Chapter 15: Foundation Building Has Become Bare Bones

This small wooden boat was none other than the flying boat Li Fan had yearned for.

Through a message carved by the tomb owner on the tomb walls before his death, Li Fan finally understood the whole story.

It turned out that the tomb owner was Qian Hong, a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. Over three thousand years ago, he was pursued by enemies, and with nowhere left to go, he hid in this Spirit-Barren Land.

He had intended to hide for a while and then leave, but who knew this Spirit-Barren Land had no spiritual energy at all? Moreover, he was a poor cultivator with hardly any spirit stones on him. Before long, his spirit stones ran out. Without spirit stones to replenish his spiritual energy, his cultivation deteriorated day by day.

After failing to force his way through the Spirit-Severing Grand Formation and instead suffering severe injuries, Qian Hong knew he was trapped in this place.

However, he was a tenacious individual and did not give up.

He speculated that when mortals were exiled to this place a thousand years ago, perhaps one or two flying boats might have been left behind.

So he searched extensively, spending several decades, and finally found Yin Xingzhi's tomb.

There was indeed a flying boat in the tomb, but what filled him with despair was that the power core formation within the flying boat was damaged, and he was not skilled in artifact refining, so he couldn't repair it.

Moreover, even if the flying boat were repaired, without spirit stones, his cultivation at that time would not be enough to provide it with sufficient power.

At this point, Qian Hong finally gave up the idea of leaving this Spirit-Barren Land. After that, he lived anonymously as a mortal and lived out an ordinary life.

Before his death, he carved his life story onto the tomb walls, hoping that if a cultivator entered his tomb in the future, they could take his remains back to the cultivation world. The few items he left in the tomb were his advance payment.

The first item was the source of power guarding Qian Hong's tomb, which had previously caused the deaths of dozens of antiquity seekers, and was also why Qian Hong firmly believed that anyone who could break in must be a cultivator.

A rare treasure of heaven and earth: The Severed Stele of Halting.

It was half of a damaged stone stele, on which the character '止' (stop) was faintly visible.

Li Fan touched the stone stele, and indeed, there was no reaction at all, which made him feel a bit regretful. Previously, to force his way into the tomb, he had used a large amount of Immortal-Mortal Miasma. Now, affected by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, the Severed Stele of Halting had become an ordinary stone.

However, Li Fan didn't mind too much. Now that he knew the location of Qian Hong's tomb, he could easily retrieve it in his next life.

The second item Qian Hong left behind was two jade slips. The jade slips contained the cultivation techniques he had painstakingly exchanged for from the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

"Little Reversion to True Self Art," a Qi Condensation stage cultivation technique, current number of practitioners: 1.

"Cloud and Water Record," a Foundation Establishment stage cultivation technique, current number of practitioners: 1.

Picking up the jade slips, Li Fan's heart suddenly pounded as he felt the information emanating from them, thinking that Qian Hong himself hadn't died and that this place was a trap he had set.

But a moment later, Li Fan realized. Over three thousand years had passed. Let alone Foundation Establishment cultivators, even Golden Core cultivators would likely have turned to dust.

As for why these cultivation techniques currently had practitioners, Li Fan understood with a moment's thought.

The Myriad Immortals Alliance must have original archives of the cultivation techniques. If the number of practitioners for a certain technique dropped to zero, they would know that the cultivator who had previously exchanged for and practiced that technique had died.

After that, they could naturally make these techniques available for exchange again.

In fact, over these three thousand years, who knew how many owners these two techniques had passed through?

"Dark... truly dark..." Li Fan was speechless.

After a moment of reflection, Li Fan turned his attention to the third item, the Taiyan Ark.

This was precisely the tool the Taiyan Sect used to relocate mortals.

Perhaps it was precisely because this flying boat was broken that it was left behind.

And after thousands of years of twists and turns, it had now fallen into Li Fan's hands, becoming his hope of escaping this isolated land of immortals and mortals.

Holding the Taiyan Ark in his hand, Li Fan's heart swelled with emotion. Hundreds of years of anticipation had finally been fulfilled.

As for the Taiyan Ark being damaged, Li Fan wasn't worried at all.

Qian Hong couldn't repair it, and Li Fan couldn't either, but someone else could!

Fifteen years later, and with the fifty-year anchor set, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi reappeared in Xuanying City.

"Dao Xuanzi! You go too far!"

"Kou Hong! Do you think I'll let you go just because you fled to this Spirit-Barren Land? Hand over the cultivation technique you obtained that day, or I will fight you to the death!"

"Ridiculous," Kou Hong retorted. "It was precisely because I lacked a Golden Core formation method that I was trapped in the Foundation Establishment stage for nearly a century. Now, with my lifespan nearing its end and about to turn to dust, I finally obtained this Golden Core cultivation technique. How could I possibly hand it over to someone else!"

"Indeed!" Dao Xuanzi countered. "For the Golden Core Dao, it's either me or him. While there are many Golden Core formation methods in this world, there are far more cultivators stuck in the Foundation Establishment stage! Since that is the case, with the method of longevity now before me, how could I possibly let you go? How could I not go too far!"

"It's just a match!" Kou Hong said. "How laughable that we, who have been brothers for a century, now draw swords against each other for a sliver of hope!"

Just as the two were about to fight to the death, they heard bursts of hearty laughter coming from Xuanying City below.

"Is a mere Golden Core cultivation technique worth you two fighting to the death for?!"

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi's expressions changed simultaneously as they looked down.

"Who's there! What arrogance!"

"Presumptuous!"

Though they spoke, their expressions at the same time became wary.

"Gentlemen, why don't you come down for a chat!"

Below, within the Grand Preceptor's mansion, a silver-haired old man shouted loudly.

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi exchanged glances, then, maintaining a wary distance, they descended into the Grand Preceptor's mansion.

"Hahaha, please come in!" The silver-haired old man seemed very pleased. He led them to the main hall and invited them to sit.

After ordering his servants to prepare wine and food for their guests, he then said with some emotion, "My ancestor once said on his deathbed, 'In the future, two individuals might come from the Xu Yuan in the east and set foot in the capital, which would be the opportunity for our clan to leave this place.'"

"For thousands of years, my clan has been half in doubt. Today, it has been proven true, and we should celebrate greatly!" The old man let out a hearty laugh and drained the wine in the cup before him.

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi exchanged bewildered glances.

"May I ask your name, esteemed senior?" Kou Hong was the first to ask, his tone considerably more polite.

"This old man is Li Fan," Li Fan replied with a smile.

"From what you're saying," Dao Xuanzi asked, frowning and scrutinizing Li Fan, "your ancestor foresaw our arrival here thousands of years ago? And what do you mean by the 'opportunity to leave this place'?"

Hearing this, Li Fan seemed slightly displeased. "What? Do you two not believe me?"

Kou Hong smiled and shook his head. "This matter is too fantastical. We two have roamed the cultivation world for a century and have never heard of any divination technique that could predict events a thousand years into the future."

Dao Xuanzi also shook his head in agreement.

Li Fan straightened up and, looking down slightly with an air of superiority, asked, "Have you two perhaps heard of the Taiyan Sect?"

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi exchanged a surprised glance. "Could it be that sect from ancient times, renowned throughout the world for its divination techniques?"

Li Fan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded faintly and said, "My ancestor was indeed a member of the Taiyan Sect."