Chapter 1239: The Immortal-Sealing Source Power Calamity
Chapter 1239: The Immortal-Sealing Source Power Calamity
In his 119th life, Li Fan had fabricated a rumor about the supposed "Remains of a True Immortal," using it as bait to lure cultivators from the Myriad Immortals Alliance into the pocket world of the Life and Death Reversal Grand Array, thereby exposing the "Rebirth Heavenly Venerate" to the world prematurely.
He never expected, however, that the Xuanhuang Realm truly concealed the remains of a True Immortal.
And it wasn't just any ordinary immortal.
"The immortal body of the first Great Heavenly Venerate?"
"Interesting."
That single sentence alone concealed a multitude of secrets.
The title of Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate didn't refer to a specific cultivator, but rather to a certain status, a mantle of authority.
Li Fan had already learned this in the deepest reaches of the Fallen Immortal Realm.
"So then, where would Mr. Bai have hidden the immortal body of the first Great Heavenly Venerate? Could it also be within the Fallen Immortal Realm?"
Li Fan's thoughts raced.
This first Great Heavenly Venerate, in particular, intrigued Li Fan immensely.
For the remains to be called an "immortal body," this Great Heavenly Venerate must have, without a doubt, been at least at the True Immortal stage of cultivation.
How had this True Immortal died? And before his fall, why had he chosen to leave his remains in the Xuanhuang Realm?
Could the creation of the Fallen Immortal Realm be connected to this True Immortal Great Heavenly Venerate?
His Holy Emperor clone now stood at the apex of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Factoring in the Xuanhuang Realm's own expansion over the years, the Holy Emperor's power was likely just a sliver shy of Mr. Bai's in his prime.
With this concrete point of reference, Li Fan was now certain that Mr. Bai, by his own power alone, could not have created the vast Fallen Immortal Realm, a place both illusory and real.
Yet, during the era of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, the world had been unaware of the Fallen Immortal Realm's existence.
Therefore, he could be certain that even if Mr. Bai hadn't created it with his own hands, the Fallen Immortal Realm was undeniably and deeply connected to him.
The layers of illusory trials were undeniable proof of this.
"Although Mr. Bai 'betrayed' the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm, he didn't go back on his word. The immortal artifacts and the immortal body were all returned to the Heavenly Dao. Even his own cultivation base, in the process of reversing the logic of immortals and mortals, was returned to heaven upon his death."
Li Fan mulled this over but felt no strong impulse to start searching for the Great Heavenly Venerate's immortal body.
Though the Great Heavenly Venerate's immortal body was a supreme treasure, it held little use for him at present. Even if its protection could help him cross the High Wall, Li Fan would never leave so recklessly while utterly ignorant of what lay beyond it.
Furthermore, his current cultivation realm was still far from capable of wielding immortal spiritual energy.
Simply knowing how to detonate an immortal artifact, harness its explosive power to cross the High Wall, and emerge unscathed was beyond his current understanding.
"I must proceed step by step. In any case, as long as it's within the Xuanhuang Realm, or even the Darkest Star Sea, it will all be mine sooner or later."
Li Fan had a crystal-clear understanding of his advantages.
"In this life, my Holy Emperor clone already has what it takes to challenge the Myriad Immortals Alliance. With his numerous boons, his power has even surpassed my own. Let's just watch and see what storms he stirs up."
"This Xuanhuang Realm is like a small pond. Only by thoroughly churning its waters will the old relics hiding in every corner finally reveal themselves. As for me, I need only wait here quietly and observe the unfolding drama."
"However, the wisp of divine sense I left with the Sun family... it can be used to cultivate a future Great Heavenly Venerate."
His attention shifted in an instant.
The wisp of divine sense now had complete control over Wu Ninglu's body.
But she remained completely unaware.
Silently, it influenced her every decision, every action.
Most importantly, it was now sacrificing her cultivation without hesitation to nourish the fetus in her womb.
The Wu Ninglu of the past would never have done such a thing.
She had viewed the unborn child as nothing more than a bargaining chip to control Sun Ang.
But with Li Fan's intervention, things were naturally different.
Ever since the wisp of divine sense had noticed something unusual about the fetus, it had begun a meticulous regimen of prenatal education.
Having experienced a pre-birth cultivation stage with the fated Xuan Bird, Little Black, back in the Fallen Immortal Realm, Li Fan possessed a wealth of experience.
Under his personal guidance, the fetus absorbed the essence of its mother's cultivation, gradually replenishing the innate deficiencies caused by its previous sealing.
Its physique grew stronger by the day, and its consciousness slowly stabilized from a faint flicker into a steady presence.
In a state of primal chaos, knowing nothing of the world, it was guided by Li Fan's divine sense through one meticulously crafted illusion after another.
"They say sages are born, not made. But in truth, why can't a sage be forged through nurture?"
"Judge by actions, not intent. Regardless of what one truly thinks, as long as they hold themselves to strict moral standards and a rigid code of conduct—never breaking them, even in death..."
"...then in the eyes of the world, that is a true sage."
Cultivating it from a state of innate, primal consciousness was certainly far easier than educating it after birth.
What Li Fan was doing now was less education and more akin to sculpting a living being's personality from scratch.
He had no particular experience in this and could only explore through practice. If this experiment proved successful, then forget sages—at the very least, mass-producing men of noble character would be entirely possible.
Li Fan had discovered that even though the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao had once been deceived by Mr. Bai, it was still people like him who could most easily earn its trust.
The Faceless Holy Emperor of this life was a perfect example.
"And the root cause," Li Fan mused, "probably traces back to the Xuantian King, Xuanyuan Hong, and perhaps even to the very first Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate."
Li Fan had already planned for the fetus within Wu Ninglu to be born at the very moment she devoured the Spirit of Heaven and Earth and ascended to the Dao Integration stage.
"If my method is sound, it might be possible to transfer the power of the world's laws, condensed within the mother, directly to the child during birth."
"It might even be possible... to create the Xuanhuang Realm's first cultivator to be born already at the Dao Integration stage..."
"With such a miraculous sign at his birth, who would dare claim he is not a sage?"
As Li Fan considered this, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of anticipation for the child's future.
He had even begun to script the child's destiny.
"Such a prodigy would undoubtedly be seen as the great hope of the Myriad Immortals Alliance. And yet, this very figure, just as the war between the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty and the Alliance rages at its fiercest, will resolutely choose to turn his spear against his own side."
"And he will firmly declare that he stands on the side of justice."
...
"The entire Xuanhuang Realm, forcing the Dharma Spreader's hand... Now that would be an interesting scene indeed."
Vivid images flashed through Li Fan's mind.
Without needing to use the Dao Transformation Stone for deductions, he could already roughly predict the course this life would take.
This was, however, the ideal scenario.
Whether cultivating an innate sage or developing the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty to the point where it could force the Dharma Spreader to reveal himself, both would require a great deal of time.
Meanwhile, back at the Sun family residence.
The wisp of divine consciousness hidden within the Immeasurable Mirror was leading a much more leisurely existence.
Aside from continuously prying into the secrets of the Heavenly Profound Mirror, it spent the vast majority of its energy trying to lure the "Wind of Annihilation" calamity out from within the Immeasurable Mirror.
Because Sun Luyuan had pledged his allegiance to the Holy Emperor, he had the good fortune of borrowing over a hundred robust, recently born members of the You Clan.
They were currently hidden in the Sun family's underground chamber, right beside the clan's blood essence pool.
The treatment these You Clan members received was even better than that of their kin back in the Sacred Dynasty.
They even received four hours of rest each day.
Of course, this wasn't out of Li Fan's benevolence; the Immeasurable Mirror simply couldn't withstand such frequent experimentation and needed time to recover.
"I was right. This wind of annihilation truly does attack any power that approaches the 'Immortal' level."
At that moment, the Immeasurable Mirror floated in the air, emitting waves of an ethereal glow.
Its surface wasn't reflecting its surroundings; instead, scenes of countless civilizations suffering catastrophic destruction flashed rapidly across it.
An aura of ancient vicissitude emanated from the mirror's frame.
The Immeasurable Mirror, having only just recovered by absorbing blood essence, once again appeared battered and broken.
A black, formless wind of annihilation was drawn out from the Immeasurable Mirror.
It flew toward a golden square hovering not far away.
This square was, of course, composed of pure Source Power.
Though it couldn't compare to the Holy Emperor clone's Source Power Essence, it was more than enough to entice the wind of annihilation.
As the wind of annihilation entered the area covered by Source Power, its form instantly shifted.
Its transcendent power vanished in an instant. The purity of the Source Power degraded, causing its own energy level to drop.
Having lost its target, the wind of annihilation lingered in place for a moment.
It was about to begin spreading outwards again.
But the Source Power shifted, forming a great array.
It sealed the power of the wind of annihilation inside.
For this array, Li Fan had referenced the incomplete Mystic Origin Primal Spirit Grand Array, using the formation to simulate a pocket of relatively static space.
Inside the array was nothing—a state of absolute void.
It perfectly mimicked the apocalyptic aftermath of total destruction.
The wind of annihilation was indeed fooled; its energy ceased its rampage and slowly settled into a dormant state.
The residual power of the calamity still within the Immeasurable Mirror also calmed down in response.
"Senior, your methods are truly divine!'" the mirror's spirit, Sun Luyao, exclaimed, overjoyed. "'Just a few more treatments like this, and the hidden affliction within me will be completely purged.'"
Li Fan paid him no mind, instead carefully storing away the small golden cube that now contained the wind of annihilation.
He had already created over twenty such cubes.
Due to his varying proficiency, the amount of calamitous power contained within each one was inconsistent.
But there was no doubt that if the delicate balance within any one of these golden cubes were to be broken, a terrifying catastrophe would be unleashed.
Sun Luyao paid no mind to Li Fan's silence and continued to elaborate on his own transformation.
"Senior, I have a feeling,' he said. 'Once this calamity is completely purged, my control over the Immeasurable Mirror will reach an entirely new level. At that point, I might be able to sense the locations of its other fragments and finally restore this immortal artifact to its former glory.'"
"Good," Li Fan noted with a faint nod, his attention still fixed on the golden cubes.
Having witnessed Li Fan's methods, Sun Luyao, eager to prove his worth, hesitated for a moment before adding, "Senior, once I am fully restored, I might even be able to sense the whereabouts of any other immortal artifacts that may remain in the Xuanhuang Realm."
At these words, Li Fan finally turned his head slightly.
"Oh? And you're certain of that?"
Sun Luyao's spirits lifted, and he hurriedly explained, "Beings like us can always sense one another's presence to some degree. My Immeasurable Mirror, in particular, has the ability to measure the heavens and survey the earth. If there truly are other immortal artifacts in the Xuanhuang Realm, the probability of me finding them after my restoration is very high."
Li Fan chuckled. "It seems to me you've simply been locked away for too long and are itching to get out and about."
Sun Luyao laughed sheepishly. "Well, that's certainly part of it. But my desire to help you find immortal artifacts is absolutely genuine, Senior."
Li Fan shot him a glance. "Let's focus on purging this calamity first."
His expression grew solemn. "Don't be fooled by its apparent weakness now. The root of it shows no sign of diminishing in the slightest."
"After all, this is a power that transcends the mortal world. We cannot afford to be careless."
Sun Luyao, feeling the same, couldn't help but nod in agreement.
...
The Great Qi Sacred Dynasty.
More than ten days had passed since Li Ping completely devoured the Malice of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Having gained such immense power, Li Ping, whose strength had skyrocketed, needed time to digest and adapt.
He took a rare moment to rest.
Within the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty, however, an unprecedented era of prosperity had dawned.
The destiny of the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty was now deeply intertwined with that of the Holy Emperor, Li Ping.
Normally, for one cultivating the Heavenly Emperor Qi Canon, it was the growth of the dynasty's destiny that fueled the emperor's rise in power.
But in the Great Qi, the situation was reversed: in a rare turn of events, the Holy Emperor's breakthrough was now nourishing the dynasty's destiny.
As the hearts of the people and the destiny of the dynasty grew stronger still, they in turn began to nourish the Holy Emperor once more.
Therefore, in addition to the power gained from devouring the Malice of the Xuanhuang Realm, Li Ping's cultivation of the Heavenly Emperor Qi Canon, shortly after his breakthrough, was already nearing the verge of another transformation.
This time, however, the original scripture offered no guidance on the path forward.
He had reached the end of the road.
"A level just below True Immortal, akin to the Longevity stage, seems to be the absolute limit for a path fueled by destiny."
"After all, relying solely on a dynasty's destiny to shatter one's shackles and achieve the rank of True Immortal..."
"...is simply too difficult."
"Unless... unless it were a grand sacred dynasty capable of spanning the entire Star Sea."
Li Ping shook his head slightly, suppressing the thought.
Given the fundamental limitations of the Darkest Star Sea, even if the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty were to unify the entire Xuanhuang Realm, it would not be enough to support his breakthrough to the True Immortal stage.
"Since this path is a dead end, I must find another."
"I have devoured the Malice of the Xuanhuang Realm. Now, if I am to grow even stronger..."
"One path lies with the supreme treasure, the Fishing Pool."
"And the second..."
The Holy Emperor sat upon his throne, and images of the native creations of the Xuanhuang Realm—the Ruomu tree, the stone slab, and others—surfaced in his mind.
"They are a part of the Xuanhuang Realm's laws. The Heavenly Dao suffered a great calamity, yet they survived perfectly intact."
"They were gifts from heaven and earth. Since they are no longer of use to heaven and earth, then it is time for heaven and earth to reclaim them."
A chilling, murderous aura erupted from the Faceless Holy Emperor.
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