The chamber below was unlit, plunging him into absolute darkness.
Yet, with a sweep of Li Fan's divine sense, its interior was laid bare.
A wisp of flame flew from his fingers, igniting candles that had been waiting in the gloom.
In the flickering candlelight, Li Fan's expression gradually grew solemn.
Within this space that was neither large nor small, a faceless stone statue stood leaning against a wall.
At the center of the room was a long, dark-brown wooden table. Faint traces of what appeared to be dried, dark-red blood were visible on its surface.
A wooden chest sat at one corner of the table.
Li Fan opened it to find tools of uncertain purpose: hammers, knives, nails, needles, and more.
Numerous transparent jars filled the shelves on the walls. Inside them, suspended in an unknown liquid, were many strange and oddly shaped organs.
In one corner, Li Fan also spotted the skeletal specimens of several young humans.
Mister Bai...
A complex emotion flickered across Li Fan's face as he continued searching the chamber.
By another wall, he saw that the markings on the floor differed from those elsewhere.
His divine sense probed downward. Beneath it lay one, two...twenty-eight skeletons in total.
Judging by the remains, they were all like Gouzi from the small temple, creatures that were half-human, half-beast.
Beyond these, the secret chamber yielded nothing more.
Li Fan did not rush to act. He stood still, thinking.
Based on the various objects discovered here, Mister Bai’s persona as "the greatest, kindest man under heaven" seemed to be facing a challenge.
Yet, it could not be completely dismissed.
Back when he was still mortal, governing a region in Great Xuan, Li Fan had presided over countless cases, large and small.
Some cases that appeared straightforward at first glance often held hidden complexities.
Take the scene before him.
One possibility was that Mister Bai was a master of disguise, outwardly benevolent, but inwardly a being of profound wickedness.
The bones buried deep below were all his victims. Perhaps even the human-headed, beast-bodied beings in Ningyuan City were his creations, a perverse application of his masterful medical skills.
His aid to the orphans in the small temple could then be a convenient way to select research subjects.
But another possibility existed: Mister Bai wore no disguise.
The specimens and skeletons in this chamber were simply tools for his medical research.
As a transmigrator, Li Fan found this notion not too difficult to accept. Though here in Ningyuan City, it would likely be considered shocking and blasphemous.
His need to conduct such studies in a hidden underground chamber might stem from the world's inability to accept such practices, a measure born of necessity.
Both possibilities were plausible. To uncover the truth, Li Fan would have to verify it himself.
For now, it was almost certain that the master of this spacetime of lingering obsession was this never-before-seen Mister Bai.
Li Fan decided to stick to his original plan. He would first attempt to resolve the Ningyuan Longevity Fruits Retrieval incident without mortal casualties.
His mind made up, Li Fan focused his gaze on the damaged stone statue.
It seemed that a great deal of time had passed since the statue's creation. It bore the heavy marks of countless years, its former sanctity long faded.
The faceless visage stared back at Li Fan in silence.
With a piece of stone this large, one would be able to forge two or three sets of Immortal-Severing Stone Nails. Li Fan mused to himself.
He glanced again at the wooden chest in the center, feeling quite satisfied.
Excellent. He's even prepared the tools for me.
Without further hesitation, Li Fan used his divine sense to manipulate the hammers, chisels, knives, and other tools.
A series of clinks and clangs echoed in the chamber.
Before long, several dozen slender Immortal-Severing Stone Nails were completed, which Li Fan laid out one by one on the long table in the basement.
Next, I need to test whether the Immortal-Sealing, Spirit-Severing Needles can subdue Senior Brother Zhang. If they can...
Chu Liang and the others are nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs. I can easily capture them using my Insect Binding divine ability.
As for Song Hesong, I can use the same method, subduing him with the Immortal-Severing Stone needles.
Hmm. Immortal-Severing Stone cannot be stored in a storage ring. I'll need to lure him into the trap.
After some thought, Li Fan returned to the surface, moved the slab of Immortal-Severing Stone into the basement, and then sent a message to Senior Brother Zhang.
"Senior Brother, come quickly! I've made a major discovery!”
Li Fan then returned to the underground chamber, extinguished the candles, and quietly awaited Senior Brother Zhang's arrival.
Before long, Zhang Qianmo's voice sounded from above. "Hmm? Junior Brother, what have you discovered in this secret chamber?
"So many skeletons...Huh? Beastkin!?"