Chapter 1490: The Myriad Forms Dao Net is Complete
Chapter 1490: The Myriad Forms Dao Net is Complete
"Without the Xuanhuang Realm, there is no [Ancient Primal Essence]," Emperor Sanmo stated.
"Without the Ancient Primal Essence, my race cannot traverse the possibilities. We can only linger in a place where the Dao Annihilation closes in, awaiting our doom in despair." His tone was calm, yet his ancient eyes, brimming with boundless wisdom, remained fixed on Li Fan.
"Is that really so?" Li Fan remarked casually, his right index finger slowly rising to block Emperor Sanmo's gaze. "I recall you mentioning your race possessed the means of the Furnace of Unity. If you can traverse possibilities, then the fused entity born from the Myriad Beast Unity should be able to as well. So why would you need to ask for anyone else's help?"
A small sphere of bronze-colored energy materialized at his fingertip—the very Ancient Primal Essence Emperor Sanmo so desperately craved.
Emperor Sanmo's pupils shrank to pinpricks. Yet before he could utter a word, the bronze sphere dissolved like a soap bubble, vanishing into thin air.
Knowing Li Fan had done this deliberately, Emperor Sanmo took a deep breath and revealed the truth. "It's not that we won't," he began, "but that we truly cannot."
"The method Withered Shadow and I use to traverse possibilities has severe limitations..."
"Not only can it transport only a single consciousness at a time, but there is also the risk of becoming lost in the chaotic currents of time and space."
A look of resignation crossed Emperor Sanmo's face. "After Wan Shiyong's death, Withered Shadow assumed his identity and ventured beyond the High Wall. Over the years, after countless trials, he joined the [Immortal Hunt]."
"It is the most powerful organization in the Shuo Xinghai, beyond the High Wall. Its cultivators command a treasure known as the [Transcendent World Coffin]. The members of the Immortal Hunt seem oblivious to its true origins, believing it to be a mere replica. Withered Shadow, however, could sense the vibrations of our kin from another possibility emanating from that very coffin."
"Perhaps it's because our race has traversed so many possibilities that we are more sensitive to such things than ordinary beings..."
As Emperor Sanmo spoke, Li Fan interrupted with a light wave of his hand. "You mean this?"
A dark coffin materialized before Emperor Sanmo.
Emperor Sanmo froze, stunned. As his eyes focused on the object, his expression shifted dramatically.
This was the very coffin Li Bueren had taken from Wu Xian and Qian Ruochang, the one in which they had taken refuge.
It seemed the Shuo Xinghai had concealed the existence of Li Fan, their "Hidden Emperor." Thus, even with Wan Shiyong as his inside source, Emperor Sanmo was unaware of the cataclysmic changes that had swept through the star sea over the past century. He had no idea that the "senior" standing before him was at the very heart of it all.
"This Transcendent World Coffin," Li Fan stated coolly, "was forged from the mortal remains of a transcendent human expert, granting it the power to reach the Other Shore. However, it requires a specific technique to operate. You clearly don't know this technique, yet you managed to push the artifact to its limits and complete the journey... That is indeed impressive." With a casual flick of his wrist, he made the coffin vanish, not giving Emperor Sanmo a chance for a closer look.
The coffin was indeed genuine, but Li Fan had severed its spiritual essence, stripping it of the ability to traverse possibilities. A brief glimpse might be enough to fool Emperor Sanmo, but if it were left out for too long, the creature would undoubtedly sense that something was wrong.
The coffin's appearance served as further proof of Li Fan's unfathomable power.
This only strengthened Emperor Sanmo's resolve. "Senior, you demonstrated immeasurable power when you rescued me. With your abilities..."
"Indeed," Li Fan cut in. "I *can* help your race make the crossing. But why should I? As the old saying goes, those not of one's own kin cannot be trusted. A grand era where thirteen Ancient Dao Forms still exist... If I were to help you, would I not be inviting a wolf into my own home?"
Emperor Sanmo had come prepared to persuade Li Fan, his words already rehearsed. "We anticipated your concerns, Senior. But please, rest easy. In our current possibility, we possess an artifact known as the [Ten Thousand Reincarnation Beast Wheel]!"
"This wheel," he explained, "is in fact the original Myriad Beast Furnace. It witnessed the entire process of our race's existence, from myriad to one and back to myriad again. As such, it has acquired a certain authority that transcends our very life forms..."
As he spoke, Emperor Sanmo's long brows and hair began to drift and sway as if caught in an unseen wind.
They intertwined, forming a circle in the air from which the spectral image of a great wheel materialized.
Within the phantom wheel, Li Fan could almost see countless species of strange beasts, all roaring in a primal chorus.
"The entire race is controlled by this wheel, even the thirteen Ancient Dao Forms."
"Aside from the five who perished at the hands of a human Nameless True Immortal long ago, the remaining eight are all subject to its constraints."
"The one known as Bofuzhu, being the unity of countless kin, was naturally the most deeply affected by the furnace. But even others, like Quechenxi and Jiliangshou, merged parts of themselves into the furnace when they were on the verge of annihilation while helping our race traverse possibilities. While it wasn't the versions of them from that glorious, bygone era who did so, strictly speaking, there is no real difference between their past and present selves."
"With this wheel, your concerns can surely be put to rest, Senior," Emperor Sanmo explained, his expression calm.
The ethereal image of the wheel gradually solidified, becoming a tangible object that Emperor Sanmo presented to Li Fan.
As Li Fan examined the patterns on the wheel, he could almost feel the majestic aura of a stampede of ten thousand beasts. He had seen the Ten Thousand Reincarnation Beast Wheel before, in a previous cycle, but that was merely the version passed down by the Imperial Beast Sect.
It was a pale imitation compared to the one Emperor Sanmo now offered.
After a thorough inspection, Li Fan confirmed that the creature was telling the truth. As he held the wheel, the entire history of the beast race seemed to unfold before him—their very creation, from nothingness into being. Even the births of Emperor Sanmo and another named Di Yi were recorded within.
Before Li Fan's eyes, the profound mysteries of the beast race's existence were laid bare. They held no more secrets from him; he could manipulate their very being with ease.
"Heh heh heh..." Li Fan chuckled, eyeing the wise beast before him with amusement. "Di San, this act of yours, offering up the Ten Thousand Reincarnation Beast Wheel... do the others know about it?"
"They do not," Emperor Sanmo replied calmly, his head bowed. "In fact, they are not even aware that an object such as the [Ten Thousand Reincarnation Beast Wheel] exists."
"Doesn't that mean you will be branded a traitor to your kind for all eternity?"
"Heh. I have worn that title for tens of thousands of years. To wear it once more is of little consequence," Emperor Sanmo replied, seemingly unfazed.
He looked at Li Fan with utmost sincerity. "Compared to the survival of my race, nothing else matters."
Li Fan fell into thought, for a moment unable to truly fathom the wise beast's intentions.
But regardless of the beast's true motives, Li Fan had no intention of passing up the grand feast that was the thirteen Ancient Dao Forms.
"With my clone Li Bueren's current strength," Li Fan mused, "he could probably only contend with a single Ancient Dao Form. But that was under normal circumstances. If I unsealed the full power of Shou Qiu's phantom..."
"Even if it accelerates the coming of the Dao Annihilation calamity in the Dark Star Sea, the chance to feast on thirteen Great Daos is well worth the risk."
"Whether this Ten Thousand Reincarnation Beast Wheel works or not, I will find a way to deal with those Dao Forms..." A thousand schemes flashed through Li Fan's mind.
Then he broke into a hearty laugh. "Excellent! The wise submit to the circumstances, as they say. Di San, you truly live up to your reputation as the embodiment of your people's wisdom."
Li Fan's expression suddenly shifted. "I won't hide it from you. Your thirteen Dao Forms... they are of great use to me."
He said this with a deliberately greedy and covetous look on his face.
"I must eventually return to my homeland."
"And the two bastards who nearly reduced it to ruins... I will tear them apart with my own hands." With a gentle tap of his finger, the images of the Black Heaven Physician and Evil Su Bai materialized in the air.
Li Fan stared at the two figures, then paused. "I must admit, there is still a gap between my current strength and theirs. But I am the inheritor of a supreme legacy. All I need is a little time, and the right resources..."
He finished with a cold sneer, leaving Emperor Sanmo to ponder the implications.
"A supreme legacy," Emperor Sanmo repeated, his sharp mind immediately seizing on the crucial point of Li Fan's words.
In the backstory Li Fan had previously fabricated, his homeland's Immortal Realm had been shattered, but it had left numerous legacies in the lower realms, powerful enough to temporarily resist the Dao Annihilation tide.
And Li Fan's ability to conjure the [Ancient Primal Essence] from nothing was the strongest possible proof of his claims. Emperor Sanmo had no reason to doubt him.
"So, Senior," the wise beast asked quietly, "you mean to say that the Ancient Dao Forms are the resources you require?"
Li Fan nodded, a proud glint in his eyes.
"There's no need for you to worry about your ordinary kin. I have no interest in them. Only the Dao Forms, the natural incarnations of the Great Dao, are the nourishment I seek."
"So, the choice is yours. Betray the Ancient Dao Forms and preserve the vast majority of your race... or watch them all be consumed by the tide of Dao Annihilation."
"Make your decision."
Emperor Sanmo's reply was swift. "My answer has not changed. I weighed the stakes long before I arrived."
"The only thing I did not anticipate was your ability to wield the very forms of the Great Dao. Among human cultivators, that would be akin to..."
A cold smile spread across Li Fan's face. "Sometimes, it's not a good thing to be too clever."
He appeared beside Emperor Sanmo like a phantom, his palm resting on the creature's head.
Emperor Sanmo felt an immense weight, as if a mountain range had crashed down upon him, rendering him utterly immobile.
It felt as though a carving knife was digging into his mind, sculpting and slicing away. Even with all his experience, the agony was unbearable.
Yet, the strange sensation on his body vanished as quickly as it had come. A moment later, he was back to normal.
The pain felt like a mere illusion. All that remained was a faint, lingering shadow in his mind, a silhouette of Li Fan that he could not dispel.
No matter how he tried to calm his spirit, the image remained, looming over his consciousness.
"It is merely a small precaution," Li Fan said. "No need to be alarmed. As long as you follow the plan, all will be well."
"Otherwise..."
Li Fan let out an inscrutable laugh. "I wouldn't mind you putting my resolve to the test, using the lives of your entire race as the wager."
Emperor Sanmo's expression grew stern. He bowed his head, murmuring that he would not dare.
After discussing the rough details of the reception plan, Li Fan asked the crucial question: "How much Ancient Primal Essence is needed to traverse a possibility?"
Emperor Sanmo produced a strange mask. "From our past experiences, we only need to fill this divine mask."
Li Fan took the mask, and after a moment of sensing it, he stated flatly, "Very well. In three days, I will deliver it to you, full of Ancient Primal Essence."
"Also..."
"When you make the crossing this time, wear this."
Emperor Sanmo looked closely and saw an object floating silently before him—a sculpture made of some unknown material.
It depicted a mountain and a sea nestled together. And upon the mountain's peak, there seemed to stand a figure with his hands clasped behind his back.
The moment he touched the sculpture, the image of the mountain and sea merged into his body, becoming undetectable, hidden somewhere within him.
"You may go."
Dismissed, Emperor Sanmo's vision blurred, and he found himself back in the Xuanhuang Realm.
He did not leave, but waited quietly in attendance.
As he stood there, he observed his surroundings. Compared to a century ago, the world had been turned upside down.
Not only did the heavens and earth feel loftier, but the most striking change was the vibrant, omnipresent life force.
Emperor Sanmo felt a momentary daze, as if he had returned to the ancient times before the calamity had struck.
"To be able to live and thrive here would indeed be a blessing."
"Though it may not last, it is a paradise for a time."
"Besides, with enough Ancient Primal Essence, even if this place becomes uninhabitable one day, we can always find another."
Emperor Sanmo thought to himself.
...
Inside the Heavenly Pillar space.
Li Bueren stood with a solemn expression, his eyes closed, acting as the bridge connecting the main body's power with that of Shou Qiu's phantom.
As a form of energy capable of supporting a journey across possibilities, the Ancient Primal Essence was undoubtedly of an extremely high grade. To create enough to fill an entire mask was no simple task.
Even for the current Li Fan, it was a bit of a strain.
Thus, he needed to borrow strength.
Of course, Li Fan would not let Shou Qiu's phantom or the power of the other Heavenly Pillars come into direct contact with [Truth]'s "Fantasy Becomes Truth" ability. Instead, he would use the Dao Net connecting his clone and his main body as a converter.
After a century of quietly comprehending the Dao, the ever-expanding Myriad Dao Forms of Ink Death had strengthened Li Fan's main body to the point where it could now withstand the power of Shou Qiu's phantom.
An overflowing, boundless power of mountain and sea, with Li Bueren as the conduit, flowed into the great net woven from the Dao Forms of Ink Death.
It was just as Li Fan had predicted.
Ink Death and Dao Annihilation were subtly similar in nature, both belonging to the changes born from the fusion of mountain and sea.
As if from the same source, the power of Shou Qiu's phantom completed the conversion without any obstruction. The great net Li Fan had woven was suddenly inundated, a torrential, unstoppable flood of power surging through it.
It was like the several-fold increase in strength he experienced after using "Fantasy Becomes Truth" on himself.
His power skyrocketed out of thin air, becoming inexhaustible and unending.
"Fantasy becomes truth..."
The memory and sensation of creating the Ancient Primal Essence from nothing resurfaced in his mind.
Li Fan chanted the words silently in his heart.
Before him, motes of bronze light were continuously born from the void.
When Li Fan used the Fantasy Becomes Truth ability on his own, the created object would only last for a few breaths before dissipating, leaving only a tiny residue.
But after a century of enlightenment, the proportion of this residue had significantly increased, from about one part in ten thousand to five parts in ten thousand.
And now, bolstered by external power and having ascended to the nameless realm, this retention rate leaped again to five parts in a thousand!
Even though there was still a loss of 99.5%.
In the face of the "infinite" nature of his power, these losses were entirely negligible.
Pushing the Myriad Forms Dao Net of Ink Death to its maximum load, Li Fan immersed himself in the experience of creation.
With the birth of every drop of light, his understanding of the transformation between truth and falsehood ascended to a new level.
...
Three days later.
Emperor Sanmo was summoned once more.
A mask was thrown forcefully toward him, and he caught it by instinct.
The surging, familiar aura emanating from the mask made the ancient, wise beast's body tremble slightly.
In his eyes, it contained not just energy, but the hope of survival for his entire race.
"I will not fail to live up to your trust, Senior."
Emperor Sanmo vowed solemnly.
If there had been even a sliver of hesitation in his heart before, it was completely gone now, upon seeing an entire mask filled with Ancient Primal Essence.
"As long as there is enough of this energy, we can continue to search for new safe havens until the entire mortal world is destroyed. At the very least, our race will be safe until then. We won't have to gamble anymore."
"In comparison..."
"The sacrifice of a few Ancient Dao Forms is nothing."
Emperor Sanmo's determination was hidden beneath his cloudy eyes as he once again hurried toward the edge of the Shuo Xinghai.
...
Li Fan watched Emperor Sanmo's disappearing figure, sensing the creature's location in his mind, and nodded slightly.
The mark he had left in Emperor Sanmo's mind was a product of his century of comprehending the Dao of [Engraving].
He did not expect it to work after Emperor Sanmo crossed possibilities, but it would be enough to track everything that happened inside the Transcendent World Coffin. That way, even if Emperor Sanmo double-crossed him, Li Fan could find his own way to the possibility where the thirteen Dao Forms existed.
Even if he was in enemy territory and outmatched, as long as Li Fan could pinpoint their exact location, he would have plenty of ways to deal with them in the future.
Besides, in Li Fan's view, the probability of Emperor Sanmo deviating from the plan was extremely low.
"I can start making arrangements," he thought, a thrill of excitement rising within him.
Only after truly digesting the Great Dao contained within a Nameless being did Li Fan realize how much it elevated him.
From a realm perspective, Li Fan's main body was still at the "half-immortal" stage.
But as long as he unfurled his Ink Death Dao Net, he could easily capture any opponent with less "weight" than him.
"Weight" was Li Fan's term for the significance of a cultivated Dao within the grand scheme of Heaven and Earth's Great Dao.
There was no quantifiable data, only an anchor based on perception.
For example, the Dao of [Engraving] he had glimpsed from Si Tu Xing's memories, though somewhat incomplete, ultimately came from a Dao Integration Nameless being. Its weight was nearly equivalent to half a Nameless being.
It was far beyond what an ordinary True Immortal could compare to.
And this was just one of the forms within Li Fan's Ink Death Dao Net.
Formless, Hunger, Creation, Primal...
And so on, distributed throughout the various nodes of the net.
With these comprehended Dao principles as his leverage, he had enough to contend with a true Nameless True Immortal without being at a disadvantage.
This had been verified in his occasional spars with his clone over the past century.
Strictly speaking, this was not Li Fan's own strength, but rather "using the local advantage, turning strength against strength."
If he left his current possibility, the usable leverage in his Dao Net might vanish in an instant.
But at the very least, in the [Primal] possibility, with this move, Li Fan was practically in a state of semi-invincibility.
Except for a few old monsters who had survived the great calamity of the Immortal Realm, Li Fan feared no one.
"Shou Qiu's phantom. My own Dao Net."
"With every Nameless being I suppress and devour, both of these will be greatly enhanced."
"The power of Shou Qiu's phantom has an upper limit. But my Ink Death Myriad Forms Dao Net is limitless. Or perhaps, its limit is my ideal: three thousand Great Daos, all returning to me."
Li Fan was very satisfied with the gains from his century of seclusion.
Having tasted the flavor, he couldn't help but turn his gaze to the nearby Shuo Xinghai.
Due to the time difference caused by traversing different possibilities, it might be another century before he heard from Emperor Sanmo.
Li Fan couldn't just wait around during that time.
Having already reached a preliminary cooperation agreement with the remaining True Immortal faction, the Shuo Xinghai, teeming with True Immortals, was naturally his ideal hunting ground.
Over the past hundred years, Wu Xian had been reporting their progress to him.
Although slow, with the joint push from certain factions, the Immortal Hunt and the True Immortals had gradually set aside their old grievances. They agreed to jointly bear the responsibility of resisting the Dao Annihilation.
After all, the Immortal Hunt's promise to release all the True Immortals and even the Nameless True Immortals imprisoned deep within the Dao Net was a sincere offer.
The condition was that before leaving the Dao Net, they had to use the [Shadow Projection for Dao Bearing] technique to leave behind a Dao-bearing shadow.
The only flaw of a Dao-bearing shadow was that upon true, great transcendence in the future, the shadow would need to be reclaimed.
Even Shou Qiu hadn't managed to do that, let alone these prisoners.
Thus, they all agreed.
"They didn't release the list of True Immortals to be freed, though."
Li Fan hid behind the High Wall, gazing at the Shuo Xinghai not far away.
Continuously drawing on the Dao principles of the Shuo Xinghai for a hundred years to nourish the weakened and depleted Dark Star Sea, although the impact was minuscule, the unusual movements had still attracted the attention of the Shuo Xinghai. They had sent people to investigate several times.
But they were scared away by Li Fan's intervention.
"They've tolerated it a few times, but they can't possibly keep tolerating it forever."
"Let me add some more fuel to the fire for you."
For Li Fan, fighting near the High Wall gave him an absolute geographical advantage. Therefore, any plan was best executed by luring the battlefield here.
His mind made up, the path formed by Li Bueren once again opened its blood-red maw.
Like a bottomless ocean abyss, it began to ravenously devour the Dao principles of the Shuo Xinghai.
This time, Li Fan held nothing back. The sheer scale of it formed a distorted ring of light near the High Wall.
The Shuo Xinghai was instantly alerted.
After a moment of silence, two figures arrived together.
One of them was Wu Xian.
The other figure, Li Fan had never seen before.
But this person had not the slightest aura of a True Immortal. Instead, wherever he passed, it was like a colossal beast swimming underwater, causing ripples of Dao principles in the surrounding starry sky.
"This is a show of force," Li Fan thought, amused.
This person was clearly from the Immortal Hunt.
With the power to control the Dao Net that he displayed, it was impossible for him to cause such a commotion on his way.
Li Fan quietly observed the aftershocks of the Dao Net.
"A Dao Net woven for who knows how many tens of thousands of years with Nameless True Immortals as its pillars. It is indeed impressive, far beyond my current Myriad Forms Dao Net."
"However..."
"To be so boisterous, it's still too reckless!"
With a thought, Li Fan unleashed his infinite power.
It transformed into a giant hand, reaching out to grab the member of the Immortal Hunt.
(End of Chapter)
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