Chapter 83

"Difficult to cross the sea of the heart..."

The cultivators present listened to what Qin Tang said, some with a dazed expression, as if they had gained some insight.

Others paid no attention at all.

Thus, the second day passed quickly.

Early on the third day, Qin Tang appeared in everyone's field of vision as usual.

However, this time he was not drinking, no longer drunk, and looked much more spirited.

"Today is the final test," Qin Tang surveyed the cultivators present, his expression serious.

"On the path of cultivation, you will always encounter countless difficulties or temptations. Can you remain steadfast and not change your初心?"

"Let me see for myself."

As Qin Tang spoke, everyone felt a sudden darkness before their eyes and lost consciousness.

...

In a small village in the mountains, Li Fan lay on the roof, watching the setting sun, always feeling that he had forgotten something.

Growing up in the mountain village, he lived a life of working from sunrise to sunset every day.

This had continued for fifteen years.

Such a life was simple and happy.

If he continued to live like this, it wouldn't be so bad.

But deep in his heart, there was always a stirring, feeling that he should not end his life so ordinarily.

"Fan'er, Fan'er, where are you? Come home for dinner!"

Li Fan was unmoved by his mother's call.

He looked up at the sky, watching the freely soaring birds, the eternal sun and moon, and was lost in thought.

Until night fell, and the stars filled the sky.

Under the vast starry sky, he felt even smaller.

He watched all night.

As dawn approached, he suddenly had an epiphany.

With a flip, he jumped off the roof.

He rushed into the house and loudly said to his mother, who was still asleep: "Mother, cancel the marriage with the neighbor's daughter."

"I won't get married. I'm going to cultivate immortality!"

His mother, still half-asleep, was suddenly frightened awake, thinking her child had gone mad, and quickly got up to grab Li Fan's hand: "Cultivate what immortality! Where are there any immortals! Child, wake up!"

Li Fan pulled away his mother's hand, his young face full of determination: "I don't know where the immortals are, but I will definitely find them."

With that, he packed his bags simply and took a big step out of the house door, amidst his mother's sobs.

Half a year later, while exploring in the deep mountains, Li Fan unfortunately met his end at the hands of a tiger.

...

In front of the dilapidated Taoist temple, amidst the flickering firelight and the cries of the crowd, Li Fan's heart was filled with confusion.

"Senior Brother, Master is dead. What will we do with Yunmen Temple from now on?" a voice beside him asked timidly.

Li Fan was about to speak when he heard angry voices all around.

"What else can we do? Of course, we will divide the things in the temple and go down the mountain!"

"Originally, we thought the one on the mountain was a true immortal, so we endured great hardships to come and worship. Who knew this old Taoist was a complete fraud!"

"Indeed, a true immortal wouldn't suddenly fall ill and die, right?"

Everyone became more and more agitated, and Li Fan didn't know how to explain, so he let them loot everything in Yunmen Temple.

After a moment, only Li Fan was left on the mountain.

Gathering his master's ashes and burying them, Li Fan recalled his master's gaze in his final moments.

Reluctance, regret, melancholy, hope...

Was his master a fraud?

Was the "Yunmen Ascension Scripture" his master taught him just a fabrication?

Li Fan felt it might not be as everyone thought.

Immortals might truly exist.

In the end, Li Fan did not go down the mountain.

He spent the rest of his life alone in the temple, watching the clouds roll and the sun and moon change in the mountains.

He spent his days pondering the "Yunmen Ascension Scripture."

By the time he was over fifty, he had made no progress at all.

He died with regret.

...

In the imperial palace.

Li Fan looked at the wooden plaques filled with names on the golden tray before him, a hint of impatience in his eyes.

"Take it away. I will still cultivate tonight."

"Your Majesty, you haven't favored the concubines in the harem for three months..."

"Hmm?" A flash of ferocity appeared in Li Fan's eyes.

"...Your servant obeys your command."

Watching the chief eunuch retreat in fear, Li Fan snorted coldly.

"This emperor's position is not worth it." A thought suddenly arose in his mind.

He gathered the nation's resources to support his cultivation.

On the surface, he was still a mortal, but in reality, he had already stepped into the threshold of the Golden Core stage.

This mortal world was so boring!

Thinking this, three months later, Li Fan ascended into the sky in front of the entire court.

Two hundred and sixteen years later, while exploring an ancient cave, Li Fan was unfortunately betrayed and killed.

...

Lingyun Peak.

"How long has this tribulation cloud been gathering without descending?"

"The power of this heavenly tribulation is even stronger than when the sect leader ascended, right?"

"Of course, in terms of combat power, Junior Uncle is the first in our Lishan Sword Sect in a thousand years!"

Li Fan looked at the increasingly powerful tribulation cloud above his head, feeling a surge of heroism.

Three hundred years of cultivation, a mere heavenly tribulation, what was there to fear?

A beam of sword light shot up from Lingyun Peak.

It split the sky, dividing the tribulation cloud in two!

Sunlight poured through the cracks in the tribulation cloud, illuminating Lingyun Peak.

Flowers fell from the sky, and the immortal gate opened.

Li Fan flew into the immortal gate without a moment's hesitation.

After entering the immortal realm, Li Fan angrily discovered that the former Lishan seniors who had ascended had all been mysteriously killed by unknown enemies.

He cultivated while searching for the culprit.

After a hundred years of searching, he found nothing.

During an exploration of an ancient cultivation secret realm, he was betrayed by a close friend and died in shock and unwillingness.

...

Northern Immortal Realm.

Since the unification of the Qingtian Immortal Realm by Fan Tian Emperor two thousand years ago, he began a bloody campaign of conquest.

Over the years, he achieved his fearsome reputation by beheading five Immortal Emperors and sixteen Immortal Kings.

In the end, only the Northern Immortal Realm remained, struggling to survive.

Now, with the army pressing forward, they vowed to destroy the Northern Immortal Realm within a year.

In the center of the army, Qin Tang looked at the meditating Fan Tian Emperor, hesitating to speak.

Li Fan opened his eyes and looked at this trusted general who had followed him from the beginning, rarely showing a smile.

"Qin Tang, do you have something to ask me?"

"I won't hide it from Your Majesty, I do have a question."

"Speak freely."

"Your Majesty, starting from a mere mortal, you have endured countless hardships to become an Immortal Emperor. With your immense power, all the immortals in the immortal realm tremble at your name. But why do you never stop? What are you truly pursuing?"

"After annihilating the Zuantian Emperor and unifying the immortal realm, what are your plans?" Qin Tang stared at Li Fan, voicing his doubts.

"Ha ha." Li Fan laughed lightly.

"What I seek is merely the word 'eternal life.'" He said calmly.

Qin Tang was stunned, seemingly unable to believe his ears.

"Eternal life? With Your Majesty's current cultivation, don't you already qualify for eternal life? If nothing unexpected happens, living for a few million years should not be difficult, right?" He asked in shock, seemingly unable to understand.

"Can living for a million years be called eternal life?" Li Fan smiled, only to counter-question.

"In the ancient tomb, over a hundred ancient Immortal Emperors have long become bones in their graves."

"Even the ancient immortals who are said to have created the immortal realm and possessed supreme power, their bodies have now turned into mountains, suppressed beneath my palace."

"This time, I intend to unify the immortal realm, gather the power of all immortals, and create a great array covering the entire immortal realm. With this, I will break through the ancient prison of the immortals."

"I will step beyond the immortals and advance further." Li Fan's tone was calm but resolute, allowing no one to argue.

Qin Tang was speechless.

Because he knew there was nothing beyond the immortal realm.

So he could only silently lower his head.

Everything proceeded according to Li Fan's plan.

In just ten years, Li Fan unified the entire immortal realm.

After that, he used extremely brutal means to suppress all opposition, gathered all the resources of the immortal realm, and successfully created the great array to break the immortal realm's shackles.

As the great array activated, the entire immortal realm trembled.

Cracks appeared in the sky, and everything seemed to be breaking apart.

Li Fan laughed and rushed into the cracks.

What greeted him was only endless darkness.

...

Thus, the eternal trial had ended.

Because Qin Tang knew there was no need to continue the test.

In this trial, an anomaly appeared.

Even if he constructed countless worlds, it would not wear down this person's unwavering determination.

If his master were here, he would be very pleased to see such a talent.

But it was a pity...

A hint of melancholy flashed in Qin Tang's eyes.

With a long sigh, everyone woke up from the illusion.

But they were still in the same square as before.

Some were confused, some realized and turned pale.

Some were in a state of enlightenment, gaining insights.

...

Qin Tang looked at the varied expressions of the cultivators and smiled, saying, "All three tests are over."

"Among you, some have performed beyond my expectations, while others are truly inadequate."

"Senior Sect Leader once told me that our Yunshuitian Palace values quality over quantity."

He surveyed the crowd, his expression gentle: "Therefore, half of you will remain."

The cultivators, who had been smiling, changed their expressions upon hearing Qin Tang's words.

"What do you mean?"

They were well aware of their performance in the three tests.

Hearing that Qin Tang intended to kill half of the cultivators present, they were both shocked and angry.

In a desperate situation, they began to attack Qin Tang.

Qin Tang was not angry.

He smiled calmly: "Qin Tang, Chief of the Transmission Pavilion of Yunshuitian Palace."

"Please enlighten me."

As Qin Tang spoke, a blue figure appeared beside each of the cultivators to be eliminated.

They were like exact replicas of their targets, identical in appearance, aura, and strength.

Once they appeared, they launched relentless attacks on their targets.

"Senior Sect Leader is strict. But my master once told me not to go to extremes. If you can survive the attack of your mirror image, I will not harm you further."

Qin Tang added, watching the cultivators struggling.

The other half, including Li Fan, chose to stay away from the battlefield to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Li Fan retreated to a safe place and observed the situation.

The blue mirror images attacked fiercely, tireless and invulnerable.

Ordinary cultivators were no match for them and quickly fell behind.

Soon, many cultivators were killed by their mirror images.

As more cultivators died, the remaining ones struggled to hold on.

In desperation, they began to curse Qin Tang.

"Snap out of it! Why are you still recruiting disciples? Yunshuitian Palace has been destroyed for countless years!"

"What nonsense about masters and senior sect leaders! When the great calamity comes, everyone will kill each other!"

...

"Kill each other?" Qin Tang shook his head repeatedly.

"In our Yunshuitian Palace, we are united, respecting and loving each other. Even sacrificing oneself for a fellow disciple would not be a difficult decision."

"How could we possibly kill each other?"

As Qin Tang spoke, his voice grew softer.

"Great calamity, great calamity..."

He frowned, as if remembering something.

"Great calamity..."

He repeated it softly, and the sky above the square darkened.

The blue mirror images attacking the cultivators also began to mutate.

Thick blackness poured out from within the mirror images, instantly turning them into terrifying black figures.

The black mirror images were even more ferocious than the blue ones, and in a blink, most of the struggling cultivators were killed.

Only a few were still barely holding on.

Qin Tang was still in a daze, muttering to himself.

The ground of the square began to shake violently, and dark clouds pressed down from the sky.

Thunder and lightning raged.

The cultivators who had not been attacked and were watching from the sidelines also felt something was wrong.

But with Qin Tang in a daze, no one dared to act rashly.

For a moment, no one knew what to do.

At this moment, Li Fan slowly walked to Qin Tang's side.

He held a wine gourd, patted Qin Tang's shoulder, and handed it to him.

With a smile, Li Fan said calmly, "Senior Brother Qin, have a drink."

"Don't worry, there is no great calamity."

Qin Tang turned his head, sniffed, and instinctively took the wine gourd, taking a sip.

He then looked at Li Fan in confusion: "No great calamity?"

Li Fan nodded confidently and repeated, "Yes, there is no great calamity."

Qin Tang's eyes gradually brightened, and he kept repeating, "No great calamity, no great calamity, no great calamity..."

"Ha ha ha, you're right! There is no great calamity!"

After a long time, Qin Tang laughed and finally returned to normal.

The strange phenomena in the square also disappeared, and the sky became calm again.

The cultivators present all sighed in relief and looked at Li Fan with gratitude.

But Li Fan suddenly felt a stir in his heart.

Because he sensed two faint killing intents locked onto him.

Although the killing intents were extremely weak, Li Fan's perception was extremely sensitive, and he knew he was not mistaken.

The owners of these killing intents were Sima Yi and Baili Chen!

Li Fan pretended not to notice and secretly locked onto them with the formless killing intent.

But he did not act immediately.

The brief interlude soon passed, and the battle between the cultivators and the blue mirror images ended.

In the end, only two survived.

Qin Tang looked at the surviving cultivators with a gentle expression: "The trial is over, you may leave."

The cultivators, confused, were about to speak but saw their own figures gradually fade and disappear from the square.

Soon, only Li Fan remained in the square.

Qin Tang looked at Li Fan, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

"Why don't you leave?"

Qin Tang asked.

Li Fan smiled frankly: "Senior Brother still owes me a good bottle of wine."

Caught off guard by Li Fan's response, Qin Tang was first stunned, then burst into laughter.

"You're right, I still owe you a good bottle of wine!"

His expression suddenly changed, and he looked at Li Fan seriously.

He extended his right hand, lightly tapping Li Fan's forehead with his index finger.

"This 'Yunshui Illusion Technique' is a unique cultivation method I created based on my lifetime of learning. I hope you don't let it go to waste!"

After a moment, Qin Tang withdrew his finger.

Li Fan's figure slowly disappeared.

The vast square was once again left with only Qin Tang.

Just as it had been for thousands of years.

"Senior Sect Leader, Master, Senior Sister..."

Qin Tang looked around in loneliness but saw nothing.

So he took another sip of wine.

...

Li Fan gradually regained consciousness.

In front of him stood a tall gate with the words "Yunshuitian Palace" inscribed on it.

Below the gate stood a stone statue.

The statue was broken and scarred.

A large hole in the chest area seemed to have been pierced through.

From the blurred face of the statue, one could faintly recognize Qin Tang's appearance.

Li Fan quietly gazed at the statue for a moment, then took out a wine gourd from his storage ring.

He gently placed it in front of the statue.

Then, he activated the Shadow Following Technique and quickly headed in the direction locked by the formless killing intent.