Chapter 1569: Encountering the Cat Treasure on the Immortal Boat
The moment the blue light enveloped him, Sun Shengshan’s face instantly drained of color, becoming ashen white. A sudden, dawning horror gripped him, as if he knew something dreadful was about to occur.
The pillar of light lingered on him for three long seconds before shifting to the adjacent area.
The blue light swelled like a tide, and moments later, a figure materialized within its depths.
Its physique, appearance, and even the very expression on its face were an exact replica of Sun Shengshan’s!
The blue light locked onto both Sun Shengshans, the original and the new, following the same evaluation procedure as before. Another symbol solidified in the void.
It represented the value 0.00041.
Beside the symbol, an upward-pointing arrow appeared.
The moment the arrow materialized, however, the two Sun Shengshans wore vastly different expressions.
Meanwhile, the newly created Sun Shengshan breathed a silent sigh of relief, a flicker of triumph in his eyes at his lucky escape.
Time seemed to freeze.
Bathed in the blue light, the original Sun Shengshan disintegrated in an instant, dissolving into countless microscopic particles before vanishing completely.
The newly created Sun Shengshan, in turn, took his place and resumed his work.
Li Fan, however, observed with sharp eyes that a small fraction of these particles adhered to the newly created Sun Shengshan.
He seemed to possess no memory of the previous cycle. After standing blankly for a moment, the blue light above his head began to glow, projecting the same thought: "Only ten days left. The Chen-Yi model components must be submitted. But I’m still a long way from meeting the requirements."
And so, the cycle began anew.
He pondered, designed a new component, and ran a test.
"Third-Level Immortal Researcher, Sun Shengshan, requesting test for Chen-Yi component 18762."
This time, however, the symbol that appeared after the test of the Cat Treasure’s creation represented the value 0.00036, accompanied by a downward-pointing arrow.
And so, this Sun Shengshan was allowed to survive.
"The replication efficiency has dropped this much? What could possibly be the problem?"
Sun Shengshan stared at his duplicate as the blue light above his head flared violently. The light sharpened into blades, dissecting the copy, which he then analyzed inch by inch.
Only after the blue light subsided did Sun Shengshan begin designing the next component.
Li Fan remained in this space for a full six months, witnessing this cycle repeat more than thirty times.
Sun Shengshan's life seemed to consist of nothing but design and experimentation. Aside from scheduled breaks to go outside and interact with other citizens of the Holy Merchants, his entire existence was this endless repetition.
And he remained utterly oblivious to his cyclical fate. Only in the final instant, as the blue pillar enveloped him just before his destruction, did the horrifying truth dawn on him, time and time again.
This, however, did nothing to stop a more capable duplicate from taking his place to begin the next round of experiments.
"The three aspects of the experiment correspond to the three abilities displayed by the Cat Treasure: item replication, lifeform simulation, and physical refinement."
"Sun Shengshan is responsible for just one of the Cat Treasure’s countless components. On this entire Shang Immortal Boat, there's no telling how many others like him exist."
"Through incremental improvements to every single component, the overall efficacy of the manufactured Cat Treasure is steadily advanced. The ultimate goal..."
"...is to approach, and perhaps even match, the power of the genuine Cat Treasure!"
At this thought, Li Fan’s interest in the master of the Holy Merchants grew.
Unfortunately, while everyone on the Shang Immortal Boat seemed to be equal, communicating freely through their thoughts, it was clearly just a facade.
In the six months he had been aboard the Shang Immortal Boat, Li Fan had explored other areas in addition to his daily surveillance of Sun Shengshan. Every denizen he came across was a toiler trapped in a cycle, just like him.
Yet he had not seen a single one of the true masters—those responsible for maintaining the Holy Merchants' order, or the architects of this entire workflow.
It was as if the two groups, despite sharing the same vessel, lived in entirely different worlds.
"This group is certainly well-hidden."
After a fruitless search, Li Fan finally turned his attention to the Cat Treasure constructs, which were ubiquitous throughout the Shang Immortal Boat.
"On the surface, it appears that each toiler's workspace contains its own Cat Treasure for experiments. But in reality, all these constructs are one and the same."
He returned to Sun Shengshan’s workspace and waited. The moment the Cat Treasure’s illusion fully manifested for the next round of experiments, Li Fan’s consciousness stealthily attempted to infiltrate it.
"The fact that it can manifest those three abilities proves that even if the Cat Treasure’s true self isn't here, there must be some link to its power."
Li Fan proceeded with extreme caution.
While the boat’s construct was a far cry from the genuine article, it still possessed all the real Cat Treasure's characteristics. The true Cat Treasure could suppress the Hunger Immortal in an instant. This imitation was powerful enough to contend with an ordinary True Immortal. It was not to be underestimated.
After all, this was not Li Fan’s true body, but merely a sliver of consciousness from his Great Heavenly Venerate immortal puppet.
If he were exposed, he might scare off the Shang Immortal Boat, which would be a disastrous outcome.
Li Fan’s suspicions were correct.
The construct before him did indeed have a faint, almost imperceptible link to something real. But this connection only existed for the brief instant its abilities were activated.
At all other times, even when the image of the Cat Treasure was visible, it was nothing more than an illusion, a mere projection.
The link between the construct’s power and its true self was fleeting, but Li Fan managed to seize upon it with precision each time.
He didn’t rush to follow the connection. Instead, he patiently observed thousands of these appearances and disappearances, making certain there were no sudden variations or hidden traps. Only then, riding the fading wave of the construct's power, did Li Fan follow the link back to its source.
He found himself in a space of absolute darkness.
Straining his vision, he could faintly discern transparent, glass-like boundaries enclosing the space.
An orange tabby cat lay quietly in the void, lost in a deep slumber.
Ninety-nine blue chains bound the cat completely.
He could faintly make out countless symbols flowing from the cat's body, streaming along the chains to some unseen anchor point in the void.
And beside this sleeping orange cat, another cat sat quietly.
This cat was a perfect match for the Cat Treasure constructs on the Shang Immortal Boat.
It stared intently at its 'kin' beside it, occasionally drawing near to sniff and observe it closely. But, as if afraid of waking the orange cat, it never dared to get too close, always keeping a careful distance.
To banish his own fear of the Cat Treasure, Li Fan had once meticulously carved countless wooden effigies of it, only to burn them all to ashes.
Although this imprisoned orange cat looked remarkably similar to the Cat Treasure—almost identical, in fact—Li Fan’s intuition allowed him to spot the subtle differences at a glance.
"They look so alike, and yet... it’s not the one."
Li Fan felt a measure of relief.
Neither the orange cat nor the boat’s cat seemed to have detected his presence.
They carried on as before.
Every so often, the boat’s cat would attempt to mimic the sleeping posture of the orange one. It wasn't just the physical form; its fur, its features, even its expression would begin to shift, transforming to match its counterpart.
For some reason, however, the transformation never lasted long. After little more than a dozen seconds, the boat’s cat would always revert to its original form.
Yet it showed no sign of giving up, continuing its attempts with unwavering persistence.
Li Fan noticed that with each attempt, the boat’s cat’s transformation became a more perfect imitation than the last.
"This must be the fruit of the labors of countless individuals like Sun Shengshan."
"But, this cat..."
Li Fan couldn't shake a strange feeling.
Although this boat’s cat was an imitation of the real Cat Treasure, its eyes, for some reason, seemed even more expressive, more... alive.
Just like...
A human!
And a moment later, a change in the boat’s cat confirmed Li Fan’s suspicion entirely.
After another attempt at mimicry, it seemed to finally grow weary.
The boat’s cat let out a yawn and then, astonishingly, transformed from a feline back into a human!
"Having spent so long in a cat’s body, the human form feels a little awkward now,"
a handsome youth of about fifteen or sixteen remarked with a self-deprecating smile.
As the youth resumed his human form, a series of blue figures appeared one after another.
"Master!" the blue figures exclaimed, bowing respectfully to the youth.
The youth merely gave a slight, indifferent nod.
"Any news from the other side?" the youth asked.
"Our last contact was more than six months ago," one of the blue figures replied. "They promised to send another, but we never saw it. And since then, there has been no response from their side."
The youth frowned, and in an instant, one of his ears transformed into that of a cat. It twitched slightly before he chuckled. "No need for suspicion. It was sent. It just ran into a bit of trouble on arrival and managed to break free."
The blue light of the figures around him wavered, a clear sign of their astonishment.
The youth, however, simply waved his hand. "Relax," he said with a smile. "With Pi Pa here, the newcomer can’t escape. It must be hiding somewhere on this boat."
Hearing this, the blue figures were horrified. "We have failed in our duty!" they chorused. "Please punish us, Master!"
"The Seizing Heaven Cats are exceptionally strange," the youth said calmly. "Even if one appeared right in front of you, you might not notice it. If it wishes to hide, how could you possibly know? What fault is it of yours?"
"If the Seizing Heaven Cats were not so powerful, why would I go to such lengths, even using my own body to study them?"
The blue figures around him lowered their heads, their forms radiating shame.
The youth himself paid it no mind. "Come," he announced. "Let’s go meet our newcomer."
With a wave of his hand, a rift instantly appeared in their midst.
The youth stepped through, and the others followed suit.
Li Fan, meanwhile, had quietly attached himself to one of the blue figures, leaving the space with them.
Just as he was leaving, however, Li Fan thought he sensed the body of the imprisoned orange cat, Pi Pa, tremble ever so slightly.
"It wasn't my imagination."
"Interesting," Li Fan mused.
The youth led the group to a region completely different from the one inhabited by the toilers like Sun Shengshan.
Thousands of structures floated in the void like a starfield.
From a distance, the architectural style bore some resemblance to that of the Mysterious Immortal Boat.
Some of the beings living there had the same blue, ethereal bodies, but the vast majority appeared to be normal humans.
The moment the youth appeared among them, everyone took notice.
"We welcome the Holy Master!"
they cried in unison, bowing their heads.
"Since you had the courage to come, why are you still hiding?" The youth merely sneered, his words directed at a large, verdant tree floating in the void.
Li Fan could see that, unlike the mythical Ruomu Tree, this one was not filled with life force, but with the energy of death. The death energy was simply so concentrated that it paradoxically gave off an appearance of vibrant life.
At the youth's words, the leaves of the tree rustled.
A moment later, a black-and-white cat leaped from the treetop.
The black-and-white cat twitched its nose, seeming to sense something. It let out a low growl at the youth, then crouched, ready to pounce.
In that same instant, the youth transformed, taking on the appearance of the imprisoned orange cat.
The black-and-white cat faltered, its focus lost for a crucial second.
"Now!"
The transformation lasted but an instant before the youth returned to his human form.
The blue figures around him needed no prompting. With perfect coordination, they had launched their attack in unison even before he gave the command.
An empty robe moved as if worn by a cultivator, shooting out fine black threads. Though most were instantly absorbed by the black-and-white cat, a few threads landed on its fur, weaving themselves into a garment.
A battered suona blared a piercing note, drowning out all sound from the cat. But it suppressed more than just sound; the very light shining from the cat’s eyes seemed to dim under the instrument's cry.
A battered wooden staff, which looked ready to splinter, released countless transparent figures as it was brandished. The figures all wore expressions of profound pity; though eyeless, they unerringly locked onto their target and launched themselves forward in a fearless, suicidal assault.
An unremarkable stone, the kind one might find in any riverbed, was thrown in a direction that seemed to completely miss the cat. Yet, it unerringly changed its course to strike the black-and-white cat squarely on the head.
...
The denizens of the Shang Immortal Boat unleashed a barrage of attacks.
They used no divine abilities or magical arts, relying solely on an arsenal of bizarre artifacts.
Under the onslaught of these strange wonders, the black-and-white cat was utterly powerless to resist. All of its own attacks were mysteriously neutralized, leaving it to be passively battered. Even its whimpers were silenced by the suona’s drone.
This bizarre scene sent a chill down the spine of the secretly observing Li Fan.
"These things..."
"The Daos imbued within them... I've never seen anything like them. They must all come from other possibilities."
"And they're all incredibly powerful!"
Seeing this, Li Fan instinctively concealed himself with even greater care.
He recalled the earlier conversation between the Holy Master and the denizens.
"The Shang Immortal Boat... it must be receiving aid from other possibilities."
"The Cat Treasure is likely one of the Seizing Heaven Cats. The faction on the other side must be incredibly powerful to capture and deliver one. But why would they choose to help the Shang Immortal Boat?"
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