Chapter 1719: The Situation Shifts with the Times
Li Fan’s words left the assembly of Saints with no retort.
United by the Armillary Ring’s “Same Heart Same Virtue” effect, none of the Saints wished to see the three Mountain and Sea Saints ahead fall. From a subjective standpoint, it was an outcome they all wanted to avoid.
Yet, the three Saints were beings of transcendent power, far surpassing the others. If they were to fall to a calamity, the others, even if they wished to lend aid, would likely find themselves powerless to help.
At this moment, Shou Qiu’s face was etched with worry. “If the three Saints fall, the Mountain and Sea will be leaderless. I fear we may not be able to withstand the Dao Annihilation Calamity. To have two consecutive segments of the Mountain and Sea erased by the Dao Annihilation...”
“May I ask the three of you,” Shou Qiu inquired, his voice grave, “how long does the void ahead stretch?”
The Returning to Sea Saint answered in a deep tone, “The void ahead already spans nearly a hundred thousand years. If the Mountain and Sea is destroyed again, the great plan to reconnect it will fail.”
Thus, the conclusion before the Saints was clear. No matter how slim the hope, they had to fight with all their might.
“Although we may be destined to fall, we must not be too hasty. First, we must successfully reconnect the hundred thousand years of the void, while simultaneously preparing a rescue. As long as we can hold out until our Mountain and Sea is reconnected, we will gain a boost of creation out of thin air, which might be enough to resolve the crisis directly.”
Li Fan’s arrival at a different point in time had altered the circumstances, leading the three Saints to a different resolution.
But just as before, their gazes turned to Li Fan.
After a moment of contemplation, however, they refrained from asking him to go.
“The True Spirit Infusion is no small matter. As long as fellow Daoist Fan is here, the reconnection of the Mountain and Sea can be completed sooner. If you were to be implicated in our fate and fall, that would truly be a source of endless regret,” Saint Tai Yi said, shaking his head.
Li Fan smiled but still volunteered. “The three Saints are concerned about my True Spirit Infusion and its role in aiding the reconnection. But who says my main body must be present to accomplish this?”
As he spoke, Li Fan took a deep breath and made a grasping motion toward the void beyond the Mountain and Sea.
It was as if he had summoned a colossal tide, poised to crash upon the Mountain and Sea. Even the Other Shore trembled slightly under its might, feeling the pressure of his power.
The effort seemed immense; Li Fan’s brow furrowed, his expression stern.
Following the direction of his gesture, the three Saints watched with a strange light in their eyes.
“Could it be...”
Only then did the other Saints realize that Li Fan was extracting True Spirits from the void.
But for such a tremendous commotion, just how many True Spirits was he drawing?
They would soon have their answer.
And even with the vast experience of the Saints, they were left somewhat dumbfounded.
“Shou Qiu, lend me your strength!”
As if he had reached his limit, Li Fan suddenly gritted his teeth and called out.
Shou Qiu immediately complied, channeling the infinite vitality of the Longevity Dao to support him.
Nourished by this energy, a surge of life force erupted, and the power of Li Fan’s extraction seemed to grow exponentially.
Finally, he pulled the stagnant True Spirits from the void, bringing them to the Mountain and Sea.
In that instant, the arrival of this immeasurable, countless mass of stagnant True Spirits sent a tremor through the current Mountain and Sea.
The continuous mountain range seemed to ripple, producing layers of overlapping shadows, creating the illusion of a Mountain and Sea appearing above the Mountain and Sea.
This was because the stagnant True Spirits Li Fan had just forcibly summoned from the void were nearly enough to forge an entirely new segment of the Mountain and Sea!
Although True Spirits are formless and intangible, an accumulation of this magnitude should have inevitably impacted the Mountain and Sea.
But what the Saints witnessed was Li Fan skillfully containing all the extracted True Spirits within a single ring.
It appeared to be a simple circle, yet within it swirled an infinite number of cycles, masterfully neutralizing the impact of the stagnant True Spirits.
The weight of this single ring was equivalent to that of the Mountain and Sea.
Yet Li Fan handled it with effortless ease, holding it firmly in his grasp.
“His mastery of the Zhouhui Dao has reached its zenith!”
“Coupled with the divine ability of True Spirit Infusion... beneath the three Saints, he may very well be the strongest.”
Amid their astonishment, the Saints caught a glimpse of Li Fan’s true power.
“Fortunately, I did not fail.” Having successfully gathered the ring of True Spirits within the Other Shore, Li Fan let out a long breath and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.
After a brief pause, he pointed to the strange ring and continued, “The True Spirits accumulated in this ring are more than enough to cover the needs of the Saints for reconnecting the Mountain and Sea. I will also leave a projection behind to coordinate with you.”
“Furthermore, if the situation becomes truly critical, this ring of True Spirits can be forcibly shattered. The dispersion of the immeasurable stagnant True Spirits can temporarily resist the impact of the Dao Annihilation, buying us a brief moment of respite.”
Li Fan slowly explained the ring’s wonderful uses to the assembly.
Saint Tai Yi nodded slightly. “What Zhouhui said is not an exaggeration. We truly did not expect a newly ascended Saint to possess such might. Lifting the Mountain and Sea, yet handling it with ease...”
Li Fan chuckled. “You may see the True Spirits in this ring as having the weight of the Mountain and Sea, but in my eyes, they are merely an extension of my arm. Just a bit heavier than usual, that’s all.”
“Even so, without Shou Qiu’s assistance, I nearly failed. It’s rather embarrassing, truly.”
He attributed his incredible feat entirely to that strange ability to manipulate True Spirits.
And since Li Fan had already implied this ability was connected to the vanished transcendent Immortal Realm, it was a claim that could not be verified in the current Mountain and Sea.
Even the three Saints could not discern the truth of his words.
Besides, this was not the time for deep investigation.
Now that the most critical logistical problem had been solved, it was time to formally discuss the rescue plan.
The logic remained the same.
The reconnection of the Mountain and Sea required the three Saints to anchor the process. Their main bodies could not leave.
And without the completed reconnection, even if they went, their presence would not create a synergistic effect greater than the sum of its parts.
However, if the three Saints in the future could gain Li Fan’s support, perhaps the outcome of their fall could be changed.
The wondrous effects of True Spirit Infusion had already been witnessed by all the Saints.
“I will need Shou Qiu and Moral to accompany me. In addition...” Just as in the last lifetime, Li Fan began to select his companions.
“I also ask the three Saints not to hold back and to inform me of all your divine abilities. Only then can I be fully prepared.”
Li Fan’s gaze was searing as he stared at the three Saints, his expression open and unabashed.
Within the Armillary Ring, a momentary silence fell.
Although they were united by “Same Heart Same Virtue,” the reality was that the three Saints knew everyone, but few truly knew the three Saints.
Li Fan was now using the pretense of supporting the rescue mission to probe the depths of the three Saints’ powers.
Both in terms of sentiment and reason, his request was perfectly logical.
The silence did not last long.
“It is only right.”
“Then listen well.”
What followed was not transmitted solely to Li Fan, Shou Qiu, and Moral, but was openly shared within the Armillary Ring for all to hear.
“Aside from our personal Daos—Connecting Mountains, Returning to Sea, and Tai Yi—we also have a few treasured artifacts at our side.”
“The Connecting Mountains Staff, the Returning to Sea Shovel, and the All Living Beings Stick, you may have seen before.”
“Beyond these, however, there are three Congenital Ferocious Items that have never been revealed to others.”
“Fearing they would disrupt the harmony of the heavens, we do not normally use them. Only in moments of mortal peril will we bring them out against an enemy.”
This declaration immediately captured the attention of all the Saints.
“Congenital Ferocious Items? What are they?”
“I have heard of primordial creations from the mists of existence, but I have never heard of these Congenital Ferocious Items.”
Saint Tai Yi provided the answer. “The Mountain and Sea was born from a divided God. Though the God perished, a monstrous hostility (sky-rendering malice) lingered and scattered at the moment of its passing. ”
“As the Mountain and Sea evolved, some things were tainted by this malice. Thus, the Congenital Ferocious Items were formed.”
“Originating from the God, they are tinged with a measure of divine power. They exist outside the scope of the Mountain and Sea’s Great Dao and are exceptionally mysterious.”
As he spoke, Saint Tai Yi took out an object.
It was the very same Life Rope that Li Fan had seen in the previous lifetime!
“It just looks like an ordinary hemp rope,” the All Knowing Immortal muttered quietly.
Saint Tai Yi chuckled softly and tossed the rope toward the All Knowing Immortal.
Countless threads erupted, dancing like a frenzy of dragons. In an instant, they wove themselves into a straw figure before the All Knowing Immortal.
It was a perfect effigy of him.
Tai Yi pointed from a distance, and a single, thin thread was gently pulled from the straw figure.
Simultaneously, the All Knowing Immortal’s real body let out a strange cry. He clutched his neck, his face a mask of terror.
Seeing the other Saints’ confusion, the All Knowing Immortal looked at the straw figure, calmed himself, and then explained, “The moment that thread was pulled, I had the distinct illusion of my head being severed. It felt as if my life force truly vanished in that instant...”
“This rope... it is terrifying.”
As if he had genuinely survived a brush with death, the All Knowing Immortal no longer dared to underestimate the simple-looking rope.
Saint Tai Yi restored the extracted thread to the effigy and recalled the Life Rope.
Only then did the All Knowing Immortal let out a long sigh of relief.
“This rope is [Life]. At the beginning of the Mountain and Sea, countless congenital beings lost their lives to it.”
“The world was vast, almost becoming a nation of straw men. It was only by a stroke of fortune that I was able to subdue it,” Tai Yi said nonchalantly, but a flash of killing intent glinted in his eyes.
Next, the Lian Shan and Gui Hai Saints revealed the Turtle Shell and the Ancestral Bone.
“This shell is a molt of the Mountain and Sea. In its earliest days, the Mountain and Sea was not as it is today; it too underwent a long evolution. This object is its first molt. It was originally the foremost wondrous item in the Mountain and Sea, but it was unfortunately tainted by congenital malice, turning it exceedingly dangerous.”
“If not for my power of Connecting Mountains, I would not have been able to subdue it so easily.”
He merely suspended the Turtle Shell above the Saints’ heads and slightly relaxed his control over it.
Instantly, all the Saints felt the crushing weight of the entire Mountain and Sea bearing down upon them.
“The weight of a single object... can reach such a degree?”
Li Fan, feigning to see it for the first time, spoke with a grave expression, “The ring of True Spirits I extracted merely emulates the form and spirit of the Mountain and Sea. But this molt... it truly possesses the might of the Mountain and Sea! If this were to press down on me, I fear my life would be extinguished in an instant!”
After the Saints had expressed their marvel, their gazes turned to the last Congenital Ferocious Item.
“This is the bone of the first living being in the Mountain and Sea,” Gui Hai said, his expression somewhat peculiar.
“At the dawn of the Mountain and Sea, all evolution was under its control. The appearance of this first living being was no exception. It was deliberately nurtured by the Mountain and Sea, blessed with its favor. There were no limits of aptitude or talent. From birth, it was destined to stand at the very pinnacle of the Mountain and Sea.”
“A born Saint?” The Saints immediately understood what the Gui Hai Saint meant.
The Gui Hai Saint nodded slightly. “The first being was the culmination of the Mountain and Sea’s painstaking deductions about the infinite variables of the future. At that time, the Mountain and Sea had not yet foreseen the future crisis of annihilation, so it valued this first being immensely, pouring nearly all of its resources into its growth.”
“However, there is a fixed number in the unseen. The more powerful the first being became, the more keenly it could sense the remnants of the God. Inadvertently, it became tainted by a strand of congenital malice.”
“Though the Mountain and Sea inherited the God’s power, it had no effective solution for the God’s lingering will. Witnessing the changes in the first being after its infection, it could only, with great pain, personally destroy it.”
“Leaving only a skeleton behind.”
“The first being’s existence was not long, but it holds profound significance for all beings that evolved after it. Without it, one could say that we would not exist.”
“Of course, possessed by congenital malice, the first being would not die so willingly. It constantly seeks to revive itself, to take revenge upon the Mountain and Sea.” As he spoke, the Gui Hai Saint released his restraint on the Ancestral Bone.
In that instant, all the Saints seemed to see their own corpses, their own final resting places.
Their flesh, blood, and divine will were uncontrollably drawn, wanting to return to the skeleton before them!
The feeling was horrifying.
After the demonstration, the three Saints put away their respective Congenital Ferocious Items.
“Extraordinary items are for extraordinary times.”
“It has been a very long time since we last brought them out.”
Lian Shan looked at Li Fan, his expression unreadable. “But Zhouhui was not wrong. In a matter of life and death, we would indeed use them against our enemies.”
“Our avatars in the void will do the same.”
“I never imagined such ferocious objects existed in the Mountain and Sea. Their mystical power is no less than my True Spirit Infusion,” Li Fan said, seemingly still lost in wonder at the three strange items.
After a long moment, he clasped his hands and asked, “With these Congenital Ferocious Items upon us, I fear we would not last a moment. May I ask the three Saints if there is a way to be immune or to break their power?”
“If we are suppressed the moment we meet, even if we wish to rescue you, it will be impossible to even begin,” Li Fan stated with a helpless tone.
Within the Armillary Ring, there was another silence.
It was not just Li Fan; the other Saints wanted to know the answer as well.
After all, being no match for the three Saints was one thing, but to be effortlessly suppressed by a mere artifact they produced was somewhat difficult to accept.
The silence was broken by Tai Yi’s light laugh.
“The Congenital Ferocious Items are for enemies, not friends. There is no harm in telling you.”
“In the beginning of the Mountain and Sea, there were not only these three items. We were fortunate enough to have subdued only these three. The others have either dissipated with the changes of the Mountain and Sea or still exist in its ancient past.”
“As for how to counter them, it is both difficult and easy.”
“It comes down to eight words.”
“Constrain it with spirit, subdue it with will.”
Tai Yi’s gaze swept over the crowd as he brought out the Life Rope once more.
The feeling of one’s life being controlled by an unseen force, as if it could be snuffed out at any moment, returned to them all.
“You must know that the source of the Congenital Ferocious Items is the residual influence from the God’s fall.”
“Born of will, it can naturally be dispelled by will.”
As he spoke, Tai Yi tossed the Life Rope, suspending it above his head.
Then, he released his restraint on it.
In an instant, countless threads poured out from the rope.
They attempted to weave a straw effigy of Tai Yi.
However...
Within Tai Yi’s body, countless different lights and shadows suddenly flickered.
It was like a vast Immortal Realm.
The rope could weave one part of him, but not the second, nor the whole.
The straw effigy of fate that it formed was instead pulled by the countless lights within Tai Yi, becoming like a puppet on strings. Controlled, the threads all retreated back into the Life Rope.
Its resistance futile, the Life Rope temporarily grew docile.
“If you can all do as I have, then in theory, you can subdue the Life Rope,” Saint Tai Yi said faintly.
The Lian Shan Saint spoke next. “The same principle applies. To resist the Mountain and Sea Molt, you need only be truly capable of withstanding the Mountain and Sea.”
The Gui Hai Saint added, “To negate the influence of the Ancestral Bone, you must disregard your own sense of belonging to the first being. If the son is not its descendant, the ancestor is not my ancestor. Thus, its strangeness will naturally vanish.”
“Zhouhui, are you satisfied with such answers?”
The three Saints looked at Li Fan and asked in unison.
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