Chapter 15: Foundation Establishment Becomes Bones

This small wooden boat was exactly the flying boat Li Fan had been yearning for.

Through a message carved on the tomb wall by the tomb owner before his death, Li Fan finally understood the sequence of events.

It turned out that the tomb owner was named Qian Hong, a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Over three thousand years ago, he was pursued by enemies and, having nowhere else to turn, hid in this Immortal Extinction Land.

He had intended to hide for a while and then leave, but who could have known that this Immortal Extinction Land was completely devoid of Spiritual Qi? Moreover, he was a destitute Cultivator with almost no Spirit Stones on him. Before long, his Spirit Stones were exhausted. Without Spirit Stones to replenish his Spiritual Qi, his cultivation regressed day by day.

After failing to force his way through the Immortal Severing Grand Formation and suffering severe injuries, Qian Hong knew he was trapped here.

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

He speculated that when Mortals were exiled to this place thousands of years ago, there might have been one or two flying boats left behind.

Thus, he investigated extensively, spending decades of time, until he finally found the tomb of Yi Xing.

There was indeed a flying boat in the tomb, but what caused him despair was that the power Core Formation within the flying boat was damaged. Furthermore, he was not skilled in Artifact Refining and could not repair it.

Moreover, even if the flying boat were repaired, without Spirit Stones, his cultivation level at the time would not have been enough to provide sufficient power for it.

At this point, Qian Hong finally abandoned the idea of leaving this Immortal Extinction Land. Afterward, he concealed his identity and lived out the rest of an ordinary life as a Mortal.

Before his death, he carved his life story onto the tomb wall, hoping that if any Immortal Cultivator were to break into his tomb in future generations, they could take his remains back to the Cultivation World. The few items he left in the tomb were meant as a reward paid in advance.

The first item was the source of the power guarding Qian Hong's tomb, which had previously caused the deaths of dozens of explorers. This was also the reason why Qian Hong firmly believed that anyone capable of breaking in must be an Immortal Cultivator.

Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects: zhibu remnant stele.

It was half a broken stone stele, with the character "Stop" vaguely visible on it.

Li Fan touched the stele, but Huan Zhen did not show any reaction, which he couldn't help but feel was a pity. Previously, in order to force his way into the tomb, he had used a large amount of Immortal-Mortal Miasma. At this moment, the zhibu remnant stele had been affected by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma and had turned into an ordinary stone.

However, Li Fan did not pay too much attention to it. Now that he knew the location of Qian Hong's tomb, he could simply come back and take it in his next life.

The second item left by Qian Hong was two Jade Slips. The Jade Slips recorded the Cultivation Techniques he had painstakingly exchanged for from the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

"《Little Huan Zhen Art》, Qi Refinement Stage Cultivation Technique, current number of practitioners: 1."

"《Cloud Water Record》, Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivation Technique, current number of practitioners: 1."

Picking up the Jade Slips and feeling the information transmitted from them, Li Fan's heart jumped violently. He thought that Qian Hong himself might not be dead and that this place was a trap he had set.

But a moment later, Li Fan realized the truth. Over three thousand years had passed; let alone a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even a Golden Core cultivator would likely have turned into a handful of yellow earth by now.

As for why these Cultivation Techniques were currently being practiced by someone, Li Fan understood after a brief thought.

The Myriad Immortals Alliance must have original archives of the Cultivation Techniques. If they saw that the number of practitioners for a Cultivation Technique had dropped to zero, they would know that the Cultivator who had previously exchanged for and practiced this technique had perished.

After that, they could naturally bring out these Cultivation Techniques again for others to exchange for.

It could even be said that over these three thousand years, these two Cultivation Techniques had changed hands countless times.

"Dark… truly dark…" Li Fan felt speechless in his heart.

After some contemplation, Li Fan turned his gaze to the third item: the Taiyan Boat.

This item was the very tool the Taiyan Sect used to relocate Mortals.

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

And after thousands of years of twists and turns, it had now fallen into Li Fan's hands, becoming his hope to jump out of this Immortal-Mortal Extinction Land.

Holding the Taiyan Boat in his hand, Li Fan's heart surged with emotion. After hundreds of years of anticipation, he had finally achieved his wish.

As for the fact that the Taiyan Boat was damaged, Li Fan was not worried at all.

Qian Hong didn't know how to repair it, and he, Li Fan, didn't know how to repair it either, but there were people who could!

… Fifteen years later, at the fifty-year anchor point, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi arrived at Mystic Capital City once again.

"Dao Xuanzi! Do not push me too far!"

"Kou Hong! Do you think that just because you fled to this Immortal Extinction Land, I would let you go? Hand over the Cultivation Technique you obtained that day, or I will fight you to the death!"

"What a joke! It was precisely because I lacked a Core Formation method that I have been trapped at the Foundation Establishment Stage for nearly a hundred years. With my lifespan coming to an end, I was about to turn into dry bones. Now that I have obtained this Core Formation Technique, how could I possibly hand it over to someone else!"

"That's right! The Golden Core Dao is for me and me alone. Although there are many Core Formation methods in this world, there are even more Cultivators trapped at the Foundation Establishment Stage! Since that is the case, and now that the path to longevity is before me, how could I possibly let you go? How could I possibly not push you too far!"

"Then let us just have a fight! It is laughable that you and I have been brothers for a hundred years, yet now we must draw blades against each other for a glimmer of survival!"

… Just as the two were about to fight to the death, they heard a burst of hearty laughter coming from Mystic Capital City below.

"Is a mere Core Formation Technique worth the two of you fighting to the death?!"

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi's expressions changed simultaneously, and they looked down.

"Who is it! Such arrogance!"

"Presumptuous!"

While they spoke, their expressions became guarded at the same time.

"Why don't you two come down and have a chat!"

They saw a silver-haired old man shouting loudly from the Grand Preceptor's Mansion below.

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi looked at each other, maintained a distance while staying on guard, and landed in the Grand Preceptor's Mansion.

"Hahaha, please!" The silver-haired old man seemed very happy. He led the two of them into the main hall to sit down.

After ordering the servants to prepare wine and food to entertain them, he said with some emotion: "Years ago, when my ancestor was on his deathbed, he said that in future generations, two people might come from the east of the Void Abyss and step into the Capital City, and they would be the opportunity for our clan to escape this place."

"For thousands of years, people in our clan have been skeptical. Today, it has been verified, so we must drink to celebrate!" The old man laughed loudly and downed the wine in the cup in front of him in one gulp.

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi looked at each other in dismay.

"May I ask how to address you?" Kou Hong asked first, his tone noticeably more polite.

"Old man Li Fan," Li Fan replied with a smile.

"Listening to what you said, your ancestor predicted thousands of years ago that the two of us would come here? And what do you mean by the opportunity to escape this place?" Dao Xuanzi frowned, scrutinizing Li Fan.

Upon hearing this, Li Fan seemed a bit displeased: "What? Do you two not believe me?"

Kou Hong smiled and shook his head: "This matter is too mysterious. We two have roamed the Cultivation World for a hundred years, and we have never heard of any divination technique capable of predicting events a thousand years into the future."

Dao Xuanzi also shook his head repeatedly.

Li Fan straightened his body, raised his head, and asked with a condescending look: "I wonder if you two have ever heard of the Taiyan Sect?"

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi looked at each other, somewhat shocked: "Could it be the Sect that was famous throughout the world for its divination techniques in ancient times?"

Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and nodded indifferently: "My ancestor was indeed a member of the Taiyan Sect."