NOVPUBIt wasn’t that Li Fan intentionally concealed the figure.
It was because the mysterious figure that appeared at the Roaring Abyss’s bottom was too powerful; the already unstable environment at the bottom of the abyss simply could not contain such a realm.
Therefore, from an outside perspective, everything appeared blurry.
However, from the unintentional aura exuded by that figure, Li Fan was more than half certain that it was the Celestial Dharma Bearer.
"But he seems somewhat different from the venerable elder in my memory, appearing even younger. What’s going on here?"
The contemplative Li Fan sank into thought.
At this moment, Shang Shaojun also snapped out of his reflections, transmitting his voice, "I know the method to summon the Celestial Dharma Bearer, but merely relying on a blurred image…"
"is not enough. We need more evidence."
"Even then, it is extremely difficult for us alone to present these gathered pieces of evidence before him, let alone persuade him."
Hearing Shang Shaojun’s nervousness, Li Fan answered with a smile, "Young Master, there’s no need to be overly pessimistic. The two of us are indeed alone and weak. But in the vast Xuanhuang World, we can surely find like-minded allies."
"We can gather evidence while looking for trustworthy people to strengthen ourselves." With these words, Li Fan already hinted at his intention to journey together with Shang Shaojun.
"But the Roaring Abyss…" Shang Shaojun hesitated still.
Li Fan immediately advised earnestly, "As the saying goes, ’Without the skin, what will the hair adhere to?’ If the entire Xuanhuang World falls into peril, even if you, Young Master, suppress this Abyss and ensure its safety, what use will it be?"
"Besides, I have already thought of a perfect method to suppress the Abyss Demon Sound even if you, Young Master, travel far away."
As they spoke, they had returned to the entrance of the Abyss.
Li Fan’s eyes focused sharply, and a Giant Sword made up of tens of thousands of Sword Lights suddenly spanned across the Abyss.
Pointing into the void, the Giant Sword deftly flipped following Li Fan’s gestures.
Correspondingly, strands of dark red threads were being cut off.
Without the world’s rules to bind them, these threads should have scattered chaotically and then vanished.
However, under Li Fan’s hand movements in the void, they slowly gathered together instead.
And quietly formed a giant red net!
Seeing this scene, Shang Shaojun once again felt a slight tremor in his heart.
Though not as shocking as the mysterious figure who manipulated the broken world with ease, this act of leisurely weaving the broken laws into a net was enough to show that Li Fan’s mastery of Taoist techniques was beyond the ordinary.
"The reason Demon Sound Tide is so hard to guard against is because of the intense conflict between the broken world and Xuan Huang’s world rules, all focused in this narrow strip with no buffer. So, I subtly altered the spatial structure here to delay the merging of the laws as much as possible…"
"Actually, that mysterious figure could have easily done this himself, concealing traces so as not to alert anyone to abnormalities. But he didn’t do so. Perhaps it’s also a kind of confidence," Li Fan said with a slight shake of his head.
"With this buffer of a law net, the intensity of the Demon Sound Tide’s outbreak can be expected to be reduced by half."
As Li Fan spoke, he gently pinched, turning the Abyss’s Giant Sword back into thousands of Sword Lights.
Countless Sword Shadows, following some pattern, resembled soaring dragons and dimly formed an array.
Shang Shaojun saw that the Sword Array circled around the perimeter of the law net, and its center seemed to have formed into a massive vortex.
The dark red remnants overflowing from the net were occasionally absorbed into the Sword Array.
"This array, with its sword intent to annihilate everything, crushes the fragmented rules accumulated in the Roaring Abyss. It can extend the eruption cycle of the Demon Sound Tide by more than twice,"
"Young Master can order sword cultivators from the Qingxuan Army to come here, not only to perceive the sword intent condensed in the array but also to help energize the Sword Array..."
Li Fan calmly laid out the solution to the Demon Sound Tide that had been causing a pall of fear over the Qingxuan Army.
Shang Shaojun looked at each trap and net, speechless.
He had been called a genius by those around him since he was young.
But in front of Li Fan...
"It appears that there is always a higher mountain; I was shallow before."
Having resolved the concerns for the future, Shang Shaojun naturally had no reason to refuse Li Fan’s company anymore.
The two returned to the Eternal Immortal Fortress and announced the temporary suppression of the Demon Tid. This elicited cheers from the Qingxuan Army like mountains colliding with seas.
Afterward, Shang Shaojun gathered his confidants to transmit the techniques for operating what Li Fan had termed the "Silent Sword Array."
Having arranged everything, Shang Shaojun summoned Yan Huan alone before they departed.
"Young Master, please be at ease. The Techniques developed by Yan Fajue are very effective. Those brothers who occasionally lost their sanity are now seldom falling ill," Yan Huan replied respectfully, bowing his head.
...
In their conversation, Li Fan also learned the reason behind Yan Huan’s frantic use of a precious Jade Decree of Law Invocation to seek advice on Techniques from Yan Fajue.
The Qingxuan Army had long been guarding outside the Roaring Abyss and were subtly influenced by the Abyss Demon Sound. Consequently, some of them became mentally deranged and even engaged in the madness of drawing swords against their comrades.
Previously, the number of those ill was few, making them relatively easier to manage.
However, over time, nearly one-fifth of the Qingxuan Army in Duan Zhang Immortal City had contracted this strange affliction.
Just before Saint Li Fan arrived, there had been a major outbreak within the Qingxuan Army.
The casualties were severe.
The fact that they didn’t die from the Demon Sound Tide but rather at the hands of their own brothers was especially hard to accept.
The morale of the Qingxuan Army was low, and the army’s spirit was scattered.
Shang Shaojun had no choice but to use his hard-earned Jade Decree of Law Invocation to ask Yan Fajue to address the situation.
"The Heartsteel Demon Banishing Technique, those who practice it can help others strengthen their Dao Heart and remove the malevolent intentions in their Spirit Consciousness. Although it can only resolve one person’s worries at a time and is slower, it indeed is very effective. The recovered soldiers even began to develop some resistance to the Demon Sound," Shang Shaojun introduced to Li Fan.
"How does this Heartsteel Demon Banishing Technique compare to the Secret Technique I passed on to you?" Li Fan asked.
Shang Shaojun was slightly taken aback, then blurted out, "It is far inferior!"
"Then Young Master, why not pass down the ’Immortal Heart Spell’? That way, no one else needs to suffer from the harassment of the Demon Sound," Li Fan said with a compassionate expression, transmitting his words through spirit.
Upon hearing this, Shang Shaojun’s eyes widened, and his heart shook dramatically.
"Immortal Heart Spell..."
He finally knew the name of that supreme Secret Technique, and the words "Immortal Heart" stirred endless thoughts within him.
While surprised at Li Fan’s generosity, Shang Shaojun felt a tinge of reluctance to teach such a profound Secret Technique to everyone unconditionally.
