Chapter 1083: Message from the Mystical Law King

"Our Federation has countless young talents. Finding a suitable successor will certainly not be difficult," Li Fan said, full of confidence.

"The safety of all cultivators in the Xuanhuang Realm is at stake, so the Federation naturally won't stand idly by. Since you find it inconvenient to leave, I'll arrange for them to come after I return. You can examine them personally."

"I believe that with your discernment, you're sure to find a satisfactory candidate," Li Fan declared righteously.

"This..." Xu Ke seemed somewhat incredulous.

After a long pause, he hastily replied, a bit flustered, "In that case, I thank you in advance, fellow Daoist."

"Oh, by the way, Xiao Qing, Xiao Hong, and your descendant, the Empire's Princess, all miss you very much. Would you be willing to see them?" Li Fan asked proactively, not taking matters into his own hands.

A trace of sadness flickered across Xu Ke's face. However, he nodded shortly after.

Before leaving this desolate minor realm, Li Fan gained a more detailed understanding of the events of that year through his conversation with Xu Ke. Long before deciding to defy natural law and create the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, Mr. Bai traveled to various major sects in the Xuanhuang Realm, making extensive preparations. For example, he had identified influential individuals within almost every sect. This ensured that once the plan to unleash the Immortal-Mortal Miasma and relocate mortals to the minor realm grotto-heavens was proposed, it would be swiftly accepted by the major sects. Furthermore, the Immortal-Severing Grand Array that sealed the mortal minor realms, and even the Realm-Rending Whales beyond the array—their ultimate realization bore traces of Mr. Bai's prior arrangements.

Unfortunately, Xu Ke didn't know much more about these details. When he suddenly heard the devastating news about Lu Ya, he rushed there. The final task he received from Lu Ya before his death was to guard the stripped-away Heavenly Favor of Xuanhuang.

"The Heavenly Dao of a world has its own operating mechanism," Li Fan mused. "Just as when the Li Realm Minor World faced a world-destroying crisis, its Heavenly Dao consciousness naturally sought out someone who could potentially escape, descending upon Su Yuqing. The Xuanhuang Realm also chose Mr. Bai. However, Mr. Bai ultimately chose the latter between the Heavenly Dao and the Xuanhuang mortals. He then sealed the Heavenly Dao consciousness that had possessed him. And judging by the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao's performance since then, it has almost consistently been at a disadvantage in battles with cultivators. There have been no further counter-measures similar to 'Law Unsuitable for Joint Cultivation.' It's likely that the remaining Heavenly Dao's strength was affected to some extent."

Li Fan suddenly recalled Ruomu. Likewise, Ruomu, severely harmed by humans, transformed from a divine tree that nurtured all living beings into a terrifying entity that devoured cultivators' Golden Cores. This is the power of resentment. Betrayed by the very person it favored most, and then sealed for nearly ten thousand years, it's easy to imagine what the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, sealed within the coffin behind Xu Ke, might have become.

"This is another killer move, but it's not suitable for use in this world. It would only add more variables. I can still manipulate the remaining Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm with my 'Fate Extortion' ability. But if the Heavenly Dao goes mad, my divine abilities might also become ineffective."

Pondering all the way, Li Fan returned to the Spiritwood Realm. After relaying Xu Ke's news to Xiao Qing and others in the Empire, they were naturally overjoyed and profoundly grateful to Li Fan. Guided by Li Fan's advice on what could and could not be revealed, the few imperial figures eagerly rushed to meet Xu Ke. Accompanying them were ambitious young people selected from various minor realms. Li Fan only performed a rough screening, leaving the final decision to Xu Ke himself.

After finishing these tasks, Li Fan went to Xuan You's location. Over the past year or so, more than ten steles had already been erected. Most contained insignificant information from forgotten history. However, the most recent discovery from the River of Blood intrigued Li Fan. The timing seemed to be after an unknown number of years of conflict, when chaos had gradually subsided. It was the period of cultivation wasteland, where civilization was slowly recovering.

In the scene, a man dressed in rags, yet emanating a thick murderous aura, was warily staring at an old man who had suddenly appeared before him. The man in the scene naturally did not recognize this elder. But Li Fan, observing from outside the scene, was very familiar with him. It was Tian Yi!

Without any unnecessary words, Tian Yi instantly acted and subdued the man with the murderous aura. He then appeared to be reading the man's memories from previous years. "Has it really been this long this time?" Tian Yi sighed, muttering to himself. "It seems I'll have to try and stay far away from the Immortal Ruins next time." He then slapped the man with the murderous aura dead, and his figure vanished from the spot.

The scene abruptly ended. But the amount of information contained within it was indeed substantial. At the very least, it confirmed one point: thousands of years ago, Tian Yi already possessed the ability to resist the Immortal Ruins' pull and traverse the void. Moreover, he had traveled back and forth more than once. During this time, he was inevitably affected by the Immortal Ruins, and by the time he reappeared, a very long period had passed in the Xuanhuang Realm.

"It seems that the sudden disappearances and reappearances of certain individuals were very likely influenced by the time dilation effect of the Immortal Ruins," Li Fan thought. "In that case..." The previous speculation that Li Fan had planned to verify in his next life instantly resurfaced in his mind. Li Fan's expression grew a few shades more solemn.

"The Envoys of Dharma and Tian Yi were frequently active in the Xuanhuang Realm. The information contained in the River of Blood is very valuable." He once again issued generous rewards to boost his subordinates' morale.

A few days later, Li Fan unexpectedly received news about Mo Ruibin from Zhou, the Envoy of Dharma. "He has appeared?" Li Fan frowned slightly. "And he hasn't been promoted to Xuanhuang Grand Celestial Venerable? Could he be setting up a deception? Given his cautious nature, even if his plan failed, he wouldn't reveal his whereabouts so easily."

Zhou, the Envoy of Dharma, was very confident: "The place where he appeared is one of the Immortal Alliance's secret locations. Although it appeared that no other cultivators were present, we had actually been covertly monitoring it for a long time. Furthermore, Mo Ruibin didn't appear in his true form. We managed to locate and identify him by tracing the fluctuations back from the altered mark he left on Chen, the Envoy of Dharma. Therefore, I lean towards believing that he miscalculated this time."

Zhou, the Envoy of Dharma, was itching to get his hands on this Heavenly Profound Sect Dharma King, who had repeatedly manipulated the Immortal Alliance members. He said solemnly, "This time, our Myriad Immortal Alliance will deploy all our elites and are determined to capture him. I wonder if fellow Daoist is interested in cooperating with us again?"

Li Fan immediately agreed: "I will go and seek approval, and give you an answer shortly."

After a moment, Li Fan proactively sent a message: "The Federation elders have agreed. Moreover, this time, we will also deploy our latest developed technology to assist in the capture!"