Chapter 1541: Compassionate Palm Heavenly Doctor

Although the Myriad Immortals Alliance's power grew stronger, showing signs of contending with the Ten Immortal Sects, Chuanfa himself became increasingly cautious. He almost never appeared in public.

The official explanation was that Chuanfa had seen a True Immortal attain Dao, felt inspired, and was undergoing secluded enlightenment. However, Li Fan knew that while this was partly true, it was more likely that Chuanfa was guarding against the Ten Sects' schemes. After all, the Ten Sects' methods had become widely known throughout the Xuanhuang Realm after the Battle of Taiyuan.

Although Chuanfa was in hiding, it only took Li Fan a moment to find him. He didn't even need to use his divine sense to search. Li Fan now wielded the authority of the Great Heavenly Venerate of Xuanhuang. He could pinpoint Chuanfa instantly by tracing the various elements that originally belonged to heaven and earth but were later absorbed by Chuanfa's new cultivation method.

“Chuanfa built his Dao foundation with the Myriad Spirits of Xuantian, achieved Golden Core through the Way of Heavenly Evolution, ascended to Nascent Soul with the Primordial Grotto-Heaven. He entered the Spirit Transformation stage through the myriad transformations of the universe, and achieved Dao Integration using the Soul of Heaven and Earth, the Golden Authority…”

“His foundation is not much inferior to mine, despite my countless reincarnations. Truly a prodigy of his era, destined to dominate the Xuanhuang Realm for the next ten thousand years.”

The Golden Authority was originally one of the fundamental Dao principles used to control the Xuanhuang Realm when it was first created. Although Chuanfa had absorbed and refined it, it still maintained intricate connections with the Xuanhuang heaven and earth. This allowed Chuanfa to exert some control over the world. This very connection became Chuanfa's self-made cocoon at this moment.

“Found you.”

Li Fan's form flickered, traversing thousands of mountains and rivers in an instant. He appeared beside Chuanfa like a phantom. At this moment, Xuanyuan Tuo, transformed into an old cowherd, held a cattle whip and rode a green ox backward. He was herding cattle, letting them graze in the fields. Seeing Li Fan's sudden appearance, his expression immediately became serious.

“Xuanyuan Tuo…” Li Fan looked him over with a faint smile. However, before Li Fan could finish speaking, Xuanyuan Tuo suddenly lunged, launching a preemptive strike. Thousands of golden chains suddenly appeared throughout heaven and earth, shooting out from all directions. They precisely locked onto Li Fan. In Xuanyuan Tuo's hand, he held a small, ancient bronze mirror aloft. The ancient mirror was simple and profound, and its blurred surface seemed to reflect the Nine Heavens, Ten Earths, and the Xuanhuang World! The golden chains were, naturally, the Golden Authority, the Soul of Heaven and Earth. And the small mirror in Chuanfa's hand was precisely the Heavenly Xuan Mirror!

“Oh?” Li Fan was surprised by this. Based on his past memories of reading the Heavenly Xuan Mirror, it had been jointly subdued by Chuanfa and Tianyi after Chuanfa attained Dao. But now, Chuanfa had not yet achieved immortality, and Tianyi should not have fully awakened either. “It seems my actions have caused a deviation.” “But no matter.” “It won't affect the final outcome,” Li Fan said calmly.

The Golden Authority locks, capable of restraining all beings in the Xuanhuang Realm, struck Li Fan with absolute precision. However, Li Fan seemed to be nothing more than a phantom, as thousands of golden locks passed right through him, hitting nothing. Even the immortal artifact, the Heavenly Xuan Mirror, which reflected all profound secrets of the mortal world, could not project Li Fan's form. Furthermore, after realizing something was wrong, a burst of green light erupted from the mirror. It attempted to break free from Chuanfa's control and escape directly.

Seeing both of his ultimate moves fail, Chuanfa's face was instantly filled with bewilderment. Just a moment later, he already understood the cultivation level of the person before him. A True Immortal! Before he could offer more resistance, Li Fan flipped his hand and suppressed both the man and the mirror. Then, he observed them carefully.

Although Chuanfa was the target, Li Fan first looked at the Heavenly Xuan Mirror. Because the Heavenly Xuan Mirror at this time was very different from what he had seen ten thousand years later. It had not yet fully completed its transformation from mortal to immortal artifact; traces of immortal aura still lingered on the Heavenly Xuan Mirror. “You have gone astray!” “The fiercer the great calamity, the more one must face it head-on. Only then will there be a glimmer of hope. Can you escape for a moment, or for an entire lifetime?” Li Fan shook his head and sighed. With a wave of his hand, he helped the Heavenly Xuan Mirror complete its repair. As its connection with Mount Shangfang and the Infinite Sea was re-established, the Heavenly Xuan Mirror's efforts of nearly ten thousand years went to waste. Its ancient appearance faded, replaced by the unique lustrous glow of an immortal artifact. It was as if it had attained the ultimate spirit of heaven and earth, a sight truly wondrous to behold.

Though strengthened, the Heavenly Xuan Mirror was filled with an unspeakable depression. If not for being restrained by Li Fan at this moment, unable to resist, it likely would have instantly ground him to dust. The transformation of an immortal artifact to mortal is a hundred times more difficult than a True Immortal doing the same. After all, immortal artifacts are creations of True Immortals, refined by immortals to serve them. They cannot easily be allowed to lose control. Only the Heavenly Xuan Mirror itself knew the price it had paid to reach this point. While measuring the heavens and surveying the earth in the Xuanhuang Realm, it was slowly severing its own shackles. It couldn't believe that its many past efforts had been erased by this immortal in an instant! The mirror body trembled with rage. However, the immense force emanating from around it, seemingly capable of shattering the Heavenly Xuan Mirror, instantly brought it back to its senses. “The Celestial Immortal is right to admonish me,” it said, with no other choice.

In the blink of an eye, Li Fan's divine sense had already penetrated the Heavenly Xuan Mirror's core. He unraveled the restrictive techniques Chuanfa had placed within it. “It seems the Heavenly Xuan Mirror was not completely subdued by Chuanfa. Rather, the two reached some kind of cooperation.” Li Fan could tell at a glance that the restrictions in the mirror were not enough to fully restrain it. “Awaken fully. Do not disappoint Xuanyuan Hong’s expectations.” After speaking, Li Fan suppressed the still trembling and wildly speculating Heavenly Xuan Mirror and put it away. Only then did he look at Xuanyuan Tuo.

Although captured, Xuanyuan Tuo showed no fear. In fact, as Li Fan observed him, he was also silently observing Li Fan. Their gazes met. Xuanyuan Tuo was somewhat bewildered and confused. Li Fan's gaze, however, pierced directly through the surface of Xuanyuan Tuo's soul, reaching deep within. Indeed, he discovered a barely visible transparent figure. “Tianyi…” A subtle smile appeared on Li Fan's lips, and golden light shimmered in his hand as a row of golden needles materialized out of thin air. Under Xuanyuan Tuo's horrified gaze, nine hundred and ninety-nine golden needles progressively pierced his entire body.

Though his entire body was covered in golden needles, Xuanyuan Tuo felt no pain whatsoever. Instead, his mind became increasingly calm, and his consciousness grew clearer. With the help of the golden needles, he seemed to gain a clearer understanding of himself. Thus, he also discovered the foreign figure within his body! “What is this?!” Never having known such an anomaly existed within him, Xuanyuan Tuo was utterly astonished. Under his gaze, this seemingly slumbering figure was slowly enveloped in golden light, being dragged out step by step. Aside from an unavoidable pain in his soul, Xuanyuan Tuo felt no other discomfort. In fact, as this foreign object was expelled, he felt his soul and body becoming more harmonized and at ease. Those moments of enlightenment and contemplation that had always ceased at critical junctures in the past now burst forth simultaneously, as if they had been suppressed for a long time. Even more crucially… The inexplicable murmuring sound, which had only appeared during moments of severe injury or crisis in the past, now became even clearer. Under the influence of these murmurs, Xuanyuan Tuo felt the invisible shackles on him begin to loosen!

Xuanyuan Tuo was overjoyed but remained poker-faced, pretending to still be immersed in the shock of the foreign object's expulsion. However, Li Fan's next words mercilessly shattered his illusions. “With your current cultivation, hearing too much of this profound sound will be of no benefit. I will temporarily seal it for you.” Before his words faded, the murmuring sound that had been lingering in Xuanyuan Tuo's ears simply vanished without a trace. His newly raised hope of escape was instantly shattered, leaving Xuanyuan Tuo momentarily stunned.

“The profound sound from the bloodline is even clearer and more distinct than that from the painting. Its directionality is stronger.” Xuanyuan Tuo, however, did not know that the profound sound had not disappeared. Instead, it had been entirely intercepted by Li Fan. This time, Li Fan's consciousness did not follow the profound sound beyond the mundane world. He merely observed from afar. “About fifteen thousand years further back.” “This seems to be…” “The period when King Xuantian created the Xuantian Sect after escaping and returning from the Immortal Realm.” “However, the corresponding target is not the original. Perhaps it's another similar possibility?” The profound sound emanating from a direct bloodline provided too clear a path. Li Fan could vaguely perceive the approximate destination indicated by the profound sound. But for now, Li Fan naturally had no intention of going to investigate. After quietly observing for a while, he retracted his gaze. Ignoring the extremely dejected Xuanyuan Tuo, he instead began to examine the transparent, thin figure in his hand.

It was like a thin film, its features indistinguishable. There was no hint that this was Tianyi, who had once caused Li Fan immense psychological trauma. “My young friend, what are you anticipating?” That scene from back then seemed vivid in his memory. Yet, as Li Fan carefully recalled it now, it felt like something from a very long time ago. A sense of detachment, as if from another lifetime, filled Li Fan with emotion. Once, he had yearned to turn the tables on Tianyi, even to prank and scare him in return. But now that he truly possessed the power to do so, he felt somewhat listless. “After all, I've had too many scares on my path to immortality.” “Tianyi is nothing special anymore.”

Although he had found inner peace, Li Fan had no intention of letting Tianyi go just yet. “Heavenly Soul Reincarnation.” Li Fan had little interest in Tianyi himself, but he was deeply interested in the Heavenly Soul, a unique creation. “A Heavenly Demon entity, even in the Immortal Realm back then, was a rare thing.” “Tianyi was able to easily deceive the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, and even eventually suppress Xuanyuan Tuo's consciousness and gain control of his body. The Heavenly Demon can be said to have played an indispensable role.” Li Fan gently stroked the transparent organization before him. His divine sense, like knives and needles, slowly decomposed and cut it apart. Even with his current methods, this step was executed with extreme caution. Under the great art of Heavenly Soul Reincarnation, Tianyi's remnant soul was almost completely fused with the Heavenly Demon. It would be inseparable without the means of a True Immortal.

“A Heavenly Demon is the supreme inner demon.” “The myriad thoughts of the human heart echo the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. And a Heavenly Demon is the inner demon born from the operation of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth…” Under the suppression of Li Fan's power, Tianyi remained in a deep slumber. The Heavenly Demon, however, seemed to sense an external threat. The transparent organization began to vibrate violently, like boiling water, for no apparent reason. To avoid damaging the Heavenly Demon's integrity, Li Fan did not resort to crude methods. He merely used immortal spiritual energy to slowly and gently suppress it. It took him considerable effort to completely separate it from Tianyi.

Without the protection of the Heavenly Demon, Tianyi's soul finally revealed its original form. Though it still had the same white-haired, compassionate appearance Li Fan had seen in later generations, it felt invisibly much younger. “Perhaps it's because he hasn't experienced the Tianfa Realm tragedy yet,” Li Fan mused. “In this Xuanhuang Realm that I now control, the extinction crisis of the Tianfa Realm no longer exists. This is a great fortune for both Tianyi and the Tianfa Realm.” Recalling what he had seen in the Cloudwater Heavenly Palace, Li Fan nodded slightly. First, he suppressed and put away the sleeping Tianyi. Then, Li Fan's divine sense entered the separated Heavenly Demon organization, attempting to analyze its mysteries.

Sensing the intrusion of a foreign object, even without apparent self-will and despite being under sealed suppression, this Heavenly Demon could still stir up resistance. Li Fan felt as though he had returned to the long river of time, as towering waves erupted in his consciousness. The world spun, and everything turned chaotic. Countless memories from the past came fluttering in like snowflakes. Sometimes, reflecting on the past and introspecting is perhaps a good thing. But excessive indulgence in memories can lead to losing oneself. Li Fan undoubtedly realized the danger in this. Around his conscious form, billions of hands instantly branched out. They collected all these stirred memories, piecing them back together one by one. In fleeting glimpses, Li Fan saw himself diligently and arduously adventuring in the Great Xuan minor world before awakening to Huanzhen. He saw himself, relying on the foresight of reincarnation, becoming the Grand Tutor of Great Xuan, running rampant in the imperial court. He saw himself encountering Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi, realizing the existence of immortals. After countless hardships across many lives, he finally broke through the grand formation and ascended into Xuanhuang. He saw himself laying an incredibly solid foundation with a hundred generations of foundation building. He saw himself exploring and wandering step by step in the treacherous Xuanhuang Realm. From Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, ultimately promoting the Xuanhuang Realm's sublimation and attaining the semi-immortal realm. Then, breaking the deadlock, leaping over the high wall. Encountering the merging of three Daos, everything started anew. With the help of Emperor Taitian, he ascended against the flow of the long river of time, reaching the present day.

As Li Fan slowly gathered and integrated the fragments of his past memories, during this process of examining his past as a pure observer, he discovered some things that he had previously thought were “natural,” but now appeared extremely strange.

Li Fan had always been confident in his spiritual perception. In his past reincarnations, countless times, at critical moments of crisis, his inner spiritual perception had warned him, saving his life. It could be said that Li Fan's trust in his own spiritual perception surpassed even that in Huanzhen. If he had only Huanzhen but not such keen and incredible spiritual perception, then perhaps several times, Li Fan would have been captured before he even had time to activate Huanzhen. In the past, Li Fan believed his spiritual perception was innate, a matter of course. But was that truly the case?