Li Fan's expression was sincere. "Over the years, I've searched high and low for any trace of the Profound Heaven Sect's heroes, practically turning the entire Xuanhuang World upside down. While I was fortunate enough to find some traces of the other Law Kings, I haven't found anything related to the Xuanhuang King. However, I refuse to believe that someone with his unparalleled cultivation has truly perished…"
Mo Rubing listened silently, his expression unchanged.
"Tens of thousands of years have passed, and the Xuanhuang World's situation has become increasingly dire, teetering on the brink of falling into the Immortal Ruins. If not for the arrangements left behind by the Xuanhuang King, it wouldn't have lasted this long!"
"Arrangements?" Mo Rubing narrowed his eyes.
"The Floating Ferry Starry Sky Grand Formation!" Li Fan said with deep emotion. "Built upon an ancient immortal formation, using mortal means to manifest near-immortal power! Unfortunately, the formation is now incomplete…"
Li Fan's expression turned serious. "Reactivating the Floating Ferry Starry Sky Grand Formation might be the only way to save this world. The formation is incredibly profound, beyond my comprehension, even though it was built ten thousand years ago."
Mo Rubing snorted. "Naturally. How can a mortal cultivator understand an inheritance from the Immortal Realm?"
Li Fan nodded in agreement. "First, the Ten Immortal Sects escaped. Then, after millennia of conflict and calamities, many inheritances were lost. The current level of formations, artifacts, pills, and talismans in the Xuanhuang World is likely far inferior to what it was ten thousand years ago!"
"Finding the Xuanhuang King is our only hope of rebuilding the Floating Ferry Starry Sky Grand Formation! But as I said, there's no trace of him! I'm nearing my end and can't wait any longer. In desperation, I had to awaken you."
Li Fan watched Mo Rubing's contemplative expression and continued, "From the fragmented memories of Ji Yuzhen's soul, I also learned of the traitors within the Profound Heaven Sect. Therefore, I made this decision with great hesitation, fearing that placing my trust in the wrong person might endanger the Xuanhuang King. That's why I chose to awaken you outside the Xuanhuang World, in the void…"
"Where were you when the Ten Sects attacked the Profound Heaven Sect? In Ji Yuzhen's memories, you were always by the Xuanhuang King's side!" Li Fan's tone became increasingly serious.
Mo Rubing wasn't angered by this questioning from a cultivator of a future era. He frowned slightly, recalling the events of that fateful day.
"I was leading the core members of the Ten Sects into the depths of the Sect."
His words startled Li Fan, but he remained calm, waiting for him to continue.
Surprised by Li Fan's composure, Mo Rubing nodded slightly and continued, "Brother Xuanyuan had already sensed the presence of those with impure intentions within the Sect, colluding with the Ten Sects to betray us. He had just achieved a breakthrough and planned to use this opportunity to lure them out…"
Mo Rubing paused and took a deep breath. "The plan initially went smoothly. I gained the trust of the Ten Sects and led them through the Profound Heaven Sect's defensive formations…" A hint of regret flickered in his eyes.
"Those formations were merely meant to delay them. The true killing move was Brother Xuanyuan's newfound strength and the formation he personally set up. Disabling the defensive formations would lower their guard. However, we didn't anticipate…"
"Run!"
The Xuanhuang King's final message echoed in his ears, and Mo Rubing instinctively clenched his fists.
"Hearing Brother Xuanyuan's warning, I knew something had gone wrong. I rushed towards where his aura had vanished… It wasn't the designated ambush point, nor his usual cultivation chamber. It was the hall where the statue of the Faceless Immortal was kept, a place Brother Xuanyuan had ordered sealed. I didn't understand why he would be there."
"When I arrived, he was gone. And that statue…" Mo Rubing fell silent.
Li Fan's heart pounded, but he maintained his pretense. "The statue of the Faceless Immortal? What is that? Why was it sealed by the Profound Heaven Sect? After the Ten Sects unified the Xuanhuang World, they erased all records related to the Profound Heaven Sect. Even Ji Yuzhen's fragmented memories didn't mention this statue."
Mo Rubing looked at Li Fan, considering for a moment before explaining, "The Faceless Immortal was a True Immortal who once saved Brother Xuanyuan's life. When Brother Xuanyuan first arrived in the Immortal Realm, before he could fully condense his True Immortal body, a calamity struck. If not for the Faceless Immortal's intervention, he would have perished there and then."
Li Fan nodded slowly, then asked with feigned confusion, "So, this Faceless Immortal was a good person. Why did the Profound Heaven Sect later seal his statue and seem wary of him?"
Mo Rubing snorted. "A good person… He wasn't a 'person' but a True Immortal. The same action, viewed from the perspectives of a mortal cultivator and a True Immortal, can have completely different meanings! Brother Xuanyuan initially erected the statue to express his gratitude and to establish contact with this True Immortal he had only briefly met. If we could gain his assistance, saving the Xuanhuang World would be much easier…"
Mo Rubing's expression darkened as he continued, "However, Brother Xuanyuan quickly realized his mistake. A True Immortal's attitude towards mortals is… indifferent, to say the least."
"The Faceless Immortal saved Brother Xuanyuan because he had already embarked on the path to immortality. Even without a fully condensed True Immortal body, he was still a half-immortal, one of their kind."
"But towards mortal beings… even an entire world's worth, even if it required minimal effort, the Faceless Immortal wouldn't lift a finger!" Mo Rubing's voice was filled with resentment.
"He even tried to dissuade and warn Brother Xuanyuan…"
As Mo Rubing's anger grew, Li Fan narrowed his eyes, feigning indignation. "Such a vast difference between immortals and mortals! But regardless, didn't immortals ascend from mortality? How could he be so indifferent, refusing to help?"
Mo Rubing continued, "As they say, those on different paths cannot work together. After their disagreement, Brother Xuanyuan severed contact with the Faceless Immortal, sealing his statue. He even planned to remodel the statues of the Heavenly Axis across the land. However, before he could do so, the upheaval occurred."
"So, you're saying the Xuanhuang King might have met with misfortune at the hands of the Faceless Immortal?" Li Fan feigned shock. "Against a True Immortal, even the Xuanhuang King wouldn't stand a chance! No wonder I haven't found any trace of him after all these years…" He acted as if he had suddenly understood, his demeanor dejected.
Mo Rubing frowned, interrupting his self-pity. "While the Faceless Immortal had disagreements with Brother Xuanyuan, he had no reason to kill him. Besides, even a True Immortal couldn't instantly kill Brother Xuanyuan."
"Brother Xuanyuan was already a half-immortal who had reached the Immortal Realm. Before enacting his plan to lure out the traitors, he told us that after his battle with the Grand Magus, he had achieved another breakthrough. Even if he wasn't a True Immortal in the traditional sense, he had enough power to cross the Great Wall himself."
Li Fan's heart pounded. "Then what could have caused the even stronger Xuanhuang King to vanish without a trace?"
As he spoke, the scene from his past life, of Mao Bao suddenly appearing and devouring the True Immortal's projection, then taking the True Immortal of the Immortal Ruins, flashed through his mind.
The two scenarios were eerily similar!
"Could there be a connection? But the incident with the Xuanhuang King happened ten thousand years ago. And if my theory about the different time flow inside and outside the Great Wall is correct, if it was indeed the work of those beyond, it would have been a hundred thousand, even a million years ago for them…" Li Fan felt something wasn't quite right.
"However, this shows that the methods used by the forces beyond the Wall to hunt True Immortals have greatly improved. The Xuanhuang King wasn't a true True Immortal, and he managed to send a warning before meeting his demise. The one in the Immortal Ruins, however, was a True Immortal from the Immortal Realm, having comprehended the Dao in the Ruins for ten thousand years, perhaps even approaching the realm of a Nameless True Immortal. Yet, his fate was even worse." A chill ran down Li Fan's spine.
Faced with Li Fan's question, Mo Rubing remained silent. If he knew the answer, he wouldn't have been so lost and afraid while being pursued by the Ten Sects.
"While I don't know what caused Brother Xuanyuan's disappearance, I'm certain he's still alive," Mo Rubing said firmly after a long silence.
"Oh?" Li Fan raised an eyebrow, feigning disbelief at Mo Rubing's confidence.
After carefully choosing his words, Mo Rubing continued, "When I arrived at the scene after Brother Xuanyuan's disappearance, the hall containing the Faceless Immortal's statue was in ruins. And that statue… had a face! The statue had fallen, its head severed and lying on the ground. And the face on that lone stone head… was identical to Brother Xuanyuan!"
Mo Rubing's words stunned Li Fan. The scene appeared vividly in his mind.
"This… what happened?" Li Fan asked, utterly bewildered.
Mo Rubing said solemnly, "Initially, we all thought the Faceless Immortal had harmed the Xuanhuang King. But later, while we were on the run, I felt something wasn't right, for the reasons I mentioned earlier. I then risked my life to find a surviving Heavenly Axis statue, attempting to contact the Faceless Immortal using the method Brother Xuanyuan had taught us…"
Li Fan gasped. "You truly disregarded your own life!"
Ignoring Li Fan's praise, Mo Rubing continued, "True Immortals usually ignore us mortal ants. As expected, my first attempt received no response. But I didn't give up. I continued for three whole years, sending messages constantly…"
Li Fan instantly understood his meaning.
"Even if a True Immortal disdains to acknowledge an ant, if the ant keeps buzzing in their ear, they would surely be angered and retaliate. Based on my understanding of the Faceless Immortal, he's certainly capable of doing so. But he didn't. It was as if it were just an ordinary stone statue, offering no response for three years. Therefore, I concluded that after that day, not only the Xuanhuang King but also the Faceless Immortal suffered a severe blow! The reason why the Faceless Immortal's statue mysteriously manifested Brother Xuanyuan's face and was even decapitated…"
Li Fan interrupted incredulously, "Could it be that the Faceless Immortal helped the Xuanhuang King escape?"
Mo Rubing nodded. "That's why I'm certain Brother Xuanyuan is still alive. Although they had their differences, from what Brother Xuanyuan hinted at, he and the Faceless Immortal were actually on relatively good terms. And after all, they were of the same kind. Having helped him once, it's not impossible he would do so again."
Li Fan remained silent for a long time, then shook his head. "That's just your speculation. I initially assumed the Xuanhuang King's opponent was another half-immortal. If it was a True Immortal, or even a stronger being, the chances of his survival are slim!" Li Fan's voice was filled with disappointment. "Your speculation alone isn't convincing."
Mo Rubing hesitated, then added, "It's not just speculation. The connection I have with Brother Xuanyuan tells me he's still alive."
His words were vague and cryptic. Li Fan tried to press for details, but Mo Rubing refused to elaborate.
"The Azure Netherworld Pearl?" Li Fan wondered.
"Alright, since you're so certain, I'll trust you," Li Fan said after a long, thoughtful pause, as if finally accepting it.
"I don't have much time left anyway. This is my last gamble. Judging by your words and actions, you're definitely not one of the Profound Heaven Sect's traitors. Perhaps we can cooperate and find the Xuanhuang King."
Li Fan looked at Mo Rubing intently.
"You know much about the Xuanhuang King, but you're unfamiliar with the current Xuanhuang World. After ten thousand years, the world has changed drastically. The arrangements left by the Profound Heaven Sect might have vanished along with the changing landscape. I've explored every corner of the Xuanhuang World and can lead you directly to the areas worth investigating, greatly increasing our efficiency. Moreover, the remnants of the Ten Sects, now the Council of Five Elders, still control half of the Xuanhuang World. Without my help, even with your strength, you'll encounter many obstacles."
(End of Chapter)