The shock brought by this announcement was no less profound than that of the Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror itself.
The announcement was titled..., its general gist as follows:
"Through the unremitting efforts of the Alliance's cultivators, the full exploration of the Xuanhuang Realm's White Mist Barrier has been accomplished. This is a momentous milestone, worthy of eternal remembrance.
"Yet the immortal path is fraught with hardship, and the road ahead never ends. Next, an even more arduous and magnificent task awaits everyone.
"As is widely known, beyond the sky-propping White Mist Barrier that divides the provinces, the Xuanhuang Realm is also home to countless grotto-heavens and pocket worlds.
"Now that the White Mist Barrier has been entirely explored, the time has come to march into these pocket worlds!
"Bring them all under the rule of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and achieve the great reunification of the Xuanhuang Realm!
"Every cultivator who contributes to this endeavor will receive substantial merits and contribution points.
"When a cultivator carrying a Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror comes near a passage leading to a grotto-heaven or pocket world, the treasure mirror will sound an alert.
"Take heed: exploring grotto-heavens and pocket worlds is different from exploring the white mist; the danger is even several times greater. In the white mist, at most there are anomalies and dead entities. In the pocket worlds, however, there may be living cultivators as well as species commanding diverse extraordinary powers. They may fight back with all they have.
"However, do not be afraid!
"Even if you should meet an untimely death, the merits and contribution points gained during your exploration will not be lost. Instead, they will accompany your reincarnated true spirit and carry over into your next life.
"The great reunification of the Xuanhuang Realm is destined to be an exceedingly long process. Yet we firmly believe that beneath the dauntless spirit of our Alliance cultivators, this goal will ultimately be achieved!"
...
While other cultivators felt either surges of passion or creeping doubts upon reading it, Xu Bai cursed under his breath, instantly realizing where his original self's unease had come from.
"Fang Zaiji, is the End Disc formation ready or not!" Li Fan flew to the entrance of the Valley of Longevity and demanded in a heavy voice.
This was the first time Li Fan had ever addressed Fang Zaiji by his full name, which instantly conveyed the gravity of the situation.
Not daring to equivocate, Fang Zaiji replied, "We've done our best. But the power within it is something we've never encountered before. We still need a little time to craft a formation based on it."
Li Fan shook his head slightly. "There's no time. Tell me your current progress on the formation."
Though slightly surprised, Fang Zaiji complied at once.
As Li Fan listened, he brought out the Dissociation Disc and fed the formation's embryonic design into it.
The Dissociation Disc glowed faintly, and countless scenes flashed rapidly before Li Fan's eyes.
After nearly half a day, the imagery froze abruptly, and a complete formation took shape in Li Fan's mind.
As the light faded, Li Fan pointed into the air, transmitting the formation to Fang Zaiji, Liu San, and the others, and together they began laying it down.
Fortunately, luck was on their side. The entrance to the Valley of Longevity was well hidden, nestled amidst the mist.
When the formation was fully deployed three days later, the entrance still had not been discovered by any passing cultivators.
"This Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror sounds like quite a fine thing," Fang Zaiji said, a trace of greed flashing in his eyes now that he understood the full picture.
"I fear it's a delicious poison," Jiang Yushan sneered. "A device that can lay bare every inch of your being? I wouldn't take it even if it were offered for free."
Fang Zaiji was unfazed. "To use such a divine artifact, one naturally has to pay a price. Personally, I don't see much issue with it. It's not as if I have anything shameful to hide."
The moment the words left his mouth, he felt the gazes of Li Fan and Jiang Yushan fall squarely on him, faint threads of killing intent prickling in the air.
Fang Zaiji chuckled dryly and quickly changed the subject. "The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals is making quite a massive move this time. From what I know, the Xuanhuang Realm holds no fewer than tens of thousands of pocket worlds, not to mention hidden realms and grotto-heavens.
"After the great catastrophe back then, who knows how many sect cultivators fled into them to seek refuge. With the Alliance egging everyone on to conduct a full-scale exploration..."
He clicked his tongue in wonder. "One can already picture the bloody scenes that lie ahead."
Liu San frowned. "While the strength within those pocket worlds and grotto-heavens might not be weak, the Xuanhuang Realm now possesses the Manor of Rebirth, meaning its cultivators can all be revived. How can they possibly fight back? It's practically certain that, though the process may be arduous, the pocket worlds are bound to lose in the end."
"Perhaps back when the Manor of Rebirth was established, the Alliance had already planned this war against the pocket worlds," Fang Zaiji agreed with a nod.
Listening to their exchange, Li Fan remained silent.
In this lifetime, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' plans were interlinked like clockwork. Every single move possessed a profound underlying purpose.
That raised the question: why was the Alliance going to such enormous lengths, sparing no expense to open the Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror to all people and launch a war against the pocket worlds?
What special meaning did the great reunification of the Xuanhuang Realm hold for the Alliance?
Almost instantly, Li Fan recalled the obelisks that had towered across every corner of the Xuanhuang Realm in his previous life.
In that life, once Xuanhuang was united, the Heavenly Alliance seemed to have attempted to push back using tens of thousands of obelisks in reverse, breaking the Xuanhuang Realm free from the pull of the Immortal Ruins.
Yet in this lifetime, there were no signs of such measures.
It was not that their strength fell short, but rather...
"The Heavenly Profound Mirror illuminates all things under heaven. By piercing the White Mist Barrier, it completed a preliminary ascension. If it can bring countless pocket worlds into its scope of reflection as well...
"It might truly take another step forward!
"When that day comes, perhaps it won't need external aid at all. Relying solely on the power of the Heavenly Profound Mirror itself, it could carry the Xuanhuang Realm away from the shackles of the Immortal Ruins."
Li Fan's eyes flickered as this possibility dawned on him.
"Regardless, the grand trend cannot be halted. What I must consider is how to maximize my gains from it."
...
Over the next few days, Meng Wushi of the Medicine King Sect carried out the tests.
First, he voluntarily disconnected from the Spring and Autumn Great Dream Formation, ensuring that even if his internal condition were scrutinized completely, it would not implicate the Medicine King Sect.
Next, he generated his own Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror, activated its detection function, and lingered around the entrance of the Valley of Longevity for a prolonged period.
After loitering for a while, he flew away on his own.
"Thank goodness it worked. Otherwise, we'd probably be trapped in a bitter fight," Fang Zaiji breathed a long sigh of relief.
"It's also my good fortune that I managed to obtain the End Stone Platter capable of shielding against the Heavenly Profound Mirror's perception," Li Fan feigned a sigh of gratitude as well.
Liu San was immensely relieved. "For our Medicine King Sect to stand apart from the epochal war to come is truly a tremendous blessing. Perhaps this will be the turning point for our resurgence."
Jiang Yushan grew thoughtful. "Perhaps we can take advantage of this opportunity to join the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals out in the open.
"After all, the Alliance can't possibly exterminate every living being in those pocket worlds. There are bound to be worlds that submit of their own accord.
"We might very well be able to blend in among them and cleanse our identities."
Chapter 743