Chapter 1573: Forging the Mountain and Sea as One
Chapter 1573: Forging the Mountain and Sea as One
The meditation cushion floated silently, its presence so potent it was as if Saint Tai Yi himself was there.
Even Li Fan felt an irrepressible tremor in his spirit the moment he laid eyes upon the phantom presence.
"No wonder the Shang Immortal Boat could use this to attract the gaze of [Eternity]."
Forcibly suppressing the instinctive shudder that ran through him, Li Fan carefully scrutinized the purple meditation cushion.
"How could something belonging to Saint Tai Yi appear in a lower realm?"
According to the memories of the Tiandu Grandmaster, Saint Tai Yi had likely foreseen the Primal Possibility's inevitable fate of being swallowed by the Dao Annihilation. Like the other two Saints, he had withdrawn from the world, choosing to no longer involve himself in its affairs.
However, when Saint Tai Yi departed, he took nothing from the Great Change Palace, leaving everything just as it was. He left only a phantom projection behind as a form of patronage.
And the Tiandu Grandmaster, as his disciple, continued to serve that phantom projection as his master, just as he had before.
"At the time, the Grandmaster was solely focused on escaping with his life and had no time to take any of the myriad items from the Great Change Palace. After all, to him, aside from the phantom of Tai Yi, everything else was of little consequence."
"For others, however, that wasn't the case. As one of the three Saints of the Immortal Realm, Saint Tai Yi's status was supreme. Any item from the Great Change Palace could be a priceless treasure, especially those that had been in his personal possession..."
"It seems someone, at the critical juncture when the Dao Annihilation Calamity was imminent, not only chose not to flee but instead snuck into the deserted Great Change Palace to plunder it."
Li Fan couldn't help but feel a flicker of curiosity about this audacious individual.
"The cushion they acquired at such great risk is here, yet they themselves are nowhere to be found. Could they have met with some misfortune?"
Li Fan was certain there were no regions left on the Shang Immortal Boat that he hadn't explored. The two Cat Treasures and the Eternal Immortal's Remains were its greatest hidden secrets.
"Perhaps the presence of the Eternal Immortal's Remains is also inextricably linked to this person."
"Only the lord of the Holy Merchants would know the answer."
For the moment, Li Fan decided against making a move on the merchant lord. Instead, he kept his focus locked on the Eternal Immortal's Remains.
The Dao of Eternity could play a crucial role in Li Fan's upcoming plans.
"With the blessing of the power of Eternity, I'll have more of a buffer when the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm collides with the Mountain and Sea," Li Fan mused as his form and features began to transform.
A moment later, his original form had shifted into that of the Tiandu Grandmaster's young acolyte!
It was not merely his physical form and appearance; even the power that surged and manifested within him was the Grandmaster's innate power of the [Infinite]!
"First came Tai Yi, then came the Immortals; yet the Infinite preceded even Tai Yi..."
Li Fan chanted softly, a smile on his lips as he bowed to the Eternal Immortal's Remains before him.
"Greetings, Senior Uncle!"
The smiling, round-faced man abruptly opened his eyes.
His gaze shifted from the Tai Yi cushion below, focusing intently on Li Fan.
Even under the gaze of the Dao of Eternity, Li Fan felt not the slightest hint of panic. After all, his current state couldn't truly be called a "disguise."
With the true Tiandu Grandmaster suppressed and transformed into a celestial pillar, what now manifested within the Myriad Dao Net was the genuine power of the [Infinite]!
It had simply been given a new core.
But it was clear that [Eternity], having already merged with its Dao, could not distinguish between the two wielders of the Infinite. In its eyes, the one before it was simply its junior nephew, whom it had not seen in a very long time.
Although there was no gesture of acknowledgement, like a nod, Li Fan could already sense its "favor."
A warm power enveloped Li Fan.
Like donning a cloak in a raging storm, the moment he was sheltered by the power of Eternity, an unprecedented sense of security washed over Li Fan.
It felt as though he would have nothing to fear, even if the Dao Annihilation itself descended upon him.
"This isn't just an illusion. The Dao of Eternity can indeed resist the Dao Annihilation to some extent."
Li Fan reached out, gently stroking the invisible "garment" that now clothed him.
Yet his gaze drifted far away, beyond the Primal Possibility.
"A being who could call the three Saints brothers is certainly no weakling. This is another existence that spans multiple possibilities. Even if it hasn't reached the Saints' state of existing across all realms, it can't be far from it."
"However, this [unification of all selves] practiced by the Dao of Eternity is somewhat different from that of the Black Heaven Physician, Evil Su Bai, and the others I've encountered."
Through the cloak of Eternity he now wore, Li Fan could faintly sense the Dao of Eternity shimmering brightly across other possibilities. It was like a single thread stretching through the heart of the Mountain and Sea, connecting one possibility to the next.
After a long moment of contemplation, he finally retracted his gaze and looked once more at the round-faced man who had already become one with his Dao.
"The beings who merged with the Dao of Eternity in other possibilities... are not him."
"Instead, they are bizarre and varied. Some are stubborn stones, others the strongest beings of their realms, and some are even evergreen trees."
"But their final fates are all the same: to merge with and be completely absorbed by the Dao of Eternity."
"When every existing possibility gives birth to a wielder of Eternity... that will be the moment the [Dao of Eternity] is truly forged."
At this thought, a faint premonition surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
It seemed the one truly cultivating the Dao of Eternity was not the host of cultivators across innumerable possibilities, but the Dao of [Eternity] itself!
A faint, almost imperceptible chill rose from the depths of Li Fan's heart.
"Perhaps, at that moment, the fully forged Dao of Eternity will be able to rival the Mountain and Sea itself."
Understanding the sheer power of the Dao of Eternity only strengthened Li Fan's resolve.
Still in the guise of the acolyte, he bowed slightly once more. "This place is rather crude. I hope Senior Uncle will deign to relocate."
"So that your junior nephew may better attend to you."
The saying that "the Infinite preceded Tai Yi" was not merely the Grandmaster's boast.
Compared to the cushion left behind by Saint Tai Yi, the junior nephew of the Infinite clearly held more weight in Eternity's heart. At Li Fan's request, the round-faced man showed no hesitation, transforming into an orb of light and attaching itself to him.
Now, all Li Fan had to do was return to the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, and he would bring the Shang Immortal Boat's greatest asset—the Dao of Eternity—back with him.
It seemed absurdly easy, almost like a joke. But if Li Fan had not wielded the power of the Infinite, completing this task would have been fundamentally impossible.
Even using the True False Transformation would have yielded the same result.
"This is what it means to have the right tool for the job, to use the right remedy for the ailment."
To avoid any unforeseen complications, Li Fan didn't linger for a second. He swiftly retracted the infiltrating tendrils of the Myriad Dao Net, carrying the Dao of Eternity with them as he made a hasty retreat.
Before his final departure, Li Fan deliberately left behind the "garment" that Eternity had gifted him earlier.
It would serve as an empty shell of Eternity, a deception for the inhabitants of the Shang Immortal Boat.
Just as Li Fan thought his theft would go completely unnoticed, right as he was about to depart from the Shang Immortal Boat...
"Senior, take me with you!"
The old gatekeeper suddenly cried out.
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