Chapter 99

"How could this be?" Li Fan was taken aback, asking in surprise.

"Didn't they say it was just the cave of a Golden Core cultivator? How could even a Great Cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage fall?"

Yuwen Xing shook his head: "No one knows the exact situation right now. The entrance to that cave has been temporarily sealed to prevent any uninformed people from rushing in to their deaths."

After saying this, Yuwen Xing sighed: "There are only a dozen or so Nascent Soul cultivators on the entire Ten Thousand Immortals Island. The loss of one is significant."

"Not to mention the four Golden Core and thirteen Foundation Establishment cultivators who died in the two explorations."

"The atmosphere on the island is not peaceful now. With so many cultivators passing away, their positions on the island are all vacant. Various factions are now secretly vying for these lucrative positions."

"The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance has also restarted the investigation into Zheng Xiaoyun. This time, it's Elder Gongsun of the Heavenly Secrets Hall personally leading the investigation. It's unknown whether they can uncover the truth."

"Truly a time of many troubles..."

Li Fan saw that Yuwen Xing's worry seemed to have another reason, but since he didn't say anything, Li Fan didn't dare to ask rashly.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Island through the teleportation array.

The atmosphere on the island had become much more serious, and the faces of the passing cultivators no longer showed the usual ease.

After some inquiries, Li Fan learned the reason for Yuwen Xing's worried expression.

It turned out that Yuwen Xing's patron was the fallen Gouxuan True Lord.

It was precisely because of this relationship that he was able to defeat many competitors and become the guardian of Liuli Island.

Now, before he could even settle into his position, his patron had fallen.

No wonder he looked so worried.

"A Nascent Soul cultivator has fallen, that cave must be extremely dangerous."

"It seems that Daoist He's remains won't be retrieved anytime soon."

This was what Li Fan originally thought.

However, a few days later, things seemed to take a turn.

The results of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's investigation were out.

The Golden Core cultivator named Zheng Xiaoyun was not at fault.

The reason he survived the first exploration was that he was only at the Golden Core stage.

The second exploration, however, saw the fall of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

This was because the mechanical puppets in Tianyang True Lord's cave had a peculiar characteristic:

They became weaker when faced with weaker opponents and stronger when faced with stronger opponents.

During the first exploration led by Zheng Xiaoyun, the mechanical puppets only displayed the strength of the Golden Core stage.

Zheng Xiaoyun's own strength was decent, and with the help of five other Foundation Establishment cultivators to draw the attacks, he barely managed to survive.

When Gouxuan True Lord led the second exploration, the mechanical puppets' strength suddenly increased to the Nascent Soul stage.

With over a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators bursting forth in an instant, the second exploration team was instantly wiped out.

Of course, the mechanical puppets' ability to become stronger when faced with stronger opponents must have a limit.

But the exact limit of these mechanical puppets' strength is unknown.

Tianyang True Lord, though only at the Golden Core stage during his lifetime, set up his cave inside a submarine volcano.

Over thousands of years, the mechanical puppets continuously absorbed the energy of the volcanic fire.

This directly caused the submarine volcano to become extinct.

Now that the volcanic fire has reactivated, it may mean that over the years, the mechanical puppets have grown to their limit.

The ancient mechanical arts have been lost for a long time, and it's unknown how strong a mechanical puppet that has grown to its limit would be.

But considering that in the era before the great calamity, when Nascent Soul cultivators were as common as dogs, the mechanical arts still held a place, these puppets are definitely not weak.

At the very least, they are at the Nascent Soul stage, and it's not impossible for them to be at the Transformation stage.

So...

Gouxuan True Lord's death was not in vain.

After all, no one would have expected such a terrifying force to be hidden in a small Golden Core cultivator's cave.

When the official announcement from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was released, the gloom over Ten Thousand Immortals Island dissipated.

Everyone found the investigation results convincing.

Elder Gongsun of the Heavenly Secrets Hall was known for his ability to discern the will of heaven and determine cause and effect.

His investigations were generally accurate.

Thus, the numerous Qi Condensation cultivators in the Cloudy Sea were all excited.

Seventeen Nascent Soul mechanical puppets were indeed terrifying.

But seventeen Qi Condensation mechanical puppets...

They had no deterrent power at all.

If even one puppet could be brought back...

Countless Qi Condensation cultivators immediately began to fantasize, their hearts racing.

They all clamored to form teams to explore Tianyang True Lord's cave for the third time.

Even Li Fan couldn't help but be tempted when he heard this news.

At the Qi Condensation stage, wasn't he almost invincible?

He could easily capture any cultivator below his level with the Bind Insect technique.

For other late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators, he had numerous techniques like the Formless Killing Intent, Cloud Water Illusion, and Blue Flame Illusion.

Li Fan didn't believe there was anyone stronger than him in the Cloudy Sea.

Why not explore this cave?

Li Fan was tempted for a moment, but then he thought again and realized something was off.

If these mechanical puppets really just became weaker when faced with weaker opponents and stronger when faced with stronger opponents, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance could secretly gather a group of late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators to break into the cave and bring back all the puppets.

The prospect of gaining over a dozen mechanical puppets with at least Nascent Soul-level strength would be too good for the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance to pass up. They wouldn't be foolish enough to make this information public.

The only explanation is that the puppets in the cave must have other peculiarities.

The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was uncertain.

So they chose to let the numerous Qi Condensation cultivators risk their lives to explore.

Li Fan had heard of Elder Gongsun.

When he completed the bounty for the strange beast, the Dragon Whale, Elder Gongsun had investigated.

He only found the direct cause of the Dragon Whale's death: being attacked by several deep-sea beasts and exhausting its life force.

He didn't uncover the fundamental cause: Li Fan's Formless Killing Intent.

So Li Fan believed that Elder Gongsun could indeed discern the will of heaven, but he could only grasp a part of the truth, not the whole picture.

This was not just Li Fan's realization.

After the initial excitement, everyone quickly calmed down.

But there were still some cultivators with a侥幸心理, believing they were destined for greatness.

They formed a group of about thirty people.

To explore Tianyang's cave for the third time.

Li Fan simply re-posted the bounty for He Zhenghao's remains and waited to see the show.

Ten days later, this exploration team returned in a sorry state.

More than half of the thirty people escaped.

From their tearful accounts, the onlookers learned what had happened in the cave.

These seventeen mechanical puppets were truly too strong!

Their bodies were made of an unknown material, incredibly sturdy.

No spells had any effect on them.

Not even a scratch could be left.

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(Note: "侥幸心理" is translated as "a侥幸心理" to maintain the original meaning, but it can be understood as "a侥幸心理" or "a侥幸心理" in English, meaning "a侥幸心理" or "a侥幸心理" respectively.)