Chapter 1471: Transmitting the Sublime Method
Chapter 1471: Transmitting the Sublime Method
"The great tide surges, bringing the end of all things. No one can escape."
"The only difference is whether you die sooner or later. In a way, our fate is no different from the True Immortals who perished in ages past." Li Fan let out a dry, unsettling cackle through Ma Tiande's body.
His gaze, profoundly strange, swept over Qian Ruochang and Wuxian.
It was enough to make both of them inexplicably uneasy.
"From your memories, I see nothing but brutal conflict and slaughter."
"I would have thought that with the Dao Annihilation Calamity at this stage, those who remain would have learned to stand together. I never imagined..."
"Hehehe!"
Ma Tiande turned his gaze upon Wuxian, his expression utterly devoid of warmth.
It was a look of contempt for all of creation, for heaven and earth, for countless True Immortals—an expression impossible to feign!
He had once been fortunate enough to see the Heavenly Net Emperor from a great distance during his tour of the domains.
The Heavenly Net Emperor had worn a constant smile, yet at his core was the same lofty arrogance, the same disdain for all living things.
It was identical to the air this unfathomable senior now projected, seemingly without effort!
"In viewing your memories, I..."
Coupling this with the archaic words the man used, a bold suspicion took root in Wuxian's mind.
"Not all of the Immortal Realm's ruling emperors remained on the throne until their demise."
"Throughout its long history, two or three stepped down early, casting off the burdens of rule to wander the world in freedom. They were known as the Hidden Emperors."
"Could it be..."
As Wuxian's thoughts raced, Ma Tiande spoke again. "True Immortals, once the pinnacle of all existence, now reduced to being hunted like cattle."
"It is a disgrace to my name."
"What use are you to the world? It would be better to dismantle you and use you to brace against the Dao Annihilation. As it happens, the pillars supporting this star domain seem to be weakening."
Before his voice had faded, the power of Shou Qiu's phantom descended once more.
The color drained from Wuxian's face, leaving it deathly pale.
He felt a pair of invisible hands seize the very Dao he cultivated.
They were tearing at it, trying to rip it free.
By cultivating the Dao of Solitude, he had achieved near-total separation from the other Daos of the world. But now, under the power of those invisible hands, he felt himself being forced back into the fold!
For him, the Great Dao of the world was a spider's web. He had spent thirty thousand years painstakingly severing every thread to break free, and now he was about to be returned to the very beginning in a single moment.
Even with his understanding of the Dao of Solitude intact, it would take at least another millennium to untangle himself from the web of Daos once more.
But what terrified Wuxian most was Ma Tiande's threat: "It would be better to dismantle you and use you to brace against the Dao Annihilation."
Though he had yet to reach the realm of the Nameless, the unique nature of his path made him akin to a solitary pillar of the Dao. In theory, he *could* be used as a bulwark against the tide of Dao Annihilation.
And from what he was currently experiencing, this "Hidden Emperor" was not joking.
Feeling his very being grow "heavier" as it was rewoven into the fabric of the world, Wuxian could no longer remain composed. "Your Majesty, spare me! I beg you, spare me!" he cried in terror.
At this cry, Qian Ruochang's expression shifted. All his previous theories were shattered, leaving him more uncertain than ever about the identity of this mysterious figure.
"I ceased to concern myself with worldly affairs long ago."
"I cannot accept the title of 'Your Majesty'."
"The Immortal Realm fell! The ruling emperor should bear the ultimate responsibility. Your Majesty—"
"Hmph!"
Wuxian's words only seemed to stoke his fury.
From Qian Ruochang's perspective, the True Immortal had been an indistinct, blurry phantom. Now, amidst waves of distortion, his form began to slowly sharpen, becoming clearer from every part of his body.
Yet his form lacked the color of the living world. Instead, he was a strange, shifting figure of black and white shadow.
"Senior, please, calm your anger!" Wuxian pleaded. "My humble immortal body, even if utterly destroyed, would be of no use against the Dao Annihilation!"
"The people of Shuo Xinghai have captured several of the Nameless, yet they do not use them to fend off the calamity. Instead, they weave their Dao Net to hunt the likes of us..." Wuxian reacted quickly, changing his plea before the mounting pressure silenced him completely.
At these words, the Hidden Emperor did indeed relent.
But his voice remained cold as he rebuked, "No wonder you are losing. You have fought for so long, yet you still do not understand the true purpose of the Dao Net."
Ma Tiande glanced at Qian Ruochang.
Qian Ruochang felt his body, woven from the Dao Net, instantly thrown into turmoil, as if caught in a violent storm.
The form woven from a thousand Daos felt as if it might shatter at any moment.
Thankfully, the storm was brief. As the Hidden Emperor looked away, Qian Ruochang was left nearly drained of all strength.
But he had survived.
"Explain it to this fool,"
came the cold command.
Qian Ruochang hesitated, but meeting that cold gaze again, he remembered his own powerlessness just moments before.
With a jolt, he finally spoke. "They hunt True Immortals to strengthen the Dao Net. They did not weave the Dao Net simply to hunt immortals. Don't overestimate your own importance and confuse cause with effect!"
"When the Immortal Realm shattered, countless True Immortals fled to the lower worlds, seeking new paths to survival. Among them were those willing to become pillars against the calamity, and those who sought only to save themselves."
"And then there were those who, lost to despair, sought only to escape with their lives."
"They were the ones who led the call, who united many immortals and proposed the Three Methods of Refuge: the Transcendent World Coffin, the Reverse Flow Boat, and that ultimate path of transcendence..."
"They made their escape, clean and complete, but they left an even greater disaster for those of us who came after!"
Qian Ruochang's voice was laced with resentment.
"Many who fled were of the Nameless. Had they followed the proper path of transcendence, they would have left behind relics, phantoms, and treasures—remnants of their personal Daos, which could have served as pillars of support. But they did not."
"It wasn't that they lacked the ability. They were simply unwilling!"
"This place... it is nothing more than a fragment of the cosmos they abandoned!"
Qian Ruochang looked at Wuxian, his voice cold.
Wuxian opened his mouth to object, but no words came.
Strictly speaking, he was one of the abandoned.
"We, the abandoned, must naturally find our own salvation."
"Fortunately, not all True Immortals of that era were so heartless. We joined forces, using the Nameless as the frame and True Immortals as the threads, to weave this Dao Net. So that when the heavens finally fall, there will be one last sanctuary for the living!" Qian Ruochang declared with pride.
"A fine idea," Li Fan commented suddenly. "A pity the net is still far too weak."
This was no idle boast.
It was his genuine assessment of the "net" woven by the mortals of Shuo Xinghai, made after witnessing the "mountain" in Shou Qiu's memories—a bastion that had held back the Infinite Sea for a hundred epochs.
If the Shuo Xinghai Dao Net were to spread near the high wall, Li Fan could easily use Shou Qiu's phantom to tear a gaping hole in it.
In fact, if the net's power drew closer, it wouldn't be impossible for him to dismantle the Nameless True Immortal pillars at its core and move them within the high wall to serve as supports.
The thought was genuinely tempting to Li Fan.
If other Nameless True Immortals could serve as pillars against the Dao Annihilation, he would undoubtedly be able to draw upon even more of Shou Qiu's power.
Qian Ruochang dared not refute Li Fan's dismissive tone.
He only said grimly, "It may not withstand the tide of ages, but it can serve as a temporary refuge."
"And that is better than nothing."
Li Fan was not angered by this. On the contrary, he seemed almost impressed. "If the Immortal Realm still stood, I would have seen no harm in giving you some to reinforce your net."
"Your method, while crude, is an effective way to recycle refuse."
He had just glimpsed Wuxian's suspicions about his identity as a Hidden Emperor.
So he continued the charade.
With a few simple words, he treated True Immortals as if they were nothing more than ants.
A deeper chill settled into the hearts of Qian Ruochang and Wuxian.
Mere boasts would not have struck such fear into them. But coupled with the power to toy with them at a whim...
it proved beyond a doubt that this senior was not exaggerating.
"I seem to recall a Hidden Emperor who was just as mercurial, just as tyrannical."
"After his sudden retirement, the immortal domains held great celebrations."
Before Wuxian could dwell on it, Li Fan turned back to him. "I recall that before Shou Qiu left, he bestowed upon the world the technique of Shadow Projection for Dao Bearing."
"A pity that it is only suitable for those in the realm of the Nameless. And not every Nameless True Immortal can successfully leave behind a phantom to transmit their Dao. In that, your Dao Net is indeed more efficient than Shou Qiu's method."
Qian Ruochang had little reaction to the Hidden Emperor's mention of Shou Qiu.
Wuxian, however, felt his heart tremble.
He could feel the Hidden Emperor's detached gaze fall upon him once more.
"Perhaps the two methods can be combined."
"Only the Nameless can bear a Dao because ordinary True Immortals lack sufficient comprehension. And immortals rarely share their enlightenment with one another. But now, this world has produced something called a 'Dao Net.' Interesting..."
"Have you heard of the Shadow Projection for Dao Bearing technique?"
Wuxian shuddered and shook his head repeatedly. "I have heard of it, but this junior's aptitude is poor. I was not fated to receive Shou Qiu's legacy."
"Then watch closely!"
Within the high wall, the body of Li Bueren was suddenly covered in a thousand cracks.
It was a sign that the fragments of the immortal domain were being crushed under some immense, unknowable pressure.
And as they fractured, Li Bueren's face grew to resemble Shou Qiu's even more.
Yet Li Bueren faced this crisis without a trace of fear, possessing the same composure Shou Qiu had shown in the face of the great tide of Dao Annihilation.
He retrieved one of the immortal domain "chess pieces" from the phantom space and used it to mend his shattered form.
At the same time, he infused the entirety of the *Shou Qiu Prose* legacy he had once received directly into Wuxian.
Though it did not come directly from Shou Qiu's phantom, Shou Qiu's enlightenment was as vast as an ocean. Even diluted through Li Fan, it remained a boundless sea of knowledge, far beyond the ken of an ordinary True Immortal.
Moreover, Li Bueren's ability to receive information—through mind-manifested spirit transformation and Dao Net projection—was not much weaker than that of someone in the realm of the Nameless.
And since the transmission was powered by Shou Qiu's own phantom, even if what Wuxian perceived was incomplete, he would only assume his own ability was lacking, not that the legacy itself was flawed.
One look at Wuxian's expression—rapt, mesmerized, and utterly thunderstruck—was proof enough.
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