Chapter 1041: Sacrificial Xuantian King

However, this might not be contradictory. Both semi-immortal beings gained inspiration for breakthroughs during their encounters. Both had the potential to truly shed their mortal shackles and achieve the status of an immortal. Grand Master Tiandu achieved enlightenment through resonance, imitating the immortals of the Immortal Ruins. As for King Xuantian...

Li Fan's mind then recalled the fragmented memories from the Dharma King of the Xuantian Sect. "He encountered misfortune during his breakthrough process."

Li Fan had once asked Dan Xuan about the full story of how the Ten Immortal Sects instantly overthrew the Xuantian Sect. However, the old man was vague, claiming he wasn't clear either and that they had haphazardly won the final victory of the war. It was as if the Xuantian Sect had lost just as inexplicably.

"Dan Xuan must be hiding something. However, what's certain is that the downfall of the Xuantian Sect back then involved a third force beyond the Xuantian Sect and the Ten Immortal Sects. They incited the Ten Immortal Sects to rebel, leveraging King Xuantian's desire to use the opportunity to eliminate traitors, which pushed the events forward and facilitated this great battle. The ultimate winners appeared to be the Ten Immortal Sects, who gained control over the immortal path of the Xuanhuang Realm. But perhaps King Xuantian was their true target."

Li Fan's mind raced. Recalling Mo Rubin's apprehension towards the statue of the Faceless True Immortal, a bold guess instantly surged into Li Fan's mind.

"Is it possible that this was done by fanatical followers of the Faceless True Immortal? King Xuantian, who was about to become an immortal, was the sacrifice they offered to the Faceless True Immortal..."

In the years Li Fan spent spreading the Immortal of Compassion in the Mortal World through the statues of the Faceless True Immortal, he had personally witnessed the cultivators' faith grow from nothing, slowly solidifying. The essence of source power could turn decay into wonder, fulfilling the dreams of many cultivators. Even in the Myriad Realms Alliance, which Li Fan had casually created and put little effort into managing, there were many who were genuinely swayed by the true immortal's power and offered their absolute loyalty. Not to mention during the time of the ancient Xuantian Sect, when statues of the Faceless True Immortal were ubiquitous.

Even if King Xuantian might have later discovered something was wrong and removed the statues from the Xuantian Sect's headquarters, how could the statues in the cultivators' hearts be easily cleared away? Between following a semi-immortal whose path to enlightenment was uncertain, or following a true immortal — or even an existence on the level of the Faceless True Immortal... for most cultivators, they would likely choose the latter.

"So, after Mo Rubin saw the statue I displayed, he lost his trust in me."

Having reconstructed the possible truth, Li Fan continued to deduce King Xuantian's whereabouts.

"There are two possibilities. One is that he was already consumed by the Faceless True Immortal, like a ripe fruit, and completely vanished from the world. The Faceless True Immortal's power persists in the Xuanhuang Realm, hoping for the appearance of the next 'fruit'. The second is that the Faceless True Immortal's consumption failed, and King Xuantian narrowly escaped. The fanatical followers, on the other hand, were wiped out by the enraged true immortal, leaving no trace, and vanished without anyone knowing."

"The second possibility is more likely. After all, in the current Xuanhuang Realm, apart from my branch, there is no longer any lineage of the Faceless True Immortal to be found. If the sacrifice back then had truly succeeded and the Faceless True Immortal had bestowed rewards, those who tasted the benefits would not have stopped there." A faint light flickered in Li Fan's eyes.

"The reason Mo Rubin was so insistent on rescuing the Heavenly Profound Mirror, even going so far as to cooperate with my act, was probably because he already believed that King Xuantian was not dead. And the Heavenly Profound Mirror must know his whereabouts."

"I see."

"Since that day they vanished from the Myriad Immortals Alliance headquarters, they haven't appeared in the Xuanhuang Realm. The Dooming Sect's paper figures haven't seen them, nor have they appeared anywhere the Heavenly Profound Mirror exists. They directly departed from the Heavenly Profound Mirror's spatial body and appeared in another location. It seems I'll have to find a way to meet with Dharma Spreader Zhou."

Li Fan's mind again focused on the white jade statue he had crafted. He recorded the sounds and vague influences emanating from the statue, comparing them with the cultivator archives in the Heavenly Profound Mirror, attempting to find a breakthrough point.

Most of the cultivators identified were on the Myriad Immortals Alliance's wanted list, nominally dead. But after more than ten days of continuous listening, Li Fan actually found someone who wasn't wanted by the Immortal Alliance and still maintained the identity of a regular cultivator within the system.

"How audacious, not even afraid of implicating his family..." Li Fan thought this to himself, but after checking the life file of this cultivator, he discovered that You Chisong might have done it on purpose.

You Chisong, a Nascent Soul cultivator, was the eldest direct descendant of the You family in Tianchen State. Ten years ago, he had the chance to advance to the Soul Transformation realm. However, his father gave the only unique cosmic transformation insight heard in the family to You Chisong's younger brother, You Chibai. This shattered his hope of achieving Soul Transformation. This action even received the support of the vast majority of the You family, simply because You Chibai's aptitude was far superior to You Chisong's. It took You Chisong nearly a hundred years to form his Nascent Soul, even with ample resources, whereas You Chibai only took just over thirty years. The difference was truly immense; even You Chisong's mother could only sigh helplessly while comforting him.

But You Chisong refused to accept it! Because the information about this cosmic transformation was first discovered by him and then reported to the family. It should have been his by right, but it was forcibly taken and given to his younger brother! Resentment thus grew in You Chisong's heart.

However, the bloody purge by the Myriad Immortals Alliance gave him an opportunity to get revenge on his family. By coincidence, he happened to encounter Dharma Spreader Zhou saving someone. The moment he saw this group of "rebels", a plan for mutual ruin flashed in his mind. He immediately knelt down and begged to join. Seeing You Chisong's apparent sincerity, Dharma Spreader Zhou also brought him into her private small world.

Originally, You Chisong indeed intended to solidify his identity as a rebel and then actively report himself to the Myriad Immortals Alliance. However, as he interacted with Dharma Spreader Zhou and learned of her deeds, and spent time with his new companions, You Chisong's mindset gradually changed. Compared to the great task of rectifying and purifying the Myriad Immortals Alliance and returning the Dharma Spreaders to their original intentions, the trivial family matter concerning just one Soul Transformation cultivator was simply not worth mentioning. Before, he had been blinded by hatred. But now, You Chisong had a more noble goal: to restore clarity and justice to the Xuanhuang Realm!

Combining what he had heard from You Chisong's conversations over the past few days and his life information, it was easy to deduce his psychological journey.