Chapter 1553: The Heavenly Capital Becomes a Pillar Once More
Li Fan was in no hurry to make his move.
Before launching his assault on the Fallen Immortal Realm, he required more time to gather his strength and make preparations.
His first order of business was to eliminate the lingering threats surrounding the Xuanhuang Realm, one by one.
His consciousness returned from the Fallen Immortal Realm to reality, and the first thing his Great Heavenly Venerate immortal puppet did was seize control of the Floating Starry Sky Grand Formation.
The immortal array, once laid down by the Xuan Tian King, had long since fallen into disrepair through the Xuanhuang Realm's many external campaigns.
Locking down the Taiyuan Realm with its golden chains had been the last great feat it was capable of performing.
Yet, while the Ten Great Immortal Sects were powerless to repair it, that did not mean Li Fan was.
Amidst the rumbling of the Xuanhuang world, the first to return was the Tian Beast, which had long since perished. Li Fan re-enlightened it, breathing life back into its ancient form.
When the Tian Beast's colossal body appeared, the Ten Great Immortal Sects were initially bewildered, ignorant of the terrifying creature's origins. Only after a moment did someone dredge up its identity from the distant memories of ten thousand years past.
The divine beast of the Xuan Tian Cult, why had it suddenly been resurrected? Could it be that the enigmatic demigod, the Xuan Tian King, was about to return?
The Ten Great Immortal Sects descended into a state of anxious turmoil. Forgetting all about their expansion into the Taiyuan star system, the core cultivators of the ten sects returned to the Xuanhuang Realm overnight to convene and discuss countermeasures. They even attempted to send a message to the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate for guidance, but received no reply.
The Great Heavenly Venerate had vanished.
Just as their dread was reaching its peak, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance abruptly declared war on the Ten Great Immortal Sects. This left the members of the ten sects with a feeling that was both comical and absurd.
They feared the Xuan Tian King, that much was true, but who did this fledgling Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance think they were? The strongest expert in the Alliance, that Dharma Spreader Immortal Venerable, was merely at the Dao Integration realm. Where did he find the audacity to challenge the Ten Sects?
Amused and enraged in equal measure, just as the Ten Sects decided to crush the upstarts from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance with overwhelming force, a series of actions from the Alliance caught them completely off guard.
First, the Dharma Spreader announced his true identity to the world: Xuanyuan Tuo, a descendant of the former leader of the Xuan Tian Cult, the Xuan Tian King, Xuanyuan Hong. He declared that the Ten Sects had usurped the foundation of the Xuan Tian Cult, and that he, Xuanyuan Hong, had founded the Xuan Tian Cult precisely to overthrow the Ten Sects' rule and restore the glory of Xuan Tian!
After ten thousand years under the rule of the Ten Sects, the world knew almost nothing of the Xuan Tian Cult. To the average cultivator, this declaration from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance seemed little more than a pretext to claim some form of "legitimacy."
But in the eyes of the Ten Sects, it held an entirely different meaning.
The Dharma Spreader was a descendant of the Xuan Tian King?
A mere Dao Integration cultivator would surely not have the courage to stand against the Ten Sects alone. But what if the one standing behind the Dharma Spreader was the Xuan Tian King himself?
No wonder a rogue cultivator with no background could rise so quickly. No wonder he could create a cultivation method so different from the current system, and so remarkably brilliant.
Connecting this to the loss of control over the Floating Starry Sky Grand Formation and the resurrection of the Tian Beast, the Ten Sects were finally convinced.
The Xuan Tian King had returned!
Ancient memories flooded their minds once more, and fear grew alongside them.
Just how powerful was the Xuan Tian King?
Even now, among the Ten Sects, there were still Longevity cultivators who had, ten thousand years ago, witnessed the Xuan Tian King sweep across the world as a demigod. They knew his strength all too well.
Even if all the cultivators of the Ten Sects attacked together, they would be no match for the Xuan Tian King! To take the initiative would be suicide!
Through their own analysis, based on what they believed they knew of the Xuan Tian King, the core members of the Ten Sects came to a conclusion: although the Xuan Tian King had returned, given his character, he would need a just cause even for revenge.
The reason he remained hidden, allowing his descendant to provoke the Ten Sects, was to lure them into attacking first. Only then, under the guise of retaliation, could he righteously and thunderously slaughter the Ten Sects in retribution!
Realizing this, the leaders of the Ten Sects, believing they had uncovered the Xuan Tian King's scheme, broke out in a cold sweat. They hastily issued strict orders to their disciples, forbidding any conflict with the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance for the time being.
And so, an exceedingly strange scene unfolded across the Xuanhuang Realm.
The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, raising the banner of the Xuan Tian Cult, grew with wild and savage abandon. Meanwhile, the Ten Great Immortal Sects, the de facto rulers of the Xuanhuang Realm, turned a blind eye, cowering in their shells.
This bizarre phenomenon sent the morale of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance soaring, and their expansion accelerated once more.
The lower-ranking disciples of the Ten Sects, however, were utterly dejected and deeply confused.
Relying on their past prestige, the core leaders managed to forcibly suppress the resentment within their sects for a time, but they knew this situation could not last.
Thus, they decided on a common plan: they must seek the aid of the Tiandu Grandmaster!
In truth, if the Xuan Tian King had not been gravely injured after his great battle with the Grandmaster back then, they would never have dared to move against him.
Now that the Xuan Tian King had returned, their only hope was to ask the Grandmaster for help again.
After all, the legacies of the Ten Sects all originated from the Heavenly Capital. The Grandmaster would surely not stand by and watch them be destroyed.
That was the theory, at least. In reality, the Ten Sects were not so certain. It had been many years since any of them had seen the Grandmaster. Even during several crises that had threatened the very survival of the Xuanhuang Realm, the Grandmaster had never appeared.
In a secret chamber within the Great Dao Sect, more than half of the leaders from the Ten Sects gathered to discuss their strategy.
Their faces were all etched with worry.
Fang Dingge cleared his throat. "There is no need for such despair, everyone. Do not forget our discovery in the star system near Taiyuan. If all else fails, what does it matter if we cede this corner of the Xuanhuang Realm to the Xuan Tian King? That place is far better than this land on the edge of the Immortal Ruins."
This talk of defeat before the battle had even begun drew no rebuttals. Instead, they all nodded in unison, agreeing with Fang Dingge's sentiment.
"Before we leave, we will empty out all the resources our Ten Sects have accumulated over the years. We'll leave him nothing but a barren Xuanhuang Realm. Hmph..." The speaker was an ancient, weathered elder. His hair and beard were snow-white, his face a roadmap of wrinkles so deep they seemed to fold into one another. The light in his murky eyes seemed on the verge of extinguishing completely, as if even the so-called Longevity realm was reaching the end of its life.
The others present listened to the elder's venomous words but did not echo his sentiment, their expressions varied.
However, out of respect for the elder's status, no one stood up to refute him just yet.
The elder's name was Ruan Tianliu, the Grand Elder of the One Beginning Sect. After the sect master of the One Beginning Sect fell on the Taiyuan battlefield and was not resurrected by the Xuanhuang True Immortal, this man had once again taken control of the sect.
Ruan Tianliu was also one of the few cultivators among the Ten Sects who had witnessed the Xuan Tian King's terrifying power. He was, to put it mildly, petrified of the demigod. Thus, from the very beginning, he had vehemently opposed any action against the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
"Elder Ruan is right. The essence of the Xuanhuang Realm has largely been harvested by our Ten Sects. Even if we relocate, the losses will not be too great. In fact, haven't we already prepared contingency plans for escape? The only difference is that while some in our sects previously objected, insisting on remaining in the Xuanhuang Realm, the appearance of the Xuan Tian King has swiftly unified everyone's opinion," said Xiahou Yan, the master of the Indeterminate Prison, a wry smile playing on his lips as he glanced at the others.
"It is just a pity that the Splitting Immortal Seed vanished so mysteriously. Otherwise, we could have deceived everyone and slipped away unnoticed, our main bodies escaping to the Taiyuan star system while leaving weaker avatars behind to fight the Xuan Tian Cult to the death!" a voice lamented from the group.
"The disappearance of this Splitting Immortal Seed is strange. It doesn't seem like its power dissipated, nor does it feel like the Xuan Tian King took it. After all, Xuanyuan Hong has always been forthright in his actions; he would never stoop to such petty theft."
"Could it be that this time, he returned with a helper?"
A wave of suspicion and paranoia washed over the assembled leaders.
After a while, they returned to the matter at hand. "Who will go to entreat the Grandmaster this time?"
They all knew that the Tiandu Grandmaster was not as approachable as they claimed publicly. The slightest misstep could result in their immediate demise.
"I will take the lead," Fang Dingge declared with a cold snort, breaking the hesitant silence.
The expressions of the other sect leaders flickered, but in the end, they selected a party of five.
They would journey to the Heavenly Capital and implore the Grandmaster to intervene.
"Ten thousand years have passed. Although we have frequently sent messages and tributes to the Heavenly Capital, it's hard to say if the Grandmaster still acknowledges us. According to the experiences of our predecessors, we will need something that interests him to move him..."
The Ten Sects recorded the various strange phenomena that had recently occurred in the Xuanhuang Realm onto memory stones, forcibly linking all of them to the Xuan Tian King. This would serve as their bargaining chip to persuade the Grandmaster to emerge.
"If only that Xuanhuang True Immortal hadn't perished on the Taiyuan battlefield."
As they neared the Heavenly Capital, Cao Yinyue, the representative from the Great Dao Sect, suddenly looked towards the distant sky and uttered this sentiment softly.
The others paused their flight for a moment.
"The Xuanhuang True Immortal..." they murmured, momentarily lost in thought, before shaking their heads and suppressing the myriad thoughts in their minds.
They continued their flight towards the Heavenly Capital.
Following the descriptions left by their predecessors, they successfully entered the city in the sky.
Though called the Heavenly Capital, it felt more like a dojo.
Only a few scattered buildings stood within.
Holding an ancient token, Fang Dingge led the group smoothly into the Heavenly Capital.
"That's the first step accomplished."
"It is said that even with the token granted by the Grandmaster, whether you can enter safely depends entirely on his mood. If he is disturbed, even a peak Dao Integration cultivator can vanish without a sound." The group exchanged glances, letting out a collective sigh of relief.
They continued deeper, towards the location where, according to their records, the Grandmaster sat in meditation.
After pushing open a vermilion wooden door, two figures suddenly appeared before them.
The hearts of the delegation from the Ten Sects skipped a beat. They immediately fell to their knees in prostration, crying out in unison, "We pay our respects to the Grandmaster!"
The chamber was deathly silent.
Cold sweat dripped from the brows of the five leaders.
The Grandmaster did not respond for a long time.
Just as the group was growing bewildered, one of the figures suddenly spoke.
"The Grandmaster..."
"Are you referring to this pillar?"
The five from the Ten Sects were stunned. They looked up sharply.
Before them, the scene was indeed as the records described.
Two figures stood there.
One was seated, chanting in meditation.
But the other...
Was not a young acolyte.
It was a middle-aged man who exuded a natural authority, looking every bit a celestial being.
The moment Fang Dingge saw him, he found the man vaguely familiar.
But the words the man had spoken were so shocking that he had no time to think further.
"The Grandmaster... a pillar..."
"What does that mean?"
Only then did the group from the Ten Sects focus their gaze on the object beside the middle-aged man, a heavenly pillar that he was gently stroking.
An almost impossible thought surfaced in their minds.
And their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably from absolute terror.
A moment later, the middle-aged man's gaze fell upon them, and though their shivering was forcibly stopped, a bone-deep chill remained in their hearts.
The middle-aged man's next words confirmed their horrifying suspicion.
"From this day forward, there is no Grandmaster in the Xuanhuang Realm."
"Whatever you do, you must rely on yourselves."
"Now, go."
As if he couldn't be bothered to waste any more words on them, the middle-aged man waved his hand.
The world spun around them, and in the next instant, they were outside the Heavenly Capital. When they looked back, the structure that had hovered above the Xuanhuang Realm for ten thousand years had vanished without a trace!
"Brother... Brother Dingge."
After a long, dead silence, the leaders finally came to their senses.
The Tiandu Grandmaster, a being from the Immortal World who seemed omnipotent in their eyes, had been turned into a pillar.
The shock of this revelation was too immense.
For a moment, they could barely even speak, their words catching in their throats.
But they were, after all, leaders of the Ten Sects. No matter how horrified they were, after some time, they began to grudgingly accept the reality.
Fang Dingge composed himself, taking a deep breath. "Let's return before we discuss this further."
Halfway back, Fang Dingge's flying figure suddenly halted, and he blurted out, "I remember who that man was! The first Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate!"
His words left the others staring at each other, utterly dumbfounded.
...
"A pack of clowns," Li Fan mused in the Heavenly Capital, shaking his head slightly.
He paid no more attention to the Ten Great Immortal Sects.
Instead, he turned his focus to the sealed Grandmaster.
Even though this was the second time he had sealed this being, Li Fan could still say it had been a hard-fought battle.
Even before the fight, Li Fan had used the power of the Floating Starry Sky Grand Formation to move the Xuanhuang Realm to the edge of the darkest star sea, a safe distance from the Immortal Ruins.
He then activated the power of the legacy shadow left behind by Shou Qiu Gong within the high wall.
Against the Grandmaster, all ordinary Dao arts were useless. Only the spiritual-draining blade of [Fantasy Becomes Truth] was effective.
Even with the experience of their previous battle, the fight was not without its risks.
Fortunately, the True False Transformation he commanded was simply too effective a counter to the Grandmaster's [Wuji] Dao.
In the end, the outcome was the same: the Grandmaster was sealed.
"With this heavenly pillar as a foundation, the Eternal Immortal Boat is beginning to take shape."
Li Fan patted the Wuji Heavenly Pillar again, thoroughly satisfied.
In his plan to reinforce the Xuanhuang Realm this time, however, Li Fan had excluded Shou Qiu's shadow.
After all, Shou Qiu Gong was now an unstable factor in Li Fan's eyes. Though the world praised Shou Qiu Gong's noble character, Li Fan would never entrust his own survival to another's morality.
"With Wuji in place, the next is the Hunger Immortal."
Although the Hunger Immortal had not yet become a Nameless True Immortal, in terms of sheer danger, he might even surpass the Grandmaster.
(End of this chapter)
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