Chapter 1478: Heavenly King's Past Events

The opportunity to reverse the predicament was at hand. After observing for a while, there seemed to be nothing unusual around the Nameless Shadow. The Nameless one who had just achieved enlightenment must have gone far away.

He could no longer suppress the stirring in his heart, and summoning his last remaining strength, he rushed towards that figure.

He had thought that from then on, his luck would turn, but he never expected...

Fast forward to the present, he looked at the two isolated Heavenly Pillars in front of him, and only after repeated observations did he confirm he wasn't mistaken. His heart couldn't help but tremble.

"One of them should be the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar."

"And the other one..."

"It's actually suppressing the Nameless True Immortal who recently achieved enlightenment! This!"

"Who exactly is this person?!"

Unprecedented.

Connecting this to the words he had heard earlier, a myriad of thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

Although he had just recovered, and his body was merely a Nameless Dao Shadow, he was still very confident in his own strength. To be able to capture and suppress him with such ease...

The opponent's strength was unfathomable!

"What exactly happened in the outside world during the ten thousand years I was severely injured and trapped? Could it be that the Immortal Realm has been rebuilt?"

Even with hundreds of thoughts, he could only keep them all deeply hidden in his heart for now.

A terrifying, immense force permeated his entire being, completely suppressing him. Even speaking or transmitting messages was a luxury.

Just as he was filled with apprehension, a colossal figure suddenly appeared in the field.

Being suppressed, he couldn't clearly see the opponent's appearance. However, the aura emanating from the opponent, vast as mountains and seas, made him think of the two Immortal Emperors he had once met.

The figure wasted no words and grabbed him once again.

He only felt that his Nameless Dao Shadow body instantly became chaotic.

Although the Dao Shadow was built upon the power fluctuations of the Nameless True Immortal who had achieved enlightenment through the Path of Hunger, it merely borrowed its impact. Its essence was still the power contained within the colossal living form he had personally created.

The impact of achieving nameless enlightenment was like a massive hammer crashing down, leaving an imprint.

Yet now, the Dao principles of vitality condensed within this imprint uncontrollably flowed towards the figure in front. After circulating through the other party, they returned. While becoming calm again, they also seemed to have been organized and condensed, becoming more solidified.

He also perceived that numerous Dao principles of vitality from the outside world were madly surging towards him.

"Barely adequate." The figure in front shook its head, seemingly dissatisfied. But it still manipulated thousands of Dao principles of vitality, continuously filling and stuffing them in.

"Is this... treating me as a Heavenly Pillar?" After all, he was well-versed, and quickly realized the other party's intention.

And his subsequent experience seemed to confirm his guess.

The vast Dao principles of vitality, gathered from unknown sources, continued to flow endlessly, and the pressure from the outside world did not ease for a moment; in fact, it slowly intensified.

He had no doubt that under the oppression of such power, even a True Immortal would instantly turn to dust.

The thought of being sealed within a Heavenly Pillar forever, never to transcend, filled him with a sense of misery far surpassing the last ten thousand years. His heart was filled with immense despair and fear.

True Immortals are supposed to transcend worldly affairs. They should no longer possess such mundane emotions. And having once been nameless, he should be even less susceptible. However, when the great calamity arrived, the "Nameless True Immortal" he once was had, in reality, died.

What remained was merely an ordinary cultivator who only wished to struggle for survival.

After understanding this point, he knew he couldn't continue like this.

Once the Heavenly Pillar was completely formed, even if he possessed heaven-piercing divine abilities, it would likely be of no avail.

Gritting his teeth and hardening his resolve, the mask on his face shattered with a bang.

The binding force around him instantly vanished.

He hastily cried out, "Senior, wait!"

"Situxing, the Regulating Immortal Minister of the Barren Haze Star Domain, bows here!"

"Regulating Immortal Minister."

Hearing Xing Wuque's words, Li Fan's suppressing power slightly eased.

However, he didn't release him right away, but quietly and carefully observed the other party.

The sudden explosion of the bronze mask earlier had nearly caught him off guard. He hadn't expected something seemingly within his grasp to suddenly erupt with such a powerful force of resistance.

Fortunately, he promptly summoned the phantom of the Hill Guardian Duke and increased the pressure, thus preventing any weaknesses from being exposed.

"What age are we in now, still using Emperor Tianluo's ways?"

"What, do you, a Regulating Immortal Minister, intend to impose your authority on me?"

After some thought, Li Fan spoke with mockery.

Since his knowledge of the past Immortal Realm was not particularly clear yet, he decided not to delve too much into it, to avoid revealing any flaws. Li Fan simply uttered a sentence to directly lead the other party into the deception he had fabricated: "Now the Immortal Realm is utterly destroyed, and all the immortals have either died or fled."

"You, a former Immortal Minister, cannot control me, a mountain king. Hmph!"

Just a few words were enough for the other party to roughly guess his origins.

With the people from Shuoxing Sea, he could use the identity of the "Hidden Emperor." But to extract information from this Regulating Immortal Minister, he needed a different identity.

And as expected, after hearing Li Fan's words, Situxing began to guess in the direction he was led.

"Claiming a mountain as king. The great tide of Dao Annihilation poured down, and the lower realms could hardly survive. Only isolated islands remained. And this one suppresses the Nameless Immortal to form a Heavenly Pillar. This is to strengthen the ability to resist Dao Annihilation..." Situxing's thoughts raced, and his heart gradually grew cold.

He had originally thought that his true identity's reputation would at least give the other party some apprehension. But now, it seemed...

"Don't call me Senior either."

"I have only cultivated for a total of six thousand years, and have never been to any Immortal Realm. Hehe, speaking of which, you, a Regulating Immortal Minister, must have lived for quite some years, haven't you? It should be the other way around; I should call you Senior!"

Li Fan grinned menacingly and abruptly increased the suppressive force.

"Just stay in this pillar and guard my home!"

"Reached such power in six thousand years? How is that possible?"

"But it does seem a bit strange; that person is indeed not a True Immortal. Could it be that during the years I was trapped, some new cultivation system developed in the world?"

Hearing this, Situxing was instinctively astonished and disbelieving.

But he felt the previously static sealing force around him tighten again. He had no time to think deeply.

In his panic, he rapidly searched his mind for possible escape methods.

"Not from the Immortal Realm. My true self's past is utterly useless to him..."

What he saw around him began to blur.

The fierce and brutal figure was also gradually obscured by the gathering Dao principles of vitality.

Situxing knew that this was a sign that the Heavenly Pillar was about to be completely sealed.

"A person from the lower realms..."

At this extremely critical moment, a figure suddenly flashed through Situxing's mind. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to try anything, like treating a dead horse as if it were alive, and used his remaining strength to shout, "Senior, wait! I am also Xing Wuque, one of the Twelve Dharma Kings of the former Profound Heaven Sect!"

He was merely desperate, casting about blindly for a cure, not truly believing that the title of "Twelve Dharma Kings" would be of any use. But to Situxing's surprise, upon hearing his words, the binding force truly lessened!

"Xing Wuque, one of the Twelve Dharma Kings?"

"Those twelve people around Xuanyuan Hong?" Li Fan asked, scrutinizing him with some suspicion.

The three words "Xuanyuan Hong" seemed to awaken some ancient memories in Situxing. He paused for a moment in a daze.

But at this moment of life and death, he couldn't afford to think too much, and hurriedly said, "Precisely, precisely."

"Back then, who did Xuanyuan Hong truly like? Luo Yichen, Ji Yuzhen, or perhaps Aunt Nie?" Li Fan's tone was unreadable, his expression playful, as he suddenly asked this question.

Situxing, or rather Xing Wuque, was stunned on the spot.

"Hmm?"

"...Uh, none of them! Although they all harbored secret affections, from my observation, Xuanyuan Hong likely already had someone in his heart. That's why he always kept a distance from them." The other party seemed ready to suppress him back into the Heavenly Pillar if he said one wrong word. Situxing's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly replied.

"Hahahaha, you observed quite carefully. Xuanyuan Hong indeed had a childhood sweetheart, and she was quite an extraordinary person..." Li Fan left his sentence unfinished, giving the other party endless room for imagination. Then he slightly loosened Situxing's bindings.

The towering mountain suspended above his head temporarily moved away. Situxing couldn't help but sigh in relief.

He tried to probe for more information: "Senior, do you know Xuanyuan Hong?"

"Indeed. Back then, he saved my life during the Dao Annihilation. But afterwards, he disappeared without a trace. I always wanted to find an opportunity to repay him, but it's been difficult to meet again." Li Fan replied.

"That does sound like something Xuanyuan Hong would do." Situxing secretly nodded in his heart.

"Speaking of which, you were associated with Xuanyuan Hong back then, how did you end up like this?"

Hearing the other party's question, Situxing gave a bitter smile and said, "This matter... is hard to explain in a few words."

"Then tell it slowly. It's been a long time since I've had a proper conversation with anyone. Under the calamity of Dao Annihilation, living beings withered. There isn't even a fellow cultivator to talk to!" After patting Situxing's shoulder and completely removing the suppressive force, Li Fan said in a deep voice.

Although temporarily freed, when he inadvertently looked at the two Heavenly Pillars around him, Situxing still didn't dare to act rashly.

He observed Li Fan, weaving words in his mind to explain everything.

"From the meaning of his words, the current Xuanyuan Hong seems to have extremely high cultivation. At the very least, he is definitely not beneath this person. But this is to be expected."

After a long while, Situxing finally spoke: "To let Senior know, I was not speaking falsely just now. My true self is indeed Situxing, the Regulating Immortal Minister of the Barren Haze Star Domain. I suppressed a star domain in the Immortal Realm at the Nameless realm. It's just that..."

Li Fan waved his hand, interrupting him: "I know this, you all descended to the lower realms in pursuit of so-called supreme treasures, seeking opportunities. That's not important, get to the point!"

Situxing was astonished; he opened his mouth, but found his mind blank.

"What? You're allowed to descend to the lower realms, but Xuanyuan Hong can't do the same? When a great calamity approaches, everyone shows their unique abilities. Don't you think about it? How could someone who could make you all willingly follow him, utterly convinced and captivated, be an ordinary person?" Li Fan scoffed, smiling disdainfully.

Situxing's expression changed several times.

"Indeed. Indeed." He suddenly seemed somewhat dazed, constantly repeating the words.

"Back then, most of us probably had our spiritual senses obscured. However, after tens of thousands of years trapped within the living form, as my true self's consciousness gradually recovered, I vaguely guessed that something was off with Xuanyuan Hong."

"But he really acted too much like a mortal..."

"Yet how could a mere mortal have made a group of True Immortals from the lower realms willingly follow him back then?"

Situxing's words were filled with deep bewilderment.

"Exactly. That's what I thought too."

"Back then, I even pressed him, but he remained stubborn and refused to admit it." Li Fan said, chuckling.

"Uh... is this Senior's guess too?" Situxing was greatly astonished and suddenly looked up, staring at Li Fan.

"What? Is my guess incorrect?" Li Fan's gaze was icy as he met Situxing's eyes.

The gaze only lasted for a moment, but Situxing was startled by the chilling indifference in the other party's eyes, and hurriedly averted his gaze.

"Makes sense. Very much so."

"Because that supreme treasure must possess sentience. Waiting for it with a clear purpose would most likely be futile. Therefore, we all chose to seal our spiritual senses, purely relying on individual luck to await it. As the saying goes, 'each by their own ability.' This also avoided a struggle in the upper Immortal Realm." Situxing continued.

"Those who can achieve True Immortal status all possess extraordinary talent and disposition. Even if they were to journey through the mortal realm again, they would undoubtedly be outstanding individuals. However, it seems that none of us had sufficient luck. Firstly, the great calamity of Dao Annihilation arrived too quickly. The speed at which the Immortal Realm collapsed completely exceeded our imagination, so much so that we didn't even have time to return to the Immortal Realm..."

"Our locations in the upper realm varied. When the ascending immortal passage to the Profound Yellow Realm was destroyed, some were still safe. Others had their true selves already suffer great calamity. Some had their true self's consciousness begin to awaken, but among ourselves, we all maintained an unspoken and delicate balance."

"It was all because of something special about Xuanyuan Hong." Situxing slowly explained.

"You suspect that supreme treasure fell into Xuanyuan Hong's hands?" Li Fan suddenly interjected with a smile.

Situxing was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Otherwise, it's truly difficult to explain his sudden rise, and how his brilliance overshadowed all True Immortals of his generation in the lower realms."

"You must understand, Xuanyuan Hong's natural talent was not particularly high. Yet, he always seemed to be exactly one step ahead of everyone else in every move he made." Situxing's tone was somewhat bewildered.

"But before confirming, no one dared to directly make a move. Moreover, Xuanyuan Hong's true identity was unknown, so we could only patiently wait for the right moment. But we never expected..."

"One day, he suddenly disappeared and was never seen again." Li Fan finished Situxing's sentence.

Situxing continued to nod.

"His disappearance was too fast, too sudden. And at the very last moment, he even warned us..."

"It's truly hard to distinguish truth from falsehood; we couldn't tell if he used the opportunity to escape, or if he truly met with misfortune."

"Among us, disagreements arose because of this. Some chose to follow the traces and continue tracking him. Others believed their luck was insufficient and gave up from then on..."

Li Fan shook his head slightly: "No wonder the mighty Profound Heaven Sect vanished instantly after the Profound Heaven King disappeared."