NOVPUBHearing Ji Yuzhen say this, Xuanyuan Hong’s expression darkened, "Nonsense!"
"How could I not know the techniques you practice? Though they can divide the soul into countless parts, the one that can heal my injuries must also be the most quintessential, the Primordial Soul. You will suffer a great loss in your cultivation base if you were to lose it!"
"I would never do such a thing!"
But seeing Ji Yuzhen’s still smiling face, Xuanyuan Hong could not help but refrain from further reprimand.
Instead, he comforted her, "Zhen Er, rest assured, it’s just a minor injury. I will retreat and practice for a while, and I will naturally recover."
Ji Yuzhen silently nodded, her gaze resting on Xuanyuan Hong’s body and staying there for a long while.
...
Within a grand hall.
Heaven King Xuanyuan Hong sat at the highest seat, with twelve Law Kings standing within the hall.
"In the last battle with the Tiandu Grandmaster, although I suffered some minor injuries, I also gained a lot from my opponent."
"I will go into seclusion for a period of time. During this time, I must trouble all of you to handle the matters of the sect!" Xuanyuan Hong declared solemnly.
"Heaven King, rest assured, there will be no mishaps," the Law King named Cui Lao replied while stroking his beard.
Xuanyuan Hong nodded, "If this attempt is successful, I might be able to reconstruct a True Immortal Physic in the Lower Realm. Then, the plan to break free from the Abyss Star Ocean will be greatly advanced!"
Upon hearing this, the remaining twelve cultivators showed different expressions.
There were those who were delighted and congratulatory, those who were indifferent and uncaring,
and those with serious expressions, inscrutable in their thoughts.
...
In the dark secrecy of the secret room.
"Zhen Er, I’ve sensed that recently it seems someone is making a move. That person who contacted you in secret before..."
"Go find him," Xuanyuan Hong said indifferently, his voice masking a trace of killing intent.
Ji Yuzhen was momentarily surprised but then realized, "You mean, Xuanyuan Big Brother, to draw the snake out of its hole?"
Xuanyuan Hong’s face turned grave, "Exactly! This time, I’ll deal with the Tiandu Grandmaster as well!"
Ji Yuzhen’s eyes lit up, somewhat excited, "Have you already made a breakthrough, Xuanyuan Big Brother?"
Xuanyuan Hong nodded with a smile.
Ji Yuzhen took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in her heart.
"Good, I’ve been playing along with that person. I’ll contact him immediately when I get back."
"Hmm. Be careful in all things," Xuanyuan Hong advised.
...
Blood red light shot up to the sky.
The screams of countless cultivators echoed as they faced their final moments.
"Zhen Er, run..."
After a message came through, Xuanyuan Hong’s presence completely vanished.
Ji Yuzhen sped toward the last place where she had felt Xuanyuan Hong’s presence.
But there seemed to be some anomaly there that had attracted the attention of many other cultivators.
Not just her, but the other Law Kings, as well as many cultivators deceived by the Tiandu Grandmaster, were all rushing there simultaneously.
Fighting as they hurried on.
"Little sister, there are too many enemies! Find Xuanyuan Big Brother first, then we can make a long-term plan!" The young cultivator named Zhou Yangli, one of the twelve Law Kings, communicated with a stern face.
The unease in Ji Yuzhen’s heart grew stronger.
Indeed, the number of hostile cultivators seemed to have exceeded her expectations. But none of that would be a problem if Xuanyuan Hong were present.
But...
Ignoring the divine soul which turned into a green light, sweeping away the dense enemies ahead, Ji Yuzhen increased her speed once more.
...
The scene came to an abrupt halt at this point.
Li Fan carefully organized the information again, making sure nothing was missed.
"Who would have thought, the sudden attack by the Immortal Dao Ten Clans years ago was actually intentionally orchestrated by the King of Mystic Sky. He wanted to lure out the unstable elements within the Xuanhuang World and finish them off in one fell swoop."
"Yet for some unknown reason, something went awry with the King of Mystic Sky himself at the crucial moment."
"How interesting..."
Li Fan’s eyes narrowed. "If the information retrieved from Ji Yuzhen’s memories is true, then at that time, the King of Mystic Sky had already advanced beyond his Demi-Immortal Body. Already invincible in the Xuanhuang World, and with a breakthrough, who could possibly be his match?"
"The Immortal Dao Ten Clans? The Tiandu Grandmaster? Or perhaps..."
Suddenly, the image of the Faceless Stone Statue flashed before Li Fan’s eyes.
A faint sense of dread welled up in his heart for some reason.
"This Faceless God Statue was crafted by Xuan Yuanhong in gratitude for the salvation he received from the Faceless True Immortal in the ascension passage."
"From what we can see now, Heaven King Xuanyuan Hong is indeed a man of high integrity."
"But as for this Faceless True Immortal..."
"That’s uncertain."
Li Fan analyzed in silence: "Merely saving Xuan Yuanhong on a whim back then doesn’t prove anything."
"Perhaps in the eyes of a True Immortal, there was no difference between Xuan Yuanhong with a Demi-Immortal Body and an ordinary mortal. He held no value to be exploited."
"But once Xuan Yuanhong coalesced into a True Immortal Physic, everything changed."
Li Fan’s dark conjectures about what might have transpired that year seemed increasingly plausible the more he thought about it.
It was like how he had acted in Da Xuan, where he appeared kind and approachable to the common populace but was fierce and a completely different person towards the court officials.
By this logic, the Faceless True Immortal might also show different faces when dealing with different groups of people.
And this theory would also nicely explain why the power behind the Faceless God Statue was so indifferent to prayers from the Xuanhuang World and instead shifted its attention onto Li Fan.
"It seems that even if I use the function of the Faceless God Statue, it is safe for the time being. As long as I don’t exhibit the power of an [Immortal]..."
Although he had come up with this conjecture, Li Fan still did not let down his guard around the Faceless God Statue.
After all, even the Heaven King might have been tripped up by this statue.
How could Li Fan not be wary?
"Ji Yuzhen’s memories are incomplete. The most crucial moments, including those while she was practicing her Cultivation Arts, are not present here."
"Or rather, they’ve been hidden away."
Li Fan looked around at the petals floating in the air.
"The Heaven King said after practicing ’The Boundless Heavenly Pivot Divine Technique,’ there would be a distinction between the multitude of scattered souls and the Primordial Soul."
"It seems the scattered souls of Ji Yuzhen are what’s drifting around in this Circular Mountain. What I’ve acquired are the memories emanating from these scattered souls."
"As for the Primordial Soul harboring the truly important information..."
Li Fan searched the Circular Mountain once more, frowning slightly, "It’s actually not here?"
"Otherwise, it’s hidden too well. Not something I can detect right now."
After a long while, a dissatisfied Li Fan finally gave up reluctantly.
However, this also provided Li Fan with some insight.
"Based on the information obtained here, coupled with various insights gleaned from Mo Rubing’s Spirit Consciousness, I can pose convincingly as a member of the Ancient Xuan Tian Sect."
"If confronted, and I’m not clear on the finer details, I can always explain it away as damage to the Divine Soul, resulting in memory loss."
"The only flaw is that I cannot replicate the Mystic Sky Sect Technique."
Li Fan was reminded of the Techniques from the Mystic Sky Sect that Sister Zhao had acquired in the Illusory Realm.
-----------------
There’s just one chapter today as I organize the outline and the direction of the upcoming plot.
