Chapter 1499: From Law Deduction to Dao Deduction
Chapter 1499: From Law Deduction to Dao Deduction
"It seems the Saint Emperor didn't simply tame the Cat Treasure with source power essence," Li Fan mused, watching the black cat return to Shanhua's shoulder.
"Rather, the cat feels a natural affinity for the Saint Emperor, which is why it's so willing to perch on his shoulder and serve him."
His thoughts inevitably turned to the origin of his Saint Emperor clone.
Saint Emperor Li Ping was created from the refined blood of Wang Xuanba and Sun Erlang.
But during that lifetime, the Cat Treasure had direct contact with both Wang Xuanba and Sun Erlang, yet it showed them no particular affection.
"So, the problem lies with this body... the body of 'Li Fan'?"
In the process of creating the clone, he had used their blood essence merely to seize their innate talents.
The clone was still a clone because the fundamental connection was forged with Li Fan's own blood.
The frail scholar who existed before he transmigrated, before he possessed the [Truth] treasure.
Even after a hundred cycles of reincarnation, Li Fan had long since fused perfectly with his body, leaving no trace of dissonance. But he couldn't deny the fact that he had, indeed, stolen someone else's body.
"If the Cat Treasure's original owner was the original Li Fan..."
Li Fan's expression remained impassive as he gazed beyond the High Wall.
"The original body's cultivation aptitude was indeed quite poor, but it wasn't entirely incapable of cultivation."
"And that was its performance within the High Wall, in a place like the Xuanhuang Realm where the Great Dao has withered."
"In a normal environment, he would have definitely been considered a talent with great potential."
"Infinite possibilities..."
Li Fan's thoughts spun rapidly.
"Theoretically, the possibility of such a mortal rising up and attaining the supreme Dao does exist."
"In other words, theoretically, anyone within the High Wall, anyone in the Primal Possibility, could have an alternate identity as a supreme expert in another possibility. Just like the Black Heaven Physician and Evil Su Bai."
"But the current reality isn't like that."
The High Wall served as a shield, hiding them from the notice of these supreme beings who sought to devour their other selves. But ever since Li Fan entered the experimental space within the High Wall and gained the power of Shou Qiu's phantom, completely mastering the Darkest Star Sea, he had also sent out batches of so-called prodigies from within the wall.
None of them had triggered any abnormal fluctuations from beyond their possibility.
There was no grand arrival like the Black Heaven Physician, not even a mental resonance or control attempt like that of Evil Su Bai.
Among these prodigies were even individuals like Diyi Jinglun and Qiao Sidao, whose talents Li Fan considered to be of the absolute highest tier.
"If there were truly infinite possibilities, then powerful alternate versions of them would surely exist."
"The reality is that they don't."
"This means that 'infinite' is not truly infinite."
"Due to the ravages of the Dao Annihilation Calamity, the vast majority of possibilities have long been annihilated."
"The powerful alternate selves of most people in this world can probably only be found in the recorded past of the Infinite Sea."
To have survived until now, in a grand cosmic background where only seven million years of life remain for the entire mortal world, one was either incredibly lucky or, like Shou Qiu Gong, possessed strength that could, to some extent, resist the Dao Annihilation Calamity.
Either way, it was definitely not good news for Li Fan.
Based on what had happened with the Heavenly Doctor and Su Bai, if Li Fan's guess was correct, the moment he stepped outside the High Wall, he might be sensed by the "Saint Emperor Li Fan" from another possibility.
And the outcome between them would likely be a battle to the death.
"If my counterpart can truly cross possibilities to get here, even if I play all my cards, I'm afraid I won't be his match. My only recourse would be to flee pathetically under the protection of 'Fantasy Becomes Truth'."
Verifying this conjecture was, in fact, quite simple. All it would take was for Li Fan's true self to take a single step outside the High Wall.
Taking a deep breath, Li Fan temporarily suppressed this restless impulse.
Even if he was desperate for verification, now was not the time.
"Fortunately, I've always been cautious and have never rashly leaped beyond the High Wall."
"Otherwise, I would have been in for a nasty shock."
"For now, the best course of action is to steadily increase my strength. The remaining True and False Immortals of Shuo Xinghai, that Guangwu Xinghai, and those thirteen Dao forms... if all that isn't enough, then I will suppress and devour every single remaining True Immortal in the Primal Possibility."
"I refuse to believe that even then, I won't be a match for that 'Saint Emperor'."
With this thought, Li Fan spoke coldly to the trembling Shanhua before him. "I'll give you thirty days to handle this matter. If you can't give me a satisfactory result in thirty days..."
Li Fan shot Shanhua a glance.
Shanhua's heart leaped, and he hurriedly gave his assurance once more.
Without uttering any further threats, Li Fan simply flicked his sleeve and banished Shanhua.
His turbulent emotions gradually calmed as he began to process the spoils from this encounter.
What excited Li Fan the most was, naturally, the *Mountain and Sea Primordial Genesis Chapter* written by Saint Tai Yi that Shanhua had handed over. But in terms of what could provide the greatest immediate boost to his combat strength...
He extended his left hand, and a pair of blades—one sword, one saber—shimmering with an eerie green light appeared in his palm.
This was the ultimate weapon unleashed by the Nameless Immortal known as "Star Gazer," who had possessed the black cat.
To be fair, the immortals of Shuo Xinghai had every right to be confident in their attack.
Even if all the living beings in the Primordial Desolation Immortal Realm had joined forces, with Li Fan himself included, they might not have survived the pincer attack of this sword and saber.
"In Shuo Xinghai, there is a Knife Island and a Sword Domain. They are the concrete manifestations of the remnant Dao of the Blade and Dao of the Sword in the Primal Possibility."
"But this pair... the sword and saber are merely their outward form."
Li Fan gently stroked the green light in his palm and closed his eyes. He felt as if he were standing in that deathly still, utterly murderous starry sky.
"Slaughter, devour, until all Daos merge into one."
"That is the true essence of this treasure."
"It aligns perfectly with my Myriad Forms Dao Net!"
Li Fan was overjoyed.
He opened his mouth slightly and swallowed the pair of green weapons whole.
Instantly, myriad streams of green light erupted from the sword and saber, merging into Li Fan's Myriad Forms Dao Net.
Upon the originally stern Dao Net, a pair of transparent blades, a sword and a saber, now faintly hovered. Among the many humanoid Dao forms it manifested, they seemed jarringly out of place. Yet, for that very reason, they added a unique flavor to the Myriad Forms Dao Net.
"Weaponry, slaughter, finality."
A gushing stream of entirely new Dao intent, a completely different experience, flowed through Li Fan's heart.
This was a Dao path distinct from the Primal Possibility, and not just because it originated from another possibility. It was the novel potential of a Dao path being attached to and carried by a "non-living vessel."
In the Primal Possibility where Li Fan existed, although there were instances of the Great Dao manifesting as objects, these supreme treasures could not cultivate like humans.
To embody a Dao was a trait they were born with, but it was also the absolute limit of their entire existence.
But the Dao Sword and Dao Saber from the final, dead star sea had blazed a supreme path for beings like them.
With a single thought, a blood-red, circular jade artifact appeared before Li Fan.
It was the true body of the Deduction Jade, extracted from the body of the little loli.
Without the power of the Infinite Immortal, the now-shattered Deduction Jade could no longer be considered an immortal artifact. Its ability to deduce mortal-world techniques was already useless to Li Fan.
Previously, Li Fan's idea was to trigger another ascension of the Xuanhuang Realm, transforming it into an Immortal Realm, thereby pushing the shattered Deduction Jade to once again transcend from mortal to immortal, just as he had. But now, Li Fan had found a better way.
"I can even forge a complete superior replacement for the Deduction Jade."
"The Dao Deduction Jade!"
Li Fan had long since examined the Deduction Jade carefully. Its ability to deduce all possibilities in the world likely stemmed from a form of "brute-force enumeration." However, its crude method of realizing countless possibilities was surprisingly efficient. It was as if it instinctively, innately, knew to discard impossible outcomes.
"The Deduction Jade itself represents the Dao path of 'Deduction'."
"Although it's only a projection of a part of the Dao, it's not impossible to use the devouring and strengthening method of the Dao Sword and Dao Saber to reverse its fate."
"And turn the shadow into reality!"
Li Fan clenched the blood-red ring in his palm. He absorbed the images and insights of the final weapon's possibility from his Myriad Forms Dao Net, processed them, and then poured them into the jade.
The already strange-looking blood jade, now infused with wisps of unsettling green light, appeared even more bizarre and eerie.
As the saying goes, true teaching can be conveyed in a single sentence.
With the rich experience of mutual consumption from the Dao Sword and Dao Saber, the broken Deduction Jade learned this advanced knowledge almost instantly. Like something that had been starved for millennia, it instinctively tried to lash out at its surroundings.
But it was unceremoniously slapped senseless by Li Fan.
This was no ordinary slap; it contained a sliver of Wuji power.
"You can only eat what I feed you."
"What I don't feed you, you can only watch."
After several attempts to feed were met with harsh punishment, Li Fan successfully established the rules for the Deduction Jade.
Looking at the blood-red ring crying out to be fed, Li Fan glanced at the few short celestial pillars he had sealed this time.
They had not reached the Nameless Realm and had almost no ability to bear the Dao. They were merely similar in shape and could not be called true celestial pillars at all. And after Li Fan had devoured their comprehension of the Great Dao with his Myriad Forms Dao Net, they were practically useless.
Standing there, they were a bit of an eyesore.
They were perfect for feeding the Deduction Jade.
The leftovers from his meal were an absolute feast for the Deduction Jade.
As the short pillars vanished one by one, the Deduction Jade gradually became crystal clear.
The blood-red color was no longer so glaring. It retreated inward, becoming gentle and lustrous.
Li Fan once again toyed with the Deduction Jade after its hearty meal.
As expected, its "Deduction" ability was more than ten times stronger than before.
And, just as Li Fan had anticipated, it was already beginning to transcend the limits of "Deducing Laws."
It was now hurtling forward on the broader path of "Deducing the Dao."
"The Dao Sword and Dao Saber represent a bottom-up path, where a projection gradually devours its own true Dao path, perhaps even eventually containing all three thousand Great Daos."
"In essence, it can almost be seen as another form of the Myriad Forms Dao Net."
"However, there are still subtle differences between the two. The Myriad Forms Dao Net is a true fusion of all Daos. No matter how much it devours, it will only present the complete appearance of all the devoured Great Daos. Whereas the devouring of the Dao Sword and Dao Saber..."
"While devouring, they inevitably retain their original attributes. Just like them, even if they devoured the Dao path of an entire possibility, in the end, they could never escape their fundamental nature as 'weapons'."
"The Deduction Jade is the same. No matter how it devours and evolves, it will ultimately remain a 'Deduction Jade' in form."
Li Fan felt no pity for them. On the contrary, this made them better suited for his use.
"One can draw inferences from this. It's not just the Deduction Jade; any projection of the Great Dao can be treated this way."
As he pondered, Li Fan had already found a way to create trouble for the Black Heaven Physician, Evil Su Bai, and their ilk.
"I'll have to experiment thoroughly."
Thirty days passed in a flash.
And Shanhua did not disappoint Li Fan.
On the twenty-fifth day, Shanhua arrived for an audience, bringing Hundun with him.
"Please forgive this junior for his previous hesitation."
Before Shanhua could speak, Hundun was the first to apologize to Li Fan.
"I knew long ago that they intended to act against you, Senior, yet I did not step forward to stop them..."
Though Hundun's face was devoid of expression, his words were filled with remorse.
Li Fan smiled. "You are a clever man, and I like clever men who know how to obey."
Hundun was overjoyed, the apprehension in his heart vanishing completely. "I am willing to serve you faithfully, Senior."
Li Fan glanced at Shanhua, who echoed the sentiment, and asked, "Shanhua was in possession of the *Mountain and Sea Primordial Genesis Chapter*. Have you ever had a chance to view it?"
Hundun glanced at Shanhua beside him with some surprise and shook his head. "I have not had the fortune to feast my eyes upon it."
With a grand wave of his hand, Li Fan manifested the scripture passed down by Saint Tai Yi before Hundun's eyes.
Hundun's reaction was the same as anyone seeing this scripture for the first time; he was almost instantly captivated.
But before he could savor it, Li Fan retracted the scripture.
Hundun's face was a picture of longing, yet in Li Fan's presence, he dared not be presumptuous. He could only forcibly suppress the instinctive impulse in his heart.
"Merit will be rewarded, and mistakes will be punished."
"Do the two of you wish to earn merit, or commit a mistake?"
Only then did Shanhua have a chance to state his purpose. "Hundun and I have confirmed that there are still four Nameless Immortals suppressed within the Shuo Xinghai Dao Net. Including 'The Great Net' itself, we wish to offer them all to you, Great Venerable."
"The Great Net?"
"That is the title for the creator of the Dao Net. It is shameful to admit, but he has been our enemy for ten thousand years and our collaborator for a hundred, yet we still do not know his true identity or the Dao path he comprehends," Hundun explained.
"However, this person must have already reached the Nameless Realm. And his strength is no less than mine or Hundun's," Shanhua stated with certainty.
"So what is your plan to present these five to me?" Li Fan asked with great interest.
Hundun and Shanhua exchanged a look, and finally, Shanhua spoke in a low voice. "Previously, all contact with Guangwu Xinghai was through 'Divine Thought' and my black cat."
"'Divine Thought' has already been captured by you..."
Shanhua glanced at the spot where the pillar formed from Divine Thought had been, only to find it empty. His words faltered for a moment.
"Are you looking for him?"
Only then did Li Fan leisurely present the blood-red ring in his hand to the two Nameless True Immortals.
Even though these two had weathered countless calamities and remained immortal, their expressions could not help but change at this moment.
(End of Chapter)
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