled it with all his might in the direction opposite their flight.
A moment later.
"Heavenly..."
"Physician..."
Sure enough, the corpse giant shifted its pursuit!
Forsaking the Puxian True Boat, it roared and went bounding after that white rib bone!
"..."
*What does this mean?* Li Fan froze slightly, brows furrowing in thought.
Then, an even more baffling sight unfolded before him.
Once the corpse giant caught the rib, Li Fan had expected it to unleash some frenzied vengeance.
Instead, its movements slowed, and it stood dazed where it was.
Its echoing, mournful wails of "Heavenly Physician" gradually subsided.
Clumsily cupping the rib in its hands, the corpse giant pressed it against its chest, shielding it tenderly.
Then it sank and vanished into the boundless white mist.
The transformation happened in mere breaths; aside from Li Fan, neither of the other two on the boat understood what had just transpired.
They had only seen Li Fan casually throw something out, which had lured the terrifying giant away.
Having survived by the skin of their teeth, they stared blankly at him.
It took a long time for Li Fan to gather his thoughts. He shrugged and said, "Just dumb luck, that's all."
Huangfu and Dongfang remained noncommittal. But Li Fan had saved their lives, after all; since he was unwilling to divulge more, it was not their place to pry.
Over this recent period, they had truly forged a bond tempered by shared life-and-death peril.
Even if their friendship wasn't extraordinarily profound, it was certainly far deeper than the bonds between the vast majority of cultivators in this world.
At least, so it seemed to Huangfu and Dongfang.
Everyone harbored secrets, and they tacitly chose to drop the subject.
Free from the giant's threat, the three expended considerable effort and eventually managed to escape the Lost Domain.
For some unknown reason, however, this Lost Domain yielded no reward of Qingxuan points.
Preserving their lives was already a great blessing; they could hardly ask for more.
Still shaken, the three held a discussion and initially decided to return and rest for a spell.
However, the stinging realization that the Sky-Measuring Mirror showed two fewer Dissociation Discs in an instant spurred them into changing their minds.
Without bothering to catch their breath after barely escaping death, they plunged once more into the white mist.
-----
"And so they say, men die for wealth as birds die for food. Such is the law of heaven and earth, and even we immortal cultivators are not above it. Unless another Longevity Heavenly Venerable can reverse this principle, such things will continue to happen repeatedly within our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals."
Nangong Shirong spoke at length before Xu Bai, though his words were not about Huangfu Song's trio.
Instead, he was speaking of Xiang Rongxin, the Castellan of Tianliang City.
After weeks of meticulous investigation and complex negotiations among various factions, the primary scapegoat for the Wang Qiupo incident was finally settled upon.
It was none other than Castellan Xiang.
There was no helping it—most of the cultivators Wang Qiupo had recommended had advanced through Xiang's channels. Moreover, Xiang had confessed without hesitation to accepting numerous treasures from Wang Qiupo in the past.
In the end, his post as castellan was stripped. Fortunately for him, his life was spared, and even his cultivation realm was preserved.
He was merely exiled to Cangwu Abyss in the far southwest, assigned to garrison against the abyssal monsters whose riots were growing increasingly frequent.
Having rendered great service in this case, Nangong Shirong naturally stepped into Xiang Rongxin's former position.
The internal resolution had already been finalized; in a few more days, the official decree would be formally promulgated.
Riding high on his success, Nangong Shirong naturally did not forget Xu Bai, the "great contributor."
He even extended an olive branch to Xu Bai, hoping to recruit him to serve in Tianliang Province.
After all, while his rise this time had been meteoric, he had also offended a wide swath of people.
With shallow roots, he desperately needed to cultivate his own faction.
Chapter 716