A short while later, Li Fan buried Manager Song’s body as well. He then turned his thoughts to the information about the Xuantian Sect gleaned from the man’s final words.
More than two hundred years ago, when Song Hesong had first joined the Purple Firmament Sect, he had been little more than a child.
That year coincided with the sect’s centennial grand celebration, an event meant to be filled with harmony and joyous festivity for the entire organization. Yet no one could have foreseen the arrival of an uninvited guest.
This visitor’s status was so exalted that even the Purple Firmament Sect Leader was compelled to receive him in person.
The Ten Immortal Dao Sects had dispatched an Inspector General.
The Inspector showed little regard for etiquette. He bluntly declared that intelligence had reached the Ten Immortal Dao Sects, indicating a wanted fugitive was hiding within the Purple Firmament Sect, and that a comprehensive search would be conducted.
Though the sect leader was deeply humiliated, faced with an Inspector acting in the name of the Ten Immortal Dao Sects’ collective authority, the Purple Firmament Sect had no choice but to comply.
At the time, no one knew the fugitive’s identity. Nevertheless, the search was carried out with ruthless thoroughness. Every disciple of the Purple Firmament Sect was interrogated one by one.
Even Song Hesong, newly inducted and serving only as a menial laborer, was not spared.
Song Hesong never learned the precise outcome of the investigation. However, after the Inspector departed, rumors began to spread within the sect: a hereditary disciple had vanished without a trace.
Many suspected that this missing hereditary disciple was the very fugitive the Inspector had sought.
Although the sect swiftly imposed strict rules forbidding such speculation, paper could not wrap fire.
As the years passed, the secrecy surrounding the incident gradually loosened.
Later, when Song Hesong took up the post of manager in Ningyuan City, his senior brother, who had previously held the position, solemnly warned him to remain vigilant against the remnants of the Xuantian Sect.
Only then, through careful inquiry, did Song Hesong learn the truth: the hereditary disciple taken away back then had been a spy from the Xuantian Sect, one who had secretly infiltrated the Purple Firmament Sect.
The Xuantian Sect was the former greatest sect under heaven.
It dominated the world, forcing all other sect cultivators to live under its shadow.
It was later overthrown by the joint efforts of the Ten Immortal Dao Sects. It was precisely that sect-annihilating war that cemented the Ten Sects' position of leadership.
However, a centipede does not topple, even in death. [1] Though the Xuantian Sect was destroyed in a single day, its remnants still lurked in the world.
To eliminate every possible chance of the Xuantian Sect's resurgence, the Ten Immortal Dao Sects issued an extermination order. Anyone with even the slightest connection to the former Xuantian Sect was to be executed without mercy.
The Ten Immortal Dao Sects remained so wary of the already-destroyed Xuantian Sect despite the great power held by the Alliance, because the Xuantian Sect's supreme treasure was lost during the sect-annihilating war.
And this supreme treasure was called...
A strange light flickered in Li Fan's eyes.
The Xuantian Treasure Mirror.
This mirror can be called a supreme treasure of heaven and earth, possessing infinite wondrous uses. The Ten Immortal Dao Sects even posted a bounty: any individual who brought this mirror to them could exchange it for a fruit of eternal life.
A pity. After so many years, the remnants of the Xuantian Sect have been killed or scattered, and are now nearly extinct.
As for the whereabouts of that Xuantian Treasure Mirror, it's a matter of pure speculation.
Li Fan slowly digested the information obtained from Song Hesong.
Is that Mister Bai a member of the former Xuantian Sect? Perhaps, or perhaps not.
But the Xuantian Treasure Mirror should be the later Tianxuan Mirror. It's just unclear why the order of “Xuan” and “Tian” was swapped.
Never mind that the Ten Immortal Dao Sects have already fallen, so there's no need to hide and obscure things anymore.
Even if they truly wanted to hide their origins, they could have chosen an entirely new name. There was no need for such a clumsy, transparent attempt.
Could there be some deeper meaning?
Did the Immortal Venerable Dao Teacher create the new methodology to overturn the cultivation order, seeking revenge for the destruction of his sect?
Li Fan couldn't be certain yet.
Nevertheless, he had taken a step closer to the truth of the cultivation world.
After a long while, Li Fan suppressed the turbulent thoughts swirling within him.
The two key figures are dealt with. The remainder are just some insignificant underlings.
Without further hesitation, his consciousness burst forth from Li Chen's shell, revealing his original form.
Li Fan moved silently toward Chu Liang and the others.
Upon meeting them, he activated the Insect Binding divine ability without a word.
In less time than it took to drink a cup of tea, he had captured the four others lying in ambush.
Thus, apart from Li Fan himself, no other cultivators remained within Ningyuan City.
The Ningyuan Longevity Fruit Retrieval incident was thus finally resolved successfully, without a single mortal casualty.
I hope this is the last time I come here. Mister Bai, you’d better not disappoint me.
Li Fan thought to himself.
He did not wander around. Instead, he hovered silently in the air above Ningyuan City, waiting for the time limit to expire.
After a long time had passed, the surrounding scenery slowly began to blur.
Li Fan's expression shifted, and he looked down.
Below, he saw a slender figure in azure robes, his face indistinct. He stood on the main street, looking up at Li Fan.
Beside him, leaning close, was a mortal woman dressed in a simple, elegant pink gown, her features also unclear.
So that's how it is...
Just as Li Fan was pondering this, the surrounding scene abruptly vanished, replaced by another image.
Upon a stretch of ruins, only a single azure-robed figure remained, standing there lost and confused.
Faintly, one could see that his hands were bloodied and dirty, as if he had been trying to dig for something in the rubble.
Is this what truly happened back then?
The image went dark.
Li Fan felt a wave of dizziness. The next second, he was back inside the Tianxuan Mirror.
His head felt heavy and muddled. Concentrating, he realized he had gained two things from this journey into the Fallen Immortal Realm.
The first was the Purple Firmament Righteous Resolve, a secret art from the Purple Firmament Thunder Invocation Art used to cleanse the spirit and purify the mind and body.
Senior Brother Zhang, could it be that self-destruction was also an obsession of yours?
Thinking this, Li Fan's expression turned somewhat odd.
But it works out well, saving me the trouble of having to find a purification technique.
From the Purple Firmament Thunder Invocation Art, I have now mastered three secret arts: the Purple Firmament Soul Observation Art, the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning Evasion, and the Purple Firmament Righteous Resolve. It's a pity the foundational true scripture remains beyond my reach. I'm afraid there will be little chance of obtaining the complete version in the future.
As for the second reward he brought back from the Fallen Immortal Realm...
Li Fan calmed his thoughts.
Within his sea of consciousness, three emerald-green, crystalline fruits rested quietly.
Even the faintest aura they released sent a shiver through his spirit, as if he were returning to his younger days.
Rebirth Longevity Fruits.
Consuming one adds three hundred years of lifespan.
So this is the reward for resolving Mister Bai's obsession.
Li Fan resisted the urge to swallow one of the crystalline fruits right away, forcing himself to look away from them.
For me, three hundred years of lifespan is just a single simulation cycle. But for other cultivators, this is practically a priceless treasure.
Rather than consuming them myself, I’ll be able to maximize their value by trading them for something more useful.
Still, deciding exactly what to trade them for will require further planning.
He set the matter aside for now.
Li Fan hesitated, then ultimately abandoned the idea of searching for information related to the Xuantian Sect or the Xuantian Treasure Mirror.
There would certainly be no results. Moreover, if he inadvertently drew the attention of certain entities, forcing a restart, that would be far worse.
1. Means that a vast, established power may be defeated, but its structure and influence linger. ☜