Exhausted and dust-stained from their long journey, Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao were stunned upon returning to the mountain gate.
The sect was draped in plain white mourning clothes, and disciples throughout the grounds bore grief-stricken faces.
Hurriedly asking around, they finally learned what had happened.
The Sect Master of the Dadao Sect, the Longevity realm powerhouse Fang Dingge, had fallen.
Even as boundless shock rippled through their hearts, endless doubt also took root.
A Longevity Heavenly Venerable was already the pinnacle of strength in this realm. As the leader of one of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao, Fang Dingge possessed miraculous attainments and fathomless cultivation.
Even among the Longevity Heavenly Venerables, he was counted among the very best.
How could such a figure suddenly perish out of nowhere?
And as they learned more, the entire affair felt increasingly absurd and bizarre.
Not only was the cause of Fang Dingge's death a mystery, but his remains were also nowhere to be found.
Rather than saying he had fallen, it was more like...
He had vanished.
Yet the shattering of his life lamp kept within the sect was irrefutable proof that this Longevity realm powerhouse had passed away.
No matter how much doubt and reluctance they harbored, the truth could not be changed.
In fact, the public announcement of the Sect Master's death was only decided after several rounds of fierce debate among the sect's elders.
An event of this magnitude could never be concealed even if they wanted to.
For the fallen Longevity realm powerhouse was not only the Dadao Sect's Fang Dingge.
Taishang, Tianjian, Due, Yushou...
Rumor had it that Longevity realm powerhouses had fallen in all these sects.
The news was simply too terrifying.
Though the Ten Great Immortal Sects imposed a strict blockade on the information, they could not prevent it from spreading like wildfire.
So many Longevity realm powerhouses falling at the same time—
Just who could have done it?
Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao immediately thought of Chuanfa.
Because these departed Longevity Heavenly Venerables were none other than the very people who had agreed over twenty years ago to band together and hunt down Chuanfa.
Now that they had suddenly dropped dead, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' Dharma-Transmitting Immortal Venerable was naturally the prime suspect.
Yet logically, it made no sense.
Chuanfa had not yet ascended to the Longevity realm. If his combat prowess was truly epoch-making and capable of slaying Longevity from Dao Integration, he should have long since ridden the momentum of such a resounding victory, rallying the realm's cultivators in one fell swoop to overthrow the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao.
Yet from beginning to end, this Dharma-Transmitting Immortal Venerable had only appeared at the very start to spread the teachings and at a handful of specific moments.
At all other times, there was no word of him, no clue to his whereabouts—he was mysterious beyond measure.
Or could it be that after slaying the Longevity Heavenly Venerables of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao, Chuanfa had also suffered grievous injuries and was forced into hiding?
Even if that were true, he could have reported his great triumph to the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals to boost morale.
Yet from what Li Fan knew, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals appeared equally astonished by the simultaneous deaths of the Longevity Heavenly Venerables.
It seemed they, too, were completely in the dark.
From start to finish, the entire event reeked of mystery and absurdity.
After learning the news, Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao were unable to regain their composure for a long time.
Was the Longevity realm they so bitterly sought truly so fragile? Could they just perish in an instant?
How did that make them any different from ordinary cultivators?
Did their cultivation still have any meaning?
Amidst their endless bewilderment, the two engaged in dual cultivation for several days straight before finally steadying themselves.
"This matter is definitely not as simple as it looks. Rather than saying they fell, I believe they broke free of their shackles and departed this realm," Senior Sister Zhao said calmly, her tone measured.
"Shackles?" This was the first time Li Fan had heard of this, and he couldn't help asking.
"It was a long time ago. Master once mentioned it to me in passing." Senior Sister Zhao knit her brows slightly, as if searching her memory. "Back then, I asked Master what true unfettered freedom was. Can attaining Longevity be called freedom? Master remained silent for a long time, then sighed and said, 'The heavens shackle all living beings; none can escape. Even Longevity realm powerhouses remain trapped in a cage. Back then, the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao overthrew the Profound Heaven Sect, yet they didn't completely overthrow it.' When I tried to ask more, he refused to say another word."
Li Fan's heart shook violently as he listened. "Even Longevity realm powerhouses cannot attain freedom?"
Seeing her lover lost in thought, Senior Sister Zhao comforted him, "Their collective disappearance might actually be a good thing. At the very least, it shows that there is a possibility for the Longevity realm to sever those shackles and achieve true transcendence."
Li Fan pondered for a long time before finally nodding. "Senior Sister, when the time comes, the two of us will achieve the Dao together and ascend beyond this realm. We will roam freely side by side, leaving behind a legendary tale in the Xuanhuang Realm."
A flush of red crept onto Senior Sister Zhao's cheeks.
Swept up in passion, the two once again began to cultivate together.
-----
The disappearance of the Heavenly Venerables had a profound, far-reaching impact on the current landscape of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Once the funeral rites were concluded, the Dadao Sect was sucked into a vortex of struggle over the position of Sect Master.
The incident had happened so abruptly that likely even Fang Dingge himself had not anticipated his sudden disappearance. Consequently, the successor had not been decided at all.
Meanwhile, Fang Dingge's direct disciple possessed merely a Soul Formation cultivation. How could such a person shoulder the heavy responsibility of Sect Master?
After the two surviving Longevity realm seniors in the sect both declared they had no interest in inheriting the position of Sect Master, the elders below began eyeing the seat like hungry wolves.
Thus, conflict became inevitable.
Senior Sister Zhao's master, Zhang Wangshuang, had broken through to the Dao Integration realm over the years. Naturally, he harbored ambitions to succeed as Sect Master.
Power struggles were often brutal.
A year later, the dust settled.
Due to a slight lack of foundational support within the sect, Zhang Wangshuang suffered a bitter defeat.
The position of Sect Master of the Dadao Sect was inherited by Ji Changxi of the Tianchen lineage.
Although the internal strife did not escalate to a fight to the death, a heavy blow to the sect's vitality was unavoidable.
After becoming Sect Master, Ji Changxi did not implement any drastic reforms. Instead, he focused on resting, recuperating, and rebuilding the sect's strength.
Furthermore, to counter the dwindling numbers of disciples, he issued a special order relaxing the requirements for outer disciples to advance. He also instituted a grand sect competition every three years, making the quality of disciples trained an important assessment criterion.
It was under these circumstances that Senior Sister Zhao, who won victory after victory in the grand competitions, gradually became the brightest jewel among the younger generation of disciples in the Dadao Sect.
In contrast, Li Fan, who suffered more losses than wins, seemed to fade into mediocrity.
Only the strongest hero was worthy of possessing the most exquisite jewel.
Li Fan's mediocre performance, coupled with the fact that he followed Senior Sister Zhao around all day, naturally caused considerable resentment among some sect disciples.
Ignoring Li Fan's presence, many outstanding talents began courting Senior Sister Zhao aggressively.
Even Zhang Wangshuang, whose attitude toward Li Fan had previously been fairly decent, gradually began to shift.
Sensing the brewing crisis, Li Fan made a swift, decisive move.
On a bright, sunlit noon, he proposed to Senior Sister Zhao.
There were no heavenly treasures or peerless artifacts.
He simply gazed into her eyes with deep affection and said, "Senior Sister, be my Dao companion. From this day forward, let us walk hand in hand, pursuing Longevity together."
Without the slightest hesitation, Senior Sister Zhao agreed.
Chapter 513