The Profound Art of Life and Death cultivated by Zhong Shentong was a bizarre technique practiced by drawing upon the immense terror found between life and death.
By Zhong Shentong's own admission, he suffered from a severe case of procrastination.
Even for a mere breakthrough within the Foundation Establishment realm, only when his lifespan drew near its end could he rely on the crushing pressure of impending death to succeed.
That was how things had been before.
In this lifetime, however, because Heavenly Venerable Rebirth had overturned the principles of life and death and decreed the establishment of the Manor of Rebirth, everyone could be resurrected. Naturally, the pressure brought by death no longer existed.
After all, eighteen years later he would be a hero once more—what was there to fear in death?
At worst, he could simply start over in his next life; why bother working so hard?
With such a defeatist, slacking mindset, it was only natural that Zhong Shentong failed to achieve a breakthrough.
At this thought, Li Fan's cheek twitched.
"It seems the Profound Art of Life and Death has been completely ruined in this lifetime. Still, I wonder how Zhong Shentong ever managed to comprehend his Seven-Colored Divine Light in the first place."
Thinking this, he waved his hand and said to Liu San, "Forget it. Dead is dead. Just pretend I never brought it up."
A peculiar expression crossed Liu San's face, but he did not pry further.
Fang Zaiji, on the other hand, praised, "Sect Master truly possesses an open-minded nature, viewing life and death with indifference."
Ignoring him, Li Fan instructed, "Elder Liu, we can slow down the concoction of Longevity Pills for now. Let's first sell off our existing inventory."
Liu San was taken aback, then quickly caught on. "Is the era of cultivators exploring the white mist coming to an end?"
Li Fan nodded. "Almost three years have passed since the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals formally issued its decree. Add to that the existence of the Manor of Rebirth, and cultivators are utterly fearless of death. I estimate the exploration will be completely finished before long. We ought to prepare in advance."
He then turned to Jiang Yushan, whose face remained emotionless. "Elder Jiang, haven't you always wanted to go outside and see the world? I've found a way to forge an Alliance identity for you without exposing your true cultivation realm."
With that, Li Fan produced the End Stone Platter.
"This item can affect and shield against the perception of the Alliance's supreme treasure, the Heavenly Profound Mirror," Li Fan declared with confidence.
Upon hearing this, Fang Zaiji's eyes lit up immediately.
He swiftly flew over and stared fixedly at the tiny stone platter in Li Fan's hand.
After a moment, he scratched the back of his head and looked at Li Fan. "Sect Master... how do you use this?"
Li Fan shrugged. "I don't know either. You'll have to study it yourselves."
Fang Zaiji eyed Li Fan with suspicion. "Sect Master, could it be that you simply don't want to let Little Jiang out, so you deliberately cooked up this excuse?"
Jiang Yushan's gaze swept over Fang Zaiji, a hint of murderous intent surfacing in her eyes.
Li Fan merely chuckled. "Heh, I didn't expect even Mr. Fang could misjudge something. Though this stone platter looks unremarkable, it is actually a secondary body of the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
"Still, I can't blame you. Though you claim to be well-versed and knowledgeable, Mr. Fang, so many years have passed in the Xuanhuang Realm after all. It's only normal that you're a bit behind the times..."
Fang Zaiji's eyes widened instantly. "A secondary body of the Heavenly Profound Mirror?"
He snatched the End Stone Platter in one swift motion and began examining it as if he had obtained an invaluable treasure, murmuring under his breath all the while, "Now this is good stuff..."
Li Fan let Fang Zaiji take the stone platter without stopping him. Recalling the Calamity Extinction Stone Platter used by the Heaven-Overturning Society in his previous life, Li Fan added a reminder: "There might not be anything peculiar about this object in itself, but if you cut off a small piece from it, it might trigger some unexpected changes."
Fang Zaiji nodded, though whether he had actually registered the words was anyone's guess. He was simply staring at the End Stone Platter with rapt obsession, utterly entranced.
"Once Mr. Fang produces results from his research, you and Elder Liu will be able to travel openly out in the world," Li Fan said to Jiang Yushan with a smile.
"Wonderful, wonderful! I'll be sure to keep an eye on old Fang!" Liu San was overjoyed.
Jiang Yushan, however, looked at the End Stone Platter and asked with some hesitation, "Does this Heavenly Profound Mirror have any connection to the Profound Heaven Sect's Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror?"
Seeing Li Fan's quizzical look, Jiang Yushan explained, "The Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror was the supreme treasure of the ancient Profound Heaven Sect. After the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao annihilated the Profound Heaven Sect, its whereabouts remained unknown. Back then, the ten sects captured many remnants of the Profound Heaven Sect and interrogated them severely, yet they never uncovered anything. I only heard my colleagues mention it when I served as a jailer in the Indeterminate Prison."
Hearing this, Liu San was struck with terror and astonishment. "Profound Heaven, Heavenly Profound... Could they truly be so similar? Could it be that the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable—who founded the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and brought ruin to the ancient cultivation world—was actually from the Profound Heaven Sect?"
Li Fan shook his head. "I wouldn't know about that. But since Elder Jiang brought it up, I can make some inquiries in the future."
Liu San hurriedly advised against it. "If this guess is true, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals will certainly enforce a strict blockade on all information regarding the Profound Heaven Sect. If you rashly inquire about it, Young Master, you might arouse suspicion instead.
"Besides, even if the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals descends from the Profound Heaven Sect, what of it? Back then, the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao sat idly by and watched us charge out of the Xuanhuang Realm to our deaths...
"In fact, we should be thanking the Alliance for avenging us," Liu San sneered with a cold huff.
Jiang Yushan's brows furrowed slightly. After a brief silence, she looked at Li Fan. "I happen to know a method to test whether this Heavenly Profound Mirror is indeed a relic of the Profound Heaven Sect.
"Back then, in order to hunt down the remnants of the Profound Heaven Sect, the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao created a secret art called Extirpating the Profound. Once invoked, if any object associated with the Profound Heaven Sect is within range, it will evoke a resonance in one's heart.
"However, this detection range is extremely small; one can only sense it when virtually brushing past the target, making its practicality rather low. But I've heard that copies of the Heavenly Profound Mirror can be found everywhere throughout the Alliance nowadays, so it may be worth a try."
Li Fan's heart stirred. Pondering briefly, he nodded. "Very well. I ask Elder Jiang to instruct me!"
The secret art was not overly complex; in mere moments, Li Fan had mastered it.
He immediately channeled the technique while stepping closer to the End Stone Platter.
There was no reaction whatsoever.
"Could it really just be a coincidence in name?" Liu San murmured, somewhat surprised.
Li Fan, however, suddenly thought of something, directing his consciousness to his avatar, Xu Bai.
At that moment, Xu Bai was in the Administration Hall, chatting with newly appointed colleagues from the Hall of Rebirth.
The Hall of Rebirth was the local branch established by the Manor of Rebirth in each province, in charge of all affairs pertaining to reincarnation and resurrection, comparable to the Formation Planning Hall, the Martial Practice Hall, and other such departments.
Quietly bidding everyone farewell without drawing attention, Xu Bai made his way to the Heavenly Profound Mirror in the city and silently channeled the secret art, Extirpating the Profound.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
A sharp, rapid chiming abruptly rang in Xu Bai's ears.
In Xu Bai's vision, the mirror, which originally possessed an ancient and unadorned appearance, now flared with a startling, blood-red brilliance.
It is! The Heavenly Profound Mirror is none other than the Profound Heaven Sect's supreme treasure, the Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror!
Xu Bai felt a chill run through him. In an instant, he deactivated the secret art.
The various phenomena vanished without a trace, and Xu Bai walked into the Heavenly Profound Mirror with an unruffled demeanor.
Chapter 728