Chapter 607: Waymarks Of The Worlds Beyond

Li Chen?!

In an instant, the face of a frail, scholarly young man flashed through Li Fan's mind.

He’s actually a hidden Dharma King of the Xuantian Sect? How is that possible?

Li Fan's mind reeled.

This Li Chen was none other than the person Li Fan had possessed during the Ningyuan Longevity Fruits Retrieval incident within the Fallen Immortal Realm. He was an inner disciple of the Purple Firmament Sect, and the junior brother of Zhang Qianmo.

Li Fan had descended into the Fallen Immortal Realm and taken his place many times already. He knew the contents of the other's memories with perfect clarity.

Li Chen was just an ordinary child from a mountain village, accepted into the Purple Firmament Sect on the strength of decent cultivation talent. There were absolutely no memories belonging to an ancient Xuantian Sect Dharma King.

Three possibilities. First: this Dharma King is a soul fragment, parasitizing Li Chen's body. The Fallen Immortal's final gaze reflected all things in the world. What is replicated within the Fallen Immortal Realm is only the original self of a living being. Any foreign entities within the body would not be restored.

Second: at the time of the Ningyuan Longevity Fruits Retrieval incident, the Dharma King had not yet taken possession of Li Chen's body. It was only after Li Chen was severely injured in that event and brought back to the sect by Zhang Qianmo that the Xuantian Sect Dharma King lurking within the Purple Firmament Sect seized the opportunity and took his place.

Third: the Xuantian Sect Dharma King's cultivation is so profound that even the Fallen Immortal, who could perceive all things in the world, could not see through his secrets. What was created within the Fallen Immortal Realm was only a superficial copy of his host body.

After weighing the possibilities, Li Fan dismissed the third. If even a cornered Dharma King possessed cultivation comparable to a fallen Immortal, then how overwhelmingly powerful must the Xuantian Sect as a whole have been in its prime? It simply could not have been overthrown by the alliance of the Ten Immortal Dao Sects.

The Fallen Immortal Realm is nearly identical to the real world in every detail. Even the flow of spiritual qi and the operation of techniques could be replicated. A soul fragment within a body should not have been able to escape the immortal's discerning eye.

By that reasoning, it was after Li Chen fell into a coma that the Xuantian Sect Dharma King took his place.

This Dharma King's actual condition was probably not much better, just clinging to life. He barely slipped past the investigation of the Ten Immortal Dao Sects' envoys, and remained hidden within the Purple Firmament Sect. Over the years, he likely changed bodies multiple times, until finally settling into Li Chen.

Drawing on information gathered from many different sources, Li Fan pieced together a plausible truth.

His pulse quickened.

A Xuantian Sect Dharma King who has existed since the ancient cultivation era. The secrets he must carry are incalculable. If I could search his soul and seize them...

It's absolutely worth attempting.

When the Myriad Immortals Alliance unearthed him in this life, this Dharma King was still in slumber. His defenses certainly can't be that strong. If I can gain control of him, not only could I learn countless secrets and techniques, I might even secure a ready-made identity within the Xuanhuang World. No more disguising myself as a Heavenly Mechanisms Sect cultivator every time. The flaws in that cover run too deep.

Ambition stirred in him.

Even so, I must not be careless. In its day, the Xuantian Sect held the authority of heaven. The Dharma Kings within it must have been Eternal Life cultivators of the old methodology.

His strength is certainly diminished after the injuries he sustained during the sect's destruction and his long years of slumber. But he is an ancient titan who has lived for who knows how long. No one knows what trump cards he still has hidden. I need to send an avatar first, to scout the situation.

Still, it's a gamble worth taking. It can't be more dangerous than scheming against the Heavenly Physician.

All of this passed through his mind in an instant.

His expression barely shifted, but the subtle change in his bearing did not escape Jiao Xiuyuan's eye.

Curiosity surfaced in Jiao Xiuyuan's gaze. "Could it be that you are actually acquainted with this Li Chen, Fellow Daoist?"

Li Fan shook his head slightly. "Acquainted is too strong a word. We've simply crossed paths a few times. Back then, I thought he was just an ordinary disciple of the Purple Firmament Sect. Who would have thought..." He let out a quiet sigh. "One truly cannot judge a person by their appearance."

Jiao Xiuyuan knew Li Fan wasn't telling the whole truth. But everyone had their secrets, and he had no intention of pressing the issue.

"Heh heh. Then what is your true purpose behind inquiring about this slumbering ancient cultivator's identity, Fellow Daoist?" he probed.

Li Fan clasped his hands. "A favor for a friend. That's all."

Jiao Xiuyuan nodded thoughtfully and said no more.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries.

As they were about to part, Li Fan asked casually, "By the way, those Mini Medicine King Cauldrons I commissioned you to excavate earlier. Are they still in your possession?"

"Sold long ago," Jiao Xiuyuan replied. He paused, a flicker of curiosity crossing his face. "You seemed utterly indifferent about them at the time. Why bring it up now?"

"Just a passing thought. Don't read too much into it, Fellow Daoist." Li Fan offered a faint, unreadable smile, declined to answer further, and turned and walked out of the Thousand Li Hall.

Jiao Xiuyuan frowned, a look of suspicion on his face, though he made no move to stop him.

***

After leaving, Li Fan returned to the Tianxuan Mirror space and searched for Mini Medicine King Cauldrons.

According to Jiao Xiuyuan, when the Myriad Immortals Alliance sealed off the Medicine King Sect ruins and scoured them from top to bottom, anything of even remote value had been taken. He had managed to dig out only two of them.

But now, browsing the market, Li Fan found seventeen Mini Medicine King Cauldrons listed for sale. They had clearly leaked out from the Myriad Immortals Alliance itself.

He had long since grown accustomed to such things.

The true purpose of the Mini Medicine King Cauldrons was still unknown to the world. With his vast resources, Li Fan swept every available one off the market in an instant.

The sudden movement drew attention almost immediately.

"Fellow Daoist Li Fan, was that your doing? What is the secret of these Mini Medicine King Cauldrons? Have you divined something again?"

Jiao Xiuyuan sent a rapid string of inquiries.

"Make a guess." Li Fan replied with a smile, then severed the connection and ignored every call that followed.

Cloaking himself with A Single Hand Veils the Heavens, he set out for Cangwu Province without delay, taking one teleportation array after another, barely pausing between them.

In less than half a day, he had reached the Cangwu Abyss.

He purchased a copy of the Cangwu Abyss Travel Guide and descended, following Xiao Fan's route in his past life. He passed through the Forest of Whispering Spirits and Puppet Gorge, and reached Labyrinth City, one hundred thousand zhang underground.

After some effort, he pinpointed the exact location where the true Medicine King Cauldron would eventually crash-land in the future.

He intended to wait here for the arrival of the meteor from the heavens.

Inside the true Medicine King Cauldron were all the cultivators of the Medicine King Sect, sealed in a state of suspended animation.

They were like utterly helpless lambs awaiting slaughter.

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