Chapter 1157: A Different Type of Xuantian Artifact

The Sun Clan’s greatest treasure, its true name and exact form—was something Wu Ninglu did not know.

However, judging from the Sun Clan’s rise to prominence, she speculated that the treasure’s ability was most likely related to divination or foresight.

Over a thousand years ago, the Sun Clan had been nothing more than a small, ordinary cultivation family.

At that time, the strongest in the clan was only at the Nascent Soul stage.

But from a certain day onward, the Sun Clan’s fortune seemed to turn overnight. They not only produced several Soul Transformation cultivators in succession but also, by coincidence, rescued a severely injured Dao Integration cultivator.

Under the protection of that powerful cultivator, the Sun Clan soared to greatness.

The clan’s sudden rise naturally drew the attention of many factions. On the surface, it appeared to be nothing more than luck.

But not everyone believed that.

Especially not the faction that had secretly plotted against the Dao Integration cultivator whom the Sun Clan had rescued.

It was this very faction that sent Wu Ninglu, ordering her to sacrifice her beauty and infiltrate the Sun Clan.

That faction was none other than the Chen Clan, one of the most powerful families in Tianquan Prefecture. Many of its members were alchemy experts who held key positions in the Alchemy Hall of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.

At that time, the Chen Clan merely sought revenge, intending to eliminate that Dao Integration cultivator over an old grudge. Yet, a plan that should have been flawless was unexpectedly thwarted by a mere Nascent Soul cultivator from the Sun Clan.

After thorough investigation, they confirmed there had been no leaks. Moreover, on the very day of the incident, that same Nascent Soul cultivator from the Sun Clan had used a teleportation formation to cross several prefectures and happened to intercept the wounded cultivator at the perfect spot—almost as if he had foreseen everything.

It was far too unnatural. From that moment, the Chen Clan began to keep a close watch on the Sun Clan.

Under the strict hierarchy of the Immortal Alliance, although the two clans’ strengths were vastly different, the Chen Clan dared not simply kill and seize the treasure. Especially since, once the Dao Integration cultivator recovered from his injuries, he began to suspect the Chen Clan’s involvement.

By the time the Chen Clan finally resolved their troubles and turned their attention back, the Sun Clan had already established strong connections with influential figures at the Immortal Alliance Headquarters. They had even relocated their clan to Tianquan Prefecture and produced a Dao Integration cultivator of their own.

The Sun Clan’s rise had been too rapid. The countless coincidences along their path of success only reinforced the Chen Clan’s belief that the Sun Clan must possess an extraordinary treasure.

However, the Sun Clan acted with extreme caution. Once their foundation stabilized, they rarely used that treasure again.

The Chen Clan long coveted it, but they could never find a suitable opportunity to strike.

As time passed, even the Chen Clan gradually began to forget about the matter.

That was until over fifty years ago, when the Sun Clan once again made a stunning display of power within the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, reigniting the Chen Clan’s long-buried suspicions.

While on the road to the Guardian Hall at the Alliance Headquarters, the Sun Clan Patriarch happened to brush past someone—and instantly recognized that person as a spy from the Five Elders Association who had infiltrated the Alliance.

He struck immediately, engaging the spy in combat.

The incident alarmed the upper echelons of the Alliance. Both individuals were captured and interrogated, and the investigation confirmed that the Sun Clan Patriarch’s accusation was true.

That spy from the Five Elders Association carried a Derivative Jade Token and had been ordered to use a curse known as the Evil Hex to attack the Derivation Law Jade.

Fortunately, the plot was discovered in time, preventing a potential catastrophe.

After this incident, the Sun Clan rose even higher in standing, establishing influence within the Guardian Hall.

The Chen Clan, however, refocused their attention on the Sun Clan once more.

Investigations revealed that the Five Elders Association spy had concealed his identity flawlessly. Even his family and closest friends had never suspected anything.

Yet, despite this perfect disguise, the Sun Clan Patriarch had recognized him at a single glance.

During interrogation, the Sun Patriarch insisted it was merely intuition. The Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance conducted a thorough investigation and ruled out the possibility of a staged incident by the Five Elders Association.

Still, many found the situation difficult to comprehend.

In the end, it was all attributed to the Sun Clan’s “good fortune.”

The few elders of the Chen Clan who still remembered the events of that year immediately recalled their old suspicions.

After that, a grand conspiracy centered around the Sun Clan’s treasured artifact slowly unfolded.

Through decades of continuous probing, the Chen Clan had already grasped several crucial clues.

First, the artifact might not be complete. Over the years, the Sun Clan had been secretly searching for something.

Second, every time the artifact displayed its power, it seemed to require some form of replenishment. After each shocking feat by the Sun Clan, their Patriarch would mysteriously disappear for a period of time.

Third, the activation of the artifact appeared to come at the cost of consuming the Sun Clan’s bloodline. Over these years, several of their descendants had vanished without a trace, neither alive nor dead.

Although they had gathered a great deal of information, the Chen Clan had never dared to take direct action to seize it. Naturally, it was because the artifact was rumored to possess a “divination” ability.

If they failed, their intentions would be exposed, and they might forever lose any chance of obtaining the treasure.

Until recently, when the long-waiting Chen Clan finally welcomed the perfect opportunity to strike.

Their spies discovered the whereabouts of the Sun Clan’s Patriarch. It seemed that he had suffered injuries while assisting the artifact with replenishment. To prevent any accidents, he would likely end his travels early and return home to recover.

The treasure was still in its cooldown period, and the strongest expert of the Sun Clan had been severely wounded.

This was truly a heaven-sent opportunity.

Therefore, the Chen Clan took the risk of exposure and ordered their contact, Wu Ninglu, to closely monitor every movement of the Sun Clan’s patriarch.

...

“I never expected that the feud between the two clans had lasted for nearly a thousand years.”

After understanding the entire situation, Li Fan could not help but grow even more interested in this so-called Sun Clan treasure.

The reason was simple. The few astonishing performances of the Sun Clan Patriarch bore far too much resemblance to his own past actions.

Li Fan could foresee and alter events through the power of the [Truth].

Then, what kind of ability did the Sun Clan’s treasured artifact possess?

He did not have to wait long to find out.

Over ten days later, Li Fan’s divine sense keenly detected a somewhat disordered aura of a Dao Integration cultivator returning to the Sun Clan.

Leaving Wu Ninglu’s body and locking onto the man’s position, Li Fan quietly infiltrated his surroundings.

Even though the Sun Clan patriarch was extremely cautious, the formation barriers he had arranged were completely ineffective before Li Fan.

He did not sense at all that a wisp of divine sense had followed him into the secret chamber.

“Cough, cough.”

The Sun Clan Patriarch, Sun Luyuan, a Dao Integration cultivator, unexpectedly coughed up several traces of fresh blood.

However, disregarding his own injuries, his eyes were filled with distress as he carefully retrieved an item and placed it back in its position.

Afterward, he slit his wrist and began refining it with his blood.

When Li Fan saw that object, his true body and clone, both thousands of miles away—shuddered at the same time.

“This is...”

“The Tianxuan Mirror?”

The object Sun Luyuan nourished with his blood looked remarkably similar to the Tianxuan Mirror.

Only, in past encounters, the light representing the Tianxuan Mirror’s power was mostly green.

But now, within the secret chamber, the small mirror radiated an eerie black glow.