Chapter 563: Today Recognizing the Path

The statue had a very peculiar form. It had five faces and ten arms, all sharing one body. Each face bore a different expression. One had lowered brows, radiating compassion for the world. Another's face was solemn, staring fixedly with anger. One, however, had slightly furrowed brows, appearing piteous. Yet, upon closer inspection, one could faintly discern a captivating allure, as if she were simultaneously resisting and inviting. It was precisely Senior Sister Zhao.

Li Fan's heart first warmed, and various alluring thoughts began to sprout. In a trance, he even seemed to hear Senior Sister Zhao's soft whispers in his ear. "Something's wrong!" Li Fan's mind suddenly sobered, pulling himself out of the illusion, a cold sweat breaking out instantly. When he looked again, where were all those vivid expressions? The ten-armed statue merely had five faces whose features were indistinct.

"What is this?" Li Fan feigned composure and took out the ten-armed statue. Upon seeing the multicolored statue in Li Fan's hand, the black-robed cultivator's face showed fanaticism as he explained to Li Fan, "This is a Manifested Celestial Venerable Statue, and it's of the highest grade. It is the manifestation of the will of the five Celestial Venerables. Although one cannot directly meet the Celestial Venerables through it, it allows communication with the Five Pivot Court. The Celestial Venerables generally do not interfere with mortal affairs. Everything is managed by the Five Pivot Court on their behalf. When your operations require the cooperation of our Five Elders Association, you can convey the information directly to the Five Pivot Court through the Celestial Venerable Statue. It can only be used once; after use, the statue will naturally disappear."

Li Fan listened to the explanation, nodding slowly. After another careful look at the ten-armed statue, Li Fan finally put it back into his Void-Emptiness Mother Stone.

With the transaction complete, Li Fan was about to leave. "Fellow Daoist, wait!" The black-robed cultivator suddenly spoke again, stopping him. "What is it?" Li Fan narrowed his eyes, his expression turning unfriendly. The black-robed cultivator quickly waved his hand, "Haha, Fellow Daoist, please don't misunderstand. Actually, there's a small favor I'd like to ask for your help with again. Of course, the reward will definitely not be lacking!"

"What is it?" Li Fan's expression softened slightly as he said indifferently. The black-robed cultivator then handed over a small note. Li Fan took it and saw a few lines of small characters written on it. The general meaning was that about a year ago, the Myriad Immortals Alliance had unearthed a slumbering cultivator from the ruins of the ancient Purple Cloud Sect. The Five Elders Association wanted to request the Overturning Heaven Alliance to investigate this cultivator's true identity and current location.

Purple Cloud Sect. The familiar words caught his eye, causing a slight stir in Li Fan's heart. "This is a small favor?" Without showing any unusual reaction, Li Fan snorted, and flames erupted from his fingertips, incinerating the note. The black-robed cultivator gave an embarrassed smile. "We'll do our best. We can't make any guarantees. The difficulty of this matter is no less than that of the formation diagram." Li Fan turned and left, a single phrase echoing in the secret chamber. Hearing this, the black-robed cultivator showed a thoughtful expression.

On the way back, Li Fan was especially vigilant. After all, he was now carrying a valuable treasure and had to take precautions. Fortunately, the public security in the Myriad Immortals Alliance was quite good, and no incidents of murder and treasure theft occurred. "Zhou Qing'ang" successfully returned to Congyun Immortal City. It was only when he was completely safe that a sensation came to his mind: The contract transaction was complete. The clause in the contract stating that neither party should harm the other also became void at this time. Subsequently, a sense of loss and emptiness spontaneously arose, as if something within him had vanished into thin air. Li Fan meditated for a long time but could not discern the form of the "contract" power's existence, so he shook his head and gave up.

Without rushing to check the gains from this transaction in the Void-Emptiness Mother Stone, Li Fan first pondered the Five Elders Association's recent request. The moment he heard words like "Purple Cloud Sect" and "slumbering cultivator," the first name that flashed through his mind was "Zhang Qianmo." In fact, he was aware that the Myriad Immortals Alliance was digging up ancient sect ruins everywhere and searching for ordinary slumbering cultivators. In Anchor Year 11, he had commissioned Jiao Xiuyuan to find the Small Medicine King Cauldron, but there had been no reply for a long time, so he went to inquire. Jiao Xiuyuan then recounted to him the scene he had glimpsed and shared his own conjectures. Li Fan then asked him to help investigate the identity of this ancient cultivator. Unfortunately, two years had passed in a flash, and there had been no feedback. This showed the extraordinary nature of the matter. Jiao Xiuyuan was vaguely suspected to be at the Dao Integration realm, and his clones were spread throughout the Myriad Immortals Alliance, making him well-informed. Yet, he was helpless regarding this matter.

"Perhaps it's not Senior Brother Zhang," Li Fan mused. "Senior Brother Zhang cultivates the Purple Pill Nirvana Method, continuously undergoing reincarnation. He should have reincarnated as that martial arts fanatic by now. Such a supreme cultivation method should not have such a major flaw. If the original body still existed in the world while reincarnation occurred, it would be akin to exposing one's vital weakness." After analysis, Li Fan rejected his previous conjecture. "Then, besides Senior Brother Zhang, who else from the Purple Cloud Sect could have survived until now?" After much thought, Li Fan could not figure out a plausible explanation. One must remember that in ancient times, the Purple Cloud Sect was merely a second-rate sect. There were no cultivators at the Longevity realm guarding the sect, and only a handful of Dao Integration cultivators. According to the memories of Li Chen, whom he had possessed earlier, the elders in the sect truly did not seem capable of traversing eons and surviving until now. "My main body has currently abandoned the identity of a Heavenly Mystery Sect cultivator and carries no items, so I cannot contact Jiao Xiuyuan for now. I'll deal with it after the big battle." Li Fan mused for a moment, then temporarily put the matter aside.

He took out a piece of Human Dao Stardust from the Mother Stone and placed it before him. Li Fan then swallowed an Enlightenment Pill before examining it. The seemingly unremarkable black stone emitted a silvery starlight. Upon touching it with his spiritual sense, countless images instantly flooded his mind. It was the past story of a female cultivator who, with great perseverance, cultivated for five hundred years and finally achieved her wish of making her "beloved return her affection." It was, to put it simply, a common worldly affair of unrequited love. However, unlike many story endings, this female cultivator eventually paid the price of ascending to a star to make the man she unrequitedly loved fall in love with her. And for the rest of his life, he would look up at the starry sky every day, shedding endless tears of regret.

Li Fan was expressionless and decisively switched to another piece. The story contained within this piece of Human Dao Stardust was slightly more normal. It was about a cultivator who, after witnessing the tragic plight of his closest relatives dying of old age within a few decades because their insufficient aptitude prevented them from dispelling the miasma within their bodies and embarking on the path of cultivation, made a grand vow to allow all people in the world to cultivate as they wished. Unfortunately, this vision was too grand and remained unrealized. So he settled for the next best thing, changing the scope from "all people in the world" to "members of his family." This cultivator ascended to the heavens, and thereafter, his family produced countless geniuses. In less than a hundred years, they leaped to become the foremost powerful force in the region.

"Reversing aptitude, huh..." A glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes, and spiritual energy gathered in his palm. He squeezed forcefully. The black stone was immediately crushed to dust, and all the silvery starlight was absorbed by Li Fan. In an instant, numerous ineffable insights surged into his mind. The principles of heaven and earth, interwoven and complex, formed a vast net, creating the order upon which the world operated. One particular thread, in Li Fan's eyes at that moment, shone exceptionally brightly. It was within reach, and even the exquisitely profound patterns on it seemed clearly visible. In a flash, this "fine thread" occupied Li Fan's entire vision. And the "fine thread" had grown as massive as a colossal pillar supporting the sky. The wondrous aura emanating from it intoxicated Li Fan. Many previously incomprehensible matters became clear in an instant. Li Fan also discovered that countless threads seemed to connect from his own body to the colossal pillar. Gazing at these faint, indistinct lines, an epiphany suddenly emerged in Li Fan's mind: Although his current state made him appear like a puppet manipulated by the "colossal pillar" via these threads, one day, if his power were strong enough, he might be able to use these threads as a link to, in turn, twist the colossal pillar itself.

"Is this defying the principles of heaven and earth...?" Endless joy surged within him; even Li Fan, who was cultivating in seclusion deep within the Congyun Sea Trench, couldn't help but tremble with excitement. After countless reincarnations, the longevity method he had yearned for was now within his grasp. Although knowing and actually achieving it still represented a heaven-and-earth difference, and although the Celestial Venerables of this realm, by defying the principles of heaven and earth, had only attained a state of pseudo-longevity, the current insights still filled Li Fan with immense satisfaction.

His mind was immersed, unaware of the passage of time. When the Human Dao Stardust was completely consumed and he awoke from his enlightenment, he felt that it was still not enough. He pondered dazedly for most of the day before finally recovering. Subconsciously checking the time, Li Fan was horrified to discover that what felt like "a short while" to him had actually been almost a year in the outside world. "No wonder Longevity realm experts bother little with worldly affairs. Only now do I truly understand what it means for cultivation to transcend time," Li Fan sighed inwardly. "And this was merely my incomplete glimpse, aided by the Human Dao Stardust. If one could truly grasp all the principles of heaven and earth and become engrossed in them, a single session of secluded cultivation might easily consume decades."

After savoring the experience for a long time, Li Fan began to check what had happened in the outside world during his year of secluded cultivation. "Zhou Qing'ang"'s communication talisman was almost bursting with messages from He Zhenghao and others. Li Fan was not in a hurry to reply but selectively checked the important messages. The battle in Tianling Prefecture had still not ended, however, it had already eased considerably. Therefore, cultivators were now able to learn some news returning from the battlefield. The effect of the Xuan Tian Lock Spirit Formation diagram that Li Fan had submitted was immediate. Just ten days after the transaction between the two parties was completed, during a medium-scale skirmish, the Myriad Immortals Alliance attempted to repeat their old trick, using the Tian Xuan Seal Spirit Formation to crush and slaughter the Five Elders Association's cultivator team. But they had not expected the other side to be already prepared. A layer of crimson protective light appeared on every cultivator. After the green and red merged, nothing unusual happened. While the Myriad Immortals Alliance was utterly dumbfounded, a brutal close-quarters battle began.