Chapter 1700: A Return to Nature
Chapter 1700: A Return to Nature
"So, the Mountain and Sea can truly be reconnected after being lost?" In the shattered remnants of the Mountain and Sea, amidst a chaotic torrent of possibilities, Shou Qiu listened to Li Fan recount the sequence of events, his voice laced with a mixture of hope and disbelief.
A traveler from the End of the Mountain and Sea, one who had reconnected it twice.
Before, he might have accepted such a claim without question, but now...
After the calamity of the Three Saints’ inexplicable demise, even Shou Qiu’s own spirit had been subtly altered.
"The Three Saints knew my journey would be fraught with peril, so each bestowed upon me a treasure for my protection," Li Fan explained. "The Connecting Mountains Staff, the Returning to Sea Shovel, and the All Living Beings Stick. These are the treasures of the Three Saints, and they serve as my credentials."
"And there is more..." Li Fan reached out, his hand touching the void beyond the Mountain and Sea. He seemed to be sensing something with his eyes closed, then his hand clenched tightly, grasping an unseen substance that he presented to Shou Qiu.
Facts speak louder than words.
With this tangible proof—a mass of accumulated True Spirit drawn from the void—Shou Qiu immediately believed seven parts in ten of what Li Fan said.
Li Fan knew Shou Qiu was referring to the fall of the Three Saints in this fragment of the Mountain and Sea.
He, too, was curious about the entities capable of slaying the Saints, entities known as the *Void Resurrection*, and promptly began his inquiry.
Shou Qiu still seemed shaken by the memory. After a moment of silence, he began to speak, his voice low. "That day was like any other. The true forms of the Three Saints were forging a path through the void ahead. The rest of us were attempting to form a bridge with our own bodies, to connect the fragments of the Mountain and Sea. But then, unexpectedly..."
"A storm erupted in the void!"
"It was a tide of Dao Annihilation unlike anything I had ever witnessed. Its ferocity surpassed the tide ravaging this place a thousandfold!"
Shou Qiu gestured toward the torrent of Dao Annihilation raging outside the shattered shell of their reality, his expression grim.
"It was as if the entire void had focused all its power on that single point. We were caught completely off guard, our formation instantly shattered and scattered. In the ensuing panic, our only choice was to retreat back into the Armillary Ring, but it was then we discovered..."
"The Three Saints had not returned!"
"Even the phantom projections they left to anchor our position had vanished. Such a thing could only mean one of two things: either the Saints had already perished in the maelstrom, or they had encountered a danger so profound that they had to recall every last shred of their power to confront it. Whatever the reason, it was an unprecedented event."
"Only then did we realize, far too late, that the terrifying storm in the void was the result of the Three Saints engaged in a desperate battle."
Shou Qiu took a deep breath. "We always knew the Three Saints were far stronger than the rest of us. But none of us truly grasped the extent of their power. At that moment, we finally understood. The gulf between us was as vast as that between the heavens and the earth. And yet, even beings of such magnitude..."
"...actually fell." Shou Qiu’s body trembled slightly, as if he still found the reality impossible to accept.
Li Fan's brow furrowed. "Did you witness their fall with your own eyes, Shou Qiu?"
Shou Qiu shook his head. "I didn't have to. The shattering of the Armillary Ring was all the proof needed. The Ring was a divine artifact forged by the Three Saints in unison. Even the most savage and malevolent among us were easily pacified within its influence. It was the only way we could all work with one heart and one mind to save the Mountain and Sea. However..."
"A leopard cannot change its spots. At first, I truly thought they had changed their ways. I never imagined that the moment the Armillary Ring shattered, it wouldn't take long for them to reveal their true natures."
"Combined with the chaos engulfing the Mountain and Sea, I wanted to turn the tide, but I lacked the strength. My only choice was to hide for the time being and search for another way. It was then that I happened to witness your... rather abrupt arrival."
Li Fan gave a helpless shrug. "The Three Saints sensed the cataclysm unfolding in the Mountain and Sea ahead, so they sent me. The Saints from the Other Shore are not the greatest threat. The true danger is the *Void Resurrection*. They are the ones who killed the Three Saints of this timeline."
"*Void Resurrection*..." Shou Qiu’s expression turned grave. "So it was them after all."
Li Fan continued, "It is because I hail from the End of the Mountain and Sea that I do not exist in the void's memory. This protects me from the threat of the *Void Resurrection*, which is why the Three Saints sent me. But, as you just witnessed, I alone am no match for them."
Li Fan let his words hang in the air, his meaning clear.
Shou Qiu understood his unspoken plea. "For the sake of the Three Saints, and for all life in the Mountain and Sea, I cannot shirk my responsibility," he declared solemnly. "But..."
Suddenly, Shou Qiu’s expression changed. He seized Li Fan’s arm.
"We've been found! We have to go!"
Amidst an explosion of starlight that filled the void, Shou Qiu whisked Li Fan away, breaking through the Saints' encirclement once more.
They found another turbulent current within the Mountain and Sea to conceal themselves for the time being.
Li Fan was perplexed. "Why do they go into a frenzy the moment they see I have the Saints' treasures? Shouldn't their priority be surviving the collapse of this reality?"
Shou Qiu paused for a moment before sighing. "It seems you still don't understand the true weight of the treasures you carry. But that's not surprising. Perhaps it is precisely for that reason the Three Saints entrusted them to you."
"What do you mean?"
"Do not be deceived by their plain appearances—a wooden staff, an iron shovel, a stone stick. They are the very artifacts through which the Three Saints attained their Dao. The Connecting Mountains Saint ascended the Upper Mountain with this staff. The Returning to Sea Saint opened the Infinite Spring with this shovel. Saint Tai Yi subdued all life with this stick. In the ancient Mountain and Sea, these three items were legendary. After they achieved their Dao, the Saints' own power was so immense they no longer needed to wield these treasures. Instead, they kept them close, nurturing them. They would not use them lightly, only in times of the gravest crisis..."
"Once, we witnessed with our own eyes the Three Saints joining forces to rescue a corner of the Mountain and Sea that was on the very brink of collapse. It can be said that these three treasures now possess a power no less than that of a Saint themselves!"
Li Fan glanced at the staff, shovel, and stick, which had now fallen silent again, a flicker of surprise in his heart.
He had known they were remarkable, but he had never imagined they held such profound significance for the Three Saints.
"If their full power could be unleashed," Shou Qiu said with certainty, "these rampaging Saints could be subdued with the flick of a finger."
"But as it is, I can't seem to truly command them," Li Fan admitted. "They act purely on instinct."
Shou Qiu was not surprised. "The three treasures have spirits of their own. They have followed the Saints for ages and developed their own tempers. They would submit to the Three Saints, of course, but..."
"...your strength, my friend, may be a little lacking. It is only natural that they are unwilling to submit to you," Shou Qiu stated diplomatically.
Li Fan chuckled. "It doesn't matter. As long as they can stabilize the situation, that's enough for now."
"My arrival with these treasures has at least drawn their attention. Otherwise, if they were left to their infighting, this fragment of the Mountain and Sea would have been destroyed by now."
"But it cannot last," Shou Qiu warned grimly. "If they fail to find you after a prolonged search... knowing them, they might threaten to destroy what's left of this reality just to force us out of hiding."
Li Fan was stunned. "They are Saints, yet they would stoop so low?"
Shou Qiu sighed. "'Saint' is merely a classification of power, not a measure of morality. Before they attained their Dao, many of them were the kind who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. The Armillary Ring merely suppressed them, sanding down their sharp edges for a time. Now that they are free..."
"I fear they will only grow more and more brazen."
Shou Qiu's face was etched with worry.
"Before my arrival, the void had already spanned for nearly a hundred thousand years. If this piece of the Mountain and Sea is lost, the grand design of reconnection will fail."
After clarifying the gravity of the situation, Li Fan asked, "In your opinion, Shou Qiu, which of the Other Shore Saints should we target first?"
"Though I may be unworthy, I am willing to risk everything to turn this desperate tide."
Li Fan's noble declaration stood in stark contrast to the rapacious behavior of the other Saints.
Hearing this, Shou Qiu was filled with solemn respect.
After a moment of thought, he answered in a low voice, "The Saints have long been ranked by strength. From strongest to weakest, they are: Stealing Opportunity, Sundial Fate, Broken Prophecy, Karma Judge, Star Raft..."
Li Fan declared, "Then we'll start with Stealing Opportunity!"
Shou Qiu looked at him, puzzled.
Li Fan's eyes narrowed. "To deal with figures like these, you need a show of overwhelming force. If we pick off the weakest first, it will only make us look timid. But if..."
"...if we take down their strongest in a single, decisive blow, the rest will be nothing to fear. They'll scatter like loose sand, allowing us to defeat them one by one," Li Fan finished with absolute confidence.
As Shou Qiu listened, he had to admit there was logic to the plan.
"However, the power of Stealing Opportunity is no small matter. He can steal from any living being, even pilfering the very fortune of the Mountain and Sea itself. To make an enemy of him is like standing in opposition to reality..."
Li Fan snorted, hefting the wooden staff. "The Mountain and Sea can barely fend for itself. So what if we stand against it? Would it dare to move against us? Shou Qiu, you must remember—we are here to save it."
"In this desperate, shattered landscape, concepts like destiny, fortune, and fate are all in turmoil. The only law that still holds true is survival."
Li Fan gazed into the distance, his eyes taking in the full panorama of chaos: the roiling remnants of the Mountain and Sea, the ceaseless collapse of possibility streams.
Standing in the midst of this apocalypse, he felt neither discomfort nor danger.
Instead, he felt an unprecedented sense of freedom, as if the shackles that had long bound him had finally been cast off.
"In the past, in the Xuanhuang Realm, the Dharma Spreader loomed over me."
"Beyond the Xuanhuang Realm, there was the Hunger Immortal."
"Beyond the High Wall, there were the Black Heaven Physician and Evil Su Bai from outside possibility itself."
"And leaping beyond the Primal Possibility, I found the Saints of the Other Shore presiding over all."
"I could never feel truly at ease."
"Until now..."
A strange light flickered in Li Fan's eyes.
"The Three Saints. The greatest threat is already dead."
"And their treasures have fallen into my hands."
"No rules, no restraints. I can act as I see fit. Hahaha..."
The reason Li Fan hadn't used [Truth] to leave was simple, pure even.
To slay Saints.
And to do so for a perfectly just and noble cause.
How could he possibly pass up such a rare opportunity?
Li Fan had not forgotten that time in the simulation when the Saints of the Other Shore had laid him bare, exposing his every secret.
"I'll settle the score with the Three Saints later. First, it's time to collect some interest from the others."
"Besides..."
With a thought, the panel for [Truth] flickered into existence before his eyes.
"*Dao Return Hall*. I wonder if killing a Saint from the Other Shore will be enough to carve a name within it."
The idea was promising, but the specifics of their plan required careful consideration.
"Stealing Opportunity is extremely cautious," Shou Qiu said grimly. "Given his nature, he's likely to hide behind the scenes and wait to profit from the chaos."
"It doesn't matter. To defeat an enemy, you must seize the initiative."
With a plan already formed in his mind, Li Fan conveyed it to Shou Qiu via a secret transmission.
"This..." Shou Qiu listened, his face clouded with hesitation.
"Trust me, Shou Qiu. This will ensure our victory."
A series of emotions flickered across Shou Qiu's face before he finally clenched his jaw and agreed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A short while later, a tremendous explosion ripped through the turbulent currents of the Mountain and Sea.
As light and shadow clashed, countless streams of possibility, already in a state of chaos, were instantly annihilated.
The already precarious reality of the Mountain and Sea began to crumble faster, vast sections collapsing into the tide of Dao Annihilation.
The waves of the void churned and surged, as if celebrating a coming victory.
And through it all, a roar of shock and fury reverberated: "Shou Qiu, you dare! I thought you were a man of great virtue, but you're nothing but a despicable hypocrite!"
"I entrusted my life to you, yet you're no better than those other beasts, coveting the treasures I carry!"
It was Li Fan's voice.
His face was ashen, his robes were in tatters, and he appeared to be gravely wounded.
Opposite him, Shou Qiu's expression was darker than ever before.
Before Li Fan could continue, Shou Qiu thrust a finger toward him.
Amidst the cataclysm of collapsing mountains and raging seas, Shou Qiu's power was magnified.
He stood unmoving, the very turmoil caused by reality's collapse subdued beneath his feet, tamed and harnessed as his own weapon.
That simple gesture, a single pointed finger, carried the might of that cataclysm.
A wave a thousand meters high seemed to form from nothing, crashing down with the intent to utterly crush Li Fan.
At the critical moment, an iron shovel sliced through the colossal wave, pulling Li Fan from its crushing embrace.
"Go!"
Li Fan roared.
The Connecting Mountains Staff transformed into a stream of light, enveloping him and shooting straight out of the Mountain and Sea's remnants.
He was abandoning this fragment of reality, fleeing without a second glance.
Shou Qiu, naturally, would not let his prey escape so easily. He pursued him relentlessly.
Back in the collapsing reality, the other Saints witnessed this bizarre scene, but none of them gave chase immediately.
Yet, as the two streaks of light—one pursuing, one fleeing—flew out of the Mountain and Sea entirely and vanished into the void, showing no sign of returning, they could no longer remain idle.
"Hmph. And I thought Shou Qiu was some paragon of virtue. Turns out he's just like the rest of us."
"This is how the world works. There are no perfect saints in this universe. Even the great Three Saints were just bullies who threw their weight around!"
"Marvelous, simply marvelous! I never could stand Shou Qiu, but it seems he was just wearing a mask that fooled the world. This new side of him... it suits my tastes. A man worth knowing, hahaha!"
"This change in Shou Qiu is too drastic. Be careful, it could be a trick."
"A trick? I doubt it. More like his true colors are finally showing!"
"Regardless, this world is about to fall. This Dao Annihilation tide is fiercer than any before. Our only sliver of hope for survival lies with the treasures of the Three Saints. We must catch that boy..."
"And he dared to call us beasts."
...
As if a long-held restraint had finally snapped, the Saints transformed into streaks of light, hurtling in the direction Li Fan had vanished.
With these fiends gone, the battered Mountain and Sea, for a time, fell quiet.
After all, it still possessed an immense foundation built over countless eons. Against all odds, it managed to stabilize itself against the pounding waves of Dao Annihilation.
Of course, this was only a temporary reprieve.
The battle now unfolding in the void beyond would decide its ultimate fate.
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