The moment Li Fan saw this black-haired, naked man, he was almost certain of his identity.
It was undoubtedly Heavenly Venerable Dongji, who had vanished without explanation.
Yet a dignified Longevity Heavenly Venerable had actually been crafted into a marionette-like existence.
How could that not strike terror into one's heart?
"No wonder almost no records about Dongji could be found. Even through Mo Rubin, who possessed a Dharma Transmitter and inherited all his memories, or through the Heavenly Profound Mirror, it was the same."
"No wonder the cultivators of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals all withdrew when a Heavenly Venerable intervened. A secret like this is far too terrifying. If they hadn't left, their only fate would have been execution to keep them silent."
Though controlled by someone else, Dongji seemed to still retain his instincts.
Facing the crimson flames unleashed by Tianyang, who also possessed Longevity realm combat power, the long hair behind Dongji suddenly lengthened. It transformed into dark behemoths that smothered the flames.
Without the slightest hesitation, Tianyang flickered across a spatial ripple, instantly appearing beside Dongji.
Before the towering form of the sky-opening giant, Dongji looked like an ant.
The crimson flames blazing across Tianyang's body burned so fiercely they warped the surrounding space. Yet Dongji remained completely unaffected.
It was as if he existed independently of this space itself.
Dongji parted his lips slightly, as if saying something. Without any warning, a large chunk of Tianyang's body collapsed inward. The puppet's form shook violently and unavoidably.
Tianyang let out a furious roar as his body snapped back to its original shape.
Then, with a resounding boom, he scattered into countless sparks that surged toward the black-haired Dongji from all directions.
Crimson fire was like dragons, incinerating everything.
The countless strands of black hair branching from Dongji also caught fire, the blaze spreading toward his main body.
Right then, Dongji's pitch-black pupils shifted slightly.
The innumerable black-haired monsters that had already turned to ashes actually reemerged from the flames!
No matter how many times Tianyang's crimson fire burned them to cinders, they always revived.
If even the hairs he projected could not be truly harmed, there was even less hope of harming Dongji's actual body.
Tianyang roared with bitter indignation, but he could not alter this reality.
"Tianyang possesses the power of the Longevity realm in name only; he was forcibly upgraded through the essence of Source Power. He lacks the divine abilities genuinely possessed by the Longevity realm. Facing Dao Integration cultivators, he can bully them without pressure, of course. But against a true Longevity Heavenly Venerable..."
"He is simply no match," Li Fan shook his head secretly.
"Furthermore, this Heavenly Venerable Dongji does not seem weak either. The oppressive weight he gives off is actually even stronger than Senior Sister Zhao's."
During the battle between the two Longevity combatants just now, Li Fan had faintly sensed traces of the principles of Heaven and Earth in motion.
It had been especially intense when those black-haired monsters were reborn from the flames.
*Is this the principle that Dongji defied?*
After some contemplation, Li Fan caught an inkling of an idea.
*The principle of reversing the development and change of things?*
*Is this why Dharma-Transmitting dealt so ruthlessly with Dongji?*
*If Dongji had completed his Dao attunement, it's very likely he could directly overturn the rules established by Dharma-Transmitting in the Xuanhuang Realm...*
With Li Fan's repeated experiences of peering into the Heavenly Dao, his keen perception of the principles of Heaven and Earth was hardly inferior to any Dao Integration cultivator.
After observing so closely in detail, the inference he drew should be sound.
"To be able to create the Purifying Spirit Pool for mortals, this Dongji was probably a person akin to Mr. Bai. What a pity..."
"Not only has he been forgotten by the world, but his very existence has become a fate worse than death—reduced to the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' ultimate trump card puppet." Li Fan shook his head slightly.
"Such is the end of the weak. But it will never be my fate."
"Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable..."
"Hmph."
The crowd from the Spirit Wood Realm could not intervene in the battle between Tianyang and Dongji at all.
Even if they wanted to help, they lacked the power.
Even with their united strength amplified by Li Fan's formation, it made no difference.
Before they could even get close to the battlefield, the shockwaves of the clash left their spiritual energy boiling and their breath in disarray.
"Is this the Longevity realm?"
Their expressions were complex.
Deep within their eyes, a glimmer of despair welled up.
Sacred Embryo Li Fan, on the other hand, felt no ripples in his heart, calmly making precise assessments.
*Though Tianyang can still hold on for now, the outcome is already sealed.*
*It seems there is no escaping. Still, witnessing the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' most deeply hidden secret is definitely worth it.*
*I only wonder who behind the scenes is controlling Dongji. Dharma Transmitter Jiang? Or that Di Sanmo?*
Tianyang, gradually falling into a disadvantage, shifted tactics after receiving a reminder from Li Fan.
He turned to attack the thousands of invisible threads behind Dongji, attempting to uncover information about the controller behind them.
Unfortunately, the power of those invisible threads was clearly a cut above even Dongji, a Longevity Heavenly Venerable.
How could Tianyang possibly probe their true depths?
Ending in futility, Tianyang once again let out a furious roar of unwillingness.
...
Inside the Nether Prison.
Sensing the complete loss of connection with his sacred embryo, Li Fan's true self—who had always remained somewhat relaxed and self-composed—could not help but feel a heavy weight settle on his heart.
The total annihilation of the Spirit Wood Realm demonstrated just how massive the disparity was among the top-tier combat powers of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Yet what concerned Li Fan even more was the hidden information behind it.
"To be able to reduce a formidable Longevity combatant to such a state..."
"I had already estimated Dharma-Transmitting's strength as high as possible, without limit. But now it seems his power is even more terrifying than I imagined."
"Even if he hasn't ascended to immortalhood, he is likely infinitely close to it."
"He can no longer be evaluated by the 'Longevity' realm."
"If he were in the Xuanhuang Realm..."
Li Fan frowned deeply. "Perhaps even in the wrestling match between two True Immortals, he might not lack the power to save the Xuanhuang Realm."
"Mmh... that possibility indeed cannot be ruled out."
"It seems my world-destruction plan for this lifetime will have to be delayed a little longer."
"Fortunately, time passes quickly here in the Nether Prison."
Li Fan's conflicted mood finally calmed down.
While reviewing his various experiences in this lifetime, he made preparations for his final plan.
Time flew by, and he did not know how long had passed.
The arrival of a new criminal in the Nether Prison jolted Li Fan from his secluded cultivation.
Both arms had been severed, and only one eye remained.
The newcomer looked utterly wretched, with disheveled hair and dried blood caked across his face.
Yet he was an old acquaintance of Li Fan's.
Kou Hong.
His brother Dao Xuanzi, who was usually inseparable from him, had somehow not come with him.
Even as he was escorted in chains, Kou Hong remained unyielding.
Cursing incessantly, he vented his hatred toward the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
Li Fan listened for quite a while before finally understanding.
It turned out that ever since the Myriad Realms Association headquarters in the Spirit Wood Realm was uprooted, the association's members scattered across various regions had also been subjected to ruthless hunting.
Chapter 1119