Chapter 1085: The Lost Trail of Ancient Immortal Artifacts
As the saying goes, an arrow at the end of its flight cannot pierce even the finest silk.
Under the crushing pressure of the Longevity realm, Li Fan's sword strike likely wouldn't have harmed even an ordinary mortal.
Let alone inflict any harm upon Mr. Bai.
However, even though it failed to leave so much as a scratch, the sword had, in the end, found its mark on Mr. Bai.
It was because Li Fan had disregarded his own life.
It was because of Mr. Bai's appreciation for talent and his compassion.
A man of principle, as it turned out, could be deceived by an appeal to his own code.
That single strike was the culmination of all Li Fan had contemplated during his years in the second act of the Fallen Immortal Realm.
The second act tested intelligence.
And this third act must have been a test of martial prowess.
Mr. Bai had single-handedly suppressed the Heavenly Sword Sect. To defeat him—or rather, to earn his acknowledgment in a duel—was likely the key to passing the third act.
And now, Li Fan had done just that.
"You let me win."
Although Mr. Bai had reversed the process of him burning away his life force, unleashing the Life Sword had still left Li Fan severely drained.
His face was now deathly pale, and he looked as though he might draw his last breath at any second.
Coughing nonstop, he offered a weak salute to Mr. Bai.
Mr. Bai regarded Li Fan with a complex expression.
"Why?" he asked.
Li Fan replied calmly, "We are not the same. You think too much. I, on the other hand, will do whatever it takes to achieve my goals. Even if it costs me my life!"
The scenery of the Heavenly Sword Sect began to dissolve around them.
Only the figure of Mr. Bai remained sharply in focus.
Li Fan continued, "Therefore, there are things you can accomplish that I might not be able to."
"But the things you cannot do, I just might."
It sounded like a riddle, but Mr. Bai understood Li Fan's meaning perfectly.
"Sometimes, to survive, you have to be ruthless."
After he spoke those words, Li Fan's body began to turn transparent.
Until at last, he vanished entirely.
Only Mr. Bai remained in that pocket of time and space.
His brow was furrowed in thought, as if he were facing an impossible choice.
An unknown time passed before his frown finally melted into a smile.
"Of course. I have always been too cautious."
"Perhaps, being like him... is the only way to seize that final sliver of hope..."
As his voice trailed off, Mr. Bai's figure, too, gradually faded into nothingness.
...
Li Fan drifted in darkness, losing all track of time.
Then came a familiar, dizzying sensation, and the world before his eyes flooded with light once more.
He glanced around, realizing he had not returned to the real world.
Instead, he found himself in an entirely new setting.
"My theory was correct," he thought.
"It wasn't exactly an honorable victory, but I did defeat Mr. Bai and pass the test of martial skill."
"They don't care about the method, only the outcome."
A flicker of delight sparked within Li Fan.
"Now, let's see what the fourth act has in store for me."
The moment the thought crossed his mind, a torrent of information flooded his consciousness.
His expression instantly froze.
"How can this be?"
Even with his usual composure, Li Fan was momentarily stunned.
He hastily conjured a water mirror and stared at his reflection.
The face staring back was one of flawless, unparalleled beauty, exuding a warmth that naturally inspired admiration and respect.
Li Fan knew this face all too well.
He had just been facing it in a contest a short while ago.
It was Mr. Bai!
"The fourth act... and I've possessed Mr. Bai?"
Li Fan's mind reeled from the shock.
He felt a mix of excitement and alarm.
He was excited by the opportunity to experience being a Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate through Mr. Bai's body. The insights gained would surely be of immense benefit to his future cultivation, no matter the path.
Yet he was wary that Mr. Bai's previous attempt to be reborn in another's body might be replaying itself.
After a moment, Li Fan steadied his nerves and began to sift through the information in his mind.
Unfortunately, since this was only a trial, the memories of Mr. Bai in his mind were incomplete.
There were only disjointed fragments, along with the "main objective" of the current test.
"I have now received the acknowledgment of the Heavenly Dao and have officially become the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate."
"The objective is..."
"To find the immortal artifacts scattered across the Xuanhuang Realm... and escape?"
Li Fan's expression twisted into one of utter bewilderment.
This was so contrary to everything he knew of Mr. Bai's past actions that Li Fan had to check the information repeatedly.
"Hmm? That's not right."
"This isn't a trial from the Fallen Immortal Realm. This is..."
"The mission Mr. Bai was shouldering at this point in time!"
A moment later, comprehension dawned on Li Fan.
After becoming the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate, Mr. Bai had begun to feel a faint but persistent urging from the consciousness of the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao.
Calamity was coming, and it was unavoidable.
It urged him to abandon the world's physical form and depart as soon as possible.
"The Xuanhuang Realm is no longer safe. Evils stir within, and the Immortal Ruins watch from without like a hungry tiger."
"It would be better to cross the High Wall and forge a new world beyond."
...
Li Fan frowned as he slowly pieced together the fragmented memories.
"The High Wall is difficult to cross. Even for a Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate, it is an insurmountable task."
"However, before the path to the Immortal World was severed, the upper realm would occasionally bestow immortal artifacts. Some of these remain sealed within the vaults of ancient sects, while others lie buried deep underground, their locations lost to time."
"Yet none of them can escape the perception of the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao."
"One need only gather these artifacts and offer them as a sacrifice—without even needing to fully destroy them—to unleash enough power to cross the High Wall."
An expression utterly at odds with the temperament of his new body flickered across Li Fan's face.
"Immortal artifacts? At least ten of them?"
According to the information from the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao, each of these artifacts possessed power no less than that of the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
If I could collect them all and use them for myself...
Li Fan's mind raced with possibilities.
In all his reincarnations, he had never encountered any immortal artifacts besides the Heavenly Profound Mirror and the Fishing Pool.
To suddenly be handed information on more than a dozen such artifacts felt like being struck by a colossal prize. How could his heart not pound with excitement!
"Wait a minute... In actual history, all of these immortal artifacts went missing?"
But his excitement quickly cooled as a realization struck him.
He recalled an ancient tale he had come across in his research.
When the Great Calamity descended, the various sects were already in turmoil due to the Law of Incompatible Cultivation.
The mysterious disappearance of the immortal artifacts from their vaults only hastened their demise.
"Don't tell me... all those immortal artifacts that vanished without a trace were secretly collected by Mr. Bai?"
A strange look crossed Li Fan's face.
He began to probe his new memories again, searching for more information about these artifacts.
These artifacts had all been passed down from the upper realm before the path to immortality was severed.
Back then, the major powers of the Xuanhuang Realm were not the Ten Great Immortal Sects of later eras, but ancient orders that had long since vanished into the river of time.
Sects like the Reincarnation Sect and the Desolate God Sect.
The immortal artifacts they once possessed were carved up and claimed by the Ten Great Immortal Sects.
However, immortal artifacts possessed their own spirits and would not yield to anyone outside their original sect's direct lineage. Thus, even after the Ten Great Immortal Sects seized them, they found themselves unable to use the vast majority of these treasures.
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