Chapter 8

High in the sky, an unusual phenomenon reappeared!

A massive sword, forged through countless hammerings, had been placed in a dark corner, neglected for a thousand years.

As time passed, its blade no longer shone, its edge no longer sharp, and its entire body was covered in rust!

However, a sudden surge of anger and unwillingness arose!

The rust continued to erode, but the sword's mystic power and majesty grew even more formidable with each passing day!

"Daoxuan, a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, practiced Dao for 201 years and achieved his foundation with the peculiar [Rusty Sword Daoxuan]. In the Immortal Barren Land, he fought to the death, ultimately falling to the Foundation Establishment cultivator Kou Hong."

"Now that he is dead, his Dao has returned to the heavens!"

A brilliant scene illuminated the sky for thousands of miles.

"Daoxuan..." Kou Hong looked up at the magnificent sight, seemingly stunned, muttering to himself.

All the soldiers present also looked up at the sky, entranced.

"I am Li Fan, greeting the Immortal Master."

At this moment, an old man with white hair and beard, leaning on a cane, shakily walked up to Kou Hong.

Kou Hong ignored him, and Li Fan did not rush, standing by and waiting patiently, while also signaling the soldiers to wait.

After a long while, when the unusual phenomenon in the sky had dissipated, Kou Hong finally turned to Li Fan.

"Are you the leader of the mortals here?" Kou Hong's tone was harsh, clearly not impressed with Li Fan. "The voices from the four directions earlier were yours, right?"

"A minor trick, not worthy of the Immortal Master's attention." Li Fan clasped his hands, avoiding the topic, and bowed deeply: "I humbly request the Immortal Master's compassion to save the lives of over a thousand of my people."

"Compassion..." Kou Hong sneered. "My battle with Daoxuan was a matter of skill and fate. You, a mere mortal, dared to interfere in the battle between us cultivators."

He looked at Li Fan, his words filled with killing intent: "Speaking of which, although Daoxuan and I fought to the death over the Core Formation technique, he was still my brother for over a hundred years. Now that you have betrayed him, should I kill you to avenge Daoxuan?"

Ignoring Kou Hong's aggressive tone, Li Fan only smiled bitterly: "It was just a desperate attempt for survival! As I said before, if the Immortal Master had lost, my people would have been doomed."

Kou Hong's expression softened. He sighed lightly: "A desperate attempt for survival. You're right. The world is harsh, and who isn't struggling for a glimmer of hope?"

Seeing Kou Hong's tone soften, Li Fan quickly pressed on: "Previously, Daoxuan... the Immortal Master promised me that if..."

Before he could finish, Kou Hong frowned and interrupted: "If it's about that, you might be disappointed. Daoxuan probably never intended to keep his promise."

Li Fan was taken aback: "What do you mean, Immortal Master?"

Kou Hong said with a hint of sarcasm: "For a hundred years, Daoxuan always appeared upright and resolute, but in reality, he had no principles and even deceived mortals."

He paused, looking at Li Fan's expression, and continued: "The Immortal Barren Array is extremely dangerous. We were able to enter it partly due to luck. Even we would find it difficult to leave, let alone bring mortals with us."

"What? You don't know how to leave this place either?" Li Fan was shocked, his face turning pale. The hope he had held for over a hundred years was shattered by the cultivator's words, nearly breaking his spirit.

Fortunately, Li Fan had been through many trials and had a strong will. He steadied himself and said to Kou Hong: "This is not the place to talk. Please follow me, Immortal Master."

He led Kou Hong through the ruins of Xuanjing City for a while, arriving at an underground shelter.

During the battle between Kou Hong and Daoxuan, the soldiers had hidden in these shelters. There were over a hundred such shelters of various sizes in Xuanjing City.

Although the shelter was deep underground, it was well-lit and well-ventilated, making it comfortable.

Kou Hong looked around with interest, praising the ceiling lights: "No wonder Daoxuan sought your cooperation. Your ability to harness and control lightning is impressive. It seems that the mortals in the Immortal Barren Land have developed quite well over the millennia. The hidden weapons you used earlier were also quite powerful."

He then shook his head: "Unfortunately, these artifacts are only useful in this broken land. Outside, under the pressure of the Great Dao, they would be useless."

"By the way, when did Daoxuan find you and ask you to betray me here? The timing doesn't add up. Could he have secretly cultivated the art of creating avatars?" Kou Hong suddenly remembered something and asked.

Li Fan remained calm, about to answer, but Kou Hong suddenly lost interest and waved his hand: "Forget it, why dwell on this. After death, everything is void." He then sat down, looking dejected, clearly affected by Daoxuan's death.

"It's best not to ask. The more you say, the more likely you'll slip up," Li Fan thought to himself.

He then asked anxiously: "Is it true that the Immortal Master cannot take mortals out of this Immortal Barren Land?"

Kou Hong sneered: "Why would I lie to you, a mere mortal? Perhaps a Core Formation cultivator could protect mortals through the Immortal Barren Array, but at the Foundation Establishment stage, it's impossible!"

"Of course, if you don't mind being reduced to fragments, I could try."

Ignoring Kou Hong's not-so-funny joke, Li Fan persisted: "Is there really no hope for us mortals to leave this world?"

Kou Hong thought for a moment and shook his head: "To leave the Immortal Barren Land, one must pass through the Immortal Barren Array. For a mere mortal, it's impossible. Any attempt would be suicidal. Besides, you're already in your twilight years. Why are you so determined to leave? Being a local king isn't bad, is it?"

Kou Hong looked unconvinced.

"Even if I die, I want to leave something for my descendants," Li Fan persisted. "If my descendants can cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage like the Immortal Master, wouldn't they have a chance to leave?"

Kou Hong laughed: "Not to mention that there's no spiritual energy here for cultivation. Even if there were, the mortals here are tainted with miasma. How can they cultivate?"

Kou Hong sneered: "I advise you to give up this idea. For you mortals to cultivate, you would need to reshape your bodies and cleanse the miasma in the outside world. Otherwise, even if the path to immortality is right in front of you, you won't be able to reach it."

After a series of questions, Li Fan seemed to finally give up.

"Immortal and mortal are forever apart, forever apart..." Li Fan muttered, looking lost. "So, there really is no way?"

"Really no way." Seeing Li Fan's extreme dejection, Kou Hong felt strangely elated.

"Really no way." He repeated.

"As the Immortal Master says, immortal and mortal are forever apart." Li Fan sighed deeply.

"Yes, yes, yes." Kou Hong nodded repeatedly.

"Since immortal and mortal cannot coexist..." Li Fan paused, speaking each word clearly, "how can I, a mere mortal, fully trust the Immortal Master's words?"

His demeanor suddenly changed. The flattery in his eyes disappeared, replaced by the look of a hunter who has spotted his prey.

"What do you mean?" Kou Hong was stunned. Looking at the ordinary old man before him, he suddenly felt a dangerous aura.

"Just a desperate attempt for survival!" Li Fan looked at Kou Hong, his face expressionless.

The ground beneath Li Fan's feet suddenly cracked open.

The mechanism closed again, and in an instant, Li Fan vanished into thin air.

Kou Hong stared in shock at this sudden change, his heart racing, sensing an extreme danger approaching.

Before he could react, he saw thick miasma-laden fog pouring out from all corners of the room.

"Ah!"

Kou Hong let out a scream, drowning in the fog.