1205-1210 (7k+ words)

"The only thing to do is to dissect and analyze the remnants of these worlds, maybe even deduce and restore the former state of this Dark Starry Sea."

"However, it is still an existence several levels higher than the ordinary cultivation worlds in the Xuanhuang. Even as a corpse, there is much to gain from it."

The aura on Li Fan's divine embryo suddenly changed.

It erupted like molten lava, causing his already Nascent Divinity pinnacle cultivation to instantly expand several times.

Unfortunately, the divine embryo still couldn't escape the connection restrictions between the divine embryo and the true body.

As if an invisible shackle existed, it forcefully suppressed the soaring aura back.

Li Fan's divine embryo grunted, unexpectedly spitting out a mouthful of blood.

In the miniature world evolved from the Black Sword within his body, numerous black rifts appeared, as if they might collapse at any moment.

However, Li Fan's eyes were filled with excitement.

"The world is flawed, and the principles are weakened."

"Sure enough, in this Dark Starry Sea, it is possible for the Nascent Divinity to surpass the realm of the true body!"

Li Fan's divine embryo reminisced about the moment of the expanding impact.

Like brute force, breaking through the shackles of the heavens and earth.

"The source of power for my breakthrough is still lacking a bit. It faltered halfway and suffered a backlash."

"If I accumulate a bit more, I can break through that shackle in one go."

Li Fan suddenly remembered the scene where his divine embryo broke through the bottleneck of the "Heaven's Tribulation" by forcibly practicing the Swallowing Heaven and Devouring Earth technique.

"This is called 'Using Strength to Break the Dao.' In a normal large world, without being a True Immortal, one wouldn't have such powerful strength. But in this Dark Starry Sea, the requirements have been greatly reduced."

"My divine embryo previously suffered a counterattack from the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao and that giant palm after forcibly breaking through the bottleneck of the Heaven's Tribulation. In this Dark Starry Sea, even such a backlash might not occur."

Li Fan's divine embryo, like Zhao Xian earlier, was filled with a sense of sudden enlightenment.

"From one to many. Since this inherent principle can be broken, can others also be realized?"

"A whale falls, giving rise to myriad creatures. For the survivors in the dying Starry Sea, it might be an incredibly rare opportunity."

"Perhaps the extraordinary strength displayed by Passing Law, surpassing ordinary cultivators, is related to this."

"After wandering in the Starry Sea for thousands of years, he is probably close to the legendary realm of immortality."

...

The comprehension of the divine embryo in the Dark Starry Sea had a profound impact on Li Fan's true body.

The discovery that counteracting the principles could greatly benefit cultivators in this broken world even caused his aura to fluctuate uncontrollably.

Drawing the attention of the two elders, Huayue Night and Zhang Xu, who were guarding.

"Friend Sun?"

"It's okay, just thinking of my wife at home, my mind wandered a bit." Li Fan felt somewhat embarrassed.

The two elders showed strange expressions, nodding in understanding.

Stabilizing his mind again, Li Fan's true body forcibly suppressed the desire to break out of the Xuanhuang Realm.

"There has always been a mix of opportunities and crises."

"Now, the Dark Starry Sea, although a holy land for cultivation, undoubtedly harbors numerous dangers."

"If the divine embryo were not the miraculous foundation of the heavens, it would probably have fallen on the way. Faced with the various mysterious things in the Starry Sea, even my Five Elements Grand Celestial World wouldn't be able to hold on for too long."

The invisible void and the deadly black plague...

Neither of them was something the current Li Fan could deal with.

"Utilizing the divine embryo's insight is the same."

Li Fan could only console himself in this way.

"The sixteen cultivators from the Wanxian Alliance, if they leave the Xuanhuang Realm, should slowly discover this secret."

"Just don't know if they can come back alive."

Li Fan held a pessimistic attitude towards the fate of these sixteen individuals.

"In the eyes of the Xuanhuang Realm cultivators, they are absolutely nothing more than tools."

"This gathering should not escape this fate."

"However, I can find a way to secretly learn, to fly out of the Xuanhuang Realm without the resonating star power."

"The appearance of resonating star power in this lifetime is purely accidental. There's no way to ensure it will happen again. Since I now understand the importance of the Dark Starry Sea, how can I miss it?"

"Even if the current timing is top secret and cannot be investigated, after several decades or when the Holy Dynasty threatens the Wanxian Alliance, leading to a war between the two sides, these secrets will be neglected and easy to inquire about."

...

Although this is the case, Li Fan constantly keeps an eye on these sixteen people.

Through the Tianxuan Small Mirror, the divine aspect left in the Sun family has been able to stably maintain its form. As the divine aspect's strength recovers, Sun Luyao in the Infinite Mirror also becomes increasingly powerful, and the fusion with the Infinite Mirror becomes more apparent.

One day, while peering into the Tianxuan Mirror, Sun Luyao suddenly gathered his courage and said to Li Fan, "Senior, I seem to have sensed the position of another fragment of the Infinite Mirror."

"Perhaps, after absorbing it, the power of the Infinite Mirror will further improve."

Previously, the Sun brothers had almost searched the entire territory of the Wanxian Alliance. The fragment they found indeed caused a qualitative change in the Infinite Mirror. If it recovers a bit more, it might bring a surprise to Li Fan.

However, Li Fan's divine aspect acted as if it hadn't heard anything.

He patiently completed the exploration with the Tianxuan Mirror and still didn't find any information about the sixteen people summoned by Passing Law.

Afterward, he looked coldly at Sun Luyao and asked, "Where is it?"

Sun Luyao cautiously conveyed the sensed information.

"Hmm?"

Li Fan's divine aspect, after seeing the location pointed out by Sun Luyao, couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.

It was precisely in the remote border of Shilin Prefecture, in the Hundred Stone Grand Celestial World.

The remnants of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect and the entrance to the Spiritwood Realm were both located in these interconnected caves underground.

"I understand."

Li Fan's divine aspect replied indifferently, showing no intention to go and search.

Sun Luyao didn't dare to ask more.

It wasn't until seven days later that Sun Luyao came to the secret room again. With Li Fan's permission, he eagerly repeated the matter.

In stark contrast to Li Fan's indifference, Sun Luyao was overjoyed.

"If you can find another fragment, you might not have to suffer like this again!"

Sun Luyao nodded in agreement.

"By the way, brother, what was the reaction of that old guy Funa when he learned about the news of the Tianxuan Mirror's divine aspect?"

Sun Luyao asked again.

Funa furrowed his brows upon hearing this: "The birth of the Tianxuan Mirror's human aspect is a significant matter that needs careful consideration. Since he hasn't made any moves for the time being, I can understand. However, what's strange is that since our last meeting, I haven't been able to contact him."

"Can't contact him?"

"Not only Funa, even the Wanxian Alliance headquarters temporarily cannot be entered. It seems there's something extremely important going on."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1206: Boundless Ancient Dust

"It's quite strange; even urgent matters like the possible escape of the Tian Xuan Mirror turning into a human form seem to have been set aside for handling..."

"If we couldn't communicate externally, I would almost believe that the Immortal Alliance has already fallen," Sun Luyuan frowned.

Sun Luyao looked surprised at this moment, "Is that so? I didn't find anything relevant in the Tian Xuan Mirror?"

The two brothers exchanged glances.

Sun Luyao said with some disbelief, "I don't know if I failed to investigate, or if the Immortal Alliance and even the Tian Xuan Mirror are hiding this matter."

"The headquarters of the Immortal Alliance is a separate space within the Tian Xuan Mirror. To block the perception of the Tian Xuan Mirror, it would probably require the cooperation of the Council of Transmitters and the Mirror Keeper," Sun Luyuan said with a serious expression, as if recalling something.

"The Immortal Alliance headquarters is inside the Tian Xuan Mirror?" Sun Luyao was surprised and unaware.

Sun Luyuan came back to his senses at this time, nodded, but did not explain much.

"That old guy, Funa, can't free himself up, which is good for us. It's a perfect opportunity to find the fragment of the Boundless Mirror that you sensed."

"Okay, brother," Sun Luyao naturally had no objections.

"I originally wanted to take advantage of this rare opportunity to take you to the Blood Essence Pool for nourishment. We can only talk about it after we come back," Sun Luyuan shook his head slightly.

The Blood Essence Pool was a secret place of the Sun family, where the blood essence donated by the main line of the family was stored.

Enhanced with secret methods, its effects were even better than the blood essence of Sun Luyuan, a close relative.

However, collecting the blood essence of family members could not be done too frequently, or it would undoubtedly raise suspicions. So, it took quite a long time to accumulate enough for nourishment.

Sun Luyao had tasted the effects a few times before; indeed, it had some benefits.

But...

"Compared to the methods of the ancestors, it's far from sufficient."

The nourishment from the family's blood essence ultimately strengthened Sun Luyao's residual soul power.

The stronger one's own strength, the easier it was to resist the erosion of the Boundless Mirror.

Meanwhile, Li Fan directly displayed the method of mastering the Boundless Mirror before him.

Not only did he no longer need to forcibly erode it, but even the damaged and chaotic Boundless Mirror showed signs of slow recovery, making him no longer feel the pain he experienced before facing the Boundless Mirror.

Although he thought so in his heart, work still had to be done on the surface.

So, he pretended to look somewhat regretful.

Seeing this, Sun Luyuan consoled, "Let's see if this trip goes smoothly. If we come back quickly, there will still be plenty of time."

After saying this, Sun Luyuan returned and made some preparations.

When he returned to the secret room again, he had already transformed into the appearance of a younger generation of the Sun family.

It was Sun Luyuan's usual disguise.

"Let's go."

Putting the Boundless Mirror into his arms, Sun Luyuan quietly left the Sun family and headed towards Stone Linzhou.

Perhaps due to the instability of the damaged Boundless Mirror, it couldn't use teleportation arrays and could only fly with the physical body.

Fortunately, for a cultivator on the Dao path, this distance was not too far, and he quickly arrived at the entrance of the Hundred Stone Cave Heaven.

According to Sun Luyao's sensing, he continued to penetrate deeper into the underground cavern.

When encountering a dead end, he forcibly broke through, getting closer and closer to the destination.

"This strange place." However, as he went deeper, the walls of the cavern became harder, and Sun Luyuan unexpectedly became a bit strenuous.

"Brother, we're close." Sun Luyao sensed the familiar aura ahead and couldn't help but feel excited.

Perhaps because he had been too deep underground before, affecting his perception. When he truly arrived here, he found that this fragment might be even larger than he had imagined.

"Hmm?! Someone behind us?"

Just when they were almost a wall away from the fragment of the Boundless Mirror, Sun Luyuan's expression suddenly changed, and he stopped in his tracks.

"Being tracked unexpectedly."

Sun Luyuan reacted quickly, immediately changed the direction of travel, and continued to move deeper into the cavern.

Suddenly accelerating, his figure instantly disappeared in the maze-like passages.

Two cultivators dressed in blue robes now revealed their figures, their expressions somewhat unpleasant.

"Damn, he found us."

"It seems Sun Luyuan's cultivation has improved again."

"No matter, we've sealed the entrance. He can't escape."

...

However, what these two didn't know was that in the deeper part of the cavern, Sun Luyuan had already used the Boundless Mirror to see all their actions.

"Tian Quan, Chen Family."

Sun Luyuan snorted coldly.

Regarding the Medicine Hall Chen Family, who had been coveting the Boundless Mirror, Sun Luyuan naturally knew about their various moves. However, since they still had some foundation, there was no reason to take action until they made specific moves.

"But they've taken the initiative to come to me, giving me a chance."

Sun Luyuan instantly calculated in his mind.

Revealing his own aura, he attracted the two members of the Chen Family deeper underground. Then, quietly hiding, he quickly returned to where the Boundless Mirror fragment was.

Boom!

Opening a closed cave, Sun Luyuan quickly locked onto the location of the fragment.

This place seemed to be the ruins of an ancient sect, and the fragment of the Boundless Mirror had actually merged into another mirror-shaped magical treasure.

Unfortunately, this sect had long been destroyed, and this mirror-shaped magical treasure was covered in dust, buried underground for thousands of years.

Knowing that it was not suitable to stay here for long, Sun Luyuan couldn't take a closer look and stored it away.

Afterwards, without caring to conceal himself, he even burned his blood essence, and his entire strength erupted in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, he had already rushed to the entrance of the Hundred Stone Cave Heaven.

The two cultivators guarding the entrance were caught off guard and couldn't resist for a while. Sun Luyuan rushed out just like that.

"Chen Family! This grudge will not be settled unless I do it myself!"

Clearly not having suffered any injuries, Sun Luyuan suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and his aura rapidly weakened.

Like thunder, his voice echoed in the sky above Stone Linzhou for a long time.

Then, Sun Luyuan turned into a streak of light, flying towards the central area of the Immortal Alliance.

Leaving the two members of the Chen Family somewhat puzzled.

When the two cultivators from the deceiving group arrived in the cavern, they only reacted then.

"Bad." The four looked at each other with gloomy faces.

Since the situation had already been exposed, it was impossible to openly chase and kill under the broad daylight.

"This operation has failed. The Sun family is probably going to completely break ties. Go back soon and discuss how to deal with it."

"Humph, we can just give up on that immortal treasure. Publicize this matter directly. I don't believe that the small Sun family can still keep this immortal treasure."

The four members of the Chen Family disappeared consecutively.

In Stone Linzhou, the angry roar of Sun Luyuan had gradually sparked discussions among the people.

A storm gradually spread.

Meanwhile, Sun Luyuan had already returned home.

He went straight to the underground secret room and took out the Boundless Mirror.

(End of this chapter)

On the way, Sun Luyuan could clearly sense the Boundless Mirror in his arms, restless and the familiar uncontrollable roar of his younger brother, Sun Luyao. He forcefully suppressed it until safely returning before releasing it.

"Brother, give it to me quickly! I can't bear it!"

The mirror kept violently shaking, and Sun Luyao's shadow seemed to be constantly distorted by a hurricane.

"Calm down!"

Sun Luyuan shouted lowly, skillfully offering a drop of his own blood to alleviate his brother's frenzy.

Afterwards, he took out the mirror obtained from the Hundred Stone Winter's remains.

The similar origin of their auras indicated that the mirror's main body was the fragment of the Boundless Mirror. However, it had been re-forged into a separate magical treasure.

Sun Luyuan carefully removed the remaining restrictions on the mirror and then tossed it to his brother.

With the constraints lifted, the dark and greedy aura floated above the mirror.

A dim beam of light spewed out from Sun Luyao's mouth, corroding this ancient relic.

As the mirror gradually disappeared into the black light, the damaged Boundless Mirror where Sun Luyao's spirit resided underwent visible changes.

The traces of time slowly vanished, the ancient feeling disappeared, replaced by a sense of vicissitude as if it had experienced trials and tribulations.

The surface of the Boundless Mirror occasionally emitted a frightening radiance, making Sun Luyuan's heart shiver.

"Is this the power of an immortal treasure?" he thought to himself, looking forward even more to his brother's performance after awakening from the devouring.

The actual master of the Boundless Mirror, Li Fan's divine fragment hidden in the mirror, could more intuitively witness the transformation—or rather, the restoration—of the Boundless Mirror.

The once incomplete "Boundless, Hongmeng Seeing Square" grand array was slowly being filled.

As if it had obtained a core, a miraculous force that couldn't be described flowed out continuously from the formation.

Nourishing the worn-out body of the Boundless Mirror.

This was the reason why, in the eyes of outsiders, this immortal treasure suddenly renewed itself.

With Li Fan's divine fragment, even his divine fragment underwent a transformation, evolving from a divine fragment to a divine soul.

Li Fan even had a feeling that if he continued to absorb the energy from the Boundless Mirror, given time, his divine fragment might grow stronger than his original divine soul!

Remember, Li Fan's cultivation journey to his current realm was built step by step, with an extremely solid foundation.

Not to mention the theoretical accumulation from multiple cycles of reincarnation, just the Five Elements Great Caverns and Xuanhuang Life and Death Transformation were all based on the essence of the Xuanhuang Realm.

On this basis, reaching the pinnacle of the combined Dao realm could be leveled by the energy from this damaged mirror!

Even in terms of divine soul alone, Li Fan was greatly shocked.

He uttered a sentiment similar to Sun Luyuan's, "Is this the might of an immortal treasure?"

The energy emerging from the Boundless Mirror seemed orderly, full of vitality.

However, just as Li Fan thought it would completely repair the Boundless Mirror, the mirror suddenly uncontrollably fell to the ground.

The mirror's surface projected a bunch of light and shadows, enveloping the underground secret room.

The images rapidly flashed by.

Among them, the prophesied scenes shocked both Sun Luyuan and Li Fan's minds.

The peaceful Xuanhuang land was shrouded in war.

Immortal Alliance cultivators clashed with an unknown force.

Arrows of light flew across the sky, causing earth-shattering explosions wherever they landed.

A shining giant fought fiercely with a black-haired naked man.

Their powers affected even the mist barriers in the sky, causing distortion and rupture.

What was even more astonishing was that on this battlefield, there was a figure dressed in a black imperial robe, the face indistinct.

Standing above everyone.

Across from him, another figure was equally vague.

Boom!

As if pushed to the extreme, the images projected by the Boundless Mirror instantly distorted in one place.

Then, a violent white light erupted.

After the light faded away, there was only a silent darkness.

Hiss!

The Boundless Mirror, which had just shown signs of improvement, once again displayed a crack.

Sun Luyao let out a scream, and the dark shadow was forcibly sucked into the mirror.

"Brother!"

Sun Luyuan instantly snapped out of shock, his expression changing as he tried to pick up the Boundless Mirror.

However, as he approached, his hand recoiled as if burnt by intense flames.

Sun Luyuan looked at his outstretched right hand with great solemnity.

In a short time, it seemed as if he had experienced thousands of years; his flesh withered, and wrinkles emerged.

Not only his physical body but also a part of Sun Luyuan's soul seemed to have genuinely undergone the passage of time, making recovery nearly impossible.

Even the slightest touch was enough, not to mention Li Fan's divine fragment within the Boundless Mirror.

When Li Fan witnessed the spontaneous extrapolation of the future of the Xuanhuang Realm within the Boundless Mirror earlier, he was shaken and wanted to take a closer look.

However, the sudden sense of a fatal crisis made him disregard everything.

This eroding force, concealed deep within the Boundless Mirror, even Li Fan's divine fragment, which had essentially mastered it, had no slightest awareness before it erupted.

It came so swiftly, explosively.

Like the wind wearing away the years, the Boundless Mirror, which had just absorbed the fragment and somewhat recovered, instantly experienced the wind and frost of countless tribulations, becoming decrepit again.

The core of the Boundless Mirror, the Hongmeng Jianfang Formation, was also blown over by a fierce wind.

Some intact structures once again became broken.

Li Fan's divine fragment naturally couldn't escape either.

Originally just a remnant spirit, it quickly dissipated like a candle in the wind, about to completely disappear.

Fortunately, first, he had previously used array refining to largely refine the Boundless Mirror. Inhabiting the mirror, relying on the power of the Boundless Mirror, gave him a bit more resistance.

Second, at the crucial moment when he sensed that his divine fragment was about to perish, Li Fan instinctively silently recited the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra.

Although it couldn't recover what was already worn away, it greatly slowed down the speed at which the divine fragment was erased in this storm.

Enduring for a long time, the terrifying calamity within the Boundless Mirror slowly dissipated.

Li Fan perceived that it hadn't disappeared.

Instead, it had returned to the depths of the Boundless Mirror and lurked once again.

At this moment, the anxious voice of Sun Luyuan slowly reached them.

"Brother, what happened to you?"

Sun Luyao, due to the severe damage, was already too weak to respond.

Seeing this, Sun Luyuan reacted promptly.

He immediately immersed the Boundless Mirror in the Sun family's Blood Essence Pool.

Although it was a Blood Essence Pool, it had no hint of a bloody stench. Instead, it was filled with the fragrance of heavenly treasures.

The pool water wasn't blood-red but a rainbow-like, dreamy hue, as if celestial lights were flowing.

Soaking in it, Li Fan's somewhat aged divine fragment began to feel relieved.

"Why is it consuming so quickly?" Sun Luyuan saw the rapid change in the color of the Blood Essence Pool water and was surprised.

However, he left determinedly, evidently going to gather blood essence again.

(End of this chapter)

After surviving the calamity, Li Fan began to recall the terrifying power in the Boundless Mirror just now.

"So, this is the reason for the damage to the Boundless Mirror?"

"I feel that it might even surpass those few True Immortal characters."

"Although what I've seen so far are imitations of True Immortal characters, the ones in the Boundless Mirror are just residual ripples."

"Could this catastrophe in the immortal realm be related to it?"

Even with myriad curiosities in his mind, Li Fan currently didn't want to delve deeper.

An existence capable of destroying the immortal realm was definitely beyond his current capabilities.

"It's only some remnants within the Boundless Mirror, and even if induced to release, it can, at most, cover a city."

"It might have some uses only in critical situations."

Li Fan contemplated.

"No wonder a majestic immortal artifact fell into the hands of a Foundation Establishment cultivator's lingering soul. That eroding storm was too terrifying."

"Originally belonging to the Boundless Sect, an immortal artifact located in the Xuanhuang Realm, went through such a change..."

"Doesn't that imply that this catastrophe occurred in the Xuanhuang Realm?"

Li Fan's thoughts paused, and he suddenly thought of two major events that changed the course of Xuanhuang Realm's history, possibly related to it.

One was the inexplicable disappearance of Xuantian King Xuanyuan Hong.

The second was the siege of the six top experts at the time, who only had the Combined Dao cultivation base.

"The cultivation bases of these people have reached the pinnacle of their era."

"Ordinary things within the Xuanhuang Realm couldn't harm them. Unless..."

Li Fan's heart stirred.

"A power that transcends the mundane."

Li Fan remembered the Grand Magus of the Celestial Capital who arrived in the Xuanhuang Realm after the great catastrophe, remaining motionless in Dao Yuanzhou since being injured.

"Was his arrival back then really coincidental?"

At this moment, Li Fan couldn't help but be filled with strong doubts.

This incident also served as a wake-up call for Li Fan.

Even though his perspective could reach beyond the Xuanhuang Realm, there were still existences within the realm he couldn't fathom or reach.

He had to be extremely cautious no matter what he did.

Amidst his surging thoughts, Sun Luyuan had hurriedly returned.

He added a large amount of blood and various materials to the Blood Essence Pool.

The pool water, which was already somewhat dim, became radiant once again.

Li Fan also became concerned about the condition of the Boundless Mirror.

It had almost regressed to the state before absorbing the fragment.

However, it was somewhat more complete now, and Li Fan believed that the situation would improve to a certain extent after Sun Luyao woke up.

Moreover, Li Fan had briefly glimpsed the more complete Hongmeng Jianfang Formation. Although it couldn't be perfectly restored, some repairs would be fine.

Three days later, Sun Luyao, the spirit of the Boundless Mirror, finally woke up briefly from his deep sleep.

"Brother, I need some things."

After informing him of the materials needed to repair the formation, he fell unconscious again.

Sun Luyuan looked at the detailed list of materials sent by his brother and hurriedly went to gather them.

During this time, the Chen family, afraid of retaliation from Sun Luyuan, had been closely monitoring his movements.

However, Sun Luyuan seemed to have forgotten about this matter, coming and going as if busy with something urgent.

This left the Chen family perplexed.

Combined with the fact that they couldn't reach their backer, the Law Transmitter Chang, in the headquarters of the Immortal Alliance, the Chen family chose to remain still and observe.

So, the Chen family also chose to stay put and watch the situation.

With Sun Luyuan tirelessly collecting, the required materials were soon complete.

It seemed like Sun Luyao was absorbing them, but it was actually Li Fan's divine sense making the move.

As the fragmented core of the array gradually recovered, the situation of the Boundless Mirror slowly stabilized.

Upon hearing his brother's ordeal, Sun Luyuan frowned.

"Brother, do you remember the ancient ruins where we found this mirror in the first place?"

Sun Luyao was slightly startled.

"I initially thought that the ruins were just ancient relics that had experienced the passage of time. But with what you just said..."

Sun Luyuan's expression turned unsightly. "It seems like that place was destroyed by the eroding storm within the mirror."

"Perhaps it was the previous release that allowed both of us brothers to take advantage. Otherwise, with our cultivation at that time, how could we subdue this mirror?"

Sun Luyao recalled scenes from the past and gradually realized.

"There is a possibility. I remember that there were hardly any valuable things in the ruins at that time. The only thing recognized by the Celestial Mirror was given a low contribution value..."

"You focus on recovering. I'll revisit that ruin sometime later. The entrance is extremely hidden, and with only ruins left, there shouldn't be much change after so many years. Maybe we'll make some discoveries." Sun Luyuan said solemnly.

"Brother, be careful." Sun Luyao didn't dissuade him but offered a caution.

"And the Chen family..." Sun Luyuan suddenly snorted.

He remembered the images inexplicably deduced by the Boundless Mirror before.

"The force that had a difficult-to-resolve conflict with the Immortal Alliance, it seems to be the Saint Dynasty, which my brother previously investigated."

"In that case, the predictions of the Celestial Mirror still have some basis."

"Two great artifacts making such predictions..."

"It seems like it's time to make contact with the other party."

Naturally, Sun Luyuan wouldn't personally go to their door right away.

After all, the Saint Dynasty hadn't openly opposed the Immortal Alliance yet. He would let his trusted subordinates investigate first and then decide on the next steps.

Compared to this, the fact that the Boundless Mirror, originally thought to be a treasure, had now become a potential disaster at any moment worried Sun Luyuan more.

His brother had already become the spirit of the Boundless Mirror, and it was impossible for him to abandon it.

After some preparations, Sun Luyuan planned to revisit the ancient ruins.

The experience in Baishi Dongtian made Sun Luyuan aware that the Chen family was definitely still secretly monitoring him.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Sun Luyuan directly contacted an old friend.

Ji Hongdao!

"Old Ji, there's something I'd like to ask for your help..." Sun Luyuan contacted him through a spirit talisman.

Soon, Ji Hongdao arrived at the Sun family's doorstep.

"Haha, Old Sun, I finally get to repay a favor I owe you from back then." Ji Hongdao laughed heartily.

"I heard you recently clashed with the Chen family?" Inside the house, Ji Hongdao suddenly lowered his voice.

"Yes, somehow, the Chen family learned about the treasure where Luyao resides." Sun Luyuan truthfully replied.

Ji Hongdao understood.

"Don't worry, although they have a Law Transmitter as their backing, Old Sun, you also have someone behind you controlling the mirror."

"With their recent exposure, they won't dare to act rashly for a short time."

"Rest assured, facing desperate villains is unavoidable. This time going out, it's my pleasure to help, brother." Sun Luyuan said solemnly.

(End of this chapter)

Ji Hongdao arrogantly said, "Rest assured, with me around, these people won't dare to be unruly again."

"Even the Chen family wouldn't dare to offend both the Strategy Hall and the Law Protector Hall at the same time," Sun Luyuan clasped his fists. "I'll thank Brother Ji in advance."

"My destination this time is the Floating Light Province, in the Great Rift Valley."

Upon hearing this, Ji Hongdao's eyes showed a hint of surprise, and he cautioned, "This trip might be a bit complicated."

Seeing Sun Luyuan's somewhat puzzled expression, he was stunned, "Why, don't you know? Due to the previous turmoil in the Xuanhuang Realm, the Great Rift Valley in the Floating Light Province has been compressed and healed."

"The terrain has already changed drastically, and if you want to enter the original rift..."

Sun Luyuan furrowed his brows.

After a long sigh, he said, "In that case, I can only do my best and accept fate."

With the partially recovered Boundless Mirror, Sun Luyuan followed Ji Hongdao towards their destination.

Their relationship was obviously extraordinary. On the way to the Great Rift Valley, Sun Luyuan explained in detail the reasons for this trip to Ji Hongdao.

Of course, the specific power of the eroding storm suddenly unleashed by the Boundless Mirror was downplayed and concealed.

"Are you suspecting that the ancient ruins where the Boundless Mirror was found were actually caused by the mirror itself?" Without witnessing the horrifying disaster, Ji Hongdao didn't think much of it and considered it merely as a threat to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Yes, since it's the origin of the Boundless Mirror, perhaps we can find a way to deal with the eroding disaster. Even if we find records of failures, they can be used as experience..." Sun Luyuan explained.

As they were chatting, both of them suddenly wore solemn expressions.

Because they unexpectedly discovered a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Chen family following them, just as expected.

"It's Chen Ruoyu."

"Don't get entangled with him, shake him off."

Ji Hongdao transmitted his voice.

A white light enveloped them, and with the array's boost, their speed suddenly surged, becoming several times faster in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, they had disappeared on the horizon.

Seeing this, Chen Ruoyu also hurriedly accelerated to chase.

After a while,

"Brother Ji, this trick of yours, the Golden Cicada Sheds its Shell, is really a clever method."

"Humph, dealing with these fools who only know alchemy is naturally not a problem."

Two illusory figures suddenly appeared out of thin air and flew off in another direction.

Shaking off the Chen family's pursuit and spending most of the day, the two finally arrived at the so-called Great Rift Valley in the Floating Light Province.

Sun Luyuan looked at the raised mountain range on the ground, and his face couldn't help but twitch.

"I wonder if Brother Sun still remembers the specific location from back then?" Ji Hongdao asked.

Sun Luyuan carefully recalled, "I can only determine the approximate location. It depends on luck from here."

Just then, Sun Luyuan suddenly sensed a message from his brother.

"Brother, move closer to the lower side. I seem to have a faint sense."

Sun Luyuan was overjoyed.

Flying around the mountain range along the ground, he quickly locked onto the location of the sensation.

"Wait a moment."

Just as Sun Luyuan was about to forcefully enter the ground, Ji Hongdao stopped him.

Taking out a flying boat, he said, "Get in."

"The Dust-Crossing Boat?!" Sun Luyuan was somewhat surprised but immediately entered without hesitation.

The Dust-Crossing Boat turned into a yellow light, slowly sinking into the ground like melting ice.

Looking at the changing layers of soil around and the many residual prohibition auras in the ruins, Sun Luyuan sighed, "It's fortunate to have Brother Ji and this treasure; otherwise, it would be quite troublesome."

Ji Hongdao nodded, "It's also a reward from Chief Lu. She has been unable to leave the Immortal Alliance headquarters recently, so she asked me to run errands for her."

As the Dust-Crossing Boat descended, its hull collided continuously with buried objects in the ground.

The surface of the boat emitted a red-orange glow, offsetting the impact.

Ji Hongdao occasionally cast spells to enhance the protective power of the Dust-Crossing Boat.

"There are so many relics buried in this rift, I wonder where the ancient boundary was in ancient times, burying so many remains."

Not only were there architectural ruins, but as the two descended, they also frequently saw large piles of bones.

"Some are human, and some are unknown gigantic creatures.

Even the two individuals, despite their extensive experiences, felt a bit astonished in their hearts.

"Brother, it seems like this is the place!"

When they reached a depth of over three thousand feet underground, Sun Luyao finally spoke.

The Dust Boat suddenly came to a halt.

The pressure here was immense. The red halo around the Dust Boat continued to swirl, neutralizing the external pressure.

Sun Luyao and Ji Hongdao looked around, but couldn't find any traces of the ruins.

"The changes are too significant; there's no trace of the past. However, the depth is almost the same," Sun Luyao said.

Ji Hongdao also observed, "Here..."

"Something seems odd!"

A circular array flew out from his embrace, hanging above his head and emitting a white light.

Under the white light, Sun Luyao could vaguely see some dark golden characters flashing.

"There are still remnants of an array." Sun Luyao was surprised.

Although he wasn't proficient in arrays, he understood some basic principles.

"Brother, it seems we can enter here."

While Ji Hongdao used an array to explore the surroundings and find the entrance, Sun Luyao had already found it in advance.

Ji Hongdao immediately used the array's white light for verification.

Indeed, in a place that seemed to be entirely composed of hard rock layers, the frequency of appearance of golden characters was higher.

Ji Hongdao closed his eyes and deduced.

After a cup of tea's time, he spoke in a low voice and pointed forward.

As if a piece of paper was torn, numerous golden characters shattered and drifted.

The Dust Boat took advantage of the opportunity to fly in.

And those shattered characters showed signs of reassembling.

"Don't worry; this is a concealed array that can absorb underground energy and operate automatically."

"Looking at its pattern, it's completely different from the current ones. It should have been here for quite some time. I have fully grasped its structure and can enter and exit at will," Ji Hongdao proudly said.

Sun Luyao praised repeatedly, "It's really right for Brother Ji to take action this time! Otherwise, just this array alone, I don't know how long it would take me. But what's strange is that when my brother and I came before, this array didn't exist..."

Sun Luyao suddenly became alert.

In the Infinite Mirror, listening to the conversation between his brother and Ji Hongdao, Sun Luyao secretly looked at the nearby phantom, feeling even more awe in his heart.

Ji Hongdao broke the array in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

As for the senior...

With just a glance, he found the entrance.

Yes, he could perceive this place not by any sense but entirely with the guidance of the senior.

Feeling Sun Luyao's respectful and fearful gaze, Li Fan was indifferent.

While Sun Luyao and his brother were cautiously exploring here, he had already used the Infinite Mirror to scan the entire ruins the moment he arrived.

"One Origin Sect?"

Li Fan's tone was inexplicable.

The One Origin Sect, alongside the Sky Sword Sect and Dao Sect, was once one of the ten major immortal sects.

Its presence, comparatively, was weaker.

It had minimal contact within the Fallen Immortal Realm and is challenging to find records in the current era, as if it had evaporated from the world.

Except for the information from Senior Shiban, who mentioned my Five Elements Grand Celestial Realm used to cultivate my Nascent Soul, created by the One Origin Sect, I haven't delved much into it.

Unexpectedly, today, three thousand zhang below the surface of this rift, I discovered traces of the One Origin Sect.

But it's just traces.

The entire ruin is deserted.

Except for a collapsed structure in the center, inscribed with the characters 'One Origin.'

Here, there's no grandeur resembling the ancient top ten immortal sects.

"It seems the One Origin Sect didn't fare well."

After asking Sun Luyao, I learned this is indeed the ruins where they found the Infinite Mirror.

Back then, they only intruded into a small area.

Now, for unknown reasons, the formations separating different regions have vanished, revealing the entire One Origin Sect.

"Infinite Grand Cosmos, all sides visible!"

I murmured.

Silently, the Infinite Mirror emitted an imperceptible faint light again.

In an instant, it covered the entire ruins of the One Origin Sect.

Consequently, the complete structural map of the ruins instantly synchronized within the Infinite Mirror.

Even details like where spiritual energy fluctuations persist, where hidden chambers are located, and the danger level of various areas...

All were available.

All of this was accomplished by the Infinite Mirror under Ji Hongdao's supervision.

However, the top-tier formation master within the Wanxian Alliance, Ji Hongdao, was completely unaware.

In Li Fan's mind, memories of the 114th reincarnation surfaced—when he went to Tianyu Province in the Sea of Clouds to study formations and Ji Hongdao personally taught thousands of formation talents in the Wanxian Alliance.

At that time, even Ji Hongdao's formation skills seemed beyond his reach.

But after a dozen cycles, his formation skills reached a level incomprehensible to Ji Hongdao.

"I've been progressing in every life, but they remain stagnant..."

"The gap will only widen in the future."

Li Fan watched Sun Luyao and his brother, who were still cautiously exploring, shaking his head slightly.

Without further patience, he directly instructed Sun Luyao to guide them to the only valuable place in the current One Origin Sect.

"Brother Sun, be careful; the formations here are most intact..." Ji Hongdao reminded, leading the way.

Sun Luyao felt a bit speechless but didn't want to expose it.

The two proceeded with extreme caution, passing through the walled-off areas of formations, entering a hidden chamber.

In the innermost part of the chamber, two statues were placed—one large and one small.

The larger one, seated on a cushion, held a dusting brush.

The smaller one stood behind, wearing a smiling expression.

These peculiar statues instantly captured their attention.

Without any rash moves, they observed carefully.

"It seems to be just ordinary stone statues, without any mysteries." After a while, Ji Hongdao made a judgment.

Sun Luyao breathed a sigh of relief at his words.

Meanwhile, within the Infinite Mirror,

Li Fan glanced at the scene previously scanned by the Hongmeng Array and then looked at the hidden chamber.

His heart sank.

"Can you see those two statues?" Li Fan asked Sun Luyao.

"Statues? What statues?" Sun Luyao was bewildered, feeling somewhat inexplicable.

"Tell your brother not to touch them." Li Fan didn't explain but gave a direct command.

Sun Luyao, reminded by his brother, trusted him enough to stop Ji Hongdao's attempt to investigate further.

"Little brother, is there any danger with these things?"

He scrutinized the statues repeatedly but couldn't discern anything peculiar about them.

"Previously, I randomly came across records in ancient texts that somewhat resemble these two statues. They seem to be related to the origin of the Ten Sects, the Grand Magus of the Celestial Heavens..." Sun Luyao conveyed Li Fan's judgment.

"Grand Magus of the Celestial Heavens?" Sun Luyuan and Ji Hongdao both took a step back.

They had heard something about this legendary figure.

It was said to be at the level of a quasi-True Immortal.

Any existence close to a True Immortal instilled fear.

The higher one's cultivation, the more they understood the gap between cultivators and True Immortals.

In the Infinite Mirror, Li Fan's thoughts raced.

Previously, he suffered greatly from the Faceless True Immortal statue.

It took six cycles to eliminate the influence of the Faceless True Immortal.

Although the Grand Magus of the Celestial Heavens and the Faceless True Immortal were not at the same level, the Grand Magus also left an imprint on him.

He needed to be more cautious.

"The One Origin Sect's inheritance comes from the Grand Magus of the Celestial Heavens, and it makes sense to have a statue of the Grand Magus in the sect."

"But..."

"The other Nine Immortal Sects don't seem to have statues of the Grand Magus."

"Moreover, even if they wanted to worship, it should be placed in a solemn central hall. Why would it be placed in a dark underground chamber?"

Li Fan's intuition told him something was amiss.

"The One Origin Sect doesn't seem like a benevolent sect. According to Senior Shiban's description, they planned to cultivate the Five Elements Grand Celestial Realm and directly devour the Xuanhuang, creating a new cultivation realm when the Great Calamity of the Xuanhuang emerged. It was just later thwarted by someone."

"That person who stopped the One Origin Sect was undoubtedly Mr. Bai."

"Before the Xuanhuang world completely opposed cultivators, cultivators still respected the Heavenly Dao. It nurtures and sustains cultivators like their parents."

"Yet, the One Origin Sect ruthlessly harvested the essence of heaven and earth, no different from the new methods of the New Law cultivators."

"The Grand Magus of the Celestial Heavens..."

Li Fan once again used the Hongmeng Array to scan the Grand Magus of the Celestial Heavens statues.

There were two statues—one large, one small.

Legend has it that the seated figure imparted countless techniques and secrets to the Ten Sects.

But Li Fan's innate perception hinted that the standing boy might be more complicated.

Thus, the Hongmeng Array focused on the smiling boy statue.

Infinite faint light repeatedly swept over the area where the statues were.

Each time it probed, the images slowly revealed some lines.

However, these lines gradually disappeared over time.

Li Fan squinted, accelerating the Infinite Mirror's scanning speed.

The lines began to accumulate again.

"Brother, help me."

Unable to withstand the overload, Sun Luyao sought help from his brother.

Waiting for Sun Luyuan's blood support, the Infinite Mirror finally revealed the true nature of the statues in the hidden chamber.

They were two bones.

As if the flesh of some creature had been completely stripped away, leaving only two bones.