Chapter 1525: Fallen Immortal Lost Battle

Li Fan looked up and saw a crescent moon hanging isolated in the blood-red sky. It exuded an extremely strong smell of blood, as if it had condensed the lives of hundreds of millions of living beings.

"This must be the culprit causing the anomaly in this world," Li Fan thought to himself.

Looking closely, one could even discern on the blood moon's surface an endless scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Li Fan had witnessed scenes infinitely more horrific than this before, so he remained completely unfazed. However, the reactions of the other Great Dao Sect disciples were more typical.

One by one, their faces turned pale, and many even vomited on the spot.

Fang Dingge did not scold them, merely casting a faint glance over them.

Li Fan also feigned vomiting, careful not to attract attention.

After a short while, once everyone had somewhat adapted, Fang Dingge slowly spoke: "This world is called 'Blood Moon,' named after the demonic creature above. The group of thieves who ambushed our Great Dao Sect have fled to this very place."

"We must use their blood to wash away the shame of our sect almost being breached!"

As the sect master, Fang Dingge was undoubtedly competent. In just a few words, he ignited the emotions of the crowd.

Their initial panic vanished, and the Great Dao Sect disciples instantly became filled with murderous intent.

"Kill them all, without exception!" At Fang Dingge's command, everyone swiftly dispersed in all directions, each displaying their magical artifacts and techniques.

As expected of one of the Ten Immortal Sects, even their basic disciples below the Golden Core stage possessed profound foundations far exceeding those of rogue cultivators from other paths.

To remain inconspicuous, Li Fan merely used his sword-riding technique, standing on a water-element sword, and followed behind one of the disciples.

This person was named Lei Fanzi, whom Li Fan had seen in Senior Sister Zhao's memories. He was destined to become one of the Great Dao Sect's elders in the future. His survival indicated that he likely wouldn't encounter any fatal dangers in this battle.

Although Li Fan's current strength could allow him to sweep through this peculiar world even at the Golden Core stage, it held no practical significance for him. Being drawn into this place was purely accidental. Li Fan intended to simply get through this event while discreetly spreading the *Tai Shang Dao Scripture* within the Ten Sects.

"Junior Brother, your sword-riding technique is truly extraordinary!"

Li Fan had tried to be as low-key as possible, but with his current knowledge and skills, even a slight display would instinctively impress ordinary cultivators, making them realize his extraordinary nature.

"How about we team up?"

Lei Fanzi greeted him, asking tentatively. It was apparent that Lei Fanzi was still quite green at this time. Perhaps it was his first time leaving the sect to undertake such a killing mission. Li Fan could clearly sense the tension within him.

"Then I'll gladly accept Senior Brother's care," Li Fan said with a smile.

Following Fang Dingge's instructions, the two ventured deeper into the Blood Moon World, sweeping away enemy forces.

Any living creature encountered that was not a Great Dao Sect disciple was to be killed without question.

Although the overall environment here was strange, the beings within it were not significantly different from normal humans. Their skin was just an odd shade of purple.

After completing the slaughter at another gathering point, Lei Fanzi gazed blankly at the flames rising from the ruins, a flicker of unwillingness in his eyes.

"Those not of our kind are sure to have different hearts."

"From the moment they attacked our Great Dao Sect, they should have foreseen this outcome," Li Fan said coldly, reminding him.

He said this partly because he genuinely believed it, and partly because he sensed Fang Dingge's divine sense monitoring the Great Dao Sect disciples, so he spoke intentionally.

Lei Fanzi sighed and did not retort.

As the two were about to leave, Li Fan suddenly exclaimed in a low voice, "Senior Brother, look at this!"

Lei Fanzi followed the sound and saw Li Fan unearthing two shimmering thin plates from the black ruins. Intricate patterns depicting mountain and sea phenomena encircled them, clearly indicating they were no ordinary items.

Lei Fanzi's heart skipped a beat; he flashed over, taking the two plates to examine them.

"Although I don't understand the meaning of the characters on these plates, the moment I saw them, the four words 'Tai Shang Dao Scripture' appeared in my mind. Senior Brother, this..." Li Fan's voice trembled.

Lei Fanzi held the plates, examining them carefully. His expression first showed confusion, then overwhelming shock.

Suppressing the tremor in his body, he instinctively scanned his surroundings to ensure no one else was present. Then, taking a deep breath, he handed one of the plates back to Li Fan: "This item, it must be a lost scripture from the Immortal Realm. It is an unparalleled opportunity for us."

"I've checked; these two plates are identical. You and I shall each take one..."

"What happened today is due to your grace. I will surely repay you in the future."

Although he directly took one of the two treasures, he at least returned the other half to Li Fan. And he didn't try to hide anything. He wasn't a saint, nor was he a villain; simply a normal person making a normal choice.

What surprised Li Fan was how quickly the other party discovered the profound mysteries of the *Tai Shang Dao Scripture*.

"The elites of the Ten Sects are indeed incomparable to disciples of second-rate sects." Li Fan felt a corner of the Great Dao manifesting again from within the mist and couldn't help but nod inwardly.

Yet, he maintained an expression of shock and hesitation on his face: "Such a treasure, shouldn't we hand it over to the sect? If we keep it for ourselves and the Sect Master finds out, will we be punished?"

Lei Fanzi snorted dismissively, "What nonsense. The Ten Sects' heritage originates from the Immortal Realm, possessing countless immortal treasures. This is just a scripture. If the Sect Master were to seize it... that would be beneath him. No need to worry."

"Besides, heaven and earth know of this, you and I know. As long as we keep our mouths shut, we'll be fine."

Li Fan, sensing Fang Dingge's divine sense gently sweeping over them again, nodded in agreement.

The clean-up of the Blood Moon World proceeded without any major incidents.

Apart from one other area where a large-scale battle erupted, the clean-up operations elsewhere went smoothly.

After Fang Dingge absorbed and burned away the blood moon in the sky with his Dao-Burning Furnace,

the world's suppression of cultivators returned to normal.

Although the maximum cultivation level the world could withstand remained the Golden Core stage, cultivators could now unleash their true strength for a short period. The consequence, however, was expulsion from the world moments later.

"Since this world has been conquered, let it serve as a bridgehead for our Great Dao Sect's conquests."

Fang Dingge stood tall above the sky, following the golden chains beyond the world, looking into the distant depths of the starry sky. His voice boomed, reverberating everywhere.

"The Floating Crossing Starry Sky Array. At this point in time, it hasn't been damaged yet," Li Fan mused.

From Fang Dingge's words, it seemed that this battlefield, affecting the Ten Immortal Sects, was far from its most intense phase.

"Such a large-scale war, yet completely unrecorded in later generations. Interesting..."

True battles conquering other cultivation worlds were clearly not something Golden Core stage cultivators could participate in. The more than hundred disciples who completed this mission were led back to the sect by Fang Dingge.

The Great Dao Sect still reeked of blood, though some disciples had already returned from the battlefield.

Their spirits were low, and deep terror occasionally flickered in their eyes. Evidently, the front-line battlefield had left them with profound psychological trauma.

At night, Li Fan secretly infiltrated the minds of several Great Dao Sect disciples who had returned from the front lines. However, it seemed that to prevent the leakage of battle plans, the memories of these returnees had all been purged to varying degrees.

They were not very clear about the specific battle situation. However, judging from the horrific scenes of countless cultivators falling, the terror of this war surpassed Li Fan's estimations.

"Oh, it seems that some cultivators in the future experienced this astonishing war again within the Immortal Remains Realm." Triggered by these images, Li Fan recalled some distant memories.

"Only the Immortal Remains Realm could preserve records amidst such purges. However, it seems the Ten Sects' outcome in this war wasn't very good. Otherwise, if the final result were victory, there would have been no need for such a thorough purge." Li Fan's gaze flickered as he looked towards the mountain peak where the Great Dao Sect's main hall was located.

War, like calm deep water, silently devoured countless lives. Meanwhile, Li Fan's quiet arrangements from before had finally begun to take effect.

A divine sense, "formidably" strong compared to Li Fan's current realm, suddenly invaded the *Tai Shang Dao Scripture*.

"Dao Merging Stage!"

Li Fan's heart swelled with joy, and his attention instantly sharpened.

Even a Dao Merging cultivator instantly lost their mind when faced with the starry expanse of the Great Dao constructed by Li Fan.

In fact, they succumbed even faster than the Golden Core disciples.

This was because only upon reaching the Dao Merging stage could one begin to glimpse a corner of the grand Great Dao of heaven and earth. Thus, only then could they truly realize the value of the *Tai Shang Dao Scripture* upon seeing it.

This new wisp of divine sense entered through Lei Fanzi's thin plate.

Just as his mind became lost, on a certain mountain peak within the Great Dao Sect in the real world, a magnificent aura suddenly erupted, soaring into the sky. A golden longbow was drawn, an arrow nocked. The arrow pierced the vast sky, flying directly out of the Xuanhuang Realm and into the depths of the starry sea.

"That is..."

"After being trapped for nine hundred years and on the verge of death and Dao dissolution, Martial Uncle Fu has finally broken through! What joyous news, truly joyous!"

"Fu Xiwen is said to be the strongest among the Great Dao Sect's previous generation of prodigies, wielding unparalleled archery skills. 'When the bow is drawn, the setting sun falls; when the arrow sings, the golden crow cries!' It's a pity he focused too much on archery, hindering his enlightenment of the Great Dao, so his cultivation remained stuck at the perfected Spirit Transformation stage. We thought he had no hope in this life, but today..."

Exclamations of surprise rose and fell from various parts of the Great Dao Sect.

Li Fan also understood the full story.

"Fu Xiwen is Lei Fanzi's master. Lei Fanzi must have given him the *Tai Shang Dao Scripture*."

"However, this person's divine sense cultivation had already reached the Dao Merging stage. He was merely one step away from breakthrough. With the guidance of my *Tai Shang Dao Scripture*, his breakthrough was a natural progression."

Openly, the Great Dao Sect had gained a new Dao Merging expert.

Covertly, Li Fan, through Fu Xiwen, accessed more of the Xuanhuang Great Dao.

Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Dao Merging.

Confined within a small room, the aura emanating from Li Fan changed instantaneously.

It was as if an ancient cultivation method allowed one to ascend upon instant enlightenment, but in reality, the internal process was completely different.

It wasn't Li Fan achieving enlightenment, but rather the Dao returning to Li Fan's being.

On the Great Dao Sect mountain, the turbulent aura of the Dao Merging breakthrough lingered for a long time. Yet, with Li Fan, everything had long since returned to peace.

Even with the sight of the Dao Merging stage, what could be perceived was still limited. However, it provided Li Fan with a sufficiently strong leverage point.

In the current Xuanhuang Realm, although the highest realm was Longevity, the actual combat power wasn't significantly different from the Dao Merging stage, as longevity was achieved solely through the Fruit of Ruomu.

Regardless of the hidden monsters, Li Fan had now reascended to the peak of Xuanhuang.

"But it's still far from enough."

"Just one Dao Merging cultivator is nowhere near enough for me to reconstruct the Myriad Forms Dao Net."

"Although there has been progress in the transformation of truth and illusion, it's merely a small step."

Even with the triple leap in cultivation realms, its manifestation within the Myriad Forms Dao Net was only slightly better than a drop in the bucket.

The vast differences between each realm from Dao Merging upwards were evident.

"I need more Dao Merging cultivators from the Xuanhuang Realm to help me," Li Fan said, shifting his gaze towards the ongoing great battle.

Just as he was deep in thought, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

It hadn't been long since Li Fan had infiltrated the Great Dao Sect. The only person he could truly consider an acquaintance was Lei Fanzi.

Observing Lei Fanzi's conflicted and complex expression outside the door, Li Fan instantly understood his intention.

With a slight smile, he opened the door.

Then, seemingly without a hint of caution, he agreed to the other party's request to go out together.

"As you know, Master has finally broken through to the Dao Merging realm this time. It's absolutely wonderful news."

"So he sent me down the mountain to notify and invite other sects to attend the ceremony and offer congratulations..."

Lei Fanzi spoke haltingly.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother! With a Dao Merging master, your standing in the sect will be vastly different from today. When you're successful, don't forget your Junior Brother here," Li Fan said with sincere joy, seemingly oblivious to the clumsiness of Lei Fanzi's excuse.

Lei Fanzi merely responded with a complex expression.

As the two walked to a desolate area, a sharp blade suddenly pierced Li Fan's chest.

"Junior Brother, don't blame me!" Lei Fanzi said sternly.

Then, with extreme determination, he chopped off Li Fan's head.

Fearing Li Fan wasn't completely dead, Lei Fanzi's body trembled as he found the *Tai Shang Dao Scripture* Li Fan carried, and then burned his corpse to ashes.

He stood dazed in place for a long time. Only then did Lei Fanzi regain his composure, returning to the sect in a somewhat disheveled state.

What he failed to notice was that Li Fan, who should have been dead beyond dead, had reappeared out of thin air behind him.

"Destroying the corpse and erasing all traces, excellent."

"Even if the Ten Sects investigate and find some clues later, the trail ends here." Li Fan smiled, watching Lei Fanzi depart.

The moment Lei Fanzi's figure fully entered the Great Dao Sect's mountain gate,

Li Fan's smiling expression suddenly changed.

He abruptly looked up, sensing the arrival of danger.

This crisis did not originate from anyone in the Xuanhuang Realm.

Instead, it came from this very space-time.

It was as if he had returned to the long river of time, where tumultuous waves were beginning to surge.

These surging waves of time had no effect on space-time itself, yet they targeted only Li Fan.

Without the protection of the Longevity Great Dao, and with the Reverse Current Boat completely shattered, Li Fan could only rely on himself to face this sudden change.

"This is..."

"The turbulence caused by the long river of time changing its course!"

"As one who alters history, I naturally have to endure its backlash!"