As if a bolt of lightning had forcefully split open thoughts that had long been locked away, Dharma Transmitter Jiang naturally followed Li Fan's guidance.
"Precisely so! All things are like me, Heaven and Earth are like me, and the Great Dao is like me as well..."
At this moment, Dharma Transmitter Jiang was like an ant that had lived in a daze ever since its birth, suddenly beholding the vast blue sky. Yet within this ant's heart, there was no feeling of inferiority, shock, or dread; instead, an unprompted ambition arose, vowing to swallow the very heavens.
"The Great Dao is like me, the Great Dao is like me..." Dharma Transmitter Jiang murmured as if possessed. As a gleam gradually surfaced in his eyes, shifting flickers of light and shadow began to dance within this Guixu Realm.
To facilitate Dharma Transmitter Jiang's comprehension, Li Fan had directly used his methods to forcefully relocate a completed pocket world from within the Xuanhuang Realm to this place.
Under the influence of the immortal array, Dharma Transmitter Jiang lost himself and drowned in enlightenment. Indeed, with his supreme trait of "All Things Are Like Me," he truly could continuously perceive and assimilate everything in the world—even the myriad Great Daos of Heaven and Earth.
Yet Dharma Transmitter Jiang was far too weak right now. The gap between him and the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth was far greater than that between an ant and the azure vault. For him to assimilate the Great Dao with his own body was sheer delusion, even if he possessed infinite lifespan. Long before he could ever achieve that goal, the Dao Annihilation Tribulation that swallowed the mortal world would have descended.
Were Dharma Transmitter Jiang still lucid, he would never have done something so foolish. But having entered Li Fan's immortal array, he was no longer master of himself.
Li Fan could not care less whether Dharma Transmitter Jiang could successfully attain the Dao.
What he cared about was simply that Dharma Transmitter Jiang was indeed "comprehending the Dao through his very being" right now.
Through the wondrous trait resembling "All Things Are Like Me" unleashed by the immortal array, Li Fan could faintly synchronize with Dharma Transmitter Jiang's thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.
Under normal circumstances, such close resonance between two different beings would inevitably draw awareness and even vigilance from both sides. But Li Fan used the immortal array to shield Dharma Transmitter Jiang from perceiving him, thus achieving a one-way sensory link toward Jiang.
Although a certain gap remained between this and Jiang's true thoughts, to Li Fan it was equivalent to possessing an avatar constantly bathed in sudden enlightenment, comprehending the Daos of the world on his behalf.
Moreover, Li Fan believed that as the Dissolving Disc iterated and refined the phantom illusion immortal array, the disparity in their perceptions would narrow even further in the future.
His figure within the Guixu Realm gradually grew dim. Before finally departing, Li Fan reached out a hand.
Compared to Li Fan's figure, the immense Guixu Realm shrank smaller and smaller until it finally rested in Li Fan's palm like a luminous pearl.
Though slight, during this period of Dharma Transmitter Jiang's enlightenment, Li Fan could clearly perceive that his own degree of comprehension toward the "Dao" was slowly yet steadily increasing.
Li Fan was thoroughly pleased with Dharma Transmitter Jiang's wondrous nature. Thus, he intended to keep this enlightenment machine on his person for the long haul.
"It can practically be considered a controllable, albeit weakened, version of an Immortal Heavenly Pillar.
"Furthermore, while the speed of comprehending the Great Dao cannot compare to a Nameless True Immortal, in terms of precision, it may not fall short by much. It might even surpass them!"
Comparing the two, Li Fan noted with an intuitive sense, "That is because Dharma Transmitter Jiang does not rely on his own talent and cognition to contemplate it. Rather, he relies on his innate trait—which in a sense can be regarded as a certain Great Dao itself—to carry out the process of comprehension.
"Using the Dao to comprehend the Dao—truly exquisite beyond words!
"The only regret is that his strength is indeed a bit too weak. But if he were too strong, he might detect something amiss and break free from my methods. Nothing in this world is flawless. I can only wait until my strength advances another step, then find a way to help him elevate his cultivation."
Sealing the Guixu Pearl containing Dharma Transmitter Jiang deep within his body, Li Fan meticulously savored the bewildering illusion array that the Dissolving Disc had deduced from Jiang's traits.
"This trait definitely comes from a magnificent immortal artifact. Once this trait is mastered, parsing the Great Dao from scratch will no longer be an unattainable dream.
"Unfortunately, too much time has passed; it has thoroughly fused with Dharma Transmitter Jiang and cannot be separated. But replicating it through a formation yields eighty to ninety percent of its efficacy.
"This array shall be named..."
After pondering for a moment, Li Fan said slowly, "Heaven-Reaching, Great Dao Like Me!"
Li Fan keenly realized that this Heaven-Reaching Formation was by no means suitable for Dharma Transmitter Jiang alone. Rather, everything in the world could serve as an instrument to aid his enlightenment.
"However, careful selection will still be necessary.
"The Dao Dharma Transmitter Jiang comprehends is closest to the source of the Great Dao. As for others, no matter how brilliantly talented they appear on the surface, the limitations of their cultivation and strength will inevitably introduce deviations from the source of the Dao. Those deviations would instead become blemishes polluting my cognition."
As he mused, the Dissolving Disc delivered the Heaven-Reaching Formation after its initial iteration, capable of blanketing an entire realm.
Although immortal spiritual energy was boundless within the Dissolving Disc, there was an upper limit to the volume that could be drawn upon at any one time. Li Fan had yet to find a way to amplify this limit.
To lay down this Heaven-Reaching Formation, roughly thirty days of preparation were still needed.
Li Fan personally took charge of setting up the array.
Under his will, a proclamation swiftly spread across the entire Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals:
The Heavenly Venerable is compassionate, delivering all living beings and teaching without discrimination.
All who consider themselves talented may proceed to the prefectural cities of the Alliance to undergo testing. Those who meet the criteria—regardless of birth, past, age, or gender—may enter the headquarters of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and receive an opportunity to open the Heavenly Venerable's secret reservoir. Furthermore, they will have the chance to listen to the Heavenly Venerable preach the Dao in person.
When the news broke, the realm was shaken.
Everything depicted in the Alliance's proclamation was far too wonderful. It was so good that it hardly felt real, as if some conspiracy lay beneath it.
Yet reviewing the past, though the Alliance occasionally committed outrageous acts, it had never dared to act recklessly in the name of Heavenly Venerable Chuanfa. Hence, the masses within the Alliance were initially half-believing and half-doubting.
However, there were always those in the world who could not resist temptation and feared neither life nor death for profit. When they truly entered the Heavenly Venerable's secret reservoir, reaped bountiful rewards, and reappeared before the world, facts proved stronger than rhetoric. Greed and temptation thoroughly overwhelmed reason.
Every day, vast numbers of cultivators confident in their talents flocked to the prefectural cities of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals to take part in the tests. The Alliance Headquarters even designated the annual number of recommended geniuses as the most critical assessment metric for each prefecture. To this end, the Castellan of every Heavenly City spared no effort, employing every means at their disposal.
They searched the mountains and scoured the seas, hunting for geniuses of all kinds across their territories, sparing not even mortals.
Many Castellans of Heavenly Cities even came to blows over a promising seedling.
When the entire Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals rotated around a single will, the efficiency was countless times greater than Li Fan acting alone.
Batch after batch of proud prodigies were continuously delivered into the Gou Realm created by Li Fan.
Barring exceptional circumstances, their true bodies would remain here forever from then on.
Meanwhile, replicas assembled from simulated personas, flesh, and blood reappeared in the public eye to serve as incentives and misdirection.
Floating in midair, Li Fan looked at the Gou Realm, which had gradually gained momentum, and nodded slightly.
Between heaven and earth floated True Immortal seal characters one after another. Corresponding to the True Immortal seal characters were the ninety-nine Dao Element symbols.
Before the assembly of prodigies sat an illusory projection of Heavenly Venerable Chuanfa, preaching the Dao, imparting teachings, and resolving their doubts.
This projection was naturally not Chuanfa himself, but a creation of Li Fan's.
To reap a harvest, one first had to sow seeds.
Foreseeably, the harvest these prodigies in the Gou Realm brought Li Fan would far exceed his investment—an immense return on negligible capital.
"Right now, the enlightenment bonus brought to me by all living beings in the Gou Realm cannot even match Dharma Transmitter Jiang alone. But presumably, as their cognition continues to rise, that gap will soon narrow."
Thoroughly satisfied with the efficiency of his subordinates in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, Li Fan naturally intended to confer a reward.
Given Li Fan's current foundation, casually taking out a fraction would provide them with endless benefits. This time, however, Li Fan chose an improved version of the Taijia Divine Technique that could commune with the sea of stars.
He did not directly teach the Taijia Divine Technique.
Instead, he established an array formation, granting the members of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals the opportunity to step inside and connect their minds to the original intent of the sea of stars.
Cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm had never escaped the gravitational pull of the Immortal Ruins to witness the true might of the starry sea with their own eyes. This Taijia Divine Technique allowed them to perceive the Dao of the starry sea while remaining within the Xuanhuang Realm.
In this lifetime, Li Fan had not pushed for the sublimation of the Xuanhuang Realm. On the surface, Xuanhuang remained merely an ordinary cultivation world within the starry sea. The subtlety and profundity of the starry sea's laws far surpassed the heavenly laws of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Even a few breaths of enlightenment in the sea of stars brought tremendous benefits to cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Just as Li Fan anticipated, all who experienced it were awed and intoxicated.
When the brief experience ended, they yearned desperately for the next opportunity.
Consequently, they became even more determined to perform meritorious deeds and earn Li Fan's rewards.
Handing control of the array formation over to Di Sanmo, Li Fan chose to wash his hands of management.
First, he ventured outside the void, suppressing and sealing Chuanfa and the Heavenly Physician on their return journey.
Afterward, the phantom of Li Fan's wooden sword unsheathed, and he entered the subterranean river within the depression beneath the high wall.
Following his past memories, Li Fan once again arrived before the quietly hovering Azure Nether Pearl.
After ten thousand years of ceaselessly releasing vitality, the Azure Nether Pearl was now on the verge of destruction.
It was sustained by nothing more than an illusory phantom.
Though it no longer possessed the power of an immortal artifact, it still held tremendous significance for Li Fan.
He did not draw near, nor did his divine sense; he observed it carefully from afar.
*A creation of the Shenwu Realm...* Li Fan mused inwardly.
*My original plan was to reverse the flow of vitality into the Azure Nether Pearl, forcefully pulling this treasure back from the brink of destruction, and then use the transformation of real and unreal to "repair" it step by step.*
*Looking at it now, that is still too strained.*
Li Fan had a premonition that with the slightest misstep, the utterly fragile Azure Nether Pearl would instantly turn to ashes.
*The only way is to directly superimpose the transformation of real and unreal, first reversing its impending destruction.*
Yet to execute the transformation of real and unreal, one needed at least an adequate sample for observation. Even if one did not understand every detail of the entity's essence, there had to be at least an "object" upon which to cast the technique.
Just as Li Fan had previously replicated Jinggu Cangyuan.
The current situation was that the Azure Nether Pearl was far too frail. Li Fan could not even manage a close-up examination; he could only watch from a distance.
After a long stalemate, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed Li Fan's mind.
*I cannot interfere through external influence. I can only place hope in the changes of the Azure Nether Pearl itself.*
*In the past, the cultivation techniques of the Xuantian Sect's Twelve Dharma Kings all originated from this Azure Nether Pearl.*
*And within the Xuantian Sect, there existed a secret technique that could strip and seize all the cultivation brought about by the techniques its disciples practiced, known as Usurping Heaven.*
*I recall that in Zhao Ruoxi's dream, she once mentioned that the Great Dao Sect obtained this secret technique after wiping out the Xuantian Sect.*
*...*
Li Fan narrowed his eyes. *It seems that to obtain the Azure Nether Pearl, I may need to make a trip to the Five Elders Association first.*
*Very well. Another Eternal Remnant Thought exists there, so I can retrieve it at the same time.*
Having settled on a plan, Li Fan flew out of the starry sea depression. Instead of heading to the Five Elders Association first, he paid a visit to Wanxian Island.
Beneath Wanxian Island lay the bones of countless Dharma Transmitters who had fallen in battle in the past, suppressing the so-called Nether-Passage Tunnel Mouth.
The Nether-Passage Tunnel Mouth, which ceaselessly emanated bizarre power, was merely mutated tissue that the Xuanhuang Realm could not digest as it devoured and merged with other worlds. Power at the level of a cultivation world was no longer something Li Fan took seriously.
Instead, it was the countless bones of the Dharma Transmitters that piqued his interest.
*There is no aura of an Eternal Remnant Thought here.*
*Yet the Soul-Grinding Disc of the Five Elders Association seems to preserve an Eternal Remnant Thought.*
*The Five Elders Association once launched a surprise raid on Wanxian Island specifically to snatch the bones of the Dharma Transmitters beneath it...*
As past memories flowed gently through his mind, a single thought from Li Fan caused Wanxian Island to shake violently.
Then, under the terror-stricken gazes of countless cultivators, the island slowly rose into the air.
*It seems the key still lies with that Soul-Grinding Disc.*
Collecting the bones of the Dharma Transmitters that gave off a chilling aura, Li Fan felt no reaction from Revert to the True.
He looked toward the territory of the Five Elders Association and sped off.
Bereft of Li Fan's supportive power, Wanxian Island plunged back into the sea.
Yet without suppression, all manner of bizarre power began surging from the Nether-Passage Tunnel Mouth below.
Just as the cultivators of Wanxian Island panicked, Li Fan's orders arrived. Within the teleportation formations, light flashed continuously.
Squad after squad of black-robed cultivators marched out to seal off the area and clean up the aftermath.
Li Fan did not employ his wooden sword escape art. Instead, he deliberately slowed his pace, circling through the domains of the five Longevity Heavenly Venerables of the Five Elders Association.
In the past, stepping foot here meant losing control of oneself under their influence.
Now, however, their acts of defying the principles of Heaven and Earth could no longer affect Li Fan in the slightest.
As the saying went: having attained the status of True Immortal, one already transcended Heaven and Earth.
Chapter 1425