Nowhere to Flee

Li Fan walked through the Dadao Sect, his mind awash with countless thoughts. Lanterns and colored banners hung throughout the mountain gate, finally thinning the gloomy atmosphere cast by so many tribulations. Whenever disciples crossed paths with Li Fan, they paused, bowing respectfully. Li Fan nodded in return to each of them. As the Sect Master's Dao companion, Li Fan had attained what ordinary cultivators spent their entire lives dreaming of: nearly inexhaustible cultivation resources, along with deference that—even if not necessarily sincere—everyone was obliged to feign. Yet at this very moment, Li Fan had already made up his mind. He would find an opportunity to flee the Dadao Sect as soon as possible. *Senior Sister Zhao has only just ascended to Sect Master and is busy handling affairs of every scale within the sect. Representatives from other sects also arrive regularly to offer congratulations, and she has to find time to meet with them.* *Right now is her busiest time, when she is paying least attention to me.* *If I miss this chance and wait until she catches her breath...* With that thought, Li Fan's resolve hardened. Two days later, seizing a moment when no one was paying attention, he slipped alone to the sect's exit. Looking back at the scenery of the Dadao Sect, Li Fan suddenly remembered Senior Sister Zhao's familiar presence, sharing days and nights with him over the past century, and hesitation briefly tugged at him. In the end, he gritted his teeth and flew out. He sped eastward without stopping until he crossed beyond the borders of the Dadao Sect's territory. Only then did the inexplicable sense of crisis lingering in his heart slowly dissipate. *My premonition was right after all!* he thought to himself. Just as he was quietly congratulating himself on escaping to safety, Li Fan noticed two streaks of radiant light surging from behind, overtaking him. In the blink of an eye, they landed before him, barring his way. "Where does Nephew wish to go?" a long-browed elder asked, eyeing Li Fan with a beaming smile. "Uncle Dong, Senior Uncle Jiang..." Li Fan's expression instantly turned grim. These two were members among the Dadao Sect's seventeen Dao Integration elders. It seemed his escape plan had been discovered after all. Even so, Li Fan had no intention of waiting around for death. "Haha, allow me to explain to my seniors. Though I share in the honor of Senior Sister's ascension to Sect Master, the truth is that I feel rather troubled inside. "Senior Sister now holds an exalted status, and her strength grows by the day. As her Dao companion, I possess only Soul Formation cultivation, so gossip is inevitable. The pressure on my mind is truly immense." Feigning a thoroughly distressed demeanor, Li Fan slowly drew closer to the two of them. "The sect is being rebuilt, and every disciple has their duties. I alone idle away my days with nothing to do. It really is..." Without the slightest warning, a beam of chaotic gray light shot from Li Fan's eyes, striking straight at the faces of Elders Dong and Jiang. It was none other than the vicious divine ability from the *Soul-Severing Spirit-Illuminating Art* he cultivated—the God-Slashing Soul-Striking Light. It could directly injure a cultivator's divine soul. Even against Dao Integration cultivators, Li Fan was confident they would suffer a terrible loss if caught unprepared! Without waiting to see their reaction, he immediately activated the Spirit-Illuminating Escape Technique, preparing to flee the area at top speed. Only then did Li Fan discover to his horror that the surrounding space had already been completely locked down at some unknown point. Fast as his escape technique was, there was nowhere to use it. Moreover, as though they had long anticipated his sneak attack, Dong and Jiang each held a precious mirror before their chests, parrying the God-Slashing Soul-Striking Light. At the same time, they looked at Li Fan, their eyes brimming with identical sneers. "The entire sect has witnessed how well the Sect Master treats you, Nephew. And yet you would commit treason against the sect... "If the Sect Master were to learn of this, who knows how heartbroken she would be?" Li Fan tried to struggle, but the two joined forces to seize him, leaving him unable to move an inch. *I'm finished!* Li Fan groaned inwardly. After being dragged back to the sect, he did not see Senior Sister Zhao. Instead, his cultivation was completely sealed, and he was thrown into a secret chamber. Though called a secret chamber, it was no different from a prison cell. Li Fan had initially assumed he would see Senior Sister Zhao soon, and his mind had lined up and arranged countless words, hoping to save his life through sheer eloquence. Yet to his utter disbelief, Senior Sister Zhao—and indeed the entire Dadao Sect—seemed to have forgotten him entirely. Not another soul ever came to visit. Within that claustrophobic space, there was nothing besides Li Fan himself. He could not even cultivate. Whenever he tried to focus his mind on training, or contemplate and deduce divine abilities and techniques, endless mockery and jeering echoed from the surrounding walls. It agitated him, preventing him from concentrating. Presumably, this was designed to keep him from breaking the sealing shackles. At first, Li Fan was able to maintain his composure. But as time wore on, even someone of his disposition began to feel bored. Later, it turned into irritability and fury. Eventually, it drove him mad. He hurled his mortal flesh and blood against the hard walls of the chamber again and again. Naturally, apart from reducing himself to a bloody mess, it accomplished nothing. In the end, the light in Li Fan's eyes slowly dimmed into murkiness. He sat dumbly on the floor, like a statue stripped of its soul. After an unknown stretch of time, on this day... The chamber's long-sealed door slammed open. For a long while, no one entered. Li Fan acted as if he had not seen it, offering no reaction whatsoever. He merely let the door stay wide open, completely indifferent. A full dozen days passed before a glimmer of life returned to his eyes. He struggled to prop himself up, trembling as he took a step toward the exit. Yet because he had not walked for so long, his unaccustomed body gave out, and he crashed to the floor. Li Fan struggled continuously, got back to his feet, and stepped out once more. He took only one step before collapsing again. Stumbling and crawling the entire way, by the time he emerged once more into the outside world, he had finally barely returned to normal. The Dadao Sect before his eyes seemed no different from how he remembered it. Disciples walked among the peaks, cultivating. It was even a bit livelier than before. Except... It was utterly silent. Across the entire sect, not a whisper of conversation or bickering could be heard. It was as if every cultivator living here were mute. Or rather... Their minds were all connected as one, completely eliminating the need for a crude method like speech to communicate. Even without glances or divine sense, they understood one another's intentions perfectly. Li Fan stumbled through the sect. Trapped for countless years, he had long since become a disheveled wreck. Yet everyone seemed blind to his presence. They merely continued with their own actions as if nothing had changed. This pervasive sense of alienation eroded Li Fan's mind. Finally, after searching across the entire sect without finding his target, Li Fan could bear it no longer. "Senior Sister!" "Senior Sister, where on earth are you?!" He had to think for a long time before remembering how to speak. Then he bellowed with a hoarse throat. His voice grew louder and louder. It echoed through the entire Dadao Sect. And at that moment, every cultivator within the sect turned, in perfect unison, to look at him.