lǐ fán zǐ xì dǎ liàng zhe zhè chù kōng dòng 。
李凡仔细打量着这处空洞。
Li Fan carefully examined the hollow space.
shàng fāng ， xǔ duō jiàn zhù fǎng fú cóng shí dòng dǐng duān shēng zhǎng chū lái yī yàng ， dào guà zhe xuán yú bàn kōng 。
上方，许多建筑仿佛从石洞顶端生长出来一样，倒挂着悬于半空。
Above, many buildings seemed to grow out from the top of the stone cave, hanging upside down in mid-air.
lǐ fán hái kàn dào yí gè gè xiū shì mú yàng de shí xiàng 。
李凡还看到一个个修士模样的石像。
He also saw several stone statues resembling cultivators.
shuāng jiǎo hé jiàn zhù róng wéi yī tǐ ， yě shì dào xuán zài tóu dǐng ， jué wàng wú zhù de shēn chū shuāng shǒu ， xiǎng yào qiú yuán 。
双脚和建筑融为一体，也是倒悬在头顶，绝望无助的伸出双手，想要求援。
Their feet and bodies were fused with the structures, hanging upside down above his head. Their hands reached out desperately as if seeking help, but their bodies were forever frozen at that moment, their faces filled with terror.
dàn shēn tǐ què bèi yǒng yuǎn dìng gé zài le zhè yī kè ， liǎn shàng mǎn shì jīng kǒng 。
但身体却被永远定格在了这一刻，脸上满是惊恐。
"This should be a peak of the Heaven Mechanism Sect, accidentally swallowed by this Returning Origin Snail."
“ zhè lǐ yīng gāi shì tiān jī zōng de yí gè shān tóu ， jī yuán qiǎo hé bèi zhè guī yuán há tūn rù fù zhōng 。”
“这里应该是天机宗的一个山头，机缘巧合被这归元蛤吞入腹中。”
"Judging from the appearance, it was probably fully petrified before being consumed."
“ kàn zhè yàng zi ， yīng gāi shì zhěng tǐ shí huà zhī hòu ， cái bèi tūn shì de 。”
“看这样子，应该是整体石化之后，才被吞噬的。”
Li Fan raised his guard and flew to the top of the hollow space. Ignoring the petrified cultivators, he searched through the ruins until he reached a prominent stone tower.
lǐ fán tí qǐ jiè bèi ， fēi shēn lái dào kōng dòng shàng fāng 。
李凡提起戒备，飞身来到空洞上方。
"This is the [Observation Tower], where the Heaven Mechanism Sect used to observe celestial omens," Li Fan said as he approached the stone tower. Despite thousands of years passing, it still emitted a faint glow.
méi yǒu guǎn zhè xiē bèi shí huà de xiū shì ， chuān suō zài yí jì zhōng ， zhí bēn zuì xiǎn yǎn de yī chù shí tǎ ér qù 。
没有管这些被石化的修士，穿梭在遗迹中，直奔最显眼的一处石塔而去。
"Though the禁制is still in place, it's just a facade."
“【 kuī tiān tǎ 】， tiān jī zōng yòng lái kuī cè tiān jī de yào dì 。”
“【窥天塔】，天机宗用来窥测天机的要地。”
With no resistance, Li Fan entered the Observation Tower.
lǐ fán lái dào shí tǎ miàn qián ， fā xiàn shù qiān nián guò qù ， qí shàng réng rán shǎn yào zhe yī sī wēi ruò de guāng máng 。
李凡来到石塔面前，发现数千年过去，其上仍然闪耀着一丝微弱的光芒。
"Hmm?"
“ jìn zhì suī zài ， kě xī zhǐ shì tú yǒu qí biǎo le 。”
“禁制虽在，可惜只是徒有其表了。”
Li Fan’s expression changed upon entering as he felt a hateful gaze directed at him.
fǎng fú háo wú zǔ ài de ， lǐ fán lái dào le kuī tiān tǎ nèi bù 。
仿佛毫无阻碍的，李凡来到了窥天塔内部。
Following the direction of that gaze, he saw a cultivator with disheveled hair standing ahead. His face was twisted into a grimace; one eyeball bulged out as if trying to pop out of its socket, fixating on Li Fan with intense focus.
“ ń ？”
“嗯？”
The lower half of his body had turned to stone like those outside the Heaven Mechanism Sect, but his upper body seemed still in the process of petrification, showing an eerie mix of flesh and stone.
jìn rù qí zhōng de shùn jiān ， lǐ fán miàn sè yī biàn 。
进入其中的瞬间，李凡面色一变。
"Dead or alive?"
yīn wèi tā gǎn jué dào yī dào mù guāng è hěn hěn dì cháo tā kàn lái 。
因为他感觉到一道目光恶狠狠地朝他看来。
Li Fan didn't hesitate. He immediately released a Five-Element Annihilation Sword.
lǐ fán shùn zhe shì xiàn chuán lái de fāng xiàng wàng qù ， zhǐ jiàn qián fāng zhàn lì zhe yī wèi pī tóu sàn fà de xiū shì 。
李凡顺着视线传来的方向望去，只见前方站立着一位披头散发的修士。
"Bang!"
miàn róng zhēng níng ， qí zhōng yī zhī yǎn zhū zi tū de fǎng fú yào cóng yǎn kuàng lǐ zuān chū lái ， sǐ sǐ dīng zhe lǐ fán 。
面容狰狞，其中一只眼珠子凸的仿佛要从眼眶里钻出来，死死盯着李凡。
The black light sword struck the cultivator's body.
xiū shì de xià bàn shēn yě hé wài jiè nà xiē tiān jī zōng dì zǐ yī yàng ， huà chéng le shí tou 。
修士的下半身也和外界那些天机宗弟子一样，化成了石头。
After piercing through it, the cultivator's body instantly shattered into pieces, scattering everywhere on the ground. Only that half-petrified eyeball remained floating in mid-air, its gaze still fixed on Li Fan.
zhǐ shì shàng bàn shēn hǎo sì hái chù zài shí huà guò chéng zhōng ， chéng xiàn chū guǐ yì de xuè ròu hé shí kuài càn zá de mú yàng 。
只是上半身好似还处在石化过程中，呈现出诡异的血肉和石块掺杂的模样。
Li Fan slowly approached while changing his position continuously. He found that this eyeball seemed to sense his presence and locked onto him.
“ sǐ de hái shì huó de ？”
“死的还是活的？”
Approaching the petrified eyeball, he waited but saw no other reaction.
lǐ fán bù gǎn dài màn ， lián máng yī dào wǔ xíng jì miè jiàn fā chū 。
李凡不敢怠慢，连忙一道五行寂灭剑发出。
He picked it up and examined it closely.
“ pēng ！”
“砰！”
"Turns out it's not a real eyeball; rather, it was implanted by an ancient cultivator."
hēi sè guāng jiàn zhèng zhōng xiū shì shēn tǐ 。
黑色光剑正中修士身体。
"Strange. I don't recall Xiao Heng’s group having this... Did they overlook it? Or did that Linhuo Chang secretly keep it?"
chuān xiōng ér guò hòu ， xiū shì qū tǐ dùn shí sì fēn wǔ liè ， sàn luò yī dì 。
穿胸而过后，修士躯体顿时四分五裂，散落一地。
Li Fan toyed with the eyeball for a while but found no useful purpose in it.
wéi yǒu nà kē bàn shí huà de yǎn qiú ， yī rán piāo fú zài kōng zhōng ， tóng kǒng de fāng xiàng jǐn jǐn dīng zhe lǐ fán 。
唯有那颗半石化的眼球，依然漂浮在空中，瞳孔的方向紧紧盯着李凡。
He put it away and continued exploring the Observation Tower.
lǐ fán huǎn huǎn kào jìn de tóng shí ， bù duàn biàn huà fāng wèi 。
李凡缓缓靠近的同时，不断变化方位。
The tower had nine floors. The second to fifth floors were scattered with jade scrolls, magical artifacts, though most were damaged.
fā xiàn zhè yǎn zhū fǎng fú néng gǎn yìng dào tā de cún zài ， yì zhí suǒ dìng zhe tā de wèi zhì 。
发现这眼珠仿佛能感应到他的存在，一直锁定着他的位置。
Finding a storage ring among them, Li Fan happily stored it safely.
lái dào shí huà yǎn qiú de miàn qián ， děng dài le huì ， yě bú jiàn tā yǒu qí tā fǎn yìng 。
来到石化眼球的面前，等待了会，也不见它有其他反应。
---
lǐ fán bǎ tā ná zài shǒu zhōng ， zǐ xì guān chá 。
李凡把它拿在手中，仔细观察。
《Supreme Celestial Numbers》, 《Nine Heavens One Qi Technique》, 《Heavenly Intent Descends into the Body》, 《Thousand Mechanism Mysterious Record》...
“ yuán lái bú shì zhēn de yǎn zhū ， ér shì zhè míng zuò gǔ xiū shì shēng qián zhí rù tǐ nèi de 。”
“原来不是真的眼珠，而是这名作古修士生前植入体内的。”
There were techniques and research on [Heaven's Will].
“ qí guài ， bú jì dé xiāo héng tā men de shōu huò yǒu zhè ge ……”
“奇怪，不记得萧恒他们的收获有这个……”
In the end, Li Fan collected twenty-six techniques and forty-eight books.
“ shì tā men méi yǒu fā xiàn ？ hái shì bèi nà líng hú chāng sī cáng le ？”
“是他们没有发现？还是被那令狐昌私藏了？”
Seventeen of them were Golden Core period techniques, nine at the Foundation Establishment stage.
lǐ fán bǎ wán le yī huì ， méi yǒu fā xiàn zhè kē yǎn qiú de yǒu shén me yòng chǔ 。
李凡把玩了一会，没有发现这颗眼球的有什么用处。
"Truly a windfall. I wonder how many are unique."
zàn qiě fàng zài huái zhōng ， lǐ fán jì xù wǎng kuī tiān tǎ nèi tàn suǒ 。
暂且放在怀中，李凡继续往窥天塔内探索。
"But among these techniques, only two show signs of someone practicing them. The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance likely has few such techniques."
kuī tiān tǎ yī gòng jiǔ céng 。
窥天塔一共九层。
Li Fan put aside his joy and continued climbing up.
dì èr dào dì wǔ céng ， mǎn dì sàn luò zhe yī xiē yù jiǎn 、 fǎ qì 。
第二到第五层，满地散落着一些玉简、法器。
The sixth to eighth floors were filled with peculiar objects.
bù guò dà duō yǐ jīng pò sǔn 。
不过大多已经破损。
For example, lotus petals that bore human faces, unknown fruits shaped like dragons, naturally patterned rectangular stones...
lǐ fán cóng zhōng zhǎo dào yī méi chǔ wù jiè hòu ， kāi xīn de jiāng shàng qiě wán hǎo de shōu rù náng zhōng 。
李凡从中找到一枚储物戒后，开心的将尚且完好的收入囊中。
These oddities once seemed to be under the influence of some special power. However, as time passed, this power had completely dissipated, leaving them merely strange.
《 tài wēi tiān shù 》、《 jiǔ tiān yī qì gōng 》、《 tiān yì jiàng shēn jué 》、《 qiān jī mí lù 》……
《太微天数》、《九天一气功》、《天意降身诀》、《千机迷录》……
"This should be what the Heaven Mechanism Sect used to sense celestial omens."
yǒu gōng fǎ ， yǒu duì 【 tiān jī 】 de yán jiū zhù zuò 。
有功法，有对【天机】的研究著作。
Li Fan pondered.
zuì zhōng ， lǐ fán yī gòng shōu liǎn le èr shí liù mén gōng fǎ ， shū jí sì shí bā bù 。
最终，李凡一共收敛了二十六门功法，书籍四十八部。
The Heaven Mechanism Sect believed that the flow of cosmic energy interacted with each other and manifested in the world. Anything defying logic was a result of intense interaction between cosmic energies. These oddities allowed one to deeply understand these interactions.
qí zhōng jīn dān qī gōng fǎ shí qī mén ， yuán yīng qī gōng fǎ jiǔ mén 。
其中金丹期功法十七门，元婴期功法九门。
"Like how I sensed the cosmos using the Sea of Heavenly Intent," Li Fan thought as he accepted all the objects, regardless of their usefulness.
“ zhēn shì yī bǐ hèng cái ， jiù shì bù zhī qí zhōng gū běn yǒu duō shǎo 。”
“真是一笔横财，就是不知其中孤本有多少。”
Finally reaching the ninth floor of the Observation Tower, it turned out empty.
“ bù guò zhè xiē gōng fǎ zhōng ， zhǐ yǒu liǎng mén xiǎn shì yǒu rén zài xiū liàn 。 xiǎng lái wàn xiān méng yǒu gōng fǎ de bǐ lì bú huì tài gāo 。”
“不过这些功法中，只有两门显示有人在修炼。想来万仙盟有功法的比例不会太高。”
"As expected from Xiao Heng’s description." Li Fan wasn't disappointed despite his expectations.
lǐ fán jiāng xīn zhōng xǐ yuè shōu qǐ ， jì xù xiàng shàng 。
李凡将心中喜悦收起，继续向上。
After thoroughly searching and finding nothing, he was about to leave when a sudden idea struck him. He turned back and stared at the ninth floor space.
dì liù dào bā céng ， bǎi fàng de dōu shì yī xiē qí tè de wù jiàn 。
第六到八层，摆放的都是一些奇特的物件。
"From what I can see, this peak of the Heaven Mechanism Sect suffered an unexpected calamity."
bǐ rú duǒ duǒ huā bàn zhōng ， zhǎng zhe yī zhāng rén liǎn de lián huā 。
比如朵朵花瓣中，长着一张人脸的莲花。
"They didn’t have time to react before their misfortune befell them."
xíng sì jiāo lóng de bù zhī míng guǒ shí 。
形似蛟龙的不知名果实。
"Even saving themselves would be hard; let alone moving valuable treasures."
tiān rán fú xiàn huā wén de cháng fāng xíng shí kuài 。
天然浮现花纹的长方形石块。
"Why is the ninth floor of this tower empty?"
……
……
Li Fan grew suspicious. The more he thought about it, the more he felt there was something hidden here.
zhè xiē qí wù shàng sì hū céng jīng lǒng zhào zhe mǒu zhǒng tè shū de lì liàng 。
这些奇物上似乎曾经笼罩着某种特殊的力量。
However, no matter how he searched, he found nothing of value.
bù guò suí zhe shí jiān de liú shì ， zhè zhǒng lì liàng yǐ jīng wán quán xiāo sàn 。
不过随着时间的流逝，这种力量已经完全消散。
It seemed like a one-sided hope.
rú jīn zhǐ shì kàn shàng qù bǐ jiào qí guài bà le 。
如今只是看上去比较奇怪罢了。
Deciding to take action, Li Fan activated his Five-Element Annihilation Sword and cut off the ninth floor of the tower separately.
“ zhè yīng gāi jiù shì dāng chū tiān jī zōng yòng lái gǎn yìng tiān jī de wù jiàn le 。
“这应该就是当初天机宗用来感应天机的物件了。
The black light shattered the thousand-year-old禁制with ease.
” lǐ fán ruò yǒu suǒ sī 。
”李凡若有所思。
In the deafening roar, the topmost part of the Observation Tower was stored in his storage ring.
tiān jī zōng rèn wéi ， tiān dì qì jī ， jiāo xiāng gǎn yìng ， yú shì jiān dōu yǒu xiǎn huà 。
天机宗认为，天地气机，交相感应，于世间都有显化。
"Better safe than sorry."
nà xiē wéi bèi cháng lǐ zhī wù ， dōu shì tiān dì qì jī jù liè jiāo gǎn zuò yòng de jié guǒ 。
那些违背常理之物，都是天地气机剧烈交感作用的结果。
Li Fan nodded contentedly.
jiè zhù zhè xiē qí wù ， jiù kě yǐ shēn kè gǎn wù tiān dì qì jī 。
借助这些奇物，就可以深刻感悟天地气机。
---
“ hé wǒ dāng chū jiè zhù cāng hǎi zhū gǎn yìng tiān dì yí gè dào lǐ 。” lǐ fán yě bù guǎn zhè xiē dōng xī yǒu yòng méi yǒu ， tōng tōng shōu xià 。
“和我当初借助沧海珠感应天地一个道理。”李凡也不管这些东西有用没有，通通收下。
He thoroughly searched the ruins from inside out and found four more techniques in other separate caves. Three were at the Golden Core stage, one at the Foundation Establishment level.
zuì zhōng lái dào le kuī tiān tǎ dì jiǔ céng 。
最终来到了窥天塔第九层。
This Foundation Establishment technique was precisely The Thousand Mechanism Jade Circle Golden Chapter.
dǎ kāi zhī hòu ， què shì kōng dàng dàng de ， shén me dōu méi yǒu 。
打开之后，却是空荡荡的，什么都没有。
"This must be a cave near the edge of the ruins that accidentally revealed itself decades later, which is why it was discovered by Kao Hong and his brother," Li Fan thought.
“ gēn xiāo héng suǒ shuō de yī yàng 。” yù liào zhī zhōng ， lǐ fán yě méi yǒu shī luò 。
“跟萧恒所说的一样。”预料之中，李凡也没有失落。
"However, their luck truly runs thin. They only needed to search a bit more to find the actual Heaven Mechanism Sect’s site."
lǐ fán zǐ xì sōu suǒ le yī biàn ， réng rán wú guǒ zhī hòu ， zhèng yù lí qù 。
李凡仔细搜索了一遍，仍然无果之后，正欲离去。
"Instead, Kao Hong saw a Foundation Establishment technique and had evil thoughts. He missed the treasure vault."
hū rán fú lín xīn zhì ， yòu huí guò shēn lái 。
忽然福临心至，又回过身来。
Realizing this, Li Fan couldn't help but feel amused.
dīng zhe dì jiǔ céng kōng jiān 。
盯着第九层空间。
With his bountiful harvest, Li Fan didn’t linger any longer.
“ cóng wài jiè de qíng xíng lái kàn ， tiān jī zōng cǐ chù shān tóu zāo yù de jié nàn ， shì tū rán jiàng lín de 。”
“从外界的情形来看，天机宗此处山头遭遇的劫难，是突然降临的。”
He transformed back into a stone spirit insect and carved out a passage through the newly sealed stone wall.
“ tā men wán quán méi yǒu fǎn yìng guò lái ， jiù cǎn zāo bù xìng 。”
“他们完全没有反应过来，就惨遭不幸。”
Exiting the Hundred Stone Heavenly Realm, he headed towards the Cloudy Lotus Sea...
“ bǎo mìng dōu lái bù jí ， gèng bù yòng tí zhuǎn yí bǎo wù le 。”
“保命都来不及，更不用提转移宝物了。”
---
“ nà yòu wèi hé ， zhè kuī tiān tǎ dì jiǔ céng shì kōng dàng dàng de ？”
“那又为何，这窥天塔第九层是空荡荡的？”
Liu Zhenghao was in a state of anxiety, confusion, and panic.
lǐ fán xīn shēng yí lǜ ， yuè xiǎng yuè jué de zhè lǐ sì hū yǐn cáng zhe shén me mì mì 。
李凡心生疑虑，越想越觉得这里似乎隐藏着什么秘密。
"Should I go or not?"
kě shì rèn píng tā rú hé sōu suǒ ， dōu méi néng zhǎo dào yǒu jià zhí de dōng xī 。
可是任凭他如何搜索，都没能找到有价值的东西。
Liu Zhenghao frowned deeply and sighed.
sì hū zhǐ shì tā de yì xiāng qíng yuàn 。
似乎只是他的一厢情愿。
For some reason, during his recent cultivation of The Sitting Mountain Technique, he suddenly felt an unusual sensation.
xiǎng le xiǎng ， lǐ fán suǒ xìng fā dòng wǔ xíng jì miè jiàn ， zhí jiē bǎ shí tǎ dì jiǔ céng gěi dān dú qiē gē xià lái 。
想了想，李凡索性发动五行寂灭剑，直接把石塔第九层给单独切割下来。
There was another cultivator in the world practicing The Sitting Mountain Technique.
hēi sè jì miè guāng huá ， cuī kū lā xiǔ bān ， jiāng kuī tiān tǎ cán cún de shù qiān nián de jìn zhì pò huài diào 。
黑色寂灭光华，摧枯拉朽般，将窥天塔残存的数千年的禁制破坏掉。
Originally, this technique’s progress was already excruciatingly slow. Now with a second person cultivating it, what could be done?
suí hòu zài jù dà de hōng míng shēng zhōng ， kuī tiān tǎ zuì dǐng céng ， jiù zhè me bèi lǐ fán shōu jìn chǔ wù jiè zhōng 。
随后在巨大的轰鸣声中，窥天塔最顶层，就这么被李凡收进储物戒中。
It was practically impossible to continue.
“ níng ná cuò ， bù fàng guò 。”
“宁拿错，不放过。”
The sudden change in his main cultivation technique left Liu Zhenghao at a loss.
lǐ fán mǎn yì de diǎn diǎn tóu 。
李凡满意的点点头。
This technique had been discovered by chance during his youth and he never revealed it to anyone.
zhī hòu jiāng cǐ chù yí jì yòu lǐ lǐ wài wài sōu guā le gè gān jìng 。
之后将此处遗迹又里里外外搜刮了个干净。
How did the other party learn about this?
zuì zhōng yòu zài qí tā jǐ chù dān dú de dòng fǔ zhōng ， zhǎo dào le sì mén gōng fǎ 。
最终又在其他几处单独的洞府中，找到了四门功法。
This matter was strange. The usually cautious Liu Zhenghao hesitated to confront the other party, fearing any unforeseen danger.
sān mén jīn dān ， yī mén yuán yīng 。
三门金丹，一门元婴。
He spent days纠结in the protective array of the island.
ér zhè mén yuán yīng gōng fǎ ， zhèng shì 《 qiān jī yù huán jīn zhāng 》。
而这门元婴功法，正是《千机玉寰金章》。
Suddenly,
“ yīng gāi shì zhè chù zài yí jì biān yuán dì dài de dòng fǔ ， jǐ shí nián hòu yīn wèi yì wài xiǎn lù zài wài ， zhè cái huì bèi kòu hóng liǎng xiōng dì fā xiàn 。”
“应该是这处在遗迹边缘地带的洞府，几十年后因为意外显露在外，这才会被寇洪两兄弟发现。”
"Rascals! Daring to steal our sect’s techniques!"
“ bù guò zhè liǎng rén de yùn dào yě zhēn shì tài chà le ， míng míng zhǐ yào zài rèn zhēn zhǎo yī zhǎo ， jiù néng fā xiàn bù yuǎn chù de tiān jī zōng zhēn zhèng yí jì 。”
“不过这两人的运道也真是太差了，明明只要再认真找一找，就能发现不远处的天机宗真正遗迹。”
"Come out now!"
“ jié guǒ kòu hóng yī jiàn yuán yīng gōng fǎ ， jiù qǐ le wāi xīn 。 fǎn ér cuò shī le bǎo kù 。”
“结果寇洪一见元婴功法，就起了歪心。反而错失了宝库。”
A thunderous voice echoed across the entire琉璃Island, reverberating continuously.
xiǎng tōng qí zhōng yuán yóu ， lǐ fán bù yóu shēng chū tí xiào jiē fēi zhī gǎn 。
想通其中缘由，李凡不由生出啼笑皆非之感。
Liu Zhenghao was momentarily stunned. He was about to go outside to investigate when he quickly realized:
dà fēng shōu de lǐ fán ， bù zài dòu liú 。
大丰收的李凡，不再逗留。
"Is this person coming here?"
chóng xīn biàn chéng shí líng chóng ， cóng yǐ jīng chóng xīn mì fēng de shí bì zhōng ， kāi záo chū yī tiáo tōng dào 。
重新变成石灵虫，从已经重新密封的石壁中，开凿出一条通道。
Feeling the powerful aura emanating from the other party, Liu Zhenghao’s face turned ashen.
chū le bǎi shí dòng tiān ， wǎng cóng yún hǎi de fāng xiàng ér qù 。
出了百石洞天，往丛云海的方向而去。
"Golden Core?"
Li Fan carefully examined the hollow space.
Above, many buildings seemed to grow out from the top of the stone cave, hanging upside down in mid-air.
He also saw several stone statues resembling cultivators.
Their feet and bodies were fused with the structures, hanging upside down above his head. Their hands reached out desperately as if seeking help, but their bodies were forever frozen at that moment, their faces filled with terror.
"This should be a peak of the Heaven Mechanism Sect, accidentally swallowed by this Returning Origin Snail."
"Judging from the appearance, it was probably fully petrified before being consumed."
Li Fan raised his guard and flew to the top of the hollow space. Ignoring the petrified cultivators, he searched through the ruins until he reached a prominent stone tower.
"This is the [Observation Tower], where the Heaven Mechanism Sect used to observe celestial omens," Li Fan said as he approached the stone tower. Despite thousands of years passing, it still emitted a faint glow.
"Though the禁制is still in place, it's just a facade."
With no resistance, Li Fan entered the Observation Tower.
"Hmm?"
Li Fan’s expression changed upon entering as he felt a hateful gaze directed at him.
Following the direction of that gaze, he saw a cultivator with disheveled hair standing ahead. His face was twisted into a grimace; one eyeball bulged out as if trying to pop out of its socket, fixating on Li Fan with intense focus.
The lower half of his body had turned to stone like those outside the Heaven Mechanism Sect, but his upper body seemed still in the process of petrification, showing an eerie mix of flesh and stone.
"Dead or alive?"
Li Fan didn't hesitate. He immediately released a Five-Element Annihilation Sword.
"Bang!"
The black light sword struck the cultivator's body.
After piercing through it, the cultivator's body instantly shattered into pieces, scattering everywhere on the ground. Only that half-petrified eyeball remained floating in mid-air, its gaze still fixed on Li Fan.
Li Fan slowly approached while changing his position continuously. He found that this eyeball seemed to sense his presence and locked onto him.
Approaching the petrified eyeball, he waited but saw no other reaction.
He picked it up and examined it closely.
"Turns out it's not a real eyeball; rather, it was implanted by an ancient cultivator."
"Strange. I don't recall Xiao Heng’s group having this... Did they overlook it? Or did that Linhuo Chang secretly keep it?"
Li Fan toyed with the eyeball for a while but found no useful purpose in it.
He put it away and continued exploring the Observation Tower.
The tower had nine floors. The second to fifth floors were scattered with jade scrolls, magical artifacts, though most were damaged.
Finding a storage ring among them, Li Fan happily stored it safely.
---
《Supreme Celestial Numbers》, 《Nine Heavens One Qi Technique》, 《Heavenly Intent Descends into the Body》, 《Thousand Mechanism Mysterious Record》...
There were techniques and research on [Heaven's Will].
In the end, Li Fan collected twenty-six techniques and forty-eight books.
Seventeen of them were Golden Core period techniques, nine at the Foundation Establishment stage.
"Truly a windfall. I wonder how many are unique."
"But among these techniques, only two show signs of someone practicing them. The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance likely has few such techniques."
Li Fan put aside his joy and continued climbing up.
The sixth to eighth floors were filled with peculiar objects.
For example, lotus petals that bore human faces, unknown fruits shaped like dragons, naturally patterned rectangular stones...
These oddities once seemed to be under the influence of some special power. However, as time passed, this power had completely dissipated, leaving them merely strange.
"This should be what the Heaven Mechanism Sect used to sense celestial omens."
Li Fan pondered.
The Heaven Mechanism Sect believed that the flow of cosmic energy interacted with each other and manifested in the world. Anything defying logic was a result of intense interaction between cosmic energies. These oddities allowed one to deeply understand these interactions.
"Like how I sensed the cosmos using the Sea of Heavenly Intent," Li Fan thought as he accepted all the objects, regardless of their usefulness.
Finally reaching the ninth floor of the Observation Tower, it turned out empty.
"As expected from Xiao Heng’s description." Li Fan wasn't disappointed despite his expectations.
After thoroughly searching and finding nothing, he was about to leave when a sudden idea struck him. He turned back and stared at the ninth floor space.
"From what I can see, this peak of the Heaven Mechanism Sect suffered an unexpected calamity."
"They didn’t have time to react before their misfortune befell them."
"Even saving themselves would be hard; let alone moving valuable treasures."
"Why is the ninth floor of this tower empty?"
Li Fan grew suspicious. The more he thought about it, the more he felt there was something hidden here.
However, no matter how he searched, he found nothing of value.
It seemed like a one-sided hope.
Deciding to take action, Li Fan activated his Five-Element Annihilation Sword and cut off the ninth floor of the tower separately.
The black light shattered the thousand-year-old禁制with ease.
In the deafening roar, the topmost part of the Observation Tower was stored in his storage ring.
"Better safe than sorry."
Li Fan nodded contentedly.
---
He thoroughly searched the ruins from inside out and found four more techniques in other separate caves. Three were at the Golden Core stage, one at the Foundation Establishment level.
This Foundation Establishment technique was precisely The Thousand Mechanism Jade Circle Golden Chapter.
"This must be a cave near the edge of the ruins that accidentally revealed itself decades later, which is why it was discovered by Kao Hong and his brother," Li Fan thought.
"However, their luck truly runs thin. They only needed to search a bit more to find the actual Heaven Mechanism Sect’s site."
"Instead, Kao Hong saw a Foundation Establishment technique and had evil thoughts. He missed the treasure vault."
Realizing this, Li Fan couldn't help but feel amused.
With his bountiful harvest, Li Fan didn’t linger any longer.
He transformed back into a stone spirit insect and carved out a passage through the newly sealed stone wall.
Exiting the Hundred Stone Heavenly Realm, he headed towards the Cloudy Lotus Sea...
---
Liu Zhenghao was in a state of anxiety, confusion, and panic.
"Should I go or not?"
Liu Zhenghao frowned deeply and sighed.
For some reason, during his recent cultivation of The Sitting Mountain Technique, he suddenly felt an unusual sensation.
There was another cultivator in the world practicing The Sitting Mountain Technique.
Originally, this technique’s progress was already excruciatingly slow. Now with a second person cultivating it, what could be done?
It was practically impossible to continue.
The sudden change in his main cultivation technique left Liu Zhenghao at a loss.
This technique had been discovered by chance during his youth and he never revealed it to anyone.
How did the other party learn about this?
This matter was strange. The usually cautious Liu Zhenghao hesitated to confront the other party, fearing any unforeseen danger.
He spent days纠结in the protective array of the island.
Suddenly,
"Rascals! Daring to steal our sect’s techniques!"
"Come out now!"
A thunderous voice echoed across the entire琉璃Island, reverberating continuously.
Liu Zhenghao was momentarily stunned. He was about to go outside to investigate when he quickly realized:
"Is this person coming here?"
Feeling the powerful aura emanating from the other party, Liu Zhenghao’s face turned ashen.
"Golden Core?"