Chapter 1090: Xu Ke, A Thousand Years Later
Chapter 1090: Xu Ke, A Thousand Years Later
What surprised Li Fan, however, was that the few who had passed the Dharma Propagator's Oath, while stepping down from their primary administrative roles, hadn't been removed from the Alliance's core of power at all.
Instead, they were granted supervisory authority, acting as a supplement to the Dharma Propagator Council.
It seemed that after this incident, Jiang had recognized the internal problems among the Dharma Propagators. If left unchecked, such issues were bound to resurface.
"I wonder if Mo Rubin will ultimately pass the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate's trial."
"It wouldn't hurt to reveal some details about the trial's illusionary realm to the Alliance. They already know how to enter it, and with their vast resources, it's only a matter of time before they find a suitable candidate."
With this in mind, Li Fan sent a message to Dharma Propagator Zhou, outlining the general circumstances of the illusion's first act: the quest for the Longevity Fruit in Ningyuan City.
He didn't mention his own success, however. Instead, he fabricated a version of events based on the most probable outcome for a first attempt.
In his telling, he was severely injured by Steward Song while trying to obtain the Longevity Fruit. Although he barely survived thanks to Senior Brother Zhang's protection, he fell into a coma, lingering in a daze. Then, one night, his body was inexplicably possessed, and his consciousness faded away.
To express his gratitude, Dharma Propagator Zhou, on behalf of the council, bestowed upon Li Fan the honorary title of a senior elder in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
The position held no real authority, but it granted him unrestricted access to the Alliance headquarters and an authority level just below that of a Dharma Propagator.
"However, you cannot assume this role yourself, Fellow Daoist," Dharma Propagator Zhou added as a reminder. "After all, to the other, uninformed Dharma Propagators, you have already been executed by Jiang for making false accusations."
This so-called senior elder position was clearly a gesture to win favor with the Federation of All Worlds, the organization they believed stood behind Li Fan.
In the recent crisis involving the Xuantian Sect's possessions, the Federation of All Worlds had demonstrated formidable strength.
It even held knowledge of secrets that were beyond the Alliance's reach.
Using a nominal title to deepen the cooperative relationship between their two factions was undoubtedly a worthwhile trade.
The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, however, would never have guessed that the supposed Federation of All Worlds was, in reality, Li Fan's one-man show.
During the year-plus that Li Fan had been in seclusion, the Federation had continued to operate in perfect order, developing steadily along its established course and delivering regular summary reports to him.
He reviewed the messages one by one.
Among them, the one that caught his eye was a report from the Empire.
The location of the small world where Xu Ke resided had finally been confirmed!
A world-weary old man, a coffin upon his back.
He was exactly as Li Fan remembered.
Although the Emperor's Daughter was ecstatic to have found her ancestor, she hadn't let the excitement cloud her judgment or defy Li Fan's orders by seeking out Xu Ke on her own.
"Then I shall go and meet him myself."
"I am quite interested in whatever move Mr. Bai left behind."
"Qingwei Province."
Li Fan set off immediately for his destination.
"Traveling as a streak of rainbow light is fast, but it's nothing compared to the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate, who can arrive in a single thought."
In the trial's illusion, he had only been borrowing Mr. Bai's body.
But upon returning to reality, the stark contrast left him feeling a faint sense of loss.
A faint feeling of regret even began to stir within him.
The instant that emotion surfaced, Li Fan's mind snapped into focus.
He immediately channeled the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra, intending to dispel it.
But the mantra, which had been unfailingly effective before, failed him now.
"Hmph."
"There is nothing in the entire Xuanhuang Realm worthy of my regret. I would cast aside even a transcendent immortal artifact like a worn-out sandal!"
"A mere Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate thinks he can sway my resolve?"
The moment he remembered [Truth] and the fact that everything he had "lost" could eventually be regained.
In that instant, the fleeting, discordant emotions in Li Fan's heart vanished completely.
"The Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra... it's the reason I was different from other cultivators the moment I entered the Fallen Immortal Realm."
"Back when it was still the Xuanhuang Cleansing Heart Mantra, it likely served as a unique marker for the Fallen Immortal Realm to identify me."
"And now that it concerns the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate, it simply stops working. It seems one can never fully trust something of unknown origin."
"Ultimately, I can only rely on myself."
A shadow flickered in Li Fan's eyes.
"The Xuanhuang Cleansing Heart Mantra..."
Until now, Li Fan had never considered sharing this technique with anyone else.
But this incident, minor as it was, served as a stark reminder.
"Passing it to a suitable person, grooming them to become the next Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate, or perhaps to inherit the immortal qi and venture beyond the High Wall... those are all sound ideas."
Faces flashed through Li Fan's mind.
As he considered the candidates, Li Fan arrived at Xu Ke's hiding place.
"Here..."
"It seems, like Nine Mountains Province, to have been formed from the remains of some demonic beast."
At the entrance to the small world, Li Fan's sharp senses picked up a familiar aura.
During the trial, he had spent over a decade living among demonic beasts, developing an almost instinctual familiarity with them. Even back in the real world, he could recognize the residual demonic beast aura here.
"A growth in perception, indeed."
In a flash, he broke through the restrictive formation at the world's entrance.
Li Fan slipped inside.
The Empire's intelligence had been precise. The small world was a desolate, barren wasteland.
As far as the eye could see, a gray haze hung over everything.
In the distance, a towering stone mountain seemed to connect heaven and earth, likely the sole point of significance in this entire world.
Li Fan's gaze was immediately drawn to it.
Xu Ke was at its very peak.
Li Fan attempted to fly toward it but was startled to find he couldn't take to the air.
It wasn't a matter of his own power, but a peculiar restriction imposed by the rules of this small world.
He could force his way through the air, but he would have to be prepared to face the backlash from this world's Heavenly Dao.
Li Fan had no desire to create a tense atmosphere from the very beginning.
So he simply raised his head, his gaze piercing through the immense distance to land directly upon Xu Ke at the very summit.
The white-haired old man, as if sensing his stare, returned the look.
Their eyes met.
The next moment, Li Fan took a single step.
He didn't fly. He simply tore through space, appearing beside Xu Ke in an instant.
His expression was placid, the only evidence of his passage being two lingering spatial rifts at his origin and destination.
"Fellow Daoist Xu Ke?"
Li Fan got straight to the point, addressing the old man by name.
Surprisingly, Xu Ke showed no shock at Li Fan's sudden appearance. Instead, he asked directly, "Did you come to know me from the Fallen Immortal Realm?"
Li Fan's eyes narrowed at the question.
His usual tactic of seizing the initiative, one that had never failed him, had been completely neutralized.
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