“Is this truly the case?”
“Each of the Ten Great Immortal Sects is an unquestionable giant. What exactly exists within that colossal city in the sky that could give rise to such mighty immortal sects?” Upon hearing this, Li Fan was visibly shocked, exclaiming in disbelief.
Fang Zaiji nodded slightly. “When I first learned of this, I, too, found it hard to believe. However, after extensive inquiries, I have confirmed that this is indeed true. The Ten Great Immortal Sects were able to rise so suddenly precisely because of the opportunities they obtained in [Heavenly Capital]!”
Before Li Fan could ask further, Fang Zaiji continued, “It is said that within Heavenly Capital, though it appears empty and devoid of any living beings, at the very center of a pavilion sits a solitary figure in meditation. Standing beside this figure is a child attendant. The figure’s face is indistinct, yet it seems to be preaching to the void ahead. Countless profound and mystical Daoist discourses, resonant like grand bells and mighty drums, echo in the ears of all who hear them. What’s even more astonishing is that each person hears something different.”
“Entranced by the teachings, they immerse themselves completely. But when they awaken from their enlightenment and try to listen further, they find they can no longer hear anything from the figure. Instead, the child attendant beside the figure merely waves a hand and expels them from the pavilion.”
“Upon leaving, these cultivators compared their insights and discovered that their revelations stemmed from their original knowledge, yet they had become exponentially more profound—countless times more exquisite than what their sects had taught them!”
“Thereafter, no matter how hard they tried, they were never able to enter the pavilion again.”
Fang Zaiji sighed slightly. “These cultivators understood the immense value of this opportunity. As they quietly left Heavenly Capital, they informed their sect members to come. However, perhaps it was precisely this action that alerted the Xuantian Sect. Not only did the sect begin hunting down those who had left Heavenly Capital, but it also sent its forces to completely seal off the floating city in the sky.”
“This act of disrespect seemed to provoke the discontent of the mysterious figure within Heavenly Capital. The child attendant was sent to confront them. The details of this battle remain unknown, but the outcome was that although the Xuantian Sect retreated in disgrace, no other cultivators could enter Heavenly Capital afterward either.”
Li Fan pondered for a moment, then frowned. “What became of Heavenly Capital afterward? Why is it that in our time, so few have even heard of it?”
“Heavenly Capital remained suspended in the sky for a full ten years. Then, just as it had mysteriously appeared, it vanished without a trace, unnoticed by anyone.”
“Not long after that, tensions between the Xuantian Sect and the Immortal sects had escalated beyond reconciliation. Amidst the war that engulfed the entire Xuanhuang Realm, no one had the time to concern themselves with the vanished Heavenly Capital.”
Fang Zaiji sighed. “By the time of our generation, Heavenly Capital had already become nothing more than a legend spoken of in idle conversations.”
At that moment, realization dawned on Li Fan. “I recall now—when I looked into the Tianxuan Mirror, I once read about a Dao Integration cultivator named Lan Yu from Yuandao Prefecture. He claimed to be a direct successor of the Grandmaster of Heavenly Capital. However…”
A trace of doubt appeared on Li Fan’s face. “I have also heard that in ancient times, Heavenly Capital fell from the sky for some unknown reason. Even now, remnants of Heavenly Capital can still be found across the land.”
“What? Heavenly Capital fell?” This time, it was Fang Zaiji’s turn to be stunned.
“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!” A moment later, Fang Zaiji firmly denied this claim. “If Heavenly Capital had truly collided with the Xuanhuang Realm, it’s hard to say which would have suffered more!”
“Sir, you mean to say…?” Li Fan narrowed his eyes.
“That’s right. Heavenly Capital very likely originates from the legendary Immortal Realm! And the mysterious figure within it could very well have been an actual immortal! The reason why the cultivators of the Ten Great Immortal Sects were unable to perceive the figure clearly is that after ascending to immortality, one undergoes a fundamental transformation in the nature of existence—far beyond the comprehension of ordinary cultivators!” Fang Zaiji declared with conviction.
“Another immortal… So it did not fall after all?” Li Fan neither confirmed nor denied it. He thought of the unknown entity hovering over Yuandao Prefecture, devouring time itself. Perhaps, some unforeseen event had indeed led to this bizarre phenomenon…
Seeing Li Fan’s skepticism, Fang Zaiji snorted. “You cannot understand the power of a true immortal unless you witness it with your own eyes. If you were fortunate enough to obtain even a single wisp of [Heavenly Capital Purple Qi] like I did, you would know that my words are no exaggeration. By the way, that Lan Yu who claims to be from the lineage of the Grandmaster of Heavenly Capital may not be lying. After all, the Heavenly Capital Purple Qi contains many inheritances from that Grandmaster.”
Li Fan was slightly taken aback. “Sir, you once obtained a wisp of Heavenly Capital Purple Qi?”
Fang Zaiji smirked proudly. “Of course! Back then, I was just a naive child who stumbled upon this fortune without knowing its true origins. Otherwise, how could a nobody like me, without any sect or lineage, have cultivated to the Dao Integration realm? And why would those arrogant disciples of the Ten Great Immortal Sects even bother to mention this hidden past to me? They must have sensed the presence of Heavenly Capital Purple Qi within me.”
“The so-called ‘Grandmaster of Heavenly Capital’—could it be the figure within Heavenly Capital?” Li Fan asked after a brief silence.
Fang Zaiji rolled his eyes. “What are you thinking? I already told you—that figure was most likely a true immortal. If an immortal chooses not to reveal their identity, how could mere mortals ever know who they are? Moreover, even those cultivators of the Ten Great Immortal Sects who had the privilege of listening to the immortal’s teachings likely wouldn’t dare to claim they had received the immortal’s direct inheritance.”
“The ‘Grandmaster of Heavenly Capital’ we refer to was actually the child attendant standing beside the figure. The Ten Great Immortal Sects were founded after only briefly listening to the immortal’s discourse—can you imagine the level of mastery possessed by the Grandmaster who stood beside the immortal for an eternity?”
“The Heavenly Capital Purple Qi contains the Grandmaster’s interpretations of the immortal’s teachings, encompassing countless disciplines. Even a single trace of it would be a lifelong treasure for a mortal.”
“The wisp I obtained long ago contained only a fragment of the Grandmaster’s insights on artifact refinement.” Fang Zaiji glanced toward the direction of Yuandao Prefecture as he spoke.
Li Fan finally understood.
The Ten Great Immortal Sects had received direct guidance from an immortal.
The Heavenly Capital Purple Qi, however, contained the insights of the Grandmaster of Heavenly Capital, who had spent years absorbing the immortal’s teachings. Though this knowledge was a step removed from the source, it was still powerful enough to create a Dao Integration cultivator with ease.
“This… This is the true abyss between mortals and immortals. The gap is even greater than that between mortals and cultivators,” Li Fan sighed in his heart.