Chapter 1600: Sparks Across the Mountain and Sea
The Immortal Realm, Celestial Library Star Domain.
Tens of thousands of True Immortals had gathered, among them no shortage of those in the Nameless Realm.
"The Immortal Chancellor remains in seclusion. We must find a solution quickly," one declared.
"The nearby Hanging Palace, Age Collapse, and Dipper Handle Star Domains have all been devoured by the Dao Annihilation. It won't be long before our Celestial Library Star Domain is destroyed too!" another lamented.
"The problem is, the Dao Annihilation has cut off all escape routes. Our Celestial Library Star Domain has become a sealed-off land. There's nowhere to run, nowhere to go," a third voice added, heavy with despair.
"Everyone, everyone, please don't panic and fall into disarray," a calmer voice interjected. "I sent a message to the Immortal Chancellor some time ago. He has replied and will emerge from seclusion in the coming days to organize our resistance against this calamity..."
"In the coming days?" someone scoffed. "By the time Lin Zhaoye finally shows himself, we'll all be dead!"
"No, he must come out today!" another insisted. "He owes us an explanation."
...
It wasn't just the life-or-death crisis; besieged by the Dao Annihilation, the immortals were slowly discovering that even their "infinite" authority was being affected.
This gradual erosion over time was, in some ways, more terrifying than a swift death.
At the center of the crowd, where the group of Nameless Immortals stood, a completely different topic was being discussed in hushed tones.
"Fellow Daoists, have any of you heard the rumors about the so-called 'Salvation Immortal Ark'?"
"With the Dao Annihilation closing in, a great calamity upon us, and the Immortal Chancellor still in seclusion, this Salvation Immortal Ark might be our only way out. Of course, we've heard of it. It's just..."
"The ark's appearance is rather strange. We've never heard of it before."
"However, the claim that it can traverse the Dao Annihilation should be true. Although I haven't met the ark's master, I had a brief encounter with the twelve Nameless Immortals aboard. To be blunt, any one of them is likely stronger than Lin Zhaoye."
"Brother Zhao, are you certain of this?"
"On a matter of life and death, why would I speak carelessly?"
"Even if the rumors are true, the conditions for boarding are too harsh. One must either offer an ancient artifact of the Mountain and Sea or serve as a slave for a hundred thousand years. That..."
"Everyone... what if we joined forces? Could we seize this Salvation Immortal Ark?"
The group of Nameless Immortals had been chatting idly, but as soon as these words were spoken, the area fell instantly silent.
All eyes turned to the speaker. It was[Shuhu], one of the most infamous Nameless True Immortals in the Celestial Library Star Domain. The Dao he cultivated was related to fanning the flames of conflict and sowing discord without restraint.
Anyone who followed Shuhu's suggestions was guaranteed to meet a terrible end.
Seeing the cold stares, Shuhu gave an awkward laugh. "My apologies, my apologies. Old habits die hard."
"At a critical time like this, some things should not be said lightly. The master of this ark is clearly a Transcendent expert. With the Great Calamity of Dao Annihilation here, the Immortal Realm disintegrating, and every star domain fighting for its own survival, the Salvation Immortal Ark may be our only hope. A hundred thousand years of servitude is acceptable compared to annihilation."
"Besides, although it's a hundred thousand years of servitude, according to those twelve Nameless Immortals, their services are rarely required. Not only would we be able to approach the Dao Annihilation without being Transcendent ourselves and comprehend the Great Dao of Mountain and Sea, but there's also the hope of being carried along to the legendary great world of the Other Shore..."
After some discussion, the atmosphere among the immortals grew heated once more. It was clear that many of the Nameless had been moved by the idea.
"But... where exactly is this Salvation Immortal Ark?"
The group of Nameless Immortals scanned the Celestial Library Star Domain repeatedly, trying to find any trace of the so-called Salvation Immortal Ark.
But they found nothing.
They had no idea that, hidden within the dark clouds of Dao Annihilation surrounding the Celestial Library Star Domain, a magnificent giant vessel was moored.
It was the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm!
However, compared to before, the state of this Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was somewhat strange.
It seemed to be constructed from phantoms, yet all the living beings within its heaven and earth existed in a purely physical state.
Liu Liangcai, one of the twelve True Immortals from the Primal Possibility, had long since advanced to the Nameless Realm.
He arrived in the Heaven beyond Heavens of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm to report his progress to Li Fan.
"So, this possibility is truly beyond saving?" Li Fan's voice, disembodied, drifted faintly from the horizon.
Liu Liangcai, however, dared not show the slightest neglect. He nodded with utmost gravity. "I have followed the usual procedure, gathering all usable populace. In ten years, once the Dao Annihilation has completely consumed this possibility, Ark Rinyin will be able to set sail again."
From Li Fan's side, there was no reply for a long time.
Liu Liangcai's heart tightened, assuming Li Fan was dissatisfied with his progress. He quickly added, "Five years. If we agitate the Dao Annihilation further, we can accelerate this possibility's destruction."
Only then did Li Fan respond. "You have half a year. Liangcai, you are still too soft."
"I have given you all your instructions long ago. When you encounter a possibility that is still stable and prosperous, you are to quietly leave behind a phantom of myself and depart swiftly and silently."
"If it is already targeted by the Dao Annihilation and on the brink of collapse, then you are to help it meet its end sooner, gather all usable people and resources, and strengthen the Immortal Ark."
"You have sailed the Mountain and Sea for many years. Do you not know how vast it is, with its countless possibilities? If you dawdle like this with every one, how long will it take for us to complete our plan and sail to the Other Shore?"
Though Li Fan's words were calm, cold sweat had already begun to bead on Liu Liangcai's forehead.
"Half a year... After half a year, we will certainly set sail again."
After he said this, his vision blurred, and he found himself expelled from the Heaven beyond Heavens.
He let out a long breath, as if a great weight had been lifted.
"The Senior's aura grows more terrifying by the day."
Liu Liangcai's gaze shifted beyond the Xuanhuang Immortal Ark, pierced through the Dao Annihilation, and settled on the Celestial Library Star Domain.
"Better you die than I, my fellow Daoists. Please don't blame me..."
After only a moment's hesitation, Liu Liangcai made up his mind.
He still remembered the first time he had personally caused the Dao Annihilation to surge and drown an entire possibility. Witnessing countless beings perish because of him, his heart felt as if it were being struck by endless lightning, and he had nearly broken down.
But later...
After doing it enough times, he slowly grew accustomed to it.
Muttering an incantation, he bowed towards the Heaven beyond Heavens. "I request the Sacred Body of Ink Death."
After a moment, a black phantom appeared silently between heaven and earth in response.
Without a second glance, it plunged straight into the dark clouds of Dao Annihilation outside the Immortal Ark.
A moment later, the clouds churned and winds howled, as if a storm were gathering and about to descend.
Inch by inch, it closed in on the Celestial Library Star Domain, which had already been reduced to a mere corner of its former self.
"You don't have much time left," Liu Liangcai sighed softly.
...
Meanwhile, aboard the true Xuanhuang Immortal Ark, Li Fan sensed that Ink Death seemed to have grown stronger again and nodded slightly.
An unknown amount of time had passed since he first devised the plan to scatter the sparks of True Spirit across the Mountain and Sea. All these years, Li Fan had been carrying out that plan.
At first, it went quite smoothly. With the Taiji Wooden Staff, Ink Death, and the Dao One Worm clearing the path, the Xuanhuang Immortal Ark was able to travel smoothly between different possibilities, quietly leaving behind the sparks of True Spirit.
But later, Li Fan discovered that while this method was smooth, it was far too slow.
Even though it was riddled with holes from the corrosion of the Dao Annihilation, the Mountain and Sea was ultimately too vast.
At this rate, even if Li Fan dedicated his entire life to it, he could never hope to complete his plan of scattering the True Spirit sparks widely enough to pose a threat to the Mountain and Sea.
"To create a fire great enough to threaten the Mountain and Sea and the Other Shore, the initial sparks must cover at least one percent of the entire Mountain and Sea. Only then, in the short time I have when faced with danger, can I ignite them all and set the mountains and seas ablaze with the fire of the True Spirit."
"One percent of the Mountain and Sea may seem insignificant, but for a cultivator, it is an unimaginably vast number."
Only by experiencing it firsthand could he truly understand what kind of realm the "infinity" of the Mountain and Sea represented.
Relying on himself alone, it was impossible to complete the plan. So, he decisively changed his approach.
He used the feedback from the Sitting Heaven Technique to create phantoms of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, building slightly weaker Xuanhuang Immortal Arks.
He had the twelve True Immortals act as helmsmen, steering these arks in his stead to sail to all corners of the Mountain and Sea.
This was only the first step.
Just as Li Fan had instructed Liu Liangcai, the task of the twelve True Immortals was to wander through different possibilities and plant the sparks of True Spirit.
At the same time, they were to subdue and recruit any useful individuals.
Then, these newly joined Nameless True Immortals would be given new Xuanhuang Immortal Arks to command, beginning the next phase of the mission.
This process repeated itself endlessly.
"To date, I have nearly a thousand Xuanhuang Immortal Arks under my command, sailing in different corners of the Mountain and Sea."
"But even so, the completion of the plan is still a distant prospect."
Li Fan sighed softly.
"Fortunately, I have not been without gains."
As each spark of True Spirit was set in place, Li Fan, even while amidst the Dao Annihilation, could clearly feel the "selves" from the different possibilities throughout the Mountain and Sea.
These spiritualities, scattered across the Mountain and Sea, were like his eyes and tentacles, helping him to perceive the Mountain and Sea more comprehensively.
"If in the past I was like a blind man touching an elephant..."
"...then now, it is as if tens of thousands of people are helping me feel it."
"Though the great elephant is vast, its true form is slowly being revealed."
"It is just as I predicted."
In Li Fan's mind, the image of a hollowed-out, worm-eaten log reappeared.
Countless red points of starlight were scattered across the log.
Although they did not yet cover the majority of the area, they were already substantial in number.
"The more I see and feel, the stronger I become."
"It is like the 'All Selves Return to One' that Evil Su Bai and the others pursued. Every time I complete a placement in a possibility, it means I have absorbed the 'me' from that possibility."
"From one to ten thousand, and from ten thousand back to one."
"Different paths lead to the same destination."
And it was precisely because Li Fan himself was growing stronger that the Sitting Heaven Technique could endlessly generate feedback power to condense new phantoms of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. This was what sustained Li Fan's plan to scatter the sparks of fire.
Of course, the plan did not always go smoothly.
The phantom Xuanhuang Immortal Arks, lacking the Solitary Sail of Mountain and Sea to stabilize them, were far less stable in the Dao Annihilation. If the waves of Dao Annihilation grew rough, they were at constant risk of capsizing.
However, even if a phantom ark was swallowed by the Dao Annihilation, Li Fan did not suffer any significant loss. Nameless True Immortals, fit to be helmsmen, were countless across the Mountain and Sea. Even if they all perished, he could recruit more at any time.
The real variable came from the changes in the Dao Annihilation itself.
At first, Li Fan didn't feel it much.
But as more and more—around a hundred—phantom Xuanhuang Immortal Arks capsized in the Dao Annihilation, Li Fan finally noticed that something was wrong.
Outside the true Xuanhuang Immortal Ark, the waves of Dao Annihilation had inexplicably grown rougher.
Then Li Fan understood: every time the Dao Annihilation swallowed a Xuanhuang Immortal Ark, even if it was only a phantom, its understanding of the ark deepened by a fraction.
After more than a hundred Xuanhuang Immortal Arks had been destroyed, the corrosive power of the Dao Annihilation against the true Xuanhuang Immortal Realm underwent a qualitative leap, rising to a new level.
Only then did Li Fan perceive it.
"This is what makes the Dao Annihilation truly difficult to deal with."
Thus, out of necessity, while maintaining his plan to scatter the sparks of True Spirit, Li Fan also had to minimize the destruction rate of his arks. He didn't expect them to be one hundred percent safe, but at the very least, the growth of his own strength had to outpace the growth of the Dao Annihilation's corrosive power.
Otherwise, before he could finish scattering the sparks, he himself would perish in the Dao Annihilation.
This was also why Li Fan had spoken so much and so patiently to Liu Liangcai earlier.
In the past, Li Fan would have long since thrown Liu Liangcai into the Dao Annihilation!
With Li Fan's change in attitude, the phantom arks received support from powers like Ink Death and the Dao One Worm, and the accident rate dropped significantly. Not only did the efficiency of planting Li Fan's True Spirit improve by a large margin, but it also unexpectedly spurred the birth of many "Transcendent experts."
It was important to note that the time these "apostles"—tasked with Li Fan's orders—spent performing missions in different possibilities was but a tiny fraction of their existence.
The vast majority of their time was spent sailing through the boundless Mountain and Sea, constantly facing the Dao Annihilation.
In a sense, this was the perfect place for them to comprehend the true meaning of Transcendence.
In ordinary possibilities, no such suitable place existed where these Nameless True Immortals could come into such close contact with the Dao Annihilation and still be able to focus on their comprehension in peace.
Those chosen by Li Fan to be his apostles were all beings of supreme talent from their respective possibilities.
It was hardly surprising that some seeds of Transcendence would sprout among them.
Li Fan made it clear to all his "helmsman-apostles" that if any of them could achieve Transcendence and reach the Other Shore on their own without the Xuanhuang Immortal Ark, they were free to go.
The hundred-thousand-year agreement would be void.
If they met again on the Other Shore, they would even have the chance to sit and discuss the Dao.
Li Fan wasn't worried about his plan to scatter the True Spirit sparks leaking out, because apart from the original twelve True Immortals, these later-recruited helmsman-apostles did not know the fundamental reason for sailing to different possibilities.
They simply believed it to be a unique cultivation method of Li Fan's.
As for the original twelve True Immortals, they were always firmly under Li Fan's control.
"The cultivation method of 'All Selves Return to One' is truly efficient."
"If I were to meet Evil Su Bai now, I could exchange a few blows with him head-on, even without relying on borrowed power to intimidate him."
Comments