Chapter 1713: The Six Saints' Battle of Methods
Chapter 1713: The Six Saints' Battle of Methods
If crossing the Eternal Silent Void Realm was a long sea voyage, then the infusion of True Spirit was an infinite, inexhaustible supply.
It transformed what should have been a perilous journey into something almost mundane.
The journey was smooth and uneventful, and soon, the next segment of the Mountain and Sea came into view in the distance.
"From the looks of it, the Mountain and Sea ahead is still intact," Li Fan observed. "The three Saints must not have fallen yet."
"But I can already sense the storm brewing—they must be in the midst of a fierce struggle. We've arrived at the perfect time."
Li Fan and Moral True Immortal remained concealed within the void, observing the Mountain and Sea for a time before exchanging their thoughts.
Just then, Shou Qiu also emerged from his state of enlightenment.
His presence was as profound as a tranquil abyss and as imposing as a towering mountain, making him impossible to fathom. For a fleeting moment, it was as if he possessed the gravitas of the three Saints themselves.
"If the true bodies of the three Saints are too preoccupied to spare any power for the Armillary Ring on the Other Shore, I will suppress the other Saints first." With that, Shou Qiu transformed into a streak of white light, piercing straight toward the distant Mountain and Sea.
Li Fan had not the slightest doubt that Shou Qiu could accomplish this.
As Shou Qiu attained enlightenment in this lifetime, Li Fan too had felt a corresponding insight dawn within him.
He could only marvel at the fact that the more profound one's intangible power, the greater the amplification granted by [Truth].
With Shou Qiu's immense capabilities and his eons of accumulated wisdom from observing the Mountain and Sea, a single moment of enlightenment had elevated him to a level that could rival the three Saints themselves.
"If Shou Qiu had been the one to obtain [Truth], the Mountain and Sea would have been turned upside down long ago," Moral remarked with a sigh.
Though Li Fan felt a twinge of helplessness, he couldn't deny the truth in that statement.
Fortunately, the three of them were now of one heart and mind, their goals perfectly aligned. There was no room for any discord among them.
Shou Qiu acted with incredible speed.
Without any earth-shattering commotion, in less than half a day, the Other Shore had changed hands in utter silence.
Receiving Shou Qiu's message, Li Fan and Moral descended upon the Mountain and Sea at an unhurried pace.
Within the Armillary Ring, a strange spectacle unfolded.
Like two suns hanging in the same sky, a second ring had appeared alongside the original white circle.
This nascent ring was aggressive and domineering. It not only seized the dominant position without ceremony but also swept up all the Saints from the original ring, bringing them under its own command.
Shou Qiu was already firmly seated in its core, with seats left vacant for Li Fan and Moral.
"It seems the battle in the void has reached a critical juncture," Shou Qiu explained. "The three Saints have even recalled the power from the phantom projections they left behind. Otherwise, it would not have been this easy for me."
"After I merged with my self from this segment of the Mountain and Sea, I launched a surprise attack. Stealing Opportunity and the other Saints were subdued in an instant, before they even had time to react."
"I've spared them for now. On one hand, they can be used to stabilize the Mountain and Sea. On the other..."
"...we may be able to use their power to draw nourishment from the Armillary Ring."
In a flash, the three of them completed their silent exchange.
Following Shou Qiu's line of thought, Li Fan turned his gaze to the marvelous spectacle of the two coexisting rings.
Though both were Armillary Rings, their fates at this moment were vastly different.
The old ring, while still magnificent, had lost the Saints seated within it. More critically, the departure of its three core masters, the Saints, caused it to show faint signs of decay.
The new ring, by contrast, though only just formed, pulsed with a vibrant, distinct vitality.
Like a newborn calf, it was already challenging the old ring's authority.
To Li Fan's surprise, the old and new rings were able to coexist without repelling each other.
"The core of any Armillary Ring is a shadow of the True God."
"Whether it's our comprehension or that of the three Saints, both are but crude imitations of the true shadow of the divine. In a sense, they share the same origin, they are one and the same. Naturally, there is no repulsion."
"On the contrary, just as our different temporal selves merge when they meet, these two Armillary Rings will gradually fuse into one through their contact."
"Of course, this is also because the old ring has lost its three masters and is now like a dragon without a head," Shou Qiu explained.
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, slowly processing the implications. "In my previous life, I comprehended the shadow of the True God by observing the Armillary Ring. But in this life, it's the reverse. Through the merging of the rings, we can now perceive the three Saints' own comprehension and feed upon it."
"It is undoubtedly a much purer and more concrete understanding."
Shou Qiu added a word of caution, "Below the True God, each being has their own unique comprehension. The thoughts and insights of the three Saints are not necessarily superior to our own. We can use them as a reference, but we must maintain our individual paths."
"Shou Qiu speaks the truth," Moral agreed with a nod.
Although he was the weakest and least experienced of the three, his ability to devise the method of Moral Separation—a unique path to Sainthood—proved that his aptitude for comprehension was among the absolute best in the Mountain and Sea.
Now, having absorbed Shou Qiu's vast life experience and the insights into the Dao of Truth and Falsehood, his power was growing by leaps and bounds every moment. In fact, his rate of improvement was the greatest of the three.
He had a particular affinity for the process of mutual consumption that followed Moral Separation, and he now guided the merging of the Armillary Rings with effortless skill.
Under the watchful eyes of Stealing Opportunity and the other Saints, the two rings gradually merged.
The familiar white circle, a symbol of the three Saints' former glory, was slowly but completely eclipsed by the light of the nascent ring.
Even though the Saints still occupied their places within the ring, they knew that something fundamental had changed.
"Aside from the three primary seats, the others can still be influenced by the [Same Heart Same Virtue] effect, but its efficacy is greatly diminished."
"Of course, it is more than enough to accomplish our plans."
"Moral will remain here to watch over the Mountain and Sea," Shou Qiu decided. "I and Daoist Fan will venture into the void. We will act as the situation demands."
The heart-pounding fluctuations from the deeper void grew more and more frequent.
It seemed the great struggle between the six Saints was reaching its climax.
No longer delaying, Li Fan and Shou Qiu left behind two phantom projections. Their true bodies ventured together into the void, cautiously advancing in the direction of the disturbances.
"I only have enough power for a single strike, my [Mountain Sea Collapse]," Li Fan stated, well aware of his limitations. "It must be saved for the most critical moment. For everything else, I'm afraid I'll have to rely on you, Shou Qiu."
At the same time, he stirred the countless stagnant True Spirits within the void, blanketing their surroundings for concealment.
Layers of stagnant True Spirit enveloped them, completely masking their presence.
They moved through the void in absolute silence.
"That Mountain Sea Collapse of yours must be used only at the most decisive moment to achieve its greatest effect," Shou Qiu affirmed.
"We must wait patiently for that moment. As for the rest..."
"...leave it to me."
An immense confidence radiated from Shou Qiu's words.
As they spoke, they drew ever closer to the site of the six Saints' epic struggle.
The stagnant True Spirit billowed like a startled tide, rising and falling erratically.
It was as if some colossal behemoth was stirring the void, creating a vast expanse of turmoil.
Li Fan and Shou Qiu advanced with increasing caution until, finally, a figure appeared in their line of sight. To be precise, it was Saint Tai Yi—and his void incarnation.
Saint Tai Yi's expression was as severe as ever, no different from how Li Fan usually saw him. Only his robes were slightly disheveled, a sign that he was being pushed into a difficult position.
As for the void incarnation...
Its form, features, and aura were identical to the original. The only difference was a dim, shadowy veil that seemed to cover its entire being, casting it in perpetual shadow.
Its face was ice-cold, devoid of any expression.
Its eyes were fixed solely on the true Saint Tai Yi, its intent to kill absolute.
The battle between Saint Tai Yi and his void incarnation was a profoundly mystical sight.
It was not merely a duel between two beings; two boundless worlds, along with the infinite creatures within them, were also participants in the conflict.
The two great worlds were merging into one another, and their border had become the bloodiest of battlefields.
"Shou Qiu, can you make sense of this?" Li Fan asked.
"That should be... the Primitive Immortal Realm," Shou Qiu replied after a moment of observation.
"The Primitive Immortal Realm?"
"Not the one that once existed in the Mountain and Sea, of course. To be precise, it's a replica evolved within Saint Tai Yi himself, an almost perfect copy of the original. He is using his own power to re-enact the primordial creation of the Mountain and Sea..."
"And the beings manifested within this world must be those he once killed. They vanished long ago into the river of the Mountain and Sea's history, but because they were slain by him, a faint imprint of their existence was left behind."
At these words, Li Fan's gaze sharpened. He was immediately reminded of Saint Tai Yi's treasured artifact, the All Living Beings Stick.
"Of the three Saints, he is indeed the one with the heaviest hand in slaughter."
Li Fan looked toward the battling vision of the Primitive Immortal Realm and saw many primordial beings radiating strange auras. They were nearly all manifestations of the Great Dao itself.
The four strongest among them, leading the charge, emanated auras of "Primordial Beginning, Primordial Commencement, Primordial Substance, and Supreme Ultimate."
"The true nature of Saint Tai Yi is truly extraordinary," Li Fan murmured.
But as extraordinary as the true Saint Tai Yi was, his void incarnation was a perfect replica of his every aspect.
The manifested Primitive Immortal Realm was identical to the original.
Furthermore, fighting on its home turf within the boundless void, the incarnation had an endless source of power and feared no exhaustion. Thus, it held a slight advantage in the protracted struggle.
However, the battle was still at a stalemate; Saint Tai Yi's defeat was a long way off.
Li Fan then began searching for any sign of Lian Shan and Gui Hai.
"I can clearly feel the aftershocks of their battle, so why can't I see them?" Li Fan wondered, puzzled.
Shou Qiu, however, was gazing into the distance, his expression growing increasingly grave.
"When you are within the mountain, it is difficult to see the mountain. Those two... they have already revealed their true forms."
Following Shou Qiu's guidance, the scene within the void suddenly transformed before Li Fan's eyes.
Within the seemingly empty darkness, countless turbulent currents now surged and flowed.
At times they intertwined and collided; at others, they remained perfectly distinct.
They appeared chaotic on the surface, but in truth, they all revolved around four central cores.
These were Lian Shan, Gui Hai, and their respective void incarnations.
If the battle between Saint Tai Yi and his incarnation was the "motion" of an endlessly chaotic battlefield...
...then the struggle of Lian Shan and Gui Hai was one of absolute "stillness."
The four figures stood in opposition, each one utterly motionless.
And yet, countless undercurrents swirled around them, transforming into deadly clashes of intent.
Saint Tai Yi's battle was still in a stalemate.
But the conflict between the other two Saints had already reached a critical point.
Sensing Li Fan's confusion, Shou Qiu began to explain. "The struggle between these two Saints and their incarnations can be seen as a battle of orthodoxy."
"'Why the Connecting Mountains? Why the Returning to Sea?' These questions are the very foundation upon which the two Saints reached their pinnacle. And now, that same authority is being usurped by their void incarnations."
"This conflict strikes at the very foundation of their power and existence. It is infinitely more perilous than any ordinary battle of techniques!"
"Look there!"
Li Fan followed Shou Qiu's gesture. He saw that in the contest of currents, several streams were suddenly devoured by a different vortex.
This was but a subtle change in one corner of the battlefield, yet that single shift triggered a cascade of a hundred, then ten thousand other changes, altering the entire landscape of the conflict.
An infinite number of violent, cascading changes unfolded in an instant, making Li Fan, the observer, feel slightly dizzy.
"Every single one of these changes can be seen as a possible evolution of the Mountain and Sea within the surging river of time."
"Saint Tai Yi uses the Primitive Immortal Realm as the core from which his Dao evolves. But Lian Shan and Gui Hai... they treat the entire Mountain and Sea as their personal domain!" Shou Qiu exclaimed, his voice a mixture of heartfelt awe and a strange excitement.
"But this is still just the surface!"
"The endless transformations of the Mountain and Sea are merely the concrete manifestations of the two Saints' power. But the origin of all these changes..."
Shou Qiu strained his senses, trying to find the true core amidst the incalculable turbulence of the battlefield.
Even if Li Fan could not grasp the true nature of the battle, he could tell from the increasingly frequent sight of currents being devoured that the conflict was growing more intense.
He could even hear, faintly, the mournful cry of the Mountain and Sea itself.
"The foundation of the two Saints within the Mountain and Sea is beginning to take damage."
"It is as if their armor is slowly being chipped away. Concentrate, and you might glimpse the true forms of Lian Shan and Gui Hai!"
At Shou Qiu's reminder, Li Fan calmed his mind.
Time seemed to stand still as his consciousness swept rapidly across the countless interwoven lines before him.
Slowly, whether it was an illusion or not, Li Fan began to feel something change.
He felt that the turbulent lines before him had somehow come alive.
Each shifting line seemed to represent something that had once existed within the Mountain and Sea...
A civilization!
Throughout the endless, ancient, and ever-changing eons of the Mountain and Sea, countless civilizations had been born, only to be destroyed.
The rise and fall of each civilization, though seemingly leaving no trace behind...
...had acted as an invisible blade, leaving ripples upon the sea and carving folds into the mountains.
The Mountain and the Sea each possessed their own nebulous consciousness.
They could faintly perceive the civilizations born upon their very bodies.
"The Mountain and Sea were formless, and through division, they transformed."
A sudden realization dawned on Li Fan.
"After the Mountain and Sea separated their consciousnesses, they evolved into their current forms. While it was their own great power that shaped them, who is to say they weren't influenced by the civilizations born upon them?"
"Constant dripping wears away a stone, and a rope can saw through wood. The change brought by a single civilization may be small, but when countless such changes are layered together, they are enough to influence the grand course of the Mountain and Sea!"
"But what is the source of all these changes?"
Like Shou Qiu, the question arose unbidden in Li Fan's mind.
He searched for the answer amidst the hundreds of millions of turbulent, flowing lines.
In a trance, he seemed to forget his own circumstances, existing only as a pure seeker of knowledge.
Immersed in the vast, ancient aura of the Mountain and Sea, Li Fan felt as if he had truly returned to its very beginning.
The words of the Mountain and Sea fairytale, left behind by Sun Piao Miao, surfaced in his mind.
"In the beginning, the Mountain and Sea were not one, but separate."
"Beings were born in the sea, and their hearts yearned for the mountain. And so, they began to ascend."
"Though this transgression was swiftly punished by the mountain with death, still..."
"...the sea's attempts to explore did not cease."
"And that is what led to the Mountain and Sea of today."
"'Why the Connecting Mountains... why the Returning to Sea...'"
A jolt went through Li Fan's mind. He felt as if he had just caught a faint glimpse of the true nature of the two Saints, Lian Shan and Gui Hai.
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