Chapter 1070: The Mastermind Finally Appears
Faced with the accusations of their former companions, Dharma Transmitters Zhou, Wei, and Huang remained utterly impassive.
Knowing their companions' temperaments, they wasted no time on persuasion. They acted immediately, intent on subduing the two Dharma Transmitters first.
"Enough talk. Let's settle this with our actions!"
Huang was the first to strike. With a thunderous roar, golden light erupted from the menacing eyes of both his heads, freezing Dharma Transmitters Chu and Shen in their tracks from afar.
Simultaneously, Zhou and Wei unleashed their own formidable techniques.
An inverted reflection of Dharma Transmitter Zhou's private world materialized above her head. The others felt themselves drawn into that bewildering, dreamlike realm, their confrontation now staged atop skyscrapers that glittered with lights of every color.
Zhou's attire morphed into a suit of black metallic battle armor, a design none had seen before. It bore a striking resemblance to the immortal puppet armor that Tianyang had become.
Twenty-four flying swords, shimmering with a cold, deadly light, fanned out behind her like a radiant halo.
At Zhou's command, the swords tore through the sky, hurtling toward Chu and Shen.
Even after the volley, the twenty-four swords behind Zhou did not vanish. Instead, they remained as shimmering, phantasmal afterimages.
Once the entire cycle of twenty-four swords had been launched, the first blade in the sequence solidified once more, shifting from illusion to reality.
And so, another volley was unleashed!
Infinite. Unceasing!
Beyond the sheer destructive power of the swords, Li Fan—who had sealed the battlefield with a formation and was now observing from the sidelines—detected something more. He could faintly perceive traces of temporal distortion within the relentless volleys!
Li Fan had experienced this sensation before, both in Yuandao Province and beyond the Immortal Ruins. He could not be mistaken.
The fluctuation in the flow of time was minuscule, but it was undeniably present. This revealed a startling truth: Dharma Transmitter Zhou had somehow grasped the principles of time itself.
In contrast to Zhou's elaborate assault, Dharma Transmitter Wei's attacks were deceptively simple.
With every gesture, he unleashed horizontal and vertical beams of black light that interwove to form cages. Each cage seemed to carry the weight of an entire world, causing his opponents' actions and reactions to slow to a crawl. As more and more cages layered upon each other, the debilitating effect intensified.
Not to be outdone, Dharma Transmitter Huang pressed his attack. His gaunt, skeletal frame closed in on Chu and Shen as he engaged them in brutal hand-to-hand combat. Every punch and kick landed with seemingly infinite power, forcing the other two Dharma Transmitters into a desperate, clumsy defense.
It had to be said, as Dharma Transmitters, Chu and Shen were by no means weak.
Chu was shrouded in a constant, infinite white light that nullified any attack sent his way. Shen wielded a horsetail whisk, its thousands of white threads transforming into a myriad of weapons to counter their foes.
The power of these two was on par with any Dao Integration cultivator.
However, the Dharma Transmitters were all more or less evenly matched in power. With a three-on-two advantage, Zhou's group already had the upper hand. Combined with Li Fan's formation secretly hampering their opponents, the battle's outcome was never in doubt.
It took seven full days to finally subdue the two Dharma Transmitters.
Though defeated, they remained defiant. "If you have the courage, then kill us!"
Dharma Transmitter Zhou shot Chu a scornful glance. "Did you really think that just because I left the council, I've forgotten everything about what it means to be a Dharma Transmitter?"
"The Heavenly Venerate's life-preserving wards are still active. Even if we could kill you, we'd be marked."
Wei then began to explain slowly, "My brothers, you've misunderstood. We had no choice but to do this."
He then recounted the whole story in detail—how Mo Rubin, a Law King of the Xuantian Sect, had secretly possessed one of their own.
"I have verified this myself," he added for emphasis.
Chu snorted, his face a mask of disbelief. "Absurd! Do you forget our power as Dharma Transmitters? We are shielded by the Heavenly Venerate's wards. How could one of us possibly be possessed without anyone noticing?"
Shen, however, was less certain. He recalled the recent strange occurrences within the Immortal Alliance's council and grew pensive.
Dharma Transmitter Zhou sneered. "It makes no difference whether you believe us. We never expected any help from useless fools like you anyway. Just you wait. Once Jiang arrives and we've explained everything, we will invoke the Dharma Transmitter's Oath. Then, the truth will be laid bare for all to see!"
At the mention of the Dharma Transmitter's Oath, both Shen and Chu fell silent.
They understood the gravity of those words.
To willingly propose a trial by the Oath was not something a traitor or conspirator would ever do.
"Could it be..."
They exchanged a glance and lapsed into a heavy silence.
Meanwhile, Li Fan watched the argument unfold from the sidelines, saying nothing.
The mysterious disappearance of two Dharma Transmitters sent to investigate the great chasms was an event significant enough to shake the entire Immortal Alliance to its core.
The council of Dharma Transmitters convened an emergency session to determine a course of action.
Although a few members, including Dharma Transmitter Feng, objected, the overwhelming majority believed that Dharma Transmitter Jiang must be notified at once.
The minority had to yield to the majority.
In the end, Dharma Transmitter Jiang, residing in the Return to Origin Realm, was finally disturbed.
As reports on the investigation into the chasms materialized before him, Jiang nodded. "I had already faintly sensed something amiss. Strange insects have appeared deep beneath the Xuanhuang Realm. They produce a unique spiritual energy that incites a lust for slaughter in cultivators. The recent wave of carnage across the realm was their doing."
"It was one thing to corrupt the minds of the realm's cultivators, but now they are destroying its very foundations..."
Jiang looked at the illusory projections before him—the other Dharma Transmitters, who dared not appear in person for fear of his "All Things Are as I Am" ability. A flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.
He projected a beam of white light. "I have already found a way to exterminate these insects. You need only follow my instructions."
"As for the disappearance of Chu and Shen..."
"I will see to it myself."
Dharma Transmitter Jiang's figure vanished from the Return to Origin Realm, his voice echoing long after he was gone.
...
After helping to capture the two Dharma Transmitters, Li Fan made an excuse to part ways with Zhou and the others for a time.
His true body returned to the Spirit Wood Realm to lie in wait, leaving only his immortal puppet, Li Fan, active in the outside world.
An intermittent warning echoed in his mind, telling him that Dharma Transmitter Jiang's arrival was imminent.
And sure enough, a mere day later, Jiang followed the trail of clues and found them.
"It was you?"
Seeing that the masterminds behind the turmoil in the Xuanhuang Realm were his own former companions, even someone with Jiang's composure could not hide a flicker of astonishment.
"It was merely a ploy, a necessary measure to draw you out." Faced with Jiang, even the ever-arrogant Huang adopted a more conciliatory tone.
Dharma Transmitter Zhou declared without a hint of shame, speaking her mind freely.
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