Chapter 1710: Manifesting Sainthood Before the Saints
Chapter 1710: Manifesting Sainthood Before the Saints
"This ring seems to hold a unique sort of mystery," Li Fan remarked, his tone rich with meaning.
The phantom of Saint Tai Yi was about to explain, but to his surprise, Li Fan stepped directly into the ring without a moment's hesitation. The Saint was momentarily stunned.
"This one... he's quite a character," he mused, shaking his head slightly before following Li Fan inside.
Within the Armillary Ring, the gazes of all the Saints of the Other Shore converged on Li Fan.
Gone was the apprehension and fear Li Fan had felt during his first audience with the Saints; now, he met their scrutiny with calm composure.
He had achieved sainthood by sculpting a shadow from the Mountain and Sea itself. While his true combat prowess remained uncertain, he was confident that not a single Saint present could see through him.
This held true even when facing the Three Saints themselves.
"For such a Saint to be newly born within the Mountain and Sea is a blessing for us all," the phantom of Lian Shan declared, breaking the silence.
"It is as difficult as it is simple," Li Fan replied calmly, not refusing the question. "It can be summarized in four words: to behold all of the Mountain and Sea."
"Behold all of the Mountain and Sea?" The phantoms of the Saints paused, their expressions shifting as they mulled over the profound implications of his words.
"Behold all of the Mountain and Sea... a fine sentiment indeed," Gui Hai proclaimed, his voice ringing with praise. "Even with the full extent of our abilities and the fortune of creation itself, we could only achieve the Connecting Mountains and the Returning to Sea. Yet with four simple words, you have effortlessly surpassed us. Your divine power is truly vast, friend!"
Yet, his words held an undercurrent of challenge.
It was no surprise that Saint Gui Hai's attitude was somewhat peculiar.
The Three Saints had existed since the Primitive Immortal Realm, from the very dawn of the Mountain and Sea. They had endured through unimaginable eons, witnessing the birth and annihilation of countless beings.
They believed they had a complete understanding of the ultimate limits a creature of the Mountain and Sea could achieve.
Ascending from a mere mortal to the realm of a Saint was already an extraordinary feat.
But Li Fan's method of attaining enlightenment...
...was utterly unheard of. Crucially, it defied all logic!
Could such a monstrous talent truly exist within the Mountain and Sea? Or was it...
An instinctual suspicion began to stir within the Three Saints.
As if sensing the doubt in their hearts, Li Fan spoke with candid gravity, "It is hardly a matter of vast divine power. Though I achieved sainthood through the Mountain and Sea, I could only grasp its form, not its spirit, unlike Saints Lian Shan and Gui Hai."
"To connect the mountains is to forge one's bones; to return to the sea is to cleanse one's heart. By standing at the pinnacle of the Mountain and Sea, you may have a chance to advance further. As for me..."
Li Fan shook his head with a soft sigh. "My ultimate limit is merely to exist as one with the Mountain and Sea."
He wore an expression of profound regret, as if lamenting a great loss.
It was true that by attaining enlightenment through the Mountain and Sea, Li Fan would find it difficult to transcend it and advance further.
But this was, of course, a moot point.
Across the entirety of the Mountain and Sea, who besides the legendary True God would dare claim to stand above it?
Was standing at the pinnacle of the Mountain and Sea not enough to be content?
A strange, inexplicable atmosphere began to brew within the Armillary Ring.
The Saints each held their own complex thoughts about this new Saint of the Mountain and Sea, this man who had displayed heaven-defying talent and achieved enlightenment so abruptly.
But soon, their attention was utterly captivated by the image Li Fan conjured next.
It was a magnificent, unrolling map of the endless Mountain and Sea!
"Behold, everyone. This is the very foundation of my enlightenment!" With a light wave of his hand, Li Fan unfurled a painted scroll.
Light and shadow flowed from it, dreamlike and illusory. It was both real and unreal, making it impossible to distinguish truth from fabrication.
For a moment, its light even overwhelmed the white glow of the Armillary Ring, making the assembled Saints feel as though they were truly standing within the Mountain and Sea itself.
"This is..."
"The Mountain and Sea, as seen through my eyes!"
"What do you all make of it?"
Li Fan stood before the endless Mountain Sea Map, his hands clasped behind his back.
His calm voice echoed long and low within the Armillary Ring.
Yet, no one answered.
The divine senses of every Saint were already roaming through the endless, shimmering landscape.
As their divine senses swept across the image, the Saints were stunned to discover that the map before them was identical to the real Mountain and Sea in every way!
There might have been minuscule discrepancies, but the Mountain and Sea itself was in a state of perpetual flux.
In both scale and scope, the Mountain Sea Map Li Fan displayed was a perfect microcosm of the true Mountain and Sea.
It was not merely a snapshot of the present.
It encompassed all of the observable Mountain and Sea, from antiquity to the present day!
Though it was merely a shadow of the Mountain and Sea, lacking its finer details and spiritual essence, it was already an utterly incredible sight.
"Friend," the phantom of Lian Shan asked slowly, "who are you, truly?"
The gazes of all the Saints focused on him, awaiting his answer.
"Me?"
Even under the intense pressure of their collective gaze, Li Fan's expression did not falter.
"My name is Li Fan. I am but a humble mortal from the Xuanhuang Realm."
"I am a countryman of Shou Qiu Gong, hailing from the very same possibility."
"As for how I am able to behold all of the Mountain and Sea..."
"...it is simply because I can see a little farther than most."
Li Fan's answer was ambiguous, and it failed to convince the Saints.
"A little farther than most?" Saint Gui Hai scoffed.
Seeing their disbelief, Li Fan feigned a glance toward the void beyond the Mountain and Sea.
He looked, yet his eyes remained tightly shut.
"The endless void can obstruct even a Saint's vision. But my gaze can, at times, pierce through it and see other segments of the Mountain and Sea."
"For instance..."
After a brief silence, Li Fan's eyes snapped open, a brilliant light flashing within them.
"In the segment of the Mountain and Sea ahead, the three of you will die!"
He extended a finger, tracing a line across the phantoms of Lian Shan, Gui Hai, and Tai Yi.
The death of the Three Saints!
Hearing Li Fan utter such a world-shattering prophecy, everyone present was aghast.
The atmosphere within the Armillary Ring instantly dropped to a freezing point.
Those who didn't understand the context might have thought Li Fan had come solely to provoke them.
The three Saints who had just been marked for death—Lian Shan, Gui Hai, and Tai Yi—were about to speak.
But suddenly, their expressions shifted.
Their gazes followed the direction Li Fan had indicated.
Their faces slowly grew incomparably solemn.
"Friend," Lian Shan finally asked after a long pause, "did you see the cause of our deaths?"
His tone had already shifted subtly.
"A Void Incarnation," Li Fan stated, enunciating each word clearly.
"I see."
With what seemed like a sigh, the phantom of Lian Shan instantly solidified, no longer an illusion.
His true self had returned from the depths of the void.
Gui Hai and Tai Yi followed suit.
The remaining Saints also returned one by one.
The fall of the Three Saints was a matter of grave importance.
The mission to reconnect the Mountain and Sea within the void had to be put on hold.
For no one knew if another Void Incarnation might descend into this segment of the void and slay the Three Saints here and now.
"So what this Saint of the Mountain and Sea said... it's true?"
On the Other Shore, the remaining Saints, who had been brought back in the wake of the Three, now stared at Li Fan with expressions of sheer astonishment.
And beneath their shock lay a deep, unshakable worry.
After all, the Three Saints were unquestionably the most powerful among them. If even they could not survive...
"Though we possess the power of indestructible primordial unity, it is a method of last resort," Tai Yi began slowly, setting the tone. "With every death, we lose the fortune granted by a Mountain and Sea reconnection, and the ultimate heights we can achieve are diminished. Unless absolutely necessary, we must not perish."
"They are fated to die, but they are not yet dead. Even an ant clings to life... We must save them," Saint Gui Hai added in a grave tone.
"But the Mountain and Sea has not yet been reconnected," Lian Shan countered, his gaze sweeping over the others as he shook his head. "If we forcibly cross the void to leave now, firstly, we will not gain the power from the reconnection, meaning our strength will not have increased. We might not only fail the rescue but lose our own lives in the attempt. Secondly, the journey to a more ancient segment is separated by the void; we might not even be able to leave a phantom in the Armillary Ring. If this era of the Mountain and Sea is left without us to guard it..."
Li Fan seemed to perceive their dilemma and smiled. "Worry not. I have a plan that can resolve your concerns."
"Oh?"
Amidst the dubious gazes of the Three Saints, Li Fan calmly stated his solution. "We simply need to reconnect the Mountain and Sea before the Void Incarnation arrives."
Tai Yi's brow furrowed. "Even with your assistance, friend, reconnecting the Mountain and Sea is not a task for one person alone..."
Li Fan waved his hand dismissively. "Let me be clear. The reason my sight can pierce the void is entirely thanks to this!"
With that, as if plucking stars from the sky, Li Fan made a grand, beckoning gesture toward the void beyond.
A torrent of light, like a river of falling stars, answered his call.
Before the astonished eyes of all present, the endless, stagnant True Spirits within the void stirred, drawn forth by Li Fan's summons.
They gathered obediently, coalescing around him.
The endless Mountain Sea Map, which had been but a hollow shadow without a spirit, suddenly pulsed with life as the True Spirits infused it.
"What?!"
The Saints' shock was even greater than before.
"You can command the stagnant True Spirits of the void?" Saint Lian Shan's voice rose, laced with disbelief.
To say nothing of the other Saints within the Armillary Ring.
They now looked at Li Fan with a complex tapestry of emotions on their faces.
After all, a Saint of the Mountain and Sea was still just a Saint, albeit a powerful one. To them, it would simply mean their triumvirate had become a council of four.
But Li Fan's ability to command the stagnant True Spirits of the void... that changed everything.
"If this were all, how could I call it a divine power?"
Li Fan declared proudly, "The stagnant True Spirits are inexhaustible, but their direct use to us is mundane. Only when they are converted into sustenance for a Saint..."
"...does their true value emerge!"
As he spoke, Li Fan turned his gaze back to the real Mountain and Sea.
His eyes scanned the expanse, as if searching for someone.
"Could he mean to..." Watching Li Fan, the Saints seemed to guess his intention.
Yet they could hardly believe it. They fell silent, waiting to see what he would do.
"I possess a method to infuse these stagnant True Spirits from the void into a being's body, and through this, forge a new Saint!"
As he spoke, Li Fan located a being named Jingui.
Jingui had been in the transcendent realm for countless eons, just one step away from achieving sainthood.
Yet this final chasm had proven impossible to cross.
Seized by Li Fan, Jingui was at first terrified. But upon seeing the assembled Saints of the Other Shore, he quickly bowed in reverence.
Before he could even finish his salutations, Li Fan pressed a hand onto his head.
"Witness this, all of you."
The majestic river of True Spirits instantly came alive, and under Li Fan's guidance, it began to pour into Jingui's body!
Under the watchful eyes of the Saints, a rough stone was slowly transformed into a flawless piece of jade!
In no time at all, a new Saint—Saint Jingui—was born within the Armillary Ring.
"Thank you for this wondrous gift, Senior!" the newly ascended Saint Jingui exclaimed, overcome with gratitude.
The other Saints, however, were speechless for a long time.
In such a short time, Li Fan had delivered one shock after another.
Sainthood through the Mountain and Sea; a gaze that pierced the void to more ancient eras; the power to command stagnant True Spirits.
And now, the ability to use those spirits to elevate another being to sainthood.
Any one of these feats would have been astonishing. For all of them to be concentrated in a single person was beyond comprehension.
Even the Three Saints needed time to process and accept this new reality.
"Delays breed trouble. The lives of the Three Saints ahead are hanging by a thread!"
Li Fan's soft sigh interrupted their reverie.
The newly ascended Jingui was startled by these words, but not knowing how to react, he remained silently in the background.
Finally, the Three Saints came to a decision.
"Reconnect the Mountain and Sea. As quickly as possible."
In this life, having become a Saint of the Mountain and Sea, Li Fan found his command over the stagnant True Spirits to be more effortless than ever.
Even after creating Saint Jingui, he felt no sense of strain.
Just as in his previous life, he found the Moral True Immortal and the All Knowing Immortal and elevated them as well.
By gathering the power of all the Saints, they swiftly reconnected the Mountain and Sea.
Amid a great roar, vitality began to return to the Mountain and Sea.
All the Saints benefited immensely from the process.
And yet, none of their expressions relaxed.
It was all because of Li Fan's words.
"The fall of the Three Saints lies just ahead."
Li Fan said quietly, his gaze fixed on the more ancient segment of the Mountain and Sea before them.
Lian Shan, Gui Hai, and Tai Yi sensed it for a moment, and each gave a slight nod.
"The Void Incarnation must have already arrived," Gui Hai declared after a long period of observation. "However, our deaths will not be instantaneous. We must plan our approach carefully."
"Though we have gained the fortune of one reconnection, we are still not entirely certain of victory. Of course, if we could receive another... enhancement..." Tai Yi's gaze fell upon Li Fan.
Li Fan replied, "I still have strength to spare. Any malleable talent here can be elevated by my hand. With our combined power, reconnecting the Mountain and Sea is a trivial matter. But..."
Li Fan paused before continuing gravely, "As Gui Hai said, the battle against a Void Incarnation will not be a swift one. A fierce battle between six Saints, if left unchecked, will surely cause collateral damage to the Mountain and Sea."
"Furthermore..."
"The Void Incarnation's purpose is to slay the Three Saints in that future era. If we help them and it fails, who's to say the void won't dispatch an even stronger incarnation? We may have the strength for one battle, but do we have the strength for a second, or a third?"
Faced with Li Fan's questions, the Saints fell silent.
After all, besides the Three Saints, none of them had ever truly witnessed a Void Incarnation.
"Your considerations are indeed thorough, friend Fan," Saint Gui Hai explained. "But rest assured, if a Void Incarnation is slain, it will not reappear immediately. It will, at the very least, grant us a moment's respite. And that 'moment' is measured on the timescale of the void itself. To us, it will feel like an exceedingly long time."
"As for the collateral damage..."
The Three Saints exchanged a look before turning to Li Fan. "The Void Incarnation is coming for us. It is our responsibility to face it."
"And with you guarding this era of the Mountain and Sea, friend, it should remain unharmed."
Their answer was what Li Fan had expected, but he shook his head. "I can create Saints, but I cannot protect the Mountain and Sea."
"Firstly, this repeated process of elevation has taken its toll; even my vision of the Mountain and Sea has become somewhat withered. Secondly, as you have all seen, my Mountain Sea Map is but a shadow, lacking true substance. To withstand the aftershocks of such a battle..."
"...I fear my power is insufficient."
Li Fan admitted frankly.
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