Chapter 1644: The First Rederivation of Myriad Daos
It was a blank slate, yet not entirely a void.
The possibility itself still lingered.
To draw an analogy, it was akin to the dawn of creation, when the heavens and earth first parted and chaos had just begun to recede.
"It's a shame the Saints already swept through. I can't even perceive the faintest of images," He Gan Xian remarked regretfully, his gaze fixed on the space for a long while.
"All I can faintly sense is that... my other self seems to have perished under the weight of this power..."
As he spoke, He Gan Xian transmitted a wisp of Dao resonance.
It was a Dao unlike any Li Fan had encountered in the other possibilities of the Mountain and Sea—truly a rarity.
He found it difficult even to find the words to describe it.
"It seems to represent a calamity where consciousness sinks into a great, silent extinction. Without consciousness, all other existence becomes meaningless—morality, even the Mountain and Sea itself. No wonder it was capable of destroying the Faceless Immortal..."
The blankness over the ruins of the Life and Death Realm did not last long.
Suddenly, a beam of iridescent light shot forth from the depths of the Mountain and Sea.
In a flash, it rode the winds and broke through the waves of Dao Annihilation, piercing fiercely into the blank expanse.
Tracing it back to its source, it came from the direction of the Other Shore!
Every transcendent expert present turned in unison to look at the descending rainbow light.
It was a small, seven-colored banner!
"The Saints have made their move again!"
Amid cries of alarm, the iridescent banner shattered with a bang, revealing a hazy figure.
The figure cast a commanding gaze across the blank possibility.
Then, it melted into it.
With the Saint's phantom gone, the blank possibility began to shimmer like water on the verge of boiling.
Calm, yet humming with latent power.
"The divine power of the Saints is truly beyond words! This is a method to catalyze the re-enactment of the Great Dao! Before long, I imagine new Daos will be conceived and born here. Such a sight is rare in the Mountain and Sea. We are fortunate to witness it today; it could be immensely beneficial." He Gan Xian's eyes gleamed as he praised in admiration.
As if to prove He Gan Xian's words, faint wisps of color began to appear within the once-blank possibility.
They rose like ethereal smoke, stirring in gentle waves.
It was as if a pebble had been dropped into a placid pool, sending out concentric ripples.
In a flash, one change gave rise to a hundred, and those hundred spawned ten thousand more!
The speed at which the Daos here were regenerating was even faster than either of them had anticipated.
Mere moments after the first stirrings, the Dao of this place had become as deep and unfathomable as a starry sky.
A phantom of the Mountain and Sea emerged, as if from the profoundest depths.
The mountain was the Upper Mountain, the sea was the Infinite Sea.
Where mountain and sea connected, the Immortal Realm was born!
A flash of brilliance erupted from the darkness.
It then began to dance through the void, and with every leap, it seemed to sculpt islands from the darkness.
One vibrant Star Sea after another came into being.
The points of light pulsed ceaselessly, self-replicating until, in a matter of moments, they had transformed into a sky ablaze with twinkling stars.
And so, the vast, boundless Immortal Realm took shape before their very eyes.
"This is..."
Li Fan stared intently at the points of light that, having fulfilled their purpose, were gradually fading away. A flicker of recognition crossed his mind. "The Mysterious Origin Primal Spirit Grand Array?"
These shining points of light, which had just reshaped the Mountain and Sea, indeed contained the aura of the Mysterious Origin Primal Spirit Grand Array.
However, the complete version of the array seemed to have transcended the level of a mere "formation," ascending to the height of a "Dao."
And the spectacle of the Immortal Realm's re-creation had happened far too quickly.
Though Li Fan had sensed it, he hadn't been able to observe it with true clarity.
A pang of regret struck him.
Meanwhile, the transcendent experts who had arrived late, missing the grand spectacle of a world's rebirth, were all wringing their hands and sighing in frustration.
"The Saints made their move, wiping the slate clean and re-establishing earth, fire, water, and wind. To miss such a grand spectacle... who knows when we'll ever get a chance to see it again!" lamented an old man leaning on a wooden staff.
"It all happened so suddenly. The calamity and the Saint's descent came and went in a flash. Only the experienced elders or those with unusually sharp spiritual senses could react in time to witness the Dao's inception within the blank slate. They are a minority, after all," a middle-aged woman in a close-fitting gown remarked calmly from beside the old man. Yet, deep within her eyes, a trace of regret lingered.
The old man and the woman both sized up Li Fan and the others who had arrived first, their expressions filled with envy.
When their gazes met Li Fan's, they gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, even though he was a stranger.
A thought flickered in Li Fan's mind, and he sent a telepathic message to He Gan Xian. "Did you gain any insights?"
If this were an ordinary opportunity, the onlookers wouldn't be showing such strong emotions. Yet Li Fan himself had felt no particular enlightenment, which prompted his question to He Gan Xian.
He Gan Xian's eyes were shut tight, as if he were still immersed in comprehending the Dao.
He didn't forget to reply, however. "The rebirth of the myriad Daos is like a flawless mirror, reflecting one's own path of cultivation. What manifested here was the very beginning of the Great Dao in its purest state. It serves as a crucial point of reference for our practice..."
"Moreover, in the instant of its conception—before it has fully solidified into a possibility—one can directly capture the newborn version of their own Dao to empower themselves. Under normal circumstances, absorbing a Dao requires finding a version of yourself in another possibility who has cultivated at least to the Nameless realm. Such an opportunity is a matter of pure chance, not something one can actively seek! That's why, even for transcendent experts, the rebirth of the myriad Daos is an incredibly rare stroke of fortune."
"And what about you, my friend? What did you perceive?" He Gan Xian added, not forgetting to ask.
Li Fan smiled. "My own Great Dao is not among them. Thus, I perceived nothing."
At these words, He Gan Xian's body jolted, his eyelids fluttering as he fought the urge to open them.
A blank possibility, and from it, myriad Daos reborn.
If one failed to see their own cultivated Dao within that blank mirror...
...it meant one of two things. Either their aptitude was so poor that their eyes were blind to the truth...
...or the Dao they cultivated was on such a high level that it transcended the scope of any ordinary Mountain and Sea possibility!
Judging by Li Fan's nonchalant demeanor, he wasn't making an empty boast.
This only served to further convince He Gan Xian that Li Fan had indeed come from another segment of the Mountain and Sea.
In truth, Li Fan had not been deceiving He Gan Xian.
He truly hadn't seen any trace of the [True False Transformation] manifesting during the rebirth of the myriad Daos in this possibility.
Or perhaps, it was more accurate to say that the True False Transformation simply didn't exist within the mortal Mountain and Sea at all.
If it couldn't be found in the macroscopic Mountain and Sea, it was even less likely to appear in a microscopic possibility.
The True False Transformation exists only in that single instant when [Truth] is activated and the Mountain and Sea is reset, he thought. At any other time, it's nearly impossible to perceive. Otherwise, my progress in comprehending it wouldn't be so glacial.
This was not to say, however, that Li Fan had gained nothing from witnessing this spectacle.
If the rebirth of the myriad Daos was a mirror in which ordinary transcendent cultivators could see their own path reflected...
...then the True False Transformation was another mirror entirely.
One that reflected the myriad Daos themselves!
The only issue was that the evolution of the myriad Daos from nothingness into being happened too quickly. With his current aptitude, Li Fan could hardly hope to grasp the inner workings of these countless Daos in such a brief span of time.
"Perhaps if Auntie's spirituality were stacked a few thousand times over, it might be possible," Li Fan mused, not forcing the issue.
After the world's rebirth and the rederivation of the Daos, it would take a considerable amount of time for new life to emerge, unless an external force were to introduce it.
The assembled transcendent experts certainly had no interest in waiting around for that. RAn0_BЕs
One by one, they all departed.
Though he had nothing pressing to do, Li Fan waited for He Gan Xian to complete his meditation.
He Gan Xian took far longer in his comprehension than any of the other transcendent experts.
He only opened his eyes slowly when they were the last two remaining.
"I managed to capture a wisp of the nascent Dao of Morality here. With some careful refinement, I might be able to attempt the Moral Separation once more," He Gan Xian told Li Fan, clearly pleased, once he saw they were alone.
"Oh?"
"After my other self died, my cultivation via Moral Separation was considered a failure. I would have had to spend hundreds of thousands of years re-nurturing the twin Daos of Morality and Balance and then wait for another suitable opportunity to separate them. But today, thanks to the Saint's intervention, I was fortunate enough to capture a wisp of primordial morality."
"This pure Dao is nascent, without consciousness or master. Once I finish refining it, I can convert it directly into my own power."
Li Fan understood his meaning.
A newly re-derived Dao, not yet interwoven with others or integrated into the workings of the world, existed in a state of pure distinction.
Though it only lasted for an instant at the world's dawn...
...if captured, it was equivalent to ten thousand years of a cultivator's arduous practice, comprehension, and purification.
Perhaps even more.
The fact that He Gan Xian could seize this fleeting opportunity spoke volumes about his exceptional talent.
"How long will your refinement take?"
"A hundred years."
"Good. I wonder, might I observe this secret art of Moral Separation?" Li Fan asked with a smile.
He Gan Xian replied with an easygoing air, "The great art of Morality is not something that must be hidden. If you wish to observe, my friend, I will certainly prepare a place for you!"
"Then it would be rude of me to refuse!" Li Fan laughed heartily.
He noticed that ever since the fall of the Faceless Immortal and the failure of the Moral Separation...
...He Gan Xian had been slowly shedding the characteristics that defined 'He Gan Xian' and was gradually reverting to the original [Moral True Immortal].
"The great art of Morality is indeed profound. I'm curious to see exactly how it works," Li Fan mused inwardly.
"However, the Moral Separation requires a deep resonance between heaven and man. I'll need to find a suitable location."
He Gan Xian's gaze swept across the surrounding Mountain and Sea, but he shook his head. "There is no suitable place nearby."
"What conditions are required?"
"A critical moment, when faced with a calamity that forces a difficult decision," He Gan Xian said, looking at Li Fan.
"That's a simple matter!" Li Fan instantly understood why He Gan Xian was telling him this.
"I just finished setting mountains ablaze and boiling the seas, so it wouldn't be right to cause another massive disturbance. But if it's just a matter of forcing you into a corner... I don't need to rely on the Mountain and Sea for that..." As Li Fan spoke, a wisp of flame appeared in his hand.
The flame surged forth like a roaring dragon.
In the span of a breath, it had completely encircled He Gan Xian.
He Gan Xian stared intently at the surrounding flames of True Spirit, his heart pounding in silent shock.
If the previous conflagration that had engulfed the Mountain and Sea had used countless possibilities as its fuel, then this fire before him now was sustained purely by Li Fan's own spirituality.
Most crucially...
...He Gan Xian had the distinct feeling that the flames before him could burn for an eternity!
After absorbing that wisp of nascent morality, He Gan Xian's own intuition had grown even stronger.
He had great confidence in his premonitions.
"He must have crossed the Eternal Silent Void Realm to possess such an incredible amount of spirituality."
"And it's precisely because this spirituality doesn't truly belong to him that he can't convert it into cultivation aptitude..." He Gan Xian realized.
Li Fan had never mentioned the true extent of his own aptitude to He Gan Xian. He had never even entered secluded cultivation in his presence.
But He Gan Xian could piece together the truth from the subtle clues in their interactions.
Take, for instance, the recent rebirth of the world and the rederivation of the myriad Daos.
Even though Li Fan claimed his own Dao was not among them...
...if his cultivation aptitude were truly high, he would have gained insights by analogy just from observing the myriad Daos, even if he didn't practice them.
And yet, Li Fan had emerged from his meditation far too quickly.
Although he had noticed this, He Gan Xian felt no contempt for him.
In fact, it made him treat Li Fan with even greater solemnity.
Cultivation aptitude and actual power were never one and the same.
In other words, reaching the same transcendent realm with lesser aptitude only served to prove how extraordinary he truly was.
And that wasn't even mentioning the fact that Li Fan had apparently crossed the Eternal Silent Void Realm from another segment of the Mountain and Sea!
"I suddenly understand," he thought. "It's not that only Saints can cross the Eternal Silent Void Realm."
"It's that in our understanding, only those who have reached the realm of a Saint, who possess the power of a 'Saint,' can survive and traverse the Eternal Silent Void Realm, a place where even concepts cease to exist."
"That is why we have that misconception."
"But what if there exists some unknown, special method that allows a transcendent being—one who is not yet a Saint—to travel through it?"
As He Gan Xian slowly reverted to the Moral True Immortal, his thoughts became less extreme.
He began to consider every aspect of a situation more thoroughly.
"Besides, he swore he could help me become a Saint. He seemed so certain... it couldn't have been a lie..."
"For whatever reason, this man is worth building a deep connection with."
Surrounded by the flames of True Spirit, a thousand thoughts flashed through the Moral True Immortal's mind.
His expression remained calm as he gauged the power of the flames.
He shook his head slightly. "This fire is impressive, but it is not enough to force me into a truly desperate situation. Even surrounded, I could still fight my way out, albeit at the cost of damaging my spirituality."
"And what if we add Dao Annihilation to the mix?"
"Still not enough. Unless... it is the power of the Mountain and Sea's utter annihilation." The Moral True Immortal shook his head again.
Now it was Li Fan's turn to frown deeply.
The Moral True Immortal's voice grew heavy. "My strength is not what it once was. To attempt the Moral Separation again..."
"...I will need to borrow the peril of the Eternal Silent Void Realm!"
Hearing the words "Eternal Silent Void Realm," Li Fan's eyes narrowed instantly as he studied the Moral True Immortal within the flames.
The Moral True Immortal met his gaze, his expression placid.
After a long silence, Li Fan suddenly asked, "Do you know the art of the [Reverse] character?"
"I know a thing or two. I learned it to make traveling the Mountain and Sea more convenient," the Moral True Immortal replied nonchalantly.
"Then let us meet at the end of the Mountain and Sea, at the dawn of time, before the Eternal Silent Void Realm!"
With that, Li Fan leaped and plunged back into the Mountain and Sea.
This time, however, he was not traversing the void of Dao Annihilation.
Instead, he traveled against the current of the river of time, hurtling toward the very beginning of this remnant segment of the Mountain and Sea.
Compared to the panic of his first plunge into the river of time, Li Fan now moved with effortless ease.
But the Moral True Immortal was his equal in every way.
He followed close behind!
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