Chapter 422
In the darkness of the void, several Realm-Splitting Whales were chasing each other, playing playfully.
If you looked closely, you could see that one of them had a black-feathered, red-tailed bird standing on its back.
The bird was strolling leisurely on the vast fish, seemingly at ease.
The Realm-Splitting Whale was completely oblivious to its presence.
This black-feathered, red-tailed bird was, of course, Li Fan.
He effortlessly passed through the Immortal Extinction Great Array and, seeing the group of Realm-Splitting Whales, had a sudden whim.
He wanted to test the actual deceptive effect of the "Crucible of Ten Thousand Forms"
This was how this scene came to be.
"Realm-Splitting Whales are extremely sensitive to external energy. Even mortals can be tracked by them for thousands of miles," Li Fan said to himself.
"I am so close, yet they show no reaction. It seems they see me as no different from a real bird."
Li Fan was very satisfied with the test results.
He spread his wings and flew swiftly away from the Realm-Splitting Whales, heading towards the entrance to the Xuanhuang Realm at the bottom of the Abyss.
"If Great Xuan truly escaped the Xuanhuang Realm thanks to the efforts of the Realm-Splitting Whales, would it be directly captured by the Immortal Ruins? Just like the Medicine King's True Divine Cauldron?"
"Who was behind these Realm-Splitting Whales back then?"
"It shouldn't be the Ten Great Immortal Sects. They know of the existence of the Immortal Ruins. Letting the Realm-Splitting Whales dig out small worlds would be digging their own graves."
The light of the cultivation world was not far ahead. Looking back at the Realm-Splitting Whales, which seemed to be working tirelessly, a thought suddenly flashed in Li Fan's mind.
It was just a fleeting thought, and his figure did not pause for a moment.
The next moment, Li Fan reappeared above the vast ocean.
The sky and sea were one, and the salty wind blew gently.
Li Fan took a deep breath and sighed.
"The blue sky is still the most beautiful."
After spending hundreds of years in the oppressive world under the Xuan Net, Li Fan, returning to his original self, finally understood the preciousness of this freedom.
Instead of joining the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance first, Li Fan checked his direction and flew towards the border between the Cong Yun Sea and Shilin Province.
His destination was the Tianji Sect ruins in the White Stone Subworld.
This was where Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi had found the "Jade Chapter of a Thousand Mechanisms" in the past.
In his previous life, Xiao Heng, with the help of Linghu Chang, had unearthed several other cultivation techniques from the ruins, besides the Jade Chapter.
These included the secret technique "One Hand Covers the Sky."
Li Fan naturally couldn't miss out on this.
Although he was just a common bird on the outside, Li Fan's flying speed was not slow at all.
Twenty days later, Li Fan arrived outside the Hundred Stone Subworld.
The so-called Hundred Stone Subworld was a vast underground cave located on the outskirts of Shilin Province.
Inside the cave, countless paths branched out and intertwined.
Every so often, there would be a sudden opening, forming a spacious underground hall.
The halls were filled with jagged rocks, growing wildly from the top down and from the walls outward.
They were of various shapes, resembling humans and beasts, making people feel uneasy.
Many cultivators had lost their way inside and never returned.
No one knew just how large this Hundred Stone Subworld was.
As one of the most dangerous places in Shilin Province, even those who knew of the secrets that might be hidden here were reluctant to come and explore.
Li Fan continued to venture deeper into the cave, but he didn't encounter a single person.
The deeper he went, the more complex the paths became.
Often, at a single intersection, there were as many as seven or eight branches.
Furthermore, not only was his Divine Sense affected to some degree, but the cave itself also changed occasionally.
The paths that were there when he arrived would mysteriously disappear when he wanted to return.
And the geology of the cave was incredibly hard. It was impossible to carve out a path by force.
This was why the Hundred Stone Subworld was so dangerous.
"According to Linghu Chang, this Hundred Stone Subworld is likely the remains of the ancient beast, the Primordial Clam, after its death," Li Fan recalled what he had heard from Han Wuyou.
"The Primordial Clam lived deep underground, feeding on the Earth's veins. It was a notorious destroyer of terrain, capable of hollowing out the entire underground of a province."
"However, there is always a counter to every creature.
"Inside its body, a type of Stone Spirit Insect often coexisted."
"The Primordial Clam was greedy by nature. It devoured the Earth's veins without restraint, possibly even overeating itself to death."
"In most cases, it wouldn't have time to digest and absorb the Earth's vein energy within its body."
"As a result, it would condense into large masses of Earth Vein Stone within its body."
"These Stone Spirit Insects feed on the Earth Vein Stones. They help the Primordial Clam relieve the pressure of digestion, while they themselves never have to worry about food.
"A perfect symbiotic relationship."
"Perhaps the complex tunnels in this Hundred Stone Subworld were dug out by these Stone Spirit Insects."
Li Fan flew along, carefully searching for Stone Spirit Insects in the darkness.
Half a day later.
"It's you!"
Li Fan revealed his true form, his Five Elements Annihilation Sword silently unsheathed.
A deep hole appeared on the stone wall of the tunnel.
A bluish-grey figure flashed past, about to escape into the depths of the wall.
"Bind Insect!"
Li Fan suddenly activated his Divine Ability, capturing it.
A plump, bluish-grey giant insect, the size of a baby, instantly appeared in front of Li Fan.
It was unable to move, and it let out a series of rapid chirps.
Li Fan lightly tapped it, producing a dull sound.
The Stone Spirit Insect's entire body trembled, and it immediately became obedient under Li Fan's warning.
Li Fan infused his spiritual energy into its body and closed his eyes to sense the Stone Spirit Insect's structure.
Although it could devour Earth Vein Stones, its physiological structure was even less complex than the ordinary bird Li Fan had transformed into before.
Not long after, Li Fan released the restraint.
The next moment, he was enveloped in golden light and transformed into the form of a Stone Spirit Insect.
The original fat insect fell to the ground with a thud. It didn't even care about its new companion, Li Fan, and hurriedly burrowed into the ground to escape.
The hole it had dug out didn't last long. Under Li Fan's gaze, it slowly healed up.
"This place is truly strange. The Primordial Clam is dead but not gone. Without a special method, exploring it would be quite troublesome."
"But now..."
Li Fan shook his insect body and plunged into the stone wall.
He felt as if these incredibly hard rocks had turned into crunchy delicacies.
Li Fan effortlessly carved out a path.
With the general location of the Tianji Sect ruins in mind, Li Fan proceeded straight towards it.
Seven days later.
An underground chamber sealed on all sides.
A rumbling sound faintly emanated from the stone walls.
Soon, Li Fan, in the form of a Stone Spirit Insect, violently emerged from the wall.
He crashed to the ground with a bang.
He lay on his back, motionless.
Only when the Earth Vein Stones in his body were completely digested into energy did Li Fan return to his human form.
"I actually overate."
Li Fan shook his head, speechless to himself.
(To be continued)