Chapter 1707: A Wondrous Interpretation of the Three Saints' Abilities
Li Fan, Shou Qiu, and Bujue simultaneously looked up.
The three of them sat cross-legged in the center, an inexplicable power seemingly weaving and circling around them.
It was this very connection that endowed the first three seated within the Armillary Ring with the trait of Same Heart Same Virtue.
Same Heart Same Virtue, as if a single entity. This was the highest mystery of the Armillary Ring.
The subtle, transformative influence felt by all other beings seated within the ring was derived from this core principle.
Shou Qiu stared for a long moment before musing, "There's no rush to unravel this final step. This is, after all, a supreme treasure forged by the Three Saints. The instant this secret is broken by an outsider, the Saints might sense it. Even across the Void Realm, we cannot rule out that possibility."
Li Fan nodded in agreement.
Shou Qiu had been seated in the Armillary Ring for many years. Although he hadn't synchronized his thoughts and memories with the Three Saints, his long association allowed him to glimpse their true power through occasional details.
For instance, the Three Saints' divine ability of "fateful premonition" was terrifyingly potent. They could often foresee events long before they happened, allowing them to prepare well in advance.
Over countless years and countless instances, they had never been wrong.
At first, the Saints on the Other Shore were astonished. In time, however, they grew accustomed to it.
"They even seemed to have foreseen the attack of the Void Realm Incarnation. But for reasons unknown, they chose not to flee, but to meet the challenge head-on."
"This premonition is somewhat similar to your own intuition, Li Fan, yet it's not identical. The Saints' premonitions don't just appear when a crisis is imminent; they can manifest an extremely long time in advance. They can even actively use this ability to perceive things. That's why their minds are so profound and difficult for others to fathom."
"Besides these premonitions, there is another divine ability the Three Saints have revealed to the public."
"That would be Primordial Indestructibility."
Through their intertwined divine wills, Li Fan instantly understood the meaning of Primordial Indestructibility.
But Shou Qiu continued to explain in detail, "This is a divine ability the Three Saints derived the moment before the Mountain and Sea was fractured. Although, on the plane of past and present, the Three Saints, like the Mountain and Sea itself, were split into individual segments, they used an inscrutable power to maintain their own integrity."
"To put it simply, you can consider all versions of the Three Saints existing in different time segments of the Mountain and Sea as a single, unified whole. The demise of any single individual does not affect the overall strength of this whole. The minimum strength of the whole is fixed at the level it was the moment the Mountain and Sea was severed, while its upper limit can rise accordingly."
"If an individual Saint falls in the current space-time of the Mountain and Sea, the whole's power remains unchanged. The result is that the remaining Saints will experience a certain degree of power increase. In an extreme scenario, if all versions of the Three Saints across all of space-time were annihilated except for one, then that last surviving trio would return to their peak state."
"A primordially unified whole, indestructible through the ages. This was the method the Three Saints created on the fly to counter the crisis of the Void Realm fracturing the Mountain and Sea. It was to ensure that even in the worst-case scenario, they could still turn the tide and retain the power to strike back."
"Beyond this, the Three Saints may have other divine abilities, but those are beyond my knowledge. It's a pity I didn't witness their battle against the Void Realm Incarnation; otherwise, I surely would have gleaned more of their secrets."
Li Fan's brow furrowed. "In that case, the Three Saints are indeed incredibly difficult to deal with. It's almost impossible to think of a way to truly kill them."
Shou Qiu nodded. "But at least for a very long time, you won't have to be their enemy. As for the future..."
Shou Qiu smiled. "Even if the Three Saints are enigmatic and hard to fathom, they are no match for the Great Dao of Truth and Falsehood. If you can truly master the True False Transformation, forget the Three Saints. The very survival of the Mountain and Sea would rest on your whim."
Li Fan shook his head. "To fully comprehend the True False Transformation... how difficult that is!"
"In the past, by my own understanding, after a hundred reincarnations, I felt I had just begun to grasp the basics. But now, fortified with Shou Qiu's countless years of knowledge, I am suddenly aware of so much more that is unknown. I'm shocked to realize that what I understood was merely the most superficial of superficialities."
Inside the Armillary Ring, the three fell into silence.
Shou Qiu could speak of the enigmatic Three Saints with some clarity, but before the vast, infinite True False Transformation, even he was like a novice. The challenge facing Li Fan was immense.
As time passed and the endless beings of the Mountain and Sea continued their analysis, the inside of the Armillary Ring grew ever brighter.
Finally, when all other secrets had been unraveled...
...and only the mystery of [Same Heart Same Virtue] remained, the journey of Li Fan's current life was finally approaching its end.
"We must make thorough preparations in advance."
"Regardless of success or failure, we should not linger in this world for long," Shou Qiu said, his expression grave as he glanced toward the Void Realm beyond the Mountain and Sea.
"So the Three Saints could descend upon the Mountain and Sea at any moment..." Li Fan murmured, nodding slightly as he sensed the crisis Shou Qiu had perceived through some unseen connection.
"As I said before, when you use [Truth] to return, I will merge into the [Dao Return Hall]. However, something unexpected might happen. If the return fails, you must not hesitate or cling to this life. You must leave at once."
"Shou Qiu, are you referring to..." Bujue's expression tensed.
"The Longevity I obtained from the Infinite Sea was but a fragment. Although it is of the same caliber as the Mountain and Sea, allowing me to cultivate to the Saint realm, but..."
Shou Qiu's tone was haunting. "Beyond the vast obscurity, there may be other existences of [Longevity]. Though I am willing to return to [Truth], *It* may not be. When the time comes, a conflict may erupt."
"But that is just a premonition. It might not actually happen," Shou Qiu added with a smile, temporarily easing the heavy atmosphere.
"The Three Saints, the Mountain and Sea, the Void Realm, the Star, and other unknown existences... Even after reaching the realm of Saints, one is still beset by crises, every step a struggle," Bujue lamented.
After one last, detailed discussion, they rehearsed every possible scenario that might unfold.
At last, Li Fan, Shou Qiu, and Bujue extended their perception toward that wisp of mystery above their heads.
As if they had touched upon a taboo of the Armillary Ring, the once bright and clear ring instantly dimmed.
It was like dark clouds pressing down on a city, heralding an impending storm.
Streaks of light flashed intermittently within it like bolts of lightning. The Armillary Ring looked as if it could disintegrate at any moment.
Yet Li Fan and the others ignored all these ominous signs.
Under the control of their will, the countless points of light—the beings of the Mountain and Sea—charged fearlessly toward that final, hidden place.
Like a meteor shower flying in reverse, it was a vast and breathtakingly beautiful sight.
The moment the points of light touched the profound mystery of the ring, they withered and vanished like flowers.
In every instant, billions upon billions of beings disappeared.
But under the influence of the Same Heart Same Virtue power, the so-called life and death had no effect on these points of light.
At the cost of life itself, they finally began to slowly lift a corner of the Armillary Ring's ultimate mystery.
"This is..."
Even Shou Qiu's expression changed slightly upon witnessing the scene before him.
Li Fan, though startled, had a moment of realization. "All beings in the Mountain and Sea originate from God. They are inherently of one heart, and thus naturally of one virtue. I just never imagined the Three Saints could already perceive the figure of God?!"
At that moment, in their eyes, the thing floating above their heads, the thing that maintained the Armillary Ring's mystery of Same Heart Same Virtue...
...was an indescribable figure.
It seemed to have the same features as a so-called "human" body.
Yet it also appeared to have three heads and six arms, as if formed from the union of three people.
And yet again, it resembled a formless shadow, enigmatic and ghostly.
Even with their hearts and minds united, the specific form of the figure that Li Fan, Shou Qiu, and Bujue saw at that instant was different for each of them.
But without exception, the moment they laid eyes on this shadow, a single word surfaced in their minds.
[God].
The profound principles condensed within this shadow seemed to be in no way inferior to the Great Dao of Truth and Falsehood from [Truth].
Even with Li Fan's current understanding, comparing the two, he could only conclude that they were "evenly matched."
"This is the Three Saints' deconstruction of God."
"Although one could say it was born from the Three Saints' own comprehension..."
"...it must have a foundation!"
Shou Qiu came to his senses and reminded them in a grave voice.
They wanted to probe deeper.
But a rumbling sound was already approaching from beyond the Mountain and Sea.
It wasn't just coming from the future, the direction Li Fan had arrived from.
An existence from the more ancient Mountain and Sea also seemed to be rushing toward them.
By attempting to analyze the shadow of God within the Armillary Ring, Li Fan and the others had touched the reverse scale of the Three Saints—their one inviolable spot.
They were coming recklessly, intending to cross the void and descend.
With each passing moment, the immense rumbling sound doubled in intensity.
It was like the receding of the sea before a tsunami.
The Dao Annihilation outside the Mountain and Sea even dissipated and vanished at this moment.
"There's no time. We'll have to wait for the next life!"
Li Fan was still reluctant to let go, his gaze deeply captivated by the incomparably profound shadow of God.
This was the first time he had ever seen something that could stand on par with [Truth].
But Shou Qiu had already regained his composure.
With a low shout, a vast and vigorous life force erupted from his body.
It was the Great Dao of Longevity!
Where Longevity appears, all things are born.
The Mountain and Sea, which had been teetering on the brink of collapse under the pressure of the Dao Annihilation, was stimulated by this immense life force. In an instant, it was like a dead tree sprouting new life, as if it had returned to its peak.
Infinite possibilities suddenly evolved, presenting a scene of all things competing for growth.
But all these illusions of vitality collapsed in an instant as the Great Dao of Longevity vanished.
The immense stimulation even had an adverse effect.
After this final, fleeting burst of brilliance, a more rapid death followed.
Amidst the backlash of the Dao Annihilation tide, the Mountain and Sea began to disintegrate.
And in the column for the Dao Return Hall, a line of seven-colored characters representing the Great Dao of Longevity of the Mountain and Sea quietly appeared.
Just as Shou Qiu had predicted, the absorption by [Truth] this time was not as smooth as before!
An invisible force seemed to be pulling at it from the outside.
The characters flickered in and out of existence, unstable and changing.
And in the real Mountain and Sea, Shou Qiu's figure slowly faded.
Vanishing a step ahead of the others.
Seeing this, Bujue did not hesitate either. He decisively dissolved his form and entered the Dao Return Hall.
Compared to the Great Dao of Longevity, the submission of the Unceasing Dao he had comprehended was much smoother.
Without any complications, a few more lines of characters were added to the Dao Return Hall column.
After losing the aid of Shou Qiu and Bujue, it was as if Li Fan had instantly lost two of his own minds, and he became muddled.
Even his once crystal-clear thoughts were affected.
But the warning of a crisis, as sharp and real as a needle's prick, instantly allowed Li Fan to shake off the side effects of losing the 'Same Heart Same Virtue' state.
At this moment, as if time had frozen, Li Fan clarified the critical situation.
The Mountain and Sea was on the verge of destruction, and beyond it, the Three Saints from two different time segments were rushing over, one after the other.
Without the external probing, the shadow of God had concealed itself again.
But by the same token, with no one presiding over it, the Armillary Ring was gradually losing its suppressive power.
The three treasures—the Connecting Mountains Staff, the Returning to Sea Shovel, and the All Living Beings Stick—were stirring restlessly.
And on the [Truth] panel, the Great Dao of Longevity that Shou Qiu had transformed into was still caught in some kind of tug-of-war. It had not fully returned to the Dao Return Hall.
...
"Fortunately, aside from the shadow of God, we anticipated all these scenarios."
A sharp glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes, and he proceeded according to plan.
He relied on the final suppressive power of the Armillary Ring to seize the three treasures.
Then, gathering all the remaining beings of the Mountain and Sea, he silently recited the great art of True Spirit Incineration.
The true spirits of ordinary life forms were weak, but their numbers were infinite. When stacked together, their power was no less than that of a Saint.
Now, gathered and ignited by Li Fan, they became a ferocious inferno that illuminated the dying Mountain and Sea.
Already fragile and on the verge of annihilation, how could it possibly withstand this great fire?
In just a few moments, the flames were already raging, a continuous sea of firelight.
Li Fan, hidden within the blazing inferno, held the three treasures as if they were a torch.
He aimed at the center of the Armillary Ring, where the shadow of God resided.
With a cold gaze, he threw them with all his might.
Carrying the incomparably scorching flames of true spirits, the magnificent radiance collided violently with the hidden shadow of God.
But Li Fan still felt it wasn't enough.
He took a deep breath and gestured from afar toward the Void Realm beyond the Mountain and Sea.
"Come!"
Using all his strength, he summoned all the stagnant true spirits from the Void Realm.
Like pouring oil on a blazing fire, the flames engulfing the Mountain and Sea suddenly surged, growing several times larger.
And the fire continued to grow, and grow!
Yet, the arsonist himself could not escape.
As the culprit who had set the Mountain and Sea ablaze, Li Fan was now surrounded by the inferno.
Inevitably, he himself was set on fire.
"Ahhh..."
The pain brought by the burning of the true spirit fire was beyond any words in the world to describe. Every part of his soul felt as if it were being subjected to the most brutal torture.
But Li Fan simply endured all the agony.
His gaze was burning, fixed on the center of the Armillary Ring being roasted by the great fire of true spirits.
Without Same Heart Same Virtue, he had to rely on his own thoughts.
Li Fan's choice couldn't help but change.
"Playing it safe and steady seems like a good idea."
"If I hadn't glimpsed the shadow of God, I might have indeed followed Shou Qiu's advice. But..."
"This shadow of God cannot be truly deciphered through conventional means. Only by risking everything can I unravel its secret!"
"No matter how many times I reincarnate, it will be the same."
"So it's better to do it sooner rather than later!"
His body and soul were already ignited, melting into the vast fire of true spirits.
His own infinite spirituality dissipated, serving as fuel to sustain the great conflagration.
The Mountain and Sea was burned to ashes, and even the Void Realm was temporarily forced back.
Under the searing heat of the true fire, the Connecting Mountains Staff and the other two treasures had already turned to dust.
And the Armillary Ring, finally unable to hold on any longer, began to crack and shatter, layer by layer.
Within...
The shadow of God reappeared!
Freed from the confines of the Armillary Ring, the shadow of God seemed to reveal Its true form.
It resembled the Mountain and Sea, and yet it also resembled the myriad beings of the Mountain and Sea.
Even the inferno of true spirits could not harm It in the slightest.
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