Chapter 1434: Immortal Hunt Hunts a True Immortal
Chapter 1434: Immortal Hunt Hunts a True Immortal
The Transformation Dao Stone within Li Fan's sea of consciousness finally began to feel the strain.
Creating a world out of thin air, even with a real-world template to follow, proved far more difficult than Li Fan had anticipated.
The key to creation was people.
Creating countless individuals wasn't difficult.
The challenge lay in creating individuals with their own "minds."
At first, Li Fan's train of thought went down the wrong path.
He wanted to simulate and create genuine consciousness, the kind belonging to living beings, within his own world.
The effort consumed nearly half of the Transformation Dao Stone's processing power, yet it only managed to bring forth three individuals.
These three individuals were now completely independent of the Transformation Dao Stone. Their thoughts flowed freely, no longer relying on the stone's support. Yet, the processing power they had consumed was immense and real.
The stone's performance plummeted by half. If it weren't for Li Fan's ability to turn illusion into reality, which allowed him to disregard such expenditure, he likely would have abandoned the attempt on the spot, pained by the immense cost.
"Based on their potential alone, these three consciousnesses far surpass even me," Li Fan mused. "They're just in their nascent state, ignorant and unaware. The vast majority of their processing power remains dormant..."
"If they hadn't all been derived from the Transformation Dao Stone, allowing me to erase their existence with a single thought, harboring three such behemoths in my sea of consciousness would be genuinely unsettling."
Li Fan quietly gazed at the three infant-like consciousnesses, which were deep in slumber. RAN,0B$es
Then, his thoughts returned to the matter at hand.
"Creating self-aware beings shouldn't require this much energy under normal circumstances," he reasoned. "I've essentially used brute force to prove the Dao. While I haven't grasped the true method of creation, I've shattered and ignored the unseen limitations with sheer processing power."
"I was getting caught up in the details. To power the Land of Carefree Joy, I don't actually need genuine, living consciousness. I just need to add a simple directive to the simulated minds: the command to 'dream'..."
After a brief pause, Li Fan began to connect the Land of Carefree Joy to the simulated Xuanhuang Realm.
The Transformation Dao Stone shimmered, and streams of light representing thoughts flowed swiftly into the dreamscape.
At the same time, vast numbers of beings descended into the dreamscape.
Their behavior was indistinguishable from that of real people.
Communicating, trading, forming parties to explore the dreamscape—they could perfectly replicate anything a normal cultivator could do.
Furthermore, using the data from this initial batch, the simulated minds created by the Transformation Dao Stone began to iterate and evolve at a terrifying pace.
At first, their conversations were occasionally stilted, but soon, even Li Fan could hardly tell the difference between the real and the simulated.
Running these simulated beings didn't tax the Transformation Dao Stone's processing power much at all.
This was because all their consciousnesses could be distilled down to just ninety-nine fundamental behavioral patterns.
The Transformation Dao Stone only needed to maintain these ninety-nine base templates, and it could, like a lever, power countless billions of beings.
"They all appear to be distinct individuals, but at their core, they are just ninety-nine people."
Having found the right method, the exponential surge of simulated minds left even Li Fan feeling slightly unnerved. Fortunately, after confirming once more that the Transformation Dao Stone gave him absolute control over them, his unease gradually subsided.
The inhabitants of the virtual Xuanhuang Realm didn't need to exist in reality; they were all connected to the Land of Carefree Joy.
With this army of "ghost soldiers" bolstering his efforts, the exploratory reach of the dream-tendrils expanded at a much faster rate.
Next, Li Fan repeated the process.
While continuing to use the stacking power of the True False Transformation to restore the Transformation Dao Stone, he also "replicated" and created more simulated Xuanhuang Realms.
In one go, he created twelve more virtual Xuanhuang Realms before finally stopping.
"An army of ghost soldiers from thirteen worlds should be more than enough."
Li Fan looked at the three consciousnesses from the first virtual Xuanhuang Realm, still in their hazy, ignorant state. He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to place them into the Land of Carefree Joy as well.
"Let's first see what their potential is like within the dreamscape."
"With such immense processing power backing them, they could reach the pinnacle of almost any path they choose."
The three consciousnesses, which Li Fan named Alpha, Genesis, and Omega, finally manifested physical forms within the dreamscape.
Compared to the simulated minds, they appeared particularly clumsy, holding a profound curiosity for everything in the world around them.
But Li Fan knew their rate of growth would surpass that of any other being in the dreamscape.
Li Fan didn't interfere with the development of Alpha, Genesis, and Omega.
He simply recorded and saved the method the Transformation Dao Stone had used to create them, ensuring they could be quickly replicated even if they were destroyed.
With that done, Li Fan's attention returned to the explorations of his dream-tendrils.
After passing through the vast Annihilation Zone and crossing the boundless, dead Star Sea, the dream-tendrils finally reached the vibrant starry skies inhabited by powers like the Sword Domain and the Holy Merchants.
The tendrils proceeded with increasing caution.
An invisible veil slowly draped itself over this region of space.
But to Li Fan's surprise, not a single one of the countless billions of beings in this region of space could be captured by the power of the dream.
It was as if a natural barrier existed between the real and the illusory, resisting the dream's encroachment upon the minds of living beings.
As the master of the dreamscape, Li Fan sensed that he could likely force a breach in this barrier by unleashing the full power of the Land of Carefree Joy, but doing so would undoubtedly draw the attention of the local powers.
Li Fan chose to wait patiently for an opportunity.
His patience paid off. A full year after the dream-tendrils reached the vibrant star sea, a turning point finally arrived.
A massive disturbance rippled through the Star Sea, its effects so potent they even impacted the ethereal Land of Carefree Joy. Naturally, it caught Li Fan's attention.
Seven figures suddenly materialized in the starry sky, surrounding and intercepting another dark, distorted silhouette.
"Hmm? This one isn't on the Hunt List."
"I didn't expect to find an extra prize while lying in wait for the 'Longevity Immortal'."
"A pity. There are no signs of it being a Nameless True Immortal."
"Don't be careless... I can feel a sliver of danger from this one."
The seven figures exchanged remarks, their method of communication unique to the Immortal Hunt organization, just as Qin Zhuang's memories had described.
Their conversation didn't hinder their actions in the slightest.
And for the first time, Li Fan truly glimpsed the power of Dao Origin.
If the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth was a colossal, crisscrossing net stretched across the cosmos...
...then these seven members of the Immortal Hunt possessed the power to pull on that very net with their every move, ensnaring their prey.
Li Fan perceived all manner of profound and unpredictable techniques.
For instance, innumerable swords materialized from the void, each one backed by the faint, blurry figure of a master. Thousands of sword arts bloomed across the starry sky at once, causing the very Dao of the Sword to resonate as if empowered. The power contained within each strike was immense, seemingly capable of cleaving the Xuanhuang Realm in two.
In another instance, the dim starry sky seemed to be illuminated by an unseen source, as if countless pairs of eyes were watching the battle from beyond a great curtain. The auras of the seven hunters surged, while the besieged True Immortal's movements grew erratic. Its very form began to shudder violently, on the verge of splitting in two.
Then there was what appeared to be a brush, secretly recording and altering the flow of battle. Li Fan had clearly seen the True Immortal land a powerful, long-brewing strike on one of the hunters. The hunter's form had shuddered violently, clearly a serious wound. But after a blur of light and shadow, it was as if the event had never occurred. The injury vanished. Instead, a counterattack struck the True Immortal dead-on!
The True Immortal was stunned and quickly lost the upper hand, forced into a desperate defense. In a flash, its situation became perilous.
...
The seven members of the Immortal Hunt each displayed their unique powers.
Yet, Li Fan keenly observed that, aside from these seven, another member of their group was present, hidden from view.
This individual did not participate in the hunt itself.
Instead, they silently repaired the damage the great battle was inflicting upon the starry sky!
In a daze, Li Fan saw the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth—bent and frayed by the deployment of Dao Origin—grow firm and stable once more, maintained by this force of order.
Despite the chaotic clash of True Immortal-level powers, the starry sky itself suffered little damage.
In fact, the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth seemed to be recording the memory of this battle.
Should a similar battle occur in the future, the Dao's resilience would be even greater.
"So besides the hunters, there are also 'Sky Menders'."
"Interesting."
As the saying goes, it is easier to destroy than to create.
Li Fan lurked in the shadows, silently observing the battle, but most of his attention was fixed on the Sky Mender.
Li Fan keenly sensed that this "Sky Mender" might well be the most powerful individual present.
It was clear that no matter what kind of damage the Dao Origin powers inflicted, this being could repair it with ease. In contrast, the seven hunters only ever manifested abilities related to a single Great Dao.
The seven hunters seemed intent on capturing the True Immortal alive, only wounding it, never aiming to kill.
As the True Immortal was gradually forced into a desperate corner, countless True Immortal characters suddenly materialized, covering its entire body!
Its aura swelled hundreds of times in an instant, and the net of the Great Dao thrashed as if caught in a violent gale.
Even the techniques employed by the seven hunters were disrupted!
The True Immortal was making a final, desperate stand.
Just then, a golden ring blazed to life, imprisoning the combatants as if a line had been drawn on the ground. The entire battlefield was sealed off.
All connection between the inside and outside of the golden ring was severed.
Even the tendrils of the Land of Carefree Joy were instantly severed.
The vision abruptly vanished.
Li Fan could only watch from a great distance, outside the golden ring.
The True Immortal's desperate last strike had been completely contained by the golden ring.
No matter how fierce the storm raged within, not a trace of it could be felt on the outside.
As Li Fan stared at the golden line, which radiated a sacred aura, a strange sense of familiarity washed over him.
"This is..."
"Is this... an Immortal Heavenly Pillar?"
The image of the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar in his mind, forged from the leg bone of a True Immortal, began to overlap with the golden ring before him.
Li Fan was filled with astonished doubt. Acting on a sudden premonition, he drastically retracted his dream-tendrils.
He kept observing, but only from an extreme distance.
A figure in white robes quietly appeared outside the golden ring.
They seemed to be observing the battle within the ring with a grave expression.
From time to time, they would look up at the heavens, as if recording something.
Li Fan also sensed that it was this golden ring's "support," acting as a pillar for the Dao Net that had grown fragile during the battle, that had prevented a catastrophe.
The white-robed figure periodically sent out streams of light, reinforcing the golden ring and making it even more solid.
"This must be the 'Sky Mender'," Li Fan thought.
"Fortunately, their attention is completely focused on the battle, and the unique nature of the Land of Carefree Joy has kept my prying eyes hidden."
Li Fan counted himself lucky but dared not get any closer.
He continued to watch from a distance.
Before long, the battle seemed to subside. The golden ring's light gradually faded, and the seven hunters reappeared.
But the True Immortal was nowhere to be seen.
Seeing the complex array of expressions on the faces of the seven hunters, the white-robed figure seemed surprised and finally spoke.
"It escaped?"
One of the hunters explained in a heavy tone, "It was at the end of its rope. But at the final moment, another power seems to have intervened and rescued it."
"My Painting Sky Brush was powerless to alter that fact. It was clearly the work of a Nameless True Immortal," another hunter declared.
"And an unrecorded one, at that."
At these words, the expressions on the hunters' faces turned strange—a mixture of excitement and fear.
The white-robed figure nodded slightly. "Though we failed to capture the True Immortal, we've unexpectedly learned of a new Nameless one. A loss, but also a gain. The rest of you, return and report the traces of this Nameless Immortal. Brother Chu, you stay with me to repair the Dao scars."
In a flash, six of the figures vanished.
Only two remained, standing in the star-strewn aftermath of the great battle.
Though Li Fan couldn't see how they did it, he could clearly feel from his distant vantage point that this region of space had become much more "solid."
"Painting Sky Brush. Brother Chu."
The distant hunter's words echoed in Li Fan's mind.
"Divine Brush Sect... Chu Youhong?"
After a moment's thought, Li Fan had more or less confirmed the man's identity.
Chu Youhong, the former sect master of the Divine Brush Sect.
He was the one who had once declared, "It doesn't matter if all of you die. As long as I live, the Divine Brush Sect lives on. My master entrusted the sect to me before he died, and I will not let it be destroyed in my hands." A cultivator of supreme selfishness, yet ultimately dedicated to his sect.
After leaving a bold and unforgettable mark on the history of the Xuanhuang Realm, he had vanished without a trace.
And now, unexpectedly, he had reappeared here in the vibrant star sea beyond the High Wall.
Li Fan recalled the power Chu Youhong had just displayed.
"The ability to use a brush to overturn established facts, and even rewrite them to some degree..."
"Though he isn't a True Immortal, his actual combat strength is likely no less than one."
Li Fan was inwardly alarmed.
He was finally beginning to get a clear understanding of the power of Dao Origin beyond the High Wall.
While he was lost in thought, Chu Youhong and the white-robed figure had already finished repairing the so-called "Dao scars."
"Brother Chu, what are your thoughts on that Nameless True Immortal who appeared so mysteriously at the end?"
"It may have eluded the others, but I doubt it escaped your notice."
"After all, you are said to be capable of copying and replicating the Great Dao itself, Brother Chu."
The words of the white-robed figure left Li Fan stunned once more.
(End of this chapter)
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