Chapter 998: Three Strike Whips on Soul |
Xuan Sushang took a deep breath, looked directly at Li Fan, and said slowly: "I am willing to help Senior resolve the crisis, but..."
Li Fan waved his hand, interrupting her: "No matter. Just tell me about the information on the second clone, and I will handle it myself."
"Hmph, the dispute between us is not something you human juniors are qualified to intervene in."
She was, after all, a dignified Dao Integration Immortal Sage, yet Li Fan addressed her as a junior. But Xuan Sushang did not get angry. Compared to the ancient Tianxuan Mirror, she was indeed countless generations below. Such an address was entirely appropriate.
On the contrary, Li Fan only needed her to provide intelligence without actually requiring her to act, which also relieved Xuan Sushang.
After a moment of contemplation, she immediately transmitted the relevant information to Li Fan via divine sense.
A moment later.
"Father, please forgive me." Xuan Sushang said silently in her heart after doing all this.
Li Fan, who had learned the location of the Tianxuan Mirror's human clone, did not act hastily.
Lu Xichan sensed Li Fan's gaze and grew increasingly uneasy.
"Master..." Seeing that Li Fan had not spoken for a long time, she finally mustered her courage and tentatively asked.
"Xichan, you have truly disappointed me as your master." Li Fan's voice entered her ears, causing Lu Xichan's body to tremble slightly.
"I officially passed the position of Chief of the Strategy Formation Hall to you two hundred and eighty-six years ago. After all these years, your level in formations is still the same..."
"Master, I..." Lu Xichan felt a surge of grievance upon hearing this.
When she first took over as Chief of the Strategy Formation Hall, she only received support from a handful of elders. The majority chose to observe, and many even sought to replace her. It was a time of constant peril and caution. Fortunately, after years of maneuvering and balancing, she finally secured her position.
As the Chief of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's Strategy Formation Hall, the duties were extremely demanding. Not only did she have to handle the miscellaneous reports and summaries from the halls in various provinces, but she also had to participate in the monthly meetings to discuss Alliance operations with other departments.
Over the past two hundred years, aside from the earlier incident where the defensive grand formation was leaked, the Strategy Formation Hall had no major mishaps and had even established many merits.
This was inseparable from her tireless efforts.
She had already done her utmost to reach this point. How could she further advance in the path of formations?
Moreover, her skill in formations had not stagnated entirely. It was just that there had been no major breakthroughs.
...
Lu Xichan was conflicted in her heart and was about to speak up to explain herself.
But Li Fan roughly interrupted her: "I know what you are thinking, but only the weak make excuses for themselves."
"A true powerhouse, even if constantly on the edge of life and death, will never abandon the pursuit of the Dao!"
Li Fan asked gravely: "Ask yourself honestly: have you truly given your all?!"
"I..." Lu Xichan was immediately speechless.
Li Fan intensified his tone: "You do not seek progress and instead indulge in lust..."
At this point, Li Fan glanced at Xuan Sushang beside him.
Xuan Sushang's cheeks flushed red, and she buried her already lowered head even deeper.
Li Fan turned back to Lu Xichan: "You deserve punishment!"
A long whip condensed from soul power suddenly appeared in his hand. Li Fan shouted angrily: "Kneel!"
Lu Xichan was now, at the very least, a Dao Integration cultivator, the Chief of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's Strategy Formation Hall, holding a position of great authority.
She had her own pride and raised her head, about to speak in defiance.
But she met Li Fan's cold, merciless gaze.
In an instant, countless childhood memories flooded her mind.
It was as if she had returned to that childhood where she lived in constant fear, dreading her master's scolding. Lu Xichan's legs went weak, and she actually followed her body's instinct, bending her knees and kneeling!
Kneeling on the cold ground, the fear that had just gripped Lu Xichan vanished. Instead, a nameless fire of rebellion surged in her heart.
However...
Before this flame could grow, Lu Xichan saw a golden whip shadow whistling toward her from ahead.
"Do not dodge!"
Her instinctive defense was halted by Li Fan's grim low shout.
Then, Lu Xichan could only watch helplessly as the golden soul whip struck her soul.
The point of impact was precisely the area where the defenses had previously been washed away by soul erosion. An indescribable pain instantly spread throughout her body.
It was like countless steel needles twisting and piercing into her body and brain. In an instant, Lu Xichan's entire consciousness was filled with agony.
Her body first stiffened rigidly, then collapsed to the ground, convulsing uncontrollably.
She could not even cry out, only emitting intermittent whimpers from her throat.
Her body twisted and curled up. It took a full half-incense stick's time for the pain deep in her soul to slowly subside.
Regaining a sliver of consciousness, Lu Xichan was about to beg for mercy.
But Li Fan showed no mercy and struck her soul with another whip!
Lu Xichan, who had just escaped, was instantly dragged back into hell!
This time, her reaction was even more intense than before. Tears and snot streamed down her face, her original noble demeanor completely shattered.
Hearing Lu Xichan's faint cries of anguish, Xuan Sushang, who had been keeping her head down in silence, secretly glanced over.
A strange light flickered in her eyes.
After all, Lu Xichan had never shown such a reaction before. Her endurance was quite high.
Xuan Sushang's subtle movement was entirely within Li Fan's expectations.
He ignored her for the moment. Once Lu Xichan eased again, another golden whip lashed down.
This time, Lu Xichan did not scream.
Only instinctive sobs and pleas for mercy remained.
"Master, Chan'er knows she was wrong..."
"Master, spare my life..."
Lu Xichan's wails echoed in the wooden hut.
Li Fan maintained his unchanging icy expression, while Xuan Sushang's face inexplicably flushed red, her gaze growing dazed.
He did not deliver a fourth whip.
After finishing this, Li Fan held the whip in his right hand and placed it behind his back.
He waited for Lu Xichan to regain her senses.
This scene of punishment made Xuan Sushang's heart race with fear. She too dared not move and waited in place.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Xichan finally awoke from the blankness in her mind.
Lying on the ground, she saw Li Fan's towering figure standing firm. A instinctive tremor filled her heart.
After this, she struggled to rise, first tidied her appearance, then bowed her head with difficulty and said haltingly: "Thank you, Master, for the punishment."
"Rise." Li Fan responded indifferently.
Lu Xichan tried to stand but nearly fell again.
Seeing this, Xuan Sushang hurried forward to support her.
"The Great Dao is boundless; pursue it relentlessly until death. These three whips are your master's chastisement for your negligence!"
"The path of formations is like rowing against the current: not advancing means retreating. From now on, during this period, stay in this bamboo sea and focus on studying formations. Do not wander unless necessary!"
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