Chapter 1564: The First Star of Xuanhuang
Chapter 1564: The First Star of Xuanhuang
Li Fan stared intently at the remnants of the Fallen Immortal illusion, trying to discern any trace of the [Supreme Dao Scripture]. But even as the illusionary realm teetered on the brink of total annihilation, its true nature remained shrouded in mystery.
"Press the advantage and utterly destroy the remnants. There is no room for hesitation or misplaced honor."
After a moment of contemplation, he looked upon the Fallen Immortal realm—now just a final, flickering spark under the relentless assault of the collective will of the Xuanhuang Realm's inhabitants—and felt no regret. He gave the command for its utter annihilation.
The light grew dimmer and dimmer, until it vanished completely from the world.
"The true Supreme Dao Scripture... destroyed so easily by my hand?" Li Fan's divine sense swept across the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm and its surroundings, confirming that not a single trace of the Fallen Immortal realm remained.
Amid a faint sense of disappointment, an unnerving feeling of unreality washed over him.
Besides being supremely selfish, Li Fan was also a man of profound suspicion.
"The Fallen Immortal realm, manifested from the Supreme Dao Scripture, should have been a formidable adversary. Even with the scripture's foundation, the Primal Immortal Realm, already shattered, it shouldn't have been this fragile."
Out of caution, Li Fan narrowed his eyes and conducted another thorough and meticulous inspection of every corner of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
He found nothing, which finally put his mind somewhat at ease.
"My spiritual intuition has given no warning."
"It seems I was overthinking it."
Just as Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief, he was startled to find that the Fallen Immortal realm, which had completely vanished only a moment ago, had reappeared out of thin air above the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm!
It was like an incredibly vigorous sprout piercing through the soil, bursting forth from the ground.
Instead of immediately moving to erase it again, Li Fan observed with a grim expression.
At the core of this newborn illusionary realm was still the scenery of the Boundless Star Domain and the Supreme Dao Scripture. However, the newly generated illusions surrounding the core now mirrored the landscape of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm itself!
The Fallen Immortal realm was proving to be unnervingly resilient, like a centipede that keeps writhing long after it's been crushed. It hadn't just survived the annihilation—it had advanced even further.
"But I had already sealed off all contact between the Fallen Immortal realm and the collective will of the Xuanhuang beings. How did this new version come into existence?"
With this question in mind, Li Fan had the Great Heavenly Venerate's immortal puppet dispatch a sliver of its consciousness into the newborn realm.
The Great Heavenly Venerate of Xuanhuang inherently possessed a higher level of "authority" over the Fallen Immortal realm. Even after the realm's destruction and rebirth, this rule had not disappeared.
The moment the Great Heavenly Venerate's consciousness entered the realm, Li Fan perceived this fact.
"The grade of the Supreme Dao Scripture is far above that of the Great Heavenly Venerate of Xuanhuang."
"And yet, the Heavenly Venerate can counteract the Fallen Immortal realm in certain aspects."
A thought flickered in Li Fan's mind; he seemed to have grasped something crucial.
The Great Heavenly Venerate's consciousness roamed through the Fallen Immortal realm, and the sights it beheld confirmed his suspicions.
"I see now."
"The core scenery of the Boundless Star Domain is merely a facade. The true foundation of the Fallen Immortal realm is..."
Li Fan observed the people, events, and objects within the newborn illusionary realm. They corresponded almost perfectly with their counterparts in the real Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
But this was limited only to the original natives of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Beings from realms like the Tianfa Realm, who were later encompassed by the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm's expansion, were not included.
"The true foundation of the Fallen Immortal realm is the collective populace of Xuanhuang!"
"While the collective will of Xuanhuang entered and shaped the Fallen Immortal realm, the realm itself was secretly entering the beings of Xuanhuang."
"The Supreme Dao Scripture had long since broken itself into countless fragments, binding itself to the living beings of the Xuanhuang Realm to some degree."
"This also explains why the Great Heavenly Venerate of Xuanhuang possesses a certain level of authority to modify the Fallen Immortal realm."
Li Fan's eyes glinted as if he had uncovered the truth behind the illusion.
"In that case, the Fallen Immortal realm has two cornerstones for its existence. One is the core illusion of the Boundless Star Domain, and the other is the collective will of Xuanhuang's inhabitants. As long as either one of them exists, the Fallen Immortal realm can persist."
"To completely destroy it, I would have to kill every single original inhabitant of the Xuanhuang Realm." At this thought, Li Fan couldn't help but frown slightly.
With his current power, he could indeed accomplish such a feat.
However, it would be a pyrrhic victory, costing him nearly as much as he would gain.
Not only would the temporal anchor points he had so painstakingly established be destroyed, but his upcoming grand plan to enfeoff the immortals of Xuanhuang would also be severely affected.
"It's not worth it, just to eliminate the hidden threat of the Fallen Immortal realm."
After weighing the pros and cons, Li Fan finally came to a new decision.
His previous desire to destroy the Fallen Immortal realm stemmed from its unknown nature.
Without understanding its intricacies, he couldn't guard against it.
But now...
"The Supreme Dao Scripture might not be beyond my control."
"Even if you've shattered yourself and hidden within the countless beings of Xuanhuang, I am the parent of this world. All its inhabitants are within the palm of my hand!"
With a single thought, Li Fan instantly fragmented his consciousness into innumerable microscopic slivers of intent.
When the miracle of the Xuanhuang Enlightenment's bestowal once again descended, these tiny slivers of consciousness rode the surging tide of collective will, quietly infiltrating the minds of the masses.
Li Fan had once comprehended a wondrous grand array based on the principle of 'using all living things to refine all living things.' An ant may be small, but in countless numbers, they could move mountains and hold back the seas. Though Li Fan was the parent of the Xuanhuang world, upon this intimate contact with the vast collective will, he felt as if he had suddenly plunged into a boundless ocean.
He nearly lost his bearings.
However, Li Fan was someone who had personally entered the Infinite Sea multiple times and returned safely.
Compared to the truly boundless Infinite Sea, the ocean of consciousness of the Xuanhuang beings was not so overwhelming.
Within a few breaths, Li Fan adapted.
He began the task of searching for a needle in a haystack, seeking the hidden traces of the Supreme Dao Scripture.
Meanwhile, in the physical world, the Fallen Immortal realm seemed oblivious to Li Fan's search and was instinctively repairing itself.
Even with Li Fan's active blockade, the newborn illusionary realm expanded at an astonishing rate.
It seemed that after being shattered and shedding its original shell, it had become easier for it to grow.
In almost the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, it had recovered to one percent of its original size.
After that, however, the realm's recovery speed slowed considerably.
"Relying on the small foundation rooted in the beings of Xuanhuang, this is as far as it can recover. To return to its full former scale, it would need a continuous supply of nourishment from the collective will. But with my blockade in place, this is its limit."
Li Fan sat beside the Fallen Immortal realm, silently watching and waiting for a change.
Although the Supreme Dao Scripture was cleverly hidden, it was now a turtle in a jar, with no hope of escape. Capturing it was only a matter of time.
And Li Fan had all the time in the world.
The beings of Xuanhuang were, of course, unaware of the struggle between Li Fan and the Supreme Dao Scripture. For them, being unable to enter the Fallen Immortal realm was just another part of the world's great transformation.
What truly captured their attention was the recent phenomenon that had stretched across the entire Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
Ninety-nine continuous mountain ranges had soared into the sky, their images projected across the world. Nearly every inhabitant of Xuanhuang could witness this spectacular sight.
After shimmering in the heavens, the ninety-nine mountain ranges eventually coalesced into a world of their own and ascended even higher.
Finally, they reached the very edge of the sky, at the limit of what the naked eye could see, and hung there like a star in the firmament!
When cultivators tried to touch this star with their divine sense, information about it would inexplicably flash through their minds: Heavenly Foot Star, Ji Wangxian!
Every cultivator who could perceive this information was profoundly shaken.
This signaled the birth of the first Nascent Soul cultivator in the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm since the great cataclysm!
And the might of a Nascent Soul cultivator in this new era was utterly staggering.
It far surpassed the Dao Integration and Longevity cultivators of the past, reaching a level that was almost unimaginable!
One had to understand that the mountain ranges of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm were nothing like the mountains of the old Xuanhuang Realm. The combined scale of these ninety-nine ranges was equivalent to half the size of the entire former world.
And Ji Wangxian, who had achieved the Nascent Soul stage by mastering these continuous mountain ranges, how powerful must he be?
While fear grew in the hearts of the cultivators, so too did ambition.
Who was Ji Wangxian?
The cultivators of the old Xuanhuang Realm were no strangers to him.
He was the ancestor of the World Merchant Association, a mere merchant!
Yet now, he had managed to achieve the Nascent Soul stage before countless prodigies and heroes.
Disbelief, curiosity, envy...
A myriad of complex emotions sprouted in the hearts of Xuanhuang's inhabitants.
The desire among cultivators to grow stronger surged dramatically.
Everyone wanted to become the second brilliant star to shine in the sky!
It wasn't just the inhabitants of Xuanhuang; even their creator, Li Fan himself, was momentarily intrigued by this first rising star.
"To think it was him who broke through to the Nascent Soul stage first."
"Although, my suppression of Su Bai and the Dharma Spreader's immersion in enlightenment were contributing factors."
"Still, to achieve this before anyone from the Ten Great Immortal Sects is a testament to his extraordinary nature."
With a flicker of his mind, Li Fan instantly understood the entire story behind Ji Wangxian's advancement.
"How utterly ruthless."
"Indeed, one must be ruthless to achieve great things," Li Fan praised, raising an eyebrow in a rare show of approval.
The World Merchant Association was different from other cultivation sects.
After the great transformation of the Xuanhuang Realm, the cultivators in other sects were all reset to the same starting line.
The old class systems were shaken. Many sects even descended into conflict over the issue of 'who holds power in the new era.'
This was not a problem for the World Merchant Association.
Even after being reduced to a mortal, Ancestor Ji Wangxian of the Ji family maintained an iron grip on everyone else.
This was because the entire Ji family, the entire World Merchant Association, had been created by Ji Wangxian as a tool for his personal wealth accumulation and cultivation.
From birth, every member of the Ji family was under his control.
Just like that Ji family member, Ji Zhaoxuan, whom Li Fan had encountered in the Fallen Immortal realm.
So, when the new era arrived, Ji Wangxian was not alarmed but overjoyed.
Whenever a Ji family member had an epiphany about the new world, Ji Wangxian would directly devour them, assimilating their insights.
With tens of thousands as his sustenance, Ji Wangxian's cultivation speed was nothing short of meteoric, leaving everyone else in the dust.
Nor did Ji Wangxian kill the goose that laid the golden eggs. After securing an insurmountable lead in his cultivation, he began cultivating a new generation of prodigies—his future 'harvest.'
At the same time, Ji Wangxian organized his forces to prey on other cultivators, using secret techniques to turn them into slaves and further fuel his cultivation.
The Xuanhuang Realm had been thrown into chaos, and order had vanished.
Without the constraints of the Ten Sects and the old rules, Ji Wangxian had the perfect stage to perform.
Using this method, he became the first Nascent Soul cultivator of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
He transformed into a star, his light shining across Xuanhuang.
From that moment on, as long as the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was not destroyed, he would be immortal and indestructible.
Even if the Dao Annihilation calamity were to arrive, he would have a chance at survival!
In a sense, the ability of Heavenly Foot Star Ji Wangxian to resist the calamities of the Mountain and Sea already surpassed that of the so-called True Immortals of the past!
Even if most of that resistance was built upon the foundation Li Fan had created.
Currently, aside from Ji Wangxian, no other cultivator in the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm understood the benefits of becoming a star of Xuanhuang.
And Ji Wangxian was not kind enough to share this secret with others.
His desire to advance further only grew stronger.
After all, if the Nascent Soul stage brought such fortune...
What about Soul Transformation and Dao Integration beyond it?
Ji Wangxian's exploitation and consumption became ever more rapacious.
The members of the Ji family had no means of resistance.
"This is also a way of cultivating the Great Dao."
"A pity that relying entirely on others ultimately limits one's achievements. It is impossible to walk one's own path of transcendence," Li Fan commented.
"However, his name may yet find a place on my investiture list. Ji Wangxian may not be skilled in cultivation and enlightenment, but his manipulation of others is something even I might learn from."
Li Fan observed Ji Wangxian's methods, clicking his tongue in amazement.
Putting past deeds aside, let's just speak of a new invention Ji Wangxian came up with after ascending to the Nascent Soul stage.
After becoming an immortal, indestructible star, Ji Wangxian gathered all the members of the Ji family.
He then implanted a piece of his own flesh, blood, and soul into each and every one of them.
He called it a blessing from the ancestor.
This implanted essence did indeed aid in cultivation. Harnessing the properties of the Heavenly Foot Star, the Ji family members gained a semblance of immortality, and their combat prowess increased dramatically.
However, the greater purpose of the flesh and blood essence was to collect a tax.
A large portion of all enlightenment and cultivation gains of every Ji family member would be siphoned off and absorbed by Ji Wangxian.
The higher the cultivation, the heavier the tax.
Furthermore, those implanted with the essence would find their desires spiraling out of control. Their sense of morality and ethics would fade, and every night they would spontaneously contribute to the proliferation of the Ji family.
Ji Wangxian's cultivation resources would continue to swell.
Under such heavy burdens, if anyone still managed to progress rapidly in their cultivation, they would immediately attract Ji Wangxian's special attention.
He would help them reproduce more outstanding offspring to serve as a reserve of cultivation seeds, while the prodigy themselves would live under the constant risk of being devoured whole by Ji Wangxian.
...
"This development model is indeed the most suitable for the current state of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm."
"But it needs to be constrained. Otherwise, if he accumulates too great an advantage, others will likely find it difficult to resist him."
With that thought, Li Fan turned his attention to the ninety-nine mountain ranges and traced a circle in the air above them.
A moment later, countless dormant spirits and monsters in the vicinity of the mountains awakened in an instant.
Then, they surged towards the domain of the Ji family.
"This won't be enough to wipe them out, but they'll have to divert half their energy to deal with the siege of monsters."
(End of Chapter)
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