Chapter 399: United as One

Angry Squid:

"This world has some problems."

When Ji Hongdao steered the massive Dust-Crossing Ark and vanished into the sky from Tianling State, Li Fan lost his connection to the Faceless Killing Intent. That was fine; his initial goal had been achieved, and he had successfully learned everything that transpired in Tianling State. As he reflected on the scene he had just witnessed, many questions arose in his mind. If the disappearance of the Dharma Transmission Heavenly Venerate and the probing actions of the Single-Minded Heavenly Venerate were still within the realm of logic, then what happened next was utterly perplexing.

"Ji Hongdao activated the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Array, instantly killing all cultivators in the state. This was a declaration, demonstrating that the Myriad Immortals Alliance, under the coverage of the Spirit-Locking Array, possessed the ability to annihilate the vast majority of cultivators in the world in an instant. This was used as a threat, demanding that Senior Sister Zhao retreat. Yet, as an Immortal Heavenly Venerate, she actually left just like that. Would an immortal-realm being care so much about the survival of mere ants? After achieving transcendence, shouldn't it be a case of 'your life or death is none of my concern'?"

Suddenly, Li Fan recalled an enlightenment from many years ago. "The number of cultivators must not be too low..." It seemed that ensuring the existence of a certain number of cultivators was more important to the Immortal Heavenly Venerates than he had imagined. "But why is that?"

What concerned him even more was the abnormal phenomenon that occurred in the Xuanhuang Realm after the cultivators of Tianling State instantly perished. The entire world trembled, as if heralding the coming of an apocalypse. An inexplicable fear arose in the hearts of all living beings in the world. Even Li Fan, who possessed the ability of Reversion and could restart at any moment, experienced this. The conflict between the Xuanhuang Realm and cultivators was so sharp, almost irreconcilable. Logically, the more cultivators died, the better it should be for the world. Now, it seemed that this was absolutely not the case. What could be the reason for this?

He pondered repeatedly, but due to a lack of clues, Li Fan had not yet found a reasonable answer. He then recalled the Single-Minded Heavenly Venerate he had seen. This was his first time witnessing the presence of an immortal-realm powerhouse firsthand. She effortlessly blocked the attack of the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Array. Ji Hongdao, a Dao Integration realm expert, did not even dare to look directly at her. Her strength was indeed unfathomable.

"'Single-Minded' should be similar to 'Dharma Transmission,' representing the reversal of a universal law by Senior Sister Zhao." "What does 'Single-Minded' truly mean?" Li Fan's brow furrowed. "'Single-Minded' can mean focused or united." "Focused is clearly incorrect. United..." Li Fan's gaze sharpened.

He then remembered Senior Sister Zhao's somewhat peculiar words. "It's a waste of your talent to stay in the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Why don't you join me!" Join... "Me?!" Li Fan seemed to grasp something. He thought of the thousands of Five Elders Association cultivators who had launched the surprise attack. From beginning to end, they all wore the same expression. There was no command, yet their words and actions were remarkably consistent. They showed no fear, even in the face of death. After they all perished, no corresponding anomalies appeared in the sky.

"A multitude... single-minded?" Li Fan had a sudden realization. "All living beings are born unique. In this world, they are all independent individuals. This is a universal law. If this law were reversed... 'I am in you, and you are in me. In reality, we are one entity.'"

Li Fan suddenly recalled hearing about entities like consciousness aggregates or collective consciousnesses before his transmigration. A vast group, seemingly with numerous individual life forms, but essentially a collective sharing all perceptions. "It seems Senior Sister Zhao's cultivation path might very well be this? To assimilate all living beings in the world?" Li Fan immediately felt that something was amiss again. Senior Sister Zhao had already achieved the rank of Immortal Heavenly Venerate, meaning she had successfully reversed a universal law. But clearly, the vast majority of cultivators in the Xuanhuang Realm had not yet been assimilated by her.

"Does this mean that the law reversed by the Single-Minded Heavenly Venerate applies only within a specific region?" Li Fan vaguely conjectured. "Could Ji Hongdao's mention of 'completing the theorem' refer to a necessary step in achieving Immortal Heavenly Venerate status?" A glimpse into Tianling State once again offered Li Fan a peek into the world's highest secret. However, to fully comprehend its underlying meaning, more information was needed.

Putting that aside for the moment, Li Fan returned to the Immortal City of Tianpan State, within the Heavenly Profound Mirror. He submitted an application to visit the Myriad Immortals Alliance Headquarters and freely tour the Museum of Divine Artifacts. This was one of the benefits of his current Yan Thirty authorization level. Soon after, his application was approved, allowing him to choose his visiting time within one year. Li Fan immediately opted to visit at once. After receiving the message that a guide would soon come to pick him up and that he should wait patiently in Tianpan City, Li Fan breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He did this not because he genuinely had the leisure to tour the various treasures preserved in the Divine Artifact Museum at the eleventh hour of his life. Instead, it was to find a safe place to take refuge. Although Ji Hongdao hadn't immediately gotten rid of the young array masters in Tianling State, sparing their lives for now, their fate would undoubtedly not be good after witnessing the tragic slaughter of all cultivators in the state and knowing the secrets of the Spirit-Locking Array's structure. As for those array masters who hadn't been present for various reasons, they would surely be dealt with one by one later. Li Fan could, of course, directly activate Reversion. However, this current life still needed some time to conclude. At the very least, he had to wait until Xiao Heng and the other two emerged from the Medicine King Cauldron.

For Li Fan at this moment, there was no safer place in the world than the Myriad Immortals Alliance Headquarters. Firstly, the Myriad Immortals Alliance Headquarters had its own defense mechanisms, and Ji Hongdao and his group would most likely not act directly within it. Secondly, it would create a false impression. "I'm already at the Myriad Immortals Alliance Headquarters, like a turtle in a jar; are you still afraid I'll escape?" This would undoubtedly make Ji Hongdao and his group lower their guard, allowing them to clear out the remaining targets first before finally dealing with Li Fan.

While Li Fan awaited his guide, within the Medicine King Cauldron in the Cangwu Abyss, Xiao Heng and the others were helping Linghu Chang open one sealed door after another, taking out the bodies inside for burial. Back then, to prevent the Medicine King Cauldron from falling into the Immortal Ruins, Liu Ruchen not only sacrificed himself and Elder Huang but also used the lives of hundreds of disciples in deep slumber as fuel. Only then was the Medicine King Cauldron dragged out of the abyss.

Gazing at the shriveled corpses of his former fellow disciples, Linghu Chang's face was filled with uncontrollable sorrow. After removing all valuable items from their bodies and cremating them, Linghu Chang stated in a deep voice, "I want to rebuild the Medicine King Sect." Xiao Heng and the others exchanged glances, unable to help but say, "Fellow Daoist Linghu, times are different now..." Linghu Chang raised a hand to interrupt him. "I know that cultivation methods cannot be practiced together anymore. Therefore, I will not awaken the fellow disciples and sect elders who are still in slumber and cultivate the same method as me."