"Same as always," Cao Yingyue sighed. "We managed to repel them, but they'll be back in a week."
"You've worked hard, Junior Sister," Duan Yuxiao comforted her. "The other outposts are also struggling. We're not even on the front lines…" They exchanged glances, then fell silent.
"There's good news, though. They've finally pinpointed its location. They're planning a decisive strike," Cao Yingyue whispered, using a sound transmission.
Duan Yuxiao seemed relieved. "Hopefully, this will end the war. We've shed enough blood on this cursed land."
"But even if they destroy it, the enemy's final counterattack will be ferocious. Be careful, Junior Sister."
"I understand," Cao Yingyue nodded.
Though their conversation was private, it didn't escape Li Fan's notice.
"Such a crucial operation, and they're discussing it so openly? After all this time, their security is still this lax?" he thought, scoffing internally. Then, he paused.
"Wait a minute. The Ten Sects control the entire Xuanhuang World. They're at their peak strength, with artifacts like the Dao Burning Furnace. They could keep secrets if they wanted to. This information… is being deliberately leaked."
He understood.
"They can't pinpoint the Taiyuan Rebirth Furnace's location. They're hoping to flush it out by spreading this rumor, forcing Taiyuan to move it."
"They're resorting to such tactics? Their situation must be dire." He had gleaned the bigger picture from this small corner of the battlefield.
Maintaining his facade of ignorance and fear, he waited. Duan Yuxiao, after delivering him to the outpost, quickly departed.
Cao Yingyue watched him leave, a complex expression on her face.
Then, a streak of light shot out from the depths of Taiyuan, piercing through Duan Yuxiao before he could react. He exploded into a bloody mist, his body and soul destroyed.
Cao Yingyue stared in shock, then, realizing what had happened, screamed, "Senior Brother!" She flew towards the site of the attack, but stopped abruptly mid-air.
"Enemy attack! Formations!" Her voice, though strained, was filled with authority, echoing through the Xuanhuang fortress. She had regained her composure, but her trembling body betrayed her inner turmoil.
Moments later, a massive wave of Taiyuan cultivators, hundreds of thousands strong, surged towards the fortress.
The small outpost was just one target among many. Cao Yingyue and the other defenders were too busy to pay attention to Li Fan. Coupled with his simplified Illusion Becomes Reality, he was effectively forgotten.
His situation, however, wasn't good. Duan Yuxiao's unexpected death, a consequence of Li Fan's actions, had triggered a violent backlash from the river of time, far worse than he had anticipated.
"Duan Yuxiao must have played a significant role in the original timeline. Makes sense, considering his ability to remain safely behind the lines despite the war's escalating intensity." Li Fan struggled to maintain his form amidst the sudden temporal turbulence, grateful for the anchor points he had established in the Evergreen Valley.
"The Xuanhuang World is going to lose this war, retreating in disgrace, then erasing all records of their defeat. The Ten Sects' decline will begin here, culminating in the rise of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, the incompatibility of different cultivation methods, the Immortal-Mortal Miasma… This is the perfect opportunity to solidify my own foundation." A glint flashed in his eyes.
While others would prioritize securing their anchor points after such a near-fatal experience, Li Fan saw a chance to create an even stronger anchor point.
"If I succeed, even if the river of time diverges, creating a completely different future, I will remain. My actions will be remembered by all future Xuanhuang cultivators. Not just an anchor point in a single lifetime, but a legacy spanning millennia, etched into the river of time itself!" The image of the Dao of Longevity, like beacons in the river of time, had inspired him. He had made his decision.
"But I can't be too obvious. I'll start small, like the flap of a butterfly's wings, right here in this fortress." He looked towards Cao Yingyue, surrounded by three Taiyuan cultivators, her situation mirroring her fallen senior brother's.
He flicked his finger.
An image of Duan Yuxiao's death flashed through Cao Yingyue's mind. Her beloved senior brother, with his boundless potential, cut down in his prime. A surge of rage, fueled by the memory, ignited within her, unleashing a torrent of power.
Her body and soul seemed to burn as she entered a frenzied state, slaughtering her attackers before turning on the other Taiyuan cultivators assaulting the fortress.
Inspired by her ferocity, the other defenders fought with renewed determination. After hours of brutal fighting, they repelled the Taiyuan forces.
They attributed their victory to their own resilience, unaware of Li Fan's intervention.
But the effects of his actions extended beyond the fortress. The unified Dao of the Taiyuan World, now tainted, began to fracture, a subtle but significant change. An invisible line, like a deep chasm, divided the battlefield. Sensing this shift, the Taiyuan cultivators retreated.
The surviving Xuanhuang cultivators collapsed, exhausted, savoring their temporary reprieve.
Li Fan, too, was near his limit. Not just from his Dao manipulations and subtle formations that had turned the tide of battle, but from the renewed turbulence in the river of time.
"This is my current limit. My existing anchor points aren't enough to withstand this." Sensing his precarious state, he deliberately released a surge of power, attracting the attention of the survivors.
"Is he… breaking through?"
"Nascent Soul… a slightly better chance of survival."
"But to survive that attack at Golden Core, and then achieve a breakthrough… he's not ordinary. Who is he? I've never seen him before."
"Between life and death lies both terror and opportunity. Master was right!"
Rumors of Li Ping of the Evergreen Valley spread. His courage in volunteering for the war alone earned him the respect of the battle-hardened cultivators.
With the sudden shift in their world, the Taiyuan cultivators didn't dare attack immediately. The Xuanhuang forces enjoyed a night of relative peace.
As Cao Yingyue slept, she dreamt of Duan Yuxiao's death.
"Senior Brother!" she cried out.
He seemed to hear her, looking at her with a sad smile before a spark of light emerged from his body and entered hers.
The nightmare vanished, replaced by a vision of a brilliant starry sky that momentarily erased her grief.
"The Supreme Dao Scripture?" She stared in awe.
When she awoke, Li Fan visited her, offering his apologies.
"Apologies? For what?" she asked coldly.
"If I hadn't brought you here, Senior Brother Duan wouldn't have…" Li Fan said, his voice filled with guilt.
She had initially blamed him, but she knew it wasn't his fault. Death was a constant companion on the battlefield, a matter of fate, not choice. Duan Yuxiao's life was precious, but so were the lives of countless other disciples. And Li Fan had volunteered to fight. Blaming him would only alienate the other cultivators. She had already come to terms with this.
Li Fan's apology, however, offered closure.
"Live," she said, her voice emotionless. "Live for both of you."
Over the next six months, dozens of battles raged between Taiyuan and the Xuanhuang World. Though the Ten Sects continued to suffer heavy losses, their connection to the Xuanhuang World allowed them to replenish their ranks. The Taiyuan cultivators, though capable of revival, were hampered by the ongoing instability in their world, preventing a full-scale counterattack.
The war remained at a stalemate.
Disagreements arose within the Ten Sects about their next course of action. The Taiyuan Rebirth Furnace's power wasn't dwindling as quickly as they had hoped. They had made a fatal miscalculation. But assigning blame would have to wait. Their priority was deciding what to do next. Having already made one costly mistake, the Xuanhuang World couldn't afford another.
Many advocated for retreat. Others, though silent, agreed.
But the Star-Crossing Grand Formation, inherited from the ancient Profound Heaven Sect, kept them tethered to this war. The golden chain, once their hope of escaping the Immortal Ruins, was now a trap, binding them to Taiyuan.
They had also noticed the changes in the Taiyuan World. Though uncertain about the Rebirth Furnace's status, they had witnessed the golden chain's unexpected recovery. It had been nearing its breaking point, and now it was strengthening. This should have been cause for celebration.
But they couldn't celebrate. The chain's recovery came at a cost: it was merging with the Taiyuan World. They couldn't understand why, not even the Sect Masters. But the reality was clear: they couldn't simply leave. The golden chain, connected to the Xuanhuang World, would allow the Taiyuan cultivators to invade if they retreated without severing it.
But severing the chain, a component of the Star-Crossing Grand Formation, a true immortal formation, was beyond their capabilities. They could only activate and control it, not modify it. Moreover, severing it could destabilize the Xuanhuang World, causing it to fall into the Immortal Ruins. They had dismissed this option.
They had only one choice: maintain a defensive presence in Taiyuan, even if they abandoned their offensive, requiring even more resources.
"Have you heard of this 'Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance' appearing throughout the Xuanhuang World?"
"Just a group of rogue cultivators causing trouble."
"We were going to deal with them after Taiyuan. But now… perhaps we can use them."
(End of chapter)