The origin of the Five Elders

"Move faster! Stop looking around!"

Ten Thousand Immortals Island had been almost razed to the ground, and the Cultivators of the Five Elders Association began digging underground.

Li Fan wanted to take another look but was scolded by an armored Cultivator and forcibly moved away from the area.

Several teams of armored Cultivators formed a formation, herding the people of the Myriad Immortals Alliance like a flock of sheep until they reached a small cave at the bottom of the canyon.

Gusts of eerie wind blew from the cave entrance, which appeared to exude a sinister and terrifying aura.

"Get in! What are you dawdling for!"

The leading armored Cultivator slammed his weapon into the ground and shouted like a peal of thunder.

Among the group, some showed indignation. They exchanged glances, seemingly conspiring in secret to resist.

However, the situation was overwhelming. After hesitating for a while, they eventually yielded.

They filed into the dark cave one by one.

Li Fan was merely using a Puppet body, so naturally, he did not feel much fear.

However, in order not to stand out and to survive a bit longer, he also feigned extreme panic and followed behind the others.

Stepping into the cave, the light vanished before his eyes.

The next moment, a scene completely different from what they had expected appeared before them.

It was not a winding, dark tunnel inside the mountain, but rather they had inexplicably appeared in a lush, green valley.

In the distance, a wooden pavilion could be seen.

Dozens of people sat on the ground in front of the pavilion, listening to a Cultivator who looked like a scholar speaking about something.

Seeing that it did not look like they were about to be tortured or interrogated, the Cultivators of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, who had been restless and attempting to resist, became calm again.

They decided to observe the situation first and act according to circumstances.

Escorted by the armored Cultivators, the group slowly approached the pavilion.

Li Fan, hiding among the crowd, keenly sensed a certain change occurring in his body during this process, and his expression changed slightly.

It turned out that as they kept approaching the scholar at the pavilion, their bodies seemed to be constantly shrinking.

This change was limited to the detained members of the Myriad Immortals Alliance; the armored Cultivators, the scholar, and even the scenery in the surrounding valley remained completely unchanged.

Thus, although their forward speed did not decrease, they seemed to be getting further and further away from their target.

This abnormal phenomenon caused a stir in the Myriad Immortals Alliance team, but it was quickly suppressed.

"Move faster!"

In their eyes, the forms of the armored Cultivators had already expanded to the size of small mountains.

Without a shred of pity, they kept urging them on.

Seeing people from the perspective of a true ant for the first time, the members of the Myriad Immortals Alliance found it difficult to remain calm.

Their faces gradually turned pale, and they subconsciously obeyed the manipulation of the armored Cultivators.

As they continued to move forward, the shrinking of their bodies did not stop.

When they finally arrived in front of the pavilion after spending nearly ten days.

In their eyes, the scholar was already like a mountain, supporting the sky and standing on the earth.

"Sit," the scholar said in a gentle tone.

But falling into their ears, it sounded like a great bell, filling the heavens and the earth.

It echoed constantly in their hearts.

It seemed to reach straight to the depths of their Souls; even if they cut off their self-perception, they still could not prevent themselves from hearing the scholar's words in their minds.

Thus, they all lost control of their bodies and obediently sat on the ground.

"What kind of Divine Ability is this?"

Everyone was horrified.

The armored Cultivators bowed to the scholar, and seeing that the Myriad Immortals Alliance members were seated, they quietly left.

The scholar glanced at the crowd and sighed softly, "Another group of lost lambs."

"However, since you have the fate to be here, I will not let you go astray again."

The people who identified as members of the Myriad Immortals Alliance naturally felt unconvinced upon hearing this.

"In your eyes, what is the Five Elders Association like?" At this moment, the scholar asked softly.

"Manipulating Cultivators with Soul contracts, extremely evil!"

"Just lingering on, within a thousand years, you will definitely be destroyed by the Myriad Immortals Alliance."

"Ignorant, backward!"

"Although not good people, being able to contend with our Myriad Immortals Alliance for so long, there must be something commendable about you."

…

Under the scholar's questioning, everyone spoke up, stating the answers in their hearts.

But the horrified expressions on their faces clearly indicated that their answers at this moment were not done of their own volition.

However, faced with the scholar's questioning, not all Cultivators had lost control and answered voluntarily.

At the very least, the Puppet body that Li Fan was inhabiting had not been affected.

There were also some Nascent Soul Cultivators who, while frowning, resisted the scholar's manipulation.

"Isn't this the group version of the Heavenly Doctor's [Question] technique?" Li Fan was also shocked.

"Even if the power seems inferior to the Heavenly Doctor's personal execution, the target of the spell is, after all, so many people."

Li Fan was highly vigilant, ready to abandon the Puppet body at any time.

Fortunately, the scholar did not pay too much attention to Li Fan.

Everyone answered, one after another.

The scholar smiled and listened attentively.

After a long time, the people finished speaking, and the area outside the pavilion slowly became quiet.

The scholar shook his head and said, "Great error!"

"Do you know where our Five Elders Association originated?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"After the Celestial Venerable of Dharma Transmission created the New Law, relying on the astonishing cultivation speed, the Loose Cultivators of the world launched an assault on the Ten Immortal Sects."

"And within the Sects, they also split into two factions, fighting and killing endlessly."

"However, before we could completely determine a winner…"

The scholar did not answer directly but began to tell the history to the group.

"The Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth descended, and cultivation methods became incompatible."

"The Immortal Sects suffered a devastating blow, with not even one in a hundred surviving."

"But after all, having ruled the Xuanhuang World for ten thousand years, the foundation was deep."

"There were still some surviving Sects that escaped this calamity. They retreated from the world and waited for the bloody storm to pass."

"When the slaughter ended and the darkness disappeared, they reunited upon the ruins."

"This, then, was the prototype of the current Five Elders Association."

Regardless of their stunned reactions, the scholar said slowly.

"The struggle between the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association is actually still a struggle between the new and old forces of cultivation."

"All struggles in the world generally stem from the oppression of latecomers by predecessors."

"Therefore, it has continued for thousands of years without end."

"It will never stop until a winner is completely determined."

"You are in the Myriad Immortals Alliance, so it is normal to be blinded, and I cannot blame you."

The scholar revealed an expression of compassion for the world.

The Cultivators of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, who were sitting on the ground listening to the scholar's lecture, all wore expressions of shock.

Although they were accustomed to the existence of the Five Elders Association, this was the first time they had heard about its origins.

Li Fan, upon hearing this, was not as surprised as the other Cultivators.

Senior Sister Zhao, one of the five Celestial Venerables of Longevity of the Five Elders Association, was originally the Sect Leader of the Great Dao Sect, one of the Ten Immortal Sects.

Therefore, Li Fan had long guessed that the Five Elders Association was composed of the surviving Sect Cultivators from back then.