Hearing Lin Ling's description, Li Fan let down most of his guard toward her.
Such an inconceivable occurrence...
It did not seem like something she could have made up.
Imagining the scene of Senior Stone Slab being hooked and dragged away, even with Li Fan's present mental fortitude, he could not help feeling a chill run down his spine.
When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.
When you are fishing, how can you know whether you might end up being the catch?
"To be capable of connecting the inside and outside of the High Wall, the waters of this supreme treasure, the fishing pond, are far too deep."
Li Fan pondered for a moment and decided he could not simply take Lin Ling's word for it; he needed to see the scene with his own eyes.
With that thought, he concealed his tracks and sped toward Yongyun Province.
When he arrived at the small temple, Zhong Shentong, Liuli, and Lin Ling had clearly not yet recovered from the terror of Senior Stone Slab's sudden disappearance.
Their faces were pale and flustered, their demeanors restless and uneasy.
"Master, you've arrived." Seeing Li Fan appear, Lin Ling seemed to have found her pillar of support and hurried forward to greet him.
Zhong Shentong also pulled himself together slightly and offered a salute.
Li Fan merely nodded, then strode over to where the fishing pond had once been.
The pool of water that had once been tranquil was now reduced to complete nothingness.
It was pitch-black, just like the Congyun Sea after being destroyed by Mo Sha.
Even space itself did not exist there.
The dangerous aura emanating from it made Li Fan frown slightly and quietly step back.
"The fishing pond is domineering indeed, a world unto itself. After occupying a domain of the Xuanhuang Realm, it completely banished all other laws here—or rather, crushed and obliterated them directly.
"Now that the fishing pond is gone, the occupied area is exposed. It will likely take decades of repair by the heaven and earth of the Xuanhuang Realm to return to normal."
Li Fan contemplated while identifying any residual auras that might remain.
He had not harbored much hope, but to his surprise, he actually discovered something.
*This is...*
Li Fan's eyes flickered, though outwardly he put on an expression of disappointment, as if finding nothing.
He then cited the danger of the place to bring Lin Ling and the others back to the Spirit Wood Realm.
After settling them in properly, Li Fan quietly returned alone.
Closing his eyes and focusing his mind, he recalled the feeling when he merged with the Vast Sea Pearl—the state of heaven-and-earth perspective under the Formless Killing Intent.
Points of starlight emerged within the darkness.
A scene of radiant colors presented itself in Li Fan's vision.
Outside the void chasm left behind by the fishing pond, countless crisscrossing, imperceptibly fine threads were densely interwoven.
The number of threads was constantly increasing at a perceptible rate.
It was as though an invisible loom were weaving something in the void.
This scene was remarkably similar to what Li Fan had once witnessed inside the Root of Heaven and Earth, when the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens were being created.
This was heaven and earth creating something in its own way.
And what was being created at this moment...
"The Genesis Stone Slab." Li Fan snapped his eyes open, an unusual look flashing in them.
This object, which had already taken a rudimentary shape, was identical to the Genesis Stone Slab Senior Stone Slab carried on his back—the one said to record everything in the Xuanhuang Realm since the dawn of creation!
Surprise shook his heart, but his thoughts spun rapidly, and he quickly deduced why the Genesis Stone Slab was appearing here anew.
The Genesis Stone Slab was the embodiment of the Xuanhuang Realm's laws; one could say it was the Xuanhuang Realm itself.
Naturally, the world itself could not be fished away by the unknown existence in the depths of the fishing pond.
Thus, though Senior Stone Slab had vanished, the Genesis Stone Slab he had borne remained due to the inertia of the world.
"It seems Senior has finally gotten his wish and regained his freedom.
"I just wonder what kind of sight lies on the other side of the fishing pond."
Picturing the possible scenes beyond the High Wall, Li Fan was momentarily lost in thought.
In the end, he shook his head and refocused his attention on the increasingly distinct Genesis Stone Slab.
This stone slab was undoubtedly a supreme treasure of the Xuanhuang Realm.
If he refined it, countless secrets once hidden within the Xuanhuang Realm would be laid bare before him.
He might even reach the heavens in a single bound and directly achieve Longevity.
However, it would be Longevity deeply bound to the Xuanhuang Realm.
Moreover, Li Fan had witnessed firsthand the agony Senior Stone Slab suffered; even death would have been a relief in comparison...
More critically, Li Fan worried that this object, like Ruomu or Heavenly Dao Mr. Bai, possessed the effect of subverting the mind.
If he ended up with another case of "True Reversion, yet unwilling,"
he would spend eternity bearing the stone slab on his back...
"Judging from the experience of resisting Heavenly Dao Mr. Bai, mental subversion cannot be avoided even by avatars.
"It seems I must find a suitable candidate to inherit this Genesis Stone Slab.
"Their spirit must be strong enough that they won't turn into a madman on the spot, and at the very least, they must be of use to me..."
The figures of various cultivators flickered rapidly through Li Fan's mind.
Li Fan knew he did not have much time left.
Heaven and earth re-weaving the Genesis Stone Slab was like a tree bearing fruit.
The moment the Genesis Stone Slab fully coalesced would be the moment the fruit dropped.
At that point, it would likely return somewhere within the Xuanhuang Realm, difficult to ever locate again.
"It will be him."
Li Fan finally settled on the target candidate. Enveloped in the Seven-Colored Divine Light, he turned into a streak of rainbow light and shot directly toward the Congyun Sea.
Before long, he found the target cultivator.
It was none other than Sima Changkong, who used his clan's bloodline to record the history of the Xuanhuang Realm!
In this lifetime, Sima Changkong had had no dealings with Li Fan, so he was rather startled by Li Fan's sudden arrival.
However, Li Fan was not there to ask for his opinion.
Brooking no explanation, he instantly subdued Sima Changkong and rushed back with him to the small temple in Yongyun Province.
On the way, Li Fan explained the whole story.
"Now, an opportunity to view the entire past of the Xuanhuang Realm lies before you. Are you willing to accept it?" Li Fan asked in a deep voice.
Clearly, Sima Changkong, whose family had made it their mission for generations to record Xuanhuang's history, had no reason whatsoever to refuse.
Having everything currently transpiring across the Xuanhuang Realm constantly surface in his mind...
To Sima Changkong, this was not suffering at all!
Rather, it was an ideal ability, one so thrilling that it made him tremble with excitement, something members of the Sima family could only dream of!
At least, that was what Sima Changkong thought before actually absorbing the stone slab.
"Who else but me to pen the annals of Xuanhuang!
"I ask Fellow Daoist to grant me this!"
Sima Changkong took a deep breath and bowed respectfully to Li Fan.
Though he did not know how this person knew his identity, if what he said was true...
Sima Changkong was willing to give everything for it!
"Good!" Li Fan agreed in a deep voice. "Now wait for the right moment!"
Seven days later, just as the Genesis Stone Slab was on the verge of fully taking shape, Li Fan let out a low shout and unleashed the Silk Pulling divine ability upon Sima Changkong.
Sima Changkong's body fractured inch by inch, turning into gossamer threads that drifted into the air.
Chapter 975