Liu San’s expression turned awkward upon hearing this. “Uh… This might be a bit difficult…”
“Hm?” Li Fan was slightly taken aback.
Just as Liu San was about to explain, Fang Zaiji interrupted him. “Haha, Sect Master, have you been in seclusion for too long? Our Medicine King Sect doesn’t have any Qi Condensation disciples anymore. Even those with the worst aptitude have long since reached the Foundation Establishment stage.”
Li Fan’s hand, which had been stroking the Dissociation Disc, paused slightly.
“In that case, I’ll have to trouble Mr. Fang to make a trip outside and select some promising talents.” Li Fan feigned realization and then added somewhat helplessly.
“It would be best if you carried the Endstone Plate with you and remained cautious. If the cultivators of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance discover you, a battle will be inevitable.” He kindly reminded him.
“Uh…” Fang Zaiji’s face instantly fell. “Sect Master…”
“Mr. Fang, it’s best if you leave and return quickly. This concerns our hope of deciphering the Tianxuan Treasure Record. I wouldn’t feel at ease entrusting this task to anyone else.” Li Fan spoke earnestly.
Seeing that he had no way to refuse, Fang Zaiji shot a glare at Liu San—who was enjoying the spectacle—before flying away.
Liu San was immediately stunned.
“I’ve been stuck here for too long; it’s getting suffocating.” Jiang Yushan said indifferently. “The outside world seems rather lively now. Countless hidden small worlds that have remained in obscurity for thousands of years are finally about to reveal themselves. I find that quite interesting. Perhaps I might even run into some old acquaintances.”
Li Fan pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.
He handed her a piece of the Endstone Plate and a Communication Talisman, instructing, “Safety first. If our Medicine King Sect is to rise again, we will need your support, Elder Jiang.”
“Don’t worry.” Jiang Yushan replied coldly before vanishing into the sky.
“Young Master, I also—” Liu San hurriedly spoke.
“Elder Liu, you should stay in the Medicine King Valley. A crucial matter will arise soon, and I will need you and my clone to handle it together.” Li Fan waved his hand decisively, rejecting Liu San’s request.
Liu San’s face turned bitter, but he had no choice but to comply. Frustrated, he went to find the disciples of the Medicine King Sect to vent his frustration.
Li Fan once again immersed himself in feeding the Dissociation Disc.
Meanwhile, his clone, Xu Bai, who had returned to Tianliang City, was gathering intelligence on the recent progress of the Immortal Alliance’s conquest of the myriad worlds.
Up until now, everything had been going smoothly. However, shortly after his return to the Xuanhuang Realm, the zealous cultivators of the Immortal Alliance encountered their first major defeat.
The initial force that entered a small world consisted of over a hundred cultivators, including three Soul Transformation leaders and fifty Nascent Soul elites.
Such formidable strength… yet they were nearly wiped out.
The only survivor was a Foundation Establishment cultivator named Lu Zhixian.
This person had only managed to join the expedition because of his connections with one of the Soul Transformation leaders. He initially intended to earn some minor merit, but the battle took a drastic turn for the worse. Sensing danger, Lu Zhixian decisively fled.
Perhaps due to his low cultivation level, the enemy did not consider him worth pursuing.
Such a devastating loss naturally caused an uproar, prompting an official investigation by the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
Thanks to the recorded images in the Tianxuan Treasure Record, Lu Zhixian was quickly cleared of any suspicion of being a spy and was released without charge.
When the footage was made public, it shocked the entire cultivation world.
Because the one who single-handedly annihilated the entire expedition… was just one man.
He had white hair, white eyebrows, and a face full of wrinkles. At first glance, he looked incredibly old, as if he could die of old age at any moment.
But his attacks were ruthless beyond compare.
His hair and beard moved as if they were alive, lashing out like silver dragons and instantly piercing through the bodies of the Immortal Alliance cultivators.
What was even more terrifying was that after the old man’s beard and hair pierced into the bodies of the Immortal Alliance cultivators, they seemed to be able to absorb their life force.
In an instant, countless cultivators aged rapidly, some even turning into skeletons without so much as a scream.
Meanwhile, the old man’s face became visibly more flushed.
This white-haired elder was at least at the Dao Integration stage. Moreover, he seemed to have a special advantage within the Small World, rendering ordinary Soul Transformation cultivators completely powerless against him. They could only watch helplessly as they were drained dry.
This scene immediately incited immense outrage among the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance cultivators.
“Absorbing a cultivator’s lifespan directly? Such an act is no different from demonic cultivators! He must be eliminated!”
“Well said! Fellow Daoist, I support you! Go and chop off his head!”
“Hiss… I didn’t expect such a ruthless figure to exist in a small world. I think it will take at least two or three Dao Integration experts to take him down.”
“Fools! Haven’t you realized it yet? That Lu Zhixian was deliberately let go to report back—just to lure more cultivators to their deaths!”
“That makes sense. But if that’s the case, why hasn’t he just left that small world and wreaked havoc in the Xuanhuang Realm?”
“Because he’s not as stupid as you are.”
Despite the heated discussion, the cultivators of the Immortal Alliance were no fools. Since such a monster existed in that small world, they simply chose to avoid it. After all, there were countless unexplored small world—why fight to the death with this one? It was better to pick an easier target.
Thus, a dramatic turn of events unfolded.
That particular small world was marked on the map with a red skull symbol, but no one dared to enter it again.
“In the end, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance will surely send people to clean it up anyway.”
Holding onto this belief, the cultivators chose to completely ignore the matter.
Surprisingly, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance itself seemed to silently approve of this behavior, as no official bounty or wanted notice was issued for the small world.
“Interesting.”
After investigating the situation, Xu Bai discovered that there was actually an internal dispute within the Immortal Alliance over how to handle this small world.
One faction believed that such an insidious threat must be swiftly eradicated to uphold the supreme authority of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
The other faction argued that future conquests across different worlds would inevitably lead to encounters with opponents of similar strength to the white-haired elder. If they insisted on eliminating every single one of them, it would lead to unnecessary casualties.
Dao Integration cultivators were the backbone of the Immortal Alliance—losing even one would be a significant loss.
Even though the Rebirth Mansion existed, allowing fallen cultivators to be resurrected…
It appeared that Dao Integration cultivators had deep concerns about “resurrection” and were unwilling to rush into battle.
After further inquiries, Xu Bai finally uncovered the reason.
As it turned out, even though various methods allowed one to be revived with their past life’s memories and cultivation intact…
There was a fatal flaw that no Dao Integration cultivator could ignore.
Once one entered the Rebirth Mansion, they would forever lose their chance to reach the Longevity Immortal realm.
The exact reason was unknown, but judging from the reactions of various Dao Integration experts, it was likely true.
After all, what Dao Integration cultivator did not aspire to achieve eternal longevity?
Resurrection… was merely a desperate last resort.