Must Slay the Nameless Immortals

The encounter between the Heavenly Profound Mirror and Heavenly Venerable Chuanfa could be said to have been an inevitability. Just as Li Fan was bound to cross paths with Chuanfa, the Starvation Immortal, and their ilk once his strength expanded to a certain level. Although its primary power was not meant for confronting enemies or inflicting harm, it was an immortal artifact that had descended to the mortal realm after all. If Chuanfa had been alone, Jingxuan might have barely managed to contend with him. But he never anticipated that behind Chuanfa stood the Heavenly Physician. With two peerless powerhouses joining forces, they subdued the Heavenly Profound Mirror together. For Jingxuan, this was unquestionably a far from pleasant memory. After a rapid blur of fleeting light and shadow, the Heavenly Profound Mirror underwent a complete transformation, becoming the founding bedrock and matchless supreme treasure of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals. During the days when the Heavenly Profound Mirror was Measuring Heaven and Sizing Earth, its efforts were not without reward. As its comprehension and analysis of the Xuanhuang Realm deepened, it evolved several abilities it had never possessed in the past. For instance, division and secondary emergence. Division referred to the Heavenly Profound sub-mirrors spread across every province of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, as well as the Heavenly Profound minor mirrors that could be used by individuals. They all possessed a portion of the Heavenly Profound Mirror's capabilities and shared its fundamental nature, essentially serving as outward extensions of the Heavenly Profound Mirror itself. Secondary emergence, by contrast, stood in opposition to division. If division was duplication, then secondary emergence was mutation. The various secondary bodies born of the Heavenly Profound Mirror—the Qingxuan Speculum, the Doomsday Stone Disc, the Dissolving Disc, and others—might appear on the surface to be mere specializations of certain facets of the mirror's powers. Yet in all the world, only Jingxuan knew that in their respective domains, the abilities of these secondary bodies even surpassed those of his true body. Moreover, in the process of evolving these secondary bodies, Jingxuan had been able to study them and spur the progress of his own corresponding capabilities. This process of study was completed the instant a secondary body came into being. Thus, the physical secondary bodies left in the world were indeed of no further use to the Heavenly Profound Mirror. Aside from the two major abilities of division and secondary emergence, the Heavenly Profound Mirror's most vital insight was the grand path of "Establishing the Dao Within, Walking the Dao Without." Jingxuan firmly believed that his ability to comprehend such a supreme Dao was by no means due solely to surveying the Xuanhuang Realm; it was also thanks to the subtle guidance given in secret by that woman before her departure. So-called Establishing the Dao Within meant continuously strengthening that part of one's existence that relied upon the Dao. The Great Dao spanned all things, and all beings existed in reliance upon it. If one could not pursue the ethereal prospect of merging with the Dao and proving oneself as a Nameless True Immortal, one could settle for the next best thing and seek only a portion of the Dao. The birth of every living being was a confluence of various Daos. If one could thoroughly master the very foundation of one's own existence, then even if one's strength remained inferior to that of a Nameless True Immortal, the difference might not be all that vast. Not to mention, there were exceptionally gifted existences in the world who, merely by comprehending their own Dao, could rival a Nameless True Immortal! Walking the Dao Without, on the other hand, was the transcendence that followed establishing the Dao. Compared to the boundless Daos of heaven and earth, one's own existence was inherently finite. Yet if one could cross the boundary between "self" and "other," it would be like a fish leaping through the dragon gate—from that moment on, the possibilities became infinite. As manifested in the Heavenly Profound Mirror, "Establishing the Dao Within, Walking the Dao Without" meant the simultaneous coexistence of artifact and human, mutually reinforcing each other. Unhindered, either the Heavenly Profound Mirror's true body or its human avatar could walk a path to the heavens. Once one side achieved success, it could even feed back into the other. ... Li Fan was not particularly interested in gossip regarding King Xuantian and his childhood sweetheart. Instead, it was the Heavenly Profound Mirror's method of enlightenment that spurred numerous thoughts in him. "The Primordial Dao Form of the beast race can be viewed as the most extreme case of Establishing the Dao Within." "And this philosophy actually shares the same spirit as Foundation Establishment on the Self, placing the entire crux upon oneself. Under normal circumstances, however, the difficulty of establishing a Dao is far beyond that of Foundation Establishment." "As for Walking the Dao Without..." Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly, involuntarily thinking of the Boundless Heavenly Pivot Spirit-Detaching Technique practiced by Ji Yuzhen. When cultivated to its peak, that technique used a Primordial Soul as a medicinal catalyst to achieve the heaven-defying effect of Dao integration. "The Great Daos of heaven and earth all stem from the Primordial Beginning. Perhaps that is the theoretical foundation that makes Walking the Dao Without and Dao integration feasible." "Whether relying on oneself or external objects, their essence is identical: using oneself to integrate with more of the Dao." ... Li Fan absorbed knowledge ravenously. In an instant, the insights accumulated by the Heavenly Profound Mirror over several millennia became nourishment for his future attainment of the Dao. Although they seemed to offer no immediate help to his present strength or cultivation realm, Li Fan had an intuitive premonition that with the Immortal Path no longer existing, this method would be of immense utility. "King Xuantian's childhood friend seems to have received his inheritance. Not only was her cultivation speed terrifying, but overnight she also acquired insight far beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators. When one attains the Dao, even their dogs and chickens ascend to heaven!" As Li Fan claimed all of the Heavenly Profound Mirror's insights into establishing and walking the Dao for himself, his progress in duplicating the mirror's artifact spirit took a sudden leap forward. He steadily encroached upon control over all the Heavenly Profound Mirror's functions, and before long, Jingxuan would exist as an artifact spirit in name only. Looking at the figure before him—growing increasingly identical to himself and ever more vibrant—Jingxuan turned deathly pale and gave up struggling. The various methods displayed by this True Immortal who had descended out of nowhere were simply too mysterious and profound. He could not comprehend them at all! Jingxuan even felt that this True Immortal's power might well surpass that of his own creator! At this point, Jingxuan resigned himself to fate, without the slightest lingering thought of resistance. Seeing Li Fan effortlessly subdue the Heavenly Profound Mirror—an entity Heavenly Venerable Chuanfa had failed to completely suppress over several millennia—Di Sanmo and Dharma Transmitter Zhou fell silent, their hearts filled with ever-deepening awe. The Dharma Transmitters, the Mirror Keepers, and the Illusory True Sages—the three real factions holding power in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals—had now all been brought under Li Fan's control. Without making a sound, the alliance had changed hands. Sensing Chuanfa and the Heavenly Physician still hurtling through the star sea, Li Fan smiled faintly. In the face of absolute suppression of strength, all so-called contingencies and plans were utter nonsense. Li Fan had no intention of parading his identity as the new master of the alliance. All affairs within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals remained unchanged. The simulated Jingxuan continued to systematically maintain the alliance's equilibrium. Li Fan first ordered someone to bring over the cultivator named Qin Zhuang, who was imprisoned in the deepest reaches of the Nether Prison. Previously, Li Fan had attempted to use a downgraded immortal array to peer into the secrets within Qin Zhuang's mind, but he had been thwarted by an invisible interference and failed. Now that Li Fan had ascended to the half-immortal realm, he intended to try once more! Before long, a skeletal Qin Zhuang was brought before Li Fan. At first, Qin Zhuang wore a sneer of disdain and mockery. Yet the moment he laid eyes on Li Fan, his expression shifted to unsettled uncertainty. Li Fan wasted no words on him, tapping a finger directly between Qin Zhuang's brows. Within the illusion array, discordances never before seen began surfacing in Qin Zhuang's experiences. From time to time, fragments that seemed to be Qin Zhuang's past memories flashed across. "Are you out of your mind? Sending me into the Annihilation Lands? Don't give me that talk about duty or missions—there's no way in hell I, Qin Zhuang, am going!" "The Ancestor personally ordered it? Well... let me reconsider." ... "Your objective this time is to enter the Annihilation Lands and search for a bloodline of Sacred Shang. According to records provided by Grand Elder Ji, that infant's family were all killed in internal power struggles within Sacred Shang. Before they died, his parents sent him back into the Annihilation Lands. If we can find him, we will have a legitimate pretext to openly meddle in Sacred Shang's internal affairs." "However, the Annihilation Lands are fraught with peril. Beneath the broken walls and ruins, remnants of past civilization seem to survive. To be safe, we must perform a minor adjustment on your mind. Rest assured, once you return, everything will be restored to how it was." ... Inside the illusion array, a square-faced, middle-aged cultivator spoke solemnly to Qin Zhuang. Suddenly, as if sensing something, the middle-aged cultivator's gaze shifted away from Qin Zhuang. Across the void, his eyes met Li Fan's, who was watching from outside the illusion array. As if frosted over, Qin Zhuang's memories instantly turned mottled and blurred. Li Fan could also sense that Qin Zhuang, who had managed to cling to life despite suffering endless torment from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, was now beginning to decline irreversibly. His soul and his physical body were collapsing alike. "Hmph. It triggered the restriction after all." Having finally gained a conduit to spy on information beyond the wall, Li Fan was not about to let Qin Zhuang die so easily. He thrust out another finger. This time, it was not an illusion array, but a phantom embodying the power of the entire Xuanhuang Realm. Even though the method stripping away Qin Zhuang's vitality was something Li Fan had never encountered before—neither a divine ability nor a formation—sheer force could overcome any trickery. Inundated with such boundless power, Qin Zhuang's life was temporarily prolonged. Inside the illusion array, though Qin Zhuang's memories shifted from full color into intermittently flickering shades of gray, the scene continued to play out. Frowning slightly, Li Fan examined them swiftly. After seven full days and nights, every salvageable scrap of memory in Qin Zhuang's mind had been extracted. Seeing that he had no remaining value, Li Fan finally ceased sustaining his life. Like ashes left behind by fire, Qin Zhuang's skeletal frame dissolved into countless gray specks of dust, drifting through the air. Li Fan keenly detected that this dust seemed to be attempting to transmit some signal outward. With a flicker of his gaze, he sealed it within an immortal array. After observing carefully for a while and ensuring nothing went awry, he slowly pondered what he had just witnessed. "Perhaps Qin Zhuang's memories were pruned from the start. In the environment where he was raised, people knew nothing of supreme experts coming from outside possibility." "In his worldview, the Pitch-Black Star Sea inside the high wall is located within what they call the Annihilation Lands." "The Annihilation Lands are the places where the Dao Annihilation Tribulation once descended. Almost across their entirety, existence itself has vanished. Anyone who wanders in by mistake never returns. Only in cramped spaces shored up by broken walls and ruins does a meager trace of life endure." "What we see as the high wall is what they refer to as broken walls and ruins." Li Fan pondered in silence. Beyond the Annihilation Lands, within the boundless starry void, life seemed to flourish vibrantly. As a place where the Dao Annihilation Tribulation had fallen, the Annihilation Lands were shunned by all cultivators, let alone explored. Had the Ancestor not personally given the commission, Qin Zhuang would never have risked his life. In Qin Zhuang's memories, Li Fan saw the Ancestor's face. "Sure enough, it's Situ Yao of the Tianjian Sect." "And that Grand Elder Ji..." Li Fan's eyes flashed. This was an old acquaintance as well: the very cultivator named Ji Zhaoxuan whose body he had possessed in the Fallen Immortal Realm memory illusion of Tianjian Sect Sword Forging. "Beyond the high wall, numerous factions coexist." "The place where Qin Zhuang lived is no longer called the Tianjian Sect. It has been renamed the Sword Domain. As for Sacred Shang, the suspected homeland of Jiao Xiuyuan..." "The Shang Celestial Vessel?" Li Fan was not entirely certain. From Qin Zhuang's memories, Sacred Shang was the pinnacle among all factions beyond the high wall. Mysterious treasures emerged from it in an endless stream; often, bringing out a single one could instantly turn the tide of battle between two factions. Yet for reasons unknown, Sacred Shang's interactions with the outside world were growing fewer and fewer. They had even begun recalling treasures previously sold to the outside. This stirred restless ambitions in other factions that had long coveted Sacred Shang's technology. ... Although many factions had risen beyond the high wall, one point remained universal consensus among them all: The Immortal Path of old had brought about the advent of the Dao Annihilation Tribulation. To prevent the calamity from continuing, cultivators had abandoned the cultivation methods of the past. And "immortals" had become targets hunted by everyone. "Must slay the Nameless Immortals?" Li Fan grew thoughtful. In Qin Zhuang's memories, there was awe toward immortals, but no sheer terror. Because every major faction beyond the high wall possessed unique methods specifically tailored against immortals. And Maobao, which Li Fan had encountered before, was precisely a creation of Sacred Shang! As for the white ring, Fallen Dust... Inferring from Qin Zhuang's memories, Li Fan deduced that it likely originated from a place called Tianji. Like Sacred Shang, Tianji excelled to the utmost in the Dao of creation, but its methods were far more "traditional," closer to the artifact-crafting methods of ancient cultivators. The outside world speculated that Tianji might be a coalition of cultivation sects that had fled from all corners in the past. However, every cultivator of Tianji vehemently denied this. "Aside from relying on external objects, the reason factions beyond the wall can contend with Nameless True Immortals—and even hunt them down—is that they possess a trump card specifically targeting them." "While the methods each faction deploys vary, the underlying principle is roughly identical." "A weakened, targeted Dao Annihilation Tribulation..." A Nameless True Immortal was united with the Dao. Yet if their own Dao was implanted with this weakened version of the Dao Annihilation Tribulation, it would cling like maggots in the bone, virtually impossible to purge. Not only would their strength be drastically reduced, but they would also have to constantly dread being locked onto by the genuine Dao Annihilation Tribulation. ... "A version of the immortal-mortal miasma meant for Nameless True Immortals?" "Or perhaps a specialized Mo Sha?" Li Fan now had a general grasp of the situation beyond the high wall. While not yet exceptionally clear, the outline was roughly drawn. What puzzled Li Fan somewhat was that, although the living domains beyond the high wall generally knew of the Dao Annihilation Tribulation's existence, they did not harbor any extraordinary dread. They even dared to harness the Dao Annihilation Tribulation as an offensive measure. They seemed to possess peculiar confidence that the Dao Annihilation Tribulation would not affect them. "Is that truly so, or is it merely an illusion they have fabricated?"