Chapter 1686: The Mountain and Sea Reconnect
Chapter 1686: The Mountain and Sea Reconnect
“When I first attained Sainthood, I chose the path of [Connecting Mountains] over [Sitting on the Mountain] to blaze a trail for those who would come after me.”
“However, if I were only now attaining my Sainthood...”
“I might have chosen the path of [Sitting on the Mountain].”
After a moment of silence, the apparition of the Connecting Mountains Saint spoke again.
“This is simply a matter of changing times. There is no right or wrong, only that different circumstances lead to vastly different choices.”
The Saints all pondered the profound meaning behind the Connecting Mountains Saint’s words.
Perhaps growing interested in the topic himself, the Connecting Mountains Saint delved deeper into the subject of [Sitting on the Mountain].
“All living beings and all paths of the Dao in this place spring from the Mountain and Sea. Therefore, any path that can stir the Mountain and Sea itself must be considered the most supreme of all.”
“However, from the moment of its birth, the Mountain and Sea was destined to return to the Star, walking a path from zenith to nadir. If one practiced the Dao of [Sitting on the Mountain] at the beginning of the Mountain and Sea, not only would they fail to benefit, but their cultivation would diminish daily with the world’s decay. The essence of their path would remain, tying them to the boundless life within the Mountain and Sea, a truly self-defeating endeavor that would only bring harm to others.”
“But times change. With the Mountain and Sea now submerged in the Dao Annihilation, the path of [Sitting on the Mountain] has subtly transformed. This path requires one to draw upon the ascendant, burgeoning power of the Mountain and Sea. But if the Mountain and Sea was already at its absolute peak from the very beginning, how could one possibly push it any further?”
“However, in this final age, with the Mountain and Sea fragmented, the path of [Sitting on the Mountain] might just prove miraculously effective.”
“It works by harnessing the immense power that erupts in the very instant the Mountain and Sea reconnects, when two of its segments merge...”
The Connecting Mountains Saint held nothing back, eloquently sharing all that he had come to understand.
Li Fan listened with rapt attention, and slowly, a new understanding began to dawn on him.
The Mountain and Sea arose from the True God and is destined to return to the Star.
It travels a path from prosperity to decline.
If a Saint were to achieve their station through [Sitting on the Mountain] when the world was at its zenith, they would be fated to decline in tandem with the Mountain and Sea.
Only in this final age, with the Mountain and Sea shattered by the Dao Annihilation, can one take a single fragment as their foundation and truly practice the art of [Sitting on the Mountain].
Only when the Mountain and Sea is reconnected can the practitioner of this path truly reap its benefits.
“It seems the Connecting Mountains Saint’s choice of his path wasn’t entirely a matter of so-called morality after all. [Connecting Mountains] was simply the optimal choice at the time. No wonder he said he had no regrets.”
“The effects of [Sitting on the Mountain] seem to defy the heavens, but its requirements are far too demanding. One must start when the Mountain and Sea is already broken, making them inherently a step below the ancient Saints. Moreover, the moment of their ascension to Sainthood is practically the peak of their power. From then on, as the Dao Annihilation consumes the Mountain and Sea, their own strength will steadily diminish.”
“They can barely continue to cultivate on their own, relying almost entirely on the power unleashed by the reconnection of the Mountain and Sea.”
...
From his commanding perspective, the Connecting Mountains Saint had laid bare for Li Fan all the various drawbacks of this path.
Combined with the spontaneous discussions among the other saintly apparitions, a thought began to take shape in Li Fan’s mind.
“I once witnessed the Mountain and Sea return to the Star at the very end of time.”
“Then, the great power of the [Truth] forced the Star back, reversed everything, and caused the Mountain and Sea to re-emerge from the Dao Annihilation.”
“But is the Mountain and Sea from before the same as the one that came after?”
“If it is...”
“The Mountain and Sea expanded from a state of nothingness to its absolute zenith in an instant. If one could apply the Dao of [Sitting on the Mountain] to that process...”
Whether the Mountain and Sea before and after the [Truth]’s intervention shared the same origin was the crucial question.
He might be able to find a clue within the Dao of the [Mysterious Female] that he now commanded.
After he had mastered the Great Dao and taken control of the [Mysterious Female] in the old Mountain and Sea...
...the [Mysterious Female] of the new Mountain and Sea had also fallen under his control.
“Even if they aren’t completely identical, there must be a fundamental connection. The chances of [Sitting on the Mountain] being effective are high.”
“However, the restoration of the Mountain and Sea was not my achievement, but the work of the [Truth].”
“It’s hard to say just how effective it would be.”
A storm of thoughts raged in Li Fan’s mind, and he wished he could cast aside the [Mysterious Female] that very instant to master the Dao of [Sitting on the Mountain].
Unfortunately, he had yet to even comprehend the Great Dao of [Sitting on the Mountain] below the Saintly realm.
Executing the true art of [Sitting on the Mountain] was, for now, nothing more than a pipe dream.
Within the Armillary Ring, after resting for a time, the Saints set out for the void realm once more.
The apparitions they left behind continued to communicate with one another, all while observing and sensing the conditions within the void.
The Eternal Silent Void Realm was fraught with peril.
Despite entering and returning several times, the oppressive force of the realm never lessened with each new entry. It always felt as if they were stepping into it for the very first time.
There was no sense of “habit” or “familiarity” to be found there.
The only thing the newly ascended Saints could train was the length of time they could endure the void’s treacherous undercurrents.
Fortunately, with nine senior Saints steering the course ahead and the apparitions in the Armillary Ring providing an anchor, their journey into the void, though harrowing, was without true danger.
After countless attempts over untold years, the newly ascended Saints finally achieved a flawless coordination.
They could now extend the great chain of Saints from the segment of the Mountain and Sea ahead all the way to their own.
Yet Li Fan, who was meant to be the final link in the chain, had not been called upon.
The same was true for even Square Inch.
A chain of thirteen Saints was all that was needed to complete the connection.
The chain of Saints, like a great dragon, tore through the Eternal Silent Void Realm.
Through the connection binding the Saints, Li Fan could already sense the distant aura of the preceding segment of the Mountain and Sea.
“The [Mysterious Female] must remain to guard the Other Shore; it is not wise for it to move.”
“Square Inch will patrol the void as a contingency.”
The voice of the Connecting Mountains Saint echoed from the distant horizon.
This time, it was not an apparition, but the Saint himself.
Li Fan naturally accepted the command.
Having Square Inch patrol as a reserve force was also the ideal arrangement.
Now that the chain of Saints was complete, a spectral image of the Mountain and Sea slowly began to materialize within the void.
It was as if countless motes of faint light had begun to drift through the darkness.
Though still dim, the sight was a world apart from how it had been before.
Using this spectral image of the Mountain and Sea, Square Inch could now traverse the void with incredible speed.
If any of the Saints encountered trouble, he could now reach them in an instant to provide support.
“We must remain in the void until the spectral form of the Mountain and Sea is completely stable.”
“At that time, we must project our consciousness into its key nodes to hasten its transition from spectral to solid.”
“Remember, do not move your physical bodies!”
“Otherwise, the chain will be shattered, and all our work will have been for nothing!”
Through their long trials, the Saints had already prepared for every contingency.
Now, proceeding step by step according to their plan, everything unfolded without a single mishap.
Stabilizing the spectral image of the Mountain and Sea took even longer than Li Fan had anticipated.
He did not remain idle during this period. Using the art of True Spirit Infusion, he created another Saint.
With this additional support, the mission to reconnect the Mountain and Sea felt even more secure.
On this day, sensing that the submerged, spectral image of the Mountain and Sea—held aloft by the Saints—was on the verge of a qualitative transformation, the Tai Wei Saint Emperor manifested his form and arrived in the void.
Compared to before, the void was no longer shrouded in absolute darkness.
The spectral image of the Mountain and Sea shone like a brilliant lamp, banishing the inky blackness from its vicinity.
However, a phantom was still just a phantom. It was still one final step away from becoming the true Mountain and Sea.
“Everyone, it is time. As we planned, project your consciousness now.”
“Once the Mountain and Sea takes form, the connection will be complete.”
This time, Li Fan did not remain on the sidelines. He too projected a thread of his consciousness, sending it deep into the spectral image of the Mountain and Sea.
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