Talking about ancient history while drinking wine

“Counterattacking the Cultivation World…”

Sima Changkong narrowed his eyes, seemingly recalling something.

After a moment, he slowly said, “Nowadays, when this matter is mentioned, Cultivators mostly call it a farce. But in reality, the scale of the Small World allied forces was not just a simple farce.”

“Otherwise, why would even the always-hostile Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and Five Old Men Association have to unite?”

A barely perceptible glint flashed in Li Fan’s eyes. He leaned forward and asked in a somewhat indistinct tone, “Unite? Just to deal with the Small World allied forces?”

“Fellow Daoist Sima, you couldn’t have misremembered, could you? Didn’t they say that those in these Small Worlds were all exiled Mortals?”

“To deal with this group of ants, how could Cultivators like us be so strenuous? Moreover, we still have Chang Sheng Tian Zun suppressing the world. Could they really win against us?”

Sima Changkong saw Li Fan’s face full of disbelief, but he didn’t get angry.

Instead, he smiled slightly, flicked his finger, and a drop of blood flew between the two of them.

The blood drop was like a living thing, suspended in the air, then wiggled and stretched upwards, downwards, and in all directions.

It transformed into a canvas made of blood mist.

On the canvas, scene after scene of thrilling events sequentially appeared.

One side of the battle should have been the Cultivators of the Xuanhuang World.

But the other side, also capable of flying and escaping, was clearly not composed of Mortals.

Although their combat methods differed, they could still fight back and forth with the Cultivators.

Some relied entirely on their Physical Bodies, directly withstanding the attacks of the Cultivators’ Flying Swords and Dao techniques. They closed in, tearing Cultivators to shreds with their bare hands.

Others were located in the rear, remotely controlling streams of strange energy that descended from the sky, locking onto Cultivators and striking with pinpoint accuracy.

Even more astonishingly, some were not in human form, but merely transparent white human skin. They drifted and roamed in the center of the battlefield. When someone was severely wounded, they would completely attach themselves.

Those who were previously dying and unable to move suddenly became lively and vigorous again in an instant.

Even if they were missing an arm or a leg, after being attached by the white human skin, they could regenerate severed limbs and recover their combat power.

Li Fan stared at the constantly changing scenes in the blood curtain, his expression slowly becoming solemn.

“Where are our high-level Cultivators of the Xuanhuang World? Are the Dao Integration cultivators and Chang Sheng Realm powerhouses just watching us fight like this, unmoved?” Li Fan’s tone was somewhat indignant.

Sima Changkong shook his head slightly: “No, no. They naturally had their opponents.”

“Although my ancestor’s Realm was limited at that time and he couldn’t personally witness the scenes of the powerhouses fighting, it is said that our Xuanhuang World also suffered heavy losses.”

Sima Changkong sighed, “So much so that for the past five hundred years, both sides have been unwilling to restart the conflict, focusing on recuperation.”

Li Fan couldn’t help but be surprised: “That strong? Are these people really from a Small World?”

“Yes, and no.” Sima Changkong summoned a mermaid beast and refilled their cups.

Only then did he continue, “They were merely chess pieces controlled by others.”

“The true mastermind is someone else.”

Li Fan was slightly startled, his spirits rising: “What do you mean?”

“Their origins seem to trace back to when the ancient catastrophe first descended. As for the specifics, my ancestor did not record them.”

“However, based on fragmented interviews after the war, it can be known that they seem to be a group of people who ‘left and returned’.”

Sima Changkong spoke slowly, a hint of confusion on his face.

“Not only did the Dao Integration cultivators of the Xuanhuang World who fought them call them traitors, but even Cultivators who didn’t know their identities would naturally feel immense resentment the moment they saw them.”

“During the battle, there were even bolts of lightning descending from the sky, striking these people.”

“They seemed to be detested by the entire Xuanhuang World.”

“Left and returned, traitors…” Li Fan fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

From the scene described by Sima Changkong, combined with what he had seen in Senior Sister Zhao’s illusion earlier, Li Fan couldn’t help but have some guesses.

When the various calamities such as the inability to cultivate different Dao and the immortal-mortal miasma descended simultaneously, the Immortal Dao Ten Sects initially had a plan to unite and overcome the difficulties together.

But later, the situation deteriorated too quickly, and the various Sects were too busy to help themselves, let alone each other.

When disaster struck, their fates differed.

Some completely disappeared into the long river of history due to the mutual slaughter of their disciples.

Others sealed their Sects and withdrew from the world, barely surviving.

But there were also some, like the Southern Underworld Yao Beast Mountain and the Heavenly Sword Sect, who chose to simply flee the Xuanhuang World.

“As Di Yi said, individuals within a race all have their own choices. Without an absolute leader, it’s impossible to act with a single will.”

“It is reasonable for Cultivators to have their own choices.”

“When these people fled, they might have taken something with them. So much so that even the Xuanhuang World itself developed resentment towards them.”

“I just don’t know why they left and returned. However, being able to return safely from the powerful suction of the Immortal Ruins, their strength must not be weak.”

Li Fan’s thoughts slowly calmed, and his gaze towards Sima Changkong became even more fervent.

As expected of the historian of the Cultivation World.

For nearly a thousand years, Sima Changkong could mostly find answers to the many sealed and forgotten events in the history of the Xuanhuang World.

After Li Fan returned from Tianling State, to avoid the war’s impact, he came to Sima Changkong’s underwater crystal Immortal Cave.

Relying on his previous Clone’s familiarity with him, plus Li Fan’s already extensive knowledge and ability to casually mention many secrets,

he quickly gained his favor.

The two drank and chatted happily about the past of the Xuanhuang World every day, enjoying themselves immensely.

To prevent outsiders from disturbing them and to extract more information from Sima Changkong, Li Fan even offered to help him set up concealment and defensive Formations for his crystal Immortal Cave.

Seeing the other party so enthusiastic, Sima Changkong felt even more that this person was worth befriending.

Their relationship thus became increasingly harmonious.

“Peace is temporary, and war is the Eternal topic of history.” Sima Changkong, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly sighed, putting down the wine cup he had already raised, his interest waning.

“Fellow Daoist, why do you say that…” Li Fan suddenly realized.

“The war between the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Old Men Association has officially begun?”

Sima Changkong nodded heavily: “I don’t know how many Cultivators will die on the battlefield.”

“This is the natural order of heaven and earth. We are not Chang Sheng Tian Zun, how can we resist? Drink, drink!” Li Fan proactively refilled Sima Changkong’s cup and consoled him.

“Fellow Daoist is right.” Sima Changkong drank it all, swallowing the fine wine and his emotions together.

Li Fan then steered the conversation to other topics.

…

Time flew by, and a year passed in the blink of an eye.

The war between the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Old Men Association had reached a fever pitch, but Li Fan had completely settled down at Sima Changkong’s residence, not leaving it for half a step for a year.

One more chapter to come later.