Chapter 1368: The Immortal Artifact, the Azure Nether Pearl
Could Xuantian King's greatest trump card actually be the Fishing Pool?
It wasn't impossible. After all, Xuantian King had come from nowhere, yet he had single-handedly dominated the prodigies of his era, seizing the Dao and ascending before anyone else...
That was something that couldn't be explained away by mere "unparalleled talent."
But if that guess was true...
An image surfaced in Li Fan's mind: the stone slab that had tried to comprehend the Dao of Fishing only to be fished away itself. And then there was the Cat Treasure, which had emerged from the Fishing Pool—an entity that looked utterly harmless yet was capable of swallowing a True Immortal whole.
"Could it be," he wondered, "that Xuantian King met a similar fate?"
Li Fan gazed at the shallow pool before him, yet the dread in his heart soared to an unprecedented height.
A long silence fell over them.
Though he had yet to uncover the secrets of the Fishing Pool, Mo Rubin now clung to it as his last hope, showing no intention of leaving anytime soon.
"Standing guard here won't solve anything," Li Fan finally said, breaking the long silence. "Actually, I have another method. It might allow us to find a trace of Xuantian King."
Mo Rubin whipped his head around.
Li Fan paused, choosing his words carefully. "I have mastered a portion of the power of the True Immortal Script for 'Manifest'. This character can materialize and reveal even the most minute connections between things."
"From the memories of Law King Ji's remnant soul, I learned of the existence of the Azure Nether Pearl..."
As Li Fan spoke, he observed Mo Rubin's reaction.
Just as expected, at the mention of the Azure Nether Pearl, Mo Rubin's pupils contracted slightly. His aura shifted in an instant, and an involuntary guard went up.
But perhaps it was because of the trials they had faced together that a sufficient bond of trust had formed between them.
A moment later, Mo Rubin's defensiveness vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Only then did Li Fan continue, "If the memories I obtained are correct, the cultivation techniques practiced by the twelve Law Kings all shared a subtle, metaphysical connection to the Azure Nether Pearl."
"It might be possible to use the Manifest character to trace Xuantian King's location through this connection."
"This method isn't without risk, of course. It involves directly confronting the power of a True Immortal Script. Furthermore, what we would be tracking is the Azure Nether Pearl, the supreme treasure of the Xuantian Sect, not the Xuantian King himself. I didn't bring it up earlier to avoid any potential mistrust on your part."
Li Fan watched Mo Rubin, leaving the decision in his hands.
Mo Rubin didn't answer directly, instead asking a seemingly unrelated question. "Fellow Daoist, who do you think that expert who laid the golden threads at the flaw in the High Wall could be?"
Li Fan didn't conceal the truth. "When I trapped him within my formation, I seized the chance to probe his identity," he replied honestly. "He seems to be a Venerable from the Tianfa Realm, one of the cultivation worlds that has merged with our Xuanhuang Realm."
With a point of his finger, he transmitted a portion of the information he had on the Heavenly Doctor to Mo Rubin.
"The constant way of Heavenly Law, acting as heaven's enforcers?"
"How can that possibly compare to our path of becoming one with heaven and earth? Or even seizing heaven's place for ourselves..."
"They're nothing more than uncivilized, inferior beings. This person may be strong now, but it's likely only due to ten thousand years of accumulation."
Mo Rubin shook his head, his tone dripping with disdain.
Despite his dismissive words, he turned his gaze back to the Fishing Pool and remained silent.
He stood there for a full seven days, yet still failed to penetrate its mysteries.
At last, Mo Rubin gave a slight shake of his head. With grave solemnity, he declared, "We can try."
"The power of a True Immortal Script is not to be trifled with," Li Fan warned. "I have no guarantee I can fully control its force. And if it truly points to this pool... whatever could swallow a figure like Xuantian King must hold unimaginable danger. We must be cautious!"
"The very safety of the Xuanhuang Realm rests on our shoulders. We cannot afford to be careless," Li Fan reminded him.
Mo Rubin acknowledged the weight of Li Fan's words.
By the side of the pool in the desolate mountain temple, they made thorough preparations.
Only then did they begin the trial.
"When Brother Xuanyuan passed the technique to me," Mo Rubin began, "he explained that the immortal arts most of us twelve Law Kings practice originated from a True Immortal who ascended from the Divine Witch Realm."
"Cultivators from that realm use their divine souls to resonate with the Great Dao, manipulate it, and ultimately, replace it. Though their methods and outward manifestations are a bit... unusual, it's the most direct path to the Great Dao. I heard the Divine Witch Realm is one of the most ancient cultivation worlds, perhaps even the birthplace of human cultivators."
"The people of the Divine Witch lineage are almost identical to us ordinary humans, but their innate talent is far superior. The difficulty for them to resonate their souls with the Great Dao is far, far lower than for us."
"It took me a tremendous amount of effort just to reach the entry-level of this Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Devil Heart Immortal Art. But according to Brother Xuanyuan, the Divine Witch people can master it with almost no effort at all."
As Li Fan listened to Mo Rubin's description, his eyes narrowed slightly.
But Mo Rubin's tone suddenly shifted, becoming grim. "Even a True Immortal from the mighty Divine Witch lineage was no different from an ant when the Dao Annihilation Calamity struck. Their corpses fell like rain, cut down as they desperately tried to flee..."
"So True Immortals are nothing to fear! Let's begin!"
With a low cry, myriad ink hearts erupted from Mo Rubin's body.
They swirled and shrieked around him, forming a terrifying storm.
Li Fan glanced at the immortal array and the illusion of the wooden sword nearby, ensuring his escape route was clear.
He then checked the [Truth] panel, which displayed a comfortable 400% charge.
Only then, feeling secure, did he trace the character for "Manifest" in the air. It shot directly toward Mo Rubin.
Mo Rubin didn't resist, allowing the power of the Manifest script to envelop his body.
Threads of azure smoke began to rise from the myriad ink hearts.
They ascended straight up at first, then, as if touching the very limits of the sky, began to circle and whirl, as if searching for a target.
Mo Rubin's own face contorted, twisting as if an immense, unseen force were grinding against it.
"Brother Mo, hold on!" Li Fan called out, sending several golden threads into Mo Rubin's body.
As they had agreed beforehand, Mo Rubin offered no resistance.
A steady stream of pure spiritual energy and soul power flowed through the threads, helping him withstand the pressure of the True Immortal Script.
Above Mo Rubin's head, the thousands of azure wisps gradually merged into a single, thick column.
Then, as if it had finally located its target, the column of smoke surged with life.
Like an azure dragon descending from the heavens, it plunged downward.
Its target was none other than the Fishing Pool!
"So it really is the pool?" Li Fan's heart sank, and he instinctively backed away.
But what happened next was entirely unexpected.
Just as the thick, dragon-like column of smoke was about to plunge into the Fishing Pool, it paused for a fraction of a second.
Then, it split in two.
One stream dove into the Fishing Pool.
The other shot back up into the heavens, flying beyond the Xuanhuang Realm itself!
"What?"
The sudden turn of events left both men stunned.
Mo Rubin reacted in a flash, following one of the azure streams and plunging into the Fishing Pool.
But as soon as the smoke touched the water, it vanished without a trace.
In the shallow pool, which he could see to the very bottom of, Mo Rubin could find no sign of the Azure Nether Pearl.
A wave of dejection washed over him.
Li Fan, however, tilted his head back, gazing at the spot where the other stream of smoke had disappeared.
"What do you think, Brother Mo? Could the Azure Nether Pearl have split in two?" Li Fan asked with a frown.
"Judging from the behavior of the Manifest character, perhaps. But what if the character wasn't just pointing to connections with the Azure Nether Pearl, but also to Brother Xuanyuan himself?"
"Since this pool has yielded nothing for now," Mo Rubin said after a moment's silence, a new idea striking him, "let's follow the other stream of smoke and see where it leads."
This suited Li Fan perfectly.
Until he was certain he could protect himself, Li Fan had no desire to involve his true body with the Fishing Pool.
First, there was the matter of the strange Cat Treasure. Now, with the confirmation that Xuantian King's disappearance was linked to this pool, Li Fan's caution had redoubled.
The illusory wooden sword carried the two of them in pursuit of the azure smoke.
Though the smoke traced its origin at a remarkable speed, it was still a bit slower than Li Fan's supreme movement technique.
Before long, they had overtaken the smoke and had no choice but to slow down and wait for it.
Mo Rubin's expression was grim, so Li Fan decided to change the subject.
"Aside from the Divine Witch Realm, did Xuantian King ever share any other stories about the Immortal World?"
"To be honest, even though the path of ascension has been severed for ten thousand years, we cultivators can't help but feel a certain yearning and curiosity for the legendary Immortal World."
Li Fan's words pulled Mo Rubin's thoughts back to the past.
"Perhaps it was because he'd actually been there, or maybe he heard it from the Faceless Immortal. Whatever the reason, Brother Xuanyuan did talk about the Immortal World on occasion. We could all see how much it bothered him—to have been halfway through his ascension only to be forced back from the Immortal World."
Mo Rubin let out a faint smile.
"He said the Immortal World was a beautiful, sacred place with infinite resources. Once you ascended, you no longer had to worry about what you needed for cultivation. The amount of resources you could gather depended entirely on your own strength and luck."
"He never specified what those resources were, though. I imagine it wasn't something as simple as immortal spiritual energy."
"Oh, and there was another thing. Have you ever heard of the Ascension Tribulation Lightning?" Mo Rubin asked, his expression shifting.
"The Ascension Tribulation? Of course," Li Fan replied swiftly. "In the days when the path of ascension was still open, ancient cultivators supposedly had to pass a trial of tribulation lightning before they could become immortals."
Mo Rubin's expression grew strange. "Back then, I was only a step away from ascension myself. But after Brother Xuanyuan's return, ascension became an impossible dream. To be honest, I've carried a knot in my heart ever since, always bitter about the missed opportunity."
"But, in private, Brother Xuanyuan once tried to comfort me. He told me the only reason he managed to pass the tribulation and ascend was because the True Immortal on the other side of the passage—the one administering the lightning tribulation—was suddenly struck down by the Dao Annihilation Calamity..."
"Based on the originally estimated power of the tribulation, Brother Xuanyuan never would have survived. In fact," Mo Rubin's voice dropped, "that tribulation was never meant to be survived by anyone!"
Li Fan was stunned into silence.
"That's why Brother Xuanyuan told me not to dwell on it. If I had been just a little faster in my cultivation, my fate wouldn't have been ascension. It would have been annihilation, turned to ash beneath the bolts of heavenly lightning," Mo Rubin said, his voice haunting.
"Of course, I can't be certain if that was the truth or just something he said to comfort me. But out of my trust for him, I took his word for it."
He chuckled wryly.
Li Fan remained silent.
The idealized image he'd held of Xuantian King had begun to crack.
Amidst their silence, the azure smoke from the Manifest script finally reached its destination.
It was still below the High Wall.
This time, however, it didn't touch the wall itself.
Instead, it vanished into an inconspicuous corner at the base of the wall.
Li Fan's heart skipped a beat; he instantly recognized the spot.
It was none other than one of the entry nodes to the network of chasms beneath the High Wall!
"Let's go!" Mo Rubin exclaimed, his spirits lifted, and followed the smoke's path.
Li Fan hesitated for a moment before following him.
The same experience as before repeated itself: their "potential" plummeted.
Soon, they arrived at the deepest trough of the Star Sea.
The place was saturated with dormant energy, stunning Mo Rubin, who was seeing it for the first time.
But he didn't forget the purpose of their journey.
He followed the azure smoke closely as it wound its way deeper and deeper into the twisting chasm.
Li Fan already knew that this network of crevices spanning the Star Sea was a vast labyrinth. Venturing deep inside carried the risk of becoming hopelessly lost.
But with the azure smoke as their guide, and more importantly, with the trail possibly leading to Xuantian King and the Azure Nether Pearl, Li Fan didn't hesitate to press on.
The journey took dozens of times longer than it would to cross the entire Star Sea, but at last, the azure smoke came to a halt.
Li Fan stared in surprise at the spot where the connection from the Manifest script faded away.
A perfect, small azure pearl floated silently in the void.
The moment he saw the pearl, Li Fan finally understood the true meaning of the word "azure" in the phrase "as clear as the azure sky."
Mo Rubin's body trembled as he stared at the Azure Nether Pearl.
Confusion filled his eyes.
He couldn't understand why the immortal artifact his brother had relied on would be left here, all alone.
"Something's not right."
"Why does it seem as if all the spirituality has been drained from this pearl?"
Having seen many damaged immortal artifacts, Li Fan was keenly aware of the abnormality in the Azure Nether Pearl.
His reminder snapped Mo Rubin out of his trance.
He flew forward, reaching out to touch it.
However, the instant Mo Rubin drew near, the Azure Nether Pearl dissolved into faint azure threads.
It shattered, vanishing without a trace.
"No!"
After all their effort, it had all come to nothing. For a moment, even someone with Mo Rubin's composure lost control.
He frantically tried to grasp the dissipating azure wisps, hoping to restore the pearl.
Li Fan didn't bother with such a futile effort.
Instead, he was lost in thought. "The aura from that Azure Nether Pearl... it felt somewhat..."
"...similar?"
"I was puzzled before, wondering why the energy accumulated in these chasms felt so unnaturally vast."
"Now, it seems it might have been related to the Azure Nether Pearl."
(End of Chapter)
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