Chapter 1498: A Startling Realization About the Cat Treasure
"In days of old, the Zhai Yang Emperor sought an audience with Saint Tai Yi. Though ill-fated and unable to meet the Saint in person, he was fortunate enough to be granted a scroll of scripture," Shanhua began.
"Later, in recognition of my contributions in resisting the Dao Annihilation, the Zhai Yang Emperor bestowed this very scroll upon me."
"At the time, the Immortal Emperor mentioned that this scripture was personally authored by the Saint Lord and was far too profound. Out of compassion for the world's inability to comprehend it, Saint Tai Yi commanded you, Great Venerable, to add your annotations to it..."
Shanhua spoke with extreme haste, his sharp eyes noticing that the immortals from Shuo Xinghai who had accompanied him, along with the reinforcements from Guangwu Xinghai, were all gradually transforming into miniature celestial pillars.
It seemed the power of Great Venerable Wuji was truly terrifying. Among the gathered immortals were some whose strength was not inferior to his own, yet they were utterly powerless to resist, nearly wiped out in an instant.
The terror in Shanhua's heart was plain to see as he hastily produced the scripture he believed would be his salvation.
The Mountain and Sea Primordial Genesis Chapter!
Li Fan gazed at the scroll floating above Shanhua's head. With a wave of his hand, he drew it toward himself.
Indeed, from the countless tiny, fly-headed characters inscribed upon it, he could feel the distinct aura of Wuji.
"Your insight is truly brilliant, Great Venerable!" Shanhua nodded repeatedly.
His mind, however, was racing, desperately trying to recall any information about this Great Venerable who served under a Sage Lord.
The four Sage Lords of the Immortal Realm were figures of near-mythical status. Even the successive Immortal Emperors found it exceedingly difficult to gain an audience with them.
However, with the exception of the Scripture Grave Great Saint, the other three Sage Lords all had representatives who acted on their behalf.
Among them, this Great Venerable Wuji was known to be the most approachable.
As long as one went along with him in all matters and flattered him, perhaps even fabricating some kind of connection, it was often possible to put the venerable one in a good mood.
"This Mountain and Sea Primordial Genesis Chapter was inspired by Saint Tai Yi's observation of the two Sage Lords, Lian Shan and Gui Hai, creating the vast Immortal Realm from nothing. Its text is profound beyond measure, almost transcending the Dao itself. I, Shanhua, am of dull aptitude. Without your annotations, Great Venerable, even with this treasure in hand, I could never hope to grasp its mysteries," he gushed.
"Great Venerable, you are truly my teacher!"
"When the Zhai Yang Emperor entrusted this scripture to me, he also said that your mastery of the Dao far surpassed his own. Truly worthy of being a disciple of a Sage Lord!" At this moment, Shanhua cared little for the long-dead former emperor, freely inventing words to suit his purpose.
Amidst Shanhua's flowery flattery, Li Fan carefully inspected the scripture in his hands.
In a sense, Shanhua wasn't entirely lying.
Although the Mountain and Sea Primordial Genesis Chapter described the creation of the Immortal Realm from the Infinite Sea and the Upper Mountain, it also contained a wealth of Saint Tai Yi's personal insights as he witnessed these momentous events.
It was remarkably similar to the Shou Qiu Prose that Li Fan had previously obtained.
However, compared to Shou Qiu's direct and straightforward style, Saint Tai Yi was far more poetic. The entire scripture contained almost no literal descriptions, filled instead with a plethora of seemingly meaningless words and phrases.
If it hadn't been personally passed down from Saint Tai Yi, Li Fan might have mistaken it for the ramblings of a madman.
This world-shaking scripture did not seem to be written for mortals. The immortals of the Immortal Realm were included in that category of mortals. Perhaps only the other Sage Lords were fit to be its readers.
That is, without Wuji's annotations.
Great Venerable Wuji, the Tiandu Grandmaster, had after all served by Saint Tai Yi's side for countless years. Through constant personal instruction, he was naturally better able to understand the Sage Lord's thoughts than anyone else in the world.
While his annotations might not have perfectly matched the Sage Lord's original intent, they were likely very close.
Looking at the scripture alone, Li Fan truly couldn't understand it.
But with the aid of the Grandmaster's notes, he could catch a glimpse into the mind of Saint Tai Yi.
One passage read:
At the moment Lian Shan became the world's first immortal, all living beings in existence at that time benefited, to one degree or another. The myriad creatures were plunged into a state of immense joy. Only Saint Tai Yi, amidst a faint gladness, felt an equal measure of anxiety. At that time, Saint Tai Yi could not yet understand where this anxiety stemmed from.
Another passage described how, after Gui Hai connected to the Infinite Spring, he invited Lian Shan, Tai Yi, and the other Sage Lords to witness the event. Gui Hai jokingly asked Lian Shan, "Brother, do you know which is higher, the mountain or the sea? If you do not, we may wait and see." Lian Shan smiled and replied, "Though the mountain is high and the sea is deep, an immortal can stand upon the mountain's peak and tread upon the Infinite Spring. Therefore, the immortal is highest." Gui Hai clapped his hands and laughed. Saint Tai Yi, in a daze, faintly saw the visages of mountain and sea roaring upon the two Sage Lords before him. For a moment, his heart was filled with a strange resonance.
...
Through the Mountain and Sea Primordial Genesis Chapter, Li Fan felt as if he had returned to the dawn of the Immortal Realm, experiencing one ancient event after another from Saint Tai Yi's perspective.
Besides matters concerning the Sage Lords and the nascent Immortal Realm, the scripture also spoke of some congenital beings and the primordial Immortal Realm.
It was a nearly boundless, desolate continent, dotted with numerous wondrous congenital beings. Some of these beings were manifestations of the Great Dao, some were strange objects that had gained sentience, and others were "people."
However, the "people" of this primordial Immortal Realm were far stronger than the mortals of the present day. Perhaps because they were born of heaven and earth, these "people" could hunt the Dao-bearing congenital beings on the continent, digesting and absorbing them for their own use.
But as time passed, the "people" discovered that their simple, crude method of consumption could not grant them true mastery over these Daos. Upon their death, the Dao would return to the world. They were also unable to pass on the "Dao" through procreation. Thus, the "people" began to ponder a way to truly control the Dao.
They started to learn from and imitate the congenital Dao-bearing beings of the continent. Some even abandoned their human forms entirely to master a certain path. Over long ages, countless "races" began to appear and evolve. And the congenital beings, coveted by the "people," slowly retreated into seclusion.
The Mountain and Sea Primordial Genesis Chapter did not explicitly describe Saint Tai Yi's true identity. But from various details, one could perhaps infer that Saint Tai Yi was not originally a "person," but had been born from a congenital being.
...
"However, at the level of Saint Tai Yi, the form of life is no longer important."
"If he wished, he could assume ten thousand different forms at any moment."
The Mountain and Sea Primordial Genesis Chapter, much like the Shou Qiu Prose, was vast and profound. It would require a great deal of time to read and comprehend fully.
Although Shanhua had presented such a magnificent gift, Li Fan had no intention of letting him go.
Shanhua's Dao had a certain flavor of "Fantasy Becomes Truth." It was quite suitable for filling the Myriad Forms Dao Net.
And Shanhua's Nameless intuition was extremely sharp.
He could actually sense Li Fan's "unkind" thoughts. Gazing at the countless celestial pillars standing around him, he broke out in a cold sweat and blurted out, "Great Venerable, do you require True Immortals to serve as celestial pillars?"
"There are still quite a few True Immortals who survived in Shuo Xinghai. And that Guangwu Xinghai has an even greater number gathered. I am willing to serve as your vanguard!"
Hearing this, a glint appeared in Li Fan's eyes, and he temporarily stayed his descending hand.
Though he had suppressed a good number of True Immortals this time, their quality was somewhat lacking.
Most were ordinary True Immortals; only two were of the Nameless realm.
One was the Dao of Shared Prosperity. The master of this law could enjoy all the benefits brought by the prosperity of their faction and provide a certain degree of strength enhancement to their comrades within that faction.
Yet, he himself was immune to the negative effects of the faction's decline. Even if the faction he served perished, he could retreat unscathed. His principle was, in essence, to share the blessings but not the hardships.
Although this Great Dao ability seemed somewhat useless, its amplification effect was in fact terrifying. It created ever-increasing momentum, snowballing and stacking upon itself. The Nameless of Shared Prosperity was once an honored guest of many ruling Immortal Emperors.
If not for the irresistible force of the Dao Annihilation calamity, the Immortal Realm might have truly been able to prosper and develop without limit.
The other Nameless True Immortal Li Fan had suppressed this time was Divine Thought. Even when the star seas were cut off from each other by the Dao Annihilation, he could rely on the Dao of Divine Thought to find surviving civilizations in various sealed-off corners.
That Guangwu Xinghai and the Nameless True Immortal called Star Gazer were located through Divine Thought's efforts.
...
"To say these Great Daos are useless would be an overstatement."
"But..."
"Their strength is rather underwhelming. Perhaps the truly powerful among the Nameless True Immortals have long since fled to other possibilities."
Thinking this, Li Fan grew more interested in the remaining few Nameless Immortals within the Shuo Xinghai faction.
"Besides Shanhua, there are Chaos and Reverse."
"And the blue giant hand that constructed the Dao Net."
Having begun to absorb memories from the suppressed True Immortals, Li Fan had a preliminary understanding of this mysterious expert.
Unlike other Nameless Immortals who openly presented themselves with their mastered Dao, this one, who single-handedly built the Shuo Xinghai Dao Net, had never revealed his true identity. Every time he appeared, he used a blue light-and-shadow body as a substitute. The other immortals were surprisingly unable to discern what Dao he controlled.
The few True Immortals suppressed within the Shuo Xinghai Dao Net should have known his true identity. But even later, when the True Immortals and the Immortal Hunt joined forces, they were not released. They remained firmly suppressed in the depths of the Dao Net.
...
Li Fan couldn't help but think of the lord of the City of Extreme Bliss.
He had almost forgotten that he still had an agreement with this True Immortal.
"Soon. Just wait a little longer, and I will free you."
"This Shanhua is indeed still useful for now. There's no rush to seal him into a pillar. In any case, the return of the thirteen ancient Dao forms that Di Sanmo spoke of is still a long way off."
With this thought, Li Fan snorted coldly. "Seeing as you know your place, I will pardon your grave disrespect for now."
Shanhua, as if relieved of a heavy burden, hurriedly thanked the Great Venerable for his grace.
Just then, something else happened that made his soul nearly leap from his body.
The black cat on his shoulder, which had temporarily fallen unconscious due to Star Gazer borrowing its body, had now slowly awakened.
When it saw the figure not far away spouting nonsense at its master, its fur stood on end, and it began to hiss viciously at Li Fan.
"Meow! Meow! Meow!"
"Insolent little beast!" Shanhua had no time to worry about his precious pet; he smacked the black cat on the head.
The cat cried out in pain, but instead of backing down, it began to hiss lowly at its own master.
"Untamable beast! Great Venerable, please don't be offended!"
Shanhua forced a bitter smile, his expression tense as he apologized to Li Fan.
"Do you think I would stoop to arguing with a mindless animal?" Li Fan sneered. With a beckoning gesture, he pulled the black cat into his hand through the air.
He examined the little thing closely.
He had to admit, the black cat did bear a striking resemblance to the Cat Treasure. It was no wonder Li Fan had almost mistaken it at first glance.
Now held in Li Fan's grasp, its life in another's hands, the cat was utterly oblivious.
It continued to bare its teeth and claws at Li Fan, growling ceaselessly, courting death.
"Quite fierce, aren't you," Li Fan remarked with a click of his tongue.
Shanhua wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "I have always nurtured this little beast with Infinite Immortal Energy. Perhaps it has consumed too much and grown arrogant and untamed. It acts this way toward other True Immortals as well."
"It is not specifically targeting you, Great Venerable."
"Sigh, it was so adorable when it was little."
Hearing this, Li Fan summoned a gush of Infinite Immortal Energy from his fingertips and offered it to the black cat's mouth.
Sure enough, the black cat immediately calmed down, greedily lapping up the energy from the Infinite Sea.
The little thing had quite an appetite.
After a good while, it finally had its fill.
However, to Li Fan's surprise, he had assumed that after feeding the cat, it would become more obedient.
He never expected the creature to instantly turn hostile again, hissing lowly at him once more.
Seeing Li Fan's expression slowly turn unkind, Shanhua cursed inwardly, explaining with trepidation, "This beast is like any other cat in the world. It's only friendly with people it knows."
"An outsider, no matter what tricks they use, can never truly make it obey."
...
Li Fan's interest vanished. Annoyed, he was about to toss the black cat back to Shanhua.
But just then, his movement paused ever so slightly.
Shanhua's heart tightened again, thinking Li Fan had changed his mind.
Instead, he heard Li Fan's deep, resonant voice ask, "What did you just say?"
Shanhua was baffled but could only repeat his words.
"...like any other cat in the world. It's only friendly with people it knows."
...
As these words echoed, the image of the Cat Treasure slowly materialized before Li Fan's eyes.
And its form, lying quietly on the Saint Emperor's shoulder.
One cat, one man, as if standing right before him.
They stood across the expanse of time and space, staring silently at Li Fan's true self.
A point that Li Fan had long overlooked now surged into his mind.
How could a divine creature like the Cat Treasure be so easily subdued by the Saint Emperor with mere Source Power Essence?
Whatever the Saint Emperor wanted, the Cat Treasure would almost always cooperate fully.
Even for extremely draining tasks, a little Source Power Essence from the Saint Emperor was enough to placate it.
If it were anyone else...
Could they have done the same?
Li Fan had never considered this question before.
But now...
(End of Chapter)
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