Chapter 1659: The Whereabouts of Xuantian King

“When you achieve sainthood, I ask that you disrupt the Mountains and Seas, turning everything on its head!”

Li Fan smiled faintly as he stated his request.

Even though He Ganxian had mentally prepared himself beforehand, he couldn't help but be slightly stunned upon hearing this peculiar demand.

“May I ask, fellow Daoist, just how significant should this upheaval be?”

“Naturally, to the extent that all saints are aware!”

Through their brief exchange, He Ganxian vaguely guessed Li Fan's purpose: he wanted He Ganxian to attract the attention of all the saints in the Mountains and Seas!

He Ganxian instinctively wanted to retreat.

But then he remembered the immense favor he owed the other party.

After long consideration, he gritted his teeth and said:

“I can only guarantee that I will do my best. But as for the actual effect, or how long it will last… I cannot promise.”

Li Fan smiled:

“With your word, fellow Daoist, I am at ease.”

Through several cycles of interaction, Li Fan had come to deeply understand He Ganxian's character. Since he had agreed, there was no way he would go back on his word.

“I have a plan that can lure your other self here, helping you achieve moral completeness! With that, your path to sainthood will be even smoother.” Li Fan reciprocated, giving the other party an even greater surprise.

He Ganxian's gaze sharpened again.

Now, he truly began to believe that the other party was an "old friend" of his.

Knowing the true meaning of morality, and even aware of his past separation of his moral self...

He was already deeply indebted, and another favor wouldn't make much difference.

Moreover, He Ganxian was indeed quite wary of his other self, so he said with a solemn expression:

“I wish to hear your ingenious method.”

“The Faceless Immortal is inherently cautious and suspicious. Only your death can lure him out...” Li Fan quietly explained his plan.

“He and I share the same mind; ordinary methods would find it difficult to deceive his perception. But if there were an illusory projection filled with true spirit...” He Ganxian's heart stirred slightly, and he nodded in agreement.

After the two made preparations, Li Fan returned to the Xuanhuang Realm and found the Faceless Immortal's stone statue.

A wisp of his divine sense entered it.

A conversation that had once occurred resurfaced.

“Who?”

A wary voice came.

“An old friend of King Xuantian,” Li Fan casually said.

“Friend of Xuanyuan Hong?” The voice on the other side sounded somewhat puzzled.

“He doesn't know me, but I know him, and I have received much help from him.”

In the conversation, Li Fan, just as he had in the past, offered to help the Faceless Immortal deal with He Ganxian.

The cautious Faceless Immortal did not immediately agree, choosing instead to consider it.

Fifty years later, sensing that He Ganxian was undergoing a crucial severance of his morality, he finally took the bait and proactively contacted Li Fan.

Li Fan and He Ganxian collaborated to put on a grand performance.

In the apocalypse of possibilities, after slaughtering everyone he had once known, He Ganxian laughed uncontrollably:

“What does it have to do with me! What does it have to do with me!”

Li Fan suddenly appeared:

“Well done!”

“Having journeyed throughout the Mountains and Seas, I have finally found a kindred spirit today!” In a series of questions and answers, Li Fan wielded the true spirit's fierce flames, setting the Mountains and Seas ablaze.

As the fierce flames raged, Li Fan questioned, “The Mountains and Seas are being consumed by fire before your very eyes. Do you save the Mountains and Seas? How can there be Dao then?”

He Ganxian quickly became transparent in his confusion of “I have Virtue, but no Dao.”

And the Faceless Immortal, as the hunter, appeared at the opportune moment.

Looking at his soon-to-be-disappearing other self, he complacently drew a light breath from the illusory projection.

The weakness that had constantly filled his body since the separation of his morality was instantly made whole.

The Faceless Immortal let out a satisfied purr.

But at the same time, a doubt arose in his heart.

His true spirit had indeed been completed. But it seemed...

...the effect of absorbing He Ganxian was significantly weaker than he had imagined?

Almost instantly, the Faceless Immortal detected that something was wrong, and with a chill in his heart, he tried to escape.

However, it was already too late.

The true spirit flames, spread across the sky, suddenly shone dozens of times brighter, completely sealing off the surroundings.

Moreover, the faint aura of destruction from the Void Realm emanating from within forced the Faceless Immortal to stop his escape.

Two figures, one in front and one behind, surrounded him.

They were none other than Li Fan and He Ganxian!

Realizing he had been caught in their joint scheme, the Faceless Immortal was filled with both shock and rage.

“The separation of morality was originally an act of seeking Dao. Now that the path is clear, why do you not return?” He Ganxian urged him. Now that he was trapped in a desperate situation, the Faceless Immortal surprisingly calmed down. He stared intensely at his other self, his eyes filled with disbelief:

“How is this possible? After I just absorbed you, my true spirit did indeed grow. It matched the signs of moral completeness.”

“And you, you look like your true spirit is even stronger than mine...”

The Faceless Immortal's words abruptly stopped, and he turned to look at Li Fan, who stood silently beside them.

“Who exactly are you?”

“Just an old friend of yours.” Li Fan still gave the same answer.

“Because you lack virtue, you lost your face. Compared to you, a person without virtue, it is clearly more reassuring to cooperate with a virtuous immortal.”

“Old friend... without virtue.”

“Could it be that you have cooperated with me before? But I clearly...”

The Faceless Immortal's thoughts raced, as if he had remembered something, and his eyes revealed shock.

Li Fan's expression gradually became stern:

“Fellow Daoist, it's time to act.”

The Immortals of Dao and Virtue, though separated, their minds were originally one.

He Ganxian naturally could guess what the Faceless Immortal was thinking.

However, the path to sainthood was close at hand.

Li Fan's mysterious origin seemed less important in comparison.

“You appear virtuous, but in reality, you disregard the lives of all beings in the Mountains and Seas, caring only for your own preservation. You achieve great things but do not use them to help the world; you wouldn't even sacrifice a single hair to benefit all living beings!”

“That is... having Dao but lacking Virtue!”

With his sharp questions, He Ganxian defined his other self. The Faceless Immortal, in his desperate situation, did not beg for mercy.

Instead, he let out a low, cold laugh:

“So what if I lack virtue? Even if the Mountains and Seas are destroyed, if I alone survive, I will still be the illustrious True Immortal of Morality!”

And after truly acknowledging his lack of virtue, the Faceless Immortal's figure suddenly became ethereal.

He was then captured and absorbed by He Ganxian.

“The transformation of morality happens in an instant, within a single thought.” Li Fan watched this scene and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

With moral completeness, He Ganxian should have been able to instantly ascend to sainthood.

But a wisp of strange fluctuation had just emerged when He Ganxian forcibly suppressed it.

And his choice was within Li Fan's expectations:

“While moral completeness can lead to sainthood, it would be inherently much weaker compared to the saints who wield the Great Dao of the Mountains and Seas.”

“It needs to be supplemented with true spirit.”

“Do not worry, fellow Daoist. As for accumulated true spirit...”

“I have as much as you need!”

Li Fan no longer concealed it, releasing the entire mass of true spirit he had extracted from the Eternal Silence Void Realm.

Even though he had already received the benefit of Li Fan's true spirit infusion, sensing that Li Fan could still effortlessly produce more, He Ganxian, or rather the Moral True Immortal, was deeply shaken.

“So much true spirit will greatly benefit me even after becoming a saint!”

“With such unfathomable means, could this person truly have come from the downstream Mountains and Seas, traveling backward in time?”

The Moral True Immortal speculated that the "old friend" Li Fan spoke of might have been someone he had encountered in another segment of the Mountains and Seas. This would explain how he had such a thorough grasp of the characters of both the Dao and Virtue Immortals, and even their cultivation methods. And the accumulated true spirit he carried, from the Eternal Silence Void Realm, seemed to be the best evidence.

“I once heard of the Mountain and Sea Wanderer. Could it be this person? The Mountain and Sea Wanderer traverses from the beginning to the end of time, preventing the saints of different time periods in the Mountains and Seas from uniting to resist the Dao Annihilation, thereby saving the world. In that case, his inexplicable desire to help me achieve sainthood also makes sense...”

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through the Moral True Immortal's mind.

But regardless of the other party's true identity, the ability to manipulate and infuse true spirit was undeniable.

The Moral True Immortal had no reason not to befriend him.

“Then I shall trouble you, fellow Daoist!”

“As for the task you entrusted me with earlier, rest assured, fellow Daoist. I will certainly do my utmost!” the Moral True Immortal said solemnly.

The infusion of true spirit was one favor, and helping achieve moral completeness was another.

With these two layers of favor bestowed upon him, the Moral True Immortal was extremely polite to Li Fan.

“Heh heh, no need to rush that. For now, there's another matter I need to trouble you with, fellow Daoist.”

“Oh?” The Moral True Immortal glanced at Li Fan.

“I would like to ask you, fellow Daoist, to recall matters concerning King Xuantian.”

“King Xuantian?” The term was somewhat unfamiliar to the Moral True Immortal.

However, he quickly found relevant memories in the Faceless Immortal's mind.

“He's merely a half-immortal, yet you're interested in him...” Midway through his sentence, the Moral True Immortal's expression shifted slightly.

“Heh heh, even a half-immortal can possess the power to turn heaven and earth upside down. Fellow Daoist, you must not underestimate him,” Li Fan chuckled softly.

“Back then, when I was fleeing the Immortal Realm, I happened to encounter King Xuantian, who was also escaping. I faintly sensed his extraordinary nature, so I helped him. We even had several close exchanges.”

“However, later, King Xuantian perceived my essence of being without virtue and having lost my face. Our paths differed, so we could not conspire together. Thus, he proactively severed contact.”

“And later...”

“Just as King Xuantian was about to break through, he suddenly met with misfortune. Before he disappeared, he sent a message.”

The content of King Xuantian's message, and his ultimate destination—these were the questions Li Fan had sought for a long time.

He then heard the Moral True Immortal slowly say:

“The source of the crisis King Xuantian encountered during his breakthrough came from the Mountains and Seas!”

“As a mortal, he had completely severed ties with the Mountains and Seas. Therefore, he didn't sense any danger until he was about to ascend. Not until he fully re-entered the Mountains and Seas...”

“Could it be that King Xuantian was also the reincarnation of some nameless True Immortal?” Li Fan asked.

A strange glint flashed in the Moral True Immortal's eyes:

“No. Rather, some entity in the Mountains and Seas had long since targeted him.”

“Initially, to protect himself, he had cast himself into the possibilities of the mortal realm to hide. Unfortunately, he was simply too extraordinary; he could hide for a time, but not forever!”

Li Fan's eyebrows subtly raised.

However, considering that several nameless True Immortals, reincarnated, were willing to remain by Xuanyuan Hong's side, and even his childhood sweetheart was subtly a transcendent expert wielding the Great Dao of Paper Folding, it would be unbelievable to say that King Xuantian was merely an ordinary mortal.

“His extraordinary nature, being targeted by an entity in the Mountains and Seas... How then did King Xuantian manage to escape?”

“The Mountain and Sea Angler,” the Moral True Immortal softly uttered five words.

“When King Xuantian was a mortal, he discovered the secret of the Mountain and Sea Fishery, and it originated from there. At that time, the Mountain and Sea Angler also became aware of his existence. However, he did not disturb him, only observed silently. It was not until King Xuantian was in danger that he intervened to save him.”

“So, the Angling Immortal didn't fish him out, but rescued him?” Li Fan had also tracked King Xuantian's traces and found that his last disappearing point was related to a fishing pond. He had initially thought the Angling Immortal had captured King Xuantian, but he hadn't expected that it was actually the Angler who saved King Xuantian's life.

“But why have I never heard of, or even seen, this Mountain and Sea Angler?” Li Fan frowned slightly. “And after he saved King Xuantian, where is he now?”

“Once a fish is caught, it naturally appears by the angler's side. As for their current whereabouts... they are likely no longer within this segment of the Mountains and Seas.” The Moral True Immortal took a deep breath.

“Hmm?” Li Fan was slightly taken aback.

He then frowned and asked:

“The Mountain and Sea Angler, by pulling his fishing rod, can actually cross the Eternal Silence Void Realm? Is this person perhaps also a saint of the Mountains and Seas?”

“From all that King Xuantian left in his message, it seems so. However, the ability to carry a True Immortal and traverse the Void Realm isn't entirely due to the Angler's own power. It also has a great connection with the Mountain and Sea Fishery.”

“The Mountain and Sea Fishery did not come into existence because of the Mountain and Sea Angler. Rather, the Fishery existed first, and then came the Angler.”

“Perhaps, it can be seen as a form of the Great Dao of the Mountains and Seas. Although the Mountains and Seas are separated by the Eternal Silence Void Realm, the fisheries scattered across various segments of the Mountains and Seas can act as lighthouses, serving as anchors. They can both indicate travel direction and function as power relays...”

As the Moral True Immortal explained, Li Fan instantly understood. The principle was actually similar to how people from the World of Creation and Destruction in a previous life, aided by the imprints left by the Mountain and Sea Wanderer and the mysterious connection between Qiu Xinhui's illusion and her main body, could instantly traverse several segments of the Mountains and Seas to reach the End of the Mountains and Seas.

The difference was that Qiu Xinhui's reliance was on her own creation out of nothing, turning the impossible into possible in desperation. Whereas the Mountain and Sea Angler leveraged the inherent characteristics of the Mountains and Seas themselves.

“But correspondingly, Qiu Xinhui could only traverse downstream. While this Mountain and Sea Angler...”

“It's hard to say who is stronger or weaker.”

As Li Fan was pondering, the Moral True Immortal continued:

“Before King Xuantian left, he entrusted me to look after his childhood sweetheart, saying that one day, he would definitely return.”

“The other side of the Mountain and Sea Fishery was a perilous place he couldn't foresee. To prevent his former companions from following him, he had to leave alone, without leaving any information.”

“This Xuanyuan Hong, he is indeed a person of great loyalty and integrity,” the Moral True Immortal sighed with emotion.

Li Fan, however, understood the implication in the Moral True Immortal's words.

“So, if one follows the Mountain and Sea Fishery, one can reach where King Xuantian went?”

“Uh, logically speaking, if one could prompt the Mountain and Sea Angler to cast his rod, then yes,” the Moral True Immortal pondered carefully before replying.

Upon hearing this, Li Fan couldn't help but recall a certain past life where, due to presumptuous attempts to fathom the Dao of Angling, the Mountain and Sea stone tablet was fished up.

“Could it be that he also went to another segment of the Mountains and Seas?” Li Fan mused idly.

“However, King Xuantian's childhood sweetheart eventually followed him. My other self was also powerless to stop her.”