A deathly silence fell over the Xuanhuang World, followed by an eruption of bewildered cries.
"What's happening?"
"Can he still fight? Give up! It's hopeless."
"Ten Sects cowards! Let me go! I'll die with the war god!"
Most saw only Li Ping rising again, seemingly ready to continue fighting. Only a few understood the significance of the strange aura emanating from him. They stared in shock, rising to their feet.
"Sect Master Fang, if I'm not mistaken, that's…" Xia Hou Yan, Master of the Undying Prison, asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
Fang Dingge, his usual composure gone, scrutinized the image, fearing he was mistaken. But as the distortions on the heavenly projection intensified, he finally confirmed it. "A breakthrough. He's breaking through?"
"But he's already at peak Dao Integration. If he goes further…" His voice trailed off in astonishment.
"Immortal?" The Sect Masters exchanged shocked glances.
They looked up, not wanting to miss a single detail.
The distortions on the projection intensified, swirling around Li Ping like ripples in a pond.
The Taiyuan cultivators, who had been observing in silent respect, now attacked again. But a ferocious storm erupted around Li Fan, flinging away any who approached, even Dao Integration cultivators, like insects caught in a hurricane.
At the storm's center, Li Fan's life force and power surged, seemingly without limit, even reaching across the golden chain to the Xuanhuang World. A sense of awe and reverence filled the hearts of those watching. They sensed something momentous was happening.
Silence reigned in the Xuanhuang World. In Taiyuan, however, fear spurred the cultivators to a final, desperate attempt to stop Li Fan's transformation.
But it was futile.
When the storm subsided, Li Fan reappeared, unscathed, his body cleansed of the battle's grime, radiating an ethereal, otherworldly aura.
"Immortal!" The word echoed in the minds of all who saw him, their bodies trembling. It had been millennia since the path to immortality was severed. Now, a True Immortal was born before their very eyes.
The Xuanhuang cultivators knelt in fervent worship. The Taiyuan cultivators, though terrified, still attacked.
But with Li Fan's ascension, the tide of battle turned instantly. Previously unable to dodge the overwhelming barrage of attacks, he now simply raised his hand, absorbing and deflecting them with a casual flick of his wrist, sending them back towards their bewildered creators.
The Taiyuan cultivators suffered heavy losses, their concentrated formation turning against them. The dense crowd surrounding Li Fan thinned dramatically.
If this display of power hadn't terrified them enough, what followed filled them with despair.
Li Fan raised his left hand, and the scattered remnants of fallen Xuanhuang cultivators rose into the sky. Beside each artifact, a faint, spectral figure appeared: the fallen warriors of the Xuanhuang World.
Though their faces were indistinct, the Xuanhuang cultivators recognized their fallen friends and family, many weeping openly.
The spectral warriors bowed to Li Fan, then, wielding their weapons, charged towards the Taiyuan cultivators. The two armies clashed again, but this time, the Xuanhuang forces had the advantage.
Though individually weaker, the Xuanhuang cultivators were superior in overall strength and numbers. Taiyuan's only advantage had been the Rebirth Furnace.
Now, even that was negated. As the Taiyuan cultivators shattered the spectral warriors, streaks of light from Li Fan revived them instantly, allowing them to slay their stunned opponents before turning to new targets.
Finally experiencing the power of endless revivals, the Xuanhuang cultivators pushed back with renewed vigor. Li Fan replenished their ranks with each fallen comrade.
The battlefield became a spectacular display of light, a meteor shower across the Taiyuan sky. When the light faded, the Taiyuan cultivators were either dead or fleeing.
"Kill!" Li Fan commanded, his sword pointing towards the Tianyu Dao Palace, towards the Rebirth Furnace.
A wave of light surged forward, unstoppable, crushing all resistance.
This awe-inspiring sight filled the Xuanhuang cultivators watching from afar with fervor, yearning to join the fight. Only a few understood the true nature of this power. Though spectral, the revived warriors' attacks were real, inflicting real damage.
Hundreds of thousands of cultivators had been revived. How could Li Ping alone sustain such a force?
Fang Dingge, realizing the implication, stared in disbelief, murmuring, "Infinite… the infinite power of an Immortal. Is he… truly an Immortal?"
All those who understood the nature of True Immortals reacted similarly.
While they reeled from the shock, Li Fan, leading his spectral army, reached the Tianyu Dao Palace. Taiyuan's advantage was gone. They could revive, but so could he, even faster. They were disciplined and resolute, but his army fought with the single-minded vengeance of the dead.
Though immortal spiritual power was infinite, the formation's efficiency wasn't. The constant revivals had pushed the Taiyuan World's protective formation to its limit. The revival rate slowed noticeably.
Cheers erupted from the Xuanhuang World.
But the Sect Masters and their elite disciples, who had infiltrated the palace, remained grim. Though Li Ping's power was astonishing, the formation within the palace was still a formidable obstacle.
Then, Li Ping did something unexpected.
He didn't attack the palace.
He raised his sword and struck the ninety-nine-story tower, cleaving it in two.
A blinding light filled the sky, followed by a deafening roar. The shockwave rippled across time and space, reaching the Xuanhuang World. Both worlds trembled.
When the light faded, the Tianyu Dao Palace and the Taiyuan cultivators were gone, leaving behind only a deep chasm and Li Fan's hovering figure, holding a strange furnace.
Silence descended.
"Is this the power of a True Immortal…?" The sheer destructive force of that single strike left everyone speechless.
The Ten Sects cultivators, recovering from their shock, considered the implications. With a True Immortal among them, what was their place now?
There was only one answer. Even their combined strength, even with all their artifacts, was no match for a True Immortal. They could only hope he wouldn't hold their previous abandonment against them. Despair filled their hearts.
Then, another change occurred in Taiyuan.
The furnace in Li Fan's hand radiated a brilliant, seven-colored light, illuminating the sky. He looked at the spectral Xuanhuang warriors, their vengeance fulfilled, their purpose seemingly gone.
He smiled.
The seven-colored light flowed from the furnace like waterfalls, washing over the spectral warriors.
A profound transformation began. Their faces became clearer, their forms more solid. Life force, the essence of living beings, surged within them. They were being truly revived, brought back to life.
Despite the day's countless miracles, this sight filled the Xuanhuang cultivators with joy. They wept as they saw their loved ones, reborn, looking at their own bodies in disbelief.
A million Xuanhuang warriors, resurrected, wept tears of joy.
Then, their initial elation subsided, and they knelt before Li Fan, their savior, their expressions filled with gratitude.
But he didn't react.
They looked up and witnessed an unforgettable sight.
Points of light, like tiny stars, appeared on Li Fan's body, then, carried by a gentle breeze, floated away, first a few, then dozens, then hundreds, then thousands, like a celestial rain, showering the world with starlight.
When the sky filled with stars, the True Immortal was gone.
Silence fell upon both worlds.
It took a long time for them to understand what had happened. Then, a wave of grief and anguish echoed through both realms.
A month later, the war that had changed the Xuanhuang World's fate was over. But the grief lingered. Without their endlessly respawning enemy, the Xuanhuang World had conquered Taiyuan, securing a new foothold beyond the stars. The threat of the Immortal Ruins beyond the Xuanhuang World was now widely known.
But more than the Immortal Ruins, the Xuanhuang cultivators were preoccupied with the fate of their True Immortal.
The Ten Sects' leaders, after analyzing the available evidence, had reached a conclusion. The path to immortality was severed. Li Ping's ascension wasn't a true ascension. He had forcefully pushed himself to a state between Dao Integration and True Immortal, a Half-Immortal, at the cost of his own life force. A true Immortal could have recovered from such injuries.
But before his demise, he had not only led them to victory, but also used the Taiyuan Rebirth Furnace to revive as many fallen comrades as possible. He had sacrificed himself to save them.
And a sacrificed hero was even more revered than a living one.
Shrines and statues dedicated to the "Xuanhuang True Immortal" appeared in every home and every sect.
The few dissenting voices were quickly silenced.
Though the True Immortal was gone, his legacy remained.
The improved techniques he had left behind were discovered, becoming the Ten Sects' most closely guarded secrets.
"Worthy of a True Immortal. These improved techniques surpass even our most prized inheritances," the Sect Masters murmured in awe.
And in hushed whispers, a rumor spread among the common folk:
Those who possess the Supreme Dao Scripture can achieve True Immortality.
(End of Chapter)