Chapter 1704: The Armillary Ring of the Mind
Chapter 1704: The Armillary Ring of the Mind
“Interesting.”
The lingering consciousness coiled around the Dao of Stealing Opportunity, seeming to brim with resentment and an endless yearning for the Dao of Truth and Falsehood.
But all of it—the resentment, the yearning, every last trace—vanished completely under Li Fan’s intervention, reduced to pure Dao principles.
“Stealing Opportunity's insights, profound as they seemed, were nothing more than the fantasies of one who had never truly grasped the transformation between truth and falsehood.”
After a long moment spent examining the remnants of Qieji's consciousness, Li Fan shook his head slightly.
“The foundation of all things, the shift between the tangible and the illusory, the balance of all mysteries—these are merely the superficial aspects of this transformation.”
“It’s akin to the great hall within the Dao Return to True system, a place that seems to encompass every principle in the Mountain and Sea. Yet, at its core, it all comes down to the four words: ‘Return to True’.”
“The true essence of the transformation between truth and falsehood...”
As if sensing Li Fan’s thoughts, a line of small characters suddenly materialized on the [Truth] panel: “When the real is treated as false, the false becomes real.”
Imbued with an infinite mystery, the characters held for a moment before shattering and vanishing into the darkness.
“No matter how much is said, it all boils down to a single thought of truth and falsehood.”
“This is the essence of the Great Dao’s simplicity.”
Of course, Li Fan had to admit that to have such an insight the very instant he touched [Truth], Stealing Opportunity’s talent for comprehension was indeed superior to his own.
Li Fan’s current understanding of the transformation between truth and falsehood was the result of countless cycles of painstaking accumulation and reflection.
“Touching [Truth] is one thing. Whether [Truth] is willing to go with you is another matter entirely.”
Li Fan snorted inwardly. On the ‘Return to True’ panel, the entry for “Fourth, Stealing Opportunity” suddenly erupted in a brilliant, seven-colored light.
In an instant, as if he had become the Stealing Opportunity Saint himself, Li Fan scanned his surroundings and reached out from afar into the nearby void realm.
Some of the myriad streams of fortune that Stealing Opportunity had released in his final, desperate gamble hadn’t managed to get far. Li Fan effortlessly snatched them back.
“Being blessed by fortune really is different.”
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, savoring the feeling of fortune so immense it could touch the heavens.
“With my current understanding of the Zhouhui Dao, I can comprehend the Dao and become a Saint on my own. Then, I can try wearing the mantle of Stealing Opportunity.”
“The power of two Saints may not necessarily mean a twofold increase in strength, but when it comes to a real fight, it will give me another trump card.”
Having been pushed into a perilous situation during his confrontation with Stealing Opportunity, Li Fan was keenly aware of the deterrent power of this particular Dao.
“Frankly, for me, Stealing Opportunity is far less useful than ‘Return to True’. But since [Truth] cannot be easily revealed to others, I can act under the guise of Stealing Opportunity.”
Besides his insights into truth, falsehood, and opportunity-stealing, Li Fan also glimpsed an ancient legend within the remnant consciousness.
“The True God left three contingencies?”
“If the second two are [Truth] and the Star, then what is the last one?”
Li Fan had personally journeyed to the end of the Mountain and Sea, witnessing its fall and the descent of the lone Star.
At that time, aside from [Truth], which had the power to turn the tide and contend with the Star, nothing else in the entire Mountain and Sea still existed.
“It couldn’t possibly be me, could it?” Li Fan thought, half-jokingly.
He tentatively tried to get an answer from [Truth].
Unfortunately, [Truth] remained as it always was, silent in response.
Li Fan didn’t mind.
As his strength grew to the point where he could confront and even slay Saints, he was drawing ever closer to the pinnacle of the Mountain and Sea.
“I’m sure it won’t be long before I know all the answers.”
Li Fan shed the mantle of Stealing Opportunity, allowing the thousands of streams of fortune he had captured to disperse once more.
With [Truth] in hand, even fortune that reached the heavens was nothing in comparison.
“I wonder how Shou Qiu Gong is doing.”
Finally having more or less repaired his hidden injuries, Li Fan sped back in the direction he came from.
From a great distance, he could already feel the aura of battling Saints, a tempest of power like raging seas and monstrous waves.
He saw Shou Qiu Gong, wielding the treasures of the Three Saints, facing the combined assault of Sundial Fate, Broken Prophecy, Karma Judge, and Star Raft, yet he wasn’t at a disadvantage in the slightest!
Shou Qiu’s figure sat resolute and unmoving.
He ignored the changing of fate, the manipulation of prophecies, and the judgment of karma.
He paid them no heed, remaining as steadfast as a mountain.
Star Raft seized every opportunity, unleashing a sky full of starlight in an attempt to breach Shou Qiu’s defenses.
But the attacks were easily blocked by the Connecting Mountains Staff and the Returning to Sea Shovel.
Meanwhile, the All Living Beings Stick appeared and disappeared like a ghost, periodically materializing behind one of the Saints to deliver a sharp rap on the head.
Though Shou Qiu was surrounded, he still had opportunities to counterattack.
However, the disparity in numbers was significant. If the four Saints were determined to trap him, he wouldn't be able to escape for some time.
At that moment, just as the battle reached a fever pitch, Li Fan returned from the depths of the void realm!
Shou Qiu Gong was overjoyed, while the other four Saints were momentarily stunned.
If Zhouhui has returned, where were Time Balance and Stealing Opportunity?
One had to remember that the strength of those two was greater than any of the four Saints present.
If even they had met with disaster...
The four Saints, led by Star Raft, couldn’t help but pause their attacks, their gazes turning toward the depths of the void.
They tried to find any sign of the missing Stealing Opportunity and Time Balance.
However, Li Fan’s words mercilessly shattered their hopes.
“Time Balance and Stealing Opportunity have already fallen. Surrender now, all of you!”
At first, the four Saints naturally dismissed his words as a blatant lie.
But as time passed and the others still didn’t return, the four grew increasingly hesitant.
It couldn’t be that they had lost track of him, could it?
The four Saints exchanged uneasy glances.
“Stubbornly refusing to see reason. Then don’t blame me for being merciless.”
“Let it be known that when I came here, the Three Saints granted me eight words of authority: ‘Act without restraint, and do as you see fit.’ I had hoped you would help reforge the Mountain and Sea and resist the Dao Annihilation together. But now it seems...”
“...you cannot be relied upon.”
Li Fan directed these words as much to Shou Qiu Gong as to the others.
With that, he dropped all pretense and revealed the aura of Stealing Opportunity.
He lunged, grasping through the air toward Sundial Fate!
Sundial Fate instantly felt a cold, formless hand gently brush across his head.
His soul nearly fled his body in terror. “The Dao of Stealing Opportunity?” he shrieked.
Stealing Opportunity, the strongest among the Saints, had mysteriously vanished, and now the Dao he cultivated had appeared on Li Fan, the very person he was hunting.
What had transpired in the depths of the void? The result was self-evident!
Although it seemed utterly unbelievable, Li Fan had, after all, come bearing the treasures and mission of the Three Saints.
Who knew what other treasures the Three Saints had bestowed upon him, besides the staff, the shovel, and the stick?
The power of the Three Saints was unfathomable.
Even Stealing Opportunity, the mightiest of the Saints, had been effortlessly suppressed by them before.
At this thought, the four Saints, including Sundial Fate, panicked and fled in all directions!
They left behind Shou Qiu Gong, who wore a look of utter astonishment.
“Shou Qiu, don’t just stand there. Once they come to their senses, it’ll be too late.”
As Li Fan finished speaking, his aura suddenly weakened dramatically.
Only then did Shou Qiu understand. He grabbed Li Fan and sped back toward the Mountain and Sea.
Amidst the turbulent currents of the Mountain and Sea, Li Fan explained the whole story to Shou Qiu.
Naturally, it was a mix of truth and lies.
“So you’re saying that although you managed to slay Time Balance and Stealing Opportunity with the help of the Three Saints’ treasures, you were also gravely injured in the process.”
“Your path of the Zhouhui Dao was destroyed, and in turn, you comprehended the Dao of Stealing Opportunity?” Shou Qiu Gong asked, pondering.
“That’s right. Stealing Opportunity knew he had no hope of escape. In a final, desperate gamble, he abandoned the myriad streams of fortune he had seized and tried to take over my body and its potential, hoping to survive his certain doom. He nearly succeeded...” Li Fan said, a note of lingering fear in his voice.
“That sounds like something he would do,” Shou Qiu Gong remarked with a soft sigh after a long silence.
“Stealing Opportunity schemed and plotted in a thousand ways, but he never knew. I crossed over from the end of the Mountain and Sea, and I have long since mastered the ability to rise from nothing, even if my cultivation is completely destroyed. Shou Qiu may not know this, but in the previous Mountain and Sea, I was the [Xuanpin] Saint. However, after the Mountain and Sea were reconnected, two Xuanpin Saints appeared in this world. As the newcomer, I couldn’t bear for us to turn our blades on each other, so I took the initiative and proposed to relinquish my [Xuanpin] Dao path.”
“The Three Saints, mindful of my ability to infuse true spirits, then guided me toward the path of [Zhouhui]...”
This part was not a fabrication but something Li Fan had truly experienced in this life.
Shou Qiu Gong nodded repeatedly as he listened, praising him, “Friend Daoist, you are truly virtuous! No wonder the Three Saints entrusted you with such a great responsibility.”
The two then began to discuss their next steps.
“Although the Three Saints told me to act as I see fit, the Mountain and Sea are in turmoil and could be devoured by the Dao Annihilation at any moment. I fear the two of us alone are not enough to stabilize the situation. We still need the help of the four Saints, including Sundial Fate, so it would be unwise to resort to killing again,” Li Fan said slowly.
This was exactly what Shou Qiu was thinking.
After all, they had sat together within the Armillary Ring for countless ages; they had, in a way, developed some semblance of “camaraderie.”
“However, I’m not sure how to make the four Saints willingly reforge the Mountain and Sea. Ai, if only the Armillary Ring were still here,” Li Fan sighed, his brow furrowed.
Upon hearing this, Shou Qiu Gong’s expression shifted slightly.
But he didn’t speak immediately. After careful consideration, he finally said, “Actually, when you think about it, we sat within the Armillary Ring for countless ages, but the number of times it truly exercised its power could be counted on one hand.”
“After they first tasted the might of the Armillary Ring, the Saints were completely intimidated and could no longer harbor any other thoughts. They were forced to be of one heart and one mind with the Three Saints.”
Li Fan’s eyes narrowed, instantly understanding the hidden meaning in Shou Qiu’s words.
“The Armillary Ring may be broken, and we cannot restore it. But as long as we make the Saints *believe* we still have it, we can trick them into taking their seats again?”
“From what I know of them, yes. At the very least, they shouldn’t notice anything amiss for a short while. That should be enough time for us to work together and stabilize the Mountain and Sea from the brink of collapse.”
“Of course, this Armillary Ring can’t be too fake. If it’s seen through at a glance, it won’t fool them,” Shou Qiu Gong stated calmly.
“After the Armillary Ring shattered that day, were there any fragments left behind?” Li Fan asked.
Shou Qiu Gong hesitated for a moment, seemingly lost in memory.
After a while, he answered with some uncertainty, “There should be. But at that time, we were all shaken by the fall of the Three Saints and paid no attention to where the fragments went. However, since the Mountain and Sea have not yet completely fallen, the fragments must still be hidden within them.”
“Then we must find them as quickly as possible. By the way, I have yet to see any sign of the Tai Wei Saint Emperor since I arrived. I wonder if he...” Li Fan asked suddenly.
Hearing this, Shou Qiu’s expression darkened. “The fall of the Three Saints was a cataclysmic event. Tai Wei sensed the disturbance and thought some great catastrophe had befallen the Other Shore, so he rushed over to investigate. He didn’t expect to be ambushed by the Saints, who had just been freed from their restraints.”
“It was a planned attack against an unsuspecting target... He didn’t last long before he perished in both body and soul. Along with him, the countless beings of the Tai Wei Sacred Dynasty were all wiped out. That’s why I was hiding when you arrived. I witnessed their brutal acts and refused to associate with them, yet I was powerless to stop them,” Shou Qiu lamented with a long sigh.
Li Fan offered a comforting word. “It’s alright. I am here to set things right. I will ensure everything returns to its proper course. Once the Mountain and Sea are reconnected, the Tai Wei Saint Emperor will be restored to his original state. At most, he will have lost out on the power boost from this reconnection.”
Shou Qiu nodded slightly, agreeing with Li Fan’s assessment.
Having been seated within the Armillary Ring for countless ages, Shou Qiu was intimately familiar with its aura.
After combing through mountains and seas, he quickly gathered several dozen fragments of the ring.
To prevent Sundial Fate and the other three Saints from discovering their plan, Li Fan would periodically reveal himself to draw their attention.
Although the four Saints grew increasingly suspicious of Li Fan’s claims from that day, the fact remained that Stealing Opportunity had fallen and Li Fan had survived.
Despite their doubts, none of them was willing to be the first to test Li Fan’s true strength.
And so, they were successfully kept at bay by Li Fan’s feints.
“This should be the last of them,” Shou Qiu said, looking at the fragments before him with a soft sigh.
Li Fan gazed at the dozens of white jade-like fragments scattered quietly before him. There was no hint of their magnificent past, when they had once covered the Other Shore and held dominion over the Mountain and Sea.
He picked one up and examined it closely.
He couldn’t even discern its material.
“It seems that restoring it, even just creating a convincing fake, is far from simple.”
The Armillary Ring was truly worthy of its name.
Li Fan studied it for a long time but couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
“Naturally. The Armillary Ring was jointly forged by the Three Saints. It could subtly influence even the minds of Saints, making it the pinnacle of creation in the Mountain and Sea. Aside from the Three Saints, no one else, even those who spent their days within it, could fathom its mysteries. Otherwise, after being trapped for so many years, wouldn’t they have found a way to escape long ago?”
“This is also why the Saints didn’t bother to collect the fragments after it shattered.”
“If I had personally witnessed the birth of the Armillary Ring, I might have been able to attempt a rough recreation. But when I entered the Mountain and Sea, the ring had already existed for a very long time...”
As Shou Qiu spoke, his expression suddenly focused, his gaze falling upon the Connecting Mountains Staff, the Returning to Sea Shovel, and the All Living Beings Stick in Li Fan’s possession.
Li Fan had previously lent these three items to Shou Qiu for battle, and Shou Qiu had proactively returned them after Li Fan came back.
Although the three treasures were actually most deadly in Shou Qiu’s hands, Li Fan had still taken them back.
Now, seeing Shou Qiu’s gaze, a thought stirred in his own mind.
He immediately summoned the three items, bowed respectfully, and said with great solemnity, “I have crossed the Mountain and Sea and endured trials of life and death. Now that I have finally found a way to break this deadlock, I ask for your generous assistance.”
The three treasures had been with the Three Saints since they rose from nothing and possessed their own spirituality.
They had witnessed everything that had transpired in both eras of the Mountain and Sea.
Faced with Li Fan’s request, they seemed to deliberate for a moment before reaching a consensus.
The Connecting Mountains Staff soared into the air, and the dozens of Armillary Ring fragments, as if drawn by a magnet, began to circle around it.
Phantasmal images of continuous mountain ranges appeared one after another.
The Returning to Sea Shovel followed close behind.
The phantoms of mountain and sea merged, as if containing all the laws and Daos of the world.
Then, the All Living Beings Stick tapped lightly, again and again, and countless living beings were slowly born within the mountain and sea phantom.
The image of the Mountain and Sea sculpted by the three treasures was breathtakingly real.
It experienced the passage of time, the vicissitudes of ages.
And with every flash of light representing eons past, a single white ray would shoot out and land upon one of the Armillary Ring’s fragments!
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