Returning to Void, Finally Reverting to the True

"A thousand paths, the soul shifts; a hundred bends, the spirit turns." "Without blame." ... The phantom's sermon continued. It was transmitted not through sound or divine sense, but directly inside the minds of everyone present. Even though the Holy Emperor, Chuanfa, and the Heavenly Physician were desperately concerned for the safety of the Xuanhuang Realm, listening to the immortal art transmitted by the Daoist boy, their minds involuntarily fell entranced within it. Only when an entire immortal formula had been recited in full did the boy's phantom turn indistinct once more, his voice growing faint and distant. The three of them snapped back to reality, drenched in cold sweat. Exchanging a mutual glance, they tacitly fled backward, putting distance between themselves and the boy's phantom. The boy's phantom made no attempt to stop them. As if having completed its duty, it simply let the three depart. The voice of the sermon grew weaker and weaker. In the end, together with the boy's phantom, it inexplicably faded into the void. Watching this scene, the expressions of the three were exceedingly subtle. They pondered why this phantom had abruptly appeared to preach, only to slowly vanish afterward. At the same time, all three were turning over that immortal art in their thoughts. An immortal art was nothing like a mortal cultivation method; it was arduous and deeply obscure. Moreover, the Daoist boy's phantom had merely recited the text verbatim without offering the slightest explanation. Though the comprehension of the Holy Emperor and the other two could be called the pinnacle of the mortal realm, attempting to master an immortal formula in such a brief time was asking too much. They could only infer its general gist. *It isn't a cultivation technique, but a method for averting calamity. Woven into it, there also seems to be a scattering of records regarding the Immortal Realm...* The Holy Emperor's thoughts raced, yet his movements never halted as he wheeled around and returned to the Xuanhuang Realm. Chuanfa followed close behind. As for the Heavenly Physician, he had already vanished without anyone noticing. Glancing casually toward Daoyuan Province of the Xuanhuang Realm, the Holy Emperor felt no aura of Tiandu stirring from slumber. *The Xuanhuang Realm is on the verge of total destruction, yet he remains unmoved over there.* *And yet just moments ago, he took the initiative to manifest his form...* *Was it because of the obliterating wind calamity?* Even with countless doubts in his heart, now was hardly the time to investigate. Sweeping those thoughts aside, the Holy Emperor refocused his attention on the Xuanhuang Realm's current situation. Beyond the realm, a relentless rain of golden needles began descending once again. However, the energy that dispersed after the needles struck the earth bore a subtle change compared to before. With a single glance, the Holy Emperor caught a clue. If before it had been a heavy dose of medicine administered during a critical illness, now it was recuperative care after the worst had passed. The power of the golden needles had become far gentler and soothing. Faint thunder rumbled; a gentle drizzle fell continuously. Like the Awakening of Insects, all living things revived, flourishing and vibrant. Amidst the upheaval, the Xuanhuang Realm unexpectedly presented a scene brimming with vitality. If not for the faintly discernible aura of the grand formation lurking in secret. Truly worthy of the name Heavenly Physician. In such a short time, relying solely on golden needles, he had forcefully restored the worlds of Xuanhuang—which had already begun fusing—back to their original state. He had brought the Xuanhuang world back to its former visage. What was even rarer and more commendable was that the world itself had suffered no damage in the process. Healing heaven like healing a person; golden needles reversing life and death. Reaching such a realm was not something achieved merely through high cultivation and strength. It required a profound understanding of the very essence of a world. As a fellow Grand Supreme who had once prided himself on being an Avatar of the Heavenly Dao and had possessed an intimately close connection to heaven and earth, the Holy Emperor knew all too well that he could never achieve what the Heavenly Physician had done. *Yet even someone of the Heavenly Physician's caliber still cannot find the mastermind behind the scenes...* A heavy weight pressed upon the Holy Emperor's heart. Since returning from the void outside Great Qi, the foreboding sensation the Xuanhuang Realm gave him had only worsened. Before, it had been water heating in a pot; now, it was a hair's breadth away from boiling. A qualitative change could occur at any moment. Chuanfa and the Heavenly Physician sensed it as well. Holding nothing back, they unleashed their ultimate methods. In the Heavenly Cities across every province, at the spots where the stone statues of Heavenly Venerable Chuanfa had originally stood—regardless of whether the statues still remained—a space tremor heralded the appearance of colossal, illusory figures of Chuanfa, overlaying the original sites. Like points of light illuminating one after another, they shone across more than half of the Xuanhuang Realm's body. Meanwhile, on the Five Elders Association's side, five points of light in different colors lit up simultaneously. Six colors linked into lines. Like the meridians of the Xuanhuang Realm, they blazed with dazzling radiance in broad daylight. "Soul Sealing!" "World Substitution!" The Heavenly Physician's icy voice rang through heaven and earth. Chuanfa's figure once more assumed the form of Heaven and Earth Manifestation. The Heavenly Physician appeared faintly above the head of Chuanfa's dharma idol. Pinching a seven-colored needle between the fingers of his right hand, his expression grave, he pierced Chuanfa's Baihui acupoint. Chuanfa's dharma idol instantly erupted with dazzling, seven-colored light. Then, as if dissolving, it flowed like a beam of light toward the flashing meridians of the Xuanhuang Realm below. Silently, the instant the seven-colored radiance poured into Xuanhuang's meridians, it completed a full circuit. After a brief pause, the seven-hued light began circulating through the meridians once again. *Soul Sealing and World Substitution?* *The Heavenly Physician is temporarily sealing Chuanfa's soul and channeling it into the Xuanhuang world, achieving a temporary state of replacing heaven with his own body?* Watching this from afar, the Holy Emperor was deeply shaken. Having once merged with heaven, he understood better than anyone how difficult it was to accomplish such a feat. Never mind a world; even attempting to seize the body of an ordinary cultivator was no simple task. Not only did the Xuanhuang Realm possess a heavenly dao consciousness, but due to its location outside the Immortal Ruins and the constant threat of extinction, that consciousness was exceptionally active. Not long ago, someone had even inherited the position of Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang. With so many advantages in play, the Heavenly Physician and Chuanfa working together could still forcefully suppress and seal the Xuanhuang Realm's source consciousness, replacing it with their own bodies... *Even if the Xuanhuang Realm's heavenly dao is oblivious to the present crisis, if Chuanfa replaces it and conducts a self-examination with his own body, he will definitely locate the hidden formation!* This method of suppressing the realm's source would certainly inflict immense harm upon the Xuanhuang Realm. But with the crisis at hand, there was no room for hesitation! The Holy Emperor stood solemn and alert, waiting for Chuanfa's discovery. When the seven-colored radiance had circulated through Xuanhuang's meridians for over thirty-six hundred cycles, the flow suddenly ground to a halt. At one specific spot, as if a meridian were blocked by something, a towering pillar of black baleful qi erupted skyward. The Heavenly Physician snapped his eyes open, and a rare glint of killing intent surfaced within his benevolent gaze. Nine golden needles streaked like threads, darting toward the locked-on location in an instant. The Holy Emperor reacted at the exact same moment. His figure flickered, appearing alongside the nine golden needles. The surrounding earth had already been reduced to nothingness by the eruption of black qi, exposing the deep, hidden void beneath. Within the void, two figures were present—one sitting, one standing. The seated figure was roughly the size of a seven- or eight-year-old child, his brow furrowed tight. The standing one had an unrecognizable face. Yet facing the Heavenly Physician's golden needles and the furious Holy Emperor, that figure showed not the slightest hint of fear. He was entirely calm. *That familiar feeling again...* The Holy Emperor felt as if plunged into an abyss, his heart freezing over. In a daze, the rapid descent of the golden needles seemed to slow down. The Holy Emperor seemed to see the figure below slowly utter a phrase: "Immortal Descends..." "All Things Return to Void!" *Boom!* An invisible tempest erupted in an instant. The Heavenly Physician's nine golden needles were scattered into disarray in a breath. The rapidly flying Holy Emperor felt as though he had slammed headfirst into a solid wall. Far from merely seeing stars, his physical body and divine soul nearly collapsed on the spot. Fortunately, starlight surged forth, barely mending his injuries. Even with the continuous replenishment of origin power essence, as a cultivator of the Grand Supreme realm, the Holy Emperor could only barely maintain his survival amidst the chaotic, raging tempest. The hidden void concealing the mastermind had long since vanished from sight. The Holy Emperor could not even see the Xuanhuang Realm anymore. Like a terrifying sandstorm blotting out the sky and sun, it surged and rolled, engulfing everything in the world. The Heavenly Physician's nine golden needles had drifted who knew where in the violent squall. The auras of Chuanfa and the Heavenly Physician could no longer be detected. The only thing that could be sensed was the chaotic blur all around. The Holy Emperor's mind went blank for a brief moment, followed by an immense wave of grief and fury surging from his heart. Even without witnessing it with his own eyes, he knew that the Xuanhuang Realm was crumbling away inch by inch within this terrifying grand formation. Everything was beyond salvation. "Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!" Losing his composure, the Holy Emperor cursed madly. Reckless of his own safety, he crashed blindly through the chaotic storm, desperate to find the familiar yet unfamiliar culprit behind it all. Yet the only response he received was the relentless, ever-growing tempest. ... When immortal power was transformed by the immortal formation into a void tempest that destroyed everything, the destruction of the Xuanhuang Realm became a foregone conclusion. This land where myriad worlds converged, the sole remaining paradise in the Pitch-Black Star Sea, was swiftly swallowed by this world-ending storm. At the core of the formation, Sun Tianci, who had still been trying to awaken his mother moments before, could no longer pay heed to her curses. He leapt up in shock, staring at the Xuanhuang Realm, which had been riddled with holes in the blink of an eye, completely dumbfounded. "Mas... Master?" Only after a long while did Sun Tianci struggle to call out. Yet his seemingly omnipotent master, who had always answered in the past, never appeared again. With the Xuanhuang Realm on the brink of total annihilation, Sun Tianci felt not only the rapid drain of the power he had just inherited from Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang, but also the sudden descent of the Great Heavenly Venerable's backlash due to his monumental failure of duty. A nameless fire abruptly ignited within Sun Tianci's heart. There was no pain; Sun Tianci merely felt his very existence being burned to cinders by this flame. Within his sea of consciousness, his mother—who had previously ignored everything happening outside to focus solely on viciously cursing him—gradually seemed to forget his existence. She slowly quieted down, staring blankly. "Tianci, Tianci..." "Tianci... who is that?" Myriad demonic thoughts turned into wisps of green smoke, scattering without a trace. In the end, only Wu Ninglu's original appearance remained, staring blankly at the empty void around her. A single tear inexplicably rolled down the corner of her eye. Wu Ninglu and Sun Tianci perished together within the heart-burning fire of Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang. At the core of the immortal formation, Li Fan's clone slowly materialized. He frowned slightly, feeling as though he had forgotten the existence of certain people. However, after a round of deduction, having confirmed that the other party was merely an inconsequential pawn used to bring the immortal formation to completion, he shook his head slightly and paid it no further attention. Instead, he focused his attention on the few figures still struggling within the immortal formation. ... Master Yin and Xu Ke. Not long after fleeing the Museum of Divine Depository, they witnessed the earth-shattering changes unfolding across the Xuanhuang Realm. Just as they were marveling in shock, a world-ending tempest abruptly descended. Though both were undeniably formidable figures within the Xuanhuang Realm, before this world-ending immortal formation, they could only wait for death in despair. Had it not been for the skull of Mr. Bai they carried, which sheltered them, they would have perished long ago. The chaotic tempest grew increasingly fierce. The protective power emanating from Mr. Bai's skull was also gradually weakening. They likely did not have long to live. On the verge of demise, Xu Ke and Master Yin were unlike other living beings; their hearts were devoid of fear. White-haired Xu Ke cradled Mr. Bai's skull in his arms, lost in a daze. "I should have died long ago. I only lingered on to carry out Mr. Bai's mission. Now, to be buried in the same place as Mr. Bai can be considered a worthy death..." Master Yin gazed at the storm ahead with calm, slightly crazed eyes. "I was originally a ghost of a world, an entity that had already died once. I wonder what happens if I die a second time?" What answered them was the endlessly howling, invisible wind. Master Yin and Xu Ke were slowly and completely swallowed by the chaotic storm. The skull of Mr. Bai in their hands was also in grave peril. Just before the skull vanished into the tempest, light and shadow flickered, and it disappeared without a trace. ... Countless golden needles circled around, forming a rigid protective shell in an attempt to withstand the corrosion of the external storm. It was indeed quite effective, but under the buffeting of the increasingly ferocious storm, the golden barrier inevitably dimmed. The Heavenly Physician's gaze swept over his surroundings, looking somewhat lost. As if having lost the goal he had fought for so long to achieve, he was momentarily stunned. Soon, however, his gaze turned dark and somber once more. A hand reached out beyond the golden barrier, drawing in a wisp of the world-ending tempest from the immortal formation. The Heavenly Physician's hand dissolved into nothingness within the storm. Yet at the same time, a storm seemed to brew within the Heavenly Physician's eyes. ... Heavenly Venerable Chuanfa reverted from his Heaven and Earth Manifestation. When the world-ending immortal formation was activated, he had been temporarily seizing and replacing the Xuanhuang Realm through the method of Soul Sealing and World Substitution. Thus, when the raging world-ending storm erupted across the Xuanhuang Realm, he practically bore the brunt of this horrific calamity. Although this storm seemed slightly inferior to the obliterating wind calamity seen previously, it was undeniably a manifestation of pure immortal power. The obliterating wind calamity had merely been a tiny remnant of power. The destructive might of the primordial obliterating wind calamity naturally far exceeded the formation's storm, yet the disaster unleashed by the immortal formation in the Xuanhuang Realm right now surpassed the wind calamity's remnant countless times over. Even as a Grand Supreme cultivator, Chuanfa was like a helpless mortal caught within it. Chuanfa's heavily injured body slowly dissolved. The Heavenly Profound Mirror he carried fell limply. The mirror emitted a faint, eerie green light that flickered uncertainly, as if on the verge of being extinguished entirely. A transparent figure emerged from Chuanfa's dissolving vessel. It bore some resemblance to Chuanfa, yet was subtly different. This transparent figure seemed to possess an immense resistance to the immortal formation's storm of extinction. Even with its eyes closed in deep slumber, it was enough to remain temporarily unharmed by the tempest. ... In the territory of the Five Elders Association. The vast majority of living beings had been reduced to ashes the instant the immortal formation erupted. Yet an unseen dark cloud seemed to hang perpetually over the Five Elders Association's domain. Even though the Xuanhuang Realm had disappeared, the dark cloud still persisted. It even shielded the countless lives that were vanishing within the immortal formation. ... Within the White Mist Barrier. "We're finally out." Pooling the wisdom and strength of everyone aboard, the Xuan Celestial Vessel had finally unraveled the secrets of the Grand Formation of Inverting Life and Death. Having located the array eye, the celestial vessel successfully broke through the formation. However, before they could even go find trouble with Chuanfa... The world-ending immortal formation descended. The Xuan Celestial Vessel, upon which everyone relied for survival, rocked violently like duckweed in the wind. The vessel's outer hull, reinforced with numerous protective restrictions, melted away like snow. "Quick! Use the True Immortal seal characters! Counter immortal with immortal!" The vessel's elders cried out in unison. Yet these were merely crude imitations, not true power of a True Immortal. The fluctuations stirred by the True Immortal seal characters merely caused the formation's storm to waver slightly. Immediately after, they were swallowed in turn by the formation, transformed into energy that fueled the tempest. Amidst the agonizing wails of bitter regret from all aboard, the Xuan Celestial Vessel was reduced to ashes. *Using True Immortal seal characters is indeed exceptionally destructive. However, up until now, no True Immortal seal characters related to defense have ever been found. When calamity strikes, the Xuan Celestial Vessel—capable of holding off two Grand Supremes—is so utterly vulnerable...* Holy Embryo Li Fan offered no resistance. He merely watched quietly as his body dissolved within the chaotic storm. ... As the sole pure land within the Pitch-Black Star Sea, the Xuanhuang Realm undoubtedly harbored countless secrets. Yet at this very moment, the "Immortal Descends, All Things Return to Void" grand formation was truly like an utterly savage tempest, ruthlessly stripping away every secret that had cloaked it. Within the core of the immortal formation, Li Fan's divine clone watched everything unfolding inside with undivided attention. After all, the formation's power was not supplied by him, so he could not see the entire panorama within. However, he only needed to pay attention to the energy nodes violently fluctuating within the formation. Those were the entities who, in their fight for survival, revealed everything they had without reservation to contest the immortal formation's tempest. Li Fan suddenly recalled the scene after he had first witnessed Crimson Flame burning the sea all those years ago. The Congyun Sea had been evaporated completely, countless lives lost. Yet it had also exposed the secrets buried deep beneath the seafloor. Back then, a minor Qi Condensation cultivator had been able to gain intimate knowledge of the Congyun Sea's hidden truths. Now, watching the Xuanhuang Realm, as waves of energy fluctuations arrived one after another—not lacking some that were entirely unexpected—a realization arose within him: *It seems truths are always universal.* *Secrets often reveal themselves only after extinction.* Li Fan's divine clone fell into contemplation, his hand unconsciously stroking a pristine, flawless skull. *A pity. Without my true body here, there is no resonance whatsoever.* *The Heavenly Profound Mirror seems to still retain its own consciousness, yet I cannot draw it over...* Just as the thoughts of Li Fan's clone raced, recording every scene in detail, he—as the observer who had activated the formation—suddenly noticed an exceedingly abnormal occurrence. The world-ending immortal formation, which had swallowed more than half of the Xuanhuang Realm and should have grown increasingly fierce while expanding beyond into the void, inexplicably showed signs of subsiding. *??!!* Logically, this was fundamentally impossible. Unless... Some entity had halted this tempest! An intense sense of crisis erupted within Li Fan's heart in an instant. Not only within the divine clone, but also in the heart of his true body! *The dual protection of the All Things Return to Void immortal formation and the Heavenly Profound Mirror...* *Even a True Immortal cannot stop me from Reverting to the True.* Having once succeeded in Reverting to the True before a True Immortal in the Immortal Ruins, Li Fan was not paralyzed by the fear in his heart. Instead, after calm analysis, he made his decision. After all, near the Xuanhuang Realm, the only one capable of halting the expansion of the immortal formation should be that entity... Li Fan thought to himself. Li Fan's guess was soon confirmed. A figure abruptly appeared in the center of the immortal formation. The raging storm around it slowly settled the instant it drew near. Within the chaotic tempest, the myriad living beings of the Xuanhuang Realm were sinking into oblivion. Yet the appearance of this figure was like the descent of a blazing sun, illuminating the darkness once more. He was so conspicuous. So utterly out of place with his surroundings. So much so that the instant he appeared within the immortal formation, Li Fan's divine clone sensed his existence. This was not an unfamiliar figure to Li Fan. He had even met him once before. It was precisely that True Immortal who sat outside the Xuanhuang Realm, eyes closed in comprehension of the Dao! However, unlike the skeletal appearance seen previously upon the land of the Immortal Ruins, the True Immortal manifesting now did not seem to have descended in true body. It was merely an illusory manifestation. Not only had his physique regained its fullness, but the shackles binding his body were also gone. The True Immortal's gaze swept over the formation, his brow furrowing slightly. Slowly, he extended a palm. The raging, howling tempest of doom slowly gathered toward his hand. Sensing an entity seeking to disrupt it, the immortal formation's defenses were triggered. Amidst the chaos, humanoid phantoms manifested one after another. Formed from the power of the immortal formation, they took the shapes of the living beings of the Xuanhuang Realm who had perished under it moments before. Their eyes gleaming with ferocity, they surged toward the True Immortal with reckless abandon, like a rolling tide infused with the formation's power of extinction. The True Immortal's figure remained entirely unmoved, his posture unchanging. All the formation power attempting to approach was drawn into the palm of the True Immortal's figure without offering any resistance. No accumulation of energy was visible; only the True Immortal's figure seemed to grow somewhat more solid. Under the True Immortal's continuous absorption, the immortal power driving the All Things Return to Void formation drained away rapidly, pouring entirely into his palm. Inside the grand formation, the chaotic tempest gradually subsided. The survivors, such as the Heavenly Physician and the Holy Emperor, were bewildered at first. Without exception, however, their gazes all converged upon the figure of the True Immortal a moment later. As if it were only natural, they could not tear their eyes away. The survivors of the Xuanhuang Realm trembled. Though no explanation was given, the moment they saw the True Immortal's figure, they understood his identity. Ten thousand years after the immortal path was severed, a True Immortal had descended upon the world once more! The survivors bowed their heads without exception, showing their reverence for the True Immortal. The True Immortal's figure did not speak, appearing to search for something. Only now did the Holy Emperor snap back to his senses. The raging fury in his heart actually managed to temporarily offset the natural suppression exerted by the True Immortal. Even though the Xuanhuang Realm had already dissolved into the void, he immediately pointed toward the direction of the formation core he had discovered earlier. The True Immortal's gaze instantly fell upon the void where Li Fan's divine clone resided. As the remaining, lingering immortal power of the formation rapidly dissipated, Li Fan's divine clone—whose thoughts had nearly frozen under the True Immortal's stare—sprang back to life under the urging of his true body. Just as he was about to self-detonate to let his true body Revert to the True, Li Fan's divine clone witnessed a scene he could not comprehend in the slightest. He could not help but abort the action of Reverting to the True. *This...* *How is this possible?* The True Immortal's phantom was gazing at Li Fan's clone in the formation core. Yet another figure was gazing at the True Immortal as well. Furthermore, undetected by anyone, it was slowly drawing near. By the time Li Fan's clone, possessing an overview from the core of the formation, caught sight of that figure, it had already quietly reached the True Immortal's back. "Meow~" As if finally catching the prey it had awaited for so long, Maobao, usually so lazy, let out an exceedingly excited cry. Leaping up, it landed on the True Immortal's shoulder. The True Immortal's figure was utterly dumbfounded, staring at the adorable creature that had suddenly appeared upon his shoulder. Maobao opened its beautiful, large eyes, staring intently at the True Immortal's figure. The expression on the True Immortal's face slowly shifted from astonishment to terror. "Meow~" Maobao cried out once more, then opened its mouth slightly. In an instant, it swallowed the True Immortal's figure whole into its belly. Then... Maobao raised its head, looking toward the true body of the True Immortal seated in the Immortal Ruins beyond the Xuanhuang void. Arching its body, it leapt upward. Its figure vanished. The next instant, it appeared beside the True Immortal in the Immortal Ruins. *Boom!* The entire Pitch-Black Star Sea shook slightly. From far, far away came the sound of something disintegrating. Inside the Holy Emperor's mind, he blankly replayed the scene he had just witnessed. No matter what, he could not connect that Maobao—who had so effortlessly swallowed the True Immortal's figure—with the Maobao that usually loved sleeping on his shoulder. Maobao had been fished up accidentally from the fishing pond by a citizen of the Sacred Dynasty. Even though it possessed many miraculous abilities, the Holy Emperor had never imagined that the prey Maobao truly pursued was actually... A True Immortal?! The Holy Emperor was shaken beyond belief. And the surviving Xuanhuang cultivators present, regardless of their cultivation level, all wore expressions of absolute disbelief. *Did the fishing pond fish up Maobao...* *Or did Maobao take the hook willingly, following the resonance of the True Immortal?* *The angler is also the caught...* The Holy Emperor's heart turned completely cold. *Even a True Immortal ends up like this...* *Just what lies beyond the wall...* Not only the Holy Emperor, but all the surviving cultivators of Xuanhuang, after the initial shock, felt an uncontrollable terror well up within their hearts. A terror far exceeding that of world extinction. ... Li Fan was naturally shaken to the core as well. Yet having lived through multiple reincarnations, he had already anticipated Maobao's extraordinary nature to some degree. He was the first to react, looking toward where Maobao had gone—the not-so-distant Immortal Ruins. Observation there seemed to be blocked. However, what Li Fan could feel was... The suction force of the Immortal Ruins was disappearing. *Boom!* The Pitch-Black Star Sea was thrown into turmoil once more. A continuous rumble echoed forth. Many survivors who had managed to endure the world-ending immortal formation were reduced to ashes before this colossal sound. "Revert to the True!" Within the space of the Dharma Formulation Jade, Li Fan's true body did not hesitate for a fraction of a second, chanting silently in his heart.