Chapter 1152: Reshaping a World with a Single Hand
Chapter 1152: Reshaping a World with a Single Hand
Though he commanded the Azure Profound Army, Shang Shaojun had never faced a cultivator of the Longevity stage in open combat.
The anxious wait was agonizing; he was restless, and every second felt like an eternity.
After what felt like an age, the vortex of sword light whirling around them finally subsided.
Li Fan, who had been waiting with his eyes closed, opened them at last.
As the light of the swords faded, Shang Shaojun instinctively scanned his surroundings.
But the sight that met his eyes sent a chilling dread through him, as if he'd been plunged into an icy abyss.
Somehow, the shattered worlds that Li Fan's sword light had just annihilated had reappeared!
They hung inverted overhead, their strange red threads now intertwined, thicker and more robust than before.
"They didn't just reappear... they're..." A sense of horror gripped Shang Shaojun as he turned to Li Fan.
He almost wondered if the cataclysm he had just witnessed had been a mere illusion.
"He was here," Li Fan said gravely.
"He? Who?" Shang Shaojun couldn't help but ask.
Li Fan shook his head.
"But we can see for ourselves."
Li Fan made a quick gesture, pointing into the void.
The thousand blades of light that formed the sword array materialized before them once more.
They began to orbit rapidly, spinning into a blur.
As the swords accelerated, hazy images flickered to life on the screen of light they created.
"The one capable of this is certainly a being of immense power. Had we spied on them directly, even with the cover of my supreme formation, even with the chaos of collapsing worlds as a natural shield..."
"...they would have likely sensed us."
Only then did Li Fan explain why he had used the formation to block Shang Shaojun’s prying gaze.
A shiver ran down Shang Shaojun's spine, but Li Fan continued, "That's why I used these swords to record the events, and not from a single vantage point. Each sword captured only a fragment of information. Only when fully combined do they reveal the complete picture."
"This was the only way to minimize the chance of our discovery."
As Li Fan spoke, the scene on the screen of light began to shift.
The world fragments imploded, and waves of annihilation erupted outwards, a tempest of destruction.
Just as the violent spectacle began to subside...
...a figure suddenly appeared at the very heart of the storm.
The scene captured by the swords did not record the person's face.
Or perhaps, it never revealed its true form at all.
All Shang Shaojun knew was that the instant this mastermind appeared, the raging torrent of energy fell utterly silent.
The figure observed the scene for a moment, seemingly puzzled.
Then, it cast a glance in the direction of the Roaring Abyss.
Even as a mere recording, even with the figure's face obscured, even across the gulf of time and space, that single glance froze Shang Shaojun to the core. He felt his body, his very soul, turning to ice.
He was paralyzed, his thoughts grinding to a halt.
Fortunately, the figure only gave the area a cursory check before looking away.
Shang Shaojun felt as if he had just survived a grueling battle, his body limp as he gasped for air.
Yet his eyes remained glued to the swirling screen of light.
The figure pressed its hands down in the void, and the spatial storm ceased at once.
With a wave of its hand, the lingering embers of the destroyed worlds vanished into its grasp.
And then...
...with an air of great solemnity, the figure carefully produced an equal number of new world fragments from an unknown place.
Like a primordial giant from the myths of creation.
It suspended these broken worlds inverted at the bottom of the Roaring Abyss.
Then, with a delicate trace of its fingers, eerie red threads emerged from the world fragments.
As if alive, they reached out toward the Xuanhuang Realm.
Roars echoed from within the Roaring Abyss once more.
It was the sound of two worlds fusing together.
Once its work was done and the inverted worlds had stabilized, the figure finally departed.
...
The image cut off abruptly.
Even after Li Fan had recalled the thousand swords, Shang Shaojun remained lost in the incredible scenes he had just witnessed.
"To think, such a being is hidden within the Xuanhuang Realm..."
"Even the legendary immortals who could pluck stars from the sky and grasp the moon were surely no more powerful than this."
The memory of the figure effortlessly holding shattered worlds in its hands made Shang Shaojun tremble uncontrollably.
But Li Fan's response wrenched him from his spiraling terror.
"Strong as this being is, it is nothing compared to a True Immortal."
His tone was so casual, as if he spoke from personal experience.
"Just as I suspected. The bizarre state of the Xuanhuang Realm is no accident; it's part of a clandestine scheme."
Before Shang Shaojun could reply, Li Fan went on.
"The figure we saw is just one of the players."
"So, Commander, what do you intend to do?"
Shang Shaojun was stunned into silence.
What could he do?
The power of that unknown, terrifying entity was certainly at the Longevity stage, or perhaps even beyond.
What could he, a mere Dao Integration cultivator, possibly do?
"I must return to the Immortal Alliance headquarters at once and report this," Shang Shaojun declared righteously.
Li Fan simply gave him a look that was half-smile, half-sneer. "Are you sure?"
"If you insist on doing that..."
"...then I'm afraid this will be the last time we see each other," Li Fan's voice was low and haunting.
Shang Shaojun's expression changed. "What do you mean by that?"
"The Roaring Abyss clearly holds a great secret. Years ago, perceptive members of the Alliance organized their own investigation, but it was shut down by the higher-ups..."
"Do you truly not understand, Commander? On the Immortal Alliance's own turf, how could a scheme of this magnitude go unnoticed?" Li Fan stated coolly.
Of course, Shang Shaojun understood the logic all too well.
He simply hadn't dared to confront the truth.
Now that Li Fan had mercilessly exposed it, Shang Shaojun's face shifted through a storm of emotions.
He knew all too well that if the Immortal Alliance was involved, or even orchestrating this...
...the implications were terrifying.
Despite all the conspiracies and struggles he had witnessed, Shang Shaojun felt a profound sense of powerlessness wash over him.
"But you need not despair, Commander."
"This matter is clearly beyond our ability to handle. Using the Heavenly Daos of shattered realms to corrupt the Xuanhuang Realm... such an act makes them an enemy to all."
"While some high-ranking members of the Immortal Alliance may be involved, I doubt they can truly hide this from everyone."
"The Dharma Spreader Heavenly Venerate wanders beyond the heavens and doesn't meddle in worldly affairs. But I've heard the Dharma Transmitters have a special way to summon him back..." Li Fan coaxed, guiding his thoughts.
Li Fan’s words were a lifeline, and Shang Shaojun’s eyes lit up. "Yes! With the situation this dire, perhaps only summoning the Dharma Spreader can resolve it. But... the only ones who can contact him are..."
Shang Shaojun’s brow furrowed in thought.
Meanwhile, Li Fan replayed the images from the sword screen in his mind.
"The Dharma Spreader Heavenly Venerate..."
(End of Chapter)
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