Of course, all of this was merely Li Fan's speculation.
His understanding of the reversal of Heaven and Earth's principles and the contention for Longevity was still far too shallow. He could only analyze and make judgments based on the different historical courses he had experienced in the Xuanhuang Realm, glimpsing the surface without grasping the essence.
Perhaps only when he truly reached the realm of reversing natural principles would he truly comprehend what had occurred in the Xuanhuang Realm during this time.
While Li Fan was lost in thought, the dispute between Huangfu and Dongfang finally settled into a tentative consensus.
One could not cast caution to the wind simply because the Manor of Rebirth offered a means of revival. One must still cherish one's own life.
However, if one had ample resources, there was no harm in purchasing treasures like the Soul-Clearing Stabilizer or the Rebirth Edict to serve as a final trump card. Life and death were unpredictable, after all, and no one could guarantee they would not suddenly perish due to some unforeseen mishap. Being prepared was always better than being caught off guard.
"The cultivators returning from the dead right now are still a minuscule few. I really wonder what kind of impact it will have on the Xuanhuang Realm eighteen years from now, when massive waves of fallen cultivators are reborn," Huangfu Song remarked with a sigh.
"I don't know what things will become down the road, but one thing is clear—the day the White Mist Barrier is completely explored isn't far off!" Dongfang Yao sneered, watching another Puxian True Boat shoot past them.
"Brother Li, if you want to exchange for that End Stone Platter, you'd better hurry up," he reminded him.
"Soon. Once we complete one more Lost Domain, I'll reach a full hundred thousand Qingxuan points." Li Fan nodded. Discerning the sounds carrying from the depths of the white mist, he steadily adjusted their heading.
Venturing deeper into the white mist, Li Fan once again caught the "Voice of the Heavenly Physician" that day.
Only this time, the voice sounded rather strange compared to usual. It was as though something was interfering with and distorting its transmission; by the time it reached Li Fan's ears, it hardly sounded like the Heavenly Physician at all. Had he not traversed the Lost Domains and heard the wails of the Heavenly Physician countless times during this period, even Li Fan would have scarcely been able to tell.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan refrained from acting rashly.
Seeing Li Fan bring the vessel to a halt, Huangfu and Dongfang hurriedly pressed him for the reason.
After an explanation, Huangfu and Dongfang spoke in unison, "We brothers have weathered far greater storms together. Even if there's danger, there's no need to fear. Besides, can't we be revived now anyway? Brother Li, don't worry. Just charge in!"
It seemed that although they claimed the matter of revival was suspicious and required caution, deep down, having that safety net gave them far more confidence.
After all, they could be revived!
Li Fan let out a faint smile.
"Very well. Since both of you put it that way, let us brave this Lost Domain." Li Fan spoke in a low voice and immediately steered the flying boat, speeding toward the direction from which the distorted voice came.
After an unknown amount of time, as if crossing an imperceptible boundary, the Puxian True Boat suddenly ground to a halt without the slightest warning.
"What happened, Brother Li?" Huangfu and Dongfang cast surprised glances at Li Fan.
"I didn't stop it," Li Fan explained.
The three exchanged glances, their expressions turning solemn.
Sweeping their spiritual senses across the exterior, they found nothing unusual in the boat's surroundings.
Yet neither could they discover any reason for its abrupt halt.
After considering it, Li Fan retrieved a Black Death Talisman to shield his body and flew straight out of the Puxian True Boat.
He intended to circle the vessel and see for himself with his own eyes what was out there.
Above, ahead, behind, to the left, and to the right—he found nothing.
Yet when Li Fan flew beneath the hull, the sight that met his eyes made his pupils shrink instantly.
A thick, black, viscous substance resembling a long tentacle reached out from the white mist below, its end adhered to the bottom of the Puxian True Boat.
This mysterious black substance seemed alive. Emitting a rustling sound, it squirmed as it slowly spread across the hull.
Li Fan could practically hear the faint scraping noise as it crawled over the underside of the vessel.
"What is this...?"
Spiritual sense could not detect it at all; it could only be perceived with the naked eye.
Li Fan flicked his fingers and conjured a ball of flame, attempting to incinerate the black tentacle clinging to the hull.
To his astonishment, however, the flame behaved as though it occupied an entirely different space from the substance. No matter how fiercely the conjured fire blazed, it failed to affect the black tentacle in the slightest.
Li Fan then unleashed a blast of sword qi, but the result was the same. As if the tentacle did not exist, the sword light passed straight through it and flew into the distance.
Yet the viscous black matter remained tenaciously glued to the hull, showing no signs of severing.
Seeing that Li Fan had not returned for a long time and sensing fluctuations of spiritual energy, Huangfu and Dongfang grew restless. Both flew out of the boat together, only to be greeted by the same bizarre scene.
They tried various methods of their own, yet none could sever the black tentacle.
"Our only choice is to trace it downward and see where it actually comes from," Huangfu Song suggested.
With that, he brought out the Heaven-Measuring Mirror and suspended it above his head.
"Indeed, we have already entered a new Lost Domain, one no one else has set foot in yet," he said, his tone carrying a hint of delight.
"We still have three backup Puxian True Boats, but before figuring out what this thing is, we'd better not take them out. If another gets ensnared, we might end up having to fly out of the white mist with our bare bodies," Dongfang Yao advised.
Li Fan offered them both reassurance. "No matter. I have an ample supply of Black Death Talismans here. Even without a Puxian True Boat, relying solely on the protection of the talismans will be more than enough for us to return safely."
Hearing this, Huangfu and Dongfang both praised, "Brother Li is always thorough in his preparations."
With no lingering worries, the three resolved to follow the long black tentacle and explore downward.
They did not fly fast. Yet the viscous black substance was unexpectedly long, taking them an entire cup of tea's time before they finally reached its source.
Confronted by the sight before them, all three were struck dumb.
A colossal black sphere, resembling a fleshy tumor, hung quietly in midair.
It was likewise formed of countless strands of black, viscous matter.
Hundreds of tentacles shot out from the mass of flesh, stretching toward different directions in the white mist, anchored to who knew what.
At first glance, it looked like an enormous black web suspended in the void, cradling the round black sphere at its center.
"Can you sense its presence with spiritual sense?" Huangfu Song asked via spiritual sense transmission, his expression tense.
Li Fan closed his eyes. In his perception, the space ahead was completely empty, with nothing there at all. Opening his eyes, the black sphere entered his vision once more.
"No," Li Fan said, shaking his head slightly with a grim look.
"Forget it, we'd better not disturb this thing. Let's finish surveying this Lost Domain and pull out." The uncanny spectacle made even Dongfang Yao, who was bold by nature, feel a chill in his heart, prompting him to make the suggestion.
Li Fan gazed at the black sphere for a long moment and nodded slightly.
Anything capable of blocking spiritual perception was certainly no ordinary thing.
One could never be too careful.
Chapter 724