Chapter 684: A Withered Branch Appears In Yueyang

According to what Li Fan had gleaned from Little Hei's memories and Crimson Nine-Heads' dying words, the demon race should have withdrawn successfully.

But the account had passed through several intermediaries, and some distortion was inevitable.

Seeing with one's own eyes beat hearing a hundred reports.

If the demon race, under Sovereign Primus, had truly torn through the world's boundaries to flee into the void with the Southern Abyss Sacred Beast Mountain, then the Heavenly Sword Sect of old would have achieved the same feat.

Perhaps, in the coming exploration of the Fallen Immortal Realm, Li Fan could focus on researching how to obtain the forging method for a World-Breaching Divine Armament. Not only would it secure his own path of retreat, but both the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council would be extremely interested in such a secret art.

Leyang Province sat in the southwest of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, not too far from the four central provinces.

A great lake called Yueyang Lake lay within its borders. The province took its name from the lake.

It was said that at every sunrise, one could behold the magnificent sight of a crimson sun leaping forth from the lake. In that instant, the solar qi grew denser than any other region. Absorbing and comprehending it for even a moment was worth many days of arduous cultivation.

Because of this, cultivators had gathered in great numbers along the shores of Yueyang Lake. The lake's resources were extraordinary too. The fish within, steeped daily in dense solar qi, had become unlike ordinary creatures. Their flesh was delicious, and eating them felt like swallowing a fire-attribute spirit stone, warming the body from within.

With the resources of this great lake, even cultivators of mediocre aptitude could progress rapidly.

Such good fortune naturally drew envy from all under heaven. To keep outsiders from competing for the lake’s resources, the cultivators of Leyang Province had formed an alliance of their own and claimed the vast majority of Yueyang Lake as their domain.

Cultivators from other regions who came seeking the lake's resources could only vie among themselves for whatever inferior scraps had been left to them.

After traveling for over ten days, Li Fan entered Leyang Province.

Several gazes fell on him at once.

But when the watchers saw that Li Fan wasn't flying toward Yueyang Lake, their attention slowly withdrew.

Paying them no heed, Li Fan flew on toward Qihong Isle.

Qihong Isle sat beside the Jinsha River, a tributary of Yueyang Lake.

Whenever the sun rose over Yueyang Lake and solar qi burst forth, the Jinsha River would shimmer and flash with golden radiance.

People considered it a residual effect of pure solar qi, but for some reason it carried strands of baleful qi, which made it impossible for cultivators to absorb.

Because of this, few cultivators ever came here, and the isle remained one of the quieter corners of Leyang Province.

The name Ximen Yu carried some weight in this area, and Li Fan found his cave dwelling without much trouble.

From outside, he could already hear Ximen Yu shouting: "How many times do I have to tell you? If you want the complete version of An Examination of Mountains and Rivers Through the Ages, come find me on Qihong Isle. I can't transmit it through the Tianxuan Mirror, it gets blocked.

"What? You don't believe the Myriad Immortals Alliance would do such a thing, so you think I'm lying to you? You're going to go around telling people I'm a fraud?

"Are you &%..."

Only after Ximen Yu's furious cursing had died down did Li Fan speak up: "Would you be Fellow Daoist Ximen Yu?

"I am Han Wuyou. I've heard of your esteemed reputation and came to pay a visit."

"Come in," Ximen Yu's lazy voice answered from within.

The main doors swung open, and Li Fan entered the cave dwelling.

The space was small and bare of any decoration.

Jade slips lay scattered across the floor, along with a fair number of paper books and wooden slips.

Li Fan swept his gaze over them and found the writing on all of them completely unfamiliar.

"Have you come for An Examination of Mountains and Rivers Through the Ages?" Ximen Yu asked, without even lifting his head. His eyes stayed fixed on a withered branch jutting from the cave floor.

"Yes," Li Fan said.

Ximen Yu gestured casually, and a paper book flew up from the cluttered floor.

"Ten thousand contribution points. Keep it secret. It cannot be resold."

A thread of golden light accompanied the book as it flew toward Li Fan.

Li Fan smiled, signed the contract, and tossed over ten top-grade spirit stones.

He set An Examination of Mountains and Rivers Through the Ages aside without reading it closely.

In no hurry to leave, he asked out of interest, "Fellow Daoist Ximen, why don't you use jade slips for your records? Why paper books instead?"

Ximen Yu paused in his study of the withered branch. He glanced at Li Fan and said flatly, "Content carved into jade slips generally lasts only ten thousand years, shorter if the spiritual qi leaks away.

"But baleful ink on paper made from the Evergreen Tree lasts thirty to fifty thousand years without fading.

"And carved directly into Evergreen Wood, it can still be read clearly after a hundred thousand years."

Li Fan chuckled. “Your considerations are truly far from ordinary, Fellow Daoist. Calculating in terms of ten thousand years..." He mused, "Ten thousand years from now, whether the Xuanhuang World will even still exist is anyone's guess."

Ximen Yu's head snapped around, his gaze turning grave.

"What do you mean by that, Fellow Daoist?"

Li Fan blinked, taken aback. "Just a casual remark. What's wrong?"

"Hmph. Then you can leave now." Ximen Yu scrutinized him a moment longer, then turned away and fell silent.

"Until we meet again!" Li Fan cupped his hands in a salute and turned to go.

Boom!

Just as he reached the cave dwelling's entrance, the ground trembled faintly.

A familiar yet strange energy stirred at the edge of Li Fan's perception.

He glanced back and saw a surge of earthy-yellow energy erupt from the withered branch Ximen Yu had been watching.

As though he'd been waiting for this exact moment, Ximen Yu produced a small white jade bottle and drew all the yellow energy into it.

The eruption lasted a full half-incense stick before it slowly subsided.

Ximen Yu studied his harvest with a gratified smile.

"Is this the power of the earth veins?" Li Fan stepped closer, curious.

Ximen Yu's expression shifted. He put away the jade bottle and moved to block the withered branch from Li Fan's sight.

"I see you have some knowledge, Fellow Daoist. Correct, I've finished my research into the terrain mapping, and now I'm studying earth vein patterns.

"This concerns my private affairs. You'd best not pry, Fellow Daoist," Ximen Yu said, his tone turning hostile.

A hint of apology crossed Li Fan's face. "That wasn't my intention. It's only that this dead branch of yours looks familiar to me."

"Oh?" Ximen Yu started, then his expression shifted again. "Fellow Daoist, don't mock me."

"I would never speak falsely about this," Li Fan said seriously. "Once, in Tianling Province, I came across a withered branch like this one out in the wilderness. When I touched it, I grew dazed and found myself in an unknown space.

"There was a great tree there, stretching from the ground to the sky, towering against the heavens. It stirred a strange desolation in my heart. I hadn't lingered long before I woke from the vision.

"The withered branch in my hand had vanished, as if it had all been a dream."

Li Fan sighed softly. "Fellow Daoist, this branch of yours resembles what I saw back then. But there seem to be slight differences..."

The more Ximen Yu listened, the more astonished he grew.

When the tale ended, he waved a hand to seal the entrance of his cave dwelling, then asked in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist, where exactly in Tianling Province did you encounter that withered branch?"