Chapter 1331: The Cause of World Destruction Back Then

It was an excellent method of concealment. Their abnormality would only become apparent to those who deliberately sought these items, knowing that secrets might be hidden within them. To others, however, they were merely ordinary objects.

Everyone present vaguely understood.

"If it weren't for Brother Li's fortuitous discovery of the secret within the automaton, our Immortal Ark might not have uncovered their peculiarities even after another thousand years," Lu Yuzhi lamented.

The current problem was that they knew the items were strange but could not find a way to unravel their mystery.

"Heh heh, don't rush. We can even decipher True Immortal Script; surely these few items won't defeat us? Is it possible that Sun Piaomiao was stronger than a True Immortal?"

The elders of the Immortal Ark were very confident, and indeed, their talents were not to be underestimated.

After observing for seven consecutive days, someone truly discovered an anomaly in Sun Piaomiao's relics.

"Pay close attention to this small cauldron," said Mo Yinfeng of the Broken Immortal Tower, who was usually quiet and solely focused on his research. "Previous surveys and appraisals by the Immortal Ark had all concluded it was a high-grade alchemy artifact. It even came with a grotto-heaven space, capable of generating spiritual energy and cultivating spiritual plants on its own. But..." Mo Yinfeng said, casting a Manifestation Glyph that enveloped the Medicine King Cauldron.

As if engulfed in an ethereal mist, visible lines, some thick and some thin, emerged from the mist surrounding the Medicine King Cauldron. They sliced through space, flying in different directions, vanishing from everyone's sight in an instant.

"This is... this Medicine King Cauldron isn't unique? It's connected to something else in the star sea?!" The other elders of the Immortal Ark all looked slightly perturbed at this sight.

Li Fan also narrowed his eyes. Among everyone present, only he could discern that one of the lines from the Medicine King Cauldron's mist was heading towards the Xuanhuang World.

As for the others, most went towards the Great Wall of Ruined Worlds. However, two or three were headed to a specific location within the Darkest Star Sea!

One of the Manifestation Glyph's functions was to reveal the connections between all things. The Medicine King Cauldron's secret, hidden for ten thousand years, was finally exposed under the glyph's illumination.

"If I'm not mistaken, Sun Piaomiao forged many Medicine King Cauldrons back then. These cauldrons were intertwined, sharing a mysterious connection. Even across half the star sea, they could still sense each other's presence," Zhong Daogong said, gazing into the air as if he could still see the dissipated lines.

"According to the records of Sun Piaomiao's words and actions during his time with the Immortal Ark, this person traveled extensively throughout the star sea, his journeys even surpassing those of the Immortal Ark. Forging these Medicine King Cauldrons was no easy feat, and he deliberately scattered them across various locations in the star sea... one of his purposes might have been to use their positions to anchor his own," Mo Yinfeng said unhurriedly.

"It's probably far more complex than that. After all, the Cataclysm of Annihilation hadn't broken out yet, and the locations of various cultivation worlds in the star sea were relatively fixed. If he only wanted to avoid getting lost, there were far easier methods; why go to such great lengths?!"

"Exactly. If I recall correctly, the beacon information for various worlds wasn't top secret back then. Since Sun Piaomiao could already traverse the star sea, obtaining accurate beacons wouldn't have been difficult."

Everyone discussed animatedly, while Mo Yinfeng simply listened in silence. Only when the elders quieted down did he clear his throat, his tone somewhat ethereal. "If it were merely for exploring the known star sea, it wouldn't be this complicated, of course. But what if it was to travel beyond the Great Void?"

At his words, the expressions of the group immediately varied.

"The Great Void?" This was a term Li Fan had never heard before. The confusion on his face was genuine. Li Fan looked at Zhong Daogong, who wore a pensive expression, seeking an answer.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhong Daogong slowly explained, "Back then, the Xuanshang Immortal Ark's footsteps covered all explored star regions, and even our traveling merchants were stationed in the barren lands on the fringes of the star sea. But in reality, the civilized star sea is not endless. Beyond the barren lands lies the Great Void, a pure nothingness with no visible end. No one knows how vast the Great Void is. And no one has ever managed to leave it. Any cultivator who attempted to cross the Great Void met with only one fate: complete loss!" Zhong Daogong's expression was somewhat solemn.

"However, the explored star sea of that era was far more vibrant and flourishing than the current Darkest Star Sea. With ample living space, most cultivation worlds couldn't even reach the barbarian fringes, so not many cultivators paid attention to the existence of the Great Void. Yet, cultivators of our generation are inherently driven to break free from all constraints. Thus, there always existed a very small group of cultivators who wished to breach the Great Void and explore the secrets beyond it. Sun Piaomiao was clearly one of them. Unfortunately, no one succeeded. He was no exception."

"The Great Void, high walls. It seems the fate of us cultivators hasn't changed from ancient times to now," Li Fan said with a faint sigh. He also thought to himself: "The Great Void—could this be why Sun Piaomiao couldn't continue his exploration? If so, then the eighteen beacons he left behind seem somewhat strange. The star regions he explored definitely contained more than eighteen cultivation worlds, yet he only left these... But what secret exactly couldn't be revealed directly? Why did he have to conceal it in such a way?" Countless questions arose in Li Fan's mind.

Xiaoyao, Xuanshang, Guanghai, Beige, Lingqiu...

Having once been the Young Master of the Medicine King Sect, Li Fan naturally knew the information passed down by Sun Piaomiao, the sect's founder, back then. However, he didn't pay much attention to it at the time. Firstly, the great tribulation had descended, causing the destruction of many worlds. Secondly, due to the existence of the Immortal Ruins, even if these cultivation worlds hadn't been destroyed, their spatial positions would have shifted. Thus, the beacons transmitted by Sun Piaomiao naturally lost their meaning.

"What if Sun Piaomiao had already foreseen the current situation and, as a result, simultaneously left the Medicine King Cauldrons as auxiliary aids?" A daring conjecture spontaneously surfaced in Li Fan's mind. There was no substantive evidence, merely a flash of insight from Li Fan.

The discussions among the Immortal Ark elders continued.

"The power contained within this Medicine King Cauldron is very mysterious. Perhaps it can maintain a sense of direction in the Great Void through this connection. In that case, even if an exploration isn't successful, one could at least return safely, not losing their life in vain."

"You must understand, the Great Void is literally a great void. According to limited records, not only light and spiritual energy, but even a medium for divine sense transmission doesn't exist there—it's a place of utter nothingness..."

Mo Yinfeng's conjecture gained the approval of some Immortal Ark elders. Exploring the Great Void was one of the most revered ideals and pursuits of cultivators at that time. It was entirely possible that Sun Piaomiao would have done so.

"Regardless of his purpose, understanding the mysterious power that maintains the connection of this small cauldron would certainly be beneficial for our Immortal Ark."

With a clear objective, the subsequent research progressed much more smoothly.

Following a unanimous vote by the elders, including Li Fan, it was decided that the Medicine King Cauldron would be completely melted down to extract the mysterious power contained within it. As an apparent alchemy treasure cauldron, the Medicine King Cauldron's robustness was unquestionable. After all, its counterparts had previously borne the mission of carrying the entire Medicine King Sect across the void. However, for the Immortal Ark, which had already mastered the power of True Immortal Script, the Medicine King Cauldron's sturdiness was negligible.

Bang! Bang!

Under the crushing force of an invisible power, the bronze-colored small cauldron instantly shattered into countless pieces, then continued to be ground down and broken into even finer particles. Finally, these particles ceased to exist. However, the expressions of the Immortal Ark elders gradually turned serious as the dissolution process continued, because they discovered that the substances forming the Medicine King Cauldron did not disappear with the increasing external force; they only became more condensed.

"Previous analysis suggested this Medicine King Cauldron was forged from rare ores and heavenly materials and earthly treasures from various cultivation worlds. Now, it seems that was all an illusion! This substance..."

The Immortal Ark elders stared intently at the final transformation within the force field. It was of a size invisible to the naked eye; even divine sense would not easily detect it without constant supervision. Concentrated to the extreme, it was not, however, a pure spherical shape. Instead, it was slightly flattened with convex surfaces, resembling a chess piece!

"Such a massive Medicine King Cauldron transformed from this object?" All the elders were dumbfounded.

Li Fan also looked at the grey chess piece, his thoughts seemingly returning to the lifetime when his Sacred Fetus clone wielded the strengthened Medicine King Cauldron and charged towards the Immortal Ruins. "At that time, I was so shocked by the True Immortal's world-destroying gaze that I didn't perceive anything unusual. Now, looking back, there were some irrationalities. In the eyes of a True Immortal, cultivators are like ants. Let alone a Sacred Fetus, which only had the cultivation of a mortal at that time. How could a True Immortal in secluded cultivation be disturbed? It's like when I'm in seclusion, I'm never interrupted by ants. Any ants wouldn't even get close before being torn apart by my defensive measures and turning into nothingness. Yet, the secluded cultivation of that True Immortal of the Immortal Ruins was indeed interrupted! You see, in the previous life, when I used the immortal array to destroy Xuanhuang, He only sent a phantom clone to investigate. But in that life..."

Li Fan's eyes narrowed, as if he had returned to that moment. In his pitch-black vision, a continuous desolate wilderness abruptly appeared. Countless ruins dotted the wilderness. The True Immortal was reduced to only a layer of skin draped over skeletal bones, appearing like a skeleton. Dozens of blood-red chains were deeply embedded in the ground, trapping the True Immortal on the desolate land. When he detected Li Fan, or rather, the Medicine King Cauldron Li Fan was wielding, this Dao-comprehending True Immortal suddenly opened his eyes!

"So that's it. What made the True Immortal open his eyes then wasn't merely an external object trespassing into the Immortal Ruins. It was this mysterious chess piece material that forged the Medicine King Cauldron..."

Li Fan's thoughts returned to the present. Like the elders present, he stared intently at the grey chess piece. After reverting to its original form, its connection to its "companions" in the star sea seemed to grow even stronger. Without needing the Manifestation Glyph, everyone present could vaguely sense the direction of the connection. However, it was intermittent, not stable enough to serve as a reliable guide for exploration.

"It seems merely having the chess piece isn't enough. A special method is also needed to complement it," Zhong Daogong said, having also discerned the mystery. "Interesting. Now I'm truly curious, what exactly was Sun Piaomiao so meticulously trying to hide?"

"Although the origin of this grey chess piece is mysterious, it's not necessarily related to immortal power. The Immortal Ark, after all, has collected many immortal artifacts and possesses judgment in this regard."

"I, however, think that this grey chess piece might truly come from the Immortal Realm," Li Fan suddenly interjected amidst the Immortal Ark elders' discussion, proposing a completely different viewpoint.

"Oh? Brother Li, how do you mean?"

Li Fan now held considerable prestige within the Immortal Ark. No one dared to dismiss his conclusions, and they quickly asked for his reasoning.

Li Fan said solemnly, "It's simple. By observing how this object reacts to the Manifestation Glyph, you should be able to figure it out, right?"

The elders were first stunned by his words. Then, many suddenly slapped their thighs, their faces filled with realization.

"Indeed! Although the Manifestation Glyph can stimulate connections between things, this Medicine King Cauldron... err, that is, the grey chess piece, reacts far too sensitively to the residual power of a True Immortal."

"Precisely!"

To verify Li Fan's hypothesis, Lu Yuzhi took out a multicolored stubborn stone. "This stubborn stone was crafted from a piece of jade crystal marrow. There are eighteen pieces in total in this set; the other seventeen are in my private residence."

As he spoke, Lu Yuzhi cast a Manifestation Glyph. The power of the True Immortal Script enveloped the multicolored stubborn stone. It was as if immortal power slowly permeated it, and only after a long time did misty indicators and fine lines emerge from within the stubborn stone. The difference from the Medicine King Cauldron's previous reaction was immediately apparent.

"Before, we all thought it was because of the mysterious power contained within the cauldron. Now, it seems it was caused by the cauldron's own material!"

"There's a distinction between immortals and mortals. Objects from the Immortal Realm naturally have a higher sensitivity to immortal power," the elders exclaimed.

"But don't forget, the indications from this chess piece just now showed that there are many similar objects in the star sea! Objects from the Immortal Realm..." Everyone's hearts stirred.

Zhong Daogong, however, remained calm: "Let's first figure out the true nature of this grey chess piece before proceeding. Without understanding it fully, sometimes objects from the Immortal Realm can be a curse, not a blessing."

Once the origin of the object was confirmed, the Immortal Ark had its own set of research procedures for dealing with Immortal Realm artifacts. There was no fear that the power of the True Immortal Script would damage the object, allowing them to use different True Immortal Scripts for testing to the greatest extent possible.

At the same time, Li Fan, who was participating in the tests, saw the Immortal Ark's most treasured research artifact for the first time: a blank scroll.

"The Myriad Phenomena Yin-Yang Scroll? It's clearly a blank image; why is it called that?" Li Fan asked curiously.

Zhong Daogong replied with a touch of pride, "Precisely because it encompasses all phenomena of the world, it appears blank."