"The Dao-Inscribing Immortal used True Immortal seal characters to delineate the paths of the immortals. Yet, even among the paths of immortals, there are differences in rank.
"Those I saw previously—Hunger, Chaos, Solitude, Return—are likely the most basic. The True Immortal seal character that likely represents 'Creation' is clearly above them.
"And the path represented by the trace hidden inside the bodies of the You people...
"The transformation between immortal and mortal surpasses even so-called 'Creation'!
"And Trueness..."
Li Fan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Even though he had initiated Trueness one hundred and twenty-five times and personally experienced the magnificent, awe-inspiring power that reset myriad things in the world in a single thought each time, and even though he knew Trueness stood above virtually everything currently known, at the end of the previous life, the process of Trueness had been interfered with by unknown variables. Coupled with the terrifying power displayed by Maobao, a creation from beyond the wall, it was inevitable that a trace of doubt had crept into Li Fan's heart regarding the upper limit of Trueness. As he gradually came into contact with forces from outside the wall in the future, would Trueness still be able to remain invincible and all-conquering as it was in the Pitch-Black Star Sea?
This discovery gave Li Fan peace of mind.
The limit of Trueness was far more unfathomable than he had imagined.
"The laws of the Xuanhuang Realm can be regarded as a partial downward projection of the Pitch-Black Star Sea's laws. And the laws of the Pitch-Black Star Sea, in turn, are a partial downward projection of the Immortal Realm's laws.
"Yet Trueness stands above virtually all things. In reflecting from the top down, theoretically, it can duplicate anything I come into contact with out of thin air through the transformation of 'false becoming true'.
"As long as my strength and comprehension are sufficient."
Li Fan recalled his sensations while tracing that mysterious mark just now, murmuring thoughtfully.
"And this is only the transformation of 'false becoming true'. Trueness is far more than just 'false becoming true'.
"There is also 'true becoming false' from before!"
With that thought, Li Fan reached out and drew a round stone beside him into his grasp. Staring intently at the pebble, he attempted to directly erase its existence through 'true becoming false'.
However, during every previous Trueness reset, the originally real world around him had seemed shrouded in white mist, indistinct and hazy. Because of this, Li Fan could not know how the process of 'true becoming false' was actually accomplished.
"Perhaps when I activate Trueness in this life, I can try actively dispersing the surrounding mist," Li Fan couldn't help pondering.
"If I gain insight into this path, then relying on Trueness's supreme authority, I might even be able to leap across a major cultivation realm and erase an opponent directly at will..."
As his thoughts raced, Li Fan organized the lingering impressions of the mysterious symbols he had glimpsed over the past year while possessing the You person.
He then handed them over to the Terminal Dissociation Disc for classification and application.
Simultaneously processing two tasks involving immortal arrays inevitably caused the Dissociation Disc's efficiency to drop considerably.
"It seems it is time to upgrade the Dissociation Disc again. An ascension purely induced by immortal array data will ultimately remain constrained by mortal physical limits.
"The nine original Dissociation Discs of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals are essentially completely different objects from the one in my hands now. The assistance they can provide is negligible. To thoroughly transform it into an immortal artifact Dissociation Disc, immortal spirit power will ultimately be required..."
Li Fan pressed between his slightly throbbing eyebrows caused by the mental overload. Once he relaxed, he looked toward the You people present.
They felt no grief over the death of the vessel Li Fan had possessed.
In fact, they were exceptionally invigorated because of his sacrifice to the great Sea of Endless Gloom.
Seeing how devout the You people were, Li Fan was deeply touched. With a sweep of his broad sleeve, he instantly swept them all into his body and temporarily suppressed them.
Once he returned to the Daqi pocket world, he would provide them with the finest living conditions so they could remain in Daqi for the rest of their lives and pray in peace.
"This pocket world cannot be wasted either."
The pocket world inhabited by the You people was even frailer than Daxuan. Naturally, it had not nurtured any Heavenly Dao consciousness.
When Li Fan took action, it was far easier.
He generated a simulated heavenly disposition to directly replace the Heavenly Dao and maintain the normal operation of this pocket world.
Then, repeating his earlier trick, he grafted it into the Xuanhuang Realm proper without making a sound.
Practice made perfect; this performance of the Healing Heaven technique went very smoothly.
With yet another pocket world Heavenly Dao avatar, wisps of insight surfaced in his mind like rolling waves. Even if their status was not high enough, such a vast volume of sudden inspirations still provided Li Fan with substantial enlightenment.
"These Heavenly Dao insights are useless to me, but to other cultivators, they are once-in-a-lifetime revelations." After returning to Daxuan, settling the You people, and converting more than half of their beliefs,
Li Fan looked at the dense crowd of cultivators seated upon the central Sermon Platform of Daxuan, his mind stirring slightly.
Buzz, buzz...
Another tier of the platform emerged out of thin air, situated below the technique catalog platform and above the disciples.
Carved across this platform were myriad scenes, spirits, and things of the mortal world. Yet they were like living creatures, constantly shifting and lifelike.
If one looked closely and was lucky enough, one might occasionally spot seven-colored shimmering specks within the stone carvings.
Those were the insights from the simulated heavenly disposition that Li Fan had no use for.
If a cultivator on the Sermon Platform was fortunate enough to fathom them, making rapid breakthroughs in cultivation or even comprehending a personal divine ability unique to themselves would be well within reach.
"Every living being on the Sermon Platform is under my surveillance. Their flashes of inspiration are also my inspiration.
"Though their realms are low, the sparks of thought, magnified countless times, remain brilliant. Even if only one out of ten thousand can inspire me, given the sheer number of cultivators on this Sermon Platform, it will accumulate into a substantial fortune over time.
"Moreover, if necessary, I can utilize the Sermon Platform to manipulate the thoughts of the cultivators upon it, making them assist me in comprehending together..."
Inside the Sermon Platform, a silvery-white orb resembling an eye continuously absorbed the internal inspirations from the various beings above. It gradually took on an eerie quality, as if coming alive, turning faintly toward its surroundings.
After preliminarily completing the preaching enterprise in Daxuan, the Saint Teacher phantom split off another body and departed for the next pocket world.
This newly divided body was not supported by the power of Li Fan's true self. Rather, it was coalesced from the power of faith absorbed by the Saint Teacher phantom during his preaching to the disciples.
It was similar to the Heavenly Emperor's Qi Canon, except Daqi was replaced by Daxuan, soldiers by students, and the Saint Emperor by the Saint Teacher.
For now, this initial phase of expansion would be handled by these phantoms. Once the preaching began to alarm the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals or other hidden experts in the pocket worlds, Li Fan would personally step in to suppress and subdue them.
Before then, Li Fan still needed to make thorough preparations for the coming confrontation.
That portion of the You people whose faith had been splintered and converted was already beginning to provide Li Fan with initial Source Power Essence.
Using this Source Power Essence as bait, combined with various threats and inducements, Li Fan skillfully pulled old acquaintances such as Baihua, Qiaogong, and Master Yin into his alliance.
"A tremendous upheaval is about to occur between heaven and earth, which you all may not yet have perceived. Today, I shall attempt to explain it."
Upon the Sermon Platform of Daxuan, Li Fan's true body had replaced the phantom, sitting solemnly.
Below, Master Yin and the others listened to Li Fan's sermon.
What Li Fan spoke of was the revival of the Star Sea, which would lead to the future resurgence of Xuanhuang.
The listeners were half-believing and half-doubting.
Li Fan smiled faintly and pointed toward the sky, seemingly opening a vortex leading out into the Star Sea.
"Fellow Daoists, please follow me."
Seven-colored rainbow light emerged around him, and Li Fan invited everyone inside.
They exchanged glances, but in the end, all of them entered the protection of Li Fan's rainbow light.
The seven-colored light soared skyward.
Passing through the vortex in the firmament, they suddenly appeared right at the boundary of Xuanhuang in the next moment.
Judging by its momentum, it had no intention of stopping at all.
It seemed intent on hurtling straight out into the starry sky beyond the Xuanhuang Realm.
Everyone's faces instantly paled.
All of them were aware of the terrifying suction outside the Xuanhuang Realm. Leaving the protection of the Xuanhuang Realm meant they might be sucked in the very next second, unable to escape death.
But what happened next completely defied their expectations.
The different hues of the seven-colored rainbow light separated, carving a curved arc through the Star Sea. Incredibly, it carried everyone safely away from the Xuanhuang Realm!
The group was dumbfounded.
Li Fan did not stop, however, continuing to fly rapidly toward the depths of the Star Sea.
The dead silence of the Star Sea stirred deep emotions in them, bringing sorrow to their eyes.
The perils lurking within the Star Sea alarmed them greatly, making their expressions solemn.
Meanwhile, Li Fan navigated past dangerous zones time and again like a prophet, leaving everyone astounded.
They all wondered how many times Li Fan must have traversed the starry sky to be this familiar with it.
However, as they plunged deeper into the Star Sea, Li Fan's speed gradually slowed.
He appeared to be getting his bearings.
Master Yin and the others were not mistaken in their perception. After all, when the Saint Emperor attained enlightenment at the center of the starry sky in the previous life, the connection with Li Fan's true body had already grown faint and tenuous.
Thus, the further they traveled on this journey to witness the path of the Star Sea's revival, the fewer memories there were to draw upon, and the more Li Fan had to find the way himself.
Fortunately, he was still following established markers.
Relying on a subtle, obscure sense, Li Fan had already touched upon where this Star Sea's origin consciousness resided. However, in the previous life, the Saint Emperor had drawn the attention of the Star Sea's origin consciousness through his identity as the incarnation of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao and as a potential savior of the Star Sea.
In this life, Li Fan had not yet displayed any qualification worthy of the Star Sea's attention.
Nor did he intend to expose himself to the Star Sea this early.
Yet this did not hinder Li Fan's next step.
"This should be the place." Sensing they were close enough, Li Fan came to a halt, looking at the void ahead with a quiet sigh.
Hearing this, everyone looked forward with puzzled, complex expressions.
In their perception, this region of the starry sky was indeed somewhat different from before. It seemed slightly brighter and warmer. But compared to the "revival" Li Fan spoke of, it was still quite far off.
It still appeared completely dead and desolate.
However, since he had gone through all the trouble to bring them here, he certainly wouldn't do so without reason.
Could it be that my own comprehension is lacking?
For an instant, a flicker of self-doubt crossed everyone's mind.
They then resumed their observation with utmost solemnity.
Li Fan noted the subtle shifts in their expressions and smiled without speaking.
After a long while, he finally asked, "Have you gained anything, fellow Daoists?"
His question was met with dead silence.
Feigning slight surprise, Li Fan pondered for a moment, then abruptly waved his hand.
He sent several beams of light into their seas of consciousness.
These were precisely the insights into the Star Sea's power of revival that the Saint Emperor had gained in the previous life.
Their eyes instantly lit up.
Around them, faint, almost imperceptible wisps of vitality appeared out of thin air.
Qiaogong, Baihua, and the others had survived from the fall of the Immortal Realm to this day; who among them wasn't an extraordinary genius?
Previously, because the Star Sea's consciousness was too vast and buried beneath ruin and extinction, they had failed to perceive it.
Now, with Li Fan throwing the fruits of enlightenment straight into their minds, they naturally perceived something as well.
"It truly is so!" Baihua was the most deeply moved. "If I can grasp this power of revival, perhaps I can restore the Wansheng Realm..."
Master Yin scratched his head. The remnant world souls he had swallowed within his body seemed drawn by this power of revival, stirring as if trying to wriggle their way out of him.
For a time, everyone was submerged before this vast might of the Star Sea.
None of them noticed that Li Fan, who had guided their enlightenment, had retreated some distance away from them for some reason.
In fact, Li Fan even employed methods approaching an immortal array to temporarily conceal his traces.
He had a premonition that exposing his existence to the origin consciousness of the Pitch-Black Star Sea prematurely would definitely not be a good thing.
"At the very least, I must wait until I successfully merge with the Dao and attain the mortal limit." Li Fan's eyes flickered as he watched the meditating figures.
Submerged in enlightenment, each woke at a different time.
Qiaogong was the first to awaken. His eyes darted about as if struck by some brilliant idea, eager to return to the Xuanhuang Realm immediately to test it.
Master Yin, on the other hand, seemed to spend a great deal of time quelling the restless remnant world spirits inside his body.
What surprised Li Fan, however, was that Baihua was actually the last to awaken.
From her gaze, Li Fan could feel the profound joy in her heart.
"Congratulations to you all on your gains.
"The Star Sea is fraught with peril and is no place to linger. Let us return as soon as possible," Li Fan said with a smile.
Everyone nodded, saluting him as their teacher in return.
The return journey went without mishap, and the group returned once more to the Sermon Platform of Daxuan.
As the saying goes, seeing is believing. Having walked through the Star Sea in person, they now completely believed Li Fan's words.
The revival of the Star Sea was just around the corner.
"You must understand that the deathly silence of the Star Sea cannot regain its vitality overnight.
"As the sole surviving realm in the Star Sea today, Xuanhuang ought to become the source of the Star Sea's revival.
"Only by radiating vitality outward from here can we achieve twice the result with half the effort."
Listening to Li Fan's conclusion, everyone pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.
"No merit is greater than supporting the dragon's rise.
"If we can lend our strength to the Star Sea's revival, then when the Star Sea restores its former glory in the future, the benefits we stand to gain need hardly be stated." Li Fan looked calmly at them.
Master Yin and the others were visibly swayed.
"When the Star Sea revives, even if the immortal path remains closed, with its feedback, we might just leap to become the strongest in the Star Sea," Qiaogong said, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.
Chapter 1307