Chapter 1330: Ephemeral Starry Journey

"The trails of our Xuan Shang Immortal Ship span the entire star sea. If we truly want to find someone, they can't escape, even if they flee to the remote wilderness on the fringes of the star sea," Jia Chu stated in a calm voice, subtly revealing his dominance and confidence.

Even elders of the Xuan Immortal Ship, like Lu Yuzhi, ten thousand years later, couldn't help but straighten their backs slightly, their eyes gleaming with pride, upon hearing these words.

In the image, the dishevelled man from ten thousand years ago visibly flinched at the words and quickly waved his hands. "No, no, no. It's better to explain all these troublesome matters at once. I, for one, am terrified of trouble!" he declared.

As he spoke, the dishevelled man pulled out a cucumber from seemingly nowhere. He munched on it with relish while lost in thought.

"This item, actually, was given to me by an injured person I kindly saved years ago, as thanks for saving his life. He said it could 'ward off disasters and misfortune.'"

"I didn't know its exact purpose, but I simply guessed it might protect its owner from harm in times of crisis, so I gladly accepted it." At this point, the dishevelled man paused, wiping juice from the corner of his mouth.

"That's what I initially thought. However, recently, I was nearly beaten to death by those debt collectors, and this thing proved utterly useless..." The man burped, his face clouded with vexation as he spoke.

Jia Chu chuckled upon hearing this. "It's useless, yet you're selling it to our Xuan Shang Immortal Ship?"

"It's not that it's useless, it just doesn't protect one's life," the dishevelled man corrected Jia Chu.

"While this puppet is useless to me, your Immortal Ship travels the star sea, so you're bound to encounter cultivators who need it. You could easily sell it for ten times the price and make a huge profit. Furthermore, with your Immortal Ship's connections, even if your luck is poor and you can't find a cultivator who needs this item, you'll surely find a rich mark, right? There's no way you'll be stuck with it..." The dishevelled man pressed his case.

Judging by Jia Chu's expression, he seemed to have little regard for the profit or loss of this transaction from the outset, as he had already intended to purchase the puppet.

Lu Yuzhi sighed, "Jia Chu's approach is truly that of a quintessential Immortal Ship merchant. For the Xuan Shang Immortal Ship that traversed the star sea in ancient times, spirit stones were merely numbers. Even temporary profits or losses weren't particularly significant..."

"What truly matters is the abundance of the Immortal Ship's secret treasury, and the accumulation of leverage against True Immortals," Zhong Daogong's voice suddenly resonated from outside the small building.

Before his voice faded, he had already appeared inside the room.

"Elder Zhong." Everyone bowed in deference.

Zhong Daogong nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze settling on the scene before them.

Due to Zhong's arrival, the recorded imagery temporarily paused.

"You actually had time to come here?" Li Fan asked with a smile.

As the chief of the Duan Xian Tower, responsible for all major and minor affairs of the Immortal Ship, Zhong Daogong naturally didn't have the same free time as other elders to frequently visit Li Fan's small courtyard.

"Just now, while Yuzhi was reviewing the records, I stumbled upon something interesting myself. Let's continue watching for now..."

The recorded image resumed playback.

At the conclusion of the transaction, in addition to the previously agreed-upon 45,000 spirit stones, Jia Chu gave the dishevelled man an extra 5,000 spirit stones.

"What is the meaning of this, Brother Jia?" he asked aloud, yet his hands showed no hesitation, swiftly collecting the 5,000 spirit stones as if fearing the other party might change their mind.

Jia Chu smiled calmly. "I merely wished to inquire about the injured person you saved back then. If this puppet truly fetches a high price in the future, we might consider acquiring more. It's good to keep a channel open for future dealings."

The dishevelled man, having received the spirit stones, became quite amenable. "That's all? No problem at all!"

"Let me think, what was that person's name? Ah, yes, Sun Piaomiao! He wasn't a native cultivator of our Carefree Realm, but a Xuanhuang cultivator who traversed the starry sky. Just as he was about to arrive, he encountered the Sky Whale's Leap, a rare phenomenon of the star sea. Though he narrowly escaped death, he was severely wounded and fell from the sky."

"If I hadn't taken pity on him and cared for him well, he absolutely wouldn't have survived in his state back then," the dishevelled man remarked, quite pleased with himself.

"Xuanhuang Realm, Sun Piaomiao..."

The image abruptly halted with a whispered utterance from Jia Chu.

The name Sun Piaomiao, however, caused a stir among the Immortal Ship elders.

"That name sounds familiar. Have I heard it somewhere before?"

"Sun Piaomiao, Sun Piaomiao..."

In fact, the moment Li Fan heard the name, his heart suddenly stirred.

This was because Sun Piaomiao was none other than the Ancestor of the Medicine King Sect in the Xuanhuang Realm.

Years ago, Sun Piaomiao had journeyed through various realms, leaving behind a travelogue that documented the beacon information of eighteen other cultivation worlds, including Carefree and Xuan Shang.

Li Fan turned to the suddenly arrived Zhong Daogong. "The interesting matter you mentioned, does it refer to this Sun Piaomiao?"

Zhong Daogong nodded and, with a gentle wave, the ethereal images of three items instantly appeared before everyone.

"According to the Immortal Ship's records, ten years after the puppet transaction, Sun Piaomiao visited the Xuan Shang Immortal Ship. He then accompanied the ship in pursuit of the Starfall Hail, a celestial phenomenon in the star sea."

"Starfall Hail was one of the extremely rare phenomena in the star sea at that time. Countless colossal ice-crystal meteorites surged forth like a tempest from the depths of darkness, pulverizing every obstacle in their path. Their impacts ignited dazzling sparks and ice mist, sweeping a terrifying storm of intertwined cold and heat across their trajectory. Even being touched by the edge of this storm would spell doomsday for a cultivation world," Zhong Daogong explained, detailing the Starfall Hail phenomenon.

"Though Starfall Hail is exceedingly perilous, at the core of these countless ice meteor clusters, a unique substance called Abyssal Ice Dust often forms. It is rumored that a single speck of this material can freeze an entire cultivation world of ordinary scale. Moreover, the ice-shattering force released when it explodes possesses power almost capable of creating heaven and earth."

"So, was the pursuit successful?" Li Fan, completely absorbed, couldn't help but ask.

"There's no record of it in the Xuan Immortal Ship. However, I speculate they successfully acquired some Abyssal Ice Dust. Sun Piaomiao took a portion and, in exchange, left three items. The remainder was likely taken by the Shang Immortal Ship later," Zhong Daogong said, his voice tinged with regret.

Li Fan was not surprised by this. After all, the Shang Immortal Ship, being the de facto victor, had taken almost all the near-immortal power from the Immortal Ship. Given Zhong Daogong's description, the eruptive power of this Abyssal Ice Dust was not much weaker than that of a True Immortal, making its selection by the Shang Immortal Ship quite logical.

The key, however, lay in the three items Sun Piaomiao had left behind.

"These items, I don't recall seeing them in the Hundred Scrolls Immortal Records secret treasury before. Did they perhaps go to the Shang Immortal Ship as well?" Li Fan asked, frowning.

Zhong Daogong smiled. "No, they are still within the Xuan Immortal Ship's collection. What you previously visited was merely the surface layer of the treasury. These specific items should be in the second layer."

Li Fan, not at all annoyed, playfully asked, "It sounds as if there are also third and fourth layers."

"The deepest level is indeed the third layer. As you are aware of the past theft by external invaders, these are merely necessary preventive measures," Zhong Daogong stated, his expression unchanged and completely at ease.

Li Fan didn't dwell on the matter, his gaze settling on Sun Piaomiao's three relics.

Their design and style bore a striking resemblance to the Drooping Hand Puppet.

The first was a grey bird with broken wings, yet it still held its head high and seemed to cry out.

The second was a three-pronged tree, its branches culminating not in leaves, but in countless miniature trees.

As for the third item, it was something Li Fan recognized well: a small cauldron that appeared almost identical to the Medicine King Cauldron of the Medicine King Sect!

"This Sun Piaomiao doesn't seem like any peerless powerhouse. Yet the items he gifted contain power capable of contending with what lies beyond the High Wall..." Li Fan's tone was unreadable.

Zhong Daogong stated gravely, "In Sun Piaomiao's era, the Immortal Path had not been severed. There were even records of True Immortals descending to the mortal realm. Although the Immortal Ship's records of Sun Piaomiao's activities suggest his strength was at the peak of Dao Integration, we cannot rule out the possibility that he concealed his true power."

Li Fan nodded slightly.

He, however, did not voice his own conjecture.

That Sun Piaomiao could traverse the starry sky alone and return safely meant his formidable strength was, naturally, beyond doubt.

Yet, he certainly had not ascended to become an immortal.

Throughout the long ancient history of the cultivation world, all records of Xuanhuang individuals who ascended to immortality were inexplicably erased, leaving no trace behind.

This was referred to as "True Immortals having no names."

Perhaps only those like Mo Rubin, who personally witnessed both the old and new eras, could recall the ascension and subsequent fall of Grandmaster Miaofa Shangren of the Nine Refinement Temple through oral tradition.

Firstly, the descendants of the Medicine King Sect never mentioned their ancestor Sun Piaomiao ascending to immortality. In fact, Sun Piaomiao's ultimate fate remains unclear. Did he die peacefully of old age, suffer an unexpected demise, or mysteriously vanish? Records concerning Sun Piaomiao only extend to his return from traversing the starry sky, with no further information available afterward.

Secondly, Sun Piaomiao's existence wasn't confined solely to the Medicine King Sect's records. Many texts within the Xuanhuang Realm mentioned this peerless expert who healed the world and founded the Medicine King lineage. His traces of existence were never erased.

"When Sun Piaomiao traversed the starry sky back then, he intended to journey even deeper, but he discovered a certain peculiarity about the star space where the Xuanhuang Realm was situated and ultimately turned back..."

"Was it unwillingness, or inability?"

Just as Li Fan was deep in thought, Zhong Daogong spoke again. "These three items left by Sun Piaomiao, much like the Drooping Hand Puppet you previously selected, have all undergone thorough inspection by the Immortal Ship, and no special qualities have been detected. However, given they all originate from Sun Piaomiao, they might very well conceal some secrets..."

Li Fan remained silent, but the other elders were growing restless.

"Then why aren't we going to see them immediately!"

Li Fan calmly regarded Zhong Daogong.

Zhong Daogong smiled faintly. "Given your contributions during this period, I doubt any elder would object to you entering the second layer of the Hundred Scrolls Immortal Records secret treasury."

Soon after, Li Fan accompanied the elders into the second layer of the Hundred Scrolls Immortal Records.

Compared to the first layer, this space was noticeably smaller.

All the treasures were sealed within individual, multicolored orbs of light, floating in the air.

The protective measures were neither formations nor restrictions, nor True Immortal script.

Li Fan squinted, observing the countless treasure orbs, faintly sensing a trace of life from them.

"These orbs of light... are they alive?"

Zhong Daogong nodded in praise. "Your intuition truly is sharp!"

"Indeed, guarding the second layer of the treasury is a miraculous living being: the Celestial Star Lotus. This creature was extremely rare even during the star sea's prosperous era. Its ethereal radiance would envelop most of a star region, weaving itself into the form of a dreamlike lotus. When it bloomed, the star region was bathed in brilliant light; when it withered, the star region plunged into deathly silence and darkness."

"Whenever a world within a star region met its demise, it would form lotus seeds within the light lotus. For eons, this cycle has repeated... These very light clusters before you were formed in this manner."

As Li Fan listened to Zhong Daogong's explanation, a magnificent scene from the ancient star sea seemed to unfold before his eyes.

"The Shang Immortal Ship took many treasures back then, and this Celestial Star Lotus is considered one of the most valuable items that remained."

"The treasures are sealed within the lotus seeds and cannot be easily retrieved. To attempt to forcibly extract them..."

Zhong Daogong scoffed, "Unless one destroys the entire Celestial Star Lotus! This spiritual entity, parasitic to the star sea, has endured countless calamities and remains alive. To destroy it would require power beyond that of an immortal!"

"Furthermore, we've tested it; even the power of True Immortal script cannot destroy it quickly." The Immortal Ship elders were clearly very confident in the Celestial Star Lotus's defenses.

A thought flashed through Li Fan's mind: "In my previous life, under the Myriad Things Return to Void Grand Formation, this Celestial Star Lotus didn't seem to resist for long."

"Now, I don't even need an immortal formation; a 'Dust Falling Finger' could destroy it. Yet, while destruction is simple, retrieving what is preserved within the lotus seeds would indeed pose a challenge."

The Immortal Ship elders, naturally oblivious to Li Fan's dangerous thoughts, worked together to open the orb of light that sealed Sun Piaomiao's three relics.

All eyes converged on the three treasures.

Li Fan's heart stirred; from the three-pronged tree, he sensed the same 'Return to Truth' anomaly as he had with the Drooping Hand Puppet.

However, he kept silent, observing carefully alongside the Immortal Ship elders.

The broken-winged grey bird and the second Medicine King Cauldron seemed to contain no special power.

"'Warding off disasters and misfortune'... akin to a projection of the Dao. Sun Piaomiao is indeed not simple."

"Moreover, this ability was not passed down to the Medicine King Sect."

Li Fan's eyes flickered, and he suppressed the 'Return to Truth' absorption impulse stirring within him.

"Everyone, have you made any discoveries?" After a prolonged observation, Zhong Daogong finally inquired.

"I can't discern anything peculiar. However, these items undeniably give me a very strange feeling," Lu Yuzhi remarked, prompting agreement from the other elders.

Without prior knowledge of their anomaly, one would not find anything amiss with these three items at first glance.

However, when observed with prior knowledge, a distinct sense of incongruity immediately arises.

If only one or two people felt this way, it could be attributed to an illusion.

But with more than ten elders present all feeling the same way...

Then it certainly wasn't as simple as an illusion.