Chapter 1046: Like a Turtle in a Jar Again
In the Central Four Prefectures of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, a stark dividing line had appeared, splitting heaven and earth.
On either side of this line, the landscapes of the earth and sky were perfect reflections of each other.
It was as if a colossal mirror had cleaved the world in two.
And from this dividing line, a web of fractures spread outwards, a terrifying omen that this very world was on the verge of collapse.
Witnessing this apocalyptic scene, a revelation struck Li Fan. “So, Tianyu, Tianchen, Tianshu, and Tianquan—the four central prefectures of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance—were forged from the very body of the Heavenly Profound Mirror!”
“To reshape the world with a mirror...”
Li Fan’s expression grew progressively grim.
The Heavenly Profound Mirror had never once mentioned a piece of information this vital.
Or, even the Heavenly Profound Mirror itself had forgotten that its own body had been used to construct the four great prefectures of the Xuanhuang Realm.
A profound sense of unease settled deeper into his heart. Mo Rubin had yet to make an appearance.
Li Fan had intended to leave immediately, but when he stealthily flew to the border of Tianquan Province, he made a staggering discovery. The Essence-Devouring White Mist that had once stretched between heaven and earth had vanished without a trace.
In its place stood an invisible curtain of light, sealing the four prefectures off from the rest of the world.
There was no way in and no way out.
The sight instantly brought back a flood of memories: the time he had first witnessed the Red Flame Burning Sea, his frantic escape, only to find himself hopelessly trapped within the Cong Yun Sea.
But compared to that time, Li Fan had grown immensely.
Without succumbing to panic, he steadied himself and flew back toward the heart of Tianquan Province. He found an unassuming cultivator’s estate and slipped inside to lay low.
With the Final Dissociation Disc in his possession, the estate’s protective arrays were utterly negligible to him.
The architecture within the estate mimicked the style of a quaint water-town courtyard, but there were no signs of current habitation.
It was likely just one of many properties owned by its master.
Nevertheless, the estate was fully furnished with all the necessary amenities. Li Fan located a Heavenly Profound Minor Mirror and cautiously tested the fragment of the Heavenly Profound Mirror Origin he carried.
“It hasn’t been disabled.”
“Countless topics about the anomaly in the four prefectures are flooding the Heavenly Profound Mirror, but they’re being locked and deleted the instant they appear.”
“Fortunately, I can still access the posting history.”
Li Fan quickly scanned through the information.
“What’s happening? Is the sky falling?”
“Don’t tell me the Five Elders Council is attacking again! I knew it! After suffering such a huge loss last time, there was no way they’d just let it go!”
“All teleportation methods have failed! We can’t get in or out! The Central Four Prefectures are completely sealed!”
“Fellow Daoists, it’s best to take shelter in your estates and avoid venturing outside. I’ll say no more...”
...
Most of the posts were valueless expressions of panic from frightened cultivators.
However, the sheer volume of messages meant that Li Fan eventually found something useful.
“Something huge has happened! I just left the Alliance Headquarters, and it looked like a fight broke out inside!”
“Stop spreading baseless rumors. The Alliance Headquarters is a place of paramount importance. Who would dare to cause a disturbance there?”
“I saw it with my own eyes! The moment before I teleported out, I heard a massive explosion. Then, I vaguely saw more than a hundred figures suddenly launch an attack! That was too close. I almost didn't make it out.”
“Damn...”
The conversation ended there.
There were similar records of other cultivators asking why they had been abruptly ejected from the Alliance Headquarters.
“This aligns with the plan I made with Mo Rubin...”
Li Fan pondered for a moment before taking out a white jade horn and crushing it in his hand.
A moment later, a shrill sound, audible only to a select few, emanated from his location.
It was the signal for the Five Elders Council’s sleeper agents to make their move.
From a distance, he watched as nearly a hundred dark figures flew through the cracks in the sky and into the Alliance Headquarters. Li Fan, ever cautious, immediately relocated to a different estate to hide.
“I wonder what is truly happening in there.”
Until he had a clearer picture of the situation, Li Fan refused to act rashly. He chose to wait and observe.
The rumbling that filled the world grew louder and more insistent.
The cracks multiplied, creating a shocking vista. It seemed as if the entire world might shatter at any moment.
What amplified the panic among the cultivators of the four prefectures was the deafening silence from the Alliance Headquarters. Despite the cataclysmic events, not a single official had emerged to offer an explanation or a word of reassurance.
This terrifying uncertainty lasted for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn.
Then, the ceaseless, thunderous explosions began to subside, and the fissures that scarred heaven and earth slowly began to mend.
The figure of a cultivator materialized in the sky, a man Li Fan recognized in an instant.
It was one of the Dharma Transmitters, Chen.
His expression was stern, his eyes radiating killing intent.
Chen’s voice boomed like thunder, echoing across the land. He announced that a minor disturbance within the Alliance had been suppressed and that there was no cause for alarm.
However, to thoroughly investigate the culprits’ accomplices, the lockdown of the four prefectures would remain in place for the time being.
All cultivators within the four prefectures were required to cooperate with the investigation.
...
With that, Chen departed as swiftly as he had appeared, his image fading from the sky.
He left behind the unsettled cultivators of the four prefectures to murmur amongst themselves, their minds far from at ease.
“Could Mo Rubin have been captured?” Li Fan wondered.
But on second thought, he recalled how strange and unpredictable Mo Rubin's techniques were. Even if the plot had been exposed, he would not be so easily taken. The thought brought him a measure of relief.
For the next three days, Li Fan remained hidden in his new sanctuary, maintaining the highest state of vigilance to prevent his discovery.
During this period, black-robed cultivators from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance came to search the area, but they failed to find the concealed Li Fan.
Li Fan also noticed that the search parties seemed to be merely going through the motions.
They conducted a cursory inspection before moving on to the next location.
“Interesting.”
Observing their half-hearted approach, Li Fan grew pensive.
The lockdown and the great search dragged on for ten days.
Initially, the cultivators of the four prefectures had been somewhat cooperative, but as time went on and the hope of returning to normalcy dwindled, their patience wore thin.
Murmurs of discontent began to spread like wildfire.
The cultivators residing in the four central prefectures were, without a doubt, the most crucial and influential segment of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
An unexplained lockdown of this magnitude was never going to last long.
Ten days later, facing a rising tide of opposition, the Alliance finally lifted the restrictions.
The mirrored image of the ground in the sky slowly faded, and the white mist barrier reappeared at the borders of the four prefectures.
However, the colossal cracks that stretched from heaven to earth did not vanish.
Like gaping wounds upon the world, they remained as a stark reminder of the recent turmoil—and of the fragile, illusory nature of this place.
Li Fan did not flee at the first opportunity. He remained hidden in the estate. Only after another month had passed, when the incident’s impact had finally faded and it was no longer a topic of conversation, did he finally emerge from the shadows.
From beginning to end, he never received a single message from Mo Rubin.
Not a call for help, not a warning.
Nothing at all.
Li Fan made one last trip to Weidu, the city where the Heavenly Profound Mirror’s human avatar had resided.
The avatar was nowhere to be seen.
(End of Chapter)
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