Chapter 1566: No Need for Longevity
The Myriad Forms Dao Net—woven from the nascent Ink Death clouds of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm as its threads and the countless True Immortal Scripts from the Supreme Dao Scripture as its nodes—was almost a miniature version of the complete Great Dao of the Primal Possibility.
Aside from the Daos that had already escaped or vanished, all others were reflected by Li Fan’s Myriad Forms Dao Net.
Had this been the original version of the Myriad Forms Dao Net from his previous life, such an act would have certainly been detected by the True Immortals still existing in the primal world. But in this life, the Dao Net did not reflect them directly. Instead, it used the Supreme Dao Scripture as an intermediary for the connection.
Thus, it remained safely hidden.
With the initial creation of the Myriad Forms Dao Net, Li Fan’s strength reached an exceptionally subtle realm.
Though he had not officially attained the rank of a True Immortal, he could similarly command infinite power through the Great Heavenly Venerate Immortal Puppet.
The Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was forged upon the Upper Mountain. As the creator of Xuanhuang, Li Fan naturally possessed the bearing of a True Immortal.
Within him also resided the power of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm's shadowy projection, formed from the feedback of the Sitting Heaven Technique, and now, the Ink Death-cored Myriad Forms Dao Net was added to the mix...
He was not a True Immortal, yet his strength was beyond what any ordinary True Immortal could match.
"Within the Primal Possibility, I have reached the absolute peak. From now on, any cultivation methods might slightly enhance my combat power, but they will be useless for taking the next step."
"Transcendence..."
After enduring the calamity of the three Daos merging, Li Fan had lost all his memories and cultivation.
He was even cast into a strange timeline ten thousand years in the past.
But even so, it had taken him a mere century not only to fully recover but to reach a crucial turning point on his path of cultivation.
This was all thanks to the foundation he had accumulated through countless past cycles of reincarnation.
Though there had been minor storms, they were ultimately unrelated to the final outcome.
Li Fan was destined to reach this stage swiftly.
"But how do I truly take that final step?"
Li Fan felt as if he stood at the very center of the Myriad Forms Dao Net, surrounded by a pitch-black starry expanse where only the countless, crisscrossing threads representing the Great Daos were visible.
His gaze swept over them one by one as he contemplated the path most suited for him.
Long ago, he had already begun seeking the answer to this question.
But now, on the very precipice, that answer remained frustratingly vague.
"Logically, when one’s strength and realm reach my level, even if there isn't a definitive answer in mind, there should at least be a general direction forward. It's utterly impossible to lack even a clear line of thought."
"This is because my Dao path is far too unique, completely different from that of any other cultivator."
The vision of the Myriad Forms Dao Net around him shattered with a roar, revealing the magnificent, ever-changing landscape of the Xuanhuang Realm.
"Nearly eighty percent of my current strength originates from this Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. The very moment I attempt to walk the path of transcendence and leave the Primal Possibility, I will sever my connection to it. With my foundation gone, it would be like stepping into thin air, plummeting from a colossal tower to solid ground in an instant."
"To ascend again would be tantamount to starting the climb from the very beginning. The difficulty would be immeasurable."
"This is the drawback of borrowing power. It is also the natural order of things. After all, to advance from a mere mortal to the level of a Nameless True Immortal in just a century is already beyond belief. How could there ever be something truly perfect in this world?"
Li Fan's mind was crystal clear.
However, despite his words, he had not given up on finding a way to resolve this drawback.
"The Mountain and Sea is an endless ocean; how does one build a ship to cross it?"
According to Li Fan's previous way of thinking and acting, he would naturally borrow the power of others once again to forge his own path to transcendence.
But the Great Dao of the Mountain and Sea was unlike anything before.
To traverse it, one could only rely on oneself. It seemed there were no longer any shortcuts to be taken, which left Li Fan momentarily stumped.
But Li Fan was in no hurry.
Though [Truth] was currently dormant, his foundation was now unshakable. Before the Primal Possibility was devoured by the Dao Annihilation, he had ample time to contemplate.
While Li Fan searched for answers to his future, so too did the cultivators of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
The step from Nascent Soul to Soul Transformation was proving more difficult than all the previous realms combined.
Even Ji Wangxian, who had exploited his family members to their absolute limit; even Chen Qiandu, who had already faintly begun to walk his own path; even the supremely talented Su Bai.
Faced with this seemingly insurmountable chasm, a faint sense of despair could not help but stir in their hearts.
If Soul Transformation was this difficult, what about the next stage, Dao Integration?
Even if they managed to reach Soul Transformation, how would they ever take the next step?
Once such a thought took root in a cultivator's mind, it would inevitably cast a shadow. If they could not step out from under it, they would likely remain stagnant for the rest of their lives.
This enormous gap between realms was not Li Fan's deliberate attempt to challenge the Xuanhuang cultivators.
Rather, it was a consequence of the unique nature of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
Although the cultivators of Xuanhuang stood upon this new immortal realm, gaining a layer of "momentum" from thin air, they were still, in essence, mortals.
From Qi Refining to Dao Integration, the entire process was, in fact, a metamorphosis from mortal to Nameless True Immortal.
The difference between each realm was, naturally, unimaginably vast.
"Those who become stars may number in the tens of thousands, but among them, not even one in ten thousand will be worthy of the celestial canon! And of those on the list, only a precious few will ever cross the four great immortal gates to take their place among the heavens!" Li Fan's gaze pierced through the potential and ultimate limits of every cultivator in Xuanhuang.
Without some other fortuitous encounter, the vast majority of them would spend their entire lives trapped in realms below the Nascent Soul stage.
It seemed a bleak fate. Yet, compared to the cultivators outside the Xuanhuang Realm, they were already blessed by fortune itself.
At the very least, under the protection of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, they were largely free from the worries of the Dao Annihilation Calamity.
"The moment the first Dao Integration cultivator is born in the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm will be the moment it officially connects to the Mountain and Sea. I hope you all don't keep me waiting too long."
Li Fan's gaze drifted over a few figures below.
After the Myriad Forms Dao Net was successfully established, Li Fan had ceased his suppression of Su Bai.
Without that pressure, Su Bai's true talent finally began to shine. He became the eighteenth star of Xuanhuang, the Star of Heavenly Benevolence.
His Nascent Soul stellar phenomenon encompassed a fifty-thousand-kilometer radius around the transformed Ningyuan City.
All living beings within this domain fell under Su Bai's protection, no longer to be plagued by spirits and monsters.
And as for the Dharma Spreader...
He remained at the earliest stages of his cultivation.
A century had passed. Even the most devout followers of the Dharma Spreader had begun to slowly forget him.
After all, there had been no sign of him in a hundred years. The vast majority of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance cultivators believed he had perished during the world's great transformation.
Otherwise, it was difficult to explain why a figure of his stature had yet to transform into a star.
Even three of his former disciples in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had already stepped into the Nascent Soul realm.
It was only during their cultivation that they occasionally recalled the brilliant, awe-inspiring Immortal Venerable who spread the Dharma.
The path for cultivators of the New Method in the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was even more arduous.
Nine out of ten of them were destroyed by the very Foundation Establishment Wonders and Grotto-Heavens they had cultivated within their own bodies.
A rare few with extraordinary talent managed to regain control, yet when they tried to advance further, they found themselves facing a dead end.
"Extract the marrow of heaven to attain its divinity; offer the soul of earth to merge with the Dao; reverse the logic of heaven and earth to attain Longevity!"
The three great realms after Nascent Soul. In the past, cultivators of the New Method could at least imagine them, even if they couldn't reach them. But now...
There was no room left for even imagination.
During the world's dramatic transformation, many Grotto-Heavens had survived, evolving and ascending alongside it.
But the Marrow of Heaven and the Soul of Earth had completely vanished from the perception of all New Method cultivators.
Without the essential materials for cultivation, how could they possibly advance?
Their only hope was that these materials hadn't truly disappeared, but that their current cultivation was simply too low to perceive them. Perhaps, as they grew stronger, an opportunity to advance would present itself once more.
However, reality was not so kind.
The Marrow of Heaven was the harbinger of the world's birth and change.
The Soul of Earth was the executor of the world's Dao.
In the original Xuanhuang Realm, these two were part of the natural mechanics of the world and would manifest on their own.
But now, above the Heavenly Dao of Xuanhuang, stood its creator: Li Fan!
While resources like Foundation Establishment Wonders and Grotto-Heavens could regenerate endlessly, the operating authority of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was something Li Fan would never hand over.
And so, he had hidden them away.
If the cultivators of the New Method continued to follow their original path, they were truly doomed.
Li Fan had no intention of offering a kind reminder.
He was far more interested to see how the Dharma Spreader would adapt the New Method to make it function correctly within the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
Observing closely, Li Fan noticed the Dharma Spreader's aura fluctuating, a sign that he was about to awaken.
Probing the man's mind, Li Fan discovered a violent storm gathering within his consciousness.
Rolling thunderclouds swirled, all centered on a single, powerful thought.
"Do not seek Longevity, only Dao Integration!"
Li Fan stared at the phrase echoing relentlessly in the Dharma Spreader's mind, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"How interesting."
"It seems he has vaguely sensed my existence as the master of this world."
Without a doubt, the Dharma Spreader's idea was incredibly wise.
The foundation of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was the Infinite Sea and the Upper Mountain, its core being the Great Dao of Longevity. The principles of Xuanhuang were the principles of the Mountain and Sea, of Longevity itself—they could not be reversed by the cultivators within the realm.
Furthermore, this world had Li Fan as its helmsman.
To reverse the principles of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm would be to challenge Li Fan for its control. Even if a truly world-shaking talent were to emerge from among the countless beings of Xuanhuang...
Li Fan would decisively take control of them long before they could succeed.
"Severing one's own divinity to ensure one's own survival."
"Excellent. It may seem like abandoning the most crucial step, but in reality, taking a step back opens up a boundless new horizon, securing a space for survival."
Li Fan did not hold back his praise.
His anticipation for the Dharma Spreader's complete deductions grew even stronger.
"If I'm not mistaken, the original New Method solved the problem of cultivators being unable to cultivate. This new version will solve the problem of their cultivation speed being too slow."
"The advent of this New Method will be a great boon to the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm!"
Within the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, every change unfolded under Li Fan's control. The thoughts of every living being were under his watchful gaze.
Thus, Li Fan could, to a certain extent, "foresee" the future of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
A smile touched his lips as he shifted his gaze, satisfied.
His thoughts returned once more to his own path of transcendence.
"Sometimes, stepping outside the established framework and viewing a problem from a new angle can yield miraculous results."
As if sensing something, Li Fan's consciousness descended once more into that dark, star-filled void.
He wandered within the boundless Myriad Forms Dao Net, losing all track of time.
He did not stop until he had personally retraced every single thread nine times over.
At last, a spark of insight flashed, illuminating the surrounding darkness.
"The Mountain and Sea is an endless ocean; how does one build a ship to cross it...?"
"I had been searching so desperately for an answer, yet I had forgotten... The ship was already built. It has been beneath my feet all along."
"Leaving the Primal Possibility means losing the support of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. Then the solution is simple: bring the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm into the Mountain and Sea!"
"The Xuanhuang Immortal Realm is not just my ark of refuge—it is my vessel for the great crossing!"
At that instant, Li Fan's mind achieved perfect clarity.
As if he understood everything, a great laugh echoed through the Myriad Forms Dao Net.
And with his enlightenment, a profound and mysterious change began to unfold within the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
The heavens and the earth trembled, and all of creation hummed in resonance.
The intense tremors lasted for a full fifteen minutes.
Every living being within the realm felt a sudden, sharp sense of impending peril.
But once the shaking subsided, that sense of crisis quickly faded away.
Throughout the world, only the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao remained steeped in that feeling of dread.
Because it had keenly sensed that the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, which had once been rooted in the Primal Possibility, was now beginning to completely "sever" itself.
If the original Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was a house built upon the land of the Primal Possibility, then once this "severing" was complete, it would become a free-floating ship.
Freer, yes, but also far more vulnerable.
The Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao undoubtedly preferred safety.
But the one causing all this was Li Fan, its parent. Even with a million objections, it could only endure in silence.
Driven by the instinct for self-preservation, it began to unleash its hidden potential.
As a result, countless subtle changes began to manifest throughout the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
All were in service of better adapting to an unmoored future.
For instance, the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm began to actively extend root-like tendrils, following its foundations in the Upper Mountain to explore and anchor itself to its surroundings.
For another, more and more Earth's Souls answered a silent call, gathering near the four great celestial gates.
Even though the connection to the Infinite Sea had not been formally opened, they were already beginning to sense its infinite power, preparing for the day they would formally connect to the Mountain and Sea.
And finally, scattered throughout the Xuanhuang world, there still remained some residual, drifting immortal artifacts and fragments. Previously, the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao had been indifferent, slowly "digesting" them through the natural cycles of the world.
But now...
Earth's Souls appeared one after another near these immortal artifacts, gathering and imprisoning them.
Then, they began to actively "refine" them.
Though for the current Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, these remnants were not even nutritious enough to be considered supplements...
They served, to some extent, to demonstrate the resolve of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao.
(End of Chapter)
Comments