To comprehend all laws and attain immortality

Gu Fan excitedly clenched his fist as he looked at the stone steps that had sunk into the ground.

"I knew my luck wouldn't be that bad!"

After using his Myriad Manifestations Eye and Divine Sense to investigate, Gu Fan confirmed that there were no hidden formations or mechanisms under the stone steps. He then carefully descended the stone steps.

After descending dozens of stone steps, the space suddenly opened up before you, revealing a small stone chamber.

Several bright pearls are inlaid on the ceiling of the stone chamber, illuminating the entire chamber.

In the center of the stone chamber are three stone platforms, one of which has collapsed. A white barrier appears on the other two stone platforms, and a jade box floats inside each barrier.

There was also a jade box under the collapsed stone platform. Gu Fan stepped forward and turned it over. Inside the box was a ginseng-shaped spiritual herb, which turned into dust with a light touch.

The fact that this ginseng was carefully preserved shows that it was of great value. However, when the palace was destroyed, the stone platform collapsed, and the protective barrier also broke down. Over time, the spiritual energy dissipated.

Shaking his head regretfully, Gu Fan looked at the two intact stone platforms.

Under the all-seeing eye of the Dharma, the white barrier light screen transformed into seven connected white light spots, resembling a bracelet surrounding the jade box in the center.

"The barrier will break once the connection between the seven points of light is severed."

Gu Fan squinted and examined it, but did not immediately begin to break it. Instead, he stared at the barrier and fell into deep thought.

The more I look at this barrier, the more familiar it seems.

A moment later, Gu Fan clapped his hands and exclaimed in realization, "This barrier looks just like the one in the Starry Sky Pavilion!"

Although they are different colors, they are all stone platforms and barriers.

Considering that most of the Lingxiao Sect's cultivation techniques were obtained by Ancestor Yunxiao from the Luofu Immortal Sect...

"Master Yunxiao is imitating the Luofu Immortal Sect!" Gu Fan thought to himself, taking out a white jade ring from his storage bag.

What solidified his belief was this white jade ring.

Apart from the cloud patterns and the illusory image of the immortal sect on the jade ring, the overall design of the white jade ring is exactly the same as the identity jade ring of the Lingxiao Sect.

Gu Fan picked up the Immortal Sect Jade Ring and tapped it against the white barrier. Instantly, a circle of light spread across the barrier before slowly dissipating.

"As expected, this white jade ring is the identity jade ring of a disciple of the Luofu Immortal Sect."

After taking the jade box down, Gu Fan went to another stone platform and did the same thing.

Unexpectedly, after the jade ring touched the barrier, the barrier flickered a few times and then stopped responding.

"Is this... not enough good deeds?" Gu Fan blinked and sighed, "Looks like we'll have to take a tougher approach."

Looking back at the entrance stone steps, Gu Fan took out thirty-six spiral needles from his storage bag. These were the magic artifacts for breaking restrictions that he had created during the Three Sects Dharma Assembly. Then he took out a formation flag.

Forcibly opening the barrier is not only a matter of breaking the restriction, but may also trigger other mechanisms.

At least after becoming a disciple of Wendao Peak, Gu Fan gained a deeper understanding of Chenxing Pavilion and learned that Chenxing Pavilion's defenses did not rely on the two Foundation Establishment cultivators, Zhou Furui and Fang Linghe. Their main responsibility was guidance and inheritance.

If anyone tries to forcibly take the jade slip from the barrier, it will trigger the protective formation that seals off the entire Chenxing Pavilion. The protective formation is as high as the third level and is supplied with spiritual energy by the spiritual veins of the Lingxiao Sect. Even a Golden Core cultivator would not be able to break through it.

Gu Fan activated his Myriad Manifestations Eye and observed again. Sure enough, he found several array patterns in the corner of the stone chamber. However, the palace was built against the mountain, and the great array was hidden in the mountain, so he could not see the whole picture.

The array flags were planted one by one, surrounding the entire stone chamber. After setting up the array plate, the array was activated with a slight thought.

The array's glow coated the stone walls with a layer of silver, severing the stone chamber's connection to the outside world.

This formation is a second-tier formation—the Ten Directions Void-Severing Formation. Once activated, it can isolate the area covered by the formation from the outside space.

During the Three Sects Dharma Assembly, Gu Fan used this formation to sever the connection between the third-order formation, the Asura Blood Transformation Formation, and the blood-colored barrier. This time, he is recreating that action.

Once the formation was activated, Gu Fan rapidly released thirty-six spiral nails, which pierced fiercely into the barrier.

With the infusion of magic, the spiral nail plunged downwards, shattering the white barrier instantly.

Gu Fan quickly retrieved the jade box, then put the spiral nail back in, abandoning even the array flags and array plates, and transformed into a streak of red light, rushing swiftly out of the palace.

Just a few breaths after stepping out of the main hall, a loud bang was heard, and a muffled thunderous sound erupted from the ground beneath the palace.

If the palace were intact, this formation should have sealed off the entire palace. However, the palace was already dilapidated, and the formation caused it to collapse after being activated, causing the ground to shake and kick up a cloud of dust.

Gu Fan turned his back to the smoke and dust and fled without looking back, only stopping after running twenty miles.

After catching his breath, Gu Fan found a secluded spot and, after confirming that no one was around, took out the jade box.

The gray squirrel poked its head out from its coat, twitching its nose as if it had smelled a peculiar fragrance.

Gu Fan rubbed the jade box a few times like a fly before finally opening it. A strong burst of fire shot out of the jade box, along with a very peaceful smell.

The object in the jade box was a broken horn, about the length of a palm, with a forked branch resembling a deer antler.

Gu Fan stared at the deer antler for a long time but couldn't recognize its origin. Then he saw the gray rat struggle to climb out of his arms and try to jump into the jade box, as if the deer antler was extremely attractive to it.

Gu Fan, of course, couldn't bear to feed the precious elixir to the rats, so he quickly put the jade box away.

The gray squirrel tilted its head back and squeaked, its long, thin tail swishing rapidly, and its beady black eyes even showed a pleading look.

Gu Fan coughed lightly and reassured him, "We don't even know what's in the box yet. What if it makes you sick?"

After saying this, he took out a spirit beast pill and gave it to the gray rat.

The gray mouse helplessly hugged the Spirit Beast Pill, taking a couple of bites before stopping, as if its once-favorite Spirit Beast Pill had suddenly lost its appeal.

Gu Fan ignored it and took out another jade box. When he opened it, he was startled to find a fist-sized green wooden block that was beating like a heart.

With each leap, a green light spreads out, and the surrounding weeds visibly sprout a bit.

Gu Fan slammed the jade box shut, then affixed several talismans to seal it securely before putting it back into his storage bag.

Although he didn't recognize this green heart, the abundant vitality it contained was visible to the naked eye, and he couldn't bear to waste it.

Despite the twists and turns and the considerable cost, the gains far exceeded the price.

Gu Fan held the gray mouse high and played with it for a while before placing it on his shoulder and taking out the Yin-Yang Twin Wheels and the Tortoise Shell Shield.

The divine sense probed into the magical artifact like a tentacle, and the carved restrictions were covered with a layer of gray light.

Gu Fan made a hand seal to cast a spell to control objects, and a flash of gray light isolated him from control.

"hiss--"

After stroking his chin in thought for a while, Gu Fan guided his divine sense to traverse the gray light.

The gray light remained unmoved.

Gu Fan narrowed his eyes and intensified his divine sense, as if rubbing a piece of sand across the gray light, causing the gray light to dim slightly.

Seeing this, Gu Fan immediately felt relieved.

"At this rate, it will only take one hour to unseal a magical artifact."

Letting the gray rats crawl around on his shoulders, Gu Fan sat cross-legged on the ground, dragging the Sun Wheel in his hand, and slowly polished it with his divine sense until the Sun Wheel regained its spiritual light, and then replaced it with the Earth Flame Wheel and the Tortoise Shell Shield.

Seeing the sunlight waning, he simply unsealed and refined the short dagger and the scale shield.

The next morning, in the dim sunlight, Gu Fan set off again.

With the "True Secrets of the Puzzle" concealed, no further abnormalities occurred along the way.

Half a day later, Gu Fan arrived in front of a three-story black stone palace.

Just by looking at the palace's striking resemblance to the Chenxing Pavilion, he recognized this place as his primary target—the Wanfa Palace.

Read the full text of Chapter 132, "Two Jade Boxes," for free here: