Chapter 1010: Xuanhuang and Other External Realms

Precious natural treasures formed the puppet's skeletal frame. Golden source energy surged like a tide, creating "flesh and blood tissue" that attached to the skeleton.

The Heavenly Machine Puppet slowly took shape.

As the golden source energy emerged, Li Fan also vaguely heard intermittent whispers.

"What's that sound?" Li Fan asked directly, seeing that Master Qiaogong seemed completely at ease and thus not fearing to disturb him.

"I'm not sure," Master Qiaogong replied. "But it's a phenomenon that inevitably occurs when using source energy, so there's no need to worry. We cultivators of the Heavenly Machine Realm call it the World's Whisper. You get used to it once you see it often enough."

While answering Li Fan, he kept his eyes fixed on the Heavenly Machine Puppet, meticulously manipulating the source energy. Limbs, torso, head, and then skin, hair... All slowly appeared.

Sect Master Liu Ruchen of the Medicine King Sect watched the scene before him with a face full of shock. This method of crafting puppets completely surpassed his imagination. The moment the Heavenly Machine Puppet, identical in appearance to Liu Ruchen, was created, an inexplicable yearning to inhabit it immediately arose in Liu Ruchen's heart.

"Esteemed Daoist, please," Master Qiaogong said lazily.

Liu Ruchen glanced at Li Fan, and seeing him nod, carefully flew closer. A faint glow erupted from the Heavenly Machine Puppet, and a moment later, its eyes opened.

Reborn, Liu Ruchen clenched and unclenched his hands, his expression one of shock. "It's exactly... just like my original body felt! It even has a Dantian and Sea of Consciousness! How was this even possible?"

Master Qiaogong completely ignored Liu Ruchen. "Are we done here? If there's nothing else, I'll head back. Daoist Tianyang is waiting for me!" he asked impatiently.

Li Fan smiled and let him leave.

"Sect Master Liu, what do you think of our Myriad Realms Alliance's methods?" Li Fan asked, watching Liu Ruchen who was still exploring his new body.

"Simply divine, utterly marvelous," Liu Ruchen replied, genuinely impressed. Then his expression shifted slightly. "Myriad Realms Alliance... Could it be that Master Qiaogong just now wasn't a native cultivator of the Xuanhuang Realm?"

Li Fan nodded. "Sect Master Liu's insight is truly extraordinary. Daoist Qiaogong hails from the Heavenly Machine Realm."

Liu Ruchen gasped in surprise upon hearing this. "The Heavenly Machine Realm? The cultivation realm rumored to be built atop a colossal puppet, drifting erratically through the starry sky? So that's it, that explains everything."

After Li Fan's inquiries, he learned that the Medicine King Sect's ancestor, "Medicine King Sun Piaomiao," had once traveled through various realms and recorded his observations. Among these were records concerning the Heavenly Machine Realm.

"However, after the immortal path was severed, interactions between various cultivation realms virtually ceased," Liu Ruchen explained. "Therefore, records about these realms remain from the distant past. When I decided to lead my entire sect to flee from Xuanhuang, our destination was the nearest Carefree Realm. Its cultivators revered the path of non-action and freedom, disliking conflict, and were very friendly to outsiders. It was a good place to go. Unfortunately..."

Liu Ruchen's expression grew a little dim. As he spoke, he shrewdly transmitted Medicine King Sun Piaomiao's travelogue to Li Fan via divine sense.

A simple star map instantly appeared in Li Fan's mind. It marked out the beacon locations of eighteen cultivation realms surrounding the Xuanhuang Realm. They seemed randomly arranged, with no special pattern discernible. Besides these eighteen fixed realms, there were two cultivation realms without specific beacon coordinates. One was the Heavenly Machine Realm, and the other was named Xuanshang. According to the travelogue, Xuanshang was less a world and more like a colossal flying ship. Xuanshang traveled between various cultivation realms, exchanging goods and seeking profit.

"Ancestor Piaomiao, to be able to roam through various realms, is truly enviable," Li Fan exclaimed after scanning through the contents of the travelogue several times. The era was too ancient, and the star sea had undergone immense changes. Everything recorded in the travelogue had likely already turned to dust. Or perhaps, it had already been devoured by Xuanhuang.

"Xuanshang..." Li Fan mused. "The operating style of the cultivators from this realm seems somewhat similar to Jiao Xiuyuan. If there's an opportunity in the future, I can verify it."

Unaware of Li Fan's thoughts, Liu Ruchen continued, "It is said that back then, the ancestor also intended to travel even further, but for some unknown reason, he eventually changed his mind. It seemed to be due to some special reason concerning this star region we are in. However, the ancestor never disclosed the specific reason to his descendants."

Li Fan's expression shifted slightly. "Something special?"

In Sun Piaomiao's era, the immortal path had not yet been severed, and the high wall naturally hadn't existed. Yet, the star sea where the Xuanhuang Realm was located was already different. "There are no relevant records whatsoever for any of the immortals who ascended from the Xuanhuang Realm throughout history," Li Fan thought. "Either every one of them ascended to become an 'Unnamed True Immortal,' or some powerful being erased all their information. Interesting..."

Li Fan fell into deep thought.

Next, Li Fan led Liu Ruchen on a tour of the Spiritwood Realm's magnificent sights. Whether they were mountains and rivers sculpted from the scenery of the Xuanhuang Realm or replicated ruins of ancient sects, or the colossal tree standing tall in the center, all left Liu Ruchen full of praise.

Finally, after solemnly paying respects to the Faceless True Immortal statue, Li Fan took out the Medicine King Cauldron. "Currently, there is a restriction against cultivating the same method. If all the disciples within the cauldron were awakened, they would surely fall into infighting. Sect Master Liu, what do you think we should do? Our Myriad Realms Alliance has a cultivation technique called the 'Myriad Lives Spiritual Essence Art'. It can bypass this restriction..."

After hearing Li Fan's introduction, Liu Ruchen pondered for a moment, then gave his reply. "Since we've decided to join the Alliance, it's only natural for us to contribute. In terms of combat strength, our Medicine King Sect might not be much. But when it comes to alchemy and cultivating spirit plants, our Medicine King Sect is quite proficient."

"However..." A trace of hesitation appeared on Liu Ruchen's face. "Thousands of years have passed, and I don't know to what extent the Xuanhuang Realm's alchemy has developed now. But if we can get some specific elixirs and a bit more time, we should be able to barely catch up."

Liu Ruchen understood very well that the best way to ensure the safety of the entire Medicine King Sect was to demonstrate their value as much as possible. After all, having seen the Treant race toiling day and night and the flesh puppets transformed entirely into cultivation machines within the Spiritwood Realm, Liu Ruchen knew that this Myriad Realms Alliance was far from benevolent. And this "Emissary" before him, representing the Compassionate Immortal of the Mortal World, formerly the Dharma King of the Profound Heaven Sect, was definitely not as genial or benevolent as he appeared.

"The 'Life-Saving Longevity Scripture' offers special benefits for alchemy," Li Fan explained. "Therefore, it would be best for some of the sect elders to retain their original cultivation."