Chapter 1699: The Doomsday Struggle of the Saints
“Even with our treasures to protect you, you must not be reckless. If the situation proves impossible...”
“Your safety must be the priority. The True Spirit Infusion grants you infinite possibilities. Even if the Mountain Sea cannot be reconnected, there may yet be a way to turn the tide.”
Standing before him, the Three Saints spoke words entirely different from what they had said on the Other Shore.
“Remember this: once you descend into the Mountain Sea ahead, trust no one. Not even those you think you know.”
“There is only one ultimate goal: to preserve the Mountain Sea amidst the ravages of the Dao Annihilation. As for anything else...”
“There are no taboos. Do whatever you must.”
As if gazing into the chaos of the Mountain Sea segment ahead, the Three Saints gave their instructions with grave solemnity.
Before Li Fan could even reply, three currents of immense power enveloped his body.
They tore through the surging tide of Dao Annihilation, propelling him like an arrow toward the precarious Mountain Sea adrift in the Void Realm.
Struck by the backlash from the Void Realm, the figures of the Three Saints wavered uncontrollably for a moment.
“We too must begin our preparations.”
Their majestic figures suddenly swelled to immense proportions, driving back the encroaching darkness.
Like a continuous mountain range, the Three Saints stood, their presence echoing across the eons of the Void Realm.
...
Even with the Three Saints sending him off, the experience of forcibly traversing the Void Realm against its violent backlash was excruciating.
It felt as if a thousand steel blades were hacking away at the very foundation of his existence, each blow threatening to shatter his Dao foundation.
If not for his enlightenment on the Zhouhui Dao before the Mountain Sea No-Boundary Stele, which had left its unique imprint upon him...
If not for the infinite Spirituality he possessed, which rendered him fearless against the Void Realm's corrosive influence...
...he would have already suffered devastating injuries.
"Hah..."
His form finally stabilized. Li Fan gave a slight cough, calming the turmoil within his body.
He paid no mind to the dozens of possibilities around him, shattered to pieces by his violent arrival.
After all, this segment of the Mountain Sea, as far as the eye could see, was already a desolate landscape of fragmentation, decay, and ruin.
The instant he arrived, Li Fan sensed the strange and unsettling atmosphere of this place.
Chaos. Madness. Hysteria.
Even the Mountain Sea itself had undergone an inexplicable transformation following the demise of the Three Saints.
“Even an ant clings to life, let alone the Mountain Sea itself.”
“On the verge of being swallowed by the Void Realm, it's bound to manifest all sorts of twisted phenomena.”
Li Fan frowned, shutting out the howling of the Mountain Sea, a sound like the wailing of ghosts and wolves that echoed in his ears.
He had seen the end of the Mountain Sea before.
But that had been in the twilight years, at the very end of time.
Now, however, the Mountain Sea was still, arguably, in its prime.
Thus, its final, desperate struggle before death was all the more terrifying.
All living beings across the endless possibilities of the Mountain Sea originate from it. Now, with its imminent collapse, the Mountain Sea, in its struggle to survive, sought to reclaim everything it had given.
It was a desperate attempt to cling to existence for just a few moments longer.
Long before the Dao Annihilation could strike, possibilities began to collapse one after another like landslides, burying all life within them.
The Immortal World, built by the Three Saints upon the interconnected mountains and seas, was crumbling in its entirety.
And even...
Li Fan looked toward where the Other Shore was supposed to be.
The brilliant white light that once enveloped the Mountain Sea was gone.
In its place was a strange, black, spectral glow.
It trembled violently from time to time, as if a fierce battle raged within.
“What a mess...”
“Preserve the Mountain Sea,” he murmured, squinting as he observed the scene, then slowly shook his head.
“I'll observe for a while first. If it's truly hopeless, I'll just use Truth Realization and return. The rewards from this life have been more than sufficient, anyway...”
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Li Fan's expression suddenly changed.
A moment ago, he had felt an invisible hand slowly scrape across the crown of his head. The touch was cold and slick, sending an instinctive shiver down his spine. At the same time, he felt as if something had been lifted away from him.
“Who's there?!”
Before Li Fan himself could react, the bamboo staff in his hand moved on its own, striking out lightly into the void.
At first, there was only silence.
Then, a ripple spread, growing louder and louder until it became a continuous, monumental roar that shook the very fabric of the Mountain Sea.
A figure was unceremoniously forced out of hiding, looking dishevelled.
And far behind this figure, Li Fan saw with perfect clarity that the Mountain Sea, which had been in a state of self-disintegration from the impending apocalypse, had actually stabilized for the moment.
An invisible force seemed to be holding the collapsing world together.
It was as if a mountain that had already crumbled was slowly, majestically rising once more.
With one strike of the staff, silence fell across the Mountain and Sea.
Only the resounding roar of mountains rising anew echoed through the void.
Li Fan froze, then felt it—gazes from every corner of the Mountain and Sea, all fixed upon him.
And as the ambusher was forced into view, the intangible something that had been stolen from him returned.
“The... Connecting... Mountains... Staff.”
The Saint before him uttered the name, one syllable at a time, as if he had encountered the most unbelievable thing imaginable.
In that same instant, Li Fan recognized him.
Stealing Opportunity.
He had assumed that recognizing the symbol of the Connecting Mountains Saint would change the other's attitude.
He never expected that the Saint Stealing Opportunity would merely hesitate for a moment before attacking Li Fan once more.
But his target wasn't Li Fan—it was the Connecting Mountains Staff in his hand!
Not only that, but Li Fan could also feel several familiar presences converging on him from across the Mountain and Sea.
All aimed directly at him.
They were all Saints from the Other Shore!
A chill ran down Li Fan's spine. He finally understood why, before he departed, the Three Saints had given him that final instruction: "There are no taboos. Do whatever you must."
Without any command from Li Fan, the Connecting Mountains Staff swung on its own.
Endless phantoms of mountains rose around him, shielding him from the Saints' gazes.
Even so, it could not completely stop Stealing Opportunity's frantic assault.
He coughed violently.
Li Fan realized his "fortune" was draining away at a terrifying rate. Even the normal flow of energy in his body was disrupted, making him feel as if he were on the verge of losing control completely.
More critically, the mantle of the Zhouhui Dao he wore felt as if it no longer fit him.
And beyond Stealing Opportunity, a second Saint had already arrived.
Starlight parted the way as a small wooden boat drifted into view.
The small boat smashed through the infinite mountain phantoms created by the staff, forcing its way directly in front of Li Fan.
Li Fan could vaguely make out the figure standing on the boat: the Saint, Star Raft. R[an\OBEs
But compared to the one he knew from the Other Shore of the future, this Star Raft was shrouded in an overwhelmingly dense, murderous aura.
His target was also clear: the Connecting Mountains Staff in Li Fan's hand.
Every mote of starlight seemed to hold infinite energy. They continuously battered the rising mountain phantoms, scattering brilliant light everywhere. The stability that the Connecting Mountains Staff had just brought to the Mountain Sea began to waver once more.
At that very moment, the iron shovel at Li Fan's waist stirred.
Like the staff, it acted of its own accord.
With a casual thrust, it plunged into the void between the mountains and seas.
The sky full of starlight, the invisible icy hand of the attacker, and even the rising mountain phantoms were all instantly driven back by a colossal, inexplicable tremor.
The greatest sound is silence.
All sound vanished. Across the Mountain and Sea, only the gurgling of a clear spring could be heard.
The sound of flowing water grew louder, and within moments, it swelled into a torrential roar.
It was like the thunder of a ceaseless river, echoing in the ears of all the Saints.
From the chaotic, depleted Infinite Sea, a new spring had been unearthed.
The frenzied will of the Mountain Sea began to subside.
Watching the two great treasures act, Li Fan understood at once.
“They are reenacting the deeds of the two Saints, Connecting Mountains and Returning to Sea.”
“They are tapping into the last reserves of the dying Mountain Sea, forcing a final burst of vitality, like the last flare of a dying candle.”
“But this is no long-term solution. If it can't be stabilized soon...”
“...this Mountain and Sea will only collapse that much faster!”
Li Fan's mind raced. He was already considering using Truth Realization to leave.
As the iron shovel made its appearance, the expressions of the Saints watching Li Fan changed once more.
But their hesitation was fleeting.
They still had not abandoned their attempts to seize the treasures!
He had no idea what had happened in this segment of the Mountain and Sea after the death of the Three Saints.
The Saints of the Other Shore had all undergone a complete change in temperament!
“The treasures forged by the Saints Connecting Mountains and Returning to Sea belong to the worthy. Your cultivation is insufficient, friend. To hold them is to invite disaster.”
A ghostly voice drifted from the depths of the Mountain and Sea.
As if to prove the speaker's words, both the Connecting Mountains Staff and the Returning to Sea Shovel showed signs of slipping from his control!
“Broken Prophecy.” Li Fan's expression shifted slightly as he recognized the owner of the voice.
One word becomes prophecy. He can break them, or he can make them true.
“Let go of them, now! Delay, and you will bring ruin upon yourself!”
As Broken Prophecy spoke, the Connecting Mountains Staff, still weaving through the air, actually conjured a mountain phantom that loomed over Li Fan.
CRASH!
Caught completely off guard, Li Fan was struck head-on.
With his Saint-level cultivation, he was not so easily injured, but the impact sent a tremor through his body, and it took a moment to calm the roiling energy within.
More importantly, his grip on the Connecting Mountains Staff and the Returning to Sea Shovel grew increasingly tenuous.
The protective phantoms of the Mountain and Sea, conjured by the two great treasures, began to flicker and destabilize.
The other Saints pressed their advantage, their aggression mounting.
“I have crossed from a future Mountain and Sea,” Li Fan began, his voice strained. “I came to save...”
He was horrified to find that the words leaving his lips had, without his knowledge, changed entirely.
“What Saints? You're nothing but useless puppets.”
“I'll kill the Three Saints first, then I'll slaughter all of you. Let the Mountain and Sea fall! Let it all return to the Void Realm!”
“Hahahaha!”
His laughter was utterly deranged.
More terrifying still, as the words were spoken, the very thoughts in Li Fan's mind began to shift, twisting to match them.
He truly wanted to slaughter every Saint here like an animal, then flee into the embrace of the Void Realm.
It was as if some unseen hand was rewriting his fate from behind the curtain!
“Sundial Fate...”
Li Fan gritted his teeth, fighting with all his might against the warped intentions invading his mind.
If he couldn't resist this insidious invasion, he would become a mere puppet, fighting the other Saints until his death, never even thinking to activate Truth Realization.
As Li Fan diverted most of his willpower to his struggle against Sundial Fate, his control over the Connecting Mountains Staff and the Returning to Sea Shovel weakened even further.
Sundial Fate, Broken Prophecy, Stealing Opportunity, Karma Judge, Star Raft...
These familiar Saints of the Other Shore completely ignored his status as an emissary of the Three Saints. Each unleashed their unique powers, intent on taking him down.
Their Daos were the same, but their actions and demeanor were those of completely different people.
Even with the protective treasures bestowed by the Three Saints, Li Fan was beginning to crumble under their combined assault.
At this critical juncture, the stone staff that had been slung across Li Fan's back...
...finally stirred.
“With the Three Saints fallen, their destiny is ours to claim. Friend, why do you insist...”
Broken Prophecy's words were cut short by a muffled grunt.
A series of dull thuds followed in quick succession.
In just a few moments, Li Fan felt the pressure on him lighten dramatically.
The stone staff that had vanished from his back reappeared before him.
Only now, it was stained with several distinct traces of blood.
“The All Living Beings Stick... hah.”
Sundial Fate, having suffered a silent blow, let out a cold sneer.
Though they ceased their combined assault on Li Fan, they did not retreat.
They simply stood there, watching him.
The other Saints did likewise.
“Their destiny is ours to claim,” Li Fan repeated, tightening his grip on the All Living Beings Stick as he recalled Sundial Fate's words.
He thought back to the subtle changes he himself had undergone within the Armillary Ring and finally, slowly, began to understand.
“The Saints have all changed.”
“The Three Saints' specific parting words.”
“And...”
“Stealing Opportunity, Sundial Fate, Broken Prophecy...”
“The so-called Saints of the Other Shore were likely never the benevolent beings I once knew.”
“They were merely subdued by the Three Saints, then reformed over long ages by the Armillary Ring. That was the only reason they could achieve 'Same Heart Same Virtue' and work together to save the world.”
“As long as the Three Saints were present, everything was under control. Even if the other Saints harbored resentment, they couldn't make a move.”
“But in this segment of the Mountain and Sea, the Three Saints were annihilated by the 'Void Realm's Rebirth'. And the Saints of the Other Shore... they've reverted to their true natures.”
The malice of the Saints hung in the air, trapping Li Fan in a tight circle.
The All Living Beings Stick in his hand, however, was entirely unfazed. It was as if it hadn't tasted blood in a long time and was now eager for a fight.
In this situation, Li Fan could still activate Truth Realization and return to his anchor point.
But even a saint has his limits.
To arrive here only to be immediately ganged up on by a host of Saints had left Li Fan utterly infuriated.
“There may be many of you,” Li Fan said, “but I hold the supreme treasures of the Three Saints.”
He hefted the All Living Beings Stick, a dangerous light gleaming in his eyes.
“No taboos,” he repeated to himself.
He muttered the two words the Three Saints had given him, and then, without any warning, swung the staff toward the distant Broken Prophecy.
He didn't need to lock onto his target's position.
He only had to think of who he wanted to strike, and the All Living Beings Stick would find its mark.
It ignored space and time, striking the instant it was swung.
And it could not be dodged.
“All living beings are subject to the staff.”
Another dull thud echoed through the void. Feeling the feedback from the impact, Li Fan finally understood the meaning behind the name "All Living Beings Stick."
His gaze swept across the surrounding Saints, and without a shred of courtesy, he swung the staff again and again.
It couldn't deal a fatal blow to the Saints, but each strike landed squarely on their heads.
However, the Saints present were no lambs to the slaughter.
Though Li Fan had gained a temporary advantage with the supreme treasure...
...they worked together, enduring the blows from the staff while coordinating to disrupt his actions.
Both his actions and his thoughts were slowly slipping out of his control.
Having had his fill of venting his anger, Li Fan was about to activate Truth Realization and depart.
But a sudden thought struck him, and he roared, “Shou Qiu Gong, if you don't help me now, the Mountain and Sea will have no hope of recovery!”
“Alas...”
A sigh echoed from the heart of the Mountain and Sea.
A great, unending tide seemed to surge forth, obscuring the Saints' vision.
“Come with me.”
A quiet whisper sounded in his ear. Li Fan did not resist, allowing the force to envelop him and carry him safely away from the circle of Saints.
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