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Chapter 1377: A Living Being Takes Immortal Form

Chapter 1377: A Living Being Takes Immortal Form

Li Fan had long wondered how the Darkest Star Sea, sealed behind the High Wall, could have possibly developed an independent consciousness.

He never expected the mystery to unravel so quickly.

"The Chasm Lowlands," he mused, "were constructed by Xing Wuque under the orders of the Xuantian King. For tens of thousands of years, the work has continued without pause, yet it remains incomplete. Now, Xu Ke must take over the task."

"Setting aside whether Xu Ke’s persistence stems from his own will or the influence of Xing Wuque’s legacy, one thing is clear: in the Xuantian King’s grand design, the Chasm Lowlands must achieve a state of 'completeness'."

"I once speculated that the Xuantian King intended to elevate the entire Darkest Star Sea to the Immortal Realm. But now..."

"It seems there might be another, deeper plot at play."

Master Qiaogong continued to ramble on, explaining how the chasm patterns could transform the mundane into the miraculous. Using his hand as a brush, he traced the shapes he remembered in the air before Li Fan.

At first glance, the patterns held no profound mystery; they looked like the meaningless scribbles of a child.

He had once followed the guidance of the character 'Manifest', penetrating deep into the very end of the Chasm Lowlands. Consequently, the patterns he had recorded were far more detailed and complete than those of Master Qiaogong.

Yet, even with his superior knowledge, Li Fan could not discern the secret behind the patterns, no matter how closely he studied them.

"'It seems,' he thought, 'that this belongs to a system entirely different from any I have ever encountered.'"

"'Can their power only be unleashed through inscription?'"

"'A mere fragment can generate an independent consciousness. What, then, would be the effect of the complete pattern?'"

Li Fan’s brow furrowed in thought.

With a flicker of his will, a longsword materialized in his hand, its blade a tranquil, flowing stream of azure liquid.

It was one of the five treasures he had acquired from the Immortal Boat under the pretext of gaining the Great Qi’s trust and ensuring the Jun Tian Ritual proceeded smoothly.

From the second level of the Immortal Boat's hidden treasury, he had taken two items: the Yin-Yang Jade and a three-pronged tree.

From the first level, he had taken three: a black star-stone, a peculiar bronze mirror, and this very liquid longsword.

The three-pronged tree had inexplicably triggered a simulation within [Truth], deepening Li Fan's understanding of the True False Transformation.

As for the Yin-Yang Jade, he planned to transform it into yin and yang energy in the near future to catalyze the ascension of the Xuanhuang Realm.

The black star-stone had already been integrated into the body of the Tianyang immortal puppet.

That left only the peculiar bronze mirror and the liquid longsword unused.

That these treasures, selected almost at random from the Immortal Boat's treasury, could be so useful to someone with Li Fan’s current power—the power to roam the Star Sea at will—spoke volumes about the sheer wealth the boat contained.

And this was merely from the first and second levels of the Hundred Rumors Immortal Record.

It was difficult to even imagine what wondrous treasures might be stored on the third level.

"A pity that in this lifetime, the ship and its entire collection of treasures have already passed beyond the High Wall."

"I will have to wait for another opportunity to explore it thoroughly."

"However, if I can successfully merge with the Dao using the Heaven and Earth Immortal Soul, facing the Immortal Boat again will not require such convoluted methods."

As these thoughts churned, Li Fan quietly engraved the patterns of the Chasm Lowlands that he knew onto the liquid sword before him.

There was no discernible fluctuation of energy, yet for some unknown reason, the liquid longsword suddenly began to boil violently.

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, extending a sliver of his divine sense to carefully perceive the changes within the blade.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The azure body of the sword gradually bled into pitch-black.

A nascent, bewildered consciousness stirred within it, repeating the single word as if possessed.

The patterns of the Chasm Lowlands slowly receded into the sword’s depths.

With that, the sword solidified, transforming from a flowing liquid into a solid blade that pulsed with a chilling, formidable light.

With a sharp *whoosh*, it shot towards the nearest living being.

It moved like an ink brush streaking across white paper, leaving a trail of bleeding blackness in its wake.

"Kill!"

Space tore apart as a monstrous, murderous aura surged directly at Li Fan.

In that instant, the entire Star Sea seemed to vanish from Li Fan’s perception. All he could see, all he could feel, was this single, devastating strike.

"Not bad."

Li Fan remarked softly.

Two colossal index fingers pierced through the void, descending from above.

Appearing before Li Fan, they gently pinched the black blade between them.

"Kill..."

The black longsword struggled, but it was utterly immobile.

It could only roar in low, impotent fury.

Master Qiaogong was struck dumb by this sudden turn of events, his words catching in his throat. The sheer power radiating from the Nine Heavens Descending Dust Finger left him so awestruck he dared not even look directly at Li Fan.

"So it truly did develop a will of its own," Li Fan noted. "Before this, the liquid sword was a completely inanimate object, devoid of any consciousness."

"Unfortunately, whether because the pattern is incomplete or because it was created from nothing, the consciousness born within it cannot be called a complete intelligence."

Having gained a preliminary understanding of the chasm patterns’ effects, Li Fan applied a slight pressure with his Nine Heavens Descending Dust Finger.

The pressure was enough to instantly erase every trace of the patterns inscribed upon the blade.

The blackness receded, and the sword reverted to its liquid form. The monstrous killing aura vanished along with it.

"Wait here a moment."

After storing the liquid sword, Li Fan gave the instruction to Master Qiaogong and vanished.

Having witnessed Li Fan's power, Master Qiaogong wouldn't have dared to disobey.

He waited obediently where he stood.

Meanwhile, his eyes darted about as he tried to recall the patterns that had flashed across the sword’s surface.

"The Saint Teacher's knowledge of the patterns is far more complete than mine. A pity the details are so complex. In that brief moment, I only managed to memorize less than half."

"Still, it should be enough. Heh heh heh, I wonder what I can turn Shangguan into this time?" Master Qiaogong’s mind raced with possibilities.

The next moment, Li Fan’s voice rang out unexpectedly beside his ear.

"You wish to know the complete pattern as well?"

"Of course," Master Qiaogong answered instinctively.

He quickly caught himself, his face turning deathly pale as he shook his head frantically. "Heh, Saint Teacher, you misunderstand! How could I dare to covet such a profound secret? What I know now is more than enough..."

Li Fan waved a hand, cutting off Master Qiaogong’s rambling. At the same time, he projected a pattern directly into the craftsman’s sea of consciousness.

"Since you are interested, I see no harm in bestowing this [Living Form] upon you," Li Fan stated calmly.

Master Qiaogong said nothing. His eyes were glazed over, his mind clearly lost in the intricate and wondrous patterns.

The so-called [Living Form] was not the pattern’s original name, but one Li Fan had chosen at will. He had just returned from the depths of the chasm, where he had attempted to obtain the complete pattern from Xu Ke.

As the chasm’s actual architect, Xing Wuque’s legacy should have contained memories of its construction.

To Li Fan's disappointment, however, Xing Wuque’s legacy was simply too vast. If every single detail were to be instilled, Xu Ke’s soul would have been unable to withstand the strain. Thus, Xing Wuque had omitted certain matters he deemed trivial from the inheritance.

This included the memories of constructing the completed outer regions of the chasm.

Fortunately, the plans for the unfinished portion of the Living Form were included in the legacy.

After acquiring it from Xu Ke, Li Fan laid countless golden threads within the chasm’s subterranean river.

Harnessing the river’s life force, the threads began to multiply and evolve, spreading like quicksilver to begin a comprehensive exploration of the Chasm Lowlands.

The Chasm Lowlands, with their countless branches, spread throughout the entire Star Sea.

For Li Fan, however, mapping them was merely a matter of effort, not an impossibility.

He had simply lacked the motivation to do so before.

Now, however, knowing that the complete pattern likely constituted a new and powerful divine ability, he was determined to uncover it in its entirety.

"At the current rate of the golden threads' search, the exploration should be complete before the end of this lifetime."

"I hope it brings a pleasant surprise," Li Fan thought, sensing the network of the Living Form constantly expanding within his mind.

Having just returned from the Chasm Lowlands, Li Fan now understood why Master Qiaogong had been freed.

It must have been a chain reaction triggered by the Xuan Immortal Boat crossing the High Wall.

The instant the boat crossed the High Wall, it attracted the attention of some unknown existence beyond. As a result, the consciousness of the Star Sea felt an immense sense of crisis.

This acted as a catalyst, awakening the vast life force stored within the Chasm Lowlands.

"The Star Sea's revival has been accelerated once again."

"The Living Form, the Star Sea’s consciousness, the High Wall, the Immortal Realm..."

Grabbing the still-enraptured Master Qiaogong, Li Fan returned to the Xuanhuang Realm, his mind deep in thought.

"Magnificent!" At that moment, Master Qiaogong awoke as if from a dream, crying out in delight.

"Though I have yet to grasp its entirety, I have a feeling that with this [Living Form], I can reshape Shangguan’s mind according to my own desires. I can create a Shangguan Tuo who belongs to me alone—the Shangguan Tuo of my dreams!"

"Shangguan, wait for me, just wait..." Master Qiaogong's eyes gleamed with a delirious joy. His only thought was to find a quiet, hidden place and craft his custom-made Shangguan Tuo puppet.

"I hear you possess several sets of combat data from the immortal puppet [Ancestor], Master Qiaogong?" Li Fan chose that moment to step in front of him.

"Yes, yes! The Saint Teacher needs them? Please, take them!" Increasingly consumed by his desires, Master Qiaogong didn’t stop to wonder how Li Fan knew of this secret. He simply tossed a seven-colored ball of light to him.

Li Fan inspected it, smiled faintly, and stepped aside.

Master Qiaogong vanished in a flash. Li Fan, meanwhile, held the ball of light in one hand and made his way to where Tianyang was in seclusion.

Ever since his battle with the Thousand-Eyed Desolate God aboard the Immortal Boat, Tianyang had been in a state of secluded enlightenment. His aura roiled like a sea of clouds, sometimes expanding violently, other times contracting until it was completely hidden.

Li Fan could even feel a faint echo of the same terror he’d felt when facing the Thousand-Eyed Desolate God radiating from Tianyang.

"Power of the star spirit, a complete immortal realm, the foundation of a remnant world, the gathered residual power of a True Immortal..."

"In this lifetime, I have prepared more countermeasures than ever before. Yet, for some reason, the unease in my heart only grows with each passing day."

Standing before the Tianyang immortal puppet, Li Fan’s expression was inscrutable.

"My premonitions have always been accurate. Countless cycles of reincarnation have proven this."

"It seems that elevating the Xuanhuang Realm will inevitably lead to some unforeseen crisis..."

"I need allies, even if they can only buy me a single moment."

Li Fan slowly implanted the entire mass of seven-colored light into the body of the Tianyang immortal puppet.

The moment the light approached, it was as if it sensed a threat. The True Immortal flesh on Tianyang’s surface writhed like a living creature, rising up as if to attack.

But upon making contact with the Ancestor’s combat memories, the flesh fell silent for a moment. Then, it reacted with even greater violence, erupting as it greedily dragged the ball of light into Tianyang’s body.

A savage expression flickered across Tianyang’s serene face. Two completely different auras erupted from him simultaneously.

One was ancient, desolate, and malevolent.

The other was resplendently righteous, an immovable bastion.

The first came from the Thousand-Eyed Desolate God, the second from the Immortal Puppet Ancestor.

Both were beings that transcended the mortal coil. While they could not compare to a True Immortal, their power was far beyond what any ordinary cultivator could endure.

Ordinarily, under the influence of two such diametrically opposed auras, even a cultivator at the Supreme Realm would have their spirit shaken and worn down by the violent storm of their conflict.

But the core of the immortal puppet was an Eternal Remnant!

Even Li Fan was forced to retreat slightly from the clash of auras. Yet Tianyang, at the center of the storm, remained as unmovable as a mountain in a tempest.

Far from being diminished by the raging energies, he seemed to be tempered by them, like gold in a crucible, shining ever more brightly.

"So this is an Eternal Remnant?"

It was the first time Li Fan had truly witnessed the meaning of 'eternal'.

A mere mortal relic, yet it could stand firm in the face of immortal-level power.

The sheer contrast shook Li Fan to his core.

He suddenly remembered that there was another Eternal Remnant in the Xuanhuang Realm that [Truth] had yet to absorb: the skull of Mr. Bai in the Museum of Divine Treasures!

"Too much time has passed. Once I have forged my immortal soul, it will be time to retrieve it."

Though he now had few rivals within the Star Sea, he still felt constrained at times.

"Only by merging with the Dao through an immortal soul and stepping into the immortal realm—even as a demigod—can I truly be free!"

At this moment, Li Fan’s resolve was stronger than ever.

"The Tianyang immortal soul is one pillar of support. Perhaps this sword can be another."

Li Fan flashed to the center of the Great Xuan Lecture Stage.

He took out the liquid sword and placed it gently before him.

Spiritual energy surged within him as he engraved all the known patterns of the [Living Form] onto the blade.

Compared to his first attempt, the pattern of the [Living Form] was nearly twice as large.

The blade did not turn black this time, but remained a brilliant azure.

Li Fan deliberately left large blank spaces where the pattern was still unknown, so that he could complete it later.

Once the Living Form was branded onto it, a fluctuation that Li Fan could not yet comprehend descended upon the liquid sword.

A blinding light flared, then slowly faded.

A young, fair-featured Daoist acolyte, completely naked, slowly materialized before Li Fan.

In the first moment of his existence, the young acolyte’s eyes held a flicker of confusion.

But a moment later, he seemed to understand his own origins.

"Thank you, Great Lord, for the gift of life."

The young acolyte said in a clear, crisp voice, prostrating himself before Li Fan.

(This chapter is complete)