"Brother Dongfang, do not grieve too deeply. Though Brother Huangfu met with a tragic misfortune, we are fortunate that the Manor of Rebirth now exists. In the end, he has a chance at resurrection," Li Fan consoled him with a long sigh.
He then summoned a new Puxian True Boat and helped Dongfang Yao inside, who was still steeped in sorrow.
Afterward, he brought out the Heaven-Measuring Mirror.
Once the exploration record of the divine sense Lost Domain had finished synchronizing, Li Fan looked at his Qingxuan points, which sat just past one hundred thousand, and the End Stone Platter that had yet to be claimed. Without hesitation, he selected it for exchange.
The Qingxuan points he had painstakingly accumulated over so long were wiped clean in an instant.
Then, accompanied by a faint shimmer of white radiance, a heavy grey disc appeared in Li Fan's hand.
*Is this thing the End Stone Platter?*
It was only about the size of a palm. Li Fan weighed it in his hand, tossing it slightly, and studied it for a moment.
True to its name, it was indistinguishable from ordinary stone. Neither divine sense nor spiritual energy produced the slightest reaction from it.
*I wonder how the Heaven-Overturning Society figured out how to use it in my previous life.*
Still, Li Fan knew this was not something that could be rushed; he had plenty of time in this life to unravel its secrets slowly. Putting it away for the time being, he retrieved the relics of Huangfu Song he had previously collected and laid them out before him one by one.
Aside from the Heaven-Measuring Mirror and the Dissociation Disc, there were two storage rings.
"Brother Dongfang, do you know if Huangfu had any close kin still living?" Li Fan asked.
Dongfang Yao's composure had recovered somewhat. He shook his head slightly. "Just like me, he had no ties or burdens—utterly alone in the world."
Hearing this, Li Fan could not help but frown. "Then these items..."
Dongfang Yao took only a glance before making his decision. "You risked your life to retrieve Brother Huangfu's relics, Brother Li, so you should hold onto them for now. Once we find Huangfu's reincarnation in the future, we can simply hand them over to him."
Li Fan sighed softly. "I suppose that is the only way. Yet the Xuanhuang Realm is so vast; who knows where Huangfu will be reborn eighteen years from now? If it is still within the territory of the Alliance, that will be easy enough—at most, it will take some effort to track him down. I only worry he might be reborn on the side of the Five Elders Association..."
"The Manor of Rebirth has so many gaudy contraptions; surely one of them can track the general direction of a reincarnated true spirit," Dongfang Yao said in a heavy voice. "With Brother Huangfu dead, I no longer have any desire to explore this white mist. Once I return, I will ask around about it. I must find Brother Huangfu at the earliest opportunity."
"I will also ask around. Brother Shuo Feng might know something," Li Fan suggested.
After that, the two returned from the depths of the white mist.
They first arrived at the Cosmos Courtyard in Tianyu Province to report the unfortunate news of Huangfu Song's death.
The cultivator who received them was someone Li Fan had met once before—the gaunt Shangguan Shi.
Having been colleagues for many years, Shangguan Shi's expression dimmed upon hearing the news, and he sighed. "I shall report this matter to Dean Ji. Thank you both for your trouble!"
His face full of shame, Dongfang Yao felt he lacked the face to linger any longer. Cupping his hands, he took his leave in haste.
Once outside the Cosmos Courtyard, he bid Li Fan farewell as well. Leaving behind a communication talisman, he went off on his own to seek information regarding the Manor of Rebirth.
*This Dongfang Yao is truly a man of genuine sentiment,* Li Fan mused inwardly, watching his retreating figure fade into the distance.
Instead of returning to the Valley of Longevity, Li Fan headed straight for Tianquan Province.
During the time he had spent exploring the white mist, Shuo Feng had sent multiple messages inviting him for a spar.
However, Li Fan had politely declined each time, citing that he was deep within the white mist and unable to extricate himself.
No matter what, he was still a nominal guest elder of the Xuan Clan. Though Shuo Feng had said nothing outwardly, having his invitations refused time and time again had inevitably brought a subtle shift to his tone.
Thus, now that he had some free time, Li Fan made a point to get in touch right away. After all, from the look of things, the status of a Xuan Clan guest elder still carried considerable utility. Maintaining that position merely by engaging in a few spars was hardly any trouble.
Shuo Feng was currently staying at his courtyard residence in Tianquan City.
Likewise a gift from his mother, Immortal Venerable Feixue, this residence was somewhat smaller in area compared to Mount Shuo Feng on the outskirts, but its value was more than tenfold higher.
Moreover, possessing contribution points alone was not enough; without the right connections, one could not purchase it at all.
Arriving at the abode district in the center of Tianquan City, Li Fan looked up and could see the towering Administration Hall at the core of the city. A female cultivator in a long red dress was already waiting outside.
It was not Zhijin, the woman in the yellow dress from before, but a different face altogether.
Keeping his expression impassive, Li Fan followed behind the woman in red into the courtyard.
"Truly suffocating! Now that the Manor of Rebirth is here, any cultivator can be revived, yet Mother still places so many restrictions on me!" Shuo Feng's annoyed voice could be heard from afar.
The female cultivator in red showed not the slightest ripple of emotion, as if she had not heard Shuo Feng's grumbling at all. Once she had led Li Fan in, she simply offered a bow and took her leave.
"Haha, Brother Li, long time no see!"
Sensing Li Fan's aura, Shuo Feng was overjoyed.
Yet what greeted Li Fan was no warm embrace, but a flash of white sword radiance!
Li Fan's eyes flickered. With a shift of thought, a sword of blue water materialized before him, intercepting the blow.
*Boom!*
Amidst the blast, Li Fan called out in a clear voice, "Congratulations, Brother Shuo, on resolving the dilemma of being unable to strike first.
"It seems my Silk Pulling divine ability is no longer a match for you, Brother Shuo."
Gliding before Shuo Feng, Li Fan looked closely at the scene before him, and a glint of surprise flitted across his eyes.
Shuo Feng was still dressed in plain clothes, but hovering above his head was a verdant, willow-leaf flying dagger.
The tip was not pointed outward, but aimed straight down at Shuo Feng's own skull!
"Haha, Brother Li, what do you think of my method? Since the 'Sword' refused to strike first, I decided to force its hand! With a flying blade hovering above my head, my life hangs by a thread. It has fused with me into a single entity, so once it senses danger to its own existence, it naturally lashes out in self-defense. I then seize control of the sword radiance it unleashes and use it to repel the enemy." Shuo Feng glanced sideways at the flying dagger above his head, speaking with no small amount of smug pride.
"To conceive such an ingenious method—Brother Shuo is truly a prodigy of nature," Li Fan flattered, playing along with him.
At the same time, he looked toward a cultivator seated beside Shuo Feng.
With sword-like brows and starry eyes, the man carried a striking and martial bearing. Though still falling somewhat short of Xu Bai's peerless countenance, he could certainly be counted as a dragon among men.
While this was Li Fan's first encounter with him in this life, he was no stranger to him.
It was none other than Tantai Tao, the genius of the formation dao who had perished prematurely in the formation training camp during his previous life.
In this life, the catastrophe had not occurred, and so he remained among the living.
"And this is?" Li Fan asked Shuo Feng, pretending not to know.
"Brother Tantai is a formation genius rarely seen in this generation. You should get acquainted," Shuo Feng introduced briefly.
"A pleasure to meet you!" Tantai Tao said, looking at Li Fan with a gentle expression as he offered a greeting.
After exchanging pleasantries, the three fell into casual conversation regarding the Manor of Rebirth.
Chapter 726