Boom!
As soon as these words were spoken, they seemed to create a massive shockwave—not only for Chen Tianhai but also for the members of the Taiyan Sect within the Dao Deviation Stone Mother.
In an instant, all the blue phantom projections within the Floating City froze in place, simultaneously turning their gazes toward Xu Bai.
It was as if the entire city had fallen into absolute silence, with only the deep blue hue continuing to flow imperceptibly.
A moment later—
Chen Tianhai gently stomped his foot again.
The once-transparent walls of the space turned opaque, cutting off the view between the inside and outside.
Chen Tianhai also reverted to his ordinary cultivator appearance.
“Given the current situation, we cannot entirely rule out the possibility you mentioned.”
“We have conducted multiple derivations regarding the possible internal state of the Immortal Ruins.”
“But first, the known intelligence is too scarce. And second…”
“Every attempt to probe into the Immortal Ruins has yielded no results. None have returned. As such, we cannot verify the reliability of our derivations.”
Chen Tianhai explained while looking at Xu Bai.
Xu Bai smiled. “But you no longer have any Dao Deviation Stones left, so what are you going to trade with me?”
“Do I look like the kind of person who would generously hand over benefits for free?”
Chen Tianhai seriously examined Xu Bai from head to toe, then nodded. “From your appearance, yes, you do.”
“However, we never place our hopes in others.”
“I believe there is something you might be interested in.”
Chen Tianhai extended his left hand and directly plunged it into his own head.
Fortunately, there was no gruesome scene of brain matter or blood spilling. The moment his hand touched his brain, it transformed into a phantom.
At the same time, his head seemed to split into countless small, flickering blue square fragments.
The sight was rather bizarre.
After a moment of searching, Chen Tianhai finally withdrew his hand.
He opened his palm, revealing something to Xu Bai and Fang Zaiji.
“This is…?” Xu Bai narrowed his eyes slightly.
A miniature version of the Floating City quietly hovered in Chen Tianhai’s hand.
Unlike the Dao Deviation Stone Mother, which exuded a deep blue hue, this miniature city was like crystal-clear glass—radiant, delicate, yet fragile.
“A one-time replica of the Dao Deviation Stone Mother. It was inspired by the Tianxuan Treasure Record from the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance—a relatively independent entity that still retains some of the Stone Mother’s abilities,” Chen Tianhai explained without any emotion.
“What is it used for?” Fang Zaiji’s eyes lit up, and he reached out to grab the miniature Floating City.
But his hand grasped nothing but air.
Both Chen Tianhai and the Stone Mother replica instantly became illusory and untouchable.
Fang Zaiji smacked his lips in annoyance.
“The Stone Mother replica contains all the information of the original, along with enough energy to power a single simulation.”
“Through this simulation, you can experience the future that the Dao Deviation Stone Mother has derived.”
As if responding to Chen Tianhai’s words, the Stone Mother replica in his hand suddenly erupted with a dazzling light.
Within the white glow, countless images seemed to flash by at rapid speed.
“A simulation? Is this even reliable?” Fang Zaiji, clearly hearing about this for the first time, appeared skeptical.
Meanwhile, Xu Bai stared intently at the Stone Mother replica, deep in thought.
The brightness of the white light gradually diminished, and the rapidly shifting scenes inside began to slow down.
“Huh? Why do I see myself and the Sect Master in there?” Fang Zaiji noticed something unusual and asked in surprise.
“According to the results of this simulation, you are expected to accept our trade offer.”
As Chen Tianhai spoke, he crushed the Stone Mother replica in his hand.
And just moments later—
Everything unfolded exactly as he had predicted.
The scenes of Xu Bai trading with them immediately appeared before everyone’s eyes.
Although, upon closer inspection, some details still differed slightly from reality.
Yet, witnessing one’s own “future” with their own eyes still made people feel uneasy.
“This is really a bit too confident. Sect Master, let’s not be fooled by him.” Fang Zaiji seemed rather annoyed as he spoke.
Xu Bai glanced at Fang Zaiji indifferently. “Mr. Fang, are you sure you’re using your provocation technique on the right person? Looks to me like you’re just greedy for this thing yourself.”
Exposed on the spot, Fang Zaiji let out an embarrassed chuckle.
“However…” Xu Bai gazed at the ever-changing scenes before him.
After a brief silence, he suddenly asked, “The Tianxuan Treasure Record enters the body and reveals every secret of a cultivator. It sees through everything without exception.
“This Stone Mother Replica… isn’t the same, is it?”
Chen Tianhai smiled. “That depends on you.”
“The closer the data is to reality, the more accurate the simulated results will be. We’ve been secluded in this Taixuan Cave-Heaven for thousands of years. Though we periodically calibrate the deduced results of the Dao-Deviation Stone Mother, in truth, we can only ensure superficial accuracy.”
“The Xuanhuang Realm holds many secrets. Even the Immortal Ancestor wouldn’t dare to claim omniscience.”
“The Stone Mother Replica does not have the all-seeing capabilities of the Tianxuan Treasure Record. Instead, it requires the user to supplement their own data. If someone deliberately hides something, they can—however, the deduced results may deviate accordingly,” Chen Tianhai said calmly.
“The Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance once said the same thing. That the Tianxuan Treasure Record could be treated as an independent entity, not connected to the Tianxuan Mirror. That cultivators could use it with complete peace of mind.”
“And yet, what happened later?” Fang Zaiji sneered.
“Our Taiyan Sect is different,” Chen Tianhai’s expression suddenly turned extremely serious. “Here, lies are absolutely forbidden.”
“The world within the Stone Mother is built upon real deductions. Any false information could lead to the collapse of the subsequent simulated world.” Chen Tianhai explained this only briefly.
“You may not believe it, but that does not change the truth.”
Hearing this, Fang Zaiji’s face showed suspicion, while Xu Bai simply nodded. “I believe it.”
“Then let’s trade.”
His decisiveness greatly surprised the two others present.
“Sect Master…” Fang Zaiji hesitated to speak further.
After a brief moment of astonishment, Chen Tianhai quickly extracted another Stone Mother Replica from his head.
Xu Bai, seemingly prepared in advance, took out a Projection Stone from his storage ring.
In an instant, the exchange was completed.
Chen Tianhai immediately played the recording from the Projection Stone—an image of the Medicine King True Cauldron fleeing from the Xuanhuang Realm, only to be drawn toward the Immortal Ruins.
He replayed it three times.
As the projection faded, Chen Tianhai’s expression turned grim. “It seems you were right.”
“If the data you provided is accurate…”
“Then the pull of the Immortal Ruins has indeed been steadily increasing over the years.”