Chapter 901: Mysterious Visitor Beyond the Profound Yellow Sky

However, events never unfold as expected.

During the year Li Fan patiently waited for changes in the Xuanhuang World and for his clone to successfully retrieve the black sword, something completely unexpected occurred, something that had never happened in any of his previous reincarnation cycles.

One day, Tianyang, who had been lying idly in the Lingmu Realm, suddenly rose. He gazed towards a specific direction in the Xuanhuang World, his expression grave.

Tianyang's unusual behavior immediately caught Li Fan's attention. He knew his junior brother's temperament well: Tianyang was indifferent to almost everything except Li Fan himself. For him to appear so solemn now, the matter must be far from simple.

"'Junior brother, what's wrong?' Li Fan instantly appeared before Tianyang, feigning a casual inquiry."

"'I sensed an extremely powerful spatial fluctuation descending upon the Xuanhuang World. It was fleeting, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin.'"

"'But there's absolutely no mistake,' Tianyang stated succinctly, his speech more fluent than usual."

Li Fan's heart skipped a beat. "'An extremely powerful spatial fluctuation? What does that imply?'"

"'If it were merely spatial teleportation within the Xuanhuang World, it wouldn't generate such intense fluctuations. This indicates that the Xuanhuang World...'"

"'...has visitors from beyond?' Li Fan interjected."

Tianyang nodded slightly.

Li Fan's expression immediately became incredibly grave.

"'Are there truly other cultivators alive in this darkest star sea?'"

"'Or perhaps this individual hails from beyond the high wall?'"

Innumerable thoughts flashed through Li Fan's mind. His emotions surged; even with his usual composure, he found himself unable to calm down for a long time. Beyond the terrifying prospect of an external visitor, the more critical reason was that this event had seemingly never occurred in any of his prior reincarnation experiences.

What exactly had changed to cause the arrival of this external visitor?

"'Perhaps there's another possibility.'"

A thought suddenly struck Li Fan: "'This might have happened in previous lives, but my strength at the time wouldn't have been sufficient to detect it.'"

After much deliberation, Li Fan finally regained his composure. Such a significant disturbance surely hadn't escaped the notice of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council. He decided to observe their reactions first.

"'Junior brother, please put in some extra effort recently and try to track that spatial fluctuation,' Li Fan instructed."

Tianyang nodded in acknowledgement.

As it turned out, while the general populace remained unaware of the external visitor's arrival, it certainly had a considerable impact on the ostensible rulers of the Xuanhuang World. Most notably, the previously tense situation unexpectedly and simultaneously eased. For more than thirty consecutive days, the Celestial Venerable Dharmakaya of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance did not reappear. The Five Elders Council, too, was unusually quiet. It was as if both factions had simultaneously paused their activities to attend to something else.

Li Fan also sent a message to the Five Elders Council, inquiring about the powerful spatial fluctuation. While the Five Elders Council confirmed their awareness, they also stated that the cause of the spatial fluctuation was currently under investigation. They also requested that the Myriad Realms United Association notify them immediately if any discoveries were made.

"'Such solemnity is quite rare,' Li Fan murmured, stroking his chin with a slight frown."

"'Most crucially, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council have been searching together for days, yet they still haven't located this external visitor?'"

A subtle unease began to well up within Li Fan. After pacing back and forth, he finally made a decision.

He headed to the small dilapidated temple in Yongyun Province, arriving before Senior Stone Slab.

"'Are you referring to that fluctuation from a short while ago?' Senior Stone Slab seemed to have truly grasped the Dao of Fishing; his aura fluctuated unpredictably, like tides ebbing and flowing, radiating a daunting presence to his surroundings."

Even with Li Fan's current strength, attempting to approach would result in being forcefully pushed away by this inadvertently emitted power. Li Fan couldn't help but feel inwardly astonished.

"'Yes. The magnitude of that spatial fluctuation clearly exceeds the parameters for spatial teleportation within the Xuanhuang World. If it's an individual from beyond, I fear...' Li Fan expressed with a hint of concern."

"'The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council have been searching jointly, but with no results thus far. Therefore, for the safety of the Xuanhuang World, I could only come to you for assistance, Senior.'"

Senior Stone Slab remained silent for a long moment. However, it wasn't out of unwillingness to answer, but as if he had fallen asleep. After a while, once he awoke again, he shook his head and smiled. "'Although I am weary of existence, I bear the Creation Stone Slab. If the Xuanhuang World truly faced a life-or-death crisis, how could I possibly stand idly by?'"

"'This matter is, in fact, a misunderstanding. It's not some external visitor...'"

"'In any case, if you truly wish to know the full story, go to this location and find this person.'"

As Senior Stone Slab spoke, he lightly tapped towards Li Fan. The relevant information then appeared in Li Fan's mind.

Senior Stone Slab then re-immersed himself in the enlightenment of the Dao of Fishing. Li Fan bowed respectfully and departed.

"'Qinghuang Province, Han Zhong?'"

Li Fan frowned as he reviewed the information provided by Senior Stone Slab. Li Fan had visited Qinghuang Province before. Located in the southwestern corner of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, it was desolate, remote, and sparsely populated. It was even more backward than the Congyun Sea, ranking as the most underdeveloped region within the entire Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

"'Could it be that its very backwardness makes it a more suitable place to hide?'"

With that thought, Li Fan transformed into a streak of light and sped towards Qinghuang Province.

After some effort, he reached his destination and arrived at Han Zhong's doorstep. Before even entering, Li Fan detected the strong scent of alcohol.

"'Why does no one believe me?'"

"'Good wine!'"

"'Haha, none of it is real, just a dream! *hiccup*...'"

Li Fan's frown deepened. Stepping inside the room, Li Fan saw a stubble-faced, shabbily dressed cultivator lying ungracefully on the floor. He clutched a wine jar tightly, his expression hazy.

Li Fan's divine sense instantly swept over Han Zhong, confirming there was no immediate danger. The man was merely a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, posing no discernible threat.

"'Are you Han Zhong?' Li Fan asked coldly."

Han Zhong glanced at Li Fan with a muddled expression, then stared blankly for a moment. Then, as if he hadn't seen Li Fan at all, he lifted the wine jar and resumed drinking.

Li Fan snorted, intending to use soul-searching secret arts to extract the secrets from the drunkard's mind. However, just as Li Fan's right hand touched Han Zhong's head, as if seared by fire, Li Fan instantly recoiled.

"'Hmm?'"

Li Fan gazed at his palm, momentarily lost in thought. Although his physical body appeared unharmed, Li Fan distinctly sensed his divine soul withering the instant it made contact with the other party! It wasn't an injury, but rather the depletion of his divine soul, akin to a cultivator on the verge of death!

Li Fan's heart was instantly shaken. He knew that his divine soul's strength, at this moment, was rarely matched even among Dao Integration cultivators. Yet now, he had been injured by a mere Core Formation cultivator?