"I suspect that the only reason a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like Zhong Shentong could keep a treasure like the Seven-Colored Jade Void Flowing Light for himself without having it plundered was the protection he received in exchange for handing over the fishing pond," Li Fan mused inwardly with a sigh.
He really should not have overlooked this point earlier. Yet first came the joy of obtaining a supreme treasure, followed immediately by a successful breakthrough, which had left him feeling somewhat lightheaded and conceited.
That was how he had missed such an anomaly.
"Still, it isn't necessarily a bad thing. At the very least, I learned that the Seven-Colored Divine Light cannot be wielded lightly, and it drew out this heavyweight." Li Fan quietly cast a glance toward the Stone Slab Scholar behind him.
Amidst the rushing earth veins, the scholar strolled at an unhurried pace, looking no different from an ordinary mortal walking down a path. Meanwhile, the Earth Vein Ancient Tree, which would ordinarily attack cultivators trespassing into its domain, showed not the slightest stir.
It was utterly tranquil—refusing to respond even to Lin Ling's calls. Cursing inwardly, Li Fan directed Lin Ling to keep moving.
At the same time, in Jiushan Province, at their previous rendezvous point, not long after Li Fan and the scholar departed together, a cultivator dressed in the attire of the Five Elders Association arrived late.
After waiting for a long time without seeing anyone show up, he could not help but be thoroughly perplexed.
***
Yongyun Province, inside the mountain temple, beside the fishing pond.
"Senior, please look." Li Fan respectfully gestured toward the small pond before them.
Because Ji Shaoli had sent advance word before their arrival, Zhong Shentong was already aware that guests were coming.
He looked at the Stone Slab Scholar and Li Fan, scarcely daring to breathe. Shielding Liuli behind him, he held her down firmly as she tried to peek out. The scholar examined the pond with keen interest for quite a while.
"It is nothing more than the most ordinary little pond..."
"Could there truly be some profound mystery to it?" The scholar grew intrigued. Li Fan signaled Zhong Shentong with a glance to step forward and demonstrate.
"Today's attempt has already been used," Zhong Shentong said rather helplessly.
Seeing this, Li Fan had no choice but to step up himself.
He sat upright and proper by the edge of the pond, then cast the line. The next moment, a wondrous light erupted in the Stone Slab Scholar's eyes.
When Li Fan reeled in the rod, returned, and handed over the white ball of light for him to inspect, the scholar was finally enlightened.
"So that's how it is." Eager to test it himself, he stepped forward without delay. Li Fan was just about to speak up to advise him on the proper method for using the fishing pond when the Stone Slab Scholar paused in thought. The scholar's figure blurred, and he directly shifted his appearance!
Li Fan was very familiar with the owner of that likeness.
It was none other than the mad, unhinged Yufu! Only, the fish basket on his back was replaced by a heavy, azure stone slab!
"Right, I forgot to mention. That scholar was not my original appearance."
"It was merely me imitating that fellow from the Five Elders Association."
"Yufu" smiled, humming something under his breath as he cast the line. His expression and posture were virtually indistinguishable from the real Yufu.
Li Fan's heart sank. Given their earlier encounters, he had inevitably harbored a bit of slight regard for this Longevity-realm powerhouse in his heart.
After all, the monitoring function of the Genesis Stone Slab only worked in certain regions. Moreover, the man had failed to discern Li Fan's true origins and, just like ordinary cultivators, had been full of delight upon seeing the supreme treasure of the fishing pond.
Imperceptibly, this had diminished his mystique quite a bit. But looking at him now... this figure was likewise hidden extremely deep. Though he had not attained the Dao by defying the principles of Heaven and Earth, he was definitely not someone to be underestimated.
Li Fan stood to one side, not daring to act rashly. Zhong Shentong was even more like a statue, the expression on his face and his entire body frozen stiff.
The only ones present with enough courage were Lin Ling and Liuli, who quietly peeked at Stone Slab Yufu.
Yufu's first fishing attempt took an exceptionally long time.
He also seemed thoroughly immersed in the process of angling. Even after more than half a day had passed, he remained sitting motionless.
It reached the point where Li Fan began to wonder whether he had already failed and was merely keeping up appearances. However, as a brilliant golden light reappeared within the mountain temple, Li Fan's doubts vanished without a trace.
Staring at the golden cluster of light in Stone Slab Yufu's hands, Li Fan could not help but question reality a little.
Zhong Shentong stood dumbfounded as well, completely unable to believe his eyes.
Stone Slab Yufu stared at the cluster of light for a moment. "The *Heavenly Emperor's Qi Canon*?"
"Attain worldly sovereign status, condense the destiny of all living beings and the dynasty... Without cultivation, one can become a powerhouse comparable to the Longevity realm..."
"Thinking of fighting and killing all day long—how dull." Stone Slab Yufu sighed listlessly. "You take it." With that, he casually tossed the golden ball of light toward Li Fan and the others.
Although Zhong Shentong wanted to reach out and catch it, a hint of murderous intent in Li Fan's signaling gaze kept him from daring to presume.
Catching the golden light, Li Fan quickly inspected it. Its contents matched what Stone Slab Yufu had described.
It was a unique cultivation method handed down from a world devoid of spiritual energy.
"It truly is an ingenious and original creation."
"Regrettably, to condense destiny to the scale described in the text would require the concerted efforts of over ten generations pressing forward over several centuries."
"A chicken rib—hardly worth the effort," Li Fan evaluated with a trace of regret, though he still solemnly stored it away in his storage ring.
Looking at Stone Slab Yufu, who remained poised as though still fishing, Li Fan could not resist saying, "Senior, this fishing pond allows only one chance per day."
Stone Slab Yufu yawned. "I know."
"I am simply enjoying the fishing itself." Li Fan was stunned. Stone Slab Yufu truly seemed to relish the act of angling itself, unconcerned with whether he could pull up light spheres or magical treasures. Compared to Zhong Shentong and Li Fan, he was like a true angler.
"From now on, I will stay here,"
"No need to be nervous. Just pretend I don't exist."
"Whatever I fish up, I won't keep. I'll hand it all over to you," Stone Slab Yufu suddenly remarked.
Though he had anticipated this outcome, even with the man saying so, how could Li Fan possibly ignore a Longevity-realm powerhouse like him?
"Senior, could it be that you wish to find something useful from this fishing pond?" Seeing no apparent malice from Stone Slab Yufu, Li Fan plucked up the courage to ask.
Stone Slab Yufu answered very frankly: "Indeed. In the Xuanhuang Realm, there is nothing capable of removing the stone slab from my back."
"Perhaps such a thing might exist within this fishing pond."
This answer caught Li Fan completely off guard, plunging him into silence.
Meanwhile, Zhong Shentong and Liuli looked with intense curiosity toward the ancient, unadorned stone slab resting on the man's back.
"Too exhausting. Too painful," Stone Slab Yufu sighed heavily as he continued to fish.
"Everything that happens in the Xuanhuang Realm at every single moment..."
"Even if you don't want to know it, it surfaces uncontrollably in your mind."
"Do you think that's a good thing?" Stone Slab Yufu shook his head repeatedly.
"At the very beginning, I tried cleaving my own head wide open."
"Yet as long as the stone slab is indestructible, I cannot die."
"Even if I were reduced to nothing but bleached bones, the memories would still flood my mind."
Chapter 865