About seventy breaths later, he suddenly saw the glowing marker he had left behind!

"What’s going on here?"

Fan Wubing tried several times in succession and encountered the same situation each time.

No matter how he dived, he would eventually come across the marker he had left.

"Could I be going in circles?"

Fan Wubing thought this wasn’t very likely. He had the "Heart’s Furnace", a Divine Technique that allowed his soul to immerse into the surrounding environment, becoming its master. Along with the support of the Unwarranted Qi Creation Skill, it was unlikely he would make such a basic mistake.

After some thought, he remembered the Soul-Devouring Abyssal Prison of the Great Li Dynasty.

In the Soul-Devouring Abyssal Prison, the space was fragmented and discontinuous, connected by stone steps. It was later known that the Abyssal Prison was built using the Cosmic Dao inside the celestial corpse within the starry sky. One end connected to the celestial corpse, and the other end connected to Zhezhu Lake outside the Celestial Balance Upper City.

"So the space here is likely discontinuous as well."

He tried to take a detour, but quickly discovered that the surrounding space was all discontinuous.

"I remember Sister Ling Xian said that there are problems with the space in many parts of the Sea of Eternal Life. In some places, there are even time turbulences. It seems I’ve stumbled upon one."

Having identified the problem, it was time to consider what to do.

Fan Wubing did not understand the Cosmic Dao and lacked spatial talismans and artifacts, nor was he a Tribulation Immortal with a high affinity for heaven and earth.

But surely, there are more than just a few ways to solve this problem.

Think more broadly, for example, start by concentrating everything on one point and give it a slash with the sword.

Fan Wubing began stacking various buffs.

1.1 joules of blood bar began to tremble. The "My Dao" that was forged with the blood bar as a path, rampaged through the surrounding space. The instinct of life is to seek benefit and avoid harm, so the moment this aura was released, fish and shrimp within several thousand miles fled clean away.

He slowly drew out Zhiyue, the Sword Intents of "Astonishing Thunder" and "Lesser Cold" swirling around the tip, forming glimmering ice crystals. He had previously sought guidance on Sword Dao from his junior sister, so he had learned to use two Sword Intents simultaneously.

Zhiyue was part of his body.

So, it was a long sword with 1.1 joules of blood.

With various buffs stacked, the numbers were about to explode.

He slowly raised the long sword, his momentum set to burn the sea and boil mountains, the Sword Intent at the tip emitted a radiance capable of cleaving all. A massive whirlpool spread outwards, even splitting the seawater apart, and this space basked in the long-lost clear sunlight.

Fan Wubing said casually, "With this sword strike, I can’t guarantee what might happen."

With that, he swung the sword down.

A massive void-black rift opened up, stretching from thirty miles above the sea surface straight down.

This was a space rift.

The moment the rift appeared, the vast cosmic space began to compress towards it, trying to fill it. But the "Lesser Cold" Sword Intent directly froze the surrounding Dao,

Not allowed to approach!

The rift seemed about to touch the discontinuous space below.

Suddenly, a will surged up from below,

"Stop! Stop! Quickly stop!"

Fan Wubing’s mouth curled up, then he retracted the sword momentum tearing through the space.

And then he saw ripples spreading from the space below, not only making the space continuous, but even creating a specially made clear path.

Fan Wubing moved forward along this path, directly to the seabed.

This seabed was neither dark nor cold, nor chaotic. On the contrary, it was extremely exquisite, obviously meticulously arranged. A sea within a sea lay quietly on the seafloor, surrounded by softly glowing coral reefs in refreshing colors, looking like a blossoming garden from afar. In the azure sea within a sea, a gigantic tortoise slowly crawled out, carrying a green cauldron one-third its size on its back.

Compared to Da Chun and Mount Daiyu, it was smaller, but its aura was rather lively, not at all "aged and desolate".

Fan Wubing actually saw a hint of helplessness from its flat eyes.

"I’ve gone to such lengths, yet you still found me," Bixi said helplessly.

This...

Bixi was a bit different from what Fan Wubing had imagined. However, this actually made him more relaxed, at least it could communicate.

Bixi looked at Fan Wubing and said, "That sword just now was really scary. If it had been swung down, wouldn’t it have shattered my treasured place?"

Fan Wubing laughed, "I only used ten percent of my cultivation." This was true because he hadn’t stacked "Scorching Heart". If he really stacked "Scorching Heart", one slash would not just create a space rift dozens of miles long; it might incinerate the surrounding sea area within a thousand miles.

Bixi was stunned, "Only ten percent?" and couldn’t help but doubt whether the person in front of him was actually human.

"Alright, as you can see. I hide here also to find a bit of peace. Over the years, people have constantly sought me out, inquiring about ancient secrets, seeking Divine Techniques, and exploring immortality—it has been so tiresome."

"Understandable, understandable."

Bixi sighed, "Since you have found me, according to the rules, you can ask me one thing. Go ahead."

Fan Wubing’s eyes were burning with desire, "I want that Heaven Nurturing Cauldron."

"Oh, quite an appetite you have." Bixi’s eyes gleamed, "If I give it to you, can you take it away?"

Fan Wubing smiled, "Why, do you think I can’t move this cauldron?"

Bixi’s giant eyelid lowered slightly, lifting its head with short horns high, "Rough strength might be able to shake a mountain, but this cauldron bears the souls and spirits of all creatures. Nature gives birth to all things for man, and man’s soul nourishes the heavens. What do you think that means? I’ve long wished to cast off this cauldron and live freely, but for tens of thousands of years, no one has ever taken it away, not even the heroes and champions of history. Who do you think you are among them?"

Bixi was not mocking Fan Wubing. Having lived for millions of years, Bixi was beyond such pettiness; it was merely stating facts.

"Can you bear the weight of all creatures’ soul spirits?"

Fan Wubing said, "Whether I can or not, I’ll only know by trying. However, if I do carry this cauldron away, it should also be a relief for you, right?"

"Indeed."

"Then you’d owe me a favor, wouldn’t you?"

"You think too much."

Chatting with this Bixi was quite relaxed. It felt clear that Bixi must have been in frequent contact with humans in the past, as its words and emotions were full of "human-like" qualities.

"If you really take it away, it would certainly be a great help to me," Bixi said. "Back then, the Seven Luminaries unceremoniously placed this thing on my back and went off to enjoy themselves, while I suffered, being pressed down like a turtle."

"..." Aren’t you a turtle to begin with?

Fan Wubing squinted his eyes, "Just now, you mentioned ’Seven Luminaries,’ didn’t you?"

"Why?"

Fan Wubing smiled, "Nothing."

"Then no more nonsense, young man, come on. Come and feel the weight of all creatures’ soul spirits!"

Having said that, Bixi dived into the azure sea within the sea, swam a circle, and then suddenly leaped out, under the illumination of the glowing coral clusters, revealing its entire body. On its back, the blue cauldron gradually shed its surface dust, revealing densely packed engravings. Together, these engravings depicted the landscape of the Nineteen Continents of the World.

A sense of heaviness slowly spread.

One of the thirty-three Innate Treasures, the Heaven Nurturing Cauldron.

Right before his eyes.

Bixi’s voice became vast and ethereal, finally displaying its life-weight as an ancient object of immortality.

"The will of the Heavenly Dao is the will of all creatures. This Heaven Nurturing Cauldron stands on the earth, its mouth pointing to the heavens, serving as a bridge between the Heavenly Dao and all creatures. Twenty thousand years ago, this bridge suddenly broke. With twenty thousand years of accumulated will of all creatures, can you truly bear it?"

Fan Wubing smiled and asked, "Since it’s the will of all creatures, shouldn’t it be for all creatures to bear? Why must it be pressed on one person?"

Bixi laughed heartily, "You, my friend, have the right idea. But can you do it? Which among the living would come to help you bear it?"

The Life Dao slowly revolved, and within the Map of All Living Creatures, the Fire of Life of all beings shone brightly.

The "Furnace of the Heart" gently operated, serving as the master of the soul.

"Let’s begin." Fan Wubing’s voice was light yet heavy.

Looking into his eyes, filled with the aura of time, Bixi hesitated for a moment. This young man, what path had he walked, with such a broad physique, a vast soul, and an intent seemingly tempered by the river of time?

It decided not to think more, using itself as a bridge, transferring the weight of the Heaven Nurturing Cauldron onto Fan Wubing.

At that moment,

all beings in the world paused for a moment.

This "moment" was so brief, so brief that the vast majority had no way to perceive it.

Those who did perceive it all looked in the same direction, a thought flashing through their minds,

"Is an Immortal passing by?"

Such a thought quickly vanished,

because it was truly too light.