Chapter 1163: Unfading Vow Body

Li Fan had always been puzzled by the countless corpses in the Life-Death Reversal Grand Array. There were too many inexplicable aspects. Firstly, the sheer number of bodies was overwhelming. Secondly, all the corpses were remarkably well-preserved. They didn't look like remains from a great catastrophe or the destruction of a world.

"I initially suspected that Rebirth Heavenly Venerate might also be an alias for Heavenly Doctor, but now it seems..." Recalling the terrifying invisible monster he had just encountered, Li Fan couldn't help but question his own judgment. "What connection does that monster have with Rebirth Heavenly Venerate?" Li Fan had seen Rebirth Heavenly Venerate before. In the 119th era, a figure with a body of white mist suddenly appeared and instantly killed three Dharma Transmitters. However, the matter was dropped after Dharma Transmission Heavenly Venerate intervened.

"Dharma Transmission, Heavenly Doctor, Rebirth. There must be some connection between these three." "But that invisible monster just now..." In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through the mind of Li Fan's Saint Embryo.

"Brother Li, for safety's sake, let's leave here first." Shang Shaojun's words interrupted his contemplation. The two followed the path they had taken and re-entered the Yin-Yang Pearl. This time, however, they appeared directly on the Ocean of Life, opposite the Sea of Death. Moreover, the wind on the ocean collectively blew towards the exit of the bewildering domain. "Is this... a way of seeing us out?" They exchanged glances, startled once again. At that moment, they dared not cause any further trouble and discreetly exited through the passage.

"Phew." After leaving the Life-Death Bewildering Domain and returning to the white mist, Shang Shaojun felt no relief at having survived. Instead, he became somewhat dejected: "The Xuanhuang Realm hides too many secrets. The invisible entity we encountered this time is definitely no weaker than the mysterious person who transformed the world. Even if the Heavenly Venerate returns, can he truly cleanse everything...?" Having witnessed so many things beyond his comprehension in a short period, Shang Shaojun suddenly felt a sense of bewilderment.

Li Fan's Saint Embryo immediately changed the subject: "Young Master Shang, what are your thoughts on that invisible entity?" "It doesn't seem like a cultivator. Otherwise, it wouldn't have ignored us. It's more like something performing a fixed task..." "A monster?" Shang Shaojun finally managed to articulate this descriptor. "But even if it's a monster, it's an existence that can absolutely crush us," he scoffed. "I’ve presided over the Roaring Abyss for centuries, my divine skills perfected, priding myself as having few rivals beneath the ranks of Immortals in the Xuanhuang Realm. Who would have thought that after merely a year or so of traveling with Brother Li, I would encounter so many terrifying and formidable beings? Only now do I realize how utterly narrow-minded I was before."

Li Fan comforted him: "It's not that Young Master Shang isn't strong. It's just that these old monsters are too deeply hidden." After a moment of thought, Li Fan's Saint Embryo asked, "Young Master Shang, are you feeling disheartened?" "No, not at all. As the saying goes, when a nation is about to perish, evil spirits will emerge. The more chaos arises, the more it indicates that the Xuanhuang Realm is critically ill." After a brief period of dejection, Shang Shaojun suddenly became invigorated again.

"However, with just the two of us, changing all of this will be difficult. We need allies," Shang Shaojun said seriously.

"I had that intention originally. But finding trustworthy individuals who are also capable is hard..." Li Fan's Saint Embryo sighed. Shang Shaojun's eyes gleamed as he looked beyond the white mist: "I do have some preferred candidates. Let's go. We should return first. This period of travel has at least provided us with some evidence. We have at least a seventy percent chance of convincing them."

As they flew through the white mist, Shang Shaojun began introducing individuals to Li Fan. "First Scholar. Brother Li, have you heard of this person? Although he is currently only at the Spirit Transformation cultivation level, his overall strength is definitely no less than mine. He is proficient in all martial arts and possesses vast knowledge. He is truly a top-tier prodigy of the Xuanhuang Realm. More importantly, he is absolutely loyal to the Myriad Immortals Alliance! If we can persuade him to join us, there might even be an additional pleasant surprise." "There's also someone named Ji Hongdao. He is a rare formation genius of this era. If not for his somewhat weaker qualifications and background, I believe he could certainly contend for the position of Chief of the Alliance's Array Strategy Hall! Besides formations, he is also skilled in the art of artifact refining..."

Shang Shaojun rattled off name after name. They were all people Li Fan knew well.

"Er, actually, there's one more who might also be considered. However..." Shang Shaojun hesitated. "This particular individual has an extraordinary background. His involvement is too deep, and bringing him in might not be a good thing." Without keeping Li Fan in suspense, Shang Shaojun continued: "Although he appears to be just a mischievous child, he's terrifyingly strong in combat. Even I, at the Dao Integration realm, might not be able to force out his full strength. But his mind isn't entirely clear; whenever he sees someone, he insists on challenging them to a fight..."

Li Fan instantly knew who Shang Shaojun was referring to. It was Martial Maniac, who was suspected to be the reincarnation of Senior Brother Zhang Qianmo. Li Fan had previously accessed information about Martial Maniac using the high-level authority of the Heavenly Profound Mirror's origin. The Myriad Immortals Alliance internally judged him to be a Soul of Heaven and Earth, born into human form. Although he possessed a human body, his behavior, dwelling habits, and thought patterns were unlike those of a human. Instead, he resembled a materialized rule, like a Soul of Heaven and Earth. Martial Maniac was not invincible, but his learning ability was frighteningly prodigious. Any move used against him in combat would immediately be learned by him. The Immortal Alliance had even attempted to capture and thoroughly study him. However, he could repeatedly vanish into thin air under strict supervision and public view. His reappearance would be a thousand miles away. Moreover, he would have no memory of having been captured. The Immortal Alliance even dispatched several Dao Integration realm cultivators to jointly kill him. Martial Maniac's body was utterly destroyed. Yet, he would reappear alive in the world soon after, and he would have learned some of the divine abilities of those Dao Integration cultivators.

Given such a formidable and troublesome existence, and since he only quietly sought out people for sparring and had not committed any acts that threatened the Immortal Alliance's safety, the Myriad Immortals Alliance headquarters decided to merely monitor him closely and no longer interfere with him.

Li Fan speculated that the reason for Martial Maniac's extraordinary abilities might be related to Senior Brother Zhang's Vow Dharma Body. The Vow Dharma Body, integrated into heaven and earth, was almost equivalent to a part of the laws of heaven and earth. Thus, mistaking him for a Soul of Heaven and Earth was not surprising. As for whether Martial Maniac truly had any connection with Senior Brother Zhang... their strikingly similar faces spoke volumes.

"Young Master Shang, you don't need to worry too much. We should welcome all who come; the more, the better. After all, if what we plan to do fails..." "I'm afraid there will be no place for us in the Immortal Alliance ever again," Li Fan's Saint Embryo said with a smile. Shang Shaojun was slightly taken aback at first, then nodded. "Then let's go visit them one by one!"