Tracing and copying the Great Dao?
It was well known that the legendary Dao-Inscribing Immortal, an entity already at the Nameless Realm, could do no more than use True Immortal seal characters to describe various Great Daos. Yet this Chu Youhong was capable of reaching such a level?
Upon hearing this, Li Fan's first reaction was disbelief.
Chu Youhong's response seemed to confirm his suspicion.
Chu Youhong gave a wry smile. "I was merely fortunate enough to capture a trace of the Dao imprint, and that was during the phenomenon of a Nameless True Immortal falling and their Dao returning to heaven and earth..."
"Moreover, without the help of the Heaven-Drawing Brush in my hand, I could never have accomplished it. Brother Lu, there is no need to flatter me so."
"On the contrary, your divine ability to mend heaven's fissures with a single hand is truly known to everyone throughout the Shuoxing Sea."
The white-robed cultivator surnamed Lu did not deny Chu Youhong's praise. He merely offered a faint smile.
Changing the subject, Chu Youhong returned to the matter at hand. "That Nameless True Immortal who secretly intervened just now was indeed rather strange. Although I cannot fully depict the grand picture of a Great Dao, I am still capable of clearly sensing the traces left by its circulation. And yet..."
Chu Youhong's expression grew solemn. "It was silent, without a sound. It bore no resemblance whatsoever to the strike of a True Immortal at the Nameless Realm. The weight of the traces left behind could not even compare to that of an ordinary True Immortal."
Cultivator Lu nodded in agreement. "That is precisely why I sought you out to confer in private, Brother Chu. In my view, either the one who struck was not a Nameless True Immortal, or that Nameless True Immortal has found a way to mask their traces within the Dao Net."
The two exchanged a glance.
"Regardless of which it is, neither bodes well for us."
"If it was not a Nameless True Immortal, yet they could calmly escape our tight encirclement, their actual combat strength is no lower than the Nameless Realm. The power of a new system—this has always been our greatest concern. After all, the many techniques we have summarized all this time were tailored against 'Immortals.' Once the 'Immortals' break free from their former shackles, even if it means they must start anew, it also means we must face entirely new and unknown enemies."
"As for masking traces within the Dao Net..." A trace of worry flashed between Chu Youhong's brows.
The white-robed Cultivator Lu looked back at the vibrant Shuoxing Sea. "The failure of our last encirclement against the Nameless cost us dearly. Some people are already growing restless. It is difficult to say whether this might be a pledge of allegiance from certain factions. If those True Immortals master the methods to lurk within and manipulate the Dao Net, disaster will strike!"
"The patterns of the Dao Net must be altered at once. Beyond that..."
Cultivator Lu turned to Chu Youhong once more. "I must also trouble you, Brother Chu, to secretly inform Senior Wan Shiyong."
"After all, that senior possesses an eccentric temperament. You hail from the same world, so you might at least be able to exchange a few words with him."
Chu Youhong looked troubled, but ultimately nodded in agreement. "Now that the Shuoxing Sea is without a leader and must face covetous eyes from elsewhere, we truly need a respected senior to step forward and take charge of the overall situation."
"Though I was severely thrashed the last time I disturbed Senior Wan, seeing as we are both cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm, he probably will not do anything too drastic to me." Chu Youhong muttered to himself as he flew toward the Shuoxing Sea alongside the white-robed cultivator.
Within moments, their silhouettes vanished.
While pondering their conversation, Li Fan controlled his dream tentacles and arrived at the site where everyone had clashed earlier.
Normally, after high-level experts fought, there would always be lingering traces, ripples, and auras. Yet after careful observation of this battle hunting a True Immortal, Li Fan found not the slightest remnant.
It was as if the fierce battle had never occurred at all.
"Aside from the white-robed cultivator's 'heaven mending' act, which consumed all those residuals to reinforce the local Great Dao, something in the unseen void seems to have absorbed the residual power simultaneously."
Only after probing for a long time did Li Fan arrive at a faint conclusion.
He could not help but think of the "Dao Net" mentioned by Chu Youhong and the white-robed cultivator.
"The Dao Net... While this term never appeared in Qin Zhuang's mind—perhaps it was a product born in the Shuoxing Sea after Qin Zhuang left for the Xuanhuang Realm—judging by its name, it clearly cannot be separated from a net interwoven with the Daos of heaven and earth."
"A Nameless True Immortal unites their body with a Great Dao. Every move they make is bound to leave traces in the Dao Net. That is only natural. Yet Chu Youhong said they can modify the Dao Net?"
Li Fan's eyes grew contemplative.
Although the exchange between Chu Youhong and the white-robed cultivator had lasted only a few sentences, it contained a substantial amount of information.
First, their hunt for the True Immortal had suffered heavy casualties. This proved that the battles between the Shuoxing Sea and the True Immortals were not one-sided. The Shuoxing Sea was currently leaderless; all its top leaders seemed occupied with some urgent matter.
Second, apart from the Shuoxing Sea, there were other factions. Perhaps another starry sky surrounded by the Annihilation Lands. They were glaring hungrily at the Shuoxing Sea. The situation in the Shuoxing Sea did not appear optimistic.
Third, from the white-robed cultivator's words, he clearly knew Chu Youhong came from the Xuanhuang Realm. And the Wan Shiyong he mentioned, who also came from the Xuanhuang Realm...
Li Fan's brow furrowed tightly.
"Wan Shiyong, the founding ancestor of the Beast Taming Sect. An old acquaintance of Di Sanmo, an extraordinary figure who comprehended the True Beast Taming Art from the Beast Revolving Wheel."
"Those whom Di Sanmo chose to follow were without exception brilliant and peerless geniuses. But in my memory, hasn't this Wan Shiyong already fallen?"
Baffled, Li Fan immediately summoned Di Sanmo to inquire.
"Hmm?" Hearing Li Fan suddenly mention this name, the beast of wisdom was momentarily dazed. After all, that had taken place tens of thousands of years ago.
"He is indeed dead. I buried his corpse with my own hands. No matter how myriad his talents, he ultimately could not escape the lifespan limits of a mortal," Di Sanmo replied with absolute certainty after reminiscing for a moment.
"Then why does another Wan Shiyong exist in the Shuoxing Sea beyond the High Wall?" Li Fan promptly explained to Di Sanmo what he had witnessed through his dream tentacles.
Di Sanmo pondered for a while, and then seemed to think of something. "An eccentric temperament..."
"Could it be Wan Shiyong's companion beast from when he was alive?" he suggested with some uncertainty.
Li Fan was somewhat surprised. "Wan Shiyong's tamed beast wasn't you?"
An embarrassed expression crossed Di Sanmo's face, and he stroked his beard before saying, "Wan Shiyong and I merely shared a cooperative relationship. As a mortal, he naturally had no right to command me. Wan Shiyong's tamed beast was actually a Withered Shadow Beast. Its form was like a shadow, capable of countless transformations."
"Ordinarily, it hid within Wan Shiyong's shadow. At critical junctures, it could leap into an enemy's shadow to transform and replicate."
"The shadow mirrored the person, achieving such complete likeness that even the copied target could hardly tell the difference. After Wan Shiyong died, that child's whereabouts became unknown. If it has been living under Wan Shiyong's identity all this time, given how familiar it was with Wan Shiyong in life, others might not necessarily notice the distinction," Di Sanmo analyzed slowly.
"Since it is a member of the beast race, are your former restraint methods still useful? Or failing that, can you sense and contact it?" Li Fan asked.
Di Sanmo hesitated for a moment and, unusually, did not give an immediate answer.
"Under normal circumstances, it should be possible. But according to what Senior just said, if even Chu Youhong, who can copy Dao imprints, is no match for that Wan Shiyong..."
"I fear he may have already exceeded our control."
Fearing Li Fan might think he was withholding effort, Di Sanmo paused and quickly explained, "Senior already knows that the present beast race all evolved from Di Yi."
"And Di Yi originated from the fusion of countless members of our original clan. Crucially, regarding the initial origin of the clan..."
Di Sanmo cast a beam of light, revealing the appearances of thirteen bizarre ancient beasts before Li Fan.
"These are our clan's Thirteen Primordial Dao-Forms. Though born as the supreme powerhouses of the clan and natural avatars of the Great Dao, they were not the source of the clan. In truth, there is no consensus on the clan's origins. Even within the memories of the Primordial Dao-Forms, there is no answer. But there was one point that was once our shared consensus."
A look of nostalgia surfaced in Di Sanmo's expression as he gazed upon the Primordial Dao-Forms before him.
Only then did he speak slowly: "In our timeline, our clan was favored by the heavenly Dao. Compared to the myriad Daos of heaven and earth, the Thirteen Primordial Dao-Forms were merely a negligible part. Every other member of the clan possessed the potential to assimilate into the Dao later on. By analogy to you human cultivators, it would be cultivating to the Nameless True Immortal Realm."
"Thoroughly fusing and evolving every single Great Dao in heaven and earth into Primordial Dao-Forms—that was the clan's dreamt-of 'Golden Age'..."
"Unfortunately, before any new Primordial Dao-Forms could emerge, ferocious Nameless True Immortals crossed possibilities and slaughtered you to the last," Li Fan interrupted Di Sanmo's reverie at an inopportune moment.
Yet Di Sanmo showed no embarrassment, merely letting out a faint sigh. "In our own possibility, our clan was indeed favored by the Dao. But differences in strength exist between possibilities as well. The weak fall prey to the strong; having been defeated by others, we hold no complaints."
Di Sanmo's topic returned to Wan Shiyong: "What I mean to express is that although all originate from Di Yi, every single clan member possesses the potential to surpass Di Yi. Even if this possibility is theoretically minute to the point of being nearly impossible, it is ultimately not zero."
"So long as the history of reproduction is long enough, it can turn into a certainty. That was also something the Primordial Dao-Forms considered when they stepped into the giant furnace back then. The only thing they did not anticipate was that it was not merely our possibility that fell into crisis, but that all possibilities met with an apocalyptic catastrophe. Fleeing time and again left our clan with no time to rest and recover, and the power of the Primordial Dao-Forms was utterly exhausted..." Di Sanmo sighed ruefully.
After a moment of silence, Di Sanmo suddenly volunteered: "I wish to go and speak with this Wan Shiyong."
"Even if his strength now far surpasses mine, I am confident he will never harm me."
Li Fan pondered for a moment and ultimately agreed. "I will use the power of dreams to manifest a body for you."
"Once you make contact with him, if there are no issues, I will send your actual body over."
"Remember, a dream avatar is essentially a manifestation of the collective will of Wuyou and the sentient beings of Xuanhuang. Aside from containing a strand of your intent, it actually has little to do with your true self. Whether you can gain Wan Shiyong's trust will depend on your own methods," Li Fan cautioned.
Di Sanmo nodded. "Rest assured, Senior. Between members of our clan, we have our own methods of communication and identification."
"The situation in the Shuoxing Sea is unclear. Even if the first attempt fails, it will not matter much."
As Li Fan spoke, his dream tentacles slowly manifested a body outside the Shuoxing Sea.
Bathed entirely in yellow light, its appearance was identical to Di Sanmo in reality. Initially, it seemed to hover between illusion and reality.
Yet accompanied by droplets of blood-red radiance and the infusion of an extraordinarily profound power, this illusory body transformed from false to real, bursting forth out of the void.
Di Sanmo sensed his brand-new body, wonder in his eyes. "Senior's methods are truly beyond imagination. I cannot feel the slightest difference between this and my real body!"
Li Fan's voice echoed in Di Sanmo's ears: "Not all dream avatars can achieve such a lifelike state."
"I have prepared some energy within this body; it should be sufficient for your travels. Act cautiously. In a dream avatar, intent and flesh are fused into one. As long as the energy remains, it can regenerate continuously. But once the energy is depleted, the body will be utterly destroyed, and the consciousness will cease to exist."
"If the consciousness does not return to the Dream Paradise before being destroyed, that segment of memory will be completely lost. Therefore, I suggest you return periodically to report information."
"Naturally, this is on the condition that you do not expose yourself. Although dream power is treacherous and difficult to detect, the strength of the Shuoxing Sea is formidable. Revealing too much will inevitably give away clues..."
Li Fan gave his instructions.
Di Sanmo narrowed his eyes and, guided by that faint, unseen connection, sped away into concealment toward his target destination.
At first, Li Fan could still use dream power to sense the scenes on Di Sanmo's side.
Yet as Di Sanmo drew close to a place where brilliant light converged, even the dream connection was severed.
"The Sword Domain, Sacred Commerce... The various faction settlements in the Shuoxing Sea indeed possess some kind of protective power."
"Is it the Dao Net...?"
Li Fan watched Di Sanmo's dream avatar fade into the distance, sensing the so-called power of the Dao Net.
Based on the deductions of the Dao Assimilation Stone within his sea of consciousness, Li Fan was already certain that this Dao Net must be built upon the Daoyuan system.
He recalled how the Heavenly Profound Mirror had once usurped the heavens, weaving a 'Profound Net' across the skies of the Xuanhuang Realm.
"The ability to modify the Dao Net implies that it is not impenetrable or impossible to invade."
"It is simply a matter of finding the right method."
Chapter 1435