Chapter 707: Xu Bai Faces A Heavenly Venerable

Back then, outside the void of Tianling Province, Li Fan had successfully stolen the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens and broken through to the Nascent Soul realm.

He was preparing to slip away unnoticed when he discovered that a cultivator named Sun Qi, on duty below, seemed vaguely aware of his presence.

This man could even somewhat perceive Formless Killing Mechanism.

To be clear, even ordinary Dao Unity cultivators would find it difficult to detect Formless Killing Mechanism, especially since Li Fan was now at the Nascent Soul realm. What’s more, it was employed by borrowing heaven's will.

Yet this insignificant Golden Core cultivator had sensed it.

All signs pointed to Sun Qi being no ordinary man. So Li Fan casually made him one of Formless Killing Mechanism's targets.

For a long while afterward, Sun Qi showed no unusual behavior. He simply cultivated and carried out missions for the Immortal Alliance, just like any other cultivator.

Only recently had Tianling City's City Lord, Sun Liancheng, given him a Blossom Missive.

Within the Lost Domain, sensing the scene transmitted from millions of li away, Li Fan's movements paused almost imperceptibly.

The more blessings one receives from heaven and earth, the more difficult it becomes to rebel against its principles... Li Fan mused inwardly.

"Brother Li, can you still hold on?" Huangfu Song's voice pulled Li Fan back to reality.

Dongfang Yao bellowed, "Just hide behind me! Huangfu, how much longer?"

"Only the last one percent left. We'll have this Lost Domain fully mapped soon. Hold on a little longer!" Huangfu Song called out.

"Damn it, hurry up!" Dongfang Yao sent out a punch, blasting apart dozens of shadowbeasts that had silently crept close.

Li Fan looked up. Countless black shadowbeasts surged like a tide from every direction, surrounding the three of them in a tight circle.

This was the third Lost Domain they had explored in this period.

The first two had been desolate and deathly still. This one was several times more dangerous.

On the surface of this seemingly peaceful land, countless bizarre beasts of living shadow lurked among the jagged rocks.

By day, they stayed still.

But when night fell and the crimson moon rose, its orange-red light set every shadow writhing to life.

In a frenzy, they hurled themselves at the intruders: Li Fan and his companions.

The shadowbeasts moved swiftly and almost silently, and their killing power matched their speed.

Even Dongfang Yao, for all his formidable physique, came away bloody and battered after only taking a handful of their strikes.

Worse still: no matter how many of the frenzied creatures they cut down, however exhausted the fighting left them, the red moon rose again the next night and brought every shadowbeast back.

Their numbers never dwindled. Worse, they seemed to remember the previous night's battle.

This dragged the trio into a relentless struggle. They held on through wave after wave, barely keeping their footing, burning through nearly all their supplies.

On the third day, just when they were about to finish exploring the Lost Domain for good, the crimson moon rose early. Their situation turned precarious in an instant.

Fortunately, Huangfu Song and Dongfang Yao were both formidable, and Li Fan had kept most of his true strength concealed.

So while the ordeal was harrowing, they were never in true mortal danger.

The defensive line they had built looked ready to collapse at every moment, yet it held, strained to its limits but unbroken.

At last, the Heaven-Measuring Mirror finished recording the location data. The three struck in unison, sweeping the area clear in an instant.

Then the Samantabhadra True Boat launched into the sky, hurtling straight for the crimson moon above.

The shadowbeasts erupted into a frenzy but could do nothing to stop it. All they could do was watch helplessly as Li Fan and the others flew off.

"Damn, that was too close!" Dongfang Yao swore as he looked at the familiar white mist surrounding them, drenched in blood.

"I'm never listening to you again, Huangfu. If we'd followed Brother Li's advice that first night and scouted while kiting instead of fighting those shadowbeasts to the death, we'd have finished the objective and been out of here ages ago." He took a deep breath, and the deep wounds on his body began to writhe and slowly knit shut.

"Hey, don't blame me. What can I do about those damned rules of the Myriad Immortals Alliance? The reward you get for a 99% completed exploration is literally half of what you get for 100%. It practically forces you to scour every inch of the Lost Domain." Huangfu Song wiped the cold sweat from his brow, a note of grievance in his voice too.

Li Fan, by contrast, stayed composed. "The real danger is likely hidden in that remaining one percent. A place that has been 100% explored eliminates the risk outright. The Alliance's reasoning isn't without merit."

"Let's see what we've earned this time. An extra 1600 points, plus what we had before...

"Only 2400."

All three of their expressions soured.

"Who knew the difference between Lost Domains could be this vast?"

"I really miss the days when thirty thousand Qingxuan Points were easy pickings..." Dongfang Yao muttered.

"Keep your mouth shut!" Huangfu Song snapped, irritated.

Li Fan didn't join the bickering. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the Qingxuan Point catalog displayed by the Heaven-Measuring Mirror.

"Disassembler Disc: 50,000 Qingxuan Points.

"Remaining quantity: 8."

Li Fan snorted inwardly. So they're baiting us with this again. I wonder which poor fool bought the first one.

This time, perhaps to sharpen the cultivators' motivation to explore the White Mist, the precious items on the Qingxuan Point exchange list each came in a limited supply. First come, first served.

Still, the rewards were substantial. Besides the nine Disassembler Discs, there were also other secondary entities of the Tianxuan Mirror such as the Xuan Mirror Spirit and the Final Stone Disc.

The Xuan Mirror Spirit was a nascent consciousness with considerable intelligence, one that could fuse into any artifact and multiply its power.

The Final Stone Disc was the newest secondary entity to emerge, named for its appearance: a round stone disc. Its specific function had not yet been discovered.

This Final Stone Disc... it must be the Calamity-Ending Stone Disc. In my past life, the Heaven-Toppling Society used it to mass-produce Calamity Stones which could block the Xuan Net's observation. It took the Heaven-Toppling Society's cultivators many years of research to uncover its true use. Now that it's only just been born, it's no surprise the Myriad Immortals Alliance hasn't figured out its purpose.

One hundred thousand Qingxuan Points, huh...

Li Fan rubbed his chin, his thoughts drifting to the areas he had secretly noted during their journey, where he had heard the constant murmuring of "Heavenly Physician."

Based on their experience, not every Lost Domain emitted those murmurs.

Yet whenever the murmurs of "Heavenly Physician" arose, a Lost Domain was near.

They probably aren't all testing grounds for that Heavenly Venerable of life-death reversal.

Risky, yes. But not necessarily impossible.

Restlessness stirred within Li Fan.

***

While his true self explored the White Mist, within the Beastkin World, Xu Bai was preparing to depart for the Myriad Immortals Alliance headquarters.

"Sect Leader, why are you removing these protective artifacts I refined? Do you have some grievance against this old Fang?" Fang Zaiji's face twisted with alarm as he watched Xu Bai take off the folding fan, the white robes, and the scent pouch one by one.

Xu Bai laughed lightly. "If I truly run into danger at the Myriad Immortals Alliance headquarters, these things will do little good. Better to leave them here than let them be buried with the avatar."

Liu San shot Fang Zaiji a sharp glare, then offered Xu Bai a reassuring nod. "Young Master, you need not worry. I've consulted Fellow Daoist Jiao. Cultivators of the Myriad Immortals Alliance who use the Audience Jade Token have almost never met with mishap. They all return safely. I believe this avatar of yours will come to no harm."

Xu Bai waved a dismissive hand. "Neither of you need fret. It's only an avatar. If I lose it, I can simply refine a new one.

"Old Liu, is the Oneiric Seasons Array ready?"

Liu San's expression grew solemn as he nodded. "I've connected this avatar's consciousness to a blank node. If an insurmountable force strikes, it will help him hold onto a moment of mental clarity."

Xu Bai smiled. "That will be enough."

Then, alone, he left Longevity Valley.

Crossing several provinces by teleportation array, he arrived at Fuyu Province, deep in the heart of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

In a desolate, uninhabited spot, he activated the Audience Jade Token.

Within moments, a square door materialized from empty air. A black-robed cultivator stepped out.

He looked at the Audience Jade Token in Xu Bai's hand, then led him through the translucent doorway.

A flicker of light, a faint dizziness, and Xu Bai knew he had arrived within the Myriad Immortals Alliance headquarters.

But the vision of the Heavenly Venerable Dao Teacher he saw this time differed from the one in his past life.

This time, the avatar faced a lone, slender back.

The figure stood with hands clasped behind him, head tilted toward the heavens, and let out a soft sigh.

"Ahead lies an Immortal Path that cannot be tread, for the Heavenly Venerable Dao Teacher stands above."

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