Chapter 593: Xuanhuang Without War

“Soon.”

“Just a little longer.”

In Celestial Physician’s murmur, all the anomalies within the Cloudwater Heavenly Palace, including the Vast Sea, instantly reverted to their original states, just as they had been for millions of years when undisturbed. Meanwhile, the cultivators who had been adventuring in the Cloudwater Heavenly Palace, including Li Fan’s clone, were all reduced to dust and ashes with a gentle press of Celestial Physician’s hands. They had no room for resistance whatsoever.

In fact, the clone, Zhou Qing’ang, didn't even know how he had died. Li Fan’s main body merely felt the immense hand of Celestial Physician descend, and then lost all connection with his clone. When true destruction comes, the ‘how’ is irrelevant to the one destroyed.

“Phew.” Despite losing his clone, Li Fan let out a long breath and relaxed. “It seems I gambled correctly,” he thought. “Even someone as powerful as Celestial Physician would never guess that the ant he just crushed was secretly plotting against him.”

Yet, there was no hint of triumph on Li Fan’s face. This was because the true power Celestial Physician had displayed in this battle had reached an unbelievable level. In Li Fan’s original plan, even if the Fisherman was deranged and had incomplete memories, and the Master had transformed into an anomaly with severely reduced strength, the two of them combined should have at least been able to cause Celestial Physician some trouble.

But the outcome... The power gap between the two and Celestial Physician seemed to span several major cultivation realms, akin to the difference between Li Fan and them! They were no match for Celestial Physician, not even for a single move. This rendered Li Fan's grand plan to "cause Celestial Physician some trouble" a self-humiliating joke!

The Fisherman and the Master were undoubtedly top-tier experts below the Longevity Realm. Yet, in Celestial Physician's hands, they were manipulated like insects. Such power...

“Celestial Physician, has he already ascended to the Longevity Realm?” Li Fan couldn't help but wonder. Otherwise, there was no way to explain Celestial Physician's formidable strength.

“What principle did he defy? Silently, unknown to outsiders. Was he the one who seized the principle of life and death, causing Lan Yu’s ascension to fail? And what exactly is Celestial Physician’s relationship with the Myriad Immortals Alliance? Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Celestial Physician act on behalf of the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Not even in the previous life, when the Xuan Net and the rebel cultivators were at their most intense conflict...”

A multitude of questions flooded Li Fan’s mind in an instant. Li Fan had initially thought he could at least get a grasp of Celestial Physician's true strength this time. Who would have thought that the more he learned about him, the more unfathomable Celestial Physician seemed?

“Until I reach the Dao Integration Realm, it’s better not to provoke him,” Li Fan sighed, making a helpless decision. Even with the treasure of 'Reverting to Truth' in his possession, he had no choice but to temporarily avoid Celestial Physician's formidable power in the face of such an absolute disparity in strength. Otherwise, if he walked too many night roads, he wouldn't always be so lucky as to escape detection.

Suppressing the unwillingness and apprehension in his heart, Li Fan took half a day for his emotions to slowly calm down. As he replayed the experiences of his clone within the Cloudwater Heavenly Palace, new thoughts arose in Li Fan's mind.

“Celestial Physician, Celestial Destroyer, Celestial Oracle... All starting with ‘Celestial,’ and all old acquaintances. Furthermore, the residents of Cloudwater Heavenly Palace collectively refer to them as Venerables. Clearly, they all share a common origin.”

“The Xuan Heaven Sect?” Based on the clues he now possessed, Li Fan almost instinctively arrived at this conclusion. However, he had an uneasy feeling that something wasn't quite right. In Senior Sister Zhao's illusion, they had discussed the Xuan Heaven Sect, a colossal power that had unified the Xuanhuang Realm in ancient times, in considerable detail. The Xuan Heaven Sect usurped the Mandate of Heaven, wielded divine authority, and used it to suppress all living beings under heaven. Its leaders often styled themselves as Heavenly Kings or Dharma Kings.

But Celestial Physician and his group seemed to revere 'Heaven' itself. The chanting that followed the Master also repeatedly emphasized phrases like “Heavenly law is strict, honor rules and regulations” and “Heavenly law must not be defied.” This didn't seem to align with the Xuan Heaven Sect as Li Fan knew it.

“Given their level of cultivation, they couldn't have simply sprung from nowhere without a trace. What exactly...” Li Fan fell into deep thought.

An almost earth-shattering event had occurred within the Cloudwater Heavenly Palace. Yet, the Cloud Sea of Thickets outside the Cloudwater Heavenly Palace seemed utterly unaware of it. Aside from the Cloudwater Heavenly Palace ruins, which had only recently appeared, inexplicably vanishing once more, there were no other discernible effects on the Cloud Sea of Thickets.

However, Celestial Physician was not the only top-tier expert in the Xuanhuang Realm. While ordinary cultivators remained oblivious, the several Longevity Celestial Venerables of the Five Elders Council must have sensed something. As the saying goes, "a great wind rises from the tip of a duckweed," and Li Fan, in recent days, had been spending a significant amount of contribution points to gather information that ordinary people would overlook. He finally uncovered some clues.

First, after the great battle in Tianling Province, all cultivators previously stationed in the border regions within the Five Elders Council's territory were recalled within just a few days. It was as if they had truly abandoned any plans for war for a long time to come.

Furthermore, the Five Elders Council had surprisingly taken the initiative to send emissaries, proposing a plan for friendly exchanges between the two sides. They claimed that due to their prolonged opposition, the Five Elders Council and the Myriad Immortals Alliance had grown unfamiliar with each other, and that this rare opportunity after the major conflict could be used for mutual understanding and friendly communication.

The Myriad Immortals Alliance had not yet given an official response to this proposal. However, the Five Elders Council's attitude was truly intriguing. One must remember that, relying on their five Longevity Celestial Venerables, the Five Elders Council had always been unyielding and unreasonable, never bothering with logic when they could simply assert their will. But now, they were, for the first time ever, actively proposing friendly exchanges and a de-escalation of tensions between the two factions?

Cultivators who didn't understand the situation assumed that the Myriad Immortals Alliance had subdued the Five Elders Council in the battle of Tianling Province. But Li Fan knew that this must be because Celestial Physician had made a move, and the Five Celestial Venerables had sensed it.

“The previous war might have been intended to test if the ‘Transmission of Dharma’ still existed,” Li Fan mused. “Although it didn't draw out the ‘Transmission of Dharma,’ it did cause Celestial Physician to reveal himself. For the Five Elders Council to be so wary, could Celestial Physician truly have reached the Longevity Realm?”

Despite this, Li Fan still harbored some doubts. Because, according to his limited understanding of the Longevity Realm, after defying the principles of heaven and earth, one becomes a part of heaven and earth. The aura of the "Heavenly Dao" should be exceptionally prominent on a Longevity Celestial Venerable. They would be as distinct from ordinary cultivators as two completely different species, the difference easily discernible.

However, in the few instances Li Fan had seen Celestial Physician, he had not perceived any "Heavenly Dao" aura. Instead, his "human" aura remained remarkably strong. In short, Celestial Physician did not yet appear to be a Longevity Realm expert.