Chapter 982: Secret of the True Immortals in the World |
"I caused the anomaly in the Fishing Pond? Fellow Daoist, you are overestimating me a bit."
The golden figure first mocked herself, then began her self-introduction: "My original name is Daoist Hundred Flowers, and I am the sect master of the Heavenly Lotus Sect in the Wansheng Realm..."
"But that was thousands of years ago."
There was a hint of gloom in Daoist Hundred Flowers's tone: "Back then, the [Nothingness] Character Script suddenly erupted and swept through the various realms. Although the Wansheng Realm resisted with all its might, it still could not stop its spread. In desperation, we had no choice but to abandon the realm and flee. We originally thought to find a safe place to take refuge, but unexpectedly..."
"Wherever we passed, it was all a scene of the end of the world."
The golden figure of Daoist Hundred Flowers flickered slightly, as if brushed by a light breeze, revealing the extreme unrest in her heart. Even after so much time had passed, recalling the scenes from back then still stirred great waves in her mind.
"The calamities that each realm encountered were not the same. In the star regions around our Wansheng Realm, those gray mold spots were like a surging sea, swallowing everything in the world. And in some worlds, twisted creations appeared and thoroughly destroyed themselves in endless mutual slaughter, like a blood-colored purgatory."
"If it were merely these, as long as we ran far enough, we might still find a glimmer of hope. But..."
"Within the Immortal Ruins, there are [True Immortals]." Li Fan said in a low and somber tone at this moment.
"Beyond the Sunken Star Sea, there is an invisible barrier blocking our escape. And within the Sunken Star Sea, there are True Immortals who borrowed the [Hunger] Character to comprehend the Dao, disregarding the life and death of all beings..."
"Hmm? Wait. You just said that there are True Immortals who borrowed the [Hunger] Character to comprehend the Dao? What does that mean?" Li Fan's gaze flashed as he asked aloud.
"Aren't True Immortals suppressed by the Hunger Character Script?" Li Fan voiced the doubt in his heart.
Daoist Hundred Flowers was stunned for a moment, then realized: "It seems that fellow Daoists from the Xuanhuang Realm know little about True Immortals and thus have some misunderstandings."
"According to the research of the surviving cultivators from our various cultivation realms back then, the cause of the disasters in our star sea, the [Hunger], [Chaos], [Nothingness], and other immortal seal characters, should all originate from the hand of a single True Immortal."
"This True Immortal possesses the supreme might to manifest the laws of the world into characters. With just a few strokes, he can easily destroy a entire region star and countless cultivation worlds."
"So, all the calamities we have suffered are the work of this True Immortal?" Li Fan's gaze flickered as he asked in a deep voice.
Unexpectedly, Daoist Hundred Flowers shook her head slightly in denial: "Did I not just say? If it were truly that True Immortal making a move, our star sea would have been instantly destroyed. The [Hunger] and [Chaos] Character Script that erupted in the calamities, although they also bring boundless world-ending disasters, are not even worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as the means of a True Immortal."
"Then it is..." Li Fan was slightly taken aback, and then he instantly thought of something.
"A counterfeit brush?"
"Exactly. Back then, after the surviving cultivators from the various realms compiled the records about True Immortals that had been passed down in each world, they all uniformly reached this conclusion. The immortal seal characters that caused the lower realms' calamities all came from the hand of the same person, or rather, the same immortal." Daoist Hundred Flowers said slowly, yet her tone held no hatred, only a profound sense of powerlessness.
Upon hearing this, Li Fan could not help but feel some doubt: "In our Xuanhuang Realm, after experiencing all sorts of calamities, we know very little about True Immortals. But for no reason at all, why would that immortal create such boundless slaughter?"
"Immortals do not engage in meaningless acts. Just like that Immortal in the Immortal Ruins, who sat withered for ten thousand years, comprehending the Dao of the [Hunger] character to its utmost extreme. All for the sake of taking one step further, achieving the realm of [Nameless True Immortal]." Daoist Hundred Flowers sighed endlessly.
"Nameless True Immortal? I have heard something about this. Unable to know their name and surname; all records have vanished..."
"Could it be that Immortals also have levels? Not all Immortals are the same?" Li Fan humbly sought guidance.
"Indeed. When the Immortal Path was not yet severed, we cultivators could also ascend to become Immortals. Receiving the baptism of Immortal spiritual energy and shedding our mortal bodies, we could formally become Immortals. Our strength would increase dramatically overnight, expanding by more than a hundredfold."
"But compared to [Nameless True Immortal], it is still worlds apart. Every Immortal is an ultimate seeker of the Dao. Once they fully master one kind of Dao path in the world, they become beings who transcend all things. All past traces are erased; no one in the world can know their name and surname. We can only refer to them by the Dao path they have mastered."
"That Nameless True Immortal who inscribed the Dao with characters; we revere him as the [Inscription Dao Immortal]."
...
Listening to Daoist Hundred Flowers's explanation of the realms above Immortal, Li Fan could not help but feel his thoughts wandering in admiration.
All information about Immortals in the Xuanhuang Realm had long vanished into the river of history; even the Dharma-Transmitters knew very little.
Perhaps only the Five Elders Association, the remnants of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, still preserved some scant records.
Today, by a stroke of fortunate coincidence, encountering a survivor of the ancient Immortal calamity and learning the secrets of True Immortals was undoubtedly a significant opportunity.
Of course, Li Fan did not fully trust this Daoist Hundred Flowers.
He would simply listen for now.
...
Daoist Hundred Flowers continued: "The Inscription Dao Immortal has already transcended, but he may have left behind a few true inscriptions of the Dao."
"At that time, some unknown upheaval occurred in the Immortal Realm; the Immortal Path collapsed, and the Immortals scattered in escape. These true inscriptions were perhaps obtained by one of them."
"He copied and wrote down characters like hunger, chaos, and nothingness, plaguing the world. This must be related to the Dao path he cultivated."
"Chaos and nothingness destroyed countless cultivation worlds, while the hunger character was obtained by another Immortal. And perhaps because the hunger character aligned with this Immortal's Dao path, he sat cross-legged at the former Immortal Realm passage and began to comprehend it on the spot."
"Understand that ten thousand years of time may seem extremely long to us, but to an Immortal, it is merely the duration of a single seclusion."
"As for what consequences his comprehension of the hunger character would cause..."
"To us lower realm cultivators in his eyes, we are all mere ants. Why would he care?"
At this point, Daoist Hundred Flowers's words carried a hint of resentment and hatred.
After fully absorbing the other's words, Li Fan pondered slowly.
"These are all your speculations, right? Is there any substantial evidence?"
Daoist Hundred Flowers shook her head but remained utterly convinced: "Back then, our group of survivors who lived through the calamity were the peak powerhouses of various realms. Drawing from the remnants of records in each realm, what we deduced..."
"Even if it is not the absolute truth, it is not far off."
"Especially since those who copied the True Immortal's seal script and comprehended the hunger character were only at the Immortal realm. Although their strength absolutely crushes us cultivators, they have not reached the unfathomable level of Nameless True Immortal." There was a trace of pride in Daoist Hundred Flowers's tone.
Li Fan, however, recalled the 115th reincarnation, when that figure in the Immortal Ruins suddenly opened his eyes upon sensing his gaze. And through the clone's induction, transmitted the hunger character to the Xuanhuang Realm, thereby causing the world's destruction.
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