Chapter 953: Eternal Heaven Sovereign

"The first cultivator infected by the Immortal-Mortal Blight was also the one who created it," Li Fan's voice echoed faintly.

Venerable Yin did not retort; he simply clutched his hair tightly, seemingly in great pain over this fact. "How is it possible, how is it possible..." he murmured repeatedly, his expression bewildered and sorrowful.

After a prolonged silence, Li Fan slowly continued, "The Immortal-Mortal Blight was formed by defying the natural order of heaven and earth."

"Only a Celestial Venerable of Longevity could have created the Immortal-Mortal Blight! In other words, the remains before us belong to a Celestial Venerable who achieved longevity through the New Law."

"The moment the Immortal-Mortal Blight was born within him, he attained the realm of longevity according to the rules established by the Celestial Venerable's New Law. But at the same time, the rule-bound power named Immortal-Mortal Blight began to rage and wreak havoc within his body."

"Even mortals can slay immortals. The power of the Immortal-Mortal Blight is known to everyone in the Xuanhuang World. However, I believe that if that Celestial Venerable of Longevity had wished to preserve his own life, he could have easily done so. Yet, he deliberately chose not to."

"Because if he had, it would have meant breaking the very rule he had established. While it wouldn't have led to the failure of the defiance of natural order..." Li Fan paused, seemingly deep in thought and deduction.

A moment later, he stated emphatically, "It would very likely have left a loophole: the Celestial Venerable of Longevity could ignore the power of the Immortal-Mortal Blight."

"To prevent this, he allowed the Immortal-Mortal Blight to consume him. This was equivalent to burying himself with his own hands. The only outcome was this: no cultivator in the Xuanhuang World, regardless of cultivation level – from Qi Refinement to Celestial Venerables of Longevity – can escape the effects of the Immortal-Mortal Blight."

Li Fan's expression grew solemn. "But what was the true meaning of all this?"

"It's only been a few millennia, and the Immortal-Mortal Blight is already virtually defunct. With careful handling, cultivators can still slaughter mortals at will, can't they?"

"And for what purpose did this Celestial Venerable of Longevity create the Immortal-Mortal Blight, even at the cost of his own life?" Profound doubt appeared on Li Fan's face. This was not a pretense but genuine perplexity.

Venerable Yin remained silent. He gently waved his hand, and the transparent barrier in front of him vanished. He carefully picked up the white rib bone from the ground, treating it like a priceless treasure, stroking it softly.

"Back then, the first time I saw this rib bone, it was as if its owner's appearance in life materialized before my eyes. What a perfect visage it was! All the beautiful words in the world combined couldn't describe a fraction of its splendor."

"Yet, such a perfect being died from being infected by the Immortal-Mortal Blight. At that time, I secretly vowed to find the culprit who created the Immortal-Mortal Blight and caused the demise of this perfect individual, and then..."

Venerable Yin let out a bitter laugh. "I never imagined that after searching for so many years, the so-called culprit was always right in front of me. And I never knew, I never knew!" Deeply shaken, Venerable Yin suddenly coughed up a large amount of blood.

After gently wiping it away, Venerable Yin tightly gripped the rib bone, veins bulging on his hand.

As Li Fan watched this scene, a memory of his first encounter with Venerable Yin suddenly surfaced. Venerable Yin had been just as disheveled then as he was now. He had continuously murmured to himself, "I must find you, I must find you..." And now, he had finally found the so-called culprit. But this outcome was not one he could easily accept. After a lifetime of relentless searching, the supposed murderer was the victim himself. What an immense irony.

"No wonder, every time, he immolated himself shortly after discovering the truth," Li Fan mused silently.

Li Fan also suddenly recalled a past life where Su Changyu, by chance, came to Yin Yin Island and was taught a Foundation Establishment technique. The reason Venerable Yin acted this way was due to Su Changyu's attempts to save the mortals on the island. At that time, Venerable Yin had asked, "Why, why would you, a cultivator, go to save these mortals?"

Now, it seemed he wasn't merely questioning Su Changyu. It was more an expression of his bewilderment regarding the actions of the Celestial Venerable of Longevity who created the Immortal-Mortal Blight. Not just Venerable Yin, but Li Fan himself found such behavior utterly incomprehensible.

Even taking it a step further, if someone truly existed who was noble enough to sacrifice their life to protect mortals... At the very least, shouldn't the sacrifice be effective and meaningful? From the current state of the Xuanhuang World, the plight of mortals had only slightly improved. They were still slaughtered at will by cultivators, unable to protect themselves. Just like Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi back then, Foundation Establishment cultivators could easily raze a mortal city. Compared to before the Immortal-Mortal Blight's creation, everything seemed fundamentally unchanged.

If that was all he had wanted, then it wasn't nobility; it was foolishness. Li Fan believed that a cultivator capable of defying the natural order of heaven and earth could never be such a person. So what was his true purpose?

As Li Fan pondered, Venerable Yin staggered to his feet, placing the white rib bone against his chest and carefully putting it away.

After a moment of thought, Li Fan decided to voice his question.

Venerable Yin gave a mournful smile. "Daoist friend, haven't you figured it out yet? He wasn't just for the mortals of the world; he was also for the cultivators of the world."

"Cultivators of the world?" Li Fan's body jolted as if something had dawned on him.

"After the Celestial Venerable of Transmitting Law defied the natural order of heaven and earth and established the New Law, all cultivators in the world were required to cultivate according to the New Law. Theoretically, no matter how extraordinary or talented future cultivators might be, they could never escape the framework established by the Transmitting Law. They were destined to be perpetually suppressed by the Transmitting Law. In a sense, for cultivators of the Xuanhuang World, the Transmitting Law was an invincible existence," Venerable Yin said disjointedly, his mental state seeming unstable.

Meanwhile, a scene suddenly flashed before Li Fan's eyes: A white-robed figure sighed up to the sky: "The immortal path ahead is impassable, for the Celestial Venerable of Transmitting Law stands above!"

"But he, at the cost of his own life, created a possibility for the Xuanhuang cultivators. A possibility to threaten the Transmitting Law," Venerable Yin paused for a moment before continuing. "Although both are Celestial Venerables of Longevity, and the Transmitting Law's power and combat strength might be far superior, their spiritual standing is actually the same. Since the Immortal-Mortal Blight could inflict fatal harm on him, by the same logic, the Immortal-Mortal Blight can also severely injure or even kill the Celestial Venerable of Transmitting Law!" Venerable Yin's voice inexplicably rose slightly, a hint of excitement in it.

"Since the Great Calamity, the Celestial Venerable of Transmitting Law has almost vanished from the world. Even after the Myriad Immortal Alliance was re-established, he rarely appeared. Who's to say this wasn't a factor? Because he was also afraid! Haha!" Venerable Yin's demeanor gradually grew somewhat manic.

"He not only found a way for the cultivators of the world to kill the Transmitting Law, but he also pointed out a path to completely defeat the Transmitting Law! After all, relying solely on the Immortal-Mortal Blight to kill the Celestial Venerable of Transmitting Law... while possible, the success rate is far too low."

"But the method he pointed out to defeat the Transmitting Law's order is absolutely feasible!" Venerable Yin, shaken by his emotions, violently coughed up another mouthful of blood.

"Since the Immortal-Mortal Blight can become a flaw in the Transmitting Law, why can't more flaws be created? As long as there are powerful individuals who can achieve the longevity realm and are willing to sacrifice themselves, the flaws in the Transmitting Law will inevitably multiply. One day, it will be riddled with holes, ready to crumble at a touch!" Venerable Yin's eyes widened. "As long as someone is willing to sacrifice themselves, just like him..."

Li Fan remained silent upon hearing this. Expecting everyone in the world to possess such enlightenment was simply asking too much. On one hand, there was the carefree freedom of eternal life; on the other, staking one's life for a vague and distant possibility in the future... Any normal person would know which to choose. But he, apparently, was not normal.

Venerable Yin gave a bitter laugh. "In thousands of years in Xuanhuang, there hasn't been a second cultivator who did this. Damn them all! They all deserve to die..."

Li Fan tried to comfort him, "Daoist friend Yin, don't be so extreme."

However, Venerable Yin completely ignored Li Fan, his gaze even slowly turning somewhat hostile. "What do you know?" He pulled out the white rib bone from his chest and said with disdain, "I know, aren't all cultivators in this world afraid of death? How many people embark on the path of cultivation precisely because they fear death?"

"But how can your lives even compare to his? He... he..." A faint trace of blood suddenly welled in Venerable Yin's eyes. "He was already a Celestial Venerable of Longevity to begin with!"

These words struck Li Fan's soul like a thunderbolt. Despite his composure, he couldn't help but exclaim, "What? He was a Celestial Venerable of Longevity to begin with? What does that mean?" Li Fan pressed urgently.

"What does it mean? Exactly what it says. The last Celestial Venerable of Longevity of the Ancient Law, who achieved longevity by gaining the power of heaven and earth before the Ancient Law perished!" Venerable Yin said, enunciating each word. "Only the bone of an Ancient Celestial Venerable could be like this, as if endowed by the creation of heaven and earth..."

As Venerable Yin spoke, he caressed the rib bone with an obsessed gaze. Then, his eyes suddenly turned sinister, fixing on Li Fan. After a brief standoff, Venerable Yin suddenly looked up at the sky, his eyes becoming filled with uncertainty and confusion. At the same time, he murmured to himself, "Moreover, he's different from those thieves. His longevity was a gift from this world itself. He could have easily left this place..."

Li Fan did not disturb him, quietly recording everything Venerable Yin said. "Ancient Law longevity? And a unique state of longevity at that. No wonder his performance in both the Beast Taming Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect was so unrivaled."

"But how did he become a longevity realm cultivator? Or perhaps, when he ascended to power back then, he didn't just transform from a mortal to a Soul Transformation realm cultivator. But rather, in one fell swoop, he transformed from a mortal into a Celestial Venerable of Longevity?" Li Fan couldn't help but find it somewhat absurd. Such rapid progress was truly unprecedented and would be unmatched!

"If that's truly the case, it's simply too outlandish. No matter how favored by the Heavenly Dao he might be, he shouldn't be treated this way. It's not just a favored child of heaven; it's like treating him like its own father. Could it be that he saved the Xuanhuang World in his previous life..." As he thought this, a sudden idea inexplicably surfaced in Li Fan's mind. He was slightly taken aback.

"No... could it be?" He quickly sorted through his thoughts, and yet his conjecture became increasingly clear. Both were perfect individuals. Both cared deeply for all beings in Xuanhuang. King Xuantian mysteriously disappeared. Many years later, another mortal was born into the world. Favored by the Heavenly Dao, to an extent that his treatment was absurd. All these pieces connected, subtly forming an answer. Li Fan couldn't help but wonder, "Could it be that Mister Bai is the reincarnation of King Xuantian?"

Indeed, the appearance of the skull after Li Fan had restored it was identical to Mister Bai. And the reason it was rumored that the first cultivator to be infected by the Immortal-Mortal Blight was named Su... That was because... Li Fan couldn't help but recall a scene he witnessed in the Immortal Meteorite Realm back then.

"Gouzi was a discarded defective product. If it weren't for Xiaobai..." Yellow-haired Lu Ya was explaining to Li Fan when he was harshly kicked from behind. He then patted his backside, looking somewhat embarrassed. Lu Ya quickly corrected himself, "If Mister Bai hadn't treated him, Gouzi would probably have been dead long ago."

That's right, the reason Mister Bai was called Mister Bai was because the orphans of Ningyuan City, upon hearing the name Xiaobai, adopted it as a respectful title for him. Perhaps they weren't entirely clear on the true name of the kindest person in the world. And given Mister Bai's personality, even if he knew it was a misunderstanding by the children, he likely wouldn't have stopped or corrected them. As long as the children were happy. After all, the name Mister Bai sounded quite nice.

"Su Bai..."

"So that was his name."

"Achieving longevity through the Ancient Law, then defying the natural order of heaven and earth to achieve longevity through the New Law."

"I had originally thought no one in the world could accomplish this, but I never expected..." Li Fan then remembered a previous conversation he had overheard between Sun Qi and Sun Liancheng. "The more favored one is by heaven and earth, the harder it is to defy the natural order of heaven and earth, and the deeper the backlash suffered."

"Under such circumstances, he was still able to defy the natural order of heaven and earth..." Li Fan grew even more silent.

Thoughts churned, and an unknown amount of time passed. The abnormality before him pulled Li Fan back to reality. A strange energy fluctuation emanated from Venerable Yin. Li Fan could tell that Venerable Yin's current state was highly abnormal. It seemed he could erupt at any moment. Yet, in this state, he also seemed to gain the ability to peer into many mysteries of heaven and earth, fully discerning the past and present lives of the rib bone's owner.

"Why? Why?" Venerable Yin clutched his head in agony, and a vertical line slowly appeared in the center of his body. It looked as if he might split open from it at any moment. Li Fan quietly moved a little further away. Venerable Yin writhed in pain on the ground, while Li Fan faintly heard continuous explosions from the secret chamber beneath Yin Yin Island, where countless of Venerable Yin's corpses were stored. Vibrations and faint rumbling sounds persisted.

After an unknown period, Venerable Yin suddenly leaped up, his face filled with excitement. "I know!"