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Chapter 1681: The Sinful All Knowing Immortal

The Eternal Heaven Steps—that was the name for the expanse of bluestone slabs suspended over the River of Time.

They served to help those on the Other Shore, who had not mastered the Dao of Reverse, to traverse the River of Time.

They might have had other, more specialized purposes, but Li Fan was not yet aware of them.

Now, after a brief council, the Saints settled on a plan. The white ring bloomed with a soft, jade-like radiance, and the phantom of the River of Time split apart as if cleaved by a sword.

Two figures appeared, imprisoned beneath the Eternal Heaven Steps.

They sat cross-legged, heads bowed low, as if bearing the weight of the entire River of Time and the infinite bluestone steps.

Even as they sensed the disturbance above them, they could not raise their heads to see.

The Saints did not release both.

They chose one, and a white light, like a rope, coiled around it, bringing it before them.

The summoned cultivator, perhaps due to his long confinement, remained as still as a statue even after being freed. The rope of light tightened in an instant. His brow furrowed, and his eyes slowly opened.

Gazing at the twelve figures of the Saints before him, each as colossal as a giant holding up the sky, a flicker of confusion crossed the cultivator's eyes.

"What era is this?"

He distinctly remembered that when he was imprisoned, there had only been nine Saints on the Other Shore.

How had their number suddenly swelled to twelve?

"And what's more, they actually released me."

"Could it be... that the war between the Mountain and Sea and the Void Realm has finally come to an end?"

A thousand doubts flooded the cultivator's mind, yet in the presence of the Saints, he did not dare show any disrespect.

"This junior, Bai Xiao, greets the venerable Saints!"

"In your long years of imprisonment, have you reflected upon your sins?" The voice of the Karma Judge's phantom boomed like rolling thunder, filling the space around them.

The All Knowing Immortal, however, remained unafraid. He sighed softly. "Of course, I have. My only regret is that I was too slow back then, allowing the Saints to discover my plans. A single misstep, and a thousand years of regret..."

Seeing the All Knowing Immortal's complete lack of remorse, the phantom Saints showed no anger.

"'As One Wishes' has been destroyed, and you have been imprisoned long enough. We now offer you a chance to atone for your crimes. Are you willing to take it?" the Karma Judge asked.

"A chance to atone?" The All Knowing Immortal blinked. "Can I truly regain my freedom?"

"You will not only regain your freedom, but you may even ascend to the heavens in a single step and attain Sainthood," Shou Qiu declared.

Shou Qiu's words clearly carried far more weight in the All Knowing Immortal's mind.

Hearing this incredible promise, his spirit trembled, and he blurted out, "If that is true, then this junior is, of course, willing!"

"So quick to agree? Be warned, once you consent, there is no turning back."

"Given your past," the phantom of the Connecting Mountains Saint interjected, "we will place a joint restriction within you. Not even the body of a Saint will allow you to escape it. If you break your word, our combined power will annihilate your soul on the spot. We must make this clear to you from the start."

The All Knowing Immortal looked as if the answer was obvious. "To be imprisoned beneath the Eternal Heaven Steps for countless ages until the Mountain and Sea itself perishes, or to have a chance at becoming a Saint, even if it means being subject to others..."

"How could I possibly fail to see which path to choose?"

"The only reason I tried to use 'As One Wishes' to draw the gaze of the Star was because I had no other hope of attaining Sainthood, wasn't it?"

...

Before Li Fan could even speak, the new Saint, Ash Sky, voiced his concern after hearing the All Knowing Immortal's words.

"This man intended to draw the gaze of the Star? Can we truly entrust him with such a critical task?"

Shou Qiu nodded. "Once someone becomes a Saint, they naturally stand on our side. There is no danger of betrayal. You need not worry, fellow Daoist."

"As for his past attempt to contact the Star..."

After Shou Qiu explained the situation, the three new Saints finally understood the full story.

It was almost identical to the version told by the Immeasurable Wall in the previous cycle.

Long ago, the All Knowing Immortal comprehended the Shadow of the Great Dao and used this insight to forge a unique immortal artifact: 'As One Wishes'. This artifact, like a person's shadow, could peer into the Dao paths and hearts of all other immortals, and it could even convert their power for his own use. Logically, possessing such a supreme treasure before he had even transcended should have guaranteed him a boundless future. Unfortunately, 'As One Wishes' was both his greatest strength and his ultimate downfall. The paths and inner worlds of all living beings were too vast, too magnificent, and too fascinating. Once he tasted it, he became hopelessly immersed, unable to pull himself away. He lingered, forgetting to return, and began to neglect his own cultivation. Moreover, the All Knowing Immortal peered into the secrets of all beings, yet he had no one with whom to share them. He could only keep everything locked away in his heart. Over time, he felt increasingly suffocated. Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, he began secretly seeking out others to confide in. Truly, a mind let loose is like a horse galloping on a plain: easy to release, but hard to rein in. The astonishment of others upon learning world-shaking secrets and the pleasure he derived from revealing all he knew brought the All Knowing Immortal immense satisfaction. Having tasted this sweetness, he became addicted, and his behavior spun out of control. Even the secrets of the Immortal Emperors became fodder for his boasts.

Relying on the miraculous nature of the Shadow of the Great Dao, he repeatedly escaped capture unharmed. Thus, the All Knowing Immortal grew ever more reckless with his words, until the day he sought to reveal the secret of the Scripture Grave Great Saint.

"The Scripture Grave devours the Dao, beginning the cycle, upon the desolate mound. Do you know what the true form of the Scripture Grave Great Saint is? Hehe, if you knew, you would find it utterly unbelievable..." the All Knowing Immortal boasted smugly to the crowd that had gathered around him. "Brother Bai Xiao, stop keeping us in suspense. Just tell us!" Looking at the eager eyes of the immortals around him, the All Knowing Immortal was just about to speak when a sudden black wind swept through. The listening immortals were instantly swept up and swallowed whole by the Scripture Grave Great Saint. Although the All Knowing Immortal, protected by the Shadow of the Great Dao, narrowly escaped with his life, he was jolted awake to reality. His careless words had offended someone he absolutely should not have offended!

But the Scripture Grave Great Saint acted on his own whims. He ignored the All Knowing Immortal's pleas for forgiveness, vowing to swallow him and silence him for good.

The All Knowing Immortal fled and hid, but eventually, he ran out of places to go.

Driven to desperation, his heart hardened, and he conceived of a plan to lure the Dao Annihilation and perish together with his pursuer.

If the confrontation between the Mountain and Sea and the Dao Annihilation were seen as a war, then the All Knowing Immortal, who had mastered the divine ability of the Shadow of the Great Dao, would be the equivalent of a top-tier spy who knew most of the Mountain and Sea's secrets.

His defection could have significantly altered the balance of power.

Therefore, the All Knowing Immortal's attempt to defect went surprisingly smoothly.

He had merely shown the slightest hint of intent, and the Dao Annihilation began to surge with unprecedented power.

From within the Dao Annihilation, a faint consciousness even reached out to him, trying to persuade him to join its side, promising him a grand future.

Yet, just as he was about to fully commit to his betrayal, the Connecting Mountains and Returning to Sea Saints intervened and suppressed him directly.

...

"In the Void Realm, the very foundation of existence is gone. What 'grand future' could there possibly be?" Ash Sky said, shaking his head.

"Perhaps it is a transformation of form. The tide of Dao Annihilation possesses its own consciousness, to say nothing of the [Star] that lies beyond it. According to the All Knowing Immortal, the moment he communicated with the consciousness in the Dao Annihilation, he clearly felt a will far grander than our own, hidden deep within the tide, as if lurking beneath the darkness."

"He had a vague premonition that if he offered the Shadow of the Mountain and Sea's Great Dao as a sacrifice, he might be able to draw its gaze."

"'At that point, even the Dao Annihilation itself would be thrown into upheaval...' Shou Qiu recounted this calmly, his own thoughts unreadable."

"What do you all think? How much of the All Knowing Immortal's story is truth, and how much is fabrication?" Li Fan finally spoke, asking for the opinions of the phantom Saints.

"He isn't lying. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's true either."

"Even we can scarcely perceive the true face of the Star. Even if the Star were to truly appear before him, it's unlikely that someone like the All Knowing Immortal could detect it. It's possible it was purely his own delusion." The Karma Judge Saint shook his head.

Shou Qiu added, "However, this man's talent is indeed extraordinary. He was simply blinded before. Imprisoned by us within the Eternal Heaven Steps, with no secrets left to spy on, he could only focus on his cultivation. In these years, he has actually progressed further, reaching the state of transcendence."

"You fellow Daoists are truly kind-hearted. To think you would even give such a heinous villain a chance to cultivate again," Li Fan said with a smile.

"If he doesn't become a Saint, then no matter how evil he is, we can suppress him with a turn of our hand. But if he *can* become a Saint..."

"...then after attaining Sainthood, he will belong to our camp. What harm is there in letting him cultivate?" the Karma Judge stated plainly.

...

While the Saints conversed, the All Knowing Immortal had already regained his freedom.

"It's a shame 'As One Wishes' is gone. Forging it again is likely impossible," he muttered, glancing at the Saints.

"Once you become a Saint, your perspective changes. All the beings of the Mountain and Sea will seem like mere ants. What joy could you possibly find in their affairs?" The speaker this time was the Stealing Opportunity Saint.

The phantom of Stealing Opportunity had remained silent for most of the time until now.

As he spoke, Li Fan faintly sensed a cold, snake-like aura slithering through the air. The fragment of the Mountain and Sea's extraordinary fortune, which he had obtained from the remains of the Xuantian King, completely dissipated with the appearance of this icy aura.

As if it had been stolen! It wasn't that Stealing Opportunity had done it intentionally; it was a natural phenomenon that occurred whenever he spoke!

The All Knowing Immortal seemed to sense this inexplicable change in himself as well, and his expression flickered.

Still, he steeled himself and retorted, "You are not an ant, senior. How could you know an ant's joy?"

The Stealing Opportunity Saint said no more, and the chilling aura dissipated.

The All Knowing Immortal suddenly felt the exchange was pointless and muttered, "Very well, seniors. Do what you must!"

The white ring suddenly shrank, condensing within the All Knowing Immortal's head.

"Everyone, simply leave an imprint of your power within it," Saint Tai Yi said slowly.

The Saints each displayed their powers, and rays of light flashed within the white ring, as if another twelve phantom Saints were seated within it. Li Fan, of course, left a wisp of his Xuanpin Dao aura inside. In his perception, the power of the Saints entrenched within the All Knowing Immortal's body was strikingly similar to the one in the white ring on the Other Shore. It was as if the limitation of "being inside the All Knowing Immortal's body" did not exist at all.

The white ring emitted a faint brilliance and completely merged into the All Knowing Immortal's body.

It seemed to disappear, but in reality, it had fused with him like ice in water, becoming indistinguishable. The All Knowing Immortal's every thought and every action were now under the watchful control of the Saints.

This would remain true even after he attained Sainthood!

"I spied on all beings for so long, only to spend the rest of my life being watched by others."

The All Knowing Immortal shook his head slightly, but he was philosophical about it, not seeming to care much about his situation.

"We are not so bored as to spy on your inner thoughts. This is merely a precaution. After all, this endeavor concerns the great work of reconnecting the Mountain and Sea, and we cannot afford any mistakes," Shou Qiu said with a solemn expression.

"Perhaps," the All Knowing Immortal said, bowing once more to the Saints while muttering to himself.

Now that the three suitable transcendent cultivators were ready, it was time for Li Fan to display his skills.

There was no significant difference in the scale of stagnant true spirits he could channel before and after his own Sainthood, but it was still enough to astound any onlooker.

The three transcendent cultivators, including the All Knowing Immortal, silently activated the [I Birth Infinite] technique.

Li Fan summoned and manipulated the stagnant true spirits, pouring them down like a waterfall.

As the three absorbed one after another of their own imagined bodies, their cultivation aptitude increased at a rate that was almost visible to the naked eye.

It completely bridged the chasm that they would otherwise never have been able to cross in their entire lives.

The Saints watched. The Saints were silent.

After a long while, once Li Fan was finished, the phantom of the Returning to Sea Saint sighed with emotion. "Even seeing it again, this technique remains extraordinarily miraculous. It is only a pity that we cannot meet the Saint from the End of Mountain and Sea in person."

"Perhaps after the Dao Annihilation recedes and the Mountain and Sea is reforged, we will have a chance to meet."

...

Of the three transcendent cultivators, besides the All Knowing Immortal, the other two both walked the path of Myriad Selves Return to One to attain Sainthood.

The Dao paths they controlled were [Square Inch] and [Tai Qi], respectively.

As for the All Knowing Immortal... his path was somewhat similar to that of the Moral True Immortal. He used his own uniqueness to establish a separate domain within the Mountain and Sea, thereby achieving Sainthood.

"It seems that Saints like Shou Qiu and myself, who are innately in control of a Great Dao on the same level as the Mountain and Sea, are indeed exceedingly rare."

"But we are merely walking different paths. As for our actual strength, it is hard to say."

Take the Karma Judge, for example. He clearly did not possess the origin of a Mountain and Sea Great Dao. Yet Li Fan instinctively felt that this person was not to be trifled with. He even felt more threatening than Shou Qiu.

"As for the other Saints..."

"Though we are in the same room, it's like being in a white fog. I can't see them clearly."

And these were merely the phantoms of the Saints. Even the recently ascended Saints, the Moral True Immortal and Ash Sky, were just as enigmatic. From this, it was clear that after attaining Sainthood, a certain mystique arose naturally. Even when sitting perfectly still, their power could be advancing by a thousand miles a day. One could not rashly speculate on their true strength.

"It seems that wearing the cloak of the Xuanpin Dao is ultimately different from truly achieving Sainthood myself," Li Fan warned himself inwardly.

Even after receiving the infusion of true spirits, the three transcendent cultivators would not achieve Sainthood overnight.

Fortunately, the Tai Wei Saint Emperor sent over three more great medicines to aid them.

With all parties working together, on this day, three new Saints appeared simultaneously in the Mountain and Sea! However, unlike the previous ascensions, this event was not world-shaking. It was concealed by the radiance of the white ring on the Other Shore, hidden from the world.

"Greetings, fellow Daoists!"

The Saints present exchanged greetings.

After attaining Sainthood, there was no longer any hierarchy among them.

This was true even for Bai Xiao, who was being monitored by all the Saints.

"After some brief preparations, we can set out for the Void Realm."

"The first foray will be for the new Saints to familiarize themselves with the conditions in the Void Realm. If you feel unwell, you may withdraw at any time," Shou Qiu's phantom said gravely.