Chapter 1050: The Grandmaster of Enlightenment
Chapter 1050: The Grandmaster of Enlightenment
The paper figure had materialized out of nowhere the moment Li Fan attempted to corrupt the Book of Salvation with the gray-mottled, seven-colored jade void light.
According to the paper figure itself, this was some kind of early warning system.
The Salvation Sect had no intention of completely ignoring the outside world after transforming themselves into paper figures.
These figures monitored the Xuanhuang Realm, and when the threat level they sensed reached a certain threshold, the warning system would activate.
The more severe the crisis, the greater the number of paper figures that would awaken.
The gray mold Li Fan had unleashed was still contained within the seven-colored divine light, so the slight leakage of its aura had only managed to startle a single paper figure.
However, once this paper figure understood the current state of the Book of Salvation and the Xuanhuang Realm, had it awakened the other sleeping figures...?
Judging from the chaotic fluctuations that had previously emanated from the Book of Salvation, the answer was a definitive yes.
They left behind only the one before him, a figure named "Dan Xuan," to be solely responsible for all communication with Li Fan.
Tasked with the survival of the entire Salvation Sect, Dan Xuan's status was undoubtedly extraordinary.
Yet no matter how brilliant his strategies were, he found himself repeatedly thwarted and forced to compromise in the face of Li Fan's constant threats to bring about the end of the world.
Because Dan Xuan could see that every time a flicker of murderous intent rose in Li Fan, it was not an act.
He genuinely did not care about his own life, or the lives of any being in the Xuanhuang Realm, and was perfectly willing to drag everything down with him into oblivion.
Faced with such an unreasonable "madman," Dan Xuan was utterly helpless.
At this moment, sensing another dangerous thought stir within Li Fan, he hurriedly reappeared to dissuade him.
"I ask you to find one person, and all you do is make excuses. It seems your Salvation Sect doesn't care about the Xuanhuang Realm as much as you claim," Li Fan scoffed.
The conflicting emotions on Dan Xuan's paper face seemed to twist his features into a knot. "My friend, I have told you many times. It's not a matter of willingness, but of capability. We never imagined that the Xuanhuang Realm would expand to such an extent during our slumber."
"There are too many new blind spots. The Book of Salvation's entire monitoring system has been affected as a result. If you wanted to check on a specific paper figure, that would still be possible. But to get a comprehensive overview..."
Dan Xuan's body swayed slightly. "Not unless we dispatch paper figures to all those newly emerged realms."
Faced with Dan Xuan's evasiveness, Li Fan put on an expression of utter disbelief.
"I can understand your eagerness for revenge against Dharma King Mo and the Xuantian Treasure Mirror, my friend."
"But I fear no one in this world knows the terror of the Xuantian Sect better than us old folks from the Ten Great Immortal Sects. Back then, without the aid of the Tiandu Grandmaster, we wouldn't have stood a chance."
"A lineage inherited from the Immortal Realm is not something our native Xuanhuang Realm techniques can compare to."
Dan Xuan's paper body trembled slightly, as if recalling the overwhelming power of the Xuantian Sect from ages past.
"To lose at their hands..."
"It was no disgrace. You need not dwell on it so much, my friend. Of course, if you insist on revenge..."
Dan Xuan paused, then offered the same advice he had given several times before: "Why not ask the Tiandu Grandmaster for help? I'm certain he would be very interested in the remnants of the Xuantian Sect."
Dan Xuan's tone was as sincere as ever, as if he genuinely had Li Fan's best interests at heart.
"I can sense that the Grandmaster is still in seclusion within the Xuanhuang Realm. For a being of his level, ten thousand years is but the blink of an eye. I was once fortunate enough to receive his personal instruction in immortal arts, so I have some small standing with him. If you are willing, my friend..."
Dan Xuan coaxed him gently.
"Someone who treats a useless bunch like your Salvation Sect as a treasure can't be all that powerful, can he?" Li Fan's single sentence made Dan Xuan momentarily lose his composure.
But his self-control was profound, and he quickly recovered.
Completely ignoring Li Fan's dismissive jab, he continued his persuasion.
"It is only natural that we, who were poor students, failed to inherit the Grandmaster's divine might. However, the fact that the Grandmaster could fight the Xuantian King to a standstill is proof enough of his strength."
Li Fan retorted with another sneer, "And how is it that the intelligence I've gathered says the Tiandu Grandmaster was gravely wounded in that battle and has been hiding away, licking his wounds ever since? That he still hasn't recovered?"
"Every so often, a decade of time is devoured from the Source Dao Province of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. That's his handiwork, isn't it?"
Dan Xuan first blinked in surprise. "Has it really been ten years already?"
Then he shook his head repeatedly, explaining, "I don't know where you received your information, my friend, but it is utterly mistaken. The Grandmaster is in seclusion not because he is injured, but because he is comprehending the Dao!"
"Comprehending the Dao?" Li Fan's eyes narrowed.
"Indeed. The closer one gets to the Immortal Ruins above our heads, the slower the flow of time becomes. The Grandmaster told us back then that this is a spatiotemporal anomaly caused by an immortal comprehending the Dao. If one's aptitude is sufficient, one can use this anomaly to reverse-engineer the immortal's enlightenment," Dan Xuan said, his voice tinged with a hint of melancholy.
"However, among all the cultivators of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, not a single one of us met the requirements for this resonant enlightenment. Only the Grandmaster..."
"The so-called 'disappeared decade' in Source Dao Province is simply a manifestation of time being slowed to an extreme. It is likely an unintentional effect on the outside world, radiating from the Tiandu Grandmaster's process of enlightenment. Before we went into slumber, the influence of his enlightenment only affected a period of less than a year. It seems the Grandmaster has made great progress these past years."
Li Fan first processed the information in Dan Xuan's words, then let out a cold laugh. "If the Grandmaster is so powerful, why didn't you go to him when calamity was about to befall the Xuanhuang Realm? Instead, you either fled or hid away like cowards in your shells?"
Dan Xuan looked as if someone had grabbed him by the throat, suddenly rendered speechless and uncomfortable.
After a long moment, he finally spoke in a low voice, "Perhaps the Grandmaster simply does not care about whether we live or die. We did try to contact him, but there was no response at all."
"He didn't answer then, but you think he will now? And you keep urging me to find him..."
"You really are up to no good." The killing intent that had already subsided in Li Fan's eyes flared up once more.
Dan Xuan cried out in protest, "That was then, this is now! After waking up, isn't it a perfectly normal reaction to want to contact the Grandmaster at the first opportunity?"
"Annoying!"
Li Fan's patience had run out. Under the pressure of the Submerge technique, Dan Xuan was forced to retreat back into the Book of Salvation.
"If you change your mind, my friend, just call for me. I would never harm you! The Grandmaster is a kind and benevolent soul..."
Dan Xuan's words were cut off abruptly.
Li Fan suppressed the Book of Salvation once more, then fell into deep thought.
"Interesting. Regarding the battle between the Xuantian King and the Tiandu Grandmaster all those years ago, the Xuantian Sect and the Ten Great Immortal Sects each tell a different story."
"Both sides claim the other was gravely injured, while they themselves achieved a breakthrough in the midst of the battle."
(End of this chapter)
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