Chapter 1345: A Divine Art to Equalize Heaven
"As the proverb says, a gentleman does not stand under a collapsing wall. Exposing our lifeline, the Immortal Boat, to the enemy's constant surveillance is by no means a wise move!"
"Indeed. While these gray chess pieces are creations of a True Immortal, they aren't worth such a colossal risk."
"Fools! This set of chess pieces must conceal a great secret. Profit has always coexisted with peril. How can we abandon it so readily?"
"True, it would be a terrible waste to simply discard them. I have a plan. Since this unknown enemy can track the location of the gray chess pieces, why don't we turn their strategy against them? We could send an elder, carrying the pieces, to wander the void alone while the rest of us lie in ambush. Once they take the bait, we can wipe them out in one fell swoop."
"Don't underestimate them! Elder Gan, how can you be so certain that our supposed ambush won't fall into an even larger encirclement of their own?!"
...
The debate among the elders raged, splitting them into two distinct factions, with neither side able to persuade the other.
In the Immortal Boat's long history, whenever similar situations arose, the Chief Elder would make the final decision. Regardless of their previous stance, once a course was set, everyone aboard the Immortal Boat had to support and execute it without question.
This was a measure to prevent the Immortal Boat from ever fracturing again.
He seemed to be deep in thought, his gaze sweeping over everyone present before finally settling on Li Fan.
"Everyone, go back and consider this matter carefully. We will reconvene tomorrow."
As the meeting dispersed, Zhong Daogong asked Li Fan to stay behind.
"What is it, Elder Zhong? Another private interrogation?" Li Fan asked, his tone laced with a hint of sarcasm.
Zhong Daogong chuckled, unbothered. "Friend, please don't misunderstand. I asked you to stay because I have a matter to entrust to you."
Li Fan raised an eyebrow and softened his stance slightly. "Elder Zhong, please speak freely."
"I've heard that after being struck by the death-qi storm, you were left with only ten years of life?" Zhong Daogong began, asking a seemingly unrelated question.
"That's correct. Ten years is my own estimate. In reality... it will be less, not more."
"But to me, it doesn't matter whether it's twenty years or ten. What I care more about is whether I'll get to see the landscape beyond the High Wall before I die," Li Fan retorted with a cold snort.
Zhong Daogong cupped his hands in a slight bow. "The matter I wish to entrust to you is directly related to crossing the High Wall. Before today's council, the three elders, including Nangong, approached me privately."
At these words, Li Fan's gaze sharpened instantly.
Zhong Daogong continued, "Do you know, friend, what our Immortal Boat truly relies on to cross the High Wall?"
"It's more than the 'high ground' of the Realm Fragment Great Wall we showed you. After all, you saw for yourself that day. Although one can overlook the Star Sea from there, it is still an immeasurable distance from the top of the High Wall."
"The explanation the Immortal Boat gave me was that you planned to gather the power of as many True Immortal Scripts as possible, then detonate them to shake and leap over the High Wall..." Li Fan said, his eyes narrowing.
"That is not untrue. But have you ever considered, friend, that without some form of restraint, how could we ensure the Immortal Boat would survive the raging storm of a True Immortal's residual power?" Zhong Daogong asked with a smile.
"Elder Zhong, are you suggesting that the Immortal Boat has mastered a way to control the residual power of a True Immortal to some extent?" Li Fan asked, startled.
"'Control' is too strong a word. It's more like... self-preservation."
"Furthermore, each use comes at a considerable price. This is why the three elders, including Nangong, came to me in secret," Zhong Daogong said with an inscrutable expression.
"What... what is it, exactly? Could it also have life-extending properties?" Li Fan's curiosity grew with every word.
"It is not an immortal artifact, nor a secret treasure. It is... the [Jun Tian Divine Art]!" A sharp glint flashed in Zhong Daogong's eyes.
"The Jun Tian Divine Art?" Li Fan savored the four words, pondering their meaning.
A nostalgic look appeared on Zhong Daogong's face. "This art is the crystalization of millennia of painstaking wisdom from the elders of the sundered Mysterious Immortal Boat."
"It is the highest secret of the Immortal Boat, its classification even more guarded than that of the True Immortal Scripts."
"The art's power, as its name implies, lies in the character for'Equal' [均]! Under the shroud of this divine art, for a short time, all living beings become equal."
"When the tides of a True Immortal's power rage, the art envelops us, and we become equal to the immortal. When one of us is on the verge of death, the art envelops us, and we share our lifespans, gathering life for our brother!"
"The existence of this art is the very foundation upon which the Immortal Boat's Elder Council has stood for ten thousand years," Zhong Daogong declared, his expression solemn.
"If what you say is true, Elder Zhong, then this divine art is the most powerful ability I have ever witnessed in the Star Sea. But if this Jun Tian Divine Art is so miraculous, why not use it directly on the [High Wall]?"
Zhong Daogong shook his head with a smile. "Let's not even discuss the fact that what we call the High Wall has no physical form; it is merely the boundary that imprisons us. Even if we could target the High Wall, as long as we were under the art's effect, we would remain equal to the target, no matter how much external force was applied."
"To cross the High Wall, we must surpass it. If we are only as high as the wall, how can we possibly get over it?" Zhong Daogong sighed.
Li Fan nodded, accepting Zhong Daogong's explanation.
"Then what is the price for using this art?" Li Fan asked next.
Zhong Daogong stroked his beard and answered truthfully. "The Jun Tian Divine Art, while capable of defying heaven, has its limitations. First, it requires long and meticulous preparation. Second, because it relies on 'equalizing', the more elders who can perform the art, the better. However, the Immortal Boat suffers from a scarcity of talent, and the number of council members has remained low for many years. Naturally, the effect of the Jun Tian Divine Art is greatly diminished."
"Third, and most importantly, is the side effect. All who cast the Jun Tian Divine Art, after the state of 'equality' ends, will be influenced to some degree by what they 'equalized'."
"Specifically... it manifests as a certain inclination..." Zhong Daogong's voice turned grave.
Li Fan understood in an instant. "This [Jun Tian Divine Art] also originates from a True Immortal Script?"
Zhong Daogong nodded. "Correct. In fact, you can think of the divine art as a single True Immortal Script, collectively written by us, the elders of the Immortal Boat."
"With all the elders working in unison, we can come infinitely close to a character personally inscribed by a True Immortal."
"Because it involves the very source of the [Jun Tian Divine Art], the character for 'Equal' has become one of the highest secrets of the Immortal Boat. That is why it was not shown to you during our previous transaction."
Li Fan said, "So, for you to now lay it all bare before me... it seems I have no choice but to agree to whatever you ask."
Zhong Daogong waved his hand dismissively, feigning weakness. "Friend, you need not worry. Against a dying man who possesses an unrivaled escape art, our Immortal Boat is truly helpless."
"This is not coercion, but a sincere request."
"A request for what? You're finally going to ask me to join the Elder Council?" Li Fan snorted.
"That is one part of it. But there is another request as well," Zhong Daogong said, his expression unchanged.
Li Fan stared intently at Zhong Daogong.
Zhong Daogong remained perfectly calm, bowing slightly with his hands clasped.
Then, he spoke slowly. "I must ask you, friend, to take a part of the [Jun Tian Art] back to the Great Qi!"
"Hmph?!" A murderous glint flashed in his eyes as Li Fan shot to his feet, meeting Zhong Daogong's gaze.
"Don't joke with me, Elder Zhong. Didn't you just say that only members of the Elder Council can participate in casting the Jun Tian Divine Art?" Li Fan demanded coldly.
"I also said that the Jun Tian Divine Art is, in essence, simply a group of people collectively writing a True Immortal Script. After studying these scripts for so many years, we naturally have ways to make other beings unwittingly participate in the writing of the 'Equal' script. Even if they are on opposite ends of the Star Sea."
"However... to accomplish this, we still require your cooperation."
"The Immortal Boat's Elder Council has too few members. Thus, the consequences of casting the divine art are always difficult to bear. But if the Great Qi were to join in and shoulder the burden..." Zhong Daogong finally revealed his true intentions.
Li Fan was silent for a long time.
For a moment, the room fell into a deathly stillness.
Zhong Daogong did not press further, simply waiting quietly for Li Fan's answer.
Li Fan's brow was furrowed in a tight knot, his expression fraught with indecision.
"I... need some time to think about this," Li Fan said at last.
Hearing this, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Zhong Daogong's lips. "In that case, I will visit you before tomorrow's council meeting."
Expressionless, Li Fan turned and walked away.
Once he returned to his small courtyard and confirmed he wasn't being watched...
His face remained a stoic mask, but his mind was already a raging tempest.
"The Jun Tian Divine Art? Truly extraordinary. A worthy ultimate gambit for the Immortal Boat's plan to cross the High Wall."
"It requires a massive number of living beings to cast it together, to bear the backlash of the True Immortal Script?"
Li Fan sneered inwardly.
"If I could see the true form of that True Immortal Script..."
"Why not play along?"
"However, the elders of the Immortal Boat have exceedingly long lifespans. Even with those three unlucky fools like Nangong Lie, they would never be willing to equalize their longevity with the mortals of some 'Great Qi civilization'."
"So, what is the true target of their divine art?"
Outwardly, he was as still as a statue, but within, Li Fan was already plotting.
When it came to understanding True Immortal Scripts, even the entire Elder Council combined could not compare to Li Fan, who knew the secret of transforming truth into falsehood, reality into illusion.
"As long as I can ascertain the true nature of the 'Equal' character, I can interfere at any time and subvert their divine art."
...
The following day.
Zhong Daogong arrived as promised.
"Friend, have you come to a decision?" he asked with a placid smile.
"I can agree to your terms. However..." Li Fan's expression was cold. "When will the Immortal Boat cross the High Wall?"
"I need a commitment on the exact time of activation."
"And I must be present for the entire casting of the Jun Tian Divine Art."
"..."
Li Fan laid out several demands in a row.
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhong Daogong readily agreed to all of them.
His swift compliance only served to heighten Li Fan's vigilance.
"In that case, Elder Zhong, can you tell me the true target of this casting of the Jun Tian Divine Art?"
"It can't be just to extend the lives of Nangong and the others, can it?" Li Fan stared intently at him.
Zhong Daogong replied, "There's no need to trouble the people of the Great Qi with an art to equalize lifespan. Our Immortal Boat will bear that burden ourselves. As for the final target..."
"We will inform you after you have finished setting up the Jun Tian Divine Art."
Li Fan stared at Zhong Daogong, motionless for a long time.
After a considerable pause, he declared, "Fine! I agree!"
"The Great Qi... may have been my former home."
"But why should I care about the flood after I'm gone!" A savage glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
Zhong Daogong's expression remained unreadable, and he offered no reply.
Li Fan did not attend the subsequent Elder Council meeting.
Instead, he dedicated himself to studying the ritual for the [Jun Tian Divine Art] that Zhong Daogong had given him.
It was less a ritual and more a formation integrated with the writing of a True Immortal Script, seemingly mixed with some kind of life force, similar to the Immortal Boat's Divine Tree.
"Simply inscribe this ritual into a world, and when the divine art is activated, all life under its shroud will automatically be drawn into the ceremony."
"Once the arrangement is complete, our Immortal Boat will sense it. You can return then, friend. At that time, we will not go back on our promises!"
Zhong Daogong's words still echoed in his mind.
Li Fan murmured to himself, "It only judges the number of lives involved, not their cultivation level. That certainly makes things easier for me."
"There's no need to set it up in the Xuanhuang Realm. Any densely populated small world will do."
He remained on the Immortal Boat for a few more days.
After thoroughly deciphering the Jun Tian Divine Art ritual, Li Fan finally departed, carrying the hopes of the entire Immortal Boat.
The shadow of the Wooden Sword unsheathed, and Li Fan returned to the Xuanhuang Realm.
He arrived in a mortal world known as [Daqian].
"The Mysterious Immortal Boat has been isolated in the cosmos for too long. They've lost all sense of population scale."
"Three million people was enough to meet their target."
Li Fan's divine sense swept across the small world below.
"One hundred million. Without a trace of spiritual energy, for them to have flourished to such an extent is truly remarkable."
"I wonder if there will be extra rewards from the Immortal Boat for exceeding the task's requirements," Li Fan sneered. He couldn't care less about their so-called promises.
He just wanted to witness the casting of this Jun Tian Divine Art.
The ritual was laid down in secret, blanketing the entire world of Daqian.
Li Fan could faintly sense the world's unease.
Dark clouds began to gather in the air, but with a single, sharp glance from Li Fan, they were dispersed.
The small world's resistance was utterly insignificant under Li Fan's oppressive power.
He completed the ritual's arrangement swiftly.
A faint ripple of energy, like a gentle breeze, emanated from the ritual, seemingly confirming that the Immortal Boat on the edge of the Star Sea had received the result.
Li Fan, however, did not return immediately.
Instead, he first went to the Great Xuan.
The four gray chess pieces recovered by Yin Shangren and Bai Hua rested quietly on the Lecture Stage.
"Saint Teacher." Seeing Li Fan's return, they bowed slightly.
Then, together with Li Fan, their gazes fell upon the four objects of varied shapes.
With a gentle wave of his hand, Li Fan's spiritual pressure descended, and the four items shattered, layer by layer.
They were compressed, ground down to their most primitive particles.
Finally, their true forms were revealed.
Four identical chess pieces, mutually attracted, floated in the air, spinning ceaselessly.
(End of Chapter)
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