Chapter 910: The Visitor from Beyond
Chapter 910: The Visitor from Beyond
However, the ways of the world are seldom predictable.
In the year Li Fan spent patiently waiting for the Xuanhuang Realm to evolve and for his clone to successfully retrieve the black sword, an entirely unexpected event occurred—one that had never taken place in any of his previous simulations.
One day, Tianyang, who had been lying idly in the Spirit Wood Realm, abruptly rose.
He gazed toward a specific point in the Xuanhuang Realm, his expression grave.
Tianyang's unusual reaction immediately put Li Fan on alert.
He knew his junior brother's disposition well. Aside from matters concerning himself or Li Fan, Tianyang was indifferent to almost everything.
To see him so solemn now meant that something was truly amiss.
"What is it, junior brother?" Li Fan appeared before Tianyang in a flash, asking in a deliberately casual tone.
"But I am certain of it," Tianyang stated, his speech now remarkably fluent and concise.
Li Fan's heart leaped at his words. "An incredibly powerful spatial fluctuation? What do you mean?"
"A simple teleportation within the Xuanhuang Realm would never generate a wave this intense. This means... the Xuanhuang Realm..."
"...has a visitor from beyond?" Li Fan finished the thought.
Tianyang gave a slight nod.
Li Fan's expression instantly turned grave.
"Could there really be other cultivators alive in this Darkest Star Sea?"
"Or... could they be from beyond the High Wall?"
A thousand thoughts raced through Li Fan's mind.
His mind was in turmoil. Even with his profound composure, he found it difficult to regain his calm.
Beyond the startling nature of a visitor from another world, the more crucial reason for his unease was that this event had, it seemed, never occurred in any of his past simulations.
What variable had changed to trigger the arrival of this outsider?
"Perhaps there's another possibility."
A thought suddenly struck him. "It's also possible this happened in previous cycles, but with my level of strength back then, I simply wouldn't have been able to perceive it."
After mulling it over for a long while, Li Fan finally regained his composure.
A disturbance of this magnitude would surely have been detected by both the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council.
He decided to wait and see how they would react.
"I'll have to trouble you for a while, junior brother. See if you can track that spatial fluctuation," Li Fan instructed.
Tianyang nodded in acknowledgment.
As it turned out, while the arrival of the visitor from beyond was unknown to the general populace, it had indeed made a significant impact on the overt rulers of the Xuanhuang Realm.
The most telling sign was the sudden, mutual easing of the once-tense situation between the two powers.
For over thirty days, the Heavenly Venerate manifestations of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance did not appear again.
Meanwhile, the Five Elders Council was also unnervingly quiet.
It was as if both sides had simultaneously put down their tools to attend to another matter entirely.
Li Fan sent a message to the Five Elders Council, inquiring about the intense spatial fluctuation.
They confirmed they had detected it and were currently investigating its origin.
They also requested that the Federation of All Worlds notify them immediately if it made any discoveries.
...
"Such gravity... this is rare," Li Fan mused, stroking his chin with a slight frown.
"What's most critical is that both the Alliance and the Council have been searching for days. And yet they still haven't found this visitor from beyond?"
A sense of unease crept into Li Fan's heart.
After pacing back and forth, he finally made up his mind.
He traveled to the small, dilapidated temple in Yongyun Prefecture and presented himself before the Creation Stone Slab.
"You mean the recent fluctuation?" The Creation Stone Slab seemed to have gained some genuine insight into the Dao of Fishing. Its aura was in constant flux, brightening and dimming like a tide, its ebb and flow radiating a palpable pressure into the surroundings.
Even with his current power, Li Fan found himself forcibly pushed back by the force it emanated unconsciously. He was inwardly astonished.
"Yes," Li Fan replied, his voice tinged with concern. "The intensity of that spatial wave far exceeded the norm for any teleportation within the Xuanhuang Realm. If it was someone from beyond our world, I fear..."
"Both the Alliance and the Council have been searching to no avail. For the sake of the Xuanhuang Realm's safety, I had no choice but to seek your help, Senior."
The Creation Stone Slab remained silent for a long time.
It was not an unwilling silence, however; it was as if the entity had simply fallen asleep.
After a moment, its presence stirred again. It seemed to chuckle. "Though I am weary of existence, I am still the Creation Stone Slab. If the Xuanhuang Realm truly faced a crisis of survival, how could I possibly stand idly by?"
"This matter is, in fact, a misunderstanding. It was no visitor from another world..."
"In any case, if you truly wish to understand the cause of all this, go to this place and find this person."
As the Creation Stone Slab spoke, a point of light extended from it and gently touched Li Fan.
Instantly, the relevant information flooded his mind.
The Creation Stone Slab once again became absorbed in its contemplation of the Dao of Fishing. Li Fan bowed deeply before taking his leave.
"Qinghuang Prefecture, Han Zhong?"
Li Fan reviewed the information from the Stone Slab, his brow furrowed in thought.
He had been to Qinghuang Prefecture before.
It was a desolate and remote region in the southwestern corner of the Alliance's territory, vast and sparsely populated.
Even more undeveloped than the Cong Yun Sea, it was decidedly the most backwater province in the entire Alliance.
"Could that be why it's the perfect hiding place?"
With that thought, Li Fan transformed into a streak of light and sped toward Qinghuang Prefecture.
After a considerable journey, he reached his destination and stood before Han Zhong's door.
Even before he entered, the strong scent of wine assailed his nostrils.
"Why does no one believe me?"
"Good wine!"
"Heh, it's not real. None of it... just a dream! *Hic*..."
Li Fan's frown deepened.
Stepping into the room, Li Fan saw a cultivator in ragged clothes, his face covered in stubble, sprawled gracelessly on the floor.
He was clutching a wine jug, his eyes glazed over.
A quick scan with his spiritual sense revealed no danger.
The man was merely a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator and posed no threat whatsoever.
"Are you Han Zhong?" Li Fan's voice was cold.
Han Zhong glanced at him blearily, his expression vacant for a moment.
Then, as if Li Fan wasn't even there, he simply raised the jug to his lips and took another long drink.
Li Fan snorted, ready to use a soul-searching technique to pry the secrets directly from the drunkard's mind.
But just as his right hand made contact with Han Zhong's head...
...Li Fan snatched his hand back as if he had been burned.
"Hm?"
Li Fan stared at his palm, momentarily stunned.
Though his physical body appeared unharmed, Li Fan clearly felt his own soul wither at the moment of contact.
It wasn't an injury, but a depletion, like the soul of a cultivator on the brink of death!
A tremor of shock went through Li Fan.
His spiritual strength was currently so formidable that it had few rivals even among Dao Integration cultivators.
And yet, he had just been wounded by a mere Golden Core cultivator?
(End of Chapter)
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