Chapter 408
"This world... there's something wrong."
In the Tianling Province, after Ji Hongdao departed with the massive Dust Crossing Boat, Li Fan lost the sensation of the Formless Killing Intent.
It didn't matter, as his initial goal had been achieved. He successfully learned of everything that had happened in the Tianling Province.
As he recalled the events he had witnessed, many questions arose in his mind.
The disappearance of the Heavenly Venerate and the probing action of the One-Heart Venerate were still within the realm of logic.
However, what happened afterward was completely baffling.
"Ji Hongdao activated the Locking Spirit Array, instantly killing all cultivators in the province."
"This was a declaration. It demonstrates that the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, under the coverage of the Locking Spirit Array, possesses the power to annihilate the vast majority of cultivators in an instant."
"This serves as a threat, demanding that Zhao Shijie retreat."
"And as the Longevity Venerate, she actually just left."
"Would a Longevity Realm being care so much about the lives of ants? After transcendence, shouldn't it be 'Your life or death is none of my concern'?"
Suddenly, Li Fan recalled his enlightenment from years ago.
"The number of cultivators cannot be too few...."
"It seems that ensuring the existence of a certain number of cultivators is even more important to the Longevity Venerate than I imagined."
"But why?"
What bothered him even more was the strange phenomenon that occurred in the Xuanhuang Realm after the cultivators of the Tianling Province died instantly.
It was as if the end of the world was approaching, with the entire world trembling.
All living beings in the world felt a nameless fear.
Even Li Fan, who possessed the [Truth] and could rewind time at any moment, was no exception.
The contradiction between the Xuanhuang Realm and cultivators was so sharp that it seemed impossible to reconcile.
Logically speaking, the more cultivators died, the better it should be for the world.
Now it seemed that this was not the case at all.
What was the reason for this?
He pondered repeatedly, but due to the lack of clues, Li Fan couldn't find a reasonable answer at the moment.
He thought back to the [One-Heart Venerate] he had seen.
This was the first time he had witnessed the existence of a Longevity Realm strongman with his own eyes.
She effortlessly blocked the attack of the Spirit Locking Array.
Ji Hongdao, a Dao Integration powerhouse, didn't even dare to look at her directly.
Indeed, she was unfathomably strong.
"One-Heart, should be similar to [Transmission], representing the Dao that Zhao Shijie has reversed."
"What is One-Heart?"
Li Fan frowned.
"One-Heart implies focused attention, unity of hearts."
"Focused attention is clearly not right. Unity of hearts...."
Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly.
He remembered Zhao Shijie's strange words.
"Staying in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is a waste of your talent. Why not join me?"
Join....
"Me?!"
Li Fan seemed to understand something.
He recalled the thousands of Five Elders Association cultivators who had come to attack.
From beginning to end, they all had the same expression.
There was no command, yet their actions were incredibly consistent.
Even in the face of death, they didn't show any fear.
After they all perished, there were no corresponding celestial phenomena in the sky.
....
"United... as one?"
Li Fan had a sudden realization.
"All living beings are born different. In the world, they are all independent individuals."
"This is the Dao of Heaven."
"If this Dao is reversed...."
"You are within me, and I am within you. In essence, we are one."
Li Fan suddenly remembered hearing about things like [Consciousness Collective] and [Unity] in his previous life.
A vast population, seemingly with numerous individual lives.
But in essence, they are a collective that shares all perceptions.
"It seems that the Dao that Zhao Shijie cultivates is likely this?"
"Assimilating all living beings in the world?"
Li Fan immediately felt something was wrong.
Zhao Shijie had already achieved Longevity Venerate, signifying that she had successfully reversed the Dao of Heaven.
But clearly, the vast majority of cultivators in the Xuanhuang Realm had not been assimilated by her.
"Does this mean that the Dao reversed by the One-Heart Venerate is only within a specific region?"
Li Fan secretly guessed.
"Is what Ji Hongdao said about completing the [Theorem] referring to a necessary step in achieving Longevity Venerate?"
One glimpse into the Tianling Province, and Li Fan once again glimpsed the highest secrets of this world.
But to truly understand the meaning behind it, he needed more information.
Setting it aside for now, Li Fan returned to the Immortal City of the Heavenly Judgment Province, within the Tianxuan Mirror.
He submitted an application to visit the [Museum of Divine Treasures] at the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, free of charge.
This was one of the benefits of his current level 30 derivation authority.
Soon, his application was approved, allowing him to choose the time of his visit within a year.
Li Fan immediately chose to visit right away.
After receiving the message that a [Guide] would be coming to pick him up shortly and that he should wait patiently in the Heavenly Judgment City,
Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief.
He wasn't actually in the mood to visit the various treasures preserved in the Museum of Divine Treasures at the end of his life.
Instead, he was looking for a safe place to take refuge.
Although Ji Hongdao hadn't been ruthless in the Tianling Province and had spared the lives of those young formation masters,
after witnessing the slaughter of all cultivators in the province and knowing the secret structure of the Spirit Locking Array,
their fate wouldn't be good.
And those formation masters who hadn't been present for various reasons would undoubtedly be eliminated one by one.
Li Fan could directly rewind time.
But he still needed some time to wrap things up in this life.
At the very least, he had to wait until Xiao Heng and the others came out of the True King's Divine Cauldron.
For Li Fan at this moment, there was no place safer in the world than the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
Firstly, the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had its own defense mechanisms, and Ji Hongdao and the others would likely not make a move directly inside.
Secondly, it would create a false impression.
I'm already at the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, practically a sitting duck. Are you afraid of me running away?
This would undoubtedly make Ji Hongdao and the others relax their vigilance and eliminate the remaining targets first.
Then they would deal with Li Fan.
....
While Li Fan waited for the [Guide],
in the True King's Divine Cauldron, within the Abyss of Roars,
Xiao Heng and the others were helping Linghu Chang open one sealed room after another.
They took out the corpses inside and buried them.
Back then, Liu Ruchen, in order to save the True King's Divine Cauldron from falling into the [Immortal Ruins], had not only sacrificed himself and Elder Huang.
He had also used the lives of hundreds of disciples who had fallen into a deep slumber as fuel.
This was how he pulled the True King's Divine Cauldron out of the abyss.
Looking at the shriveled corpses of his former fellow disciples, Linghu Chang's face was filled with uncontrollable grief.
He took all the valuable items from their bodies.
After burning the corpses, Linghu Chang said solemnly, "I will rebuild the True King Sect."
Xiao Heng and the others exchanged glances and couldn't help but say, "Fellow Daoist Linghu Chang, times have changed...."
Linghu Chang raised his hand to interrupt him, "I know. Nowadays, the Dao cannot be cultivated together."
"So for now, those fellow disciples and senior members of the sect who are still asleep and practice the same cultivation method as me, I won't wake them up."