As the saying goes, a spent arrow cannot pierce even thin silk. Under the pressure of the Eternal Realm, Li Fan's sword strike probably wouldn't even harm an ordinary mortal, let alone inflict damage on Mr. Bai.
Yet, even if it left no mark, the sword strike ultimately landed on Mr. Bai. This was possible because Li Fan disregarded his own life, and Mr. Bai valued talent and showed compassion. As the saying goes, a gentleman can be outmaneuvered through his principles!
This sword strike was the answer Li Fan had devised over his years in the second act of the Fallen Immortal Realm. The first act tested benevolence, the second tested wisdom, and this third act was surely meant to test martial prowess!
Mr. Bai wielded his sword to suppress the Heavenly Sword Sect. If one could defeat him, or rather, gain his recognition in a duel, it would likely mean passing the third act's test. Li Fan had now achieved just that.
"My thanks for the concession," Li Fan said. Although Mr. Bai had reversed the process of burning his life, unleashing the 'Sword of Life' had still severely depleted Li Fan's vitality. At this moment, his face was pale, as if he could cease breathing at any moment. He coughed continuously, then cupped his hands towards Mr. Bai.
Mr. Bai looked at Li Fan, his expression somewhat complex. "Why?" he asked.
Li Fan calmly replied, "I am different from you. You always overthink things. But I will stop at nothing to achieve my goals, even if it means sacrificing my life!"
The surrounding scene of the Heavenly Sword Sect was gradually fading, leaving only Mr. Bai's figure still clear.
Li Fan continued, "Therefore, what you can achieve, I may not be able to. But what you cannot achieve, I might be able to."
Though it sounded like a riddle, Mr. Bai had already grasped Li Fan's meaning.
"Sometimes, to survive, one must be ruthless."
After saying this, Li Fan's body slowly became transparent, eventually disappearing completely.
Only Mr. Bai remained in that space-time. His brows were tightly furrowed, as if he faced an extremely difficult choice.
After an unknown period, he suddenly relaxed his brows and smiled. "That's right," he murmured. "I always have too many reservations. Perhaps, only by being like him can one ultimately seize a glimmer of hope..."
Mr. Bai's figure, along with his voice, gradually faded into silence.
In the darkness, Li Fan didn't know how long he had waited. A familiar sensation of the world spinning came over him, and the scene before his eyes instantly became bright again. He looked around, but he had not returned to the real world; instead, he had arrived in a new environment.
"My conjecture was indeed correct," he thought. "Although it was somewhat dishonorable, I ultimately defeated Mr. Bai and passed the test of martial prowess. It doesn't matter how; only the result counts."
Li Fan felt a surge of joy. "Now let's see what the test of this fourth act will be," he thought.
As this thought arose, countless pieces of information instantly flooded Li Fan's mind. His expression immediately froze. "How can this be?" he wondered.
Despite Li Fan's usual composure, he was still somewhat dazed. He quickly cast a water mirror spell and looked at himself in the reflection. A perfect, peerless face gazed back, one that inspired natural respect and affection, making others feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze. Li Fan was all too familiar with this face; he had even just competed against him not long ago. It was Mr. Bai!
"In this fourth act," he realized, "I've actually possessed Mr. Bai's body directly?"
Li Fan's heart was shaken, filled with both pleasant surprise and strong vigilance. The pleasant surprise was that, through Mr. Bai's body, he could experience being a Xuanhuang Celestial Venerable firsthand, which would undoubtedly be greatly beneficial for his future cultivation in all aspects. The vigilance stemmed from the concern that Mr. Bai's previous act of rebirth through another's body might happen again.
A moment later, Li Fan composed himself and began to sort through the information in his mind. Unfortunately, since it was only a test, Mr. Bai's memories in his mind were incomplete. There were only sporadic fragments and the "main quest" related to this test.
"At this moment, I have gained the approval of the Heavenly Dao and officially become the Grand Celestial Venerable Xuanhuang," he read. "The mission objective is... to find immortal artifacts scattered throughout the Xuanhuang Realm and escape the Xuanhuang Realm?"
Li Fan's expression instantly became incredibly strange. This objective was completely contrary to Mr. Bai's known past actions, causing Li Fan to repeatedly confirm it.
"Hmm? No, that's not right," he realized. "This isn't a test from the Fallen Immortal Realm. Instead, this is the mission Mr. Bai was undertaking at this point in time!"
After a moment, Li Fan finally understood. After becoming the Grand Celestial Venerable Xuanhuang, Mr. Bai's mind had vaguely sensed the urgency of the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao consciousness. Calamity was approaching, unavoidable, and it would be better to abandon the world-body and leave sooner.
"The Xuanhuang Realm is no longer a good place," he pieced together. "Evil creatures are causing chaos within, and the Immortal Ruins are watching covetously from without. It would be better to cross the Immortal Wall and reopen a new world outside."
Li Fan frowned, slowly piecing together the fragmented memory information. "The Immortal Wall is difficult to cross," he deduced. "Even the Grand Celestial Venerable Xuanhuang isn't strong enough. However, before the immortal path was cut off, immortal artifacts were occasionally bestowed from the upper realm. Some of these artifacts are still sealed in sect treasuries, while others are deeply buried underground, unknown to anyone. Yet, they all remain under the control of the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao consciousness. Simply gather these immortal artifacts and use them as sacrifices—they don't even need to be completely damaged—and that will be enough to unleash the power to cross the Immortal Wall."
An expression completely at odds with the body's usual demeanor instantly appeared on Li Fan's face. "Immortal artifacts?" he muttered. "At least ten of them?" According to the information from the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao consciousness, each of these immortal artifacts possessed power no weaker than the Celestial Profound Mirror. If he could collect all of them and use them for himself... Li Fan's mind instantly began to race with possibilities. He knew that throughout his many reincarnations, besides the Celestial Profound Mirror and the Fishing Pond, he had never seen any other immortal artifacts. Now, it was as if he had been struck by a massive gift package, suddenly learning about over ten immortal artifacts. How could this not stir his heart!
"Wait," he thought, "in real history, all these immortal artifacts disappeared?"
But soon, Li Fan realized. He immediately recalled an ancient anecdote he had collected earlier: when the great calamity descended, the various sects were already in great turmoil due to the principle that different cultivation methods could not coexist. The inexplicable disappearance of immortal artifacts stored within their strongholds then further accelerated the demise of the cultivation sects.
"Could it be," he mused, "that all those immortal artifacts that mysteriously disappeared back then were secretly taken by Mr. Bai?"
Li Fan's expression was peculiar. He began to re-examine the information about these immortal artifacts in his mind. These immortal artifacts were bestowed from the upper realm before the immortal path was cut off. At that time, the major sects of the Xuanhuang Realm were not the later Ten Immortal Dao Sects, but those that had already disappeared into the river of history, such as the Samsara Sect and the Desolate God Sect. The immortal artifacts they possessed were later divided among the Ten Immortal Dao Sects. However, immortal artifacts possessed spirits and could only be used by direct descendants of their respective sects. Thus, even if the Ten Immortal Dao Sects seized most of these immortal artifacts, they were simply unable to use them.
Brothers, please don't give me your monthly votes this month; I've been slacking on updates and feel undeserving. Please vote for "The Rings of Destiny" instead.
(End of this chapter)Related
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