Chapter 1659: The Reimagined Immortal Realm
It was like an angler suddenly reeling in their line.
From the other end of the thin thread, an infinitely powerful force instantly surged.
"Everyone, stand firm!"
Amidst Xing Fu's low shout, the entire Guangwu Xinghai was pulled by this force, forcibly stripped away from the Primal Possibility.
It shot away, following the direction of the line!
Upon entering the Mountain and Sea, the all-pervasive Dao Annihilation arrived in an instant.
Compared to what they had encountered under the protection of their home possibility, only now could it truly be called a surging, violent tide!
In a flash, the peripheral regions of the Guangwu Xinghai were completely engulfed.
The assembled immortals, however, had long anticipated this and paid it no mind.
Turbid waves crashed relentlessly, ceaselessly battering the Immortal Dyke.
The hundreds of celestial pillars all trembled, tugging at the hearts of the immortals.
Fortunately, fortified by numerous immortal treasures, the dyke's stability was far greater than before. It ultimately withstood the external pressure of the Dao Annihilation, allowing the relentless tide to corrode its exterior without breaking through.
The Immortal Dyke remained steadfast and unmoving.
Seeing this, the Guangwu immortals finally let out a collective sigh of relief, erupting in bursts of jubilant cheers.
"Don't let your guard down. We still have a long way to go before we reach our destination," Xing Fu, as the leader of the immortals, reminded them in a solemn voice.
He then arranged for the immortals to take turns monitoring the Immortal Dyke's condition.
The rest were to observe the Mountain and Sea together, exchanging insights on the Dao!
This journey to the Life and Death Realm was by their hosts' invitation, but the Guangwu immortals knew that the treatment they would receive would be directly proportional to their own strength.
And to be traversing the Mountain and Sea was, generally speaking, a condition for cultivation that only Transcendent experts could ever experience.
It was truly an opportunity not to be missed!
Therefore, the immortals threw themselves wholeheartedly into cultivation and comprehension.
They helped one another, sharing and exchanging their insights without reservation.
They all hoped to advance together.
In the Mountain and Sea, time flowed without measure.
With the pull of the Inscription Dao Immortal, the speed at which the Guangwu Xinghai traversed the void was not slow.
After their numbers had grown by three new True Immortals of the Nameless realm, they finally reached their destination.
In the final moments, the pulling force of the thin line seemed to reach its absolute peak.
Just as they had been dragged out of their original possibility, they were now crudely shoved into this new, unknown land.
After a flash of distorted and colorful light passed by...
Outside the Immortal Dyke, the aura of Dao Annihilation had vanished completely.
In its place was a majestic life force that the immortals had not felt in a very, very long time!
If the life force in Shuo Xinghai and Guangwu Xinghai had been like scattered candlelight, then the vitality permeating their surroundings now was like the bright moon in the sky.
The two were utterly incomparable!
Having spent so long in the desolate lands of the Primal Possibility, their sudden arrival here left the Guangwu immortals utterly stunned.
It was almost impossible to believe.
During their brief stupor, some True Immortals were so overcome with emotion that they burst into tears on the spot.
"Wait! The aura here..."
"Why is it so familiar?"
"Are we dreaming?"
Soon, a True Immortal finally snapped out of it and exclaimed in shock.
His words were like a stone tossed into a calm lake, setting off a thousand ripples.
"Am I seeing things? Isn't this the Heavenly Azure Star Domain of the Immortal Realm?"
"This is the place where I made my name! I've looked back on it in my memories for countless days and nights. How could I possibly be mistaken!"
"Could it be... that we've returned to the time before the Primal Possibility was destroyed?"
The immortals erupted in a flurry of discussion, their gazes, filled with shock and suspicion, turning to Xing Fu as they awaited his answer.
Although they had all seen the Inscription Dao Immortal's invitation, only Xing Fu had truly seen the Life and Death Realm beforehand and knew the specific situation.
Xing Fu watched the immortals' mixed reactions of joy and surprise, smiled faintly, and began to explain.
"Everyone, you are not mistaken! The second home the Inscription Dao Immortal spoke of, one perfectly suited for us, is indeed the very Immortal Realm we were once so familiar with!"
Xing Fu slowly recounted how the Life and Death Realm was reconstructed from memories through the method of Empty Thought Construction.
The immortals were even more astonished.
"Creating something from nothing—what kind of divine ability is this?"
"Now that you mention it, I'm starting to notice. The scenery is largely consistent with the Heavenly Azure Star Domain, but the overall quantity and quality of living beings are still lacking. The most obvious absence is the pervasive aura of the Star Domain's ruling chancellor and the True Immortals under his command."
"It is indeed somewhat imperfect. But isn't this for the best? With us joining, perhaps we can truly restore the Immortal Realm!"
The immortals discussed this fervently. Not since the destruction of the Immortal Realm had they been this excited.
Xing Fu, however, did not join in. Instead, he continuously scanned their surroundings.
He was trying to find any sign of the Inscription Dao Immortal.
Logically, since the Inscription Dao Immortal had guided them here, he should have appeared now that they had arrived.
But there was still no sign of him.
As new arrivals, Xing Fu dared not venture around recklessly.
He could only instruct the immortals to wait patiently where they were.
Time trickled by. Three years passed in the Heavenly Azure Star Domain.
Only then did someone finally arrive, fashionably late.
"Jiuxuan?"
Someone recognized the newcomer and exclaimed on the spot.
"Didn't you die in the Dao Annihilation back then? How have you come back to life?"
Seeming to have anticipated the immortals' reaction, Jiuxuan smiled faintly. "The me of the past did indeed perish in the Dao Annihilation. But the me of today was born from the memories fabricated by the Venerables. I have no memory of that death."
Jiuxuan's words undoubtedly confirmed what Xing Fu had said about the Life and Death Realm, causing an uproar.
"All who come to the Life and Death Realm are settled according to their original homes."
"This place is our former home."
"It is like a single stream, but within the Life and Death Realm, such possibilities, reconstructed through imagination, flow like ten thousand rivers—they are innumerable!" Jiuxuan declared proudly.
"However, for certain reasons, it is not convenient to give you a tour. Of course, if any of you reach the Transcendent realm, or make outstanding contributions to the Empty Thought Construction, you may be granted an audience with the Venerables and see the true face of the Life and Death Realm."
Their experience after arriving in the Life and Death Realm was different from what the Guangwu immortals had imagined.
There was no ostracism, but also no warm welcome.
They were simply placed in their old homes and, it seemed, left to fend for themselves.
Especially after his brief speech, Jiuxuan seemed to have urgent matters to attend to and departed in a hurry.
Seeing the somewhat dejected looks on the immortals' faces, Xing Fu had to speak up to rally their spirits. "Everyone, don't be discouraged! Haven't we already achieved our goal?"
"We've escaped the scourge of the Dao Annihilation and found a new home where we can live in peace."
"Let's just proceed step by step! Daoist Jiuxuan also said they don't require us to contribute to the Empty Thought Construction; we can just let nature take its course. If those who are capable wish to contribute voluntarily, that is, of course, even better."
Only then did the immortals feel somewhat relieved.
"It's just... we didn't even get to see the Inscription Dao Immortal. It's still a bit disappointing," the immortals murmured.
After all, they had come here because of the Inscription Dao Immortal's invitation. The fact that he hadn't appeared at all naturally created a sense of anticlimax.
Some, unable to let it go, immediately began to study the method of [Empty Thought] that Jiuxuan had mentioned before leaving.
Empty Thought required a yellow crystal that reflected this realm as a medium.
The power of the yellow crystal radiated through all the possibilities created by the Empty Thought Construction, and it was everywhere.
But it was difficult for outsiders to perceive; only through a special technique could one sense it.
The method was rather simple. The immortals spontaneously activated it and raised their heads.
Sure enough, they saw the yellow crystal, which resembled a great sun.
It emitted a warm and hazy glow, reflecting the endless living beings within the possibility.
"Everything we see was born from this? Truly incredible."
"Focus your mind upon it, and memories of the past will surface..."
Following Jiuxuan's instructions, the immortals began to attempt the reconstruction.
Xing Fu, however, was extremely cautious and chose to observe for the time being.
No imagined conspiracy occurred. After completing one session of recollection, the immortals were merely a bit mentally drained, with no other ill effects.
After a short rest, they were fully recovered.
As if addicted, they immediately threw themselves into the next session of Empty Thought Construction.
"I understand now! This reconstruction through imagination is like ten thousand immortals painting the same picture! After all, everyone's memory is different, so the scenes of the Immortal Realm in their minds will naturally have discrepancies."
"And this yellow crystal can collect and compare all our imagined memories. The parts that are completely identical can then be used as the foundation for the Empty Thought Construction!"
Having survived the great calamity that destroyed the Immortal Realm, there were no fools among the Guangwu immortals. They soon grasped the basic principles behind the workings of [Empty Thought].
This made them even more excited.
After all, to be able to personally contribute the masterful strokes that would restore their homeland was truly a great honor.
Since everyone was participating, Xing Fu couldn't just stand by and watch.
He projected his divine sense into the yellow crystal in the sky and recalled the various details of the Immortal Realm from long ago.
There was no need to consider how to construct the image; the warm glow of the yellow crystal would guide everything.
As naturally as water carving a channel, a picture of the past materialized before him.
Xing Fu stared at his creation. A moment later, countless overlapping images seemed to appear above and below the painting.
All these paintings depicted the same scene.
But all of them had slight differences.
Flashes of light flickered, and these paintings began to be compressed and fused together.
All the repeating lines in the paintings were preserved.
While their individual "differences" were erased.
In the end, of Xing Fu's sprawling, detailed masterpiece, only a few scant strokes were left behind.
It transformed into an inconspicuous speck of light and flew into the yellow crystal above.
As that wisp of light was absorbed, a trace of power seemed to be drawn from Xing Fu's body as well.
Carefully analyzing the part that had disappeared, Xing Fu discovered it was not immortal power, physical stamina, or his divine soul.
Rather, it was an indescribable, ineffable source of power, intimately related only to [Empty Thought].
"It seems the Life and Death Realm truly harbors no malicious intent."
"Instead, they are genuinely striving to restore the possibilities that vanished in the past."
"Of course, this is just a preliminary conclusion."
Within the Life and Death Realm, there was no concrete, quantifiable system to track one's contributions.
No matter how many times one performed the Empty Thought Construction, there were no extra rewards.
It was driven entirely by one's own passion.
The vast majority of True Immortals, after trying a few times, lost their motivation and grew apathetic.
They settled down peacefully in the restored star domains of the Immortal Realm and simply focused on their own cultivation.
Only a very small minority spared no effort, contributing their power of imagination every so often.
Not for any particular reason.
But simply to do their part in the restoration of their homeland.
Xing Fu was among them.
Time flowed by, day after day.
Since the moment they arrived, neither Jiuxuan nor anyone else from the Life and Death Realm had appeared again.
Gradually, everyone almost forgot about them.
And almost subconsciously, they came to regard this place as their former home, the Immortal Realm.
Only the True Immortals who occasionally performed the Empty Thought Construction remembered the true situation here.
The yellow crystal in the sky seemed unchanging for millennia.
The tireless Empty Thought Constructions of the Guangwu immigrants had no effect on it whatsoever.
After performing the reconstruction over six hundred times, Xing Fu stared at the countless images presented before him, and a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart.
The "common" images constructed by the immortals of the Life and Death Realm served as the design blueprint for this recreated Immortal Realm.
Although this Immortal Realm, created from the blueprint, was extremely similar to the homeland in his memory...
Xing Fu always felt that there was some fundamental difference between the two.
This sense of discord had lingered in Xing Fu's heart ever since he arrived in the Life and Death Realm.
As time passed, it did not fade.
Instead, it grew stronger.
"What exactly is wrong?"
Xing Fu's brow furrowed. Ignoring his own mental exhaustion, he performed another Empty Thought Construction.
The result was the same.
The process was smooth, but as countless pictures were overlapped, compressed, and transformed into specks of light that flew into the yellow crystal...
That sense of disharmony once again welled up in Xing Fu's heart.
"Again!"
Xing Fu refused to give up.
With each successive reconstruction, Xing Fu's essence, energy, and spirit seemed to be slowly drained away.
His True Immortal body actually became gaunt and withered.
But Xing Fu's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
There was not a trace of fatigue.
Instead, it was as if he had glimpsed some great secret, filled with an irrepressible excitement.
"I see now. The Immortal Realm in our memories and the Immortal Realm that truly existed in the Mountain and Sea do indeed have subtle differences!"
"How did the Immortal Realm perish and disappear? It was due to the corrosion of the Dao Annihilation calamity!"
"The Dao Annihilation devoured it, and the Immortal Realm was no more. It even permanently took away parts of our ability to remember..."
Xing Fu performed the Empty Thought Construction once more.
Recalling every last detail, he formed a magnificent picture of the Immortal Realm under the guidance of the yellow crystal.
But...
The painting itself was incomplete.
It was as if an invisible hand had once smeared the painting, erasing certain details from it.
"These missing parts are..."
"...the traces left by the Dao Annihilation."
Li Fan reached out, slowly stroking the abnormal parts of the painting that he sensed.
It was like touching the Dao Annihilation with his own hands.
At that very moment...
The yellow crystal in the sky suddenly burst forth with an incomparably brilliant light, its brightness eclipsing all other sights within this possibility.
But aside from Xing Fu, all other living beings were oblivious to it.
Endless light descended, enveloping Xing Fu's entire body.
Within its warm embrace, it seemed to want to take him somewhere else.
Having a faint premonition, Xing Fu did not resist.
The yellow brilliance engulfed him.
When he opened his eyes again...
Eight figures sat in a circle around him.
"The Five Fellow Calamity Venerables... the Inscription Dao Immortal!"
Xing Fu somehow knew the identities of two of the figures in his heart.
(End of this chapter)
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