On the ground, Li Fan followed the voice and spotted Jiao Xiuyuan's figure. He wasn't surprised, simply offering a slight smile and a nod in his direction.
Jiao Xiuyuan blinked in momentary confusion upon seeing this.
"So he's an old customer..." Jiao Xiuyuan muttered under his breath, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes.
As the two locked eyes, the black sky descended completely, and Myriad Immortals Island was reduced to ashes.
After this day, the Congyun Sea would no longer exist in this world.
***
The phenomena of cultivator deaths lit the sky of the Congyun Sea like fireworks.
Meanwhile, in some unknown space, five statues with indistinct features stood arranged in a circle.
Their heads were bowed, and they gazed down at the center where a massive, glowing cloud floated in the air.
Within the cloud, miniature landscapes, mountains, and flowing water were faintly visible.
The cloud was divided into isolated regions, both large and small, each with a tiny point of light suspended within.
Suddenly, at the edge of this luminous cloud, within a small blue zone, the light point hovering in that region abruptly flashed red and began pulsing. An invisible fluctuation spread outward through this space.
Four of the five statues stirred awake in response.
The red light point projected a sequence of images upward. The scenes cycled at hundreds of times normal speed, replaying the events that had just transpired in the Congyun Sea.
Four immense consciousnesses exchanged thoughts among themselves.
"To think it provoked Ink Death..."
"An ambush against a Soul Arbiter of heaven and earth in the Congyun Sea? What was the Myriad Immortals Alliance thinking?"
"The old ones pay no heed to worldly affairs. It's no surprise those below remain unaware."
"Besides, the dead were two local Spirit Transformation cultivators from the Congyun Sea. The other three were outsiders they recruited from who-knows-where. None were core members of the Myriad Immortals Alliance."
"Even so, five Spirit Transformation cultivators, along with numerous others across various realms... That's too many deaths at once."
"No matter. They're all expendable resources."
"Yet we must control the overall number of cultivators. Not too many, not too few."
"The old ones remain absent all day. This matter still falls to us."
"Then let's relax the restrictions on technique redemption."
"I'll see to it. But the Congyun Sea has become a dead zone. We'll need to trouble Heavenly Venerable Wu You."
After a moment, the statue that had remained still until now transmitted a ripple of thought.
"I understand."
Then, silence returned.
The others seemed accustomed to this.
Exchanging a few more thoughts, they gradually fell silent one by one.
In the luminous cloud at the center of the five statues, the blue region at the edge slowly faded, then gradually turned transparent and vanished.
***
Yuandao Province.
The instant Ink Death utterly destroyed Myriad Immortals Island, Li Fan felt a strange premonition and turned to gaze into the distance.
"Master, what's wrong?" Su Xiaomei noticed Li Fan's unusual stillness and asked curiously.
Li Fan shook his head without answering.
After several days of travel, their group had finally arrived near Brightmoon Lake.
This place was exactly as Fei Nan had described—barren in resources, remote in location, and rarely visited by cultivators. Being located far from Yuandao Sky City made it extremely inconvenient to visit.
While unsuitable as a cave dwelling for ordinary cultivators, for Li Fan, it was a rather good choice.
First, Li Fan intended to use the Deepsea Pearl to build his Dao Foundation.
The vast, misty expanse of Brightmoon Lake, stretching eight hundred li, held water attribute spiritual qi that was scarcely weaker than that of Congyun Sea. This suited Li Fan’s needs perfectly.
Second, precisely because few cultivators came here, it would be relatively safe to store the ancient Dao artifacts here, as there was little risk of discovery.
However, establishing a cave dwelling was a matter of grave importance. He needed to personally check whether the lake held any hidden peculiarities. If it turned out he was building his lair in someone else's territory, that would be utterly foolish.
Li Fan soared over the lake's surface, intending to probe its depths.
A moment later, he abruptly halted.
Between heaven and earth, a massive surge of blue light manifested from the void, returning to the Deepsea Pearl. Simultaneously, countless images flooded Li Fan's mind.
So it failed in the end and has returned after all.
The originally feeble Deepsea Pearl slowly absorbed this sudden influx of blue light, gradually transforming into the deep azure form he remembered from his previous life.
Moreover, because the Congyun Sea had been destroyed ahead of time, the Deepsea Pearl's formation had accelerated.
Li Fan estimated that this Curio of heaven and earth, still in gestation, would reach its full form before long.