Chapter 1606: Li Fan Meets the Saints
"Once you've had an audience with the Saints, you'll be free to move about," the Hunger Immortal announced coolly, leaving no room for negotiation. "However, that freedom applies only to you. This traversal vessel of yours must remain parked within the Formless Star Hub."
After addressing Li Fan, the Hunger Immortal's colossal eye shifted to Xiao Wangsheng.
"As for you..."
"Survivor of the Mountain and Sea, there is a designated residential area for your kind within the Other Shore. You may also travel freely to most other places. The restrictions are not as stringent for you."
Now it was Xiao Wangsheng's turn to be stunned. He never imagined that the gigantic eye would discern his origins at a single glance.
"It seems my friend was right," he thought. "If I want to blend into the Other Shore safely, it's best not to hide anything."
Li Fan reacted even faster, seizing the opportunity. "Listening to you, Senior, it sounds as if there are many other survivors of the Mountain and Sea like my friend here on the Other Shore?"
It didn't seem to be a secret. The Hunger Immortal chuckled. "I wouldn't say there are many. It's just that these remnants of the Mountain and Sea are fundamentally different from transcendent beings like us. They have more in common with each other, so we simply arranged for them to live in the same area."
Li Fan nodded in understanding. "Thank you for the clarification, Senior. We understand and are willing to abide by all the rules of the Other Shore."
A beam of light shot out from the immense wall of light, locking onto the Xuanhuang Immortal Boat.
In a dizzying blur, Li Fan felt the scene before him shift abruptly. Across the celestial canopy, countless streams of violet mist erupted from cracks in the void, forming crystalline bridges that connected different regions. These bridges seemed to lead to various areas, and through their translucent spans, he could catch fleeting glimpses of rapidly changing landscapes.
A figure stood silently beside him, bearing a striking nine-tenths resemblance to the Hunger Immortal.
The moment he saw this face, a flicker of astonishment crossed Li Fan's features, but he quickly suppressed it. To cover his reaction, he immediately bowed. "Greetings, Senior!"
The Hunger Immortal, however, had keenly caught that flicker. "You've seen me before?" it asked with a playful tone.
Li Fan gave a wry smile and answered truthfully, "Senior, your perception is truly remarkable. In my original possibility, I did indeed have a history with you. I even sealed you into a celestial pillar to hold back the Dao Annihilation..."
A hint of apprehension crossed his face as he recounted the entire affair from beginning to end, including how he had handed that version of the Hunger Immortal over to Evil Su Bai.
Upon hearing of his other self's tragic fate, the Hunger Immortal on the Other Shore showed little anger. Instead, it spoke with utmost calm, "Once you enter the Other Shore, all past karma is erased. Do not worry. Whatever enmity existed between us in the past was wiped clean the moment you joined the Other Shore. You have my word on this. I will not trouble you over it."
"However, as for that other me you mentioned..."
The Hunger Immortal's brow furrowed as it glanced in a particular direction. "Su Bai... Hmph!"
It was clear that after receiving the celestial pillar from Li Fan, Evil Su Bai had not brought it back to the Other Shore, but had kept it for himself.
"Let's go. I will take you to meet the Saints," the Hunger Immortal said, quickly returning to its placid demeanor without dwelling on the matter.
As it spoke, one of the countless violet bridges in the sky suddenly came to life, swooping down to rest before them.
"The Other Shore is divided into numerous regions of immense, boundless scale. Even for transcendent beings like us, traversing it on our own can be quite time-consuming. That is why we rely on these Guiding Rainbow Bridges."
Stepping onto the violet bridge, Li Fan felt the surrounding scenery warp and twist in a bizarre fashion. He could faintly hear a deep, resonant hum, like the very pulse of the Mountain and Sea, as if he were rocketing through it at incredible speed. Yet, within the confines of the bridge, he felt no discomfort, no matter how dramatically the world outside shifted.
However, Li Fan noticed that the expression on his companion, Xiao Wangsheng, had become deeply unsettled ever since they boarded the bridge.
"This violet bridge..."
"It seems to be forged from beings perfectly attuned to the Mountain and Sea," Xiao Wangsheng transmitted, his voice strained.
The Hunger Immortal seemed to hear his telepathic message. "To be precise, they were Mountain and Sea Navigators. Like a bird soaring through the nine heavens or a fish leaping in the sea, their innate ability to traverse the Mountain and Sea surpasses that of most beings on the Other Shore. Thus, the Saints borrowed their forms to create these Guiding Rainbow Bridges for the convenience of all."
Despite the explanation, Xiao Wangsheng's expression did not improve. In his eyes, these Mountain and Sea Navigators were almost identical to his own kind, the Sacrificers of the Mountain and Sea.
In the ancient dynasty, such beings were held in the highest esteem. Now, they had been reduced to mere vehicles...
"This Other Shore is far more dangerous than I imagined!"
"No wonder my friend warned me so insistently." Xiao Wangsheng fell into a long, deep silence.
He simply listened as the Hunger Immortal occasionally offered a piece of information about the Other Shore.
"In theory, there's no need for me to explain things to you one by one. Anyone who can reach the Other Shore on their own can exchange all necessary information with me in a single thought. Unfortunately, you haven't had your audience with the Saints yet, so most of the information about the Other Shore cannot be disclosed to you."
"Once you have gained the Saints' approval, you will naturally come to know everything," the Hunger Immortal explained, sounding bored.
Li Fan asked with some curiosity, "Senior, you keep mentioning 'the Saints.' May I ask who exactly they are...?"
"The Saints are, naturally, the Holy Ones. Beings who crossed the Eternal Silent Void Realm to reach the previous segment of the Mountain and Sea are honored by us with the title of Saint. Before their departure, each Saint leaves behind a manifestation of their will on the Other Shore. This will is devoid of any personal emotion and exists solely for the continuation of the Other Shore and the Mountain and Sea."
"To date, there are nine such Saints. The collective of the wills they left behind is what I refer to as 'the Saints,'" the Hunger Immortal explained, its expression turning serious.
"And the Saints' approval?" Li Fan's expression grew a little strange.
"What each person encounters is different. But as long as you can walk away alive after meeting them, you are considered to have passed the test."
Seemingly catching the fleeting expression on Li Fan's face, the Hunger Immortal added, "But you can rest assured, the Saints are exceedingly magnanimous. In the countless years I have served as a 'Guardian of the Dao,' there have only been two cases of failure, where punishment was meted out."
"And even those most heinous of villains did not perish. They are now toiling day and night on the Eternal Heaven Steps of the Other Shore, to atone for their sins."
The Hunger Immortal didn't specify what the Eternal Heaven Steps was, but its tone made it clear that being imprisoned there was a fate far from pleasant.
Hearing this, Li Fan's expression returned to calm, but his mind was already on high alert.
Although he had anticipated a test upon arriving at the Other Shore, the thought of facing the combined trial of nine beings as powerful as the Three Saints still filled him with a certain gravity.
"I hope the power of Fantasy Becomes Truth can protect me."
"If all else fails, I'll have to use the Mountain and Sea as a threat to secure my departure."
He could still clearly sense the True Spirit embers he had sown throughout the Mountain and Sea, even after entering the Other Shore. This knowledge gave him a solid foundation of confidence.
In contrast to Li Fan's racing thoughts, Xiao Wangsheng had completely calmed down.
In his view, the dynasty's method of transcendence by drawing the Star's gaze was the only true way to save everything. Beings who could be called Saints must surely be creatures of reason.
"If it is truly a method that can save everything, there's no reason they would refuse it."
"Perhaps we don't need to subtly change their views over time. If we meet the Saints directly and lay out the pros and cons, we might be able to convince them." As a creature who had survived from the ancient era of the Mountain and Sea, Xiao Wangsheng had his own way of thinking. Though Li Fan was his savior and friend, he would not act as a mere puppet, following his every instruction.
For Xiao Wangsheng, fulfilling the mission to continue his dynasty's legacy by completing the plan to transcend the Mountain and Sea outweighed everything else.
Xiao Wangsheng's resolve hardened.
Li Fan, however, did not notice this subtle shift.
After an unknown amount of time on the Guiding Rainbow Bridge, the scene before them changed once more.
"I won't be going in."
"Continue forward. The Saints are just ahead!"
The Hunger Immortal's voice echoed in his ears, but Li Fan's attention was already captivated by the extraordinary sight before him.
It was as if he had returned to the Mountain and Sea, surrounded by its endless, rolling landscapes.
But this was different from his past experiences as a single, weak individual drowning within it.
It was even vastly different from the vision Shou Qiu had in his memories, of sitting on the mountain and watching the sea.
Now, Li Fan felt as if he had ascended beyond the Mountain and Sea, suspended high above it.
From this vantage point, he watched the world's transformations unfold below.
Every splash of seafoam was a condensation of countless possibilities.
Upon the serene and majestic Upper Mountain, he could faintly discern a continuous chain of immortal realms, glittering like a sea of stars.
And snaking through the entire Mountain and Sea, like coiling black dragons, was the Dao Annihilation Calamity, devouring everything in its path!
The fusion of Mountain and Sea, the ravages of the Dao Annihilation.
This scene was presented to Li Fan in a more tangible form than ever before.
Not only could Li Fan feel the destruction and threat of the Dao Annihilation with absolute clarity, he could even comprehend the Dao of the Mountain and Sea itself.
"This perspective... it's almost like that of the legendary Star."
"This is not a state I can achieve. This must be..."
"The Saints!"
Xiao Wangsheng had vanished from his side. Li Fan was now utterly alone in this space.
He took a deep breath, gradually calming his mind, and walked forward with composure.
Above the Mountain and Sea, time itself seemed to have ceased.
Li Fan took step after step, yet what he saw, felt, and perceived remained utterly unchanged. He almost fell under the illusion that he was simply walking in place.
But through years of painstakingly planting True Spirit embers, Li Fan had long since cultivated an extraordinary patience and willpower.
"Since the Saints are ahead, as long as I keep walking, I will surely meet them."
It was not that Li Fan had changed his nature and placed such trust in the Hunger Immortal he had just met.
Rather, it was a conclusion drawn from rational deduction.
The Other Shore was the last hope for countless beings in the existing Mountain and Sea, a convergence of transcendent experts striving to save it. They would surely not stoop to playing tricks on a newcomer like himself.
"Otherwise, the Other Shore could never have been established, nor would it have survived to this day."
Li Fan strode forward calmly, heedless of the passage of time.
An unknown period passed, until every other thought in his mind had faded away.
All that remained was the single, pure intention of moving forward.
Suddenly, the scene around him changed again.
A glowing ring materialized, encircling and enclosing him within it.
Nine figures stood upon the ring of light, all looking down at Li Fan in its center.
In that instant, it felt as though the entire weight of the Mountain and Sea crashed down upon him!
His body and his consciousness were instantly crushed into countless fragments.
The change was so abrupt, so fast, that Li Fan had not yet shaken off the single-minded focus of "moving forward." He had no time to react at all!
He watched himself shatter into a myriad of starlit motes.
And yet, within this ring, there seemed to be a mysterious and profound power that allowed Li Fan to maintain his "integrity" even in this shattered state.
As his consciousness slowly reassembled, an unsettling feeling began to grow within Li Fan.
Even under the protection of "Fantasy Becomes Truth," it persisted.
Because Li Fan had noticed that in the instant he was pulverized, the nine figures outside the ring had all rippled simultaneously.
With the power of the Saints, for them to show a collective emotional fluctuation...
"A fire of the true spirit, to incinerate the entire Mountain and Sea. Hahaha, interesting!"
A hearty laugh echoed, causing Li Fan's heart to sink to the depths.
That single sentence had laid bare the secret of his infinite spirituality!
Li Fan dropped all pretense, his expression instantly turning grim.
The methods of the Saints were far beyond his imagination.
All his anticipated silver-tongued arguments, his schemes and plots, his strategies of persuasion...
All of them were useless!
The very moment they met, the Saints had shattered his existence into countless particles of light.
And then they had perused them all.
Every past experience, every secret, every thought.
At this moment, nothing could be hidden!
"You pry into another's secrets and call yourselves Saints?!" It felt as if he had been stripped naked and put on display for all to see. Li Fan seethed with shame and rage.
Faced with Li Fan's furious accusation, the Saints showed no emotional fluctuation whatsoever.
"'Saint' is a title of respect given to us by outsiders. In truth, we are nothing more than a group of pathetic wretches attempting to save the world."
"The Other Shore is the culmination of countless sacrifices and is tied to the very survival of the Mountain and Sea. Naturally, we cannot allow any hidden dangers to enter. Privacy... in the face of absolute survival, is worthless."
"Besides, hearing those words from your lips is rather comical."
...
Voices came from all directions.
Li Fan, who had been consumed by rage, gradually began to calm down.
"You saw my infinite spirituality?"
"What else did you see?"
The Saints responded: "When truth becomes false, the false is also true. [Truth]... a fitting name you gave It."
Li Fan could no longer contain himself. His mind exploded with a deafening roar.
Comments