Chapter 1429: Repairing the Azure Nether Pearl
Through the intricate array patterns rooted deep within Zhao Ruoxi's soul, Li Fan scanned her memories in an instant.
As expected of the One Heart Heavenly Venerate, a being who embodied the will of multitudes, the scenes she had witnessed were staggering.
But that was not his focus.
Li Fan quickly found what he was looking for.
"Take from Heaven and Replace..."
It was a secret art from the Great Dao Sect's treasury, one of the rich spoils from the destruction of the ancient Xuantian Sect. It was said to be capable of completely stripping members of the Xuantian Sect of their techniques and cultivation, and then, like grafting a branch onto a new tree, transferring their realms and power to the user.
Li Fan remained skeptical of the technique's description.
After all, figures as formidable as the twelve Dharma Kings could not have been so easily constrained by a simple secret art.
His plan was to use cultivation to replenish the Azure Nether Pearl, pulling it back from the brink of total collapse. Afterward, he would supplement this with his True False Transformation ability, repairing it step by step.
As for the cultivation that would be infused into the Azure Nether Pearl...
Zhao Ruoxi, a practitioner of the Eternal Sole Dominance Art, was the perfect source.
From Zhao Ruoxi's memories, Li Fan had already confirmed that although she had achieved her Dao through the principle of "many as one," the core of her cultivation method was still the Eternal Sole Dominance Art.
"Obsessed with games, devoid of ambition," Li Fan scoffed internally, his judgment swift. "Her success in reversing worldly logic was only possible because she took advantage of this technique's heaven-defying properties."
In the blink of an eye, he was back in the hollow beneath the high wall, where the Azure Nether Pearl rested.
The Dissociation Disc had already translated the "Take from Heaven and Replace" technique into an array.
Wisps of light, carrying the array's information, invisibly seeped into Senior Sister Zhao's soul.
The light spread along the dense network of array patterns, and as they activated, they began to slowly draw out Senior Sister Zhao's cultivation.
Meanwhile, in Li Fan's hand, droplets of an eerie green liquid slowly began to form.
Zhao Ruoxi, naturally, was keenly aware of the sudden drain on her cultivation.
For a being in the Longevity realm like her, there was nothing more terrifying than reverting to a mortal overnight.
Her face went pale, wondering how she had offended the capricious True Immortal.
The rate at which Zhao Ruoxi's cultivation drained grew faster and faster. Yet she was powerless, able to do nothing but watch as the essence she had painstakingly accumulated over thousands of years vanished before her very eyes.
Then, she quickly realized something even more horrifying.
Ever since she had reversed worldly logic and become a Heavenly Venerate of the Xuanhuang Realm, she had become a part of the world itself.
Although she was still in the Longevity realm, the massive loss of cultivation was weakening her body to the point where it seemed unable to support the very logic of the Xuanhuang Realm that she had defied!
It felt as if she were being crushed by an immense weight; her soul and body began to ache with a deep, throbbing pain.
"Nngh..." Zhao Ruoxi let out a stifled groan as countless fine, bloody lines appeared all over her body.
And it wasn't just this one body.
All of her selves were on the verge of collapse.
The agony intensified.
As the last of her spiritual power drained away, leaving her weaker than an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator, Zhao Ruoxi felt a frailty she had never known. The sensation of her soul being ground down and torn apart was magnified a thousandfold by her diminished strength.
Blood erupted from the myriad cracks covering her skin, drenching her in crimson and masking the tears and mucus streaming down her face. She was in too much pain to scream, able to force only a few hoarse gasps from her throat.
The terror of her impending mortality, coupled with the ever-increasing, all-encompassing pain in her soul and body, sent Zhao Ruoxi spiraling back in time, to her childhood on Daqing Mountain.
Back then, bandits were burning and pillaging her village, the sky stained red with blood and fire.
Hiding outside the village, she saw them—brutish bandits who seemed to have spotted her, their faces twisting into savage grins as they charged in her direction. Zhao Ruoxi was paralyzed with fear.
Then she noticed a figure that had, at some point, appeared nearby, standing perfectly still.
As if grasping the only possible lifeline, Zhao Ruoxi wept and begged, "Immortal Master, save me! Please, save me!"
The guttural cries tearing from her throat seemed to merge with the memory of her past pleas.
Only this time, the figure she saw as her savior was no longer Zhang Rong, the fourth-generation disciple of the Great Dao Sect's Moonlight lineage, whom she had long since devoured in her quest for revenge.
It had become Li Fan.
The blurred figure’s features sharpened in Zhao Ruoxi’s mind. As if in answer to her plea, Li Fan offered a faint smile.
From the very center of the array patterns within her soul, from the phantom image of the Xuanhuang Realm, flowed streams of incomparably pure energy. What began as a gentle brook swiftly swelled into a mighty river, roaring and surging without end.
In a flash, it filled Zhao Ruoxi's body to the brim.
The One Heart Heavenly Venerate, who had been on the verge of death just moments before, was instantly restored to vibrant life.
Feeling the seemingly inexhaustible power from the Xuanhuang Realm's phantom flowing within her, Zhao Ruoxi felt even stronger than before.
The bloodstains on her fair skin vanished. With the utmost reverence, she bowed to the figure standing deep within her soul in gratitude.
...
Ignoring the minor commotion with Zhao Ruoxi, Li Fan focused his entire attention on the fragile Azure Nether Pearl before him.
The entirety of Zhao Ruoxi's cultivation, accrued over a lifetime of practicing the Eternal Sole Dominance Art, had condensed into just four drops of green liquid.
Without needing any manipulation from Li Fan, by virtue of its innate connection to the Azure Nether Pearl, the green liquid’s energy began to slowly drift toward the nearby artifact as soon as it formed.
The nearly ten thousand years of arduous cultivation of a Longevity Heavenly Venerate had finally managed to pull this immortal artifact back from the brink of annihilation!
A flicker of joy ignited in Li Fan's heart. His divine sense followed suit, swiftly enveloping the Azure Nether Pearl.
The surface of the pearl, the color of a vast azure sky, swirled in layers, attempting to block Li Fan's probe.
This protective layer might have been effective against a mortal. Or perhaps, if the Azure Nether Pearl were at its peak, it might have been able to stop him.
But in its current state, having just been pulled back from the verge of destruction, it was half-dead. How could it possibly obstruct Li Fan, with his semi-immortal body?
His divine sense, sharp as a needle, pierced the azure sky and plunged deep into the Azure Nether Pearl's interior.
Boom!
The world before Li Fan’s eyes shook violently. The next moment, he found himself in a strange and wondrous realm.
Twelve solemn palaces stood high above the clouds, arranged in a circle, dominating the celestial sphere.
Within each palace, a statue was enshrined.
An endless stream of cultivators ascended from the earth below to kneel and pray.
And on the faces of the statues, living expressions would occasionally manifest, as if they were communicating with the kneeling supplicants.
...
The Divine Witch Realm!
When the vision in his mind faded, Li Fan understood what he had just witnessed.
That wisp of his divine sense had been forcibly expelled by the Azure Nether Pearl.
He did not attempt to invade it again. That brief contact, and the unique aura of the Azure Nether Pearl, was enough. With it, he could use True False Transformation to replicate the artifact in a short amount of time.
But Li Fan did not leave to begin the process. He had a premonition that creating another Azure Nether Pearl from nothing would be far more taxing than any previous replication. He needed to prepare.
The Azure Nether Pearl could not be moved for the time being, so Li Fan set up layers upon layers of arrays around it.
Points of light, representing immortal-grade arrays, flickered around him. Only then did Li Fan feel a sense of security.
"Fantasy Becomes Truth!"
Li Fan chanted inwardly, but the target of his ability was not the pearl. It was himself.
His cultivation, his divine soul, every aspect of his power, instantly doubled.
He looked at the Azure Nether Pearl, but still felt it was not enough.
After catching his breath for a moment, he once again cast the "Fantasy Becomes Truth" ability.
This threefold power superposition could not be maintained for long.
The moment his body adapted to the new intensity, Li Fan focused his spirit and locked onto the Azure Nether Pearl.
Using its brilliant azure hue as a guide, he recalled the fleeting glimpse of the Divine Witch Realm.
He visualized the existence of another Azure Nether Pearl.
"Fantasy..."
"...Becomes Truth!"
Li Fan felt a strain dozens of times greater than when he had replicated the ancient font of power before.
It was likely because that font of power was a singular form of energy, whereas the Azure Nether Pearl before him was a convergence of numerous laws.
Blue veins bulged on his forehead. An instant later, he felt as if his body had been completely hollowed out.
He felt an incredible weakness.
But as he looked at the Azure Nether Pearl, he saw that its colors had become more vivid, more alive.
Li Fan knew his attempt had succeeded.
The stacked "Fantasy Becomes Truth" effect slowly faded. A landslide of physical and mental fatigue washed over him.
But Li Fan only closed his eyes to rest for a moment before he began replicating the Azure Nether Pearl again.
Each time he used True False Transformation, his understanding of it deepened. But just like the things he created from nothing, most of this understanding would slowly dissipate over time, leaving only a tiny fraction behind.
"True False Transformation is ethereal and elusive, but it is the very foundation of my power."
"Relying solely on the auxiliary comprehension from each activation of [Truth] or Unending Samsara is far from enough."
A flicker of resolve crossed his eyes. Capitalizing on the lingering insights from his last use, Li Fan pushed through the overwhelming exhaustion and unleashed the "Fantasy Becomes Truth" ability once more.
Within the cavern of the subterranean river, an indescribably wondrous aura repeatedly descended and vanished.
Time flowed slowly. Though Li Fan’s outward appearance remained unchanged, his aura grew even more unpredictable.
He truly resembled a transcendent True Immortal, ethereal and beyond the dust of the mortal world.
An hour later, Li Fan finally felt his body and soul had reached their absolute limit.
He sighed softly as a tidal wave of weariness he could no longer resist crashed over him.
Ignoring the newly repaired, almost reborn Azure Nether Pearl to his side, Li Fan first closed his eyes and sat cross-legged, taking a much-needed rest.
His mind was empty, without thought or awareness, as if he had fallen into a deep slumber.
Yet, in the recesses of his consciousness, countless points of light seemed to endlessly flash into existence, only to fade back into darkness a moment later, repeating over and over again.
When Li Fan’s spirit was restored, three days had already passed.
Through this short period of high-intensity, near-limit application of "Fantasy Becomes Truth," Li Fan had gained an amount of comprehension into True False Transformation equivalent to almost five uses of [Truth].
"This is also because it's the first time I've pushed myself to the limit so continuously."
"It reawakened forgotten insights from my past uses of True False Transformation. The effect certainly won't be this good next time."
"But it is still immensely significant."
Through this experiment, Li Fan had realized something. The comprehension of True False Transformation he gained from activating [Truth] was different from what he gained by mimicking the ability himself.
The former was undoubtedly purer, closer to the true essence.
The latter, though a step below, was far easier for him to control.
"There is still a long road from comprehension to practical application."
"Each activation of [Truth] deepens my comprehension, but I must still be the one to put it into practice."
A flash of insight came to Li Fan.
At that moment, even [Truth] seemed to transmit a wave of approval, as if calling him a promising student.
Li Fan pondered this, attempting to communicate further with [Truth].
He was met with silence.
Shaking his head slightly, Li Fan set the matter aside for the time being and turned his attention to the nearby Azure Nether Pearl.
He reached out and beckoned it.
Perhaps because he had partially repaired it, he felt no resistance as the immortal artifact floated lightly into his hand.
"Although it has narrowly escaped being shattered, its power is still severely diminished."
"After all, the life force it contained was all extracted to repair the Darkest Star Sea."
Li Fan thought to himself as he gazed at the abundant life force now filling the subterranean river.
But what Li Fan valued was not the Azure Nether Pearl’s life force, but its rumored, miraculous functions.
"The Azure Nether Pearl can devour other immortal artifacts, transferring their functions to itself."
"And it can extract a cultivator's techniques from their corpse."
After a brief investigation, Li Fan discovered that the Azure Nether Pearl no longer possessed an artifact spirit.
If not for his repairs, it would now be nothing more than a completely functionless, empty shell.
But now...
"The functions can still be used."
With a thought, Li Fan returned to the Xuanhuang Realm, bringing the Azure Nether Pearl with him.
To prevent the Hunger Immortal of the Immortal Ruins from sensing anything, the surrounding concealment arrays were not dispersed, but merely transformed into a layer of white mist.
The mist lent Li Fan an even more ethereal, immortal-like air.
"Devour an immortal artifact..."
Li Fan's gaze turned toward the Sun family's secret underground chamber, where the Immeasurable Mirror resided.
He reached out his hand, and the Immeasurable Mirror tore through space and time to appear in his palm.
"Who goes there!"
Ignoring the panicked cry of Sun Luyao, the spirit of the Immeasurable Mirror, Li Fan directly fed it to the Azure Nether Pearl.
Though both had once been immortal artifacts, and both were in a state of severe damage, the Immeasurable Mirror was clearly not on the same level as the Azure Nether Pearl.
Furthermore, with Li Fan suppressing it from the side, the Immeasurable Mirror was utterly powerless to resist.
It sank into the vast, azure hue of the Azure Nether Pearl.
The surface of the pearl rippled as if caught in a heavy downpour.
Perhaps it was too weak, and the sudden meal was a bit much to handle. This time, the Azure Nether Pearl's digestion took nearly half a day.
When the rainstorm on its surface finally subsided, a new, distinct aura was born from within the Azure Nether Pearl.
(End of Chapter)
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