NOVPUB"I’m just afraid that the remains of the True Immortal might come back to life."
As Mo Rubing spoke these words, Li Ping couldn’t be sure if it was his misconception but the depths of the Ocean of Darkness seemed indeed to have grown even colder.
It was as if some unknown entity had suddenly set its gaze upon him, causing a chill to rise in his heart.
The Emperor looked solemnly around but failed to detect the presence lurking in the shadows.
His gaze returned to the corpse of Fang Dinge from the Great Taoist Sect. Li Ping asked, "Having turned into this state, can it really come back to life?"
Naturally, Li Ping’s question was not meant for Fang Dinge but for the True Immortal whose body had transformed into the Ocean of Darkness, and thoughts had turned into the Fallen Immortal Realm.
Mo Rubing, equally examining the nearby body, said softly, "Let me tell you a story."
"In our Nine Refining Observation, we once worshipped a Stone Statue of our temple ancestor, said to be handcrafted by the Nine Refined Temple Ancestor, the Dharma Profound Monk himself."
"This Stone Statue, worshiped for thousands of years, would respond ambiguously to any disciple with a sincere heart seeking guidance in their cultivation path; hence, for so many years, the incense was never extinguished."
"One day, a Tribulation Cloud unexpectedly enshrouded the sky above Nine Refining Observation, and bolts of Divine Thunder struck down, targeting the Stone Statue of the temple ancestor! A figure emerged, breaking through the Stone Statue, soaring straight into the heavens! His power was so terrifying, he could instantly kill Taoist cultivators capable of Unity-Path—those Nine Skies Divine Thunders simply could not harm him. Amidst the thunderbolts, he laughed wildly, seemed on the verge of overcoming the thunder tribulation and ascending..."
At this crucial point in the story, Mo Rubing paused again.
After waiting a long while, but getting no prompt from The Emperor, he continued begrudgingly, "The fragmented pieces of the shattered Stone Statue lying on the ground, eerily reassembled themselves without any sound, drew near to the individual transcending the tribulation. Taking him by surprise, they swallowed him back into the Statue!"
"Now, no matter how much the figure struggled, he couldn’t escape the embrace of the Stone Statue. Together with the figure, the Stone Statue also broke through the void and ascended!"
Having heard this strange tale, Li Ping couldn’t help but frown slightly.
Mo Rubing asked, "Guess, which of the two that ascended together was our Nine Refined Temple Ancestor?"
Li Ping pondered for a moment before replying, "The figure inside the Stone Statue facing the Ascension Tribulation should be the one, shouldn’t it? In life, he couldn’t ascend, so in the form of the Stone Statue he was worshipped by disciples, accumulating over thousands of years, perhaps attempting to reach ascension..."
Mo Rubing gave a slight smile, "You’re wrong!"
"The Nine Refined Temple Ancestor, Dharma Profound Monk, indeed has clear records of ascending to Immortalhood in full view of everyone. However, what only the successive Sect Leaders of Nine Refining Observation know is that the Dharma Profound Monk fell for some unknown reason in the second year after entering the Immortal World!"
Li Ping was startled by the revelation.
Mo Rubing, quite satisfied, continued, "But that Stone Statue he personally crafted had a backup plan he left behind. Even if his Divine Soul perished in the Upper World, he could still be reborn through this Statue!"
Li Ping frowned again, "Then, who is the figure inside the Stone Statue?"
Mo Rubing chuckled, "He was the third generation Sect Leader of Nine Refining Observation. This man, not heeding the ancestral command and wanting to establish his own rules, became gravely injured after a power struggle and vanished without a trace. Unexpectedly, he was hiding inside the temple ancestor’s Stone Statue the entire time, managing to cultivate up to the point of ascension."
"But in the end, he was just preparing a wedding dress for someone else."
"Dharma Profound Monk, having ascended to Immortality for merely a year, lacks profound substance, yet he could be reborn through the Stone Statue. Not to mention that True Immortal."
"Just take a look at this Ocean of Darkness, and you can imagine how powerful He must have been in life. When it comes down to it, we shouldn’t use the perspective of us cultivators to speculate on [Immortal] techniques. The difference is truly like heaven and earth!"
Perhaps because of the time they had spent exchanging thoughts, Mo Rubing’s emotions had stabilized quite a bit, and he spoke as if inspired by a sudden feeling.
Li Ping remained silent.
He felt that there were still untruths in what the other party had said about Dharma Profound Monk’s rebirth using the Stone Statue, as well as the secrets between the third generation Sect Leader of the Nine Refining Observation and the rest.
But after all, these were ancient secrets. Now, as they ventured deeper into dangerous territory, it wasn’t the time to investigate further.
"Should we continue to go deeper? The way Fang Dinge met his demise does not seem like the work of an ordinary cultivator," Li Ping changed the subject.
"Let’s go in and take a look first. If the True Immortal has already been resurrected, after so many years, surely He wouldn’t still be in the same place," said Mo Rubing, walking past the remains of Fang Dinge, diving deeper into the darkness.
They passed three Array Technique barriers, some belonging to the Gathering Spirit for Immortality Array and others laid down by those who came after.
Li Ping and Mo Rubing, working together, exerted considerable effort and finally managed to reach the control center of the Gathering Spirit for Immortality Array.
Along the way, they did not encounter the bones of the other four Fallen Immortals with lost longevity.
The control center, located in the deepest part of the entire dark expanse, seemed like a transparent observation deck.
Through the 360-degree, panoramic, glass-like Forbidden Formation that surrounded them, Li Ping and Mo Rubing could clearly see the entire scope of the Ocean of Darkness.
Even having been enlarged countless times over, they could still clearly make out the outline of the Ocean of Darkness, which bore a striking resemblance to the human form.
Mo Rubing, obviously not being there for the first time, was not distracted by the magnificent sight in front of him but walked to the center of the observation deck.
His complexion slightly changed.
"There’s good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" Mo Rubing asked. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
After a moment of silence, Li Ping responded, "Tell me the good news first."
"The good news is, that Fallen True Immortal has not resurrected through his remains," Mo Rubing spoke with a gloomy tone.
