Chapter 1290: The Saint Emperor's Sudden Realization
Chapter 1290: The Saint Emperor's Sudden Realization
"Master," Sun Tianci began after a long moment, his voice laced with disbelief, "does the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance truly possess this... Eternal Immortal Wall? The very idea is too horrifying to believe."
"The atrocities committed by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance go far beyond this," Li Fan scoffed.
Li Fan's first encounter with the concept of the Eternal Immortal Wall was in his 114th life, a time when the Tianxuan Spirit Lock Formation and a mysterious net had enveloped the entire Xuanhuang Realm.
At the time, he had assumed it was an atrocity unique to the Alliance of that particular era.
However, in his 119th life, while impersonating the Xuantian Sect Law King Sun Xingwang, he had used the Three Disasters and Hundred Tribulations Mind God Technique to forge countless mind-demons within the bodies of tens of thousands of cultivators. The Alliance's final solution for these cultivators was eerily similar to the methods of the Eternal Immortal Wall. Later, information revealed by Mo Rubin—after he had possessed a Dharma Transmitter—confirmed that the Alliance did indeed secretly seal away a great number of cultivators to preserve the stability of the Xuanhuang Realm.
And these prisons were not confined to a single location.
He transmitted a hazy mental image to Sun Tianci, and the prodigy of the Sun family was instantly stunned by the brutal scene.
"Master, what must we do?"
"Your mastery of the Nether Mysterious Art is still too slow," Li Fan stated. "Even if we manage to infiltrate the Eternal Immortal Wall, we won't have much time to act."
"First, you must become faster!"
The Nether Mysterious Art was the very technique Li Fan had imparted to him—a wondrous method capable of dissolving a cultivator's foundation and returning its power to the heavens and earth of the Xuanhuang Realm.
With that, a spiritual projection of Li Fan emerged from Sun Tianci's sea of consciousness, taking on an ethereal, illusory form.
Li Fan's avatar looked to the sky and murmured softly, "False Claiming Heavenly Geography..."
As he whispered the incantation, a scene unfolded that made Sun Tianci's scalp tingle with dread.
An invisible vortex instantly appeared above Li Fan's head.
A familiar aura began to brew within the vortex—the distinct presence of a Spirit of Heaven and Earth.
As a hazy, humanoid figure began to extend an arm from the swirling energy, Sun Tianci's suspicions were confirmed.
"He can summon a Spirit of Heaven and Earth with a single command? What... what is Master's true identity?"
Just as Sun Tianci stood frozen in astonishment, Li Fan's sharp rebuke echoed in his mind. "What are you gawking at? Are you going to wait for the Spirit of Heaven and Earth to fully descend?"
Sun Tianci snapped back to his senses. He immediately aimed at the hazy figure coalescing within the vortex and unleashed the Nether Mysterious Art.
Its descent was instantly thwarted. With a gust of wind, the Spirit of Heaven and Earth that Li Fan had falsely summoned dissolved, its essence returning to the world.
Throughout the process, Sun Tianci felt no increase in his connection to the Xuanhuang world. It was evident that because the Spirit had not been fully refined or bound by a cultivator, its essence simply returned to its source.
And since the "erroneous descent" was halted just before its completion, it barely registered as an alarm to the consciousness of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, sensing the faint ripple, before once again casting False Claiming Heavenly Geography.
This time, Sun Tianci's reaction was swift. The moment the hazy figure began to take shape, he dispelled it.
They repeated this process hundreds of times, stopping only when Li Fan sensed they were on the verge of attracting the Xuanhuang Realm's full attention.
Sun Tianci let out a sigh of relief, his face pale as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
Clearly, continuously casting the Nether Mysterious Art to dissolve hundreds of nascent Spirits of Heaven and Earth—even half-formed ones—had taken a significant toll on him.
"Let's move to another location and continue," Li Fan commanded coolly.
Ever since the day he defeated the "Martial Fanatic" and revealed his true power, the Sun family had ceased to restrict his freedom, even though he was, in reality, little more than five years old.
Sun Luyuan had only repeatedly urged him to prioritize his safety, bestowing upon him numerous protective artifacts.
The intensive training lasted for fifteen days, taking them to every corner of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's territory. When they weren't traveling, nearly every moment was dedicated to dissolving the nascent Spirits. Sun Tianci's progress was nothing short of astonishing.
He could now effortlessly and continuously return the half-manifested Spirits to the world.
"Mm, that should be enough," Li Fan said with a slight nod, observing Sun Tianci's performance.
"What's on your mind?" Li Fan asked, seeing Sun Tianci seem to fall into deep thought.
"Master," Sun Tianci began, a little uncertainly, "we were in this same location ten days ago. It feels like the concentration of spiritual energy was lower then than it is now. Am I mistaken?"
Li Fan chuckled. "The spiritual energy of the world is like the ocean's tide—it ebbs and flows. Is that not natural? It could hardly be expected to remain as constant as the energy in the grotto-heaven where you grew up."
Hearing Li Fan's explanation, Sun Tianci nodded slightly. But a trace of doubt still flickered deep in his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings.
*This boy is remarkably perceptive,* Li Fan thought to himself.
Li Fan, of course, had also sensed the anomaly in the air. He had even detected a familiar presence woven into the ambient spiritual energy.
*The Dao One Worm,* Li Fan mused. *So, this is the Saint Emperor's avatar at work. The source must be the Five Elements Great Cave-Heaven. Is he returning the grotto-heaven's essence to the Xuanhuang Realm to create a favorable battlefield for the soldiers of the Great Qi? He could even use this worm-infused spiritual energy to deliver a decisive blow...*
The Saint Emperor avatar's strategies were almost entirely drawn from the main body's experiences in past lives. It took Li Fan only a moment of reflection to grasp the underlying scheme.
But Li Fan did not reveal this, feigning ignorance instead.
Returning once more to Sun Tianci's sea of consciousness, they headed towards one of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's Eternal Immortal Walls.
They arrived in Tongyan Province, at a cave entrance set within the sheer cliffs of a mountain-ringed valley.
"This place..."
Sun Tianci stared from afar, sensing something out of the ordinary. "If you hadn't pointed it out, Master," he murmured, "I would have subconsciously overlooked this cave even if I'd been staring right at it. The desire to explore it would never have occurred to me..."
"Hmph. This is one of the so-called blessed lands of legend, which only the fated may enter," Li Fan explained. "A peculiar creation of the Xuanhuang Realm, it repels the attention of most observers without the need for any concealing formations. The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance possesses quite a few of these hidden grotto-heavens, almost all of which have been claimed by the Dharma Transmitters as their private domains." An image flashed in Li Fan's mind: the hidden grotto from his 119th life, where he had met Mo Rubin after infiltrating the Alliance headquarters.
It had been exactly like this one.
"Thanks to its natural properties, the cultivators guarding this place are unlikely to be on high alert. Still, we must proceed with caution." Li Fan's projection laid a series of concealment arrays around Sun Tianci before they both flew into the cave.
After a narrow, descending passage, they arrived before a deep hole only as wide as a person's waist.
It was a pitch-black shaft, plunging straight down into unfathomable depths.
"Don't probe with your divine sense; it will trigger an alarm."
Li Fan, however, identified the shaft's security measures at a single glance.
Leaping into the deep hole, they flew rapidly downwards.
After what felt like the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they finally emerged, as if they had pierced through the very crust of the Xuanhuang Realm and reached the depths of the netherworld.
The cramped tunnel gradually opened up.
They passed through another horizontal tunnel before a vast, cavernous space suddenly opened up before Sun Tianci—a colossal, inverted cone carved deep within the earth.
The walls of the cavern were densely packed with square openings.
A closer look revealed that each opening held a large, amber-like crystal.
And suspended within each crystal, without exception, was a slumbering cultivator.
Alliance guards patrolled the air at regular intervals. Not daring to use his divine sense, Sun Tianci could only make a rough estimate: this single underground prison held no fewer than one hundred thousand sealed cultivators.
Their faces were ruddy with health, some even bearing faint smiles, utterly oblivious to their fate of eternal slumber.
*And according to Master, this is just one part of the Alliance's Eternal Immortal Wall...* A chill ran down Sun Tianci's spine, and he clenched his fists unconsciously.
"Go," Li Fan said softly, sensing the rage simmering beneath the boy's calm exterior. "The rest is up to you."
Simultaneously, he transmitted the method for undoing the sealing formations.
"Master, what do you think would happen if we woke all the cultivators here?" Sun Tianci suddenly asked.
"I would advise against it," Li Fan said coolly. "If the Alliance is brazen enough to build such a place, they undoubtedly have contingencies. Trust me, you could never wake them faster than the Alliance could... dispose of them. You must understand, the Alliance possesses the means to forcibly extract and preserve a cultivator's very foundation..."
Sun Tianci's eyes flickered, but in the end, he had to give up the idea.
Avoiding the patrols, he moved like a phantom among the sleeping prisoners. An imperceptible breeze followed him, dissolving the foundation of every cultivator it touched.
"Without their cultivation bases, they won't survive for long in this state... It's as if I'm killing them with my own hands..." Sun Tianci's body trembled as he flew.
"Killing them? Or saving them?" Li Fan's voice was soothing. "Look at them. Is this not a fate worse than death? If they could perceive their own situation, they would surely beg you to grant them this release."
With another word of counsel, Sun Tianci's hesitation vanished, and his movements became firm once more.
For over five years, Li Fan had molded Sun Tianci in the image of his ideal Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate.
As a result, the boy was compassionate but not sentimental. Once his mind was set, he acted with unwavering resolve.
The power of heaven and earth, drawn from the dissolved foundations of tens of thousands of cultivators, was gathered by Li Fan and condensed into a brilliant orb of light.
When he had granted this merciful release to about a fifth of the prisoners, Li Fan spoke. "That's enough. Any more, and even I won't be able to conceal the intense energy fluctuations."
Sun Tianci looked at the remaining cultivators, a hint of regret on his face.
But he still followed his master's command and flew quietly towards the exit.
As they reached the top of the vast cavern, Sun Tianci noticed his master was still gazing down at a particular spot. "Master, is something amiss?" he couldn't help but ask.
"It is nothing. Let us leave," Li Fan replied after a brief silence.
Sun Tianci did not press the matter and raced upward. Once they had left the horrifying subterranean prison, he took the orb of light—containing the essence of countless cultivators' foundations—and gently crushed it.
Countless motes of light and shadow burst forth. In a trance, Sun Tianci saw visions of wondrous artifacts, celestial grotto-heavens, and the epic shifting of mountains and rivers.
The sky above roiled, the clouds shifting in color. A deep, grinding sound, like a colossal millstone turning, echoed from above the heavens.
And the entire Xuanhuang Realm trembled for an instant.
Though the tremor was almost imperceptible, Sun Tianci felt it resonate through his entire being.
"The Alliance will be sending people to investigate," Li Fan urged. "We must go!"
Without needing a reminder, Sun Tianci had already flown away from the scene the moment he crushed the sphere of light.
He was now immersed in the sensation of the Xuanhuang Realm's rapidly growing Heavenly Grace.
And Li Fan, after ensuring they were not being followed, recalled the scene he had just witnessed in the great cavern.
Several faces flashed before his eyes. Though he didn't know their names, Li Fan was certain he had seen them before.
Only, it wasn't within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, but in...
The territory of the Five Elders Council.
Within the space of the Deduction Jade, Li Fan's main body focused. The Dao Transformation Stone in his sea of consciousness glowed faintly, retrieving a series of memories.
The memory was from his 119th life. The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, using pawns known as the "Immortal-Elect," had unleashed the power hidden within the Dharma Transmitter statues. After successfully pinning down the five Longevity Heavenly Venerates, they launched a ferocious assault on the Five Elders Council.
After the Five Elders Council was seemingly forced into a desperate situation, their hidden methods were finally revealed.
Long-extinct ancient sects had reappeared. Cultivators from the Land of Carefree Joy, brandishing bizarre artifacts and fighting without fear of death, had launched a desperate counteroffensive.
Li Fan compared the faces of several individuals from that great battle with the slumbering cultivators he had just seen in the cavern.
A perfect match.
"Interesting." Li Fan gazed toward the location of the Five Elders Council's Land of Carefree Joy.
"It seems the Land of Carefree Joy is home to more than just cultivators from the Five Elders Council," Li Fan mused. "The question is, did these sleeping cultivators appear there because of some secret cooperation between the Alliance and the Council, or was it the work of the Carefree Heavenly Sovereign, acting alone to capture them?"
"If it's the latter, then this Heavenly Sovereign's strength might be even greater than I imagined."
The image of the Carefree Heavenly Sovereign as an infant couldn't help but surface in Li Fan's mind.
He also remembered Dharma Transmitter Zhou from his 119th life, whom he'd encountered during a review by the council of Dharma Transmitters.
That man had conjured an illusion of a modern metropolis, a rainy night shimmering with neon lights, claiming he had perfectly replicated a scene he witnessed while on "vacation" in the Land of Carefree Joy.
"So, the possibility of collaboration between the Alliance and the Land of Carefree Joy cannot be dismissed."
"The Land of Carefree Joy may not be entirely synonymous with the Five Elders Council. They seem to intervene only when the Council faces an existential crisis."
"A paradise of dreams..."
A question suddenly struck Li Fan. *I wonder, if the physical bodies of these cultivators die, can their consciousnesses persist in that paradise? And if the Xuanhuang Realm itself were to perish, would the Land of Carefree Joy endure?*
As his thoughts churned, Sun Tianci had completely absorbed the fruits of his labor.
With Li Fan as his brilliant mentor and strategist, he was accumulating Heavenly Grace from the Xuanhuang Realm faster than anyone before him.
He was even progressing much faster than the Saint Emperor's avatar had in the beginning.
Unfortunately, perhaps because there was already a Heavenly Mandate Sage Emperor who could communicate directly with the world's consciousness, Sun Tianci was unable to speak directly to the Heavenly Dao, despite feeling its profound affinity for him.
He could, however, feel its ubiquitous "assistance."
Sun Tianci immediately cast a spell, and with the ever-present blessing of heaven and earth, its power was indeed greatly enhanced.
But he still felt a deep sense of frustration.
"It's fine. To have reached this stage is enough."
Li Fan's voice sounded beside Sun Tianci.
The mysterious master, who had never before revealed his true appearance, now showed his face.
Sun Tianci was momentarily stunned.
He had never imagined his master to be so beautiful.
Dressed in white robes, with an exquisite face that seemed to gather all the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, and eyes that flashed with a deep compassion for all living things...
For a moment, Sun Tianci was completely captivated.
"Follow me."
The master and disciple descended deep underground.
After creating a hidden chamber, Li Fan instructed Sun Tianci to take out four items he had long since prepared.
A simple hemp garment.
A full stalk of grain.
A small, exquisite model of a house.
A lifelike miniature donkey cart.
Li Fan then placed the four items in the four corners of the chamber and looked at Sun Tianci.
He spoke with a benevolent expression, "You may begin. Do not forget the stories I have told you since the day you were born."
Understanding dawned on Sun Tianci's face. He replied in a solemn tone, "I understand, Master. I will not betray your trust."
Li Fan nodded in satisfaction, his features blurring once more as he retreated outside the formation.
Sun Tianci took a deep breath and began.
He took his first step, facing the donkey cart, and recited in a low voice:
"Blessings upon the Xuanhuang Immortal Venerable."
His second step, toward the house representing a safe home for all people, he intoned with sincerity:
"Blessings upon the Xuanhuang Heavenly Lord."
His third step, looking at the full stalk of grain, he held his breath and whispered:
"Blessings upon the Xuanhuang Supreme Emperor."
His fourth step, eyes fixed on the hemp garment, he silently recited a final time: "Blessings upon the Xuanhuang Heavenly Venerate."
This was the reverse of the ritual ordinary people used to enter the Fallen Immortal Realm; this was the rite to enter the special illusion to succeed the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate!
The instant the ritual was complete, a consciousness from the highest heavens descended, locking onto Sun Tianci.
Sun Tianci closed his eyes, sitting in the center of the four ritual items, and seemed to fall into a deep slumber.
The four objects, representing clothing, food, shelter, and transport, flickered with light, as if they had fallen into the gap between illusion and reality.
...
"The remnant will of a Fallen Immortal. No matter how many times I see it, it remains utterly unbelievable."
Li Fan's spiritual projection thought to himself.
In the brief moment he had taken on the appearance of Mr. Bai to deceive Sun Tianci, he had sensed the Xuanhuang world stirring in response, despite being deep underground and concealed by multiple formations.
Fortunately, he was no longer the novice he once was. He had reverted to his blurred form before the Heavenly Dao could locate him. Otherwise, he might have triggered another incident of *Return to True* acting against his will.
"This connection is so intimate, not even this generation's Saint Emperor avatar can match it."
"It must be the effect of the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate..."
"Let's see if this boy is fortunate enough to claim it."
Li Fan stared at the meditating Sun Tianci, his thoughts racing.
The trial of the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate's Fallen Immortal Realm passed at a rate nearly identical to the real world.
Even when he had known all the correct answers and cleared it with optimal solutions, it had taken him the better part of half a year.
As for Sun Tianci, Li Fan had not given him the answers directly.
This was to avoid any potential "anti-cheating" mechanisms within the trial.
He had instead subtly implanted the solutions into Sun Tianci's subconscious through the stories he told him since infancy.
With Sun Tianci's talent, he should be able to solve the illusory trial without much difficulty, though it might take some effort.
"He should finish just in time for the war between the Saint Dynasty and the Immortal Alliance."
As for the problem of Sun Tianci losing control...
Li Fan glanced at the remnant soul of Sun Tianci's mother, enveloped within the core of his spiritual projection.
After a period of 're-education', all outward signs of malice had vanished. She now appeared to be the very picture of a loving mother.
"They say he was born in harmony with the Dao, but in truth, he devoured his own mother's life. That is his greatest weakness!"
"Soon. Let me see just how mighty the next Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate will be."
Under the flickering light of the ritual, Li Fan's projection shimmered like a phantom.
...
The Great Qi Saint Dynasty.
Ling Province, Dujiang County, Xixi Village.
The grim atmosphere of the impending war had already reached this quiet village.
Most of the young and able-bodied men in the village had already joined the Sacred Army, ready to march at a moment's notice.
Only the old, the weak, women, and children remained, maintaining their livelihoods while praying daily at the Sacred Heart Hall for their families and for the great Saint Emperor.
A woman in her forties, having just returned from the Sacred Heart Hall, saw a young man standing at her door.
She felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and was about to speak, but a sudden shiver ran through her heart.
By some strange impulse, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
"You are..."
"Ma'am, have we met before?"
It was the young man who finally spoke.
But his words were strange.
The woman was confused.
However, his kind expression gradually put her at ease, and she slowly began to talk.
"Young man, I think I understand."
"You're here looking for relatives, aren't you?"
"Speaking of which, you bear a striking resemblance to my brother-in-law. But he suddenly ran away from home a few years ago and we haven't seen him since." A tear glistened in the woman's eye as she spoke softly.
The young man nodded.
"Is there anyone else in the family?" he asked.
"My husband died young, so it was just me and him, growing up together. I was his sister-in-law, but I raised him like a son," the woman said with a self-deprecating smile.
"But I've come to terms with it over the years. What's that saying? The dead are gone. I've since adopted two orphans, a boy and a girl. They're very good children, so the Li family line will continue."
"But with the Saint Dynasty preparing for war, both of them volunteered for the army. Ai... I don't know if they'll come back alive. Why must there be war?" the woman rambled on, her voice filled with worry.
But she quickly realized her words were taboo and immediately fell silent.
Seeing that the young man's expression hadn't changed, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Don't worry, they will return home safely," the young man said gently.
The woman smiled back. "I'll take your auspicious words for it. By the way, have you eaten? Why not stay for a meal?"
"Seeing as you haven't been conscripted, you must not be a cultivator. You still need to eat, right?"
"Ah, forgive me. Seeing you just reminded me of my missing brother-in-law..."
The woman explained hurriedly.
The young man simply nodded and gladly accepted.
He ate a quiet meal at the woman's house before taking his leave.
For some reason, the woman, who had only watched from the side without eating, felt as if she had eaten a full meal. She was filled with a warmth and seemingly endless energy.
When she later looked in a mirror, she was startled to find that the wrinkles on her face had vanished without a trace.
By now, the woman understood that she had encountered a noble personage.
But no matter how hard she thought, she could not figure out the identity of her benefactor.
If not for the difference in their faces, she would have almost believed that her brother-in-law had returned.
"Fan'er... are you really gone?"
The woman stood in her room, lost in a daze.
After leaving Ling Province, the young man visited several other places in the Great Qi.
Including the foot of Jieli Mountain.
Finally, he ascended to the peak of Jieli Mountain and sat down slowly in a thatched hut at the summit.
This young man was, of course, the Saint Emperor of the Great Qi.
Ever since his enlightenment in the Star Sea, when his face had taken form, something had been bothering him.
For some reason, however, he had never chosen to investigate it deeply.
Until now, on the eve of the final battle...
The appearance of every citizen in the Great Qi was within his perception.
Based on his own current appearance, it was not difficult to find potential blood relatives.
However, the sources seemed to be numerous and varied, not from a single family.
This led the Saint Emperor to wonder if he had made a mistake.
But when he stood before those with a true blood connection, an instinctive ripple in his heart confirmed his findings.
It was only upon reaching the peak of Jieli Mountain that some of his suspicions were finally confirmed.
Yet the truth remained shrouded in a deep fog, impossible to penetrate.
"An ancestor? Or that person who vanished without a trace?"
"He disappeared on the very day my consciousness was born."
"Possession? A reawakening of consciousness?"
...
For a rare moment, the Saint Emperor's thoughts were in turmoil.
Until a stir on his shoulder startled him back to reality.
He saw that the slumbering Cat Treasure had awoken and was affectionately rubbing against his cheek.
The Saint Emperor stepped out of the small wooden hut and gazed at the sea of clouds in the distance.
The heavens were a canvas of rolling clouds, caressed by a gentle breeze.
The clouds shifted into countless forms, only to vanish in an instant.
The Saint Emperor's heart grew calm once more.
"Regardless of my origins, I am who I am."
"The incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, the Saint Emperor of the Great Qi."
"When truth becomes falsehood..."
"Falsehood is also truth."
The Saint Emperor's eyes were perfectly serene.
The aura around him surged like the sea of clouds.
He merged with the Heavenly Dao of the Great Qi world.
"Meow~"
Cat Treasure let out a satisfied cry and contentedly went back to sleep.
"My mission does not change with my identity."
His simple white clothes slowly transformed into a sacred robe of starlight.
His body expanded from that of a normal man to a height of thirty-three feet.
The Saint Emperor Li Ping stepped off the peak of Jieli Mountain, his foot landing on the empty air beyond the cliff.
In the next instant, his figure vanished.
He was back on his throne.
His brief moment of confusion had passed. From now on, he was, completely and utterly, the Saint Emperor of the Great Qi.
He bore the weight of not just his own fate.
But the lives of countless soldiers of the Great Qi, and the future of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Just as the Saint Emperor was deep in thought, he suddenly felt a stir in his heart.
He had received a message from the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao.
It was urgent, yet tinged with confusion.
(End of Chapter)
Comments