Dead silence met the speaker.
After a moment, the visitor's voice softened considerably, offering gentle persuasion. "Guangyangzi, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken—I trust you understand this truth."
"It is not that we of the Ten Great Immortal Sects press you relentlessly; the battle has reached a fever pitch, a truly critical juncture."
"You small mountain sects have it rough, but are we leaders faring any better?"
"Truth be told, in our Heavenly Sword Sect, more than half of my own generation of martial brothers have died in battle."
"Before long, I fear even I will have to take to the battlefield myself."
"With the war having reached this point, there is no retreat left to speak of."
After a long silence, Guangyangzi sighed. "This old man understands."
"This time, allow me to accompany the envoy."
"Master!" a slightly raspy voice gasped out, about to protest, only to be cut off by Guangyangzi.
"My mind is made up. Lian Chang, there is no need to dissuade me!"
"Good! A man of mettle! In that case, I will not linger. Remember, you must report to Mount Congyun within seven days to rendezvous with us."
Once the visitor departed, Guangyangzi said to Third Senior Brother, "Lian Chang, come with me. Before I leave, I have matters to entrust to you."
"Yes, Master," Lian Chang choked out.
Their voices gradually faded into the distance.
Li Fan slipped back into slumber.
...
"Tianyang, Tianyang!"
"Time for your medicine. Lately, the herbs have all been issued by those great sects. Their quality is far superior to what you took before."
"I'm sure you will be fully recovered before long."
In Li Fan's impression, the usually reticent Third Senior Brother had suddenly turned quite talkative.
As he fed Tianyang medicine, he recounted interesting anecdotes and rumors from the cultivation world.
"Third Senior Brother, is Master not coming back either, just like Eldest and Second Senior Brothers?" Li Fan asked out of the blue.
Lian Chang froze.
After a moment, he forced a smile. "Junior Brother, don't let your mind wander. Recovering your health comes first."
"Master will definitely return."
"He definitely will."
Lian Chang repeated the words, sounding as though he were convincing himself.
Li Fan nodded.
As the medicinal decoction went down, a fiery warmth bloomed in his stomach.
It indeed brought immense relief.
Weariness surged over him once more, and unable to resist it, Li Fan fell into a deep sleep.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
The next time Li Fan awoke, it was to the sounds of fighting.
Third Senior Brother's voice drifted in from the distance: "Every single time, you claim it's the final battle, the critical moment!"
"How long has this war gone on? How many have died?!"
"It never ends!"
"I'm not going! Kill me if you want!"
"Going to the front line is death anyway!"
The other voice was also steeped in exhaustion. "Lian Chang, don't force my hand."
"Do you think you can simply choose to die? Even if I turn you into an immortal puppet and send you to slaughter enemies, I will have fulfilled my duty."
"It's only because your master, Guangyangzi, saved my life on the battlefield. Before he died, I promised him that I would look after your Path of Bodily Transformation as much as I could."
"Coming here in person to explain things to you today is already extending every possible courtesy."
"Otherwise, you would have been bound and dragged off long ago."
"Make the most of the time you have left to settle whatever you need to settle."
"That little fellow named Tianyang—Guangyangzi mentioned him to me as well."
"His constitution aligns remarkably well with your sect's technique, Self-Transformation into Another at Will. As long as he can survive his affliction, he will surely revitalize the Path of Bodily Transformation."
"I know your Path of Bodily Transformation has sacrificed a great deal."
"Once the war is won and merits are rewarded, I will petition above to secure a Taishang Foundation-Laying Pill specifically for Tianyang to cleanse his meridians, scour his marrow, and reshape his constitution."
"That is a peerless divine pill of the Taishang Sect—ordinary inner sect disciples of the Taishang Sect aren't even qualified to take it."
Under the visitor's continuous persuasion, Lian Chang was finally swayed.
"I will go to the front line with you willingly. But I have one condition: I want that Taishang Foundation-Laying Pill before I depart," Lian Chang said with absolute resolve.
"My little junior brother's body is far too weak; he spends all year in slumber. Without this pill to alter his destiny, he won't be able to look after himself at all."
"You..."
The visitor sighed.
After a long while, he said slowly, "Fine, I shall go and try."
After the visitor left, Lian Chang walked over to Li Fan's side and seemed to say a great deal.
Yet in his heavy, hazy sleep, Li Fan could not hear clearly at all.
Who knew how much time passed before Lian Chang's excited voice rang in Li Fan's ears. "Little Junior Brother, take this pill quickly."
"Eat it, and you'll be able to recover."
Lian Chang fed the Taishang Foundation-Laying Pill to Li Fan. After watching him for a while, he seemed to let out a breath of relief.
The other familiar voice sounded once more. "All right, now that the pill is fine, leave with me immediately."
"If we delay the final decisive battle, not even I can protect you."
Lian Chang patted Li Fan's head.
"Take care, Little Junior Brother."
Footsteps faded into the distance, and the main gate slammed shut with a heavy thud.
From that moment on, the Path of Bodily Transformation was plunged into absolute silence.
Lying in bed in a half-awake, half-asleep state, Li Fan felt the medicinal potency of the Taishang Foundation-Laying Pill steadily radiating from his stomach.
Currents of warmth spread into all the meridians of his body, reshaping his physical constitution.
It was a hundred times more potent than all the medicinal decoctions he had taken before combined.
Strength returned to his body bit by bit.
Li Fan fell into a deep sleep once more.
When he awoke, he found his body brimming with a long-lost vitality.
His mind had also cleared considerably.
Recalling his experiences since possessing Tianyang, Li Fan felt somewhat helpless.
Before this, the frailty of this body had truly exceeded his imagination.
It had rendered him incapable of any effective thought or action.
He could only watch powerlessly as events unfolded, just like the original Tianyang.
"It seems this first attempt will end in failure, as expected."
"Still, I never expected to gain anything on the first try."
"I'll treat it as gathering information."
With that in mind, Li Fan first inspected the Path of Bodily Transformation's cave abode.
Apart from a jade slip left behind by Third Senior Brother, he found nothing else of value.
The heavy gate of the cave abode was locked tight and could not be opened from the inside.
After observing for a while, Li Fan had a faint inkling: "This seems to be a limitation of True Reversion's Simulation itself, rather than the ward on the door being truly impregnable."
"Am I restricted to this space...?"
After pondering for a moment, Li Fan returned to the room and read through the contents of the jade slip.
Aside from the transmission of the Self-Transformation into Another at Will technique, it contained Third Senior Brother's words of encouragement to Tianyang.
"Little Junior Brother, cultivate diligently at home and wait for me to return."
"Master said that once your body recovers, your talent for cultivation will be second to none."
"Even including the direct disciples of those great immortal sects."
"Work hard! I'm counting on you to become my backing once your cultivation bears fruit!"
...
Setting down the jade slip, Li Fan remained silent for a long time.
Chapter 229