Chapter 1486: The Heavenly King's Past
Chapter 1486: The Heavenly King's Past
An opportunity to reverse his predicament was right before his eyes. After a long moment of observation, he detected nothing unusual around the nameless shadow. The Nameless True Immortal who had just achieved their Dao must have already departed.
He could no longer suppress the stirring impulse within him. Marshalling his remaining strength, he lunged toward the figure.
He had thought his fortunes were finally turning, but he never imagined...
Back in the present, he stared at the two isolated pillars before him, examining them again and again until he was certain he wasn't mistaken. A tremor ran through his heart.
"One of them must be the Southern Immortal Pillar."
"And the other one..."
"The one suppressed within it is actually the very same Nameless True Immortal who just attained their Dao! This—!"
"Who in the world is this person?!"
Though he had only just reawakened, and his body was merely a nameless Dao shadow, he was still confident in his strength. To be captured and suppressed so effortlessly...
The power of his captor was unfathomable!
"What happened in the outside world during the ten thousand years I was trapped and grievously injured? Could it be... that the Immortal Realm has been rebuilt?"
Despite the storm of thoughts, he could only bury them deep within his heart for now.
A terrifying force enveloped his entire being, suppressing him completely. Even speaking or sending a mental message was an impossible luxury.
While he trembled with apprehension, a towering figure suddenly materialized in the space before him.
Suppressed as he was, he couldn't make out the figure's appearance, but the vast, mountain-and-sea-like aura emanating from them reminded him of the two Immortal Emperors he had once met.
The figure wasted no time on words, seizing him once more.
He felt his body, this nameless Dao shadow, instantly erupt into chaos.
Although the Dao shadow was constructed from the power fluctuations of the Nameless True Immortal who had attained the Dao of [Hunger], that was merely the catalyst. Its true essence was the power contained within this giant [Shape of a Living Being] that he had personally crafted.
The impact of the newly-ascended Nameless Immortal was like a great hammer striking down, leaving an imprint.
Yet at this moment, the Dao of life force coalesced within that imprint was uncontrollably draining away toward the figure before him. After circulating through his captor, it flowed back, not only becalmed but also seemingly organized and refined, becoming far more solid.
He also sensed that countless streams of the Dao of life force were frantically surging toward him from the outside world.
"Barely passable," the figure before him muttered, shaking his head with a hint of dissatisfaction. Nevertheless, he continued to manipulate the myriad streams of life force, constantly filling and reinforcing the shadow's form.
"This is... he's trying to turn me into a Heavenly Pillar?" With his vast experience, he quickly discerned his captor's intention.
And his subsequent fate seemed to confirm his suspicions.
An immense torrent of life force Dao continued to pour in from an unknown source, and the external pressure never let up for a moment; in fact, it was slowly intensifying.
He had no doubt that under such immense force, even a True Immortal would be crushed to dust in an instant.
The thought of being sealed within a Heavenly Pillar for all eternity, never to find release—a fate far more tragic than the past ten thousand years—filled his heart with utter despair and terror.
A True Immortal should be transcendent, beyond such mortal emotions. As a former Nameless, he should not have been so weak. But when the great calamity struck, the part of him that was the "Nameless True Immortal" had, in truth, already perished.
What remained was merely an ordinary cultivator, struggling desperately for survival.
Realizing this, he knew he couldn't let things continue.
Once the Heavenly Pillar was fully formed, any divine abilities he possessed would be utterly useless.
He gritted his teeth, made a ruthless decision, and the mask on his face shattered with a resounding crack.
The binding force around him instantly vanished.
He cried out in panic, "Senior, please wait!"
"I am Si Tu Xing, Administrative Immortal Minister of the Desolate Mist Star Domain, paying my respects!"
...
"Administrative Immortal Minister."
Hearing Xing Wuque's words, Li Fan slightly eased the suppressing force.
However, he did not release him, instead studying him with a quiet, careful gaze.
The sudden explosion of the bronze mask had nearly caught him off guard. He hadn't expected something seemingly within his grasp to erupt with such powerful resistance.
Fortunately, he had urgently summoned the specter of Shou Qiu to add more pressure, preventing his facade from cracking.
"What era do you think this is? Still clinging to the titles of the Heavenly Net Emperor's reign."
"What, does an Administrative Immortal Minister like you intend to administrate me?"
After a moment's thought, Li Fan spoke with open mockery.
Since his knowledge of the past Immortal Realm was still incomplete, it was best to avoid getting entangled in those details, lest he expose himself. Li Fan decided to drag the man directly into the narrative he had fabricated. "The Immortal Realm is in ruins. The legions of immortals are either dead or have fled."
"You, a minister of a fallen dynasty, have no authority over a warlord like me. Hmph!"
These few short sentences were enough to give the man a rough idea of his origins.
With the people from Shuo Xinghai, he could use the so-called "Hidden Emperor" identity. But to pry information from this Administrative Immortal Minister, he needed a different persona.
And just as he expected, upon hearing his words, Si Tu Xing began to speculate along the lines Li Fan had laid out.
"A warlord who has carved out his own territory. The Dao Annihilation tide has cascaded down, and the lower realms could not have been spared, leaving only isolated islands. This person is suppressing a Nameless Immortal to forge a Heavenly Pillar, all to bolster his defenses against the Dao Annihilation..." Si Tu Xing's thoughts spun rapidly, but his heart grew progressively colder.
He had originally thought that the reputation of his true self would at least give the other party some pause. Now, it seemed that was a fool's hope.
"And don't call me 'senior'."
"Since the beginning of my cultivation, it's been six thousand years at most, and I've never set foot in any Immortal Realm. Heh heh, speaking of which, you, the Administrative Immortal Minister, must have lived for quite a few years, haven't you? It should be I who calls you senior!"
Li Fan grinned menacingly, suddenly increasing the pressure.
"You just stay put in this pillar and serve as my gatekeeper!"
"To reach such a level of power in only six thousand years? How is that possible?"
"But there does seem to be something strange. That man is indeed not a True Immortal. Could it be that during the years I was trapped, the world developed a new cultivation system?"
Upon hearing this, Si Tu Xing was instinctively shocked and filled with disbelief.
But he felt the static sealing force around him tighten once more, leaving him no time for reflection.
In his panic, he frantically searched his mind for any possible means of escape.
"He's not from the Immortal Realm. My past identity means nothing to him..."
His surroundings began to blur.
That fierce and brutal figure was gradually obscured by the gathering Dao of life force.
Si Tu Xing knew this was a sign that the Heavenly Pillar was about to be completely sealed.
"A person from the lower realms..."
At this moment of extreme crisis, a figure flashed through Si Tu Xing's mind. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to take a long shot, using his last bit of strength to shout, "Senior, wait! I was also once one of the Twelve Law Kings of the Xuantian Sect, Xing Wuque!"
It was a desperate gamble, and deep down, he didn't believe the title of Twelve Law Kings would be of any use. But to Si Tu Xing's astonishment, upon hearing his words, the binding force actually lessened!
"Xing Wuque, one of the Twelve Law Kings?"
"One of the twelve who followed Xuanyuan Hong?" Li Fan asked, eyeing him with a hint of suspicion.
The name Xuanyuan Hong seemed to awaken some ancient memories in Si Tu Xing, causing him to pause for a moment.
But with his life on the line, he had no time for reflection and hurriedly replied, "Yes, that's right."
"Back then, who did Xuanyuan Hong truly fancy? Was it Luo Yichen, Ji Yuzhen, or Nie Daniang?" Li Fan asked abruptly, his tone unreadable, his expression playful.
Si Tu Xing, or rather, Xing Wuque, froze on the spot.
"Hmm?"
"...Uh, none of them! Although they all secretly admired him, from my observations, I'm afraid Xuanyuan Hong's heart already belonged to someone else. That's why he always kept his distance from them." The man seemed ready to seal him in the pillar again at a moment's notice. Si Tu Xing's heart leaped, and he rushed to answer.
"Hahahaha, you're quite the observer. Xuanyuan Hong did indeed have a childhood sweetheart, and she was an extraordinary person herself..." Li Fan left his sentence hanging, giving the other man endless room for imagination. Then, he slightly loosened his grip on Si Tu Xing.
The towering mountain hanging over his head was temporarily moved aside. Si Tu Xing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He cautiously tried to probe for more information. "Senior, you knew Xuanyuan Hong?"
"Indeed. Back then, he saved my life from the Dao Annihilation. But after that, he vanished without a trace. I've always wanted a chance to repay him, but I've never been able to see him again," Li Fan replied.
"That does sound like something Xuanyuan Hong would do," Si Tu Xing muttered to himself, nodding.
"Speaking of which, you were once one of Xuanyuan Hong's men. How did you end up in this state?"
At the question, Si Tu Xing gave a bitter smile. "This matter... is a long story."
"Then tell it slowly. It's been a long time since I've had a proper conversation with anyone. In the wake of the Dao Annihilation calamity, life has withered. I can't even find a fellow cultivator to talk to!" Li Fan clapped Si Tu Xing on the shoulder, completely removing the suppressing force as he spoke in a low voice.
Though he was temporarily free, a casual glance at the two Heavenly Pillars nearby was enough to keep Si Tu Xing from acting recklessly.
He sized up Li Fan, weaving a narrative in his mind to explain everything.
"From his words, it seems Xuanyuan Hong is now incredibly powerful. At the very least, he's by no means inferior to this man. But that's to be expected."
After a long pause, Si Tu Xing finally began, "Senior should know, I was not speaking falsely just now. My true self is indeed Si Tu Xing, the Administrative Immortal Minister of the Desolate Mist Star Domain, a Nameless who watched over a region of the Immortal Realm. It's just that..."
Li Fan waved a hand, cutting him off. "I know all that. A group of you descended to the lower realms in search of some so-called supreme treasure. That's not important. Get to the point!"
Si Tu Xing was taken aback, his mouth agape, but his mind went blank.
"What? You're allowed to descend to the lower realms, but Xuanyuan Hong isn't? When calamity looms, everyone has their own methods. Did you ever stop to think that someone who could command the willing devotion of a group like yours couldn't possibly be an ordinary person?" Li Fan sneered dismissively.
Si Tu Xing's expression shifted several times.
"Indeed. Indeed," he said, suddenly seeming dazed and repeating the words under his breath.
"Back then, most of us probably had our spiritual senses obscured. But after being trapped in the Shape of a Living Being for tens of thousands of years and gradually regaining my true consciousness, I began to faintly suspect that something was not right with Xuanyuan Hong."
"But he played the part of a mortal so perfectly..."
"Still, how could a mere mortal have made a group of us, True Immortals from the lower realms, follow him so willingly?"
Si Tu Xing's voice was filled with a deep, lingering confusion.
"Right. That's what I thought, too."
"I even confronted him about it back then, but he was stubborn and refused to admit it," Li Fan said with a chuckle.
"Uh... so that was just your guess, senior?" Si Tu Xing asked, stunned, his head snapping up to stare at Li Fan.
"What? Was I wrong?" Li Fan's eyes turned cold as he met Si Tu Xing's gaze.
The staring contest lasted only a moment before Si Tu Xing, startled by the bone-chilling indifference in the man's eyes, quickly looked away.
"It's logical. Very logical."
"That supreme treasure must have a spirit of its own. Waiting for it with a clear purpose would most likely be a futile effort. Therefore, we all chose to seal our spiritual senses and rely purely on our individual luck to wait for it. It was, as they say, a matter of individual skill. This also prevented a great deal of conflict in the upper Immortal Realm," Si Tu Xing continued.
"Those who can become True Immortals are all extraordinary in talent and temperament. Even if they walked the mortal path again, they would inevitably be outstanding. However, it seems none of our luck was quite sufficient. First, the Dao Annihilation calamity arrived too quickly. The speed at which the Immortal Realm collapsed was completely beyond our imagination. So much so that we didn't even have time to return..."
"Our positions in the upper realm were all different. When the ascension path for the Xuanhuang Realm was destroyed, some of us were still safe, while others' true bodies had already met with disaster. Some of us began to reawaken our true consciousness, but we all maintained a tacit and delicate balance among ourselves."
"It was all because of Xuanyuan Hong's peculiarity," Si Tu Xing said slowly.
"You suspected that the supreme treasure had fallen into Xuanyuan Hong's hands?" Li Fan interjected with a sudden laugh.
Si Tu Xing was silent for a moment, then gave a slight nod.
"Otherwise, it's truly difficult to explain his meteoric rise, and how his brilliance completely overshadowed the other True Immortals reincarnated in the same generation."
"You must understand, Xuanyuan Hong's aptitude was far from the best. But he was always, somehow, just one step ahead of everyone else," Si Tu Xing said, his tone laced with bewilderment.
"But without confirmation, no one was willing to make a direct move. Besides, Xuanyuan Hong's true identity was a mystery, so we could only wait patiently for the right moment. We never expected..."
"That one day, he would suddenly vanish and never be seen again," Li Fan finished for him.
Si Tu Xing nodded again.
"He disappeared too quickly, too suddenly. And at the very end, he even sent out a warning to us..."
"It was impossible to tell truth from lie, to know if he was using it as a chance to escape or had truly met with disaster."
"This led to a schism among us. Some chose to follow the trail and continue the search. Others believed their luck had run out and gave up..."
Li Fan shook his head slightly. "No wonder the great Xuantian Sect vanished in an instant after the Xuantian King was gone."
(End of Chapter)
Comments