In this lifetime, Li Fan had also attempted to classify the True Immortal seal characters he had encountered.
However, that effort had been approached from the perspective of their specific manifestations of power—such as destruction, edicts, augmentations, and the like.
Here within the Severing Immortal Tower on the far side of the starry sea, however, the classification was approached from an entirely novel angle.
Namely: whether the "Dao" depicted by a True Immortal seal character was already occupied by a True Immortal—or had once been occupied by one.
According to the descriptions across numerous texts within the Severing Immortal Tower, the difficulty and peril of cultivating and stepping into the Dao through these different kinds of True Immortal seal characters were worlds apart.
If a Dao was already claimed by a True Immortal, anyone who dared attempt to step into the Dao via that seal character would, at the very instant of "attaining the Dao," be reduced to ash and vanish without a trace. No matter how immense one's strength or how brilliant one's genius, none could escape that fate.
If no True Immortal remained on that Dao, then even if there were lingering side effects, mortal beings could still catch a glimpse of the grand landscape of the Great Dao depicted by the seal character.
Li Fan carefully weighed the scattered insights left by predecessors that he was permitted to read with his current "merits."
Fundamentally different from copying and attempting to trace the shape of True Immortal seal characters, the Severing Immortal Tower—and indeed the entire Xuan Celestial Vessel—was not so much invoking the power of True Immortal seal characters as using realm-destroying relics to stir up residual ripples of immortal power.
Their so-called "stepping into the Dao" was not truly entering the path of a True Immortal. It was more like merging one's body, soul, and consciousness into a realm-destroying relic, acquiring certain properties born from its tempering over time, and thereby better drawing upon the remnant immortal power lingering in the starry sea.
Unquestionably, this was an opportunistic shortcut. If the environment changed and the starry sea no longer held such abundant remnants of immortal power, then even if one could "step into the Dao," the unleashed power would be drastically diminished. In contrast, Li Fan's method of copying the fundamental forms of the True Immortal seal characters was free from environmental constraints; it depended solely on the caster's personal strength and depth of comprehension regarding the characters.
Of course, this was merely the current understanding of Li Fan, who had witnessed True Immortal seal characters with his own eyes. Those aboard the vessel would likely never accept it—unless Li Fan were willing to share the fundamental forms of the seal characters. With thousands of years of accumulation aboard the vessel, if they could behold the true countenance of the True Immortal seal characters, the vessel's overall strength would probably make a qualitative leap in a short span of time...
Yet Li Fan was hardly foolish enough to do that.
It was far easier and safer to do as he did now: submit an occasional "insight" in exchange for merits. After all, his insights were inspired by genuine True Immortal seal characters, so no matter how bizarre the angles, they were undeniably correct.
"This is the fundamental difference of having witnessed the authentic transmission. They try every possible means to reconstruct the origin from the various surface manifestations of the True Immortal seal characters. Meanwhile, I had the fortune to behold the true face of the origin long ago; working from top to bottom is naturally smooth and effortless."
Though Li Fan firmly believed the vessel's method was merely a clever shortcut, he could not deny that for ants beneath the realm of True Immortals, being able to invoke power that originally belonged to True Immortals made it entirely worthwhile.
After all, in the Pitch-Black Star Sea, survival was the first priority.
Without these research findings on the True Immortal seal characters, the Xuan Celestial Vessel would probably have become just another ruin among the boundless wrecks of the starry sea long ago.
As for Li Fan guiding the Xuan Celestial Vessel to capture the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' flying boat, besides wanting to amass some more merits for this body, his primary reason was to use the mouths of those Alliance Dao Integration cultivators to leak the existence of the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable.
Having lurked within the Xuan Celestial Vessel for so long, Li Fan had finally clarified the identity of the mysterious cultivator he had encountered when he first arrived at the Sea of Relics.
They had once been members of the Xuan Celestial Vessel—indeed, among its supreme rulers. Yet several centuries ago, beguiled by a certain outsider and having struck some covert agreement, they went so far as to permit that outsider into the vessel's most classified archive: the Baiwen Immortal Record.
That outsider had agreed only to peruse the ancient secret records preserved within. However, after entering, he failed to emerge even when the agreed-upon time arrived. Sensing something amiss, the people of the vessel hurried to inspect it, only to discover in horror that numerous secret collections within the Baiwen Immortal Record had vanished.
Along with him, the outsider and the three Dao Integration cultivators tasked with guarding the vault had all disappeared without anyone noticing.
The vessel was shaken to its core. Those in power were purged, triggering a small-scale civil conflict.
The ordeal ended with a small faction fleeing the vessel. Yet this group refused to give up on the vessel, and with nowhere else to go in the vast Pitch-Black Star Sea, they lay low in the Sea of Relics, hoping to launch a counterattack one day and return to the Xuan Celestial Vessel.
As for the vessel's side, though they had never given up hunting these people down, capturing them in the vast starry sea was easier said than done.
Thus, they could only tolerate their existence.
From top to bottom, the vessel harbored deep resentment toward the outsider who had provoked this internal strife. The lost secret collections, in particular, remained an eternal ache in the hearts of the vessel's people.
Unfortunately, the outsider's identity was exceptionally mysterious; perhaps only those rebel exiles knew anything about him.
Ever since that incident years ago, the man had never appeared again.
Although Li Fan was not certain whether this outsider was truly Chuanfa, that did not stop him from manufacturing the "possibility" that the two were one and the same.
After all, in today's Pitch-Black Star Sea, where external resources were withered, there were scarcely any living souls left. Near the High Wall, and shrouded in such enigmatic mystery... Who else could it be besides Chuanfa and the Heavenly Physician?
Li Fan was confident that if the vessel learned that far beyond the Sea of Relics, in the even vaster Sea of Shattered Realms, there lurked a perennial powerhouse who was very likely their ancient nemesis, they would certainly attempt to probe the truth of the matter.
After all, how could one allow another to sleep peacefully beside one's own couch? It was an immutable truth of all ages.
And Li Fan could use the hands of the Xuan Celestial Vessel to spy on the realities of Chuanfa and the Heavenly Physician.
He harbored no expectation of achieving anything profound, but even gleaning a single shred of information would be worthwhile. In any case, it was merely an effortless nudge for Li Fan, costing him nothing at all.
"Ultimate victory may well be built upon these seemingly insignificant threads of intelligence. The vessel, the Sacred Emperor—they are all pawns I use to test the waters."
Li Fan flipped through another document, musing silently.
As for the fate of those Alliance Dao Integration cultivators, it did not factor into his considerations in the slightest. In the Xuanhuang Realm, they were consumables all the same.
What caught Li Fan by surprise was that three days later, the long-haired Dao Integration cultivator Wang Hai returned.
He brought along an interrogation record.
"Brother Zhao, take a look. What happened aboard this flying boat is truly fascinating."
Li Fan skimmed through it and frowned slightly. "This flying boat is that formidable? Dao Integration cultivators were treated like livestock rations..."
Wang Hai nodded. "We battled it three times before finally breaking through its defenses. And it cost us quite a few relics, too.
"Still, it wasn't a loss. The resources every one of those Dao Integration cultivators carried could be called extravagant. Not to mention the things stored within the flying boat called the 'animas of Heaven and Earth'..."
Li Fan looked up slightly, feigning ignorance. "What exactly are these animas of Heaven and Earth? Concrete manifestations of world laws?"
Wang Hai chuckled. "If that were all, I wouldn't be this thrilled or go to the trouble of coming over to share the good news. Besides the power of laws from a cultivation world, these so-called animas of Heaven and Earth also have a substantial amount of the fundamental building-block power of a world clinging to them.
"If you compare a cultivation world to a house, these animas of Heaven and Earth can be seen as the load-bearing beams! And that is precisely what our Xuan Celestial Vessel lacks! With these 'fuels' replenishing us, our vessel can run smoothly for another hundred years!"
From Wang Hai's voice, one could unmistakably hear the delight in his heart.
He chattered on, adding, "Even that flying boat itself can be dismantled to reinforce our vessel. Brother Zhao, the harvest your mystical premonition brought the vessel this time is definitely comparable to dozens of relics!"
Li Fan merely lowered his head again, continuing to leaf through the documents. "I only care about what tangible rewards there are. By the way, what did the Council of Elders say about that world called the Xuanhuang Realm? Fat meat might be far away, but it can still save lives."
Wang Hai shrugged. "You know how the Council of Elders is. They use the 'greater picture' and the 'future of the vessel' as excuses for everything. An expedition across the starry sea...
"I reckon they'd only do that the day our vessel truly reaches the end of the rope."
Hearing this, Li Fan nodded thoughtfully. "What a pity. In my premonition, I saw that Dao Integration cultivators like those on the flying boat are already the peak combat power of the Xuanhuang Realm. The stronger Longevity realm cultivators can be counted on one hand. If our vessel descended upon them, they would certainly have no power to resist..."
Wang Hai nodded in agreement, his voice filled with disdain. "Merely a bunch of parasites clinging to a surviving cultivation world. In my view, we wouldn't even need the vessel's full might—just three to five who have stepped into the Dao could easily suppress this Xuanhuang Realm."
Wang Hai sighed again with some regret. "It's just a shame the Council of Elders won't permit it."
Li Fan did not respond directly, asking instead, "What is my reward? Surely after such a major contribution, the Council of Elders isn't going to offer nothing at all?"
Only then did Wang Hai stop keeping him in suspense, carefully producing a jade slip.
The moment the jade slip appeared, Li Fan's gaze froze.
He keenly noticed that the broken jade hairpin atop Wang Hai's head was trembling incessantly. The jade slip itself faintly exuded fluctuations of power belonging to True Immortal seal characters.
"This is..."
Li Fan quickly realized. "The jade slip itself is a realm-destroying relic?"
Wang Hai said with some pride, "Indeed. This is the third realm-destroying jade slip collected by our vessel. Each time one inspects this realm-destroying jade slip, a portion of the True Immortal power attached to it is depleted, making it extraordinarily precious. The Council of Elders really bled for this one."
"What is recorded within this jade slip?"
"I'd like to know too, but I don't have the clearance. Look for yourself and you'll find out. Make it quick; once you finish reading, I have to take it back." Wang Hai looked enviously at the jade slip in Li Fan's hands and urged him on.
Li Fan then solemnly sent a strand of divine sense into it.
Realm-destroying jade slips were an extremely special category among realm-destroying relics.
Unlike ordinary magic treasures, through years of soaking in True Immortal power, though the realm-destroying jade slip itself did not take on the power of True Immortal seal characters, the True Immortal power permeated the contents recorded within.
Causing a certain "mutation" to occur.
Or rather, a sublimation.
The sublimated contents experienced a qualitative leap, as though bestowed with guidance by a True Immortal.
A mortal cultivation technique would turn into a True Immortal art. Even a simple essay, once stained by True Immortal power, could become an object from which one could comprehend the Dao.
In short, a realm-destroying jade slip was one of the few harmless ways currently available to come into close contact with a "True Immortal."
When his divine sense entered the realm-destroying jade slip, what first flooded in was the original contents of the slip.
An ordinary technique for tempering the will. Judging by its grade, it reached Soul Formation at most.
The moment he finished reading it, the sensations perceived by his divine sense abruptly changed.
The mundane words seemed to come alive in an instant, twisting and mutating into brand-new characters.
After shifting positions, an entirely new immortal technique leaped before his mind's eye.
"Hm?"
Li Fan felt a slight jolt in his heart and quickly studied this new technique in detail several times.
A feeling both familiar and strange welled up in his heart as his comprehension deepened.
"Immortal Heart Incantation?"
"Yet not Xuanhuang."
"Moreover... there are slight discrepancies in the details. After all, it wasn't personally deduced or transmitted by a True Immortal, but evolved spontaneously by the jade slip. You could even say it's a weakened version of the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Incantation." Li Fan inwardly lamented the missed opportunity.
On the outside, however, he put on a look of profound excitement and deep absorption.
When the swimming words in his mind gradually faded and disappeared completely,
Only then did Li Fan reluctantly return the realm-destroying jade slip, saying, "Truly worthy of being an immortal art. With this technique, I can be protected from inner demons in the future. Even when contemplating True Immortal seal characters, the adverse effects will be greatly reduced.
"Please convey my gratitude to the elders!"
Hearing this, Wang Hai subconsciously glanced down at the realm-destroying jade slip in his hand. He then forcefully suppressed the urge to take a peek.
Leaving aside the Council of Elders' restrictions that barred him from prying, taking without permission was an absolute taboo on the vessel.
Even for him, violating that rule carried only one consequence: becoming living material for research into immortal seal characters.
"For me to gain such a harvest, I must also thank you, Brother Wang, for bridging the way for me all this time. These are my insights—please accept them." Seeing Wang Hai's expression, Li Fan closed his eyes, focused his mind, and right then and there inscribed another jade slip, handing it over.
Wang Hai beamed with delight upon seeing this. "Thank you, Brother Zhao! From now on, through fire or water, I won't refuse you!"
After exchanging pleasantries, he took the jade slip and began reading.
He immersed himself in it, his expression glowing with elation.
After quite a while, recovering from his contemplation, Wang Hai crushed the jade slip to powder right before Li Fan's eyes.
Such was the rule governing the dissemination of knowledge aboard the vessel.
Although the restriction that dharmas could not be practiced concurrently did not exist here, techniques, Dao arts, and various insights remained exceptionally precious resources.
Just like the realm-destroying jade slip bestowed by the Severing Immortal Tower's Council of Elders: only Li Fan was entitled to inspect it, and he could not lend it to others.
Yet once Li Fan finished inspecting it, imparting his own insights was free of such restrictions.
However, because it was second-hand, the efficacy was bound to fall far short of experiencing it in person. Especially when True Immortal power was involved: even if the text was conveyed with verbatim accuracy, without sensing the evolution of the profound power, both the pace of cultivation and the subtlety of comprehension were naturally far inferior.
Unless one was an extraordinary genius capable of disregarding this innate gap, those receiving it second- or third-hand would always be inferior to the first recipient.
It was precisely out of adherence to this rule that Wang Hai destroyed the jade slip Li Fan had inscribed once he finished reading it.
After departing today, he would hold the right to pass this technique on once more. But transmitted by him, it would already be third-hand or beyond, its efficacy further weakened.
If an aspiring practitioner of this technique wished to advance further, they would have to retrace the lineage of transmission upstream, pay a price, and supplicate the earlier transmitter. As for whether they could obtain the true method, that depended on their sincerity.
Having infiltrated the Xuan Celestial Vessel for over a decade, Li Fan had long since mastered its customs.
Seeing Wang Hai's conduct, Li Fan added another jade slip of insights as a parting gift, and only then did the two bid each other farewell.
"Right, among those five living Dao Integration cultivators from the Xuanhuang Realm, one of them has something strange about him. Out of caution, the Council of Elders hasn't touched him yet. If you're interested, you might want to look into it," Wang Hai remarked ambiguously before departing.
Li Fan could not help falling into thought.
By the vessel's conventions, people only spoke with such tact when the matter involved the upper echelons or the faction behind someone.
"Survivors..."
"Could it be Blue Feather? After all, he's the only ancient-method Dao Integration cultivator, with no value to the vessel. But that hardly qualifies as strange..."
"Archmage Tiandu?"
Li Fan formed a line of thought, straightened his somewhat disheveled robes, and headed out toward the Severing Immortal Tower's Council of Elders.
Today, the entire vessel was built upon a Void Divine Tree, and after seizing actual control of the vessel, the Severing Immortal Tower had relocated to the very top of the Void Divine Tree.
Wisps of green light, like tips of branches and leaves, connected the various structures of the Severing Immortal Tower together.
Stepping into the void, one had no need to fly; with a single thought, one could guide the green light to travel between different locations.
Looking down, one could faintly see locations like the Dao Attainment Academy, the Star Forging Workshop, and the newly built Sin Suppression Valley beneath the colossal Divine Tree.
They seemed to drift individually within the endless void, linked by the Divine Tree.
The giant Li Fan had seen earlier, pierced through the center of his body by the Divine Tree, had already been drained completely dry. Replacing him now was an enormous rabbit.
This rabbit had a white body and black ears, with the face of a human. Though already dead, its face bore an expression of profound sorrow and compassion for the world, as though it had witnessed some agonizing scene before its demise.
This "Human Emperor Rabbit," like the earlier "Pursuing Dao" giant, was part of the secret collections of the Xuan Celestial Vessel's Baiwen Immortal Record.
The various materials gathered in the secret collections came not only from the flourishing era of cultivation prior to the shattering of the starry sea, but also included numerous curiosities the Xuan Celestial Vessel had collected over thousands of years drifting through the Pitch-Black Star Sea.
Li Fan's gaze drifted almost imperceptibly across the Human Emperor Rabbit's withered body, but his thoughts wandered to the vessel's secret vault.
If there was anything on this vessel worth scheming for, it was likely this Baiwen Immortal Record.
"Perhaps, in addition to that, the traces of the other half—the Shang Celestial Vessel."
Li Fan suddenly thought.
As parts of what had once been the Xuan-Shang Celestial Vessel, Xuan and Shang had long since lost contact, yet they could still occasionally sense each other's presence.
However, any information regarding the Shang Celestial Vessel was the Xuan Celestial Vessel's top secret. Even within the Severing Immortal Tower's Council of Elders, only the three coremost figures possessed clearance to know.
Having lurked for over ten years, Li Fan had merely overheard a line or two by chance while sitting in on an elders' assembly.
"I wonder what the situation with the Shang Celestial Vessel is like, for its secrecy level to be even higher than True Immortal seal characters..."
While Li Fan mused privately, he reached the very pinnacle of the Void Divine Tree, where the Severing Immortal Tower's Council of Elders convened.
The first thing Li Fan did was naturally pay a visit to his "teacher."
Within the Xuan Celestial Vessel, master-disciple lineages and factions were taken with extreme seriousness.
Wang Hai running errands and relaying messages for him time and again was naturally because both Li Fan and Wang Hai studied under the Severing Immortal Tower's Third Elder, Ai Tianjue.
And this Ai Tianjue shared an even closer connection with Li Fan.
Because Ai Tianjue also hailed from the Dao Attainment Academy.
However, to research new methods of stepping into the Dao, he had joined the Severing Immortal Tower after leaving the academy, remaining secluded and little known.
Only when results were achieved and the Severing Immortal Tower staged its takeover to seize control of the vessel did Ai Tianjue re-enter the public eye.
"Greetings, Teacher." Li Fan bowed with an impassive countenance, then faithfully expounded to his teacher the insights he had just gained from the realm-destroying jade slip.
Whenever a student made any gains, they had to report and submit them to their teacher. This, too, was the rule of the vessel.
After listening to Li Fan's explanation, Ai Tianjue nodded slightly. "I have also read this jade slip before. Your talent is indeed remarkable; you have already grasped seventy to eighty percent of its essence."
Li Fan bowed respectfully once more, thanking his teacher for the praise.
"Yet do not rely upon it overly much," Ai Tianjue added, his tone abruptly shifting.
"You must know that inner demons are a tribulation, yet also an opportunity. While you can sever inner demons with wondrous arts, inner demons are endless; they sprout anew the moment they are severed. Calming them with an Immortal Heart Incantation is ultimately an inferior path.
"Better to turn them into nourishment for tempering oneself, which is of great benefit to cultivation instead..."
Ai Tianjue spoke unhurriedly. Even as he instructed Li Fan, he continued writing something on a sheet of blank paper.
Truly worthy of being one of the Severing Immortal Tower's peak powerhouses; the few words he uttered could even inspire Li Fan today.
Li Fan listened attentively, his eyes not peeking in the least at what Ai Tianjue was writing.
After finishing his lecture, Ai Tianjue still did not pause his writing. Only after nearly half a day did he finally set down the brush.
"Look at this character. How is it written?" Ai Tianjue said to Li Fan.
Only then did Li Fan look up.
There on the white paper was a "complete" True Immortal seal character.
That was Li Fan's first reaction upon seeing it.
"Fall..."
Concentrating to observe further, a touch of disappointment welled up in Li Fan's heart. "A pity.
"It is not a complete True Immortal seal character. It has only restored eighty to ninety percent.
"Still, to comprehend it to such an extent from a heap of wreckage is truly remarkable..."
Li Fan considered that relying on himself alone, he certainly could not have achieved this.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan voiced his comprehension of this character "Fall": "This fall is not a lapse of mind or spirit. Rather, it is the fundamental fall of all things. A descent from higher orders to lower orders.
"True Immortals become cultivators, cultivators become mortals, mortals turn to dust..."
For just this single character, Li Fan spoke of his insights for nearly half a day. And it was still far from comprehensive.
When Li Fan finished, Ai Tianjue first pointed out several errors in his words, then sighed softly: "Comprehending a True Immortal character is like galloping a horse toward a visible mountain.
"This 'Fall' character had already been restored to sixty or seventy percent a thousand years ago aboard the vessel. A thousand years have passed, yet progress has increased by merely ten percent.
"The closer one gets to the true essence of an immortal seal character, the slower the progress becomes. And even if it falls short by merely a sliver, compared to a genuine True Immortal seal character, the power is as different as heaven and earth.
"The path is visible ahead, yet one cannot tread upon it. How arduous is the Immortal Dao!"
Hearing Ai Tianjue's lament, Li Fan found it somewhat peculiar. This did not sound like something his research-obsessed teacher would say.
"Why does Teacher say such things?" Li Fan did not hide his curiosity and asked immediately.
Only then did Ai Tianjue reveal the origin of his feelings.
"That Xuanhuang Dao Integration cultivator, Blue Feather, cultivates a genuine immortal art.
"'Ten Thousand Tribulations Feather Transformation Technique'...
"My heart yearns for it!"
Ai Tianjue sighed heavily once more.
The moment these words left his mouth, Li Fan's heart jolted violently. He knew how discerning his teacher was; since he called it a genuine immortal art, it was undoubtedly an immortal-grade technique on par with the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Incantation.
But... how could that be? Blue Feather? Wasn't what he cultivated the Tiandu Feather Transformation Technique?
In an instant, Li Fan narrowed his eyes as countless thoughts flashed through his mind. His tongue was not slow to react, however: "Since Blue Feather has fallen into our vessel's hands, isn't that immortal art equivalent to belonging to our vessel?
"Where lies Teacher's regret?" he asked, feigning confusion.
Ai Tianjue smiled and shook his head. "In that Xuanhuang Realm, there is a legal constraint that dharmas cannot be practiced concurrently. Though our vessel is far from the Xuanhuang Realm and free from that restriction, the immortal art Blue Feather cultivates bears a similar shackle.
"To cultivate the Ten Thousand Tribulations Feather Transformation Technique requires the 'Feather of Ten Thousand Tribulations' as a primer. Without this treasure, no matter how astounding one's talent, one cannot even cross the threshold."
Li Fan froze slightly.
"The Feather of Ten Thousand Tribulations has already fused into one with Blue Feather; it is not something we can sever from him.
"Thus, even with an immortal art right before our eyes, we can only look at it, not cultivate it!"
Ai Tianjue shook his head again. "This situation is just like the only recorded immortal art in our Xuan Celestial Vessel's secret vault."
Li Fan also adopted a pensive expression. "Not just cultivation techniques—are True Immortal seal characters not the same? If a True Immortal occupies it, none other can cultivate it..."
Ai Tianjue waved his broad sleeve, putting away the writing on the table, an inscrutable look on his face. "That is why, on that day, a sudden feeling came over me: perhaps failing to fully comprehend this True Immortal seal character is actually a good thing.
"Otherwise, a foul storm of blood would inevitably sweep through the vessel once more."
Li Fan remained silent.
"Though speaking of which, the emergence of the Xuanhuang Realm's rule that 'dharmas cannot be practiced concurrently' is rather intriguing," Ai Tianjue remarked suddenly.
Li Fan looked toward his teacher.
He saw Ai Tianjue muttering to himself: "Such a restriction should be unique to the Immortal Realm. By all rights, it is not something the Heavenly Dao of a lower realm could evolve..."
Chapter 1282