Chapter 868: One Beginning's Thousand-Year Plan
Chapter 868: One Beginning's Thousand-Year Plan
The Fishing Old Man's words drained the color from the faces of Liuli and Lin Ling.
Li Fan's expression grew heavy as well.
To be forced to receive an endless stream of information, every single moment, unable even to find the release of death...
It was, indeed, a form of extreme torment.
"If we truly find a way to sever the connection between you and the stone slab from this Fishing Pool... will you perish, senior?" Li Fan asked, mustering his courage after a moment of silence in the small temple.
The Fishing Old Man let out a soft chuckle. Still facing the water, he murmured, "I've grown weary of this existence; I simply wish for an easier one. It's not that I wish for death."
Li Fan understood.
After speaking, the Fishing Old Man closed his eyes, clearly indicating he didn't wish to be disturbed. Li Fan then led Zhong Shentong and Liuli further into the small temple.
"Knowing too much would do you no good. Simply serve him with the utmost care. If he deigns to offer even a few casual words of guidance, it would be an immense fortune for you," Li Fan stated coldly.
Zhong Shentong nodded in frantic agreement.
Li Fan then turned to Lin Ling. "From now on, you will be in charge of everything the senior fishes up. I will come by periodically to collect them."
Lin Ling naturally agreed.
Finally, Li Fan's gaze settled on little Liuli.
This child was a mystery. Fished out of the pool by Zhong Shentong, she had materialized from a transparent fruit. A golden-tier creation, she was at least above the Dao Integration realm and could not be underestimated.
For now, though, her true nature remained unknown. Still, Li Fan had more than enough ways to handle a simple, unsuspecting little Daoist child.
Putting on a kindly expression, Li Fan gently reassured Liuli that the Fishing Old Man was a good person and there was no need to be afraid of him.
He suggested she could even join him in fishing from time to time.
Little Liuli didn't dare to speak, merely nodding with a bewildered look.
"With the Fishing Old Man watching over this place, the Fishing Pool will be safe. This has turned out to be a blessing in disguise," Li Fan thought to himself.
Outwardly, Li Fan appeared quite troubled by the leak of the Fishing Pool's existence.
Inwardly, however, he couldn't care less.
For him, there was only one secret that could not be coveted by outsiders...
And that was [Truth].
If the existence of [Truth] were ever exposed, then no matter how peaceful the situation seemed, he would have to reset everything in an instant.
That was his absolute bottom line.
...
The Fishing Old Man sat by the small pond, fishing through the night.
He remained perfectly still, like a statue.
The next day, when he lifted his rod again, he had only caught a ball of white light.
Li Fan found this somewhat surprising.
"As long as it takes the bait, it's a good fish. In my eyes, there's no difference."
"Besides, the thing that can help me sever my bond with the Creation Stone Slab may not necessarily be of a high grade."
The Fishing Old Man offered a few lazy words of explanation.
But it was the kind of explanation that raised more questions than it answered.
Realizing this concerned the man's deepest secret, Li Fan didn't press the matter.
Instead, he changed the subject and asked for a way to conceal the seven-colored divine light.
After all, the Seven-Colored Jade Void Gilded Light was far too extraordinary. A perfect fusion of offense, defense, and escape, it would be a reckless waste of a heaven-sent gift if he couldn't use it as he pleased.
The Fishing Old Man fell silent for a moment.
He seemed to be pondering the question.
"It's not impossible."
A moment later, he gave his answer. "The reason I could identify the seven-colored divine light at a glance is because its unique fluctuations are too conspicuous, like a lone beam of light in the darkness."
"But if you, the wielder, could emit fluctuations no weaker than the divine light itself, you could suppress its signature. Just as a beam of light naturally dissolves into the environment during the day."
Hearing this, Li Fan was momentarily speechless.
To match the power of an artifact refined from the origin of a cultivation world's ambient light, he would need to be at least at the Dao Integration realm, if not higher.
If he had that kind of power, why would he need to hide anything?
As if sensing Li Fan's thoughts, the Fishing Old Man glanced over his shoulder at him.
"For anyone else, it might be impossible. But you're different."
Li Fan's heart tightened once more.
"Didn't you absorb the Five Elements Primordial Grotto-Heaven to break through to the Nascent Soul realm?"
"That thing... it can barely be considered half a cultivation world."
The Fishing Old Man's words left Li Fan slightly stunned.
"Heh, don't assume that every cultivation world is like the Xuanhuang Realm. In ancient times, even among the myriad lower realms, Xuanhuang was considered one of the larger ones."
"Let alone now."
"If you can fully unleash the power of the Five Elements Primordial Grotto-Heaven, then below the Longevity stage, I wouldn't say you'd be invincible, but you would certainly be undefeatable," the Fishing Old Man stated nonchalantly.
Although he had long suspected something of the sort, Li Fan still put on an ecstatic expression.
"To think that the secret method of the One Beginning Sect would, thousands of years later, allow a mere Golden Core junior to reap all the rewards." The Fishing Old Man seemed to recall something from the past, and a low chuckle rumbled from his throat.
Li Fan looked on with immense curiosity, and the Fishing Old Man didn't mind explaining.
"When the great calamity first arrived, every sect had its own way of dealing with it. The One Beginning Sect sought out the root of heaven and earth in the Xuanhuang Realm and used a secret art to forcefully gestate the Five Elements Grotto-Heaven."
"According to them, the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm was already corrupted and reversed, beyond any hope of salvation. They believed it was better to abandon it, extract its essence, and use the Five Elements Grotto-Heaven as a prototype to birth a new world within!"
"Just like a mother giving birth to a child."
"A fine idea, but a pity. If even mortals will cling to a wretched existence, what do you think the Heavenly Dao would do?" the Fishing Old Man sneered.
"Their plan had barely begun before someone came knocking, forcing them to a halt."
Although he was dying to know who could have stopped the One Beginning Sect's grand plan, Li Fan saw that the old man had no intention of elaborating and wisely suppressed his curiosity.
After speaking so much, the Fishing Old Man seemed a bit tired.
He closed his eyes once more.
Reading the situation, Li Fan tactfully retreated.
On the third day.
The Fishing Old Man pulled up a cluster of purple light.
"Oh?"
Instead of tossing it directly to Lin Ling, he began to examine it with great interest.
"What is it, senior?" Li Fan immediately hurried over to ask.
The Fishing Old Man didn't answer, his expression one of someone who had just discovered something utterly fascinating.
He stared intently at the pond before him.
Motionless.
As if he had been turned to stone, he remained that way for a full seven days.
During those seven days, Li Fan never left his side.
He followed the Fishing Old Man's gaze, trying to discern the reason that had so suddenly captured his attention.
The result was, of course, predictable.
But even though he saw nothing, Li Fan still maintained a pensive expression.
"You saw it too?"
One evening, after an unknown amount of time had passed, the Fishing Old Man suddenly awoke from his silence.
"This junior is slow-witted, I'm afraid I saw nothing of substance," Li Fan answered honestly.
"I only sense that this Fishing Pool holds infinite mysteries and could be of great benefit to me."
This piece of empty flattery, however, earned a nod of approval from the Fishing Old Man.
(End of this chapter)
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