Chapter 1307: A Gift of the Star Sea's Dao
"The Inscription Immortal used True Immortal Seal Characters to depict the paths of Immortals. However, these immortal paths also have different tiers."
"The ones I've seen before—Hunger, Chaos, Solitude, and Return—are likely the most fundamental. That True Immortal Seal Character, the one that might represent [Creation], is clearly above them."
"And the path represented by this trace hidden within the bodies of the You Clan..."
"...this transformation between immortal and mortal surpasses even so-called [Creation]!"
"And as for [Truth]..."
Li Fan took a deep breath, forcibly calming his turbulent emotions.
Even after using [Truth] one hundred and twenty-five times, each instance a visceral experience of the magnificent power to reset the entire world with a single thought, he knew that [Truth] reigned supreme over everything he had ever encountered.
But the process had been disrupted by an unknown variable at the end of his last life. That, combined with the terrifying power displayed by the Cat Treasure from beyond the High Wall, had sown a seed of doubt in his mind about [Truth]'s ultimate limits. As he prepared to engage with the powers from beyond the wall, he couldn't help but wonder: would [Truth] remain as invincible as it had been in the Darkest Star Sea?
This new discovery set his mind at ease.
"The laws of the Xuanhuang Realm can be seen as a partial, downward projection of the laws of the Darkest Star Sea. And the laws of the Darkest Star Sea are, in turn, a partial, downward projection of the laws of the Immortal Realm."
"And [Truth] stands above almost everything. A reflection from the top down. In theory, it should be able to replicate anything I come into contact with out of thin air through the [Fantasy Becomes Truth] transformation."
"As long as my own power and comprehension are sufficient."
Li Fan recalled the sensation of writing that mysterious trace, his thoughts drifting.
"This is merely the power of [Fantasy Becomes Truth]. [Truth] is so much more than that."
"There is also its other side: turning reality to dream!"
At this thought, Li Fan casually picked up a round stone from nearby. He stared at it intently, trying to use the power of turning reality to dream to simply erase its existence.
But every time he activated [Truth], the real world around him became shrouded in a white mist, obscuring his vision. As a result, he had never been able to perceive how the transformation from reality to dream was actually accomplished.
"Perhaps, the next time I use [Truth] in this life, I can try to actively disperse the surrounding mist," the thought surfaced in his mind.
"If I could gain some insight into this path, leveraging the supreme authority of [Truth], I might even be able to leap across an entire major realm and erase an opponent at will..."
As his mind raced, Li Fan began to sort through the residual impressions of the mysterious symbol he had gleaned from possessing the You Clan member over the past year.
He then fed the data to the Final Dissociation Disc for classification and application.
Handling two tasks involving immortal arrays simultaneously had inevitably slowed the disc's efficiency.
"Looks like it's time for another upgrade. Relying purely on sublimation triggered by immortal array data is ultimately constrained by its mortal constitution."
"The nine initial Dissociation Discs from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance are practically a different species from the one I hold now. They can offer minimal help. To truly transform it into an immortal-grade artifact, it will ultimately require immortal spiritual power..."
Li Fan pressed his temples, which were throbbing slightly from the mental overload. After a moment, he looked toward the You Clan members present.
They showed no grief over the death of the man Li Fan had possessed.
In fact, they seemed invigorated by his sacrifice to the great Gloomy Sea of Darkness.
Seeing such devout followers, Li Fan was deeply moved. With a wave of his hand, he instantly absorbed them all into his body, suppressing them for the time being.
Once he returned to the Great Qi small world, he would provide them with the finest living conditions, ensuring they could spend the rest of their lives praying in peace.
"This small world shouldn't be wasted, either."
The small world inhabited by the You Clan was even weaker than the Great Xuan, and naturally, it had not birthed a Heavenly Dao consciousness of its own.
This made things much easier for Li Fan.
He created a Fabricated Heaven Personality to directly replace its Heavenly Dao and maintain the small world's normal operations.
Then, he repeated his old trick, silently grafting it onto the Xuanhuang Realm proper.
Practice makes perfect, and this time the world-grafting procedure went off without a hitch.
With another small-world Heavenly Dao avatar under his control, threads of enlightenment appeared in his mind like churning waves. Even though the world's tier was low, the sheer volume of these flashes of insight could still provide Li Fan with some tangible inspiration.
"This level of Heavenly Dao enlightenment is of little use to me, but for other cultivators, it's an opportunity they might never see in their lifetime." Having returned to the Great Xuan, settled the You Clan, and converted more than half of them to his cause, Li Fan looked at the cultivators seated densely on the central Lecture Stage, and an idea stirred within him.
A low hum filled the air.
A new platform materialized out of thin air, positioning itself below the platform displaying cultivation techniques but above the assembled disciples.
Its surface was carved with every scene, spirit, and object in the world, yet the carvings were like living things, constantly shifting and astonishingly lifelike.
If one looked closely, and with a bit of luck, one might occasionally spot a seven-colored spark flashing within the stone carvings.
Those flashes were the insights from the Fabricated Heaven Personalities—enlightenment Li Fan himself had no use for.
If any cultivator on the Lecture Stage were fortunate enough to comprehend one, it would be no difficult task for their cultivation to soar, or even for them to grasp a unique divine ability of their own.
"Every living being on this Lecture Stage is under my watch. Their inspiration is my inspiration."
"Though their cultivation realms are low, the sparks of their thoughts, magnified countless times, are still brilliant. Even if only one in ten thousand has an idea that inspires me, given the number of cultivators here, it will accumulate into a considerable fortune over time."
"Besides, if necessary, I can use the Lecture Stage to manipulate their thoughts and have them help me comprehend things..."
Deep within the Lecture Stage, a silvery-white orb resembling an eye periodically absorbed the inner sparks of inspiration from the different beings above. It gradually took on an uncanny, lifelike quality, beginning to turn slowly as it scanned its surroundings.
The phantom of the Saint Teacher, having completed its initial missionary work in the Great Xuan, split off another body and departed for the next small world.
This newly separated body was not sustained by Li Fan's own power, but rather by the faith it had absorbed from the disciples during its lectures.
It was a process similar to the Heavenly Emperor Qi Canon, only the Great Qi had become the Great Xuan, soldiers had become students, and the Sacred Emperor had become the Saint Teacher.
For now, these phantoms would handle the initial stages of expansion. Once his missionary work began to attract the attention of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance or other hidden experts in the small worlds, Li Fan would personally intervene to suppress and subdue them.
Until then, Li Fan needed to make thorough preparations for the coming confrontation.
The portion of the You Clan whose faith had been altered had already begun to provide Li Fan with an initial supply of Source Power Essence.
Using this essence as bait, combined with his usual mix of threats and enticements, Li Fan skillfully drew his old acquaintances—Bai Hua, Qiaogong, Yin Shangren, and the others—into his new alliance.
"A great change is coming to the world, one that you may not have perceived. Today, I will elaborate on it."
On the Lecture Stage of the Great Xuan, Li Fan's true self replaced the phantom, sitting in solemn dignity.
Below, Yin Shangren and the others listened to his sermon.
But what Li Fan spoke of was the revival of the Star Sea and the subsequent resurgence of the Xuanhuang Realm.
The group listened with a mixture of belief and doubt.
Li Fan smiled faintly and pointed a finger toward the sky, seemingly opening a vortex that led beyond the Star Sea.
"Everyone, please follow me."
A seven-colored rainbow light enveloped his body, and Li Fan invited the others to step within its protection.
They exchanged uncertain glances, but in the end, all of them entered the sanctuary of his light.
The seven-colored light shot into the sky.
It passed through the celestial vortex, and in the next moment, they appeared abruptly at the border of the Xuanhuang Realm.
The light showed no signs of stopping, its momentum carrying them onward, racing toward the Xuanhuang starry sky.
The faces of the cultivators instantly turned pale.
They all knew of the terrifying suction that existed beyond the Xuanhuang Realm. Without its protection, they could be pulled into the void at any moment, facing certain death.
But what happened next was far beyond their expectations.
The seven-colored rainbow light separated into its different hues, tracing a curved arc through the Star Sea. Incredibly, it carried them safely away from the Xuanhuang Realm!
They were utterly stunned.
Li Fan, however, did not stop, continuing to fly rapidly into the depths of the Star Sea.
The dead silence of the cosmos stirred memories and brought looks of sorrow to their faces.
The hidden dangers of the Star Sea kept them on edge, their expressions grave.
Yet, Li Fan navigated as if he were a prophet, always managing to bypass the perilous regions, which made them all regard him with renewed wonder.
They couldn't help but wonder just how many times Li Fan had traveled through these stars to be so familiar with the way.
However, as they ventured deeper into the Star Sea, Li Fan's pace slowed.
It seemed he, too, was now trying to discern the direction.
Yin Shangren and the others were right to be suspicious. After all, in the previous life, when the Saint Emperor was comprehending the Dao in the center of the cosmos, the connection with his true self had become faint and intermittent.
Therefore, on this journey to witness the Dao of the Star Sea's revival, the further they went, the fewer memories he had to rely on, forcing him to find the path forward himself.
Fortunately, it was like following a map, albeit a vague one.
Relying on an intangible sense, Li Fan had already touched upon the location of this Star Sea's core consciousness. The only difference was that in his previous life, the Saint Emperor had attracted its attention by virtue of being an incarnation of the "Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao," a potential savior for the Star Sea.
In this life, however, Li Fan had not yet revealed anything that would qualify him for the Star Sea's notice.
Nor did Li Fan intend to expose himself to the Star Sea so early.
But that didn't interfere with his next plan.
"This should be the place." Sensing they had arrived, Li Fan stopped and looked into the void before them, sighing softly.
Hearing his words, the others all turned to look, their expressions unreadable.
In their perception, this region of space was indeed different from what they had seen before. It seemed a little brighter, a little warmer. But it was still a far cry from the "revival" Li Fan had spoken of.
It still looked utterly dead.
Nevertheless, since he had gone to such great lengths to bring them here, he surely had a purpose.
Could it be... that my own comprehension is lacking?
For a moment, a flicker of self-doubt passed through each of their minds.
They all resumed their observations with immense gravity.
Li Fan watched the subtle changes in their expressions, a faint smile on his lips, but said nothing.
A long while later, he finally spoke. "Have any of you gained any insights?"
He was met with silence.
Li Fan feigned a hint of surprise. After a moment's thought, he waved his hand abruptly.
Several beams of light shot into the sea of consciousness of each person present.
It was precisely the Saint Emperor's comprehension of the Star Sea's revival force from the previous life.
In an instant, their eyes lit up.
Around them, imperceptible threads of vitality appeared out of thin air.
Qiaogong, Bai Hua, and the others had survived since the collapse of the Immortal Realm; which of them was not a genius of immense talent?
They had failed to notice it before only because the Star Sea's consciousness was too vast and hidden beneath layers of decay and annihilation.
But now, Li Fan had essentially handed them the results of his own enlightenment.
Naturally, they all began to perceive something.
"It is true!" Bai Hua was the most deeply moved.
"If I could master this power of revival, perhaps I could... restore the Wansheng Realm..."
Yin Shangren, meanwhile, rubbed his head. The remnant souls of the worlds he had devoured within his body seemed drawn to this revival force, as if they wanted to claw their way out of him.
For a time, they were all lost in the presence of this vast cosmic power.
None of them noticed that Li Fan, the one who had guided them to this enlightenment, had for some reason moved a short distance away.
In fact, he had even used a technique akin to an immortal array to temporarily conceal his presence.
He had a premonition that exposing his existence to the core consciousness of the Darkest Star Sea too early would be a terrible mistake.
"I must at least wait until I succeed in Dao Integration and reach the pinnacle of the mortal path," Li Fan thought, his eyes glinting as he watched the others in their state of enlightenment.
They remained immersed in their comprehension, awakening at different times.
Qiaogong was the first to come to, his eyes darting about as if he'd had a brilliant idea. He looked eager to return to the Xuanhuang Realm immediately to begin his experiments.
Yin Shangren, on the other hand, seemed to have spent a great deal of time quelling the rebellious remnant world ghosts within his body.
What surprised Li Fan, however, was that Bai Hua was the very last to awaken.
From her gaze, Li Fan could sense the elation in Bai Hua's heart.
"Congratulations, everyone. It seems you have all gained something."
"The Star Sea is fraught with danger; we shouldn't linger. Let's return as soon as possible," Li Fan said with a smile.
They all nodded, responding with the deference one would show a teacher.
The journey back was tense but uneventful, and soon they were once again on the Lecture Stage in the Great Xuan.
As the saying goes, seeing is believing. Having personally journeyed through the Star Sea, they now completely trusted Li Fan's words.
The revival of the Star Sea was imminent.
"You must all understand that the Star Sea did not die overnight, nor can its vitality be restored in a day."
"As the only surviving world in this Star Sea, the Xuanhuang Realm should rightly become the wellspring of its revival."
"If vitality radiates from here, our efforts will be twice as effective."
Listening to Li Fan's conclusion, the group pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"There is no greater merit than aiding a rising dragon."
"If we can lend our strength to the Star Sea's revival, I need not spell out the benefits we will reap when it one day returns to its former glory," Li Fan looked at them calmly.
Yin Shangren and the others were all visibly tempted.
"The revival of the Star Sea..." A glint of avarice flashed in Qiaogong's eyes. "Even if the path to immortality remains closed, the feedback from its recovery could allow us to leapfrog to the very pinnacle of power in this new era."
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