Chapter 1520: Attaining the Fortune of Longevity
Logically speaking, given the power displayed by the green fragment in the vision, the frail, aging Shou Qiu should have been utterly incapable of approaching it.
In fact, it was highly questionable whether Shou Qiu could even survive in the Infinite Sea at that time.
But perhaps it was the green fragment's own choice, a destiny woven in the unseen.
Somehow, Shou Qiu arrived beside the fragment, completely unscathed.
The fragment blazed with light at the bottom of the Infinite Sea, momentarily freezing the raging maelstrom around it. This allowed Shou Qiu to pass through the formidable barriers and touch the green shard.
Then, although the vortex erupted anew, roaring with even greater fury than before, it could no longer harm Shou Qiu, who was now wreathed in vibrant life force.
No matter how time flowed or the great Daos of the world rose and fell, they could not affect Shou Qiu, who now held [Longevity] in his hand.
This was true, genuine Longevity!
His graying hair and beard turned black again, and the decay of old age vanished from his body. Restored to his youth, Shou Qiu began to walk, ascending from the depths of the Infinite Sea without the slightest pressure. Wherever he passed, green light, so tangible it was like solid matter, coalesced into a road that stretched across the Mountain and Sea.
Even as the world roared with tsunamis and terrifying storms, this path of Longevity remained utterly placid.
When Shou Qiu returned from the Infinite Sea, the endless green light of the Longevity path disintegrated and scattered across the heavens.
Much of it was swallowed by the waves, entering the infinite possibilities gestating within the Infinite Sea. But Shou Qiu paid it no mind.
He returned to the shore of the Mountain and Sea, the familiar place he had guarded for the better part of his life. As always, he sat down cross-legged, keeping his vigil over the mound, gazing at the sea.
Just as he always had.
...
As Li Fan was immersed in the visions of the past, Cheng Dao's voice drifted to his ears.
"Master is the true owner of [Longevity]. However, he has no intention of keeping it to himself and is willing to share it with me. This is due to Longevity's infinite attribute."
"Just as the Mountain and Sea are infinite, one who attains Longevity gains an endless lifespan. Even if it were divided among all living beings in the world, each would receive an infinite share."
"The method of ascension is to connect with the Mountain and Sea. This wondrous method of Longevity, then, is to link with Longevity itself!"
"Heed this: The Mountain and Sea carry all creation, and from a solitary star, existence ignites. Heaven and Earth provide the origin, and Longevity grants universal flourishing. The myriad realms are scattered like chess pieces, and all living souls are enlightened spirits. The day resonance is achieved, the path to the Dao is perfected. Every aspiration will be met, and all that is conceived shall be made manifest..."
Li Fan held his breath, his focus sharper than ever before. He committed every word of Cheng Dao's recitation to memory, turning them over and over in his mind.
On the surface, it didn't seem to be a mere description of a divine ability. It was more like a poem, one that Shou Qiu had composed and sung while keeping his watch by the Mountain and Sea.
A wizened, ancient voice crossed the Mountain and Sea, pierced through time itself, and fell upon Li Fan's ears.
Through Shou Qiu's eyes, Li Fan seemed to witness the eons of change within the boundless Mountain and Sea. The flow of ages in the vision felt so real that Li Fan could faintly sense its corrosive power upon him.
But the song of Shou Qiu's Longevity firmly shielded him, sparing him from the ravages of time.
Motion and stillness, destruction and creation, annihilation and eternity...
The stark contrasts between these concepts gave Li Fan a glimmer of understanding as to what Longevity truly was.
"The infinity of the Sea. The power of the Mountain."
"And [Truth], Longevity."
"It seems that each of these Mountain-and-Sea-level fortunes represents its own unique, supreme authority. The Upper Mountain can create the world's True Immortals. The Infinite Sea can allow a True Immortal's power to soar, granting them an infinite attribute."
"My [Truth]..."
"In an instant, it can overturn the Mountain and Sea, returning to the past. When truth becomes false, the false is also true. Everything can be like a dream, a phantom bubble, or become real with a single thought."
Li Fan couldn't help but recall his experiences using [Truth]. Every time he comprehended the transformation between truth and falsehood, it felt like what the Saints Lian Shan and Gui Hai must have experienced, carving out mountains and seas to create the Immortal World.
"In truth, the principle is the same. It's about creating something from nothing, forging a path. It's just that cultivation, Longevity, and [Truth]... these three paths lead to different destinations."
Drawing upon his own experiences, Li Fan began to ponder the poem of Longevity left by Shou Qiu.
To his delight, he found that his guess was likely correct. The principles behind the three paths shared many similarities. He had already walked a long way down two of them.
Now, as Li Fan stepped onto the third great path, a brief moment of contemplation was all it took for it to feel like a familiar road.
And so, under Cheng Dao's utterly astounded gaze, a towering pillar of green light suddenly erupted from Li Fan's body.
The burgeoning life force that burst forth was billions of times more potent than the accumulated vitality of the past century within the high wall. In just a few breaths, it reversed life and death. The Darkest Star Sea, once a realm of utter silence where only the Xuanhuang Realm and the Primordial Desolation Immortal Realm teemed with life, was no longer dim but filled with brilliant light.
Any living being that glimpsed this green light would have its lifespan increase by at least tenfold. And those fortunate few who happened to absorb one of the scarce fragments from the shattering pillar of light were instantly transformed into what the mortal world would call a long-lived species, their lifespans matching that of heaven and earth, incorruptible through myriad calamities.
As for Li Fan...
On the surface, he appeared perfectly calm.
But as he stared at the [Truth] panel, a monstrous wave was crashing through his mind.
The age digit, which had once felt like a doomsday countdown, had vanished.
In its place was a peculiar green symbol.
It looked like a fragmented corner of something, yet it possessed its own complete characteristics. Though the symbol seemed to consist of only a few strokes, Li Fan found he couldn't see it in its entirety.
The mere thought of trying to see it clearly sent a wave of dizziness through him. It was as if he had been drinking for three days and nights straight, his stomach and soul churning in chaos.
Li Fan was forced to suppress the urge to investigate further.
Yet this discomfort was not what shocked him the most. What truly sent his thoughts racing was the symbol's instability, its constantly shifting state.
That's right, the green symbol of Longevity was not permanently fixed on the [Truth] panel. It flickered, alternating with his original age digit.
Each was real.
And yet, neither was truly real.
"Could it be... because the true owner of [Longevity] is not me, but Shou Qiu? I've only managed to touch the threshold of Longevity by following a path he left behind. If Shou Qiu chose to close this path, I would lose the ability of Longevity."
"It's like the Ancestral Bone, which once followed me through a regression back to an anchor point. Although it also experienced the transformation of truth and falsehood, it was built upon the foundation of me controlling everything. In the next life, the Ancestral Bone was refined into a heavenly pillar. It never truly obtained the great power of [Truth]..."
"Shou Qiu can freely share [Longevity] with others, yet I cannot impart the divine ability of [Fantasy Becomes Truth] to anyone. This seems to indicate that he has completely mastered the Great Dao of Longevity. Whereas I... have not yet truly mastered [Truth]."
...
In a flash, a thousand thoughts surged through Li Fan's mind, completely consuming his attention.
He was so preoccupied that he hadn't even had a chance to properly savor the true taste of Longevity.
Then, a sense of crisis welled up in his heart for no reason.
The feeling of being watched, the one he had felt from the Scripture Grave Great Saint, returned. This time, although the feeling was fainter, the instinctive danger it triggered in his heart was even more intense than before.
Li Fan understood. The moment he truly came into contact with the Great Dao of Longevity through the wondrous method left by Shou Qiu, even the protection of [Fantasy Becomes Truth] couldn't block the senses of the Longevity Dao's master.
But perhaps because Shou Qiu himself was not in the mortal world of the Mountain and Sea, he did not descend immediately despite sensing Li Fan, this abrupt intruder.
However, Li Fan had a premonition. The moment Shou Qiu returned to the Mountain and Sea, the very first thing he would likely do was appear before Li Fan to investigate the origins of this person who had suddenly attained Longevity.
"It seems I can't stay in this life for much longer," Li Fan sighed internally.
From the moment he began to comprehend the poem of Longevity, Li Fan had anticipated that his actions would inevitably alert Shou Qiu.
But he did it anyway.
After all, the Great Dao of Longevity was within his grasp. How many could resist such a temptation?
Moreover, with [Truth] as his safety net, he had the confidence to experience it once and then immediately flee.
Shou Qiu could return at any moment. Right now, Li Fan felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
But he did not choose to leave right away.
Instead, he seized this final stretch of time to continue savoring the Great Dao of Longevity within him.
"Thinking about it carefully, there's nothing particularly strange."
"It's nothing more than the two words [Longevity]. But because it is supremely simple, it is supremely sacred. Just like [Truth], in the transformation between real and false, one can disregard everything in the mortal world. These simple words, Longevity, can similarly disregard all calamities in the world."
"Although I do not possess the full power of Longevity, I am still confident I could drift through the Dao Annihilation Calamity without perishing. How much more so for the master of Longevity, Shou Qiu."
In a sense, having obtained the fortune of Longevity, Li Fan already possessed the qualifications to become a transcendent expert. It was just that this power came from another's gift, not his own cultivation.
If Shou Qiu were to reclaim this fortune, or simply close the path and stop sharing it with others, Li Fan would be sent back to his original state in an instant.
Even knowing that the fortune of Longevity in his hands was temporary, Li Fan was unwilling to let go for the time being.
Just as the older one grows, the more one fears death, only those who truly possess something fear losing it more.
He was holding something of immense weight, yet he was reluctant to cast it aside.
Like a starving man, Li Fan seized every last second to comprehend this Great Dao of Longevity.
While he was so composed, Cheng Dao, who had passed on the wondrous method, was not nearly as calm.
As if completely drained of his spirit, Cheng Dao stared blankly at Li Fan, who had suddenly attained the Dao. He opened his mouth to speak several times, but no words came out.
He was utterly dejected.
Even the nourishment of the fortune of Longevity could not dispel the decay that was welling up from within him.
After a long while, Cheng Dao finally couldn't hold back and asked, "Junior Brother... you've comprehended it?"
Li Fan nodded slightly. "I must thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother. I have indeed gained some understanding."
The last shred of hope in his heart was shattered. Even with Cheng Dao's state of mind, he couldn't help but be stunned, even falling into self-pity. "I have walked this path for who knows how many years, yet I've only seen a faint shadow of true Longevity."
"I thought you were uneasy recently, Junior Brother, likely because you saw no hope of transcendence and were troubled by worries about your lifespan. That's why I passed on the Master's method."
"But I never thought..."
Cheng Dao let out three bitter laughs. "That you, a newcomer to the path, would not only surpass me in an instant but already be standing at the finish line?"
He looked blankly toward the heavens. "Master. Is it your favor, or is your disciple simply a fool?"
Although in this life their relationship was a pretense of true and false brothers, Cheng Dao's actions had left a very good impression on Li Fan.
Seeing his confusion now, Li Fan, while still comprehending the Great Dao of Longevity, did not forget to offer some words of comfort.
"Senior Brother, you need not be discouraged. In my opinion, walking this path too quickly is not necessarily a good thing."
"For some reason, I am extremely compatible with this path. I didn't walk it step by step. Instead, I leaped directly from the start to the finish. It was fast, yes, but I left no mark of my own. If one day the Master severs this path, I will instantly fall from the zenith. I fear not even a speck of this fortune of Longevity would remain."
"However, you are different, Senior Brother."
"First, the method you cultivate is the art of [Inheriting the Dao]. Following in another's footsteps aligns perfectly with your path. Second, you have walked this road slowly over countless years. It is covered in your footprints. Even if one day the Master truly severs the path, you will be able to retain some of Longevity's power through the footprints you've left behind. While it might not be the same as coexisting with the Mountain and Sea, rivaling a transcendent being should not be difficult."
...
Li Fan gently advised.
In that moment, it was as if their roles had been reversed. Li Fan was the senior brother who had long ago attained the Dao, and Cheng Dao was the junior brother just setting out on the path of cultivation.
Cheng Dao pondered for a long time before understanding that Li Fan's words were true.
He immediately felt much better.
However, the gloom in his heart could not be dispelled so quickly. He couldn't help but mock himself, "In my opinion, Junior Brother, you are the true disciple of Shou Qiu. I am merely a stubborn rock by the sea, with a bit of luck."
Li Fan gave a wry smile and said no more.
Envy was one thing, but not a shred of jealousy had grown in Cheng Dao's heart because of this.
After a few days, once his mindset had adjusted, the atmosphere of their conversations returned to how it used to be.
Only now, it was often Li Fan who offered guidance.
And the one who listened had become Cheng Dao.
Cheng Dao felt no shame or displeasure because of this.
With Li Fan—a pioneer who had already reached the destination—providing such direct instruction, his own comprehension of the fortune of Longevity also advanced by leaps and bounds.
And the depth of his foundation was far beyond what Li Fan could compare to.
Li Fan was not deluded by his stunning performance of attaining the Dao in a single day.
He knew in his heart that his smooth progress was absolutely inseparable from [Truth].
"Either it was a courtesy extended to [Truth]."
"Or, it sensed my unusual status as the master of [Truth] and deliberately let me pass in order to leave a mark on me."
"Whatever the reason, my current situation is extremely dangerous."
Li Fan also gazed faintly out into the void beyond the heavens.
(End of Chapter)
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