"This man's brow and eyes are filled with compassion; he hardly resembles a treacherous thief," Li Fan remarked.
Jian Daosheng let out a cold snort. "Our Celestial Vessel thought so as well at the time. As the saying goes, one may know a person's face, but never their heart!"
Zhong Daogong asked, "Can tracking really be achieved solely through his appearance? Does it require supplementary means?"
"It would be best if you had a keepsake that belonged to him. But even if you do not..."
"It matters not."
Li Fan wore an expression of complete confidence in Great Qi's immortal artifact. "Relying on his likeness and deeds from his life is sufficient to deduce and track his whereabouts."
"However, this must wait until I return to Great Qi and submit this information to my superiors."
Li Fan's words sparked a slight disagreement among the elders of the Celestial Vessel.
Jian Daosheng: "In truth, we do not necessarily have to execute him. This Great Qi civilization's research into True Immortal seal characters is not inferior to that of our Celestial Vessel. If we can use this opportunity to maintain contact and exchange what we have for what we lack, it may not be a bad thing for our Celestial Vessel."
Jian Daosheng's words won the agreement of several elders: "Indeed. The reason we previously intended to eliminate him was fear that the True Immortal seal characters studied by our Celestial Vessel would leak. But judging by the current situation, the Great Qi civilization's research shares many commonalities with ours. Furthermore, unlike us, they do not guard their legacy so strictly..."
"Moreover, from this person's words, the cultivation realm where Great Qi resides is quite large and does not lack various resources. Everyone, do not forget the livelihood upon which our Celestial Vessel depends! 'Trading across all realms, profound commerce throughout the ages'—this has been the Celestial Vessel's creed since ancient times. Killing him brings no benefit. If we befriend them, perhaps we can even break free from our current predicament!"
"Do not forget that plan! It requires gathering as many True Immortal seal characters as possible. Originally, going by our vessel's collection speed, it might take several hundred more years to complete. But if we can obtain supplemental characters from this Great Qi civilization, we might be within arm's reach of reaching the goal!"
...
What the elders said was thoroughly reasonable. Gradually, even those who had adamantly insisted on executing Li Fan afterward began to waver.
After all, only by weighing pros and cons could they guide the Celestial Vessel farther. Being rigid and unyielding would only lead the vessel to ruin. This was the lesson the Xuan Celestial Vessel had learned after enduring numerous tribulations and struggling to survive to this day.
In the end, Zhong Daogong made the final call, unifying their opinions: "Let us first see what the might of that True Immortal seal character is truly like."
During the elders' discussions, Li Fan had also finished selecting items in the vault.
They were precisely the three objects that had piqued his interest earlier: the bronze crane, the seven-colored light, and the bowed-head figurine.
"Fellow Daoist, are you certain about these? Once chosen, they cannot be changed," Zhong Daogong remarked with a smile, his gaze sweeping over them.
Li Fan nodded in confirmation.
Zhong Daogong then joined forces with the elders, casting a spell into the void to summon a sheet of white paper.
Guided by their arts, the Immortal-Severing Arm within the Baiwen Immortal Record stamped its limb onto the white paper.
Instantly, the blank sheet was dyed black with ink, forming three arcane patterns. They closely resembled True Immortal seal characters, yet were far cruder, and each bore distinctive features of the three chosen items.
At the same time, Li Fan noticed that after a tremor of ripples, the three items he had selected vanished into thin air from the secret vault.
It was as if they had been engraved directly onto the paper.
With a wave of his hand, Zhong Daogong rolled up the stamped paper and took it into his grasp.
He looked toward Li Fan. "The items you desire are right here. Once the transaction is complete, they shall be presented to you with both hands!"
"Splendid! Straightforward!" Li Fan's eyes showed admiration.
"I originally intended to display the full character only after viewing the authentic True Immortal seal character of your vessel. But as things stand, letting you feast your eyes beforehand is fine as well," Li Fan said, sounding almost excited.
"We are all scholars of True Immortal seal characters; upon witnessing such a magnificent character, the heartfelt thrill we feel must be identical. As the saying goes: if one hears the Way in the morning, one may die content in the evening!"
"Inside the Celestial Vessel, there might not be enough room to unleash it. Why don't we head out into the void outside?" Li Fan asked eagerly.
Having gone to such trouble to lure Li Fan into the Celestial Vessel, how could the elders possibly let the tiger return to the mountain?
Zhong Daogong waved his hand. "Right here is fine; the All-Types Method will suffice. Rest assured, the Immortal-Severing Arm in this secret vault has fused thousands of incomplete characters. Under their mutual restraint, the influence of a True Immortal seal character will be reduced to a minimum."
Li Fan looked somewhat disappointed. "And here I was thinking I could show off what I have learned before you all..."
Zhong Daogong formed a hand seal once more. The Immortal-Severing Arm then burst apart before everyone with a thunderous roar, transforming into countless incomplete character fragments resembling swimming tadpoles that locked down the space in every direction.
They formed a cage of True Immortal seal characters.
"Fellow Daoist may begin."
The moment Zhong Daogong spoke, the eyes of every elder locked onto Li Fan.
Li Fan gave a light cough, his expression turning solemn. "Fellow Daoists, allow me to clarify once more: the True Immortal seal character I am about to manifest is generated from my own comprehension and memories. Never mind how it compares to the original version from the Immortal Realm; even compared to the one preserved in the memory of Great Qi's immortal artifact, there are bound to be certain deviations..."
"However, rest assured that my attainments rank among the very pinnacle in all of Great Qi. I will not disappoint you!"
Having spoken a mountain of nonsense to thoroughly whet the appetites of the elders,
Li Fan finally unfurled that scene once more—the surging arcs of radiance sweeping across an endless expanse of green fields.
Amidst the shifting light and shadow, an extraordinarily profound character formally manifested before everyone's eyes.
*Boom!*
The instant [Creation] descended, the characters drifting along the surrounding cage surged violently into a frenzy.
Many broke free from the cage structure and converged directly toward the radiant [Creation] character at the center.
Even though it was merely an illusory projection of light and shadow, it still drove the character fragments mad.
The Immortal-Severing Arm began disintegrating on its own, forcing the elders of the Celestial Vessel to divert part of their attention to stabilize it.
Yet in truth, just like those characters, the elders' focus was irresistibly drawn to the character [Creation]!
"He spoke no falsehood—this single character is indeed worth all the others combined!"
"Creation... It is actually Creation!"
"Our Celestial Vessel is saved!"
...
The elders of the Celestial Vessel had immersed themselves in the study of True Immortal seal characters for most of their lives; their comprehension naturally needed no elaboration. Upon beholding the true face of [Creation], all of them quickly discerned its true meaning.
Every single one of them cried out in lost composure, with no exceptions.
All pretense and calculated composure were nothing but vanity before the supreme principles of the Great Dao.
With all the elders' attention absorbed, Li Fan quietly observed and analyzed the guardian of the vault: that Immortal-Severing Arm.
He had to admit that integrating all the treasures through incomplete character fragments as an anti-theft measure was truly ingenious.
Even with the intent to steal, his countless lifetimes of reincarnation, extraordinary breadth of knowledge, and the backing of the Terminal Dissociation Disc, Li Fan had been unable to find a suitable method to crack it for a time.
Yet now, as the character [Creation] was unveiled, the characters comprising the Immortal-Severing Arm disintegrated one after another and spontaneously converged toward [Creation].
This allowed him to peer directly into the arm's structural composition.
*Completely shattering this severed arm in an instant would be difficult. But snatching away a few key items from within should still be feasible,* Li Fan contemplated and calculated inwardly.
The True Immortal seal character [Creation] was extraordinarily profound; it could never be mastered in a single day or night.
As the elders were utterly enraptured by it and saw Li Fan merely waiting quietly at the side, they did not spare much attention to watch him. This afforded Li Fan ample time to parse the Baiwen Immortal Record.
*This piece, this piece, and that piece... It would be best to take them all with me in a bit...*
Li Fan had naturally noticed the latent killing intent the elders harbored toward him.
Not that Li Fan harbored any goodwill himself, of course.
Taking advantage of the chaos provoked by [Creation] within the secret vault, Li Fan silently laid down his plunderous countermeasures.
They were formed from identical incomplete True Immortal seal characters, blending imperceptibly into the Immortal-Severing Arm to pass off as genuine.
The longer the elders remained lost in their comprehension of [Creation], the more covert traps he could plant.
And the more items he would be able to seize when the time came.
*No need to make my move just yet.* Li Fan narrowed his eyes, his hands subtly moving without pause beneath his sleeves.
In the blink of an eye, over thirty days slipped by.
Zhong Daogong was the first to awaken from his trance. His expression was somewhat dazed before he exhaled a long breath.
He then bowed toward Li Fan. "My thanks to you, Fellow Daoist!"
"To witness [Creation] with my own eyes is truly a blessing from the heavens! Had it not been for your grace, I fear I would never have had such an encounter in this lifetime!"
Li Fan accepted the gesture graciously, then waved his hand. "It was merely a transaction!"
Zhong Daogong shook his head. "How could mortal trifles ever be mentioned in the same breath as [Creation]? In this trade, our Celestial Vessel has taken immense advantage of you!"
Li Fan chuckled and said no more.
The other elders gradually awoke from their enlightenment as well.
They too bowed slightly to Li Fan before exchanging glances, their eyes ultimately converging upon him together.
The meaning contained within their gazes was virtually identical.
They wanted to see a purer, more complete form of [Creation].
As the saying went, human desire was a bottomless pit. Once they had witnessed the True Immortal seal character Li Fan inscribed and faintly tasted the boundless power within, a deeper craving inevitably surged in their hearts.
"Fellow Daoist, regarding the [Creation] within Great Qi's realm-protecting immortal artifact..."
"Might we be permitted to view it?" Jian Daosheng asked in a thoroughly amiable tone.
Hearing this, Li Fan put on a troubled look. "Even in our Great Qi, only direct lineage disciples who pass layered screenings are qualified to glimpse the immortal artifact's true memories. All others learn through layers of secondhand transmission..."
Looking at the expressions of the elders, Li Fan said with a smile, "I understand your feelings very well. However, this is only our first transaction. Once we have more dealings in the future, perhaps permission for you to visit and view it could be granted?"
The elders wore varied expressions upon hearing his response.
They began conferring privately once more.
"Elder Zhong, what do we say now?"
"We definitely cannot kill him! We must maintain contact with Great Qi in hopes of obtaining a more complete [Creation]..."
"Indeed. Compared to [Creation], those other True Immortal seal characters seem somewhat insignificant."
"Great Qi is willing to transmit even [Creation] outward; by comparison, our Celestial Vessel truly seems petty and narrow-minded."
Having witnessed the might of [Creation], the elders' attitudes underwent a unanimous transformation.
Seeing this, Zhong Daogong reached a decision.
"As agreed, we shall now guide you to see the authentic True Immortal seal character," he said to Li Fan with a smile.
"Although this authentic work cannot compare to the [Creation] you displayed, it is, after all, the genuine brushwork of a True Immortal. I believe it will certainly bring inspiration to you," Zhong Daogong said with utmost confidence.
"Oh? Then I am truly impatient to see it."
Sensing the covert countermeasures he had left within the Immortal-Severing Arm, Li Fan smiled in return.
Following the elders, he temporarily departed from the secret vault.
They descended from the very canopy of the Divine Tree all the way down into its core.
Within the hazy green space, a ruin hovered silently.
Thousands of branches extended from above, spreading into the trunk of the Divine Tree.
Upon the floor of the ruin, a True Immortal seal character was engraved.
Yet due to the obstruction of the Divine Tree's branches, its full form could not be seen.
The instant he saw this ruin, Li Fan's heart stirred.
The architectural style of these ruins bore a striking resemblance to what he had once seen upon the land of the Immortal Ruins.
"Immortal Realm ruins?" Li Fan could not help turning his head to ask, wearing an expression of utter astonishment.
"Fellow Daoist has remarkable discernment." The elders were also taken aback that Li Fan could recognize the origin of the ruins. In their hearts, their evaluation of the Great Qi civilization rose another notch.
"Indeed. These ruins fell from the upper realm back when the Immortal Road was severed," Zhong Daogong said in a low voice.
"Back then, news of the Immortal Road's severance had yet to spread across the star sea. Hence, no one imagined that this abruptly appearing structure would actually be connected to the Immortal Realm. Yet the True Immortal seal character inscribed within brought about a catastrophe."
"Our Celestial Vessel only discovered the source of that catastrophe among the star sea ruins ten thousand years later."
The elders formed hand seals together, and the branches of the Divine Tree wrapped around the ruin's ground slowly loosened.
The true visage of the True Immortal seal character was revealed.
Perhaps because too much time had passed, and due to the Divine Tree absorbing its energy day and night, the ripples emanating from the character were already exceedingly faint.
Yet this did not stop Li Fan from discerning the character's meaning in an instant.
[Ancient].
"Ancient..." Li Fan murmured under his breath, using his finger as a brush to attempt copying and inscribing it.
This [Ancient] character upon the ruin's floor seemed remarkably similar to the [Chaos] character he had once seen in the White Mist Domain.
True Immortal seal characters were descriptions of the Great Dao.
Yet as long as they were not the direct manifestation of the Dao itself, characters inscribed by different individuals would exhibit distinct traits.
Having studied True Immortal seal characters for many years, Li Fan could naturally distinguish such characteristics clearly.
This [Ancient] character and the [Chaos] character were penned by the exact same person.
Yet it did not share the same origin as the [Hunger] character upon the land of the Immortal Ruins.
*If my guess is correct, [Ancient], [Chaos], and the True Immortal seal characters that caused the countless world-extinguishing calamities across the Pitch-Black Star Sea were all wrought by the same individual. The intention was to plunge the star sea into chaos.*
*Meanwhile, the [Hunger] character within the Immortal Ruins was perhaps merely used by a True Immortal to comprehend the Dao.*
*Though their original purposes differed, they arrived at the same result, ultimately leading to the star sea's destruction and its descent into utter desolation.*
*In the eyes of a True Immortal, we cultivators truly are like mere ants...*
Countless thoughts flashed through Li Fan's mind.
"Although the energy fluctuations upon this authentic work have entirely dissipated, it still possesses marvelous uses."
At that moment, Li Fan suddenly heard Zhong Daogong speak.
Chapter 1322