Chapter 1078: The Heavenly Mandate Bird of Xuanhuang
Chapter 1078: The Heavenly Mandate Bird of Xuanhuang
While still inside the egg, Li Fan began to contemplate how he should approach the "Trial of the Imperial Beast Sect."
Since each scene in the Fallen Immortal Realm was ultimately a test to see if the participant was worthy of becoming the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate, he knew he had to act with that role in mind.
His smooth success in obtaining the Longevity Fruit in Ningyuan City indicated that the first trial was a test of "benevolence."
As for this second trial...
"Is it about the relationship between demon beasts and humanity? Or perhaps how one would respond to an impending calamity?"
Memories of his past experiences in the Fallen Immortal Realm flashed through his mind, one by one.
Time slipped by quietly as Li Fan mulled over his options.
Soon, the first glimmer of light pierced the darkness of his world, and Xu Ke's voice reached him in an instant.
"Heh, you must be starving, little guy..." Xu Ke chuckled, a goofy grin on his face.
"Oh, right! I need to use the True Beast-Taming Technique!" Xu Ke exclaimed a moment later, slapping his forehead in realization.
He began to circulate the technique, preparing to tame the newly hatched Heavenly Mandate Xuan Bird before him.
But to Xu Ke's utter astonishment, he failed!
"Boy, you think you're worthy of being my master?"
Hearing the sudden telepathic voice, Xu Ke froze, his eyes darting around warily. When he saw no one suspicious, he turned to stare at Li Fan in disbelief.
"Don't react. Just listen carefully," Li Fan's voice commanded, its tone severe.
"I am the Mandate of the Xuanhuang Realm itself, incarnated because I foresaw a great calamity about to befall this world. I have come to face this disaster..."
Li Fan spun a tale of being the embodiment of the Xuanhuang Realm's will, sent to save all living creatures from fire and flood, leaving Xu Ke completely dumbfounded.
After Li Fan recounted several events from Xu Ke's childhood in perfect detail, the young boy became a firm believer.
"You mean... Mr. Bai is also an incarnation of the Mandate, sent to face the calamity?" Xu Ke's eyes widened.
"That's right," Li Fan replied, lounging lazily on top of Xu Ke's head.
"This calamity will be more terrifying than anything the world has ever seen. Even with the Mandate itself taking action, victory is not assured. That is why it split into two—one to act in the light, the other in the shadows. He started ahead of me. By my calculations, he has likely already reached the Longevity stage."
Xu Ke was bewildered. "Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core..."
"What's the Longevity stage?"
"Above Golden Core are four more realms: Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Dao Integration, and Longevity," Li Fan helpfully supplied, filling in the gaps in the boy's basic cultivation knowledge.
"N-No way... Mr. Bai said he was a mortal," Xu Ke stammered, his mouth agape in disbelief.
"Hmph. How could a mere mortal like you comprehend the cultivation speed of a divine incarnation? Reaching Soul Transformation in a single step would be a simple matter. However, as the one in the shadows, I cannot be so conspicuous, or our secret will be exposed," Li Fan declared with a hint of feigned regret.
"Even so, my progress will be far faster than you can imagine."
Before the words even faded, Xu Ke felt the aura emanating from Li Fan shift dramatically.
"You... you broke through to the Qi Refining stage?" he gasped, dumbfounded. At that moment, his last shreds of doubt began to evaporate.
Li Fan couldn't be bothered with him and simply commanded, "Go find me something to eat. I'm hungry."
Xu Ke scurried off toward the forests of the Imperial Beast Sect, while Li Fan resumed cultivating the Xuan Bird clan's divine ability, [Destiny Within Me].
With his vast experience, this was now second nature to him.
Moreover, having refined the Spirit Wood Realm and gained complete control over its Heavenly Dao, Li Fan had developed his own unique understanding of absorbing heavenly fortune to forge his own destiny.
Furthermore, his observations during this period revealed that the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao of this era was not yet as filled with hatred and suspicion toward cultivators as it would be in later ages.
The resistance to using his [False Claiming Heavenly Dao] divine ability was almost negligible, presenting virtually no risk.
If not for the extreme weakness of his newborn body, Li Fan could have broken through directly to the Golden Core stage in one go.
Fortunately, the constitution of a demon beast was incredibly robust. With sufficient food, growth was a matter of moments.
And so, Li Fan and Xu Ke began to roam the forests of the Imperial Beast Sect in secret, seizing and devouring any treasure they came across.
In Li Fan's eyes, the protective arrays around the spirit fields and precious herbs were laughably crude, easily shattered in an instant.
"Lord Xuan Bird, haven't we eaten a little too much?" While Li Fan feasted with great satisfaction, Xu Ke was scared out of his wits.
In less than a month, the two of them had plundered every valuable treasure in the sect's forests.
Now, the sect had begun to notice that something was amiss and had dispatched several elders to investigate.
Thankfully, they hadn't left any clues yet.
Even so, young Xu Ke had never been involved in such schemes. He spent his days in a state of constant anxiety, yet he didn't dare voice any objection to Li Fan's actions.
"Foolish boy. Am I not doing this to save the Xuanhuang Realm? What are a few resources in comparison? As the saying goes, the greatest merit lies in backing the true dragon! Once the world is saved, the Imperial Beast Sect will be hailed as the greatest contributor. Their reward will be a millionfold!" Li Fan declared, swatting Xu Ke with his claw.
"R-Really?" Xu Ke stammered, still half-convinced.
Li Fan continued to lie low within the Imperial Beast Sect, using its resources to strengthen himself. His power grew by leaps and bounds, and he was soon on the verge of reaching the Nascent Soul stage.
During this time, the cultivator named Song Yang, still coveting the Heavenly Mandate Xuan Bird, attempted to follow them in secret.
But Li Fan simply activated his destiny-altering divine ability, changing the man's fate.
Song Yang's two-headed black snake suddenly lost control, lunging out and swallowing its master whole. The beast was subsequently slain by the combined efforts of the other Imperial Beast Sect disciples.
And just like that, the only threat was eliminated.
Time flowed on, and soon, the day of Mr. Bai's visit to the Imperial Beast Sect arrived.
As usual, Li Fan began his prophetic act.
"I have a premonition. Mr. Bai is coming," he announced telepathically one day.
"What? Mr. Bai is coming to the Imperial Beast Sect? Is he coming to see me and Senior Brother Lu Ya?" Xu Ke's head shot up, his face alight with surprise and delight.
"Hmph, you have a high opinion of yourself, little one. Mr. Bai is busy saving the world; he has no time to waste on a boy like you," Li Fan scoffed, mercilessly crushing his hopes.
"Oh, okay," Xu Ke said, his shoulders slumping in disappointment.
But his spirits quickly lifted, and he stared eagerly at the sky, awaiting Mr. Bai's arrival.
Li Fan narrowed his eyes as well.
"It's only been a little over two months since I arrived. No matter how fast my power has grown, there's no way I can interfere in the upcoming battle... or rather, the upcoming massacre."
"So, the key to breaking this simulation must lie in the journey to the Nanming Sacred Mountain. Still... perhaps I can do something before then."
Li Fan glanced down at Xu Ke beneath him, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.
Just as in his previous experiences, Mr. Bai arrived as expected half a day later.
Sensing the intruder's aura, the Imperial Beast Sect's guardian, a great Green Dragon, instantly materialized, blocking Mr. Bai's path.
(End of Chapter)
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