"Yes, yes. Death is not the end, but the arrival of true rebirth." After listening to Li Fan, he seemed to fall into a trance, muttering to himself.
"There is fundamentally no need to fear..."
After an unknown length of time had passed, his expression suddenly cleared, as if he had undergone a profound epiphany.
At that moment, a dangerous burst of multicolored divine light suddenly erupted from the old Daoist's body.
Zhong Shentong himself, however, let out a cold laugh. "Still trying to frighten me. This old Daoist has already seen the truth.
"It's all an illusion. Death is life. Only when all is dead can there be life!"
The multicolored divine light churned faster and faster.
Li Fan, sensing something amiss, quietly retreated.
"See through everything, foresee the truth!" Zhong Shentong raised his right palm, his face resolute, preparing to bring it crashing down upon his own head.
"Fellow Daoist Zhong! The Sensing Life and Death Chapter!" Li Fan shouted.
Zhong Shentong's movements halted abruptly. With a light flick of his finger, a jade slip flew toward Li Fan.
"Haha, Fellow Daoist Li Fan, I shall go ahead first!" With that, Zhong Shentong continued his forceful downward strike.
At that moment, his left palm moved uncontrollably, blocking the path of his right palm.
Zhong Shentong abruptly turned furious.
"Dare to obstruct my Dao path? Die!"
A beam of multicolored divine light shot from his right palm, heading straight for his left.
Simultaneously, another light beam shot forth from his left palm just in time.
The two beams of light collided and canceled each other out.
Yet Zhong Shentong himself did not stop, cursing under his breath.
It was as if two mortal enemies existed within his body. Move for move, he fought a deadly battle against himself.
Multicolored divine light flew wildly, the impact activating the protective arrays within the outpost.
Hearing the commotion from outside, He Chen hurried in. Seeing the deranged Zhong Shentong, he shot a bewildered look at Li Fan.
Li Fan just shrugged, signaling him not to act rashly.
As time passed, the battle between the two personalities within Zhong Shentong grew more ferocious. The confines of the small Outpost 01-11 could no longer contain him.
Amidst the constant flashing of multicolored divine light, he vanished into the depths of the Lifespan-Devouring White Mist.
The onlookers in the outpost buzzed with discussion.
Meanwhile, Li Fan slipped quietly into the cultivation chamber and began to read the jade slip Zhong Shentong had handed over earlier.