Chapter 15

This small wooden boat is precisely the flying boat that Li Fan has been yearning for.

Through a message carved on the wall by the tomb's owner before his death, Li Fan finally understood the whole story.

It turns out that the tomb's owner was named Qian Hong, a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Over three thousand years ago, he was pursued by his enemies and, with no way out, hid in this Immortal Sealed Land.

He originally planned to stay for a while and then leave, but he soon discovered that this Immortal Sealed Land had no spiritual energy. Moreover, as a poor cultivator, he had very few spirit stones. Before long, his spirit stones were depleted. Without spirit stones to replenish his spiritual energy, his cultivation deteriorated.

After a failed attempt to break through the Immortal Sealed Array, which left him severely injured, Qian Hong realized he was trapped here.

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

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

Thus, he conducted extensive investigations, spending several decades, and finally found Yi Xing's tomb.

There was indeed a flying boat in the tomb, but to his despair, the power core array inside the boat was damaged. Since he was not skilled in refining artifacts, he could not repair it.

Moreover, even if the flying boat were repaired, without spirit stones, he could not provide it with sufficient power at his current cultivation level.

At this point, Qian Hong finally gave up the idea of leaving this Immortal Sealed Land. He then lived out the rest of his life as an ordinary mortal, concealing his identity.

Before his death, he carved his life story on the tomb wall, hoping that if any cultivators entered his tomb in the future, they would take his remains back to the cultivation world. The few items he left in the tomb were to be considered his advance payment for this favor.

The first item was the force that guarded Qian Hong's tomb and had previously caused the deaths of dozens of visitors. It was also the reason Qian Hong believed that anyone who could enter the tomb must be a cultivator.

Heavenly Oddity: The Halt Broken Stele.

A broken stone stele, with the character "halt" barely visible on it.

Li Fan touched the stele, but it showed no reaction, which made him feel a bit regretful. The Halt Broken Stele had been affected by the Immortal Mortal Miasma used to force entry into the tomb and had turned into an ordinary stone.

However, Li Fan was not too concerned. Knowing the location of Qian Hong's tomb, he could always come back for it in his next life.

The second item left by Qian Hong was two jade slips, containing cultivation techniques he had painstakingly exchanged from the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.

"The Small Reversion Technique, a Qi Condensation technique, current practitioners: 1."

"The Cloud Water Record, a Foundation Establishment technique, current practitioners: 1."

Picking up the jade slips, Li Fan felt a sudden jolt as he sensed the information transmitted by the jade slips. He thought for a moment that Qian Hong was still alive and had set a trap here.

But after a moment, Li Fan realized that over three thousand years had passed. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would have turned to dust, let alone a Golden Core cultivator.

As for why these cultivation techniques still had practitioners, Li Fan quickly understood.

The Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance must have the original archives of these techniques. If the number of practitioners for a technique drops to zero, it means the cultivator who exchanged it has died.

After that, these techniques can be put back into circulation for others to exchange.

Over the past three thousand years, these two techniques might have had several different owners.

"Black... really black..." Li Fan was speechless.

After a moment of reflection, Li Fan turned his attention to the third item, the Taiyan Boat.

This was the tool used by the Taiyan Sect to relocate mortals.

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

After thousands of years, it has now fallen into Li Fan's hands, offering him hope of escaping this Immortal Mortal Sealed Land.

Holding the Taiyan Boat in his hands, Li Fan was overwhelmed with emotion. After hundreds of years of anticipation, his wish was finally fulfilled.

As for the damage to the Taiyan Boat, Li Fan was not worried at all.

Qian Hong could not repair it, and neither could Li Fan, but there were others who could.

...

Fifteen years later, after anchoring for fifty years, Kou Hong and Daoxuanzi returned to Xuanjing City.

"Daoxuanzi! Don't push me too far!"

"Kou Hong! Do you think I will let you off just because you fled to this Immortal Sealed Land? Hand over the cultivation technique you obtained that day, or I will never stop pursuing you!"

"Ha! It's precisely because of the lack of a Golden Core technique that I have been stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage for nearly a century. With my lifespan almost exhausted and about to turn into bones, I finally obtained this Golden Core technique. How could I possibly hand it over to someone else!"

"Indeed! The path to the Golden Core, with me, there is no other. Although there are many cultivation techniques for the Golden Core, there are even more cultivators stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage! Now that the path to immortality is before me, how could I possibly let you go, and how could I not push you to the limit!"

"But to come to this! It's laughable that we, who were brothers for a hundred years, are now drawing swords against each other for a glimmer of hope!"

...

Just as the two were about to fight to the death, they heard a loud, carefree laugh from below in Xuanjing City.

"Is it just a single Golden Core technique that is worth your deadly struggle?!"

Kou Hong and Daoxuanzi both changed expression and looked down.

"Who are you! What a big mouth!"

"Arrogant!"

While they spoke, their expressions were filled with caution.

"Why don't the two of you come down and talk?"

In the Grand Master's residence below, a silver-haired old man called out loudly.

Kou Hong and Daoxuanzi exchanged glances, maintaining a cautious distance as they landed in the Grand Master's residence.

"Ha ha ha, please!" The silver-haired old man seemed very pleased, leading the two to sit in the hall.

After ordering his servants to prepare food and drink, he said with a sigh, "When our ancestor was on his deathbed, he said that in the future, two people would come from the east of the ruins, stepping into the capital, and this would be the opportunity for our clan to leave this place."

"For thousands of years, our clan has been half-believing and half-doubting. Today, we have the proof, and we should celebrate!" The old man laughed and drained the cup of wine before him.

Kou Hong and Daoxuanzi exchanged glances.

"May I ask for your name?" Kou Hong asked first, his tone much more polite.

"I am Li Fan." Li Fan smiled in response.

"From what you say, your ancestor foresaw that we two would come here thousands of years ago? What do you mean by the opportunity to leave this place?" Daoxuanzi frowned, sizing up Li Fan.

Li Fan seemed a bit displeased, "What? Don't you believe it?"

Kou Hong smiled and shook his head, "This is too extraordinary. We have roamed the cultivation world for a hundred years and have never heard of any divination technique that can predict events thousands of years in the future."

Daoxuanzi also shook his head.

Li Fan straightened up and asked with a haughty look, "Have you ever heard of the Taiyan Sect?"

Kou Hong and Daoxuanzi exchanged glances, somewhat shocked, "Could it be the ancient sect known for its divination techniques?"

Li Fan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded calmly, "My ancestor was a disciple of the Taiyan Sect."