Chapter 996-1000: Breakers Are Hard to Mend (6k+ words)

The True Temptation Fruits transformed into threads of silver-white light, pouring into the bodies of the two joint-cultivator practitioners.

Originally, Li Fan thought it would proceed smoothly, just like the previous use of True Temptation Fruits. However, to his surprise, when the silver-white light was about to invade the mental sea of the two, it suddenly stopped.

It was as if it encountered some hindrance; the power of True Temptation Fruits was entirely blocked outside the divine soul.

Although True Temptation Fruits vanished in the air, it didn't alter the perception of Xuanshuang and Lixi Chan. The silver light tightly enveloped their divine souls.

"This is..."

Li Fan's expression changed. Upon careful observation, he found that it wasn't the failure of the power of the True Celestial; their divine souls had a special protective layer that resisted the distortion of cognition.

"Indeed, the higher-ups of the Immortal Alliance have a special defense mechanism for their divine souls."

"It makes sense; otherwise, merely mass-producing True Temptation Fruits could allow the Five Elders to conquer the Immortal Alliance."

Even though the first attempt at induction failed, Li Fan didn't give up. At the same time, he didn't plan to inquire about the divine soul defense mechanism from Moru Bin.

"Involving the secret of the Tianxuan Mirror's clone, it seems I have to use you for an experiment." Li Fan looked at the sleeping Lixi Chan.

To be cautious, besides Moru Bin's shadow seal, Li Fan consecutively set up formations around the two. This ensured that even if something unexpected happened during the experiment, they couldn't wake up and contact the outside world to escape.

Then, a strand of divine consciousness slowly extended toward Lixi Chan's divine soul.

Li Fan couldn't help but feel that Lixi Chan's divine soul strength was somewhat inadequate for her title as the chief of the Formation Hall in the Immortal Alliance.

In the Cloud-Water Heavenly Palace, Li Fan had once healed and closely contacted the divine soul of the sect master.

As fellow Nascent Divinity cultivators, Lixi Chan was much weaker compared to the sect master of the Cloud-Water Heavenly Palace.

Li Fan felt no threat and observed carefully without any haste.

Beyond the divine soul, there seemed to be dark-golden lines engraved.

Appearing and disappearing, it seemed like chains, not only binding the divine soul but also forming a protective layer similar to armor.

During the observation, Li Fan keenly discovered that, aside from protection, these dark-golden patterns likely had a self-destructive function.

"If I forcibly break through the protection of the dark-golden patterns, these chains, which have almost merged with the divine soul, will shatter in an instant..."

"The only outcome is soul destruction!"

After understanding the function of the dark-golden patterns, Li Fan suddenly felt a bit tricky.

Fortunately, after a little contemplation, Li Fan found a somewhat similar case in the Book of Heaven-Repairing.

It involved two cultivators who brought their son to seek medical advice from Heavenly Doctor.

These two cultivators had been Dao companions since the Foundation Building stage, progressing together and reaching the Nascent Divinity realm.

Simultaneously blessed with a son, it was a double joy.

However, what caught them off guard was that their son, even at the age of over ten, still couldn't speak.

In a dazed and ignorant manner, he seemed even indifferent to the outside world. Only when his parents called him would he respond.

After checking, Heavenly Doctor informed them of the cause.

Their son's divine soul was not damaged or incomplete; it was even stronger than an ordinary cultivator's.

But the vast divine soul didn't match the frail body, causing an overflow of divine soul power and creating a cocoon-like distortion.

After a prolonged abnormality, it eventually tightly enveloped his original divine soul, making it difficult to connect with the outside world.

The solution was seemingly simple—just cut off these "excessive branches" of the young divine soul.

However, truly solving this matter was by no means as easy as it sounded.

These branches are, in fact, a part of the original divine soul.

To clean them without causing harm to the original divine soul and without provoking a strong resistance from the entire divine soul...

Heavenly Doctor provided the best solution.

That is, the divine soul of close relatives would come into contact and cleanse these divine soul branches.

Using one's own divine soul as scissors, they would clean them entirely.

Throughout the process, the divine souls of both the saved and the practitioner would blend together.

But because they were close relatives, there would be no resistance from beginning to end.

It was just like living together for a long time.

The only cost was that the practitioner's divine soul would suffer severe damage.

Falling several realms was inevitable.

Heavenly Doctor explained the solution to the two, and the expressions of the husband and wife showed clear differences.

Interestingly, Heavenly Doctor didn't specify who was willing and who felt unwilling in the Book of Heaven-Repairing.

After a heated argument, the outcome was that the couple ultimately chose not to save their child.

To prevent him from continuing to suffer, the couple personally killed the child.

Afterward, this pair of immortal companions gradually grew apart.

Later, under pursuit from enemies, they each fled for their lives and eventually perished.

...

"This kind of mental restriction seems to be very similar to the divine soul branches in this case."

"Living symbiotically with the divine soul, highly sensitive to external forces. If the original body is destroyed, it will drag the original divine soul down with it."

"But because it intertwines with the divine soul, it doesn't guard against the divine soul's power itself."

"So, to remove the divine soul restriction, the method is almost the same."

Li Fan had already made up his mind.

After a moment, a continuous stream of divine soul power silently poured into Lixi Chan's divine soul.

Facing the majestic dark-golden pattern protection like a grand dam, it clashed head-on like a surging tide.

Since the restriction itself had to deal with the fluctuations of divine soul power, such divine soul impacts were commonplace and did not trigger a counterattack from the restriction.

However, in the continuous cleansing process, the divine soul power output by Li Fan was quickly depleted.

But soon, Li Fan, who was operating the Unbounded Emptiness Law, resupplied the power of the divine soul.

Like rocks on the shore eroded by seawater over the years, this dark-golden pattern restriction was the same.

Li Fan closed his eyes and outputted the power of the divine soul. In no time, one of the dark-golden patterns gradually faded and disappeared.

Originally hovering outside Lixi Chan's divine soul, the power of the True Temptation Fruits, mixed with Li Fan's divine soul power, surged in through this gap.

It collided with Lixi Chan's divine soul!

If it were only Li Fan's divine soul alone, the intrusion of a stranger would undoubtedly alert and provoke Lixi Chan.

Even if she was in a deep sleep, the reaction would be the same.

But at this moment, within the True Temptation Fruits, Li Fan had fabricated a carefully crafted lie.

Lixi Chan's master did not fall back then; instead, he faked his death, cast off his old self, and transformed into Li Fan!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 997: Secrets of the Twin Beauties

In Lixi Chan's early memories, there was almost only the figure of his master, Lixia.

The rest was endless knowledge of formation paths.

Therefore, when Li Fan, incarnated as Lixi Chan's master, collided his divine soul with Lixi Chan's own, it did not cause much resistance.

Surprisingly, Li Fan felt a sense of fear emanating from Lixi Chan instead.

Countless scenes flashed in Lixi Chan's divine soul, true and false, false and true.

Lixia's face kept changing, becoming faster and faster.

In the end, only Li Fan's face was firmly engraved in the depths of Lixi Chan's divine soul.

With the silver light power of the True Temptation Fruits completely dissolving.

After a violent twitching, Lixi Chan's body gradually returned to calm.

Li Fan withdrew the power of his divine soul, and the prolonged and large-scale transfer of divine soul consumed too much.

Even with the characteristic of the Unbounded Emptiness Law for infinite regeneration of divine soul, it was a bit overwhelming for a while.

Fortunately, the matter was done.

In the recent divine soul fusion, Li Fan glimpsed many secrets in Lixi Chan's memory.

For example, Lixi Chan's master, Lixia, was not entirely satisfied with her.

Until his death, he had no hope that Lixi Chan would inherit his formation path masterpiece.

When he took Lixi Chan as his disciple, including passing on the position of chief strategist to her, there were certain special factors involved.

Although Lixia never explicitly said it until his death, Lixi Chan speculated that she might be Lixia's daughter.

But she never had the courage to verify this speculation.

And with Lixia's remains turned to ashes, there was no way to verify whether this guess was true.

Lixi Chan had many other secrets.

For example, due to living under her master's high-pressure discipline from a young age, she had been under immense psychological pressure.

In the process of trying to alleviate this pressure, she discovered an effective method.

And the reason she often came to find Xuansu Chang was precisely for this reason.

...

Thinking about this, Li Fan's expression changed slightly: "So Lixue Jing's masochistic disposition is actually inherited from her mother."

"Really..."

Li Fan shook his head slightly.

Speaking of Lixi Chan's daughter, Lixue Jing, it was also related to Xuansu Chang.

In the process of relieving stress, Lixi Chan discovered that Xuansu Chang was unexpectedly already pregnant.

Shocked, Lixi Chan naturally could not accept it.

Under coercion, Xuansu Chang had to confess the truth.

"The Art of Nurturing Life taught by the Heavenly Mirror?"

Li Fan squinted his eyes, glancing at Xuansu Chang beside him.

Lixi Chan entangled Xuansu Chang, also conceived a daughter using the Art of Nurturing Life.

"It seems that the human incarnation of the Heavenly Mirror is indeed related to Cang, the Keeper of the Mirror."

Li Fan closed his eyes, slowly digesting the wealth of information he had just obtained.

While recovering the depleted divine soul.

When it was almost restored, Li Fan, following the same method, attacked Xuansu Chang's divine soul.

Xuansu Chang, being the direct descendant of the Keeper of the Mirror, had stronger divine soul power and protective restrictions than Lixi Chan.

But unfortunately, it was only a quantitative change, not a qualitative one.

Li Fan patiently continued his efforts, combining with the scent of Lixi Chan's divine soul, along with the True Temptation Fruits.

After the defensive line was momentarily breached, cognition became even more susceptible to distortion.

Li Fan now had another identity besides Lixi Chan's master – another incarnation of the Heavenly Mirror.

When the Supreme Law Transmitter reestablished the Wanxian Alliance, the Heavenly Mirror, anticipating suspicion from the Supreme Law Transmitter, created a human incarnation as a precaution. Unfortunately, the Supreme Law Transmitter discovered this and suppressed the incarnation, severing their connection.

In desperation, the Heavenly Mirror had to restart the incarnation project, eventually cooperating with Cang, the Keeper of the Mirror. Unbeknownst to them, Lixi Chan's master and the former chief strategist of the Wanxian Alliance, Lixia, had previously discovered the Supreme Law Transmitter's seal.

Through a fortunate coincidence, he rescued the suppressed incarnation, sacrificing himself to save it.

However, due to the long suppression, the Heavenly Mirror's incarnation was precarious, and Lixia had used his own life to save it. Although it revived, losing the Heavenly Mirror's power, it became indistinguishable from a real human.

Thinking it could live freely with the identity of the human Lixia, it was unexpectedly discovered due to the lingering connection with the Heavenly Mirror, leading to a life-or-death escape.

Assuming it could enjoy freedom, a new incarnation of the Heavenly Mirror was accidentally born.

To make matters worse, a spiritual item can only exist once. There can't be a second human incarnation of the Heavenly Mirror simultaneously.

Although born due to various mistakes, this error is being corrected.

The incarnation realized it was getting weaker and feared it would dissipate soon. The only way to survive was to find and kill the second incarnation of the Heavenly Mirror.

...

This was the massive lie Li Fan fabricated, intertwining the two female cultivators and the incarnation of the Heavenly Mirror.

Admittedly, upon closer inspection, there were many loopholes.

However, once he extracted information about the Heavenly Mirror's human incarnation from Xuansu Chang, even if exposed, it wouldn't matter.

"It's a pity that all the information about the Heavenly Mirror seems to be encrypted."

"I can't explore it with my divine soul. Otherwise, I wouldn't need to bother fabricating such lies."

Li Fan pondered silently.

Shortly after the cognitive transformation, Xuansu Chang and Lixi Chan woke up.

The two women had different reactions upon seeing Li Fan.

Lixi Chan shivered and subconsciously lowered her head, softly calling out, "Master..."

Xuansu Chang's expression was complex, remaining silent.

When the former chief strategist and the human incarnation of the Heavenly Mirror found them, they happened to discover the intimacy between Xuansu Chang and Lixi Chan. Although Li Fan didn't say anything at the time, the two women felt ashamed.

...

In a deathly silence, Li Fan spoke first, "I've given you a chance."

"I am still the second incarnation. Whom do you choose to help?"

A hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes as Li Fan slowly said, "If it weren't for Xichan's sake, I would have searched your souls long ago. Do you think those tricks in your divine souls can stop me?"

Lixi Chan dared not retort and remained silent.

Xuansu Chang, after realizing her situation, made a decision amidst changing expressions.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 998: Soul Strikes Thrice

Xuansu Chang took a deep breath and looked directly at Li Fan, speaking slowly, "I'm willing to help the senior resolve the crisis, but..."

Li Fan waved his hand, interrupting her, "No need to worry. Just provide me with information about the second incarnation. I'll handle it myself."

"Hmph, the conflicts between us don't concern you human juniors."

Despite being a dignified Dao-Unity Immortal Venerable, she wasn't angered by Li Fan's constant references to her as a junior. Considering the ancient Heavenly Mirror, their generations were indeed worlds apart. The address was entirely appropriate.

Li Fan only needed information and didn't require her direct involvement, which relieved Xuansu Chang.

After contemplating for a moment, she transmitted the relevant information to Li Fan through divine sense.

A moment later,

"Father, forgive me," Xuansu Chang said silently after completing everything.

Having learned about Li Fan's knowledge of the whereabouts of the Heavenly Mirror's human incarnation, Li Fan didn't act immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze to Lixi Chan, who had been silent with her head down, wearing a gloomy expression.

Sensing Li Fan's gaze, Lixi Chan became increasingly uneasy.

"Master..." Seeing Li Fan remain silent for a long time, she finally gathered the courage to inquire.

"Xixi, you truly disappoint your master," Li Fan's voice entered her ears, causing Lixi Chan's body to tremble slightly.

"I officially passed the position of Chief Strategist to you, and it's been 286 years. Over these years, your proficiency in array formations remains the same..."

"Master, I..." Lixi Chan felt somewhat wronged at the words, a hint of sadness in her heart.

When she took over as the Chief Strategist, she only gained support from a few elders. Most chose to observe, and some even aimed to replace her. It was a time filled with dangers. Fortunately, after several years of mediation and balancing, she finally stabilized her position.

As the Chief Strategist of the Wanxian Alliance, the workload was substantial. Besides handling various matters reported by the array formations in different states, she also had to participate in monthly meetings and discuss the affairs of the Wanxian Alliance with other departments.

Over two centuries, except for the leakage of the protective array formation information, the Chief Strategist's office had no significant flaws and even accomplished several merits.

She had done her best to reach her current state. How could she make further progress in the path of array formations?

...

Lixi Chan was conflicted, about to explain herself.

However, Li Fan rudely interrupted, "I know what you're thinking. Only the weak find excuses for themselves."

"A true powerhouse, even when on the brink of life and death, won't give up the pursuit of the Dao!"

Li Fan questioned sternly, "Honestly ask yourself, have you truly given your all?!"

"I..." Lixi Chan suddenly fell silent.

Li Fan intensified his tone, "Lack of ambition, indulging in carnal desires..."

At this point, Li Fan glanced at Xuansu Chang beside him.

Xuansu Chang blushed, burying her head even lower.

Li Fan looked at Lixi Chan again, "Punishment is in order!"

Suddenly, a whip made of condensed soul energy appeared in Li Fan's hand. He angrily shouted, "Kneel!"

Lixi Chan, now a Dao-Unity cultivator and the Chief Strategist of the Wanxian Alliance, had her own pride. With her head held high, she was about to speak up against Li Fan's command.

However, she met Li Fan's cold and ruthless gaze.

In an instant, numerous childhood memories surged into her mind, as if returning to the days when she lived in constant fear of being scolded by her master. Lixi Chan's legs softened, and she instinctively followed her body's response, bending her knees and kneeling on the chilly ground.

Kneeling on the cold ground, the fear that just disappeared from Lixi Chan's heart was replaced by an unnamed resistance.

Yet...

Before this flame could grow stronger, Lixi Chan saw golden whips flying towards her.

"No dodging!"

Li Fan's stern low shout prevented any subconscious defense from Lixi Chan.

Li Fan stood there, cold and unmoved, while Lixi Chan could only watch helplessly as the golden soul whip struck her own soul. The targeted area was precisely where the defense restrictions had been washed away by the soul before, causing an indescribable pain to spread throughout her body. It felt like countless steel needles were forcefully rotating and piercing into her body and brain, and in an instant, Lixi Chan's entire consciousness was filled with the sensation of pain.

Her body stiffened abruptly, then collapsed to the ground, twitching uncontrollably. She couldn't even produce a scream; only intermittent sobs came from her throat. Writhing and contorting, it took nearly half an incense stick's worth of time for the excruciating pain originating from the depths of her soul to gradually subside.

When Lixi Chan, who had regained a tiny bit of consciousness, was about to beg for mercy, Li Fan mercilessly struck her soul again. Just recently freed from torment, Lixi Chan was instantly pulled back into hell!

This time, Lixi Chan's reaction was even more intense than before. Tears streamed down her face, and her once noble appearance was nowhere to be seen. Hearing Lixi Chan's tiny cries, Xuan Su Chang, who had been silent with her head down, discreetly turned to look. A trace of unusual emotion appeared in her eyes.

It's worth noting that Lixi Chan had never displayed such vulnerability. Her tolerance was quite high. Xuan Su Chang's subtle movement was within Li Fan's expectations. Ignoring her for now, Li Fan waited until Lixi Chan had somewhat recovered before delivering another whip.

This time, Lixi Chan didn't scream. Only instinctive sobbing and pleading remained.

"Master, I know I was wrong..."

"Master, have mercy..."

Lixi Chan's cries echoed in the wooden house. Li Fan maintained his perennially cold expression, while Xuan Su Chang's face, previously silent, inexplicably blushed, her eyes becoming blurred.

There was no fourth whip. After completing everything, Li Fan held the whip in his right hand, placing it behind him, and waited for Lixi Chan to regain her senses.

This scene of punishment left Xuan Su Chang somewhat trembling and afraid. She dared not move and stayed in place, waiting. After an unknown amount of time, Lixi Chan finally woke up from the blankness in her mind.

Lying on the ground, she saw Li Fan standing tall, and an instinctive shiver ran through her. After struggling to sit up, she first tidied her appearance before hesitantly bowing, "Thank you for the punishment, Master."

"Get up," Li Fan responded indifferently.

Lixi Chan tried to stand up but almost fell again.

Seeing this, Xuan Su Chang quickly stepped forward to support her.

"The Great Dao is boundless, persist in the Dao until death. These three whips are my punishment for your negligence!"

"The path of array formations is like rowing upstream; if you don't advance, you retreat. For the next period, stay in this bamboo sea and immerse yourself in the study of array formations. Don't wander around without necessity!"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 999: Both Beauties Submit

"Those who toil with the mind govern people. When I was the chief of the Strategy Hall, I never struggled as much as you are now. You must learn to delegate authority," Li Fan admonished earnestly.

Now, Lixi Chan didn't dare to argue and could only nod repeatedly in agreement.

A brief silence filled the bamboo house. Then, after contemplating for a moment, Li Fan seemed to make a decision.

Pointing his finger towards Lixi Chan's forehead, a move that would typically trigger a defensive response from any cultivator, Lixi Chan, under the distorted perception caused by Li Fan's three whips and the realizations, surprisingly showed no resistance at all.

She endured Li Fan's pointing without any reaction.

Then...

Over a thousand different formations, unseen by her before and far beyond her current understanding, suddenly appeared in Lixi Chan's mind. After a moment of astonishment, she looked up abruptly, "Master, what is this?"

A weak voice filled with excitement.

Li Fan snorted, "With your incompetence, if I leave you to your own devices, you might not become significant even until your demise. These formations are my recent gains over the years, more advanced than when I feigned death. Enough for you to study for a while."

Lixi Chan naturally understood the value of these formations. A wave of joy and gratitude surged in her heart, and she quickly kowtowed to thank Li Fan, "Thank you for your generosity, Master."

"Xuan Su Chang..." Li Fan ignored Lixi Chan and turned to Xuan Su Chang.

"Here," Xuan Su Chang hastily responded.

"Regarding your two matters..." Li Fan slowly spoke.

Both Xuan Su Chang and Lixi Chan held their breaths.

"Now that it's done, and you two are in love, I can't stop you."

"Lixi Chan is inherently lazy. Without someone to push and supervise her, she might still end up with a similar fate in the future..."

Li Fan handed the golden whip, composed of soul power, to Xuan Su Chang, saying, "This whip is a reward for you. In the future, whenever you find Lixi Chan slacking, punish her on my behalf!"

"Lixi Chan, don't resist! Do you understand?" Li Fan stared directly.

Lixi Chan's body trembled slightly again, whispering, "Disciple understands."

Xuan Su Chang received the dark golden whip, her face a mix of astonishment and joy.

Looking at Lixi Chan, she blushed and seemed to think of something.

Following Li Fan's reminder, she then bowed to express her gratitude.

"Now that this matter is settled, I will leave."

"As for the mess in this bamboo sea..."

Before Li Fan could speak, Lixi Chan hurriedly said, "Master, rest assured, I will take care of it."

After a brief pause, Lixi Chan hesitated for a moment and then whispered, "Be careful, Master..."

Li Fan smiled, and the next moment, his figure had already appeared in the sky.

"Petty calamities like this can't harm me. But I appreciate your thoughts, my disciple. Hahaha..."

After speaking, his presence vanished from the bamboo sea cave.

Xuan Su Chang and Lixi Chan stared blankly at the sky. The sudden events felt dreamlike. In less than a day, it seemed like they had gone through half a lifetime together.

Their gazes met, and after a long time, Xuan Su Chang spoke, "Since the choice has been made, regret is useless now."

"However..."

"The internal conflict of the Tianxuan Mirror may not ultimately affect us."

Lixi Chan nodded, "But it's better not to spread what happened here..."

She glanced at the whip in Xuan Su Chang's hand, and her breath suddenly became a bit erratic.

...

Outside the bamboo sea.

Chapter 999: Both Beauties Submit

Releasing the previously suppressed servant female cultivators and Shuofeng, Li Fan and his group rushed towards the location of the Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation.

However, Baihua Daoren and Lin Ling looked at Li Fan with some strangeness, while Junior Brother Tianyang didn't find it surprising at all, just like before.

They naturally witnessed the scenes that unfolded in the bamboo tower.

In fact, with such a commotion, even if they wanted to ignore it, it would be somewhat difficult.

"If such methods were used on me..." Lin Ling's fear of Li Fan increased.

"Impressive techniques, whether manipulating emotions or controlling subordinates, have reached the peak. No wonder it caught the attention of a true immortal. Among the survivors of the various realms in those years, there was no one like him," Baihua Daoist sighed.

Li Fan paid no attention to the thoughts of these two.

What he had just done was just to leave a backdoor. After all, Xuan Su Chang and Lixi Chan, the two female cultivators, had quite high positions in the Wanxian Alliance.

Even though they might not be as influential as the Transmission Law Users, they definitely held significant power.

However, Li Fan was not a real disciple of the Heavenly Taoist, and he wasn't truly allied with Mouroo Bin. He had his own unique secrets still in play.

Some things were better handled separately.

Through the three whips just now, Li Fan believed that even if there were loopholes in the fabricated memories of the real lure, they could be temporarily overlooked amid this highly impactful event.

As long as people thought of Li Fan, their first thoughts would be those three whips...

Given Lixi Chan's personality, she would definitely not take it calmly.

And the reason for teaching her over a thousand formations was just to increase the credibility of the fabricated memories and to appease her.

As for later, giving the golden whip to Xuan Su Chang...

Firstly, it was for monitoring the actions of the two women, considering that the whip was formed with his soul power, effectively serving as an alternative form of surveillance.

Secondly, it was to delay the time limit for the falsehood to be exposed as much as possible.

How could Li Fan not know what would happen between Xuan Su Chang and Lixi Chan, especially after he bestowed the legitimate authority of "supervision and punishment" upon her?

It was undoubtedly a taste of the forbidden fruit, and they would likely enjoy it thoroughly.

This way, for a considerable period of time, the two female cultivators would have to spend their days in this bamboo sea.

"The less time spent at the Wanxian Alliance headquarters, the lower the risk of exposure."

This was Li Fan's calculation.

Various other aspects were not as they seemed on the surface.

With his thoughts focused, Li Fan's attention turned to the information Xuan Su Chang provided about the Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation.

"Transforming into mortals, wandering through the mundane world."

"Constantly changing appearance and identity, enjoying this endlessly."

"Suspected of enlightening the Dao..."

"Interesting."

Li Fan's eyes flashed, and he increased his speed, flying towards the closest location where the Tianxuan Mirror incarnation had appeared.

Flowing Light State, a mortal city named Weidu.

In no time, the four had arrived at their destination.

"The Immortal-Mortal Pestilence is indeed well-deserved. I've only heard about it before, never witnessed it firsthand."

"Now, experiencing it personally, I feel a wave of disgust even from a distance."

Baihua Daoist exclaimed.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1000: Li Fan Speechless

Baihua Daoist paused, carefully considering her words, "We cultivators, if we live with ordinary people for an extended period, even without direct contact with the Immortal-Mortal Pestilence, just being exposed to its aura might pose a danger of falling in cultivation, right?"

Li Fan squinted, scanning the mortals below and nodded, "Exactly. That's why cultivators in our Xuanhuang Realm often live separately from ordinary people."

"Our target is in this city? Although it's not a large city, there are probably over ten thousand ordinary people here. Hmm, I don't sense any cultivator's aura. It might be troublesome to search one by one. In my opinion, why not take direct action and force them out!" Baihua Daoist, who had witnessed Li Fan's methods, suggested enthusiastically.

Her idea of taking action meant indiscriminate large-scale attacks, slaughtering everyone in this mortal city called Weidu. The last one surviving would be the Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation.

As for the lives of over ten thousand ordinary people in the city...

They were generally not considered by cultivators.

Especially outside the Xuanhuang Realm, where there was no Immortal-Mortal Pestilence. To cultivators, ordinary people were like ants, and slaughtering them had no psychological burden.

So, the seemingly upright Baihua Daoist spoke out such bloody words.

However, Li Fan did not agree with Baihua Daoist's plan.

He chuckled, "Friend Baihua really has a strong killing intent! The so-called heavenly benevolence is just finding one person, why unnecessarily create more unnecessary killings."

With this statement, Baihua Daoist suddenly became respectful.

Lin Ling was a bit skeptical and secretly glanced at Li Fan, but in the end, she didn't dare to voice her doubts.

It wasn't that Li Fan had suddenly changed his character.

It was considering the small world he currently controlled, where the population was still quite sparse. Through the cultivation of the Cangsheng Lingyuan technique and mass cultivation of cultivators, followed by exploring the Book of Creation, a certain population base was still needed.

Natural growth was a bit slow. Plundering some from the Xuanhuang Realm could be a viable solution.

As for how to find the Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation among these tens of thousands of people...

Li Fan's divine sense swept through Weidu City.

In an instant, the appearances and actions of all men, women, children, and elderly people in the city were simultaneously displayed in Li Fan's mind.

The Dao-marked blue light flickered, dividing them into individual observed entities.

Li Fan floated quietly in the air, monitoring and analyzing.

After all, the Tianxuan Mirror was not a real human.

It was first an immortal tool taking human form, and it definitely had a certain cultivation level.

Even if it "acted" very similarly, its actions and behavior still had subtle differences from ordinary people.

Especially at this moment, when Li Fan's divine sense freely swept through the entire city, the Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation must have known that Li Fan had come for it, making it even easier to expose its flaws.

In no time, Li Fan had identified dozens of suspicious individuals.

After a deep observation for nearly half a day, he finally locked onto the target.

Over Weidu, the four had already set up a blockade formation in advance.

Li Fan looked at the face of the Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation, flashed before the opponent.

It turned out to be a young waiter in a city tavern.

At this moment, he had just finished serving customers and was resting in a corner.

Li Fan arrived abruptly, and the lively environment around him suddenly fell silent.

The waiter seemed not surprised by Li Fan's appearance but was a bit curious, "How did you discover me so quickly?"

Li Fan smiled, didn't choose to attack immediately, but kindly pointed out, "If you were a genuine mortal waiter, this would be your break time, and you'd probably want to close your eyes and take a nap. Why would you still be so curious, observing every ordinary person in the shop?"

The Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation realized, "So that's how."

"Unfortunately, observation is my nature. Even if I'm reborn as a person, I can't change it temporarily." The Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation sighed for a moment and then asked, "Are you here to kill me?"

"Could be. Could not be." Li Fan stared at him with an inexplicable tone.

"Oh?" This time, the Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation was somewhat surprised. He stared at Li Fan for a while, furrowing his brows.

Chapter 1000: Li Fan Speechless

In the end, the Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation shook his head, "I feel a familiar aura on you. Unfortunately, after being reborn as a human, many things are already forgotten and unclear."

"So, you're not a member of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance?" Before Li Fan could respond, the Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation asked.

"There's no aura of the Five Heavenly Sovereigns either..." The Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation kept scrutinizing Li Fan, as if discovering a new and interesting toy.

At the moment of seeing the other's gaze, an inexplicable discomfort surged in Li Fan's heart.

This kind of gaze, he had only seen when looking at living beings in the Xuanhuang Realm.

It stemmed from a disdainful, indifferent attitude from the depths of the soul.

Now, this is how the Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation looked at him...

"I only represent myself," Li Fan said in a deep voice.

However, the Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation shook his head again, "Hehe, I doubt it."

"With the touch of immortal intent, inescapable calamity..." 

"Could it be that you and I are both trapped, so you want to find a way to escape from me?" The Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation directly saw through the fact that Li Fan was bound by the net of a true immortal and questioned him.

Li Fan's eyes flashed with a cold light, "Even if you're an immortal tool incarnation, with your current weak human body, I can easily suppress you. I wonder if you can still be so sharp-tongued then..."

However, the Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation remained undaunted.

He smiled, patted the dust off his clothes, "With your personality, if you really wanted to do that, you would have acted long ago. Why bother talking so much nonsense with me here?"

With these words, Li Fan suddenly fell silent.

Indeed, being a tool-spiritized immortal, after a few rounds of confrontation, Li Fan surprisingly felt a long-lost sense of being unable to exert his strength.

All attacks were easily resolved by the opponent, who then counterattacked effortlessly.

"In just a short meeting, you have seen through my personality and my entanglements."

"Unfortunately..."

"What you see is destined to be only the surface..."

Li Fan sneered inwardly.

But then, he adopted a defensive stance and admitted openly, "Right, after all, you are an incarnation of the Tianxuan Mirror. It would be a pity to kill you just like that."

"If you can provide a valuable reward, I'm not unwilling to let you go."

The Tianxuan Mirror's incarnation seemed to have heard an extremely funny joke, "Do you believe the words you just said?"

"Even if you really gain benefits from me, I'm afraid in the end, you still won't escape a trace of fate."

"A person like you..."

"I can only keep my distance from, not trusting any of your promises."

(End of this chapter)