Chapter 657: Burnt Ender Depths

"If the Heavenly Capital truly fell, it must have been a replica created by later generations in remembrance," Fang Zaiji said.

Although Li Fan nodded in agreement outwardly, he had other thoughts in his mind.

Fang Zaiji repeatedly claimed that the ethereal figure in the Heavenly Capital possessed infinite mysteries and was undoubtedly a true immortal. However, this matter had an air of strangeness about it from beginning to end.

Many years after the immortal path was severed, a true immortal supposedly passed by the Xuanhuang Realm. Furthermore, this immortal would actively preach and impart knowledge to cultivators, who were like ants in comparison.

If one were to ask themselves, how many cultivators, after passing by a mortal city, would kindly descend and teach them cultivation methods?

It was more likely that, like Shuofeng, they would casually slaughter all mortals with a single sword stroke and feel no remorse—that was the norm.

For cultivators who brazenly came to their door, it would be good enough if they weren't killed. How could they possibly preach with good intentions?

Moreover, if Fang Zaiji's words were true, there was clearly something wrong with the Heavenly Capital figure. The preaching might not have been intentional, but rather a spontaneous act.

In that case, the young boy who stood beside the Heavenly Capital figure and was the only one to ever take action—the Grand Master of the Heavenly Capital—became highly suspicious.

"Perhaps this person was drawn by the Immortal Ruins and forced to descend to the Xuanhuang Realm. His true strength might not even qualify him as an immortal. However, given that the Profound Heaven Sect couldn't conquer the Heavenly Capital, he must not be weak. At the very least, he's at the Half-Step True Immortal realm, comparable to the Profound Heaven King within the Profound Heaven Sect."

"And allowing cultivators from the Ten Immortal Sects into the Heavenly Capital might just be to cause trouble for the Profound Heaven Sect. After all, immortals would only be concerned with things of their own level."

"Immortal spiritual energy."

In an instant, Li Fan, adopting the role of a conspiracy theorist, concocted an elaborate scenario in his mind.

While all of these were baseless conjectures, one thing was almost certain now: the abnormalities in Yuandao Prefecture were undoubtedly linked to the Heavenly Capital.

"As a fellow inheritor of the Heavenly Capital's purple energy, aren't you going to visit Yuandao Prefecture, Mr. Fang?" Li Fan asked, probing.

Fang Zaiji shook his head repeatedly. "Heh heh, I'll pass on that. A Dao Integration realm cultivator who has lived for thousands of years is definitely far more powerful than I am. Wouldn't I be walking into a tiger's den? Sect Master, let's stick to our main objective."

Li Fan smiled faintly and nodded.

After this brief detour, the two continued their journey for most of another day, finally reaching the border of Shilin Prefecture.

The sight that greeted them made Li Fan's pupils constrict.

Looking into the distance, the land was deeply sunken and scorched black. Black molten lava flowed everywhere, giving the entire area an apocalyptic aura.

From time to time, black molten fire would erupt from the ground, spreading through the air and making it scorching hot and distorted.

What made Li Fan's heart pound even more was the irregular scattering of numerous pitch-black voids across the ground and in the air of this scorched basin.

It was as if an apple had been eaten away by worms, leaving a desolate landscape.

Furthermore, Li Fan noticed that these dark, void areas were not completely static. Instead, they seemed to possess a life of their own, slowly creeping outwards or suddenly leaping to another location, devouring everything within their encompassed area.

Facing this rather terrifying scene, even Fang Zaiji, a Dao Integration realm cultivator, had a solemn expression.

"Sect Master, are we really going in?" he asked, a hint of hesitation in his voice.

Li Fan did not answer immediately, but instead observed carefully for a long time.

"If we're careful, it shouldn't be a big problem. The jumps of those spatial sinkholes appear random, but they actually follow certain rules. They only leap to relatively empty areas and won't approach existing sinkholes."

"So, we just need to maintain a certain distance from the spatial sinkholes and proceed."

"Besides, don't we still have the Medicine King True Cauldron?"

With that, Li Fan threw the Medicine King Cauldron towards a nearby dark void.

"Sect Master!" Fang Zaiji exclaimed softly.

The Medicine King Cauldron emitted an earthen-yellow light, enveloping itself. In the midst of the void, though its radiance gradually dimmed, it still persisted for over ten breaths of time.

"See, even if we accidentally enter, that much time is enough for us to escape," Li Fan said, smiling at Fang Zaiji after summoning the Medicine King True Cauldron back.

"Sect Master, you're too carefree. What if something happens to the Medicine King True Cauldron?" Fang Zaiji grumbled.

"But we still have you, don't we? Even if the Medicine King True Cauldron were gone, I'm sure you, Mr. Fang, could forge a new one for our Medicine King Sect," Li Fan said indifferently.

These words made Fang Zaiji beam with delight. He stopped his nagging and followed Li Fan, controlling the Medicine King Cauldron, as they flew into the scorched basin.

Li Fan oriented himself, cautiously navigating towards the location he remembered.

"Truly terrifying and dreadful. I wonder how such a vast sea could suffer such a calamity," Fang Zaiji exclaimed, marveling at the surrounding scenery. "In our time, nothing like this ever happened. Looking at this trend, it seems heaven and earth intend to utterly destroy this place."

Li Fan remained silent.

The Congyun Sea was originally immense, and their flight speed was further impacted by the need to avoid the ubiquitous spatial sinkholes. Consequently, it took Li Fan and his companion over thirty days to finally reach the entrance of the Abyssal Beast Minor Realm.

However, the scene at this location made Li Fan's expression turn grim.

The original entrance had been completely swallowed by the void. The entrance passage, naturally, no longer existed.

Li Fan pondered for a moment, recalling that the place where Han Yi had emerged from the minor realm was elsewhere.

He then set off in that direction.

Fortunately, their luck held this time. The spot was not within the spatial sinkhole's range, merely hidden beneath the black molten lava.

"Sect Master, what if, after we enter, this exit is swallowed by the void? Wouldn't we be unable to return?" Fang Zaiji also noticed the peculiarity of the place, and just as Li Fan was about to enter, he suddenly stopped him and asked.

"It's fine, I'm prepared."

With that, Li Fan cleared away the black molten lava. He then took out a thin piece of paper from his storage ring and gently pressed it towards the minor realm entrance.

Like a drop of ink on paper, intricate patterns slowly emerged.

"This is..." Fang Zaiji narrowed his eyes, unable to discern its origin for a moment.

"It's a Stolen Star Relocation Talisman. It can copy and record the data of this spatial passage node. Then, by performing the same operation on the passage entrance on the other side after entering the minor realm, a new passage can be re-established."

Once all the patterns on the Stolen Star Relocation Talisman had formed, Li Fan took out a door-shaped talisman seal and tossed it onto the thin paper.

Enveloped by the talisman seal, a faint portal materialized.

"Young Master, it's connected here," Liu San's voice faintly echoed from within the portal.

Li Fan pointed gently, and the Stolen Star Relocation Talisman flew into it.

"Mr. Fang, let's go. Elder Liu will be preparing the new passage in Longevity Valley."