Chapter 1275-1276 (8.5k words)
Chapter 1275: Past Scenes of the Immortal Realm
Together with numerous mirrors, there were the varying faces of Mo Rubin appearing one by one.
They hid behind the dark and blurry mirrors, collectively peering at the Faceless Holy Emperor in the field.
With Li Ping as the central point, each mirror corresponded in pairs.
Dots of light shot out from one mirror and projected onto the opposite one, forming bright lines as if tangible shackles imposed on Li Ping.
In this way, the bright lines appeared in the mirror world like heavy chains, accelerating the progress of pulling Li Ping into the "real" world.
The Faceless Holy Emperor, completely visible and surrounded by numerous mirrors, showed no signs of panic.
He looked at the "lines" on his body, which were both invisible and visible, trying to touch them with his hand.
However, like an illusory bubble, it penetrated his palm and tightly bound around his body again.
"Foolish to the extreme!"
For some reason, this action seemed to anger Mo Rubin.
He shouted angrily, and the originally bright lines turned pitch-black in an instant.
Rustling whispers emanated from these black chains. Vaguely, faces resembling Mo Rubin's were seen floating and howling on the surface.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."
The black chains had an inherent power of dark corrosion. In the blink of an eye, Li Ping's clothing was dissolved completely. Just as they were about to touch Li Fan's skin, a dazzling golden light erupted.
A sharply defined golden armor suddenly descended, completely enveloping the colossal figure of the Holy Emperor.
Below the surface of the armor, a continuous flow of golden light seemed to possess its own spirituality.
The golden light protection blocked the erosion of the black chains.
Li Ping extended his right hand, grabbed the entangled black chains around him, and fiercely pulled.
The sound of shattering mirrors continuously echoed.
At the chest, a vortex suddenly formed.
Li Ping stuffed the torn black chains into the whirlpool.
Boom!
Like a burning and raging fire, the vortex, as if being added with a large amount of fuel, burst into a dazzling brilliance. As the burnt black chains emitted countless malicious curses, countless faces resembling Mo Rubin appeared.
"It turns out to be the personalities of the cultivators you swallowed."
As the vortex continuously swallowed the black chains at his chest, the Holy Emperor also understood the details of these resentful faces emerging in his mind from the scenes.
"You abandoned the excellent [Nine Transformation Immortal Soul] and learned such unorthodox methods!" Li Ping shook his head with some regret.
This statement seemed to touch a nerve with Mo Rubin. His figure instantly turned as if it had been smeared with thick ink, becoming dark, gloomy, and profound.
A crack appeared between him and Li Ping.
It was a mirror reflecting the real and the illusion.
Mo Rubin and Li Ping faced each other from afar, separated by mirrors on both ends.
At the moment this crack appeared, Li Ping suddenly had a feeling. The Mo Rubin on the other side seemed to have disappeared. The present image was only a projection formed on the other side of the mirror based on his own existence.
With a thought, Li Ping, protected by the golden armor, instantly appeared hundreds of miles away, beyond the scope of the Purple Sky Sect's ruins.
But soon, the Holy Emperor discovered an extremely bizarre scene in front of him.
The crack in front of him also followed the teleportation, and its position relative to him remained unchanged.
Meanwhile, Mo Rubin continued to smirk, looking coldly at him from the other side of the mirror.
As if by some extremely mysterious force, Li Ping and Mo Rubin were locked, and no matter how he changed his position, he couldn't break free.
Even more chilling was that Li Ping faintly felt that the appearance and aura of Mo Rubin on the other side of the mirror were quietly changing.
His body slowly expanded, and his features became more and more blurred.
Mo Rubin was undergoing a transformation towards the Faceless Holy Emperor.
"Unorthodox methods? Truly ignorant and fearless!"
"What is evil? What is righteous? Right and wrong are irrelevant; only immortality prevails!"
"The [Unyielding Demonheart Immortal Technique], can it be judged by you?"
Mo Rubin burst into laughter, full of mockery. "Let you become me!"
The things on both sides of the mirror became more and more alike.
The distance between the Holy Emperor and Mo Rubin gradually closed.
Just as it was about to slide completely to the other side of the mirror, Li Ping suddenly took off his golden armor.
He coldly stared at Mo Rubin not far away. "Become me?"
"Just based on you?"
"I am the Holy Emperor ordained by destiny."
A purple-golden aura emerged from nothingness, like a dreamy veil, instantly weaving into a cloud-like dragon robe that spontaneously dressed Li Ping.
The voice of the Faceless Holy Emperor echoed on one end of the mirror, thundering like the Nine Heavens, causing ripples in the fissure that separated reality from illusion.
"I am also the Dao of the Mysterious Yellow Heaven!"
"The survival of billions hinges on it, and the revival originates from the darkest starry sea!"
"Do you want to become me?"
With each sentence the Holy Emperor spoke, it was like surging waves, fiercely striking the crack in the mirror.
Creaking sounds, under the unbearable weight, faintly emanated, and on the other side of the mirror, numerous cracks appeared.
As if it would shatter at any moment.
"Can you bear it?" Li Ping asked coldly.
A stone stirs a thousand waves.
Mo Rubin's expression truly changed for the first time, breaking away from the imitation of the Faceless Holy Emperor.
Behind Li Ping, he seemed to see a miniature image of the entire Mysterious Yellow Realm.
Even behind that cluster of Mysterious Yellow radiance, there seemed to be even more brilliant star rivers!
In an instant, the world turned upside down.
The weight of the world pressed down on him.
Ding!
The cracked mirror shattered, and as a chain reaction, countless mirrors blocking the space around also instantly exploded into thousands of fragments.
Mo Rubin forcefully spat out a mouthful of blood, but his reaction was not slow.
Taking advantage of the disturbance caused by the shattered mirrors, his figure became illusory, and in an instant, he appeared thousands of miles away.
"Mysterious Yellow Dao?"
"How is it possible?"
Mo Rubin's face was full of disbelief.
His complexion suddenly changed again. "Damn unreliable Mysterious Yellow Dao, I need to get rid of it quickly."
While he muttered to himself, a tall figure quietly blocked his way ahead.
"My question hasn't been answered, and you want to leave?"
Mo Rubin's eyes flashed with a hint of fear, sneering. "The Holy Emperor of destiny, the incarnation of the Dao, is just a pawn!"
"If you don't want to die, why don't we cooperate? How about it?"
"Although you are strong, you are still a bit inferior to Brother Xuanyuan. Even he fell victim to scheming and unforeseen circumstances; you certainly can't avoid it..."
Mo Rubin's words made Li Ping pause his attack.
But after Mo Rubin finished speaking these words, Li Ping's expression suddenly changed.
Reaching out to grab Mo Rubin in front of him, the figure burst like a bubble, dispersing in the air.
It was obviously an illusion. The real Mo Rubin had escaped from under Li Ping's nose without him knowing when or where.
The Holy Emperor did not feel angry at being played.
"A true immortal technique is indeed extraordinary."
"The [Unyielding Demonheart Immortal Technique]..."
"No, that's not right."
After pondering for a moment, Li Ping looked at the cat treasure sleeping on his shoulder.
In the brief battle with Mo Rubin just now, it seemed that the opponent had not noticed the existence of the cat treasure.
Moreover, the killing move that could replicate and replace did not reveal the presence of the cat treasure.
"It doesn't interest the cat treasure. It seems that this so-called immortal technique is somewhat overrated."
Although Mo Rubin had escaped at the moment, he was not truly out of Li Ping's control.
While Mo Rubin was attempting to replace Li Ping, Li Ping was slowly pulling him into the web of source force essence.
Even if he managed to break free temporarily, by following the golden fine net still suspended in the air, Li Ping could trace his whereabouts.
In Li Ping's perception, Mo Rubin was still fleeing rapidly.
Li Ping was not in a hurry to catch up; instead, he planned to play a long game and catch a big fish.
"What he said earlier is hard to distinguish between true and false. But one thing is certain: he will definitely go in search of the Heavenly King of Mystery."
"Or something related to the former Heavenly Mystery Sect."
"Let's wait and see."
Li Ping knew that dealing with an ancient being like Mo Rubin, who had survived since ancient times, required considerable patience.
Moreover, the recent battle with Mo Rubin gave the Holy Emperor a substantial understanding of the mysterious techniques of the Heavenly Mystery Sect.
After being prepared, the next encounter would not allow him to escape so easily.
The fluctuations from the recent battle seemed to attract the attention of other powerful beings.
Perhaps members of the Wanxian Alliance would come to investigate soon, so Li Ping prepared to leave this place.
"Unexpectedly, Mo Rubin would hide in the remnants of the Purple Sky Sect."
"According to the records on the stone tablet, after the Ten Immortal Sects destroyed the Heavenly Mystery Sect, they almost turned the world upside down to eliminate future troubles, including both large and small sects. The Purple Sky Sect was carefully investigated back then, but he still managed to evade capture."
"The Heavenly Mystery Sect's techniques, regardless of their power, are quite elusive and hard to defend against..."
"Not like the orthodox immortal path."
Li Ping commented in this way in his mind.
His divine sense swept over the remnants of the Purple Sky Sect thousands of miles away, and the figure of the Faceless Holy Emperor slowly disappeared in the air.
But the next moment, Li Ping reappeared.
"Hmm?"
Because in the instant he was contemplating, Li Ping noticed something unusual.
The perspective suddenly rose, and Li Ping saw a miniature view of the Mysterious Yellow Realm.
"This place is the Linlang Prefecture of the Wanxian Alliance. A thousand years ago, it was originally part of the original Mysterious Yellow Realm."
"The Mysterious Yellow Realm was dissected and reconstructed, and this Linlang Prefecture was fused with other cultivation realms."
"But..."
Li Ping gradually became serious.
"The original puzzle of the Mysterious Yellow Realm is missing a piece."
Having mastered the information on the Creation Stone Tablet and being closely connected with the Mysterious Yellow Dao, Li Ping became increasingly solemn.
During the process of reconstructing the original Mysterious Yellow Realm, Li Ping faintly sensed that a large area of the former Purple Sky Sect had disappeared in the new map of the Mysterious Yellow Realm.
Or rather, it didn't disappear.
It still existed in some corner of the current Mysterious Yellow Realm.
"But there is a certain force that influenced me, making me subconsciously ignore its existence."
After reaching this conclusion, the aura around Li Ping suddenly became solemn.
The maps of the original Mysterious Yellow Realm and the current Mysterious Yellow Realm continuously separated and reorganized in his sea of consciousness for comparison.
After a while, he finally found another area of the former Purple Sky Sect.
It was now in the region of Taihua State, under the Taixu Mountain.
"What's there..."
Li Ping didn't immediately investigate but pondered the force that could influence him.
Images of the past flashed through his mind.
The Holy Emperor sensed something.
However, Li Ping, unusually, hesitated.
Standing in the air for a long time, after a while, he finally made up his mind.
"No matter what the truth is, if I don't have the courage to face it..."
"How can I save the Mysterious Yellow Realm."
The Holy Emperor shook his head slightly, and his figure flashed.
In no time, he arrived at Taixu Mountain.
However, the secret he discovered here deviated slightly from his expectations.
In a deep valley below Taixu Mountain, Li Ping found an underground chamber buried in mud.
The aura emanating from the chamber made even the Heavenly Dao incarnation like him feel uncomfortable.
What was more concerning was that the cat treasure, which had been sleeping on his shoulder, suddenly woke up and looked around.
As if it had found something delicious, Li Ping could feel extreme excitement from the cat treasure.
But after locking onto the target, the cat treasure suddenly lost all its vigor, as if deflated, and lazily fell back into sleep.
However, Li Ping's attention never left the target.
"What is this..."
A statue.
Like him, it had no face.
Although it looked ordinary with no visible aura, Li Ping felt an unprecedented pressure from the stone statue.
Even when facing the remnants of disasters in the Darkstar Sea, he hadn't felt this way.
The Faceless Statue seemed to possess a mysterious power.
Li Ping walked slowly, gradually approaching it.
Two faceless visages, facing each other across space.
For some reason, a surge of impulse rose within Li Ping.
He wanted to communicate with this statue...
In the expanded space of the Transcendent Law Pearl,
Li Fan's aura slightly stagnated.
The scene he could perceive from the Holy Emperor's clone had become extremely blurry.
However, due to an inadvertent turn of events by the Holy Emperor, he once again discovered the Faceless True Immortal's statue buried under Taixu Mountain.
Influenced by the instinctive perception of a lethal crisis, this connection became clear again.
Li Fan closed his eyes, concentrating, attempting to reverse the intentions of the clone.
Although he could escape once from the True Immortal's net, escaping a second time was possible but troublesome. Complete liberation required traversing many lifetimes, a tedious affair better avoided.
However, the determination of the Holy Emperor's will was unexpectedly resolute.
Perhaps, within the same featureless countenance, he sensed something.
He continued walking towards the Faceless True Immortal statue.
Standing in front of the statue, motionless.
At this moment, even though the Holy Emperor was his clone, Li Fan couldn't understand what the Holy Emperor was thinking.
"So, this is the Xuantian Immortal."
After a long time, Li Ping, from the records on the Creation Stone Tablet, discovered the origin of this statue.
The Faceless True Immortal worshipped by the Xuantian Sect.
Li Ping touched his own faceless countenance, and his aura fluctuated continuously.
"Interesting."
Li Ping couldn't determine if there was a real connection between himself and this Faceless True Immortal.
But he could faintly sense the extraordinary nature of this statue.
Being extremely cautious, he chose not to touch it himself.
Li Ping summoned a seemingly ordinary Sacred Army puppet and moved the statue to the dim void outside the Great Origin Small World.
Layering various formations, he sealed the statue.
He stopped only when the sense of imminent danger gradually faded.
The reason for his caution was the familiar feeling he confirmed after contacting the statue during this period.
And the source of this familiarity was not just because the statue had an eerie resemblance to him in being faceless.
Rather, it came from an image.
The image he perceived in the central region of the Darkstar Sea, from the colossal intent emanating from the source of the star sea.
"None of my concern! None of my concern!"
In that rampant laughter, a gradually disappearing figure.
Strikingly similar to the feeling he got from this statue.
"Is it the same person? Or maybe not?"
Just a fleeting glimpse of a flashing scene, Li Ping couldn't confirm anything.
"If I have the opportunity, I'll visit the central region of the Darkstar Sea again."
"With the vast intent of the star sea personally discerning it, I should be able to figure it out."
Li Ping had this thought in his mind.
"Perhaps, I can give it another try. However, the reserves of the Crystal of Empty Clarity have been depleted in the last operation. Moreover..."
Li Fan looked again at the Faceless Stone Statue that was heavily sealed in the void.
Although it had no eyes, it seemed to be watching him.
"If the culprit of that year is truly this Faceless True Immortal, entangled by the enraged intent of the star sea, I'm afraid that even if the puppet body goes past, the main body here will be affected."
"Compared to the entire Darkstar Sea, the Mysterious Yellow Realm is like a drop in the ocean..."
Before Li Ping's eyes, there was a sudden flash of the scene where the Mysterious Yellow Realm was torn apart by violent energy in an instant.
He couldn't help but suppress the previous thoughts.
After a long silence, the Holy Emperor's figure disappeared. When he reappeared, he placed another object next to the Faceless True Immortal statue.
It was the remnant of the First Sect, which was previously sealed beneath the Great Rift Valley in the Floating Light Province.
Although the relic itself was ordinary, the remains of the Archmage within and the hidden Wind Calamity made the Holy Emperor cautious.
The remnants of the First Sect and the Faceless True Immortal statue faced each other in the void.
Li Ping had a sense of foreboding.
If there were no sealed formations between them...
Perhaps an extremely terrifying calamity would erupt on the spot.
"Immortal..."
The manic laughter of "None of my concern" faintly echoed in Li Ping's ears.
He snorted coldly, and once again, thousands of formations were cast from his hands.
Reinforcing the cage containing both.
These unstable factors buried in the Mysterious Yellow Realm were not reassuring anywhere else. Only by personally guarding them could Li Ping feel secure.
With this in mind, Li Ping continued tirelessly strengthening the sealed formations.
On his shoulder, Cat Treasure had awakened at some point.
Its clear eyes stared into the front void. It extended its paw to its mouth and licked it.
...
On Li Fan's side, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
With the Faceless True Immortal statue sealed, the connection between him and the clone once again became blurry.
In fact, it was even weaker than before.
"Has the Holy Emperor's clone become more guarded?"
Li Fan shook his head inwardly, not particularly concerned.
"However, this incident has reminded me."
"Although I am hiding here, watching the drastic changes in the Mysterious Yellow Realm, the Holy Emperor, as the main character of this era, will inevitably confront those transcendent existences."
"It's not impossible that, like the True Immortal in the Immortal Tomb before, he will find me through the connection between the clone and the main body."
"Hmm... I need to prepare just in case."
However, he was in the heartland of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, and his actions were not entirely free. He needed careful consideration.
"You big fool!" While he was contemplating, he vaguely sensed that Yànfǎ Jué, the little girl, was calling out to the simulated personality.
With a mental shift, he appeared again inside the character's light sphere.
"Really, it took you so long to respond." Yànfǎ Jué pouted, looking displeased.
"You've had enough sleep?" Li Fan didn't directly respond but asked with some surprise.
Yànfǎ Jué crossed her arms, "It hasn't been that long! But I remembered some things from before while I was dreaming."
"See if it helps you!" The little girl clapped her hands, and the scene inside the light sphere suddenly changed.
On an endless grassland, a solitary rock stood.
Suddenly, the earth began to shake.
Vast stretches of green grass, as if stimulated by something, began to grow wildly.
In an instant, they grew to be as tall as a person.
Even the solitary rock on the grassland was lifted from the ground.
A rainbow arc suddenly appeared in the sky.
The arc was colorful, and faintly, one could see flashes of lightning, thunder, and the focus of a gathering storm within.
Around the colorful arc, the space occasionally showed strange distortions. It was as if there were invisible objects, appearing there.
Invisible things gathered more and more, surrounding the arc, seemingly awaiting something.
The storm grew more violent, and the rolling black clouds even showed signs of piercing through the arc.
Although the storm looked terrifying from outside the arc, its true horror unfolded when it spread beyond the arc.
A pitch-black lightning bolt suddenly struck the ground from the arc.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The world was split in half, and the space was deeply cracked, taking a long time to heal. On the grassland, the continuous green grass was ignited, and a raging fire rapidly spread.
But then, a more mysterious scene unfolded.
The burning ashes fell, turning into nutrients that nourished the green leaves. The green grass once again grew wildly, its growth rate actually compensating for the burning speed.
The grassland trembled, and beneath the raging fire, it seemed like something was awakening.
In the high sky, the invisible figures around the rainbow arc paid no attention to everything happening below.
They simply continued converging towards the inside of the arc.
They even had disputes over positions, leading to continuous thunderous roars and collisions.
The storm brewed to its extreme, and suddenly, it fell into a standstill. The rolling black clouds disappeared in an instant.
Inside the rainbow arc, within the clear sky for miles.
An extremely mysterious character appeared!
The moment the character appeared, it seemed as if the highest avenue's profound sound echoed throughout the heavens and earth.
Colorful auspicious clouds continuously came from the horizon, converging towards the character.
Drizzling raindrops fell from the sky.
Like the auspicious clouds in the sky, the raindrops were of a captivating seven-colored hue.
The cracks in the sky were repaired.
The flames on the grassland were extinguished with the falling raindrops.
The continuous green grass greedily absorbed the heavenly rain. However, their bodies were gradually shrinking.
The colorful light lit up, and figures of various shapes were incubating within.
But the fierce battle in the high sky seemed even louder.
However, Yanfa Jue's recollection was nearing its end.
The surrounding scenes gradually became blurry, and only the solitary rock on the grassland, being dissolved by the rain, could be seen.
...
The scene faded, and Li Fan returned to the character light sphere of Yanfa Jue.
But he was immersed in the previous scene and couldn't break free.
"How was it? Any clues?" Yanfa Jue asked with anticipation.
After savoring the scene for a long time, Li Fan finally asked, "Those raindrops, could they be the Celestial Sound Jade Dew you mentioned?"
Yanfa Jue raised her head proudly and said confidently, "It should be. I've had this memory in my mind since I was born. But as I grew up, I forgot about it."
"Fortunately, I had a good nap before, or I wouldn't have remembered anything!"
"I have a feeling that if I could have more of this stuff..."
Li Fan interrupted Yanfa Jue's daydreaming.
"And what about the characters in the colorful arc? Why couldn't I see them clearly?"
Pouting, Yanfa Jue replied, "I told you it's something from dreams. It's already quite hard for me to recall all of this, how could I remember the characters clearly?!"
Li Fan stared at Yanfa Jue, attempting to discern the truth in her words.
"You actually don't believe me?" Yanfa Jue said, feeling extremely wronged.
Li Fan chuckled, "You're not foolish. I just don't believe that you haven't realized the scenes you showed just now are likely the legendary scenes of the immortal realm."
"Characters even immortals vie for..."
"You are hiding something, and that's understandable."
Hearing this, Yanfa Jue became even more aggrieved. "I really can't remember. You know it's immortal characters; they aren't that easy to remember. Besides, I was so small at that time..."
Yanfa Jue gestured, tearfully.
"How can I remember?" Li Fan asked, not believing the little girl's nonsense and directly setting conditions.
Yanfa Jue's tears suddenly stopped.
Her big eyes turned as if she were thinking.
After a moment, she said softly, "Well, maybe if I eat a bit more, I can remember something."
Yanfa Jue licked her lips, staring at Li Fan.
"Eat?" Li Fan lowered his head. "Can you even eat?"
Yanfa Jue said indignantly, "What kind of question is that? I'm also a person, you know."
"It's been thousands of years since I tasted the flavor of delicious food."
"I tasted it again in my dream and got awakened by my craving..."
Li Fan conjured up a fragrant and crispy-skinned pigeon in his hand. "Is this okay?"
Yanfa Jue rolled her eyes, "I want the real thing, not fake. I want as much as I can get."
Saying that, the little girl waved her hand, and the surroundings were instantly filled with various delicacies.
"Even if it looks the same, fake is still fake and can't become real..."
Yanfa Jue shook her head, expressing regret.
"Oh?"
For some reason, Yanfa Jue suddenly felt a slight change in Li Fan's expression.
"Then look at this dish, how is it?"
Appearing in Li Fan's hand was an ordinary fried rice.
Yanfa Jue initially dismissed it, but under Li Fan's gaze, she took it and tasted it.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 1276 Capturing Moru Bin
At first, Yanfa Jue was a bit cautious. However, once she took a bite, her expression instantly became vivid, and she began devouring the fried rice.
"Mmm... so delicious... mmm."
In no time, she finished a whole plate of fried rice. Afterward, she rubbed her slightly bulging belly, still looking fascinated. "Your fried rice is just like the real thing! How did you do it?"
Smiling, Li Fan said, "When falsehood is treated as truth, truth becomes falsehood. True or false, it's not so easy to distinguish. As long as you have enough understanding of the essence of things, you can create something incredibly realistic."
Yanfa Jue sat on the ground and exclaimed, "I've only eaten these dishes before; I've never cooked them. And other delicious things too. It seems hopeless to be self-sufficient. But..."
She assessed Li Fan, "You wouldn't happen to be a chef before..."
Li Fan twitched his face, avoided the question, and changed the subject, "Are you full now? What about recalling the immortal characters?"
Yanfa Jue shook her head quickly, "Just one dish is not enough! Can you bring more!"
Li Fan coldly snorted but still waved, conjuring up a stove, cooking utensils, and ingredients.
In the flickering flames, a continuous array of delicious dishes filled the air.
Yanfa Jue drooled at the sight, accepting them all without hesitation.
"Burp..."
After a satisfying meal, the round-bellied little girl lay down on the ground, looking rather uncouth.
"Don't say, although you don't look good, your cooking skills are really good," Yanfa Jue praised.
Li Fan responded indifferently, "It was just a small business I did with these skills as a mortal. Nothing worth mentioning."
Yanfa Jue squinted happily, savoring the taste lingering on her tongue.
Afterward, she said, "Well, I'm a bit sleepy. I'll take a short nap. You take care of things."
Saying that, Yanfa Jue began to snore heavily and fell into a deep sleep.
In the character light sphere, strokes interweaved and formed a gigantic character that occupied the entire sky.
The Dao Xuan Yin, previously heard in the illusion, faintly echoed again.
However, it came and went, almost like an illusion.
Li Fan looked up at the character, motionless. Only when it slowly dissipated did a thoughtful expression appear on his face.
"It is indeed a true immortal seal. However, due to Yanfa Jue's memory loss, she can't fully understand the meaning of this true immortal seal. Even the character she presented has deviated slightly from the genuine immortal seal."
"However..."
Li Fan used his hand as a brush and attempted to write in the air.
But every time he paused at crucial points, shaking his head slightly.
"The structure of the strokes, the style of the turns, and various details of the strokes all resemble the characters I've seen before, like 'hunger' and 'chaos.' But it's more beautiful, more naturally blended."
"The gap between the genuine article and the imitation is unexpectedly vast."
Previously, the many true immortal seals Li Fan encountered seemed perfect in his eyes, without any flaws. Each one displayed the vast and sacred power of true immortals.
But everything is afraid of comparison.
Compared with the genuine inscription of the immortal path in Yanfa Jue's memory, those seals causing chaos in the dark star sea seemed like child's scribbles.
However, Li Fan discovered that this gap only appeared when both were simultaneously presented and compared in his mind. If he reproduced only a single character like 'hunger' or 'chaos,' he would still instinctively feel their perfection.
This is a very contradictory and wonderful experience.
After repeated attempts, Li Fan concluded that the true immortal seals were like vast oceans to him. He could only feel trapped within them, unable to comprehend their entirety. However, with the comparison of the genuine immortal characters, it was like an anchor, allowing him to break free and see the real scene.
Imitating the genuine immortal characters, Li Fan reorganized the true immortal seals he knew, such as 'hunger' and 'chaos.'
The result was excellent. Although at first glance, they seemed unchanged, Li Fan was confident that these improved true immortal seals had at least expanded their power by one-third.
"Unfortunately, this genuine immortal inscription is also incomplete. Moreover, it is somewhat distorted from Yanfa Jue's memory."
After a while, Li Fan snapped out of his realization, taking a deep breath.
"From the current clues, true immortal seals can be divided into three categories. One is the chaos-type characters, causing various disasters and destruction. The second is the return-type characters, which are orders from the immortal realm. Finally, there is this..."
"The raindrops brought down by the characters can be called the 'Immortal Sound Jade Dew.' Along with the birth of the Dao Xuan Yin, it attracts the intervention of various true immortals. It's probably closer to the legendary 'Inscription.'"
Li Fan's thoughts surged, and he couldn't help but try to repair the missing inscription characters once again.
As expected, his efforts were in vain.
"With the destruction of the immortal realm, where will the genuine immortal inscriptions of the past go?" Li Fan couldn't help but ponder.
...
Just as Li Fan's main body learned about the secrets of the former immortal realm from Yanfa Jue and had some enlightenment, Li Ping, the Faceless Holy Emperor, finally completed the final blockade of the Faceless True Immortal statue and the remnants of the Initial Sect.
In his senses, Moru Bin, who had been fleeing rapidly before, had long since ceased any movement.
"What place is this?"
Li Ping contemplated for a moment and didn't directly pursue. Instead, he summoned Crafty Craftsman.
"Here... it's said to be the convergence of the earth's energy after the heart of that giant beast turned into a swamp. I've been there once, but I didn't find anything special," Crafty said, sensing the image transmitted by the Holy Emperor and shaking his head slightly.
The location pointed out by the Holy Emperor was the Nine Mountain State, the stronghold of the Spirit Yuan Sect, in one of its swamps.
"Just the spiritual energy is denser than other places, but there's nothing else special." Crafty Craftsman asserted.
"As for that 'Tian Beast,' how much do you know?" Li Ping asked again.
Crafty Craftsman shrugged, "If it weren't for some local cultivators from the Nine Mountains in my sect, I'm afraid I wouldn't even know the legend that the Nine Mountains were formed by the corpse of a giant beast. It turns out that thing is called the Tian Beast, quite enlightening."
"But, if you're interested in that place, my sect has a Foundation Establishment cultivator named Shen Yurou. You can summon him and ask."
Crafty explained the reason to Li Ping. It turned out that the Shen family had been digging underground objects in the Nine Mountains for generations, making a living. The chaotic land of the Nine Mountains had buried countless cultivators since ancient times, even dating back to the time when the ten major sects ruled.
Relying on this skill, the Shen family had accumulated quite a bit of capital. However, it was ultimately a shady business. After joining the Spirit Yuan Sect, Shen Yurou abandoned this ancestral skill.
"I seem to have heard him say that his ancestor once dug up a peculiar structure near that swamp. However, there was nothing inside, only some strange statues. After his ancestor left disappointedly, he fell seriously ill, almost dying."
Li Ping's heart moved and he checked the Creation Stone Tablet.
Sure enough, he found information about this ancestor of the Shen family. However, there was no record of discovering ruins in the swamp of the Nine Mountains.
Li Ping then left Daqi, heading to the Spirit Yuan Sect.
Disguised as the Spirit Yuan Sect Master, he summoned Shen Yurou to inquire about the details.
Shen Yurou was somewhat bewildered by the summoning of the long-lost sect master. He cautiously said, "This matter is indeed a bit strange. Ever since that incident, my ancestor contracted a strange illness."
"Such as recurring scenes in dreams, for instance..."
"After that incident in our Shen family, all our clan members became gender-reversed. The male looks like a female, and the female looks like a male. The yin and yang are reversed." Shen Yurou seemed to have accepted the reality and spoke calmly.
Li Ping's divine sense swept over Shen Yurou's body and didn't detect any influence of strange forces. It seemed like this was how it should be.
"Is the specific location of that building still preserved?" Li Ping asked.
Shen Yurou showed a distressed expression, "To prevent other clan members from mistakenly entering again, our ancestor did not disclose the specific location. However, the scenes of that building are preserved in paintings and calligraphy."
As he spoke, Shen Yurou pointed with his fingers, revealing a picture.
In each corner, there was a statue placed.
It was a headless figure, posing in different ways, as if in prayer.
In the center of the four statues stood a bare, round pillar.
The surface of the pillar was very smooth, without any carved patterns. However, strangely, the shadow cast on the ground by the pillar seemed to be a ferocious beast, baring its teeth and claws. It looked as if it could come to life at any moment with the changing light.
"According to our ancestor, in this building, there would be a continuous pounding heartbeat in the ears. Moreover, if you look along this pillar, it feels like falling into an abyss, surrounded by endless darkness..." Shen Yurou added.
Li Ping stared at the four headless figures in the picture.
Even though they were without heads, one could vaguely see a style similar to the faceless true immortal he encountered beneath Taixu Mountain. It should undoubtedly be a creation of the Xuantian Sect.
"Borrow their likeness, yet behead them."
"This pillar..."
That smooth round pillar was undoubtedly the core of this strange building.
However, just from the image, it was impossible to discern any details.
After asking Shen Yurou to step back, Li Ping quietly entered the Nine Mountain State swamp.
In the continuous mountains, such a large-scale swamp appeared. Theoretically, it was very unreasonable. Many cultivators had come here to explore, trying to discover some secrets, but all of them returned empty-handed.
Li Ping stood in the center of the swamp, only feeling a foul and putrid smell. There was no perception of anything strange.
If he hadn't clearly sensed that Moru Bin was hiding here...
Moru Bin probably hadn't noticed Li Ping's approach yet. Although he had been moving in a small range within the swamp, he had not left this area.
Li Ping set up an array around him, then silently entered the swamp's underground, slowly approaching the sensed location.
"Gurgle..."
Suddenly, his figure abruptly stopped.
Just now, Li Ping faintly heard the sound of squirming.
With his current cultivation, he could almost rule out the possibility of it being an illusion. So...
Li Ping surveyed the surroundings.
The viscous and foul-smelling swamp mud seemed to move rhythmically like living beings.
Li Ping suddenly had a feeling that the entire swamp seemed to have come alive.
"A trap?"
The thought crossed Li Ping's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
The attention of this swamp was not on him.
The Saint Emperor continued to hide his traces, following the fluctuations in the swamp's life, and soon discovered the peculiar building that Shen Yurou's ancestor had encountered.
Looking from the outside, this building was like a blank face.
And the towering, smooth cylindrical pillar was located at the center of the blank face, as if a third eye protruding high from the ground, gazing into the sky.
This strange scene made Li Ping's heart tighten.
The building isolated him from peering inside. He could only rely on the mark he left on Moru Bin earlier to confirm that the other party was indeed busy inside.
The Saint Emperor did not intrude. Instead, he silently laid down a network of source power essence around the periphery. Coupled with layers of formations, the area was completely sealed. He also invoked the power of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao to block the surrounding veins...
Even though he had set up so many methods, for some reason, Li Ping still felt that he didn't have much certainty.
After contemplating for a moment, Li Ping awakened the cat treasure on his shoulder and took something from its belly.
It was an extraordinary treasure obtained from the fishing pool capable of sealing space.
The appearance of the treasure looked ordinary, just a simple ring.
But the circulating golden-white light on it faintly hinted at the terrifying power hidden within.
"The Spatial Binding Ring."
"It forms a ring-shaped world, annihilating living beings and integrating them into the realm, refined through sacrifice. It not only carries the weight of the entire world itself but also the weight of countless living beings. Once bound, even I would be greatly affected in my actions."
Although the refining method was undeniably evil, Li Ping was not a narrow-minded person, so using it didn't carry any psychological burden.
He gently threw it out, and the Spatial Binding Ring flew towards the top of the faceless building. In the blink of an eye, it expanded several times, covering the entire surrounding area.
Watching the gradually disappearing golden-white ring, the Saint Emperor contemplated for a moment and then laid down the final measure.
With everything prepared, Li Ping flew towards the inside of the building.
"You've come."
"Been waiting for you."
Just as he entered, Li Ping heard Moru Bin's voice ringing in his ears.
Li Ping looked around but couldn't see his actual figure.
However, at the base of the smooth cylindrical pillar in the center of the building, the elusive shadow seemed like a human shape.
Confronting Li Ping, it appeared with a hint of mockery on its face.
"I followed Elder Xuanyuan for so long. Even if I haven't stepped into the realm of Demigod, I am not completely ignorant of his plans. Moreover, you are using a plan that Elder Xuanyuan has abandoned..."
"Worldly Immortal Power, it's powerful, but it's harmful and useless." Moru Bin mocked.
Li Ping knew that Moru Bin referred to the Worldly Immortal Power, the essence he condensed from the faith of the You Clan people.
The means might be devious, but Li Ping was not a rigid person. So, using it didn't bother him psychologically.
Ignoring Moru Bin's words, the Saint Emperor examined the details of the building.
"Remnants of the Xuantian Sect?" he asked.
Moru Bin seemed to be waiting for something and did not make a move. He responded, "Hehehe, it's not so much the Xuantian Sect as my personal back-up plan."
"Elder Xuanyuan was too idealistic. Too trusting in himself."
"I am different."
The shadow under the cylinder, stimulated by something, moved even more rapidly.
"Once I had the same mentality as Elder Xuanyuan, thinking I was the born protagonist, that as long as I did something, there was no possibility of failure. But later, I was hit hard, and my cultivation regressed every day. I had to face the ridicule of those insignificant people from the past..."
"I've figured it out!"
Suddenly, Moru Bin's shadow surged from the ground, floating in mid-air, glaring at Li Ping with malevolence.
"I'm not some protagonist. I'm just a insignificant figure that has flowed through the long river of history in the world. Insignificant figures naturally have to pave the way for failure. So, I concealed this place from Elder Xuanyuan, building it secretly!"
Moru Bin manifested a shadowy arm, pointing at the four headless statues around, and sinisterly said, "Take a look at these statues."
"These are genuine immortals who saved Elder Xuanyuan's life. The people of the sect, including Elder Xuanyuan himself, highly respect them. Yet, weren't their heads chopped off by me?!"
Moru Bin's maniacal laughter echoed through the entire secret room.
Li Ping calmly said, "Aren't you afraid of the retaliation of the true immortals?"
Moru Bin laughed even more ferociously, "You guys don't understand at all. Don't talk about beheading; even if I urinate and defecate on their statues, the true immortals won't care!"
"Worldly matters, how could they catch the eye of true immortals?! Immortals..."
"...only care about what they care about!"
Li Ping just silently listened, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"I know that when the immortal power arrives, it's like the true immortals are present. But even true immortals don't have infinite power. How could they waste their power on this small statue?"
After a wild laughter, Moru Bin slowly regained his composure, "Unless..."
"...something the true immortals care about appears around the statues."
As he spoke, the shadow formed by Moru Bin retracted into the smooth cylinder.
The ground of the building trembled slightly, and the cylinder began to emit a faint glow, as if something were incubating within.
"I don't know who you are. But I'll give you some advice..."
Moru Bin's voice came from the cylinder, becoming unclear through the numerous obstacles.
"Unless absolutely necessary, don't become a true immortal!"
Li Ping faintly felt that the four faceless statues around him seemed to come to life.
Even though their heads were severed, they could still gaze around.
However, their gaze wasn't on Li Ping; it was all concentrated on the radiant cylinder.
In theory, even if it wasn't the direct gaze of the tremendous power of a true immortal but just the vision transmitted through countless time and space, it should still be difficult for ordinary cultivators to withstand.
Yet, the faceless Saint Emperor within the four statues didn't feel any pressure.
"Is the power being extracted, absorbed?"
Li Ping's mind trembled slightly.
In his gaze, four strands of the same type of power intertwined into threads, encircling the smooth cylinder, layer after layer.
Stimulated by this tremendous power, the glow of the cylinder became even more dazzling.
The surface seemed to melt away, revealing the true form inside.
"This is..."
A bare flagpole.
The flag itself had long disappeared, leaving only a carved white jade pole standing upright.
"An item from the immortal realm."
Feeling the increasingly chaotic energy fluctuations around him, Li Ping took a step back, but his gaze remained firmly locked on the white jade flagpole.
"Not only the gaze of the true immortal statues, but even the source essence I arranged outside, also known as the mortal world immortal power, is faintly being manipulated by this flagpole..."
At this moment, Moru Bin's voice rang out again, "When Elder Xuanyuan returned from the immortal realm, he brought back quite a few good things."
"Forget about those cultivation techniques; even immortal treasures were just lying around..."
"It's a pity that they say these were contaminated by calamities, and most were sealed, preventing us from using them."
Energy formed a substantial vortex around the flag.
Amidst constant tremors, the flagpole seemed like it could break through the sky at any moment.
"Alright, I haven't talked to anyone for many years. Saying so much at once finally feels comfortable."
"We'll meet again when we have the chance."
"I need to do something important now."
Moru Bin's words slowly disappeared.
A brilliant light erupted from the flagpole, obscuring everything around it.
In the next moment, the Spirit Flag was about to escape from this place.
However, Li Ping had been tracking for so long; naturally, he couldn't let Moru Bin leave just based on a few words.
The formations and the net of source essence burst open.
Golden interwoven threads manifested from the void. A tightly woven celestial net blocked the path in front of the flagpole, even completely sealing the space.
"Worldly immortal power dares to contend with true immortal power?!"
Moru Bin's mocking voice echoed.
At the front end of the white jade flagpole, under the dazzling light, the golden source essence slowly melted like snow.
Li Ping remained unaffected, simultaneously using the remaining source essence to intercept the flagpole and activating formations.
"A mere worldly formation dares to..."
"Hmm?!"
For the first time, Moru Bin's tone showed astonishment.
Because the formations Li Ping displayed had far exceeded his understanding.
Even the white jade flagpole, which was about to pierce through the void, was slowly pulled back.
In Moru Bin's perception, the surroundings seemed filled with obstructive substances, hindering the flagpole's progress.
"The formations of the Xuanhuang Realm have developed to such an extent?"
"The intricacy is even beyond the Floating Sky Starry Array!"
Although shocked, Moru Bin didn't slow down his departure.
A white light erupted once again from the flagpole.
As the white light passed, everything blocking its path was completely annihilated.
The flagpole effortlessly broke free from the layers of obstruction.
For some reason, Moru Bin, without his mocking words, just silently wanted to leave.
"Decree!"
At this moment, Li Ping's cold voice resounded.
The Binding Void Ring manifested in the void, firmly locking the white jade flagpole.
"It's useless! Useless! Useless! Just a trivial realm tool!"
"Damn it! You're really like a fly, so annoying!"
Moru Bin's tone had a noticeable difference compared to before.
Rambling on, and even sounding a bit eccentric.
For the first time, something other than white light appeared in the white jade flagpole.
It was a humanoid silhouette.
A figure wielding a long knife gracefully flew out and gently slashed towards the Binding Void Ring.
Ding!
The golden-white ring, containing the essence of billions of beings and the entire cultivation world, fractured!
However, releasing the white figure evidently consumed a significant amount from the white jade flagpole.
Many areas of the radiance became dim.
"Damn, damn, damn..."
Moru Bin's malicious curses echoed.
But he did not stay to trouble Li Ping.
Instead, he decisively continued towards the predetermined location.
"I told you, you can't stop me!"
In the flickering light, the white jade flagpole turned into a thin line, breaking free from all restraints and about to leave.
At this moment, an ancient song suddenly resounded.
The voice was not loud, but it overwhelmed the vibrations of Moru Bin and the white jade flagpole.
A pitch-black door quietly opened on the path ahead of the white jade flagpole.
And Li Ping, who had not personally intervened, appeared at this moment, reaching the tail of the white jade flagpole.
A golden armor protected his body, with the silhouette of the Xuanhuang Realm appearing behind the Sacred Emperor.
"Go in!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Li Ping kicked the tail of the white jade flagpole fiercely.
Causing the flagpole, which was already eager to leave, to suddenly surge forward.
Unable to evade, it directly flew into the pitch-black door.
Li Ping followed suit, flying into it.
He took the opportunity to close the passage.
He also took the chance to bring along the several loyal members of the You Clan who had set up the ritual, risking their lives, and opened the passage to the Dark Sea.
Inside the Dark Sea.
Pitch-black and silent.
Even in the outside world, the white jade flagpole, shining like the sun, could only illuminate a small, limited area here.
And Moru Bin, who had been noisy all along, now seemed to have become mute.
Silent for a while.
"Wait, where is this..."
"Here..."
After a long while, he finally spoke in a daze.
"Now, we can talk."
The brilliance of the white jade flagpole slightly dispersed the pitch-black darkness of the Dark Sea, allowing Li Ping and Moru Bin to temporarily communicate using language.
However, Moru Bin seemed as if he hadn't heard Li Ping's words at all. He manifested his figure from the white jade flagpole, unimaginably surveying his surroundings. His expression held both anticipation and fear.
"Is there the aura of King Xuantian here?" Li Ping asked after a brief silence.
The three words "King Xuantian" seemed to trigger some kind of switch.
Moru Bin suddenly snapped back to reality, staring at Li Ping. "How do you know about this place? And how can you open the passage here?"
Moru Bin's tone was very dangerous, as if Li Ping's answer slightly deviating would lead to dire consequences.
"It's been nearly ten thousand years since your slumber. Nothing that shouldn't happen is possible," Li Ping replied with indifference.
"Not only me, even the largest cultivation organization today, the Wanxian Alliance, has mastered the passage to open this place."
"And they are currently here stealing power."
"Have you not sensed it?" Li Ping asked.
With these words, Moru Bin's expression changed again. He looked into the distance, and his aura fluctuated violently.
"How dare they?!"
"They must die! Kill!"
Moru Bin roared in rage.
(End of this chapter)