Chapter 1443: Infinite Immortal Power
Within the light was an infinite ocean containing all the world's possibilities, yet the glow of immortal spiritual power at Li Fan's fingertip now seemed as fragile and precarious as a candle flame flickering in the wind.
It wavered, unstable and unsteady.
What alarmed Li Fan even more was that after ninety-nine breaths, the glimmer of immortal power at his fingertip suddenly extinguished without any warning. It was as if an unseen, formless presence had leaned in and gently blown it out.
"It's only the outward manifestation of the immortal spiritual power that has vanished. This body... or rather, this skin, still holds the power within," Li Fan concluded after a brief internal scan.
He tried again.
This time, Li Fan was no longer content with merely manifesting a single point of immortal spiritual power.
Instead, he attempted to construct an immortal array with it.
Of course, to avoid detection by Shuo Xinghai, Li Fan had no intention of causing a major disturbance. He chose to form the Boundless, Primordial Vision Array, a tool for peering into and analyzing all things.
It was no different from the array deployed by the Immortal Dissociation Disc, but now he felt an even more profound sense of control, as if it were an extension of his own will. There was no need for the disc to act as an intermediary; all the information the array touched upon and analyzed appeared directly in his mind.
Li Fan gazed out of the residence toward the city beyond. In his eyes, there was no bustling City of Extreme Bliss. There was only a colossal, rapidly spinning vortex.
Countless specks of thought and will floated, spun, and settled within this maelstrom.
Occasionally, a few of them would suddenly emit a strange blue light during their rotation. They would then defy the vortex's own power, slowly sinking from the upper edge to the very bottom.
Li Fan could even faintly discern a massive, predator-like shadow lurking there. When the blue specks of light drew near, it would lunge forward and swallow them whole.
As if sensing Li Fan's prying gaze, the predatory shadow slowly turned its head toward him. Its shadowy form undulated, seeming to offer a meaningful smile.
While maintaining the operation of the Boundless, Primordial Vision Array, Li Fan silently counted the passing moments in his mind. Sure enough, once ninety-nine breaths had passed, the array constructed from immortal spiritual power dissolved like ice and snow, vanishing in an instant.
The pathway connecting his mind to the array seemed to have been blocked, cutting off all support.
He could only watch as the array dissipated.
The vision of the vortex vanished along with it.
"That devouring shadow..."
"It's Zhu Xueshi, without a doubt."
"It seems the selection of suitable consciousnesses from the masses is a continuous process, integrated into the very operation of the City of Extreme Bliss."
"The Grand Ceremony of Extreme Bliss, held every three years, and those so-called fruits of will... they're more like a diversion," Li Fan realized with growing clarity.
Although he had reached some sort of cooperative agreement with this former Nameless True Immortal, there was absolutely no trust between them.
Zhu Xueshi had merely made a long-shot investment after Li Fan demonstrated a certain potential. He didn't care about Li Fan's true identity or background, nor how he had managed to infiltrate the City of Extreme Bliss and so subtly replace Ma Tiande. He didn't care what Li Fan's goals were.
As long as it could help him escape the Dao Net, Zhu Xueshi was willing to offer his support.
"In fact, he probably doesn't truly expect me to free him. As long as I can infiltrate the Immortal Hunt, cause some trouble and create some variables for the Administrative Council and the Dao Net, thereby increasing his chances of escape even slightly, this deal is worth it for him..."
As Li Fan was lost in thought, a sudden sense of rejection emanated from the body he was inhabiting.
"Get out! Get out of me!"
"Out, out, out, out, out!"
"Insolent ant! How dare you defile this vessel!"
...
The feeling of repulsion grew increasingly intense, and the voice echoing in Li Fan's ears grew louder and louder. It boomed like thunder, becoming unbearable. And strangely, it was his own voice.
To hear himself yelling at himself was a bizarre experience.
Ultimately, Li Fan was forcibly ejected from the immortal skin.
Returning to his original form, Li Fan carefully examined the supreme treasure in his hands.
To call this layer of human skin a supreme treasure was no exaggeration at all, for it could instantly grant a mortal power comparable to that of a True Immortal.
"Judging from the images that flooded my mind after putting on the skin, its original owner must have been on the verge of reaching the Nameless realm."
"But before he could merge with his Dao, the all-destroying Dao Annihilation Calamity arrived."
"The Immortal Realm shattered. True Immortals, and even Nameless True Immortals, perished one after another in the cataclysm. As the old Dao manifested and was born, the old Dao was extinguished and vanished. This scene, a simultaneous apocalypse and genesis, unexpectedly brought him a moment of enlightenment. He took the final step right then and there!"
"Unfortunately, his timing for a breakthrough couldn't have been worse. That part of the Immortal Realm could have held on for a little longer. His ascension was like pulling out a critical support pillar at the most crucial moment..."
"In an instant, the heavens collapsed, the earth caved in, and the Great Dao came crashing down."
...
The memories after that point became hazy, even verging on madness.
Memories from different times, some even contradictory, appeared all at once. Li Fan could only barely deduce that this Nameless True Immortal, despite having escaped the initial disaster, was eventually captured and nailed into the Dao Net, forced to serve as a key node connecting the Great Daos.
"Unlike Zhu Xueshi,"
"This Nameless One is truly and utterly dead."
"And the day of his death was the day the Dao Net was completed."
"The Dao he had merged with never had the chance to return to heaven and earth. Instead, it was captured and utilized by some profound power, becoming one of the most stable nodes of the Dao Net..."
Li Fan tried to reconstruct the scene from the fragmented memories.
The birth of the Dao Net—what a magnificent event it must have been.
Yet it was accompanied by the hate-filled curses of a Nameless True Immortal.
"There were others like the owner of this skin, used as living sacrifices to construct the Dao Net..."
"Three more of them!"
"A total of four great nodes, plus that formless, giant hand, were what initially stabilized the Dao Net."
Li Fan took a deep breath.
Even after death, a mere layer of skin left behind could instantly grant a mortal the power of a True Immortal. His thoughts and memories still lingered within it. This was a testament to the original owner's immense power.
Yet a powerhouse of this caliber had been cruelly used as raw material for the living foundation piles of the Dao Net. After death, not even his name or life's story was left behind.
"A nameless ant dies."
"In the face of the Great Calamity, those who cannot seize control of their own fate are no different from mortals," Li Fan sighed softly.
After a single use, the immortal skin had become noticeably thinner and had taken on an eerie, pale color. This was why it had forcibly expelled him.
However, after studying it for a moment, Li Fan discovered that the skin had not been consumed. Almost at a speed visible to the naked eye, it began to regain its rosy, full appearance.
Nevertheless, Li Fan was still unable to wear it again.
He had to wait for the time it took an incense stick to burn before he sensed that he could use the immortal skin once more.
"This isn't a property of the skin itself."
"Rather, it's a restriction imposed upon it by another existence. Unless my power surpasses that of the one who set it, I must abide by this rule," Li Fan realized, a spark of understanding in his eyes.
"It must be a constraint established by the powerhouses of Shuo Xinghai who built the Dao Net back then. After all, a skin of a Nameless True Immortal, capable of letting any being instantly wield power comparable to a True Immortal, is an absolutely devastating weapon."
Li Fan donned the immortal skin once again.
This time, he wanted to verify whether he could extend the effective duration of wearing it through increased familiarity.
Immortal spiritual power surged through him anew. His consciousness delved within, and it felt as though he was once again gazing upon that infinite ocean.
"They say the Immortal Realm is vast and boundless."
"This place, this boundless expanse, is a thousand, even ten thousand times greater than the Immortal Realm."
Even seeing it for the second time, Li Fan found himself momentarily lost in its grandeur.
"Immortal spiritual power originates from here. No wonder it possesses the property of 'infinity'."
As his thoughts drifted, Li Fan was reminded of the Star Sea.
The power of the Star Sea, though inferior in energy level to immortal spiritual power, also possessed the property of 'infinity'.
"Does this mean that the energy source of the Star Sea also originates from here?"
A critical question suddenly surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
Was the infinite nature of the Star Sea a quality that had existed since time immemorial?
Or did it only come into being after the destruction of the Immortal Realm?
Li Fan surveyed the infinite ocean, remaining silent for a long time.
Recalling the image of the Immortal Realm he had seen in the memories of True Immortals, a guess began to form in his mind.
"'Infinity' was likely a characteristic unique to the Immortal Realm."
"It was only because of the Immortal Realm's destruction that this characteristic was passed down to the lower realm, the Star Sea."
"Zhu Xueshi once said that the bliss of the Immortal Realm far surpassed that of the City of Extreme Bliss. This must have been entirely due to this infinity. With no need to worry about energy consumption, all that remained was pure enjoyment. If not for the sudden arrival of the Dao Annihilation Calamity, the Immortal Realm might have remained in 'extreme bliss' forever."
Ever since achieving the Nascent Soul stage with his Five Elements Great Cave-Heaven, Li Fan had profoundly understood the various benefits that came with having no concerns about consumption. The Five Elements Cave-Heaven was but a shadow of the Xuanhuang Realm; although it provided him with far more power than ordinary cultivators, it was clearly incomparable to the nature of 'infinity'.
"This is also one of the most crucial distinctions between an immortal and a mortal."
"An endless supply of energy, with no need to consider consumption. Any spell or divine ability could be infinitely amplified in its destructive power..."
Even an ordinary punch thrown by a mortal, which would have no effect on the vast Xuanhuang Realm, could smash the world to smithereens if the action were repeated a sufficient number of times.
"Ultimately, it means that even the faintest power, when multiplied by infinity, becomes unimaginably formidable."
Li Fan's train of thought was temporarily cut short as the immortal spiritual power vanished.
The vast difference in power between an immortal and a mortal filled Li Fan's heart with a faint sense of desolation.
During the interval while waiting for the restriction to lift, another question occurred to him.
"Infinity is indeed wonderful. But what is the price?"
The very existence of infinite power contradicted his fundamental understanding of how the world worked.
He could comprehend the might of immortal spiritual energy. But its infinity was something he could not wrap his head around, no matter how he tried.
"That infinite ocean, what exactly is it?"
"Such a beautiful thing, seemingly existing only in fantasy..."
"Does it really come with no negative effects?"
The worry that arose naturally within him vanished without a trace the moment he came into contact with the infinite immortal spiritual power again.
Nothing could be worse than already knowing the predetermined date of the entire mortal world's demise.
Li Fan pushed aside all other distracting thoughts, immersing himself completely in the study of the immortal skin and its spiritual power.
Time flew by.
The duration he could wear the immortal skin this time was exactly the same as the first time.
Not a fraction of a difference.
However, Li Fan did not jump to a conclusion just yet.
He waited for the cooldown period to pass, then donned the immortal skin once more.
He repeated this process again and again.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye.
Li Fan finally confirmed that the duration of use for the immortal skin was indeed fixed and unchangeable. It did not increase with "proficiency".
However, his three years of research were not without their rewards.
The immortal spiritual power at his fingertip lit up once more, like a tiny flame.
This time, as he observed the immortal spiritual power within "his" body, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
It was as if it were a part of his own body.
And by "his own body," he did not mean the immortal skin, nor the body of Ma Tiande.
He meant the core that directed all his thoughts and actions—his divine sense, which reflected the Great Dao.
"The reason I am stuck in the half-immortal realm is because the Immortal Realm was destroyed, preventing me from receiving the baptism of immortal spiritual qi."
"And the residual immortal spiritual qi in the world all seem to carry specific markers of ownership. They cannot be stolen."
"Only through the process of ascension from the Xuanhuang Realm can this marker be washed away to some degree. That's how the Immortal Series Dissociation Disc obtained its infinite immortal spiritual qi."
"But what can be used by an immortal artifact cannot be used by a True Immortal."
With a single thought, immortal spiritual power surged through his entire body like a tidal wave.
It seemed to form a tiny, miniature infinite ocean.
The original master of this ocean was that unknown Nameless True Immortal who had become a living foundation pile for the Dao Net.
But now...
This miniature infinite ocean had gradually become tinged with Li Fan's own imprint.
"There is still a long way to go before a complete change of ownership."
"It's only been marked with a hint of my presence."
"But I've only been in contact with it and familiarizing myself for three years. If I were given more time..."
Li Fan's eyes flickered, and at that moment, the immortal spiritual power coursing through him vanished abruptly due to the skin's restriction.
"Could it be that immortal spiritual power can be inherited?"
Immortal spiritual power originated from the mysterious, unknowable infinite ocean.
And that infinite sea was something that no individual could simply connect with and draw upon at will.
Not even a True Immortal could do so.
"In the past, the process of being baptized by immortal qi on the Ascension Platform must have been the key that allowed an individual to connect to the infinite ocean."
"If we assume that every True Immortal needs a unique identifier to call upon this infinite power, then perhaps by mastering these unique identifiers, one could control immortal spiritual power."
Li Fan suddenly realized that, in a certain sense, the infinite ocean and the Dao Net bore some resemblance to each other.
Just like the miniature infinite ocean currently manifesting on his body, and the miniature Dao Net reflected within his divine sense.
(End of Chapter)
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