Chapter 1688: Creature of the Primordial Mist
Chapter 1688: Creature of the Primordial Mist
The mysterious figure seemed to have truly caught something, straining with all its might to control the prize.
In that instant, the gaze of the entire Mountain and Sea focused on its hand.
Within the Mountain and Sea, a great wind swept through, carrying with it the gazes from the depths of the Infinite Sea.
Beyond the Mountain and Sea, dark currents surged, as if countless consciousnesses were exchanging thoughts.
The supreme treasure in its hand seemed poised to break free at any moment. The figure trembled violently, barely able to contain itself as its image flickered in and out of view, a phantom on the edge of reality.
Even the Primal Possibility it occupied seemed to teeter on the brink of collapse. The slightest misstep would have seen it annihilated in the confrontation between these two colossal forces.
Within the Xuanhuang Realm, the sun rose and set three times.
At last, the struggle reached its conclusion.
Its heart swelled with excitement, and it burst into triumphant laughter.
Yet, the moment it relaxed its grip, the triumphant smile froze on its face.
Victory had been firmly in its grasp just a moment before, yet now, its hand was empty!
Even watching this memory from countless years later, Li Fan could feel the figure's profound, seething rage.
Yet, for some unknown reason—some hidden apprehension—it refrained from unleashing its fury and destroying the Xuanhuang Realm.
Instead, refusing to give up, it searched the Xuanhuang Realm again and again.
But in the end, it found nothing and departed, seething with frustration.
...
The incident had occurred in utter silence, unnoticed by anyone in the Xuanhuang Realm. Not even the Rotten Axe Dojo had a record of it.
Only the Mountain and Sea itself, having witnessed the struggle between the mysterious figure and the unknown entity, had recorded the memory in light and shadow.
Had the Mountain and Sea existed in its normal state, this memory would have remained hidden within its endless, sprawling expanse, invisible to the world. Not even a Saint could have easily perceived it.
But now, with the Mountain and Sea in a transitional state between illusion and reality, most memories were veiled, allowing only the most significant scenes to manifest. And so, Li Fan saw it.
"Who was that?"
"And what was the prey it had laid a trap to hunt?"
As the scene replayed over and over in his mind, a strange premonition took root in Li Fan's heart.
The creature that mysterious figure had schemed to hunt...
...was perhaps [Truth] itself!
"It had secretly rewritten everything, all to weave a net to lure [Truth] in."
"But what, exactly, would have drawn [Truth] here?"
"And had [Truth] even existed so long ago?"
In an instant, a thousand thoughts flooded Li Fan's mind, each giving rise to new doubts.
He felt an urgent need to contact [Truth] and demand answers.
Unfortunately, his true self was stationed within the Armillary Ring, surrounded by the phantom forms of the Saints. [Truth] was in a deep state of immersion, and he couldn't communicate with it.
"But there's no rush," he thought.
"No matter where [Truth] came from or why, the crucial fact is that I control it now."
"Besides, given its disposition, it probably wouldn't answer even if I asked."
Li Fan shook his head to himself.
"However, that figure... the Saints of the Other Shore would likely recognize it..."
He recalled how, even in its extreme rage after [Truth] inexplicably escaped, the figure hadn't vented its anger through destruction. Li Fan surmised it must have been afraid of other Saints detecting its presence.
After a moment of thought, Li Fan decided to ask them directly.
"Everyone, take a look at this."
"This segment of the Mountain and Sea's memory is rather intriguing."
The gazes of the Saints had been focused on the points where their own consciousnesses were invested.
Now, as Li Fan spoke, they all turned their attention to him.
Slowly, a peculiar atmosphere began to spread among the Saints.
"So that's what happened," Lian Shan, the Connecting Mountains Saint, was the first to speak. "He vanished without a trace back then, and I thought he'd gone to an even more ancient era. I never imagined he came here..." His phantom, which had remained unchanged for millennia, rippled with faint disturbances.
"And that thing in its hand..."
Lian Shan and Gui Hai both turned to look at Saint Tai Yi.
Saint Tai Yi contemplated for a long moment, first nodding, then gently shaking his head.
"It bears a strong resemblance. But as for whether it truly is..."
"...it's hard to say for certain."
"What are you all talking about? Stop speaking in riddles." Before Li Fan could ask, the All Knowing Immortal interjected impatiently.
Seeing the All Knowing Immortal's eagerness, Saint Tai Yi chuckled. "We speak of something from before the Mountain and Sea—a Creature of the Primordial Mist."
"A Creature of the Primordial Mist?" The words immediately captured the attention of the newer Saints.
Saint Tai Yi no longer kept them in suspense and began to explain slowly. "The Mountain and Sea originated from the True God. But at the beginning, was there something else that existed alongside the God?"
"No one can know for certain without returning to the very Beginning of the Mountain and Sea. However, from various signs, we have been able to faintly confirm certain possibilities."
"What do you mean?" the All Knowing Immortal asked, his curiosity piqued.
"The very existence of Daos on par with the Mountain and Sea."
"If, when the True God perished, only the Mountain and Sea existed, then it should have collectively absorbed all of the God's power. But..."
"...there are Daos in this world on par with the Mountain and Sea itself, Daos that never truly integrated into its fabric."
"Such as [Longevity], [Sundial Fate], and the [Xuanpin Dao]."
As Saint Tai Yi spoke, his gaze swept over Shou Qiu, the Sundial Fate Saint, and Li Fan in turn.
"It is as if, when the True God perished, something else was present to feast upon the remains alongside the Mountain and Sea. This caused the divine power to scatter, preventing it from being fully absorbed."
"Perhaps it was this very deficiency that ultimately led to the emergence of the [Star]."
"We surmise that this ancient existence, as old as the Mountain and Sea itself, is what we call the Creature of the Primordial Mist."
The All Knowing Immortal shook his head, rather disappointed. "So it's all just speculation. I thought you had actually seen one!"
The voices of Lian Shan and Gui Hai sounded in unison. "We have never seen one. But Tai Yi is another matter."
Saint Tai Yi's phantom wavered slightly as he seemed to drift into a deep memory.
"Long ago, when the Mountain and Sea was first born and the myriad Daos were taking shape, I was but one of many innate divine concepts that emerged. There were others like me: the Primal Beginning, the Primal Origin, the Primal Element, the Grand Ultimate, and even the Limitless..."
"And yet, the reason I alone was able to become a Saint..."
"...is because an existence enlightened me."
Saint Tai Yi's phantom held nothing back, speaking with complete candor.
To think that Saint Tai Yi, one of the most powerful among them, had only achieved Sainthood through the guidance of another.
The newer Saints, hearing such a profound secret for the first time, were all stunned into silence.
Li Fan, however, recalled the [Mountain and Sea Primordial Genesis Chapter] he had once seen.
It had been written by Tai Yi, with commentary by the Limitless, and it described his thoughts as he observed Lian Shan and Gui Hai constructing the Immortal Realm.
The text had already subtly hinted at Saint Tai Yi's identity as a primordial, innate being.
While the other Saints were shaken, Saint Tai Yi remained perfectly serene. "At that time," he continued, "the Mountain and Sea had not yet fully formed. It was still in its gestational period."
"In the Primitive Immortal Realm, all things were in competition. There were even those who fed upon the Dao itself."
"I was merely one among them."
"But one day, as I gazed out over the nascent Mountain and Sea, I saw the clouds and winds churn as a streak of flowing light shot past, falling into the Primitive Immortal Realm."
"An inexplicable excitement surged within me. It felt as if finding that streak of light would lead to a world-altering destiny. It seemed I was not the only one who felt this way."
"And so, despite a long and arduous search, I could not find it."
"Just as I was about to abandon the search, the streak of light appeared before me of its own accord."
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