Perhaps because the emotions of the possessed cultivator were too intense, or due to some other mysterious factor, the space manifested by the memory fragment trembled and shook, becoming extremely unstable.
The various events that transpired next between the book's protagonist and Senior Sister Zhao grew blurry.
It was like trying to see flowers through a fog; the details were impossible to discern, leaving one itching with unbearable curiosity.
And the shock in Li Fan's heart was no less intense than that of this deceased Five Elders Council cultivator.
The information contained within this soul's residual memories truly astonished him.
Senior Sister Zhao is actually one of the Eternal Heavenly Venerables of the Five Elders Council?
Previously, when he learned that the Five Elders Council possessed secret inheritances of the Great Dao Sect and the Dao Comprehension Pill formula, Li Fan had speculated that there might still be powerful survivors of the Great Dao Sect alive within the Five Elders Council.
Combining the fact that Senior Sister Zhao's divine ability, The Great Dao Is Mine Alone, could be manifested in Seated Dao Discourse, and the abnormally large number of popular, erotic storybooks that used her as a prototype...
Li Fan had guessed at the time that the Great Dao Sect survivor within the Five Elders Council was this Senior Sister Zhao, who was said to have risen all the way from an outer disciple to become the Great Dao Sect's sect leader.
However, Li Fan had subconsciously assumed that Senior Sister Zhao was just a high-ranking member of the Five Elders Council, and that to spite their opponent, the Myriad Immortals Alliance had deliberately allowed these storybooks to circulate, even fanning the flames from behind the scenes.
It turned out that Senior Sister Zhao truly was a high-ranking member of the Five Elders Council.
It was just that... her rank was far higher than he could have imagined.
She wasn’t just an important figure—she was the true master of the Five Elders Council itself, an Eternal Heavenly Venerable hidden in the shadows, one of the supreme beings of the world who looked down upon all living things.
The moment he learned of Senior Sister Zhao's identity, Li Fan's first reaction was identical to that of this fallen Five Elders Council cultivator.
How dare Singing Book Elder and Marvelous Brush Immortal make a Heavenly Venerable the protagonist of such... salacious books?
It had to be understood that in this world, although the new methodology allowed for extremely rapid cultivation, the status gap between cultivators of different realms was not as heaven-defying as one might think.
Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators might even call Qi Refinement cultivators “brother.”
But this was only true for the initial few cultivation realms.
The stronger one became, the harder it was to advance further, and the more starkly the gaps in status made themselves known.
Spirit Transformation cultivators almost invariably held crucial positions, governing entire provinces.
Dao Unity cultivators exerted pressure over an entire province, holding the lives of countless cultivators in their hands. Spirit Transformation cultivators were like chess pieces in their palms, to be manipulated at will.
The might of Dao Unity cultivators could be glimpsed from Li Fan's previous experiences in Yuandao Province, as well as the black-robed Dao Unity cultivator and Immortal Venerable Lan Yu.
As for the Eternal Heavenly Venerables...the Heavenly Venerable Dao Teacher established the new methodology and founded the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Every cultivator in the world who wished to cultivate had to walk the path he laid out.
That Heavenly Venerable who made one forget their worries subtly influenced and altered people's thoughts. Though his name was unknown, the implications were terrifying upon reflection.
The Heavenly Venerables seemed like dragons glimpsed only by their heads, never their tails, yet in reality, they had already integrated into every aspect of a cultivator's life, omnipresent.
For ordinary cultivators facing powerhouses of that level, only fear and reverence arose in their hearts.
How could anyone dare to commit such blasphemy? Were they truly not afraid of Senior Sister Zhao coming after them?
Given the means of a Heavenly Venerable, no matter where Singing Book Elder and Marvelous Brush Immortal hid, it would make no difference.
To be able to transform words into an experience nearly indistinguishable from actuality, the cultivation levels of Singing Book Elder and Marvelous Brush Immortal were certainly not low.
They would not risk their lives for a mere pittance.
Therefore, Li Fan deduced that either they were absolutely certain that this Senior Sister Zhao simply did not care about these circulating forbidden texts...
Or, there was another force behind them, powerful enough to rival a Heavenly Venerable, giving them the backing to act so brazenly.
Did Senior Sister Zhao not mind having her own... explicit literature circulating all over the world? Li Fan didn't know.
By common sense, any normal female cultivator would feel some degree of anger about such a thing.
But when it involved someone at the level of an Eternal Heavenly Venerable, Li Fan dared not presume to guess.
Those who had defied the principles of heaven and earth to attain eternal life had transcended the category of normal cultivators. They were not the same species; applying the same mode of thinking to them would only invite ridicule.
Upon closer reflection, even that widely circulated book in the Xuanhuang World, The Secret History of Ancient Cultivation , which every cultivator could read for free upon embarking on the path of cultivation, was riddled with questions.
The protagonist was not only alive, but had even become an Eternal Heavenly Venerable. What cultivator would have the audacity to write such an account using "I"?
The many affairs of the past had long been buried in the river of history. Who could possibly be so intimately familiar with every detail of what transpired in the Great Dao Sect thousands of years ago?
It was highly probable, Li Fan realized, that this book he had previously simply treated as fictional entertainment was, in fact, Senior Sister Zhao's own autobiography.
Recalling the book's content word by word, rereading and savoring it carefully, many passages he had previously skimmed over now seemed laden with meaning to Li Fan.
The book employed extensive monologues, describing in exhaustive, unsparing detail Senior Sister Zhao's journey—from her initial weakness and powerlessness as an outer disciple, through the bitter hardships of her rise, to becoming the Great Dao Sect's sect leader years later, only to discover with silent sorrow that everything had changed and there was no one left to talk to.
It was emotionally nuanced, with an incredibly strong sense of immersion. It truly felt like Senior Sister Zhao herself was narrating the story.
...No wonder so many derivative stories have spawned. The character was simply crafted too vividly. Li Fan thought.
This Heavenly Venerable truly has unique tastes. Or perhaps it's not simply a preference. There might be some special factor involved.
Soon, Li Fan recovered from the shock of learning Senior Sister Zhao's true identity and once again savored the lingering, unforgettable sensations from the possessed cultivator's memories. Watching the fragmented scenes of Senior Sister Zhao entangled with the book's protagonist, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
The taste of a Heavenly Venerable... Even if it was from a time before she achieved that status, such forbidden pleasure is enough to make one risk their life. No wonder this fellow couldn't forget it even after dying. Li Fan marveled.
Unfortunately, joyful times were always comparatively brief.
After the book's protagonist and Senior Sister Zhao concluded their... battle and parted, the recordings of the cultivator's remaining memory fragments also drew to a close.
Emerging from the memory space, the red light sphere slowly dissipated. This soul also became no different from an ordinary one.
As this strand of divine sense returned to his main body with its experiences, Li Fan closed his eyes for a long time, slowly digesting the torrent of information.
Tsk, tsk, tsk...
Li Fan marveled once more.
Afterward, he didn’t forget his main task. After all, waste not, want not. He continued to probe for the presence of the Soul Contract within the soul before him.
Unfortunately, no miracle occurred. Just like the hundreds of attempts before, Li Fan still couldn’t find a trace of it.