Chapter 1505: A Star Hung Over Mountain and Sea
Because he had truly been to the Infinite Sea, he could channel its boundless immortal power through the means of [Fantasy Becomes Truth].
Compared to the Immortal World of old, this new Primordial Desolation Continent was perhaps only lacking in what one might call "stature."
The reason immortals could gaze down upon the mortal masses from on high was that the Connecting Mountains Saint of a bygone era had ascended the Upper Mountain, pioneering a path from nothingness for all the world's beings to climb. The entire Immortal World, in fact, was built directly within the boundless expanse of the Upper Mountain.
But as for where the Upper Mountain was, and what it looked like, few immortals in the world could say.
It was as the old saying goes: one cannot see the mountain's true face when one is standing within it.
Li Fan, this "half-immortal," was no different.
Though he was in the mountain, he could not see its true form. Though he could borrow its stature, he could not comprehend its underlying principles.
"The Infinite Sea was already so breathtaking. The magnificence of the Upper Mountain must surely be its equal," Li Fan couldn't help but think whenever he roamed the Infinite Sea. He could only reverse-engineer the existence of the Upper Mountain by observing the changing "stature" produced with each step he took.
At this moment, Li Buren sat cross-legged at the very apex of the Primordial Desolation Immortal Realm's firmament, within a Daoist palace that stood above the halls of the five Heavenly Emperors.
He took in every rustle of wind and blade of grass on the continent below, yet the vast majority of his attention was fixed on a yellowed, ancient scroll in his hands.
The scroll seemed to have some age to it. It was tattered and incomplete, with many pages torn away, but that did not stop Li Buren from reading it over and over again.
This volume was none other than the collection of Mountain and Sea fables that Li Fan had painstakingly sought, the same one Liu Ruchen had once read.
After the Medicine King Sect had used the Medicine King True Cauldron to leave the Xuanhuang Realm, the scroll had been confiscated by the Tai Shang Sect, one of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, and placed within their treasury.
Later, when the Tai Shang Sect fractured, a group of dissenters seized the opportunity to escape, taking countless supreme treasures from the sect's treasury with them—including this book of fables.
In those days, the lands beyond the high wall, within the Shuo Xinghai, were a chaotic confluence of countless powers. The survivors from within the wall, likely all originating from the Dark Star Sea, instinctively banded together. They eventually managed to survive and evolve into the three major powers of the modern Shuo Xinghai: the [Sword Domain], the [Thousand Crossing Dojo], and the [Abyssal Origin].
The remnants of the old Tai Shang Sect resided within the [Thousand Crossing Dojo].
Li Fan was now an entity whose word was law in Shuo Xinghai. Finding something within these mortal domains was an effortless task.
He didn't even need to act himself; a simple instruction to Shanhua was enough to see the matter handled flawlessly.
This volume of Mountain and Sea fables, though still incomplete, described in much greater detail the interactions between the mountain and the sea, as well as their differing attitudes toward the various creatures that successively appeared in the world.
For Li Fan, who was just beginning to understand the mountain and sea, it was quite enlightening.
However, what truly gave Li Fan pause for thought was the part where the mountain and the sea discussed the future.
A thing was born between the mountain and the sea. One day it was born, and another day it perished.
Born in the sea, it perished upon the mountain.
The sea did not see it perish, but the mountain did. Thus, the mountain was overcome with sorrow and wept aloud.
Boulders rumbled down from the mountain, startling the sea.
"O Mountain, why are you suddenly so sad?"
"O Sea, it is because I have seen our future fate."
"How can such a tiny thing be compared to us?"
"The mountain and sea are indeed vast today, yet the day of our demise seems small. It is not because we are small that we will perish, but because we will perish that we will become small!"
The mountain and the sea trembled, struck with an inexplicable dread.
...
After the dread, many years passed before they calmed, and the mountain and sea were as they were before.
Another day, the mountain and sea were playing together.
The mountain suddenly abandoned the sea and went away.
The sea, not understanding, gave chase. The mountain was unwilling and moved further away.
The sea cried out with a roar: "O Mountain, what temper has taken you now?"
The mountain answered with a heavy voice: "O Sea, have you never looked up?"
The sea looked up and saw, in an instant, a single star hanging high above them both. Like the eye of a god, it watched the mountain and the sea.
And so the sea abandoned its chase.
...
The star hung over the mountain and sea. One day, it was gone.
The mountain and sea reunited, filled with trepidation.
"O Mountain, where do you think It went?"
But the mountain did not answer. It stared intently at the sea.
After a few breaths, the sea fled in terror.
And the mountain and the sea were never seen together again.
...
"Mountain... Sea."
"Star."
Li Buren slowly closed the last page of the book, his expression unreadable.
The vast majority of this fable was dedicated to describing the dialogue between the mountain and the sea.
The appearance of the so-called "Star" occurred only in the last two short tales.
But it was like a great bell struck beside one's ear in a moment of silence, stunning the reader with absolute shock.
The Upper Mountain and the Infinite Sea. One represented infinitude, the other, supreme stature. They were existences that transcended the mortal world, unimaginably vast and great.
And yet, according to this fable, there existed a "Star" even above the mountain and the sea.
It could even make the mountain and sea themselves feel fear, to the point where they would never meet again.
"If this fable isn't just some baseless fabrication, then things get interesting."
"The Star, in the end, vanished into the mountain and sea."
Li Buren couldn't help but recall the scene from his first visit to the Infinite Sea.
"Could it be that the disturbance at the bottom of the Infinite Sea originated from the 'Star'?"
"And what is the connection between [Truth] and the 'Star'?"
"Just who is Sun Piao Miao, to know of such secrets?"
Li Fan had also shown this fable to Cheng Dao. But the being born from a spiritual stone at the edge of the mountain and sea had no impression of anything described in the tales.
He even seemed rather dismissive.
In Cheng Dao's view, it was purely the wild speculation of mortals about the mountain and sea. He gave it only a cursory glance before handing it back to Li Fan.
"To know the true secrets of the mountain and sea... this Sun Piao Miao is by no means simple." Li Fan's assessment was the complete opposite of Cheng Dao's.
An entity capable of passing down a wondrous technique like the [Refining Dao Medicine King Scripture] would hardly be so bored as to write nonsensical, absurd stories.
Especially since the designations of "Mountain" and "Sea" were too specific. To any True Immortal, there was no possibility of them referring to anything else.
"Perhaps the crucial clues lie in those missing pages."
Li Fan had investigated; the pages hadn't gone missing while in the Tai Shang Sect's collection. The book was already tattered from the moment it was stored.
"So someone deliberately tore them out to hide them."
To find the clues from these few missing pages in the vast, starry expanse was a task harder than ascending to the heavens. Yet, Li Fan had a faint premonition.
These remaining pages were still out there somewhere, waiting for him.
"It's like a trail of bait. It makes no sense for it to disappear right before I reach the trap."
"However, he might not have anticipated that what he's luring isn't some prey, but a man-eating beast."
As Li Buren's eyes glinted, he crushed the Mountain and Sea fable in his hand.
It transformed into thousands of earthy yellow threads, which he swallowed in a single gulp.
"No wonder it could be preserved for so long without decaying."
"It was indeed mixed with some Refining Dao techniques."
"To transform the Dao into a pill, forged and tempered a hundred times. The Great Dao decays, but the golden pill is immortal."
Li Buren smacked his lips, carefully savoring the flavor.
"Marvelous!"
A moment later, his figure abruptly drifted out of the Daoist palace and stood poised above the Primordial Desolation Continent.
He looked down at this immortal domain, forged by his own hand, and nodded with satisfaction. "A divine medicine, hard to find, rarely seen in all of antiquity."
"Just right for a trial run!"
Li Buren had no intention of directly destroying this continent he had worked so hard to develop.
In fact, thanks to the infinite nature of the Immortal World, even if Li Buren were to use Refining Dao methods to temper the Great Dao of this land...
As long as he controlled the "heat" and achieved a balance between creation and destruction...
He could forge one [Immortal Realm Dao Pill] after another without damaging the foundation of the Primordial Desolation Immortal Realm!
One could say that the Primordial Desolation Immortal Realm was like a Ganoderma lucidum, a "flesh mushroom" that could constantly regenerate its own tissue. It was absolutely perfect for refining Dao Pills.
Therefore, Li Buren had no fear of failure. Even though this was his first attempt at [Refining Dao], he began directly.
"Five Heavenly Emperors, hear my command."
"Fire..."
"Rise!"
With a low shout, Li Buren sent a decree down toward the five palaces arranged below.
From the Primordial Desolation Continent, a five-colored, profound light surged up from the firmament, blanketing the sky.
The living beings in the world couldn't help but look up, an indescribable sense of dread rising in their hearts.
But with the edict of the Creator Father God from above and the authority of the five Heavenly Emperors suppressing them from below...
Even in their terror, the myriad beings could only bow their heads in silent cooperation.
Thirteen sky-scars swarmed out like malevolent ghosts, patrolling every corner of the continent. Should they encounter any who dared to resist, execution would be swift and without question!
Amidst boundless terror, the beings of the Primordial Desolation Immortal Realm fell to their knees and prostrated themselves, begging for the Father God's benevolence.
But the bands of colored light surging across the five-part firmament were like untamable flames, roiling without end.
From Li Buren's perspective, the various Dao principles of the world were being vaporized by the light-flames. They rose like wisps of green smoke, coalescing before him into a single, round pill.
Thanks to the selfless guidance of his senior brother Cheng Dao, Li Fan already had a general understanding of all the Dao paths in the [Primal Possibility].
It was like knowing every single ingredient of a pill formula; the refining process was naturally effortless.
The smoke rose unceasingly. Finally, a Dao Pill slowly took shape in Li Buren's view.
It resembled a ball of purple qi from the east, appearing impossibly precious.
However, Li Buren shook his head slightly. "A failure."
He casually tossed it down towards the palaces of the Heavenly Emperors.
"Thank you for the Father God's gift!"
The Central Boundless Great Emperor, being the most powerful among the Heavenly Emperors, managed to snatch the Dao Pill. Overjoyed, he did not forget to offer his thanks in prostration.
The other Heavenly Emperors could only watch with envy.
Just as he had trained them by granting access to the Infinite Sea, Li Fan was still able to keep them perfectly submissive, even now that they were so-called Heavenly Emperors.
"It will take seven days for the Primordial Desolation Immortal Realm to recover naturally before I can refine the next pill."
Li Buren calculated the cost of refining a single Dao Pill and couldn't help but marvel at the miraculous nature of infinite power.
If this were any ordinary lower realm, no matter how profound its foundation, such a refining process would have undoubtedly drained it dry.
The Immortal World, however, could regenerate endlessly.
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