Chapter 1567: Dao One Swallows Mountain Sea
Chapter 1567: Dao One Swallows Mountain Sea
"You're pragmatic, I'll give you that," Li Fan mused, observing the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao’s frantic responses. "It seems only the threat of imminent annihilation can force this thing to finally cooperate." He snorted inwardly.
As it was, the Xuanhuang Immortal Ark could perhaps resist the initial descent of the Dao Annihilation. But to plunge headfirst into the Mountain Sea? That would mean instant annihilation, vanishing without so much as a ripple.
This was precisely why the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao was reacting this way. It was a desperate, last-ditch effort to survive.
But the plan Li Fan had devised after such long and arduous contemplation was hardly a simple suicide mission.
"The Heavenly Net Emperor’s attempt at a realm-wide ascension shared a similar principle with my own idea," Li Fan thought. "However, my strategy is superior in three key aspects."
"First, the Immortal World was vast and boundless. The cost of making an entire realm transcend the Mountain Sea was astronomical. In contrast, the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm occupies a mere sliver of space within the High Wall. Its smaller scale makes it far more manageable."
"Second, to achieve transcendence, one can either forge their own path, riding the winds and waves of their Dao, or they can stand as an equal to the Mountain Sea itself. The vast majority of transcendent beings take the first route, for there are very few things that can claim to be on par with the Great Dao of the Mountain Sea. Shou Qiu achieved longevity this way, and I..."
"...have the [Truth]."
[Dao Origin]: When [Truth] is activated, a designated area can be included, returning with it to a predetermined anchor point. Alternatively, the activation of [Truth] can be foregone to designate a specific area and neutralize the [Dao Annihilation] within it.
"[Dao Origin]... that is the key! It’s what gives the Xuanhuang Immortal Ark a fighting chance to traverse the Mountain Sea!"
"When the real becomes false, the false becomes real..."
Li Fan whispered the phrase, and within his sea of consciousness, the Myriad Dao Net cast its reflection. The entire Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, every landscape and every event, materialized in his mind's eye with breathtaking clarity.
"Unless I can obtain the complete Dao of Longevity and infuse it into this world, no amount of strengthening will save it. The moment it enters the Mountain Sea, it will be annihilated. But... if I use the True False Transformation to shield the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, then with this ark beneath my feet, I can cross the Mountain Sea!"
"Of course, [Truth] is dormant right now, but..."
"[Truth] craves these eternal remnants to study different paths of transcendence, seeking a true solution to the calamity of the Mountain Sea’s convergence. The abilities it unlocks after consuming them are, in essence, practical applications of the Mountain Sea's Daos, all centered around [Truth] itself."
"In other words, each function is a fusion of the True False Transformation and a specific path of transcendence."
"[Incarnation], [Dao Origin], [Unending Samsara]—they all follow this principle."
"This means I don’t need [Truth] to activate these powers for me. As long as I can comprehend the underlying principles—the fusion of the Dao and the Transformation—I can wield them myself."
"It’s just like the so-called Divine Blessing, [Fantasy Becomes Truth]."
"I will use the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm to forge my path to transcendence, and in turn, the realm will survive within the Mountain Sea under my protection. Both elements are essential; only together can we have a chance of crossing the Mountain Sea."
"But even that is not enough."
"The third and most critical step is what truly matters."
An inscrutable expression crossed Li Fan’s face. His divine sense focused on a specific point within the Myriad Forms Dao Net: a towering mountain in the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. It soared thirty thousand kilometers into the sky, yet its core was entirely hollow.
Innumerable, densely packed black specks rested silently within the mountain's vast, hollow interior.
At first glance, they resembled the entity known as Ink Death.
In truth, however, they went by another name.
The Dao One Worms!
These Dao One Worms were not something Li Fan had intentionally created.
They had first emerged as naturally evolving sprites during the formation of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, their form and characteristics bearing an uncanny resemblance to the original worms.
But the moment Li Fan noticed these sprites, he immediately made the connection. He then began deliberately guiding their evolution, pushing them to develop the same traits as the Dao One Worms he once knew.
After a century within the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, this black swarm had grown far more powerful than the Strange Beasts of old.
One might look at the celestial canopy of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm and see it glittering with the constellations of powerful cultivators.
But if the Dao One Worms within this mountain were to swarm forth, they could devour all those constellations in a mere moment.
"Such power," Li Fan reflected, "is finally worthy of the name *Dao One*."
"And yet, I can sense they are still far from their limit."
With a mere thought from Li Fan, one of the black specks in the hollow vanished without a sound. Simultaneously, a faint black patch materialized in a distant corner of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
The patch appeared for only an instant before melting completely into the fabric of the world.
The worm’s integration—its silent encroachment—went completely unnoticed. Not even the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao sensed its presence.
Even Li Fan, the very architect of this realm with absolute control over it, would have missed the subtle change had he not been monitoring the worm’s incursion every step of the way.
At Li Fan’s direction, the lone Dao One Worm journeyed through the realm, swiftly reaching its very foundation—the few, nascent clearings on the Upper Mountain.
It didn’t enter directly. Instead, it settled at the very edge of the developed region and became dormant.
The worm began to absorb the unique rhythm emanating from the Upper Mountain, and a slow transformation began within it.
Though the creature lacked sentience and could not comprehend the principles of the Mountain and Sea, it could, through pure instinct, gradually reshape itself into a being perfectly adapted to that higher reality.
The process would have been impossibly long for one, but the Dao One Worms formed a hive mind. With sufficient numbers, they could drastically shorten the time needed for this "assimilation."
"The life form of a Dao One Worm is utterly singular, utterly simple," Li Fan thought. "That is precisely why they can accomplish what cultivators cannot."
At his command, an endless stream of Dao One Worms poured from their hollow mountain. Some ascended to the highest heavens, settling near the four celestial gates to absorb the aura of the Infinite Sea. Others burrowed deep into the earth, lying dormant just beyond the borders of the Upper Mountain. The rest scattered across the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, multiplying without restraint.
Li Fan had once used the worms to completely infest the Five Elements Great Cave-Heaven. This was merely a repeat of an old strategy, albeit on a much grander scale.
After all, the Dao One Worms were sprites born of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm itself, shaped by his will. Now, he was using these very sprites to secretly re-engineer his creation from within.
In essence, it was no different from his past endeavor in the Spirit Wood Realm, where he had commanded treants to construct the headquarters for the Federation of All Worlds.
"The Dao One Worms evolve towards the Mountain Sea."
"And as they consume the Xuanhuang Realm, the realm itself achieves the same adaptation."
"The Xuanhuang becomes the Dao One, and the Dao One becomes the Mountain Sea."
"This is my third step: Dao One Swallows the Mountain Sea!" A brilliant light flashed in Li Fan’s eyes.
Li Fan had never held any particular reverence for the Mountain Sea.
Not even after experiencing its vastness firsthand, time and again.
"The might of the Mountain Sea is indeed beyond what any cultivator can match. Yet, beings of equal standing exist. The [Truth]. The Great Dao of Longevity."
"The authority of the Mountain Sea might even stem from some so-called Creator God."
"He who steals from others will himself be stolen from..."
"Even if I cannot seize the entire Mountain Sea, as long as I can occupy a foothold within it, I will no longer have to fear the Dao Annihilation. In the future, when the Mountain Sea fully converges, the Dao One Worms can adapt accordingly." An image appeared in Li Fan's mind: a sky filled with black specks, silently inking the Mountain Sea. And he, Li Fan, sat enthroned amidst that boundless black, calmly watching the universe transform.
"From the looks of it, my plan has no flaws. The Dao One Worms' adaptability to the Infinite Sea and the Upper Mountain is even better than I imagined."
Li Fan silently observed the changes in the Dao One Worms within the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, his thoughts turning over the possibilities.
Perhaps because everything in the mortal world originated from the Mountain Sea, the worms' atavistic evolution back toward their source was proceeding with exceptional smoothness.
Countless black specks gathered at the very edge where the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm met the Mountain Sea.
They seemed poised to invade at any moment.
But they took no further action, merely continuing to increase the population of their swarms nearby, making themselves ever more "adaptable."
"The moment the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm officially connects to the Mountain Sea, we will see if the plan is truly viable."
Li Fan stared intently at the Dao One Worms between heaven and earth, murmuring to himself.
Although all current signs suggested that his "Dao One Swallows Mountain Sea" plan had a high chance of success, Li Fan was not one to bet everything on a single outcome.
He always planned for failure before planning for victory. He had already prepared a backup plan in his mind.
"If my deductions are wrong, and my understanding of [Dao Origin] cannot protect the Xuanhuang Realm within the Mountain Sea... or if the Dao One Worms fail to adapt and help the realm survive..."
"I can simply abandon them and once again walk my own path of transcendence."
"No matter what, after experiencing this collision between Xuanhuang and the Mountain Sea, my experience will be richer, and my comprehension of the Mountain and Sea will surely deepen. At that time, I might truly be able to conceive a path that is uniquely my own."
Having successfully escaped the calamity of the three Daos' convergence, Li Fan was confident that even if he were temporarily trapped within the Mountain Sea, he could escape with ease.
"Of course, the prerequisite is that the blessings of the True False Transformation and [Fantasy Becomes Truth] are indispensable."
After obtaining the Supreme Dao Scripture and weaving the rudimentary Myriad Forms Dao Net, Li Fan’s understanding of the True False Transformation had ascended to a new level.
Li Fan already had a faint grasp on the application of the transformation, and now, with a deeper understanding of the Great Dao's principles, he could wield its corresponding changes with ever-increasing proficiency.
With a flicker of his thought, the phantom of a translucent jade disc materialized from nothingness before him.
Its appearance was identical to the Immortal Dissociation Disc that had vanished during the convergence of the three Daos!
The phantom of the Dissociation Disc flickered, shifting back and forth between illusion and reality.
At first, it lingered longer in its illusory state. But as the transformations grew more rapid, the phantom solidified, as if it were about to truly manifest in the world!
The light pulsed with increasing urgency until the illusion seemed to vanish completely.
What appeared before Li Fan was, for all intents and purposes, the true, physical Dissociation Disc!
However, looking at this familiar creation, Li Fan frowned slightly. "Even with my talent in formations, which has nearly reached its limit, it's still not enough to achieve a complete True False Transformation."
"I can barely maintain its state of reality. The moment I withdraw the power of the transformation, it will vanish instantly. This and [Fantasy Becomes Truth] seem separated by only a fine line, yet the gap is as wide as the heavens."
"It's like my talent for formations. Although it's at the theoretical limit, I'm still that one step away from achieving transcendence through arrays alone."
A sudden difficulty arose in Li Fan's mind. "Could it be that one must reach the state of transcendence in a certain Dao to be able to turn that Dao from truth to falsehood? But how is that possible?"
"How does [Truth] manage to reset, restore, and even affect the entire Mountain Sea with a single thought?"
The more Li Fan understood about the True False Transformation, the more confused he became.
Fortunately, he was not one to get stuck on a problem. Since he couldn't figure it out for the time being, he decided to set it aside.
Everything was predicated on improving himself.
Ultimately failing to turn the Immortal Dissociation Disc from illusion to reality, Li Fan ceased his futile efforts and dispelled the phantom before him.
"For now, for the grand plan of Dao One Swallowing the Mountain Sea, I must proceed on three fronts."
"I must constantly monitor the Dao One Worms' process of becoming one with the Mountain Sea; I must enhance the foundation of the Primordial Desolation Immortal Realm so it can endure longer when it collides with the Mountain Sea; and I must continue to seek out and comprehend different Dao paths to advance my understanding of the True False Transformation..."
Li Fan split his consciousness into countless threads, integrating them into every corner of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
Each part acted independently, slowly accumulating power.
Time trickled by. Five years later, Li Fan was roused from his meditation by a sudden disturbance from beyond the High Wall.
"Hm? What's this?"
Li Fan's expression was unreadable as he stared beyond the High Wall, in the direction of the Shuo Xinghai.
"Cat Treasure?"
A wisp of his will, which he had left outside the High Wall, had actually sensed an aura that was similar, yet not identical, to that of the Cat Treasure!
Li Fan's first reaction was to look towards the location of the Fishing Pond in the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
Truly worthy of its name as the Mountain and Sea Fishing Ground, the pond had not been significantly affected despite the world-shaking changes the Xuanhuang Realm had undergone.
It remained as calm and profound as ever, though faint ripples would occasionally disturb its surface in tandem with the world's transformations.
"Other than that, the Fishing Pond shows no other changes."
"The Cat Treasure didn't appear from the Fishing Pond, but instead inexplicably manifested outside the High Wall..."
"Interesting."
"Could it be that there's another Mountain and Sea Fishing Ground out there?"
Li Fan's interest was piqued.
Not only because of his past close encounters with the Cat Treasure, but also because he suspected it was a creation of the "Saint Emperor Li Fan" from another possibility.
After some thought, the Great Heavenly Venerate's immortal puppet flickered and appeared outside the High Wall.
It changed its form and quietly flew towards the source of the recent fluctuation.
"Without the support of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm's power, my strength is more than a notch weaker."
"But this trip is mainly for reconnaissance, so it should be enough. Besides, at this point in time, the Dao Net of Shuo Xinghai has not yet been established."
"It's a gathering place for survivors of the Immortal World's destruction, a chaotic mix of True Immortals and cultivators. As long as I keep a low profile, I shouldn't run into any danger."
Before long, the Great Heavenly Venerate's immortal puppet arrived at the exact location where the fluctuation had been detected.
However, the starry space was now completely empty.
But that was no obstacle for Li Fan.
He unleashed the Revelation Art with a wave of his hand, carefully confining its power to operate only within the Primal Possibility.
(End of this chapter)
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