"Before I tell you, Junior Brother, this matter is known only to the Sect Master and me—no third person has ever heard of it."

"So you must help me keep this secret well."

Senior Sister Zhao said this with a faint, mysterious tone.

Suddenly, a wave of deadly crisis surged into Li Fan's heart.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind. His body tensed for a moment but quickly returned to normal.

Gently stroking Senior Sister's smooth, pale back, he said as though it were natural: "Of course. I was stunned when I first heard this news. It felt a little unbelievable."

"Not to mention the elders. If they knew, they would certainly unite to stop it."

"Even with the Sect Master's support, compared to that group of old monsters, Senior Sister, our power is too weak. We still need to gather strength, stay low, and bide our time, striving to strike decisively when the moment is right," Li Fan thoughtfully advised.

Senior Sister Zhao remained silent, lying quietly in Li Fan's arms, unmoving as if she had fallen asleep.

"By the way, Senior Sister, why did Sect Master Ji suddenly want to pass the position of Sect Master to you?" After a long silence, Li Fan finally couldn't help but ask.

"Who knows? These old geezers are always so unpredictable. Maybe he's close to achieving Longevity realm and doesn't want to bother with the mess of our sect anymore?" Senior Sister Zhao shifted her position lazily as she spoke.

"After all, the world is getting more chaotic. In the eyes of those at the peak of cultivation, these so-called Ten Great Immortal Sects are more of a burden than a benefit..."

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was barely audible.

Seeing that she had no intention of continuing, Li Fan dared not press further.

Instead, they once again engaged in dual cultivation.

A fleeting moment of indulgence.

Li Fan knew that ever since that day when Senior Sister Zhao walked out of the sect's main hall, she had changed somehow.

It was just an inexplicable feeling, without any concrete evidence.

In the days that followed, as they spent every moment together, he didn’t notice any obvious abnormality in this senior sister, who had accompanied him for over a hundred years.

But...

Li Fan was still convinced that some subtle change was happening to her, bit by bit.

Yet, where did this persistent sense of impending danger come from?

Even if Senior Sister Zhao was hiding something from him, it didn’t seem like her feelings for him were fake.

If she became the Sect Master of the Grand Dao Sect, he would become her Dao companion.

This wasn't just some ordinary small sect—it was the illustrious and renowned Grand Dao Sect, famous across the entire cultivation world.

At that point, he would truly be second only to one, above ten thousand others.

Even in his wildest dreams of ambition, he had never dared to aspire to such a position.

Now, thanks to Senior Sister Zhao, wealth and glory were within his grasp!

So, what went wrong?

Li Fan instinctively felt that he had forgotten something important.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember it.

All he could do was carry on with his life as usual while secretly investigating.

Time flew by.

Another three years passed.

During this time, thanks to the combined efforts of many brilliant cultivators from the Ten Great Immortal Sects, they finally found a way to eradicate the lingering "Immortal Plague" that had permeated the world.

Thus, large-scale eradication operations began.

For the sake of future survival, every surviving sect had to send cultivators to various parts of the Xuanhuang Realm to carry out the eradication of the Immortal Plague.

Originally, Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao had always been given the hard labor, but since Senior Sister Zhao had been confirmed as the next Sect Master, Ji Changxi naturally no longer sent them out.

Instead, another group of five core disciples was sent.

Li Fan was able to enjoy some leisure, staying within the sect.

As time passed, even within the sect, Li Fan could sense that the environment in the Xuanhuang Realm seemed to be gradually improving.

"Great peace follows great calamity. Hopefully, the world's tribulations will end soon, and we can once again welcome the golden age of cultivation!"

Occasionally, Li Fan would hear fellow disciples wishing aloud in the sect.

As the Immortal Plague gradually dissipated, Senior Sister Zhao became increasingly busy.

She seemed on the verge of officially assuming the position of Sect Master of the Grand Dao Sect and was constantly attending various meetings.

Those in attendance were all highly respected elders of the Grand Dao Sect.

It was certainly not easy to convince them.

Li Fan often saw elders storming out of meetings with angry expressions.

But Senior Sister Zhao assured him that there was nothing to worry about.

More and more elders were being convinced to support her in taking the position of Sect Master.

"Very soon, I'll truly become the Sect Master of the Grand Dao Sect," Senior Sister Zhao smiled and said.

Regarding this matter, not only did Li Fan have no worries, but the fear that had always lingered in his heart grew stronger.

It wasn't just about Senior Sister Zhao anymore.

It felt like something strange was happening throughout the entire Grand Dao Sect—something eerie and unsettling, but impossible to describe.

Although he could sense the unusualness, Li Fan couldn’t figure out what it was.

Feeling powerless, Li Fan grew more restless and angry with each passing day.

Naturally, Senior Sister Zhao noticed these emotions in him.

Fortunately, Li Fan brushed it off as being caused by the increasingly frequent celestial phenomena—the falling stars in the sky.

Originally, people had thought that once the Immortal Plague was eradicated, cultivators could enjoy a brief period of peace.

But who could have predicted that not long after, the world would change again?

Previously, Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao had witnessed the "Death Declarations" appearing randomly in the sky when a cultivator fell.

But now, this "randomness" was becoming something of a "certainty."

Even more terrifying, the range and power of these celestial phenomena were growing.

When a cultivator at the Dao Integration stage fell, the phenomenon would nearly cover the sky within tens of thousands of miles.

More frightening still, every cultivator who witnessed these "Death Declarations" felt an increasing sense of dread and unease in their hearts.

Those who had long given up on cultivation, content to live out their remaining years, began to feel a strange mixture of sorrow, frustration, and anger.

When a cultivator within the Grand Dao Sect fell due to reaching the end of their lifespan, a peculiar atmosphere began to spread within the sect.

It was in this context that Senior Sister Zhao officially assumed the position of Sect Master.

Seventeen elders unanimously agreed with the decision of the former Sect Master, Ji Changxi.

This shocked many disciples who had been expecting a show of dissent.

At the same time, Li Fan’s unease reached its peak.