NOVPUBThe young-looking member of the Ghost Tribe was trembling and faltering as he tried to explain himself to Li Fan, occasionally looking up to gauge Li Fan’s expression.
But how could such a rustic fool clearly perceive the visage of the Heavenly Emperor?
Growing more panicked in his heart, he recounted what he had discovered during this time, "Your Enlightened Majesty, since I pledged my loyalty, I have had no second thoughts. Yet praying to the darkness has become an instinct as natural as breathing for me. Therefore, while praying to Your Majesty during this time, I inevitably found myself naturally beseeching the dark as well."
"The darkness, as always, responded to me..."
At this point, all ten plus Ghost Tribe members within the secret room simultaneously dropped to their knees in extreme fear.
Clearly, this phenomenon had occurred to each one of them as well.
With a slight wave of his hand, Li Fan helped them all rise.
Regarding these Ghost Tribe members serving a second master, this life’s Li Fan didn’t actually care much.
In his foresight, these people were merely tools for researching the "power of faith" during the extremely short period before the Even True event.
Once he soon triggered Even True, everything in the Xuanhuang World would face annihilation.
Not to mention these Ghost Tribe members.
He was more curious as to why "the dark" would also tolerate such double-dealing.
If it were a follower of the Faceless True Immortal who dared serve a second master, they would likely have been torn to shreds by the power of the True Immortal by now.
"Either the overseer behind the darkness is so exalted and forgiving that it would tolerate such behavior from its followers,"
"Or..."
A tumult of emotions surged within Li Fan’s heart, "It has other schemes. It seeks to exploit its followers’ treachery to infect a being of the same stature as itself."
With this thought, Li Fan instantly became alert.
He was used to suspecting the worst intentions of powerful beings in the world.
He carefully discerned the thin yet exceedingly powerful red forces within his body.
But after repeated confirmation, he indeed found no indication of any ties to the power of darkness.
"Am I overthinking it?"
After a brief reflection, Li Fan still made a decision.
He would not allow any variables to affect the process of Even True in this life.
First, he verbally praised these Ghost Tribe members’ open confessions.
Once he left the Underground Secret Chamber, however, Li Fan ordered Wang Xuanba to grant them eternal rest.
It wasn’t a euphemism; it was actual, profound slumber.
Li Fan didn’t want to be tainted with such impure faith power, and he worried that directly slaughtering the Ghost Tribe people might instead attract the attention of the dark overlord.
So, he simply let them become the living dead.
"It seems I need to find a way to address the low birth rate of the Ghost Tribe, cultivating followers from a new generation."
Wang Xuanba quickly completed the task and returned to Li Fan to report.
After years of devouring and merging with Exotic Beast organizations, along with strengthening the "The Creation and Transformation Furnace Technique," Wang Xuanba had transformed from his previous three-zhang-tall giant to the size of a normal person.
He simply looked somewhat broad and muscular.
Embodying the capabilities of numerous Exotic Beasts and possessing an extremely frightening speed of physical self-healing, not even Sun Erlang at Golden Core Perfection could compete with Wang Xuanba in a fight to the death.
"Xuanba, have you encountered any confusion or questions in your cultivation recently?" Li Fan inquired.
He was helping Wang Xuanba solve problems but also understanding the latter’s physical condition, with the intent to improve the Furnace Cultivation Technique.
"Master, my body has indeed been growing stronger by the day, and every moment I feel as though I have boundless energy. But..."
Wang Xuanba organized his words, scratching his head, "I’ve started to feel two sensations slowly emerging. One is an inexplicable sense of crisis, as if there’s a natural enemy out there in the world. This feeling becomes especially strong when I pass through the Xuanhuang Mainland."
"The second is a whisper I sometimes hear. I can’t understand what’s being said, but it gives me a sense of familiarity, comfort even."
After listening, Li Fan replied indifferently, "You have indeed managed to turn your body into a melting furnace, but not your mind yet. The residual thoughts of those Exotic Beasts that you’ve devoured still linger in your mind. You should not cultivate for now; go rest and recuperate."
Li Fan naturally knew the abnormal reason behind Wang Xuanba’s physical condition, but he didn’t spell it out.
He simply let him recuperate in the Da Xuan Minor World.
As the deadline for Even True to be fully charged drew closer, Li Fan needed to eliminate all unstable factors.
Accordingly, under his will, the pace at which Da Xuan conquered the various realms also came to a halt.
Officially it was called "recuperation and preparation for battle".
The soldiers and civilians of Da Xuan praised the Heavenly Emperor for his greatness and kindness as time quickly passed.
With the end of the eighth year approaching, Li Fan gazed at the progress bar that was now 100% charged and resolutely rose from the Saint Emperor Seat in Xuanjing.
Without alerting anyone else, he quietly went to the Underground Secret Chamber.
He awakened the slumbering people of the You Clan and opened the passage to the Ghost Realm.
Deep in the Ocean of Darkness.
Li Fan opened the Even True panel.
[You may choose one of the following options to retain:
1. An item in possession during this simulation.
2. The cultivation realm achieved during this simulation.
3. The simulated memory of a person closely associated with oneself during this simulation. This memory can be inherited by that person.
4. Forgo the above choices to accelerate the charging process.]
...
The constantly flickering glyphs had already existed for eight years.
"Inherit the cultivation base."
Li Fan silently recited in his mind while staying at the highest alert.
At the same time, across the heavens of the conquered minor worlds like Da Xuan, Li Realm, and the Beast Kind, suddenly silver lines crisscrossed, lighting up.
Like a giant net, it enveloped all beings within it.
Many of the beings within the net failed to notice the fatal crisis that was about to descend, with some curiously looking up into the sky.
Only those "strong" with some cultivation base felt an unsettling unease in their hearts.
The ever-unchanging Dark Sea seemed to suddenly stir an invisible wave.
A storm-like disturbance descended upon Li Fan, causing a violent tempest around him.
Foundation Establishment, Gold Core, Nascent Soul...
Heaven-overturning transformations abruptly took place within Li Fan.
Li Fan saw his Tao Foundation, which was like a cloud of mist, suddenly become a Gold Core.
Then, in an explosion that devoured all light, it evolved into a Five Elements Cave Heaven.
The Cave Heaven underwent transformations that would normally take millions of years to achieve in just a moment.
Majestic Five Elements, a marvelous sight to behold.
Afterward, the boundaries between the Five Elements became blurred.
A whirlwind of changes played out in the Cave Heaven, too quick for the eye to follow.
"Xuanhuang Annihilation."
Unity of Five Elements, all the changes within the newly born Cave Heaven were for facing a world-ending crisis that didn’t exist in this world.
The Heaven-Reaching Giant Tree in the Wood Attribute Cave Heaven lost its leaves, leaving only bare branches.
And yet, the tree itself was gradually turning as solid as metal.
