"Yet these claims might not be contradictory after all. Two beings possessing half-immortal bodies, both gaining the inspiration for a breakthrough during their clash with one another...
"Both had the hope of truly casting off mortal shackles and attaining the seat of an immortal.
"Archmage Tiandu followed the path of the Immortal of the Immortal Ruins, resonating with and comprehending the Dao.
"As for the King of Profound Heaven..."
Fragmented memories from the Dharma Kings of the Profound Heaven Sect surfaced once more in Li Fan's mind.
"He met with disaster in the midst of his breakthrough."
Li Fan had also questioned Dan Xuan regarding the full details of how the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao had managed to instantly overthrow the Profound Heaven Sect in those ancient times.
Yet that old fellow had been vague and elusive.
He claimed he did not know either, saying they had simply bumbled their way to ultimate victory in the war.
It was as if the Profound Heaven Sect's defeat was equally baffling.
"Dan Xuan must be hiding something. Still, what is certain is that a third force—apart from the Profound Heaven Sect and the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao—was involved in the sect's downfall back then.
"They instigated the rebellion of the Ten Sects, then took advantage of the King of Profound Heaven's desire to seize the opportunity and purge internal traitors, pushing the currents along. Thus, they brought about that great war.
"On the surface, the ultimate victors appeared to be the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao, who took control of the immortal path in the Xuanhuang Realm. But perhaps the King of Profound Heaven was their true objective all along."
Thoughts swirled in Li Fan's mind.
Connecting this with Mo Rubin's wariness toward the stone statue of the Faceless True Immortal, a daring speculation instantly leaped into his thoughts.
"Could it have been the work of fanatical believers of the Faceless True Immortal?
"The King of Profound Heaven, who was on the verge of becoming an immortal, was the sacrifice they offered up to the Faceless True Immortal..."
Over the years Li Fan had spent spreading the faith of the Compassionate Immortal of the Red Dust using the statues of the Faceless True Immortal, he had witnessed firsthand how those cultivators' devotion grew from nothing into an unshakeable conviction.
The quintessence of source power could turn corruption into wonder, realizing dreams that many cultivators had long harbored.
Even in the Myriad Realms Association, which Li Fan had casually founded and barely spent any effort managing, there was no shortage of members who were genuinely ensnared by the True Immortal's power and offered up their absolute loyalty.
Not to mention in the ancient era, when statues of the Faceless True Immortal stood across the entire territory of the Profound Heaven Sect.
Even if the King of Profound Heaven had later realized something was amiss and purged the stone statues from the Profound Heaven Sect's headquarters, how could he ever completely purge the statues erected within cultivators' hearts?
Follow behind a half-immortal whose ascension to the Dao was uncertain, or follow a true immortal—perhaps an entity at the level of a Nameless True Immortal...
For the vast majority of cultivators, the choice would be obvious.
"So after Mo Rubin saw the stone statue I revealed, he lost all trust in me."
Having reconstructed a plausible truth, Li Fan continued to deduce the whereabouts of the King of Profound Heaven.
"There are two possibilities. First, he was treated as a ripe fruit and devoured by the Faceless True Immortal, vanishing completely from the world from that moment on. The Faceless True Immortal's power lingers in the Xuanhuang Realm only in hopes of waiting for the next fruit to emerge.
"Second, the Faceless True Immortal's devouring failed. The King of Profound Heaven narrowly survived the catastrophe. Those fanatical believers, meanwhile, bore the wrath of the furious True Immortal, their remains erased without a trace, disappearing entirely into obscurity.
"The second possibility is more likely. After all, in today's Xuanhuang Realm, aside from my branch, not a single trace of the Faceless True Immortal's lineage can be found. If the sacrifice back then had truly succeeded and the Faceless True Immortal had bestowed rewards, those who tasted such sweetness would never have stopped."
A faint gleam flickered in Li Fan's eyes.
"Mo Rubin was so obsessed with rescuing the Heavenly Profound Mirror, even going so far as to play along with me. He must have been convinced long ago that the King of Profound Heaven is not dead. And the Heavenly Profound Mirror must know his whereabouts.
"So that's how it is.
"Ever since they vanished from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters that day, they haven't appeared in the Xuanhuang Realm at all. The paper figures of the Crossing Adversity Sect haven't seen them, nor have they shown up anywhere the Heavenly Profound Mirror exists.
"They broke directly out of the Heavenly Profound Mirror's main body space and appeared in another location.
"..."
"It seems I must find a way to meet with Dharma Transmitter Zhou."
Li Fan refocused his mind on the white jade statue he had crafted himself.
He recorded the voices and hazy images transmitted from the statue, cross-referencing them against the cultivator archives within the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
He was searching for a breakthrough point.
The vast majority of the cultivators he identified were on the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' wanted list—dead men in name.
Yet after more than ten days of uninterrupted monitoring, Li Fan actually managed to find one who was not wanted by the Alliance and still maintained the normal status of an establishment cultivator.
"What bold audacity. Not even afraid of implicating his clan..."
Li Fan mused to himself, but after checking the life dossier of this cultivator, he discovered that this man, named You Chisong...
might have done so deliberately.
You Chisong, a Nascent Soul cultivator.
The eldest son of the primary lineage of the You clan in Tianchen Province.
Ten years ago, he originally had the chance to ascend to the Soul Formation realm.
However, his father had given the clan's only discovered "about-to-be-born change of heaven and earth" to You Chisong's younger brother, You Chibai.
His hopes of reaching Soul Formation had been shattered.
This decision had even received the support of the vast majority of the You clan.
All because You Chibai's aptitude was far superior to You Chisong's.
For You Chisong to form his Nascent Soul, it had taken nearly a hundred years even with abundant resources.
Yet You Chibai had taken only thirty-odd years.
The disparity was simply too vast; even You Chisong's mother could only sigh helplessly and offer him empty comfort.
Yet You Chisong refused to accept it!
Because the information about that about-to-be-born change had been discovered by him first and reported to the clan.
What should have been his prize was forcibly snatched away and handed to his younger brother!
From that moment on, resentment festered in You Chisong's heart.
And the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' bloody purge had given him an opportunity to take revenge on his clan.
Through a stroke of fortune, he happened to cross paths with Dharma Transmitter Zhou while she was rescuing people.
The instant he saw these "rebels," a scheme to drag everyone down in mutual destruction formed in his mind.
He fell to his knees on the spot, begging to join.
Seeing You Chisong's apparent devotion, Dharma Transmitter Zhou took him along into her private pocket world.
Originally, You Chisong had indeed planned to cement his identity as a rebel, then proactively report himself to the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
However, as he interacted with Dharma Transmitter Zhou and learned of her deeds, and as he lived alongside his companions day and night, You Chisong's mindset gradually shifted.
Compared to the grand undertaking of reforming and purging the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals so the Dharma Transmitters could return to their original aspirations, the petty clan squabble over a single Soul Formation cultivator was not worth mentioning at all.
Before, hatred had blinded his eyes.
Now, You Chisong had a far loftier goal.
He would return a bright, clear firmament to the Xuanhuang Realm!
...
By piecing together the conversations he had overheard from You Chisong over these days with the man's life dossier, Li Fan had easily deduced the trajectory of his change of heart.
Chapter 1051