Chapter 1737: Seeing the Future in a Trance
Chapter 1737: Seeing the Future in a Trance
"Even though we are called Connecting Mountains and Returning to Sea, we cannot truly gather the great power of the Mountain and Sea in one place."
"Besides, an offense can be redirected at will, but how can a defense be moved so freely? Against the backdrop of the encroaching Dao Annihilation, every part of the Mountain and Sea is already stretched to its breaking point. If we were to draw upon its power from here, I'm afraid other segments of the Mountain and Sea would be immediately devoured by the Void Realm."
"Our vision is blocked by the Void Realm, making it impossible to see the entirety of the Mountain and Sea. Even if we could control its power, we couldn't contend with the mastermind behind the Void Realm," the Three Saints concluded.
Li Fan pondered for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "I suppose I was being too idealistic. But the situation is dire. The Mountain and Sea has latent power we cannot call upon. To be carved up by the Void Realm without any way to fight back... it's utterly frustrating to watch."
"If there were a Saint whose gaze could span from beginning to end, whose strength could move mountains and shift seas... wouldn't this crisis be resolved in an instant?"
The Saints fell silent at his words.
"Actually, I believe Daoist Zhouhui's earlier idea might just work." During the silence, Stealing Opportunity's words suddenly captured the attention of the other Saints.
"There's an old saying: only by facing death can one find the will to live. In a moment of life and death, one can surely unleash extraordinary power. While we can't actively call upon the great power of the Mountain and Sea now, perhaps... we can force its hand."
He had regained his former confidence and declared slowly, "It's not just about forcing out the Mountain and Sea's own power. It's also about that couple, Qiu Tianhui and Shao Zidai!"
"The central node that sustains the life-veins of the Mountain and Sea... a place of such critical importance! I refuse to believe they didn't leave behind some form of protection. The Great Dao of living beings, after all, depends on the Mountain and Sea. If this segment is destroyed, no matter what schemes they have or where they are, they will inevitably be affected!"
One had to admit, Stealing Opportunity's analysis had merit.
As the Saints pondered the possibility, only the Three Saints and Li Fan noticed the other meaning hidden in Stealing Opportunity's words.
*'Force the Mountain and Sea's hand... This idea of Stealing Opportunity's is quite dangerous.'*
*'Interesting. If Stealing Opportunity were still under the full influence of the Armillary Ring's 'Same Heart Same Virtue' effect, he shouldn't be having such thoughts. This sounds more like the Stealing Opportunity who has broken free from his shackles, reverting to his true nature. Could it be...'* Li Fan's expression remained neutral as he secretly observed the others.
*'After a hundred billion years, even the 'Same Heart Same Virtue' effect has begun to fade. The connection between me, Shou Qiu, and Moral is still strong; after all, we are a separate trinity, sharing everything with an intimate bond.'*
*'But the other Saints within the Armillary Ring... they seem to be showing signs of losing control.'*
*'It's faint, but it absolutely cannot be ignored.'*
If Li Fan had noticed this, the Three Saints had naturally sensed it as well.
But they too said nothing. The Armillary Ring merely pulsed with an imperceptible flash of white light.
Whether or not they were losing control was a separate matter from the feasibility of the suggestion.
After some deduction, the Three Saints had to admit that Stealing Opportunity's plan did indeed have a chance of success.
However, it was hardly an ideal strategy and could only be kept as a backup plan, a last resort.
"First, we'll gather our strength and see this battle through."
"The Void Realm may be powerful, but there's no need to be intimidated before the fight has even begun," Saint Tai Yi declared, his calm gaze fixed on the space beyond the Void Realm, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "To say nothing of ourselves, the awe-inspiring sight of Shou Qiu and Daoist Zhouhui repelling those avatars from the Void Realm is still fresh in our minds!"
The increase in strength from several 'Mountain Sea Connect' events was causing the Three Saints' temperaments to gradually shift, becoming more like their 'complete' selves.
As the fearsome being who wielded the All Living Beings Stick and had devoured and assimilated the other primordial forces, Saint Tai Yi would certainly not admit defeat so easily.
Faced with Saint Tai Yi's praise, Li Fan, Shou Qiu, and Moral merely smiled, offering no further response.
As the wielder of the [True Spirit Infusion] ability and the most important source of reserve power for the 'Mountain Sea Connect' plan, the Saints would certainly not let him on the battlefield unless it was absolutely necessary.
Unless he volunteered.
This time, however, Li Fan had already made up his mind to quietly observe the changes as they unfolded.
Therefore, in the time that followed, Li Fan spent his days wandering the Mountain and Sea in spirit, searching for promising talents and guiding them toward Sainthood.
The river of time had advanced several hundred thousand years from the point he knew best.
The Mountain and Sea had given birth to countless brilliant individuals.
Successfully screening them, however, was no easy task.
This time, Li Fan also took the initiative to speak with the Tai Wei Saint Emperor, intending to select promising candidates from among the people of the Tai Wei Sacred Dynasty.
In the past, when selecting candidates for Sainthood, he had mostly focused on cultivators at the Nameless and Transcendent realms.
The Sacred Dynasty, however, was a special case—a world where one person's law reigned supreme. Though it had billions upon billions of subjects, none save the Tai Wei Saint Emperor himself had surpassed the realm of a True Immortal.
Even if they had the necessary resources and talent to meet the requirements for becoming a Saint, the time it would take would be immense. Far too long to wait.
But this time, Li Fan had a premonition that the battle for the Mountain and Sea ahead would be a long, drawn-out war.
The countless people of the Sacred Dynasty could not be ignored.
Li Fan's appearance had greatly eased the Tai Wei Saint Emperor's pill-refining burden, so the Emperor held him in high regard. Naturally, he agreed to Li Fan's request.
Not only did he grant Li Fan free rein to select from among all the living beings in the vast Sacred Dynasty, but he even took the initiative to recommend a few candidates himself.
"Though these few have never cultivated, their disposition and innate talent are of the highest caliber," the Emperor explained. "Across the entire Sacred Dynasty, they are among the very best. All they lack is the right opportunity."
After the battle with Snare, the Tai Wei Saint Emperor seemed to have undergone another transformation.
Before, he was purely a worldly Saint Emperor of indescribable nobility, high and aloof.
Now, however, an ethereal and otherworldly aura would occasionally emanate from him.
Li Fan studied him with interest for a moment, then asked curiously, "Daoist Taiwei, have you had some new enlightenment?"
The Tai Wei Saint Emperor didn't hide anything. "I once believed that as the emperor of a Sacred Dynasty, I should rule over all people and oversee everything. However, after witnessing the ancient memories of the Three Saints and seeing that not even the Mountain and Sea can last forever, my thoughts have changed."
"'To be omnipresent at all times is certainly good,' he mused. 'But perhaps...'"
"'...to be hidden between heaven and earth, to exist and yet not exist, is a superior state. To let the people live unaware, so accustomed to my presence that they forget it altogether.'"
Li Fan's brows furrowed slightly, but he did not voice his agreement.
Seeing this, the Tai Wei Saint Emperor simply smiled. "It is merely an experiment. Daoist Zhouhui, you need not worry."
"'The Sacred Dynasty is, after all, *my* Sacred Dynasty.'"
"'Even if the world were turned upside down, restoring it to stability would take but a single thought from me.'"
"'Such domineering confidence, Daoist Taiwei!'" Li Fan couldn't help but praise him.
After a slight pause, Li Fan suddenly raised an unrelated question. "Daoist Taiwei, you've fought against Snare before. I was wondering..."
"'What was it like?'"
The Tai Wei Saint Emperor saw the look on Li Fan's face and knew what he was asking. "Nothing special," he stated frankly.
"'If all the so-called beings of the Primitive Immortal Realm possess only that level of talent...'"
"'...then the Tai Wei Sacred Dynasty may yet carve out its own territory at the Beginning of the Mountain and Sea!'"
The meaning behind the Tai Wei Saint Emperor's words perfectly matched what Li Fan was thinking.
Li Fan simply exchanged a knowing smile with him, and they let the topic drop.
After traveling through the Sacred Dynasty for eighteen years, Li Fan had selected only three suitable candidates.
Two of them had been recommended by the Saint Emperor.
One was a preceptor of the Sacred Dynasty, whose duty in life was to receive the Saint Emperor's words and spread them among the masses. Yet, this man spread the words without believing them himself. In the Sacred Dynasty, this was an act of absolute treason. But he hid it well, never letting those around him suspect a thing.
If that were all, he never would have caught the Saint Emperor's attention.
What was most interesting was that, as a preceptor, the man was well-versed in all the classics. He was keenly aware of just how great a being the Saint Emperor he served truly was. Therefore, he knew with absolute certainty that his little 'rebellion' could never be hidden from the great Saint Emperor's eyes.
*"The supreme Saint Emperor is like heaven and earth, encompassing all things. How could he not tolerate a minor heretic like me?"*
Even with a disloyal heart, he knew his place.
The Sacred Dynasty was the foundation of the Saint Emperor's cultivation, and he would never allow anyone to damage it. Though the preceptor did not believe in the Emperor, he never spread his rebellious thoughts to others. Instead, he remained absolutely devoted to his duty of spreading the official teachings.
He was diligent and conscientious, never once slacking.
"'This man is truly a contradiction,' Li Fan remarked with a curious smile after learning of his life."
"'I see no contradiction,' the Emperor said. 'He is simply seeking a chance to leap beyond the Sacred Dynasty. Since that is what he desires, why shouldn't I grant it to him?'"
"'Besides, his cultivation will in no way disgrace the name of the Sacred Dynasty,' the Tai Wei Saint Emperor added calmly."
The preceptor's name was Su Shaozhong—a plain and unremarkable name that nevertheless seemed to hold a deep, hidden meaning.
The other person recommended by the Saint Emperor was a warrior of the Sacred Dynasty named Hong Qianquan.
Within the cultivation system permitted by the Sacred Dynasty, he had effortlessly reached the pinnacle. He was indeed like a celestial being and quite useful.
As for the last of the three, he was personally selected by Li Fan.
Compared to Su Shaozhong and Hong Qianquan, he was ordinary to an extreme.
Even the Tai Wei Saint Emperor was somewhat puzzled by Li Fan's choice.
But the Emperor did not press the matter, and Li Fan offered no explanation.
He chose this person because he felt a faint sense of familiarity emanating from him.
The familiarity came not from this life, nor from any of the previous lives he had experienced.
Instead...
...it came from pure intuition.
Previously, while experiencing the endless samsara woven by the Dao of Cycle Return, Li Fan had begun to doubt and speculate about his own keen intuition.
This so-called intuition, he suspected, was nothing more than the memory of events from countless previous cycles.
Whether this speculation was true or not, he set it aside for the moment.
And now, from a mere mortal of the Sacred Dynasty, Li Fan felt a sense of familiarity, as if they had met many times before.
How could he not take it seriously?
Li Fan silently studied the mortal named Mo Yongge.
He tried to find some clue within that intuitive memory.
Everything from that past seemed to have faded completely.
No matter how he searched, he could find no trace of it.
This time, however, Li Fan was very patient.
He kept all three by his side to cultivate while he continued his search throughout the Mountain and Sea for more potential Saints.
Adding three more Saints might help the current situation, but not by much.
Li Fan knew he had to keep going.
Over a hundred years passed, and the situation in the Mountain and Sea grew increasingly dire.
True, with the help from the future Mountain and Sea, they had successfully withstood the pressure from the Void Realm.
But the Void Realm soon sensed this external power.
Without the slightest hesitation, it raised the stakes.
Like dark clouds obscuring the sun, the power accumulated by the Void Realm grew greater than ever before.
Under the heavy blockade of the Void Realm, even the gaze of the Three Saints could no longer penetrate it.
They were completely trapped within its confines.
Fortunately, their foundation remained strong, and for the time being, they were not easily broken.
With the coordination of Li Fan, Shou Qiu, and Moral, they even managed to repel the attacks of the Void Realm's avatars several times.
"'But we can't hold out for much longer.'"
"'Five hundred years, at most.'"
Li Fan was content to act only when it was absolutely critical.
He continued to search for promising candidates while observing Mo Yongge.
It was like piecing together fragments of a puzzle.
The past that had once vanished was slowly beginning to surface.
*'If I'm not mistaken...'*
*'The point in time is more or less the same as the present. But the experiences... they are completely different.'*
*'The Saint Emperor falls. Before his death, he scatters his fortune among the people, and a host of dragons emerges from the abyss.'*
*'Mo Yongge was one of them. He ascended directly to the realm of a Saint, and he was even someone with whom I once shared the 'Same Heart Same Virtue' bond.'*
*'Just like Moral and Shou Qiu.'*
Li Fan slowly closed his eyes, hiding the immense turmoil within his heart.
Even if he were to witness the utter collapse of the Mountain and Sea, he would never lose his composure like this.
Perhaps only the shock of witnessing the appearance of the lone Star could compare to this.
*'The more I remember, the clearer it becomes. It's as if I truly experienced it myself.'*
*'It's definitely not some groundless fantasy.'*
*'But the crucial question is, when?'*
Li Fan knew the key lay not with Mo Yongge, but with himself.
Once again, Li Fan traced back through all his memories since the day he had transmigrated.
He even asked Shou Qiu Gong and Moral to help him review them, to ensure nothing was missed.
In the end, he was certain: he had never experienced such a lifetime.
"'Daoist Fan, I wonder if you've noticed,' Shou Qiu said, 'but the Mountain and Sea in this memory is vastly different from the one we currently inhabit.'"
"'The death of the Tai Wei Saint Emperor... that is something that has never occurred in all your many reincarnations.'"
"'It's as if...'"
"'...it existed in another Mountain and Sea.'"
Shou Qiu's words sent Li Fan plunging deep into thought.
*'Another Mountain and Sea.'*
Those words seemed to flip a switch in his mind.
Combined with his recent efforts to piece together lost memories, another segment of Li Fan's lost memories began to surface.
It was from the end of time.
The Void Realm was about to devour everything. The final Saint, Qiu Xinhui, fought desperately to turn the tide, but she could not change the outcome.
"'Heh. Daoist Fan, are you still not going to make your move?' he had then said to Li Fan."
After that, in a daze, Li Fan had lost control of his body.
He had even lost his memory of that moment, only vaguely recalling the scene of the Mountain and Sea's destruction and the appearance of the lone Star.
Now, these lost memories were slowly replaying in Li Fan's mind.
A single finger had made the Star appear, and then retreat.
"'I can stop the Star for a moment, but not for an eternity.'"
"'I, too, am searching for that answer.'"
"'If I had never seen it, then from where did my [Truth] come?'"
...
Scene after scene flashed through Li Fan's mind like bolts of lightning.
Ignoring the searing pain in his mind, Li Fan struggled to maintain his inner calm and analyze everything that had suddenly been revealed.
*'These words... was it I who said them, or was it Truth?'*
*'No, it couldn't have been Truth. Otherwise, why would it mention 'my [Truth]'?'*
Previously, Li Fan had assumed that when he lost his memory, his body had been taken over by [Truth].
Now, however, it seemed...
...that was not the case at all.
(End of Chapter)
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