Chapter 1276: Capturing Mo Rubin
At first, the Deduction Jade was a little hesitant. But after she took a real bite, the expression on her face instantly became a kaleidoscope of emotions. Then, she began to devour it by the mouthful.
"Mmm... so good... mmm..."
In a flurry of motion, she polished off the entire plate of fried rice. When she was done, she licked her lips, wanting more, and patted a belly that felt genuinely a little fuller. Her face was full of wonder. "This fried rice... it's just like the real thing! How did you do that?"
With that, the Deduction Jade let out another burp.
Li Fan smiled. "When the false is taken for true, the true becomes false. When the real is taken for false, the false becomes real. The line between them is never so easy to distinguish."
"As long as you have a sufficient understanding of a thing's essence, you too can create illusions that are indistinguishable from reality," he explained.
The Deduction Jade plopped down on the ground. "Fried rice and stuff... I've only ever eaten it, never made it. Same with all the other delicious foods. Looks like being self-sufficient is out of the question. But..."
She sized up Li Fan. "Don't tell me you used to be a chef..."
The Deduction Jade shook her head vigorously. "Just one dish? That's not nearly enough! Can I have some more?"
Li Fan let out a cold snort, but with a gentle wave of his hand, a stove, cookware, and ingredients materialized before him.
As the kitchen fire danced, one fragrant, mouth-watering dish after another was served.
The Deduction Jade watched, drooling, and accepted everything offered, stuffing it all into her mouth without hesitation.
"Burp..."
After a magnificent feast, the little loli was so full her belly was as round as a ball. She flopped onto the ground in a most undignified manner.
"I have to say, you may not be much to look at, but your cooking skills are truly excellent," the Deduction Jade praised.
Li Fan responded blandly, "It's nothing worth mentioning. Just a little trade I plied back when I was a mortal."
The dedication Jade hummed contentedly, her eyes narrowed ing with pleasure as she savored the lingering flavors on her tongue.
Then she announced, "Hmm, I'm getting a little sleepy. I'm going to take a nap. You can look on your own."
With that, she was already snoring like thunder, fast asleep.
And within the luminous sphere of script, the intersecting strokes swam and coalesced, forming a colossal character that filled the entire sky.
The profound and mystical sound of the Great Dao, which he had heard before in the illusion, faintly echoed once more.
But it was intermittent, almost like a trick of the mind.
Li Fan gazed up at the character, motionless. Only when it slowly dissipated did a thoughtful expression cross his face.
"It is indeed a True Immortal Script. However, due to the gaps in the Deduction Jade's memory, I cannot fully comprehend its meaning. Even the character she's presenting has deviated slightly from the authentic True Immortal Script."
"But..."
Using his hand as a brush, Li Fan attempted to write in the air.
But he paused at the crucial strokes every time, shaking his head slightly.
"The structure of the strokes, the style of the turns, and the myriad details of the brushwork are all extremely similar to the 'Hunger' and 'Chaos' scripts I've seen before. Yet this one is more beautiful, more flawlessly natural."
"The difference between an original work and a copy is truly immense."
The various True Immortal Scripts Li Fan had encountered before had already seemed perfect in his eyes, without a single flaw. Every part of them radiated the vast, sacred power of a True Immortal.
But everything is relative.
Compared to this original masterpiece from the Deduction Jade's memory, the scripts that plagued the Dark Star Sea seemed as crude as a child's graffiti.
Yet Li Fan discovered that this disparity only became apparent when he visualized both in his mind at the same time for comparison.
If he only reproduced a single character like 'Hunger' or 'Chaos', he would still instinctively perceive it as flawless.
It was a profoundly contradictory and wondrous experience.
After repeated attempts, Li Fan reached a conclusion: to him, the True Immortal Scripts were like a boundless ocean. By himself, he was lost within it, unable to see the full picture. But with the original masterpiece from the Inscription Immortal as a reference, it was like an unmoving anchor, or an eye in the sky. It allowed him to pull himself free and see the true landscape.
Emulating the Inscription Immortal's original work, Li Fan began to re-examine the 'Hunger' and 'Chaos' scripts he had mastered.
The effect was remarkable. Although they looked no different at a glance, Li Fan was certain that the power of these scripts, refined according to the authentic version, had swelled by at least a third.
"It's a pity this masterpiece from the Inscription Immortal is also incomplete. And having been filtered through the Deduction Jade's memory, it's still somewhat distorted."
After a long while, Li Fan emerged from his state of enlightenment and let out a deep breath.
"From the clues I have so far, the True Immortal Scripts can be divided into three categories. The first are those like the 'Chaos' script, which bring all sorts of disasters and destruction. The second is the 'Return' script, which acts as a decree from the Immortal Realm. And finally, there's this one..."
"The raindrops that fell when this script appeared could be called 'Immortal Sound Jade Dew'. Its birth was accompanied by the profound sound of the Great Dao, compelling numerous True Immortals to fight for it. It is likely closer to the legendary 'Inscription Dao' itself."
Li Fan's thoughts surged. He couldn't resist trying once more to sketch the air, to mend the missing parts of the Inscription Dao character.
The result was, predictably, a futile effort.
"The Immortal Realm has been shattered. Where could the original masterpiece of the Inscription Immortal be now?" Li Fan couldn't help but wonder.
...
While Li Fan's true self was gaining insights from the Deduction Jade about the secrets of the bygone Immortal Realm, the Faceless Saint Emperor, Li Ping, had finally completed the ultimate lockdown of the Faceless Immortal Statue and the ruins of the One Beginning Sect.
And in his senses, Mo Rubin, who had been fleeing at high speed, had not moved for a long time.
"This location is?"
Li Ping mused for a moment but did not pursue him directly. Instead, he summoned Master Qiaogong.
"That place... It's said to be what remains of that giant beast's heart after it died, a nexus where the earth qi of the Nine Mountains converges. I've been there once but didn't find anything of note." Master Qiaogong identified the location from the image the Saint Emperor sent, shaking his head slightly.
The place the Saint Emperor indicated was a swamp within the Nine Mountains Province, the former nest of the Spirit Element Sect.
"It's just that the spiritual energy there is a bit denser than elsewhere. Nothing else is special about it," Master Qiaogong stated definitively.
"How much do you know about that 'Tian Beast'?" Li Ping asked again.
Master Qiaogong shrugged. "If not for some cultivators in my sect who are native to the Nine Mountains Province, I probably wouldn't even know the legend that the Nine Mountains are the remains of a giant beast. So that thing is called a Tian Beast, huh? I've learned something new."
"However, if you're interested in that place, there is a Nascent Soul cultivator in my sect named Shen Yurou. You could summon her and ask."
Master Qiaogong explained the reason.
It turned out that Shen Yurou's family had made a living for generations by excavating objects buried beneath the Nine Mountains. This chaotic land had been the burial ground for countless cultivators since ancient times, with some graves dating back to the era of the Ten Great Immortal Sects.
With this trade, the Shen family had accumulated considerable capital. But it was ultimately a shady business, and Shen Yurou had abandoned her ancestral craft ever since joining the Spirit Element Sect.
"I think I heard him say once that his ancestor found a peculiar building near that swamp. But it was completely empty inside, with only some strange statues. After leaving empty-handed, his ancestor fell gravely ill and almost died."
A thought stirred in Li Ping's mind, and he consulted the Creation Stone Slab.
He did indeed find information on this Shen family ancestor. But there was no record of the discovery of ruins in the Nine Mountains swamp.
Li Ping immediately left the Great Qi and went to the Spirit Element Sect.
Still disguised as their sect master, he summoned Shen Yurou and inquired about the details.
Shen Yurou was somewhat taken aback by the summons from a sect master he hadn't seen in a long time. He said very cautiously, "That matter was indeed strange. After stumbling into that place, my ancestor contracted a peculiar illness."
"For instance, he would often relive the scene of that underground building in his dreams, and also..."
"From that point on, all members of our Shen family were born with their genders seemingly reversed—the men look feminine, and the women look masculine. Yin and yang, all mixed up," Shen Yurou said with an air of frank acceptance, as if he had long come to terms with it.
Li Ping's divine sense swept over Shen Yurou's body but detected no influence from any foreign power. It seemed to be his natural state.
"The exact location of that building, is it still recorded?" Li Ping asked.
Shen Yurou looked troubled. "To prevent any other family members from accidentally entering, my ancestor did not disclose its precise location. However, he did leave behind a drawing of the scene."
With that, Shen Yurou summoned a brush and drew a picture.
In each of the four corners stood a stone statue.
They were headless figures, posed in different gestures, as if in prayer.
And in the center of the four statues stood a bare, smooth pillar.
The surface of the pillar was perfectly smooth, without any carvings. But strangely, the shadow it cast on the ground seemed to be that of a snarling, savage beast. It felt as if it could spring to life with the shifting of the light.
"According to my ancestor, inside that building, a loud, violent heartbeat constantly thumps in your ears. And if you look up along the pillar, it's like suddenly plunging into an abyss, surrounded by endless darkness..." Shen Yurou added.
Li Ping stared at the four headless figures in the drawing.
Even without heads, he could faintly recognize that their style was very similar to the Faceless Immortal statue he had encountered at the foot of Mount Taixu.
It was undoubtedly a product of the Xuantian Sect.
"To borrow its likeness, yet sever its head."
"And this pillar..."
The smooth pillar was, without a doubt, the core of this strange structure.
But from the drawing alone, he could discern no further clues.
After dismissing Shen Yurou, Li Ping silently made his way to the great swamp in the Nine Mountains Province.
For such a large swamp to appear amidst a continuous mountain range was, theoretically, highly improbable. Many cultivators had explored this place over the years, hoping to uncover some secret, but all had come away with nothing.
Standing in the center of the great swamp, Li Ping could only sense the stench of rot and decay. He detected nothing unusual.
Except for the clear sense that Mo Rubin was hiding right here.
Mo Rubin seemed unaware of Li Ping's approach. Although he kept moving within a small area deep in the swamp, he never left the vicinity.
After setting up formations around the area, Li Ping submerged himself underground, slowly closing in on the location his senses indicated.
"Gurgle..."
Suddenly, his figure froze.
Just a moment ago, Li Ping had faintly heard a squirming sound.
With his current level of cultivation, he could almost certainly rule out it being an illusion. So...
Li Ping surveyed his surroundings.
The viscous, foul swamp mud was pulsing with a life-like rhythm.
Li Ping suddenly had the feeling that the entire swamp had just come alive.
"A trap?"
The thought flashed through Li Ping's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
The swamp's attention was not on him.
The Saint Emperor continued to conceal his presence, following his senses—and the source of the swamp's life-like rhythm. Before long, he discovered the strange building that Shen Yurou's ancestor had encountered.
Viewed from a distance, the building was startlingly shaped like a blank face.
And that tall, smooth pillar was located right at the center of the brow, like a protruding third eye, gazing up at the sky from beneath the earth.
The bizarre sight made Li Ping's heart tighten.
The building blocked his attempts to peer inside. He could only rely on the mark he had left on Mo Rubin to confirm that he was indeed inside, busy with something.
The Saint Emperor did not rush in. Instead, he quietly laid out a net of Source Power Essence around the perimeter.
He added layers upon layers of imprisoning formations, completely sealing the area. He even invoked the power of the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao to lock down the surrounding earth veins...
Even after deploying so many measures, for some reason, Li Ping still felt uncertain of his chances.
After a moment's thought, Li Ping woke the Cat Treasure on his shoulder and retrieved an item from its belly.
It was a treasure obtained from the Fishing Pool, an exotic artifact capable of sealing space.
The artifact looked rather unremarkable, just a simple, plain ring.
But the golden-white light flowing over its surface hinted at the terrifying power hidden within.
"The Space Binding Ring."
"Forged by exterminating all life in a ring-shaped world and refining it. It carries not only the weight of the world itself, but also the weight of billions of lives. Once bound, even I would find my movements greatly restricted."
Although the method of its creation was undeniably that of an evil artifact, Li Ping was no stickler for convention, so he felt no psychological burden in using it.
He tossed it lightly, and the Space Binding Ring flew towards the top of the blank-faced building. In the blink of an eye, it expanded manifold, enveloping the entire area.
Watching the golden-white ring gradually fade from sight, the Saint Emperor paused for a moment before setting up one final measure.
With all preparations complete, Li Ping flew towards the interior of the building.
"You're here."
"I've been waiting for you for a long time."
The moment he entered, Mo Rubin's voice echoed in his ears.
Li Ping focused his gaze but could not see his physical form.
But at the base of the smooth central pillar, the flickering shadow resembled a human figure.
It stood in opposition to Li Ping, seemingly wearing a sneer.
"I was by Brother Xuanyuan's side for so long. Even if I never reached the half-immortal realm, I'm not completely ignorant of his work. Besides, the method you're using is a plan that Brother Xuanyuan himself abandoned and rejected..."
"Mortal Dust Immortal Power is strong, yes, but it is more harmful than beneficial," Mo Rubin scoffed.
Li Ping knew that the "Mortal Dust Immortal Power" Mo Rubin spoke of was the Source Power Essence he had condensed from the faith of the You Clan.
Shortcuts always come at a price. But his goal was not to ascend to immortality, but to save the Xuanhuang Realm.
Within the scope of what he could achieve, seeking the most powerful force available was not wrong.
Ignoring Mo Rubin's words, the Saint Emperor examined the details of the building.
"A Xuantian Sect relic?" he asked.
Mo Rubin seemed to be waiting for something and did not make a move. "Hahaha, rather than a Xuantian Sect relic, it's more of a personal contingency I left behind," he replied.
"Brother Xuanyuan... he's too idealistic. And too confident in himself."
"I'm different."
The shadow beneath the pillar, as if agitated by something, began to circle around it with increasing speed.
"There was a time when I thought like Brother Xuanyuan, that I was a born protagonist, that anything I set out to do was bound to succeed. But later, after being brutally crushed, my cultivation regressed daily. I had to face the ridicule of scum I wouldn't have even glanced at before..."
"I saw the light!"
Mo Rubin's shadow suddenly surged up from the ground, floating in mid-air, and stared viciously at Li Ping.
"I'm no protagonist. I'm just an insignificant little character flowing through the long river of history. And a little character, naturally, has to prepare a way out for failure. That's why I built this place behind Brother Xuanyuan's back!"
Mo Rubin manifested a shadowy arm and pointed at the four headless statues around them, smiling grimly. "Look at these statues."
"That's a bona fide True Immortal, the one who saved Brother Xuanyuan's life. Everyone in the sect, including Brother Xuanyuan himself, revered him. But wasn't it I who chopped off their heads?!"
Mo Rubin's crazed laughter echoed throughout the secret chamber.
Li Ping said calmly, "Aren't you afraid of the True Immortal's retribution?"
Mo Rubin laughed even harder. "You people just don't get it. Forget beheading them, even if I pissed and shat on His statues, the True Immortal wouldn't care!"
"How could mortal affairs possibly enter the eyes of a True Immortal?! Immortals..."
"...only care about what they care about!"
Li Ping just listened silently, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"I know that where immortal power goes, it is as if the True Immortal is present. But even a True Immortal's power is not infinite. Why would They waste Their power on a tiny little statue like this?"
After his bout of laughter, Mo Rubin slowly calmed down. "Unless..."
"...something the True Immortal cares about appears in the vicinity of the statue."
Before his words had faded, the shadow that was Mo Rubin retracted into the smooth pillar.
The floor of the building trembled slightly, and the pillar began to emit a faint, eerie glow, as if something was gestating within.
"I don't know who you are. But I'll give you a piece of advice..."
Mo Rubin's voice came from within the pillar, muffled as if passing through countless barriers, making it unclear.
"Unless you have no other choice, do not step into the domain of a True Immortal!"
Li Ping vaguely felt as if the four headless statues around them had come to life.
Even though their heads had been severed, they could still watch the scene.
But their gazes were not on Li Ping.
They were all focused on the glowing pillar.
Logically, even if it wasn't the True Immortal's full power descending, but merely a gaze transmitted across countless spacetimes, it should have been unbearable for a mortal cultivator.
But the Faceless Saint Emperor, standing amidst the four statues, felt no pressure at all.
"Is the power being drawn and absorbed?"
Li Ping's heart jolted slightly.
In his vision, four streams of identical power twisted into threads, all coiling around the smooth pillar, winding their way up, circle after circle.
Stimulated by this mighty force, the pillar's light grew even more dazzling.
Its surface seemed to melt away, revealing its true form.
"This is..."
A bare flagpole.
The banner was long gone, leaving only the white jade pole, engraved with intricate patterns, standing tall.
"An item from the Immortal Realm."
Feeling the increasingly violent fluctuations of energy around him, Li Ping retreated a short distance, but his gaze remained locked on the white jade flagpole.
"It's not just the gaze from the True Immortal statues; even the Source Power Essence I laid out—the Mortal Dust Immortal Power—is being faintly stirred by this flagpole..."
Just then, Mo Rubin's voice rang out again. "Brother Xuanyuan brought back quite a few good things when he returned from the Immortal Realm back then."
"Not to mention the techniques, even immortal artifacts could be picked up off the ground..."
"It's a shame he said they were tainted by calamity and sealed most of them away, forbidding us from using them."
The energy around the command flag formed a tangible vortex.
With constant tremors, the flagpole looked as if it could break through the void and depart at any moment.
"Alright, I haven't spoken to anyone in many years. It feels good to finally get all that out."
"If we have the chance, we'll meet again."
"I must get back to business now."
Mo Rubin's words slowly faded.
A brilliant light erupted from the flagpole, obscuring all attempts to see what was happening.
In the next moment, the spirit flag was about to escape.
But after tracking him for so long, Li Ping was not about to let him leave just based on a few words.
The formations and the net of Source Power Essence erupted with a deafening roar.
Golden, interwoven threads materialized from the void. An impenetrable celestial net barred the flagpole's path.
It even sealed the space completely.
"Mortal Dust Immortal Power dares to contend with true immortal power?!"
Mo Rubin's mocking voice rang out.
At the tip of the white jade flagpole, under the searing light, the golden Source Power actually began to melt away like snow.
Li Ping was unmoved. As he sent the remaining Source Power Essence to its fiery demise, he activated the formations to intercept.
"Mortal formations, you think they're worthy..."
"Hmm?!"
For the first time, a note of astonishment entered Mo Rubin's voice.
Because the formations Li Ping had deployed were far beyond his comprehension.
They were even slowly dragging the white jade flagpole, which had been on the verge of piercing the void, back down again.
In Mo Rubin's senses, the surrounding area felt as if it were filled with a obstructive medium, hindering the flagpole's advance.
"Have the formations of the Xuanhuang Realm developed to this degree?"
"Their sophistication is actually on par with the Floating Starry Sky Grand Formation!"
Although shocked, Mo Rubin did not slow his escape.
A white light erupted from the flagpole once more.
As the white light swept past, all obstructing objects in its path were disintegrated.
The flagpole easily broke free from the layers of obstruction.
And Mo Rubin, for some reason, had no more mocking words.
He just silently tried to leave.
"Bind!"
At that moment, Li Ping's cold voice rang out.
The Space Binding Ring materialized from the void.
It locked firmly onto the white jade flagpole.
"Useless! Useless! Useless! It's merely a world-artifact!"
"Damn you! You're really like a fly, so annoying!"
Mo Rubin's tone was now markedly different from before.
He was rambling, almost unhinged.
From within the white jade flagpole, something other than white light appeared for the first time.
It was a human silhouette.
The figure, holding a long saber, flew out gracefully and swung lightly at the Space Binding Ring.
Clang!
The golden-white ring, containing the weight of billions of lives and an entire cultivation world, shattered in two!
However, releasing the white figure had clearly taken a significant toll on the white jade flagpole.
Its light dimmed considerably.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it..."
Mo Rubin's vicious curses echoed.
But he did not stay to settle things with Li Ping.
Instead, he continued resolutely toward his intended destination.
"I told you, you can't stop me!"
With a flash of light, the white jade flagpole transformed into a thin line, escaping all restraints and on the verge of departure.
Just then, an ancient song suddenly and abruptly began to play.
The sound was not loud, yet it suppressed the voices of both Mo Rubin and the vibrating white jade flagpole.
A pitch-black doorway silently opened in the flagpole's path.
And Li Ping, who had not acted personally until now, flashed into existence, appearing at the tail end of the white jade flagpole.
Golden armor protected his body, and behind the Saint Emperor, the phantom of the Xuanhuang Realm also emerged.
"Get in there!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Li Ping delivered a vicious kick to the end of the white jade flagpole.
Causing the already urgent flagpole to surge forward violently.
With no time to evade, it flew straight into the pitch-black doorway.
Li Ping followed close behind, flying in as well.
He also closed the passage behind him.
And he didn't forget to bring along the few loyal You Clan members who had risked their lives to set up the ritual and open the passage to the Gloomy Sea of Darkness.
Within the Gloomy Sea of Darkness.
It was pitch black and silent.
The white jade flagpole, which had been as dazzling as the sun outside, could only illuminate a small, limited area around itself here.
And the usually garrulous Mo Rubin was now silent, as if struck dumb.
A long time passed without a word.
"Wait, this place is..."
"This place..."
After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice dazed.
"Now, we can talk."
The radiance from the white jade flagpole slightly dispelled the gloom of the dark sea.
This allowed Li Ping and Mo Rubin to temporarily communicate with words.
But Mo Rubin seemed not to have heard Li Ping at all.
He manifested his form from the white jade flagpole, looking around in disbelief.
His expression was a mixture of anticipation and fear.
"Is the aura of the Xuantian King here?"
After a brief silence, Li Ping posed the question.
The three words, "Xuantian King," were like a trigger.
Mo Rubin snapped back to his senses.
He stared at Li Fan. "How do you know about this place?"
"And, how can you open a passage here?"
Mo Rubin's tone was extremely dangerous, as if he would fight to the death if Li Ping's answer was even slightly wrong.
"Nearly ten thousand years have passed since you went into slumber. Nothing is impossible."
Li Ping's attitude, however, was perfectly calm.
"It's not just me. Even the largest cultivation organization of the current era, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, has mastered opening a passage to this place."
"And, they are stealing power from here as we speak."
"Have you not sensed it?" Li Ping asked.
At these words, Mo Rubin's expression changed once more.
He gazed into the distance, his aura fluctuating violently.
"How dare they?!"
"They must be killed! Killed!"
Mo Rubin roared in fury.
(End of Chapter)
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