Chapter 108: A White Rib

Beyond a small door, numerous artifacts were on display. Senior Yin enthusiastically introduced the collection to Li Fan.

"This is the skeleton of a Vedic Fish. This species went extinct three thousand five hundred years ago. It took me considerable effort to acquire this specimen. Legend has it that Vedic Fish were remarkably intelligent and could mimic human speech. Consuming their flesh was said to grant understanding of fish language. I wonder if any of that is true."

They approached a colossal, lifelike serpent specimen, thousands of meters long, coiled in a winding display. Senior Yin exclaimed with excitement, "This is a Cloud Sea Serpent! They usually lurk in the deep ocean, burying their bodies in the sediment. I searched through most of the Cloud Sea to find one this enormous! Preserving it as a specimen was quite an undertaking." He then lowered his voice, speaking with a hint of mystery. "My research suggests that with this type of sea serpent, the snake isn't the true entity. They host a mysterious, exceedingly minute parasite, so tiny that even the spiritual sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator would struggle to detect it. Yet, it's this minuscule parasite that controls the vast sea serpent! Truly astonishing!"

As they continued, the diverse array of exhibits broadened Li Fan's horizons. They paused before two human skeletons displayed side-by-side. Pointing at the skeletons, Senior Yin asked with a hint of pride, "My friend, can you discern any differences between these two human skeletons?"

"Differences?" Li Fan's spiritual sense quickly scanned them. They appeared to be nothing more than the remains of ordinary mortals, both male, differing only in height and build. Yet, if there were any fundamental distinctions... After a moment, Li Fan shook his head. "My apologies, I can't discern any."

Senior Yin chuckled. "Don't feel bad! I'd wager that no other cultivator in the entire Cloud Sea, apart from myself, could possibly detect the distinctions between these two skeletons!" He gestured at the skeletons, then leaned in close to Li Fan and whispered conspiratorially, "These two individuals are not of the same kind."

"Not the same kind?" Li Fan paused, puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

Senior Yin gestured for a moment, then pondered, seemingly struggling to find the right words to articulate his point. After a moment of internal struggle, he suddenly clenched his fist, his face etched with frustration. "It's a feeling, you understand? They're both clearly human, but these two individuals lived in different eras and different regions. Perhaps they looked similar, and I excavated both from the depths of the Cloud Sea, yet there's an incredibly unique demarcation that distinguishes these two sets of remains..."

Senior Yin's explanation remained vague; he spoke at length without providing a concrete reason. Without dwelling on it, they continued their walk.

He abruptly halted before an empty display stand. Pointing at the vacant stand, his face went pale, and his fingers trembled uncontrollably. He tried to speak, his lips parting and closing, but no words escaped for a long moment.

"Senior Yin, what's wrong?" Li Fan couldn't help but inquire.

"My... my..."

"Where's my precious!" Senior Yin's face drained of color in alarm.

The man-dog accompanying him whimpered, its ears drooping. It cast a quick, furtive glance upwards before quickly shrinking back to Senior Yin's feet, trembling.

Noticing this, Li Fan suddenly realized something. He then cautiously asked, "Senior Yin, this 'treasure' you're speaking of... it wouldn't happen to be a bone, would it...?"

Senior Yin's face lit up, and he nodded vigorously. "Yes! You've seen it?"

With a peculiar expression, Li Fan led Senior Yin back towards the entrance of the square building. When they had first arrived, the man-dog had bumped into Li Fan, causing something it was carrying in its mouth to fall. At the time, Li Fan had merely glanced at it, seen it was just a bone, and assumed it was the creature's toy, so he hadn't bothered picking it up. He had no idea that this bone was, in fact, Senior Yin's cherished possession.

He watched as Senior Yin picked up the bone with a look of deep distress, carefully wiping away the saliva. He then examined it closely, stroking it gently with the adoration one might reserve for a beloved. The sight of his devotion sent shivers down Li Fan's spine.

Li Fan cleared his throat, jolting Senior Yin from his reverie. Li Fan couldn't help but ask, "Senior Yin, what is the origin of this bone? Why do you cherish it so profoundly?"

Senior Yin clutched the bone tightly, as if terrified of losing it again. Gazing at the bone in his hand, his expression became somewhat distant. "Ah, this... this is an incredible treasure. I could lose all my other collections, but this one... it's even more precious than my own life."

Li Fan grew solemn at his words, genuinely intrigued, and looked at Senior Yin with an inquiring gaze.

"I assume you're familiar with the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, my friend," Senior Yin stated with a hint of boastfulness. "Initially, the Immortal-Mortal Miasma only spread among mortals, having no effect on us cultivators whatsoever. Then, after a cultivator inexplicably contracted it, it began to propagate among the cultivators themselves."

Li Fan looked at the pale bone in Senior Yin's hand. "Are you implying..."

"Exactly. This rib belonged to the very first cultivator who contracted the Immortal-Mortal Miasma." Senior Yin chuckled deliriously, caressing the rib back and forth as if it were a priceless gem. However, when he saw no hint of surprise or excitement on Li Fan's face, he couldn't help but feel a little taken aback.

"What? Such a treasure, and you don't feel a shiver of inexplicable delight, my friend?"

Li Fan shook his head repeatedly.

"Alas, it's a pity you don't grasp its immense value, my friend," Senior Yin sighed. "The Immortal-Mortal Miasma infecting cultivators was one of the most significant events in history. Its impact on the current structure of the cultivation world is surpassed only by the Great Tribulation itself." He continued, "And the remains of that unfortunate soul, the first to be infected by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma—imagine their historical, research, and commemorative value! Aren't you curious? Why could a mere mortal plague infect cultivators? If we could unravel the origin of this anomaly, perhaps we could resolve the Immortal-Mortal Miasma at its very source! Then, I would be a revered figure, remembered by the entire cultivation world!"

Senior Yin was briefly lost in his own grandiose fantasies. After a moment, seeing Li Fan's still-unimpressed expression, he let out a long sigh, looking as if he were lamenting a lost cause. "You don't understand. This unfortunate fellow, whose name was Su... Su something or other. Well, never mind his name. Every single bone of his remains is priceless; countless cultivators fought over them. I was incredibly fortunate to even secure this single rib. The most invaluable piece, of course, is his complete skull, which is housed at the headquarters of the Myriad Immortal Alliance."

Senior Yin was so lost in his thoughts that he practically drooled. Li Fan found such a peculiar fixation utterly incomprehensible and could only shake his head in disbelief.

Just then, Senior Yin suddenly snapped back to reality. "Oh? I haven't even asked why you've suddenly come to visit, my friend."