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Chapter 1444: Falsely Connecting to the Infinite Sea

Chapter 1444: Falsely Connecting to the Infinite Sea

"The Great Dao of Heaven and Earth can be reflected in a single thought. However, a projection is ultimately just a projection. To wield the power to move the Great Dao with a mere wave of the hand in reality is no simple feat."

"But connecting to the Infinite Sea, with its boundless supply of energy, makes it possible."

The projection of the Great Dao provided the blueprint, the theoretical support, while the Infinite Sea supplied the actual power.

"To possess either one of these would grant strength far beyond the ordinary. But if both were used in tandem..."

Clad in the skin of a True Immortal, his divine sense mirroring the Great Dao, Li Fan looked upon the City of Extreme Bliss and felt as though he could reduce it to dust with a single gesture.

It was not a delusion.

"I have a persistent feeling that my understanding of the infinite nature of immortal spiritual power is still far too shallow."

"The Infinite Sea is an existence on par with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth..."

Unfortunately, the fragmented memories contained within the immortal skin were mostly related to the past experiences of its original owner, with no information on immortal techniques or divine abilities.

"I wonder, if I were to use the Azure Nether Pearl to absorb this immortal skin, could I analyze the divine abilities its owner possessed in life?"

"After all, this was a being who once achieved the rank of a Nameless True Immortal..."

Though the thought flashed through his mind for only an instant, Li Fan committed it to memory, resolving to test the theory when the opportunity arose.

In the blink of an eye, another year passed.

Li Fan grew increasingly familiar with the immortal spiritual power within the skin.

But soon after, he hit a bottleneck.

No matter how many times he wore the immortal skin, in his "True Immortal" state, it felt as though he had truly made its power his own.

Yet, the moment he removed the skin, his familiarity with the immortal spiritual power would plummet back to its previous limit.

He could not advance a single step further.

"It seems I was being too naive. If there weren't some kind of restriction in place, why would Scholar Zhu have lent me this immortal skin so easily?"

Li Fan let out a self-deprecating laugh.

However, he had no intention of abandoning his plan to acquire immortal spiritual power.

"As the saying goes, if heaven will not grant it, I shall take it for myself..."

A sharp glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.

In the Xuanhuang Realm, Li Fan's true body ran his hands over a stone slab.

It was the key component hidden within the former Immortal Realm's Ascension Platform, the very means by which cultivators could ascend to immortality.

Though it was merely a replica left behind by the Xuantian King, it still seemed to hum with an infinite, lingering power.

"If I'm not mistaken, this stone slab must conceal the method for connecting newly ascended cultivators to the Infinite Sea, allowing them to obtain the infinite nature of immortal spiritual power."

"However, this can only be achieved with official permission from the Immortal Realm."

"Back then, even if the Xuantian King had managed a fluke ascension, the masters of the Ascension Platform had long since perished. Without guidance from the Immortal Realm, even a figure like him couldn't draw immortal spiritual power from this stone slab..."

Li Fan had named this slab the "Key of the Dao." Only by using the corresponding True Immortal Seal Character could its true function be activated.

"Besides the True Immortal Seal Character, there's likely another method required to unlock the connection to the Infinite Sea."

Li Fan mused, deep in thought.

In Shuo Xinghai, his divine sense clone donned the immortal skin. A wisp of immortal spiritual power, traveling through the micro Dao Net, arrived at his true body's location in an instant.

However, having crossed the vast Star Sea, this wisp of immortal spiritual power seemed to have been filtered through countless layers. Its faint, star-like luminescence had grown even thinner, now appearing a milky white.

Furthermore, Li Fan's true body did not have the benefit of the immortal skin. He was not the master of this power.

The moment the immortal spiritual power appeared in this foreign space-time, it bolted like an untamed stallion, running wild and attempting to escape his grasp.

Li Fan's true body summoned every ounce of his concentration. Using the familiarity he had cultivated over four years as a rein, he barely managed to control it.

Within the surrounding immortal array, the immortal spiritual qi released by the Dissociation Disc provided assistance.

It helped Li Fan subdue this wisp of immortal spiritual power.

After a grueling half-day, the rampaging energy was finally brought under his tentative control.

"Next, I must use this wisp of immortal spiritual power to fake an identity."

"Then, through the Key of the Dao, I will enter that Infinite Sea."

Though the goal was clear, actually executing the plan was anything but simple.

After all, this was something even the Xuantian King had failed to accomplish.

The first problem he faced was how to activate the stone slab.

Using the immortal array as a blade, Li Fan divided the wisp of power from his clone into tens of millions of minuscule portions for experimentation.

Simply bringing the immortal spiritual power into contact with the slab only caused a faint halo of light to appear before all reaction ceased. It seemed to be waiting for Li Fan to perform the next step.

Li Fan recalled the process of using this Key of the Dao to help the Xuanhuang Realm ascend to the immortal realm. He knew it had to be triggered with a True Immortal Seal Character.

"Could it be the same characters for the 'immortal-mortal change'?"

With a thought, Li Fan commanded one of the portions of immortal spiritual power and wrote the characters upon the stone.

The slab did indeed erupt with a powerful surge of energy, but after searching its surroundings and finding no suitable target, the fluctuation eventually dissipated on its own after a long while.

Having ruled out that option, Li Fan proceeded with other experiments.

He tested every True Immortal Seal Character he knew, one by one.

It did not take long.

Unfortunately, none of them were a match.

"It must be an unknown True Immortal Seal Character."

Li Fan's true body frowned slightly.

...

With his own attempts to connect to the Infinite Sea stymied, Li Fan turned his attention back to Scholar Zhu.

Asking directly was out of the question. Not only would it expose his hand, but it might also attract the attention of the Shuo Xinghai Administrative Council.

Li Fan's divine sense clone continued to familiarize himself with the power of the immortal spiritual force, all the while waiting for an opportunity.

Soon, only seven days remained until the Immortal Hunt began recruiting new members.

This time, the administrative council's announcement stated that the number of cultivators to be recruited was double the usual amount. For a time, Shuo Xinghai was abuzz with discussion, and people's feelings were a mixture of joy and apprehension.

They were joyful because their chances of joining the Immortal Hunt had increased significantly.

They were apprehensive because, according to rumors, the reason for the increased recruitment was that the Immortal Hunt had suffered heavy losses during a recent operation to hunt a True Immortal. It was a measure born of necessity. Clearly, while joining the Immortal Hunt brought with it immense power and authority, the corresponding risks were also far greater than imagined.

Regardless, becoming a member of the Immortal Hunt was the lifelong ambition of the young elites from every major power in Shuo Xinghai. Thus, the number of applicants remained immense.

In the City of Extreme Bliss, Li Fan received a message from Scholar Zhu.

"In seven days, as promised, I will recommend you for the selection."

"However, as we agreed beforehand, I must first test you!"

Li Fan straightened his robes and walked slowly into the City Lord's manor.

He pushed open the door but did not see Scholar Zhu.

Instead, his foot met empty air, and he seemed to plummet into a bottomless abyss.

He fell at a terrifying speed, surrounded by endless darkness.

Within the pitch black, pinpricks of light flashed intermittently, seemingly embedded in the abyss's sheer cliffs.

Scholar Zhu's booming voice echoed in Li Fan's ears.

"The Immortal Hunt's assessment places the greatest emphasis on one's comprehension of the Dao Net."

"The points of light you see are potential Dao Net commands you may encounter in the assessment. Try to replicate them."

"This is the first trial. If you cannot even pass this..."

"Then you will never leave!"

Scholar Zhu's wicked cackle reverberated throughout the abyss.

Li Fan paid it no mind, focusing instead on carefully observing the flashing points of light representing the Dao Net commands.

He was in an endless, rapid descent; techniques for flight and levitation were mysteriously nullified here.

Each Dao Net command was a fleeting glimmer. To observe and replicate them in such a brief moment was a task of immense difficulty.

Fortunately, Li Fan possessed a projection of the micro Dao Net within his divine sense.

His divine sense acted like a screen, capturing all the rapidly flashing points of light around him.

If a corresponding command already existed within his Dao Net projection, it would automatically flash in response.

If it was something beyond his current knowledge, he simply ignored it.

He didn't need to consciously identify and replicate them; the micro Dao Net did it for him.

Both its reaction speed and the accuracy of its replications were faster by more than a single measure.

Li Fan sensed that with each successful replication, it was as if a rope had yanked him upward, slowing his descent bit by bit.

As speck after speck of light was replicated and then permanently illuminated in the abyss above, his fall finally ceased.

The darkness was gradually dispelled. Leaving the endless abyss behind, Li Fan found himself on a desolate plain.

Across from him stood a lone, ethereal figure.

Though he didn't recognize the face, the aura was vaguely familiar.

It was Scholar Zhu!

Just as he expected, Scholar Zhu's voice emanated from the figure: "The second trial is one of martial prowess."

"Immortal Hunt. Your purpose is to hunt True Immortals."

"Are you... capable?"

Before his voice had even faded, Scholar Zhu pointed a finger at Li Fan from across the distance.

"A True Immortal wields the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth as a blade, commanding infinite power."

The boundless wilderness, seemingly without edge, began to curl in on itself like a sphere at the gesture of Scholar Zhu's finger.

Li Fan felt as if he were trapped in a closing crucible, watching the rising earth with no hope of escape.

It wasn't just the ground; every law between heaven and earth transformed into a crushing force. It was as if he were in a cage, about to face the entire world!

Li Fan's expression remained unchanged. He did not don the immortal skin.

Instead, in an instant, a thousand arms manifested behind him.

Each arm appeared to be rapidly writing something.

With every completed script, a point of light ignited before Li Fan.

Slowly, these points of light wove themselves into a net.

Li Fan gently pressed his hands upon this net and, as if playing a zither, began to pluck its strings.

With each movement, a large chunk of the rolling wilderness vanished without a trace.

The plucking sounds continued unabated, and in moments, the wilderness was eaten away, riddled with a thousand holes.

By the time the assault reached Li Fan, it was no longer a threat!

He was back in the dark void, facing Scholar Zhu from afar.

Scholar Zhu stared at the micro Dao Net woven before Li Fan, a look of deep contemplation on his face.

"With the current strength of this body of yours, joining the Immortal Hunt is more than enough."

"However... I still must probe your true depths!"

Scholar Zhu let out a cold laugh.

In the darkness, roiling clouds, accompanied by crackling thunder, surged forward.

In a flash, they had completely surrounded Li Fan.

Li Fan narrowed his eyes. Within these black mists, he could almost see countless imposing figures standing tall.

"These are all my former servants."

"Let me see what you are capable of."

Scholar Zhu's figure abruptly vanished.

From within the black mist, a tide of terrifying, hideous-faced creations surgically forth.

They rushed toward Li Fan.

Li Fan seemed frozen in shock, standing rooted to the spot, unresponsive for a long moment.

But the immortal creations had no intention of holding back.

Just as they were about to crash into him,

"Scatter!"

Li Fan uttered a single, soft command.

At that same instant, the innumerable creations froze in place, as if encased in ice.

And then...

Like the vast, roiling black clouds, they vanished into thin air!

Scholar Zhu, who had been hiding behind the black clouds, was revealed.

He stared at Li Fan, his face a mask of shock and uncertainty.

"I, too, once had countless servants. What do you think, Scholar Zhu?"

Li Fan offered a faint smile.

As he spoke, countless more dark, oppressive clouds materialized in the void, pressing in from all sides.

Figures stirred within the clouds.

They were the very same immortal servants that Li Fan had dispersed with a single word!

Only now, they served a new master.

They swarmed toward Scholar Zhu, launching an attack.

"Insolence!"

Scholar Zhu was incandescent with rage.

The space between heaven and earth seemed to be struck by an invisible titan, collapsing inward.

And all the beings within that collapsed region were annihilated along with it, turned to dust.

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.

A strange sound echoed continuously as the countless beings were squashed like flies, crushed with casual ease.

Before long, all the creations besieging Scholar Zhu were utterly destroyed.

But compared to the effortless elegance of Li Fan's single-word annihilation, his method was clearly inferior.

Li Fan did not manifest any more creations. He simply watched his opponent with a smile.

"Interesting. Very interesting."

"I believe you'll be able to bring those fellows a few surprises."

"You may go!"

After a long, silent stare-down, Scholar Zhu finally spoke.

The scene around Li Fan vanished in an instant.

He was back outside the City Lord's manor.

Before him stood the great door he had yet to push open.

Li Fan gave a slight bow toward the manor, then turned and departed.

"How could he possibly still have these immortal creations at his side after being trapped in the City of Extreme Bliss for so long?"

"If he hadn't insisted on summoning them, I wouldn't have seen through the truth so quickly."

"It was nothing more than a hyper-realistic illusion, similar to an Eternal Remnant Will. In a situation like that, even an expert like Evil Su Bai would be no match for me, let alone a crippled Nameless True Immortal."

Li Fan sneered, already back in his own residence.

The next step was to infiltrate the Immortal Hunt and steal the most vital secrets of Shuo Xinghai.

"The essence of that test was a clash of Dao, a battle of wills."

"Although I used Fantasy Becomes Truth to overpower Scholar Zhu, his method of crushing everything with that invisible titan should not be underestimated."