My Longevity Simulation

Chapter 878: An Old Acquaintance Returns

Under the gaze of the Immortal Ancestor, the layered defenses set up by the Five Elders Association in Nine Mountains Prefecture collapsed instantly.

Before an absolute power gap, all struggles and resistance were futile!

Every living being within the province—including the stationed cultivators of the Five Elders Association, the followers of the Lingyuan Sect, and even countless mortals—perished the moment the Immortal Ancestor opened his eyes!

Just as the Xuanhuang Realm cannot withstand the direct gaze of a True Immortal, the living beings of Nine Mountains Prefecture could not endure the might of the Immortal Ancestor's power!

An untold number of cultivators died in an instant.

Originally, the sky should have been filled with countless celestial phenomena marking their demise.

But perhaps because the presence of the Immortal Ancestor had not dissipated, the pressure from his presence suppressed even those celestial omens, preventing them from forming.

This scene seemed to suggest that even the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm had to restrain itself before the Immortal Ancestor, not daring to mock or celebrate the deaths of the cultivators.

...

The transmission from the Five Elders Association abruptly cut off.

Though it was indeed shocking, to Li Fan—who had already witnessed a True Immortal’s world-ending display—it was nothing extraordinary.

After carefully analyzing the situation, Li Fan immediately sensed something was off.

"Immortal Ancestor? One of the Thirty-Three Chosen Immortal?"

In his 115th lifetime, the Immortal Ancestor had once revealed his true form.

At that time, the entire Xuanhuang Realm trembled under his presence, as if the apocalypse was imminent and the world could be torn apart by his power at any moment.

By comparison, the Immortal Ancestor appearing in Nine Mountains Prefecture now was significantly weaker.

"What is this? A projection? A clone?"

A sharp glint flashed in Li Fan’s eyes.

From what he could sense, Wei Qizheng, one of the Immortal Chosen, was still alive and well.

Moreover, the cultivators of the Five Elders Association had just mentioned that this Immortal Ancestor projection might become a recurring phenomenon in the future.

This indicated that it wasn’t a one-time, expendable technique but something that could be reproduced repeatedly.

"Although its power is far inferior to the true Immortal Ancestor, it still possesses the combat strength of the Longevity Immortal realm."

"More importantly, we still don’t know how the Immortal Ancestor projection appeared in the sky over Nine Mountains Prefecture. From beginning to end, none of the Immortal Chosen had shown themselves. If this projection can be summoned without location constraints..."

"Then the deterrent effect is overwhelming. Without a proper countermeasure, the Five Elders Association wouldn’t dare to act rashly."

Li Fan’s eyes flickered as he surveyed the devastated Nine Mountains Prefecture.

Countless beings had perished here moments ago, yet oddly, there was no trace of blood in the air.

After all, under the crushing might of the Immortal Ancestor presence, even blood had been completely obliterated.

"As expected of a technique that embodies the Immortal Ancestor itself. Rather than slaughter, this is pure annihilation."

Li Fan sighed inwardly.

Now that he understood what had transpired in Nine Mountains Prefecture, he wasted no time lingering and swiftly used the power of the earth’s veins to return.

"If I’m not mistaken, the Five Elders Association’s counterattack will likely involve using the ‘Samantabhadra True Boat’ to launch a surprise assault from within the White Mist."

"If they manage to initiate battle in the heart of the Immortal Alliance’s territory, then even the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance would have serious reservations about deploying the Immortal Ancestor projection again."

"However, such a trick is most effective the first time it’s used. The Five Elders Association will probably save it for a decisive moment when they intend to end things in one blow…"

"Interesting. Let’s see how they choose to proceed."

The sheer deterrent power of the Immortal Ancestor projection was undeniable.

Even though it was only used once in Nine Mountains Prefecture, it still terrified the members of the Five Elders Association in other fallen border territories, forcing them to retreat and consolidate their forces.

Without much effort, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance swiftly reclaimed several previously lost border states.

The string of victories left cultivators, who had grown accustomed to the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance suffering setbacks, in disbelief.

As a result, conspiracy theories began to spread everywhere.

Congyun Sea, Haixuan Island.

"The speed at which the Immortal Alliance is reclaiming lost land is simply too fast. Don’t you think there’s something suspicious about it?"

"Heh, I heard a little rumor. Supposedly, these territories weren’t actually won back by our Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance. The Five Elders Association deliberately returned them to us!"

"Why would they willingly give up land they fought so hard to take?"

"You don’t know? Sure, they returned it, but all that’s left is a wasteland. Anything of value has already been plundered by those from the Five Elders Association. According to a friend of mine, the situation in those reclaimed states is absolutely horrific!"

"Hiss! I get it now! This is an open scheme by the Five Elders Association. Once the lost land is reclaimed, it has to be rebuilt, right? When we painstakingly restore everything, they’ll just attack again and plunder it all over…"

"I was wondering why we suddenly became so formidable. So this is the reason!"

Conspiracy theories always find an eager audience.

Many cultivators simply couldn’t accept that the supposedly "weak" Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance had achieved such a glorious victory in such a short time.

Some began concocting possible schemes behind the scenes.

Just as they were reveling in their discussion, they were unaware that their words had infuriated two individuals.

"Bang!"

A loud slam on the table resounded as a figure abruptly stood up.

"I originally thought the Congyun Sea Mutual Aid Association was well-known far and wide, a truly remarkable organization."

"But I never expected it to be so disgraceful!"

Sweeping his gaze across the cultivators present, the man spoke coldly, "The war at the front lines is far from over. Countless comrades have died on the battlefield. Yet you people, instead of contributing, are here gossiping behind their backs!"

"I, Kou Hong, am ashamed to associate with the likes of you!"

"Bah!"

Kou Hong’s eyes blazed with fury, his voice thundering.

Beside him, another cultivator in white robes, with a tall figure and sharp brows, stood up with a hearty laugh.

"Well said, my brother! I, Dao Xuanzi, also despise these beasts!"

Their words instantly offended the small group that had been chatting.

Cold glares were cast toward Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi, with traces of killing intent flashing in their eyes.

If this weren’t Ji Shaoli’s territory, they might have already drawn their swords against the two outspoken cultivators.

"Hmph! What kind of mutual aid association is this? It’s not worth staying in!"

Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi fumed, preparing to leave.

"Wait, you two!"

Someone suddenly stepped forward to block them.

Everyone turned to look and immediately bowed in respect.

It was none other than the master of Haixuan Island, the leader of the Congyun Sea Mutual Aid Association—Ji Shaoli himself!

"Fellow Daoist Ji, as the saying goes, 'Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.' Let us part ways here today!" Kou Hong turned away, ignoring Ji Shaoli.

Dao Xuanzi, however, still showed some courtesy, cupping his hands in respect.

Clone Ji Shaoli’s said nothing. He merely looked at the two familiar faces before him, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, "Fate truly works in mysterious ways!"

In the original timeline, these two had only reached the Foundation Establishment stage even decades later. Yet now, they had already attained early-stage Golden Core cultivation.

A decision formed in his heart.