Chapter 1046 The Turtle in the Pot
In the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance Central Four States, there was a very obvious boundary line between heaven and earth. On either side of the boundary line, the scenes on the earth and in the sky corresponded to each other. It was like a mirror that divided heaven and earth. And the cracks spreading from the boundary line seemed to indicate that this place was about to collapse!
Seeing this apocalyptic scene, Li Fan suddenly realized, "So, the central four states of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, Tian Yu, Tian Chen, Tian Shu, and Tian Quan, are actually made from the original body of the Tian Xuan Mirror!"
"To change heaven and earth with a mirror…"
Li Fan's expression gradually became serious. Such important information had never been mentioned by the Tian Xuan Mirror before. Either the idea of the Tian Xuan Mirror wanting to gain freedom was false, and it had just been putting on a show in front of Li Fan and Mo Rupin. Or, even the Tian Xuan Mirror itself had forgotten that its original body had been used to create the Tian Chen states!
The uneasiness in his heart grew stronger, and Mo Rupin had still not shown himself. Li Fan had intended to leave directly, but when he quietly flew to the border of Tian Quan State, he was shocked to find that the ethereal mist that used to stretch between heaven and earth had disappeared.
In its place was an invisible barrier that sealed off the entire area of the four states!
No one could enter or leave!
As he thought about this, Li Fan was reminded of the time he had fled in panic after the Red Flame Sea burned and had been trapped in the clouds. But compared to back then, Li Fan had grown a lot. He did not panic excessively and instead calmed himself and returned to the central area of Tian Quan State, finding a deserted cultivator's cave, where he hid.
With the end-time disintegration disc in place, the defensive arrays in these caves were completely negligible to him. The buildings in the caves were designed to look like a water town, showing no signs of habitation by cultivators. It seemed to be one of many properties belonging to the cave's owner.
But the cave still had all the necessary facilities, and Li Fan found the Tian Xuan Mirror, cautiously testing his own original Tian Xuan mirror. "It hasn't failed. Many topics about the abnormal changes in the four states had appeared in the Tian Xuan Mirror, but they were locked and deleted the moment they appeared."
"Fortunately, I can still see the speech records."
Li Fan quickly browsed through the information in the Tian Xuan Mirror. "What's going on? Is the sky falling?""Could it be that the Old Five are attacking again? I said, after the Old Five suffered such a big loss last time, how could they just sit back and do nothing!"
"All teleportation methods have failed, no one can come or go! The central four states are completely sealed off!"
"Dear fellow cultivators, it is better to take refuge in the caves and not venture out on your own. That's all…"
Most of the speeches were worthless, made by panicked cultivators. But there were still some useful ones. "Something big happened! I just came out from the Immortal Alliance headquarters, and it seems like there's a fight going on inside!"
"Stop spreading rumors. The Immortal Alliance headquarters is a very important place, who would dare to fight there without authorization?"
"I saw it with my own eyes! Just as I was about to leave, I heard a loud explosion. And then I faintly saw hundreds of figures suddenly rising! It was close, but I almost couldn't get out."
"Hiss…"
The conversation stopped there. Similar to that, there were also records of some cultivators who had been suddenly expelled from the Immortal Alliance headquarters.
"Consistent with the plan discussed with Mo Rupin…"
Li Fan pondered for a moment, took out a white jade horn, and crushed it fiercely. After a while, a sharp sound that only certain cultivators could hear spread from the broken pieces. It was a signal that the death warriors of the Old Five were making a move.
He saw nearly a hundred dark figures flying through the cracks in the world and into the Immortal Alliance headquarters from a distance, so Li Fan chose to cautiously find another hiding place to stay.
"I wonder what's really happening inside."
Until he figured it out, Li Fan didn't dare to act rashly. He chose to wait and see.
The rumbling in the world grew louder. The accumulating cracks also increased, causing an alarming sight. It seemed as if the entire earth and heaven were about to split open.
What made the cultivators of the four states even more uneasy was that, despite such a major incident, no one from the Immortal Alliance headquarters had come out to explain the situation and calm them down.
This kind of fear lasted for about half an incense stick's time. Then, the intermittent thunder gradually subsided, and the cracks that pierced the earth and sky slowly closed.
A cultivator appeared in the sky, and Li Fan recognized him instantly. It was a transmitter from the Immortal Alliance, Chen. He looked serious, with a hint of killing intent in his eyes.
Chen's voice resonated throughout the world like thunder, announcing that the small disturbance within the Immortal Alliance had been quelled, and there was no need to panic. However, the sealing off of the four states would not be lifted temporarily in order to thoroughly investigate the thieves and their accomplices.
After that, Chen hurried away and disappeared in the sky, leaving behind a group of restless cultivators of the four states.
"Maybe Mo Rupin has been caught?" Li Fan thought to himself.
But then he considered that Mo Rupin's techniques were unpredictable, and even if the situation were exposed, it would not be easy to capture him. So he felt a bit relieved.
In the following days, Li Fan remained hiding in a new location for three days, maintaining the highest vigilance in case he was exposed.
During this time, the black-clad cultivators of the Immortal Alliance came to search, but they were unable to find Li Fan hiding. He also noticed that these black-clad cultivators seemed to be just going through the motions, conducting a perfunctory search before moving on to the next location.
"Interesting," Li Fan thought as he watched their attitude.
The blockade and massive search had lasted for ten days. At first, the cultivators of the four states were somewhat cooperative, but as time passed, they could not see any hope of returning to normal.
The voices of dissatisfaction gradually spread. The cultivators living in Tian Quan state were undoubtedly the most central and important part of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
This groundless blockade was destined not to last long.
Ten days later, facing the increasingly turbulent tide of opposition, the Immortal Alliance finally lifted the restrictions on the four states.
The images of the ground reflected in the sky slowly dissipated, and the boundary of the four states reappeared with an ethereal mist barrier.
However, the huge cracks that had spanned from heaven to earth did not disappear. It was like a wound in the sky and earth, reminding the cultivators of the recent upheaval and the unreality of this place.
Li Fan didn't leave immediately. He remained hidden in the cave, and after over a month had passed, the impact of the incident had finally subsided, and almost no one was talking about it anymore. It was then that he quietly left.
Throughout, he had not received any transmission from Mo Rupin. Whether it was a call for help or a warning, nothing came through.
Li Fan then went to the city of Wey, where the human body of the Tian Xuan Mirror was located. But he no longer saw any trace of it.
(End of the chapter).