Chapter 444: Thousand-Year Illusion-Breaking Eye

In the Celestial Xuan Mirror, Li Fan sat in a daze, his expression lost.

Even though he already knew that items and knowledge gained in the Immortal Realm could only be brought back by fulfilling a long-cherished wish, this time, upon returning to the real world, when he truly couldn't recall a single word of the "Creation Furnace Technique" taught by Mr. Bai, Li Fan still found it difficult to cope emotionally.

Once you've seen the ocean, it's hard to be impressed by a mere stream. Having personally experienced the profound mystery of that supreme Taoist method, Li Fan found it even harder to accept the clumsy technique he had created. The disparity was immense, like the stars in the sky compared to the grass on the ground. The stark contrast left Li Fan feeling somewhat mentally unbalanced. Especially since the treasure mountain he once possessed vanished in the blink of an eye, never to be seen again. Even Li Fan, whose willpower was extraordinary, felt a sense of profound loss.

"Mr. Bai, the Creation Furnace Technique...""I can try an infinite number of times; I will certainly be able to bring this true technique back one day."

After a long while, Li Fan took a deep breath, slowly suppressing the negative emotions in his heart. Based on his experience retrieving the Longevity Fruit in Ningyuan, bringing an item out required fulfilling the obsession of its owner. What would Mr. Bai's obsession be? For the current Li Fan, Mr. Bai remained too mysterious. He could only continue to try little by little in the future. He vaguely sensed that the next time he could enter the Immortal Realm would be in half a year. Unfortunately, this was a bit longer than the usual time limit. Li Fan sighed softly, noting it in his mind.

Just then, Li Fan checked his communication talisman and discovered a message from Chen Ying. Chen Ying stated that he had already departed for his destination and had made thorough preparations. If he survived this ordeal, he would certainly repay Li Fan generously upon his return. Li Fan chuckled, thinking that if it truly came to pass, it could be publicized as a model deed.

"However, the Great War of Tianling State is set to occur in 16 years. Before that, the main focus should still be on the Spirit Mist Grass incident.""Without the clear declaration from the Celestial Xuan Mirror, the Council of Five Elders might not go to great lengths for an unknown grotto-heaven.""Furthermore, without Jiao Xiuyuan's instigation, the Spirit Mist Grass incident wouldn't have spread as widely as it did in his previous life."

Li Fan pondered for a moment and decided to go see Jiao Xiuyuan first. Without concealing his figure and maintaining the appearance of a Heavenly Secret Sect cultivator, Li Fan arrived outside the Thousand Miles Hall. Inside, it was as deserted as ever. Jiao Xiuyuan was languidly sprawled on a long chair, eyes slightly closed, seemingly taking a nap. Hearing footsteps, he suddenly stood up, his expression changing.

"Oh, a visitor!" Jiao Xiuyuan looked at Li Fan, first momentarily stunned, then enthusiastically greeted him without showing any surprise. Li Fan didn't state what he wanted to buy either; instead, he squinted his eyes, staring at Jiao Xiuyuan. The two stared at each other, eye to eye.

After a moment, Li Fan was the first to cup his hands in greeting: "Fellow Daoist, your mastery of puppetry, transforming into myriad forms, is truly extraordinary!""Even in ancient times, it would be considered a rare divine ability!"

Unexpectedly, having his cultivation method's profound secrets revealed by someone he just met, Jiao Xiuyuan appeared somewhat surprised. However, he masked it well and immediately replied, "Peering into heavenly secrets, exploring causality. The ancient Heavenly Secret Sect indeed lives up to its reputation!"

"Amazing! Truly amazing!""It's an honor to meet you!"The two exchanged glances and both burst into laughter.

After exchanging compliments and formally introducing themselves, Jiao Xiuyuan tentatively asked, "Fellow Daoist, you haven't come here just to make fun of me, have you?"

"Nonsense, Fellow Daoist Jiao, do I look like someone with so much free time?" Li Fan waved his hand. "I'm here, naturally, for the sake of 'wealth'."

Jiao Xiuyuan's spirits immediately lifted: "Oh? What does Fellow Daoist wish for? Formation talismans, magical artifacts, elixirs—we have everything. Large quantities can be..." he rattled on.

"Do I look like I lack such things, Fellow Daoist?" Li Fan asked with a half-smile.

"Then what do you want?" Jiao Xiuyuan's expression became serious, and he grew earnest.

"I haven't come to buy this time. I've come to sell!" Li Fan shook his head and said gravely. "As for whether it can be done, it depends on whether Fellow Daoist Jiao recognizes the goods."

"Sell? Here, I don't just take anything..." Jiao Xiuyuan was saying when he stopped abruptly upon seeing what Li Fan held in his hand. It was an eyeball, resembling a living creature, glaring fiercely at him. Killing intent radiated from it, making him instinctively want to retaliate. Fortunately, he realized the eyeball had no aggressive intent and managed to restrain himself.

"What is this?" Jiao Xiuyuan squinted, unable to resist asking.

Li Fan said with a touch of melancholy: "This is a memento from my senior brother from years past. The person is gone, and this item is useless to keep by my side. Seeing it only adds to my grief. So, I wish to entrust it to another fated individual. It's a pity the Celestial Xuan Mirror didn't recognize its true value and offered a low price. It's truly an insult to my senior brother.""I then divined the heavenly secrets to find someone worthy of taking it. That's how I came to Fellow Daoist Jiao," Li Fan slowly explained.

Li Fan wasn't entirely lying, after all. In the Heavenly Secret Sect ruins of the Hundred Stones Grotto-Heaven, besides cultivation techniques and scriptures, Li Fan had two other gains. One was the eyeball currently in his hand. The Celestial Xuan Mirror identified it as the "Truth-Shattering Stone Eye," a rare treasure akin to a natural wonder that embodies aggregated rules. It was said that after a cultivator absorbed and refined it, they would gain the ability to discern illusions and foresee the future.

Logically, such a treasure should command a high price. However, unfortunately, this Truth-Shattering Stone Eye had already been refined by a cultivator once before. The pure laws of heaven and earth had been tainted by a cultivator's aura and karma. Furthermore, thousands of years had passed, the world had undergone drastic changes, and the power of laws had significantly altered since ancient times. Under the dual influence of these two factors, the divinatory effect of the Truth-Shattering Stone Eye was greatly diminished. If it worked once out of ten attempts, one could burn incense in gratitude. Therefore, the Celestial Xuan Mirror only offered a recycling price of 60,000 contribution points. Although this item wasn't of much use to Li Fan, who could already foresee things, he also wasn't in dire need of those 60,000 contribution points, so he had kept it by his side. Now was the perfect time to take it out and establish a connection with Jiao Xiuyuan.

"So, Fellow Daoist Jiao, do you recognize this item?" Li Fan asked intentionally.

Jiao Xiuyuan stood frozen for a moment, then scoffed, "How could I not know this item? It's merely a Truth-Shattering Stone Eye." He pondered for a moment, then added, "Let me inform Fellow Daoist that the Celestial Xuan Mirror had its reasons for offering a low price.""Although this item is rare, if Fellow Daoist wants to sell it for a good price, you'll likely need to find the right person."

Li Fan replied, "I naturally understand this. That's precisely why I came to you, Fellow Daoist Jiao." Generously, Li Fan tossed the Truth-Shattering Stone Eye over and said, "I believe you will surely find a suitable new owner for it.""Please do me this favor. You can keep half of the proceeds from the sale. How does that sound?"

Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes lit up: "I'll take this deal!"