While speaking, the Heavenly Capital Grand Mage was clearly more respectful in tone than when he had mentioned Lianshan, Guihai, or even his own Master.

This showed just how much weight this final ‘unspeakable’ Sage Lord carried in his heart.

"The Immortal Realm was destroyed, and the Sages ceased to be Sages." Li Buren, ignorant and therefore fearless, spoke coldly.

The Grand Mage shook his head. "One does not become a Sage by bearing responsibility. One becomes a Sage because one is a Sage. Whether the Immortal Realm survives or is destroyed actually has little to do with the Sages. If my Master had understood this earlier, perhaps he could have lived a little longer."

"If your Master knew you would say such things, he should have taken you with him when he fell."

Faced with Li Buren's sharp words, the Grand Mage was rendered speechless.

It seemed that those words had also plunged him into memories of a distant past.

"Your Master was one of the Four Sages of the Immortal Realm, and you served by his side for countless years. How is it that you are still only at the Half-Immortal realm?"

...

Li Buren continued chatting with the Grand Mage, talking about this and that.

While probing for information, he was also quietly using the Ink Death black energy to corrode the opponent's only remaining true body.

The countless Dao Aspects that Li Buren had previously devoured contained no memories whatsoever. They were merely records of the Illusory Life Dao Shadow Feedback.

Judging from how the Ink Death black energy was being eroded during this casual conversation, although the Grand Mage was only at the Half-Immortal realm, his body and soul were fused into one, like a perfect creation that should never have existed in the world. There was not even a weakness to be found.

Indeed, Li Buren could easily kill him. But if he wanted to possess his body and pry into his past...

That was beyond what Li Buren could accomplish at present.

...

The Grand Mage seemed completely unaware of Li Buren's secret actions.

"Lianshan will ultimately return to the sea."

"My Master and the other two Sage Lords have already proven this with facts. Why would I repeat their mistakes?"

"Moreover, without my Half-Immortal body, how could I have escaped the great catastrophe of the Immortal Realm's destruction back then? This is what they call cause and effect, where every gain and loss is secretly determined." The Grand Mage paid no attention whatsoever to Li Buren's mockery.

"If you had not appeared, fellow Daoist, someone who should never have existed, I would certainly have been able to take that final step I had envisioned." There was a trace of melancholy in the Grand Mage's voice.

Li Buren was just about to continue mocking him in order to shake his state of mind and make the Ink Death black energy's invasion proceed more smoothly.

But the Heavenly Capital Grand Mage, who had been answering questions all this time, suddenly became the one asking.

"Fellow Daoist exists beyond the fate of heaven and earth. Could it be that you obtained that treasure?"

"Treasure? I have no idea what you are talking about." Li Fan's true self trembled violently upon hearing this.

But because Li Buren's consciousness had been suppressed and he was merely a tool carrying out Li Fan's orders, his answer was completely natural.

"Stop making excuses for your failure. Did the Xuantian King of ten thousand years ago not almost capture you alive? With only Half-Immortal cultivation, why would anyone beyond fate be needed to deal with you?" Li Buren replied with undisguised contempt.

The Grand Mage stared carefully at Li Buren for a long while, but could not find anything suspicious.

He then turned his gaze toward Daoyuan Prefecture and the Xuanhuang Realm outside.

Looking at the Xuanhuang Realm, which had long since changed beyond recognition, he remained silent for a long time before finally speaking in a distant tone.

"I merely closed myself in seclusion for an instant, yet the outside world has already undergone earthshaking changes. What is strange is that none of these changes involve the region where I comprehended the Dao."

"Fellow Daoist, you prepared against me long ago. But this is clearly the first time we have met..."

The Grand Mage slowly closed his eyes. No one knew what he was silently thinking.

"Is the reputation of the Heavenly Capital Grand Mage really not loud enough in the Xuanhuang Realm?" Li Buren did not explain further and merely replied indifferently.

"You are definitely not from Xuanhuang. Everything that has appeared in the Xuanhuang Realm, everything that exists now, and everything that will be born in the future has long since been predetermined. They are like pieces on a chessboard, taking turns appearing in one game after another. Even if the destruction of the Immortal Realm introduced several more variables, chess pieces will always remain chess pieces. They cannot transform into jade..." The Grand Mage seemed to be suppressing some emotion within himself, and spoke each sentence extremely slowly.

Li Buren narrowed his eyes upon hearing this.

The Ink Death black energy filled the sky like dark clouds, shrouding the Grand Mage's head. Meanwhile, the countless Dao Aspects that had been devoured all cast extremely cold gazes toward the Grand Mage.

Whatever the other party had guessed, Li Buren would no longer allow this Grand Mage to remain alive.

"My Master and the others' plan from back then actually works."

"It's just a pity that it is too late."

The Heavenly Capital Grand Mage remained unafraid despite the countless cold gazes surrounding him. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked back at Li Buren.

It was as though he had seen some priceless treasure.

"No!"

"It is not too late!"

"If I can..."

The Grand Mage, who had previously seemed resigned to his fate, suddenly became incomparably excited for some reason.

A sudden tremendous force burst forth, forcibly ejecting the Ink Death black energy that had infiltrated his body. The Daoist robe on the Grand Mage's body began to move without wind, rustling loudly.

"Everything can be salvaged." The Grand Mage stared at Li Buren and spoke heavily.

Although he was surrounded by countless Dao Aspects controlled by Li Buren, it was as if the Grand Mage had instead surrounded Li Buren and the others.

In an instant, he stood above them, and the balance of power completely reversed.

Li Buren sensed that although the countless Dao Aspects around him had already been controlled by his Ink Death black energy, before the Grand Mage they still could not stop themselves from wanting to bow and pay homage.

It was exactly like the scene Li Buren had witnessed when he had entered the Grand Mage's body.

The Grand Mage stood among countless Dao Aspects, receiving their worship.

Like an Emperor, like a Sage, possessed of an indescribable nobility!

Even Li Buren was faintly affected. The body constructed from the Dao Net began to bend in an utterly unreasonable manner because of the Grand Mage's existence, as if the weight of the Grand Mage alone surpassed that of the countless other Great Daos!

Knowing that he could no longer wait, Li Buren immediately manipulated the countless strands of black ink to surge out from the Dao Aspects and attack the Heavenly Capital Grand Mage at the center.

The Ink Death black energy, contaminated with different Great Daos, transformed into countless distorted humanoid figures. Various Dao Arts manifested and exploded around the Grand Mage like fireworks.

"First came Taiyi, then came the Immortal."

"The Wuji existed before Taiyi."

Two faint sentences were like a fixed wind pearl, instantly freezing the countless fluctuations of the Great Daos.

The Grand Mage's figure slowly walked out from the mottled shadows of the Dao.

"Since you have seen Wuji..."

"Why have you not dispersed?"

With another soft question, the countless Great Dao fluctuations surrounding him actually dispersed like a gentle breeze.

Even though the Ink Death black energy had already gained the upper hand, it could not stop the process.

In the blink of an eye, Li Buren's "henchmen" had completely vanished.

Only the power of the Ink Death Celestial Spirit remained.

Li Buren could even sense that Illusory Life and Eternity, the two great pillars upon which the Ink Death system depended for its existence in the world, were beginning to resist somewhat.

After suppressing the disturbance, Li Buren had no choice but to reassess the Heavenly Capital Grand Mage before him.

"The Wuji existed before Taiyi?"

"What an audacious claim."

Although the Grand Mage still possessed the appearance of a Daoist child, his bearing had undergone an earthshaking transformation compared to before.

High above, looking down upon all living beings. He seemed almost as though the Taiyi Sage Lord himself had descended, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at him.

"The Taiyi Sage Lord is indeed my Master."

"But the main reason he accepted me as his disciple was because I myself am extraordinary."

"Do you really think just anyone could remain safely beneath a Sage Lord's tutelage for countless years?" The Grand Mage spoke with arrogance.

"Please, Master, disperse."

The Grand Mage pointed a finger toward the black qi filling the sky from afar.

Then he slightly bowed.

Li Buren could immediately feel the two great foundations of Ink Death's black qi violently tremble, losing nearly half their strength in an instant. Because the Dao of Illusory Life had undergone countless years of evolution and was not completely equivalent to Taiyi, a small amount of its power still remained.

"Please, Martial Uncle, disperse."

The Grand Mage bowed once more.

With these words, the other great foundation of Ink Death's black qi, the Dao of Eternity, suddenly dissipated amid a faint tremor.

With merely two simple sentences, he had directly weakened the foundation sustaining the Celestial Spirit Ink Death.

The black qi still filled the sky, but it had completely lost any possibility of being controlled. It had become like the Dao Annihilation Calamity, recognizing neither friend nor foe.

While the rampaging Ink Death black qi had silently possessed countless Dao Aspect bodies, the Heavenly Capital Grand Mage had also seen through the true nature of the Ink Death with complete clarity.

The raging black qi made the Grand Mage's face appear terrifying and awe inspiring.

Although he had lost the assistance of the Ink Death Celestial Spirit, Li Buren did not panic.

He was pondering the reason behind this sudden turn of events.

There was always a reason behind everything in the world.

Why could the Grand Mage make the Dao of Eternity and the Dao of Illusory Life dissipate out of thin air with merely two sentences?

Recalling the scene he had witnessed earlier, where countless Dao Aspects bowed down and worshipped the Grand Mage, Li Buren suddenly understood.

"The Grand Mage's purpose is not to comprehend all these different Dao paths simultaneously."

"He treats them as tools, just like the phantom manifestations of Illusory Life."

"Tools to aid his cultivation."

Li Buren could not conceal the turmoil in his heart.

"He does not cultivate the myriad Great Daos. What he cultivates is the Dao that makes the myriad Great Daos bow down in worship."

"Is this Nobility? Or is it Veneration?"

If he were merely an ordinary living being of the mortal world, it would probably be impossible to reach such an inconceivable Dao path.

But if what the Grand Mage had said was true, and his special identity was indeed related to Wuji, the existence that preceded Taiyi, then perhaps he truly could accomplish it.

"Cultivating this Dao path means that no Dao technique or divine ability in the world can harm him."

Li Buren tested it, and sure enough, it was exactly as he had expected.

All divine abilities and spells vanished into thin air as soon as they approached within one zhang of the Grand Mage.

Just as Li Buren was pondering how to respond, the Grand Mage walked leisurely through the center of the already uncontrollable Ink Death black qi.

He gradually approached Li Buren.

"The Xuantian King you mentioned, the one who almost captured me alive..."

"Born at the juncture of the Immortal Realm's destruction, he is indeed extremely special. Thus, he had the possibility of jumping outside the chessboard, and his future is immeasurable. I did not want to come into conflict with him, but he kept trying to cause trouble for me. So I could only use a Dao body to deceive him."

"Yet I never expected his fortune to be so extraordinary. Through a fortuitous convergence of karma and opportunity, he directly disappeared from this starry sky."

As the Grand Mage spoke, he arrived beside Li Buren.

Everywhere he went, all Great Daos retreated.

Li Buren's body, constructed from the Dao Net, consequently felt weaker than ever before.

It seemed as though he might dissipate at any moment.

"But judging my strength based solely on the Xuantian King is somewhat unfair." The Grand Mage finally stood before Li Buren and spoke each word distinctly.

Their eyes met.

"Hand over the treasure, and I will allow you to leave." The Grand Mage solemnly promised.

Li Buren frowned.

Not because of the Grand Mage's demand.

Rather, because the Grand Mage was actually behaving so...

Childishly.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Li Buren repeated the same answer as before.

The Grand Mage, however, was absolutely certain that his guess was correct.

Seeing that Li Buren still refused to admit it, he shook his head with some regret.

"In that case, I will simply take it myself."

"Wuji..."

"Please, let all Daos disperse."

The Grand Mage slightly bowed toward Li Buren.

Li Buren immediately felt the remaining Dao laws within his body begin to rapidly dissipate under those words.

Once all Daos dispersed, only that treasure originating beyond the Great Dao would remain.

"Are you really this confident?"

Just as the Grand Mage stood with everything under control, Li Buren suddenly spoke.

A powerful hand suddenly clamped tightly around the Grand Mage's throat.

The two were standing so close that the sudden burst of power left the Grand Mage no time to react.

"How is this possible?"

The Grand Mage stared at Li Buren, whose body had suddenly become fully substantial once more, his face filled with disbelief.

"Perhaps the Great Daos of Heaven and Earth must all submit to your control."

"But what about Mountains and Seas?"

Li Buren's figure became hazy, as though he stood atop a multitude of mountains and beside the boundless sea.

The Grand Mage froze for a moment before suddenly realizing the truth.

"Lord Hill Guardian?"

Li Buren shook his head slightly.

"It seems you truly have never met Lord Hill Guardian."

"You also knew nothing about the contingency Lord Hill Guardian once left behind here."

"That is only natural. After all, you are merely a Half-Immortal. What you said was correct. Every cause and effect is secretly predetermined."

Li Buren returned his own words to him.

After this turn of events, Li Buren's killing intent toward the Grand Mage had become unstoppable.

However, he was somewhat hesitant about how exactly to deal with the Grand Mage.

After all, although the power of Lord Hill Guardian could suppress him for a time, ordinary methods would still make it extremely difficult to kill the Grand Mage. Furthermore, he might be connected to the so-called Wuji.

Even while being tightly held by Li Buren, the Grand Mage did not panic.

"Lord Hill Guardian's existence was indeed somewhat beyond my expectations."

"But my origin lies beyond Heaven and Earth, at the beginning of the Great Dao. Thus, life and death have no meaning to me."

"You cannot truly kill me."

It was almost as though Li Buren were the one being held captive. The Grand Mage continued trying to persuade him to willingly hand over the treasure.

Li Buren found it somewhat laughable.

"You do not even know what the treasure is or what exactly it can do. Why are you so obsessed with it?"

The Grand Mage answered with complete seriousness.

"If you possess the treasure, at most you can reverse Heaven and Earth and save the world from calamity."

"But if I possess it, I can correct everything that should never have happened."

"My master, as well as the other three Sage Lords of the Immortal Realm. Their fates may also be rewritten."

Li Buren shook his head.

"It cannot. This so-called treasure cannot accomplish any of that."

"It can."

The Grand Mage once again affirmed it with absolute certainty.

[TL Note:- Wuji means "without limit" or "boundless void," representing the infinite, unmanifested state of total emptiness before the creation of the universe in Daoism]

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