Chapter 1098: Alien Star Falls into the Profound Yellow

Although the Xuanhuang World had grown much larger than other normal cultivation worlds after thousands of years of pulling and devouring, Li Fan genuinely couldn't imagine where a force that could make the Myriad Immortals Alliance so apprehensive might be hiding, if such a force truly existed. When the Heavenly Profound Mirror underwent its sublimation and transformation, it thoroughly scoured the entire Xuanhuang World. Not only was information about almost all subsidiary grotto-heavens and small worlds mostly uncovered, but even the world rifts deep within the white mist had been largely explored.

"Unless it's another hidden, unmapped area with special properties, like the Netherworld," he thought. "It just goes to show it's indeed the last surviving stronghold of cultivators from the Darkest Star Sea; you never know when a powerful figure might suddenly emerge. However, since they didn't survive the destruction of the Xuanhuang World, their strength, even if considerable, must be limited." After this analysis, Li Fan felt a little more at ease.

"Speaking of which," Li Fan mused, "the history of the Myriad Immortals Alliance's sudden rise from the cultivation wasteland, when I think about it now, does seem a bit strange. After the great catastrophe of the Xuanhuang World, cultivators plunged into a dark era of mutual suspicion and slaughter. Eventually, civilization crumbled, and there were no more organizations in the world. Only solitary cultivators remained, wary as beasts and filled with killing intent – the so-called cultivation wasteland. All currently accessible records regarding what happened later in the Xuanhuang World are largely consistent: the long-vanished Dharma-Imparting Heavenly Venerate returned and re-established civilization on the desolate land. But a question arises."

Whether from the temporal illusions he experienced in the Divine Treasure Museum, or from the historical fragments unearthed from the Blood-Colored River by Xuan You in the Spirit Wood World, the descriptions of cultivators living during that period could all be summarized as 'fierce and ruthless.' Their disposition, methods, and strength, having survived the great purge, naturally went without saying. How would such a group of people react to a Dharma-Imparter who suddenly appeared, claiming to unite the Xuanhuang World? And where are those people now? Neither the Myriad Immortals Alliance nor the Council of Five Elders seems to have any trace of them.

"I remember that the Myriad Dharma Merchant Guild in Jiushan Prefecture was passed down from that era. Unfortunately, it has been razed to the ground now; otherwise, I might have been able to gather some information there." Li Fan made a mental note to address this in his next life, then his attention returned to the "True Immortal Corpse."

After being alerted by Li Fan, the Myriad Immortals Alliance indeed became much more vigilant. They opted for a collective capture of the appearing Spirits of Heaven and Earth. As for their final ownership, it had already been discussed and decided beforehand, with the goal of quickly and harmlessly absorbing these "baits" and converting them into their own combat power.

With the official intervention of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, the various disturbances caused by the appearance of the Spirits of Heaven and Earth quickly subsided. However, the Myriad Immortals Alliance's attitude towards the True Immortal Corpse was extremely cautious. While allowing pursuit, they strictly forbade cultivators from fighting each other over it, determining the final owner solely by individual destiny. Simultaneously, to quell this commotion as quickly as possible, multiple Dharma-Imparters, who usually remained aloof from worldly affairs, were dispatched for the first time. It seemed their modus operandi had changed correspondingly after the Mo Rubing incident.

After the Myriad Immortals Alliance entered this game, Li Fan distinctly felt that manipulating the dark puppet to 'walk the dog' became much more arduous. The Myriad Immortals Alliance maintained strong control over its internal territories; the puppet, carrying the True Immortal Corpse, would be discovered almost immediately after appearing, necessitating another transfer. As the frequency of transfers increased, the dark puppet's drawback of not being able to sustain prolonged combat became evident. Fortunately, Li Fan ordered skilled craftsmen to urgently construct more puppets for alternating use, which barely allowed the True Immortal Corpse to maintain its elusive characteristic.

However, Li Fan also vaguely sensed that the Myriad Immortals Alliance seemed to be aware that the "True Immortal Corpse" was being moved using shadowy power. The time required for tracking was getting shorter and shorter. "It seems this act won't last much longer," he thought. "No matter, my goal has been achieved. I'm just waiting for the final curtain call to give everyone in the Xuanhuang World a surprise." Glancing at the specifics of his various arrangements, Li Fan revealed a benevolent smile.

"Young friend, why must you do this?" Three human figures suddenly floated out, encircling Li Fan. They were frowning and sallow-faced, staring at him in silence, merely sighing. These were the paper figures that had awoken from the Book of Deliverance.

Ever since Li Fan began preparations for world destruction, even though all his arrangements were carried out through avatars and puppets, the paper figures of the Deliverance Sect somehow sensed the impending crisis. From the initial single figure, two more paper figures had consecutively awakened. Moreover, they could faintly perceive the thoughts of world destruction in Li Fan's mind. Whenever Li Fan previewed or deduced future scenarios, these figures would tirelessly surround him, attempting to persuade him. Li Fan, naturally, ignored them completely, maintaining a cold demeanor.

When the three Deliverance Sect paper figures realized their persuasion was futile, they simply gave up, merely clinging to Li Fan with mournful expressions. At first, Li Fan thought they were merely impotently raging. However, he later discovered that when surrounded by these distressed paper figures, he would actually be infected by their emotions. No matter what he had been thinking previously, how passionately or how extremely, all thoughts would gradually transform into extreme negativity, an utter emptiness of mind. If not for the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra protecting him, Li Fan would almost certainly have been influenced and changed by them.

The Deliverance Sect paper figures could only sense the general situation. As for the specific measures Li Fan had taken during this period, they did not possess the ability to know them from afar. Li Fan also did not reveal that he was completely unaffected. Instead, he cooperated fully, playing along with them. The gloomy expression on his face slowly disappeared, replaced by an emptiness where nothing felt interesting. His mind gradually emptied of all thoughts, no longer dwelling on preparations related to world destruction.

The figures of the three Deliverance Sect paper figures also changed. Instead of directly returning to the Book of Deliverance, they transformed into the appearance of stern old scholars. Sitting upright, they began recounting to Li Fan the various calamities the Xuanhuang World had once endured. Their names were also quite interesting, all named after historical calamities. For instance, one was named Starfall. This referred to an event before the Immortal Path was severed, when an alien star fell from the cosmos onto the Xuanhuang World. The energy emanating from the alien star had temporarily caused a significant impact on the spiritual power efficacy of all cultivators in the Xuanhuang World, leading to a drastic decline in strength across all realms.