The opportunity to reverse his predicament was right before him. Having observed for a while, there seemed to be no anomalies near the shadow of the Unnamed Immortal. The newly ascended Unnamed True Immortal must have gone far away.
Unable to contain himself any longer, he used his remaining strength and rushed towards the shadow. He thought his fortunes were about to change, but…
Back in the present, he stared at the two isolated pillars, confirming he wasn't hallucinating. His heart trembled.
"One of them must be the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar."
"And the other…"
"It's actually imprisoning that newly ascended Unnamed True Immortal! This!"
"Who could it be?!"
My things. Recalling the voice, countless thoughts raced through his mind. Although newly revived, existing only as a Dao shadow, he was confident in his strength. To be captured and suppressed so easily… his opponent was unfathomably powerful!
"What happened during the millennia I was trapped? Could the Immortal Realm have been rebuilt?"
He suppressed these thoughts. An immense force pressed down on him, silencing him. As he waited anxiously, a towering figure appeared. He couldn't see its face clearly, but the overwhelming aura reminded him of the two Immortal Emperors he had met.
Without a word, the figure grabbed him. He felt his Dao shadow body convulsing. Although formed from the fluctuations of the newly ascended Hunger Immortal, its essence was the power within the massive Shape of Life he had created. The impact of the ascension was like a hammer blow, leaving an imprint.
Now, the life force within this imprint flowed uncontrollably towards the figure, circulating within it before returning, calmer and more refined. He also felt a surge of life force from the outside world rushing towards him.
"Barely adequate." The figure shook its head, seemingly dissatisfied, but continued channeling the life force, filling and reinforcing the shadow.
"Is this… is he turning me into a Heavenly Pillar?" Having seen much in his long life, he quickly grasped the figure's intention.
His subsequent experience confirmed his suspicion. The endless influx of life force and the increasing external pressure continued. He didn't doubt that even a True Immortal would be crushed under such force.
The thought of being sealed within a pillar, eternally trapped, a fate far worse than the past millennia, filled him with despair and terror. A True Immortal, a transcendent being, shouldn't experience such emotions. As a former Unnamed True Immortal, he shouldn't be so weak. But his former self, the "Unnamed True Immortal," had died with the coming of the calamity.
What remained was just an ordinary cultivator desperate for survival.
He knew he couldn't continue like this. Once the pillar was complete, even his great power would be useless. Gritting his teeth, he shattered the mask on his face. The restraining force vanished.
He cried out, "Senior, wait!"
"Situ Xing, Ruling Celestial Chancellor of the Huangai Star Region, greets you!"
…
"Ruling Celestial Chancellor."
Hearing Xing Wuque's words, Li Fan slightly loosened his grip, but didn't release him, observing him carefully. The mask's sudden explosion had almost caught him off guard. He hadn't expected such resistance from something seemingly under his control. Fortunately, he had quickly drawn upon more of the Hill-Guarding Immortal's power.
"Those days are long gone. Still clinging to the ways of Emperor Tianluo?"
"What, are you trying to rule over me now, former Chancellor?" After considering, Li Fan taunted him.
Uncertain about the specifics of the former Immortal Realm, to avoid revealing his ignorance, he steered the conversation towards his fabricated narrative. "The Immortal Realm is destroyed, the Immortals either dead or scattered."
"You, a chancellor of a fallen dynasty, have no authority over me, this mountain king. Hmph!"
These few words were enough to guide the former chancellor's guesses. He could use the "Hidden Emperor" persona with the Shuo Star Sea faction, but to extract information from this Ruling Celestial Chancellor, he needed a different approach.
As expected, Situ Xing followed Li Fan's lead. "A mountain king. The Dao Obliteration tide swept through everything, leaving only isolated islands in the Lower Realm. This being is suppressing an Unnamed Immortal to create a Heavenly Pillar, strengthening his defenses against Dao Obliteration…" Situ Xing's thoughts raced, his heart turning cold. He had hoped his title would give his captor pause. Now it seemed…
"Don't call me 'Senior.'"
"I've only cultivated for six thousand years and have never been to the Immortal Realm. Hehe, you, former Chancellor, must have lived for a long time. You should be calling me Senior!"
Li Fan sneered, increasing the pressure.
"Just stay in this pillar and guard my home for me!"
"Six thousand years and this powerful? Impossible!"
"But there is something strange. He's not a True Immortal. Could a new cultivation system have developed during my imprisonment?" Situ Xing was instinctively skeptical.
However, feeling the restraining force tighten, he quickly searched for an escape method.
"Not from the Immortal Realm. My past, my title, are useless against him…" His vision blurred, the ferocious figure before him obscured by converging life force.
Situ Xing knew this was a sign of the pillar's imminent completion.
"A being from the Lower Realm…" In desperation, a figure flashed through his mind. He hesitated, then, grasping at straws, cried out with his remaining strength, "Senior, wait! I am Xing Wuque, one of the Twelve Dharma Kings of the former Profound Heaven Sect!"
He didn't truly believe it would work, but to his surprise, the restraining force weakened!
"Xing Wuque of the Twelve Dharma Kings?"
"One of the twelve who served Xuanyuan Hong?" Li Fan asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. The name "Xuanyuan Hong" seemed to trigger a distant memory in Situ Xing, making him pause.
However, with his life on the line, he quickly replied, "Yes, that's me."
"Who did Xuanyuan Hong truly favor? Luo Yichen? Ji Yuzhen? Or perhaps Madam Nie?" Li Fan asked casually, a playful glint in his eyes.
Situ Xing, or Xing Wuque, was stunned.
"Hmm?"
"…Uh, none of them! Although they all admired him, from my observation, Xuanyuan Hong's heart already belonged to someone else. That's why he kept his distance from them." Sensing the imminent return of the crushing force, Situ Xing quickly answered.
"Hahaha, you observed quite closely. Xuanyuan Hong did have a childhood sweetheart, a remarkable person…" Li Fan trailed off, letting his words hang in the air, then slightly loosened his grip.
The immense pressure lifted momentarily, and Situ Xing sighed in relief. He tried to glean more information. "Senior, you knew Xuanyuan Hong?"
"Indeed. He saved my life during the Dao Obliteration Calamity. But he vanished afterwards. I've always wanted to repay him, but we never met again."
"That sounds like something Xuanyuan Hong would do." Situ Xing nodded inwardly.
"So, having served Xuanyuan Hong, how did you end up like this?"
Situ Xing forced a smile. "It's… a long story."
"Then take your time. I haven't had a proper conversation in a long time. With the Dao Obliteration Calamity, living beings are scarce. There's no one to talk to!" Li Fan clapped Situ Xing on the shoulder, removing the restraining force completely.
Although temporarily free, glancing at the two pillars, Situ Xing didn't dare act rashly. He observed Li Fan, carefully crafting his explanation.
"From his words, this Xuanyuan Hong seems to have achieved a high level of cultivation, at least comparable to this being. But that's to be expected."
Finally, Situ Xing spoke, "To be clear, Senior, I wasn't lying. My true body is indeed Situ Xing, Ruling Celestial Chancellor of the Huangai Star Region, an Unnamed True Immortal overseeing a Star Region. However…"
Li Fan waved his hand dismissively. "I know, you all descended to the Lower Realm seeking opportunities related to that so-called treasure. That's not important. Get to the point!"
Situ Xing's mind went blank.
"What? You're allowed to descend, but Xuanyuan Hong isn't? Facing a calamity, everyone uses their own methods. Don't you think someone who could command the loyalty of you True Immortals would be extraordinary?" Li Fan scoffed.
Situ Xing's expression shifted.
"Indeed. Indeed," he muttered, momentarily dazed.
"Most of us had our senses blocked back then. However, trapped within the Shape of Life for millennia, as my original consciousness gradually recovered, I sensed something amiss about Xuanyuan Hong."
"But he acted so much like a mortal…"
"How could a mere mortal command the loyalty of us True Immortals?" Situ Xing was genuinely puzzled.
"Exactly what I thought."
"I even questioned him, but he stubbornly refused to admit it," Li Fan said with a chuckle.
"Uh… so this is also your conjecture, Senior?" Situ Xing stared at Li Fan in surprise.
"What? Am I wrong?" Li Fan's gaze turned cold.
Situ Xing, startled by the chilling indifference in his eyes, quickly looked away.
"You're right. Very right."
"That treasure must possess sentience and a purpose. Waiting for it passively would likely be futile. So we all sealed our senses, relying solely on luck, each depending on their own fate. This also avoided conflict within the Immortal Realm."
"Those who achieve True Immortality possess extraordinary talent. Even reborn as mortals, they would still be exceptional. However, it seems none of us were lucky enough. Firstly, the Dao Obliteration Calamity came too quickly. The Immortal Realm collapsed faster than we imagined, leaving us no time to return…"
"We were scattered throughout the Upper Realm. When the ascension path connected to the Xuanhuang World was destroyed, some of us were still safe, while others' main bodies had already perished. Some of our original consciousnesses began to awaken, but we maintained a tacit, delicate balance."
"All because of Xuanyuan Hong's unique nature," Situ Xing explained.
"You suspected that the treasure fell into Xuanyuan Hong's hands?" Li Fan interjected with a smile.
Situ Xing hesitated, then nodded slightly.
"Otherwise, his meteoric rise and his dominance over other True Immortals who had descended were inexplicable."
"Xuanyuan Hong's aptitude wasn't particularly high, but he always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone." Situ Xing's voice was filled with confusion.
"But without confirmation, we couldn't act rashly. And his true identity was unknown. So we waited. But then…"
"He suddenly vanished," Li Fan finished his sentence.
Situ Xing nodded.
"His disappearance was too sudden. And at the last moment, he warned us…"
"It was hard to tell if he was escaping or had truly met with misfortune."
"This caused a rift among us. Some followed his trail, while others, believing they lacked the necessary luck, gave up…"
Li Fan shook his head slightly. "No wonder the once mighty Profound Heaven Sect vanished after Heavenly King Xuan's disappearance."
(End of Chapter)