"Nearly three hundred years have passed, so the Xuanhuang Realm must have drawn even closer to the Immortal Ruins. Yet it still hasn't collapsed..." Layman Qiaogong's implication was self-evident.
Li Fan nodded in agreement. "Countless realms have been annihilated, leaving only Xuanhuang to survive. Cultivators who fled here from other cultivation worlds like you and me are surely not few. Yet all remain cautious and dormant, perhaps intimidated by this very power that protects the Xuanhuang Realm.
"To tell you the truth, Fellow Daoist, I know a little about arrays. When I first arrived in Xuanhuang, I observed a colossal formation vaguely enveloping the entire world. Its energy level was so immense that it could perhaps rival the legendary Immortal-grade arrays. Shaken to my core, I have kept a low profile ever since.
"I never dared to make such a grand display like you, Fellow Daoist, building the Lingyuan Sect into such a massive force!"
Hearing this, Layman Qiaogong gave a wry smile. "It seems you had your eye on me long ago, Fellow Daoist!"
After a long pause, Layman Qiaogong explained, "The Lingyuan Sect may seem impressive in scale, but in truth it is nothing more than a motley crew. The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals never took it seriously. It was only because Jiushan Province has a unique geographical position, bordering the Five Elders Association and teeming with dragons and snakes alike. Rather than taking the pains to govern it meticulously, it was better to let the Lingyuan Sect grow wild.
"At the very least, of the vast amounts of Source Power I harvested each time, I had to hand over a portion to them.
"I just don't know what on earth happened during these three hundred years..." A shadow flickered across Layman Qiaogong's eyes.
Li Fan smiled at once. "You're truly scaring yourself, Fellow Daoist. In fact, over these years, the Lingyuan Sect was flourishing quite nicely. It was only recently struck by an unforeseen calamity, caught in the crossfire when a suddenly appearing Heavenly Venerable dharma manifestation wiped out Jiushan Province with a single glance."
As he spoke, Li Fan projected an image ahead, depicting the scene of the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable's dharma manifestation first displaying its might.
Layman Qiaogong took one look, his face twitching, and blurted in disbelief, "What could they have possibly done to provoke the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable into taking action personally?"
"Naturally, in the war between the two behemoths, they chose to defect to the Five Elders Association," Li Fan explained.
Layman Qiaogong's face filled with utter disbelief, and he cursed bitterly, "What utter fools!"
After grappling with the absurdity for a moment, Layman Qiaogong seemed to recall something and said with renewed suspicion, "Wait, that's not right. I clearly sensed that nearly a million people in the world are still practicing the Common People Lingyuan Technique..."
"Oh, that," Li Fan replied with complete composure. "I couldn't bear to see your life's work destroyed in an instant, Fellow Daoist. So I took it over."
At this, Layman Qiaogong froze completely. "You..."
A split second later, his thoughts raced, and everything clicked into place. "No wonder you found my location so soon after my resurrection...
"No, you must have found the site of my resurrection method long before that, didn't you?"
Layman Qiaogong's expression shifted continuously.
Li Fan merely nodded slightly. "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist, I harbor no malice. Otherwise, I wouldn't have told you everything truthfully."
"Oh? Then what exactly are you after, Fellow Daoist...?" Layman Qiaogong's expression remained dark and uncertain.
"Naturally, having seen your extraordinary skill and your creations that rival nature itself, I wish to invite you to join us and pursue a grand undertaking together!" Li Fan declared with solemn gravity.
Afterward, Li Fan recounted in detail the narrative about uniting myriad realms and restoring the lineage of the Compassionate True Immortal of the Mortal Realm.
"There is actually a True Immortal lineage?" Layman Qiaogong narrowed his eyes, half-believing, half-doubting.
Only when Li Fan transmitted a wisp of golden Myriad Spirits Nectar to him did Layman Qiaogong become inexplicably shocked once more.
"Source Power Essence?!" he blurted out, using a term completely different from the one Daoist Baihua had used.
"Oh? How do you explain this 'Source Power Essence'? In our Wansheng Realm, we call this substance Myriad Spirits Nectar," Li Fan asked with great interest.
Layman Qiaogong stared fixedly at the item in Li Fan's hand as if looking upon some peerless treasure. "Source Power is the primordial power that drives the elevation of a cultivator's realm. And Source Power Essence is the fundamental force that causes Source Power to come into being.
"Or according to a saying once popular in certain cultivation worlds: the realm is the core, and cultivation is the fruit. Source Power Essence is the embodiment of the 'Dao Flower,' while the source and root of all things is the 'Dao' that drives the development of everything in existence."
In Li Fan's mind surfaced Daoist Baihua's description of Myriad Spirits Nectar.
It was the portion discarded by the Nameless True Immortal while absorbing the traces of the 'Dao.'
"Your analogy is truly novel, Fellow Daoist," Li Fan said thoughtfully, pondering the words.
Layman Qiaogong, meanwhile, remained fixated on the Source Power Essence in Li Fan's hand, refusing to look away.
"Is the Dao Flower poisonous?" Li Fan suddenly asked.
Layman Qiaogong was startled for a moment before grasping Li Fan's meaning. Pondering briefly, he explained, "It is harmless to believers. But to non-believers, it will inevitably bring backlash!
"You must understand that the Dao Root and the Dao Flower are not powers that cultivators like us, who have yet to attain immortality, can master.
"If we wish to utilize them, we must borrow the aid of an 'Immortal.'
"Yet an 'Immortal' is already an existence beyond our comprehension. While pursuing the Dao Root, They inevitably leave behind Their own marks. Thus, the Dao Flower, Dao Fruit, and Dao Core generated from this all become tainted with Their unique aura.
"Mortal flowers in the world go through the process of taking root, growing branches, blooming into flowers, and bearing fruit. But we cultivators pursue the Dao by seeking cause from effect—tracing our way back to the ultimate source of everything, the Dao Root...
"Something so ethereal and elusive—if one does not comprehend it personally and seeks a shortcut, rushing to trace back to the Dao Root before fully realizing the true essence of the Dao Fruit's power, one can only rely on the fruits of another's labor.
"I wonder if Fellow Daoist understands what I mean?"
Perhaps because he had seen a genuine Dao Flower with his own eyes, Layman Qiaogong spoke at great length in a single breath, swept up in excitement.
"According to your explanation, Fellow Daoist, it seems there is little harm in drawing upon the power of the Dao Flower?" Li Fan asked.
"Naturally—so long as one does not seek other Dao Roots in the future," Layman Qiaogong replied.
Li Fan thought for a moment and understood instantly. "One root bears one fruit?"
"Precisely. Once tainted by the power of the Dao Flower, one can hardly escape it for a lifetime. If there is ever an opportunity to advance further in the future, one can only follow the established path and seek the Dao Root that has already been bound in the unseen. But on that road ahead, a True Immortal has already walked before you..."
Layman Qiaogong chuckled faintly. "So, one either becomes their believer and vassal, or slays them to emerge as the supreme power upon that Dao path.
"Oh, right, there is one more thing I forgot to mention. Fruit grows from the root; if the root withers, the fruit must inevitably perish. Thus, if the Immortal standing at the source dies, all those downstream who borrowed his power and were tainted by his Dao Flower will drop dead alongside him.
"Still, They are Immortals, after all. The probability of Their demise is far smaller than that of ordinary cultivators like us."
Chapter 1012