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Above the High Heavens, Strange Phenomenon Reappears!
A Well-Forged Giant Sword lay forgotten in a dark corner, untouched for a thousand years.
As time passed, its blade lost its luster, its edge dulled, and its entire body was covered in rust! However, a surge of anger and defiance suddenly arose!
The rust continued to spread, but the mystique and authority of the giant sword grew even more profound with each passing day!
"Daoxuanzi, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, cultivated for 201 years, achieved the Dao Foundation with the Mysterious Item [Rusty Sword Daoxuan]. In the Severed Immortal Land, he fought to the death and ultimately fell to Foundation Establishment Cultivator Kounong."
"Now, his Dao has Dissipated, returning to the heavens!"
The magnificent scene lit up the sky for thousands of miles like a fireworks display.
"Daoxuanzi..." Kounong looked up at the splendid sight, completely stunned, muttering to himself.
All the soldiers present also looked up at the sky, entranced.
"I am Li Fan, and I have the honor to meet Immortal Master."
At that moment, an old man with white hair and beard, leaning on a cane, shakily walked up to Kounong.
Kounong ignored him, and Li Fan didn't rush. He stood by, waiting patiently and gestured for the soldiers to do the same.
After a long while, when the Strange Phenomenon in the sky dissipated, Kounong finally turned to Li Fan.
"Are you the leader of the mortals here?" Kounong's tone was harsh, clearly not impressed with Li Fan. "The voice that echoed earlier, was that you?"
"A minor trick, not worthy of Immortal Master's attention," Li Fan bowed deeply, avoiding the topic. "I humbly request Immortal Master's compassion to save the lives of over a thousand of my people."
"Compassion..." Kounong sneered. "My battle with Daoxuanzi was a fair fight, and the outcome was determined by fate. How dare a mere mortal like you interfere in the battles of cultivators?"
He looked at Li Fan, his words filled with menace. "Speaking of which, although Daoxuanzi and I fought to the death over the Core Formation Cultivation Technique, he was still my brother for over a hundred years. Now that you've betrayed him, should I kill you to avenge Daoxuanzi?"
Ignoring Kounong's aggressive tone, Li Fan only smiled bitterly. "It was just a desperate attempt for survival! As I said before, if Immortal Master had lost, my people would have surely met their end."
Kounong's expression softened upon hearing this. He sighed lightly. "A desperate attempt for survival. You're right, the world is harsh, and who isn't struggling for a glimmer of hope?"
Seeing Kounong's tone soften, Li Fan quickly added, "Earlier, Daoxuanzi... Immortal Master had promised me that if..."
Before he could finish, Kounong frowned and interrupted, "If it's about that, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Daoxuanzi might have never intended to keep his promise."
Li Fan was taken aback. "What do you mean, Immortal Master?"
Kounong said sarcastically, "Daoxuanzi has always portrayed himself as upright and principled, but in reality, he has no morals and even deceives mortals."
He paused, looking at Li Fan's face, and continued, "The Great Array of Immortal Isolation is incredibly dangerous. We only managed to enter it by luck. Even for us, leaving would be a challenge. How could we possibly take mortals with us?"
"What? You don't know how to leave this place either?" Li Fan was shocked, his face turning pale. The hope he had nurtured for over a hundred years was shattered by the cultivator before him. His mental state nearly collapsed.
Fortunately, Li Fan had weathered many storms and possessed a strong will. He composed himself and said to Kounong, "This is not the place to talk. Please follow me, Immortal Master."
With that, he led Kounong through the ruins of Xuanjing City and into an underground bunker.
When Kounong and Daoxuanzi were fighting, the soldiers had hidden in these bunkers. There were hundreds of such bunkers of various sizes in Xuanjing City.
Despite being deep underground, the bunker was brightly lit with lights and had ventilation ducts connected to the outside, making it comfortable.
Kounong looked around with interest, admiring the lights on the ceiling. He praised, "No wonder Daoxuanzi sought your cooperation. Your ability to harness and utilize lightning is impressive. It seems that the mortals of the Severed Immortal Land have developed quite well over the past few thousand years. The hidden weapons you used earlier were also quite powerful."
He then shook his head. "Unfortunately, these artifacts are only useful here in the Place of the Broken Great Dao. Outside, under the oppression of the Great Dao, they are utterly useless."
"By the way, when did Daoxuanzi find you and ask you to ambush me here? The timing doesn't add up. Could he have secretly practiced the art of creating avatars?" Kounong suddenly recalled something and asked.
Li Fan remained calm, about to answer, but Kounong suddenly lost interest and waved his hand. "Never mind, what's the point of dwelling on it. After the Dissipation of Dao, everything is empty." With that, he sat down in a chair, looking quite dejected, clearly affected by Daoxuanzi's death.
"Best not to ask about it. If we talk too much, we might reveal some inconsistencies," Li Fan thought to himself.
He then asked Kounong anxiously, "Immortal Master, is it true that you cannot take mortals out of this Severed Immortal Land?"
Kounong sneered. "Why would I lie to a mere mortal? Perhaps a Golden Core cultivator could protect mortals through the Great Array of Immortal Isolation, but with only Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, it's impossible!"
"Of course, if you don't mind being reduced to a few fragments, I could勉强give it a try."
Ignoring Kounong's not-so-funny joke, Li Fan persisted, "Is there really no hope for us mortals to leave this world?"
Kounong thought for a moment and shook his head. "To leave the Severed Immortal Land, one must pass through the Great Array of Immortal Isolation. With a mere mortal's body, it's impossible. Any attempt would be suicide. Besides, you're already in your twilight years. Why are you so obsessed with leaving? Being a local ruler isn't bad, is it?"
Kounong looked at him with disdain.
"I may be old, but I want to leave a legacy for my descendants," Li Fan persisted. "If my descendants could cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage like Immortal Master, wouldn't they have a chance to leave?"
Kounong laughed. "Firstly, there's no spiritual energy here, so cultivation is impossible. Secondly, the separation between immortals and mortals is absolute. The mortals here are covered in miasma; how can they cultivate the Dao of immortality?"
Kounong sneered. "I advise you to give up this foolish notion. For mortals to cultivate, they must first go to the outside world to reshape their bodies and cleanse the miasma. Otherwise, even if the path to immortality is right in front of you, you won't be able to reach it."
After several questions, Kounong's certainty finally made Li Fan give up.
"Immortal and mortal worlds forever apart, immortal and mortal worlds forever apart..." Li Fan muttered, looking lost. "So, there's really no way?"
"There really isn't." Seeing Li Fan's extreme disappointment, Kounong felt oddly pleased.
"Really not." He repeated.
"As Immortal Master says, immortal and mortal worlds forever apart." Li Fan sighed deeply.
"Yes, yes, yes." Kounong nodded repeatedly.
Li Fan seemed to be deeply affected by this harsh reality, looking dazed as he bid farewell and left.
The moment he stepped out of the bunker, the door slammed shut.
Kounong's expression changed, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
But it was too late.
A thick white mist, filled with the miasma of immortals and mortals, gushed out from all corners of the room.
"Ah!"
Kounong let out a惨cry as he was engulfed by the dense fog.
Outside the bunker, Li Fan's eyes were dark as he slowly said, "Since immortals and mortals cannot coexist."
"How could a mere mortal like me fully trust your words?"
(The chapter ends here.)