Chapter 1633: The Silt of the Eternal Void
“Without Dao! Without virtue!”
An image flashed through He Gan Xian’s mind: the flames of the True Spirit incinerating everything, the entire Mountain and Sea annihilated.
Witnessing such a scene, helpless to intervene, he would be proven to have “lost the Dao.”
Meanwhile, his other self, indifferent from beginning to end, would be proven to have “lost virtue.”
Once Dao and Virtue were completely split, their state of circulation would cease. His very existence would likely crumble!
“With a single sentence, he revealed the method to slay the Moral True Immortal. This man...”
“Even if he is not a Saint, he cannot be far from it!”
A cold sweat almost trickled down He Gan Xian’s back. He was now more than half-convinced by Li Fan's words.
Perhaps this person truly was here to help him on his path to sainthood.
After all, with the knowledge and power he had displayed, it was entirely possible he could help that other Moral True Immortal destroy him instead!
He Gan Xian’s demeanor grew even more deferential. “Your words are absolutely correct, Daoist friend. But I must ask, how certain are you of success?”
“A calculated strike against an unsuspecting foe... a certainty.”
“However, the one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. The path to sainthood is one you must walk yourself.”
“I can only offer sound advice,” Li Fan replied, his tone growing ever more nonchalant as he observed the subtle shifts in He Gan Xian’s state of mind.
He Gan Xian nodded hastily. “That is only natural!”
“My other self, though weak, is extremely vigilant and well-hidden. More importantly, he seems to have a powerful expert aiding him. My previous attempts to probe him were all mysteriously blocked.”
“Moreover, a scenario that drives him to utter despair would likely be fatal to me as well. How can I ensure my own safety while eliminating him?” He Gan Xian continued, seeking guidance.
“That part is simple. Burning the Mountain and Sea doesn’t mean we actually burn the Mountain and Sea. It’s merely an act.”
“You know this, but he does not. That is the crucial difference.”
“Using falsehood to deceive the truth, and turning falsehood into truth...”
For some reason, Li Fan trailed off, his words halting mid-sentence.
He seemed lost in thought.
He Gan Xian grew hesitant. “Daoist friend, is something wrong?”
“It’s nothing. I was just... reminded of something else.” After a moment of silence, Li Fan returned to the present, a flicker of flame suddenly materializing in his palm.
“What do you think of this fire?”
He Gan Xian recognized it as the same terrifying flame that had casually incinerated an entire possibility.
Even observing it from a distance, an irrepressible, heart-pounding fear welled up within him.
He had no doubt that this was a destructive power on par with the Dao Annihilation Calamity.
But after studying it for a long time, He Gan Xian still couldn’t discern the flame’s origin.
He could only offer some awkward flattery. “Your divine arts are truly profound, Daoist friend.”
Li Fan paid him no mind, instead beginning to outline his plan. “I can use this flame, along with the power of the Dao Annihilation Calamity, to forge a sealed arena for the two of you.”
“To make the performance as convincing as possible, I will incinerate a vast expanse of the Mountain and Sea. Thus, within the arena, you will see nothing but endless mountains and seas, countless possibilities turning to ash in the conflagration.”
“Your task is to confront him and, when the moment is right, prove him to be ‘without virtue.’”
He Gan Xian gazed at the fire dancing in Li Fan’s palm and could almost see the endless Mountain and Sea being set ablaze.
He couldn’t help but shiver.
“Will such a massive commotion not cause problems?” he asked, a note of uncertainty in his voice.
Li Fan chuckled softly. “Don’t worry. The Mountain and Sea, though vast, is unrelated to the final outcome. As long as we can forge a new Saint, all is well.”
Such a confident and carefree attitude did much to reassure He Gan Xian.
In the past, he too had committed his share of world-ending acts to extinguish the last vestiges of conscience within him, but they were always confined to single, isolated possibilities.
Compared to Li Fan’s talk of casually burning vast swaths of the Mountain and Sea, his own deeds were nothing but child’s play.
And it was precisely this breadth of mind, this brazen disregard for convention, that further convinced He Gan Xian of Li Fan’s status as a Saint.
“But be warned, to achieve the effect of using falsehood to deceive the truth, you must not only fool him—you must fool yourself. My display will, of course, be nearly indistinguishable from reality. But if you, who are at its center, remain unmoved, it will be an obvious flaw, and we will not achieve the desired outcome,” Li Fan said, his eyes fixed on He Gan Xian.
“Fool myself?” He Gan Xian’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Think on it. Prepare yourself. I can see you still have your doubts. When the time is right, I will find you again.”
“Daoist friend, wait...”
Before He Gan Xian could finish, Li Fan’s figure had vanished from before him.
He had disappeared into the Mountain and Sea, his whereabouts unknown.
Only the flame in his palm remained, still burning where he had stood.
He Gan Xian stood rooted to the spot for a long while before slowly approaching the fire.
A scorching heat washed over him, and it felt as if the very foundation of his existence was being set alight.
A whirlwind of black moral qi swirled around the flame, attempting to extinguish it.
But the flame stood firm within the gale, utterly unmoved.
Instead, the black moral qi was steadily consumed, thinning out in a matter of moments.
“The truly terrifying thing about this fire is that...”
“It seems to consume my very True Spirit?”
He Gan Xian suddenly recoiled in horror, snatching his hand back as if he had been burned and scrambling away from the flame of the True Spirit.
An expression of extreme apprehension filled his eyes.
“Using the True Spirit as fuel... this is a forbidden art, a costly tactic that hurts the user as much as the enemy.”
“Why, then, can he wield it with such casual ease?”
Even if He Gan Xian racked his brains, he could never imagine that someone with infinite spirituality existed within the Mountain and Sea.
Thus, after much deliberation, he could only conclude that Li Fan’s True Spirit was so vast and profound, so far beyond his own, that he simply didn’t care about such a minor expenditure.
“Only a Saint of the Mountain and Sea could be so nonchalant.”
The thought resurfaced in He Gan Xian’s mind, unbidden.
If only a single clue had pointed to Li Fan’s status as a Saint, He Gan Xian might have remained skeptical.
But now, every illogical facet of Li Fan’s being pointed to the same answer.
He had no choice but to believe it.
“I have heard that the Saints of the Other Shore can traverse the Eternal Silent Void Realm.”
“It is a place where even the concept of ‘existence’ is gone, the remnants of an entire segment of the Mountain and Sea after being devoured by the Dao Annihilation.”
“A complete and utter blankness.”
“But if one can traverse it and return, one can filter out and bring back...”
“True Spirit.”
“It is like the sediment left after the Mountain and Sea is destroyed, forming a stagnant, dead mire. To cross it is to be stained by its silt.”
“Perhaps that is why he can use the flame of the True Spirit without any reservations.”
He Gan Xian naturally coveted such a divine ability.
But alas, though the power was magnificent, he could only look, not touch.
Otherwise, no matter how much of a genius he was, after using it once or twice, he too would be drained and become just another face in the crowd.
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