Zhou Fan senses were completely blocked off. Only the feeling of drifting along the river could be felt. Before he knew it, a new scene filled his mind. In front of him was space, space so infinite that he could not see or sense the end of it.
He instantly came to the conclusion that this was the future. There was no other plausible explanation. And with the fish's assurance, he knew that this was the future corresponding to his time. Nobody was around. There were a few planets in the distance, but everything else was rather far away. There was a lot more open space than in most places in the Origin Civilization.
However, the power level here was also on another level entirely. Zhou Fan was also able to sense that Fire Qi was denser here than any of the other Qi's. It was only by about double, but it was noticeable to someone like him, who had been living in a balanced environment for so long.
"I suppose I should ask for directions to the Nine Heavens Universe." Zhou Fan muttered.
Even in this time, he was by no means weak.
He traveled around quickly.
Before long, he made it to the nearest planet. This place was nothing special. The strongest being was merely a True God. He expanded his Divine Sense and examined every aspect of the world, but there was little information about other planets or the Universe itself.
He left, moving towards a large area in the distance that seemed to hold much more powerful beings. It did not take long to reach it with his speed.
This place was not a single planet, but a gathering of planets similar to a galaxy. Zhou Fan expanded his Divine Sense to cover it in its entirety. The level of power was much stronger here, with a High Sage existing. It also had much more information about the Universe in its entirety. After spending a few minutes scanning everything, he set off. He was heading towards the strongest sect in this Universe, the Fire Spirit Sect. Its founder, who had survived to this day, was someone at the level below that of a Celestial Emperor. With the restriction on his mind, the name of the realm never so much as entered his brain.
It took him a full minute to reach the sect, and although he hadn't been moving at full speed, this was already incredible. It showed just how much bigger this Universe was than even the expanded Universe of the Origin Era.
When he arrived at the sect, he instantly sensed a few powerful people. In his estimations, there were around three people that could truly threaten his life, which meant possibly killing him even if he tried to run away.
One was naturally the founder.
Zhou Fan suppressed his cultivation and entered the sect. The sect was divided into two sections. One was more like a city, and an extremely large one at that. It held trillions of people inside. The other part was the true sect.
After reading a few people's memories, he learned that only Inner Sect disciples and higher could enter the true sect, while Outer Disciples had to remain in the city, though they mostly lived near the entrance to the Inner Sect.
Since Zhou Fan's goal was to get information about the Nine Heavens Universe, which he assumed was something not commonly known about, he decided to target an elder of the sect. From what he had learned, even the weakest elder should have Earth Immortal realm cultivation.
Luckily, someone like that was an ant to Zhou Fan. The only issue was capturing and reading the elders' memories without being caught.
He spent a few weeks traveling around the Outer Sect area, learning about the elders and their connections. He managed to narrow it down to the best target.
A relatively seclusive elder, though he had an important role. He was the main pill creator for the sect. Zhou Fan had learned that in this era, cultivation pills were of great importance. The only reason he didn't see them used in the Origin Era was because it was hard to bring such things through the river of time. Only special artifacts or other unique items could be brought, and they were usually damaged and weakened by the journey. Pills were entirely destroyed almost 100% of the time.
Still, although the elder was important, it wasn't enough for someone to keep constant watch of him inside of the sect, which was extremely safe. This was even less likely to happen due to the fact that he enjoyed his privacy.
The elder in question resided on a mountain at the edge of the Inner Sect. Zhou Fan set up a teleportation array just outside of the walls of that section just in case.
With enough time to set it up properly, he was able to make sure it would work perfectly.
There was nothing left to prepare. Using his Power of Cultivation, he was able to make his cultivation completely disappear. Even if someone far stronger than a Celestial Emperor appeared they would not be able to see through it.
He used Clear Qi to make himself completely invisible to the surroundings, and quietly made his way onto the mountains. Since he had created cultivation, and was sensitive to all manner of things relating to it, he was able to tell that all entrances to the mountain were layered in countless arrays, many of which would injure even him. These were not just on the ground, but connected to the air.
Only one safe path existed, something intentionally added, though none besides Zhou Fan would be able to casually see through it.
He was able to easily make his way to the peak of the mountain following the path. Upon reaching the peak, he saw a cave. It was shrouded in darkness so that even he could not see it. He could only sense a presence behind it.
He silently walked up to the cave entrance. He looked closely, and the darkness shrouding the cave was connected to an alarm system. Without some sort of key or token, there was no way to sneak past it. Zhou Fan regretted not bringing the space bird, who would be able to teleport him inside without issue.