“ suī rán yǒu xiē bù tài hòu dào ， dàn bù dé bù shuō ， zhèng shì yīn wèi zhè chǎng jié nàn 、 dǎo zhì le zhōu qīng áng dào yǒu de shēn wáng 。 yīn ér yuán běn wǒ men qiàn xià de yī dà bǐ zhài wù ， jiù wú xū cháng huán le 。 zhǐ yào liǔ lǎo nín zài liàn zhì chū xiē cháng shēng dān yǐ jí qí tā yī xiē yǒu yòng de dān yào lái fàn mài 。 rú cǐ jī zǎn gè jǐ nián ， duì huàn chū yī mén hé dào gōng fǎ ， bú shì wèn tí 。” lǐ fán kǎn kǎn ér tán dào 。 lán
“虽然有些不太厚道，但不得不说，正是因为这场劫难、导致了周青昂道友的身亡。因而原本我们欠下的一大笔债务，就无需偿还了。只要柳老您再炼制出些长生丹以及其他一些有用的丹药来贩卖。如此积攒个几年，兑换出一门合道功法，不是问题。”李凡侃侃而谈道。阑
"Although it may seem a bit underhanded, I must say that this calamity is precisely what led to Daoist Zhou Qingang's demise. Therefore, the large debt we owe can be forgiven. As long as Old Master Liu continues to refine some elixirs of immortality and other useful medicines for sale, accumulating over several years should allow us to obtain a cultivation technique that aligns with our dao," Li Fan spoke confidently.
liǔ sān wén yán ， yǎn zhōng zé shì chóng xīn huàn fā chū yī sī shén cǎi 。
柳三闻言，眼中则是重新焕发出一丝神彩。
Liu San's eyes lit up at these words. For him, waiting a few years was negligible. As for the unfortunate Zhou Qingang mentioned by Li Fan, he had only met him a few times and knew nothing about him personally, so there were no feelings of sorrow or grief.
jǐ nián shí jiān de děng dài ， duì yú tā lái jiǎng ， gēn běn kě yǐ hū lüè bù jì 。 zhì yú lǐ fán huà lǐ tí dào de bù xìng yǔn luò de zhōu qīng áng ， tā zhǐ bù guò shì jiàn guò jǐ miàn ér yǐ 。 gēn běn bù shú ， zì rán yě tán bù shàng shén me bēi qī zhī qíng 。
几年时间的等待，对于他来讲，根本可以忽略不计。至于李凡话里提到的不幸陨落的周青昂，他只不过是见过几面而已。根本不熟，自然也谈不上什么悲戚之情。
"Good riddance to this person! It saves me several years of effort!" Liu San thought to himself.
“ cǐ rén sǐ de hǎo a ！ zhèng shěng le wǒ jǐ nián gōng fu ！” liǔ sān bù jīn rú cǐ xiǎng dào 。
“此人死的好啊！正省了我几年功夫！”柳三不禁如此想道。
Li Fan continued: "During this period of accumulating contributions, I will plan for Old Master Liu a reasonable identity. After all, you are at the Dao-Integration realm and cannot be easily concealed like us. Initially, I planned to use the excuse that an ancient cultivator from the past had awoken. But it seems something happened before, making the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance more sensitive and less likely to believe such claims. So, we need a more reliable method."
lǐ fán zé shì jiē zhe shuō dào ：“ zhè duàn jī zǎn gòng xiàn dù de shí jiān ， wǒ hái yào wèi liǔ lǎo móu huà yí gè hé lǐ de shēn fèn ， bì jìng nín shì hé dào xiū wèi ， bù xiàng wǒ děng zhè bān róng yì yǐn mán 。 yuán běn wǒ dǎ suàn yòng ‘ shàng gǔ chén mián xiū shì sū xǐng ’ zhè tào shuō cí hú nòng guò qù de 。 kě shuí zhī sì hū zhī qián fā shēng le shén me shì ， dǎo zhì wàn xiān méng xiū shì duì cǐ bǐ jiào mǐn gǎn 、 bù yì qīng xìn 。 suǒ yǐ yào zài xiǎng gè kào pǔ de fāng fǎ 。”
李凡则是接着说道：“这段积攒贡献度的时间，我还要为柳老谋划一个合理的身份，毕竟您是合道修为，不像我等这般容易隐瞒。原本我打算用‘上古沉眠修士苏醒’这套说辞湖弄过去的。可谁知似乎之前发生了什么事，导致万仙盟修士对此比较敏感、不易轻信。所以要再想个靠谱的方法。”
"Don't worry, Old Master Liu; I have some ideas already," Li Fan reassured.
“ bù guò liǔ lǎo nín fàng xīn ， cǐ shì wǒ yǐ jīng yǒu suǒ méi mù le 。”
“不过柳老您放心，此事我已经有所眉目了。”
Liu San did not delve into the details of Li Fan's words but nodded happily in trust: "You decide what is best for Young Master!"
liǔ sān méi yǒu shēn jiū lǐ fán huà zhōng de xì jié ， duì yú lǐ fán de tiān rán xìn rèn ， ràng tā zhǐ shì xīn rán diǎn tóu dào ：“ shǎo zhǔ nín ná zhǔ yì jiù hǎo ！”
柳三没有深究李凡话中的细节，对于李凡的天然信任，让他只是欣然点头道：“少主您拿主意就好！”
After calming down Liu San, one of the two Dao-Integration cultivators at the Medicine King Sect, Li Fan then met another Dao-Integration cultivator, Fang Zaiji, in the newly built alchemy workshop at Longevity Valley.
zàn qiě ān fǔ xià yào wáng zōng liǎng wèi hé dào zhī yī de liǔ sān ， lǐ fán yòu zài cháng shēng gǔ xīn jiàn de zōng mén liàn qì fāng nèi ， jiàn dào le lìng wài yī wèi hé dào xiū shì ， fāng zài jì 。 lán
暂且安抚下药王宗两位合道之一的柳三，李凡又在长生谷新建的宗门炼器坊内，见到了另外一位合道修士，方再济。阑
At this moment, he was intently focused on a medicine king true cauldron hanging in mid-air before him, his eyes filled with fascination.
cǐ kè tā zhèng jù jīng huì shén de dīng zhe miàn qián xuán yú kōng zhōng de yào wáng zhēn dǐng ， mù lù chī mí zhī sè 。
此刻他正聚精会神的盯着面前悬于空中的药王真鼎，目露痴迷之色。
After moving to Longevity Valley, Li Fan had placed the Medicine King True Cauldron here for Fang Zaiji's research. Besides the intention of comforting him, Li Fan also hoped that Fang Zaiji could improve his alchemy skills and perhaps strengthen the Medicine King True Cauldron.
bān dào cháng shēng gǔ hòu ， lǐ fán jiù jiāng yào wáng zhēn dǐng fàng zài cǐ chù ， gōng tā yán jiū 。
搬到长生谷后，李凡就将药王真鼎放在此处，供他研究。
Why did he do this?
chú le tóng yàng yǒu fǔ wèi de yì tú zhī wài ， lǐ fán hái jì xī wàng yú fāng zài jì de liàn qì shuǐ píng zài jìn yí bù 、 zuì hǎo néng duì yào wáng zhēn dǐng jìn xíng jiā qiáng gǎi zào 。
除了同样有抚慰的意图之外，李凡还寄希望于方再济的炼器水平再进一步、最好能对药王真鼎进行加强改造。
In this life, Li Fan intended to use a clone to command the Medicine King True Cauldron and dash out of the Xuanhuang Realm towards the Immortal Vastness to uncover its secrets!
zhì yú wèi shén me yào rú cǐ zuò me ……
至于为什么要如此做么……
He wanted to see for himself what form that figure in the Immortal Vastness took—whether it was alive or dead.
zhè yī shì ， lǐ fán yù yòng fēn shēn yù shǐ yào wáng zhēn dǐng 、 chōng chū xuán huáng jiè ， zhuì xiàng xiān xū ， yī tàn jiū jìng ！
这一世，李凡欲用分身御使药王真鼎、冲出玄黄界，坠向仙墟，一探究竟！
Li Fan knew that as he approached the Immortal Vastness, due to the extreme suction and distortion of time and space, even a brief moment could be thousands of years outside.
tā yào qīn yǎn kàn yī kàn ， xiān xū zhī zhōng de nà dào shēn yǐng ， jiū jìng shì hé mú yàng 、 shì huó shì sǐ ！
他要亲眼看一看，仙墟之中的那道身影，究竟是何模样、是活是死！
If using a clone to probe, the vast difference in time would likely result in his main body dying before receiving any information from the clone.
lǐ fán zhī dào ， dāng kào jìn xiān xū zhī hòu ， yīn wèi jí dù kǒng bù de xī lì 、 shèn zhì lián shí kōng dōu biàn dé niǔ qū 。 lán
李凡知道，当靠近仙墟之后，因为极度恐怖的吸力、甚至连时空都变得扭曲。阑
But Li Fan had a way to avoid this issue: the new function awakened after consuming the remnants of Heavenly Yang—Avatar Form.
xiān xū zhōng bù guò piàn kè shí jiān ， wài jiè huò xǔ jiù yǐ jīng guò qù qiān wàn nián 。
仙墟中不过片刻时间，外界或许就已经过去千万年。
With his body transforming into an object, he could cross through countless ages!
zhèng cháng qíng kuàng xià rú guǒ shǐ yòng fēn shēn shì tàn ， yīn wèi liǎng zhě zhī jiān kǒng bù de shí jiān chà ， pà shì děng bú dào fēn shēn chuán lái rèn hé xìn xī 、 zhǐ huì jué de shùn jiān shī qù le gǎn zhī ， běn zūn jiù yǐ jīng yīn wèi shòu yuán jiāng jǐn ér sǐ le 。
正常情况下如果使用分身试探，因为两者之间恐怖的时间差，怕是等不到分身传来任何信息、只会觉得瞬间失去了感知，本尊就已经因为寿元将尽而死了。
In his previous life, with Avatar Form, he existed for over three thousand years as just a Golden Core cultivator. Now that he had achieved the Primordial Origin Dao Realm and awakened the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Spell, he believed he could endure even longer.
dàn lǐ fán què yǒu bàn fǎ guī bì zhè diǎn 。
但李凡却有办法规避这点。
Enough time to wait for the clone's information.
zhèng shì hái zhēn tūn shì le tiān yáng yí niàn hòu jué xǐng de xīn gōng néng ，【 huà shēn 】。
正是还真吞噬了天阳遗念后觉醒的新功能，【化身】。
The Immortal Vastness harbored great secrets—past and future of the Xuanhuang Realm, among others. If he could glimpse them, it would be significant, possibly revealing the mystery behind the fall of immortals.
yǐ shēn huà wù ， héng dù wàn gǔ ！
以身化物，横渡万古！
Of course, all this depended on the Medicine King True Cauldron enduring the extreme suction long enough without disintegrating in the Immortal Vastness.
shàng yī shì tā bù guò jīn dān xiū wèi ， jiù néng yǐ 【 huà shēn 】 de xíng shì cún zài sān qiān duō nián 。 rú jīn tā yǐ wǔ xíng dòng tiān chéng jiù yuán yīng ， shí lì yǒu le zhì dì fēi yuè 。 gèng jué xǐng le xuán huáng xiān xīn zhòu ， xiǎng bì néng jiān chí gèng jiǔ de shí jiān 。
上一世他不过金丹修为，就能以【化身】的形式存在三千多年。如今他以五行洞天成就元婴，实力有了质的飞跃。更觉醒了玄黄仙心咒，想必能坚持更久的时间。
"Due to material and cost limitations, the Medicine King True Cauldron made by the Medicine King Sect was not of the finest quality. However, its alchemy philosophy and techniques were unique, worth emulating."
zú yǐ chēng guò màn cháng suì yuè ， děng dào fēn shēn chuán lái de xìn xī 。 lán
足以撑过漫长岁月，等到分身传来的信息。阑
"I will definitely return with a stronger Medicine King True Cauldron for you!"
xiān xū zhī zhōng ， yǐn cáng zhe jí dà de mì mì 。 bāo kuò dàn bù xiàn yú xuán huáng jiè guò qù yǐn mì 、 wèi lái mìng yùn 。
仙墟之中，隐藏着极大的秘密。包括但不限于玄黄界过去隐秘、未来命运。
When Li Fan informed Fang Zaiji of his requirements to strengthen the Medicine King Cauldron, Fang Zaiji responded thus.
rú guǒ néng kuī jiàn ， duì yú lǐ fán ér yán ， yì yì zhòng dà 。 gèng shì shuō bù dìng néng jiē kāi yǔn xiān zhī mì 。
如果能窥见，对于李凡而言，意义重大。更是说不定能揭开陨仙之秘。
Fang Zaiji indeed had remarkable skills. The small Medicine King Cauldrons he had casually refined in recent days were far superior to those held by other disciples and already bore a resemblance to the true cauldron.
dāng rán ， zhè yī qiè de qián tí ， shì yào wáng zhēn dǐng néng gòu zài xiān xū nà kǒng bù de xī lì miàn qián ， jiān chí zú gòu zhǎng de shí jiān ér bù jiě tǐ 。
当然，这一切的前提，是药王真鼎能够在仙墟那恐怖的吸力面前，坚持足够长的时间而不解体。
Li Fan called out several times before Fang Zaiji finally snapped back to attention.
“ xī rì yào wáng zōng chū yú cái liào 、 chéng běn xiàn zhì ， suǒ liàn zhì de yào wáng zhēn dǐng zài cái zhì shàng bìng fēi zuì shàng chéng 。 zhǐ shì qí liàn qì lǐ niàn 、 shǒu fǎ yǒu dú dào zhī chù ， zhí de jiè jiàn 。”
“昔日药王宗出于材料、成本限制，所炼制的药王真鼎在材质上并非最上乘。只是其炼器理念、手法有独到之处，值得借鉴。”
He was told about the disappearance of Cunyun Sea and the existence of Worry-Free Venerable.
“ gěi wǒ yí dìng de shí jiān ， wǒ kěn dìng néng hái nǐ yí gè gèng qiáng de yào wáng zhēn dǐng ！”
“给我一定的时间，我肯定能还你一个更强的药王真鼎！”
Unlike Liu San's shock, Fang Zaiji remained calm.
dāng lǐ fán gào zhī le qiáng huà yào wáng dǐng de yāo qiú hòu ， fāng zài jì shì rú cǐ huí dá de 。
当李凡告知了强化药王鼎的要求后，方再济是如此回答的。
He merely said "Oh" and then returned his gaze to the Medicine King True Cauldron.
ér fāng zài jì yě dí què shǒu duàn bù fán ， zhè duàn shí jiān suí shǒu liàn zhì de xiǎo yào wáng dǐng ， bǐ qǐ zhū dì zǐ men shǒu zhōng de pǐn zhì yào gāo shàng tài duō ， yǐ jīng pǒ jù jǐ fēn zhēn dǐng yùn wèi le 。 lán
而方再济也的确手段不凡，这段时间随手炼制的小药王鼎，比起诸弟子们手中的品质要高上太多，已经颇具几分真鼎韵味了。阑
After a while, seeing Li Fan still hadn't left, he asked: "Lord Sect, do you have anything else?"
cǐ kè fāng zài jì jīng shén jí zhōng ， lǐ fán yī lián hǎn le shù shēng ， tā fāng cái huí guò shén lái 。
此刻方再济精神集中，李凡一连喊了数声，他方才回过神来。
Li Fan hesitated for a moment before saying, "I wish to return to Cunyun Sea. However, it is still unclear what state it is in after the calamity. I might encounter some dangers. Hence, I would like your company."
lǐ fán tóng yàng shì wèi tā jiǎng shù le cóng yún hǎi xiāo shī 、 yǐ jí wú yōu tiān zūn cún zài zhī shì 。
李凡同样是为他讲述了丛云海消失、以及无忧天尊存在之事。
Fang Zaiji perked up at this.
xiāng jiào yú liǔ sān de zhèn jīng ， fāng zài jì de biǎo xiàn jiù jí wéi dàn dìng le 。
相较于柳三的震惊，方再济的表现就极为澹定了。
With a radiant face and an air of self-satisfaction, he said to Li Fan: "Do you see now who's reliable? That Liu San is just a servant with limited experience and good luck. When the going gets tough, it will be me!"
zhǐ shì “ ó ” le yī jù ， suí hòu jiù yòu mù bù zhuǎn jīng de dīng zhe yào wáng zhēn dǐng le 。
只是“哦”了一句，随后就又目不转睛的盯着药王真鼎了。
"Let's go! We'll leave right away! With me around, I'll ensure your safety!"
bù jiǔ hòu ， jiàn lǐ fán yī rán méi yǒu lí qù ， zhè cái wèn dào ：“ zōng zhǔ nǐ hái yǒu shén me shì qíng ma ？”
不久后，见李凡依然没有离去，这才问道：“宗主你还有什么事情吗？”
Li Fan nodded slightly in agreement without arguing.
lǐ fán zuò chóu chú zhuàng ， yóu yù le piàn kè ， cái shuō dào ：“ wǒ yù huí cóng yún hǎi yī tàng 。 bù guò nà lǐ jié nàn gāng xiāo ， shàng bù qīng chǔ shì hé mú yàng ， shuō bù dìng huì yù dào xiē wēi jī 。 gù ér xiǎng qǐng xiān shēng péi tóng 。”
李凡作踌躇状，犹豫了片刻，才说道：“我欲回丛云海一趟。不过那里劫难刚消，尚不清楚是何模样，说不定会遇到些危机。故而想请先生陪同。”
Without disturbing the other cultivators at Longevity Valley, Li Fan and Fang Zaiji set off eastward towards Cunyun Sea.
fāng zài jì yī tīng ， dùn shí lái le jīng shén 。 lán
方再济一听，顿时来了精神。阑
With Fang Zaiji's help, they were close to their destination within just over a dozen days.
róng guāng huàn fā 、 yī liǎn dé sè de duì lǐ fán dào ：“ zěn me yàng ， zhī dào guān jiàn shí kè dào dǐ shuí kào pǔ le ba ？ nà ge liǔ sān ， bù guò shì gè jiàn shí duǎn qiǎn 、 yùn dào bù cuò de nú pú bà le 。 zhēn yù dào nán shì ， hái dé kào wǒ ！”
容光焕发、一脸得瑟的对李凡道：“怎么样，知道关键时刻到底谁靠谱了吧？那个柳三，不过是个见识短浅、运道不错的奴仆罢了。真遇到难事，还得靠我！”
However, upon entering Stone Lin State, Fang Zaiji suddenly stopped, looking at the neighboring Source Dao State with a serious expression.
“ zǒu ！ zhè jiù chū fā ！ yǒu wǒ zài ， dìng hù dé nǐ ān quán ！”
“走！这就出发！有我在，定护得你安全！”
"Strange…" Fang Zaiji furrowed his brow and then shook his head, muttering under his breath.
lǐ fán wēi xiào zhe diǎn tóu ， yě bù fǎn bó 。
李凡微笑着点头，也不反驳。
Li Fan's heart raced as he feigned surprise: "What is wrong, Master?"
méi yǒu jīng dòng cháng shēng gǔ nèi qí yú zhòng rén ， lǐ fán yǔ fāng zài jì yī lù xiàng dōng ， cháo zhe cóng yún hǎi de fāng xiàng jí chí ér qù 。
没有惊动长生谷内其余众人，李凡与方再济一路向东，朝着丛云海的方向疾驰而去。
"I sensed a familiar aura," Fang Zaiji explained.
yǒu fāng zài jì zhī zhù ， bù guò shí duō tiān shí jiān ， jiù yǐ jīng kuài yào jiē jìn mù dì dì le 。
有方再济之助，不过十多天时间，就已经快要接近目的地了。
"A familiar aura? Could it be an old acquaintance?" Li Fan was surprised.
bù guò ， zài jìn rù shí lín zhōu zhī hòu ， fāng zài jì què shì hū de tíng le xià lái ， cháo zhe pí lín de yuán dào zhōu kàn le yī yǎn ， miàn lù níng zhòng zhī sè 。
不过，在进入石临州之后，方再济却是忽的停了下来，朝着毗邻的源道州看了一眼，面露凝重之色。
"Not exactly. It seems like the Heavenly Capital Purple Aura, but there are subtle differences," Fang Zaiji said after further observation.
“ qí guài ……” fāng zài jì xiān shì méi tóu jǐn suǒ ， ér hòu yòu yáo yáo tóu ， dī shēng zì yǔ 。 lán
“奇怪……”方再济先是眉头紧锁，而后又摇摇头，低声自语。阑
"Heavenly Capital? I seem to have heard of this before, but I can't quite remember." Following Fang Zaiji's gaze, Li Fan replied.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng yī dòng ， zhuāng zuò yǒu xiē yà rán de yàng zi ：“ xiān shēng nín zěn me le ？”
李凡心中一动，装作有些讶然的样子：“先生您怎么了？”
Fang Zaiji chuckled: "Don't say you younglings; even Liu San might not know the name Heavenly Capital. It was only during my travels that I had the chance to hear it from the direct disciples of the Ten Dao Sects."
“ chá jué dào le yī gǔ shú xī de qì xī 。” fāng zài jì jiě shì dào 。
“察觉到了一股熟悉的气息。”方再济解释道。
"Xuan Tian taught you, right? Back then, Xuan Tian's sect was at its peak, overshadowing the Xuanhuang Realm, and the Ten Dao Sects were merely ordinary immortal sects," Li Fan said.
“ shú xī de qì xī ？ nán bù chéng shì jiù shí shú rén ？” lǐ fán yǒu xiē jīng yà 。
“熟悉的气息？难不成是旧时熟人？”李凡有些惊讶。
"In normal circumstances, we cultivators had no chance to rise up."
“ bú shì ， shì shì 【 tiān dōu zǐ qì 】， dàn yòu yǐn yǐn yǒu suǒ fēn bié 。” fāng zài jì yòu yuǎn tiào biàn bié le piàn kè ， huǎn huǎn shuō dào 。
“不是，似是【天都紫气】，但又隐隐有所分别。”方再济又远眺辨别了片刻，缓缓说道。
"But one day, a purple aura descended from heaven, transforming into an imposing city that hung in the sky."
“ tiān dōu ？ sì hū zài nǎ tīng guò 。 bù guò yī shí jiān què xiǎng bù qǐ lái le 。” lǐ fán yě shùn zhe fāng zài jì de mù guāng wàng qù ， rú cǐ shuō dào 。
“天都？似乎在哪听过。不过一时间却想不起来了。”李凡也顺着方再济的目光望去，如此说道。
"Although Xuan Tian's sect quickly issued orders prohibiting anyone from approaching, some cultivators still risked their lives to enter,"
fāng zài jì shěn rán yī xiào ：“ bú yào shuō nǐ men zhè xiē xiǎo bèi ， jiù suàn shì tā liǔ sān ， yě wèi bì néng gòu zhī xiǎo 【 tiān dōu 】 míng hào 。 wǒ yě shì dāng nián yóu lì tiān xià ， yǔ xiān dào shí zōng dí chuán dì zǐ yī tóng tàn xiǎn ， cái yǒu jī huì cóng tā men kǒu zhōng dé zhī de 。”
方再济哂然一笑：“不要说你们这些小辈，就算是他柳三，也未必能够知晓【天都】名号。我也是当年游历天下，与仙道十宗嫡传弟子一同探险，才有机会从他们口中得知的。”
"And thus came the Ten Dao Sects!"
"Although it may seem a bit underhanded, I must say that this calamity is precisely what led to Daoist Zhou Qingang's demise. Therefore, the large debt we owe can be forgiven. As long as Old Master Liu continues to refine some elixirs of immortality and other useful medicines for sale, accumulating over several years should allow us to obtain a cultivation technique that aligns with our dao," Li Fan spoke confidently.
Liu San's eyes lit up at these words. For him, waiting a few years was negligible. As for the unfortunate Zhou Qingang mentioned by Li Fan, he had only met him a few times and knew nothing about him personally, so there were no feelings of sorrow or grief.
"Good riddance to this person! It saves me several years of effort!" Liu San thought to himself.
Li Fan continued: "During this period of accumulating contributions, I will plan for Old Master Liu a reasonable identity. After all, you are at the Dao-Integration realm and cannot be easily concealed like us. Initially, I planned to use the excuse that an ancient cultivator from the past had awoken. But it seems something happened before, making the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance more sensitive and less likely to believe such claims. So, we need a more reliable method."
"Don't worry, Old Master Liu; I have some ideas already," Li Fan reassured.
Liu San did not delve into the details of Li Fan's words but nodded happily in trust: "You decide what is best for Young Master!"
After calming down Liu San, one of the two Dao-Integration cultivators at the Medicine King Sect, Li Fan then met another Dao-Integration cultivator, Fang Zaiji, in the newly built alchemy workshop at Longevity Valley.
At this moment, he was intently focused on a medicine king true cauldron hanging in mid-air before him, his eyes filled with fascination.
After moving to Longevity Valley, Li Fan had placed the Medicine King True Cauldron here for Fang Zaiji's research. Besides the intention of comforting him, Li Fan also hoped that Fang Zaiji could improve his alchemy skills and perhaps strengthen the Medicine King True Cauldron.
Why did he do this?
In this life, Li Fan intended to use a clone to command the Medicine King True Cauldron and dash out of the Xuanhuang Realm towards the Immortal Vastness to uncover its secrets!
He wanted to see for himself what form that figure in the Immortal Vastness took—whether it was alive or dead.
Li Fan knew that as he approached the Immortal Vastness, due to the extreme suction and distortion of time and space, even a brief moment could be thousands of years outside.
If using a clone to probe, the vast difference in time would likely result in his main body dying before receiving any information from the clone.
But Li Fan had a way to avoid this issue: the new function awakened after consuming the remnants of Heavenly Yang—Avatar Form.
With his body transforming into an object, he could cross through countless ages!
In his previous life, with Avatar Form, he existed for over three thousand years as just a Golden Core cultivator. Now that he had achieved the Primordial Origin Dao Realm and awakened the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Spell, he believed he could endure even longer.
Enough time to wait for the clone's information.
The Immortal Vastness harbored great secrets—past and future of the Xuanhuang Realm, among others. If he could glimpse them, it would be significant, possibly revealing the mystery behind the fall of immortals.
Of course, all this depended on the Medicine King True Cauldron enduring the extreme suction long enough without disintegrating in the Immortal Vastness.
"Due to material and cost limitations, the Medicine King True Cauldron made by the Medicine King Sect was not of the finest quality. However, its alchemy philosophy and techniques were unique, worth emulating."
"I will definitely return with a stronger Medicine King True Cauldron for you!"
When Li Fan informed Fang Zaiji of his requirements to strengthen the Medicine King Cauldron, Fang Zaiji responded thus.
Fang Zaiji indeed had remarkable skills. The small Medicine King Cauldrons he had casually refined in recent days were far superior to those held by other disciples and already bore a resemblance to the true cauldron.
Li Fan called out several times before Fang Zaiji finally snapped back to attention.
He was told about the disappearance of Cunyun Sea and the existence of Worry-Free Venerable.
Unlike Liu San's shock, Fang Zaiji remained calm.
He merely said "Oh" and then returned his gaze to the Medicine King True Cauldron.
After a while, seeing Li Fan still hadn't left, he asked: "Lord Sect, do you have anything else?"
Li Fan hesitated for a moment before saying, "I wish to return to Cunyun Sea. However, it is still unclear what state it is in after the calamity. I might encounter some dangers. Hence, I would like your company."
Fang Zaiji perked up at this.
With a radiant face and an air of self-satisfaction, he said to Li Fan: "Do you see now who's reliable? That Liu San is just a servant with limited experience and good luck. When the going gets tough, it will be me!"
"Let's go! We'll leave right away! With me around, I'll ensure your safety!"
Li Fan nodded slightly in agreement without arguing.
Without disturbing the other cultivators at Longevity Valley, Li Fan and Fang Zaiji set off eastward towards Cunyun Sea.
With Fang Zaiji's help, they were close to their destination within just over a dozen days.
However, upon entering Stone Lin State, Fang Zaiji suddenly stopped, looking at the neighboring Source Dao State with a serious expression.
"Strange…" Fang Zaiji furrowed his brow and then shook his head, muttering under his breath.
Li Fan's heart raced as he feigned surprise: "What is wrong, Master?"
"I sensed a familiar aura," Fang Zaiji explained.
"A familiar aura? Could it be an old acquaintance?" Li Fan was surprised.
"Not exactly. It seems like the Heavenly Capital Purple Aura, but there are subtle differences," Fang Zaiji said after further observation.
"Heavenly Capital? I seem to have heard of this before, but I can't quite remember." Following Fang Zaiji's gaze, Li Fan replied.
Fang Zaiji chuckled: "Don't say you younglings; even Liu San might not know the name Heavenly Capital. It was only during my travels that I had the chance to hear it from the direct disciples of the Ten Dao Sects."
"Xuan Tian taught you, right? Back then, Xuan Tian's sect was at its peak, overshadowing the Xuanhuang Realm, and the Ten Dao Sects were merely ordinary immortal sects," Li Fan said.
"In normal circumstances, we cultivators had no chance to rise up."
"But one day, a purple aura descended from heaven, transforming into an imposing city that hung in the sky."
"Although Xuan Tian's sect quickly issued orders prohibiting anyone from approaching, some cultivators still risked their lives to enter,"
"And thus came the Ten Dao Sects!"