As Senior Sister Zhao spoke, the figure of Ji Changxi, the former Sect Master of the Dadao Sect, suddenly appeared before Li Fan and began to recount:
"Back then, we were too young after all. We thought we had hidden ourselves well enough, never imagining that a true powerhouse could deduce the techniques we cultivated from a single drop of blood."
"The cultivation arts of the Profound Heaven Sect are divided from top to bottom into four ranks: Xuan, Heaven, Earth, and Yellow. The four arts we obtained from those ruins were all of the highest Xuan rank."
"Not only were they profoundly miraculous, rivaling the core transmissions of the Dadao Sect, but they possessed a particular wonder that set even the heart of Ji Changxi, the Dadao Sect's Sect Master, pounding with desire."
"Rumor had it that all Profound Heaven Sect arts originated from the sect's supreme treasure: the Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror. Cultivating them to great depths allowed one to establish a connection with that mirror."
"Though Ji Changxi wished he could capture us on the spot and thoroughly search our souls, he knew that the Profound Heaven Sect's techniques possessed built-in safeguards. Even if an outsider attempted to pry into them by force, all they would obtain was a corrupted, distorted falsehood."
"The practitioner had to write it out willingly by their own hand. What was more, his strength back then was merely at the late Dao Integration stage, not much stronger than mine. A forced confrontation offered no guarantee of victory."
"So he decided to play the long game."
"Ji Changxi" suddenly sneered. "On one hand, he deliberately dispatched us on various missions to suppress the growth of our cultivation, while he used the authority and resources of the Sect Master to advance his own."
"On the other hand, he scoured countless ancient tomes, trying to find a way to crack the encryption on the Profound Heaven Sect's arts."
"In truth, he almost succeeded. Within the secret vaults of the Dadao Sect, Ji Changxi found the relics obtained when the Profound Heaven Sect was destroyed in the past."
"Among them was a secret art named Usurping Heaven, which the Profound Heaven Sect had devised for purging its own members. It could not only strip away the victim's technique and cultivation completely, but also graft the realms and power gained from cultivating the Profound Heaven Sect arts onto oneself."
"And so, the day we returned to the mountain gate, he could hardly wait to summon me..."
Ji Changxi's face shifted, twisting amid light and shadow until it reverted to Senior Sister Zhao's breathtakingly stunning appearance.
"Unfortunately for him, despite all his scheming, he never counted on the fact that I cultivated more than one Profound Heaven Sect technique."
"Even less did he expect that I had long found him an eyesore and wished to replace him."
Senior Sister Zhao reached out and caressed Li Fan's face, her gaze misty. "Junior Brother, do you know what kind of agony it is to be soaked in tens of thousands of drops of blood brimming with the Immortal Plague?"
"Even our Sect Master Ji couldn't withstand it."
"The only pity is that the Immortal Plague ravaged him too severely, forcing me to abandon a portion of him."
She lightly licked her lips, as though recalling that exquisite flavor from back then.
"The Eternal Sole Self Incantation... when mastered, nothing remains in this world besides oneself. It was far too sinister, which was why you didn't choose it back then, Junior Brother."
"Do you feel some regret now, Junior Brother?" she asked softly.
A flicker of regret truly did cross Li Fan's mind.
Yet stubborn to the end, he retorted stiffly, "Hmph. What use is regret? It's already in the past, and there's no chance to start over..."
Li Fan suddenly froze.
In that fleeting instant, a strange sensation welled up from deep within him.
It felt as though, if he truly wished it, he possessed the power to turn back everything.
Yet...
When he probed carefully, he could not fathom where this feeling came from. A faint sense of loss and confusion stirred in his chest.
Senior Sister Zhao failed to notice the anomaly in Li Fan's heart.
She continued on her own: "Every sip and every bite is predetermined. And so, Junior Brother, all of this was destined."
"I faintly sensed Ji Changxi's malice. To preserve your life and mine, I secretly cultivated the Eternal Sole Self Incantation, seeking a sliver of hope amid his schemes."
"This art truly is domineering beyond measure, embodying the words 'Sole Self' to the absolute limit. Once I began cultivating it, it even gradually erased the memories of the technique from your mind."
"And when I successfully made Sect Master Ji a part of me, I finally attained enlightenment."
"This is our true destination. This is my destiny."
"There is so much chaos and clamor in this world, filled with far too many inconsequential people."
"Therefore, leaving only me is enough."
"What they call: All Minds as One."
As she spoke those words, the faces of every single figure throughout the Dadao Sect transformed into Senior Sister Zhao's countenance.
"Junior Brother, do you still love me?"
"Become one with me, and we shall never part again."
Gazing affectionately at Li Fan, they spoke in unison.
Li Fan did not answer, his expression grim.
A brilliance, pitch-black yet swirling with iridescent colors, materialized above his head.
It finally coalesced into the shape of a flying dagger.
At the same time, Li Fan's aura erupted violently.
Soaring upward from that of a mortal:
Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core...
It rose until it barely halted at the peak of Soul Formation.
As it turned out, Li Fan had broken through the seals upon him long ago.
And he had done so through his dual cultivation with Senior Sister Zhao just moments earlier.
"I thought you missed me dearly, Junior Brother, and that was why you couldn't wait to dual cultivate with me."
"Who knew you had an ulterior motive all along, harboring such wicked intent?"
Even as she said this, Senior Sister Zhao seemed to have sensed Li Fan's covert maneuver long before, her voice carrying not the slightest surprise.
"What? Junior Brother, did you think that restoring your cultivation would allow you to fight me?"
She scrutinized Li Fan with amused curiosity. "Who gave you such courage?"
"The Soul-Extinguishing Blade of the Soul-Severing Spirit-Illuminating Art?"
Faced with her taunt, Li Fan offered no direct answer.
With a solemn visage, he watched the iridescent, pitch-black Soul-Extinguishing Blade flicker incessantly, primed and waiting.
This Soul-Extinguishing Blade was the ultimate lethal art of the Soul-Severing Spirit-Illuminating Art. Despite its ordinary name, it was a desperate gamble that could only be unleashed by sacrificing one's own divine soul.
"All Minds as One... if carried to the end of this path, one can defy the principles of Heaven and Earth, can't they?"
"Senior Sister, you truly are a prodigy blessed by the heavens. What a pity..."
"Your Dao is not my Dao."
"Back then, I swore that I wished to become eternal Dao companions with you, seeking Longevity together, free and untrammeled."
"Those words came from the bottom of my heart, and they remain unchanged to this day."
Li Fan sighed, his eyes brimming with reminiscence.
Just as Senior Sister Zhao momentarily spaced out—
A blinding, intensely blazing light suddenly surged forth from within him!
It illuminated the entire sky above the Dadao Sect.
Even Senior Sister Zhao's myriad bodies couldn't help but squint their eyes shut against the brilliance.
Chapter 525