After resting for a moment, she organized her thoughts and spoke again. “A Small Spirit Lord possesses strength comparable to the Celestial Immortal stage. They command a hundred thousand miles of the Greedy Realm territory, and every Death Spirit obeys their command with a single thought.”
“A Great Spirit Lord possesses strength comparable to the God Immortal stage. They govern an entire realm and sit in a Spirit Tower.”
“As for the Ancestral Spirits,”
“They are comparable to Immortal Kings.”
“Under a single one of them, there are over a hundred Great Spirit Lords.”
“They are extremely powerful and rarely show themselves.”
She rested again...
“The First Spirits are trapped in the Boundary Sea. Having broken the seal, there are only three of them. Their strength is beyond that of an Immortal King, at least at the level of an Immortal Emperor.”
“One rules the Ten Heavens,”
“One guards the Nine Lands,”
“And another solely commands the 3,000 Provinces!”
“Further ahead, reaching the Spirit River, there are dozens of provinces that have all fallen to the darkness. You will face more than one Great Spirit Lord, and you might even encounter an Ancestral Spirit.”
She finished speaking.
But Xu Xian thought she hadn't finished.
He waited for a very long time...
Before finally asking, “Is that it?”
Li Shuhe nodded.
Xu Xian understood. He drank his wine in silence, processing the words she had spoken.
A brand-new worldview slowly formed in his subconscious, gradually becoming complete.
He even deduced the history that had passed and some of the events that had once occurred on this land...
Darkness and light,
The Spirit-Devouring and living beings.
The Spirit-Devouring Tribe and their three First Ancestors, whose strength was comparable to the Immortal Emperor stage, had broken the seal of the Boundary Sea at the end of the Era of Ancient Immortals, returning to sweep across Cangming.
As eras changed,
Darkness descended,
The Nine Heavens fell, the Ten Lands were destroyed, and the 3,000 Provinces sank into shadow. The living beings of Cangming retreated to the Immortal Land, facing off across the Spirit River...
And it has been so until today!
As for the details of the process, they were irrelevant.
If Xu Xian wanted to cultivate, he had to reach the Spirit River, cross it, and land in the Immortal Land. The journey would be fraught with danger.
The little book spirit also processed this history. Although it had happened after the spirit was born, it had been asleep for most of it.
It found the information quite novel as well.
It told Xu Xian in his sea of consciousness that she was likely right; some things perfectly matched what it already knew.
Xu Xian didn't delve deeper into the details. Instead, after digesting everything, he couldn't help but ask, “What about you? Why did you end up like this?”
He thought... her story must be quite fascinating.
She glanced at him and said indifferently, “My story is a long one. Therefore, I will not tell it.”
Xu Xian: “....”
Xu Xian: “Alright then!”
She saw Xu Xian’s disappointment, frowned, and said with great patience, “Perhaps it is fate, or perhaps my ancestors blessed me, allowing me to remain myself and ensuring my body still belongs to me. I waited here, and then you came, and I guided you.”
After saying that, she added with self-assurance, “Yes, that is it. My mission is to bring this glimmer of dawn back to where it belongs.”
She spoke mysteriously, but Xu Xian understood. Her underlying meaning was that she would protect him until he reached the Immortal Land.
That was enough.
This was the answer he had always wanted.
Even the little book spirit said it was a sure thing.
As for why she hadn't helped him before?
Xu Xian didn't ask.
Perhaps, maybe, she felt it hadn't been necessary.
The night was long and devoid of dawn. Throughout the remaining time, Xu Xian occasionally exchanged a few words with her, though she rarely spoke.
Sometimes she nodded,
Sometimes she shook her head.
She was as sparing with her words as if they were gold, saving them whenever possible.
Xu Xian figured out why those Death Spirits had suddenly retreated. It was as he had guessed: the one controlling them from behind had been killed.
As for who killed them, Li Shuhe didn't say, but Xu Xian knew very well.
the Sovereign! It could only be Him.
He was terrifyingly strong!
Xu Xian drank his wine and didn't forget to tell his own story. He confessed that in order to save Fanzhou, he had released the Twilight Emperor, whom the Li family ancestors had sealed ages ago.
He didn't know if he was right, but it was the only thing he could do. He also mentioned that he hadn't told anyone else about this because no one would understand.
To ensure Fanzhou's safety for the foreseeable future, he had even brought all the powerful experts up to the heavens with him.
Similarly, he didn't know if doing so was right or wrong.
After hearing this,
Li Shuhe told him with absolute certainty, “You did the right thing!”
Xu Xian asked for confirmation, “Do you really think so?”
Li Shuhe nodded and told him, “Your enemy is not Him. You were born to meet the tribulation, and you came bearing the sword. The enemies of the world are your enemies. The enemies of Cangming are the Spirit-Devouring Tribe. The Twilight Emperor is also a soul of Cangming.”
After hearing that, the knot of thoughts that had been weighing on Xu Xian's chest was completely released.
“That’s good, that’s good....”
He knew he was right, but how could he not care about what others thought?
Li Shuhe had lived for a very long time; her perspective was bound to be higher than his. If she said he was right, then he definitely couldn't be wrong.
Finally, Xu Xian requested, “Senior, I would like to stay here for a few more days. Would that be alright with you?”
Li Shuhe didn't ask for a reason and nodded in agreement.
“Granted.”
Xu Xian asked tentatively, “You aren’t going to ask me why?”
Li Shuhe just looked at him and answered indirectly, “I’ll stand guard! Rest assured.”
Xu Xian didn't act coy anymore. He stood up, bowed, and thanked her.
“Then I shall trouble you, Senior.”
Li Shuhe forced a smile, if it could even be called that.
Xu Xian left and returned to the deep gorge, blocking out the little book spirit’s chattering.
“What a good ghost!”
“How lucky!”
“It’s a sure thing!”
And so on...
The moment he returned, everyone looked over, especially Lu Yuan...
Among them, some still couldn't resist peeking out of the formation to look toward the mountains.
Naturally, they saw Xu Xian sitting with the red-clad woman.
Although they didn't dare approach, Xu Xian had been gone for so long that he must have gained something.
Xu Xian pretended not to notice and asked confusedly, “Is something wrong with your eyes?”
Lu Yuan rolled his eyes. “Cut the crap. Well?”
Xu Xian looked at the crowd; their eyes were filled with the same expectation.
Xu Xian chuckled and teased them with only four words: “A pleasant conversation!”
Then,
Ignoring their further questions, he instructed them, “Everyone, we might be staying here for a few days.”
The crowd whispered among themselves.
Several saints and demon immortals couldn't help but ask:
“Little friend Xu, why are we staying?”
“Yes, are we not leaving?”
“This place is not fit for a long stay. It’s better to escape as soon as possible.”
Xu Xian didn't explain. He didn't know how to tell them. Should he tell them that there were still dozens of provinces ahead?
Should he say he was going into seclusion to pull swords?
Or tell them that powerful foes were blocking the way ahead?
There was no need.
Unless they were fools, they could guess it themselves.
Besides,
Xu Xian had no obligation to tell them these things, nor any reason to ensure their safety.
He wanted to be a saint, but he didn't want to be a bleeding heart.
Apart from those from the Demon Abyss, Tu Sisi, and Lu Yuan, he didn't care about the lives of the others at all.
Back then,
When the whole world crusaded against the Wendao Sect, all of these people had taken part.
The fact that Xu Xian hadn't killed them himself was already his greatest kindness.
How could he have the patience to explain things to them? Furthermore, the next stretch of the journey would be exceptionally dangerous, and having too many people might not be a good thing.
So, he said, “If you are unwilling to wait, then leave. There is no need to ask so many questions. I certainly won’t stop you...”
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