In the beginning, the elders within the sect regarded the "new method" as a mere shortcut, a trivial detour, and held it in contempt.
However, as disciples within the sect secretly practiced it, their progress became shockingly swift.
One after another, cases emerged where disciples surpassed their masters' cultivation in an astonishingly short period of time.
And so, the situation began to shift.
Seeing the cultivation of the disciples below soaring upward at breakneck speed, the elders of the Dadao Sect began to feel restless.
Although the Dadao Sect still observed hierarchy and seniority, the law of the cultivation world since ancient times—the survival of the fittest, where the strong preyed upon the weak—remained immutable.
Previously, the elders had relied on their cultivation and status to maintain a firm grip on the sect's power.
Yet, before they had even grown old, they watched the cultivation realms of the sect's disciples catch up to their own, and even surpass them.
With their ruling authority clearly under threat, how could they remain indifferent?
Thus, the high-ranking elders split into two factions.
One faction argued that the "new method" plundered Heaven and Earth; while it yielded rapid cultivation, it was by no means an orthodox path. Over time, it would cause irreversible harm to the world, and it had to be thoroughly banned.
The other faction, however, maintained that Heaven and Earth were vast and boundless, virtually an inexhaustible reservoir. Though cultivators endlessly pillaged during their lifetimes to fuel their own cultivation, not everyone could attain the Longevity realm. Once they perished, everything they had devoured would return to Heaven and Earth.
Therefore, there was no need to worry.
Now that the "new method" had spread across the world, countless rogue cultivators were rising because of it.
Many disciples from other sects were practicing it as well, their strength advancing by leaps and bounds.
If the Dadao Sect did not adopt the new method, it would inevitably fall behind.
Both sides had their arguments, and neither would yield. But as the faction supporting the new method secretly cultivated it, their long-stagnant strength improved, and they gradually gained the upper hand in the struggle.
...
When Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao emerged from seclusion, this chaotic state of affairs was precisely what greeted them.
"Defying the principles of Heaven and Earth?" Senior Sister Zhao murmured, an unusual glint flashing across her eyes.
Yet for some reason, even as Li Fan felt an intense yearning toward the new method, he experienced an inexplicable sense of dread.
It felt as though some colossal catastrophe lurked within it.
"Regardless, the anomalies from our cultivation of the Heaven and Earth Mutual Conquest Rhapsody shouldn't draw any notice now."
"Senior Sister, what do you think of this so-called 'new method'?"
Senior Sister Zhao gave a soft laugh. "A mere trick. No matter how fast it is, could it possibly be faster than our dual cultivation method?"
"Still, it should serve nicely as cover."
Li Fan pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.
And so, the two ostensibly switched to cultivating the new method as well, while in reality they continuously drew upon the power of dual cultivation, seizing this rare opportunity to advance their realms to their hearts' content.
Another ten years passed.
The conflict between the old and the new grew fiercer by the day.
It was no longer just infighting within sects. Beyond the sect gates, the rogue cultivators of the world had banded together to form the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, seeking to challenge the authority of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao.
Internal power struggles among their own kind were one thing; outsiders wanting a piece of the pie was entirely another.
To preserve their rule, the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao—who claimed to share breath and branch while constantly scheming against one another in secret—joined forces once more after many years.
They formed an allied army to suppress and subjugate the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
They had initially assumed that these rogue cultivators, lacking heritage and foundation, would swiftly collapse under the combined might of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao.
Yet events took an unexpected turn.
At the outset, facing the onslaught of the ten sects' cultivators, the so-called Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals suffered utter routs and catastrophic casualties.
However, their numbers were simply too vast.
Even if a wave was wiped out, a new batch of cultivators would spring up in no time.
Moreover, after every battle, some cultivators from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals managed to escape.
Surviving bloodbath after bloodbath, the combat prowess of these cultivators underwent a transformation. Even for the prodigies of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao, slaying them grew increasingly difficult.
The world possessed countless mortals. Under the support of the new method, these mortals could swiftly be converted into fresh fighting forces for the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
In contrast, the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao clung to the pride and dignity of great sects, maintaining extremely stringent standards for selecting disciples.
Once they suffered a defeat and disciples fell, it often took years—or even more than a decade—to replenish their ranks.
As one side waned and the other waxed, the gap in strength between them grew narrower and narrower.
The war fell into a stalemate.
Furthermore, as casualties varied among the sects, cracks began to show within the previously monolithic allied army of the immortal sects.
Some sects even deliberately withheld their forces to preserve their own strength.
Everyone knew that, at this stage, the rise of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals had become unstoppable.
Yet the leaders of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao refused to give up. They were unwilling to share the world they had painstakingly secured with mortals they had once looked down upon.
Thus, a plan to cut off the head of the snake was born.
The rapid rise of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals owed a tremendous debt to the so-called Dharma Transmitters.
And these Dharma Transmitters remained entirely loyal to the Dharma-Transmitting Immortal Venerable, hanging upon his every word.
As long as the Dharma-Transmitting Immortal Venerable was slain, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals would lose its spiritual leader and collapse from within.
Chuanfa himself possessed only Dao Integration cultivation, whereas the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao had quite a few Longevity realm powerhouses.
If only they could track him down and carry out a decapitation strike, they could resolve this crisis.
The Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao reached an agreement, each dispatching elite experts to form strike teams sworn to hunt down and assassinate the Dharma-Transmitting Immortal Venerable.
And because Chuanfa himself was exceedingly elusive, coming and going without a trace, the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao also dispatched elite disciples to roam the realm and gather intelligence on his whereabouts.
Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao were naturally among them.
This search lasted for over twenty years.
Aided by dual cultivation, Senior Sister Zhao had now successfully advanced to the Soul Formation realm.
Li Fan was a step behind, but he had nonetheless broken through to the Nascent Soul realm.
Along the way, they traversed every corner of the Xuanhuang Realm, slaying countless rogue cultivators.
Yet they never found any trace of Chuanfa.
"Senior Sister, what do you think of this person, Chuanfa?" Li Fan asked.
"The Dharma-Transmitting Immortal Venerable..." Senior Sister Zhao pondered for a moment, gently shaking her head. "I don't know."
Li Fan was somewhat surprised to hear this.
Senior Sister Zhao continued, "A single man reshaping the landscape of the cultivation world. In the ten thousand years of the Xuanhuang Realm, there has never been such a monstrous genius.
"Yet all information about him is mere rumor. Where he came from and why he is doing this remain complete mysteries.
"I'm afraid the only way to get answers is to see him with our own eyes.
"I wonder if the other senior and junior brothers have had any luck."
...
While the two were conversing, they suddenly received a transmission from within the sect.
After reviewing the message, their expressions turned exceedingly fascinating.
The Decapitation Plan, which had dragged on for over twenty years without making the slightest headway, had actually been called off.
Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao exchanged a glance, knowing that something momentous must have occurred.
Chapter 512