Chapter 1076-1080 (6k+ words)

"Junior brother?"

"Why were you in a daze for so long? Could it be that you were thinking about the various fun places I mentioned before?"

"Don't worry, once everything is settled, whether it's the Red Dust Pavilion or the Drunken Immortal Tower, senior brother will show you around properly!"

Zhang Qianmo's voice snapped Li Fan out of his contemplation.

"To protect the mortals of Ningyuan City from calamities..." Watching the somewhat nonchalant Zhang Qianmo in front of him, Li Fan's heart moved slightly.

In reality, Li Fan wasn't very interested in becoming the Grand Celestial Venerable of Xuan Huang. Not to mention that under the new law system, the power of the Xuan Huang Celestial Venerable had been greatly reduced, making it impossible for one person to suppress an entire realm.

After becoming the Xuan Huang Celestial Venerable, he would inevitably have to confront the two major ruling institutions of the Xuan Huang Realm, and it might even attract the direct intervention of the Transmitter of the Law.

Although he wasn't particularly afraid, choosing to confront the Transmitter of the Law without understanding his true strength would be unwise.

Moreover, even if he could become the Xuan Huang Celestial Venerable at its peak, what then?

Power inevitably came with responsibility. Becoming the Xuan Huang Celestial Venerable meant being deeply bound to the Xuan Huang Realm, making it even more difficult to break free than an ordinary Longevity Celestial Venerable.

Li Fan's goal was not just the Longevity Realm. He yearned to leave this starry sea, blocked by high walls, and truly achieve transcendence and freedom.

However...

Having lofty ideals didn't prevent him from verifying the test of the "Xuan Huang Heart" as he speculated.

After experiencing the scenes of the "Ning Yuan Longevity Fruit" so many times, Li Fan quickly took it to heart when he had a clear goal.

"Senior brother, I just felt like I had a dream when I was in a daze just now." He pretended to look a bit confused and slowly said.

"What?" Zhang Qianmo was puzzled.

"Senior brother, did you secretly cultivate a purple-gold pill just now?" Li Fan didn't give a direct answer but asked again.

At the utterance of these words, Zhang Qianmo's eyes instantly became sharp. "How do you know?"

A dangerous aura emanated from him, subtly locking onto Li Fan.

Li Fan seemed completely unaware of this, with a face full of shock. "What I just saw in the dream actually happened?"

"Hmm?" Zhang Qianmo's expression stiffened.

"I don't know, senior brother, do you remember a person named 'Chu Liang'?" Li Fan immediately recounted the "dream" scene he saw, where they were about to be besieged by the riffraff in Ningyuan City.

"You saying that makes me remember. There was indeed such a character back then..."

"To actually join some Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and plan to seize our Purple Cloud Sect's secret technique?" A hint of purple light flashed in Zhang Qianmo's eyes, his killing intent evident.

He was about to fly into the city and pull out those hidden bugs one by one to kill them.

"Senior brother, wait!" Li Fan quickly stopped Zhang Qianmo.

"This is just a scene I encountered in my dream, without substantial evidence. If it's nothing more than a fabrication, wouldn't that be..."

Zhang Qianmo coldly said, "Kill and kill. What's next? Is someone going to dare to punish us for such a trivial matter? Perhaps the master won't allow us to go down the mountain again in the future due to the trouble. It's better to be cautious."

Li Fan smiled bitterly, "After going down the mountain to complete the task of collecting the Longevity Fruits with great difficulty, if we cause a disturbance, the master may not allow us to go down the mountain again. It's better to be safe."

Hearing this, Zhang Qianmo's killing intent somewhat subsided.

"How about this, let's contact and call out Song Hesong, the steward, from outside the city. Capture him directly. If he resists and truly shows a cultivation realm beyond his capability..."

Li Fan paused, "Then it means the scene I foresaw in my dream is accurate. With this evidence, we can also explain it to the sect."

Zhang Qianmo thought for a moment and nodded slightly, "Junior brother has considered it thoroughly, let's do it this way." 

So the two of them quietly approached Ningyuan City and sent out a message from a distance.

After a long while, Song Hesong came leisurely.

"Seen the two masters..."

Song Hesong was bowing to pay his respects, but two purple-robed divine thunders struck down towards him.

"When did I get exposed?" Song Hesong felt shocked and angry, instinctively activating his spiritual power to block the thunder.

Just as he was about to inform the several hidden individuals inside the city to take action early, he found that the surrounding space had already been sealed off, causing his heart to sink.

"Although I can only use Li Chen's strength, my mastery of the array has reached the Alchemy Realm."

"Setting up an array with a casual wave, trapping a small Foundation Establishment cultivator, it's like catching fish in a barrel."

The array Li Fan set up at this moment was not too sensational. It was modified based on the array techniques he had seen in the memories of this body from the past in the Purple Cloud Sect.

Zhang Qianmo also noticed his junior brother's actions. "Good kid, I've been wondering what you do every day, locked up in your room. So, it turns out you've been studying arrays by yourself?"

Zhang Qianmo's tone sounded pleasantly surprised. He took out his long halberd and joined the battle with Song Hesong.

Although Song Hesong was only at the Foundation Establishment level, and Zhang Qianmo had not used the power of the Purple Pill, making him only at the Foundation Building level, when the two brothers joined forces, plus the assistance of the array, it didn't take long for Song Hesong to be captured alive.

Zhang Qianmo decisively used the Purple Cloud Soul-searching Technique.

After struggling for a while, Song Hesong, like a pile of mud, collapsed on the ground.

Zhang Qianmo showed a murderous expression. "The scene you foresaw, junior brother, was exactly right! This damn dog!"

He was about to strike Song Hesong to death with a palm, but Li Fan stopped him.

"After all, he is in charge of the sect's external affairs. Let's take him back and let the sect handle it."

Zhang Qianmo shook his head. "Junior brother, you are too kind. But, fine, let it be as you wish."

Li Fan smiled and remained silent.

"There are still several Wanxian League villains in the city. I'll go and capture them."

"Wait!" Li Fan stopped Zhang Qianmo again.

"What's wrong again?" Zhang Qianmo was somewhat speechless.

"Senior brother, what do you think of this Wanxian League?" Li Fan asked in a deep voice.

"Country bumpkins, nothing to fear!" Zhang Qianmo said arrogantly.

"Is that so?" Li Fan stared at Zhang Qianmo closely and asked again.

"Eh..." Zhang Qianmo looked at Li Fan's serious expression and hesitated.

Then he changed his words, "Alright. This new law is truly bizarre. Someone like Song Hesong, with such mediocre talent, can advance from Foundation Building to Golden Core in just a few years. If we don't handle it seriously, it might cause a considerable disaster."

"That's what I think too. The righteous sects and immortal gates don't seem to pay much attention to the Wanxian League. Why not take advantage of this opportunity..."

Li Fan transmitted his voice quietly.

Zhang Qianmo's expression changed, "You mean, lure the snake out of its hole?"

Li Fan nodded, "Exactly. Seize this opportunity to gather all the Wanxian League cultivators near our Purple Cloud Sect territory and then wipe them out!"

"Only by seeing how much the Wanxian League has developed can it attract the attention of the sect elders," Li Fan said slowly.

"If we can kill all these insignificant figures at once, it would be a great achievement for us. Then, when we want to enter and exit the mountain gate, it won't be as troublesome as it is now."

Perhaps Li Fan's last sentence touched Zhang Qianmo.

He agreed to Li Fan's plan.

Next, Zhang Qianmo manipulated Song Hesong to send messages to people like Chu Liang in the city, saying that the situation had changed, and Zhang Qianmo, who had originally come to collect Longevity Fruits, would not be coming. They needed to meet and discuss the ambush again.

Although Chu Liang and the others were slightly puzzled, they didn't doubt him.

They still came to the agreed-upon location outside the city.

"Friend Song, what exactly happened?" From afar, Chu Liang saw the disguised Zhang Qianmo and immediately asked.

"Hehe, it's actually a good thing." Zhang Qianmo responded in Song Hesong's tone.

"On the way down the mountain this time, Zhang Qianmo seemed to have accidentally discovered a hidden ancient base of the Profound Sky Sect."

"It's a big deal, and he doesn't have time to collect Longevity Fruits. He just hurriedly came over to tell me and then went back to the mountain to report."

Chu Liang felt somewhat inexplicable, "Profound Sky Sect? What is that?"

"Hmph." Song Hesong pretended to be a bit disdainful but patiently explained.

"So, you mean, this Profound Sky Sect is even older than the Ten Immortal Dao Sects? Then, there must be a lot of treasures in that secret realm, right?" Chu Liang and the others suddenly became excited.

The reason they wanted to kill Zhang Qianmo was not only for revenge but more importantly, to force various techniques and abilities from Zhang Qianmo regarding the Purple Cloud Sect.

Although they joined the Wanxian League and were granted the basic technique, the Heavenly Net Divine Art, they were only peripheral members and only knew this one technique. When facing disciples from the Ten Immortal Dao Sects, they could only rely on numbers to barely win. In one-on-one battles, they had no chance. Their foundation was too shallow, and they urgently needed to strengthen themselves.

"Then what are we waiting for? While the people from the Purple Cloud Sect haven't arrived yet, let's take everything from that secret realm." Chu Liang was somewhat impatient.

Song Hesong shook his head slightly, "The Profound Sky Sect's secret realm has various formations, mechanisms, and restrictions; it's extremely dangerous. Otherwise, Zhang Qianmo wouldn't be in such a hurry to go back and bring reinforcements."

"Just the few of us, I'm afraid..."

Chu Liang was dismissive, "Then call some more brothers! A Foundation Establishment disciple is not worth their attention. With the Profound Sky Sect secret realm, they can't remain indifferent, right?"

The others also nodded in agreement.

"Then let's do it quickly. With Zhang Qianmo coming back and forth, it will probably take more than a day..."

"Don't worry, the efficiency of our brothers is not something those decadent sects can compare to." Chu Liang patted his chest.

Next, after receiving a message from Li Fan that Zhang Qianmo, who was already prepared, had brought Chu Liang and others to the entrance of the so-called secret realm, Song Hesong first said, "Hiss... Friend Song, what you said is right. This secret realm is indeed extremely dangerous. My heart is pounding just approaching it."

"It's okay. Nearby brothers from the Wanxian League are rushing here. Among them are cultivators at the Golden Core stage, and there's even a Nascent Soul cultivator." Chu Liang stared at the entrance of the secret realm, eyes full of greed.

It had to be said that the initial Wanxian League was indeed efficient.

Like a group of wolves smelling blood, in less than half a day, they gathered from all directions.

"Twenty-five Golden Core, one hundred and six Foundation Establishment..." Faced with the densely packed crowd of cultivators, although their clothing was very plain, the surging aura was full of vitality. Zhang Qianmo couldn't help but feel a chill.

"Just within the territory of our Purple Cloud Sect, there are so many cultivators that emerged silently. I wonder how many cultivators the entire world has under the banner of the Wanxian League?"

Fortunately, the Sect Master of the Purple Cloud Sect received the message and led a group to ambush here.

This made Zhang Qianmo feel slightly relieved.

After the Wanxian League members gathered, they did not rush into the secret realm.

Instead, they were waiting for a heavyweight figure to arrive.

It was said that he was fortunate enough to follow the Supreme Master back then and was now a Nascent Soul cultivator.

With him here, no matter how dangerous the secret realm was, it would not be too frightening.

Soon, this Nascent Soul cultivator arrived at the scene.

He did not show any arrogance due to his cultivation being several major realms higher than others. Instead, he cordially greeted the cultivators present.

Under the crowd's escort, he reached the entrance of the secret realm.

Staring at the formation sealing the secret realm, he furrowed his brow slightly.

As formations were not his expertise, in the end, he chose to use his absolute strength in the Nascent Soul stage to destroy the formation.

He took the first step into the secret realm.

However, after a moment, he retreated.

"Not good, this is a trap!" he shouted, warning everyone.

However, it was too late.

In the sky, rolling purple qi had already arrived in an instant.

...

Watching the Wanxian League cultivators fighting against the Purple Cloud Sect from a distance, Li Fan seemed thoughtful.

He had noticed that the scene of the Ascendant Immortal Realm was starting to become unstable.

The later transmitter was not one of those who survived in later generations.

It seemed that he had unfortunately sacrificed himself in the battle against the Ten Immortal Dao Sects.

However, pushed by Li Fan, his time of death was advanced.

"With this move, I redirected the imminent battle of cultivators in Ningyuan City to a desolate and uninhabited place."

"Although it took some twists and turns, the mission has been successfully completed."

"As for these tragic cultivators, they should not be within the scope of the examination of the Xuanhuang Celestial Venerable."

Thinking like this, Li Fan felt the surrounding scenes gradually becoming blurred.

Like glass, inch by inch shattering.

Li Fan's consciousness once again fell into darkness.

He did not immediately enter the next trial scene.

Instead, scenes flashed before Li Fan's mind like a revolving lantern.

These were all the true events that happened in the history of the Xuanhuang Realm.

Li Fan was already aware of them.

However, this time, there were some different scenes.

On the ruins of Ningyuan City, Mr. Bai stood bewildered.

He looked up at the sky, as if silently questioning.

An extraordinary aura began to appear on him.

"What is this..."

Li Fan had a vague feeling.

At this moment, Mr. Bai seemed to have the attention of heaven and earth.

Although he still only had mortal cultivation, he exuded an aura as if he were the center of the world.

"Is this the fate belonging to the protagonist?"

Li Fan sighed inexplicably in his heart.

Once again reviving from the darkness, the scene in front of Li Fan had changed as expected, turning into the incident of the Beast Taming Sect.

Little Black, not yet born, was in the scene of being in an egg.

Taking advantage of being inside the bird egg, Li Fan began contemplating how to approach the "Beast Taming Sect Incident."

Since the scenes in the Ascendant Immortal Realm were ultimately testing the qualifications of the illusion experiencer to assume the role of the Xuanhuang Grand Celestial, one must act as if stepping into the shoes of the Xuanhuang Grand Celestial when making decisions.

The smooth acquisition of the Longevity Fruit in Ningyuan indicated that the first scene was a test of "benevolence."

And for this second scene...

"The relationship between demonic beasts and human populations? Or how to respond when a great calamity is approaching?"

Various experiences in the past trials of the Ascendant Immortal Realm flashed through Li Fan's mind.

Time quietly passed as Li Fan pondered.

Soon, the first ray of light appeared in the pitch-black world, and the voice of Xu Ke resounded.

Proficiently emerging from the cracks, Li Fan then devoured the shattered eggshell.

"Hehe, little guy must be hungry..." Xu Ke chuckled.

"Oh right, quickly activate the Beast Taming True Technique!" After a moment, Xu Ke slapped his forehead, realizing.

Activating the technique meant subduing the newly born Heaven's Mandate Profound Bird in front of him.

However, to Xu Ke's astonishment, he failed!

"Kid, you think you can be my master with just this?" A sudden voice echoed, making Xu Ke first stare blankly, then vigilantly scan the surroundings. Not finding any suspicious individuals, he looked at Li Fan with disbelief.

"Don't show any abnormality, listen carefully!" Li Fan's tone was serious.

"I am originally the Heaven's Mandate of Xuanhuang, and I have incarnated in anticipation of a great calamity about to befall the world. Therefore, I descended to deal with the catastrophe..."

Li Fan fabricated a story about being the Heaven's Mandate incarnate to save all living beings from imminent danger. Xu Ke was left dumbfounded by Li Fan's imaginative tale.

After recounting Xu Ke's childhood experiences, the young Xu Ke had become deeply convinced.

"Are you saying Mr. Bai is also an incarnation of Heaven's Mandate, someone destined to face the calamity?" Xu Ke widened his eyes.

"That's right." Li Fan lazily lay on top of Xu Ke's head.

"This time, the catastrophe will be more terrifying than ever. Even with the personal intervention of the Xuanhuang Heaven's Mandate, there's no guarantee of absolute victory. So, splitting into two, one in the light and one in the dark. He took the lead, and calculating the time, he should be in the Ascendant Immortal Realm by now."

Xu Ke was bewildered, "Foundation Building, Golden Core..."

"What is Ascendant Immortal Realm?"

"Beyond the Golden Core are Nascent Soul, Divine Transformation, Dao Integration, and Ascendant Immortal, the four realms." Li Fan thoughtfully supplemented basic knowledge of the cultivation world.

"No... it can't be, right? Mr. Bai clearly said he was just a mortal before." Xu Ke opened his mouth, showing disbelief.

"Hehe, the cultivation speed of the Heaven's Mandate incarnate is beyond the imagination of you mortals. Advancing instantly from Golden Core to Divine Transformation is a trivial matter. But in the dark, I can't be so conspicuous. Otherwise, anomalies will surely be detected." Li Fan regretfully stated.

"Even so, the speed of my cultivation is not something you can compare to."

Before the words even fell, Xu Ke sensed a change in Li Fan's aura.

"You actually broke through to the Foundation Building stage?" He stared dumbfounded, suddenly believing the other's words.

Li Fan ignored him and commanded, "Go find me something to eat. I'm hungry."

Xu Ke happily headed towards the Beast Taming Sect's forest, while Li Fan continued to cultivate and operate the Heavenly Mandate in Me technique of the Phoenix Tribe.

With many experiences in cultivation and now fully controlling a realm's heavenly dao after assimilating the Spiritwood Realm, Li Fan had developed unique insights into absorbing heavenly energy to transform into Heavenly Mandate.

Moreover, after observing for some time, Li Fan found that in this world, the Xuanhuang heavenly dao was not as filled with hatred and wariness towards cultivators as in the later generations.

The resistance when operating the "False Erroneous Heavenly Dao" technique was almost negligible, with little to no risk.

If not for just being born and the body being too weak, Li Fan could have easily broken through to the Golden Core stage.

Fortunately, the physique of demonic beasts was robust. As long as there was enough food, their growth was a matter of moments.

李凡 quietly wandered through the mountains and forests of the Yushou Sect with Xu Ke, seizing and devouring anything valuable they came across.

In Li Fan's eyes, the protective formations of the spiritual fields and precious medicines were extremely crude and easily breakable.

"Lord Xuan Niao, have we perhaps indulged a bit too much?" Li Fan enjoyed his actions, but Xu Ke was visibly frightened.

In less than a month, they had looted all the high-value treasures in the Yushou Sect's mountains and forests.

The sect had begun to sense that something was wrong and sent several elders to investigate.

Luckily, no flaws had been revealed yet.

Even so, the young Xu Ke, who had never been involved in such activities, lived in constant fear but dared not speak out against Li Fan's actions.

"Foolish. I am doing this to save the Xuan Huang Realm. What are these resources? The greatest achievement lies in serving the dragon! After the salvation of the world, the Yushou Sect will be the greatest hero. The rewards will be multiplied by ten million!" Li Fan patted Xu Ke on the back.

"Is... that so?" Xu Ke remained skeptical.

Li Fan continued to lurk within the Yushou Sect, using its internal resources to strengthen himself. His power grew rapidly, and the Nascent Soul stage was within reach.

During this time, a cultivator named Song Yang, desiring the Xuan Niao's destiny, attempted to secretly track them.

Li Fan directly employed his destiny manipulation technique, altering Song Yang's fate.

His dual-headed black snake spirit suddenly went berserk, devouring Song Yang. The black snake was later killed by Yushou Sect disciples.

The only threat disappeared.

As time passed, the day of Mr. Bai's visit to the Yushou Sect approached.

Li Fan, as usual, began to play tricks.

"I have a feeling that Mr. Bai is coming." He suddenly communicated.

"What? Mr. Bai is coming to the Yushou Sect? Is he coming to see me and Senior Brother Lu?" Xu Ke raised his head in surprise.

"Hmph, you're quite narcissistic. Mr. Bai travels to save the world, not to waste time on you." Li Fan bluntly crushed his hopes.

"Fine." Xu Ke deflated at the words.

But soon, he perked up again, eagerly watching the sky, awaiting Mr. Bai's arrival.

Li Fan squinted his eyes.

"It's been just over two months since his arrival. Even with rapid growth in strength, he can't intervene in the upcoming battle... or massacre."

"So, the key to breaking the situation lies in the upcoming journey to the Southern Dark Sacred Mountain. However, perhaps there's something we can do."

Li Fan looked at Xu Ke beneath him, pondering.

As in previous experiences, half a day later, Mr. Bai arrived as promised.

The Yushou Sect's Blue Dragon Guardian sensed the unwelcome guest and appeared, standing before Mr. Bai.

"Is this the hospitality of the Yushou Sect?" Mr. Bai's pleasant voice echoed through the heavens and earth.

There was no trace of anger, but the Blue Dragon Guardian of the sect felt a tremendous threat and glared angrily.

Due to its instinct for self-defense, just as the Blue Dragon was about to take action, a figure suddenly soared into the air from the ground.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!"

With a scream, a figure flew directly in front of Mr. Bai.

The tense and nervous atmosphere was instantly shattered.

Countless eyes from all around focused on the small figure.

"It's Xu Ke..." Mr. Bai smiled.

Xu Ke scratched the back of his head, feeling uneasy.

However, following Li Fan's teachings, he timidly asked, "Mr. Bai, why are you here? Are you here to see me?"

Before Mr. Bai could reply, a blue light suddenly appeared from the sky, blocking the space between him and Xu Ke.

"Senior Brother Lu!" Seeing an old acquaintance, Xu Ke was very excited.

Mr. Bai, looking at Lu Ya's vigilant face, showed a hint of helplessness. "Lu Ya, long time no see."

Lu Ya replied coldly, full of caution.

Mr. Bai didn't mind and slowly said, "This visit has no ill intentions. I've come to seek the Yushou Sect's help with a matter."

Lu Ya pondered, undecided.

At this moment, an elderly voice spoke, "A guest from afar is still a guest. It's our fault for not welcoming you properly."

An old man with white hair and eyebrows appeared instantly.

"The Grand Elder?" Lu Ya was surprised.

Di San Mao nodded in acknowledgment. Then he looked at Mr. Bai and said, "Esteemed guest, please follow me. If there's anything the Yushou Sect can assist with, we will cooperate."

This very polite attitude left Lu Ya somewhat puzzled and uncomfortable.

However, he still respected his teacher and did not confront the Grand Elder directly.

"Thank you in advance then." Following the principle of not offending a smiling person, Mr. Bai retracted his aura.

Following Di San Mao, he disappeared.

"Ah? Why did he leave?" Xu Ke, who thought Mr. Bai would take him along, was a bit disappointed.

"I told you not to get too close to Mr. Bai! You foolishly rushed up as soon as you met him!" Lu Ya lightly patted Xu Ke's head, admonishing him.

"He's not the same as he usually is in front of us." Lu Ya looked at the Yushou Sect in the distance with a dark expression.

"Senior Brother Lu, why do you say that? Mr. Bai is really a good person!" Xu Ke was a bit puzzled but spoke earnestly.

"You... sigh... Well, now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you."

"After Ninyuan City was razed, under Mr. Bai's command..."

"Under his guidance, we shouted for the people to save themselves and helped transfer the wounded to a small temple."

"But, on that day..."

Lu Ya fell into memories, his expression somewhat distant.

"Suddenly, one of the wounded had a sudden deterioration in condition. With Mr. Bai not around, our skills were insufficient to save him."

"So we had to split up and search for Mr. Bai in the city."

Xu Ke suddenly said, "Yes, I remember now. Shortly after that, Lu Ya, your attitude towards Mr. Bai completely changed. Why exactly?"

Lu Ya took a deep breath. "At that time, I couldn't find Mr. Bai anywhere. Suddenly, I remembered that when I was seriously ill, Mr. Bai had taken me to his home for treatment. I vaguely recall there being a basement in his house."

"I thought, maybe he's in the basement now. After some effort, I finally found the entrance to the basement near Mr. Bai's home. Just as I was about to call out and inquire, I faintly smelled a waft of blood. I thought Mr. Bai might be injured, so without considering anything else, I hurriedly broke in. But what I saw was..."

"Saw what?" Xu Ke's attention was firmly captured by Lu Ya's description.

"Corpses. The entire basement was full of dismembered corpses. And he, with sharp tools in hand, was dismembering the bodies, performing sinister rituals. Remember those brothers of the dog that used to be around? They were forcibly stitched into the body of a dog." Lu Ya asked.

Xu Ke nodded.

"At that time, they mysteriously disappeared. I asked Mr. Bai, and he said he hadn't seen any trace of them. But..."

Lu Ya gritted his teeth. "Among the bodies in the basement, I clearly saw them!"

"This..." Xu Ke widened his eyes, finding it hard to believe everything.

Lu Ya continued, "The scene in that basement was like hell. Even now, recalling it, I still feel a chill. Not only was the smell of blood nauseatingly strong, but the floor was stained black and red with blood. In the innermost part of the basement stood an extremely eerie faceless statue!"

"Even though I only glanced at it then, it often appears repeatedly in my nightmares. Without witnessing it with your own eyes, you can't imagine how evil it was!"

"He seemed shocked by my sudden intrusion. But I immediately reacted, fearing he might kill me to keep me silent. Without saying a word, I crawled out of the secret room. Like a madman, I fled back to the small temple, wanting to expose Mr. Bai's true face. But he disguised himself too well! No one believed me!"

Lu Ya sighed deeply.

"If I had stayed by his side, I would have been in danger. I had to escape! Fortunately, on the way, we encountered our Master, and in the Yushou Sect, we finally found a home. But unexpectedly, he is still haunting us and followed over."

Looking at Lu Ya's furrowed brow, Xu Ke felt deeply conflicted.

"Maybe there's some misunderstanding?" Xu Ke still tried to persuade.

"Misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding could there be?" Lu Ya snorted.

"You've seen him in person now. Faced with the Blue Dragon, a protector at the Harmonization Realm, he remained unfazed. You can imagine how terrifying his strength is now! In a short time, he has cultivated to such a level. Besides exchanging for power through those sinister sacrifices, I can't think of any other way!"

"Furthermore..."

Lu Ya paused. "That eerie faceless statue, I investigated it too."

"It's an ancient evil cult, an evil god worshipped by the Dark Heaven Sect! The remnants of the Dark Heaven Sect, we cultivators must eliminate them all!"

Xu Ke didn't understand what the Dark Heaven Sect was.

But he knew why Mr. Bai had cultivated so fast.

However, when he was about to speak, he suddenly remembered Li Fan's advice not to reveal the heavenly secrets and could only hold back his words.

Seeing Lu Ya, who was convinced of his conclusion, Xu Ke hesitated for a while and said slowly, "I once heard someone say that sometimes, even if you see it with your own eyes, it may not be the truth."

"And, to judge a person's character, don't look at what he says but look at what he does."

"Although I don't know what exactly happened in that basement, Mr. Bai has always been exceptionally good to us. Without his help, we might have starved to death a long time ago. So, I am always willing to believe that Mr. Bai is truly a good person."

While organizing his words, Xu Ke continued slowly. This eloquent speech took quite a while to finish.

Lu Ya smiled, patted Xu Ke's head, and said, "You, after reading a few books, have started lecturing me? Quite a set of theories."

"Don't worry, I'm not someone who doesn't understand things. I know what's going on. It's just that..." The image of that eerie faceless statue seemed to reappear in Lu Ya's mind, making his heart heavy again.

Next, Lu Ya chatted casually with Xu Ke. After seemingly receiving a message from someone, he hurriedly left.

"Lord Xuan Niao, how did I do?" It was only now that Xu Ke sought approval from Li Fan in his mind.

"Average. You'll need to work harder in the future." Li Fan responded in a very indifferent manner, making Xu Ke somewhat disheartened.

"It seems that the power of the ancient true immortal without a face, which remains in this era, is much stronger than thousands of years later. Lu Ya only met him once and already fell into the aura, trapped in the web of the true immortal, and will be hard to escape."

As the representative of the Xuan Huang in the mortal realm, Li Fan probably understands the nature of the true immortal's power better than anyone else in this world.

In the illusions experienced before, Li Fan was not qualified to perceive this. But now, he could instantly see that the fundamental reason why Lu Ya's attitude toward Mr. Bai changed so drastically was the influence of the faceless true immortal statue.

Living beings have an instinctive fear of unknown powerful entities.

Like a butterfly caught in a spider's web, unable to break free, even though it hasn't seen the predator's arrival yet, it has already sensed its future fate and is filled with anxiety.

Lu Ya is in that state now.

However, he subconsciously linked the faceless true immortal statue with Mr. Bai. Rather than saying he was running away or distancing himself from Mr. Bai, it's more like avoiding the control of the faceless true immortal.

Unfortunately, like the real Li Fan, ordinary methods are utterly ineffective.

As for whether Mr. Bai is related to the faceless true immortal...

Li Fan did not perceive the aura of the faceless true immortal on Mr. Bai from just now. Of course, it could also be because of his powerful strength, concealing it better.

While contemplating, Li Fan saw the still disheartened Xu Ke and scratched his hair. "Your mental fortitude still needs improvement. If you can't handle such setbacks, how can you follow me to save the world in the future?"

"Lord Xuan Niao, I'm not even ten years old yet. Can't we rely on someone else to save the world?" Xu Ke said with a bitter face.

"Who asked you to have fate with me." Li Fan spoke with a deep sense of responsibility.

"Alright, get ready. Next, the Yushou Sect should have a task for you." Li Fan predicted again.

As expected, this time Li Fan's prediction was correct.

Three days later, Lu Ya took Xu Ke to a small wooden house outside the Yushou Sect's Demon Sealing Tower.

On the table in the wooden house, there was a wooden carving and a wooden box.

"This wooden carving is a gift from Mr. Bai to you." Lu Ya said with a somewhat complicated expression.

In the past three days, something seemed to have happened to him. He became much more polite when talking about Mr. Bai. However, Li Fan keenly felt that the influence of the faceless true immortal seemed to have deepened on him.

"Wow!" Xu Ke hadn't realized this yet. At the moment, he just excitedly ran to the table and grabbed the wooden carving.

"Huh? This seems to be me!" Xu Ke carefully examined it, a little surprised.

Not caring about the specific use of the wooden carving, as long as it was a gift from Mr. Bai, Xu Ke was satisfied. Originally intending to carefully put it away, upon hearing Li Fan's transmission, he hid it in his chest first.

"This wooden carving is quite something." Li Fan stared at it, sensing the laws condensed on it.

Mr. Bai's actions are naturally not ordinary. This little wooden carving of Xu Ke represents counterattack.

As long as the attack doesn't exceed the limit the wooden carving can withstand, it will be absorbed and then rebound.

It's somewhat similar to the performance of Shuo Feng comprehending the Heavenly Mystery of the Wooden Sword before.

"Even a full-force attack from the Harmony Realm can be perfectly rebounded by this wooden carving. Although the number of times is limited, it's definitely a life-saving weapon." Li Fan marveled at the generosity of Mr. Bai while studying the principles of the world within the wooden carving.

As expected, Xu Ke received the task to go to the Southern Dark Sacred Beast Mountain and deliver the red wooden box to Emperor Yishou.

"In this wooden box is the head of Emperor Erlie. If everything goes as expected, Mr. Bai probably killed him personally. Emperor Erlie roamed outside, causing trouble and not returning to the Yao Clan. Although Mr. Bai seems to have killed him, he actually handed him back to Emperor Yishou."

"With this favor, exchange for a method that allows Yao Beasts to devour the void and use it to cultivate the Boundary Breaching Whales."

Li Fan explained the reasons behind the matter.

"Mr. Bai is the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, yet he still cannot grasp the specific evolutionary direction of Yao Beasts and needs to find Emperor Yishou."

"It seems that the Yao Beasts in the Xuan Huang Realm may not be native products, but outsiders."

"Emperor Yishou sensed that a great calamity was imminent in the Xuan Huang Realm, seemingly with no chance of survival. So, he wanted to breach the boundary..."

Li Fan envisioned the towering white mountain that seemed to be at the end of the world.

"Southern Dark Mountain, according to Emperor Yishou, is the end of the sky and the corner of the sea, the end of the world."

"Countless free energies in the Xuan Huang Realm converge here. If, by some special method, they are detonated, it might instantly erupt a terrifying power, close to that of a true immortal."

"Thus, they could cross the high walls and leave the Dark Star Sea."

In the present world, a thousand years later, Southern Dark Mountain has turned into the Boundary Breach Vortex. The world's wound has remained unhealed for thousands of years, indicating how terrifying the energy fluctuations were during the boundary breach at Southern Dark Mountain.

"The principle is the same as the Heavenly Sword Sect's Breaking Divine Weapon. It's just that they are all just theoretical at this point. Whether they succeeded or failed, whether they successfully escaped to the Dark Star Sea or turned into nothingness..."

"No one knows."