"Without the Xuanhuang Realm, there is no Jinggu Cangyuan."
"And without Jinggu Cangyuan, our clan cannot cross possibilities. We can only wait in despair to die in that place where Dao Annihilation draws near." Di Sanmo's tone was calm, but his aged eyes, filled with boundless wisdom, remained fixed on Li Fan.
"That is hardly certain, is it? I recall you mentioning that your clan possesses the means to fuse as one within a crucible. Since you were capable of traversing possibilities, then the fusion entity formed after the myriad beasts unite should likewise be able to accomplish it. Why bother begging others?" Li Fan spoke in a casual manner, yet he slowly raised his right index finger, blocking Di Sanmo's line of sight.
A small sphere of bronze energy abruptly materialized at the tip of his finger. It was none other than the Jinggu Cangyuan that Di Sanmo had sought with bitter diligence!
Di Sanmo's pupils shrank. Yet before he could utter a word, the bronze sphere shattered like a phantom bubble, vanishing without a trace.
Knowing full well that Li Fan had done this deliberately, Di Sanmo took a deep breath and confessed the truth. "It is not that we are unwilling, but that we truly cannot."
"The method Kuying and I used to traverse possibilities possesses immense limitations..."
"Not only can it transport only a single consciousness at a time, but it also carries the peril of being lost forever in the turbulence of space and time."
Li Fan offered no reply, still watching Di Sanmo in silence.
Helplessness washed over Di Sanmo's face. "After Wan Shiyong died, Kuying moved about under his identity and traveled beyond the Great Wall. Over the years, after countless trials, he joined the Immortal Hunters."
"This is the most powerful faction in the Shuo Star Sea outside the Great Wall. Cultivators among them possess a treasure known as the World-Crossing Black Coffin. The members of the Immortal Hunters seem unaware of its true origins, merely regarding it as an imitation. Kuying, however, could sense vibrations from our clan originating from another possibility within that black coffin."
"Perhaps it is because our clan has traversed possibilities so many times that our senses are keener than those of ordinary beings..."
As Di Sanmo spoke, Li Fan suddenly gave a light flick of his sleeve. "Could it be this object?"
A pitch-black coffin materialized directly before Di Sanmo.
Di Sanmo was stunned at first, but once he saw it clearly, his expression underwent a drastic shift.
This black coffin was precisely the one Li Buren had previously confiscated, inside which Immortal Wu and Qian Ruochang had sheltered.
Furthermore, the Shuo Star Sea faction seemed to have kept the existence of Li Fan, this "Hidden Emperor," strictly veiled. Though Di Sanmo had an inside informant in "Wan Shiyong," he had no inkling that the monumental upheaval that had swept through the Shuo Star Sea over the past century was intimately tied to the "senior" standing before him.
"This World-Crossing Black Coffin was crafted from the shed mortal remains of human transcendents, which is why it can make the crossing to the other shore. However, it requires a specific technique to coordinate with it. You certainly did not possess that technique, yet you managed to push the vessel's utility to its utmost limits and complete the crossing... You truly possess some measure of skill," Li Fan remarked indifferently. With a casual wave, he put the World-Crossing Black Coffin away once more, offering Di Sanmo no chance to inspect it closely.
Though this coffin was genuine, Li Fan had severed its spirituality, rendering it incapable of traversing possibilities. At a glance, it might fool Di Sanmo. But were it left out for too long, Di Sanmo would inevitably spot something amiss.
The coffin's appearance served as further proof of Li Fan's unfathomable might.
Di Sanmo's resolve hardened even further. "Senior displayed tremendous divine abilities when saving me before. With Senior's prowess..."
"Indeed. I am capable of helping your clan make the crossing. But why should I? As the saying goes, those who are not of our kind are sure to be of a different heart. A glorious era where all thirteen Primordial Dao Manifestations are intact... If I help you complete the crossing, would I not be inviting wolves into my home?" Li Fan interrupted Di Sanmo.
Having come specifically to lobby Li Fan, Di Sanmo had long prepared his rhetoric. "We anticipated Senior's reservations beforehand. However, please rest assured, Senior. In the possibility where we currently reside, there exists an object called the Myriad Beasts Reincarnation Wheel!"
"This wheel is, in truth, the former Myriad Beasts Crucible. It witnessed the entire process of our clan's life moving from myriad to one, and then from one returning to myriad. Thus, it possesses an authority that stands above the lifeforms of our clan..."
As he spoke, Di Sanmo's long eyebrows and hair began to flutter without any wind, drifting through the air.
Beard and hair intertwined, forming a circular loop. The phantom of a wheel materialized from within the circle.
Within that phantom before him, Li Fan seemed to behold hundreds of millions of diverse strange beasts roaring in fierce competition.
"The entire clan is governed by this wheel, even the thirteen Primordial Dao Manifestations..."
"Apart from the first five Dao Manifestations that perished at the hands of the nameless True Immortals of humanity, the remaining eight are also bound by this wheel's constraints."
"Bo Fuzhu, who merged with hundreds of millions of our kin, was deepest affected by the crucible, which naturally goes without saying. As for Primordial Dao Manifestations such as Quechenxi and Jiliangshou, when they aided the clan in repeatedly traversing possibilities and approached the verge of extinction, they also merged a portion of themselves into the crucible. Though it was not the Primordial Dao Manifestations from that glorious era's possibility who did all this, strictly speaking, there is no fundamental difference among them."
"With this wheel in hand, Senior's worries will surely be resolved," Di Sanmo explained with an untroubled expression.
The illusory image of the wheel gradually solidified, turning into a tangible entity that Di Sanmo respectfully presented before Li Fan.
Li Fan gazed at the patterns upon the wheel, feeling the surging, magnificent aura of myriad beasts stampeding across the wilds. In previous cycles of Samsara, he had seen a Myriad Beasts Reincarnation Wheel as well—though that had merely been the one from the legacy of the Beast Taming Sect.
Compared to the one presented personally by Di Sanmo, that earlier wheel paled considerably.
After a thorough inspection, Li Fan found that Di Sanmo had spoken no falsehoods. Holding the wheel, detailed visions seemed to unfold before his eyes depicting the entire process of beast lifeforms emerging from nothingness. Even Di Sanmo and Di Yi were among them.
The profound mysteries of the beast clan's life held no more secrets in Li Fan's eyes. He could manipulate them at will.
"Heheheh. Di San, does your clan on that side know of your deed in offering up this Myriad Beasts Reincarnation Wheel?" Li Fan scrutinized the wise beast before him with an amused expression.
Di Sanmo bowed his head and replied placidly, "Naturally, they do not. In fact, they are entirely unaware that such an object as the Myriad Beasts Reincarnation Wheel even exists in the world."
"Then will you not bear the eternal infamy of being a traitor to your kind?"
"Heh, I have worn such a title for tens of thousands of years. Bearing it once more is of no great consequence." Di Sanmo genuinely appeared not to care in the slightest.
He looked toward Li Fan with utter sincerity. "Compared to the continuation of the clan, all else is not worth mentioning."
Li Fan fell silent in contemplation, momentarily unable to ascertain the true thoughts hidden within this wise beast.
Regardless, he had no intention of relinquishing the lavish feast represented by the thirteen Primordial Dao Manifestations.
'With the current strength of my avatar, Li Buren, he could probably only contend with one of the Primordial Dao Manifestations. But that is merely under ordinary conditions. If I were to fully unseal the power of the Mound-Guarding Lord's phantom...'
'Even if it further accelerates the crisis of the Dao Annihilation Tribulation descending upon the Pitch-Black Star Sea, it would be well worth it if I can secure the chance to feast upon thirteen Great Daos.'
'Whether this Myriad Beasts Reincarnation Wheel proves useful or not, I will have plenty of ways to deal thoroughly with those Dao Manifestations...' Countless thoughts flashed through Li Fan's mind in an instant.
Then he burst into hearty laughter. "Very good. As they say, he who recognizes the times is a hero. Di San, you truly live up to your role as the incarnation of your clan's wisdom."
Li Fan's expression abruptly shifted. "I will not conceal it from you. Your clan's thirteen Dao Manifestations are indeed of great use to me..."
As he spoke, Li Fan deliberately assumed a countenance rife with greed and yearning.
"I must eventually return to my homeland."
"Furthermore, those two scoundrels who nearly brought my ancestral realm to ruin—I will slay them both with my own hands." Li Fan lightly tapped the air, and an image formed ahead displaying the figures of the Black Heavenly Physician and Sinister Su Bai.
Li Fan stared at the two silhouettes and paused. "Yet it must be admitted that, at present, there remains a gap in strength between myself and them. But I inherit a supreme orthodox lineage; so long as I am granted some time and resources..."
He concluded with a cold chuckle, leaving Di Sanmo with boundless room for imagination.
'A supreme orthodox lineage.' Di Sanmo indeed astutely picked up on the key point in Li Fan's words.
In the past history Li Fan had fabricated for himself, his homeland had seen its Immortal Realm shattered, yet it had left behind numerous lineages in the lower realms that could temporarily resist the Dao Annihilation Tribulation.
Moreover, Li Fan's ability to forge Jinggu Cangyuan out of thin air served as the finest proof that he had inherited a supreme lineage. Di Sanmo had no choice but to believe it.
"Does Senior mean to say that the Primordial Dao Manifestations are the resources you require?" the wise beast asked quietly.
Li Fan nodded haughtily in acknowledgment.
"You need not worry that I will lay hands upon your ordinary kin. Only Dao Manifestations, born as natural incarnations of the Great Dao, serve as my nourishment."
"To choose to betray the Primordial Dao Manifestations and preserve the lives of the vast majority of your clan, or to watch them all perish within the tide of Dao Annihilation..."
"Make your choice."
Di Sanmo answered swiftly: "My answer will not change. I weighed the stakes thoroughly on the journey here."
"The only thing I did not expect was that Senior could assimilate and utilize the forms of the Great Dao. If compared to human cultivators, would that not make you..."
Li Fan smiled grimly. "Sometimes, being too clever is not a good thing."
His figure appeared beside Di Sanmo like a ghost, his palm pressing down upon the beast's head.
Di Sanmo felt as though a mountain range had crashed down upon him, rendering him instantly immobile.
It felt as if a carving knife were relentlessly sculpting and cutting into his mind. Even with his vast experience, he could hardly endure such agony.
The physical torment arrived abruptly and departed just as swiftly. A moment later, he was restored to normal.
The pain just now felt entirely like an illusion. Yet lingering within his sea of mind was a faint shadow resembling Li Fan, an imprint that refused to disperse.
No matter how he tried to steady his inner self, that shadow stood towering over his mind.
"It is merely a minor restrictive measure; you need not be alarmed. So long as you proceed according to plan, all will be well."
"Otherwise..."
Li Fan gave an enigmatic laugh. "I would not mind letting you test it with the lives of your entire clan."
Di Sanmo's expression turned solemn. He lowered his head and protested that he would never dare.
Next, after discussing the general details of the reception plan with Di Sanmo, Li Fan inquired about the crux of the matter: "How much Jinggu Cangyuan is needed to traverse possibilities?"
Di Sanmo produced a bizarre mask. "Judging by our past experience, filling this divine mask will suffice."
Li Fan drew the mask toward himself with his energy. After sensing its nature, he said indifferently, "Agreed. Three days from now, I will hand it over to you fully loaded with Jinggu Cangyuan."
"Additionally..."
"When you traverse possibilities this time, wear this item along the way."
Di Sanmo looked closely and saw a sculpture quietly hovering before his eyes, crafted from some unknown material.
Mountains and sea nestled against each other. And atop the mountain peaks, there seemed to stand a figure with his hands clasped behind his back.
The moment he touched the sculpture, the manifestation of mountains and sea melted into his body, rendering it impossible to discern where it was concealed.
"You may take your leave."
Having been dismissed, Di Sanmo's vision blurred, and he found himself back within the Xuanhuang Realm.
He did not leave, but quietly remained in place, waiting.
As he stood there, he surveyed the surrounding scenery. Compared to a century ago, it had undergone a world-shaking transformation.
The heavens were loftier and more expansive, but most prominent was that pervasive, vibrant vitality.
For a moment, Di Sanmo felt somewhat dazed, as if he had returned to the ancient era before the calamity descended.
'If our clan could thrive and multiply here, it would truly be a blessing.'
'Though it cannot endure forever, it remains a temporary paradise.'
'Moreover, so long as there is sufficient Jinggu Cangyuan, even if this place ceases to be habitable one day, we can seek out another.'
Di Sanmo pondered quietly in his heart.
...
Inside the Heavenly Pillar space.
Li Buren stood with a solemn expression, eyes closed. He acted as the bridge connecting the true body and the power of the Mound-Guarding Lord's phantom.
As a form of energy capable of sustaining the crossing of possibilities, Jinggu Cangyuan was undeniably of the highest grade. Creating enough out of nothingness to fill an entire mask was by no means an easy feat.
Even for the present Li Fan, it was somewhat taxing.
Hence, he needed to borrow strength.
Of course, Li Fan would not permit the phantom of the Mound-Guarding Lord or the power of the other Heavenly Pillars to directly touch the "false becoming true" of Revert to the True. Instead, he channeled and converted the energy through the Dao Net linking avatar and true body.
After a century of quiet Dao contemplation, the steadily expanding myriad manifestations of Mo Sha had already granted Li Fan's true body the capacity to bear the power of the Mound-Guarding Lord's phantom.
The boundless, matchless power of mountains and sea used Li Buren as a conduit, transferring into the great net woven by the Mo Sha Dao manifestations.
It was just as Li Fan had anticipated.
Mo Sha and Dao Annihilation shared an underlying similarity in nature, both belonging to the transformation of mountains and sea fusing together.
As if sharing the same root and origin, the power of the Mound-Guarding Lord's phantom underwent conversion without the slightest obstruction. Within the great net Li Fan had woven, power surged like racing stars and rushing torrents, descending in an instant.
It was just like applying "false becoming true" to himself to achieve a multifold increase in strength.
Power surged out of nowhere, inexhaustible and limitless.
'False becoming true...'
The memories and sensations of creating Jinggu Cangyuan out of nothingness back then resurfaced in his mind.
Li Fan chanted silently within his heart.
Before him, specks of bronze light were continuously born out of the void.
Items created by Li Fan's own "false becoming true" divine ability would only endure for several breaths before dissipating entirely, leaving behind only a minuscule residue.
Yet after a century of comprehending the Dao, the proportion that remained had risen significantly—surging from roughly one ten-thousandth to five ten-thousandths.
And now, bolstered by external power and leaping in strength to the Nameless realm, that retention rate made another monumental leap to five-thousandths!
Even though there was still a loss of nine hundred and ninety-five thousandths,
in the face of an "infinite" nature, such losses could be entirely disregarded.
Pushing the Mo Sha Myriad Manifestations Dao Net to its maximum capacity, Li Fan immersed himself in the experience of creation.
With every drop of light born, his comprehension of the transformation of true and false advanced another step.
...
Three days later.
Di Sanmo was summoned once again.
A mask was hurled toward him, and he caught it instinctively.
The surging, familiar aura emanating from the mask made the aged, wise beast tremble slightly.
In his eyes, what was held within was not merely an energy source, but the hope of survival for his entire clan.
"I will not fail Senior's trust,"
Di Sanmo said solemnly.
If there had still been a shred of hesitation in his heart before, then seeing an entire mask filled with Jinggu Cangyuan dispelled any lingering doubt.
'So long as we possess enough of this energy, we can perpetually seek new safe havens until the entire mortal world is wiped out. At the very least, until then, the clan can always be kept safe without needing to gamble.'
'In comparison...'
'The sacrifice of a few Primordial Dao Manifestations is completely insignificant.'
Di Sanmo's inner resolve remained concealed beneath his turbid gaze as he set off once more toward the border of the Shuo Star Sea.
...
Watching Di Sanmo's departing figure, Li Fan sensed the beast's location in his mind and nodded slightly.
The mark he had left in Di Sanmo's mind was an insight gained over the past century from comprehending the Dao of "Carve."
He did not expect it to remain effective once Di Sanmo crossed possibilities; it only needed to track everything that occurred within the World-Crossing Black Coffin. That way, even if Di Sanmo tried to double-cross him, Li Fan could seek out that possibility where the thirteen Dao Manifestations existed on his own.
Even if he found himself in enemy territory and lacked sufficient strength, so long as he confirmed their exact location,
he would have plenty of ways to deal with them in the future.
Moreover, in Li Fan's assessment, the likelihood of Di Sanmo betraying the plan was exceedingly slim.
'I can make preparations in advance.' A faint excitement rose in his heart.
Only after truly digesting the Great Dao contained within a Nameless entity did Li Fan realize how immense the elevation was to himself.
In terms of cultivation realm, Li Fan's true body remained at the "Half-Immortal" realm.
Yet as long as that Mo Sha Dao Net unfolded, he could easily capture opponents whose "weight" was below his own.
The so-called "weight"
was Li Fan's description of the share his cultivated path occupied within the Great Dao of heaven and earth.
There was no quantified metric for it; he anchored it purely through perception.
Just like the Dao of "Carve" he had glimpsed from Situ Xing's memories: though incomplete, it originated from a Nameless entity who had united with the Dao. The weight of that Dao was roughly equivalent to half a Nameless entity,
far beyond what ordinary True Immortals could match.
And this was merely one aspect within Li Fan's Mo Sha Dao Net.
Formless, Hunger, Creation, Primordial Beginning...
Various Daos were distributed throughout different corners of the Dao Net.
Using these comprehended Dao principles as counterweights was enough to support Li Fan in wrestling with true Nameless True Immortals without falling into a disadvantage.
This had already been verified through occasional spars with his avatar over the past century.
Strictly speaking, this was not Li Fan's own power, but rather "adapting to local conditions and turning the enemy's force against them."
Were he to leave the current possibility, the available counterweights within the Dao Net might empty in an instant.
Yet at the very least, within the "Primordial" possibility, Li Fan was practically in a half-step invincible state through this technique.
Apart from those ancient monsters who had survived the Great Calamity of the Immortal Realm, Li Fan feared nothing else.
'The Mound-Guarding Lord's phantom. My own Dao Net.'
'Every time I suppress and devour a Nameless entity, both can be vastly strengthened.'
'The strength of the Mound-Guarding Lord's phantom has an upper limit. But my Mo Sha Myriad Manifestations Dao Net is endless. Or perhaps its limit is my ideal: all three thousand Great Daos converging into my person.'
Li Fan was thoroughly pleased with the harvest from his century of closed-door cultivation.
Having tasted sweetness, his gaze could not help but turn toward the adjacent Shuo Star Sea.
Due to the time disparity caused by traversing different possibilities, by the time news came from Di Sanmo, another century might well have passed.
Li Fan could not simply sit and wait during this interval.
The Shuo Star Sea, having reached a preliminary cooperation agreement with the remaining True Immortals and now gathering True Immortals in great numbers, was naturally his ideal hunting ground.
Over the past century, Immortal Wu had consistently reported progress between the two sides to him.
Though somewhat slow, driven by the joint efforts of certain factions, the Immortal Hunters and the True Immortals had gradually set aside their former grudges, agreeing to jointly shoulder the responsibility of resisting Dao Annihilation.
After all, the Immortal Hunters' promised condition—to release all True Immortals and even Nameless True Immortals imprisoned within the depths of the Dao Net—was exceedingly sincere.
However, the prerequisite was that before departing the Dao Net, one had to use the method of "Phantom Bearing the Dao" to leave behind a Dao-bearing phantom.
The sole drawback of a Dao-bearing phantom was that when achieving true great transcendence in the future, one had to retrieve the phantom.
Even the Mound-Guarding Lord had not yet managed to accomplish this, let alone these prisoners.
Thus, they all agreed.
'They haven't disclosed the list of True Immortals to be released, though.'
Concealed behind the Great Wall, Li Fan gazed toward the Shuo Star Sea not far away.
Over the century, his continuous siphon of the Shuo Star Sea's Dao principles to nourish the frail and depleted Pitch-Black Star Sea had produced only a minuscule effect, yet the unusual disturbance had still caught the attention of the Shuo Star Sea. They had sent people to investigate several times,
only to be frightened away by Li Fan's strikes.
'Having endured it several times, they cannot endure it forever.'
'Let me add another spark to the fire.'
For Li Fan, fighting near the Great Wall conferred an absolute geographical advantage. Therefore, any plan was best executed by drawing the battlefield here.
His mind set, the path into which Li Buren had transformed opened its cavernous maw once more.
Like a bottomless ocean trench, it swallowed the Dao principles of the Shuo Star Sea like a whale.
This time, Li Fan held nothing back. The momentum was so colossal that it formed a warped ring of light directly near the Great Wall.
The Shuo Star Sea was instantly alerted.
After a brief silence, two figures approached together.
One of them was Immortal Wu.
The other figure was someone Li Fan had never seen before.
Yet this person possessed not the slightest aura of a True Immortal. Instead, wherever he passed, ripples of Dao principles stirred across the starry sky, like a colossal beast swimming beneath the water's surface.
'He came here to put on a show of force.' Li Fan felt amused.
This person evidently belonged to the Immortal Hunters.
Given the mastery over the Dao Net he exhibited, it was impossible for his travel to cause such massive disturbances unintentionally.
Li Fan quietly observed the aftershocks of the Dao Net.
'A Dao Net woven over countless tens of thousands of years with Nameless True Immortals as its pillars. Indeed, its might is formidable, far surpassing my current Myriad Manifestations Dao Net.'
'However...'
'To cause such a clamor is far too brazen!'
With a thought from Li Fan, the power of Wuji erupted abruptly.
It transformed into a colossal hand, lunging toward that Immortal Hunter.
Chapter 1490