Chapter 1531: Endless Life

Li Fan seemed to have already foreseen the fate of the Immortal Sect members.

"However, the Immortal Sect does not represent the Xuanhuang Realm. As long as I am here, the Xuanhuang Realm cannot lose.""It's just that this process will be a bit tragic."

The role Li Fan played completed his final preparations before the Immortal Sect's surprise attack plan was launched. It was still the sudden outburst during a siege, on the verge of death, achieving a breakthrough mid-battle.

By then, the rumors of his "Conquering Sacred Body" had been completely confirmed. His transition from Nascent Soul to Dao Integration instantly overturned his status. No one dared to mock him anymore; instead, a unified respect was shown on the surface.

Of course, his terrifying progress, no less than Jiang Yingyue's speed, naturally drew the attention of the Ten Sects' high-ranking members. Jiang Yingyue was protected by the Sect Master of the Supreme Dao Sect, but Li Fan merely came from Changqing Valley, an ordinary sect, without any powerful backing. Therefore, a discreet investigation was inevitable.

However, Li Fan simply allowed the Ten Sects to investigate. His strength far surpassed the Ten Sects combined. After all their investigations, they could only conclude that Li Fan had a unique physique and extraordinary talent.

After the investigation, the Ten Sects simultaneously extended olive branches to him. Yet, when faced with the Ten Sects' recruitment offers, Li Fan politely declined them all, citing his desire to continue fighting on the Taiyuan Realm battlefield.

He even disregarded the generous conditions that would have allowed him to withdraw from the battlefield and return to the Xuanhuang Realm's rear."Until the enemy is vanquished, I swear I will not return.""My countless comrades have sacrificed themselves on this battlefield; how could I flee in fear of death?"

Li Fan stated resolutely, then turned and walked away, leaving the Ten Sect cultivators with a noble and awe-inspiring silhouette.

His decision moved all the cultivators present. They no longer mentioned recruitment, but instead offered various magical artifacts and divine abilities, hoping to increase Li Fan's chances of survival in the upcoming decisive battle.

After all, no sect would want to miss out on a loyal and righteous individual like "Li Ping." He possessed formidable combat power, honed through life-and-death struggles, and an absolutely sincere heart. Crucially, his growth trajectory and background were impeccably clean.

He could undoubtedly serve as the most solid strength within a sect. This was incredibly important for the Immortal Dao Ten Sects, who had suffered heavy losses in successive major battles.

Therefore, the Ten Sects spared no expense in their recruitment efforts.

"'The Grand Dao Sect's "The Dao Is Like Me," the Heavenly Sword Sect's "Heaven-Shattering Sword," the One Origin Sect's "Myriad Forms Return to One," the Boundless Prison's "Ethereal Divine Movement"...'" Li Fan casually reviewed the divine abilities gifted by the Ten Sects and couldn't help but reveal a playful smile.

"Although these are still a step below the Ten Sects' ultimate secret techniques, they are nonetheless top-tier important divine abilities. They are truly generous...""In that case, I cannot disappoint you."

In Li Fan's mind, he quickly deduced and improved these divine abilities. Before long, enhanced versions of the Ten Sects' divine abilities were released. While fundamentally the same, their actual displayed power had doubled after Li Fan's optimization.

Any one of them, picked at random, was no less powerful than the Ten Sects' foundational absolute arts. With a wave of Li Fan's hand, countless flickering, ethereal characters from his mind flew out like streams of light. Before him, they materialized from illusion into reality.

They transformed into physical divine ability manuals. Li Fan neatly arranged these manuals and placed them in his room, under his pillow.

Then, he pushed open his door and rejoined the battlefield.

A few days of peace passed, followed by a tsunami-like series of attacks launched by the Taiyuan Realm cultivators. Dao Integration cultivators, who were previously rare on the battlefield and only served as strategic anchors, now appeared en masse, joining the fierce fighting.

Dao Integration cultivators could only be resisted by other Dao Integration cultivators. On the Xuanhuang Realm's side, the number of Dao Integration cultivators on the battlefield was clearly insufficient. Therefore, almost from the very beginning of this final battle, the Xuanhuang Realm found itself at a disadvantage.

"Damn it, what are the sects thinking? Why aren't they sending more people!""I've cultivated for five hundred years; I don't want to die on the battlefield today, losing my chance at the Grand Dao.""If only I had known, I shouldn't have stepped into this troubled place for such a small reward. Mistakes, mistakes, mistakes!"

Faced with desperation, the cultivators displayed varying reactions, but the vast majority harbored negative emotions. The Ten Sects' plan to raid the Taiyuan Rebirth Furnace was top-secret, so the Xuanhuang cultivators on the battlefield didn't even know that most of the Ten Sect Masters had already arrived. Thus, in this seemingly isolated and helpless situation, it was inevitable for their morale to waver.

Their overall strength was already slightly weaker, and now their morale was also flagging. Soon, the battle began to spiral out of control, becoming unbalanced.

"Everyone, behind us lies the Xuanhuang Realm! There's no turning back; we can only fight to the death!" Just then, a resonant voice echoed across the entire Taiyuan Realm battlefield.

Countless eyes across the heavens and earth turned in the direction of the voice. Amidst a blinding flash of white light, and the bloody mist formed by the instant annihilation of two Dao Integration cultivators, Li Fan roared with fury.

Li Fan, holding a sharp blade, pointed it defiantly at the countless enemies before him. He smiled disdainfully.

"Villains, come and die!" Such arrogant behavior naturally ignited the wrath of the Taiyuan Realm cultivators. There was no doubt about Li Fan's immense power, capable of instantly killing Dao Integration cultivators. However, the Taiyuan Realm cultivators could resurrect infinitely; how could they be intimidated by Li Fan?

Moments later, no fewer than twenty streaks of light shot across the heavens and earth, flying from every corner of the battlefield towards Li Fan's position. On the battlefield, there were no fair one-on-one duels. Only life and death.

Soon, Li Fan, under siege, seemed to fall into a perilous situation. However, with Li Fan stepping forward to draw fire, the pressure on other Xuanhuang cultivators on the battlefield plummeted. Encouraged by Li Fan, everyone managed to regain a semblance of normalcy in their mindset.

Meanwhile, at the rear of the main battlefield, a group of people were rapidly heading deep into the Taiyuan Realm. Leading them, naturally, was Fang Dingge, the Sect Master of the Grand Dao Sect.

He watched Li Fan, who faced the encirclement of several cultivators without fear, and even held his own, a strange light glinting in his eyes. "Is that... my Grand Dao Sect's 'The Dao Is Like Me'? I recall having only just recently taught him this secret technique, didn't I? How has he already mastered it to such a profound degree?"

The Ten Sect Masters were, of course, well aware of the situation of Li Fan, this shining new star on the Taiyuan battlefield. Witnessing Li Fan single-handedly engaging over ten Dao Integration cultivators and more than twenty Nascent Soul cultivators, they were all astonished. Although these Taiyuan Dao Integration cultivators were only at the early stage of Dao Integration, achieving such a feat undoubtedly proved Li Fan's unparalleled combat strength.

"This child's rise is still beyond our expectations.""The odds of success for this mission have increased further.""We hope he's still alive when we return."

Although they greatly admired Li Fan, it was impossible to alter the surprise attack plan to save him. The group pressed on rapidly towards their destination, without looking back.

Under the cover of the One Origin Sect's Primordial One Origin Grand Array, they evaded detection by the Taiyuan Realm cultivators. They drew closer and closer to their destination, the Heavenly Firmament Dao Palace.

Soon, a ninety-nine-story high-rise building, perched on a sheer cliff tens of thousands of feet high, appeared in their sight. "Everyone, the core of the formation is beneath this high-rise, inside the mountain body.""Once we enter the core of the high-rise, this concealment formation will likely become ineffective. At that point, we'll have to forcefully fight our way in..."

As Fang Dingge gave his warning, the group had already infiltrated the Dao Palace. Perhaps because the vast majority of their forces had been deployed to the battlefield, the defensive personnel within the Heavenly Firmament Dao Palace were far fewer than anticipated.

However, the deeper they penetrated into the Dao Palace's core, the more cultivators they inevitably encountered. The Xuanhuang Realm group's good fortune ended there.

As a shrill alarm blared, thick, bloody dark clouds instantly descended, shrouding the sky above the Dao Palace. The Taiyuan cultivators, who had been fiercely fighting on the battlefield, were all stunned. Then, with surprising unity, they attempted to withdraw from the battlefield and return.

Just then, golden chains appeared horizontally in the void. Tens of thousands of figures surged forth from the Xuanhuang Realm.

"Xuanhuang cultivators, heed my command! Hold off the villains at all costs!""The Ten Sect Masters have all arrived today! The location of the Taiyuan Rebirth Furnace has been locked down!" As if prepared, loud declarations, like rolling thunder, spread across the battlefield.

Upon seeing the arriving Xuanhuang reinforcements and understanding the Ten Sect Masters' surprise attack plan, realizing they had not been abandoned and that victory seemed within reach, the Xuanhuang Realm cultivators on the battlefield were instantly greatly invigorated.

In contrast, the Taiyuan Realm cultivators appeared somewhat panicked and bewildered. After all, the strange phenomenon appearing above the Dao Palace was indeed something that only occurred when it was under attack. If the Rebirth Furnace met with misfortune, they would no longer be able to resurrect.

Thus, they instinctively wanted to rush to its aid. But soon, as if they had collectively received some instruction, they instantly abandoned the thought of providing aid. Instead, they turned back and launched even fiercer attacks.

In the distance, whooshing sounds pierced the air, converging into a roaring symphony. Countless figures, like dark clouds pressing down, flew towards this location at extreme speed.

"This... are all the Taiyuan cultivators coming to attack us?" Such a terrifying sight shook the hearts of all present. However, the recent morale boost remained, and they firmly believed that as long as the Ten Sect Masters made their move, the tide of battle would surely turn.

With resolute conviction, the Xuanhuang cultivators clashed with this rolling dark cloud. Explosions, wails, curses, the clang of metal... All mingled with the heavy scent of blood.

This war of conquest had reached its most intense moment.

At this very moment, beneath the Heavenly Firmament Dao Palace, they were just a step away from the core of the formation marked by the Xuanhuang Great Celestial Venerable. However, upon seeing the twelve figures standing before them, Fang Dingge and his group involuntarily felt a surge of despair.

Just recently, the group had combined their strength, sacrificing their vital essence to unleash their strongest ultimate techniques. They had already slain these twelve Dao Integration cultivators before them. But just as they were ecstatic and about to press forward, a storm swept through the open space.

Amidst the turmoil, the twelve figures reappeared. They seemed completely unharmed, their auras even stronger than before.

Although Fang Dingge and the others looked extremely grim, they were just one step away from ultimate victory and could not easily give up now. "Everyone, let's fight to the death!"

Fang Dingge radiated rings of colorful light and charged forward again. "The Grand Dao is Like Me!"

All the divine abilities unleashed by the twelve Taiyuan Dao Integration cultivators, with their brilliant lights, were swept up and absorbed by this colorful radiance. Fang Dingge, who had forcefully endured the combined attack, merely had a slightly flushed complexion and did not appear to have sustained any particularly severe injuries.

The others, meanwhile, seized this opportunity to unleash all their offensive divine abilities. Massive sword shadows split into two, then two into ten thousand, surrounding the twelve Taiyuan Dao Integration cultivators. Gusts of yellow sand swirled in the wind, each grain seemingly imprisoning a god or demon. The sandstorm roared, and gods and demons bellowed. Xiahou Yan's figure was hidden within this yellow sand.

Above where they fought, the energies of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements rotated like a grand wheel. It separated the battlefield from the outside Dao Palace.

All attacks from Dao Palace cultivators coming as reinforcements, as well as formation restrictions, were blocked from entering.

After an extremely arduous battle, the twelve Dao Integration cultivators blocking their path finally fell.

"Quick!" Fang Dingge's aura was visibly somewhat chaotic; he sent a low-voiced message. Everyone rapidly flew forward.

But they had barely taken a few steps when the familiar storm descended once more. One, two, three, four... Figure after figure, which they had just personally slain, reappeared out of thin air in the void.

Even their blood and flesh remnants lay quietly nearby. The twelve Taiyuan cultivators, like an insurmountable wall, blocked the Xuanhuang group.

They wore expressions of mockery.

Feeling the gazes from behind, Fang Dingge steadied himself, took a deep breath, and said, "Continue!""Since they can resurrect, then let's kill them even faster!"

An image of a three-legged furnace quietly appeared in his hand. A flicker of heartache crossed his eyes as Fang Dingge lightly tapped the body of the furnace.

As milky white flames flew out from the three-legged furnace, the twelve Dao Integration cultivators who had resurrected again, now even stronger than before, couldn't offer the slightest resistance. They turned to ash in the milky white flames.

While the flames still lingered, the Xuanhuang group rapidly pushed deeper.

This sudden assault achieved excellent results. As long as they broke through the final layer of protective restrictions, they could destroy the core of the formation.

The Ten Sects group was filled with hope.

At this moment, the rebirth storm struck again. This time, the gestation took more time than before.

It seemed that Fang Dingge's summoning of the Dao-Burning Furnace had triggered some unexpected elements within the formation. When the twelve Taiyuan Dao Integration cultivators resurrected and stood tall once more,

the auras of the Ten Sects' members inevitably became hurried. This time, it wasn't just a simple resurrection.

Judging solely by the auras they exuded, the strength of these twelve individuals was more than double what it had been when they last appeared. Moreover, they all had additional defensive gear and magical artifacts, gleaming with brilliant light.

They clearly did not seem like ordinary items.

"Sect Master Fang..."

Fang Dingge gritted his teeth and remained silent. He merely released another ball of milky white flames.