Although Li Fan wasn’t entirely sure what the opponent meant by the so-called “Xuantian Spirit-Sealing Formation”.
However, it wasn’t hard to infer that the term referred to the Mysterious Net, which had begun to demonstrate its extraordinary potential on the battlefield of Tianling Prefecture.
Without betraying any emotion, Li Fan probed, “Based on our calculations, even with the assistance of the Xuantian Spirit-Sealing Formation, the Five Elders Association shouldn’t be losing ground so rapidly or finding itself in such a dire position, correct?”
The other party sighed and admitted, “We truly underestimated them this time. Who could have imagined that the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance would be able to recreate this ancient formation so quickly?”
“And it seems to be even more formidable than the recorded descriptions.”
The Five Elders Association cultivator spoke with frustration: “Our countermeasures haven’t been fully prepared yet. That’s why the situation on the Tianling Prefecture battlefield has become rather precarious for now.”
“That’s why we urgently need a method to weaken their formation.”
Li Fan remained silent, rhythmically tapping his fingers on the table as if deep in thought.
“To acquire the formation diagram for the Xuantian Spirit-Sealing Formation, even for us, would come at an enormous cost. Some comrades who have infiltrated the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance would likely need to sacrifice their lives.”
After a long pause, Li Fan finally spoke, his tone hesitant. “This matter is of great significance. I cannot make a decision on my own. Let’s do this—give me three days, and I’ll return here with an answer.”
Although the Five Elders Association cultivator was anxious, he recognized the validity of Li Fan’s reasoning and reluctantly nodded in agreement.
“By the way, let’s meet at a different location next time. These are turbulent times, and it’s better to err on the side of caution.” With that, he gave Li Fan the coordinates of another island.
Li Fan clasped his hands in farewell and left swiftly, returning to the Congyun Immortal City.
“Tianxuan Spirit Locking, Xuantian Sealing Spirit.”
“Ancient times, Tianxuan Mirror…”
“Xuantian Sect, huh?”
In his secluded chamber, Li Fan’s gaze flickered as he sank into contemplation.
“That scene on the battlefield, where countless cultivators plummeted from the sky to the ground in an instant—it felt oddly familiar…”
“That’s right—Nine Mountains Prefecture!”
Within Nine Mountains Prefecture, the nine mountain ranges had the peculiar property of preventing cultivators from flying over them.
In his previous life, Li Fan had traveled to the Ten Thousand Laws Chamber of Commerce in Nine Mountains Prefecture for procurement. There, he had witnessed the tragic fate of several defiant cultivators who fell to their deaths.
“Could there be some connection here?”
Li Fan sifted through his memories, recalling various documents he had read in the past.
According to legend, the nine great mountains of Nine Mountains Prefecture were formed from the meridians of a ‘beast of immense size’ that had perished in ancient times.
The nine mountains were named: Tianchang (Heavenly Length), Tianduan (Heavenly Shortness), Tianxu (Heavenly Void), Tiancu (Heavenly Promptness), Tianjie (Heavenly Knot), Tiandai (Heavenly Substitution), Tianlao (Heavenly Prison), Tiandong (Heavenly Movement), and Tianxi (Heavenly Fineness).
These mountains were said to secretly form a formation, destabilizing the space in Nine Mountains Prefecture and making even teleportation formation ineffective.
—
This information was something Li Fan had known for some time.
Back then, he dismissed the idea of a beast’s meridians transforming into mountain ranges as a fanciful ancient tale befitting mythology.
However, after personally visiting Nanming Mountain, the sacred ground of ancient beasts within the Fallen Immortal Realm, and witnessing many fearsome creatures from ancient times, Li Fan began to notice certain discrepancies in the legend.
The issue was simple: if the legend were true, the size of this beast was ‘unfathomable’.
Nine Mountains Prefecture spanned an area that had taken Li Fan half a year to traverse. A beast large enough to have its meridians cover an entire prefecture—what kind of terrifying existence could that have been?
Compared to it, beings like the Scarlet Nine-Head, Purple Headless, and Azure Divine Dragon were mere ants.
While size doesn’t necessarily correlate with power, Li Fan couldn’t believe that a beast capable of forming the Nine Mountains would be weak.
“Perhaps, this unknown beast holds clues to the origins of the Xuantian Spirit-Sealing Formation.”
Although the name alone suggested a connection to the ancient ‘Xuantian Sect’, Li Fan couldn’t rule out the possibility of mere coincidence. Being meticulous wouldn’t hurt.
Thus, Li Fan began searching the Tianxuan Mirror for information about the “beast that formed Nine Mountains Prefecture.”
Given the passage of time, records were fragmented and unverifiable. Opinions varied, and no definitive answer could be found.
Li Fan combed through all the records but found nothing credible.
Just when he was reluctantly preparing to give up, a painting titled “Dream Encounter with Ancient Beasts” caught Li Fan’s attention.
This painting was not created by anyone in modern times but was a casual sketch by a disciple of the ancient ‘Divine Brush Sect’.
After the Divine Brush Sect was annexed by the Pointillism Sect, its artifacts were scattered far and wide.
This particular painting was accidentally obtained by a wandering cultivator. However, during a catastrophic heavenly disaster, the wandering cultivator perished, and the contents of his storage ring were looted.
Only the seemingly worthless items, too cumbersome to carry, were left behind, quietly lying in place.
The abandoned storage ring, deemed useless, was discarded by the roadside like old trash.
After being buried in dust for thousands of years, it was rediscovered by a passing cultivator.
According to this cultivator, named Tang Bowen, he understood the past events through a lingering thousand-year-old resentment within the storage ring.
Of course, this claim might have been fabricated by Tang Bowen to inflate the value of “Dream Encounter with Ancient Beasts.”
Regardless, the painting indeed dates back thousands of years.
It depicts over a hundred beasts in various forms, some of which Li Fan had encountered in the Fallen Immortal Realm.
What truly captivated Li Fan about the painting, beyond these obvious beasts, was the hidden presence of another creature.
At the very edge of the painting, it appeared that these hundred beasts were all standing on the body of a colossal being.
However, due to its immense size, it could not be fully depicted.
Instead, the hundred beasts on its back served as a frame of reference.
“Vast and formless, its name is Heaven.”
This phrase was inscribed in a corner of the painting.
This minimalist creative style naturally attracted much commentary from cultivators.
An insightful observer revealed the truth with a single remark:
“I know this. Isn’t it that giant tortoise that transformed into the Nine Mountain Province after its death?”
The tone was somewhat mocking but not unfounded.
Indeed, the creature’s name consists of the characters for “King” (王) and “Eight” (八).
It is named Tiān (兲).
It is called Heaven.
“The Heavenly Beast…”
A sharp light flashed in Li Fan’s eyes.
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