"Exploring the ordinary white mist regions grants contribution points, so exploring the Maze Zone should reward these Qingxuan Points instead."
Li Fan's gaze inadvertently swept over the Heaven-Measuring Mirror suspended above the Samantabhadra True Boat, emitting a brilliant azure light that illuminated a hundred-foot radius.
"The Xuantian Formation as the core, and the Qingxuan Mirror as the foundation..."
Li Fan had heard Zhang Zhiliang mention the Qingxuan Mirror in his previous life.
It was one of the secondary derivatives of the Tianxuan Mirror, storing all the knowledge and information that existed within the main body before it separated.
A vast repository of knowledge—essentially an offline version of the Xuanhuang Realm's Encyclopedia.
As for the core formation...
In this life, after the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance excavated the Xuantian Dharma King, who had been slumbering in the Purple Heaven Sect, the formation centered around the Tianxuan Mirror had undergone drastic changes.
It had evolved from "Tianxuan Spirit Locking" into "Xuantian Spirit Sealing"— A far more aggressive version.
Whether it was the small mirror that Immortal Lord Hongxi summoned against Crimson Flame, or the Heaven-Measuring Mirror, which functioned independently while still possessing part of the Tianxuan Mirror’s power—both served as proof of this transformation.
"Speaking of which... I wonder if the [Dissociation Disc], which was the biggest highlight of the previous life's 'Tianxuan Spirit Locking Formation' construction competition, will appear in the Qingxuan Points exchange list this time."
As a secondary derivative of the Tianxuan Mirror, it was naturally inferior to the main body, but it still ranked as one of the top-tier artifacts in the Xuanhuang Realm.
From what Li Fan knew:
The Qingxuan Mirror recorded all things in existence.
The Dissociation Disc had unparalleled computational power and was unmatched in breaking formations.
The Calamity Destruction Stone Disk could even shield perceptions from the Mysterious Net and create loopholes...
"If I can obtain one of these secondary artifacts in this life, then when I reach the stage of selecting a preservation option, it would absolutely be the top choice."
"After all, even if I return to the Golden Core stage, achieving Nascent Soul would merely be repeating a familiar process."
As Li Fan was lost in thought, a sudden whispering voice brushed past his ears, pulling him back to reality.
He abruptly turned his head, scanning his surroundings.
Within the white mist, there was absolute silence. The sudden emergence of these mysterious whispers was particularly eerie and conspicuous.
Narrowing his eyes, Li Fan tried to pinpoint the source of the sound.
But the whispering drifted unpredictably—now to the left, now to the right, sometimes in front, sometimes behind, and at times, it even seemed to come from directly beside his ear.
A chill ran down his spine.
His unusual reaction quickly caught the attention of Huangfu Song.
"Brother Li, what's wrong?" he asked with concern.
Even Dongfang Yao, who had been lethargic, suddenly perked up and looked over inquisitively.
"Did you two hear anything?" Li Fan asked, his expression serious.
"Hmm? Sound? But it’s completely silent in this white mist..." Dongfang Yao and Huangfu Song exchanged puzzled glances.
Waving his hand to cut off further questioning, Li Fan leapt to the bow of the Samantabhadra True Boat, focusing his mind and carefully listening to the whispers in the mist.
The flying boat advanced continuously.
Only after an entire incense stick's time had passed did the whispers finally fade from his ears.
"Strange."
Li Fan connected his consciousness to the Heaven-Measuring Mirror, checking his current location.
He had already left the previously explored vast expanse of dark-blue mist, now carving a thin passage through the endless white mist.
Then, a sudden thought flashed through his mind.
"Turn around. Head back."
Li Fan ordered Huangfu Song in a deep voice.
Huangfu Song hesitated briefly but, seeing Li Fan's serious expression, immediately complied.
Following their original path back—
It didn’t take long before the whispers, which had vanished, returned to Li Fan’s ears.
"Fly in this direction."
Standing at the bow, Li Fan carefully identified the source of the whispers, guiding Huangfu Song in adjusting their course.
As the Samantabhadra True Boat changed direction, the murmuring whispers grew increasingly louder and clearer.
Until finally—
When they crossed a certain threshold, Li Fan could distinctly make out the words within the whispers:
"Tian..."
"Yi..."
A tremendous sense of oppression surged into his heart in an instant. However, since he had already anticipated it, he wasn’t frightened by the content of the whispering voice.
“It seems that the ‘Heavenly Doctor’ voice I heard in my past life while heading toward the Chizha Abyss wasn’t merely an auditory hallucination caused by my deepest fears.”
“It truly exists.”
Li Fan suddenly came to a realization.
The Samantabhadra True Boat continued flying forward under Li Fan’s guidance.
The surroundings remained a vast expanse of white, seemingly unchanged.
However, Li Fan keenly noticed that, in an instant, the trio on the ship had their Qingxuan Points increase from zero to one hundred.
And as the Samantabhadra True Boat continued its relentless exploration, the number kept rising rapidly.
“Slow down. We have most likely entered a Maze Zone,” Li Fan cautioned in a low voice.
Huangfu Song was momentarily stunned. After checking the Heaven-Measuring Mirror, he couldn’t help but rejoice.
“Brother Li, how did you know there was a Maze Zone here? Was it because of the voices you mentioned earlier?” he asked hurriedly, staring at Li Fan.
“That’s right. But what’s strange is that upon entering this place, those eerie voices suddenly disappeared,” Li Fan nodded in response while extending his divine sense to explore the surroundings.
“This is a huge find! This must be an unexplored, unknown Maze Zone. Our Qingxuan Points are skyrocketing!” Huangfu Song said gleefully.
Dongfang Yao, however, cautioned, “We should still be careful. I have a bad feeling about this place... it’s unnervingly eerie.”
As they continued flying forward, the Devouring Essence White Mist gradually thinned.
Eventually, it dissipated completely, revealing the true face of the Maze Zone.
Upon seeing the scene before them, even the well-traveled and knowledgeable Huangfu and Dongfang stood frozen in place, their hands and feet ice-cold.
Li Fan took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart.
What lay before them was an endless black ocean of deathly silence. The surface was utterly still, devoid of any waves, with only countless ice-crystal cubes floating upon it.
Inside each cube, a cultivator’s corpse was frozen.
Through the ice crystals, one could vaguely make out their final expressions before death.
Rage, fear, confusion...
Lifelike, as if they were still alive.
A sea of densely packed ice coffins filled the entire field of vision, stretching endlessly across the black ocean.
It was impossible to estimate how many there were.
It was as if the entire world’s cultivators had been entombed in ice here.
The overwhelming visual impact plunged the Samantabhadra True Boat into an eerie silence.
After a long while, Huangfu Song swallowed hard and whispered, “How about… we just leave?”
Clearly, even the usually greedy Huangfu Song was shaken by the utterly bizarre sight before him.
....
Translator’s Note:
Hey everyone! Starting from here, "Tian Yi" and "Heavenly Doctor" will be used interchangeably. They refer to the same thing, so whenever you see either term, just know they’re identical. It might take a few chapters for me to settle on one consistent translation, so bear with me! In the meantime, what do you all prefer—"Tian Yi" or "Heavenly Doctor"? Let me know your thoughts!