"What? Just a single strand of hair can wield that kind of power? That's insane."
Fang Han's heart nearly collapsed. He had assumed the gorgeously dressed youth—the disguised Linglong Immortal Venerable—was some kind of terrifying avatar. He never imagined this figure was nothing but a single strand of hair made manifest.
The thought alone chilled him.
Linglong, visiting a sect billions of light-years away, sensed a small disturbance in the Xuanhuang World… plucked a single hair, infused it with a thousand years of cultivation, hurled it across time and space—
and that alone forced back the top two experts of the entire Divine Ability realm.
What kind of ability was that?
There was no language for it.
Even Fang Han, who had defied heaven itself more than once, struggled to comprehend it. He had met many great figures—but someone like Linglong Immortal Venerable? Probably even the sealed ancient Demon Lords or the mysterious beings in the shadows couldn't quite compare.
Of course, those beings were sealed or trapped; Fang Han didn't know their true limits.
Only now did Fang Han finally understand why Linglong alone could sustain her sect and stand against the colossal Taiyi Sect.
"Four thousand years of cultivation… to reach that height? What kind of monster is she? Yan, you've seen a lot—what realm is she at?"
Fang Han asked internally.
"Pu… pu… pu…"
Inside the Yellow Springs Diagram, Yan was shaking uncontrollably.
"Too strong… far too strong. Impossible… impossible! A single hair, carrying a thousand years of power, can repel two top cultivators? That's already approaching the Huangquan Emperor's level! Has she reached the ninth—or even tenth—layer of Longevity? A realm of eternal existence, surviving all tribulations?"
"Linglong Immortal Venerable is only four thousand years old. Losing a thousand years of cultivation must hurt," Fang Han thought.
"She may have lived four thousand years, but her cultivation efficiency is a thousand times that of an ordinary Longevity expert. Someone like Elder Tianxing cultivates a thousand days to equal what she gains in one. So 'a thousand years of cultivation' is just one year of her accumulated essence. A trifle."
Yan still trembled.
Fang Han could tell—this was genuine fear. Yan almost never reacted like this unless facing someone truly unfathomable.
Linglong's fading projection spoke again, her voice like flowing jade water.
"Yellow Springs Diagram? I've heard of it. Unfortunately, I never fought the Huangquan Emperor. Back then, I had not yet completed my cultivation, while he was a Demon Emperor who tore open the gates of the Immortal Realm. A pity—I would have liked to cross blades with someone of that stature. Today's demon emperors… even Ying Xiantian and the others… are shallow by comparison. Disappointing. But in you, I see a hint of Huangquan."
"Thank you, Immortal Venerable, for your guidance."
Fang Han bowed, sincere and respectful.
Before someone like this, humility wasn't weakness—it was survival.
"Guidance?" Linglong chuckled softly. "You killed Taiyi Sect's Golden Core prodigy and delivered the core to me as a birthday tribute. If someone assassinated you on the way, who would dare send me gifts in the future? Still, Yan Shuiyi and Fan Qingying are formidable. I nearly had to expend more force to repel them. If they ever enter the Longevity Realm, I'll need more than a hair next time."
Fang Han immediately seized the moment.
"Immortal Venerable, please enlighten my cultivation."
"You practice my Linglong Great Luo Heaven technique—you obtained it after Huoyun'er died in the Taiyuan Immortal Mansion, didn't you? That's fine. You escaped with fate on your side. I will need you in the future anyway… The Xuanpin Gate within the Taiyuan Immortal Mansion is crucial to opening the gates of the Immortal Realm for me."
Her voice softened.
"There isn't much time. When you reach Linglong Blessed Land, and when my true body returns, I will teach you the deeper mysteries of Linglong Great Luo Heaven. As for your Five Emperors Demon Arts—I won't meddle. But your Eightfold Pagoda… that is impressive. It was once a supreme treasure of the Heavenly Dragon Clan. Using the Five-Element Spirit Talisman as a foundation to forge its embryo is no small feat."
Fang Han seized the opening.
"Immortal Venerable, what exactly is the Five-Element Spirit Talisman? I merged it into the pagoda unintentionally… If something goes wrong and it flies away later, all my efforts will be ruined."
Linglong nodded thoughtfully.
"The Five-Element Spirit Talisman… I know a little. It is actually one of the ancient Buddhist Six-Syllable Mantra Sigils—a primordial sound-seed that existed before heaven and earth. It grants pure empowerment. Long ago, the ancient Buddhist masters suppressed the Chiyuan Demon Lord and placed this sigil to refine him and his 840 million demons into a world-shaking artifact. But the demon lord was too strong—he gradually weakened the sigil and began to take control of the Five-Element Land. It's close to breaking free. At its peak, this sigil could kill Longevity experts."
Linglong's tone was calm—too calm for the terrifying history she recited.
"So what should I do?" Fang Han asked urgently.
"There's no danger for now. The sigil is purely an empowering talisman. Attach it to any artifact and it will slowly enhance it. Since you practice Buddhist arts, simply refine it daily. Over years, your Eightfold Pagoda may reach completion. Ancient dragon kings worked tens of thousands of years without success—yet you may exceed them."
She continued:
"As for the Bixue Softwater Sword you suppressed—that is no ordinary blade. It was crafted by an ancient Water God using blood essence and divine water spirits. Paired with your Blood Sky technique, its power will multiply. Once fully subdued, you can place it into the Eightfold Pagoda and manifest the Blood Buddha. One day, you may turn the entire pagoda into a Dao-Artifact."
As she spoke, Linglong's projection became fainter and fainter.
Her energy was dispersing.
The single strand of green hair drifted toward Fang Han's hand, curling naturally around his finger.
Her final voice echoed through the void:
"This strand has spent its thousand years of power, but it still holds one miraculous ability. Keep it on your finger—when your life is in danger, it will save you once. My projection cannot linger. The Zorma Sect is too far from your world. Travel safely to Linglong Blessed Land."
Silence followed.
The Ten Thousand Immortals Ripple Sword Array flew over and dropped into Fang Han's hands.
The beautiful youth—the disguised Linglong Immortal Venerable—vanished completely.
Yet the imprint she left in Fang Han's soul would never fade.
"A person like that… exists in this world? How could anyone reach such a level…"
Fang Han murmured, staring at the strand of hair.
"You're still only at the Golden Core Realm," Yan reminded dryly. "The Longevity Realm is far away. That Immortal Venerable's cultivation is nearly one with the heavens—maybe even the Huangquan Emperor couldn't defeat her. Only an Immortal King of the Creation Rank could destroy her."
"Longevity Realm…" Fang Han clenched his fists. "Yes. I must rise. I thought being Golden Core meant I could sweep the world. But today proved it—I'm still too low. If I had reached the eighth or ninth layer of Divine Ability, I could've escaped effortlessly… maybe even defeated them."
He made his resolve.
Yan brightened.
"Still, we gained much—an entire Dao-Artifact, the Bixue Softwater Sword! And that sword formation—tens of thousands of flying swords!"
Fang Han shook his head.
"That array belongs at Linglong Blessed Land. Keeping it would be tasteless. Better to give it to her disciples and owe Linglong a favor instead."
He looked around.
"Let's go. We can't stay here. Luckily, Nebula Baby wasn't hurt."
The little creature crawled out from layers of protection, head wobbling.
"So scary… I almost died! That Linglong Immortal Venerable is stronger than both my parents combined!"