Chapter 15: From Foundation Establishment To Bones

This small wooden boat was none other than the flying boat Li Fan had been yearning for.

Thanks to a message carved into the walls by the tomb’s owner before his death, Li Fan finally learned the full story.

It turned out that the tomb’s owner was named Qian Hong, a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment realm. Over three thousand years ago, he had been pursued by enemies. With no other options, he had fled into this Immortal Forsaken Land.

He had originally planned to leave after hiding for a while, but who could have known that the Immortal Forsaken Lands were completely devoid of spiritual qi? Worse, he was a poor cultivator with only a handful of spirit stones to his name. Before long, his spirit stones were exhausted. And without them to replenish his spiritual qi, his cultivation steadily deteriorated.

After a failed and disastrous attempt to force his way through the Immortal-Slaying Grand Array, Qian Hong realized he was truly trapped.

Yet, he was a tenacious man and refused to give up.

He speculated that one or two flying vessels should have been left behind when mortals were exiled here thousands of years prior.

So he searched tirelessly, spending decades before finally discovering Yi Xing’s tomb.

Indeed, there was a flying boat inside, but to his despair, the core array powering it was damaged. And since he had no skill in artifact forging, he couldn’t repair it.

Even if he had managed to fix the vessel, he had no spirit stones to use as fuel, and his cultivation at the time wasn’t enough to power it.

At that point, Qian Hong finally abandoned all hope of leaving this Immortal Forsaken Land. He lived out the rest of his life in obscurity, posing as a mortal.

Before his death, he carved his story onto the tomb walls, hoping that if any cultivator ever stumbled upon his resting place, they might return his bones to the cultivation world. The few items he left behind were meant as an advance payment.

The first was the source of the power guarding Qian Hong’s tomb, the same force that had killed the dozens of tomb excavators before. It was also why Qian Hong was certain only a cultivator could enter.

It was none other than a Curio of Heaven and Earth: the Halt Stele Fragment. A broken stone stele, with the word “Halt” faintly visible.

Li Fan touched the stele, but Return to Truth showed no reaction. What a pity. To force his way into the tomb, he had used a large amount of Immortal-Mortal Miasma. Tainted by it, the Halt Stele Fragment had become nothing more than an ordinary rock.

Still, Li Fan wasn’t overly concerned. Now that he knew the tomb’s location, he could always return for it in his next life.

Qian Hong also left behind two jade slips. They contained techniques he had painstakingly redeemed from the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

“Lesser Qi Purification Method, Qi Refinement technique. Current practitioners: 1.”

“Yunshui Record, Foundation Establishment technique. Current practitioners: 1.”

When Li Fan picked up the jade slips and sensed the information they contained, his heart lurched. For a moment, he thought Qian Hong might still be alive and that this was a trap.

But after a moment, he realized something. Three thousand years had passed; even a Golden Core cultivator would have long since turned to dust, let alone a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator.

As for why these techniques were still being practiced today, Li Fan quickly understood.

The Myriad Immortals Alliance must have kept original copies of the techniques. If the number of practitioners ever dropped to zero, they would know the cultivators had perished.

Naturally, they could then offer the techniques again for redemption.

In fact, over the past three thousand years, these two techniques had likely changed hands many times.

Ruthless... absolutely ruthless...

Li Fan thought, inwardly speechless.

After this moment of reflection, Li Fan turned his attention to the third item, the Taiyan Boat.

This vessel had been used by none other than the Taiyan Sect to transport mortals.

Perhaps it was precisely because this flying boat had broken down that it had been left behind.

After changing hands over thousands of years, it had now fallen into Li Fan’s possession, becoming his hope of escaping this Immortal Forsaken Land.

Holding the Taiyan Boat in his hands, Li Fan’s heart surged with emotion. Centuries of longing had finally been fulfilled.

As for the fact that the Taiyan Boat was damaged, Li Fan wasn’t the least bit worried. Qian Hong couldn’t repair it, and neither could Li Fan, but someone else could!

***

Fifteen years later, in Anchor Year 50, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi once again arrived in Xuanjing City.

“Dao Xuanzi! Do not push me too far!”

“Kou Hong! Did you truly think fleeing to the Immortal Forsaken Land would save you? Hand over the core formation method you stole, or this ends only with one of us dead!”

“Ridiculous!” Kou Hong sneered. “For a hundred years, I’ve been trapped at the Foundation Establishment realm. My time is nearly up, and I’ll soon be reduced to dry bones. All I lacked was the method to form my Golden Core. Now that I finally have it, you expect me to just give it up?”

“Exactly!” Dao Xuanzi sighed. “Only one can walk this path to the Golden Core realm. There are countless methods, yet more cultivators than ever remain stuck at Foundation Establishment!

“And so, with this core formation method before me, how could I possibly let you go? How could I

not

push you too far?”

“Then let us settle this! How pitiful—a hundred years of brotherhood, only to end up fighting for survival!”

Just as the two were about to battle to the death, a booming laugh echoed up from Xuanjing City below.

“All this over a mere core formation method? Is it truly worth fighting over with your lives on the line?”

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi both stiffened, then glanced downward.

“Who is it? Such arrogance!”

“How impudent!”

Though they spoke harshly, their expressions grew wary.

“Gentlemen, why not come down and have a chat with me?” A silver-haired elder called out loudly from the Grand Preceptor’s estate below.

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi exchanged glances, then cautiously descended, maintaining a safe distance between them as they landed in the estate.

“Hahaha, please come this way!” The silver-haired elder seemed delighted, leading them into the main hall and showing them to their seats.

After ordering servants to prepare wine and dishes, he sighed with emotion. “Before my ancestor passed away, he said that one day in the future, two would come from the Abyssal Chasm in the east and set foot in the capital. They would be the key to our clan’s escape from this place.

“For thousands of years, our clan has wavered between belief and doubt. Today, we finally have proof! This calls for a grand toast!” The elder laughed heartily, draining his cup in one gulp.

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi exchanged bewildered looks.

“May I know your name?” Kou Hong spoke first, his tone noticeably more polite.

“I am Li Fan,” Li Fan replied with a smile.

“From your words, it seems your ancestor predicted our arrival thousands of years ago? And what do you mean by ’key to your clan’s escape’?” Dao Xuanzi frowned, studying Li Fan.

Li Fan’s expression darkened slightly. “What? You don’t believe me?”

Kou Hong chuckled and shook his head. “This matter is far too mystical. We’ve wandered the cultivation world for a hundred years, yet never heard of any divination technique capable of predicting events thousands of years in advance.”

Dao Xuanzi also shook his head skeptically.

Li Fan straightened, lifting his chin with an imperious gaze. “Tell me, have either of you heard of the Taiyan Sect?”

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi exchanged glances, visibly startled. “You mean that ancient sect renowned throughout the world for its divination arts?”

Li Fan exhaled inwardly in relief, then nodded with deliberate calm. “My ancestor was indeed a disciple of the Taiyan Sect.”