The opportunity to reverse his dire predicament was right before his eyes. Having observed for quite a while, there seemed to be nothing amiss around the nameless shadow. The Nameless One who had just attained the Dao must have moved far away.
Unable to suppress the restless urge stirring within, he marshaled what little strength he had left and charged toward that figure.
He had thought his luck was finally turning from the depths of misfortune, yet little did he imagine...
Returning to the present, he stared at the two isolated Heavenly Pillars before him. Only after repeated, meticulous observation was he certain his eyes were not deceiving him. His heart shuddered involuntarily.
"One of them should be the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar.
"And the other...
"Suppressed within it is actually that Nameless True Immortal who just recently attained the Dao! This!
"Just what kind of person is this!"
*"...belongs to this sovereign."*
Connecting this with the words he had heard earlier, myriad thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
Although he had only just revived and his body was merely a nameless Dao shadow, he still possessed considerable confidence in his own strength. To capture and suppress him so effortlessly...
His opponent's power was fathomless!
"During the ten thousand years I was gravely wounded and trapped, what on earth happened in the outside world? Could it be that the Immortal Realm has been rebuilt?"
Though a hundred thousand thoughts raced through him, he could only bury them all deep within his heart at this moment.
A terrifying, immense force enveloped his entire body, suppressing him completely. Even speaking or sending a divine sense transmission was an impossible luxury.
Just as he was filled with trepidation, an imposing, majestic figure suddenly materialized before him.
Held under total suppression, he could not make out the person's appearance. Yet the vast, mountain-and-sea-like aura radiating from the figure reminded him irresistibly of the two Immortal Emperors he had once beheld in the past.
The figure wasted no words, reaching out to seize him once more.
He felt his nameless Dao shadow body plunge into instant turmoil.
Although this Dao shadow had been constructed using the vibrational fluctuations of that Nameless True Immortal who had attained the Dao of Hunger, it had merely borrowed that impact. Its essence remained the power contained within this immense Living Being Form that he had forged with his own hands.
The impact of someone attaining the Nameless Dao had been like a colossal hammer slamming down, striking out an imprint.
Yet now, the Dao principles of vitality condensed within that imprint were irresistibly draining toward the figure before him. After circulating through the other party once, they returned. Even as they regained their calm, they felt as though they had been reorganized and gathered, becoming far more solid and concentrated.
He also sensed that countless other Dao principles of vitality were madly surging toward him from the outside world.
"Barely passable." The figure ahead shook his head, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied. Nevertheless, he continued to manipulate the myriad Dao principles of vitality, relentlessly stuffing and packing them in.
*Is he... planning to use me as a Heavenly Pillar?* Experienced and knowledgeable as he was, he quickly deduced the other's intention.
And what happened next seemed to confirm his conjecture.
The vast Dao principles of vitality gathered from parts unknown continued to pour in without end, while the pressure from outside did not ease for a single moment, slowly intensifying instead.
He had no doubt that beneath the crushing weight of such power, even a True Immortal would be ground to dust in an instant.
The thought of being sealed inside a Heavenly Pillar hereafter, never to achieve liberation for all eternity—a miserable fate far exceeding even the last ten thousand years—filled his heart with boundless despair and dread.
True Immortals transcended worldly affairs and ought not to possess such mundane emotions. Having once been a Nameless One himself, he should have been even less susceptible to such disgrace. Yet when the great catastrophe descended back then, the "Nameless True Immortal" that was him had, in truth, already died.
What remained was nothing more than an ordinary cultivator desperately struggling to survive.
Having realized this, he knew he could not allow this to continue.
Once the Heavenly Pillar was fully formed, even if he possessed heaven-defying divine abilities, they would be of no avail.
Gritting his teeth, he steeled his resolve. The mask upon his face shattered with a resounding crash.
The confining force surrounding him instantly emptied out.
He called out in panic, "Senior, hold your hand!
"Situ Xing, Governing Immortal Chancellor of the Huang'ai Astral Sector, pays his respects!"
...
"Governing Immortal Chancellor."
Hearing Xing Wuque's words, the suppressive force Li Fan exerted relaxed slightly.
However, he did not release him, instead silently sizing him up with a keen gaze.
The sudden explosion of the bronze mask earlier had nearly caught him off guard. He had not expected that something seemingly already in the palm of his hand could abruptly erupt with such fierce resistance.
Fortunately, he had urgently drawn upon the phantom of the Duke of Shouqiu to reinforce the pressure, thereby preventing any flaw from showing.
"What era do you think this is, still playing by Emperor Tianluo's rules?
"What, does a Governing Immortal Chancellor like you intend to govern over this sovereign's head?"
After a moment's consideration, Li Fan sneered mockingly.
Since his understanding of the past Immortal Realm was not yet particularly thorough, he chose not to entangle himself too deeply in that topic to avoid exposing any cracks. Instead, Li Fan used a single remark to drag the other party directly into the deception he had woven: "Today, the Immortal Realm is utterly destroyed, and the hosts of immortals are either dead or fled.
"You, an Immortal Chancellor of a fallen dynasty, have no authority over a mountain king like me. Hmph!"
A few brief sentences were enough for the other party to infer his general origin.
With the people of the Shuo Star Sea, he could employ the identity of a so-called "Hidden Emperor." But to pry information from this Governing Immortal Chancellor, a different identity was required.
Sure enough, upon hearing Li Fan's words, Situ Xing began speculating in the guided direction.
*He has claimed a mountain as king. With the great tide of Dao Annihilation pouring down, the lower realms could hardly survive intact, leaving behind only isolated islands. And this man suppresses Nameless Immortals to form Heavenly Pillars precisely to bolster his ability to withstand Dao Annihilation...* Thoughts raced through Situ Xing's mind, yet his heart grew progressively cold.
He had originally thought the prestige of his true body would at least give the other party some pause. Now it appeared...
"Do not bother calling me Senior.
"Since I began cultivating, it has been no more than six thousand years in total, and I have never set foot in any Immortal Realm. Heh heh, speaking of which, an Immortal Chancellor like you must have lived for countless ages, haven't you? If anything, it is I who should address you as Senior!"
Li Fan grinned ferociously and abruptly tightened the suppressive force.
"You had best stay obediently inside this pillar and guard this sovereign's home and hearth!"
*Achieving such strength in a mere six thousand years? How is that possible?*
*Yet something does seem peculiar. That person indeed is not a True Immortal. Could it be that during the years I was trapped, a new cultivation system emerged in the world?*
Upon hearing this, Situ Xing felt an instinctive surge of astonishment and disbelief.
Yet he felt the previously dormant sealing power around him tightening once more, leaving him no time for careful thought.
In his panic, he frantically searched his mind for any conceivable way to escape.
*He is not from the Immortal Realm; the past glory of my true body is entirely useless against him...*
His surroundings began to blur.
That fierce, ruthless figure was gradually obscured by the converging Dao principles of vitality.
Situ Xing knew this was a sign that the Heavenly Pillar was about to seal completely.
*A person of the lower realms...*
In this moment of desperate peril, a figure suddenly flashed through Situ Xing's mind. After a brief hesitation, he chose to grasp at straws and cried out with the last of his strength, "Senior, wait! I was also one of the Twelve Dharma Kings of the ancient Xuantian Sect, Xing Wuque!"
It was merely a desperate shot in the dark; deep down, he did not believe the title of Twelve Dharma Kings held any real weight. Yet to Situ Xing's astonishment, upon hearing those words, the tightening force actually eased!
"Xing Wuque of the Twelve Dharma Kings?
"One of the twelve around Xuanyuan Hong?" Li Fan asked, eyeing him with a hint of suspicion.
The name Xuanyuan Hong seemed to awaken ancient memories within Situ Xing, causing him to daze for a fraction of a second.
Yet in this life-and-death crisis, he could not afford to overthink, hurriedly replying, "Indeed, indeed!"
"Back then, who did Xuanyuan Hong actually fancy? Luo Yichen, Ji Yuzhen, or Aunt Nie?" Li Fan suddenly asked with an enigmatic tone and a playful expression.
Situ Xing—or rather, Xing Wuque—froze on the spot.
"Hmm?"
"...Uh, none of them! Although they all secretly harbored affection for him, according to my observations, Xuanyuan Hong's heart had long belonged to someone else. That was why he always kept his distance from them." Sensing that the other party might re-suppress him into the Heavenly Pillar at the slightest disagreement, Situ Xing's heart leaped into his throat as he answered in haste.
"Hahahaha, your observation was quite keen indeed. Xuanyuan Hong did indeed have a childhood sweetheart, an extraordinary figure herself..." Li Fan trailed off halfway, leaving boundless room for the other's imagination before slightly loosening Situ Xing's bindings.
The towering mountain hanging over his head was temporarily lifted, allowing Situ Xing to let out a sigh of relief.
He tentatively probed for more information: "Senior, did you know Xuanyuan Hong?"
"Indeed. Back then, he saved my life during the Dao Annihilation. Later on, however, he vanished without a trace. I have always wanted to find an opportunity to repay him, but we never met again," Li Fan replied.
*That does sound like something Xuanyuan Hong would do,* Situ Xing nodded silently to himself.
"Speaking of which, since you ran with Xuanyuan Hong, how did you end up in such a miserable state?"
Hearing the question, Situ Xing gave a bitter smile. "This matter... is a long story."
"Then take your time. It has been a long while since I had a proper conversation with anyone. Under the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation, living beings have withered away, and there isn't even a fellow Daoist left to talk to!" Li Fan clapped Situ Xing on the shoulder, completely dispelling the suppressive force, his voice turning deep and resonant.
Though temporarily freed, an inadvertent glance at the two Heavenly Pillars nearby kept Situ Xing from acting rashly.
He looked at Li Fan, carefully composing his words to explain everything.
*From the meaning behind his words, Xuanyuan Hong's current cultivation must be exceedingly profound. At the very least, he is certainly not inferior to this man. But that is only to be expected.*
After a long silence, Situ Xing finally spoke, "Senior should know that what I said just now was by no means a lie. My true body was indeed Situ Xing, Governing Immortal Chancellor of the Huang'ai Astral Sector. With the Nameless realm, I held dominion over an entire astral sector of the Immortal Realm. It is just that..."
Li Fan waved a broad hand, cutting him off. "I know all that—a bunch of you descended to the lower realms one after another to seek opportunities for the sake of that so-called supreme treasure. That is unimportant; get to the main point!"
Situ Xing was stunned. He opened his mouth, only to find his mind temporarily blank.
"What? It's fine for you all to descend to the lower realms, but Xuanyuan Hong couldn't do the same? When the great catastrophe arrives, everyone displays their own divine powers. Think about it: how could someone who made a crowd like you follow him wholeheartedly and utterly infatuated be an ordinary mortal?" Li Fan sneered with contemptuous amusement.
Situ Xing's expression shifted repeatedly.
"Indeed. Indeed." He suddenly fell into a daze, muttering the words over and over.
"Back then, the vast majority of us likely had our spiritual perception veiled. But during the tens of thousands of years I was trapped within the Living Being Form, as my true body's consciousness gradually recovered, I faintly guessed that something was unusual about Xuanyuan Hong.
"Yet he acted far too much like a mortal...
"Still, how could a mere mortal have ever commanded the willing devotion of a group of descended True Immortals?"
Deep bewilderment resonated through Situ Xing's words.
"Precisely. That was my thought as well.
"Back then, I pressed him on it, but he remained stubborn and refused to admit it to the end," Li Fan said with a light chuckle.
"Uh... was that also Senior's conjecture?" Caught completely off guard, Situ Xing jerked his head up to stare at Li Fan.
"What? Was my guess wrong?" Li Fan's gaze turned chillingly cold as he locked eyes with Situ Xing.
The standoff lasted only an instant before Situ Xing was jolted awake by the piercing, bone-chilling indifference in those eyes, and he hurriedly looked away.
"It makes sense. It makes great sense.
"Because that supreme treasure was bound to possess spirituality, waiting with deliberate intent would most likely end in futility. Therefore, we all chose to seal our own spiritual perception, relying purely on personal fortune to bide our time. As the saying goes, each by their own ability. In doing so, we also avoided open conflict in the Immortal Realm above," Situ Xing continued.
"Those who can achieve the True Immortal realm possess extraordinary talent and temperament. Even walking the mortal world once more, they are bound to be preeminent figures. Yet it seems none of us possessed sufficient fortune. First, the Great Tribulation of Dao Annihilation struck far too swiftly. The speed at which the Immortal Realm collapsed completely exceeded our imaginations, so much so that we did not even have time to return...
"We were located in different quarters of the upper realm. When the Ascension Passage connected to the Xuanhuang Realm was destroyed, some were still safe, while the true bodies of others had already met with calamity. Some began to awaken their true consciousness, yet among ourselves, we maintained a tacit and delicate balance.
"All of it was because of the uniqueness about Xuanyuan Hong," Situ Xing recounted slowly.
"You suspected that the supreme treasure had fallen into Xuanyuan Hong's hands?" Li Fan suddenly interjected with a smile.
Situ Xing fell silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"Otherwise, it is truly difficult to explain his meteoric rise, as well as his brilliance overshadowing the descended True Immortals of the same generation.
"One must understand that Xuanyuan Hong's aptitude was hardly considered high. Yet, at every single step, he happened to walk ahead of everyone else," Situ Xing said, his tone tinged with confusion.
"Before confirming it, however, no one dared to act rashly. Moreover, Xuanyuan Hong's true identity remained unknown, so we could only wait patiently for an opportune moment. Yet who could have foreseen..."
"One day, he abruptly vanished, never to appear again," Li Fan finished for him.
Situ Xing nodded again.
"He vanished too quickly, too abruptly. And at the final moment, he even called out a warning to us...
"It was truly impossible to distinguish truth from falsehood—whether he used the opportunity to flee or genuinely suffered misfortune.
"Divergence arose among us because of this. Some chose to follow the traces and keep tracking him, while others believed their fortune was insufficient and simply gave up..."
Li Fan shook his head slightly. "No wonder the immense Xuantian Sect of old vanished in an instant once it lost Heavenly King Xuantian."
Chapter 1486