Chapter 994: The Most Sincere Seeker of the Dao
From what was known, the golden wish power—the Myriad Spirits Nectar—was a residual trace left behind by the Faceless Immortal in his pursuit of the Great Dao.
To be born is to desire, to pursue the Dao is to live—a journey that ceases not even in death.
The golden wish power Li Fan had absorbed before this incarnation was pure energy, devoid of the conviction known as the “desire to pursue the Dao.”
Yet, in the golden wish power now flowing back from Dao Xuanzi, Li Fan could feel an incredibly subtle yearning for the Dao.
Even after being filtered by the statue, which intercepted the vast majority of it, the remaining trace was as conspicuous as the moon in a clear sky amidst the sea of golden wish power. Li Fan detected it with perfect clarity the very instant it was born.
“To seek the Dao with such sincerity is to find immortality. Truly, this is the man who would fight his own brother to the death, chasing him all the way into an Immortal Severing Land, all for a better cultivation technique.”
“He seems so carefree on the surface, yet his heart is so unyieldingly set on the Dao.”
The desire for the Dao within the golden wish power lingered for only a moment before vanishing without a trace.
Li Fan felt a sudden emptiness in his heart, as if he had just lost a priceless treasure.
“Now that he has the Ocean Pearl, Dao Xuanzi has a promising future in this life. And Kou Hong, even after learning about the other Earthly Treasure, the Hundred Thousand Mountains Cauldron, didn't rush off. He waited patiently, staying by Dao Xuanzi's side until he successfully re-established his foundation. Those two... they truly have a bond.”
“Perhaps I should look after them a bit more in the future...”
The brief interlude over, Li Fan’s attention returned to the bamboo sea of Tianquan Province before him.
Soundlessly, under the cover provided by Li Fan and Mo Rubin, Lin Ling and her two companions had already slipped into the bamboo sea and laid the ambush formation.
All that remained was for Xuan Sushang to take the bait.
A powerful enemy was approaching, yet among them, only Lin Ling seemed nervous. Tianyang remained impassive, and Daoist Baihua, a Longevity cultivator who had survived the great ancient calamity, was far too experienced to be fazed. As for Li Fan and Mo Rubin, they already considered the Crimson Snow Immortal Venerable a prize within their grasp.
Time trickled by. Before long...
Two streaks of iridescent light, one chasing the other, tore through the sky and descended just outside the bamboo sea.
The protective formation around the bamboo sea parted, and two rows of eighteen female cultivators in long, red gowns emerged to greet the arrivals.
The two figures, however, paid them no mind, striding directly into the residence nestled within the bamboo grove.
“Hm? Lu Xichan? Why is she here too?” Mo Rubin sounded surprised, but not alarmed.
Still, he glanced at Li Fan, seeking his opinion. “Are you confident you can handle this?”
As he spoke, he transmitted a summary of Lu Xichan’s profile.
Lu Xichan was the disciple of the previous chief of the Array Strategy Hall, Lu Xia.
On the surface, her career seemed unremarkable—a smooth and steady rise until she eventually took over her master’s position.
Yet, to navigate the entire succession of power so smoothly, without the slightest ripple of conflict, was a testament to Lu Xichan's exceptional abilities.
Li Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he gave a small nod. “Nothing to worry about. Capturing one Dao Integration cultivator or two—it makes no difference.”
“However,” he added, “Lu Xichan is the chief of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance’s formation masters, after all. The capture formation I devised using the Lifeless Array Crown you gave me might be at risk of being broken. If reinforcements were to arrive then, things could get complicated.”
“Let’s hope this Lifeless Array Crown is as reliable as you claim.”
Li Fan added, his tone shifting abruptly.
This was, of course, a lie to mislead Mo Rubin. The ambush formation laid within the bamboo sea was, in terms of sheer complexity, a full generation ahead of even the great Tianxuan Spirit Lock and Xuantian Spirit-Sealing arrays.
While Lu Xichan’s mastery of formations was indeed at the pinnacle of the Array Strategy Hall, she had absolutely no chance of breaking through this array in a short amount of time.
This much was evident from the fact she had already walked into the array, completely oblivious to its hidden dangers.
He only said it to conceal the true origins of the ambush formation.
Mo Rubin, none the wiser, pondered for a moment before replying, “Even if she could break it, it would take time. We just need to act fast and capture them before she can find a weakness.”
As he spoke, a mirror-like surface, thin as a gray line, materialized out of thin air before the cultivator Mo Rubin was possessing.
An eerie light flickered, and in a mere moment, another cultivator, identical in every way, appeared.
The mirror reappeared again and again, turning two into four, and four into eight, before finally ceasing.
Throughout the process, there was not the slightest ripple of spiritual energy.
Lin Ling and her companions watched this, utterly dumbfounded.
Li Fan, too, sensed the eight figures before him. Each was a living, breathing cultivator, and he could find no way to distinguish one from another.
“When the battle begins, I will channel as much power as I can through these bodies to assist you,” Mo Rubin transmitted.
“But I cannot sustain it for long...”
After entering the bamboo sea, Xuan Sushang and Lu Xichan settled into one of the bamboo buildings to rest. To avoid startling their prey, Li Fan and the others didn't spy, merely confirming their presence as they awaited Shuo Feng’s arrival.
And Shuo Feng, considerate as ever, did not keep them waiting long.
As crimson snowflakes began to drift down through the bamboo grove, Shuo Feng's figure slowly materialized from a blur into sharp focus.
He glanced toward the nearby bamboo building, his face a mask of resentment.
Ultimately, however, he didn't dare show it in his mother's presence. He took a deep breath, and his expression smoothed into one of placid calm.
He walked slowly to the front of the building.
“Mother...” Shuo Feng began, his voice low.
“Hehe, Feng’er is home. Come in, your Aunt Lu is here as well.” Xuan Sushang’s voice, laced with laughter, drifted out from the building.
It was not the voice of a mother, but that of a girl of fifteen or sixteen.
Shuo Feng pushed open the building’s main door and stepped inside.
The eyes of both Xuan Sushang and Lu Xichan instantly locked onto him.
Just then...
A sharp cry, like a sudden clap of thunder, rang throughout the bamboo sea.
“Brother Shuo, don’t you worry! I’ll help you persuade your mother and win back your freedom!”
Li Fan’s words left not only Shuo Feng, Xuan Sushang, and Lu Xichan momentarily stunned, but even Mo Rubin, Lin Ling, and the others were left scratching their heads.
“Now!” Fortunately, Li Fan’s telepathic command followed swiftly.
Lin Ling and her companions snapped back to their positions. In an instant, the great array, powered by four Dao Integration cultivators, was complete.
Mo Rubin held nothing back either. His eight identical bodies erupted simultaneously.
From each one burst an indistinct black shadow.
The shadows expanded, and in the blink of an eye, the entire bamboo sea was shrouded in darkness.
“Heh, so Feng’er has some nerve now...” At first, after a moment of surprise, Xuan Sushang still wore a faint smile.
She assumed Shuo Feng had simply rounded up a few of his disreputable friends to stage a little rebellion.
He had, after all, tried such things before.
But as the formation activated and shadows blotted out the sky, her expression changed dramatically. She realized the power of this ambush was far beyond anything Shuo Feng could ever orchestrate.
(End of Chapter)
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