Chapter 982: The Secret of the World's True Immortals
"Me? Causing the disturbance in the Fishing Pool? My friend, you give me far too much credit."
The golden figure chuckled self-deprecatingly before introducing herself. "My name is Bai Hua. I was once the Sect Master of the Heavenly Lotus Sect in the Wansheng Realm..."
"But that was thousands of years ago."
Bai Hua's tone grew somber. "Back then, the power of the 'Submerge' character erupted, sweeping across the realms. Though the Wansheng Realm resisted with all its might, we couldn't stop its spread. Left with no choice, we had to abandon our world and flee. We had hoped to find a safe haven, but..."
"Everywhere we went, we were met with scenes of the apocalypse."
Bai Hua's golden form flickered like a candle in a breeze, betraying the turmoil within her. Even after all this time, the memory of those days still sent ripples of disquiet through her heart.
"The calamities that befell each realm were different. In the star domain around Wansheng, a gray mold spread like a raging sea, consuming everything in its path. In other worlds, twisted abominations manifested and annihilated themselves in endless slaughter, turning their homes into blood-red infernos."
"If that had been all, we might have found a sliver of hope by simply fleeing far enough. But..."
"Within the Immortal Ruins," Li Fan murmured grimly, "there are True Immortals."
"Beyond the fallen star domain, an invisible barrier blocked our escape. And within it, a True Immortal was comprehending the Dao using the 'Hunger' character, utterly indifferent to the lives of mortals..."
"Hm? Wait a moment." Li Fan's eyes flashed as he spoke up. "You just said a True Immortal was comprehending the Dao *using* the 'Hunger' character? What do you mean by that?"
"Wasn't the True Immortal being *suppressed* by the 'Hunger' character?" Li Fan asked, voicing his confusion.
Bai Hua seemed surprised for a moment, then understanding dawned on her face. "Ah, it seems you from the Xuanhuang Realm don't know much about True Immortals. That has led to a slight misunderstanding."
"According to the research conducted by the survivors from the various cultivation realms back then, the immortal seal characters that caused the calamity in our star domain—'Hunger,' 'Chaos,' 'Submerge,' and the others—were likely all the work of a single True Immortal."
"This True Immortal possessed the supreme power to manifest the laws of the world as written characters. With just a few strokes of a brush, they could effortlessly annihilate an entire domain and countless cultivation worlds."
"So, you're saying all the calamities we've suffered were the work of this one True Immortal?" Li Fan asked gravely, his gaze flickering with thought.
Unexpectedly, Bai Hua shook her head. "Didn't I just say? If that True Immortal had truly acted, our star domain would have been obliterated in an instant. The powers of 'Hunger' and 'Chaos' that erupted during the calamity, while they brought boundless, world-ending disaster, cannot even compare to the true methods of such a being."
"Then..." Li Fan paused, startled, before an idea instantly struck him.
"An imitation?"
"Precisely. After compiling all the surviving records of True Immortals from every realm, we survivors came to a unanimous conclusion. The immortal seal characters that brought disaster upon the lower realms were all created by the same person—or, I should say, the same immortal." Bai Hua spoke slowly, her voice devoid of hatred, filled only with a profound sense of powerlessness.
Hearing this, Li Fan couldn't help but feel perplexed. "My Xuanhuang Realm has endured numerous calamities, yet we know very little about True Immortals. But why? For what reason would that immortal commit such boundless slaughter?"
"Immortals don't do things without reason. Take the one in the Immortal Ruins—he meditated for ten thousand years to comprehend the Dao of the 'Hunger' character to its absolute limit. All of it was to take another step forward, to achieve the realm of a Nameless True Immortal," Bai Hua lamented with a deep sigh.
"A Nameless True Immortal? I have heard of this. Their names are unknowable, and all records of their existence simply disappear..."
"Does that mean immortals have different ranks? That not all of them are like that?" Li Fan asked, eager to learn.
"That's correct. Back when the path to ascension wasn't severed, cultivators like us could ascend to immortality. Baptized by immortal spiritual energy and shedding our mortal shells, we could officially become immortals. In that instant, our power would undergo an earth-shattering transformation, increasing more than a hundredfold."
"But compared to a Nameless True Immortal, the difference is still as vast as heaven and earth. Every immortal is an ultimate seeker of the Dao. Once they completely master one of the world's Dao paths, they transcend all things. Their past is erased, their name becomes unknowable to the world. They can only be referred to by the Dao they command."
"That Nameless True Immortal, the one who inscribes the Dao into characters, we respectfully call the Inscription Immortal."
...
Li Fan was utterly captivated as he listened to Bai Hua describe the realms beyond that of an ordinary immortal.
Any information about immortals in the Xuanhuang Realm had long been lost to the river of time; even the Dharma Transmitters knew precious little.
Perhaps only the Five Elders Council, the remnants of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, still possessed some fragments of that knowledge.
To encounter a survivor of the ancient calamity by such a fortunate coincidence and learn the secrets of True Immortals was undoubtedly a significant stroke of luck.
Of course, Li Fan did not place his complete trust in Bai Hua.
For now, he would simply listen.
...
Bai Hua continued, "The Inscription Immortal has already transcended, but it's possible they left behind a few of their authentic works."
"Back then, some unknown catastrophe struck the Immortal World. The path to ascension collapsed, and the immortals scattered in flight. It's likely that one of them obtained these authentic inscriptions."
"This immortal copied the characters for 'Hunger,' 'Chaos,' and 'Submerge,' unleashing them upon the mortal realms. It must have been related to the Dao path they cultivated."
"'Chaos' and 'Submerge' laid waste to countless cultivation realms, but the 'Hunger' character was obtained by another immortal. Perhaps because its Dao resonated with his own, he took a seat at the former passage to the Immortal World and began to comprehend it right then and there."
"You must understand, ten thousand years may seem like an eternity to us, but for an immortal, it is no more than the time it takes for a single session of secluded cultivation."
"As for the consequences of his comprehending the 'Hunger' character..."
"To him, we cultivators of the lower realms are no more than ants. Why would he possibly care?"
Only as she said this did a trace of resentment finally color Bai Hua's words.
Li Fan absorbed everything she had said and began to ponder it slowly.
"This is all speculation, isn't it? Do you have any concrete evidence?"
Bai Hua shook her head but remained resolute. "Those of us who survived the calamity were the most powerful figures of our respective realms. This was the conclusion we reached after piecing together all the surviving records..."
"Even if it isn't the absolute truth, it can't be far off."
"More importantly, the one who copied the seal characters and the one comprehending 'Hunger' are merely immortals. While their power utterly crushes cultivators like us, they have not yet reached the unfathomable heights of a Nameless True Immortal." A sliver of pride entered Bai Hua's voice.
Li Fan, however, recalled something from a past simulation. He remembered how the being within the Immortal Ruins had sensed his gaze and suddenly opened its eyes. He remembered how it had used his clone as a conduit to transmit the power of the 'Hunger' character into the Xuanhuang Realm, bringing about its destruction.
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