"The method for using this Myriad Phenomena Yin-Yang Chart is also simple. Like a mirror, it can reveal the essence of an object upon the blank scroll. Of course, it might not be entirely straightforward. We may still need to contemplate and decipher it further..."
"Even so, it is far easier than studying this gray stone directly," Zhong Daogong said, his lips parting as he slowly unfurled the blank scroll.
Like a long dragon, it floated above everyone's heads.
"Go!"
The gray stone flew slowly toward the Myriad Phenomena Yin-Yang Chart. In the instant it drew near, it vanished from everyone's sight.
And upon the blank scroll, as though various pigments were dripping down, bizarre and fantastical images began to emerge.
It was like a storm of converging pigments—different colors intertwining, colliding, parting, and coalescing.
"To be able to analyze an object from the Immortal Realm, could this Myriad Phenomena Yin-Yang Chart also have originated from the Immortal Realm?" Li Fan asked casually as he watched the ever-shifting display on the scroll.
"No, no. This Myriad Phenomena Chart is undeniably a thing of the lower realms," Jian Daosheng said with a smile, answering Li Fan's doubt.
"This chart was acquired back then by the Xuan-Shang Celestial Vessel from a down-and-out cultivator.
"That cultivator's ancestor was originally a direct disciple of the renowned Star Dao Sect within the star sea. In ancient times, the Star Dao Sect's influence spanned several neighboring cultivation realms. Their miraculous sect arts were said to control the Dao of the star sea, even superior to the Taijia Divine Technique you imparted to us."
Li Fan raised his eyebrows. "How did such an illustrious sect decline?"
"That remains an eternal enigma. Not to mention now, even back then opinions varied wildly with no definitive answer. Some said they offended an upper-realm True Immortal and incurred divine punishment. Others said the Star Dao Sect brazenly attempted to refine and control the Heavenly Dao of the star sea, ultimately suffering a backlash from the sea of stars...
"In short, for unknown reasons, the higher-ups and mainstays of the Star Dao Sect seemed to vanish overnight. As for the remaining low-ranking disciples who had no idea what was happening, after waiting for a short while and realizing the situation was entirely beyond salvage, they scattered like birds and beasts. Before leaving, they didn't forget to loot clean every portable item in the sect.
"In less than a month, this great sect—then at the height of its fame in the star sea—simply collapsed," Jian Daosheng remarked with a sigh.
"This Myriad Phenomena Yin-Yang Chart was one of the Star Dao Sect's treasures. It is said that the sect's Star Communication Hall, where its cultivators connected with and comprehended the Heavenly Dao of the star sea, was hung all over with such Myriad Phenomena Yin-Yang Charts.
"Whenever the Heavenly Dao of the star sea formed a connection with a cultivator, it was like an invisible ink brush leaving traces on the scrolls. Over time, these charts came to trace and absorb the Heavenly Dao of the star sea into themselves."
Hearing this, Li Fan couldn't help interrupting, "Even if it is an etched depiction of the star sea's Heavenly Dao, how could it reveal an object from the upper realm?"
Although he feigned ignorance in asking, Li Fan actually already had an answer in his heart.
Zhong Daogong smiled. "The star sea, the lower realms, are the foundation of all things.
"They are where the projection of the Great Dao ultimately manifests. Even if the Immortal Realm stands lofty and exalted above, it is not a castle in the sky. Looking up from below, though one cannot glimpse its true countenance, one can still catch the shadow of the Dao."
Hearing this, Li Fan acted as if encountering this concept for the first time, appearing profoundly shaken and sinking into deep contemplation.
The transformation of the Myriad Phenomena Yin-Yang Chart continued. It was as though an invisible True Immortal were wielding a brush and splashing ink, dragons and serpents dancing across the canvas.
Eventually, the storm of colors settled into a single still picture, calm and tranquil. Looking at the painting overhead, Li Fan's pupils contracted slightly.
It was not rendered in meticulous realism, but in a rather abstract, freehand brushwork that roughly outlined the shapes.
A towering figure occupied nearly half of the painting, looking down from on high. Its face was obscured, and it stretched forth a long arm.
Beneath the figure, there seemed to be a game board. Arranged upon the board were not gray stones, but starkly contrasting cultivation worlds.
They appeared to be merely blobs of varied colors blended together, yet when one attempted to peer into them, images of countless living beings sprang into the mind.
Within those worlds, they were born, grew old, fell sick, died, cultivated, and slaughtered one another. The tales of these living beings, together with the cultivation worlds themselves, played out and forged each stone upon the board.
*Rumble...*
After displaying this scene before everyone for a few breaths, the Myriad Phenomena Yin-Yang Chart suddenly seemed buffeted by a violent wind. Not only did the scroll itself whip violently, but even the pigments upon the canvas were swept up in the tempest. The image gradually disintegrated, and the gray stone slowly emerged back out of the painting.
"The Myriad Phenomena Chart's deconstruction has reached its limit," Zhong Daogong said solemnly. Together with the elders, he reverently stored away the Myriad Phenomena Yin-Yang Chart.
Afterward, they stared at the gray stone floating silently in the air, falling into an eerie silence.
"If my understanding is correct, does this gray stone represent a cultivation world where all life has perished and everything has withered away? And that towering figure... should be an upper-realm True Immortal?" Li Fan was the first to speak.
No one responded. After quite a while, Elder Jian Daosheng shook his head and offered his own perspective. "Although the Myriad Phenomena Chart's analysis cuts straight to the essence of things, it would not be so superficial.
"The Medicine King Cauldron is almost a world unto itself. It can spontaneously generate spiritual energy and nurture medicinal herbs and spiritual plants...
"How could a world devoid of vitality possibly do that?"
Zhong Daogong agreed. "Indeed. In my view, this world materialized as a game piece does not represent death. Rather, it denotes a discarded piece that has lost its purpose on the board, having already fulfilled its mission." As he spoke, crisscrossing grid lines formed in the air, and black and white stones fell one after another.
Then the black stones encircled and captured a cluster of white stones. These captured white stones were removed from the board, never to return.
They transformed into gray, no longer taking part in the contest between black and white.
"Elder Zhong's explanation seems to make more sense." Communication among the vessel's elders was free of petty intrigues; they usually spoke their minds plainly.
Zhong Daogong's interpretation of the Myriad Phenomena Chart's imagery won the agreement of the vast majority of elders.
"A True Immortal plays the game, and the myriad lower realms serve as stones.
"If that is truly the case, what was the purpose of setting up this game? And was there ever a final victor?" Immediately, even greater questions arose in everyone's minds.
"For now, there is no need to delve too deeply into matters concerning True Immortals. What we know now is that this gray stone is likely an artifact formed by a True Immortal who refined an entire world. Even without the blessing of immortal spiritual force, it can still be considered half an immortal artifact.
"And it's part of a complete set. Even a gray stone that lost its eligibility in the contest possesses such miraculous qualities. It is hard to imagine what those black and white world-stones still remaining on the board looked like in the end!" Lu Yuzhi said with deep yearning.
"Hehe, don't forget, the Immortal Realm was destroyed long ago. Even the player may well have fallen, to say nothing of the pieces on the board. They have likely vanished along with the Immortal Realm. Instead, it was these gray stones that departed the game early that managed, by some stroke of fortune, to survive in the form of artifacts." ...The elders discussed animatedly.
Finally, after half a day of deliberation, they reached a preliminary consensus: since its essence was a world, they would refine it using methods meant for a world.
The elders selected five among them—including Jian Daosheng and Zhong Daogong—to separate and merge their spiritual minds to refine it together. Li Fan was not among the five.
To avoid offending Li Fan, the elders specifically explained the reasoning. Although Li Fan had already won their trust, he had joined the Celestial Vessel only recently.
The most important reason, however, was that his "lifespan was nearing its end." If they allowed him to take part now, once he passed away in under twenty years, it would inevitably require refining all over again, and so forth.
Li Fan waved a hand with an indifferent expression, staring intently at the gray stone being refined by the elders in the center.
*This object was a hidden card left behind by Sun Piaomiao. If any anomaly occurs during the refining, it will prove Sun Piaomiao is still alive in this world...* Li Fan mused to himself.
Yet to his disappointment, the elders' refining process went surprisingly smoothly. Soon, the gray hue on the refined stone seemed to lighten slightly.
Still, it did not shed its gray entirely.
*Has Sun Piaomiao truly fallen?* The question flickered across his mind, but Li Fan suppressed it for now and asked about the sensations Zhong Daogong and the others were experiencing.
"Marvelous! The Heavenly Dao of a world, originally solemn and orderly, seems to have been hammered and reforged. Such methods are truly divine, absolutely miraculous!
"Not only did it forge a single form, but it even forged hundreds of future possibilities. Once refined, one can manipulate it to shift freely among these forms...
"Uh, such transitions probably require a vast amount of energy. Ordinary spiritual energy is not sufficient to support it.
"I tested it, and even the power of True Immortal seal characters won't do," Nangong Lie said, his tone laden with regret.
As if having acquired a novel treasure, the elders studied the gray stone with immense delight.
"Acquiring this is of monumental significance to our Celestial Vessel!"
"Perhaps for a long time to come, our resource shortages will be greatly alleviated!"
"Aiyah, such a supreme treasure was hidden deep within our vault all along! If not for Brother Li's reminder, who knows how long we would have left it buried!" Amid a blend of delight and chagrin, the elders altered the gray stone's form once more.
It was no longer the Medicine King Cauldron that cultivated spiritual plants, but the shape most suited to the Celestial Vessel at present.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Like invisible heavy hammers pounding the gray stone, the tiny object slowly expanded in spatial structure.
It directly coated the hull of the Celestial Vessel. Under Li Fan's gaze, the Celestial Vessel seemed to grow and become cloaked in a layer of hard, gray carapace.
This hardened layer not only served as armor, but also continuously supplied spiritual energy and resources to the interior of the vessel.
"With a protective shell formed from a world draped over it, our vessel's defensive capability has more than doubled. Even its stability has seen a qualitative leap!
"We no longer have to fear that the mere propagation of a True Immortal seal character's raw power will bring catastrophic disaster to the vessel!
"The vitality accumulated within the gray stone over ten thousand years has now been fully transferred by us to the Divine Tree.
"The results are remarkably pronounced! For at least a hundred years, under normal circumstances, the Divine Tree will no longer need to feed!" ...The elders beamed with joy.
At this moment, Li Fan suddenly spoke in a chilling voice, "Everyone, with such a massive harvest this time, you aren't planning to abandon the plan to cross the High Wall, are you?"
The lively atmosphere instantly cooled.
The elders subconsciously avoided Li Fan's gaze. In the end, it was Zhong Daogong who stepped forward to soothe him. "You need not worry.
"Crossing the High Wall is a strategy we settled on long ago; it will not change simply because our supplies have become abundant. You can rest assured on that point.
"However...
"Naturally, the more preparation, the better. According to the mutual resonance between these gray stones, there are at least eleven other identical ones in the Pitch-Black Star Sea.
"Just one of them has brought our vessel near-earthshaking improvements. If we gather the complete set of stones..." Zhong Daogong's eyes shone brightly. "What do you think, Fellow Daoist? By then, we might not even need any other assistance—just relying on the layered outer armor alone, we could smash straight through the High Wall!
"Furthermore, the directions indicated by the resonance are very clear. At our speed, even if we were to travel across the entire star sea, it would take no more than three years at most. Meanwhile, traveling will not hinder our various other preparations in the slightest..."
Zhong Daogong's explanation was entirely reasonable.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan nodded slightly, accepting his reasoning. The somewhat awkward atmosphere finally returned to normal.
"In that case, without further ado, let us set out at once," Li Fan said indifferently. "I, too, am very curious as to what will happen once this set of gray stones is assembled."
The elders exchanged glances and held a brief council. First, they reached a consensus. "The Xuan Celestial Vessel certainly cannot be moved lightly."
"Indeed. With the vessel's current hull strength, it is still not enough to confront the pressure beneath the High Wall."
"Collecting the gray stones also does not require all of us to mobilize; that would only be cumbersome. It is far more convenient for us to act individually or in small teams."
"Using the resonance, those remaining behind can command and guide the directions, while others scatter across the star sea to retrieve the gray stones."
"That should be much more efficient."
"At least three per group, to guard against unexpected mishaps."
"Seven or eight of them are not far from our current location, seemingly where the Great Wall of Remnant Worlds lies. Let us finish gathering those first."
...Amid the elders' discussion, Li Fan also said in a deep voice, "I can also contribute my modest strength. Aided by my movement arts, even crossing the star sea would take me merely a day."
This time, the elders of the Celestial Vessel had no reason to refuse Li Fan's offer.
With a preliminary plan agreed upon, the first mission to retrieve the gray stones would be undertaken by four elders from the Dao Confirmation Academy together: Li Fan, Nangong Lie, Lu Yuzhi, and one named Xu Gongding.
"Scout out the situation first. If you encounter any danger, preserving yourselves is the top priority," Zhong Daogong instructed before their departure.
Chapter 1342