"Sect Master Qu is right. The Xuanhuang World isn't just the Ten Sects' Xuanhuang World," Fang Dingge, the Great Dao Sect Master, said pointedly.
Qu Yi Xing, seemingly oblivious to the subtle jab, continued, "The leader of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is called Legacy Transmission. His cultivation method has some merit, but with the Grand Celestial Venerable overseeing the world, he's destined to fail. If he causes too much trouble, we won't even need to intervene. The Alliance will crumble."
"Since they're doomed anyway, we might as well use them. But their cultivation method is unusual. We shouldn't recruit those above Nascent Soul. Their deaths would only empower the Taiyuan World…"
"Leave this to me. I'll convince them," Situ Yao, the Heavenly Sword Sect's chief disciple, declared, taking a long swig from his gourd and gazing towards a distant point in the Xuanhuang World.
With a few words, the leaders of the Ten Sects sealed the fate of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance in this era. And in a hidden corner, another master manipulator was weaving their future.
"So that's the secret of the Taiyuan Rebirth Furnace," Li Fan mused within the Dark Blood Fortress, a distorted image of a furnace flickering in his hand. "I knew there couldn't be a Dao unknown to me within Primordial Possibility."
Over the past six months, using the Star-Crossing Grand Formation's golden chain as a conduit, he had analyzed the Taiyuan World's Daos. The results were both surprising and predictable.
The so-called infinite revivals weren't true resurrections, but recreations. Just like in the Xuanhuang World, deep within Taiyuan lay a vast, ancient immortal formation: the Nine Star Crimson Pearl, the Undying Ring, the Endless Frozen Sea of Corpses… Almost identical to the Xuanhuang World's formation, the only difference being that Taiyuan's Nine Star Crimson Pearl was still intact, powering the formation.
When a Taiyuan cultivator died, the Nine Star Crimson Pearl, containing the life data of all beings within the world, recreated them through the formation. Both the "revived" cultivator and their opponents perceived it as a resurrection. Only by piercing through the illusion, by seeing the underlying formation, could one grasp the truth.
"As expected of a testing ground designed by an Immortal Emperor. A complete ancient formation with the Nine Star Crimson Pearl as its core, capable of embodying the Dao itself. That Tai Heavenly Emperor… he didn't mention this crucial detail."
Of course, he was being facetious. To the Tai Heavenly Emperor, the lives of beings within a testing ground were insignificant compared to reversing time and saving the world. A mere resurrection formation wasn't worth mentioning.
"The revivals are a lie. The Ten Sects mustn't learn this. Their belief in reviving their fallen comrades fuels their determination. If that's shattered, their morale will collapse."
Li Fan examined the furnace image in his hand, gently stroking its surface. Though an illusion, ripples spread across it in response to his touch. He had infiltrated and begun modifying the Taiyuan World's ancient formation. Even an intact immortal formation was no match for a True Immortal from the future.
He had easily gained control of the formation's core, but he hadn't made any significant changes yet. He was wary of the two immortal guardians still within the formation.
Shielded by the formation, he observed them.
One was the familiar Immortal Realm Observer, but this one retained its full sentience. The other, perhaps once present in the Xuanhuang World but now vanished due to the formation's damage, was the Formation Repairer, its human body topped with a book whose countless pages constantly flipped.
To Li Fan, they were mere immortal servants.
But to ordinary cultivators, even "servants" bearing the title "immortal" were insurmountable. Even Li Fan, at Dao Integration, wasn't a match for them yet. He would avoid direct confrontation for now.
Fortunately, the immortal servants didn't understand the formation itself, simply following pre-programmed instructions. They were oblivious to his subtle modifications.
"I have to solidify their belief in reviving fallen comrades to maintain their morale," Li Fan thought, having spent six months within the fortress. "I've set the stage. It would be a shame if the audience left before the play began."
"What the immortal formation can't do, I will." He raised his left hand, and the furnace image spun rapidly, radiating light with each rotation.
Unseen, a change began within the Taiyuan World.
When a cultivator's soul dispersed, the formation would capture their life data, storing it within the Nine Star Crimson Pearl. Recreating them was then a simple process.
Of course, this wasn't the original template data. The recreated cultivators would be slightly different, more like reincarnations than resurrections. But it should be enough to satisfy the Xuanhuang cultivators.
After several days of meticulous work, he completed the initial modifications. In the process, he had used the formation's Daos to further refine his understanding of the Daos in both past and future, clarifying the blurred lines between the worlds and allowing him to sense the Infinite Sea beyond the mortal realm.
He couldn't be suppressed forever. Despite the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao's resistance, given an opportunity, he would rise again.
"Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao… I'll deal with you later. First, I'll bring this play to its grand finale."
He held the now almost tangible furnace image, examining it. He could return to the Infinite Sea and the Upper Mountain, reclaiming his True Immortal status, at any moment.
But the near-fatal consequences of merging the three Daos made him hesitant. With True Return dormant, connecting to the Infinite Sea carried unknown risks.
"My current cultivation is enough within the High Wall. I can even handle the Hungry Immortal if he awakens."
"Becoming an immortal isn't important. It's mastering the Interplay of Truth and Illusion that matters."
While everything else had gone smoothly since returning to the past, his progress with the Interplay of Truth and Illusion had been disappointing. Though he had improved since his arrival in the Xuanhuang World, he sensed a long and difficult road ahead before he could reach his previous level.
"My understanding of the Interplay of Truth and Illusion wasn't entirely my own. It was based on True Return's presence. With True Return as a foundation, I could easily grasp what others couldn't even perceive."
"Now, with True Return dormant, I've lost that foundation. I have to rebuild it step by step."
"It will take time. But this time…" A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "What's mine is mine. No one can take it away, not even amnesia."
With this realization, he felt no urgency. Returning to the past had been a desperate act of survival. For him, all eras were the same. And the Dao Obliteration Calamity threatening the Mountain and Sea… was beyond his current concerns. Even reversing time within the same timeline was difficult. He could only imagine the dangers of traversing the Eternal Silent Void to a completely severed segment of time.
"Even within the same river, the Daos diverge significantly between upstream and downstream. Different timelines, severed by Dao Obliteration, are like separate rivers entirely."
"If I travel further upstream, I'll likely lose my cultivation and techniques again. And recovering them in a completely unfamiliar time won't be easy."
He finally understood the Hill Watcher's struggles.
Perhaps, in the future, he would have to join forces with other powerful beings across time to face Dao Obliteration. But for now…
"Let them hold the line a little longer. I'll focus on my own survival."
With Li Fan manipulating events from the shadows, the war in the Taiyuan World intensified.
Even with the Taiyuan World maximizing its cultivator production, and even with Fang Dingge convincing the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance to join the fight, contributing their powerful, albeit low-realm, cultivators, the battle remained a stalemate, a bottomless pit consuming countless lives.
But as chaos breeds heroes, several rising stars emerged from the carnage. Li Fan, in his guise as Li Ping, was among them.
In six months, he had fought in over two hundred battles, slaying dozens of enemies in each, followed by inevitable breakthroughs. He was hailed as a natural-born killing machine, a war god, his cultivation soaring from early Golden Core to Deity Transformation.
Such rapid advancement was unusual, but not unheard of in the cultivation world, especially amidst the crucible of war.
Moreover, another cultivator's even more meteoric rise drew attention away from him.
Cao Yingyue, wielding the Supreme Dao Scripture, driven by grief and vengeance for her beloved Duan Yuxiao's death, made no attempt to hide her rapid progress, unlike other recipients of the scripture. Within three months, she had reached Dao Integration, then, in just two more, reached its peak.
Compared to her, Li Fan's progress seemed almost ordinary.
Though many within the Ten Sects were curious about Cao Yingyue's rapid advancement, they dared not act. The war was too crucial, and she was a core disciple. Only the Supreme Being Sect's Sect Master could question her. Their inquiries were dismissed with a vague, "Secret techniques of the Supreme Being Sect are not to be shared."
Li Fan knew the Sect Master wasn't lying. Cao Yingyue, wisely, had reported the Supreme Dao Scripture to him after realizing its power. The old Daoist, displaying true leadership, hadn't seized it for himself, despite being momentarily captivated by the Dao Starry Sky within.
"This is your destiny. Treasure it," he had said, dismissing her.
This explained her subsequent openness about her progress.
Li Fan understood the old Daoist's reasoning. It was similar to the Hill Watcher's teachings on the Dao of Longevity. True strength came from forging one's own path. Borrowed power didn't count.
(End of Chapter)