Chapter 1560: The Inescapable Fate of Fusion
Chapter 1560: The Inescapable Fate of Fusion
"And then there's Su Bai..."
Li Fan's eyes narrowed, his gaze shifting to a distant point.
Su Bai had reincarnated, just as destiny decreed.
But without the lure of the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate, his fate had taken a drastically different path.
Before the great transformation of the Xuanhuang Realm, he had lived in Ningyuan City, caring for the orphans at the dilapidated temple, just as before.
However, the devastating battle between Zhang Qianmo and the new-law cultivators that had once laid waste to the city never occurred. Consequently, Su Bai lived his life as an ordinary mortal, right up until the advent of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, when all living beings were once again placed on the same starting line.
Su Bai's innate talent was undeniable.
Even with the world remade, he possessed the potential to grasp the Dao in a single moment.
His ability to adapt to the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was far beyond that of any ordinary person.
If Li Fan hadn't been intentionally suppressing his progress, Su Bai would likely have already reached the Nascent Soul stage by now.
And it was crucial to remember that a Nascent Soul in the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was on an entirely different level compared to the Nascent Souls of the old Xuanhuang Realm.
Currently, no truly great cultivators had yet emerged in the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. Even Li Fan, the father of this world, was still uncertain about the ultimate heights its top experts could reach.
"Theoretically, a Dao Integration cultivator in the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm would be a weaker version of a Nameless True Immortal," he mused.
"And in this world, anyone who can practice Qi Refining is, in essence, a seed of a True Immortal. With my decree, they could become immortal on the spot! The entire process from Qi Refining to Dao Integration is merely a journey of understanding and proving one's 'nameless' Dao."
Less than half a year had passed since the creation of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, yet Su Bai had already traversed nearly half that path, even while being held back. How could Li Fan not feel a sense of awe?
"Continue to grow, just like this. The day you achieve Dao Integration will be the day my new experiment begins," Li Fan said with a faint smile.
The Xuanhuang Realm was truly worthy of being one of the Rotten Axe Dojo's core experimental sites. Besides Su Bai, who was leaving everyone else in the dust, the progress of other cultivators was also exceeding Li Fan's expectations.
A thought stirred in Li Fan's mind, and he decided to loosen the restraints on the spirits and monsters of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, just to add a bit more pressure.
"Cultivating quickly isn't enough. Only those who can survive the crucible of life and death are truly worthy of use."
A short time later, Li Fan watched as ethereal souls rose one by one into the skies of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, and he nodded in satisfaction.
The transformation and sublimation of the Xuanhuang Realm were all-encompassing.
The process that followed a cultivator's death, however, was something Li Fan had personally designed and modified. It could be said that during the century of refinement, at least a tenth of his energy had been spent on this very system.
He had referenced the strange phenomenon of "Returning Dao to Heaven" from the future Xuanhuang Realm and taken it a step further.
Only Li Fan could perceive that upon death, the intangible souls of these cultivators drifted slowly upwards, converging into a vast, transparent net that spanned the heavens.
The scenes of their mortal lives flickered across the net's surface. Even their insights and thoughts were absorbed by it.
All these life experiences and thoughts were categorized and organized. Then, through the great net, they were transmitted back into the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm itself.
"It's not just living beings slowly adapting to the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. The Xuanhuang Immortal Realm is also adapting to the beings that live under its heavens."
"A constant contest, a mutual competition. Only through this can I forge the indestructible immortal ark of my ideals."
It was foreseeable that cultivators in the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm would find their path increasingly difficult.
The world's Heavenly Dao was not static; it was in a state of perpetual flux. The old method of following the summarized experiences of predecessors, a step-by-step exploration of cultivation, would become completely obsolete.
To advance, they would have no choice but to rely on their own exploration.
Besides promoting this "mutual transformation of heaven, earth, and living beings," the transparent net in the heavens served another purpose.
The foundation of the Primordial Desolation Immortal Realm was the Immortal Ruins and the few scattered points occupied by the Immortal Realm chess pieces on the Upper Mountain. But after Li Fan irrigated it with his blood essence, which contained the Great Dao of Longevity, the colossal Xuanhuang Immortal Realm that grew from the ruins had long since outstripped its original "foundation" on the Upper Mountain.
So, while the Primordial Desolation Immortal Realm appeared to be established, it was actually teetering on the brink, in constant danger of collapse.
This transparent net, however, served as a temporary stabilizer.
"Even if the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm were to fall from the Upper Mountain due to some accident, this net would act as a buffer, preventing it from shattering completely. Of course, the final solution is still to establish a new foundation on the Upper Mountain and secure it permanently."
"But that will have to wait until the cloud of Ink Death has fully formed."
"Beyond the Upper Mountain lies the Infinite Sea."
At the four corners of the transparent net stood four Ascension Platforms.
Though they had been ready for a long time, they had yet to be activated.
"I must consider that the moment the Mountain and Sea resonate in unison to forge a new True Immortal, it will undoubtedly attract the attention of certain powerful entities."
"The Three Saints: Lian Shan, Gui Hai, and Tai Yi..."
"And perhaps other transcendent experts."
Strictly speaking, the pill that was the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm had not yet been fully refined, because it had not yet officially connected to the Mountain and Sea.
It was still in a sealed, isolated state. This was why even Li Fan's act of diminishing the Heavenly Doctor's spirituality had not been detected by the Black Heaven Physician outside the Primal Possibility.
But once the first True Immortal was born within the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, connecting it to the Mountain and Sea...
It would be like an eggshell cracking. The seal would be broken.
All manner of potential dangers would come rushing in.
This was why Li Fan, while hoping for Su Bai to grow quickly to serve as experimental material, still had to suppress his rate of growth.
The four Ascension Platforms stood majestically, guarding the four corners of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm like the legendary gates of heaven. Once those gates opened, the realm would face unknown, monumental changes.
Even Li Fan could predict little of what the future held.
"However, I can be certain that the vast majority of powerful beings, much like Shou Qiu Gong, reside within the Eternal Silent Void Realm. Even if they are drawn by the commotion from the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, as long as it doesn't endanger the Mountain and Sea, they likely won't bother to interfere."
"After all, it is unrelated to the final outcome."
"So, the ones I need to guard against are those with intricate ties to the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm: the Black Heaven Physician, Evil Su Bai, and their ilk."
Having personally forged the creation that was the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, Li Fan now felt no fear, even anticipating a future confrontation with these transcendent experts.
Within his body, the countless overlapping shadows of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm generated by the Sitting Heaven Technique, along with his divine ability of True False Transformation, were the greatest sources of his confidence.
"The True False Transformation carries the risk of being seen through by other experts. I cannot use it lightly."
"However, the knowledge I've accumulated over the years is exceedingly diverse. Combining any one of these paths with this immensely powerful feedback force is more than enough to contend with them," Li Fan declared with pride.
During the century he spent refining the Great Pill of Xuanhuang, Li Fan had also comprehensively organized the myriad divine abilities and Great Daos he had learned, known, and comprehended in the past.
His ultimate goal was to forge a path of transcendence that was uniquely his own.
"Theoretically, the True False Transformation is the most suitable for me. However, the Great Dao of Truth and Falsehood is on par with the Mountain and Sea itself. With [Truth] now dormant and without its guidance, what I've grasped in the past is simply not enough to cross that final threshold."
"Therefore, I still need to find a 'ladder.' The Dao of Truth and Falsehood encompasses all things in the mortal world. The more I know of everything, the closer I will get to it."
Li Fan pondered, and the divine abilities he had mastered in past cycles—abilities that could serve as references for comprehending the Great Dao of Truth and Falsehood—materialized one by one in his mind.
"First, the Array Dao. I once underestimated it, but Cheng Dao's guidance corrected my perspective. The Three Saints used the Mysterious Origin Primal Spirit Grand Array to create the Mountain and Sea and build the Immortal Realm. The ability to reshape the Mountain and Sea itself proves the extraordinary nature of the Array Dao. Unfortunately, the Dissociation Disc was lost during the fusion of the three Daos. Although a few fragments of its spiritual essence seem to have merged into my body, my talent for arrays can never compare to that immortal artifact designed specifically for analysis."
"But with my methods, recreating the Dissociation Disc is not impossible."
"Second, is the Mystic Sound. It's a system completely different from the True Immortal Scripts, one that analyzes the worldly Dao through melody. Xuantian King and the Grandmaster. One could travel against the river of time, altering the past and influencing the future. The other could evade calamities and disasters. The Mystic Sounds of these two are like a key to unlock a greater door, allowing me to deduce even more principles of the Great Dao related to sound. The only problem is that without more Mystic Sounds to reference, it would take an immense amount of time to deduce them." Li Fan shook his head slightly.
Though highly confident, he was also keenly self-aware of his own aptitude. Trying to deduce unknown Mystic Sounds from scratch was a thankless task.
Fortunately, he had already set a plan in motion. Guiding the Dharma Spreader to find Xuantian King was one part of it.
"Third, the power of Ink Death and the Myriad Phenomena Dao Net. After a new Ink Death is born, I can analyze any accessible Great Dao or law by directly devouring it. In terms of efficiency, this method is absolutely top-tier among all forms of enlightenment. The only flaw is..."
Li Fan sighed softly in his heart. "The Primal Possibility is an abandoned world, deserted by countless experts, a place where the Great Daos are incomplete. Even if I devoured and analyzed the entirety of the Primal Possibility, the scope of my knowledge would be extremely limited. It seems unavoidable that I will have to go on a study trip to other possibilities."
"The best-case scenario would be to follow the Black Heaven Physician into that Other Shore," a dangerous glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
He deliberated for a long while before continuing.
"Fourth, is the legacy of Shou Qiu Gong. Sit Mountain View Sea and the Mountain and Sea Unmoving Body. Although they are a far cry from the Great Dao of Longevity, they already grant the power to watch over the Mountain and Sea with a smile. I received the teachings from Shou Qiu's ethereal projection personally and had detailed exchanges with Cheng Dao. On this path, I am not weak."
"Fifth, is the Reverse Dao. Since absorbing the power of the Heavenly Demon, I feel I've progressed further on this path. This is my only life-saving measure after losing [Truth], and its priority for comprehension should be the highest. After all, the world is unpredictable. Even with a thousand schemes, one cannot prevent accidents." An image of the surging river of time once again appeared before Li Fan's eyes, and a primal sense of his own smallness welled up within him.
Being in the river of time felt different from witnessing the Mountain and Sea.
While both made him feel insignificant, being in the river of time filled him with a sense of helpless weakness, as if constantly tossed about by storms, his life and death uncertain.
When facing the Mountain and Sea, however, the danger was being silently submerged, assimilated.
"Sixth, is the Great Dao Befalling Body Art, which I learned in Shuo Xinghai during my previous life. Although this art was only proposed by a True Immortal, its conceptual level is quite high. All Great Daos return to the self, and the physical body itself can become a vessel for the sacred. It complements the Creation Forge Art, and with the body as the bearer of the Dao, its theoretical limit could even be to embody the Mountain and Sea... and it also forms a perfect synergy with my Myriad Phenomena Dao Net."
"Seventh, is Sun Piao Miao's Refining Dao Medicine King Scripture. While this divine ability is exceedingly profound, ranking among the best I have ever learned, Sun Piao Miao himself is too enigmatic. I must be wary of any hidden measures he may have left behind, so there is no need to delve too deeply. It is more suitable as a tool."
Li Fan's heart was calm, devoid of joy or sorrow. He methodically sorted through the numerous divine abilities he knew from his past.
The Tianxuan Mirror's principle of establishing the Dao within and enacting it without.
Dharma Transmitter Jiang's "Its Dao as Me."
The path of the healer from the Heavenly Doctor's Immortal Sutra and the Heaven Mending Record.
Si Tu Xing's Dao of Engraving.
The Great Rat Immortal's Daos of Devouring and Imperial Law.
The path of transcendence demonstrated by Ziyi.
The paper-folding art that possibly belonged to Xuantian King's childhood friend.
...
And so on.
Regardless of their origin, as long as a divine ability could offer him enlightenment, Li Fan welcomed it without prejudice.
It was like a great hodgepodge; with sufficient culinary skill, even that could be forged into a peerless delicacy.
"Ultimately, all Great Daos are inferior to a single phrase: 'Fantasy Becomes Truth.'"
"The True False Transformation is perhaps the path of transcendence I have been desperately seeking, and the one most suited to me."
"However..."
As his thoughts reached this point, a flicker of hesitation appeared in Li Fan's heart.
Because of [Truth]'s sudden dormancy.
Because of [Truth]'s absence at certain critical moments in the past, whatever the reason may be.
And even more so because...
"Even if I master the True False Transformation, can it truly resolve the crisis of the Mountain and Sea's fusion?"
"After all, even [Truth] itself seemed to be gathering more potential answers for salvation. If the True False Transformation of [Truth] alone was enough to turn the tide..."
"The mortal world of the Mountain and Sea would not have become what it is today."
As he thought this, Li Fan's mind naturally drifted back to the fusion of the three Daos: Mountain and Sea, Longevity, and Truth.
And with that, the personal experience of that fusion once again flooded his mind.
The power of Longevity within him, which had gradually dissipated and thinned after a century of refining pills and constantly draining his blood essence, showed signs of surging and thickening once more!
Fortunately, Li Fan snapped back to his senses in time, instantly pulling himself out of that immersive feeling.
"It truly haunts me like a ghost!" Li Fan's brow furrowed, a shadow passing over his face.
Without a moment's hesitation, he once again spat out mouthfuls of fresh blood, scattering it across the Xuanhuang Realm.
Only then did the trend begin to recede.
"The fusion of the three Daos is indeed not so easily suppressed."
"But the root cause is the confusion in my own heart."
"It seems that besides the method of fusing the three Daos, there is no better path," Li Fan realized with sudden clarity.
(End of Chapter)
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