"The first cultivator infected by the immortal-mortal miasma was also the very person who created it."
...
Li Fan's voice echoed faintly.
Master Yin did not refute him. He merely clutched his hair fiercely, appearing utterly tormented by this truth.
"How could it be... How could that be..." he muttered incessantly, his expression lost and grief-stricken.
After a long silence, Li Fan continued speaking in a steady, measured voice. "The immortal-mortal miasma was forged by defying the principles of Heaven and Earth."
"The only one capable of creating such a miasma..."
"Was a Longevity Heavenly Venerable! In other words, what lies before us are the remains of a Longevity cultivator under the new method."
"The instant the immortal-mortal miasma was born within his body, he attained the Longevity realm according to the rules established by Heavenly Venerable's new method. But at the same time..."
"The rule power named the immortal-mortal miasma began to rage and tear through his body from within."
"'Though mortal, one may slay an immortal.' The potency of the immortal-mortal miasma is known to all throughout the Xuanhuang Realm. Yet I believe that if that Longevity Heavenly Venerable had wished to preserve his own life, he was entirely capable of doing so. But he chose not to."
"Because the moment he did, it would mean he had broken the very rules he had forged. While it might not have caused his defiance of principles to fail..."
Li Fan paused, seemingly pondering and deducing.
Only after a moment did he say with resonant certainty, "It would very likely have left a loophole: that a Longevity Heavenly Venerable could disregard the power of the immortal-mortal miasma."
"To prevent such a thing from happening, he allowed the immortal-mortal miasma to consume him. In essence, he buried himself with his own hands..."
"And all he gained in return was a single outcome: no cultivator of Xuanhuang, regardless of cultivation—from Qi Condensation at the lowest to a Longevity Heavenly Venerable at the highest—could escape the effects of the immortal-mortal miasma."
Li Fan's expression turned solemn. "Yet..."
"What meaning was there in that?"
"In merely a few thousand years, the immortal-mortal miasma has become little more than a nominal threat. So long as they take proper precautions, can cultivators not still slaughter mortals at will?"
"What purpose could have driven this Longevity Heavenly Venerable to throw away his own life just to create the immortal-mortal miasma?"
A deep perplexity surfaced on Li Fan's face.
This was not an act; it came straight from his heart.
Master Yin remained silent, offering no answer.
With a gentle wave of his hand, the transparent barrier before him vanished. He carefully lifted the white rib from the ground, caressing it tenderly as though handling a peerless treasure.
"Back then, the first moment I saw this rib, it was as if the appearance of its master when alive rose before my eyes."
"What a peerlessly perfect countenance that was! Even if all the world's most splendid words were gathered together, they could not describe a fraction of it."
"Yet such a perfect person died from infection by the immortal-mortal miasma. Back then, I secretly swore to myself that I would find the culprit who created the miasma and caused this perfect person to fall, and then..."
Master Yin let out a wretched laugh. "Never did I imagine that after searching for all these years, the so-called murderer had been before me all along."
"And all this time, I never knew... I never knew!"
His mind thrown into immense turmoil, Master Yin violently coughed up a great mouthful of blood.
Wiping his mouth gently, he gripped the rib with all his might, veins bulging along his hands.
Watching this scene, Li Fan suddenly recalled the image of when he had first met Master Yin.
Just as he was now, disheveled and ragged.
Murmuring incessantly under his breath: *I must find you... I must find you...*
And now, he had finally found the supposed murderer.
Yet this outcome was not something he could easily accept.
To spend more than half a lifetime in bitter pursuit, only for the culprit to be the victim himself.
What a cruel irony.
*No wonder every time he learned the truth, he would immolate himself not long after,* Li Fan thought quietly.
Li Fan also recalled that in a previous lifetime, Su Changyu had arrived on Yinyin Island by a twist of fate and had been taught the technique of establishing the foundation with oneself.
The reason Master Yin had done so was because of Su Changyu's attempts to save the mortals on the island.
Back then, Master Yin had asked: *"Why? Why would an immortal cultivator like you try to save these mortals?"*
Looking back now, it seemed he had not merely been questioning Su Changyu.
More than that, it was his own lack of understanding toward the actions of the Longevity Heavenly Venerable who had created the immortal-mortal miasma.
It was not just Master Yin; Li Fan was equally incapable of comprehending such an act.
Even stepping back ten thousand paces, if there truly were someone in this world noble enough to willingly sacrifice their life to protect mortals...
At the very least, it ought to have been effective for the sacrifice to have meaning, shouldn't it?
Judging by the Xuanhuang Realm's current state, the plight of mortals had merely improved slightly. They were still slaughtered at will by immortal cultivators, completely powerless to protect themselves.
Just like Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi back then.
Foundation Establishment cultivators could effortlessly raze a mortal city to the ground.
Compared to before the birth of the immortal-mortal miasma, nothing seemed fundamentally different.
If that was all he had wanted...
Then it was not nobility; it was foolishness.
Li Fan firmly believed that a cultivator capable of defying the principles of Heaven and Earth could never be such a person.
Then what was his true purpose?
While Li Fan was deep in thought, Master Yin staggered to his feet, pressed the white rib against his chest, and carefully tucked it away.
After a moment's consideration, Li Fan voiced the question lingering in his mind.
Master Yin gave a bitter, tragic smile. "Has Fellow Daoist still not realized? He did it not only for the mortals of the world, but even more so for the world's cultivators."
"The world's cultivators?" Li Fan shook visibly, as if an idea had just struck him.
"After the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable defied the principles of Heaven and Earth to establish the new method, all cultivators under heaven had to practice according to it. In theory, no matter how brilliant or extraordinarily gifted future cultivators might be, they could never step outside the framework he laid down."
"They were doomed to be eternally suppressed by Chuanfa. In a certain sense, to the cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm, Chuanfa is an invincible existence." Master Yin's mental state seemed somewhat unstable, and he spoke in halting bursts.
Meanwhile, a scene suddenly surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
A figure in white, sighing toward the heavens: *"The immortal path ahead cannot be trodden, for the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable looms above!"*
"Yet he, at the cost of his own life, created a possibility for the cultivators of Xuanhuang—a possibility of threatening Chuanfa." Master Yin froze for a moment before continuing.
"Though both were Longevity Heavenly Venerables, Chuanfa's combat strength might have been far superior, but their fundamental status was identical. Since the immortal-mortal miasma could inflict fatal damage upon him, by that same token..."
"The immortal-mortal miasma could also gravely wound or even kill the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable!" Master Yin's voice inexplicably rose slightly, carrying a trace of agitation.
"Ever since the great catastrophe, the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable has practically vanished from the world. Even after re-establishing the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals later on, he rarely showed himself. Who is to say this wasn't a factor? Because he was afraid too! Haha!"
Master Yin's demeanor grew increasingly manic.
"He not only found a way for the world's cultivators to kill Chuanfa, but he also pointed out a path to thoroughly dismantle Chuanfa! After all, relying solely on the immortal-mortal miasma to kill the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable..."
"While the possibility existed, the chance of success was far too low."
"Yet the method he demonstrated to dismantle Chuanfa's order was entirely viable!" Overcome by emotion once more, Master Yin spat out another mouthful of blood.
"Since the immortal-mortal miasma could become a flaw in Chuanfa, why couldn't more flaws be created? So long as there were mighty experts capable of attaining the Longevity realm who were willing to sacrifice themselves..."
"Chuanfa's flaws would inevitably multiply! One day, riddled with a thousand holes, it would shatter at the slightest poke!"
Master Yin's eyes opened wide.
"If only there were others like him, willing to sacrifice themselves..."
Hearing this, Li Fan remained silent.
To expect the people of the world to possess such enlightenment...
Was simply asking the impossible.
On one hand lay the carefree freedom of enduring longevity; on the other lay gambling one's own life on a vague, intangible possibility for the future...
Any ordinary person would know what to choose.
Yet he was no ordinary person.
Master Yin laughed bitterly. "Thousands of years in Xuanhuang, and not a single second cultivator has done the same."
"They truly deserve to die! Every last one of them deserves to die..."
Li Fan offered comforting words. "Fellow Daoist Yin, do not be so extreme."
Master Yin paid Li Fan no heed whatsoever. In fact, the gaze he turned upon Li Fan gradually took on an edge of hostility. "What do you understand?"
He pulled the white rib from his robe and said with utter contempt, "I know that all cultivators in the world cherish their lives. Aren't so many people walking the path of cultivation precisely because they fear death?"
"Yet how could your lives ever compare to his?"
"He... he..."
Faint streaks of blood suddenly seeped from Master Yin's eyes. "He was already a Longevity Heavenly Venerable to begin with!"
These words struck like a thunderbolt against Li Fan's divine soul.
Even with his composure, he could not help but blurt out, "What?"
"He was already a Longevity Heavenly Venerable to begin with? What do you mean by that?"
Li Fan pressed urgently.
"What do I mean? Exactly what it sounds like! Before the ancient method perished, he was the final ancient method Longevity Heavenly Venerable to attain Longevity through the power of Heaven and Earth!" Master Yin enunciated each word clearly.
"Only the bone of an Ancient Heavenly Venerable could be like this, as if crafted by Heaven and Earth itself..."
As Master Yin spoke, he stroked the rib with obsessive devotion.
Then his gaze suddenly turned sinister again, glaring at Li Fan.
After a tense stalemate, Master Yin abruptly looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with suspicion, uncertainty, and total bewilderment.
At the same time, he murmured under his breath, "Besides, he wasn't like those thieves. His Longevity was granted freely by this world."
"He could have easily just left this place..."
Li Fan did not disturb him, quietly committing every word Master Yin uttered to memory.
*An ancient method Longevity? And a distinct kind of Longevity realm at that.*
*No wonder his performance in both the Beast Taming Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect was so utterly invincible.*
*But just when did he become a Longevity cultivator?*
*Or could it be that when he reached the heavens in a single step back then, he didn't merely jump from mortal to Soul Formation...*
*But transformed in one breath from a mortal into a Longevity Heavenly Venerable?*
Li Fan could not help feeling a sense of absurdity.
Such advancement was simply unprecedented and would never be seen again!
*If that was truly the case, it borders on the ridiculous.*
*No matter how favored someone was by the Heavenly Dao, it wouldn't treat him like this.*
*This wasn't treating him as a favored child of heaven; it was treating him like an honored ancestor.*
*Could it be that in his previous life, he saved the Xuanhuang Realm...*
Thinking this, a sudden thought inexplicably flashed through Li Fan's mind.
He froze slightly.
*That... couldn't be, could it?*
He quickly sorted through his thoughts, but the suspicion in his heart only grew clearer.
Equally perfect as a person.
Equally caring toward all living beings of Xuanhuang.
The King of Profound Heaven had mysteriously vanished.
Years later, another mortal was born into the world.
Favored by the Heavenly Dao to an extent that bordered on the preposterous.
Connecting all these pieces together faintly formed an answer.
Li Fan could not resist thinking: *Could it be...*
*Mr. Bai is the reincarnation of the King of Profound Heaven?*
Indeed, the face reconstructed from the skull was identical to Mr. Bai's.
As for why rumors in the world claimed that the first cultivator infected by the immortal-mortal miasma was surnamed Su...
That was because...
Li Fan could not help recalling the scene he had witnessed back in the Fallen Immortal Realm.
*"Gouzi was an abandoned defective product. If not for Xiao Bai—"*
Just as yellow-haired Lu Ya was explaining to Li Fan, someone had kicked him hard from behind.
He had patted his backside with an embarrassed expression.
Lu Ya had hurriedly corrected himself: *"If Mr. Bai hadn't stepped in to treat him, Gouzi probably would have lost his life long ago."*
...
Indeed, the reason Mr. Bai was called Mr. Bai was that the orphans of Ningyuan City, upon hearing the name "Xiao Bai," had coined it as a respectful title for him.
Perhaps they did not even know the true name of the kindest person in the world.
And given Mr. Bai's temperament, even if he knew it was a misunderstanding on the children's part, he most likely would not have stopped or corrected them.
So long as the children were happy.
After all, "Mr. Bai" sounded rather pleasant.
*Su Bai...*
*Was that his name?*
*Attaining Longevity through the old method, defying the principles of Heaven and Earth, and achieving Longevity anew under the new method.*
*I originally believed that no one in the world could accomplish such a feat, yet to think...*
Li Fan recalled the conversation he had overheard earlier between Sun Qi and Sun Liancheng.
*"The more one is favored by Heaven and Earth, the harder it is to defy its principles."*
*"And the deeper the backlash suffered."*
*Under such circumstances, he was still able to defy the principles of Heaven and Earth...*
Li Fan fell increasingly silent.
His thoughts surged, and who knew how much time passed.
An anomaly before him pulled Li Fan back to reality.
A bizarre fluctuation of energy emanated from Master Yin's body.
Li Fan could tell that Master Yin's current state was deeply abnormal.
It seemed as though he could lose control at any moment.
Yet in this state, he also seemed capable of peering into many of Heaven and Earth's secrets, uncovering the entirety of the past and present of the rib's master.
"Why? Why?"
Master Yin clutched his head in agony as a vertical line slowly surfaced down the center of his body.
It looked as though he might split in two at any second.
Li Fan quietly backed away a short distance.
Master Yin writhed and rolled across the ground in torment, while Li Fan could faintly hear continuous explosions echoing from the secret chamber beneath Yinyin Island where Master Yin's countless corpses were stored.
Tremors and subtle droning hummed without pause.
After an unknown amount of time, Master Yin suddenly sprang up, an expression of wild excitement on his face. "I understand now!"
Chapter 960