In less than a day, the power of the Heaven and Earth Mutual Conquest Rhapsody had already come to feel innate, seeped deep into the marrow.
It was thoroughly blended with their own cultivated power, impossible to separate.
It behaved just like a foundational technique that served as the very source of their cultivation. If they were to forcibly abolish it, falling several major realms would be the lightest consequence. It was exceedingly likely to shatter their Dao Foundations and sever them from the path of cultivation forever.
"This..." Li Fan sat cross-legged on the ground. After trying for a long time, he finally gave up in dejection, his expression grim.
Senior Sister Zhao also knit her delicate brows and said, "The sorcery of the Profound Heaven Sect is truly sinister. It seems we won't be able to rid ourselves of it easily for now."
"I've heard that the Taishang Sect's Taishang Primordial Scripture allows a cultivator to switch cultivation arts at will. If we were fortunate enough to get a look at it, perhaps we could abolish this Heaven and Earth Mutual Conquest Rhapsody."
"The Taishang Primordial Scripture?" Li Fan frowned slightly. Though he had never heard of this scripture, an inexplicable sense of familiarity stirred within him.
Even as she said it, Senior Sister Zhao shook her head and abandoned the unrealistic fantasy. "Unfortunately, just like our Dadao Sect's Heaven-Slaying Dao Scripture, it is a sect-protecting ultimate art—a secret never taught to outsiders.
"Even within their own sect, only the direct line of the sect master is permitted to cultivate it, to say nothing of outsiders like us."
Seeing her at her wit's end, Li Fan pulled her into his embrace and softly comforted her, "Since things have come to this, we can only take it one step at a time.
"The Profound Heaven Sect was destroyed long ago, and the Heaven and Earth Mutual Conquest Rhapsody is merely a dual cultivation technique. I doubt the elders of the sect would necessarily notice anything amiss."
Though Senior Sister Zhao nodded in agreement, the worry in her eyes did not fade.
The two of them spent half a month recuperating in the ruin's secret chamber. With the aid of dual cultivation during that time, they thoroughly consolidated their realms.
Only then did they set out to return to the Dadao Sect.
Before departing, Senior Sister Zhao unleashed crisscrossing sword light, thoroughly demolishing the ruins.
Upon their return to the sect gates, the shattering of Qin Shou's life lamp had already stirred up a massive uproar.
After conferring in secret, Senior Sister Zhao and Li Fan decided the matter could not be concealed.
They chose to appear together before their master and recounted how Qin Shou had stealthily shadowed them with wicked intent, only to be slain in a joint counterattack.
However, they concealed certain details, never mentioning the Profound Heaven Sect.
They claimed only that they had made a breakthrough in the heat of battle at the brink of death, which enabled them to successfully turn the tables and kill him.
Zhang Wangshuang, however, looked as though she had known all along, showing little surprise.
She sentenced the two of them to ten years of confinement, placing them under protective detention in the rear mountains.
Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.
The trials and tribulations of the Dadao Sect had nothing to do with the pair inside the confinement chamber.
In the beginning, both had reservations about practicing a dual cultivation technique within the sect.
Yet by the third year, both hit a bottleneck. Gathering their courage, they once again cultivated the Heaven and Earth Mutual Conquest Rhapsody together.
Perhaps because it was like sweet rain after a long drought, or perhaps because their cultivation had deepened, the results of this dual cultivation session were even greater than three years prior.
Senior Sister Zhao broke through to the mid-Nascent Soul realm, and Li Fan's cultivation reached the mid-Golden Core realm.
The sheer speed of their progress left them secretly astonished.
Yet inevitable worry surged in their hearts.
They knew an occasional breakthrough could be explained away as a lucky encounter. But if their progress remained so rapid—far beyond what their innate talent could account for—it would surely arouse suspicion.
If it were ever discovered that they possessed the sinister arts of the Profound Heaven Sect, their fate would be unimaginably grim. Having their cultivation crippled would likely be the lightest punishment.
After a difficult discussion, the two resolved never to dual cultivate unless it became absolutely necessary.
The plan was fine in theory, but...
Another five years passed, and that bizarre bottleneck resurfaced within them.
No matter how they cultivated, they could not advance an inch.
For a full year, they struggled and persevered.
Throughout that entire year, they did not rest for a single moment, pouring all their energy into cultivation.
They attempted to break through the bottleneck by sheer human effort.
Yet it was entirely in vain.
The despair of their cultivation remaining utterly stagnant tormented them both.
And both Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao were wholeheartedly devoted to the Dao; neither could bear to remain stranded at their current realm forever.
And so, in the ninth year of their confinement, unable to endure it any longer, they engaged in dual cultivation for the third time.
Like dry tinder meeting a roaring fire, the ecstatic experience surpassed all previous times.
Unsurprisingly, after the dual cultivation session, the bottleneck vanished without a trace. Their cultivation advanced another step.
Though they did not break through on the spot, they were not far from it.
Once the passion subsided and calm returned, fear took hold of them.
First, they feared the discovery of their cultivation of a Profound Heaven Sect art.
Second, because the Heaven and Earth Mutual Conquest Rhapsody was so bizarre, they worried they might be controlled by it for the rest of their lives.
Both were proud individuals, and neither could stomach such a prospect.
During their final period in confinement, they did not cultivate. Instead, they spent their days and nights keeping each other company, living a simple life like an ordinary mortal couple.
At the same time, they researched ways to resolve their predicament.
"Heaven gives birth to all things, which is why the world speaks of Heaven as the Father and Earth as the Mother. From the day of their birth, all living beings in this world bear an 'imprint' left behind by Heaven and Earth.
"Rumor has it that the Profound Heaven Sect usurped the authority of Heaven, mastering the power to bestow and alter these 'imprints.'
"Even an unarmed mortal, once 'conferred' by the Profound Heaven Sect, could become indistinguishable from cultivators like us today.
"It is even said that the Heavenly Kings of the Profound Heaven Sect commanded what was known as the 'Longevity fruit status.' Whoever obtained it could attain Longevity and live as long as Heaven and Earth."
Senior Sister Zhao shared with Li Fan the secret lore she had gathered from various sources.
"Attain Longevity..." An inscrutable gleam flickered in Li Fan's eyes.
"Senior Sister, do you mean to say the techniques of the Profound Heaven Sect also carry this sort of 'imprint' ability?"
Senior Sister Zhao let out a soft sigh. "It's merely my conjecture. All that remains of the Profound Heaven Sect in this world today are scattered fragments. Yet between the lines, one can faintly discern just how terrifying the Profound Heaven Sect once was. Its rules were strict as heavenly laws. It dominated the world, and none dared defy it.
"Though it is now just a ghost rekindling from dead ashes, ridding ourselves of its hold will not be easy."
Li Fan took her hand, his gaze resolute. "Rest assured, we will definitely find a way."
Time flew like a white steed flashing past a crevice, and soon the ten-year period of confinement drew to an end.
The sealed heavy doors swung open with a rumble, and the two stepped out of the confinement chamber with uneasy hearts.
They had originally worried that progressing so quickly over the span of ten years might arouse suspicion.
Yet upon returning to the sect, they discovered to their astonishment that their modest cultivation progress now counted for practically nothing.
For during the second year of their confinement...
A so-called "new method" had quietly begun to spread throughout the world.
Drawing upon the spiritual essence of Heaven and Earth, borrowing the wonders of Heaven and Earth, peering into the laws of Heaven and Earth...
And ultimately defying the principles of Heaven and Earth.
It stood in direct opposition to the current practice of sensing the Heavenly Dao and cultivating in harmony with Heaven. It plundered Heaven and seized Earth by any means necessary.
Yet its practical results far surpassed the cultivation methods of the present era.
Chapter 511