Chapter 1562: Overturning the Bright Moon with a Single Hand
If [Truth] had no independent consciousness and was merely one of Li Fan's own abilities, his trust would naturally never waver.
But past events had repeatedly proven that [Truth] possessed a will of its own. In that case, Li Fan's mistrust was only to be expected.
It was simply in Li Fan's nature.
The fact that he could heed [Truth]'s advice and temporarily halt the use of his own infinite spirituality was, in itself, a demonstration of his trust.
"It seems my spirituality is extremely important to [Truth]," he mused. "So much so that it would forcibly rouse itself from slumber just to warn me. But this also shows just how grievously injured it is. Even for something this critical, it could only offer a hasty reminder before falling back into sleep."
Pushing the sudden incident to the back of his mind, Li Fan turned his attention once more to the changes unfolding within the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
After deciphering the two great arrays, "Establishing the Cauldron, Treading Mountains to Calm the Seas" and "Spirit Ruins, Myriad Daos Comprehension," Li Fan naturally applied them directly to the construction of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
His near-perfect aptitude for the Dao of formations allowed them to integrate flawlessly into the fabric of the Xuanhuang world with almost no resistance.
Though the heavens were still high and the earth vast, the feeling that it might capsize at any moment was gone.
The inexplicable sense of crisis in his heart quietly faded. Coupled with the 'Myriad Dao Comprehension' grand array's effect of isolating the world from the might of the Mountain and Sea, the inhabitants of the Xuanhuang Realm now had a much more suitable environment for cultivation and enlightenment.
Compared to the moment the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was born, the difficulty of cultivation for all beings had nearly been halved. This ushered in a brief, explosive period of advancement for cultivators.
In just over ten days, nearly every cultivator in the Xuanhuang Realm had advanced by a minor realm. Those with outstanding talent had even broken through an entire major realm.
This, of course, did not align with Li Fan's plan to "proceed slowly and steadily." This time, however, he didn't need to act personally. The Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm, sensing his intentions, took the initiative and made adjustments.
As a result, this period of convenient cultivation quickly vanished.
The Xuanhuang cultivators, being exceptionally perceptive, noticed the change. Those who missed out wrung their hands in regret, while those who benefited rejoiced in secret. Others, sensing a deeper meaning, tried to comprehend the world's transformations, hoping to seize the next opportunity.
For a time, countless thoughts surged across the Xuanhuang lands, all of them connected in some way to the consciousness of the Heavenly Dao. This resonance between heaven and humanity, a web of a thousand threads, actually nourished the Heavenly Dao, making the little girl it manifested as appear much more "vivid."
"This is the Heavenly Human Resonance, setting the foundation for all transformations."
Li Fan observed the changes within the Xuanhuang world from above, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"The appearance of this period of easier cultivation is beneficial for both the Heavenly Dao and the cultivators. It can be made a permanent feature."
"However, the duration of each period shouldn't be too long, and the intervals between them must be irregular. Everything should be random."
"Let the cultivators of this world try their best to fathom the 'will of heaven'..."
As Li Fan contemplated this, a new law regarding this "Boon of Enlightenment" was generated within the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, deeply branding itself into the Great Dao of the world.
The minds of nearly all cultivators were captivated by this miraculous "Boon of Enlightenment."
Through this connection, Li Fan, as the master of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, found it much easier to perceive and grasp the minds of its cultivators.
In his vision, strange and colorful clouds of psychedelic mist rose from the minds of the cultivators, only to vanish in an instant.
They were endless and ever-changing.
If they were to coalesce without dispersing, they would likely fill the entire Xuanhuang Immortal Realm in a matter of moments.
Fortunately, these rainbow-hued mists were not physical entities. They manifested for but a fleeting moment before dissipating.
"So these are what they call 'thoughts'."
"The things hidden deep in every person's heart, unseen and unknown to others."
"Originally, only experts at the level of the Three Saints could perceive them. But now, I can forcibly peer into them by leveraging the connection between the cultivators and this world..."
As if he had discovered a new world, Li Fan's divine sense wandered through the endless ocean of the Xuanhuang cultivators' thoughts.
"That bastard Zhao Si was always slower than me. But he had an epiphany during that great opportunity, not only surpassing me but even stepping into the Golden Core realm. Damn it all! He's always been my rival; how can I face him if I keep falling behind? I have to seize the next great opportunity..."
"My decision to hide my cultivation was the right one. When the monsters attacked and everyone was trapped, I made my move and turned the tables. From this day on, my word is law here on Wild Python Mountain! I need to find a way to kill all the other men, leaving me to enjoy myself. This mountain is completely sealed off anyway; there's no hope of ever leaving in this lifetime. Might as well indulge! The only thing to worry about is that the monsters around here seem to be getting stronger too?"
"The Dharma Spreading Immortal Venerable... I wonder where he is now? Since the great transformation, the world has become too vast. My brothers from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance were gathered just dozens of miles away, but now I've traveled for tens of thousands of miles and still haven't found a trace of them..."
"Hahaha, my senses were right! There really is a wondrous object beneath the earth. It's the very [Void-Refining Bamboo] I spent so much effort nurturing but never had the chance to absorb and refine! Though the world changed dramatically and the bamboo expanded more than ten thousandfold—from a single stalk to a sprawling underground forest—the blood essence connection between us is still faintly there! With this link, I might be able to slowly refine it into my body and reach the Foundation Establishment realm of this new era!"
"We barely managed to repel the monster siege yesterday, but our food and resources are mostly gone. How many more attacks like that can we withstand? Staying here is a dead end. Better to strike first, steal the remaining supplies, and make a run for it..."
The thoughts of countless Xuanhuang beings intertwined—joy, anger, sorrow, and fear.
Though it wasn't the entirety of their inner worlds, it wove a vast symphony of the heart.
And the more he came into contact with these thoughts, the more Li Fan became aware of an anomaly within the Xuanhuang world.
It was like a mirror, silently shrouding all the living beings of the Xuanhuang Realm.
It reflected the thoughts of every single one of them.
"The Fallen Immortal Realm..." A strange light flickered in Li Fan's eyes.
This illusory world, which had coexisted with the original Xuanhuang Realm, had also expanded in sync with its ascension and transformation.
Yet, despite its extraordinary foundation, it couldn't keep up with the explosive growth fueled by the Great Dao of Longevity.
The gloomy clouds of the Fallen Immortal Realm were currently confined to a region directly above the location of the original Xuanhuang Realm.
As the saying goes, when one person attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. As the beings of Xuanhuang grew stronger, the Fallen Immortal Realm also began to change slowly. While its scale expanded, flashes of substantial light, like bolts of lightning, would occasionally flicker within the illusory clouds.
Bathed in this brilliant light, the clouds grew more solid. The boundary between illusion and reality showed signs of breaking.
"In the Fallen Immortal Realm, there is only the Upper Mountain, but no Infinite Sea."
"But by absorbing the thoughts of the cultivators in my Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, it seems some unknown change is about to occur within it."
Li Fan, however, had no intention of letting it develop as it pleased.
With a single thought, he intercepted the thoughts of all cultivators in the area shrouded by the Fallen Immortal Realm's clouds.
It was like building a dam across the upper reaches of a river. The cultivators' thoughts, which served as nourishment, were all absorbed by Li Fan instead. The clouds of the Fallen Immortal Realm halted their transformation process at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The clouds roiled and thunder roared. It seemed to have been provoked by Li Fan's insolent act, enraged beyond measure.
But it had already lost its source of nourishment. And in the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, a world forged by Li Fan's own hand, it had no capital to contend with him.
Despite its boundless resentment, all it could manage was impotent fury.
The transformations it had undergone after the Xuanhuang Realm's ascension all receded. The Fallen Immortal Realm reverted to its original state. In fact, without the support of living beings' thoughts, its very scale began to shrink.
It was almost certain that in the near future, it would vanish completely.
To think that the Fallen Immortal Realm, once considered a great enemy by Li Fan, was so simple to deal with now that he could "watch" and, to some extent, control the thoughts of others!
Sensing a mortal crisis, the Fallen Immortal Realm did not wait for death. It swiftly began to save itself.
In an instant, it completed an internal restructuring. Where once there were countless overlapping phantom realms, now its structure resembled a lotus flower, with numerous petals protecting a core pistil.
When nourishment from the outside world was insufficient, the outermost phantom realms would sacrifice themselves, transferring their remaining sustenance inward.
This was to ensure the survival of the core region.
This voluntary exposure of its secret was something Li Fan had not anticipated.
However, even with his newfound ability to peer into minds, and even after discovering its strange transformation.
...shrouded by countless phantom realms, Li Fan couldn't immediately discern what its most hidden, core secret was.
"Interesting."
"Since you've revealed yourself, don't even think about leaving."
Li Fan snorted coldly.
He keenly sensed that the Fallen Immortal Realm was attempting to escape to another region of the star sea through the stargate of the Taiyuan Realm.
How could Li Fan possibly let it succeed?
With a single thought, the star-crossing grand array was completely sealed.
The two connected star seas were once again isolated.
As if sliced in two, the Fallen Immortal Realm was severed as the teleportation array shut down.
But to Li Fan's surprise, being physically divided didn't seem to truly affect it.
The two halves seemed to remain connected, and the core secret of the Fallen Immortal Realm was slowly transferring itself through this lingering link.
"In that case..."
Li Fan simply reopened the star-crossing grand array.
Then, he reached out and seized the star sea on the other side!
The phantom of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm that had condensed in his hand instantly shattered.
On the other side of the stars, the Taiyuan Realm and its surrounding star sea—any area covered by the Fallen Immortal Realm—was snatched up in Li Fan's grasp!
RUMBLE!
It was like the onset of the Dao Annihilation. With a vast swath of its stars missing, the other side of the cosmos fell into complete silence and darkness. The sudden loss of the Taiyuan star sea severely destabilized the surrounding regions. Streaks of black energy appeared one after another, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
These were the very signs of impending Dao Annihilation!
But Li Fan paid it no mind.
The Taiyuan star sea was far from the High Wall. As long as he severed the connection of the star-crossing grand array, even if that region was swallowed by the Dao Annihilation, it wouldn't affect the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
At this moment, he looked at the captured Taiyuan Realm in his hand, a faint smile playing on his lips. Then, with a sudden slap, he pressed it into the firmament of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm!
A muffled thunderclap seemed to echo endlessly across the sky.
The inhabitants of the Xuanhuang Realm all looked up in unison, only to discover with astonishment that, at some unknown time, a bright moon had appeared in the sky!
Because the distance was so immense, the vast majority of beings couldn't perceive the true nature of this "moon."
Only those cultivators who had died in battle in the Taiyuan Realm and were later resurrected could sense something, thanks to their faint connection to that world.
But for the moment, they couldn't be certain.
Li Fan paid no attention to the thoughts of the Xuanhuang beings.
He stared at the captured Taiyuan Realm in the firmament, sensing the desperation of the trapped and cornered Fallen Immortal Realm, and snorted coldly again.
"Let's see where you can run to now!"
Instead of confronting the cornered beast head-on, Li Fan simply trapped it in a corner and continued to block its ability to reflect the thoughts of living beings.
As it turned out, without a foundation in reality, the Fallen Immortal Realm was like a flower without nutrients. It gradually began to wither and decay.
However, it was, after all, the remnant of an existence that had awed even the first Great Heavenly Venerate.
Although it was showing signs of decay, it wouldn't disappear in a moment.
And Li Fan didn't have the patience to wait.
"Let me... lend you a hand!"
The Fallen Immortal Realm was born from the thoughts of living beings, and it grew from the thoughts of living beings.
It stood to reason that it could also perish from the thoughts of living beings.
Under Li Fan's guidance, countless inhabitants of the Xuanhuang Realm simultaneously fell into a trance and had a terrible nightmare.
In their dreams, a world-ending calamity descended, swallowing everything in existence.
Countless illusory world-ending tribulations surged into the sky, invading the Fallen Immortal Realm.
Though they were merely nightmares in the cultivators' minds, once they reached the Fallen Immortal Realm, they caused truly horrific destruction!
As if eroded by blades of wind and swords of frost, the outer phantom realms of the Fallen Immortal Realm began to wither away in droves.
The scale of the gloomy clouds shrank continuously.
In just over half a day, only the core phantom realms were left, struggling to hold on.
But at this point, Li Fan discovered that the effectiveness of his dream-apocalypse method had been greatly diminished.
It seemed this final remnant of phantom realms had an extremely strong resistance to the world-ending calamities imagined by the beings of Xuanhuang.
"The core of the Fallen Immortal Realm... does not come from the Xuanhuang Realm."
"It comes from... the Immortal World that once experienced the Dao Annihilation Calamity!"
A sharp glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes as he discerned the reason.
A recommendation for a friend's new book, "Abnormal Transmigration," a sci-fi mecha novel. The author is well-established with a reputation for quality, so please check it out if you're interested.
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