Chapter 1153: An Immortal Heart Falls to the Mortal Dust
Chapter 1153: An Immortal Heart Falls to the Mortal Dust
It wasn't that Li Fan had intentionally concealed the figure's presence.
Rather, the mysterious individual who had appeared at the bottom of the Abyss of Roars was so overwhelmingly powerful that the fragile environment, with its already unstable laws, simply could not contain a being of such a profound cultivation realm.
As a result, any view from the outside was shrouded in a blur.
However, judging by the aura that the figure inadvertently revealed, Li Fan was more than fifty percent certain that it was the Dharma Spreading Heavenly Venerate.
"But he seems much younger, quite different from the weathered old man in my memories. What could be the reason for that?"
Li Fan's Saint Embryo clone sank into deep thought.
At that moment, Shang Shaojun also emerged from his contemplation and sent a mental message, "I know a way to request the Heavenly Venerate's return, but with just a blurry, indistinct image..."
"It's not enough. We need more evidence."
Li Fan detected the apprehension in Shang Shaojun's voice and replied with a reassuring smile, "Shao-jun, you need not be so pessimistic. It's true that the two of us have limited strength, but in a world as vast as the Xuanhuang Realm, we are bound to find others who share our conviction."
"We can gather evidence while simultaneously searching for trustworthy allies to bolster our strength," Li Fan suggested, already implying that he and Shang Shaojun should undertake this journey together.
"But the Abyss of Roars..." Shang Shaojun was still hesitant.
Li Fan immediately adopted a serious tone. "As the saying goes, when the skin is gone, what will the hair cling to? If the entire Xuanhuang Realm falls into crisis, what use would it be for you to suppress this abyss and ensure its safety, Shao-jun?"
"Besides, I've already devised a solution that will allow the demonic sound of the abyss to be suppressed even while you are away—a perfect plan for both concerns."
As they spoke, they had already made their way back to the entrance of the abyss.
Li Fan's eyes narrowed, and in an instant, a colossal sword composed of what seemed to be tens of thousands of distinct sword lights materialized, spanning the chasm.
With a flick of his finger through the air, the giant sword danced nimbly, following Li Fan's every command.
In response, continuous strands of dark red thread were sliced away from the abyss walls.
Freed from the constraints of their original world's rules, these threads should have scattered into chaotic disarray before fading into nothingness.
But under the graceful sweep of Li Fan's hand, they slowly began to converge.
Silently, they wove themselves into a giant, crimson net!
Witnessing this, Shang Shaojun felt another tremor of shock course through his heart.
While it wasn't as breathtaking as the mysterious figure casually manipulating a shattered world, this effortless act of weaving fragmented laws into a net was more than enough to prove Li Fan's mastery of the Dao was far beyond the reach of ordinary men.
"The demonic sound tide is so difficult to defend against because the conflict between the laws of the broken world and the Xuanhuang Realm is focused in this narrow chasm, making it too intense, with no buffer. So, I have slightly altered the spatial structure here to delay the fusion of these laws as much as possible..."
"In truth, that mysterious figure could have done this with a wave of his hand, covering his tracks so no one would notice anything unusual. But he didn't. Perhaps that, too, is a display of confidence," Li Fan remarked, shaking his head slightly.
"With the buffer from this net of rules, the power of the demonic sound tide's eruption should be reduced by half."
As he spoke, Li Fan gently pinched his fingers together, and the great sword in the abyss dissolved back into a myriad of sword lights.
Countless sword shadows, moving according to a specific pattern, soared like dragons, faintly forming a grand array.
Shang Shaojun watched as the sword array swirled around the perimeter of the net of rules, its center forming what appeared to be a massive vortex.
The dark red embers that spilled from the net of rules were periodically drawn into the sword array.
"This array uses a sword intent that annihilates all things to shred the accumulated broken rules within the Abyss of Roars. It should more than double the time between each demonic sound tide," Li Fan explained.
"Shao-jun, you can command the sword cultivators of the Azure Profound Army to come here. Not only can they comprehend the sword intent condensed within the array, but they can also help recharge it..."
Without haste, Li Fan laid out a complete solution to the demonic sound tide that had struck fear into the hearts of the Azure Profound Army.
Shang Shaojun stared at the array and the net, at a loss for words.
Since childhood, he had been called a genius by everyone around him.
But before Li Fan...
"Truly, there is always a higher mountain. I was too shortsighted before."
With his greatest concern resolved, Shang Shaojun no longer had any reason to refuse Li Fan's offer to travel together.
The two returned to the Eternal Immortal Fortress and announced that the demonic sound tide had been temporarily suppressed, eliciting a thunderous, mountain-shaking roar of cheers from the Azure Profound Army.
Afterward, Shang Shaojun summoned his trusted subordinates and passed down the method for controlling what Li Fan had named the Sound-Extinguishing Sword Array.
Once all matters were settled, just before their departure, Shang Shaojun summoned Yan Huan for a private meeting.
"Rest assured, Shao-jun, the technique derived from the Deduction Jade is proving highly effective. The brothers who were occasionally losing their minds have had very few episodes lately," Yan Huan reported respectfully, his head bowed.
...
From their conversation, Li Fan learned why Yan Huan had been in such a rush, willing to expend a precious Audience Jade Token to have the Deduction Jade derive a new technique.
Stationed outside the Abyss of Roars year-round, the Azure Profound Army was subtly influenced by the demonic sound. Some among them would become mentally unstable, even committing frenzied acts of violence against their own comrades.
In the past, the number of afflicted soldiers was small, making it relatively easy to manage.
But over time, nearly a fifth of the Azure Profound Army in the Severed Palm Immortal City had contracted this strange affliction.
Not long before Li Fan's Saint Embryo clone arrived, a massive outbreak had occurred within the army's ranks.
The casualties were devastating.
Crucially, they had not fallen to the demonic sound tide, but to the hands of their own brothers-in-arms, a fact that was especially difficult to accept.
The morale of the Azure Profound Army had plummeted, and the soldiers' spirits were broken.
Left with no other option, Shang Shaojun had used his one, hard-earned Audience Jade Token to beseech the Deduction Jade for a solution.
"The Heart-Forging Demon-Warding Art. Those who cultivate this technique can help others strengthen their Dao hearts and expel the malevolent thoughts from their minds. Though it can only resolve one person's affliction at a time, making it a bit slow, it is indeed very effective. The soldiers who have recovered have even developed a slight resistance to the demonic sound," Shang Shaojun explained to Li Fan.
"And how does this Heart-Forging Demon-Warding Art compare to the secret art I taught you, Shao-jun?" Li Fan inquired.
Shang Shaojun froze for a moment, then blurted out, "It is vastly inferior, of course!"
"In that case, Shao-jun, why not pass down the Immortal Heart Mantra? It would be best to free everyone from the torment of the demonic sound," Li Fan suggested through a mental transmission, his expression one of profound compassion for all beings.
Hearing this, Shang Shaojun's eyes widened, his heart pounding in his chest.
"The Immortal Heart Mantra..."
He finally knew the name of that supreme secret art, and the words "Immortal Heart" sent his imagination soaring.
Stunned by Li Fan's immense generosity, Shang Shaojun, in a strange twist, found himself reluctant to simply bestow such a profound technique upon the masses without condition.
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