Li Fan looked up at the blood-red sky, a crescent moon hanging like a bloody omen, radiating a potent, metallic scent, as if saturated with the life force of countless beings.
"This must be the source of this world's strangeness," he thought.
He could even see endless scenes of carnage playing out on the moon's surface. Having witnessed far worse, he remained unmoved. The other Great Dao Sect disciples, however, were less composed, their faces pale, several vomiting on the spot.
Fang Dingge observed them dispassionately.
Li Fan feigned nausea, avoiding unwanted attention.
Once they had recovered somewhat, Fang Dingge spoke. "This world is called Blood Moon, named after that monstrous creature above. The intruders who attacked our sect have fled here. We will wash away the shame of their near-victory with their blood!"
His words, delivered with the authority of a Sect Master, ignited the disciples' fervor, their initial fear replaced by bloodlust.
"Kill them all!" Fang Dingge commanded. The disciples scattered, their weapons and artifacts flashing. Even the junior disciples of a Ten Immortal Sect possessed impressive resources.
To avoid standing out, Li Fan simply summoned a water sword and followed another disciple, Lei Fanzi, whom he recognized from Zhao Ruoxi's memories as a future elder of the Great Dao Sect. His survival to the future indicated he wouldn't face any mortal danger in this battle.
Though Li Fan could likely dominate this strange world with his current Golden Core cultivation, he saw no benefit in doing so. He had been dragged here by accident. His priority was to distribute the Supreme Dao Scriptures within the Ten Sects.
"Your swordsmanship is impressive, Junior Brother!" Despite his attempts at modesty, his skill, even restrained, was noticeable.
"Shall we travel together?" Lei Fanzi asked tentatively. He seemed young, perhaps on his first mission outside the sect. Li Fan sensed his nervousness.
"I would be honored, Senior Brother," Li Fan replied with a smile.
Following Fang Dingge's instructions, they ventured deeper into the Blood Moon world, slaughtering any living being that wasn't a Great Dao Sect disciple. Though the environment was strange, the inhabitants, with their unusual purple skin, were otherwise similar to ordinary humans.
After clearing another settlement, Lei Fanzi stared at the burning ruins, a flicker of unease in his eyes.
"They are not our kind. Their hearts are different," Li Fan said coldly, echoing his own belief and also playing to Fang Dingge's monitoring of their thoughts. "They should have foreseen this when they attacked our sect."
Lei Fanzi sighed, offering no argument.
As they were about to leave, Li Fan suddenly exclaimed, "Senior Brother, look!"
He pointed towards two shimmering discs he had retrieved from the ruins, their surfaces covered in intricate patterns surrounding the Mountain and Sea.
Lei Fanzi's heart leaped. He snatched the discs and examined them.
"I don't understand the characters, but when I look at them, the words 'Supreme Dao Scripture' appear in my mind, Senior Brother," Li Fan said, his voice trembling.
Lei Fanzi studied the discs, his expression shifting from confusion to shock. He glanced around, then, after confirming they were alone, took a deep breath and handed one back to Li Fan. "These must be lost scriptures from the Immortal Realm. A great opportunity for us. I've examined them. They're identical. Let's each take one. Consider this a gift for your earlier assistance. I am in your debt."
Though he had essentially claimed one of the treasures, he had at least shared the other, and he hadn't lied. He wasn't benevolent, but not malicious either, simply making a pragmatic choice.
Li Fan was surprised he had recognized the Supreme Dao Scripture's power so quickly.
"The elite disciples of the Ten Sects are indeed different." He sensed another fragment of the Dao emerging from the mists, nodding to himself.
He feigned shock and hesitation. "Shouldn't we hand these over to the sect? Will the Sect Master be angry if we keep them?"
Lei Fanzi snorted dismissively. "Don't be absurd. The Ten Sects inherited countless treasures from the Immortal Realm. A single scripture… it would be beneath the Sect Master to take it from us. Besides," he lowered his voice, "no one knows but us. Just keep quiet."
Li Fan, sensing Fang Dingge's sweeping divine sense, nodded in agreement.
The clearing of the Blood Moon world proceeded smoothly. Aside from a large-scale battle in another region, there were no major incidents. After Fang Dingge used the Dao Burning Furnace to absorb and incinerate the blood moon in the sky, the world's restrictions on cultivators eased. Though the upper limit remained at Golden Core, they could now briefly unleash their full power, the price being expulsion from the world shortly after.
"This world is now ours, a bridgehead for our conquests," Fang Dingge declared, his voice booming across the sky as he looked towards the distant stars through the golden chain connecting this world to the outside.
"The Star-Crossing Grand Formation… it's still intact at this point in time," Li Fan mused. Judging by Fang Dingge's words, the war engulfing the Ten Sects was far from over.
"Such a large-scale conflict, and yet no records of it remain in later history. Interesting…"
The true battles against other cultivation worlds were clearly beyond the scope of Golden Core cultivators. Fang Dingge returned with the disciples to the Great Dao Sect.
The lingering scent of blood hadn't dissipated, but some disciples were already returning from the front lines, their faces haggard, their eyes filled with a lingering terror. The war had clearly taken its toll.
That night, Li Fan discreetly probed the minds of several returning disciples, but their memories had been partially erased to prevent leaks. He couldn't glean much about the war's progress, but the scenes of carnage, of countless fallen cultivators, suggested it was far more devastating than he had anticipated.
"Wait… haven't I seen this war before? In the Fallen Immortal Realm?" The images triggered a distant memory.
"Only the Fallen Immortal Realm could retain records of a war erased from history. And it seems the Ten Sects didn't fare well. Otherwise, they wouldn't have erased it so thoroughly." He looked towards the mountain where the Great Dao Sect's main hall stood.
While the war silently consumed countless lives, Li Fan's preparations finally bore fruit. A powerful divine sense, far stronger than his current level, entered one of the Supreme Dao Scriptures.
"Dao Integration!" He focused his attention.
Even a Dao Integration cultivator was quickly lost within the Dao Starry Sky he had created within the disc, even faster than the Golden Core disciples. Cultivators at the Dao Integration realm could finally glimpse the vastness of the Heavenly Dao, recognizing the true value of the Supreme Dao Scripture.
This new divine sense belonged to Fu Xiwen, and it had entered through Lei Fanzi's disc.
As his mind wandered within the Dao Starry Sky, a surge of power erupted from a mountain within the Great Dao Sect. A golden bow appeared, an arrow loosed, piercing the sky and vanishing into the depths of the starry sky beyond the Xuanhuang World.
"He… after being trapped for nine hundred years, on the verge of death, Uncle Fu has finally broken through! Congratulations!"
"Fu Xiwen was said to be the strongest of the previous generation's prodigies, a master archer whose arrows could make the setting sun fall and the golden crow cry. Unfortunately, his obsession with archery hindered his Dao comprehension, trapping him at peak Deity Transformation. We thought he had given up hope…"
Exclamations echoed throughout the Great Dao Sect.
Li Fan understood.
"Fu Xiwen is Lei Fanzi's master. He must have given him the Supreme Dao Scripture. His divine sense was already at the Dao Integration realm. He just needed a final push. My Supreme Dao Scripture provided that."
While the Great Dao Sect celebrated a new Dao Integration expert, Li Fan, through Fu Xiwen, gained access to a deeper understanding of the Xuanhuang Great Dao.
Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Deity Transformation, Dao Integration… Within the confines of his small room, his aura fluctuated wildly, like a cultivator experiencing sudden enlightenment. But it wasn't his enlightenment. The Dao was returning to him.
While the Great Dao Sect still reverberated from Fu Xiwen's breakthrough, Li Fan's room was calm. Though even a Dao Integration cultivator's understanding was limited, it provided a sufficient foundation.
In the current Xuanhuang World, the highest realm was Longevity, but its actual combat power wasn't much different from Dao Integration. It was achieved through consuming the Ruo Tree's fruit.
Ignoring the hidden monsters, Li Fan was once again at the pinnacle of power within the Xuanhuang World.
"But it's not enough. A single Dao Integration cultivator isn't enough to restore the Myriad Manifestations Dao Net. And my progress with the Interplay of Truth and Illusion… is minimal."
Compared to the vastness of the Dao Net, this was a drop in the ocean. The gap between each realm above Dao Integration was immense.
"I need more Dao Integration cultivators to aid me." He turned his attention towards the ongoing war.
As he pondered this, a knock echoed on his door.
It hadn't been long since he infiltrated the sect. His only acquaintance here was Lei Fanzi.
Seeing the conflicted expression on Lei Fanzi's face, he instantly understood his purpose. He opened the door with a smile, readily agreeing to accompany him.
"As you know, Master finally reached Dao Integration. A joyous occasion," Lei Fanzi said, his voice hesitant. "He sent me to invite other sects to celebrate…"
"Congratulations, Senior Brother! With a Dao Integration Master, your status within the sect will surely rise. Don't forget about me when you're a big shot," Li Fan said, feigning obliviousness to the flimsy excuse.
Lei Fanzi gave a strained smile.
As they reached a secluded area, a blade pierced Li Fan's chest.
"Forgive me, Junior Brother!" Lei Fanzi shouted, then swiftly decapitated him.
To ensure his death, he retrieved the Supreme Dao Scripture from Li Fan's body and incinerated the corpse.
He stood there for a long time before returning to the sect.
He didn't notice Li Fan's body reforming behind him.
"Destroying the evidence… clever. Even if the Ten Sects investigate, the trail ends here." Li Fan smiled, watching Lei Fanzi leave.
But as Lei Fanzi entered the Great Dao Sect's mountain gate, Li Fan's smile vanished. He looked up, sensing danger.
Not from anyone within the Xuanhuang World, but from time itself. It was like being back in the river of time, the turbulent currents rising.
This temporal surge didn't affect the world around him, only Li Fan. Without the Dao of Longevity or the Upstream Ark, he had to face it alone.
"This is… the backlash from altering the river of time! As the one who changed history, I must bear the consequences!"
(End of Chapter)