Faced with Li Fan's proposal, Mo Rubing didn't answer immediately, pondering in silence for a long time. He gazed at Li Fan, his eyes lingering on his greying hair. Perhaps moved by Li Fan's sincerity and his apparently imminent demise, Mo Rubing finally nodded. "Very well."
Li Fan nodded enthusiastically. "Excellent! With your assistance, our efforts will surely be more effective! In that case, let's return to the Xuanhuang World!"
He summoned the wooden sword's image and invited Mo Rubing to enter. Initially dismissive, Mo Rubing's expression changed as he experienced the image's incredible speed, looking at Li Fan with renewed respect. Finally, witnessing how the sword's image shielded them from the Immortal Ruins' pull, allowing them to smoothly descend into the Xuanhuang World, he couldn't help but exclaim, "It seems you are truly among the most powerful in this era."
Li Fan chuckled and shook his head. "While I might excel in this generation, I cannot defy the passage of time. Even with all my techniques, my lifespan is still finite. This power is but a fleeting moment compared to the grand scheme of things."
Mo Rubing opened his mouth to speak but then closed it. They had arrived in the Xuanhuang World. As his divine consciousness swept across the world, taking in the vastly expanded regions and the towering White Mist Barrier, even this seasoned Law King of the Profound Heaven Sect was stunned.
After a long moment, he sighed, "If I hadn't sensed the remnants of the Floating Ferry Starry Sky Grand Formation, I wouldn't have recognized this vast world as the ancient Xuanhuang World. In just ten thousand years, the world has changed so drastically!"
Li Fan nodded. "When a world is on the verge of collapse, the pace of change accelerates a hundredfold, a thousandfold. I've observed these changes, as swift as lightning, as fast as light. This is the Heavenly Dao's attempt to save itself…"
As he spoke, Li Fan conjured an illusion. Within a sphere of light, the Xuanhuang World was in chaos: yin and yang out of balance, stars dimming, mountains trembling, plants withering, and animals fleeing. It was a scene of impending apocalypse.
Faced with destruction, the Xuanhuang World manifested various reactions: Frozen Heat Death, Shifting Years, Heaven's Punishment, Earth's Destruction…
Mo Rubing was captivated. Just as he was completely engrossed, Li Fan coughed, dispelling the illusion. A sense of loss washed over Mo Rubing. He felt that the scene within the sphere of light contained profound truths about the world's evolution, an invaluable treasure for any cultivator. However, Li Fan had shown it for too short a time for him to grasp much.
His pride as a Law King of the Profound Heaven Sect, a senior from a bygone era, prevented him from asking Li Fan to show it again.
"Perhaps after we find Brother Xuanyuan and become closer…" Mo Rubing thought.
"Of course, the Xuanhuang World's current state isn't solely due to the Heavenly Dao's changes. The Legacy Transmission Celestial Venerable has also been meddling," Li Fan said truthfully.
"The Legacy Transmission Celestial Venerable is likely a former Venerable of the Heavenly Law World. With the Heavenly Law World destroyed, he intends to use the Xuanhuang World, the only surviving world in the Star Sea, as a vessel for his own revival…"
"He has cultivated in the Star Sea for millennia. His strength is unfathomable, perhaps reaching the pinnacle of the mortal realm. I am no match for him! We must be wary of him. He will eliminate anyone who poses a threat to his plan to revive the Heavenly Law World." Li Fan sighed, offering his well-intentioned advice.
"This Legacy Transmission… he's actually not a bad person. It's just a shame he's become the Xuanhuang World's enemy." Observing the incongruous fragments of other worlds embedded within the Xuanhuang World, Mo Rubing began to believe Li Fan.
"What a pity…" In truth, Mo Rubing had held some respect for this powerful figure who had supposedly defeated the Ten Sects. However, seeing the fragmented and reshaped Xuanhuang World and listening to Li Fan's account, that faint respect vanished.
"Rest assured, we'll act discreetly. We won't provoke this Legacy Transmission Celestial Venerable until we find Brother Xuanyuan." Mo Rubing's gaze swept across the world, as if searching for something. After a while, he frowned. "It seems the Floating Ferry Grand Formation is indeed severely damaged. I can only sense faint traces of its power, but I can't control it."
"Partly due to the world's changes, partly due to the battles fought when the Ten Sects used the formation to capture other cultivation worlds. The formation was increasingly damaged, and they lacked the ability to repair it. That's what ultimately led to its complete collapse…" Li Fan said slowly.
"At least, that's what my investigation suggests." Seeing the glint in Mo Rubing's eyes, Li Fan shrugged, feigning sincerity.
"Those incompetent fools from the Ten Sects, how could they possibly control the Floating Ferry Grand Formation?! Unless…" A dangerous aura surged from Mo Rubing.
Li Fan subtly shifted his position and said, "It must be those Law Kings who betrayed us, revealing the control method to the Ten Sects."
Mo Rubing frowned deeply but didn't respond. After a long silence, he shook his head. "Not necessarily. Perhaps they were captured and tortured by the Ten Sects."
Li Fan was surprised by his reaction. He knew that the Xuanhuang King had entrusted the control methods of the various sub-formations to different Law Kings as a precaution. Mo Rubing was responsible for the Spirit Gathering Ascension Grand Formation, the Dark Sea, while Ji Yuzhen controlled the Golden Chains Across the Void.
Perhaps sensing Li Fan's surprise, Mo Rubing explained his attempt to exonerate the others. "Brother Xuanyuan once told me that Ji Yuzhen and Luo Yichen controlled the Star-Locking Golden Chains… Among the twelve of us, anyone could have betrayed us, except those two."
Li Fan pondered his words. "In Ji Yuzhen's memories, she was deeply in love with the Xuanhuang King. And Luo Yichen…"
Mo Rubing nodded. "Indeed. It was after falling for Brother Xuanyuan that Luo Yichen killed all her lovers, devoting herself to him alone."
Li Fan shook his head emphatically. "The Xuanhuang King entrusted the same task to two women in love with him? That was unwise!"
"You're overthinking it. They were very close," Mo Rubing chuckled.
Li Fan didn't explain further. As they chatted, they decided on their first location to search for the Xuanhuang King: the Dark Sea.
Following a similar route as his previous explorations, feigning surprise along the way, Li Fan led Mo Rubing to the central hub of the Spirit Gathering Ascension Grand Formation.
After their initial shock at the True Immortal's remains in the depths of the Dark Sea and the faint stirrings of his will to survive, Mo Rubing paused. "Hmm? It seems someone was here recently!"
Li Fan's heart skipped a beat. He had taken great care to conceal his presence during his previous visit, yet Mo Rubing had still noticed. However, he didn't panic. Instead, he feigned excitement, asking, "Was it the Xuanhuang King?"
Mo Rubing didn't doubt him. After all, this place was sealed by the Spirit Gathering Ascension Grand Formation, a powerful immortal formation, impenetrable to ordinary cultivators.
"There are indeed traces of someone entering, although they didn't reach the True Immortal's remains at the core… Those from the Ten Sects who died here… they were likely lured in and killed by the True Immortal's will to survive. Could it be Old Cui?"
Cui Zhiyuan was the other Law King responsible for the Spirit Gathering Ascension Grand Formation.
However, examining the traces of the formation's activation, Mo Rubing felt something was amiss.
"It wasn't activated normally. It's as if someone forcibly broke through without triggering the formation, using brute force… And they even improved the formation afterwards, further sealing the True Immortal's will and preventing others from entering."
After pondering for a long time, Mo Rubing couldn't figure out the intruder's identity.
Li Fan, seeing his confusion, didn't reveal the truth about the Legacy Transmission Celestial Venerable.
After struggling with the mystery for a while, Mo Rubing finally put it aside, focusing on searching for the Xuanhuang King within the Dark Sea. The central hub of the Spirit Gathering Ascension Grand Formation, resembling a circular observation pod, lit up. Faint ripples emanated from it, spreading rapidly throughout the Dark Sea.
After a long while, the ripples returned. Mo Rubing's expression remained neutral as he processed the results. Clearly, the Xuanhuang King wasn't in the Dark Sea.
Seeing Mo Rubing's deepening frown, Li Fan said consolingly, "Let's move on to the next location."
Mo Rubing shook his head. "I didn't expect to find Brother Xuanyuan so easily. I just feel… something's not right about this Dark Sea."
Li Fan's heart stirred. "What do you mean?"
"The Dark Sea is built upon the remains of a True Immortal. Although he has perished, he was still a True Immortal, capable of feats beyond our comprehension. For instance, the 'will to survive' that manifests when a living being intrudes. The Dark Energy accumulated here… it feels different from before," Mo Rubing said with a grave expression.
Li Fan followed his gaze into the endless darkness.
Mo Rubing continued in a low voice, "The True Immortal perished, leaving the Dark Energy masterless. However, since this power originates from his remains, it should have remained dormant. But a sliver of his will to survive was triggered… perhaps this will to survive has changed the nature of the Dark Energy."
Li Fan feigned shock. "A True Immortal's power is truly terrifying! What changes are you referring to, fellow Daoist?"
"It's still unclear. But one thing is certain: it's evolving in a way that favors the True Immortal's revival. Even if he can't be fully resurrected, the trend is undeniable."
"Do you remember the corpses we saw on the way here? Their life essence was completely drained, becoming nourishment for the True Immortal's revival… Perhaps when this Dark Sea senses a life form useful for the True Immortal's revival, it will launch a similar attack. Fortunately, thanks to the Spirit Gathering Ascension Grand Formation's conversion, the influence of the True Immortal's remains on the Dark Energy is far weaker than his will. The situation isn't as dire as I initially thought."
Li Fan nodded in agreement. "The energy accumulated in this Dark Sea is immense. If it were to erupt, it could devour the entire Xuanhuang World in an instant, turning it into nourishment for the True Immortal's revival…"
Mo Rubing looked at the Dark Sea, his expression grim. "If left unchecked, that might indeed happen one day."
Li Fan asked curiously, "If, hypothetically, the entire Xuanhuang World were used as nourishment, could it truly revive the True Immortal's remains?"
Mo Rubing looked at Li Fan, remaining silent for a long time. Li Fan's eyes held no malice, only pure curiosity.
After a long silence, Mo Rubing said, "In terms of energy levels, the current Xuanhuang World should be sufficient. After all, it has merged with so many other cultivation worlds, even if they were just remnants…"
"While the living beings were destroyed, their essence remains. However, even if revived, it would be just an empty shell, a walking corpse, without its own consciousness…"
Li Fan nodded slowly. "A True Immortal's body… that would still be incredibly powerful. If one could seize it, wouldn't they, in a sense, achieve True Immortality in this era?"
Mo Rubing chuckled at Li Fan's fanciful notion, not taking it seriously.
Having found nothing in the Dark Sea, they decided on their next location: the Eye of the Celestial Beast.
"The Eye of the Celestial Beast can not only observe the Star Sea but also monitor the Xuanhuang World. It exists outside the Xuanhuang World, connected to it by an ethereal link. If the Celestial Beast were still alive, we could reach it directly. However, now that it's dead, getting there will be more difficult," Mo Rubing explained.
They then traveled to the Nine Mountains Region. Looking at the nine towering mountain ranges, a hint of sadness flickered in Mo Rubing's eyes.
Then, just like in Li Fan's past life, he found the white jade flagpole, a remnant of an immortal artifact, within the underground ruins.
"This is… an immortal artifact?" Li Fan feigned astonishment.
Mo Rubing shrugged. "Its immortal spiritual energy is depleted. It's just an empty shell. However, we can use it to reach the Eye of the Celestial Beast."
He began setting up a formation around the white jade flagpole.
"I've encountered other immortal artifact fragments while searching for the Xuanhuang King. But they're all like this white jade flagpole, their immortal spiritual energy depleted. Some are even shattered, as if they suffered a great calamity. What kind of disaster did the Xuanhuang King witness in the Immortal Realm? Something that even the Immortal Realm couldn't escape?" Li Fan asked, feigning curiosity.
Mo Rubing's movements paused as he seemed to be lost in thought.
(End of Chapter)