Chapter 1503: A Spirit Stone of Mountain and Sea
Chapter 1503: A Spirit Stone of Mountain and Sea
"To be honest with you, Senior Brother, I possess a rare treasure called the [Ten Thousand Reincarnation Beast Wheel]," Li Fan admitted with surprising frankness. "It can restrain the nameless ones from the alien race, but its power is limited. It can handle up to eight of them at most. As for the rest... I'm afraid I'll have to rely on you."
At the same time, he displayed the treasure gifted by Emperor Sanmo.
Cheng Dao observed the images of strange life forms materializing within the wheel and gave a slight nod. "It certainly carries the aura of an otherworldly Great Dao. Heh, rest easy, Junior Brother. As long as I'm here, these aliens won't be able to stir up any real trouble."
Cheng Dao's confidence seemed genuine, which only made Li Fan more curious.
"You are powerful, Senior Brother, but can you truly face the combined might of all those nameless aliens by yourself?" Li Fan asked. "Unless..." He glanced upward, alluding to Shou Qiu Gong, who had already departed.
Cheng Dao laughed freely. "Why would I trouble our Master over such a small matter? When facing fellow disciples, one should show some restraint. But against these aliens..."
"...one can be utterly ruthless."
Li Fan's eyes lit up. He cupped his hands and said, "Please, enlighten me, Senior Brother."
"Your perception is truly extraordinary, Senior Brother. This clone isn't linked by blood essence, only by a subtle spiritual connection. It's almost impossible for anyone else to notice."
"Then watch closely."
The scene shifted back to the depths of the Shuo Xinghai's Dao Net.
Li Fan's clone was locked in a stalemate with Cheng Dao's true self.
Chaos and Shanhua, the two other nameless ones, tried to move forward and help, but were held back by tens of thousands of Dao threads that swarmed out from Cheng Dao. It was as if that gaunt body concealed another Dao Net entirely!
Even with the power of Wuji, dismantling these Dao threads would take time, leaving Chaos and Shanhua able to do little more than parry the attacks.
"Who is this person? How strange!"
"These Dao threads... they appear to be imprints of the world's Great Daos, but they're infused with his own comprehension. I can even see my own Dao of Shanhua among them! How can this be!" In that instant, the two nameless ones saw what was so strange about Cheng Dao, and a profound sense of horror gripped them.
They were completely unaware, however, that Li Fan's clone and Cheng Dao, who had been locked in a life-or-death struggle just moments ago, had already made peace. In fact, Cheng Dao was now actively explaining and demonstrating his abilities for him.
"Junior Brother, watch closely."
Cheng Dao's hand, gripping the Wuji Heavenly Pillar, did not loosen; instead, his grasp tightened.
Li Fan's clone sensed that the Wuji aura roiling off the other man like boiling water was growing even more intense.
Suddenly, a hundred or so Dao threads, as if sentient, shot out in unison toward Li Fan's clone.
"This is..."
"Wuji?!"
These hundred or so Dao threads managed to bypass the defenses of the Myriad Phenomena Dao Net, and even the Wuji Heavenly Pillar was no exception. Had Li Fan's clone not swiftly blocked them with his Dao Sword and Dao Blade, he would have been skewered.
"The name Cheng Dao is not just empty words. It is something I practice with my very body and will." Billions of Dao threads swirled around them, completely enveloping him and Li Fan's clone and sealing them off from the sight of Shanhua and Chaos.
"While building the Dao Net of Shuo Xinghai in the outer world, I simultaneously bore a Dao Net within my own body. Even if the day comes when the Great Daos are annihilated and the Dao Net ceases to exist, I can become the Dao Net! I can become the Great Dao itself!" Cheng Dao's voice boomed like thunder.
In the eyes of Li Fan's clone, the gaunt old man truly seemed like the incarnation of the Shuo Xinghai Dao Net. Seated before him, he bore the weight of heaven and earth!
"Your endeavor to bear the Dao is truly admirable, Senior Brother," Li Fan's clone said, shaking his head. "But if this is the extent of it, I'm afraid it won't be enough. With the immortals gone, the Great Daos of this world are already fragmented. The Dao you bear would be a further diminished version of that... In contrast, each of the thirteen primordial Dao forms of the aliens is a complete manifestation of a single Great Dao. A child with all its limbs intact isn't necessarily stronger than a single, powerful arm."
Cheng Dao didn't refute him directly. Instead, he smiled and asked, "But what if... the Dao I bear is complete?"
"Behold!"
The Dao threads erupting from Cheng Dao's body seemed endless, completely blotting out their surroundings.
The original Dao Net of Shuo Xinghai was revealed to be a minuscule fraction of this one. Cheng Dao's body had vanished completely. Li Fan's clone felt as if he had fallen into a sea of infinite stars, surrounded on all sides by brilliantly shining Great Daos!
Although it was much hazier than observing the real Great Daos directly, one could still benefit immensely from careful contemplation.
As Li Fan's clone gazed at this true Dao Net hidden within Cheng Dao, two terms suddenly surfaced in his mind.
The Inscription Immortal, and the [Supreme Dao Scripture].
"This act of bearing the Dao... is fundamentally no different from the work of the Inscription Immortal or the Dao Scripture."
"It's just that the Inscription Immortal manifested the formless Dao and then transcribed it, allowing the world to see it, understand it, and know it."
"Cheng Dao, on the other hand, perhaps aware of his own limited aptitude, couldn't emulate the Inscription Immortal. So instead, he willingly became a [Mirror] that reflects all the Great Daos of the heavens."
"Still, to become a [Dao Mirror] is an extraordinary feat in itself. Besides requiring a certain level of understanding of the Great Daos, the most crucial part is..."
"...the matter of timing. The Immortal World suffered a calamity, and the Great Daos perished in the Dao Annihilation. Even before that, in the pristine Immortal World, many nameless True Immortals transcended and departed, leaving the Daos incomplete. So where did he get this reflection of the complete Great Daos?" The thoughts of Li Fan's clone raced.
As if sensing the doubt in his heart, the ethereal voice of the nameless Cheng Dao echoed from all directions: "I was originally a spirit stone on the edge of the Mountain and Sea. I gestated in the Immortal World for hundreds of millions of years, yet I could not hatch. Even when my Master was about to transcend and depart, I had still not gained sentience."
"Later, my Master came to the lower realm's experimental sites and discovered a star sea that could perhaps lend me a hand. And so, he left me here."
Before the eyes of Li Fan's clone, a dark and chaotic starry sky appeared.
It was one of the countless cubic spaces within the Immortal World's experimental sites. Li Fan himself had observed this area before and had found nothing special about it.
The scene reversed in time. Myriad blue lights emerged from the darkness, revealing the original appearance of this star sea countless years ago. It was a vast, boundless ocean of azure. Water overflowed, filling the entire expanse of space.
And its source was, astonishingly, a mountain peak no bigger than the palm of a hand.
A stream on the mountain trickled endlessly. This water seemed to exist outside the world's cycle; once it came into being, it did not participate in the cycle of heaven and earth, and thus never disappeared.
Day by day, year by year, it accumulated, gradually filling the entire star sea.
Only the mountain peak at the center of the star sea remained unaffected.
Shou Qiu Gong placed the spirit stone on the mountain's summit, right at the source of the spring. Bathed day and night by the trickling water, it finally took human form!
...
Li Fan's clone sighed. "So, Senior Brother, you have such an incredible origin!"
"When I was a spirit stone, I reflected all the scenes of the world. All that has passed, all that has vanished, exists within my past. Except for those who have truly transcended into sainthood, I can re-reflect them all with my mind."
The billion-threaded Dao Net that had been displayed for Li Fan vanished, and Cheng Dao returned to his gaunt, elderly form.
"It just takes time."
"Unfortunately, time waits for no one," Cheng Dao sighed.
"As you saw, it took me tens of thousands of years just to construct the Dao Net of Shuo Xinghai. To reconstruct the heavens would likely take tens of millions of years..."
Li Fan's clone pondered for a moment, then began to understand. "If not for the pressure of the Dao Annihilation Calamity, you probably wouldn't need so long, would you, Senior Brother?"
"Precisely. In the end, I only bear the shadows of the Daos, not the true Great Daos themselves. Without True Immortals who embody those Daos to act as pillars, even if I could reproduce the complete Great Daos, it would be nothing but a castle in the air—fragile and easily toppled!"
"You need not be so modest, Senior Brother. To reflect the complete Great Daos—such a method and realm are far beyond what ordinary nameless ones can achieve. I'm just curious... what did you mean earlier by being 'utterly ruthless'..." Li Fan's clone asked, his curiosity piqued.
"To replace the shadow with the Dao, and to transform the Dao into the shadow." The gaunt, seated elder slowly spoke the phrase.
Li Fan's clone mulled over this sentence carefully.
"Between different possibilities, the paths of the Dao may differ slightly. But ultimately, within this mortal world, none can transcend the Mountain and Sea. This spirit stone, born on the edge of the Mountain and Sea, can likely devour and absorb them. Then, I can convert them into the shadows of the Great Daos that exist in my memory," Cheng Dao explained unhurriedly.
"In fact, perhaps due to the influence of the Mountain and Sea, this absorption is not particularly difficult for me. To some extent, I can even ignore the will of the other party."
As if to prove his words, Cheng Dao tightened his grip on the Wuji Heavenly Pillar once more. Instantly, the intensity of the Wuji aura surging from his body increased fivefold.
Meanwhile, Li Fan's clone noticed that the Wuji Heavenly Pillar itself had been slightly diminished.
Although [Wuji] was still [Wuji], its upper limit had weakened.
"The one sealed within this must be a disciple of a former Sage Lord, I suppose. The Wuji Venerable..."
Cheng Dao shook his head and infused the forcibly seized Wuji power back into the pillar.
The diminished portion of the Wuji Heavenly Pillar was replenished, returning to its original state.
"Once I strip them of their Dao, the transformation can be completed within my body. If those thirteen Dao forms from the alien race dare to come..."
"...then they won't be leaving. They can all stay and serve as heavenly pillars." With just a few words, Cheng Dao had already decided the fate of the nameless aliens.
And Cheng Dao's earlier action of diminishing the upper limit of the [Wuji] Dao gave Li Fan pause for deep thought.
Because in some respects, this ability seemed somewhat similar to his own [Fantasy Becomes Truth] skill, which could diminish the upper limit of Spirituality.
"However, [Fantasy Becomes Truth] deals with existence itself, erasing things out of thin air. Cheng Dao's innate divine ability only transforms a Dao's nature; it cannot erase it directly. But perhaps both are related to the Mountain and Sea..."
"It's a good thing Shou Qiu Gong found and enlightened this spirit stone back then. Given Cheng Dao's current moral code, as long as one doesn't do something that contradicts his worldview to his face, there won't be trouble. Otherwise, even without using Shou Qiu Gong's seal, he would be incredibly difficult to deal with if he used this innate ability." Li Fan was secretly alarmed.
The power of the Mountain and Sea transcends the mortal world. No power originating from the mortal realm can stand against it. Only the transformation between truth and falsehood could contend with it.
"Perhaps Shou Qiu Gong left his mark behind partly as a way to keep watch. Otherwise, if Cheng Dao ever went mad and lost control, the destruction he could wreak upon the world would be immense."
As Li Fan pondered, he had already decided that Cheng Dao was a friend, not a foe.
"Rest assured, Senior Brother. Since you've placed your trust in me, I will never reveal your origins to anyone else," Li Fan vowed.
"With your abilities, Senior Brother, I truly have nothing to worry about. It's just... it wouldn't be right to release the True Immortals sealed in the pillars just yet. I fear there won't be enough support, and the Dao Annihilation will draw nearer..." Li Fan explained with a troubled expression.
"I understand the reasoning," Cheng Dao, who was by no means inflexible, replied. "We can release them once we have the alien pillars to take their place. Do you know when those nameless aliens will arrive?"
"As soon as fifty years, or a hundred at the latest."
Cheng Dao nodded. "That's good, not too long. The injustice they've suffered won't be too great then."
Li Fan added, "Heh, you have a compassionate heart, Senior Brother."
The billions of Dao threads that had veiled their surroundings were withdrawn.
Shanhua and Chaos, still on high alert as if facing a formidable enemy, stared in utter astonishment at Li Fan's clone and Cheng Dao, who now stood together like the closest of brothers.
"Senior, what's going on?" Chaos asked via voice transmission.
"Just a misunderstanding. This is [The Great Net], and he is also my senior brother."
The words from Li Fan's clone stunned the two nameless True Immortals.
They stared intently at the frail old man before them, but they simply couldn't connect him with the pair of giant blue hands.
Cheng Dao, for his part, couldn't be bothered to explain to them.
He merely said coolly, "Although you have foiled my plans time and again, I will not hold it against you, for the sake of us being fellow disciples."
This statement left Shanhua and the other nameless one utterly bewildered, with no idea where this so-called 'fellow discipleship' came from.
But they didn't dare ask.
And so, the turmoil—or perhaps farce—finally came to an end.
Throughout the entire affair, although some True Immortals had died, there were no casualties among the nameless ones.
They were merely sealed within the heavenly pillars for the time being and could be released at any moment.
As for the Immortal Hunt and the mortals of Shuo Xinghai...
...they were not even within Cheng Dao's consideration.
Li Fan was beginning to understand this senior brother of his. In his eyes, even 'fellow disciples' were divided into ranks.
Those who received Shou Qiu Gong's true teachings were, naturally, the closest to him.
The immortals of the Immortal World were then judged by their cultivation level.
And as for the mortals of the lower realms, they were nothing more than ants to carry out tasks.
"As expected of a spirit stone from the edge of the Mountain and Sea," Li Fan couldn't help but judge silently. "Even though he was enlightened by Shou Qiu Gong and awakened to sentience and morality, deep down, he remains cold and emotionless."
On the surface, however, he showed none of this, calling him 'Senior Brother' with great warmth.
Perhaps because no one had ever truly addressed him that way since his birth, Cheng Dao was quite satisfied, and his attitude toward Li Fan grew increasingly friendly.
And during their idle chat, Li Fan also learned why a powerful nameless True Immortal like Cheng Dao would rely on the hands of mortals to maintain the Dao Net.
"Mere mortals were able to contend with you, Senior Brother?" Li Fan asked, full of disbelief and suspicion.
"If I had been ruthless, they would naturally have been no match for me. But even in defeat, the fact that they could harm me remained. That is why I gradually became interested in them."
Comments