Chapter 83 – The Trial of Perseverance Concludes

“The sea of the heart is difficult to cross…”

Upon hearing Qin Tang’s words, some of the cultivators present wore dazed expressions, as if they had gained some insight.

Others paid no attention whatsoever, completely indifferent.

Just like that, the second day passed quickly.

Early on the morning of the third day, Qin Tang appeared before everyone as usual.

Only this time, he wasn’t drinking. No longer drunk and bleary-eyed, he looked far more alert.

“Today is the final trial,” Qin Tang said, surveying the cultivators present with a solemn expression.

“On the path of cultivation, you will inevitably encounter countless hardships and temptations. Can you persevere without wavering, never abandoning your original resolve?”

“Let me wait and see.”

As Qin Tang’s words fell, everyone felt their vision go dark as they lost consciousness.

……

In a small village nestled among the mountains, Li Fan lay on a rooftop, watching the setting sun, feeling as though he had forgotten something.

He had grown up in this mountain village, living a life of rising with the sun and resting at dusk, day after day.

It had gone on like this for a full fifteen years.

Such days were plain yet happy.

If life simply continued this way forever, there would be nothing wrong with that.

But deep in his heart, there had always been a faint stirring—a feeling that he absolutely should not end his life in such ordinary fashion.

“Fan’er, Fan’er, where are you? Come home for dinner!”

Li Fan was unmoved by his mother’s calls.

He lay with his head tilted back, gazing at the sky—at the birds soaring freely, at the sun and moon that had existed since time immemorial, indifferent to the will of men—lost in a trance.

Until night fell and the sky filled with stars.

Beneath the vast starry expanse, he felt his own insignificance all the more keenly.

He watched like this through the entire night.

Just as dawn was about to break, a sudden realization struck him.

He flipped over and jumped down from the roof.

He burst into the house and shouted at his mother, who was still fast asleep: “Ma, cancel the marriage arrangement with Er Niu’s family next door!”

“I’m not getting married! I’m going to seek immortality!”

His bleary-eyed mother was startled awake at once. Thinking the boy had lost his mind, she scrambled out of bed and grabbed Li Fan’s hand: “Seek what immortality! Where would you even find an immortal! Child, come to your senses!”

Li Fan pulled free of his mother’s grip. His young face was filled with determination: “I don’t know where the immortals are, but I will find them.”

With that, amid his mother’s weeping, he hastily packed his belongings and strode out the door.

Half a year later, while exploring deep in the mountains, Li Fan met his unfortunate end in the jaws of a tiger.

……

Before a dilapidated Daoist temple, amid flickering firelight and the sound of weeping, Li Fan’s heart was filled with confusion.

“Eldest Senior Brother, our master is dead. What will become of our Rising Cloud Temple?” Beside him, a timid voice asked.

Li Fan was about to speak when angry voices erupted from all around.

“What else can we do? Obviously we divide up whatever’s in the temple and head down the mountain!”

“We all thought the man on this mountain was a real immortal—that’s why we went through hell and high water to become his disciples. Turns out the old Daoist was nothing but a fraud!”

“Exactly! Would a real immortal just up and die of illness out of nowhere?”

The crowd grew more and more agitated. Li Fan didn’t know how to explain, so he could only stand by as they looted every last item from the Rising Cloud Temple.

Moments later, Li Fan was the only one left on the mountain.

After gathering his master’s ashes and laying them to rest, Li Fan recalled the look in his master’s eyes just before death.

Unwillingness, regret, melancholy, hope…

Was his master truly a fraud?

Was the《Rising Cloud Ascension Chapter》his master had taught them also just fabricated nonsense?

Li Fan felt that perhaps things were not as everyone believed.

Immortals might truly exist.

In the end, Li Fan never went down the mountain.

He spent the rest of his life alone in the temple, watching clouds gather and scatter among the peaks, watching the sun and moon cycle through their changes.

Day after day, he studied the《Rising Cloud Ascension Chapter》.

He lived past fifty, yet never made the slightest progress.

He died with nothing but regret.

……

In the imperial palace.

Li Fan looked at the wooden tablets covered with names arranged on the golden tray before him, a trace of impatience flashing in his eyes.

“Take it away. Tonight, I will continue my cultivation as well.”

“Your Majesty, it has already been three months since you last graced any of the consorts with your presence…”

“Hm?” A flicker of menace passed through Li Fan’s eyes.

“…This servant obeys.”

Watching the head eunuch retreat in terror, Li Fan let out a cold snort.

“I might as well stop being emperor altogether.” The thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

He had plundered the resources of the entire nation to fuel his cultivation.

On the surface, he still appeared to be an ordinary mortal, but in truth he had already stepped through the threshold of the Core Formation stage.

These mundane worldly affairs were so terribly dull!

With that thought, three months later, during the morning court assembly and before the eyes of all his ministers, Li Fan tore through the sky and departed.

Two hundred and sixteen years later, while exploring an ancient cave dwelling, Li Fan was ambushed.

Death and dissolution of one’s Dao.

……

Soaring Cloud Peak.

“Why have these tribulation clouds been gathering for so long without descending?”

“The might of this heavenly tribulation… isn’t it even stronger than when the Sect Master ascended?”

“Naturally! In terms of combat prowess alone, our Little Martial Uncle is the greatest talent our Departure Mountain Sword Sect has produced in a thousand years!”

Li Fan gazed up at the tribulation clouds above, their power still mounting, and felt heroic spirit surge within his chest.

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

A streak of sword light erupted from Soaring Cloud Peak, shooting into the heavens.

It cleaved the tribulation clouds clean in two!

Sunlight poured through the gap in the clouds, bathing Soaring Cloud Peak of Departure Mountain in golden radiance.

Celestial flowers rained down, and the gate to immortality swung open.

Li Fan launched himself into the immortal gate without a moment’s hesitation.

After entering the Immortal Realm, Li Fan was furious to discover that every senior of Departure Mountain who had ascended before him had been mysteriously slain by an unknown enemy.

He cultivated while simultaneously hunting for the mastermind behind the killings.

A hundred years of searching yielded nothing.

Then, while exploring an ancient Secret Realm, he was ambushed by a trusted companion. He died in a state of shock and bitter defiance.

……

The Northern Immortal Domain.

Two thousand years ago, after the Heavenly Emperor Fan unified the Azure Heaven Immortal Domain, he embarked on a campaign drenched in blood.

Over these years, the severed heads of five Immortal Emperors and sixteen Immortal Kings had built the Heavenly Emperor Fan’s fearsome, unparalleled reputation.

In the end, the entire Immortal Realm was left with only the Northern Immortal Domain, barely clinging to survival.

Now, with his vast army pressing at its borders, he had sworn to annihilate the Northern Immortal Domain within a single year.

At the center of the army, Qin Tang looked at the Heavenly Emperor Fan, who sat with his eyes closed in repose, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Li Fan opened his eyes and regarded this trusted general who had fought alongside him since the very beginning, rising from nothing together. A rare smile crossed his face.

“Qin Tang, it seems you have something you wish to ask me?”

“I won’t hide it from you, my lord. There is indeed something I cannot understand.”

“Speak freely.”

“My lord, you began as a mere mortal, endured untold hardships, and finally rose to become an Immortal Emperor. Your power is absolute—every immortal in the realm trembles at the mention of your name. Yet why have you never shown any intention of stopping? What is it that you pursue so relentlessly?”

“After you slay Emperor Zhuan and fully unify the Immortal Realm, what will you do then?” Qin Tang fixed his gaze on Li Fan as he voiced the question that had weighed on his mind.

“Heh.” Li Fan chuckled softly.

“What I seek is nothing more than two simple words—’eternal life,'” he said calmly.

Qin Tang froze, as though unable to believe his own ears.

“Eternal life? With my lord’s current cultivation, does that not already count as eternal life? Barring any accidents, living another several million years should hardly be difficult, should it?” he asked, his expression one of shock, as if he could not comprehend it.

“Living a million years, and one dares call it eternal life?” Li Fan smiled and merely posed the question in return.

“In the Desolate Heaven Tombs, over a hundred ancient Immortal Emperors have long since become nothing but dry bones in their graves.”

“Even that legendary primordial immortal who created the Immortal Realm and wielded supreme power—hasn’t his body now turned into mountain ranges, pinned beneath my palace?”

“This time, I intend to unify the Immortal Realm and harness the strength of every immortal under heaven to construct a grand formation spanning the entire realm. With it, I will blast open what is said to be the eternal prison of the immortals.”

“I will transcend immortality itself and take one more step beyond.” Li Fan’s tone was calm, yet resolute beyond any measure of defiance.

Qin Tang was rendered speechless.

Because he knew that above the Immortal Realm, there was nothing more.

So he could only lower his head in silence.

Everything proceeded according to Li Fan’s plan.

In merely one year, Li Fan unified the entire Immortal Realm.

Afterward, through utterly ruthless and bloody means, he crushed all opposition. He gathered every resource in the Immortal Realm and successfully constructed the grand formation meant to shatter the shackles of the Immortal Realm.

As the formation activated, the entire Immortal Realm trembled.

Countless cracks appeared across the sky, and everything in the world seemed to be shattering.

Li Fan laughed heartily as he charged into the rift.

All that greeted him was endless darkness.

……

With that, the Trial of Permanence had come to an end.

Because Qin Tang knew there was no need to continue testing.

In this round of trials, an anomaly had appeared.

Even if he constructed infinite layered worlds, he likely could not erode this person’s unwavering resolve to press forward.

If his master were here and witnessed such rare talent, he would surely be overjoyed.

It was just a pity…

A flash of wistfulness passed through Qin Tang’s eyes.

With a long sigh, the cultivators all gradually awakened from the illusory dream.

They found themselves back in the same plaza where everything had begun.

Some were bewildered, some came to their senses and immediately turned pale.

Others, however, had fallen into sudden enlightenment, as though they had gained something.

……

Qin Tang looked at the cultivators displaying their varied reactions and said with a smile, “All three trials have concluded.”

“Among you, some performed beyond my expectations, while others were truly abysmal.”

“Sect Master Uncle once told me that when our Cloud-Water Celestial Palace takes disciples, we prioritize quality over quantity.”

He surveyed the crowd, his expression gentle. “That being so, half of you shall remain.”

The cultivators who had just been wearing pleased expressions had their faces change drastically upon hearing Qin Tang’s words.

“What do you mean by that?”

They knew perfectly well in their hearts how they had performed across the three trials.

Now, hearing that Qin Tang intended to kill half the cultivators present, they were simultaneously shocked and furious.

Driven to desperation, they launched attacks against Qin Tang.

Qin Tang showed no anger.

He merely smiled serenely. “Cloud-Water Celestial Palace, Chief of the Dharma Transmission Hall, Qin Tang.”

“I humbly invite you all to enlighten me.”

As Qin Tang spoke, azure-blue figures suddenly appeared beside half of the cultivators present.

They were like perfect copies of their targets—identical in appearance, aura, and even cultivation strength to the originals.

The moment they materialized, they launched relentless attacks against their targets, fighting to the death.

“Sect Master Uncle is a strict man. But my master once told me that one should never push things to the absolute extreme. If any of you can survive against your own mirror-shadow, I will trouble you no further.”

Qin Tang spoke unhurriedly as he watched the cultivators plunge into bitter combat.

The other half who had not been attacked, Li Fan among them, all chose to distance themselves from the battlefield to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Li Fan retreated to a safe position and observed the unfolding situation.

These blue mirror-shadows struck with extreme ferocity, never tiring, never sustaining injury.

Ordinary cultivators were simply no match for them. Once engaged, they quickly fell to a disadvantage.

Before long, many cultivators had perished at the hands of their own mirror-shadows.

And as cultivators continued to die, the remaining ones who desperately clung to life clearly could not hold out much longer either.

Cornered like dogs leaping over a wall, they hurled curses at Qin Tang.

“Wake up! Take disciples? The Cloud-Water Celestial Palace was destroyed who knows how many years ago!”

“What bullshit master and martial uncle! When the Great Calamity descends, didn’t they all end up slaughtering each other anyway!”

……

“Slaughter each other?” Qin Tang shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this.

“Our Cloud-Water Celestial Palace was united in heart and mind. We respected and loved one another. Even sacrificing ourselves for our fellow disciples would not have given us much pause.”

“How could we possibly slaughter each other?”

As Qin Tang spoke, his voice suddenly grew quiet.

“The Great Calamity, the Great Calamity…”

His brows furrowed tightly, as though he had recalled something.

“The Great Calamity…”

He kept repeating the words in a low murmur, and the sky above the plaza instantly darkened.

The blue phantoms attacking the cultivators also began to mutate in response.

Thick, dark blackness surged ceaselessly from within the phantoms, and in an instant, they were stained an ink-black color that sent chills down one’s spine.

The ink-black mirror-shadows were far more ferocious than their blue predecessors. In the blink of an eye, the vast majority of the cultivators who had been barely holding on were slain.

Only a handful remained, clinging to their last breaths.

Yet Qin Tang had still not recovered from his demonic trance. He continued to mutter ceaselessly under his breath.

The ground of the plaza began to shake violently, and dark clouds in the sky pressed ever lower.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared without end.

The cultivators who had not been targeted by the mirror-shadows and had been watching from the sidelines also immediately sensed that something was terribly wrong.

But faced with Qin Tang, who had already fallen into a demonic trance, no one dared to act rashly.

For the moment, no one knew what to do.

It was then that Li Fan slowly walked up to Qin Tang’s side.

He held a wine gourd, patted Qin Tang on the shoulder, and offered it to him.

With a gentle smile, Li Fan spoke quietly to Qin Tang, “Senior Brother Qin, have a drink.”

“Don’t worry about it. There was never any Great Calamity.”

Qin Tang turned his head, his nose twitching as he sniffed. Instinctively, he took the wine gourd and took a swig.

Then he looked at Li Fan with a somewhat dazed expression. “There was no Great Calamity?”

Li Fan nodded with certainty and repeated himself. “That’s right. There was never any Great Calamity.”

Qin Tang’s eyes gradually brightened as he murmured over and over, “No Great Calamity, no Great Calamity, no Great Calamity…”

“Hahaha, you’re right! There was never any Great Calamity!”

After a long while, Qin Tang burst into laughter and finally returned to normal.

The anomalies in the plaza vanished along with his recovery, and everything became calm and tranquil once more.

Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief and cast grateful looks toward Li Fan.

But Li Fan’s heart suddenly stirred.

He had detected two faint, barely perceptible traces of killing intent locked onto him.

Though these two killing intents were extremely faint, Li Fan’s sensitivity to such things was extraordinarily keen—he could not possibly be mistaken.

And the sources of these two killing intents were none other than Si Kongyi and Baili Chen!

Li Fan pretended not to notice, but secretly used Formless Killing Intent to trace back and lock onto the two of them.

He simply did not strike yet.

The brief interlude passed quickly, and the battle between the cultivators and the blue mirror-shadows had also concluded.

In the end, only two lucky survivors remained.

Qin Tang looked at the surviving cultivators with a warm expression. “The trials have ended. You may go now.”

The cultivators were confused and about to speak, but they noticed each other’s forms gradually fading, slowly disappearing from the plaza.

Soon, the only cultivator remaining in the plaza was Li Fan.

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

“Why haven’t you left?”

Qin Tang asked.

Li Fan smiled candidly. “Senior Brother still owes me a jug of fine wine.”

As if not expecting such an answer, Qin Tang was momentarily stunned before bursting into hearty laughter.

“Indeed, I still owe you a jug of fine wine!”

His expression suddenly shifted, turning solemn as he looked at Li Fan.

He extended his right hand, his index finger gently touching the center of Li Fan’s brow.

“This 《Cloud-Water Phantom Dream Art》 is a technique I created by synthesizing everything I learned over my lifetime. I hope you will not let it go to waste!”

A moment later, Qin Tang withdrew his finger.

Li Fan’s figure also slowly faded away.

The vast plaza once again held only Qin Tang alone.

Just as it had been for these thousands of years.

“Martial Uncle, Master, Senior Sister…”

Qin Tang gazed around in solitude, but found nothing.

And so he took another sip of wine.

……

Li Fan gradually regained consciousness.

Before him stood a towering gate, inscribed with the four characters “Cloud-Water Celestial Palace.”

And beneath the gate stood a stone statue.

The statue was battered and ruined, covered in scars.

Its chest appeared to have been pierced clean through, leaving a gaping void.

From the statue’s blurred features, one could faintly make out the likeness of Qin Tang.

Li Fan gazed silently at the statue for a moment, then retrieved a wine gourd from his storage ring.

He gently placed it before the statue.

Then he activated the Shadow Trace Technique and sped off in the direction that Formless Killing Intent had locked onto.