Seeing Li Fan sink into deep thought, Huangfu Song assumed he was also tempted to return, try his luck, and search for longevity treasures.
He immediately hurried to dissuade him.
After all, without Li Fan, the efficiency with which he and Dongfang Yao could explore the Lost Domains would never match what it was before. Their hopes of redeeming the limited treasures on the Qingxuan Leaderboard would become even slimmer.
"Actually, Immortal Venerable Blue Feather issuing this bounty is a good thing for us. As one side waxes, the other wanes; a considerable number of cultivators have been drawn back, so the competitive pressure here in the white fog will lessen..." Huangfu Song began analyzing in earnest.
Li Fan smiled and waved a hand to interrupt him. "Brother Huangfu, there is no need to worry. I have no intention of returning. In fact, I might stay in the white fog even longer than the two of you."
Dongfang Yao immediately grew curious. "Oh? Brother Li, which item on the Qingxuan Leaderboard caught your eye?"
Li Fan did not hide it. Pausing briefly, he said, "The End Stone Platter."
Dongfang and Huangfu exchanged glances. "One hundred thousand Qingxuan points to gamble on a secondary body whose function is still unknown..."
Dongfang Yao could not help but urge, "Brother Li, think twice! The risk is simply too great. If that thing just has a fancy name but little practical use, wouldn't you lose everything? You might as well look at other items. Even trading for a Dao Integration cultivation method would work! Even if you can't use it yourself, you could still trade it with others..."
As Dongfang Yao rambled on, Huangfu Song pondered and offered his own perspective. "The End Stone Platter..."
"I heard that after that secondary body was born, not a single other Heavenly Profound secondary body emerged for a full ten years. It made the higher-ups at headquarters terribly nervous, thinking that no more secondary bodies would ever descend again."
"Precisely because of that, it was given the name 'End.'"
"However..." Huangfu Song frowned slightly. "Since it caused the Heavenly Profound Mirror to behave abnormally for so long, they initially thought it possessed something extraordinary. Yet after studying it for ages without any conclusive findings, they had no choice but to abandon their research. That is likely why the Alliance was willing to place it on the Qingxuan Leaderboard this time."
"Still, it is a Heavenly Profound secondary body after all. Perhaps it really has some practical use that the Alliance hasn't discovered yet. Though the price of one hundred thousand Qingxuan points is high, if one gambles correctly..."
Li Fan smiled and picked up where he left off: "It would yield immense returns from a single venture! I am willing to give it a try!"
Dongfang Yao clicked his tongue. "Brother Li, you certainly have a gambler's streak. If it turns out in the end that the thing is truly just a useless lump of rock with nothing to it..."
"Then at the very least, it will have value as a collector's piece. I won't walk away with nothing!" Li Fan gave an easy laugh, completely nonchalant.
"Right now, my only concern is whether someone else will compete with me for it. There are hundreds of thousands of Alliance cultivators; I'm certainly not the only one who likes a gamble."
Huangfu Song clapped his hands. "Then it seems we need to pick up the pace. We're still quite far from one hundred thousand Qingxuan points!"
Following this discussion, the three aligned on their goal and continued exploring the Lost Domains with all their might.
Time slipped swiftly by.
Huangfu and Dongfang had long since redeemed the Dissociation Disc and the Origin-Devouring Sacred Physique Art, shifting their targets to other treasures.
Meanwhile, their accumulated Qingxuan points drew closer and closer to one hundred thousand.
Counting the initial Lost Domain of Life and Death, the total number of Lost Domains the three had explored had now reached thirteen.
As practice made perfect and the exploration process grew increasingly smooth, Li Fan also pieced together several principles regarding the existence of these Lost Domains.
Working from the premise that the present Xuanhuang Realm had been formed through the ancient Xuanhuang Realm fusing with numerous other worlds, Li Fan realized that the so-called Lost Domains were very likely "fragments" that had sheared off from their original worlds during the processes of collision and integration.
The Lost Domains were exceptionally bizarre, often possessing their own unique sets of laws—a trait remarkably similar to the anomalies found within the Xuanhuang Realm.
Furthermore, by comparing the clothing styles of the cultivators' corpses within the Lost Domains and the architectural patterns and motifs, Li Fan discovered that these Lost Domains clearly originated from distinct worlds.
*World-level evolution is occurring amid these collisions, and the white fog serves as the buffer zone...*
After finishing their exploration of yet another Lost Domain, an understanding dawned in Li Fan's mind.
This might also explain why the expanse within the white fog was so vast: it had originally been the distance separating one world from another.
"Damn it, finding undiscovered Lost Domains is getting harder and harder now."
The Puxian True Boat had flown through the white fog for days, passing several Lost Domains, yet each time the Sky-Measuring Mirror reported that they were already recorded in the registry. Dongfang Yao could not help but curse.
Huangfu Song toyed with the Dissociation Disc in his hands and said somewhat absently, "That's only natural. It's been nearly a year since the Alliance issued the exploration decree. Given the sheer number of Alliance cultivators, the shallow layers of the white fog have probably been thoroughly explored by now. If we want to gain anything further, we must venture deeper..."
*Bang!* Before Huangfu Song could finish speaking, a tremendous crash rang out.
Something seemed to plummet from above and slam into the Puxian True Boat, making the vessel shudder violently.
Huangfu Song reflexively stowed the Dissociation Disc. When he swept his divine sense outward, his expression turned strange.
The object that had collided with the speeding Puxian True Boat was unmistakably a cultivator's corpse!
Moreover, judging from the garments on the body, it did not originate from a Lost Domain, but from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals!
The three aboard instantly grew grim, assuming an Alliance cultivator had met with some misfortune here and perished. They immediately raised their guard.
Yet what happened next filled them with horror.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
At first it was just one or two strikes, but they quickly grew denser and denser.
A ceaseless barrage of collisions resounded as the Puxian True Boat rattled continuously, its protective light barrier instantly pushed to the brink of collapse.
Huangfu Song cast spells to reinforce the barrier, his face pale as he stared at the scene outside.
Above them, a black, oppressive mass filled the sky as countless cultivators' corpses rained down like droplets.
Some bodies were relatively intact, while others were torn apart, reduced to severed limbs.
Yet without exception, traces of squirming, twisted black cord-like threads circled the edges of their bodies.
The occasional faces visible among the corpses were not hideous and terrifying like those seen in the Lost Domains.
Instead, their eyes were shut, their expressions completely serene.
The rain of corpses fell incessantly, as though it would never stop.
Forcibly charging out of the area engulfed by this deluge of bodies at high speed would likely damage the Puxian True Boat.
The three brought the flying boat to a halt and unleashed their power to intercept the falling corpses striking from above.
Though these were lifeless objects posing little real danger, the eerie spectacle still sent a chill through their hearts.
Chapter 720