Chapter 1668: A Two-Pronged Approach to Salvation
“My second question. While we are in the Life and Death Realm, how are we supposed to survive until the End of Mountain and Sea?”
“The Eternal Silent Void Realm that sunders the Mountain and Sea may not compare to the sheer terror of its final collapse, but it’s still far beyond what ordinary beings can withstand. Even if I were to become a Saint, I could only protect myself. I wouldn't be able to guarantee your safety,” Li Fan asked, his brow furrowed.
Qiu Xinhui exchanged a look with the other venerables and offered a small smile. “That is something you need not worry about, my friend. We are indeed powerless to travel against the current. But if we were to ride the flow downstream, pressing on toward the End of Mountain and Sea...”
“Given our preparations over the years, we should be able to manage it, just barely.”
Qiu Xinhui then proceeded to explain their method to Li Fan in detail.
“The Mountain Sea End Saint, Qiu Xinhui, ultimately perished along with the final collapse of the Mountain and Sea. But within the Mountain and Sea *before* that ending, he still exists.”
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Li Fan nodded in understanding. “It’s the same principle as the Mountain and Sea being doomed to eventual destruction, while we currently exist in a time when it is still thriving.”
Qiu Xinhui continued, “The existence of the Mountain Sea End Saint is like a lighthouse in the dark, faintly illuminating the way forward through the Eternal Silent Void Realm. Through my connection with him, if I were to use a secret art, I could instantly cross immense distances, even traverse the void between sundered segments of the Mountain and Sea to return to him.”
“Our chances of success would rise to over seventy percent!”
“Are you relying on the incalculable power generated the instant a clone returns to its original body?” Li Fan was an expert in the art of clones himself. The burst of power from a clone’s return could certainly be exploited, but to cross the Eternal Silent Void Realm on that alone? It was likely far from sufficient.
Yet Qiu Xinhui looked entirely confident in his words.
Li Fan pondered for a moment before a thought struck him. “I imagine that the Mountain and Sea traveler must have played a significant role in this return process.”
The white-haired youth nodded slightly. “Precisely. Without the footprints he left behind on his journeys, even with the closest connection to my true self, a successful crossing would be perilous beyond measure—a journey with no hope of survival.”
With his guess confirmed, Li Fan sighed in admiration. “This Mountain and Sea traveler may not be a Saint, but his deeds are in no way inferior to one!”
Li Fan had once thought the Mountain and Sea traveler was Sun Piao Miao.
However, the appearance Qiu Xinhui described did not match the image of Sun Piao Miao that Li Fan had once glimpsed.
“Perhaps Sun Piao Miao, much like the Five Fellow Calamity Venerables, was merely a beneficiary of the Mountain and Sea traveler’s generosity.”
“After all, according to Qiu Xinhui, the traveler needs a long period of rest to recover his cultivation after each successful crossing. It only stands to reason that his footprints would be found throughout the Mountain and Sea during those times.”
While Li Fan was lost in thought, Qiu Xinhui continued to explain their plan.
“Once I successfully reach the End of Mountain and Sea, I will merge with my original self. He will instantly gain all my memories from these long years, along with the support of the entire Life and Death Realm. This might just be the crucial factor that turns the tide of our final fate.”
At this, understanding slowly dawned on Li Fan.
A look of astonishment spread across his face. “In that case, throughout the entire expanse of the Mountain and Sea, from its Beginning to its End, conceptual constructs like you... there must be more than one.”
Qiu Xinhui, however, seemed to have accepted his fate long ago, offering a carefree smile.
“There are two kinds of saviors for the Mountain and Sea. The first are the countless Saints who, across different eras, pass the torch from one to the next, traveling to the Beginning of Mountain and Sea, united in their effort to prevent the apocalypse.”
“The second kind is the Mountain and Sea traveler, who scattered my spiritual essence throughout his journey against the current. I carry the strength of support from every past segment of the Mountain and Sea. My countless selves returning as one is another way of gathering the collective power of the Mountain and Sea to find a solution!”
His eyes burned with conviction. “I am not the true Saint at the End of Mountain and Sea. I am a creation, summoned forth from imagination.”
“The memories I inherited are incomplete. I am but one of countless such constructs, in no way special. My ultimate fate has long been sealed.”
“But my purpose—the purpose of every Qiu Xinhui—has never wavered.”
Qiu Xinhui looked at Li Fan and declared, “And that is to truly lead everyone out of the Mountain and Sea’s final doom!”
“Two attempts: one entrusted to the world, the other shouldered by myself. Perhaps this two-pronged approach, coordinated from both the beginning and the end, is our only real chance to turn back the tide.”
Li Fan seemed at once moved and shaken.
He remained silent for a long moment.
“The Mountain Sea End Saint... truly a genius,” Li Fan finally said. “Far beyond a mere fortunate soul like myself!”
“No wonder the Inscription Immortals place so much trust in you.”
Li Fan sighed in admiration, his blood stirring with excitement. “If that’s the case, then I’ll gladly risk my life to join you!”
“Even if we cannot truly save the Mountain and Sea, to meet the Mountain Sea End Saint in person would be a life without regrets!”
Li Fan’s words struck a chord with the assembled venerables.
After a moment of shared sentiment, the group turned to discussing the specific details of that crucial instant when the Mountain and Sea returns to the Star.
“According to our deductions, the torrent of myriad possibilities within the Life and Death Realm will both experience a true rebirth at that moment and provide a powerful impetus for our departure from the Mountain and Sea.”
“You must understand, although there are only tens of thousands of conceptual possibilities stored within the Life and Death Realm, it can still be seen as a microcosm of my segment of the Mountain and Sea. If the plan succeeds, and our counterparts from other eras also return...”
“Then the conceptual constructs we gather will become like a microcosm of the entire Mountain and Sea, conceived in thought.”
“When the Mountain and Sea collapses and the Star is born, our conceptual Mountain and Sea will manifest. It might just possess the power to reshape heaven and earth!”
......
As a near-Saint, Li Fan had earned the absolute trust of the venerables in the Life and Death Realm.
And so, he learned of their plan for salvation.
Though he couldn’t be certain of the grand vision they described until the very end, he had to admit that Qiu Xinhui’s two-pronged approach was truly thrilling.
If Li Fan didn’t have the [Truth] to fall back on, he might have been genuinely tempted to try.
Unfortunately...
With the [Truth] at his side, able to reset at any moment, Li Fan was destined never to fight to the bitter end like the Inscription Immortals, all the way to the final return of the Mountain and Sea to the Star.
“Of course, there’s no harm in going just to witness it.”
“The End of Mountain and Sea, a journey across the Eternal Silent Void Realm...”
“In the simulation, I exposed the existence of the [Truth] before the Saints of the Other Shore. That was because the gap between my cultivation and theirs was simply too vast.”
“But now, I possess the Dao of [Xuanpin]. Given the [Truth]’s control over it, achieving Sainthood before I meet the Mountain Sea End Saint shouldn’t be difficult.”
“Saint versus Saint. Even if I’m a notch weaker, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to see right through me, will they?”
Li Fan mulled it over. This involved a Saint—and not just any Saint, but one who stood at the very End of Mountain and Sea, undoubtedly one of the most powerful beings in its entire history.
He very cautiously sought the [Truth]’s opinion.
The [Truth] remained silent, offering no objection.
And Li Fan’s own spiritual senses raised no alarm.
And so, the plan was set.
The goal for everyone in the Life and Death Realm was the End of Mountain and Sea.
Consequently, they cared little for the affairs of their current era in the Mountain and Sea.
They focused only on secretly gathering talented individuals for their conceptual construction and amassing power.
While Li Fan focused on comprehending the Dao of Xuanpin, he never neglected the matters of conceptual construction.
The path to Sainthood lay right before him, yet he could still resist its allure and dedicate himself to the cause of salvation. Li Fan’s actions filled the venerables of the Life and Death Realm with immense admiration.
Only Li Fan himself knew that, compared to a Great Dao of the Mountain and Sea, this conceptual method was actually of greater help to him.
“Qiu Xinhui is truly worthy of his title as the Mountain Sea End Saint. This conceptual method of his nearly touches the threshold of the True False Transformation.”
“It’s just that the conceptual method still requires a foundation of real, past memories. The True False Transformation, on the other hand...”
At this thought, Li Fan paused, slightly stunned.
For a moment, he couldn’t actually pinpoint the specific difference between the conceptual method and the True False Transformation.
This made him marvel all the more at Qiu Xinhui’s genius.
“Though not a Great Dao of the Mountain and Sea, it vaguely seems to surpass them.”
“If I had to define it, conceptualization eventually leads to mental exhaustion. But the True False Transformation depends entirely on a single whim of the heart.”
“It is vastly superior!”
Li Fan thought with a touch of smugness.
The [Truth] seemed to sense his thoughts and, for some unknown reason, emitted a series of inscrutable ripples.
They vanished as quickly as they appeared.
Li Fan could not probe them further.
In the Mountain and Sea, time flows unnoticed.
An unknown amount of time passed. At last, the preparations within the Life and Death Realm were nearly complete.
And Li Fan was but a single step away from becoming the Great Saint of [Xuanpin].
“Becoming a Saint of the Mountain and Sea is far more difficult than I ever imagined.”
Standing in the void, Li Fan let out a long, weary sigh.
The time required for this single enlightenment was over a hundred times longer than all his past lives combined.
Fortunately, it was a period of pure, albeit tedious, comprehension, free from worldly distractions.
Coupled with the [Truth]’s panel occasionally floating into view, constantly reminding him of who he was.
In the end, Li Fan never forgot his true identity.
“Sainthood shall be achieved this very day.”
He murmured, his expression solemn.
Surrounding him, the venerables of the Life and Death Realm watched in silence, standing guard over his breakthrough.
“The disturbance from attaining the Dao will be too immense to conceal.”
“Therefore, the moment of my apotheosis will be the moment of our departure.”
Li Fan instructed them before taking a single step forward.
“Great Dao, Return to Truth.”
As he chanted the words in his mind, the four characters for [First Xuanpin] on the [Truth]’s panel erupted with an unprecedented, dazzling light.
Its radiance was so intense it nearly eclipsed every other character on the panel.
Li Fan felt as if he had truly become the Lord of [Xuanpin], the master of this Great Dao of the Mountain and Sea.
Just as it had been when he first ascended from mortality, the very appearance of the Mountain and Sea began to shift before his eyes.
The Mountain and Sea was still boundless...
...but now, the mountains could be climbed, the seas could be crossed.
Floating upon the sea, standing atop the peaks.
Li Fan’s perspective and state of mind had fundamentally changed.
The black Dao Annihilation that permeated his vision, consuming all, also began to look different.
“It is still as fearsome as a shadowy viper. But if one were to fight with desperate abandon...”
“...survival might not be impossible.”
Li Fan understood.
The path to Sainthood had only just begun.
One with the Mountain and Sea, Li Fan felt as if he were bathed in a strange, wondrous aura.
A series of blurred, indistinct images flickered before his eyes.
They seemed to be the most ancient memories of the Mountain and Sea, memories that predated the Mountain and Sea itself.
He could not make out the images clearly, yet he could distinctly feel the Mountain and Sea’s awe and greed.
“The ‘God.’”
“The source of all power in the Mountain and Sea.” A sudden understanding dawned on Li Fan.
The instant this realization struck him, the blurry images before his eyes began to throb frantically.
They thrashed about in his vision like primordial beasts.
Countless lines twisted and warped, as if something were about to tear itself from his sight and crash into reality!
At the same time, his own heart, once perfectly calm, began to pound uncontrollably in sync.
It was not fear.
But a tremor of instinctual excitement.
“The Xuanpin returns!”
As if on instinct, Li Fan suddenly chanted the words in his heart.
Crack...
The countless intersecting lines in his vision abruptly shattered.
They dimmed and vanished in an instant.
Only a single shadow remained, growing ever clearer.
It leaped from his incorporeal vision and descended upon the Mountain and Sea.
Whoosh!
In that instant, the Mountain and Sea erupted in a frenzy!
Like a great gale, monstrous waves surged from the sea, and colossal trees on the mountains were uprooted.
In a flash, several lines of sight shot from across the vast expanse of the Mountain and Sea.
And the Mountain and Sea itself, after a fleeting moment of calm, reacted with even greater violence.
A heaven-shaking uproar!
“Go!”
Li Fan slowly absorbed the shadow from his vision and spoke with unwavering composure.
At the same time, he exhaled a turbid breath, completely blocking the tempestuous reaction from the Mountain and Sea.
From that turbid breath, heaven and earth were born, and all things came into being.
Amidst a dazzling brilliance, countless beings were born.
The cries of new life rose in a great chorus, weaving a grand symphony.
It drifted through the Mountain and Sea, creating a momentary, vibrant spectacle.
It even managed to briefly suppress the raging tempest of the Mountain and Sea.
At the same time, it partially obscured the gazes of the Saints.
Though moments later, this vibrant new life collapsed like a great tower, withering in an instant.
The once-boisterous scene fell into absolute silence.
Yet it was in that fleeting instant.
Li Fan, along with everyone from the Life and Death Realm, vanished in a flash of orange-yellow light.
They were gone, on their way to the End of Mountain and Sea.
They had come quickly, and they left even faster.
In the blink of an eye, the Mountain and Sea returned to how it was before.
Except, with the departure of the Dao of Xuanpin, the Mountain and Sea now showed faint signs of decrepitude.
Within moments, thousands of possibilities collapsed, falling into the abyss of Dao Annihilation.
Within the white circle of the Other Shore, the phantoms of the Saints stood one after another.
“The Dao of Xuanpin...”
“Strange.”
Light and shadow flickered rapidly within the white circle.
Deducing, calculating.
Logically, everything in this era of the Mountain and Sea should have been under their control.
Any variables that arose should have been nothing more than ripples in a pond.
No matter how many ripples, they should never have been able to create waves beyond a certain height.
But now...
In the calm pond right under their noses, a waterspout had formed—a truly terrifying development.
The light and shadow within the white circle shattered. The phantoms of the Saints, their eyes once closed, all opened them in unison.
In that instant, it was as if they exchanged countless thoughts.
But a moment later, they closed them again in unison.
“There is no need to give chase.”
“This journey to the End of Mountain and Sea may well prove to be a turning point.”
“We need only watch over this era of the Mountain and Sea.”
“Whether at the beginning or the end, whether acting alone or together, we have exhausted every possibility and found no way to salvation. Now that a new variable has emerged...”
“Perhaps... this is a good thing.”
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