"A perfect method of concealment. Only to those actively searching for these items, aware of their potential secrets, will their peculiarity be revealed. To others… they're just ordinary objects."
Everyone present understood.
"If it weren't for Brother Li's fortuitous discovery of the hand figurine's secret, we might not have noticed anything unusual about these items, even after a thousand years," Lu Yuzhi sighed.
"The problem is, we know they're strange, but we don't know how to unlock their secrets."
"Don't be impatient. We've deciphered the True Immortal Script. Surely we can figure out these trinkets? Unless… this Sun Piaomiao is stronger than a True Immortal?"
The Ark's elders were confident in their abilities, and their talent was indeed remarkable.
After seven days of continuous observation, someone finally noticed something unusual.
"Look at this small cauldron," said Mo Yinfeng of the Severing Immortality Pavilion, usually taciturn and focused solely on his own research.
"Previous examinations concluded it was a high-grade alchemy treasure, even containing a Grotto-Heaven space capable of generating spiritual energy and nurturing spirit plants. But…" As he spoke, Mo Yinfeng struck the Medicine King Cauldron with the "Xian" [Reveal/顯] character.
The cauldron was enveloped in a shimmering mist. Lines of varying thickness emerged from the mist, piercing the space and shooting outwards in different directions before vanishing from sight.
"This… this Medicine King Cauldron isn't unique? It's connected to something else in the Star Sea?!" The other elders' expressions changed.
Li Fan also narrowed his eyes. Among those present, only he saw one of the lines extending towards the Xuanhuang World. As for the others…
"Most are heading towards the Great Wall of Shattered Worlds. But two or three are going somewhere else within the Dark Star Sea!"
One of the functions of the "Xian" character was to reveal connections between things. The Medicine King Cauldron's millennia-old secret was finally exposed.
"If I'm not mistaken, Sun Piaomiao created multiple Medicine King Cauldrons. These cauldrons are connected, able to sense each other's presence even across vast distances," Zhong Daogong said, gazing into the void as if he could still see the vanished lines.
"Judging by Sun Piaomiao's actions and words recorded during his time on the Ark, he traveled extensively throughout the Star Sea, even surpassing the Ark in his reach. Crafting these cauldrons wasn't easy. He deliberately scattered them across the Star Sea… perhaps to use them as anchors to pinpoint his location," Mo Yinfeng said slowly.
"It's probably more than that. Back then, before the world-ending calamity, the locations of cultivation worlds in the Star Sea were relatively fixed. If it was just to avoid getting lost, there were much simpler methods. He wouldn't have gone to such lengths."
"Indeed. If I remember correctly, the location information of various worlds wasn't a secret back then. Since Sun Piaomiao could traverse the Star Sea, obtaining accurate location data wouldn't have been difficult."
The elders discussed amongst themselves while Mo Yinfeng listened silently. When they quieted down, he coughed and said, his voice slightly hesitant, "If it was just for exploring the known Star Sea, such measures wouldn't be necessary. But what if it was for venturing beyond the Great Void?"
His words elicited various reactions.
"The Great Void?" This was a term Li Fan hadn't heard before. His confusion wasn't feigned. He looked at Zhong Daogong, seeking an explanation.
After a moment of contemplation, Zhong Daogong explained, "In the past, the Profound Merchant Ark's reach extended throughout the known star regions. We even had traders stationed in the desolate edges of the Star Sea. However, the civilized Star Sea wasn't infinite. Beyond the desolate edges lay the Great Void, a boundless expanse of nothingness. No one knew its extent, and no one had ever crossed it. Anyone who attempted to do so met the same fate: they were lost forever." Zhong Daogong's expression was serious.
"However, the explorable Star Sea back then was far more vibrant than the current Dark Star Sea. With ample living space, most cultivation worlds hadn't even reached the desolate edges, so few cultivators cared about the Great Void. But cultivators, by nature, seek to break free from all constraints. There were always a few who sought to cross the Great Void and explore its secrets. Sun Piaomiao was clearly one of them. Unfortunately, no one succeeded, including him."
"The Great Void, the Great Wall… it seems the plight of cultivators hasn't changed throughout history," Li Fan said wistfully.
He thought, "The Great Void… could this be why Sun Piaomiao didn't continue his exploration? If so, the twelve location markers he left behind are quite strange. He explored a vast region of the Star Sea, surely encountering more than twelve cultivation worlds. Yet he only left behind these…"
"But what secret was he hiding? Why resort to such cryptic methods?" Li Fan was filled with questions.
"Xiaoyao, Profound Merchant, Guang Hai, Bei Ge, Ling Qiu…"
Having been the young master of the Medicine King Sect, Li Fan naturally knew the information left behind by Sun Piaomiao. However, he hadn't paid much attention to it back then. Firstly, the Great Calamity had arrived, destroying countless worlds. Secondly, due to the Immortal Ruins' influence, even if those cultivation worlds hadn't been destroyed, their spatial locations would have shifted, rendering Sun Piaomiao's markers useless.
"What if Sun Piaomiao foresaw this and left the Medicine King Cauldrons as a backup plan?" A bold theory formed in Li Fan's mind.
It was just a hunch, without any concrete evidence.
The elders' discussion continued.
"The power contained within this Medicine King Cauldron is quite mysterious. Perhaps it can maintain a sense of direction within the Great Void. That way, even if the exploration fails, one can still return safely."
"Remember, the Great Void is truly empty. According to limited records, there's no light, no spiritual energy, not even a medium for divine consciousness to travel. It's utter nothingness…"
Mo Yinfeng's theory resonated with some of the elders. Exploring the Great Void was one of the highest aspirations of cultivators back then. It was entirely possible that Sun Piaomiao attempted it.
"Regardless of his purpose, understanding the mysterious power maintaining the cauldron's connections would greatly benefit our Ark."
With a clear objective, their research progressed smoothly. After a unanimous vote, including Li Fan, they decided to melt down the Medicine King Cauldron to extract the mysterious power within.
As an alchemy cauldron, its durability was undeniable. After all, its counterpart had once carried the entire Medicine King Sect across the void. However, for the Ark, which now wielded the power of the True Immortal Script, the cauldron's durability was insignificant.
Bang! Bang!
Under the pressure of an invisible force, the bronze cauldron shattered into countless pieces, then disintegrated into even finer particles. Finally, even these particles vanished.
The elders' expressions grew increasingly serious as the process continued. They discovered that the material composing the cauldron wasn't disappearing under the immense pressure but was instead becoming more condensed.
"Our previous analysis concluded that the cauldron was forged from rare ores and celestial materials from various cultivation worlds. It seems that was an illusion! This material…"
The elders stared intently at the final transformation within the force field. The resulting object was so small as to be almost invisible, undetectable even with their divine consciousness if they weren't actively looking for it. Condensed to its limit, it wasn't a perfect sphere but slightly flattened, bulging on both sides, resembling a chess piece!
"The entire Medicine King Cauldron was transformed from this?"
The elders were stunned.
Li Fan also looked at the grey chess piece, his thoughts drifting back to the life where his Saint Embryo Avatar, piloting the reinforced Medicine King Cauldron, charged towards the Immortal Ruins.
"Back then, overwhelmed by the True Immortal's world-destroying gaze, I didn't notice anything unusual. But now, something seems amiss. In a True Immortal's eyes, cultivators are like ants, let alone my Saint Embryo Avatar, which only had mortal level cultivation. Why would a True Immortal in seclusion be disturbed? Just like how ants can never interrupt my cultivation. They're destroyed by my defenses long before they can get close. But that True Immortal in the Immortal Ruins… his cultivation was interrupted! Remember, when I used the immortal formation to destroy the Xuanhuang World in my past life, he only sent an avatar to investigate. But that time…"
Li Fan's eyes narrowed, reliving the scene. A desolate wasteland, strewn with ruins, appeared in his otherwise dark vision. The True Immortal, reduced to skin and bones, resembled a skeleton, bound to the wasteland by dozens of blood-red chains embedded deep within the earth. Upon sensing Li Fan, or rather, the Medicine King Cauldron he controlled, the meditating True Immortal opened his eyes!
"So that's how it is. What made the True Immortal open his eyes wasn't simply the intrusion into the Immortal Ruins, but the mysterious chess piece material that formed the Medicine King Cauldron…"
Li Fan's thoughts returned to the present. He stared at the grey chess piece along with the elders.
Having reverted to its original form, its connection to its "companions" in the Star Sea seemed to have strengthened. They could now faintly sense the direction of these connections, even without the "Xian" character, though the connection was intermittent, too unstable for navigation.
"It seems the chess piece alone isn't enough. It requires a specific method." Zhong Daogong also grasped this.
"Interesting. Now I'm truly curious. What was Sun Piaomiao so desperately trying to hide? This grey chess piece, while mysterious, isn't necessarily related to immortal power. The Ark has collected many immortal artifacts. We can tell the difference."
…
"I believe this grey chess piece might actually originate from the Immortal Realm," Li Fan suddenly said, offering a different perspective.
"Oh? Why do you say that, Brother Li?" Li Fan now held considerable weight on the Ark. They wouldn't dismiss his words lightly.
Li Fan said solemnly, "It's simple. Just look at its reaction to the 'Xian' character."
The elders were initially puzzled, then many of them slapped their thighs in realization.
"Indeed! While the 'Xian' character reveals connections between things, this Medicine King Cauldron… or rather, this grey chess piece, is incredibly sensitive to residual True Immortal power!"
"That's exactly it!"
To verify Li Fan's theory, Lu Yuzhi took out a seven-colored stone. "This stone is made from Jade Crystal Marrow. There are eighteen in total. The other seventeen are in my courtyard."
He then cast the "Xian" character. The True Immortal Script's power enveloped the stone. As if slowly permeating it, after a long while, mist and thin lines emerged from within the stone, indicating connections. The difference in its reaction compared to the Medicine King Cauldron was stark.
"We previously attributed it to the mysterious power within the cauldron. Now we realize it's the material itself! Immortals and mortals are different. Objects from the Immortal Realm are naturally more sensitive to immortal power."
"But don't forget, the chess piece's reaction indicated there are more of these objects in the Star Sea! Objects from the Immortal Realm…"
The elders were excited.
Zhong Daogong remained calm. "Let's figure out the nature of this chess piece first. Sometimes, things from the Immortal Realm can be more trouble than they're worth."
Having confirmed the object's origin, the Ark had established procedures for handling items from the Immortal Realm. Without fear of damaging the object with the True Immortal Script, they could now conduct various tests using different characters.
During these tests, Li Fan witnessed a unique treasure used by the Ark for research: a blank scroll.
"The Myriad Manifestations Yin-Yang Scroll? It's blank. Why that name?" Li Fan asked curiously.
Zhong Daogong said proudly, "It's because it encompasses all manifestations in the world that it appears blank."
(End of Chapter)