Chapter 1006-1010: The Fate of the Mirror Slave (6k+ words)

Upon hearing this, the two women immediately looked at Li Fan, their eyes filled with surprise and joy.

After all, after the transformation, Li Fan now held a significant place in their consciousness.

After a brief contemplation, Xuansu Chang immediately agreed. In Li Fan's presence, she began to contact her father, the Mirror Master Cang.

Instead of using any communication charms, she took out a personal Tianxuan Small Mirror and muttered something under her breath.

After a moment, a black figure with an unclear face was projected from the small mirror into the air.

"Daughter, what brings you to me?" Cang's voice sounded like a gentle middle-aged man, with a very mild tone. As for "Nian Nian," it was Xuansu Chang's nickname.

Cang had always addressed Xuansu Chang this way, demonstrating his doting love for his daughter.

Xuansu Chang, somewhat apprehensive, explained the ins and outs of the matter and Li Fan's request.

At this point, Cang finally noticed Li Fan, who had been silently standing beside his daughter.

Their eyes collided and intertwined in space.

With the Tianxuan Mirror's origin in him, Li Fan now understood the meaning of "Mirror Slave" as mentioned by the Tianxuan Mirror.

To verify his speculation, Li Fan imagined grabbing Cang with his hand in his mind.

At the same time, Cang's blurry figure violently shook.

However, under Li Fan's deliberate control, Cang couldn't even produce the slightest sound of pain.

"Father, what's wrong with you?" Xuansu Chang quickly noticed Cang's abnormality, somewhat puzzled.

Feeling the desperate plea coming from Cang, Li Fan then released the invisible hand he had visualized.

Cang was finally freed from endless pain.

Acting skills were also quite qualified; his tone showed no fluctuations: "It's nothing. Just took some protective measures to prevent prying eyes. You and Lu Xichan can withdraw for now. I have important matters to discuss with this... distinguished guest."

Cang paused and said very seriously, "Please excuse us, esteemed guest."

After getting Li Fan's nod, Xuansu Chang, supporting Lu Xichan, left the bamboo building.

Li Fan casually set up an array to isolate the inside from the outside.

"Old slave greets the master." At this moment, Cang revealed his true appearance, slowly kneeling.

His face was full of fear, and there was no hint that he was the Mirror Master standing at the pinnacle of the Immortal Alliance.

Cang and Xuansu Chang, father and daughter, had somewhat similar appearances.

Both had the "young" characteristic that didn't match their voices.

Cang's voice sounded like a middle-aged man, but in reality, he looked like a handsome young man in his twenties.

Li Fan remained silent, observing Cang.

Cang dared not lift his head, maintaining a kneeling posture.

"Mirror Slave..." Sensing various emotions emanating from Cang, Li Fan gained a deeper understanding of these two words.

With the help of the Tianxuan Mirror's origin, in Li Fan's perception, Cang was completely a dependent existence attached to the Tianxuan Mirror.

His soul, flesh, thoughts—everything about him had the Tianxuan Mirror as its foundation.

Even if it wasn't the true Tianxuan Mirror but just contained a trace of its origin, Cang had no room for resistance as Li Fan manipulated him as he pleased.

Li Fan could even erase Cang from the world with just a thought.

...

"A skill that is both poisonous and despair-inducing. Compared to those methods circulated in the Xuanghuang Realm for subduing, they are simply incomparable."

"It truly deserves to be a genuine treasure of the Immortal Realm."

Looking at the former high and mighty Mirror Master, now trembling and prostrating before him, Li Fan was deeply shocked.

At the same time, he felt a sense of yearning.

"Get up."

After a brief moment of distraction, Li Fan quickly regained his indifference.

He roughly explained the plan to free the Tianxuan Mirror's main body from confinement.

Chapter 1006: The Destiny of the Mirror Slave

"Master, rest assured, I will do everything I can to promote the advancement of the array," Cang quickly expressed his loyalty.

"Feng, the one who transmits the law, is now my ally. You should find an opportunity to contact him on your own. I believe that if you two join forces, many difficulties should be easily overcome," Li Fan said lightly.

Cang also nodded repeatedly in agreement.

After that, there was not much communication between Li Fan and Cang. Li Fan then summoned his children, Xuansu Chang and Lu Xichan.

Cang repeatedly reminded Xuansu Chang to absolutely obey Li Fan's orders. After that, his figure disappeared from the mirror.

Originally fearing Li Fan, and now with his father's orders, Xuansu Chang dared not even breathe heavily in Li Fan's presence.

"Becoming a Mirror Slave, although one has to be under the control of the Tianxuan Mirror for a lifetime, one also obtains considerable benefits," Li Fan thought as he stared at the disappearing mirror where Cang was.

In reality, as a part of the Tianxuan Mirror, Cang could now freely shuttle through various Tianxuan Mirror sub-mirrors. He could also wield certain abilities granted by the Tianxuan Mirror, such as deduction, observation, knowledge, and more, all within the permissions granted by the Tianxuan Mirror.

As long as the main body of the Tianxuan Mirror existed, he would always be an immortal presence, impervious to outsiders trying to eliminate him.

Even sealing and suppressing had little effect. The Tianxuan Mirror could erase the suppressed Mirror Slave at any time and regenerate them.

"I'm afraid only Immortal artifacts could possess such methods."

"It's not something particularly humiliating. Being a slave to an Immortal artifact..."

"If this were publicized, voluntary individuals in the Xuanghuang Realm would probably queue up from Tianquanzhou to Congyunhai."

Li Fan shook his head slightly, reached out, and picked up the Tianxuan Small Mirror from the ground.

Since Mirror Slaves had some incredible abilities, and Li Fan possessed the origin of the Tianxuan Mirror, he naturally enjoyed treatment that was previously unimaginable.

For example, at this moment...

When his divine sense entered the Tianxuan Mirror, it was not as an ordinary cultivator but as an identity fully unlocked with almost all permissions—an identity known as "Tianxuan Sub-mirror."

Although he couldn't freely trade or post tasks like ordinary cultivators, general browsing and observation were unimpeded.

Most of the cultivator information in the Tianxuan Mirror, including records of their cultivation techniques, items, contributions, and their speech records in various Tianxuan Mirror sections, were all laid bare.

In front of Li Fan today, there were no secrets.

Except for some extremely special entities that were not displayed, everything else was visible.

The only regret was that Li Fan could only observe and couldn't make modifications. Even invoking the computational power of the Tianxuan Mirror's main body was beyond his reach.

But this could be understood—after all, Li Fan was not the true Tianxuan Mirror. He had only received a gift of a trace of its origin.

"Even so, it's still extraordinary."

Even with Li Fan's deep understanding, his mood was somewhat suppressed by excitement.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1007: Tianxuan Mirror Observes All Beings

Like a child who just got a new toy, Li Fan freely browsed information in the Tianxuan Mirror.

He regretted that the Dao Transformation Stones in his sea of consciousness were not of high enough grade to record everything he saw and heard.

These were all secrets that every cultivator considered confidential, but now, Li Fan could see everything.

Not only that.

It also included all the information on the materials circulating in the Immortal Alliance Market and all transaction details since records began.

It was dazzling, almost blinding.

Even more valuable was the complete data records of all cultivators practicing through "Enlightenment."

The efficiency of each cultivator's cultivation was laid bare.

...

The Tianxuan Mirror was like an endless sea full of treasures, and Li Fan lingered in it.

Unfortunately, the data contained in the Tianxuan Mirror was too vast. It was constantly increasing every moment, making it impossible to grasp it all.

He could only choose some important records first.

Li Fan knew that the information he was browsing at the moment was definitely being monitored by the Tianxuan Mirror.

But it didn't matter. Most of the information in these records would not be useful to him in this lifetime. It would come in handy in every subsequent reincarnation in the Xuanghuang Realm!

The Tianxuan Mirror was like an endless sea, and Li Fan was like someone who had dug a canal at the seaside, constantly channeling the sea into himself.

Although the progress was a bit slow, it was steady.

Li Fan put the Tianxuan Small Mirror into his bosom, maintaining the reading of information.

Then he quietly left this Bamboo Sea Cave Mansion and returned to the Spirit Wood Realm.

When the amount of information he had browsed reached a certain level, almost causing the middle-grade Dao Transformation Stone in his sea of consciousness to explode, he slowed down the recording.

He then browsed the recorded information about the existing Dao Transformation Stones in the Immortal Alliance.

"A fragment of the Stone Mother."

"Three high-grade, sixteen upper-grade."

"Middle-grade, hmm?"

"No middle-grade left?"

...

Li Fan initially thought he had made a mistake in recording.

But after double-checking, he found no error.

After thinking for a moment, Li Fan suddenly understood the reason for this phenomenon.

The Dao Transformation Stones all originated from the Stone Mother and could be promoted to higher qualities through fusion.

"It must be that the cultivators in the Immortal Alliance who mastered the Dao Transformation Stone technique have long ago plundered all the circulating Dao Transformation Stones."

"Even if a new one appears, it will immediately be obtained by various means."

"Darn it, no wonder I can't buy one even with my contributions."

Li Fan's eyes flickered as he checked the list of cultivators holding Dao Transformation Stones.

After a quick look, a sense of absurdity rushed over him.

"The holder of the Stone Mother fragment is actually an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator..."

And the holders of other high-grade and upper-grade Dao Transformation Stones, as recorded in the Tianxuan Mirror, were all Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators.

Anyone with discerning eyes could tell that these identities were definitely disguised.

"An ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator cannot possess such treasures."

"Although such identity disguises can block investigations by some unscrupulous cultivators, as long as they exist, there must be connections. Every trace of what happened in the past is faithfully recorded by the Tianxuan Mirror."

"How can they escape my pursuit..."

At this moment, Li Fan simply didn't bother to disguise himself in front of the Tianxuan Mirror. He revealed all the detailed information about these twenty empty-shell cultivators.

From entering the Tianxuan Mirror for the first time to the present, everything, including all communications, trade partners, and their introducers.

After that, he retrieved data from these secondary suspects.

Like layers of a giant net, continuously weaving and extending.

When the hierarchical relationship reached "Five," the number of cultivators associated within the net had exceeded a staggering ten thousand.

"Some of them can be directly excluded."

Li Fan pressed on his throbbing head, which was already carrying a full load, and rested for a moment.

Then he resumed searching for targets.

After repeated comparisons and exclusions.

The final list was narrowed down to less than a hundred people.

Their cultivation ranged from Nascent Soul to Unity Dao.

"It's troublesome to investigate alone."

"First, focus on monitoring their recent activities in the Tianxuan Mirror, and then let Moru Bin help investigate covertly."

After contemplating for a moment, Li Fan had already made up his mind.

Almost all of these hundred people held positions in the Immortal Alliance.

It would be nearly impossible for him to investigate alone.

Without special relationships, he might never even see their faces in his lifetime.

However, if the investigation came from the Transmission Master and was conducted from top to bottom, it would undoubtedly be much easier.

"The use of Dao Transformation Stones is too significant. If the Stone Mother of the Taiyan Sect hadn't been informatized, I would have the impulse to ignore everything and snatch it."

But then he remembered the faint white light that fled during the apocalypse of the 115th era. Li Fan calmed down and realized the current him was not capable of dealing with those who successfully escaped from the crisis of the true immortals' apocalypse.

...

In the following period, Li Fan lived a fulfilling life.

The Terminal Disintegration Disc operated at maximum efficiency, absorbing the essence of the Ten Thousand Spirits Returning to One Great Formation, constantly deducing new possibilities for formations.

The Dao Transformation Stones were categorized and integrated based on the information obtained from the Tianxuan Mirror, selecting the valuable parts.

As for Li Fan himself, he roamed around in the Tianxuan Mirror.

Like someone transparent, no one could see him, but he could observe everyone.

Their conversations, cultivation, and trades.

With the Tianxuan Mirror's concealment, cultivators were much more unrestrained than in reality.

Thus, what Li Fan saw were more authentic portrayals of sentient beings.

For example, friends who called each other brothers a moment ago, after parting ways, immediately cursed each other.

For example, numerous cultivators, like the initial He Zhenghao, sought dreams of getting rich overnight, exploring various paths of "investment." Ultimately, they ended up losing everything. At that time, they secretly vowed not to be so confused again. But once they accumulated wealth again, they couldn't resist temptation and threw themselves into it, only to meet the same fate.

Or, there was a considerable number of cultivators who, after trying cultivation, felt that with their talents and cultivation speed, they would definitely struggle to achieve greatness in this lifetime.

So, they gave up their grand ambitions and only took on the most basic and safe tasks.

They earned enough to meet their needs for survival in the Tianxuan Mirror and settled down. In the Tianxuan Mirror space, there were no calamities, and they lived without worries.

Without various desires, they led carefree lives.

...

As Li Fan watched the different lives of different cultivators, his mentality underwent subtle changes unconsciously.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1008: The Secret of the Lingyuan Technique

"Sentient beings have connections..."

Countless real and concrete individuals flooded into Li Fan's mind.

Like tiny sparks, they slowly melted the icy heart that Li Fan had developed over thousands of years due to repeated reincarnations.

It's worth noting that Li Fan is not a completely heartless person.

However, in the continuous cycles, everything he witnessed—joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, life and death—was like a fleeting illusion.

When Li Fan activated the True Reversion, everything they experienced returned to the initial anchor point in an instant, rendering it all meaningless.

Since everything was illusory, why treat it seriously? Therefore, over time, Li Fan became the person who appeared to disdain all living beings in the world.

But at this moment, with the help of the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan saw that even if he didn't pay attention, the sentient beings in the Xuanhuang Realm continued to live according to their own destinies.

They had their own friends, calculations, and paths.

Their existence itself was not illusory or meaningless.

The more Li Fan saw, the greater the impact of the feedback from sentient beings. Similarly, the desire to watch the fate of more living beings became stronger.

Gradually, Li Fan's extremely indifferent eyes seemed to be undergoing changes in this process.

...

Just at this moment.

Li Fan suddenly felt a palpitation, waking up abruptly from his fascination and enlightenment.

His eyes once again turned as cold as unmelting ice, blocking the intrusion from the outside world.

When Li Fan looked at the countless lively cultivators in the Tianxuan Mirror again, there was a slight vigilance in his heart.

Reflecting on what had just happened, Li Fan knew that he hadn't followed anyone's path.

He had simply lost himself in the vivid lives of true cultivators.

"No wonder the legendary gods and immortals often sit high above the clouds, considering the hustle and bustle of the mortal world as a disaster."

"With my current state of mind, I almost immersed myself in it, unconsciously undergoing changes..."

Li Fan suddenly remembered the first scene in the Meteor Immortal Realm, when Ning Yuan performed a blood sacrifice with thousands of mortals, used the "Life Refining Formation," and forced out the true strength of Zhan Qianmo's purple pill.

"Although looking at it now, that formation is too crude and only has a reputation. But from my recent experience, maybe I can learn something from it..."

"I refine gods with sentient beings."

Under Li Fan's instructions, the Terminal Disintegration Disc, which had been continuously learning the principles of the "Ten Thousand Spirits Returning to One," and the rapidly advancing realm of formation derivation, began its first derivation after the opening of its horizons.

However, soon, Li Fan noticed something abnormal.

Different from the past, where he could effortlessly control the derivation of formations almost instantaneously, this time the Terminal Disintegration Disc's derivation task would experience involuntary delays every short period.

It was as if the burden had reached a certain limit, making it extremely difficult to run.

After observing for a while, Li Fan understood the reason for this situation.

"It's because the capabilities and plans of the Terminal Disintegration Disc itself do not match."

"It's no longer satisfied with deriving ordinary formations. The plan is to derive an immortal-level formation or something close to the power of an immortal-level formation."

"But it's just a secondary body derived from the Tianxuan Mirror. Trying to accomplish such a task is somewhat difficult."

Li Fan sighed inwardly and temporarily stopped this task.

He let the Terminal Disintegration Disc continue its analysis of the Ten Thousand Spirits Returning to One Great Formation.

"In this case, if I want to crack the restriction left by the Transmission Master, I'm afraid I still need to upgrade the Terminal Disintegration Disc."

"I wonder how Moru Bin is doing with his investigation."

Li Fan was hesitating whether to inquire actively.

At this moment, he suddenly sensed something happening to his clone, Li Qing, and his face changed slightly.

In a flash, he appeared by the clone's side.

A strong smell of blood lingered in the air, and traces of flesh and blood exploding could still be seen.

The body had disappeared, and Li Qing revealed the Heavenrend Sword's Small World, seemingly in a struggle against some force.

It was as if an invisible giant creature was continuously crushing it, and the Small World transmitted a thunderous sound, as if it couldn't bear the heavy load.

Chapter 1009: Crisis in the Lingyuan Technique

"If it weren't for the quality of 'Heavenly Wonders' or the embodiment of the laws between heaven and earth, I'm afraid this cave world would collapse inch by inch now!"

"What happened?"

Li Fan quickly reviewed his clone's experiences.

It turned out that during this period, with the widespread popularity of countless "Heavenly Furnaces," the spiritual energy in those small worlds gradually became rich and suitable for cultivation.

Li Qing began organizing large-scale teachings of the "Lingyuan Technique" in these small worlds.

He even occasionally plundered several mortal cities in the territory of the Xuanhuang Realm's Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, replenishing the population in the small worlds.

Now, the number of beings simultaneously practicing the Lingyuan Technique had already exceeded one million.

The more people practiced, the faster the cultivation speed, and the characteristics of the technique were pushed to the limit.

Not only did it suppress the restriction against dual cultivation methods, but it was also easier and faster compared to ordinary cultivation techniques.

Not long ago, Li Qing, who was in charge of overseeing and coordinating everything, suddenly had a whimsical idea.

He unexpectedly decided to personally practice to unlock the mysteries of the "Lingyuan Technique."

It wasn't because he couldn't find anything to do or was bored but rather preparing for the coming cycles of reincarnation. After all, the Lingyuan Technique actually had an owner. It was just that in this world, it had been destroyed by the Transmission Master's law manifestation.

The influence of the Lingyuan Sect spread throughout the Nine Mountain Province. If they were to eliminate them, it would undoubtedly cause a considerable stir.

If he could develop his version of the "Lingyuan Technique," it would be even better.

The initial cultivation and comprehension went quite smoothly.

Li Qing's aptitude and perception were much stronger than an average person. With little effort, he cultivated the Lingyuan Technique to the Nascent Soul realm.

At the same time, Li Qing suddenly sensed that there were millions of strands of cultivation, like a surging river, coming from various places in the heavens and the earth.

It poured into his body.

It was evident that it had accumulated for a long time, and each strand of cultivation was very substantial.

Millions of levels of cultivation converged and appeared in Li Qing's body at once.

The clone's body couldn't bear this pressure at all and instantly burst.

Even his own Heavenrend Sword's Small World was on the verge of collapse.

"This is a qualitative change caused by quantitative accumulation. Speaking of which, is this cultivation..."

"Coming from every individual practicing the Lingyuan Technique?"

Li Fan's eyes flashed.

"Isn't this similar to the 'Primordial Scripture of the Ultimate Tao'? Stealing a little from each practitioner."

"But the beneficiaries of the Lingyuan Technique seem to be only those who have reached the highest realm in this technique?"

"Does the leader of the Lingyuan Sect have so much confidence in himself?"

"Or is there something special about this that I haven't noticed?"

Li Fan's brows slightly furrowed.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1009: Secret Treasure of the Nine Mountain Province

With Li Fan's help, the clone's collapsing small world gradually stabilized.

After depleting the massive accumulated cultivation that had no one to claim it, the subsequent influx of cultivation was not as overwhelming and unbearable.

With this tremendous help in cultivation, the clone Li Qing's realm was now infinitely close to Li Fan's.

However, there was no joy on his face; instead, he looked extremely serious. "It's too much, too fast."

"With this continuous accumulation speed, even if I can use the method of calamity absorption to store cultivation, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on for long."

"Unable to break through the realm and expand the pool of accumulated cultivation, I'm afraid I'll still end up bursting."

Li Fan pondered, "According to reason, the scale and quality of the practitioners of the Lingyuan Technique under our guidance should far exceed those of the previous Lingyuan Sect."

"That Lingyuan Sect Leader can't keep breaking through either."

Li Qing continued, "In my opinion, this technique is probably a machine for extracting and refining the cultivation of practitioners. Even if a practitioner dies, it can still operate spontaneously."

"It's really quite sinister."

Li Fan remained silent, thinking to himself, "For so much cultivation, it's obviously not for personal cultivation. It seems that the Lingyuan Sect has some big plans."

"Unfortunately, their plan has completely turned into dust before it could be realized."

After a moment, Li Fan instructed, "No need to worry about this issue. I will take care of the excess cultivation. With the help of the faceless True Immortal Stone statue, I can transfer my cultivation without any loss to the followers of the Compassionate Immortal in the mortal world. There's no need to worry about bursting."

"Unconsciously, I have reached the peak of the Nascent Soul realm. With the Heaven-Seated Art and the network connection of the faceless stone statue, my cultivation is increasing too fast."

"However, this small realm improvement has little impact on my actual combat power now."

"Even if I advance to the Divine Transformation realm, the effect is minimal."

"Unless I can find a 'Transformation of Life in the Heaven and Earth' comparable to the Five Elements Grand Small World."

In fact, the answer to this question has already been experimented by Mr. Tian Dao.

That is the 'Transformation of Life in the Xuanhuang.'

Extracting all the changes that will happen in the Xuanhuang Realm into his own Small World.

"Rebuilding the Xuanhuang" within oneself.

If successful, one can possess the power of "transformation" in the Xuanhuang Realm for a period of time.

The power to drive the world's operation, especially in the case of such a huge creature as the Xuanhuang, which has assimilated countless corpses from the cultivation world.

One can almost imagine how powerful such a force would be.

At that time, the cultivators of the He Dao and Li Fan would be easy to capture.

Even an ordinary Immortal would not be his opponent.

The future is bright, but the problem is...

Such a large-scale extraction of the Transformation of Life in the Xuanhuang is likely to cause the Xuanhuang Realm to stagnate for a considerable period of time.

Such a serious negative effect, in the 115th era, Mr. Bai had the incarnation of Tian Dao, so the Xuanhuang Realm allowed him to do as he pleased.

How could Li Fan have such treatment?

If it were to extract one or two transformations, it would be fine. If it were excessive, it would probably trigger the killing intent of the heavens and the earth, and even attract the attention of those immortal beings in the Xuanhuang Realm.

After all, obtaining proof of immortality is equivalent to becoming a part of the Xuanhuang Prison.

Li Fan's actions are like tearing down a wall.

If the disturbance is too big, it will attract attention.

"Unless there is a greater disturbance to conceal everything."

"The disturbance that can destroy the entire Xuanhuang Realm..."

Li Fan's eyes flickered.

"Cutting off the True Immortal's network and breaking free from the True Immortal's entanglement might also be the opportunity for me to break through to the Divine Transformation."

"Even if it can't be accomplished in one fell swoop, it can significantly reduce the difficulty of future Divine Transformation."

Li Fan nodded slightly, adjusting his plan in his mind once again.

As for other Divine Transformation methods...

They are too weak, meaningless to Li Fan.

Li Fan never even considered them.

Chapter 1010: Hidden Repository in the Nine Mountain Province

While Li Fan was contemplating, Li Qing interrupted his thoughts. "I seem to faintly sense the location where the Lingyuan Sect stores its cultivation," Li Qing said uncertainly.

"Oh?" Li Fan's eyes flashed, and in an instant, he also sensed the position in his sea of consciousness.

Deep underground in the Nine Mountain Province.

"It seems we might find some legacy of the Lingyuan Sect," Li Fan said, squinting his eyes.

Shortly after, Li Fan arrived at the target location.

On the surface, numerous cave residences had been constructed.

However, it seemed they were just built, as the interiors were empty, with no one living inside.

It's worth noting that this area was relatively remote in the Nine Mountain Province, yet it was still filled with various buildings.

Li Fan gazed into the distance, and these cave residences extended all the way to the center of the Nine Mountain Province.

It looked like the surface of the earth was covered with a patchwork of ugly plasters, devoid of any aesthetic appeal, only emphasizing the maximization of the number of constructions.

"It seems the reputation of Trade City is indeed attractive."

"Building so many, they shouldn't have trouble selling them!"

Li Fan shook his head and said no more.

Silently, he sneaked underground.

Following his senses, he descended.

Before the large-scale construction of cave residences here, the underground had already been explored.

However, the secret repository of the Lingyuan Sect remained undiscovered, indicating its deep concealment.

Li Fan estimated that when he had descended more than thirty thousand feet underground, the pressure around him increased.

Even with his current strength, moving became increasingly difficult.

Fortunately, he finally found the target.

Not far away, a glowing square was deeply buried underground.

Ten yards on each side, it was so conspicuous in the pitch-black underground.

However, Li Fan couldn't observe it with his divine sense.

If it weren't for the clone being the highest in the Lingyuan Technique realm and having a sense of the location, finding this place underground in the Nine Mountain Province would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Approaching the glowing square, Li Fan reached out to touch it.

Like a solid wall, it blocked Li Fan's entry.

"What is this..."

But Li Fan instantly realized what the glowing wall in front of him was.

"Cultivation?"

Li Fan showed a strange expression.

After pondering for a moment, Li Fan absorbed the entity of cultivation he touched into his body.

The amount of cultivation condensed in this glowing wall was quite astonishing.

Li Fan absorbed for quite a while and still didn't create an entrance that he could enter.

After filling up the nine bodies stored by the calamity absorption technique, he finally opened an entrance.

Li Fan prepared himself and entered it.

The entrance was quickly sealed by the surrounding cultivation overflowing from the glowing square.

Inside, it wasn't an entity of cultivation but rather a cramped space of about five yards on each side.

There were various items stored, and the most eye-catching among them were three golden bodies.

They stood there without any signs of life.

But Li Fan felt a sense of danger.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1010: Backup from a Hundred Years Ago

What is cultivation?

It is something somewhat abstract but undeniably real.

Each cultivator practices different techniques, yet ultimately, they converge on the same path. However, they carry unique imprints from their respective techniques.

The three golden figures before Li Fan were of ordinary human size. Similar to the glowing square encountered earlier, they were pure physical manifestations of cultivated entities.

Moreover, they were condensed to an extreme and nearly incalculable sum of cultivation.

Not only that, but Li Fan also keenly sensed that each of these golden figures carried a distinct aura.

Different from one another, yet each had a significant characteristic, resembling intricately constructed mechanical creations, forming a unique structure.

Li Fan was confident that if he made the slightest mistake or triggered a mechanism on these golden figures, they would likely execute a predetermined task.

"There is no sign of spiritual power operating among them. It solely relies on the accumulation of their own cultivation."

"Is it for the sake of achieving complete concealment?"

"Such exquisite applications are truly hard to imagine."

After contemplating for a moment, Li Fan infused a trace of spiritual power into one of the golden figures, then swiftly retreated to a safe distance.

He manipulated the spiritual power as a fuse, driving it deep into one of the golden figures.

Like a pile of explosives suddenly detonating, an extremely violent and unstable aura erupted.

Then, the golden light quickly retracted, leaving only the eyes emitting uncontrollable brilliance.

As a result, Li Fan could clearly see the appearance of the golden figure.

To his surprise, this golden figure, entirely constructed from pure cultivation, looked almost identical to the Celestial Master who passed down the teachings!

Or perhaps, it was constructed based on the Celestial Masters' statues scattered throughout the Immortal Alliance!

The awakened golden figure showed no sign of confusion. It seemed to follow a set of predetermined steps, scanning the stored resources in this space.

With a flick of its hands in the air, streams of golden light separated from it and flew to different objects. Infused with the golden light of cultivation, these lifeless objects suddenly seemed to gain a spiritual essence.

They quickly self-assembled into a rough humanoid shape.

After completing all this, the first golden figure looked at the other two companions still in slumber. Light beams shot from its left and right eyes, shining on them.

The second and third golden figures were subsequently activated.

The second golden figure's body shattered, turning into viscous golden slime, flying into the fuzzy humanoid shape assembled by the first golden figure.

The third golden figure transformed into a radiant light, drilling out from underground, heading toward an unknown destination.

After absorbing the golden slime, the humanoid figure became much more vivid.

However, it seemed not to possess its own consciousness.

Until shortly afterward, the third golden figure returned and inserted a black, continuously undulating unknown item into it.

The breath of life suddenly descended.

"This is the contingency plan for the resurrection of the Lingyuan Sect Master?" Li Fan, hiding in the distance and observing, couldn't help but think.

Seemingly to confirm Li Fan's speculation.

Following the strange wriggling of the golden slime, it gradually condensed into a solid form.

A somewhat peculiar and hoarse voice, similar to the friction of metal, appeared underground. "Am I... dead?"

The tone was somewhat confused and somewhat unwilling.

The Lingyuan Sect Master looked at the two golden figures guarding him and appeared somewhat surprised: "Created Goldmen? Did I really develop this thing? Damn..."

Instead of being delighted about his resurrection, the Lingyuan Sect Master was somewhat anxious and uneasy.

"According to my memory, it should take at least a hundred years of research for a qualitative breakthrough."

"Right, there should be a temporal coronal track here."

After searching for a while, the Lingyuan Sect Master indeed found what he was looking for in a corner.

After reading it, his face changed dramatically: "After three hundred and twenty-eight years? It's been so long, how could my memory backup still be restored?"

After a brief panic, the young Lingyuan Sect Master quickly calmed down.

"Given the level of caution in my actions, it's impossible not to have backed up my memory for over three hundred years. But revival still relies solely on me..."

"The only plausible explanation is that an unexpected catastrophe occurred, resulting in the destruction of all subsequent backup memories."

"Hiss..."

The Lingyuan Sect Master took in a sharp breath.

"It seems that the Lingyuan Sect is bound to be annihilated with me. It's indeed too difficult to achieve great things with a group of unruly people."

Saying this, the Lingyuan Sect Master seemed to verify his conclusion by attempting to activate the Cangsheng Lingyuan Technique.

To his surprise, there was no obstruction, and the cultivation proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

At the same time, he vaguely sensed that up to a million people were cultivating the Cangsheng Lingyuan Technique simultaneously!

"What's going on?" The Lingyuan Sect Master suddenly became unsettled.

He furrowed his brows, pacing back and forth.

Finally, he speculated a possibility: there must be a traitor in the sect who not only killed him but also erased all of his backup memories.

Only the most primitive one, perhaps preserved due to its antiquity, remained intact.

However, this speculation left the Lingyuan Sect Master even more puzzled.

"What have I been through to trust outsiders like this?"

"Even the deepest secrets are leaked. In the end, I trusted the wrong person and was directly killed..."

The Lingyuan Sect Master racked his brains but couldn't make sense of it.

In the end, he sighed deeply, "I can only act cautiously until I figure out what exactly happened."

"But anyway, I've lived like this before, and I'm used to it."

"Having finally escaped to a spared cultivation realm, it turns out to be this ghostly appearance. Damn..."

Complaining, the Lingyuan Sect Master, whose body was composed of parts and actual cultivation, underwent changes.

His arm transformed into a long tube, piercing into the square wall beneath him.

The twinkling golden light from the tube indicated that the Lingyuan Sect Master was absorbing the stored cultivation within the square.

And his cultivation aura, from the just-revived Foundation Establishment stage, soared all the way up.

"Fortunately, after so many years, I've also accumulated a considerable amount of reserve cultivation."

"I should be able to restore my original strength soon," said the Lingyuan Sect Master.

Just at this moment, he was stunned to find that he suddenly lost control of his body.

Understanding that he was under attack, he immediately tried to command the two golden figures to defend.

But before he could give the order, he saw a stone statue emanating a sacred and compassionate aura taking over his consciousness.

"Red Dust Compassion..."

Engulfed by his mental state, countless thoughts were interrupted in an instant.

When he came to his senses, he still had no idea where he was.

Trying to contact the two guarding golden figures, he found that it was impossible.

The Lingyuan Sect Master couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling.

(End of this chapter)