Chapter 15: Foundation Establishment Remains

This tiny wooden boat was none other than the flying boat that Li Fan had been longing for.

Through a message that the tomb owner had carved on the wall of the tomb before he died, Li Fan finally understood the whole story.

It turned out that the tomb owner's name was Qian Hong, and he was a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. More than three thousand years ago, he was hunted down by his enemies, and in desperation, he hid in this Immortal Extinction Land.

He wanted to hide for a while and then leave, but he didn't know that there was no spiritual qi in the Land of Immortal Extinction, and he was a poor cultivator who had few spirit stones on his body. It didn't take long for him to run out of spirit stones. Without the means to replenish his spiritual energy, his cultivation deteriorated.

After failing to break through the Immortal Extinction Formation and becoming seriously injured, Qian Hong knew that he was trapped.

However, this person was also a resilient person and did not give up.

He guessed that when mortals were banished to this place a thousand years ago, they might have left one or two flying boats.

So he made many inquiries, and after spending several decades, he finally found Yi Xing's tomb.

There was indeed a flying boat present in the tomb, but what made him despair was that the core formation array inside the flying boat had been damaged, and because he was not good at the art of formations, he could not repair it.

Moreover, even if the flying boat was repaired, without spirit stones, he would not be able to provide it with enough power with his cultivation at that time.

At this point, Qian Hong finally gave up on this Immortal Extinction Land. After that, he went incognito and lived an ordinary life as a mortal.

Before he died, he carved his life onto the wall of his tomb, hoping that in the future generations, if any cultivator broke into his tomb, they would bring his bones back to the cultivation realm. The few things he left in the tomb would be considered his payment in advance.

The first was the source of the power that guarded Qian Hong's grave and caused the deaths of dozens of tomb robbers previously, and the reason why Qian Hong was convinced that anyone who could break in must be a cultivator.

The mystical artifact: Stone Tablet of Prohibition.

It was a half-broken stone tablet, on which the word "stop" was vaguely visible.

Li Fan touched the stele, and there was no response from [Truth], disappointing him. Previously, in order to break into the cemetery, he had used a large amount of Immortal-Mortal Miasma, and because of this, the monument was corrupted by the miasma and had already turned into an ordinary stone.

However, Li Fan didn't care too much, since he knew where Qian Hong's tomb was and could come back for it in his next life.

The second thing left by Qian Hong was two jade slips. The jade slips contained the techniques that he had painstakingly exchanged from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

"Minor Heart Resolve, Qi Refining stage technique, current number of cultivators: 1."

"Record of Clouds of Water, Foundation Establishment stage technique, current number of cultivators: 1."

Picking up the jade slip and receiving the information coming from it, Li Fan's heart jumped violently, thinking that Qian Hong was not dead and that this place was a trap set by him.

But a moment later, Li Fan realized the truth. Over three thousand years had passed, and even a Golden Core cultivator would have turned into dust.

As for why these techniques were being practiced today, Li Fan understood after a little thought.

The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance must have the original archives of the techniques. If they saw the number of people practicing the techniques change to zero, they would know that the cultivator who exchanged the techniques before had already died.

After this, it was natural to take these techniques out and let people redeem them again.

In these three thousand years, these two techniques likely had changed owners numerous times.

"How profiteering..." Li Fan was speechless for a moment.

After some lamentation, Li Fan turned his gaze to the third item, the Tai Yan Boat.

This item was exactly the tool that the Tai Yan Sect used to migrate mortals.

Perhaps it was because this flying boat was broken that it was left behind.

After thousands of years of twists and turns, it had finally fallen into Li Fan's hands, becoming his hope to jump out of this Immortal Extinction Land.

Holding the Tai Yan Boat in his hands, Li Fan's heart surged. After hundreds of years of anticipation, he had finally achieved his goal.

As for the Tai Yan Boat being damaged, Li Fan was not worried at all.

Qian Hong could not repair it, and neither could he, but someone else could!

......

Fifteen years later, the fiftieth year after the anchor point arrived, and Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi visited Xuanjing City once more.

"Dao Xuanzi! Do not overstep your bounds!"

"Kou Hong! Do you think I will let you go just because you escaped to this Land of Immortal Extinction? Hand over the technique you obtained that day, or I won't rest until you're dead!"

"Ridiculous! It's because of the lack of a Golden Core technique that I've been trapped in the Foundation Stage for nearly a hundred years. I'm about to turn into withered bones; my end is approaching. However, I have now finally obtained a Golden Core technique. How could I possibly hand it over to others!"

"Indeed! A Golden Core technique with no other practitioners, an irreplaceable treasure. Although many Golden Core techniques exist, innumerable cultivators are stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage!"

"It's just a single technique! It's ridiculous that despite how you and I have been brothers for a hundred years, we're now fighting to the death for a chance of survival!"

...

The two of them were about to fight to the death, but they heard a burst of bold laughter coming from Xuanjing City below.

"Is a mere Golden Core technique worth the two of you fighting to the death?!"

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi simultaneously changed expressions and looked downwards.

"Who are you? How presumptuous!"

"Arrogant!"

The two both spoke, but their expressions were on guard at the same time.

"The two of you might as well come down for a moment!"

They saw a silver-haired elder shouting loudly from the Imperial Advisor's Mansion below.

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi exchanged glances, and while staying on guard, landed in the Imperial Advisor's Mansion.

"Haha, please!" The silver-haired elder seemed to be very happy as he led the two of them to the lobby and sat down.

After ordering his subordinates to prepare wine and food to entertain them, he said with some emotion, "Back then, when my ancestor was on his deathbed, he had said that in the future, there might be two people who would come from the Abyss Ruins and fly to the capital, and that would be the opportunity for my clan to escape this place."

"For thousands of years, the people of my clan have been both believing and doubting it. Now, I have finally found confirmation!" The old man laughed out loud and drank from the wine cup in front of him.

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi, on the other hand, looked at each other in disbelief.

"I don't know what the elder's name is?" Kou Hong asked, his tone much more polite.

"Li Fan," he replied with a smile.

"According to your words, your ancestor had foreseen that the two of us would come here thousands of years ago? What did he mean by 'the opportunity to escape this place'?" Dao Xuanzi frowned and sized up Li Fan.

Li Fan seemed to be a bit unhappy at his words, "What? You two don't believe me?"

Kou Hong laughed and shook his head, "This matter is too mysterious. The two of us have traveled the cultivation world for a hundred years, and we have never heard of any deduction technique that can predict thousands of years into the future."

Dao Xuanzi followed suit and shook his head.

Li Fan straightened up, looked disdainfully with his head held high, and asked, "I wonder if the two of you have ever heard of the Tai Yan Sect?"

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi looked at each other with some shock, "Could it be that this was the sect that was famous for its art of deduction in ancient times?"

Li Fan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded his head lightly, "My ancestor was a member of the Tai Yan Sect."