A faint glow swept through, and over forty thousand sheets of paper instantly floated into the air.
Within the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan thought he saw the papers tremble slightly. A moment later, a thick "book" materialized before Li Fan.
"Decryption complete. Contribution points deducted: 28,000."
That was fast! Li Fan couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
The fluttering of the pages earlier was no illusion. Their movement had simply exceeded the limits of his perception, making their trajectories invisible to his eyes.
Times have changed, Yi Xing!
In the past, without the cipher key, an ordinary cultivator would have had no hope of opening the Divine Lock Treasure Box you left behind.
But now, everyone has access to the Tianxuan Mirror. An encrypted box like this can hardly put up any resistance!
The Tianxuan Mirror is truly a marvelous treasure!
Li Fan sighed inwardly, then opened the now-unlocked Divine Lock Treasure Box.
Only two items were inside: a jade slip, and a crystalline stone emitting a deep blue glow.
The blue light pulsed gently, like breathing.
At first glance, countless scenes seemed to play out endlessly within the stone's depths.
This is the Dao Transformation Stone!
Though it had taken some effort, Li Fan, having finally achieved his goal, joyfully picked up the Dao Transformation Stone.
I wonder what grade this Dao Transformation Stone left behind by Yi Xing is.
He once again employed the Tianxuan Mirror as an appraiser.
"Dao Transformation Stone. Convertible to 150,000 contribution points."
The ever-diligent Tianxuan Mirror quickly displayed the result.
Li Fan decisively refused the conversion, thinking to himself.
Though it's only a low-grade piece, it should be sufficient for my current needs. For such a small stone to be more valuable than a Nascent Soul technique...
Wait, Jiao Xiuyuan said these Dao Transformation Stones are practically priceless; 150,000 is just the Tianxuan Mirror's theoretical acquisition price.
Trying to buy one at that price would be pure wishful thinking.
Sure enough, after searching within the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan found numerous postings from people looking to purchase Dao Transformation Stones.
Their proposed trade conditions weren't limited to contribution points; most offered esoteric treasures of equivalent value in exchange.
This is probably the most valuable thing I possess right now.
Pleased, Li Fan first stored the Dao Transformation Stone safely away, then began reading the jade slip Yi Xing had left behind.
The jade slip contained no techniques or secret arts. It was mostly Yi Xing's random musings and final reflections before his death.
Through his account, Li Fan came to understand the life of Yi Xing, this disciple of the Taiyan Sect who had lived through the Great Migration Era.
At that time, under the Exclusivity of Immortal Techniques, many sects in the cultivation world had already undergone brutal internal strife. Some millennia-old immortal sects were even wiped out overnight because of it.
The Taiyan Sect was naturally no exception. However, most disciples of the Taiyan Sect favored divination and prediction arts, showing little enthusiasm for conflict and slaughter.
Any internal strife was quickly and forcibly suppressed by the Taiyan Sect Leader, Zuo Qiushang. Though this peace was destined not to last, it held for a time.
And just as this fleeting peace was about to vanish, the outbreak of Immortal-Mortal Miasma occurred.
The Exclusivity of Immortal Techniques only meant stagnation in cultivation progress. But infection by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma meant true death.
Every cultivator understood the difference. Thus, internal conflicts were put aside. All efforts turned instead to combating the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.
The history of this period aligned with what Li Fan had previously learned.
First came the indiscriminate slaughter of mortals, followed by the realization that something was wrong, leading to an urgent halt to the massacre.
Subsequently, the infamous Great Migration Plan was proposed.
Anyone who hadn't reached the Qi Refinement realm would be forcibly relocated to surrounding minor worlds and grotto-heavens.
At that time, Yi Xing had already reached the late-stage Qi Refinement realm. Nevertheless, he volunteered to oversee the migration of mortals from the Taiyan Sect and its vicinity.
In his notes, Yi Xing confessed frankly:
Although the outbreak of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma had forcibly halted the process of cultivators turning on each other, it was foreseeable that the true era of slaughter and darkness would descend completely before long.
When that time came, a minor Qi Refinement cultivator like him would undoubtedly be among the first to be slaughtered.
So why not seize this opportunity to escape with the mortals to the surrounding minor worlds?
With the might of an immortal, he could command the masses, establishing a legacy in this minor world. Then, he would willingly dissipate his cultivation techniques to ensure peace.
Doing so might actually allow him to live longer than if he stubbornly remained in the cultivation world.
Thus, Yi Xing founded a mortal dynasty in this desolate minor world.
Knowing that eternal life was beyond his reach, Yi Xing mobilized the people to build his tomb as soon as he became emperor.
Moreover, while his cultivation still remained, he laid down an illusion array within the tomb, concealing his true burial chamber.
As Yi Xing grew older, the spiritual qi within his body completely faded, and he became entirely mortal.