Chapter 343: Unknown Existence

"For example, the remains of the first Dao Integration cultivator to fall in the wars between the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders' Assembly, the remains of Immortal Sage Qinglian."

"Heh, over the years, the Five Elders' Assembly has put in a lot of effort to retrieve Immortal Sage Qinglian's remains."

"Another example is the ancient Heavenly Sword Sect's 'Ceasefire Stele.' It is said that there were two giant steles in front of the Heavenly Sword Sect. One inscribed with 'Stop for the Idle,' and the other with 'Ceasefire of Destiny.' Just these two steles were as effective as an impregnable mountain-protecting array, exuding unparalleled might."

"Unfortunately, the Museum of Divine Treasures only managed to collect the 'Ceasefire Stele,' while the 'Stop for the Idle' stele is nowhere to be found."

Hearing this, Li Fan couldn't help but think of his own 'Stop for the Idle' fragment.

He wondered if it was the same as the Heavenly Sword Sect's 'Stop for the Idle' stele.

As Li Fan was lost in thought, the black-robed cultivator's words forcibly brought his attention back.

"Speaking of the Museum of Divine Treasures, we must mention the remains of the first cultivator infected by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma. You might not know, but these seemingly ordinary remains are highly sought after by many cultivators. Their value is absurdly high. The skull of this cultivator is placed at the center of the Museum of Divine Treasures."

"When I first saw it, I thought it was the remains of some ancient powerful figure. To my surprise, it was just a poor fellow."

"I really can't understand why those people find such things worth collecting."

Talking about the Museum of Divine Treasures seemed to excite the black-robed cultivator, who started to introduce various collections inside to Li Fan and the others.

Han Yi and Ximen Yue were quite interested and listened attentively.

Li Fan, on the other hand, felt a stir in his heart.

"The remains of the first cultivator infected by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma..."

"I still have one of his ribs in my storage ring. It survived when Master Yin self-immolated."

Li Fan couldn't help but become interested in the skull placed in the Museum of Divine Treasures.

Taking advantage of a pause in the black-robed cultivator's speech, Li Fan asked, "Senior, how can one visit the Museum of Divine Treasures like those people we just saw?"

The black-robed cultivator smiled, "The Museum of Divine Treasures is generally not open to outsiders. No amount of contribution points can grant you access. If you want to apply for a visit to broaden your knowledge without any connections, the simplest way is to become a dedicated guide for the Museum of Divine Treasures, just like I did."

Li Fan was slightly stunned and exchanged glances with Han Yi and Ximen Yue.

"Why does the Museum of Divine Treasures need dedicated guides?" Ximen Yue asked, puzzled.

The black-robed cultivator chuckled, "Why wouldn't it need guides? Do you think just placing a sign in front of each exhibit would be enough?"

"First, the Museum of Divine Treasures, like the main avenue you walked through in front of the Law Enforcement Hall, has all its spiritual energy in a dormant state. Even divine senses can't leave the body. All exhibit information is only briefly marked. To know their backstories, a guide is essential."

"Secondly, do you have any idea how vast the Museum of Divine Treasures is?" The black-robed cultivator laughed softly.

"It houses the entire Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's collection from thousands of years. When I left, the number of exhibits was thirty-eight million, four hundred seventy-five thousand, six hundred eighty-four. Without a guide, an ordinary person visiting would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, unable to find what they want to see. Having a complete, enjoyable visit within the limited time would be a fantasy."

"Moreover, as you just saw, who are the people visiting the Museum of Divine Treasures? Without guides, how could they understand anything?"

The black-robed cultivator snorted, making his point clear.

Li Fan and the others showed expressions of having learned something new.

After a moment of silence, the black-robed cultivator continued, "Of course, if you join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and increase your merit level to Yanfa Pearl 30, you get a free visit every ten years."

"However, reaching Yanfa Pearl 30 is incredibly difficult. Even I haven't reached it."

Then he looked at Han Yi with a half-smile, "Of course. If you, Han, cultivate well and break through to the Dao Integration stage, you can just report in and visit anytime."

Han Yi felt a bit embarrassed, "Senior, you jest. Dao Integration is not easy to achieve, even with the technique."

The black-robed cultivator laughed deeply but said nothing more.

The rest of the journey was silent.

The black-robed cultivator led Li Fan and the others back to the platform where they initially arrived.

"Alright, my task from the Immortal Sage is complete. We will meet again if fate allows," the black-robed cultivator said coldly.

Li Fan felt a mysterious force envelop him.

It seemed to repel him from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters.

"May I know your name, Senior?" Li Fan asked as he was about to leave.

"I'm just a nobody. As a guide, I'm called Guide Ding Yin. As a lead, I'm Lead Hei. That's all," the black-robed cultivator shook his head and did not answer further.

As Lead Hei's figure gradually disappeared, Li Fan and the others found themselves back in the Four Seasons Garden of the Tianji Court.

The location was exactly the same as before they left for the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters.

"Han Yi, now that you've visited the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters, do you know where it is located?" Li Fan asked, smiling at Han Yi.

Han Yi pondered for a moment, then replied, "If I'm not mistaken, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters might be inside the Tianxuan Mirror."

Ximen Yue disagreed, "I think the Tianxuan Mirror is just a means of transportation."

"If the headquarters were inside the Tianxuan Mirror..."

"There are so many Tianxuan Mirrors in the world. Does that mean wherever there's a Tianxuan Mirror, there's a Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters?"

"In that case, why do Tianyu, Tianchen, Tianshu, Tianquan, and the central region exist?"

Han Yi was speechless, unsure how to refute.

Li Fan thought deeply, finding merit in both arguments, and played the mediator.

After some discussion, the three did not delve further.

They thanked and bid farewell to Immortal Sage Jicheng, then went to the Dao Discussion Building in Tianquan Province, where Han Yi treated them to a grand feast.

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

The three parted ways afterward.

Ximen Yue stayed in Tianquan Province.

Li Fan and Han Yi headed to Yuandao Province together.

Time passed quickly, and half a year later...

In the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan finally mastered the basics of "Mysterious Spiritual Transformation."

"Now that I haven't yet refined my clone, let's see the effect of this divine technique."

Suppressing his excitement, Li Fan disguised himself and headed outside Tianyu City.

He dug a secret chamber, prepared all the materials, and began the ritual.

After a while...

A mass of flesh exploded.

"Hmm? Why did it fail?"

Li Fan was puzzled.

He tried again.

And failed again.

"?"

Li Fan frowned deeply.

"Wait, could it be..."

"There's already a clone in the world?"

Li Fan was instantly startled.