Immortal Wu's strength truly proved him to be among the powerhouses even amid the surviving True Immortals in today's Shuo Star Sea. Receiving the Mound-Guarding Lord's "Phantom Bearing the Dao" technique went noticeably smoother for him than it had for Li Buren.
He suffered almost no substantive shock, and for the vast majority of the time, his expression was one of rapt, blissful indulgence.
Compared to a cobbled-together, half-baked True Immortal like Li Buren, the heritage of *Mound-Guarding Jottings* was clearly far better suited to a genuine immortal.
The countless reveries the Mound-Guarding Lord had recorded over more than a hundred epochs might be useless to Li Buren, but to an orthodox immortal like Immortal Wu, they were a stupendous opportunity.
And in Qian Ruochang's eyes, the aura radiating from Immortal Wu grew more ethereal and unfathomable at a speed visible to the naked eye.
It seemed that in this brief span of time, his strength had achieved a qualitative breakthrough.
While this secretly shocked Qian Ruochang, he could not help but feel envious as well.
After who knew how long, Immortal Wu finally extricated himself from the Mound-Guarding Lord's vast, sea-like thoughts.
"Junior thanks Senior for the grace of bestowing this technique," he said solemnly.
He spoke these words with utter sincerity. The Mound-Guarding Lord had vanished without a trace long before the Immortal Realm's destruction; if not for this Hidden Emperor's generous impartation, how could he ever have had the chance to behold such a wondrous art?
"The concept of that Dao Net is indeed ingenious. Taking the Nameless as its bones and True Immortals as its strings could truly fashion a net of salvation. Regrettably, the True Immortals still alive today are far too few. Nor will you people willingly sacrifice yourselves to enter the net.
"After further slaughter takes its toll, the number of surviving True Immortals who enter the net will likely not suffice to sustain the Dao Net at its intended strength." Li Fan's voice echoed quietly through this dead starry sky.
Perhaps because he had just imparted the technique, his voice carried a subtle difference from before.
Yet Qian Ruochang paid little heed to this; what concerned him far more were the words this mysterious senior had just uttered.
'It coincides precisely with the Governing Council's longstanding hidden concern. As expected of an esteemed senior, he saw through the Dao Net's fatal weakness at a single glance.' Qian Ruochang was once again appalled.
Li Fan continued, "You may pass on these *Mound-Guarding Jottings* on Our behalf. Regardless of their past, regardless of their identity—so long as they are willing to leave behind a phantom. A phantom's capacity to bear the Dao is no less than that of the true body. If all the surviving True Immortals in this starry sky cultivate it together and leave behind phantoms bearing the Dao within the Dao Net...
"Between your two factions, an irreconcilable fight to the death is not the only path."
Hearing this, Qian Ruochang finally grasped the true significance of the secret art of the Phantom Bearing the Dao. It seemed that this strife, which had dragged on for endless years, truly had hope of finally coming to an end. An inexplicable excitement surged in his heart.
And Immortal Wu's excitement was even greater than Qian Ruochang's.
Not only because he saw the possibility of reconciliation between both sides, but also because he had been granted the role of imparting the Mound-Guarding secret art on his senior's behalf.
Even after so many years had passed, the three words "Mound-Guarding Lord" still carried unmatched weight among the True Immortals of the Immortal Realm.
In particular, the Tianluo Immortal Emperor had proclaimed grand words and sweeping ambitions across the Immortal Realm, claiming he would thoroughly resolve the Great Tribulation of Dao Annihilation and simultaneously forge a transcendent Eternal Immortal Court. In the end, however, it only invited catastrophic destruction.
This left the surviving True Immortals of the Immortal Realm yearning endlessly for the Mound-Guarding Lord of old, who had driven back Dao Annihilation by his own strength alone.
*If only the Mound-Guarding Lord were here, how could the Immortal Realm have fallen to ruin?*
This was a sentiment the various immortal sects of the Immortal Realm would often voice.
And now, he was actually permitted to impart the Mound-Guarding Lord's secret art on his behalf...
What immense glory this was!
Compared to hiding in the World-Crossing Mysterious Coffin and fleeing in disgrace, he was far more willing to undertake this duty.
Moreover, with this method of the Phantom Bearing the Dao, if it could be united with the art of the Dao Net, it might genuinely turn the tides and construct a celestial vessel of salvation amid the despair-inducing Great Tribulation of Dao Annihilation!
Immortal Wu's heart trembled with excitement, and he could barely restrain himself from setting off immediately to rally support and set this plan in motion.
"Now that We have imparted the art, the entrustment made by the Mound-Guarding Lord all those years ago can be considered fulfilled.
"As for what your two sides wish to do next...
"Heh, it has little to do with Us.
"Let it end here.
"You may withdraw now."
Just as Qian Ruochang and Immortal Wu were lost in turbulent thoughts, Li Fan ruthlessly issued an order to see them out.
And these words also allowed both of them to keenly sense something unusual in this situation.
"Senior Hidden Emperor has never revealed his true form. And now he commands us to withdraw..."
"Could it be that his true form is hidden right here, but for some reason, cannot manifest in the world?"
The strength displayed by Senior Hidden Emperor was fathomless.
And what could possibly bind him...
In this world, perhaps only the Dao Annihilation Tribulation could!
A thought surfaced simultaneously in both their minds: *Could Senior Hidden Emperor be using his own body as a pillar to bear the weight of the Dao Annihilation Tribulation?*
This was no baseless conjecture; in past history, it was hardly without precedent.
It was just that the Nameless True Immortals who had temporarily stemmed the Dao Annihilation had virtually all been corroded by it and fallen.
For someone like Senior Hidden Emperor to shoulder the Dao Annihilation Tribulation and still maintain a degree of mobility...
In all of history, perhaps only that Mound-Guarding Lord had ever achieved such a feat!
And the words Senior Hidden Emperor uttered next confirmed their suspicions even further: "Still not leaving? Do you truly expect Us to stand up and see you out?
"Heheheh, stretching Our limbs matters little to Us. We only fear that the Dao Annihilation Tribulation of this star domain would no longer be held back!"
The moment the words "Dao Annihilation Tribulation" were spoken, several subtle ripples simultaneously pulsed through the surrounding starry sky.
It struck dread into their hearts, like the impending arrival of absolute catastrophe.
This place was already a surviving pocket that had suffered the fallout of Dao Annihilation; with these ripples, heaven and earth seemed on the verge of collapsing once more.
The instinctual sense of mortal peril could not be falsified.
Their suspicions confirmed, Qian Ruochang and Immortal Wu wore complex expressions as they bowed deeply from afar toward Senior Hidden Emperor, whose presence had already departed from "Ma Tiande."
Then, together, they fled this starry sky.
As for the newly recruited Immortal Hunters still asleep...
Senior Hidden Emperor had given no word, and neither dared ask for their release.
Moreover, compared to their gains this time, that group of juniors was utterly insignificant.
'The Immortal Hunt...'
'From today onward, perhaps it will change its name.'
In Qian Ruochang's mind, a lofty, supreme figure could not help but flash past.
That personage had practically fashioned the original Dao Net with his own hands.
Though he appeared ruthless toward his fellow True Immortals and even Nameless True Immortals, executing merciless and bloody suppressions,
Qian Ruochang understood in his heart that that figure still harbored a lingering sentiment toward immortals.
Otherwise, had he taken action in person, this war would have ended long ago. Nor would the Governing Council have accepted the defection of those Mortal-Transforming True Immortals.
Those people seemed docile on the surface, but harbored ulterior motives; they were utter destabilizing factors.
'The Mound-Guarding Lord. I seem to have heard that title before, though I know not who he truly was.'
'Yet if this method of bearing the Dao through phantoms is genuine... then to that Lord, it would surely be a tremendous boon.'
Meanwhile, figures that could be approached first for alliance flashed continuously through Immortal Wu's mind.
True Immortals who had been killing one another all along suddenly turning to cooperate with the Shuo Star Sea...
Although theoretically the best choice, years of deep-seated hatred could not necessarily be cast aside overnight.
To prevent pointless deaths from happening again, he had to act with all haste.
...
Each lost in a thousand thoughts, the two departed the star domain where the Great Wall stood.
And Li Fan also disengaged from spying on their thoughts.
From invoking the phantom's power so frequently, Li Buren's current condition was frankly abysmal.
He had no choice but to absorb another immortal domain chess piece as replenishment.
The avatar puppet was one thing, but far worse was the infiltration of the Dao Annihilation Tribulation.
Not merely in the Pitch-Black Star Sea where the Xuanhuang Realm resided;
even within this experimental ground, among the surviving cubical star seas that still held life, three in ten had already begun to manifest the black qi of Dao Annihilation.
The ripples warning that the tide of Dao Annihilation was on the brink of erupting were not fabricated by Li Fan to frighten Qian Ruochang and Immortal Wu.
Ripples like these could not be faked, even with the aid of the Mound-Guarding Lord's phantom.
"If I invoke it like this a few more times, the heavens will truly collapse in an instant.
"Unless I can find a Nameless Immortal to shoulder part of the pressure."
Thinking this, Li Fan could not help turning his gaze toward the remaining immortal domain chess pieces within the phantom space.
"When the chess pieces gather, the immortal domain manifests, and the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar emerges.
"The core of this heavenly pillar is the bone of a Nameless True Immortal. When it previously appeared in the Xuanhuang Realm, it caused the world to collapse in an instant.
"Yet within this Mound-Guarding Lord's phantom space, there will likely be no room for it to run wild.
"Since it bears the name of a heavenly pillar, it ought to fulfill a heavenly pillar's duty."
Li Fan had already come to a decision.
All things have two sides. As the avatar puppet frequently invoked the power of the Mound-Guarding Lord's phantom, his body suffered grievous damage from bearing energy far beyond its limits.
Yet at the same time, as Li Buren's appearance came to increasingly resemble the Mound-Guarding Lord, his manipulation of the phantom's power also became much more adept.
"Even a living Nameless True Immortal could be suppressed with a single hand, let alone a mere piece of bone."
Naturally, Li Fan also knew the consequences of making a bargain with a tiger.
The Mound-Guarding Lord was the strongest entity he had encountered to date.
Even if he had transcended long ago to other possibilities, given that Black Heavenly Physician and Sinister Su Bai could sense their counterparts in other possibilities, the Mound-Guarding Lord would surely be able, to some extent, to sense that the phantom power he once left behind was being invoked.
The reason he was still willing to take this risk was precisely because of the "virtue" the Mound-Guarding Lord had demonstrated.
Leaving this phantom power behind had been done to help the people of this realm resist the great catastrophe.
Borrowing it to suppress a Nameless True Immortal and bolster defensive power could also be seen as according with the Mound-Guarding Lord's original intent.
"Moreover, the Immortal Realm of the primordial possibility was destroyed ten thousand years ago. If the Mound-Guarding Lord truly still cared about this realm, he should have returned to look long ago.
"If he has not appeared to this day, he is even less likely to show himself over such a minor stir."
Naturally, none of these gambles was the primary reason.
At root, it was Li Fan's confidence born of possessing Revert to the True.
Even if the Mound-Guarding Lord traversed possibilities, Li Fan was confident he could activate Revert to the True and retreat.
Within the Pitch-Black Star Sea, those obscure ripples grew ever more frequent.
Like violent waves relentlessly crashing against the shore.
A scene of precarious peril, like a great mansion on the verge of collapse.
"There is no time to lose.
"If it fails, I can only Revert to the True.
"In any case, I have already gathered enough valuable information." Li Fan's eyes flickered.
When Qian Ruochang finally withdrew, his mind had at last revealed a flaw.
Li Fan had captured the silhouette of the mastermind behind the Dao Net.
Even if the specific identity remained unknown, a faint shadow had been left behind.
If they met in this starry sky in the future, Li Fan would recognize him in an instant.
Of course, that was on the premise of having the empowerment of the Mound-Guarding Lord's phantom.
The true body sent the chess piece formed from the True Cauldron of the Medicine King—the missing piece to assemble the immortal domain—into the space within the experimental ground where the phantoms resided.
At the same time, leaving behind another object, he quietly departed.
Arriving in the Xuanhuang Realm, he prepared to activate Revert to the True at any moment.
Meanwhile, Li Buren once more took his seat upon the grandmaster chair. Concentrating his mind, he watched his own body disintegrate inch by inch.
Leaving only a net-like, faint starlight resting upon the chair.
This was him extracting himself from the body formed of immortal domain chess pieces, projecting the Dao Net with divine sense to operate the phantom's power.
"The upper limit of the power I can control has plummeted once again.
"However, the immortal domain unfolds within the phantom space. This is already enough."
Li Buren made an initial assessment.
Lacking a physical body and existing only as divine sense did not affect him much.
Instead, freed from the constraints of the body, he vaguely felt that the various great Daos reflected by his divine sense became somewhat clearer.
A total of thirteen immortal domain chess pieces gathered together.
Six of them had previously merged into multicolored hues.
After Li Buren cast them in this time, another six merged with one another.
Add to that the crucial catalyst that was the True Cauldron of the Medicine King...
An immortal domain manifested in the world once more!
Only, compared to the earth-shattering commotion when it previously appeared in the Xuanhuang Realm, here within the phantom space, under the simultaneous gaze of the five phantoms of the Mound-Guarding Lord,
this unfolding of the immortal domain appeared utterly tranquil and unruffled.
It did not seem like a corner of the ancient Immortal Realm, but rather like an ordinary mortal cultivation world.
Yet when the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar at the center of the immortal domain was revealed, it still triggered a slight tremor.
Li Buren even faintly perceived that the phantoms of the Mound-Guarding Lord seemed to shift their gaze toward it.
The phantom space was under the suppression of the Mound-Guarding Lord's power.
The stone monument could not absorb external objects.
It merely stood in silence.
At this moment, Li Buren cast in the object the true body had left behind earlier.
A single stone stirred a thousand ripples!
The serene stone monument shuddered violently.
Cracks surfaced across it one after another, as though something was striving to break free from within!
And hovering above the stone monument of its own accord was none other than the object Li Fan had retrieved from the space of Revert to the True—
the other bone of a Nameless True Immortal that had been smuggled along with him!
Two identical bones appearing at the very same time.
It seemed to trigger an unfathomable and wondrous transformation.
Ripples incessantly echoed throughout the phantom space.
The gaze cast down by the phantoms of the Mound-Guarding Lord shifted and converged ever more intently.
In the immortal domain, the stone monument shattered with a boom, and the previously stable immortal domain space seemed to boil over in an instant.
All manner of light and shadow distorted, smearing outward.
And at the center of the myriad fragments, remarkably, two identical bones were overlapping!
The fusion of the bones of a Nameless True Immortal was unlike the fusion of two ordinary identical wondrous items, which merely left one behind with an appearance indistinguishable from before.
Instead, it was as if upon the original bone, new tissue was beginning to grow!
Chapter 1472