“But Senior Sister’s path to Immortality, wanting to use me as the price…”
“I refuse!”
“I will not allow Senior Sister to be so lonely from now on!”
Li Fan’s loud laughter echoed through heaven and earth.
“Over the years, Senior Sister has comprehended ‘The All as One’ Although I am slow-witted, I have not been idle either.”
“I have one move. Senior Sister, please teach me!”
Amidst the blinding light, Li Fan’s voice, as firm as iron, resounded.
“Heaven!”
“Earth!”
“Life!”
Li Fan’s body was completely annihilated in a radiant flash of light.
At that moment, Senior Sister Zhao’s expression finally changed for the first time. No longer indifferent and fully in control, she now had a mix of frustration and amusement: “No wonder you’ve made such slow progress over the years, Junior Brother. You’ve been putting all your thoughts into finding ways to restrict me?”
“You and I have cultivated the ‘Heaven and Earth Converging Manual.’ We are practically inseparable now. This move of ‘Shared Lifespan of Heaven and Earth’ indeed poses a threat to me…”
“If only your cultivation level were higher, Junior Brother.”
Countless versions of Senior Sister Zhao watched as endless streams of white light emanated from Li Fan’s body, and together they extended their arms to absorb it.
“Junior Brother, don’t resist anymore. Become one with me!”
Cracks began to appear on the faces of her countless bodies, but they quickly healed. Meanwhile, the white light dimmed and gradually vanished between heaven and earth.
When all traces of Li Fan’s presence disappeared from the Grand Dao Sect, it felt as though everything had come to a halt.
“Heh, Junior Brother Li Fan.”
“I really have to thank you. That was quite the entertaining game.”
“It’s been years since I’ve had such an interesting experience.”
Senior Sister Zhao looked into the sky, her expression dreamy, mumbling to herself.
——
“Immortal Guidance Light! That’s the Immortal Guidance Light!”
“Who is it? Has another cultivator from our Canhong State caught the eye of the Heavenly Sovereign so soon?”
“Hahaha, in just one month, three disciples from the Immortal Sect have ascended! Canhong State’s reputation is truly about to soar!”
Noisy voices seemed to come from afar, and suddenly Li Fan woke up.
Looking around, somewhat confused, he realized his surroundings were both familiar and unfamiliar.
After a brief moment, memories that had been sealed for ages, as if from a different lifetime, surged back like a tidal wave.
The Five Elders Association, the One Heart Immortal Sect, Canhong State.
The Immortal Guidance Light.
So, he was still in the moment of being summoned by the Immortal Guidance Light.
But what were those hundreds of years of experiences that felt so real just now?
An illusion?
Li Fan couldn’t help but look up.
Through a rift in the sky, he could faintly see a vast mountain range with a sect nestled within.
It was none other than the Grand Dao Sect, one of the ancient Ten Great Immortal Sects.
At this moment, it seemed that the disciples of the Grand Dao Sect were also looking in his direction, perhaps to welcome him as a new member.
Unlike in the illusion, this Grand Dao Sect was full of life. The expressions on each disciple’s face were no longer stiff and lifeless; they were varied, as real as any human.
They conversed with each other, discussing enthusiastically.
It wasn’t the dead silence that Li Fan had encountered in the illusion.
While ascending in the Immortal Guidance Light, Li Fan’s body gradually became rigid and numb.
He also felt his consciousness slowly fading.
“So, this is a wooden puppet…”
Li Fan thought as he slowly dissipated into the wind.
All that remained was a decaying wooden puppet body, drifting toward the Grand Dao Sect.
The disciples of the Grand Dao Sect reacted in various ways upon seeing this scene.
Some were furious.
Some were thoughtful.
Some clapped their hands in joy.
Some smiled faintly.
…
It was impossible to discern where exactly the so-called “All as One” lay.
Who made the final decision, no one knew.
A white light shot out from the rift, completely annihilating the puppet body.
Then, the Immortal Guidance Light was retracted, the rift slowly closed, and the image of the One Heart Immortal Sect faded from the world.
All that remained were the puzzled cultivators of the Five Elders Association, silently sighing.
Meanwhile, in the Congyun Sea.
Li Fan’s true body, overseeing the reconstruction Immortal Congyun City where the Island of Ten Thousand Immortals once stood, was stunned.
“What is it, Lord Island Master? Is something wrong?”
“I’ll have them correct it right away!” Gao Yuan quickly said.
After a moment, Li Fan waved his hand.
“It’s nothing. You’ve done well. Keep up the good work!”
He continued his inspection with a calm expression, and after half a day, returned to his temporary quarters.
After sealing the area around him, Li Fan’s expression turned solemn.
“Heh, Junior Brother, I’m very much looking forward to our official meeting.”
Senior Sister Zhao’s soft laughter seemed to still linger in his ears.
Was it the last message from that wisp of divine consciousness, or had Li Fan’s true body actually heard it?
He couldn’t tell for the moment.
“Senior Sister Zhao… quite the illusion.”
Li Fan reflected on the countless experiences he had in the Grand Dao Sect over the past century.
Though some details were fuzzy, most of the events felt as real as if he had lived through them, indistinguishable from reality.
It even made Li Fan believe that he had indeed been Senior Sister Zhao’s junior brother and a member of the ancient Grand Dao Sect, only to reincarnate and regain his memories after decades.
He even entertained the idea of seeking out Senior Sister Zhao for a reunion.
If he only had memories of one lifetime and didn’t have the [Truth] he might have actually done so.
Li Fan shivered at the thought.
Even with just a wisp of divine consciousness, being immersed in Senior Sister Zhao’s illusion had such a profound effect on his true body…
No wonder the cultivators of the Five Elders Association were so utterly loyal to her.
He activated his ‘Xuanhuang Heart Refining Mantra’, using the occasional thoughts of “submitting to Senior Sister Zhao” as fuel to strengthen and nourish his Dao Heart.
After three days and nights, Li Fan finally seemed to have eradicated the influence of his trip to the One Heart Immortal Sect.
At least, on the surface.
Having freed himself completely, Li Fan began to analyze and organize his gains from the experience.
Without a doubt, his time in the Grand Dao Sect had been a fabrication by Senior Sister Zhao.
In fact, from beginning to end, Li Fan didn’t even know her real name.
Yet within the illusion, he hadn’t felt the slightest inconsistency.
But amid the falsehoods were truths.
At the very least, figures like Ji Changxi and Mo Zhiren, disciples of the Grand Dao Sect in the illusion, had truly existed once.
The cultivation techniques, ‘Heaven and Earth Converging Manual’ and ‘Soul-Severing Divine Radiance Art’, might not be fakes either.
It was a pity that, just like after returning from the Fallen Immortal Realm, the specific details couldn’t be remembered clearly.
Then, there were the world-altering events he had experienced as “Junior Brother.”
“So, the Immortal-Mortal Miasma was really the handiwork of a Longevity Immortal Heavenly Sovereign, not a natural evolution of heaven and earth.”
Li Fan thought of Yin Shangren of Yin Island.
“Could it be that this person discovered the hidden Heavenly Sovereign and was silenced as a result?”
Recalling Yin Shangren’s inexplicable suicide in past lifetimes, Li Fan couldn’t help but speculate.