Ji River
Ji Yuanqing stared at Li Fan in astonishment, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"No, the Lord of the Heavenly Realm could not possibly be so young. How could such a being be a young man?"
"I understand now. Standing firm on the sacred path allows one to defy the power of time. So, although this senior may appear young, in reality... he is probably an ancient fossil that has lived for millions of years..."
As he pondered, he noticed the maze map in Li Fan's hand.
"Um?"
His pupils constricted instantly. What... what was that...?
Void Sea filled with unpredictable and turbulent waves...
A hidden passage...
The small boat in the picture was exactly the same as the Holy Path warship he had seen in fragments of time!
"Sky!"
He was shocked; at that moment, he understood completely.
This senior is researching the path from the hidden land to this Void Sea!
This is terrifying!?
It should be known that millions of years ago, those Saint Dao forces encountered an unknown calamity and could only flee frantically to hidden places.
But once you escape to a secluded place, returning is extremely difficult!
That's why many forces have left their mark on this world.
For example, their Ji family's ancestor left behind a grain of sand, which evolved into a world. As long as this world does not perish, the ancestors will always be able to find the way back!
This senior before me actually presented the terrifying void turbulence, the chaotic sea of spacetime, and countless terrifying Principle of heaven and earth on a single sheet of paper, and was studying them...
"This must be an ancient being, and moreover, he knows about the existence of the hidden place!"
"Is he searching for a path to guide the forces in that hidden place?"
He murmured to himself, and at that moment, he could no longer hold back. He stepped forward and bowed deeply, saying:
"Greetings, senior!"
On the way here, Huo Ling'er and Mu Qianning had already told him that Li Fan was living in seclusion here, engrossed in worldly affairs, and therefore had no interest in matters of the cultivation world.
Therefore, he dared not claim to be the "Lord of the Heavenly Realm," for fear of offending Li Fan.
Upon hearing this, Li Fan was taken aback. Damn, this old man is calling me "senior"?
Do I look old?
That's going too far!
However, he immediately became certain.
This old man is probably an art enthusiast or something like that.
After all, in this regard, there is a saying that "the accomplished are respected."
"No need for formalities. May I ask, sir, what brings you here to see me?"
Li Fan asked a question.
Ji Yuanqing looked excited and said:
"Firstly, we wish to ask you, senior, to lend a hand to Miss Ling'er and the others, so that no one else can be allowed to seize the Heavenly Realm!"
After understanding the fate of the First Heavenly Realm, he realized that if the Heavenly Realm were to be destroyed once again, his ancestors would likely lose their way back.
Li Fan smiled and said, "I've already sent disciples to help. Is there anything else?"
Ji Yuanqing hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted his teeth!
"Senior, I have an ancestral stone token that I wish to offer to you!"
After he finished speaking, he took out the stone token!
Upon seeing this, Li Fan was also momentarily surprised.
What is this?
He took the stone token and scanned it. It looked dusty, but the texture was good. It should be carved from high-quality stone, and the pattern was quite unique. The pattern seemed to contain a faint outline of a long river.
Could this be some kind of antique?
Li Fan understood instantly!
This old man, dressed in tattered clothes, is probably living a miserable and impoverished life!
Knowing that he enjoyed calligraphy and painting, he thought he could sell the so-called ancestral stone tablet as an antique to earn some money.
Having figured this out, Li Fan couldn't help but smile wryly.
He has absolutely no interest in collecting antiques.
"System task issued: For each type of stone token collected, you will receive one type of butterfly!"
Just then, a voice rang in my mind.
Upon hearing this, Li Fan was instantly stunned. A system task had been issued?
Can these Stone-Breaking Tokens be exchanged for butterflies?
Li Fan wasn't surprised, because the tasks issued by the system were far more absurd than this!
Now that he had obtained Ji Yuanqing's stone token, he immediately discovered that he could acquire another type of butterfly!
We're one step closer to finding the seven species of butterflies!
Li Fan was immediately overjoyed. In any case, this was a good thing. The sooner he found all seven kinds of butterflies, the sooner he could give them to Yunxi, so that he wouldn't have to worry about them all day long!
He immediately said:
"Alright, I'll accept this. What kind of reward do you want for giving me this?"
Li Fan asked a question.
He thought to himself that this stone token didn't look like anything valuable, so the other party shouldn't be asking for such an exorbitant price!
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuanqing was overjoyed!
This senior has accepted it!
It seems the other party really does have a past connection with the Ji family.
He was extremely excited and immediately said:
"I am deeply grateful that you have accepted this gift, senior. How could I possibly accept any reward?"
Li Fan shook his head, thinking to himself that this old man was not very honest, being so hypocritical in making a deal!
He weighed the stone token in his hand and said:
"Ziling, bring me pen and ink!"
Ziling immediately fetched a brush and ink.
Li Fan picked up his brush and began to paint!
With his pen, a mighty river is instantly presented!
That long river, like a giant dragon winding across the land, rushes on and on, seemingly never stopping!
It is powerful and magnificent!
When this long river was drawn, everyone in the room was taken aback!
"This long river... is extraordinary!"
"It possesses a mysterious Dao Rhyme... seemingly too dangerous to look directly at!"
"This river... it feels like it doesn't belong to this world!"
The group of disciples were all astonished.
Upon seeing this, Ji Yuanqing was utterly shocked and speechless!
"This river, could this river be... the Ji River, the ancestral river of our clan?!"
He recalled the fragments of time he had seen before.
The clansmen departed, and a peerless expert, with unparalleled magical Law Power, took away a long river and the ancestral lands on both banks of the river...
That long river is... the Ji River!
The place where their race was born is also the source of their sacred path!
"This senior... he actually saw our clan's ancestral river before! What kind of extraordinary figure must he be? Could it be that during that great calamity when all the Saint Dao forces fled, this senior actually stood firm and did not retreat... This is terrifying!"
His old eyes were filled with complex emotions!
Moreover, he clearly felt that this painting mobilized countless great principles of heaven and earth, as if it had truly restored the ancestral river. He even sensed the great principles unique to their clan within the painting!
Those ones...
The Great Dao inheritance that their Yellow Heaven Prefecture lineage has long forgotten!
Li Fan, however, smiled slightly and put down his pen.
It's done.
He perceived a scene of a long river in that ancient stone tablet, so he painted it.
"I felt uneasy about accepting the painting from the old man Li Fan out of the blue. This painting was created by Li Fan after meeting Shi Ling, so it can be considered a coincidence. I'll give it to the old man as payment."
Li Fan calmly handed the painting to Ji Yuanqing.
Ji Yuanqing was dumbfounded. Such a thing, given to him?!
This very likely contains the ancient path of their race!
Its value is immeasurable!
He was deeply moved; it was a gift he could not refuse.
Because their lineage of Yellow Heaven Prefecture was cut off after the First Heavenly Realm was destroyed by the Immortal Realm, and even he, as the clan leader, was only a minor Golden Immortal.
Now that the Three Great Heavenly Realms have taken notice of their existence, their race urgently needs to grow stronger!
This painting, bestowed upon them by their predecessor, is equivalent to restoring the lost traditions they had inherited!
What a blessing this is!
"This senior not only witnessed our clan's ancestral river, but also possesses profound knowledge of our clan's sacred methods... His origins are beyond imagination, and he must have an extremely close relationship with the Ji family!"
"That's why he treated the descendants of the Ji Clan so well!"
Ji Yuanqing was moved; tears welled in his old eyes, and he accepted the painting with trembling hands, saying:
"Thank you so much, senior! Thank you so much, senior!"
"Our clan will never forget the great kindness of our predecessors!"
Li Fan smiled. This painting would definitely be worth a lot of money outside, enough to make this old man a fortune.
He began:
"It's nothing, no need for thanks... However, if Senior Ji has any other stone tokens, please bring them here. Li Fan will definitely reward you handsomely!"
Since the other party has one, they might be able to find others.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuanqing's old eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but he quickly realized what was happening!
"Senior Li wants the stone token most likely because he wants to find a way to return from the hidden place!"
He took a deep look at the "maze map" in Li Fan's hand!
"Senior, we only have this one... but I know where to find more!"
He was extremely excited!
Putting aside everything else, the Three Great Heavenly Realms must have them!
After all, Ji Yuanqing now knows that the Four Great Heavenly Realms are likely coordinates left behind by those fleeing Saint Dao forces!
The Ji family left behind the Primordial Ancestor Stone Token; it's impossible that the other Three Great Heavenly Realms didn't have it either!
Moreover, this senior's cultivation was so profound that he could annihilate Three Great Heavenly Realms?
It's probably just a matter of him snapping his fingers!
Upon hearing this, Li Fan was immediately overjoyed!
My butterfly dream has found its home!
He immediately looked at Dugu Yuqing and the others, and said:
"My disciple, after you leave, follow the old man to find this stone token."
Upon hearing this, Dugu Yuqing, Long Zixuan, and the others were instantly taken aback!
"This item actually attracted the attention of Master himself? It must be extraordinary!"
"It seems that this stone token must contain a significant secret."
Everyone understood!
"Please rest assured, Master, we will definitely bring them back!"
They spoke in unison!
Li Fan nodded, thought for a moment, and said:
"Ziling, go to the study and find a few paintings for them to take with them; they might come in handy."
After all, going to find Shi Ling requires some capital to exchange for it, and he... had no money.
They had no choice but to send Dugu Yuqing and the others with the calligraphy and paintings, just like exchanging them with Ji Yuanqing, to avoid the other party refusing to give them to them!
Upon hearing this, Ziling immediately went to the study.
"Master sent Junior Brother Dugu and the others with books and paintings, which must mean he was certain they would encounter a formidable enemy!"
Ziling thought about it for a moment and then understood.
She specifically selected several paintings and calligraphic works that embodied the principles of warfare and ruthlessness!
After leaving the study, Ziling handed the calligraphy and paintings to Dugu Yuqing and the others.
Upon seeing this, Dugu Yuqing and the others gladly accepted the gifts!
"Master, we'll be going now!"
They said goodbye.
Immediately afterwards, the group left the Small Courtyard.