Rushing back to the sect after a long and exhausting journey, Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao were utterly shocked by the sight that greeted them.
The sect was draped in white mourning cloth, and the disciples were all filled with grief.
After quickly inquiring, they finally learned what had transpired.
The sect master of the Grand Dao Sect, Fang Dingge, a powerful cultivator at the Longevity Realm, had fallen.
Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao were both deeply shaken and filled with countless questions.
The Longevity Immortal Heavenly Sovereign was considered the strongest in this world. As the leader of one of the ten great immortal sects, Fang Dingge’s cultivation had reached unfathomable depths, his power almost godlike.
Even among the Longevity Sovereigns, he was a prominent figure.
How could such a person fall so suddenly?
As they delved deeper into the matter, it only grew more bizarre and mysterious.
Rather than “fallen,” it seemed more like…
He had vanished.
However, the shattered remains of his life lantern within the sect stood as irrefutable proof that this Longevity Sovereign had indeed passed away.
No matter how many doubts or regrets they harbored, they could not change this fact.
In fact, the public announcement of the sect master’s death had only been made after intense deliberation among the elders of the sect.
This was too significant to keep secret, even if they had wanted to.
After all, Fang Dingge wasn’t the only Longevity Sovereign to have fallen.
The Taishang, Heavenly Sword, Du’e, and Beast Taming sects…
It was rumored that each of these sects had also lost their Longevity Sovereigns.
This news was terrifying.
Though the ten great immortal sects tried to seal off this information, it quickly spread.
How could so many Longevity Sovereigns fall at once?
Who could have done this?
Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao immediately thought of the mysterious figure known as the ‘Immortal Ancestor’.
After all, these fallen Longevity Sovereigns were precisely the ones who, over twenty years ago, had vowed to unite and kill the Immortal Ancestor.
Now that they had all suddenly perished, the Immortal Ancestor, a powerful figure in the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, was the most likely suspect.
But this didn’t make sense.
The Immortal Ancestor had not yet reached the Longevity Realm. If he had the power to kill Longevity Sovereigns, he should have already rallied all the cultivators under his banner and overthrown the ten great immortal sects.
Yet, since the beginning, the Immortal Ancestor had only appeared at the start to spread his teachings, and very rarely thereafter. For most of the time, he had vanished without a trace, shrouded in mystery.
Could it be that, after killing the Longevity Sovereigns, the Immortal Ancestor himself had been severely wounded and was now forced into hiding?
Even so, he should have informed the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance of his victory to boost morale.
But according to Li Fan’s knowledge, even the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance was shocked by the simultaneous deaths of the Longevity Sovereigns.
It seemed they were just as unaware.
This entire event, from start to finish, was shrouded in mystery and absurdity.
After hearing the news, Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao took a long time to process it.
The Longevity Immortal Realm they had so desperately sought… was it really so fragile? Could they fall so easily, just like ordinary cultivators?
Was there still any meaning in their cultivation?
In the midst of their confusion, the two spent several days cultivating together before finally recovering.
“This matter is certainly not as simple as it seems. Rather than saying they’ve fallen, I believe they’ve broken free of their shackles and ascended beyond this world,” Senior Sister Zhao said calmly.
“Shackles?” This was the first time Li Fan had heard of such a concept, and he couldn’t help but ask.
“A long time ago, Master once mentioned it to me in passing,” Senior Sister Zhao said, frowning slightly as if trying to recall.
“At the time, I asked, ‘What does true freedom mean? Is reaching the Longevity Realm true freedom?’ Master was silent for a long time before sighing, ‘Heaven’s shackles bind all beings; no one can escape. Even those at the Longevity Realm are still trapped. When the ten great sects overthrew the Xuantian Sect, they didn’t completely overthrow everything.’ I wanted to ask more, but Master refused to say anything further.”
Li Fan was deeply shaken by what he heard. “Even those at the Longevity Realm aren’t free?”
Seeing the dazed look on her lover’s face, Senior Sister Zhao gently comforted him, “Their disappearance this time might actually be a good thing. At the very least, it proves that there is a possibility of breaking free from the shackles and truly transcending.”
After thinking for a long while, Li Fan finally nodded. “Senior Sister, when the time comes, let’s break through together and ascend beyond this world, leaving behind a beautiful tale in the Xuanhuang Realm.”
Senior Sister Zhao blushed at his words.
As their emotions deepened, the two resumed their cultivation together.
—
The disappearance of the Longevity Immortal Sovereigns had a profound impact on the current structure of the Xuanhuang Realm.
After the mourning ceremonies were completed, the Grand Dao Sect fell into a power struggle for the position of sect master.
The suddenness of the event meant that even Fang Dingge himself had not foreseen his disappearance, and thus, no successor had been chosen.
Fang Dingge’s direct disciple was only at the Soul Transformation stage, far from qualified to take on the responsibility of sect master.
When the two remaining Longevity Sovereigns within the sect declared that they had no interest in the position, the other elders began to eye the position greedily.
A power struggle was inevitable.
Senior Sister Zhao’s master, Zhang Wangshuang, had already broken through to the Dao Integration stage in recent years. Naturally, he had ambitions for the position of sect master.
Power struggles are often brutal.
A year later, the dust settled.
Due to a lack of sufficient backing within the sect, Zhang Wangshuang was regretfully defeated.
The position of Grand Dao Sect master was inherited by Ji Changxi from the Tianchen lineage.
Although the internal strife did not result in deaths, it greatly weakened the sect.
After becoming sect master, Ji Changxi didn’t implement any drastic reforms. Instead, he focused on recovery and regrowth.
In response to the dwindling number of disciples, he issued a decree relaxing the requirements for outer disciples to advance. He also instituted a sect-wide competition every three years, making the cultivation and performance of disciples a critical factor.
Under these circumstances, Senior Sister Zhao, who consistently performed well in these competitions, became the brightest star among the younger generation of Grand Dao Sect disciples.
In contrast, Li Fan, who had more defeats than victories, became increasingly ordinary.
The most beautiful gem should belong to the strongest hero.
Li Fan’s lackluster performance, combined with his constant presence at Senior Sister Zhao’s side, caused dissatisfaction among some disciples.
Many young talents began to ignore Li Fan and pursued Senior Sister Zhao fervently.
Even Zhang Wangshuang, who had once been somewhat supportive of Li Fan, began to change his attitude.
Sensing the impending crisis, Li Fan made a decisive move.
On a sunny afternoon, he proposed to Senior Sister Zhao.
There were no precious treasures or rare artifacts.
He simply looked into her eyes and said, “Senior Sister, be my Dao companion. From now on, let’s walk the path of immortality together.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Senior Sister Zhao agreed.