And so, Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao received their orders and descended from the mountain.
Due to the mass deaths of mortals, the concentration of ‘Immortal Plague’ in the environment skyrocketed.
To prepare for this, before their departure, Sect Master Ji provided them with a generous supply of resources, including the Creation Purple Gold Pill.
However, this wasn’t enough to entirely ease their heavy hearts.
After confirming that ‘Immortal Plague’ could infect multiple times, they realized that no matter how well-prepared or protected they were, constantly being in contact would inevitably lead to reinfection.
The painful memories of being infected just a month ago were still fresh in their minds.
As cultivators, it had been a long time since they experienced something worse than death.
If this torment were to repeat again and again…
That kind of suffering might be worse than simply ending it all.
Both Senior Sister Zhao and Li Fan were wholeheartedly dedicated to the Dao, seeking Immortality, and wouldn’t easily give up their lives.
But orders were absolute, and even though Senior Sister Zhao held the esteemed position of the future sect master of Grand Dao Sect, she could only obediently follow instructions.
“This situation seems a bit odd. I’ve made inquiries, and although the other nine sects have also sent their disciples out into the world, at most, they sent True Desciples . I haven’t heard of any sect, like our Grand Dao Sect, sending out someone of ‘Dao Child’ status!” Li Fan slightly shook his head, his eyes full of confusion.
“Senior Sister, you are the next in line to become the sect master, an incredibly noble position. Especially in these turbulent times, what you should be doing is staying in the sect, in secluded cultivation, striving to raise your strength. Not participating in some absurd mission. What if, just what if…”
Li Fan glanced at her before continuing, “I mean, if something were to happen to you, and you fall, how much would it cost the sect to cultivate another Dao Child?”
“All the resources they’ve invested in you up until now, would they all be wasted?”
“Sect Master Ji’s decision this time is truly hard to understand. And none of the elders even voiced any objections…”
Senior Sister Zhao glanced at Li Fan and said calmly, “Junior Brother, you’re overthinking it. Our Dao Sect is representing of all Immortal Sects. Sending a Dao Child to represent us shows how seriously we take this matter.”
“Besides…”
Her voice suddenly became slightly somber, “Junior Brother, in the past, your assumption might have been correct. But now…”
“The times have changed.”
Li Fan was suddenly startled.
Indeed. He was still stuck in the mindset of the prosperous era of ‘Great Immortal Cultivation’, unable to adapt to the current reality.
In today’s cultivation world, each person held their own irreplaceable position.
The quicker a Dao Child increased their cultivation, the more of a threat they became in the eyes of the sect elders.
In the past, one could cultivate together with the sect. If someone didn’t want to become the sect master, they could simply retire as a Grand Elder and pass on the position.
But now, not interested in being the sect master? Fine, but you can’t continue holding onto the ‘Heaven-Slaying Dao Scripture’, right? You’ll have to switch your cultivation method!
Who could accept that?
Therefore, suppressing the growth of ‘Dao Children’ had become the logical outcome.
Realizing this, Li Fan fell silent.
The two followed the trail of blood-red light in the sky, arriving at a desolate ruin.
They remembered that just a few years ago, this was a thriving mortal city, with a population of at least 500,000.
But now, there was not a trace of life left.
Scanning with their divine senses, they saw that the ruins were filled with the corpses of mortals.
Men, women, young, old—no one was spared. The horrific scene was something that even the most terrifying nightmare couldn’t conjure.
“What utter madness…”
Murderous intent flashed in Senior Sister Zhao’s eyes as she cautiously protected herself from the Immortal Plague still lingering below, casting a spell to trace the perpetrator’s tracks.
“Let’s go!”
Moments later, after finding their target, Senior Sister Zhao transformed into a beam of light and flew away swiftly.
Li Fan hurried to follow.
He lagged slightly behind, and when he caught up, he found Senior Sister Zhao standing there, somewhat lost and at a loss.
It turned out that the cultivator who had massacred the city had already succumbed to the Immortal Plague and died.
The culprit was already dead, leaving Senior Sister Zhao with no outlet for her burning rage.
“Were they wrong? If we didn’t have so many pills to save our lives, wouldn’t we do the same when facing death?” For a moment, Senior Sister Zhao couldn’t help but question, feeling lost.
Li Fan was about to respond when he noticed a strange phenomenon in the sky above them.
“Qu Xinfeng, a cultivator of fifty-six years, who established his Dao foundation with the ‘Mountain Stone Sword’…”
“Now dead, his Dao returns to heaven!”
As the scene in the sky unfolded, a message instantly flashed in Li Fan’s mind.
“What is this?” Li Fan was stunned.
“Hmm?” Senior Sister Zhao also noticed the strange sight above and looked up.
Moments later, her expression darkened.
She unleashed a sword slash, trying to scatter the phenomenon.
However, it seemed that the vision was engraved upon the heavens, and her attack was futile.
“What is this supposed to be? A joke from the heavens?”
Li Fan remained silent.
No shared cultivation methods, Immortal Plague.
And now, these eerie “death declarations” had appeared. Who knew what else might happen in the future?
He sighed lightly.
“Let’s go, Senior Sister. There’s no point staying here. The sooner we finish the mission, the sooner we can return to the sect.” Li Fan advised.
After a long pause, Senior Sister Zhao didn’t respond.
She simply obliterated the body of Qu Xinfeng, who had committed the massacre but had now fallen victim to the ‘Immortal Plague’.
Only then did she turn into a streak of light and fly off.
The next two years were spent traveling across the Xuanhuang Realm, preventing countless tragedies.
They killed numerous insane cultivators and saved many mortal lives.
Once news of the ‘Great Migration Plan’ spread, the remaining cultivators gradually calmed down, no longer slaughtering mortals so recklessly.
Of course, some sporadic incidents couldn’t be avoided.
There were places the two couldn’t reach, where their efforts fell short.
Having completed the sect master’s task, the two were preparing to return to the sect as planned.
However, an unexpected order caught them off guard.
Sect Master Ji Changxi declared that the ‘Great Migration Plan’ had officially begun.
They were not to return just yet.
They were to remain in the Xuanhuang Realm and assist in coordinating the various sects, helping to carry out this crucial plan for all cultivators.
Li Fan, seeing Senior Sister Zhao’s face darken to the point where it almost dripped with anger, didn’t dare to speak.
He had no idea how to comfort her, so he simply stood silently by her side.
After a long while, Senior Sister Zhao’s expression returned to normal.
She smiled gracefully. “Let’s go, Junior Brother.”
“Orders are orders, after all.”
For some reason, seeing Senior Sister Zhao’s smile filled Li Fan with an indescribable sense of fear.
“Heh, yes, Senior Sister.” He responded cautiously, hurrying to comply.
In the blink of an eye, a hundred years had passed.
With the collective efforts of all cultivators, the Great Migration Plan was successfully completed.
All the mortals had been relocated to various ‘cave heavens’ and ‘small worlds’, and the Xuanhuang Realm was left empty.
After being away from their sect for over a century, Senior Sister Zhao and Li Fan were finally able to return.