"The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is nothing but a pack of wolves!" The thought of his seventy thousand contribution points vanishing sent waves of agonizing pain through Kou Hong.
"How could we have been so foolish as to join them?" Even the usually calm Daoist Xuan was furious.
"We'll join the Council of Five Elders! We'll make them pay!"
They set off for the Council's territory, forgetting one crucial detail. While the alliance claimed not to restrict its members' freedom, even allowing them to join the Council, they forfeited everything they'd gained.
As they attempted to leave, a Nascent Soul realm cultivator from the Guardians' Hall pursued them. Sensing the powerful aura, their faces paled. Despite their increased speed, the vast difference in cultivation was insurmountable. They were quickly intercepted.
"I don't care if you join the Council. But you must return the two Golden Core techniques you exchanged for."
"Let me see, one is the Thousand Dragons Transformation, the other is the Mind Replication Sword Art," the Nascent Soul Guardian said calmly.
Kou Hong nearly choked on his blood. Trembling, he pointed and shouted, "What kind of logic is this?! No one cares that our contribution points vanished! And now you want to take back the techniques we rightfully exchanged for?"
The Guardian sneered. "Alliance techniques belong to the alliance. You only purchased the right to use them. Now you're defecting to the Council? Do you expect us to let you take our resources to the enemy? We're being merciful by sparing your lives!"
Kou Hong cried out, spitting blood as his fury erupted.
"Dragon's Fury!" A crimson dragon materialized, its fiery breath engulfing the Guardian.
Acting in unison, Daoist Xuan also attacked. Over thirty translucent, decaying sword shadows appeared, their chilling aura freezing the surrounding space.
The Guardian's brow rose slightly, surprised by their power. "What a pity," he thought. "The alliance's rules cannot be broken."
Facing their combined assault, he sneered. A black sun, the manifestation of his nascent soul's domain, appeared in the sky. The dragon's flames were instantly extinguished, and the sword shadows, losing their stability, were drawn into the black sun, vanishing without a trace.
The gap between Golden Core and Nascent Soul was too vast. Despite their luck, they were ultimately ordinary cultivators, lacking any miraculous encounters to bridge the divide.
"Since you're so stubborn, don't blame me for being ruthless." The black sun descended, threatening to crush them. Immobilized by the Guardian's power, they could only await their demise.
Then, a resolute glint flashed in Daoist Xuan's eyes.
"Dao Xuan!" A sharp cry echoed. A rusty sword appeared before him, its tip pointed at the Guardian.
Surprise flickered in the Guardian's eyes. Countless points of light, like twinkling stars, erupted from Daoist Xuan, converging on the sword, repairing its decaying form. In that moment, Daoist Xuan and the Dao Xuan Sword became one! The ancient divine weapon revealed its true form.
"Run!" Daoist Xuan's voice echoed in Kou Hong's ears.
A brilliant sword light cleaved the sky. With a deafening roar, the black sun shattered. The Dao Xuan Sword, its momentum undiminished, continued towards the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's celestial city.
"Dao Xuan!" Freed from the Guardian's domain, Kou Hong's eyes filled with tears. He knew Daoist Xuan had sacrificed himself.
The alliance would send stronger pursuers. Wiping his tears, he fled towards the Council's territory.
"Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance…" Kou Hong gritted his teeth.
"Just you wait!"
"I will become stronger! I will have my revenge!" Burning with vengeance, he neared the border…
A flash of light streaked across the sky, piercing his body.
"…" Kou Hong opened his mouth, but no words came out. His head flew off, blood gushing. The light revealed itself – a flowing sword.
A young cultivator in black Guardians' Hall attire appeared.
"Useless trash, couldn't even handle two Golden Core cultivators. Serves them right!" He spat, ignoring Kou Hong's corpse.
"Strange, where did the sword go? And the vanishing contribution points… This reeks of the Council's machinations." Muttering, he vanished.
Moments later, Kou Hong's head, its eyes wide open in disbelief, crumbled into dust. Only a dragon-shaped twig remained on his forehead.
Li Fan appeared, retrieving the twig. Faint, resentful roars echoed from within. He frowned, waiting for True Return's reaction.
After a moment, he sighed. "Not much appetite."
"I was too optimistic."
"But this sliver of remnant will isn't useless." He force-fed it to True Return.
The twig vanished. Fleeting, blurry images flashed through Li Fan's mind.
"This is…" He frowned.
These were undoubtedly caused by True Return consuming Kou Hong's remnant will. Though not yet Eternal Remnant Will, it was enough to serve as sustenance. But usually, consuming Eternal Remnant Will granted new abilities. What did these fleeting images mean?
They vanished as quickly as they appeared. Even Li Fan struggled to grasp them. He stood motionless, pondering.
"They seem to be… events from my past cycles?"
"What does this mean?" Unease stirred within him, but he couldn't pinpoint its source. He stored the question away for later.
A gleaming sword appeared in his hand – the Dao Xuan Sword, formed from Daoist Xuan's final attack. Its Nascent Soul-slaying power didn't interest him. He was intrigued by its origin, sensing a familiar aura.
He had once absorbed the Rusty Sword Dao Xuan, which had transformed into a Heavenly Wonder. But the world's influence had altered it significantly, preventing Li Fan from recognizing it.
This time, perhaps due to years of nurturing and Daoist Xuan's innate compatibility, the sword had been restored to its original state despite his Golden Core cultivation.
"So it's a relic of the Heavenly Sword Sect." Li Fan sighed, channeling the Xuanhuang World's Sword Dao laws into the unstable sword, stabilizing it. He further reinforced it with array refinement. The ancient Dao Xuan Sword was reborn, its power even greater than before.
The Heavenly Sword Sect, one of the Ten Great Sects, had long since shattered the world and departed, leaving only a graveyard of broken swords.
"Heavenly Sword Sect…" Li Fan had tried using the [Reveal] character on the broken swords, hoping to find out if they had escaped. But the resulting light beams had all pointed towards the wooden sword Heavenly Wonder at the heart of the sword graveyard. Now, the revived Dao Xuan Sword gave him a new idea.
He inscribed the [Reveal] character, enveloping the sword. Three beams of light shot out. The thickest one soared skyward, then dissipated. Another flew towards Li Fan. The last, faintest beam, flew towards somewhere within the Xuanhuang World.
"Hmm?" This caught his attention.
"Could there be a descendant of the Heavenly Sword Sect in the Xuanhuang World?" Intrigued, he followed the beam.
Only those who cast the [Reveal] technique or deeply understood it could see these connections, so he wasn't worried about being noticed.
The beam led him to an unexpected location: the Alliance's Netherworld Prison!
Having infiltrated it before, its restrictions were meaningless to him. He followed the beam as it descended, his expression shifting.
The beam landed on the cultivator imprisoned at the deepest level!
"Strange…"
Li Fan had known about this prisoner, sensing a faint familiarity. Now, connected to the Dao Xuan Sword, he confirmed his suspicions.
"A descendant of the Heavenly Sword Sect?"
The prisoner, though skeletal, bore a resemblance to Si Tuyao, the former senior brother of the Heavenly Sword Sect. But similar appearances weren't uncommon. He couldn't be certain.
Now, however, his suspicions were confirmed.
"I should trust my instincts."
"Si Tuyao's descendant? Interesting. I don't recall him having any before the sect departed."
"Could it be…" Li Fan was stunned.
He was about to free the prisoner and question him, when he realized the seal was the work of the Healer himself! If not for his time in the illusion array, he wouldn't have recognized it!
"There's no specific method to undo this. Forcing it would alert the Healer."
"Xuanhuang's ascension is at a critical stage…"
Previously, Li Fan would have waited for the next cycle. But having glimpsed the Healer's secrets, he decided to try.
It was easier than he expected. The Healer hadn't prioritized this prisoner. The seal was mainly focused on suppressing his spiritual power.
After some effort, Li Fan undid the seal, leaving an illusion in its place to maintain the facade. He brought the emaciated prisoner out of the Netherworld Prison.
Reaching a deserted area, he was about to speak when a golden light flashed. The prisoner broke free, escaping into the distance.
This surprised but also pleased Li Fan. The prisoner was fast, but not faster than him. Drawing his wooden sword, he gave chase, catching him with a single slap. This time, trapped within Li Fan's pre-set array, the prisoner couldn't escape.
"Hmm?!" The golden light faded, revealing the prisoner, who had regained some vitality, though still frail.
"Thank you, Senior, for saving me." He bowed cautiously.
"Why did you run?" Li Fan asked coldly.
"I've been imprisoned for so long… I couldn't resist the opportunity," he explained with a wry smile.
Li Fan, unimpressed, placed his hand on the prisoner's head, preparing to search his soul. The prisoner trembled violently.
Countless images flooded Li Fan's mind. But he frowned deeply. The soul search was successful, but…
He found no information about the Heavenly Sword Sect.
(End of Chapter)