Chapter 696: Sea of Death Seals A Myriad Cultivators

Exploring ordinary regions of the White Mist grants contribution points; so what one gains from exploring the Lost Domains should be these Qingxuan Points.

Li Fan’s gaze inadvertently swept across the Heaven-Measuring Mirror suspended above the Samantabhadra True Boat. Green light blazed from it, illuminating an area a hundred zhang in radius.

The Xuantian Array as the core, with the Qingxuan Mirror as the foundation…

Li Fan had once heard of the Qingxuan Mirror in his previous life, mentioned by Zhang Zhiliang.

It was one of the secondary entities of the Tianxuan Mirror, a replica that stored all the knowledge and information that had already existed within the Tianxuan Mirror before it separated from its parent body.

It encompassed everything; one could call it an offline version of the encyclopedia of the Xuanhuang World.

And the core array…

In this era, after the Myriad Immortals Alliance had excavated the Xuantian Dharma King slumbering within the Purple Firmament Sect, the array built around the Tianxuan Mirror had become vastly different from its previous iteration. It had shifted from Tianxuan Soul-Locking to Xuantian Spirit-Sealing.

It was far more aggressive. And, most importantly, the difference in the sequence of the characters "Xuan" and "Tian" seemed to indicate that the Xuantian Spirit-Sealing Array was under the control of the cultivators.

Whether it was that small mirror Immortal Eminence Hong Xi had produced when facing Crimson Flame, or the Heaven-Measuring Mirror that now existed as an individual entity yet possessed a portion of the Tianxuan Mirror’s power, both could serve as evidence for this viewpoint.

Come to think of it, I wonder if the Disassembler Disc, which was the biggest publicity stunt in the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array construction competition in my past lifetime, will appear this time on the Qingxuan Points exchange list.

Secondary entities of the Tianxuan Mirror were individual entities separated and derived from it. Though far inferior to the original, they were still considered first-rate esoteric treasures of the Xuanhuang World.

As far as Li Fan knew: the Qingxuan Mirror recorded all things in the world; the Disassembler Disc possessed formidable computational power and unparalleled array-breaking ability; the Calamity-Ending Stone Disc could shield its user against the perception of the Xuan Net and create loopholes…

If I'm fortunate enough to obtain one of these secondary entities in this life, when I activate Return to Truth and select the option to save an object, I should absolutely choose it.

After all, even if I were to return to the Golden Core realm, achieving Nascent Soul for me would just be a matter of going through the motions again.

Just as Li Fan's thoughts were churning and his imagination was running wild, the sound of murmuring drifted into his ear, jolting him from his fantasies.

Li Fan swiftly glanced left and right.

Within the White Mist, all was silent. So, by comparison, these sudden, inexplicable murmurs were distinctly odd.

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound.

But the direction of the sound shifted left and right, in front and behind, sometimes even coming from directly beside Li Fan's ear.

It made his hair stand on end.

Li Fan's abnormal behaviour quickly caught Huangfu Song's attention.

"Brother Li, what's wrong?" he asked with some concern.

Upon hearing this, the listless Dongfang Yao also perked up, casting a questioning glance.

"Do you two hear any sounds?" Li Fan asked, his expression somewhat grave.

"Huh? Sounds? It's awfully quiet in this White Mist…" Dongfang Yao and Huangfu Song exchanged glances, puzzled.

Li Fan waved his hand, cutting off their intention to press further.

He flew to the prow of the Samantabhadra True Boat, concentrated, and listened intently to the murmurs coming from the White Mist.

The flying boat continued forward. A full incense-stick's time passed before the murmuring finally faded from Li Fan's ears.

Strange.

Li Fan connected to the Heaven-Measuring Mirror and examined their current position. 

They had already left the vast, explored bluish-black region, carving a narrow passage through the endless white, pressing ever forward. 

A flash of insight struck Li Fan, and suddenly, he understood.

“Turn around. Head back,” Li Fan said to Huangfu Song, his voice low and heavy.

Huangfu Song hesitated for a moment, but seeing the serious look on Li Fan’s face, he complied immediately.

They retraced their path. Soon, the murmuring that had vanished returned to Li Fan’s ears.

“Fly toward it,” Li Fan said, standing at the bow of the boat. He pinpointed the source of the sound, then directed Huangfu Song toward it.

As the Samantabhadra True Boat changed its course time and again, the murmuring grew louder, more insistent.

When it passed a certain threshold, Li Fan could finally make out the words.

“Heavenly…”

“Physician…”

A crushing sense of oppression surged into his heart. But because he had already anticipated this, the content of the murmurs didn’t frighten him.

So, the murmurs of “Heavenly Physician” I heard on my way to the Roaring Abyss in my past lifetime weren’t some auditory hallucination born of my deepest fear.

They were real.

Suddenly, it all made sense to Li Fan.

The Samantabhadra True Boat continued forward, following Li Fan’s guidance. The surrounding landscape remained a blank canvas of white, seemingly unchanged.

But Li Fan noticed something: their Qingxuan Points had instantly jumped from zero to one hundred. And as the Samantabhadra True Boat pressed on, the number was increasing rapidly.

“Slow down. We’ve entered a Lost Domain,” Li Fan instructed, his voice serious.

Huangfu Song froze for a second, then checked the Heaven-Measuring Mirror. His face split into a grin of pure delight.

“Brother Li, how did you know a Lost Domain was here? Was it because of those sounds you mentioned?” he asked, turning to Li Fan.

“Yes. But it’s strange. Now that we’re inside, those bizarre sounds have vanished,” Li Fan replied, nodding. At the same time, he extended his divine sense, probing the surroundings.

“This is fantastic. It must be a virgin Lost Domain, never touched by anyone. Our Qingxuan Points are skyrocketing,” Huangfu Song said, greed dripping from his voice.

Dongfang Yao, however, offered a warning. “Better to be careful. This place feels… ominous.”

They flew a bit farther. The Lifespan-Devouring White Mist began to thin.

Then, it vanished completely. The Lost Domain revealed its hidden face.

When they saw what lay before them, even Huangfu and Dongfang, men who prided themselves on their vast experience, stood frozen. Their hands and feet went cold.

Li Fan took a deep breath, steadying himself against the shock of the sight.

What filled their vision was a silent, black ocean. No waves disturbed its surface. Instead, countless cubes of crystalline ice floated upon it.

Inside each cube was the frozen corpse of a cultivator.

Through the ice, they could still make out the final expressions on their faces.

There was anger, terror, and confusion.

All were so lifelike, as if they were still breathing.

A dense, endless sea of crystal coffins filled their entire view, covering the black ocean.

It was impossible to estimate how many there were, as though every cultivator in the world had been frozen and buried here.

The sheer visual impact plunged the Samantabhadra True Boat into a deathly silence.

After a long moment, Huangfu Song swallowed hard and whispered a suggestion. "Maybe... we should turn back?"

Clearly, even the notoriously avaricious Huangfu Song had been shaken by the utterly bizarre sight before them.