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 canāt quite remember myself," the Stone Tablet chuckled self-deprecatingly.
He then observed the pond intently.
The water in the pond wasnāt deep; it could be seen through at a glance.
"Hmm?"
The Stone Tablet looked for a long time but couldnāt find the secret of the pond, and began to doubt his own judgment.
He turned his head to look at Li Ping.
Li Ping didnāt 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? Iāve never cared about themā¦"
He stopped midway, as if he realized something, and sharply looked toward the Fishing Pond again.
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 ābait.ā"
"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 ā 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 Pingās meaning after pondering for a moment.
"The path to Immortality has ceased, the Xuanhuang Outer Star Sea must have already become ruins by nowāunless..." a realization flickered through the Stone Tabletās 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 itās 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, "Iām not sure when this thing came to the Xuanhuang World. But Iām 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 canāt be guaranteed," the Stone Tablet added cautiously.
"Youāre saying my path to freedom is to bite this bait?" the Stone Tablet looked oddly at the Emperor.
"Thatās exactly it. Donāt 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 canāt 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 wouldnāt 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 otherās body oddly comforted him.
"Iām just too tired from living, wishing to shed this burden. I donāt want to die," the Stone Tablet politely refused the Emperorās 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 Tabletās 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 toā¦" the Stone Tablet shook his head.
"I donāt mean to hide it from fellow Daoist, Iāve tried various methods to alleviate the pain. Iāve 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 elseā¦"
"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 Tabletās heart grew stronger.
"You are?!"
For someone who had lived tens of thousands of years, his voice still couldnāt help but ring out in shock.