Chapter 1323: Heavenly King's Disappearance Mystery

Li Fan’s face was full of sincerity. “Over the years, to find the heroes of the former Profound Sky Sect, I’ve searched every corner of the Xuanhuang Realm, practically turning it upside down. I was fortunate enough to find some traces of the Dharma Kings, but I’ve never found any clues related to the Profound Sky King. Yet, I refuse to believe that, with the Profound Sky King’s unparalleled cultivation back then, he truly perished...”

Mo Rubin listened quietly, his expression unchanged.

“Tens of thousands of years have passed, and the situation in the Xuanhuang Realm has become increasingly perilous, teetering on the brink of falling into the Immortal Ruins. If not for the many arrangements left behind by the Profound Sky King back then, we probably wouldn’t have lasted this long!”

“Arrangements from back then?” Mo Rubin squinted.

“It is precisely the Floating Starry Sky Grand Formation!” Li Fan exclaimed with great emotion. “Built upon ancient immortal formations, it manifests near-immortal power through mundane means! Unfortunately, the formation has long since become incomplete…”

Li Fan said earnestly, “Restarting the Floating Starry Sky Grand Formation might be the only way to save the world. This formation is incredibly mysterious; even though it was built ten thousand years ago, I still can’t comprehend it.”

Mo Rubin scoffed, “Naturally. How could mortal cultivators possibly fathom the inheritances of the Immortal Realm!”

Li Fan nodded in agreement. “First, the Ten Immortal Sects fled en masse, followed by ten thousand years of conflict and tribulation, severing many inheritances. The current standards of formations, artifacts, pills, and talismans in the Xuanhuang Realm have probably not only failed to improve compared to ten millennia ago but are far worse!”

“To reconstruct and restore the Floating Starry Sky Grand Formation, finding the Profound Sky King is our only hope! But as I said before, there isn’t a single trace of him! My lifespan is nearing its end, and I truly can’t wait any longer. Out of sheer desperation, I had no choice but to awaken you, fellow Daoist.”

Li Fan observed Mo Rubin’s contemplative expression, then continued in a deep voice, “From the fragmented memories of Ji Yuzhen’s soul, I also learned of the traitor within the Profound Sky Sect back then. Therefore, taking this action required immense determination, fearing that I might entrust the task to the wrong person and inadvertently bring harm to the Profound Sky King. That’s why I chose a location far from the Xuanhuang Realm, in the void, for your awakening…”

“When the Ten Sects besieged the Profound Sky Sect back then, where were you, fellow Daoist? According to Dharma King Ji’s memories, you were always by the Profound Sky King’s side!” Li Fan’s tone gradually became solemn.

Seeing this cultivator from a later era begin to press him, Mo Rubin did not get angry. He furrowed his brows slightly, recalling the past, as if he had returned to the day that changed the fate of the Xuanhuang Realm.

“At that time, I was guiding the core cultivators of the Ten Sects deep into the sect.”

Mo Rubin’s words were startling.

Li Fan raised an eyebrow but did not immediately become agitated, instead waiting quietly for him to continue.

Mo Rubin was slightly surprised by Li Fan’s calmness. He nodded slightly and continued, “At that time, Brother Xuanyuan had already detected impure intentions among some within the sect who wished to collude with the Ten Sects and plot against us.”

“It so happened that Brother Xuanyuan had just achieved a breakthrough, so he decided to make a feigned surrender to lure the snakes out of their holes…”

Mo Rubin paused and took a deep breath. “The original plan was going smoothly. I successfully gained the trust of the Ten Sects and led them to quietly break through the protective restrictions of the Profound Sky Sect’s headquarters…”

A flicker of regret passed through Mo Rubin’s eyes.

“However, those restrictions were originally only meant to delay them. The true killing blow was Brother Xuanyuan’s strength after his breakthrough, along with the killing formation he personally set up. By proactively dismantling them, it actually lowered their guard. We just didn’t anticipate…”

“Flee quickly!”

As if the Profound Sky King’s final message from back then echoed in his ears again, Mo Rubin subconsciously clenched his fists.

“When I heard Brother Xuanyuan’s message telling me to flee quickly, I knew something had definitely gone wrong. So I accelerated, flying towards where Brother Xuanyuan’s aura had vanished…”

“That wasn’t the agreed-upon ambush location, nor was it Brother Xuanyuan’s usual place of secluded cultivation. It was merely the hall displaying the Faceless Immortal statue, which Brother Xuanyuan had previously ordered to be sealed. I don’t know why he appeared there.”

“When I was the first to arrive, Brother Xuanyuan had already completely vanished. And that statue…” Mo Rubin suddenly fell silent.

Hearing Mo Rubin’s account, Li Fan’s heart trembled. However, he still feigned ignorance. “What is this Faceless Immortal statue, and why was it sealed by the Profound Sky Sect? After the Ten Immortal Sects unified the Xuanhuang Realm, they erased everything related to the former Profound Sky Sect. Even in Dharma King Ji’s surviving memories, there seems to be no mention of this Faceless Immortal statue.”

Mo Rubin looked up at Li Fan, pondered for a moment, and finally explained, “The Faceless Immortal is a True Immortal who once saved Brother Xuanyuan’s life. When Brother Xuanyuan first arrived in the Immortal Realm, before he even had time to condense his True Immortal body, a calamity descended. Had it not been for this Faceless True Immortal’s timely rescue, he might have perished in the Immortal Realm back then.”

Li Fan nodded slowly, then couldn’t help but ask, full of doubt, “From what you’re saying, this Faceless True Immortal seems to be a good person. Why then did the Profound Sky Sect later order the sealing of his statue, as if they were wary of him?”

Mo Rubin scoffed, “A good person… He is not ‘a person’ in that sense, but a True Immortal through and through. The same matter, viewed from the perspective of a mortal cultivator versus a True Immortal, will evoke completely different attitudes! Initially, Brother Xuanyuan erected the Faceless Immortal statue, firstly to express gratitude for saving his life. Secondly, he wanted to establish contact with this True Immortal whom he had only met briefly.”

“If we could obtain the help of this True Immortal senior, saving the Xuanhuang Realm would certainly be much easier…”

Mo Rubin’s expression grew increasingly somber as he spoke. “However, Brother Xuanyuan soon realized his mistake. The True Immortals’ attitude towards mortal beings can only be described as indifferent.”

“The Faceless Immortal could easily save Brother Xuanyuan because Brother Xuanyuan had already ascended to the immortal path, and even if he hadn’t yet condensed his True Immortal body, he was still a true demi-immortal – one of His kind.”

“But for mortal beings… even an entire world of them, even if it was just a simple gesture, the Faceless Immortal was completely unwilling and disdained to act!” Mo Rubin said with a cold, resentful tone.

“He even went so far as to persuade and warn Brother Xuanyuan…”

Mo Rubin was filled with resentment, and Li Fan couldn’t help but narrow his eyes and breathe heavily, feigning righteous indignation.

“The distinction between immortals and mortals is like heaven and earth. But regardless, aren’t immortals also ascended from mortals? To stand by and watch death, to be so indifferent!”

Mo Rubin continued, “As the saying goes, ‘those with different paths cannot plan together.’ After their divergence of opinion, Brother Xuanyuan ceased contact with this True Immortal and sealed the statue. He also planned to re-sculpt the Profound Sky statues in various locations.”

“However, before he could, the drastic change had already occurred.”

“So, according to you, fellow Daoist, it’s highly possible that the Profound Sky King met with misfortune at the hands of the Faceless Immortal?” Li Fan said, somewhat shocked.

“If a True Immortal personally intervened, even with the Profound Sky King’s unparalleled prowess, he probably couldn’t have escaped, could he? No wonder I haven’t been able to find any trace of him for so many years…” Li Fan feigned sudden realization, then adopted a dejected demeanor.

Mo Rubin frowned, interrupting Li Fan’s muttering. “Although the Faceless Immortal had some ideological differences with Brother Xuanyuan, there was no reason for Him to kill him.”

“Besides, though True Immortals are powerful, it’s absolutely impossible for one to instantly kill Brother Xuanyuan,” Mo Rubin stated with certainty.

“Brother Xuanyuan was already a demi-immortal who had ascended to the Immortal Realm. Before implementing the ‘lure the snakes out’ plan, he told us that after his battle with the Grand Master, he had broken through again. Even if he wasn’t a True Immortal in the traditional sense, he possessed enough power to cross the ‘high wall’ himself.”

Li Fan’s heart trembled once more. “What exactly could have caused the even more advanced Profound Sky King to inexplicably disappear?”

While saying this aloud, Li Fan’s mind couldn’t help but recall a scene from his previous life: at the very end, Cat Treasure mysteriously appeared, devoured the True Immortal’s phantom in one gulp, and then instantly took away the True Immortal from the Immortal Ruins.

How similar these two situations were!

“Could it be that there’s some connection between them?”

“But the incident with Profound Sky happened ten thousand years ago. Furthermore, considering my previous speculation that the flow of time might be inconsistent inside and outside the ‘high wall,’ if it truly was an act from beyond the wall, for them it might have been an event from a hundred thousand or even a million years ago…” Li Fan then felt that something was amiss.

“However, looking at it this way, the methods of the forces beyond the wall for hunting True Immortals have indeed improved too much. The Profound Sky King wasn’t a traditional True Immortal, yet he managed to send a warning message when he met misfortune. But the one from the Immortal Ruins was already a True Immortal from the Immortal Realm, and had comprehended the Dao for ten millennia within the Ruins, perhaps even nearing the nameless True Immortal realm. Yet, the outcome for him was even worse.” A sense of dread welled up in Li Fan’s heart.

Faced with Li Fan’s inquiry, Mo Rubin could only remain silent.

If he knew the answer, he wouldn’t have been so terrified and lost when pursued by the Ten Immortal Sects, as if he had lost his backbone.

“Although I don’t know what terrifying entity caused Brother Xuanyuan’s disappearance, I am certain that Brother Xuanyuan is still alive in this world,” Mo Rubin stated with conviction after a long silence.

“Oh?” Li Fan raised an eyebrow, expressing his incomprehension at Mo Rubin’s certainty.

After carefully choosing his words, Mo Rubin continued, “When Brother Xuanyuan ultimately disappeared, and I arrived at the scene, the hall displaying the Faceless Immortal statue was already destroyed.”

“And that Faceless Immortal stone statue…”

“Suddenly developed a face!”

“The statue had fallen to the ground, its head severed in mid-air and rolled to the side. The lonely stone head, however, bore an uncanny resemblance to Brother Xuanyuan!”

Mo Rubin spoke words that left Li Fan utterly astounded.

Images from that year involuntarily flashed through Li Fan’s mind.

“This…”

“What else happened?” Surrounded by heavy mist, Li Fan asked, utterly perplexed.

Mo Rubin said in a deep voice, “Initially, we all thought the Faceless Immortal had harmed the Profound Sky King. But later, during my days of escape, I began to feel something was subtly wrong. The reasons are as I just explained.”

“Later, I risked everything to find a surviving Profound Sky statue. I attempted to re-establish contact with this Faceless Immortal using the method Brother Xuanyuan had taught me back then…”

Li Fan gasped. “Fellow Daoist, your actions truly showed a disregard for life and death!”

Ignoring Li Fan’s praise, Mo Rubin continued, “True Immortals generally do not bother with us mere mortal ants. As expected, my first attempt at communication received no reply.”

“However, I did not give up. Instead, I continuously initiated communications, every single moment, for three whole years…”

Upon hearing this, Li Fan instantly understood Mo Rubin’s implication.

“Even if they disdain to acknowledge ants, if an ant keeps pestering them, a True Immortal would surely become enraged and mete out punishment. Based on my understanding of the Faceless Immortal, He certainly has the power to do so.”

“But He didn’t.”

“It was as if it was just an ordinary stone statue; for three years, there was no response whatsoever.”

“Therefore, I speculated that after that day, not only the Profound Sky King but even the Faceless Immortal had suffered severe injuries!”

“The reason the Faceless Immortal statue mysteriously manifested Brother Xuanyuan’s face, and even had its head severed…”

Li Fan interjected, somewhat incredulously, “Could it be that the Faceless Immortal intervened to help the Profound Sky King escape a catastrophe?”

Mo Rubin nodded. “That’s also why I remain convinced that Brother Xuanyuan is still alive. Although their paths differed, from what Brother Xuanyuan occasionally revealed between the lines, he and the Faceless Immortal actually got along quite well.”

“Moreover, they are, after all, of the same kind. Given the precedent of Him offering aid before, it’s not impossible for Him to save him again.”

Li Fan remained silent for a long time.

After a long pause, he shook his head in denial. “This is merely your speculation, fellow Daoist.”

“I had initially thought that the opponent the Profound Sky King encountered back then was at most another demi-immortal. If a True Immortal, or even a stronger entity, had acted, the possibility of the Profound Sky King surviving would be exceedingly slim!” Li Fan said with some dejection.

“Your speculation alone is truly hard to believe.”

Seeing this, Mo Rubin hesitated for a long time before finally adding in a deep voice, “It’s not just baseless speculation. The subtle connection I share with Brother Xuanyuan tells me that he is still alive in this world.”

Mo Rubin’s words were vague and unclear.

Li Fan wanted to ask for more details, but Mo Rubin refused to say anything further.

“The Azure Nether Orb?” Li Fan couldn’t help but speculate inwardly.

“Alright, since you are so certain, I will trust you this once!” Seeing that he couldn’t extract any more information, Li Fan feigned contemplation for a long time before showing a relieved expression.

“Anyway, I don’t have many days left to live; this is just a final gamble.”

“Based on your words and actions, you are certainly not the traitor from the Profound Sky Sect of yesteryear. Perhaps, we could cooperate to search for the Profound Sky King’s whereabouts.”

Li Fan’s gaze was piercing as he stared at Mo Rubin.

“Fellow Daoist, you know a great deal about the Profound Sky King, but you are very unfamiliar with the current Xuanhuang Realm. Ten millennia have passed, and much has changed. The arrangements left behind by the Profound Sky Sect might have vanished with the drastic transformations of the land.”

“However, I have thoroughly searched the Xuanhuang Realm over the years and can directly lead you to the areas worth investigating, greatly increasing the efficiency of our search.”

“Furthermore, the remnants of the Ten Immortal Sects have now formed the Five Elders Council, controlling half of the Xuanhuang Realm. Without my cooperation, even with your impressive strength, you would inevitably encounter considerable trouble.”