Chapter 985: Longevity is Not All the Same
Daoist Baihua's tone was tinged with uncertainty.
Li Fan's brow furrowed deeply. "You? A Longevity cultivator?"
His voice was thick with skepticism.
While her true power was difficult for him to pin down, she was leagues below the Longevity cultivators he knew in the Xuanhuang Realm.
At the very least, he felt no significant threat from her.
"Don't think you can intimidate me just by throwing around the title of Longevity," Li Fan said, his expression darkening.
Daoist Baihua gave a bitter smile. "I've already fallen this far. Why would I bother with such pointless deception?"
"The truth is, if I were still in the Wansheng Realm—or any other cultivation world, for that matter—I would indeed be worthy of the title Longevity."
"But here, in the Xuanhuang Realm..."
"To be frank, my home, the Wansheng Realm, was no larger than five of your current prefectures."
"And back then, among all the cultivation worlds, the Wansheng Realm was considered merely average in size."
"So, even among those who reach Longevity, there are vast differences in power," Daoist Baihua explained with a hint of resignation.
Understanding dawned on Li Fan.
Even back then, the Xuanhuang Realm had been a titan among cultivation worlds.
After millennia of plundering and devouring other realms, it had swelled to an unimaginable size.
As what was likely the last surviving cultivation world in the Dark Star Sea, the Xuanhuang Realm defied all conventional measures.
It stood to reason that in a world of such magnitude, the Longevity Heavenly Venerates—beings who coexisted with the realm by reversing its very logic—would possess terrifying power.
They could not be judged by ordinary standards.
"To be born in the Xuanhuang Realm... it's both a blessing and a curse," Li Fan mused.
He looked at Daoist Baihua again, estimating her strength to be roughly on par with a powerful Dao Integration cultivator from his world.
"No wonder you seem so weak," Li Fan stated bluntly.
"I've fought against a Heavenly Venerate before. I doubt you'd last more than a few exchanges against one of them."
Her expression was impossible to read, but the gentle ripples in her golden, luminous form suggested she was not pleased.
"Alright. Since your story checks out, let's return to the Spirit Wood Realm for now. The Xuanhuang Realm is under the constant watch of the Heavenly Venerates. While your strength is somewhat lacking, your cultivation stage is still Longevity. If you stay too long, you risk being exposed," Li Fan said, leading Daoist Baihua back into the Spirit Wood Realm.
Daoist Baihua didn't dare to make any sudden moves.
Leaving aside that their strengths were comparable, which meant a fight could attract unwanted attention, the more critical point was that Little Liuli was still in Li Fan's possession. Now that she was alone, she would need the Glazed Wisdom Fruit to support her future cultivation.
"Daoist Baihua, do you have any way of contacting the other survivors from those worlds?" Inside the Spirit Wood Realm, Li Fan, now wearing a different face, asked amiably.
"I know what you're worried about. But you needn't be. After so many years, those people are likely long dead, swallowed by the Immortal Ruins," Daoist Baihua said, her tone icy.
"Oh? And you're so sure of that?" Li Fan asked, intrigued.
"A world as massive as the Xuanhuang Realm is on the verge of collapsing into the Immortal Ruins. How long could they possibly last on that small, cobbled-together landmass?" Daoist Baihua stated with conviction.
"So, aside from the Xuanhuang Realm, I have nowhere else to go. We're on the same boat now. You really don't need to be so guarded with me," she urged earnestly.
She sighed inwardly. The hearts of cultivators these days had grown so cold.
In her era, though there was no shortage of scheming and deception, it was never like this—this constant, suffocating vigilance, as if everyone were a mortal enemy.
"Heh, the world is a treacherous place. One can never be too careful," Li Fan replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Words alone are not enough. Whether I let you go or cooperate with you, I cannot be at ease..."
"Hmm?" Hearing this, Daoist Baihua thought Li Fan still intended to kill her, and her golden form began to pulse agitatedly.
But then, Li Fan's tone shifted. "Come with me. You need only pay respects to a certain statue, and we will be comrades. From then on, we will be of one mind, with no need for mutual suspicion."
Daoist Baihua froze. "A statue?"
Her confusion turned to terror the moment she saw the faceless statue.
Her golden light flickered violently, and she trembled like a young beast facing its natural predator.
She backed away, her voice strained with disbelief. "A statue of a True Immortal? How can something like this be here?"
"You've been deceiving me all along?"
Daoist Baihua stared at Li Fan, her gaze a mixture of fear and resentment.
At the same time, Li Fan keenly sensed a faint, yet undeniable, suction force emanating from the faceless statue, trying to draw in Daoist Baihua's luminous, golden form.
"Why the panic, Fellow Daoist? This is the Red Dust Compassionate Immortal, unlike any other immortal you may know of."
"Just swear an oath with me, and I guarantee you will be unharmed!" Li Fan's voice was firm.
As he spoke, he connected his mind to the statue. In an instant, images of countless believers of the Compassionate Immortal praying throughout the Xuanhuang Realm flooded his consciousness, and he felt as if he had been infused with some great power.
Daoist Baihua let out a pained shriek and scrambled further away, staring at Li Fan in sheer terror.
Li Fan's focus sharpened. He felt a faint, ethereal golden thread being stripped away from Daoist Baihua.
It drifted in the air, drawn by the faceless statue, and slowly floated toward him.
"Golden faith power?"
Upon absorbing it, Li Fan realized its nature was remarkably similar to the golden faith power he was familiar with, only far more pure.
His gaze fell upon Daoist Baihua once more.
Under Li Fan's coercion, Daoist Baihua had no choice but to recite the oath.
When she finished, the connection in Li Fan's mind instantly sensed her presence.
It was no longer a shimmering golden figure, however, but a lotus-shaped lamp.
"Is that your true form now?" Li Fan asked, frowning.
"Yes... yes." Daoist Baihua's tone was no longer confident, but extremely reserved.
"But you're a Longevity cultivator. Why are you so frail?" Li Fan asked, genuinely perplexed this time.
His words seemed to strike a nerve, and he sensed a profound sense of grievance radiating from her.
Daoist Baihua shot a glance at the silent, imposing statue, looking as if she wanted to say something but held her tongue.
"Speak freely," Li Fan assured her.
"The Red Dust Compassionate Immortal... even if he hasn't reached the realm of a Nameless True Immortal, he can't be far from it," she said weakly. "I am merely a downfallen Longevity cultivator. How could I possibly resist?"
"Even so, it's just a statue. Is there really a need to be so terrified?"
Thinking Li Fan was testing her loyalty, Daoist Baihua quickly professed, "Your Excellency jests. At the realm of a True Immortal, their power is omnipresent. What difference is there between a statue and their true self?"
(End of Chapter)
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