Chapter 1582: Saints Mend the Void Realm
The first thing Evil Su Bai looked upon were the four heavenly pillars hidden within the fabric of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Primal, Hunger, Tai Yi, Engrave.
Although nourished by the Great Dao of Longevity, the transformed Xuanhuang Immortal Realm no longer needed these four pillars to resist the Dao Annihilation. Yet, they remained, standing tall between heaven and earth as symbolic monuments.
Evil Su Bai’s gaze swiftly passed over Primal and Engrave, lingered for a moment on the Tai Yi pillar, but rested the longest on the pillar of Hunger.
Li Fan, with keen perception, noted this peculiar detail.
His mind instantly flashed back to a scene he had witnessed within Su Bai’s enduring memories.
To prove his overwhelming power to Su Bai, Evil Su Bai had once taken control of Su Bai's body and descended upon the Immortal Ruins. There, he had kicked over the Hunger Immortal, who was deep in meditation, and stomped wantonly on her face. Despite such treatment, the meditating Hunger Immortal remained completely oblivious, a stark testament to the immense chasm in their power.
“But thinking back on it now, Evil Su Bai had a hundred ways to prove his strength. This felt more like an outright insult.”
“Could it be that Evil Su Bai holds some kind of grudge against the Hunger Immortal?”
Powerful enough to have repeatedly thwarted Evil Su Bai, breeding resentment in him to the point where, upon seeing a weaker version of her, he couldn't resist lashing out to vent his frustration.
“Judging by his expression, that seems highly probable.”
Evil Su Bai was not one to mask his emotions, and by covertly observing the shifts in his expression, Li Fan had already formulated a plan.
However, he chose not to broach the subject just yet.
“In the past, I was fortunate enough to receive guidance from Senior Shou Qiu and obtain the fortunes of the Eternal and Tai Yi within this Rotten Axe Dojo. It is only because of this that I was able to forge this world as my future transcendence vessel.”
“Now, though the vessel is complete, the Mountain and Sea is a terrifying place. I remain quite apprehensive about whether this vessel can truly protect me. Therefore, I wish to invite you, senior, to observe it and offer some guidance,” Li Fan stated in a slow, deliberate tone.
“Kid, you’ve got some nerve. Why on earth should I give you any pointers?” Unexpectedly, Evil Su Bai completely ignored Li Fan’s request and his demeanor abruptly changed.
He reached out a hand toward the Heaven beyond Heavens, where the other Su Bai resided.
He intended to snatch his counterpart from this possibility directly.
However, something unforeseen occurred. Although Su Bai was completely unaware of the attack and seemed to possess no means of resistance, a black border instantly materialized around his body.
This border was composed of countless, ceaselessly twitching black dots of unknown origin. It managed to dissolve Evil Su Bai’s power in an instant!
Evil Su Bai, who hadn't been taking this seriously, was momentarily stunned. He then turned to study Li Fan before him with renewed intensity.
“This place is my transcendence vessel. Everything within it belongs to me.”
“To take without asking is to steal. I had thought you an esteemed senior, but it seems...”
“You are nothing more than a common crook!” Having thwarted Evil Su Bai, Li Fan’s expression turned grim as he rebuked him harshly.
Evil Su Bai simply smirked at the accusation. “Kid, don’t think you can faze me by slapping a label on me. You have no idea of the things I, Su Bai, have done. To be called a common crook is practically a compliment!”
Before his words had even faded, he struck again.
Without any warning, the skies of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm grew dark and ominous.
A colossal black vortex rapidly formed in the heavens.
The vortex resembled a pitch-black abyss, its slow rotation threatening to devour and absorb everything in its vicinity.
The Xuanhuang Realm trembled slightly.
The foundational laws that stabilized the world began to flow rapidly toward the abyss.
“Didn’t you ask me for some guidance? Very well.”
“Compared to the tempests of the Mountain and Sea, this vortex is nothing. If your little vessel can’t even withstand its corrosion, then you might as well forget about ever setting foot in the Mountain and Sea. Just stay here obediently for the rest of your life,” Evil Su Bai said with a smile.
In his palm, a corresponding black vortex swirled.
The foundational laws of heaven and earth being drawn from the Xuanhuang sky were all manifesting within his hand.
As the parent of the Xuanhuang Realm, Li Fan could clearly perceive the terrifying destructive potential of this black vortex. It was far more devastating than the impact he anticipated from a formal collision with the Mountain and Sea.
Evidently, Evil Su Bai was lying. He was even trying to use this opportunity to shatter Li Fan’s confidence.
Though this vortex was not his full power, it was certainly beyond what a normal transcendent being could withstand!
If Li Fan hadn’t already experienced the Mountain and Sea firsthand, he might have actually been deceived by him.
“Truly, he has none of the bearing of an esteemed senior...”
However, Evil Su Bai’s actions were well within Li Fan’s expectations.
From the enduring memories of Su Bai, Li Fan had gained a relatively comprehensive understanding of this Evil Su Bai’s modus operandi.
Thus, he put on an innocent facade and asked in a bewildered tone, “A vortex? What vortex is there?”
“Please, senior, make your move. My vessel may be humble, but it should be able to withstand a few storms.”
At first, Evil Su Bai didn't grasp what Li Fan meant. But soon, he noticed that the black vortex that had been raging across the sky had, at some unknown point, vanished without a trace!
And the wound it had inflicted on the world healed in an instant, restored to its original state.
It was as if the entire event had been nothing more than an illusion.
“!” This time, Evil Su Bai was truly shocked.
“This level of recovery... even if Shou Qiu lent his Longevity...”
When Evil Su Bai’s gaze fell upon Li Fan again, it suddenly sharpened.
His eyes locked onto an orange cat that had appeared on Li Fan’s shoulder at some point.
The orange cat was fast asleep, looking lazy and content.
It looked familiar.
A moment later, recognition dawned, and Evil Su Bai’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“I see.”
“So, it involves that one's methods as well.”
“This kid, just who...”
A growing sense of uncertainty and suspicion filled Evil Su Bai’s mind.
“To have so many people secretly supporting him before he has even set foot in the Mountain and Sea.”
Evil Su Bai might appear crazed, but he was no fool.
Shou Qiu was notoriously protective. Even though he wasn't currently in the Mountain and Sea, there was no need to make an enemy of him. Otherwise, given his temperament, he would have destroyed this place with his first strike and left with his target.
He had held back precisely out of consideration for Shou Qiu.
But he never imagined that, in addition to Shou Qiu, this person before him also had the Tai Wei Saint Emperor as a backer.
“Although they seem to be at odds on the surface, they share a consensus on saving the Mountain and Sea.”
“It’s not impossible for them to be secretly cooperating.”
Recalling a certain anecdote from long ago, Evil Su Bai couldn’t help but think so.
It was a time before the ancient and modern Other Shores had been connected.
Suddenly, the countless powerhouses of the modern Other Shore felt a shared sense of foreboding, a premonition of a great catastrophe.
They gathered, and after a round of deductions, they reached a conclusion.
The period of time sustained on the upper reaches of the River of Time had fallen into a precarious state. It was on the verge of being annihilated by the Dao Annihilation at any moment.
At that time, although two Saints had successfully crossed the isolating Eternal Silent Void Realm, their help alone was clearly insufficient to resolve the crisis upstream.
Yet, for a time, no one else on the Other Shore could be found who was confident enough to cross the Eternal Silent Void Realm.
Just as everyone was at their wit's end, Shou Qiu took the initiative to seek out the Tai Wei Saint Emperor. He managed to persuade him, and the Emperor offered up two doses of the Great Luck Saint Medicine.
The Great Luck Saint Medicine was the crystallization of the Sacred Dynasty's condensed fortune.
Given the immense scale of the Tai Wei Sacred Dynasty, which spanned the Mountain and Sea and occupied countless possibilities, it had only managed to condense three doses over so many years.
Parting with even one would be a grievous blow to the Sacred Dynasty and the Saint Emperor himself.
Yet this time, the Saint Emperor had directly given away two doses.
This act forged a third Saint, who successfully crossed the void in time to avert the crisis of Dao Annihilation.
Only then did the Eternal Silent Void Realm get mended, leading to the grand event of reconnecting the severed past and present.
“The connection of ancient and modern allowed everyone’s strength to grow substantially. The Saint Emperor not only fully recovered from his sacrifice but also seemed to have vaguely taken another step forward.”
“From this, it’s clear that whether for survival or for profit, they have reason to cooperate again.”
“Especially since travel through the Eternal Silent Void Realm seems to have become more frequent recently. Could it be that there’s a trend of reconnecting even further upward?”
...
In that single instant, countless thoughts flooded Evil Su Bai’s mind.
“You... are quite something.”
Finally, he coldly uttered these words to Li Fan.
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