Chapter 926: The Sorrow of the Immortal Chosen One

Even when exploring their surroundings with their spiritual sense, they perceived nothing but emptiness.

Immersed daily in the aura left by the Dharma Transmission Heavenly Venerate, the bodies and souls of the thirty-three Chosen Immortals slowly began to change. In the darkness, time passed unnoticed.

When they finally emerged from their confinement, their demeanor, actions, and even their gazes had become remarkably similar.

Upon seeing this, a flash of inspiration struck Li Fan. He finally recalled where the sense of familiarity with the middle-aged cultivator originated. The cold glint in his eyes was almost identical to that of the First Scripture.

"Just like these Chosen Immortals, although not the same person, they shared a common experience for some reason. Thus, they began to resemble each other in spirit..."

"No wonder I could never find anyone with the same face."

"The First Scripture, and this middle-aged cultivator, subtly differed from those black-clad cultivators suspected of emerging from an ancient era, and also from Wu. How many secrets does the Myriad Immortals Alliance truly conceal?"

Countless thoughts flashed through Li Fan's mind as he continued to examine Wei Qizheng's subsequent experiences.

After the second lesson, the final training commenced. The thirty-three Chosen Immortals were individually led to different regions. In a special space, they sensed the lingering power hidden within the Heavenly Venerate statues. With the previous training, this objective became considerably easier. Of course, this was relative. In the confined space, this was the only task they could perform. Furthermore, a certain force guided their minds, preventing them from thinking about anything else. They simply sensed day and night, hoping to achieve synchronization as soon as possible.

It must be said that by this point, the thirty-three Chosen Immortals were indeed almost indistinguishable from one another. They finished almost simultaneously, with a total error margin of no more than two days. All thirty-three individuals completed the initial sensing of the Heavenly Venerate's lingering thoughts.

Afterward, connected by a pure beam of light, their consciousnesses intertwined, even though they were in different parts of the Myriad Immortals Alliance. It was an extremely miraculous experience. The thirty-three acted as a single entity, able to communicate instantly without words. A single thought conveyed more than a thousand words. The long-standing tacit understanding also ensured that the collective thoughts of this unified group were remarkably singular, with almost no fluctuations.

"Hmm?" Li Fan's thoughts were interrupted once more. "What's going on with this pure beam of light...?"

"Why does it feel a bit like Senior Sister Zhao's Myriad Hearts As One?"

A trace of confusion flickered in Li Fan's eyes. As the Longevity Heavenly Venerate whom Li Fan understood best, he had personally experienced the unique characteristics of Senior Sister Zhao's Myriad Hearts As One more than once. After repeatedly scrutinizing the scene where the pure beam of light appeared dozens of times, Li Fan finally noticed some clues. The thirty-three Chosen Immortals had achieved a perfect unity of mind, completely unable to accommodate any other presence.

"Is it merely the application of a law, not another Unity Heavenly Venerate? Has Senior Sister Zhao's power been stolen?" Li Fan frowned slightly. "Does the Myriad Immortals Alliance possess such an ability?"

What followed confirmed Li Fan's suspicions. As the thirty-three Chosen Immortals' intentions converged, the pure beam of light gradually disappeared. Ultimately, even without external aids, these thirty-three individuals could achieve perfect mental communion.

Then, after thousands of attempts, they finally, for the first time, activated the immense power left behind by the Dharma Transmission Heavenly Venerate. Because the impact of the middle-aged cultivator's remark, "A single glance from a Heavenly Venerate can equal an attack from a Longevity realm cultivator," was simply too immense, the thirty-three Chosen Immortals unanimously decided that the Heavenly Venerate's avatar's debut would be "opening eyes to flatten nine mountains."

After their first success, the Myriad Immortals Alliance finally allowed them some rest. However, this so-called rest was merely a small amount of free time. They were still confined to that special space, forbidden from leaving. Following the brief respite, they embarked on one attempt after another. They grew increasingly proficient, and the power of the Heavenly Venerate they invoked became ever more immense.

Until one day...

When the Heavenly Venerate's avatar, grasping a massive net woven from Sky-Patrolling Arrows, threw it towards the territory of the Five Elders' Association, it finally provoked the intervention of the Longevity Heavenly Venerates of the Five Elders' Association. According to the plan, the thirty-three Chosen Immortals directly detonated their avatars, maximizing their instantaneous power. They attempted to obstruct the five Heavenly Venerates and ensure the net landed. And they succeeded.

Although somewhat fatigued, a sense of pride welled up within them. To be able to contend directly with the five strongest Heavenly Venerates in the Xuanhuang Realm without even reaching the Dao Integration realm! What an honor!

However, before they could rejoice, another command was issued. "Continue to evolve the avatars!"

The hearts of the thirty-three simultaneously trembled. Even now, activating the Dharma Transmission Heavenly Venerate's avatar was not an easy feat for them. It severely depleted their mental energy, requiring a period of recovery afterward. But this mysterious voice seemed to possess a magical power. It made it impossible for the thirty-three Chosen Immortals to defy. They all unconsciously complied. Thus, another avatar materialized.

Before they could rest, the cold, unfeeling voice sounded again. "Continue!"

The thirty-three Chosen Immortals had already sensed that something was wrong. If this continued, they might all die from extreme exhaustion! Yet, they could not disobey the voice's command. Through repeated commands, five Heavenly Venerate avatars ultimately appeared simultaneously between heaven and earth. And because a vast amount of their vital energy had been rapidly drained, the thirty-three Chosen Immortals reached the end of their lives.

"Why?"

"Aren't we the hope for the revival of the Myriad Immortals Alliance?"

"Aren't we heroes?"

In their final moments, the minds of the thirty-three were filled with confusion and resentment. However, until their consciousness completely plunged into darkness, no one came forward to explain anything to them, from beginning to end. Not even a single word. Not even mockery.

"Everyone says I, Grand Tutor Li, am a great villain," Li Fan couldn't help but sigh after finishing the account of Wei Qizheng's experiences. "I used to think that of myself. But today I realized... Compared to the Myriad Immortals Alliance, I still have much to learn."

Returning to reality, the tremors in the Xuanhuang Realm were still intensifying due to the standoff between the five avatars and the five Heavenly Venerates. The battlefield seemed to have temporarily fallen into a standstill. Five streaks of light were entangled with the Heavenly Venerate avatars. These avatars, summoned by consuming the life essence of the thirty-three Chosen Immortals, were significantly stronger than those that had appeared before. Facing the encirclement of the five Heavenly Venerates, their forms merely shattered but did not disperse. This continued until the massive net of Sky-Patrolling Arrows finally landed in the territory of the Five Elders' Association.

The scene in the Sky-Profundity Mirror changed once more.