Chapter 903: Surprised to See the Divine Doctor

An object, connected by golden chains, was shrouded in a hazy radiance. Its details were indistinguishable. However, this luminous orb was undeniably massive. Compared to Chuanfa’s size, it was nearly as large as half a province of the Xuanhuang Realm!

Yet, Chuanfa appeared to drag this colossal object with no effort whatsoever. His facial expression remained utterly impassive, like ten thousand-year-old ice. With the immense orb of light trailing behind him, Chuanfa resembled a comet flying in reverse. He swiftly moved through the boundless dark void. Moments later, he vanished completely from view.

The Water Mirror Technique’s projection concluded there, but Han Zhong did not cease his narration.

"What I just described was merely one scene I witnessed during my prolonged period of captivity."

"In fact, I saw Venerable Chuanfa more than once."

As Han Zhong spoke, he continuously cast the Water Mirror Technique. Instantly, more than a dozen light screens materialized before Li Fan. While the scenes displayed on each screen were remarkably similar, they also held subtle differences. In every one, Chuanfa was depicted dragging a luminous orb behind him with golden chains. The only distinction was the varying sizes of these orbs.

"These images are all too similar."

"So much so that I even wonder if I conjured them from sheer despair."

Han Zhong, too, gazed at the scenes he had conjured, his face clouded with doubt.

Li Fan, however, knew this could not be an illusion. While the image of Venerable Chuanfa might have been conjured from the stone statues Li Fan had previously seen, the golden chains behind Chuanfa... Given Han Zhong’s Golden Core cultivation and limited experience, it would be utterly impossible for him to conjure such a detail without witnessing it firsthand!

Li Fan himself had seen such chains before. They were precisely the golden chains of the Floating Starry Sky Array, as recorded in the memories of Ji Yuzhen, the Law King of the Profound Heaven Sect! The Floating Starry Sky Array used these golden chains to capture grotto-heavens and minor worlds. This naturally led Li Fan to a logical conjecture.

"Is Chuanfa dragging other worlds behind him?"

"Did he leave Xuanhuang and traverse the Abyssal Star Sea just to collect the remaining cultivation worlds?"

Numerous thoughts flashed through Li Fan’s mind in an instant.

"What could be the purpose of this?"

"And where are these cultivation worlds now?"

"Could it be that controlling the Xuanhuang Realm wasn't enough for Chuanfa; he also wanted to devour more cultivation worlds to advance further?"

"Perhaps even breaking through to the True Immortal realm?!"

Combining this with the recent information gathered about the Profound Heaven Sect, Li Fan deduced what seemed to be the most plausible conclusion.

Just as Li Fan fell silent, lost in contemplation, Han Zhong, seeing Li Fan remain silent, assumed he too believed that Han Zhong had hallucinated due to prolonged despair. After a moment of hesitation, he added, "Actually, besides Venerable Chuanfa, I once saw another person."

"I had never seen that person before, and they only appeared once..."

"This is also why I believe that what I saw might not have been a mere illusion."

As he spoke, Han Zhong cast the Water Mirror Technique once more. The image that materialized caused Li Fan’s heart to pound violently! Soaring through the void was none other than one of Li Fan’s long-standing psychological shadows: Heavenly Physician!

Heavenly Physician flew through the darkness, surrounded by a radiant, sacred white glow. Unlike Chuanfa, he wasn't dragging anything with golden chains behind him. He simply flew, stopped, and seemed to be making calculations with his fingers. After successfully determining his direction, he hastily flew off again.

"Heavenly Physician can actually escape the Immortal Ruins' pull?"

"How is that possible?"

This thought immediately surged into Li Fan's mind the moment he saw Heavenly Physician. Amidst his shock, he quickly glanced at Han Zhong. He even began to suspect if this was a fabrication by Han Zhong, a conspiracy targeting him.

Although Heavenly Physician's true strength remained unknown, Li Fan had never dared to underestimate him. Even now, claiming invincibility below the Longevity Realm, Li Fan couldn't guarantee success against Heavenly Physician. Heavenly Physician's identity was shrouded in extreme mystery. He could issue missions through the Heavenly Profound Mirror. However, apart from the Cloud Water Talisman mission, Li Fan had found no other trace of him within the Myriad Immortals Alliance during any of his previous reincarnations. It was as if, though he belonged to the Myriad Immortals Alliance, his situation differed from that of ordinary cultivators. He seemed more akin to Emperor Sanmo, holding a position similar to a "guest elder" who rarely made public appearances.

Heavenly Physician’s abilities were also extraordinary. Li Fan had never witnessed the secret technique of "Observation, Auscultation, Interrogation, and Palpation," which could peer into a cultivator's inner thoughts, from anyone other than Heavenly Physician. Yet, even after having estimated Heavenly Physician’s true cultivation as highly as possible, Li Fan had not anticipated that he could, like Chuanfa, disregard the Immortal Ruins’ restrictions. To leave the Xuanhuang Realm and journey through the Abyssal Star Sea!

"To be able to do what even Longevity Realm powerhouses cannot..."

"Just what..."

Li Fan’s heart was deeply shaken. But soon, he composed himself.

"No, that's not right. This doesn't necessarily mean Heavenly Physician’s strength surpasses the Longevity Realm."

"While Longevity Realm cultivators are powerful, their drawback is being deeply bound to the Xuanhuang Realm."

"Unless they achieve transcendence like Chuanfa, they can never leave the Xuanhuang Realm in their lifetime."

"Even without the Immortal Ruins, this remains true."

"This also doesn't mean that Longevity Realm cultivators cannot resist the Immortal Ruins’ gravitational pull."

"Heavenly Physician, however, has not attained Longevity. Perhaps this is why he can leave the Xuanhuang Realm and move freely."

As he slowly pieced together the facts, Li Fan’s mind gradually settled.

Han Zhong, who had been keenly observing Li Fan’s expressions, could not, however, discern his internal shifts. Li Fan’s unchanging expression prevented Han Zhong from guessing his thoughts. Han Zhong continued, not without regret, "Aside from the scenes I just described, I never saw anything else."

"I don't know how long I spent in that invisible bubble; most of the time, I faced absolute darkness."

"I even admire myself a little for not going mad from it."

"Moreover, I discovered that within that bubble, I showed no signs of aging."

"I had originally considered ending my life if I were to endure such claustrophobic torment indefinitely."

"However, not long ago, for some unknown reason, the bubble seemed to encounter something."

"It began to vibrate incessantly and shrink..."

"I thought I was surely dead," Han Zhong said, a hint of relief in his voice. "But unexpectedly, before the bubble completely collapsed, with a *bang*, I found myself back in the Xuanhuang Realm."

"Of course, when I first saw the endless plains, I had no idea it was Jiushan Province. I only understood after encountering some Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators and making inquiries."

Han Zhong recounted his extraordinary experience in full detail.

While Li Fan was still deep in thought, he suddenly heard Han Zhong speak in a voice filled with utter shock: "You are..."

But the words were not directed at him.

Li Fan felt a jolt of alarm, turned his head, and discovered that a figure had quietly appeared in the room at some unknown moment!

It was none other than...

Heavenly Physician!