章 8: Chapter 8 Immortals and Mortals Always Parted
Above the sky, a strange phenomenon recurs!
A giant sword, refined with a thousand hammers and a hundred smelts, has been left in the dark, untouched for a thousand years.
With the passage of time, its sword body is no longer bright, and its blade is no longer sharp, rust spots all over it!
However, a rush of anger and resentment suddenly arises!
The erosion of rust is becoming more severe, but the divine and majesty of the giant sword are equally growing day by day!
"Foundation Establishment Cultivator Dao Xuanzi, practicing mortal cultivation for two hundred and one years, achieved Tao foundation using the unique object [Rusted Sword Daoxuan]. In the Immortal Realm, he fought with people and eventually was killed by Foundation Establishment Cultivator Kou Hong."
"Now he has perished, returning to the heavens!"
The dazzling scene illuminates the sky for thousands of miles like fireworks.
"Dao Xuanzi…" Kou Hong looked at the stunning scene, seeming to be completely stunned, murmuring to himself incessantly.
All the soldiers on the scene also looked up at the sky, completely lost in awe.
"The old man Li Fan, has seen the Immortal Teacher."
At this moment, a white-haired old man, leaning on a cane, walked totteringly to Kou Hong's side.
Kou Hong ignored him, and Li Fan was not in a hurry. He stood aside and waited patiently while motioning for the soldiers to wait patiently.
After a long time, when the phenomena in the sky disappeared, Kou Hong finally looked at Li Fan.
"So you are the leader of the mortals here?" Kou Hong's tone was harsh, obviously, he did not have a good impression of Li Fan. "The sound that erupted from all directions earlier was you, wasn't it?"
"My humble tricks are not worth mentioning to Immortal Master Li Fan bowed his hand, avoiding talking about the matter, and bowed deeply: "I beg for the Immortal Master's mercy, save the lives of more than a thousand members of our clan."
"Mercy..." Kou Hong laughed coldly when he heard this. "The duel with Dao Xuanzi, it was all about our skills, it's a destiny matter to live or die. You, a mere mortal, dare to interfere in our cultivators' fight."
He looked at Li Fan, clearly revealing a murderous intention in his words: "In fact, although Dao Xuanzi and I were fighting for the Golden core technique to the death, he was still my brother for more than a hundred years. Since you killed him while he was off guard, should I kill you to avenge Dao Xuanzi?"
Unaffected by Kou Hong's intimidating attitude, Li Fan just smiled bitterly: "I just beg for a chance to survive! As I said before, if the Immortal Master is defeated, my clan will surely be doomed."
Upon hearing this, Kou Hong's face eased slightly. He sighed softly: "Well, begging for a chance to survive. You're right, the world is tough, who isn't struggling for that slim chance to survive."
Seeing Kou Hong's softened tone, Li Fan hurriedly followed up: "Previously, Dao Xuanzi... the Immortal Master had promised me that if…"
Before he could finish his words, Kou Hong frowned and interrupted him: "If it's about this matter, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Dao Xuanzi might never have had any intention of fulfilling this promise."
Li Fan was stunned: "What does the Immortal Master mean by this?"
Kou Hong said with a hint of mockery: "For a hundred years, Dao Xuanzi has shown a serious and unquestionable image to the world. You'd never expect that he is actually ruthless in his actions, even lying to mortals."
He paused, looked at Li Fan's face, and continued: "That Immortal Extermination Array is extremely dangerous, we only managed to break in due to some luck. We ourselves will have to make a great effort to leave, how could we possibly take mortals with us?"
"What? You don't know how to leave this place either?" Li Fan was shocked and his complexion became extremely ugly. The hope he nourished for over a hundred years was negated by the cultivators in front of him. Li Fan almost broke down.
Fortunately, Li Fan had the wisdom and tenacity of several lifetimes, and he steadied his mind. He said to Kou Hong: "This isn't a place for discussion. Immortal Master, please follow me."
With that, he led Kou Hong to a nearby underground shelter within the ruins of Xuanjing City after walking for a while.
The soldiers had hidden in these shelters when Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi were fighting. There were dozens of such shelters of various sizes in Xuanjing City.
Although the shelter was located deep underground, it was bright as day with the lighting, and there were air ducts connected to the outside world, so it did not feel stuffy.
Kou Hong looked at the light on the ceiling with interest, praising, "No wonder Dao Xuanzi sought to work with you mortals. Being able to control and use the power of thunder, it seems that you mortals of the Immortal Realm have really developed well over the past thousands of years. Even the hidden weapons you used earlier were quite powerful."
But then, he shook his head, "What a pity. Only in this incomplete Taoist world can these magical tools be of some use. Outside of here, under the oppression of Taoist laws, none of these things hold any value."
"By the way, when did Dao Xuanzi find you and plan to target me here? The timeline doesn't add up. Did he secretly practice the Clone Technique?" Kou Hong suddenly asked as if something had occurred to him.
As Li Fan was about to respond without betraying any hint of emotion, Kou Hong suddenly lost interest. He waved his hand and said, "Enough about this. After the death of the body and the disappearance of Tao, everything is void." After finishing, he sat down in a chair and appeared quite dejected. It seems Dao Xuanzi's death had greatly impacted him.
"It's best not to ask about this matter, if I talk too much, it may reveal inconsistencies," thought Li Fan.
Then he asked nervously, "Was the Immortal Teacher truthful earlier when he said that mortals cannot leave the Immortal Realm?"
Kou Hong scoffed, "Why would I bother deceiving a mere mortal like you? Perhaps a cultivator in the Golden Core Stage can protect mortals as they pass through the Immortal Barrier. But with just the Foundation Establishment Stage of cultivation, it's absolutely impossible!"
"Of course, if you don't mind being reduced to mere fragments after exiting, I'm willing to give it a try."
Ignoring Kou Hong's unfunny jest, Li Fan persistently asked, "So, is there really no hope for us mortals to leave this world?"
Kou Hong thought for a moment before shaking his head, "To leave the Immortal Realm, one must overcome the Immortal Barrier. It's impossible for a mere mortal to pass through. All attempts are merely suicide. Besides, you're already at an age where you're halfway in the grave, why are you so keen on leaving? Isn't it good to be a simple local here?"
Kou Hong seemed to think nothing of his predicament.
"I may be old, but I want to leave a legacy for my descendants," Li Fan insisted, and then proposed, "If my descendants are able to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Stage like the Immortal Teacher, wouldn't it be possible for them to leave?"
Hearing this, Kou Hong burst out laughing. "Let's not even talk about the absence of spiritual energy here for training. The separation between mortals and immortals is profound. Your mortal bodies are covered in deadly miasma. How can you possibly follow the Immortal Way?"
Kou Hong sneered, "I advise you to let go of this foolishness. If you mortals wish to cultivate, you must first find a way to reshape your bodies and cleanse yourselves of the miasma. Otherwise, even if the Immortal Way is within your reach, you can only see it but will never attain it."
Li Fan appeared to finally give up after having his questions so definitively answered by Kou Hong.
"The gap between mortals and immortals is unbridgeable, the gap is unbridgeable..." Li Fan muttered in a daze, "So there's really no way?"
"There's really no way." Seeing Li Fan's despair, Kou Hong felt a perverse sense of satisfaction.
"There's really no way." He repeated.
"As the Immortal Teacher stated, the gap between mortals and immortals is unbridgeable." Li Fan sighed deeply.
"Ah, yes, yes, yes." Kou Hong was nodding emphatically.
Li Fan, seemingly devastated by the harsh reality, said his goodbyes and left in a daze.
The moment he stepped out of the shelter, the gate slammed shut.
Kou Hong's face changed as he felt a sense of impending danger.
But it was too late.
A white mist charged with the Immortal-Ordinary Miasma poured out from every corner of the room.
"Ah!"
Kou Hong let out a scream before being engulfed by the dense mist.
Outside the shelter, Li Fan looked out into the distance, his eyes filled with calm determination. He slowly said, "Since mortals and immortals can never coexist."
"How could I, a mere mortal, fully trust what you, an immortal, have to say?"
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