Although it appeared that there was nothing mysterious about the pond, instinct told the Stone Tablet that there must be a secret hidden here.
The Stone Tablet slowly walked to the edge of the pond, and the clear water reflected the appearance of a scholar, causing a slight astonishment.
He then shook his head and his appearance changed in an instant.
"I am somewhat curious about what you originally looked like," said the Faceless Saint Emperor Li Ping from behind him.
"Heh, I can't quite remember myself," the Stone Tablet chuckled self-deprecatingly.
He then observed the pond intently.
The water in the pond wasn't deep; it could be seen through at a glance.
"Hmm?"
The Stone Tablet looked for a long time but couldn't find the secret of the pond, and began to doubt his own judgment.
He turned his head to look at Li Ping.
Li Ping didn't explain but instead asked with implied meaning, "Before the Great Calamity in the Xuanhuang World, many Immortal Treasures existed. Thousand of years have passed since then, and those treasures have long since disappeared. The existence of Immortal Instruments has also become a legend, rarely mentioned even in the casual conversations among cultivators."
"Do you know anything about the whereabouts of these Immortal Treasures?"
The Stone Tablet, unchanging in demeanor, said, "Immortal Instruments? I've never cared about them…"
He stopped midway, as if he realized something, and sharply looked toward the Fishing Pond again.
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After pondering for a moment, his appearance changed once more.
An old fisherman in a Straw Cloak, holding a fish basket, suddenly appeared in front of Li Ping.
With a flash of green light from his hand, the Stone Tablet, looking like the fisherman, cast his fishing rod out.
The next moment, his body stiffened.
Without reeling in, the Stone Tablet stood motionless, as if ice sealed.
After a long while, he took a step back, managing to pull himself out of the illusion in front of him.
"What was that?" the Stone Tablet stared directly at Li Ping.
"What is what?" the Emperor knowingly asked.
"The fishing pond? The Starry Sky?" the Stone Tablet pressed further.
Li Ping shook his head slightly, "That is 'bait.'"
"Bait?" the Stone Tablet faltered, bewildered.
"The fisher is also the fished," Li Ping said with a chilling tone.
"Even if you saw all the treasures of the entire Starry Sky and remained unmoved – what if it involved your path to freedom? Could you still remain so calm?" Li Ping spoke softly.
Having lived in the Xuanhuang World for too long and seen too much, the Stone Tablet quickly grasped Li Ping's meaning after pondering for a moment.
"The path to Immortality has ceased, the Xuanhuang Outer Star Sea must have already become ruins by now—unless..." a realization flickered through the Stone Tablet's eyes.
"How about it, do you also want to go out and see?" Li Ping asked.
The Stone Tablet denied, "Things of the world are more of the same. Even if it's another world, what of it? I just want to unload the heavy stone on my back and get a good sleep."
He returned to the topic of the Fishing Pond, "I'm not sure when this thing came to the Xuanhuang World. But I'm certain it was after the Great Calamity."
"To be more precise, it was after the reemergence of Law Transmission and the establishment of the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals."
"Which means," said the Emperor, elaborating, "that the Fishing Pond might have been embedded into the Xuanhuang World along with other remnants from the Immortal Cultivation World."
"That seems plausible... but treasures of the Immortal Way are beyond our comprehension and can't be guaranteed," the Stone Tablet added cautiously.
"You're saying my path to freedom is to bite this bait?" the Stone Tablet looked oddly at the Emperor.
"That's exactly it. Don't you find it exceedingly painful? Merged with the Tablet of Creation, in this world, perhaps only Immortal Treasures transcending the power limits of the Immortal Cultivation World can separate you from the stone."
"As for what will happen after being fished away by the force behind the fishing pond, I can't guarantee that."
The Stone Tablet wanted to say, I have no grudges with you; why harm me?
But he stopped himself at the last moment.
Clearly, this faceless person bore no ill intent. Otherwise, he wouldn't have laid his plans this openly.
On the contrary, the Stone Tablet found the figure before him to be quite honest.
Moreover, a familiar aura from the other's body oddly comforted him.
"I'm just too tired from living, wishing to shed this burden. I don't want to die," the Stone Tablet politely refused the Emperor's kindness.
"If fellow Daoist is merely troubled by the incessant emergence of information from the Tablet of Creation, then the matter would be easier to address," Li Ping finally revealed his intentions.
"Oh?" Suspicion was evident in the Stone Tablet's eyes.
"Do you recognize this item?" Li Ping extended his hand, and a bright blue crystal floated quietly in his palm.
"The Stone of Transformation, I am aware of it. You mean to…" the Stone Tablet shook his head.
"I don't mean to hide it from fellow Daoist, I've tried various methods to alleviate the pain. I've even tried the Taoist Divine One Secret Technique from Taiyan Sect. However, the Tablet of Creation, as an incarnate of the Xuanhuang Heaven Path, holds such high regard and scorns all beings. After merging with me, it can no longer accommodate anything else…"
"That was in the past. Times have changed," Li Ping interjected.
The Stone Tablet paused, taken aback.
"Besides, I can help you."
As these words were spoken, the aura around the Faceless Saint Emperor shifted.
Above the Taoist Temple, the winds gathered, and a peculiar rhythm spontaneously emerged, resonating from afar with the Emperor.
The familiar, comforting sensation in the Stone Tablet's heart grew stronger.
"You are?!"
For someone who had lived tens of thousands of years, his voice still couldn't help but ring out in shock.
"Great Supreme Lord Xuan Huang?!"
But he quickly denied himself, "No, that's impossible. And..."
The Stone Tablet looked up, gazing into the sky. Its expression shifted from shock to solemnity.
The authority wielded by the Great Supreme Lord Xuan Huang stood independent of and yet above the Tablet of Creation.
Although the Stone Tablet still contained records of his deeds, they were cursory at best. Only the most vague generalities were captured.
But the aura emanating from the Faceless Saint Emperor was clearly different from that of the Great Supreme Lord Xuan Huang recorded in the Stone Tablet.
"The Great Supreme Lord Xuan Huang, who wielded the Balanced Heaven Path. Although intricately linked with the Heavenly Dao, he seemed more like a separate entity. However, with a certain blessing, he could control the Heavenly Dao Laws as easily as one would move their own arm. But the person before me..."
An idea inexplicably rose in the mind of the Stone Tablet.
"A Heavenly Dao Incarnation?"
As incredible as it was, this was the most rational explanation.
And Li Ping, as if sensing the thoughts of the Stone Tablet, no longer made apparent his connection with the Heavenly Dao.
Nor did he offer direct explanation.
Instead, the topic returned to what was discussed before, "With the Stone of Transformation aiding you, shouldering and sorting through the events occurring in the Xuanhuang World, it should be easier for you."
"But relying on the Stone of Transformation alone is not enough."
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The Stone Tablet's gaze sharpened slightly as it awaited the continuation of the other's speech.
"Calamity Transcendence Sect, you should be familiar with it," Li Ping inquired.
Hearing these three words, the Stone Tablet's expression turned slightly sour.
"The World Watching Divine Eye of Calamity Transcendence Sect, similar in marvelous ways to the Tablet of Creation. Coupled with the endless paper effigies, that Tome of Tribulation Transcendence, too, can record everything it surveils."
"The Tome of Tribulation Transcendence, along with the Stone of Transformation. They should barely offset the side effects of the Tablet of Creation. As for the rest, with the steadfast will that you've cultivated over tens of thousands of years, handling them shouldn't pose much of an issue," the Faceless Saint Emperor spoke slowly.
The Stone Tablet fell silent, contemplating the feasibility of the proposal.
"Firstly, the quality of the Stone of Transformation in your possession is somewhat lacking..." After a moment, the Stone Tablet spoke up.
"No problem, I can find a better one," The Emperor said directly.
The Stone Tablet paused for a moment, then continued, "Secondly, the Calamity Transcendence Sect once angered the Law Transmission and thus the whole sect was sealed and hidden from the world. Due to the Techniques [Eternal Cataclysm] they cultivated, they could even interfere with the perception of Heaven and Earth. Plus, it was the Law Transmission who acted, so..."
"I know where they are hiding," The Emperor stated indifferently.
The Stone Tablet was taken aback.
"It seems this person is even stronger than I had imagined."
With the conversation going this far, the Stone Tablet naturally wouldn't play coy anymore.
"Please, lend me a hand," he sincerely requested.
Li Ping had been waiting for these words.
"Follow me."
His figure flickered, swiftly appearing on the horizon.
The Stone Tablet followed suit in one step.
Leaving Ou Shangtian, who was lost in confusion.
He hadn't heard the exchange between The Emperor and the Stone Tablet.
Ever since Li Ping had gestured towards the Fishing Pond, Ou Shangtian had lost all perception of the two strongmen.
Until this moment, when they departed one after the other.
"Wasn't Master supposed to deal with that Stone Tablet? So why didn't they fight?"
"Surely it won't join our Holy Dynasty, just like that Leyline Ancient Tree, right?"
Ou Shangtian instantly had a bad premonition.
At this time, Li Ping and the Stone Tablet had already arrived outside the Calamity Transcendence Sect, at the location of the Law Transmission's seal.
Seeing Li Ping expertly dissolving the Law Transmission's seal, the Stone Tablet's confusion deepened.
"This is a seal left by the Law Transmission. Even as a Heavenly Dao Incarnation, it shouldn't be so easily broken, right?"
"Or is it that, after so many years, the Xuanhuang Heaven Path has recovered enough to contend with the Law Transmission?"
Li Ping, however, did not mind what the Stone Tablet was thinking, taking him further into the Calamity Transcendence Sect.
Ascending the mountain, descending the mountain, the endless cycle of courtyards...
All swiftly transformed before him, until the Tribulation Sect Great Hall manifested in front of them.
"Let's go in."
Following into the hall, the Stone Tablet then confirmed that this place was indeed the location of the former Calamity Transcendence Sect.
He could feel that within this dark Grand Hall, countless paper effigies lay hidden, seemingly alive yet dead.
"They were one of the Immortal Dao Ten Clans of the Xuanhuang World, enjoying the resources for Cultivating Immortality that the world provided. Yet, when tribulation loomed, they chose to hide and escape disaster. Truly, they were no different from those so-called World Watching Divine Eyes, rightly called the pests of the Xuanhuang World." Li Ping's words were ice cold, his criticism unreserved.
Stone Tablet squinted his eyes, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"Eternal Ending World, using the world's tribulations for cultivation. This is a technique that brings misfortune to Heaven and Earth. If Heaven and Earth were thriving without tribulations, I'm afraid these people would still be plotting, creating calamities. Such a sect should have been eradicated long ago," Li Ping continued.
As if hearing the words of The Emperor, an unbidden cold wind blew through the dark hall.
"Believing that by turning into paper figurines, they could escape everything..."
A Golden Chain emerged from within The Emperor's body.
Without a sound, it suddenly shot into the deep darkness of the hall.
Like mist being stirred, the darkness inside the Tribulation Sect Great Hall undulated like ripples on water.
Stone Tablet watched the Gold Chain with a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
Then, from within Li Ping, it seemed a Golden Vortex shadow was slowly born.
Myriad dao chains followed the vortex's rotation, roaring as they flew out.
Thump, thump...
Upon reaching the darkness, they collided with something, emitting continual muffled sounds.
The Emperor's aura was so strong that even Stone Tablet had to step back temporarily.
Stone Tablet couldn't help but inwardly exclaim, "This one's strength is much greater than that of an ordinary Immortal Realm."
"And furthermore..."
"It seems to be more than just the power of the Xuanhuang Heaven Path."
The creaking sounds echoed continuously throughout the grand hall.
As the Golden Vortex nebula within The Emperor inverted, the Golden Chains contracted.
In the darkness, it seemed as if something was bound by the chains, forcefully dragged out.
If an ordinary cultivator were to witness this scene, they would surely feel their skin crawl.
However, Stone Tablet's heart was unusually excited.
When a paper figurine with a somewhat frightened face emerged from the darkness, Stone Tablet's eyebrows involuntarily lifted.
It was these fellows!
The paper figurine flailed its limbs, trying to struggle.
Brilliant light burst forth from the endpoint of the chain that bound him, and the paper figurine was instantly scorched as if struck by lightning, wilting away.
Fear mixed with listlessness, the empty paper face actually managed to convey a variety of different expressions, which was quite marvelous.
Li Ping reached out and fiercely grasped the paper figurine in his palm.
Around The Emperor, tens of thousands of Golden Chains danced, pulling more and more paper figurines out of the darkness.
The hall began to shake unstably, even the entire Tribulation Passing Mountain seemed to be in imminent danger.
"Hmph!"
Li Ping stamped his foot fiercely, and a Golden Light Ring radiated from under his feet into the surroundings.
The space that was about to shatter, became ice sealed, frozen, and immobile.
Li Ping looked down, his faceless gaze locking onto the paper figurine in his hand.
With a slight exertion of force, a pitiful wail suddenly emitted from the paper figurine in hand.
"Fellow daoist, please be gentle, fellow daoist, please be gentle..."
"With no grievances, why inflict such cruel harm!"
The paper figurine stopped playing dead and quickly pleaded.
"Fellow daoist? You are worthy of such a title?!" Li Ping's tone was full of disdain as he once again applied slight pressure in his hand.
Along with it, the myriad Golden Chains by his side also simultaneously emitted dazzling brilliance.
Within the grand hall, the painful cries of paper figurines rose and fell in succession.
"Great One, spare our lives, Great One, spare our lives!"
Outmatched, the paper figurines finally stopped being stubborn and cried out for mercy.
But Li Ping did not immediately stop.
The vortex nebula continued to spin, retracting the chains.
After capturing all the Tribulation Sect paper figurines together, he finally stopped the torture.
"Is this the once great and renowned Tribulation Sect?"
Li Ping said in a deep voice, looking at the cluster of paper figurines piled together.
"Not worthy of great renown, not worthy..."
"Just seeking survival is all,"
Amidst the wailing voices of the paper figurines, one voice stood out as particularly unique.