"Within our Federation, talented youths are beyond count. Finding a suitable successor will be no difficult task whatsoever," Li Fan said with utmost confidence.
"This concerns the safety of all cultivators across the Xuanhuang Realm, so naturally, the Federation will not stand idly by. Since it is inconvenient for you to leave, Fellow Daoist, once I return, I will arrange for them to come here so you may inspect them in person."
"I trust that with your discerning eye, you will surely find someone to your liking," Li Fan said with righteous conviction.
"This..." Xu Ke seemed somewhat incredulous.
Only after quite a while did he hastily speak, a bit flustered, "In that case, let me thank you in advance, Fellow Daoist."
"By the way, Qing, Hong, and your descendant, the Imperial Daughter of the Empire, all miss you dearly. Would you be willing to see them?" Rather than acting on his own initiative, Li Fan asked first.
A flicker of gloom crossed Xu Ke's face.
Even so, he nodded after a moment.
Before departing this desolate pocket world, through his conversation with Xu Ke, Li Fan gained an even more detailed understanding of the events back then.
Long before deciding to defy universal principles and create the immortal-mortal miasma, Mr. Bai had traveled among the major sects of the Xuanhuang Realm, making extensive, thorough preparations.
For instance, within nearly every sect, he had secured figures of pivotal influence.
This ensured that once the plan to trigger the immortal-mortal miasma and migrate mortals into pocket-world grotto-heavens was proposed, it would swiftly be accepted by the various sects.
Furthermore, the Immortal Severing Formation that sealed the mortal pocket worlds, and even the Realm-Rifting Whales beyond the formation...
The eventual fruition of all of this bore the marks of Mr. Bai's prior arrangements.
Regrettably, even Xu Ke did not know much beyond that.
Back then, upon suddenly receiving the grim tidings of Lu Ya's demise, he had rushed over. The final task he received before Lu Ya's passing was to guard the stripped Xuanhuang heavenly favor.
...
"A world's Heavenly Dao has its own operational mechanisms."
"Just as when the pocket world of the Li Realm faced the crisis of world destruction, the Heavenly Dao's consciousness naturally sought someone capable of delivering it from peril, descending upon Su Yuqing."
"The Xuanhuang Realm likewise chose Mr. Bai. Unfortunately, between the Heavenly Dao and the mortals of Xuanhuang, Mr. Bai still chose the latter."
"Turning around, he sealed away the very consciousness of the Heavenly Dao that had possessed him..."
"Judging from the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao's performance thereafter, it has remained almost perpetually at a disadvantage in its battles against cultivators. There were no further counter-measures like 'Techniques Cannot Be Practiced Concurrently.' The remnant power of the Heavenly Dao must have been significantly impaired."
Li Fan was suddenly reminded of Ruomu.
Likewise gravely harmed by humanity, Ruomu had transformed from a divine tree that nurtured all living creatures under heaven into a terrifying entity that hunted cultivators for Core Formation.
Such was the power of resentment.
Having suffered betrayal at the hands of the very person it favored most, and having been sealed away for nearly ten thousand years, what the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao inside the coffin on Xu Ke's back had turned into was easily imagined.
"Yet another lethal trump card. But it isn't suitable to unleash in this lifetime; it would only introduce too many variables."
"As for the remnant Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao right now, I can still use falsifying transposition to command it. But if the Heavenly Dao goes mad, I fear even my divine ability will lose its effect."
Pondering this along the way, Li Fan returned to the Spirit Wood Realm.
After relaying word of Xu Ke to Qing and the others of the Empire, they were naturally overjoyed, expressing boundless gratitude to Li Fan.
Reminded by Li Fan of what could and could not be said, the group from the Empire could hardly wait and rushed off to see Xu Ke.
Accompanying them were ambitious youths selected from various pocket worlds.
Li Fan had merely conducted a rough screening; the final decision would be left to Xu Ke himself.
Once his business was concluded, Li Fan went to the site of Nether Seeking.
Over a year had passed, and more than a dozen monuments had already been erected.
Most held inconsequential fragments buried in dusty history.
However, the most recent discovery from the crimson river piqued Li Fan's interest.
Its timeframe pointed to the Wasteland Period, when, after an unknown number of years of slaughter, the turmoil had gradually subsided and civilization was slowly reviving.
In the vision, a man clad in tattered rags, yet radiating a dense baleful aura, stared vigilantly at an elderly man who had abruptly appeared before him.
The man in the vision naturally did not recognize the elder.
Yet outside the vision, Li Fan was intimately familiar with him.
It was none other than the Heavenly Physician!
Without wasting words, the Heavenly Physician struck instantly, subduing the baleful man.
He then appeared to read the man's memories of recent years.
"So much time has passed this round?"
"It seems next time I must still try to stay as far from the Immortal Ruins as possible."
The Heavenly Physician sighed, muttering to himself.
With a casual slap, he struck the baleful man dead, and his figure vanished from the spot.
...
The vision ended abruptly.
Yet the amount of information it contained was substantial.
At the very least, it confirmed one thing: several millennia ago, the Heavenly Physician already possessed the power to resist the pull of the Immortal Ruins and traverse the void.
Moreover, he had traversed back and forth more than once.
Inevitably influenced by the Immortal Ruins in the process, an immense span of time would have passed in the Xuanhuang Realm whenever he resurfaced.
"From the looks of it, the sudden disappearance and reappearance of certain individuals may very well be due to the time dilation of the Immortal Ruins."
"In that case..."
The conjecture in his mind that he had planned to verify in his next life resurfaced once more.
Li Fan's expression grew a shade graver.
"Chuanfa and the Heavenly Physician were once frequently active in the Xuanhuang Realm; the information contained within the crimson river is of great value."
He once again issued generous rewards to boost the morale of his subordinates.
A few days later, Li Fan unexpectedly received news regarding Mo Rubin from Dharma Transmitter Zhou.
"He appeared?"
"And without ascending to Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerable?"
Li Fan frowned slightly.
"Could it be a diversion? Given his degree of caution, even if his plan failed, he wouldn't expose his whereabouts so easily."
Dharma Transmitter Zhou, however, sounded exceedingly confident: "The place where he showed up is one of several secret realms belonging to the Alliance."
"It appears to have no other cultivators present, but in truth, we long ago placed it under secret surveillance."
"Furthermore, Mo Rubin did not reveal himself under his original guise. It was through reverse-tracking the fluctuations from the alteration mark he left on Dharma Transmitter Chen that we finally discovered and locked onto him."
"Thus, I am more inclined to believe that this time, he miscalculated."
Toward this Profound Heaven Sect Dharma King who had repeatedly toyed with the Alliance's leadership, Dharma Transmitter Zhou's teeth were grinding with hatred.
He stated with utmost gravity, "This time, our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals is deploying all its elites, resolved to capture him. I wonder if you are interested in cooperating with us once more, Fellow Daoist?"
Li Fan agreed at once: "I will go seek instructions and give you an answer shortly."
After waiting a brief moment, Li Fan proactively sent back a message: "The Federation's Elders have agreed."
"Furthermore, this time, we will deploy newly developed technology to assist in his capture!"
Chapter 1093