Chapter 1472: Compassion Against the Dao Annihilation
The power of the Faceless Immortal was truly worthy of his reputation as one of the strongest surviving True Immortals in the current Shuo Xinghai. He assimilated the Mound Keeper's "Shadow Projection for Dao Bearing" technique with far more ease than Li Bu Ren had.
He experienced no significant backlash; for the most part, his expression was one of rapturous enjoyment.
Compared to a half-baked True Immortal like Li Bu Ren, cobbled together from various parts, the legacy of the "Shou Qiu Prose" was clearly better suited for a genuine immortal.
The Mound Keeper's countless musings over more than a hundred epochs might have been useless to Li Bu Ren, but for an orthodox immortal like the Faceless One, they were a monumental opportunity.
And in Qian Ruochang's eyes, the aura emanating from the Faceless Immortal grew more ethereal and unpredictable at a visible rate.
It seemed that in this brief period, his power had undergone a qualitative breakthrough.
This left Qian Ruochang secretly stunned, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.
After an unknown amount of time, the Faceless Immortal finally broke free from the Mound Keeper's vast ocean of thought.
"My deepest gratitude, senior, for imparting this art," he declared solemnly.
"The concept of the Dao Net is indeed brilliant. Using the Nameless as the frame and True Immortals as the strings, one could truly forge a net to save the world. Unfortunately, there are too few True Immortals still alive. And you certainly wouldn't willingly sacrifice yourselves to become part of it."
"After the slaughter, I fear the number of True Immortals integrated into the net would be insufficient to support it to its projected strength," Li Fan's voice echoed quietly through the dead expanse of space.
Perhaps because he had just imparted the technique, his voice carried a subtly different quality than before.
But Qian Ruochang paid little attention to that; he was far more concerned with what the mysterious senior was saying.
"This aligns perfectly with a long-held concern within the Administrative Council. As expected of a great senior, to see the Dao Net's fatal flaw at a single glance," Qian Ruochang felt a renewed sense of awe.
Li Fan continued, "You may pass on this 'Shou Qiu Prose' on my behalf. Regardless of their past, regardless of their identity. All they need to do is leave behind a shadow projection. The shadow's ability to bear the Dao is no less than that of the original. If all the surviving True Immortals in this star sea cultivate it and leave their shadow projections in the Dao Net..."
"Your two factions do not have to walk a path of mutual destruction."
Hearing this, Qian Ruochang finally understood the true meaning behind the "Shadow Projection for Dao Bearing" secret art. It felt as if the long, drawn-out conflict might genuinely see a glimmer of hope for its end, and his heart surged with an indescribable excitement.
The Faceless Immortal's elation surpassed even Qian Ruochang's.
It wasn't just because he saw the possibility of reconciliation between the two sides, but because he himself could be the one to transmit the Mound Keeper's secret technique.
Even after so many years, the name "Mound Keeper" still carried a weight among the True Immortals of the Immortal Realm that few could match.
Especially after the Heavenly Net Emperor had spread his grand proclamations and ambitions across the Immortal Realm, claiming he would completely resolve the Dao Annihilation Calamity while simultaneously forging a transcendent "Eternal Immortal Dynasty," only to bring about a disaster that shattered everything.
This made the surviving True Immortals of the Immortal Realm yearn for the days of the Mound Keeper, who had single-handedly repelled the Dao Annihilation tide.
If the Mound Keeper had been there, would the Immortal Realm have ever fallen?
This was a question the various immortal sects often asked.
And now, he could act as a proxy, passing on the Mound Keeper's secret art...
What an immense honor!
Compared to hiding in the Transcendent World Coffin and fleeing like a coward, he much preferred this duty.
And with this Shadow Projection for Dao Bearing technique, if it could be combined with the art of the Dao Net, perhaps they could truly turn the tide and forge a world-saving immortal ark in the midst of the despairing Dao Annihilation Calamity!
The Faceless Immortal's heart quivered with excitement. He could barely restrain himself from immediately setting out to promote this cause.
"I have now passed on the technique. My debt to the Mound Keeper from all those years ago can be considered fulfilled."
"What your two sides intend to do next..."
"Heh, it has little to do with me."
"So be it."
"You may all withdraw."
Just as Qian Ruochang and the Faceless Immortal were lost in fervent contemplation, Li Fan heartlessly issued an order for them to leave.
And his words made both of them acutely aware of something strange.
"The Hidden Emperor senior has never revealed his true form. And now he's ordering us to leave..."
"Could it be that his true body is hidden right here, but for some reason, he cannot appear?"
The power the Hidden Emperor senior had displayed was unfathomable.
And for something to constrain him...
In all the world, there was likely only the Dao Annihilation Calamity!
A single thought surfaced in both their minds simultaneously: "Could it be that this Hidden Emperor senior is using his own body as a pillar, holding back the Dao Annihilation Calamity?"
This was not wild speculation. Such instances were not unheard of in history.
It was just that the Nameless True Immortals who had temporarily stemmed the tide of Dao Annihilation had almost all been eroded by it and perished.
To shoulder the calamity and still be able to act to some degree...
Throughout history, perhaps only the Mound Keeper himself could achieve such a feat!
The Hidden Emperor's next words only confirmed their suspicions. "Still not leaving? Do you truly require me to rise and see you out?"
"Hehehe, I don't mind stretching my bones a bit. I just fear that the Dao Annihilation Calamity in this star domain will no longer be contained!"
As soon as the words "Dao Annihilation Calamity" were spoken, several subtle fluctuations rippled through the surrounding space.
A sense of dread crept into their hearts, as if a great disaster was imminent.
This place was already a surviving remnant after being struck by the Dao Annihilation. With the onset of these fluctuations, it felt as if heaven and earth were about to collapse once more.
This primal sense of crisis could not be fake.
Their suspicions confirmed, Qian Ruochang and the Faceless Immortal wore complex expressions. They bowed deeply in the direction where the Hidden Emperor had departed from "Ma Tiande's" body.
Then, they both vanished from this region of space.
As for the newly promoted Immortal Hunt members who were still unconscious...
The Hidden Emperor senior had not given the word, so they dared not ask for them.
Besides, compared to what they had gained, these juniors were now utterly insignificant.
"Immortal Hunt..."
"From this day forward, perhaps that name will change."
An image of a lofty figure flashed through Qian Ruochang's mind.
That individual could be said to have single-handedly forged the original Dao Net.
Although he seemed ruthless toward his fellow True Immortals, even the Nameless True Immortals, suppressing them with bloody force without mercy...
Qian Ruochang knew in his heart that this individual still held some affection for the immortals.
Otherwise, if he had acted personally, the war would have ended long ago. The Administrative Council would never have accepted the surrender of those True Immortals who had chosen to become mortal.
Those people seemed docile, but they were all treacherous at heart, complete wild cards.
"Mound Keeper. I feel like I've heard that name before. I just don't know the specifics of who he was."
"But if this Shadow Projection for Dao Bearing technique is real... for that lord, for that lord, this is probably a great blessing."
Meanwhile, the Faceless Immortal's mind raced through a list of figures he could unite with first.
True Immortals who had been killing each other for so long would suddenly have to cooperate with Shuo Xinghai.
While this was theoretically the best choice, the hatred built up over many years would not be easily cast aside in a moment.
To prevent more needless deaths, he had to act quickly.
...
With their minds racing, the two of them left the star domain where the high wall was located.
Li Fan, in turn, withdrew from his probing of their thoughts.
After using the shadow's power so frequently, Li Bu Ren's current condition was terrible.
He was forced to absorb another Immortal Realm Chess Piece to replenish himself.
The clone puppet was one thing, but what was worse was the encroachment of the Dao Annihilation Calamity.
It wasn't just the Darkest Star Sea where the Xuanhuang Realm was located.
Within this experimental site, of the cubic star seas that still survived with some semblance of life, thirty percent were already beginning to show signs of the black Dao Annihilation qi.
The fluctuation signaling the imminent eruption of the Dao Annihilation tide was not something Li Fan had fabricated to scare Qian Ruochang and the others.
Even with the power of the Mound Keeper's shadow, such a ripple was impossible to fake.
"A few more uses like this, and I'm afraid the sky really will collapse."
"Unless I can find a Nameless Immortal to share some of the pressure."
As Li Fan thought this, his gaze fell upon the remaining Immortal Realm Chess Pieces within the shadow space.
"When the chess pieces gather, the Immortal Realm appears, and the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar emerges."
"The core of this heavenly pillar is the bone of a Nameless True Immortal. When it appeared in the Xuanhuang Realm, it caused the world to collapse in an instant."
"But within this shadow space of the Mound Keeper, I doubt it will be allowed to run rampant."
"Since it bears the name of a heavenly pillar, it should also perform a pillar's duty."
Li Fan had already made his decision.
Everything has two sides. As the clone puppet frequently drew upon the power of the Mound Keeper's shadow, its body suffered heavy damage from bearing energy far beyond its limits.
But at the same time, as Li Bu Ren's appearance grew more and more like the Mound Keeper's, his control over the shadow's power also became more adept.
"I can suppress a living Nameless True Immortal with a single hand. A mere piece of bone is nothing."
Li Fan was naturally aware of the consequences of bargaining with a tiger.
The Mound Keeper was the most powerful being he had ever encountered.
Even though he had long since transcended to other possibilities, if the Black Heaven Physician and Evil Su Bai could sense their counterparts in other possibilities, the Mound Keeper could certainly, to some extent, sense that the shadow power he once left behind was being used.
The reason he was still willing to take this risk was because of the "virtue" the Mound Keeper had displayed.
He left this shadow power behind to help the people of this world resist the great calamity.
Borrowing it to suppress a Nameless True Immortal and increase their defensive capabilities could be considered in line with the Mound Keeper's original intentions.
"Besides, the Immortal Realm of the Primal Possibility was destroyed ten thousand years ago. If the Mound Keeper truly still cared about this world, he would have come back to check on it long ago."
"Since he hasn't appeared yet, it's even less likely he'll show up over such a small disturbance."
Of course, none of these "gambles" were the main reason.
The fundamental source of his confidence was the [Truth] ability.
Even if the Mound Keeper were to cross possibilities and appear before him, Li Fan was confident he could use [Truth] to retreat.
Within the Darkest Star Sea, the faint fluctuations grew more and more frequent.
It was like violent waves constantly crashing against a shore.
A scene of imminent collapse, a building on the verge of ruin.
"There's no time to lose."
"If I fail, I'll just have to use [Truth]."
"I've already gathered enough valuable information anyway," Li Fan's eyes flickered.
Just as Qian Ruochang was leaving, his mind had finally revealed a crack.
Li Fan had caught a glimpse of the figure behind the Dao Net.
Although the specific identity remained unclear, a faint impression was left behind.
If they were to meet in this star sea in the future, Li Fan would be able to recognize him in an instant.
Of course, that was on being under the enhancement of the Mound Keeper's shadow power.
His main body sent the final missing piece for assembling the Immortal Realm—the piece transformed from the Medicine King True Cauldron—into the shadow space of the experimental site.
After leaving one more item, he quietly departed.
He arrived in the Xuanhuang Realm, ready to activate [Truth] at a moment's notice.
Meanwhile, Li Bu Ren once again sat down in the Grand Preceptor's chair. With full concentration, he watched as his own body disintegrated inch by inch.
Only a web-like glimmer of starlight remained, an empty form upon the chair.
He had extracted himself from the body formed by the Immortal Realm Chess Pieces, projecting his divine sense onto the Dao Net to operate the shadow's power.
"The upper limit of the power I can control has sharply decreased again."
"But the Immortal Realm will manifest within the shadow space. This should be enough."
Li Bu Ren made a preliminary judgment.
Being without a body, existing only as a divine sense, did not affect him too much.
On the contrary, without the shackles of a physical form, he vaguely felt that his mental reflection of the various Great Daos had become clearer.
A total of thirteen Immortal Realm Chess Pieces gathered in one place.
Six of them had already merged into a colorful mass before.
After Li Bu Ren threw them in, another six merged with each other.
And with the addition of the crucial catalyst from the Medicine King True Cauldron...
A piece of the Immortal Realm manifested once more!
However, compared to the heaven-shaking, earth-shattering spectacle when it appeared in the Xuanhuang Realm, its manifestation here in the shadow space, under the collective gaze of five of the Mound Keeper's shadows, was remarkably calm.
It didn't look like a corner of the former Immortal Realm, but rather like an ordinary mortal cultivation world.
But when the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar at the center of the Immortal Realm was revealed, it still caused a slight tremor.
Li Bu Ren even vaguely sensed that the Mound Keeper's shadows seemed to turn their gaze toward it.
The shadow space was under the suppression of the Mound Keeper's power.
The stone pillar could not absorb any external objects.
It just stood there silently.
At that moment, Li Bu Ren threw in the item his main body had left behind earlier.
One stone stirred a thousand waves!
The calm stone pillar trembled violently.
Streaks of cracks appeared on its surface, as if something was about to break free from within!
And floating spontaneously above the stone pillar was the very item Li Fan had retrieved from the [Truth] space.
The other bone of a Nameless True Immortal that had crossed over with him!
Two completely identical bones appeared at the same time.
This seemed to trigger some kind of profound and mysterious change.
Ripples endlessly echoed through the shadow space.
The gaze cast by the Mound Keeper's shadows became more skewed, more focused.
The stone pillar in the Immortal Realm exploded with a deafening roar. The previously stable space of the Immortal Realm began to boil for a moment.
All sorts of light and shadow twisted and bled into each other.
And at the center of countless fragments were two identical bones, overlapping!
The fusion of the Nameless True Immortal's bones was not like the merging of two ordinary identical wondrous items, where only one remains, looking exactly as it did before.
Instead, it was as if new tissue was growing upon the original bone!
(End of Chapter)
Comments