Seeing that something was amiss, Li Fan hurriedly followed.
From a short distance away, Senior Sister Zhao was examining the cultivator's condition with a solemn expression.
"Cough, cough..." This Dadao Sect disciple's cultivation had stalled at the Nascent Soul stage, yet at this moment, he was indistinguishable from a mortal on the verge of death from illness. His eyes were hollow, his consciousness blurred, and his breath as faint as gossamer.
From time to time, he erupted into violent coughing fits, as if he were about to hack up his very lungs.
A faint, ashen air of death lingered on his face. He was frail in the extreme, bearing none of the bearing a Nascent Soul cultivator ought to have.
Li Fan felt a sudden tremor of dread.
Just moments ago, this cultivator had not seemed in such dire straits. In the mere span of time it had taken him to fetch Senior Sister Zhao, the man's condition had deteriorated considerably.
"Could he have been struck by some evil curse?"
Li Fan narrowed his eyes and studied him closely.
"Cough... Dao Child?" In a daze, the cultivator caught sight of the two standing before him. He instinctively struggled to rise and offer a salute.
"It is fine. If you are unwell, do not move around. Rest well," Senior Sister Zhao stopped him, speaking gently.
"Ah..." Never in his life had this Dadao Sect disciple seen Senior Sister Zhao show such a gentle, approachable side.
In an instant, like the final surge of life before death, a faint spark of vitality returned to his face. He stared at Senior Sister Zhao with eyes full of infatuation, as though his very soul had been bewitched.
"Where did you go after descending the mountain? What did you encounter, and whom did you meet?" Senior Sister Zhao inquired again.
Ignoring his dying body, the man coughed repeatedly while clinging to a single breath, recounting everything to Senior Sister Zhao down to the smallest detail.
Gradually, his breath grew weaker and weaker.
Yet, seeing the questioning gaze in Senior Sister Zhao's eyes, he persevered, speaking in broken gasps.
Finally, when he uttered the last word, his breath abruptly vanished.
His eyes remained open, staring fixedly, reluctantly, at Senior Sister Zhao.
"Go!" Senior Sister Zhao grabbed Li Fan and swiftly departed the area.
At the same time, she handed him a purple-gold pill and urged him to take it.
"A Fortune Purple-Gold Pill?" Li Fan was astounded.
This pill was a secret treasure of the Dadao Sect. Generally speaking, only experts of the Longevity realm could refine it. No matter how severe an injury was, as long as one did not perish on the spot, consuming it would instantly restore them to full health. To call it an extra life was no exaggeration.
It was exceptionally rare, and the Dadao Sect had very few in reserve.
Yet Senior Sister Zhao had consumed such a precious treasure without the slightest hesitation...
Li Fan instantly realized the gravity of the situation and swallowed the Fortune Purple-Gold Pill at once.
"Do not waste it. Envelop it in spiritual energy and slowly absorb its medicinal power," Senior Sister Zhao instructed while continuously casting spells, erecting layer upon layer of barriers around them.
"Is the cause of that disciple's death contagious? What curse is so formidable? Is it targeted at our Dadao Sect?" Li Fan could not help feeling horrified.
"Rather than a curse, it is more like an illness—a fatal illness that even cultivators cannot avoid or escape." Senior Sister Zhao's expression was graver than ever before.
She had not been this worried even when the great cataclysm of heaven and earth decreed that dharmas cannot be cultivated concurrently.
"Its target is definitely not just our Dadao Sect. It is meant to exterminate all cultivators in the world... This matter must be reported immediately!"
Li Fan was momentarily dazed. "Could it be another backlash from heaven and earth?! Is this damned heaven truly intent on wiping us all out?!"
"Cough... cough!" As the two sped toward the sect's main hall, an eerie pallor suddenly washed over Senior Sister Zhao's face.
Soon, she too began coughing softly, unable to suppress it.
Before long, however, a purple-gold light surged, gradually subduing the pallor. The coughing subsided, and a healthy flush returned to Senior Sister Zhao's face.
"How could the onset be so rapid? Senior Sister, you possess Dao Integration cultivation!" An unbelievable wave of terror surged in Li Fan's heart.
If even a Dao Integration cultivator was affected like this, what of a mere Soul Formation cultivator like him?
Without waiting for symptoms to manifest, he immediately drew on a wisp of the Fortune Purple-Gold Pill's potency in his dantian, circulating it through his body as a ward.
Sure enough, not long after doing so, a sudden wave of fatigue washed over him.
It felt as though he had battled Senior Sister Zhao continuously for seven days and seven nights; his entire body ached immensely, and his bones felt ready to come apart.
His throat felt as if sliced by blades, while his body was like a drowning mortal, desperate to breach the surface and gasp for air.
Fortunately, the Fortune Purple-Gold Pill truly lived up to its name.
As the purple-gold pill's power circulated, the abnormalities in his body vanished in an instant.
"Hss... this illness is terrifying!" Feeling as if he had just walked past the gates of hell, Li Fan looked at Senior Sister Zhao with lingering dread. "Thank goodness for your pill, Senior Sister. Otherwise, I fear I would have followed in that junior brother's footsteps!"
"Do not let your guard down; it has only suppressed the symptoms for now. The culprit behind all of this has not been eradicated. It is still lurking within our bodies," Senior Sister Zhao reminded him at once.
As if confirming her words, she soon broke into soft, uncontrollable coughs once more.
Even though the symptoms were quickly dispelled again by the Fortune Purple-Gold Pill, Li Fan's heart sank to rock bottom.
Even with miraculous divine pills protecting them, they were still unable to rid themselves of this unknown affliction. How miserable would ordinary Dadao Sect disciples and common rogue cultivators be?
It was simply unimaginable.
The two battled the illness along the way, quickly arriving at the sect's main hall.
Having received Senior Sister Zhao's transmission in advance, Sect Master Ji Changxi of the Dadao Sect had already summoned the elders, gathering them together.
Although Senior Sister Zhao had detailed the dreadfulness of the affliction as thoroughly as possible, and Ji Changxi and the Dadao Sect elders had accorded it due importance...
They had not taken it quite seriously enough.
In their eyes, even though Senior Sister Zhao was also a Dao Integration cultivator, she had broken through by virtue of the new method and was newly ascended; she naturally could not compare to old seniors like them, who had been in the Dao Integration realm for centuries.
They harbored countless secrets and possessed an endless array of techniques. While this young Dao Child might be harmed by an unknown "illness," they might not be.
Moreover, they believed their preparations were thorough enough.
Around the open floor of the hall, numerous restrictions had been laid down, sealing the area layer upon layer.
Furthermore, the Zhanyuan Dao Chong Formation had been activated; though only feet apart in appearance, they were effectively separated by several worlds.
They were utterly secure and fully confident.
"The two of you, do not suppress that strange affliction. Then, each release a droplet of your blood," Ji Changxi commanded.
Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao complied.
Amid soft coughing, two droplets of blood exuding an ominous aura floated before everyone's eyes.
The elders observed from afar, and silence fell over the hall for a time.
Suddenly, an almost imperceptible flicker of astonishment passed across Ji Changxi's face.
Chapter 517