"Defying principles... Defying principles..."
"Could it truly be so?"
Master Yin stood frozen in place for a long time, and then began trembling uncontrollably.
Xu Ke's aged face was likewise flushed with intense excitement. "No wonder Mr. Bai kept telling me back then that all I needed to do was wait."
"Beyond the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao descending to save itself, there are countless mortals unceasingly embarking upon the path of cultivation. The process of cultivation is none other than the process of reversing the principle of the immortal-mortal miasma. Thousands of years have passed, day by day, month by month..."
The Faceless Sacred Emperor said in a faint, distant voice, "Counterintuitively, dispelling the immortal-mortal miasma—something seen in the eyes of cultivators as utterly trivial, the very first step and prerequisite of cultivation—is in essence identical to the ultimate goal of cultivation: attaining the Longevity realm."
"Both are none other than re-defying the principles of Heaven and Earth."
At these words, exceedingly complex expressions surfaced in the eyes of both Master Yin and Xu Ke.
Master Yin said, "If Heavenly Venerable Nili were still alive, mortals of the Xuanhuang Realm would never have found it so effortless to re-defy the principles of Heaven and Earth and step onto the path of cultivation. But precisely because Mr. Bai has fallen, the restriction imposed by the principle of the immortal-mortal miasma has also been vastly weakened."
Li Ping chimed in at this point, "Furthermore, there was Heavenly Venerable Dongji, who saw through the mystery here. By utilizing the so-called Purifying Spirit Pool formation, he further diminished the difficulty of defying principles."
Xu Ke's lips quivered slightly, and only after a long pause did he manage to force out a sentence: "When I last saw Mr. Bai back then, I could already sense his resolve to die. All these years, I could never let it go. But now... perhaps I understand a little."
Master Yin, however, lapsed once more into an obsessive trance of muttering to himself: "All the people of the world are defying the principles of Heaven and Earth, but stripped to its bones, this still remains within Chuanfa's cultivation system. Even knowing this, what use is it?"
"There must still be something we haven't thought of..."
Li Ping said with conviction, "The answer should lie within the immortal-mortal miasma itself. When it comes to research into the immortal-mortal miasma, I fear no one in the current Xuanhuang Realm has delved deeper than you. I will have to trouble you, Fellow Daoist, to work a bit harder."
"Although there are no longer any mortals harboring the immortal-mortal miasma within the borders of Great Qi, it won't be difficult to bring back some from the conquered pocket worlds for research. I will have people fully cooperate with you," Li Ping told Master Yin.
"Rest assured, Sacred Emperor." Master Yin abruptly grew animated.
...
Meanwhile.
Within the Dharma Formulation Jade space of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
After the sacred embryo beheld the Great Wall of Remnant Worlds, ripples once more stirred within the calm heart of Li Fan's true body.
"Re-defying the principles of Heaven and Earth? The immortal-mortal miasma..."
Li Fan suddenly recalled his own experience back on Liuli Island, dispelling the immortal-mortal miasma within the Purifying Spirit Pool formation.
The pool water, scalding like molten lava, had ravaged his consciousness. Even with an unyielding will, he had ultimately fallen into a state bereft of awareness and thought.
His mind had gone completely blank, acting purely on instinct.
Before entering the spirit pool, Li Fan had practiced the Xuanhuang Mind-Clearing Incantation day and night, so on instinct, he had run the technique once again.
While finally purging the miasma from his body completely, Li Fan had also inexplicably comprehended the upgraded, sublimated version of the Xuanhuang Mind-Clearing Incantation:
The Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation.
Later, it evolved into the current Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Incantation. Along Li Fan's journey, the assistance this technique provided could not be overstated.
"The agony within the Purifying Spirit Pool is beyond what ordinary mortals can endure. There is a strong likelihood of falling directly into unconsciousness. Even if one remains conscious, amid such excruciating pain, no stray thoughts whatsoever can find room to exist."
"'Embrace the soul and hold fast to the One; cleanse the mysterious mirror; take nature as teacher...'"
With his eyes shut tight, a flash of inspiration crossed Li Fan's mind.
"Man unites with the Dao. Instinctive action under a state bereft of awareness and thought happens to be closest to the Dao. Perhaps this is why so many mortals in the world have been able to successfully dispel the immortal-mortal miasma and re-defy the principles of Heaven and Earth."
"However, in truth, this is not defying principles in the complete sense. The fact that their strength undergoes no qualitative leap after dispelling the immortal-mortal miasma proves this point."
Li Fan pondered deeply.
"First, because dispelling the immortal-mortal miasma does not rely entirely on one's own power. Second..."
Within his mind, the Dao Transformation Stone flickered with light. Li Fan retrieved his fleeting insight from back then, turning it over in his mind again and again.
He murmured thoughtfully, "When the immortal-mortal miasma was finally dispelled..."
"It was as if it disappeared on its own."
"Just like how the Heart-Refining Incantation spontaneously transformed upon sensing my circulation of the Xuanhuang Mind-Clearing Incantation."
"Was a certain condition triggered?"
Li Fan recalled once more the image of Dongji before his death transmitted by Heavenly Venerable Zhenshi.
"The secret of re-defying the principles of Heaven and Earth is hidden within the immortal-mortal miasma."
Before Li Fan's eyes, he seemed to see countless mortals over thousands of years breaking through the shackles separating immortals and mortals, defying the Dharma to embark upon the path of cultivation.
"The birth of every single cultivator undergoes a process approximating re-defying the principles of Heaven and Earth."
"Even though they themselves were entirely unaware, it truly and genuinely occurred."
"Re-defying the principles of Heaven and Earth is tantamount to facing Chuanfa directly and completely overturning the cultivation system he personally forged. Even peerless geniuses like Mr. Bai and Dongji met with failure in the end, which shows just how immense the difficulty is. But..."
Li Fan came to a sudden realization.
He thought of his own simulated experiences through cycle after cycle of reincarnation.
"The process of every mortal resisting the immortal-mortal miasma can be viewed as a simulation of re-defying the principles of Heaven and Earth."
"The power of one person may reach its end. The power of ten million people also has its limit."
"Yet the power of ten million people across myriad eras is boundless and inexhaustible."
"Before such monumental power, the breaking of Chuanfa's New Dharma is merely a matter of time."
Li Fan was shaken to the core: "Heaven and Earth Myriad Spirits, All Living Beings Spirit Refining uses pure numbers to shake the immortal power that transcends the mundane."
"Boundless living beings, defying the Dharma for eternal generations—this magnifies the advantage of numbers once again across the scale of time, achieving a qualitative transformation from quantitative change..."
"As long as there remain beings in the Xuanhuang Realm unwilling to accept the fate of mortals, this method will endure perpetually."
Li Fan's thoughts raced. Within his heart, his heartfelt respect for Mr. Bai—the creator of such a marvelous method—deepened even further.
Disregarding the limits of lifespan, his methods remained in effect even after his demise, spanning the river of time to influence the world countless years later.
Unlike Li Fan, who possessed the supreme treasure Trueness, this was already the utmost limit achievable by an ordinary mortal cultivator.
Naturally, for Li Fan, this held little practical reference value.
What Mr. Bai needed thousands of years and generations of Xuanhuang Realm cultivators to accomplish, Li Fan could achieve simply through ceaseless cycles of Trueness.
Yet that did not prevent Li Fan from harvesting the fruits of Mr. Bai's labor.
"In my view, the so-called secret to re-defying the principles of Heaven and Earth hidden within the immortal-mortal miasma is none other than the accumulated insights of countless cultivators over countless years when dispelling the miasma."
"All of it has been recorded and preserved."
"Countless simulated experiences approximating re-defying the principles of Heaven and Earth... If I can absorb them..."
Li Fan prided himself on being able to look upon almost all treasures in the Xuanhuang Realm with utter indifference by now, even the cat gem from beyond the High Wall. Yet he had to admit that upon realizing the existence of this vast well of principle-defying experience, his heart stirred.
Unlike dharma treasures, this grand gift of experience was something capable of directly enhancing the essence of Li Fan's divine soul.
It would be enough to drastically narrow the gap between him and the likes of Chuanfa and the Heavenly Physician.
Though it was only a one-time boon, to Li Fan its significance was immense—the earlier he uncovered it, the better.
"It can save me at least three lifetimes of reincarnation."
Li Fan calculated in his mind.
"Then where on earth did Mr. Bai hide this grand gift?"
"Inside the Immortal-Felling Mirror, or within the power of the immortal-mortal miasma itself? Does it require some special condition to trigger?"
If he hadn't already set the tone for this lifetime as sitting on the mountain watching tigers fight, Li Fan would have wanted his true body to step forth in person right now and investigate thoroughly.
Yet his years of experience allowed him to suppress this urge.
"With Master Yin and Xu Ke researching with all their might, it's bound to be far more efficient than me groping in the dark."
"Once they know, it's as good as me knowing. It will all be mine in the end anyway, so there is no need to rush."
"Besides, I can see just how much weight this grand gift carries, and whether the Sacred Emperor avatar can truly shake Chuanfa after absorbing it."
"Heh heh heh, it truly makes me look forward to it."
Having been in prolonged secluded cultivation inside the Dharma Formulation Jade space, Li Fan inevitably found it monotonous at times, but at this moment, waves of excitement surged in his heart.
...
The perspective shifted back to the Sacred Emperor avatar.
Unraveling the mystery of Mr. Bai's legacy was not something that could be completed in a single day.
Before that could happen, the time agreed upon between Li Ping and Ruomu had already arrived.
The Sacred Emperor arrived once more outside the White Flower Black Abyss.
He did not grow careless simply because he held an absolute advantage. To guard against Ruomu becoming desperate enough to lash out, Source Power Essence silently laid down a layer of protection around him.
Only then did Li Ping step back into the Simmering Mortal Longevity space.
Perhaps due to Li Ping's nourishment from last time, or perhaps because Ruomu himself now saw hope, within the withered, yellow space originally filled with deathly stillness and despair, Li Ping could actually sense traces of vitality this time.
Though exceedingly feeble, the appearance of this vitality that should not have existed already spoke volumes.
Li Ping also noticed something different from before.
Those cultivators hanging from Ruomu's branches...
had all vanished.
"Greetings, Sacred Emperor."
The old Daoist appeared before Li Ping with a beaming smile.
Ruomu noticed the direction of Li Ping's gaze. Without waiting for Li Ping to ask, he took the initiative to explain: "Since I have resolved to submit to Your Majesty, I naturally had to make some changes. Behaviors born of impotent rage like in the past are best discarded."
"To tell the truth, looking at all those human-flesh fruits for so long truly grew a bit tiresome."
Li Ping asked impassively, "Where are they now?"
Ruomu chuckled. "Naturally, I had them return their Dao to Heaven."
As he spoke, Ruomu presented a leaf.
The leaf was mottled green and yellow. Upon closer inspection, it contained a pocket dimension, holding various Gold Cores piled high like a small hill.
These Gold Cores appeared to be dissolving, fragmented and incomplete.
Li Ping could faintly discern the forms of Heaven and Earth Wonders at the cores of the Gold Cores.
"I was originally a spiritual entity of Heaven and Earth, wielding authority over life and death in Xuanhuang. Although my authority was gradually reclaimed, my connection to Heaven and Earth has never truly been severed."
Ruomu glanced at Li Ping and continued, "Through my absorption and transformation, this power of Heaven and Earth usurped by cultivators can be returned to Heaven and Earth all the faster."
"May Your Majesty see clearly—I did not pocket any of it for myself."
Li Ping withdrew his gaze from the leaf. "I trust you wouldn't be so foolish. Compared to my rewards, these things are utterly insignificant."
Ruomu nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Come here," Li Ping said suddenly.
The old Daoist hesitated for a moment, but ultimately walked slowly over to the Faceless Sacred Emperor.
Compared to Li Ping's colossal body of thirty-three feet, the hunched Daoist looked like an infant.
Li Ping gently pressed his palm onto Ruomu's head.
Boom!
The scene before Ruomu's eyes shattered in an instant.
For a moment, he felt as though he had left this Simmering Mortal Longevity space, arriving in an endless dark starry sky.
A golden vortex, like a river of stars, swirled majestically.
And at the center of the astral river, the majestic figure of the Faceless Sacred Emperor could be faintly discerned.
That mighty and sacred aura seemed to surpass even the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao Ruomu was familiar with.
As one of the most ancient existences in the Xuanhuang Realm, Ruomu naturally understood what this power signified.
The last lingering trace of resentment in his heart slowly dissipated.
Ruomu revealed his true form. He was no longer an ugly human old Daoist, but a withered, yellow sapling that looked severely malnourished.
Before the vast golden vortex of stars, he was like an ant.
His branches and leaves gently swayed, signifying his submission.
The figure of the Faceless Sacred Emperor rapidly expanded, instantly filling Ruomu's entire field of vision.
The golden river of stars also exploded with a boom.
Endless starlight submerged Ruomu.
By the time Ruomu woke from the illusion, Li Ping's figure had already vanished.
"Wait patiently."
"When you are needed, you will be summoned."
Only Li Ping's voice was left echoing continuously in his mind.
And Li Ping had not broken his earlier promise.
Ruomu clearly sensed that his bond with the Xuanhuang Realm was slowly recovering.
Though returning to the peak of his former glory was impossible, at least there was something to look forward to.
And...
Ruomu looked down at the palm of his hand.
Aside from that original green leaf, a small green vial had appeared at some point.
It was clearly left behind by the Faceless Sacred Emperor before departing.
A set of seal-manipulation techniques naturally surfaced in his mind. Ruomu followed the pattern and opened the small green vial.
A stream of pure vitality rose from within the green vial.
Even if it could not compare to personal nourishment from the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, to Ruomu in his current state, it was an absolute supreme tonic.
Ruomu greedily swallowed all the vitality from the green vial in one gulp.
Only when not a single drop more would pour out did he reluctantly stop.
Yet Ruomu noticed that the vitality in the small green vial had not vanished completely.
Instead, it was slowly generating on its own.
What surprised Ruomu even more was that in generating this vitality, the small green vial drew no energy whatsoever from the outside world.
It was as though the vitality were entirely derived and developed by the vial itself.
"A truly fine treasure."
Ruomu smacked his lips rather inelegantly.
"It doesn't seem to be an object of the Xuanhuang Realm..."
Ruomu pondered for a moment, then chuckled derisively at himself.
"Why bother caring so much? As long as there's food to eat and drink to have, that's enough."
"It can't possibly be worse than before."
Only after losing everything did one realize how precious what one once had was.
If anyone tried to snatch these things away again...
Then even if the opponent were Chuanfa, he, Ruomu, would dare to bite back twice.
Chapter 1249