As if in response to the figure's words, the entire world plunged into darkness in an instant.
Xu Bai could even faintly hear helpless, sorrowful wails.
Then, the frail figure shook his head slightly and turned around.
Meeting Xu Bai's gaze.
Boom!
Xu Bai's mind detonated into an overwhelming roar. For to his utter horror, he discovered that the figure possessed the exact same face as himself!
No...
His vision blurred, and the face suddenly shifted. Xu Bai seemed to see Mr. Bai's peerless visage once more.
Only, it differed somewhat from what he had seen back at the Beast Taming Sect; no longer did it radiate that transcendent elegance like a celestial being. Instead, it bore an added measure of compassionate sorrow and grief. It felt more real, tinged with the flavor of a "mortal."
His clear eyes seemed to harbor countless emotions and untold stories.
Like a vortex, it gradually swallowed Xu Bai's mind.
...
"Awaken!"
A soft shout rang like the toll of a great brass bell, seemingly arriving from beyond the heavens. Piercing through the barrier of endless worlds, it abruptly struck Xu Bai's ears.
Xu Bai's eyes instantly shifted from murky and vacant back to a spark of lucidity.
Looking once more at Mr. Bai before him, the flesh on his face was actually melting away slowly like candle wax. That face, once breathtakingly beautiful, now appeared eerie and grotesque.
In just a few moments, the horrifying anomaly on Mr. Bai's face had spread across his entire body.
As though shorn away by a gust of wind, in the blink of an eye he was reduced to a stark-white skeleton.
Hollow eye sockets stared straight at Xu Bai.
Xu Bai recoiled in shuddering shock.
The surrounding scene cracked like spiderwebbed glass, shattering into pieces in an instant.
A slight sensation of dizziness washed over him, and the illusion vanished entirely.
The black-robed cultivator who had come to receive him swept his gaze over Xu Bai for a moment before speaking slowly: "In this space, a wisp of the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable's aura lingers. Any cultivator arriving here for the first time will be touched by it and experience an illusion."
Xu Bai, who was not visiting the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters for the first time, naturally knew this.
The previous time, when his true body came, he had seen the statue of the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable towering into the heavens.
From that statue, Li Fan had felt an intense sense of crisis, as well as a faint, elusive familiarity.
Yet this time, when his avatar—crafted from Xu Ke's essence blood and Mr. Bai's divine charm—arrived here, what it witnessed was such a bizarre scene.
"The immortal path ahead cannot be walked; the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable stands above..."
"Mr. Bai's face actually shifted to match this avatar's exactly. And in the end, that chilling sight of him turning into white bone..."
"What on earth does all of this forebode?"
Even having broken free of the illusion, Xu Bai still seemed steeped in the shock it brought.
He merely followed behind the leading black-robed cultivator out of instinct.
Perhaps Xu Bai's heaven-defying looks had played a part, for seeing his state, the black-robed cultivator did not disturb him either, silently leading the way.
Only when the two passed through a teleportation formation, transforming into beams of light and hurtling swiftly through the space of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters, did Xu Bai slowly emerge from the lingering effects of the illusion.
Only then did the black-robed guide explain to Xu Bai: "This wisp of aura left behind by the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable is what we commonly refer to as 'Chuanfa's True Intent.' Chuanfa's True Intent is profound beyond measure, possessing infinite wonders. Cultivators are only affected by it and see illusions when caught off guard on their very first entrance into the Alliance headquarters' space. Once one has stayed here for some time and the body has adapted to the presence of Chuanfa's True Intent, encountering the illusion again becomes extraordinarily difficult."
In the previous life, when Li Fan's true body had arrived here alongside Han Yi and Ximen Yue, the guide had not explained things in such detail.
"It seems judging people by appearances is human nature. Even we immortal cultivators are not exempt," Xu Bai mentally quipped. Seizing the opportunity, he pressed further: "According to what Senior says, facing 'Chuanfa's True Intent' seems exceedingly rare, happening only once in a lifetime. But aside from seeing some illusions, I haven't noticed any other effect?"
The black-robed cultivator said gravely: "What we cultivate is all the new method imparted by the Heavenly Venerable. Therefore, when we face 'Chuanfa's True Intent,' what we see is not merely a simple illusion. It is very likely connected to each person's 'Ultimate of the Dao.'"
Without waiting for Xu Bai to ask, he took the initiative to explain the "Ultimate of the Dao": "Every cultivator, from the moment they step onto the path of cultivation, generally feels that the immortal path is vast and nebulous, the road ahead perilous. How to cultivate each realm, and how to choose the method that suits oneself best—all of these must be fumbled through on our own.
"Yet in life there are no second chances. Once a mistake is made, one can only live with lifelong regret, forever cutting oneself off from the Grand Dao. Thus, with every step we take, we must be cautious, careful in the extreme.
"The 'Ultimate of the Dao' is, in the eyes of the Heavenly Venerable, the final destination on the path of cultivation best suited to us. What kind of supreme figure is the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable? His vision is higher than ours by who knows how many folds. What he identifies is practically no different from absolute truth.
"That is why the illusion just now was truly of paramount importance. You may ponder and contemplate it day and night; each time will surely yield great gains."
Countless floating landmasses flashed past behind them.
The black-robed guide unhurriedly recounted the mystical wonders of Chuanfa's True Intent.
He concluded with an emotional sigh: "Our cultivation is like a road ascending to the heavens, shrouded in layers of thick fog. With the slightest carelessness or misstep, one falls to be dashed to pieces.
"And the Ultimate of the Dao revealed by Chuanfa's True Intent is like a radiant torch lit at the very summit of that skyward ascent. Its light pierces the fog and illuminates the way.
"This is the Heavenly Venerable's mercy toward all living beings under heaven!"
When the two reverted from beams of light back into human form and set foot on solid ground once more, the black-robed cultivator ceased his speech at the same moment, returning to his original cold demeanor.
A straight, greenish-blue stone road led directly to a tall black stele at its end.
That was where the headquarters of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' Protector Hall was situated.
Stepping onto the Path of Law-Audience, the spiritual energy in his body instantly settled and went dormant.
Like a mortal, Xu Bai walked toward his destination step by step, grounded and steady.
It was a rather long journey.
Only upon reaching the end did the black-robed guide speak again, his tone gentle: "Present the Law-Audience Jade Plaque here, and you may proceed inside. I cannot enter, however, so I will wait for you here."
Xu Bai bowed slightly, then retrieved the jade plaque.
Just as in his previous life, a rainbow passageway materialized from the stele, and Xu Bai strode into it with broad steps.
...
"Applicant for the Yanfa Jade: Xu Bai.
"Serial Number: 03. Clearance Level: Dao Integration.
"Please wait patiently here. Estimated remaining wait time: thirteen shichen."
A somewhat familiar voice echoed in Xu Bai's ears.
Chapter 707