"In the past, Immortal Emperor Zhaiyang paid his respects to Sacred Lord Taiyi. Though his luck was lacking and he never beheld the Sacred Lord's face, he was fortunate enough to be bestowed a scroll of scripture."
"Later, because I rendered meritorious service resisting Dao Annihilation, Immortal Emperor Zhaiyang bestowed this scripture upon me."
"At the time, the Immortal Emperor remarked that this scripture had been penned by the Sacred Lord Himself and was exceedingly profound. Pitying mortals who found it difficult to comprehend, Sacred Lord Taiyi commanded you, Great Venerable, to annotate it..."
Shanhua spoke at breakneck speed, for his sharp eyes had spotted something terrifying: the immortals from the Shuo Star Sea who had accompanied him, as well as the reinforcements from the Guangwu Star Sea, were now all gradually turning into miniature Heavenly Pillars.
It seemed the might of Great Venerable Wuji was truly dreadful. Among the gathered immortals were those no weaker than himself, yet without even a shred of resistance, their forces had been virtually wiped out.
Overwhelmed by palpable terror, Shanhua hurried to produce the scripture he believed could save his life.
*Chapter of the Initial Opening of Mountain and Sea*!
Li Fan looked at the scroll hovering above Shanhua's head. With a wave of his broad sleeve, he drew it into his hand.
Indeed, from the myriad tiny characters inscribed upon it, he felt the aura belonging to Wuji.
"In that case, could it be that you and I share a bit of past connection?"
While perusing the scripture, Li Fan simply adopted the identity of Great Venerable Wuji and spoke placidly.
"Great Venerable truly possesses piercing discernment!" Shanhua nodded repeatedly.
In his mind, however, he rapidly turned over every scrap of information regarding this Great Venerable who served beneath a Sage.
The Four Sacred Lords of the Immortal Realm existed almost exclusively in legend. Even for successive Immortal Emperors, catching a glimpse of them was extraordinarily difficult.
Yet aside from Sacred Lord Jingfen, each of the other three Sacred Lords had spokespersons beneath them.
Among them, the Great Venerable Wuji before him was reputed to be the easiest to converse with.
So long as one complied with him in everything, coaxed him, and preferably wove some personal connection into the conversation, one could usually win the Great Venerable's delight.
"This scroll, *Chapter of the Initial Opening of Mountain and Sea*, was composed by Sacred Lord Taiyi after being moved by watching the two Sacred Lords Lianshan and Guihai forge the vast Immortal Realm from nothingness. The words within are mystical beyond measure, nearly transcending above the Dao itself. I, Shanhua, possess dull aptitude; without your annotations, Great Venerable, even with this precious scripture in hand, I could never comprehend its profundities."
"Great Venerable, you are truly my mentor!"
"When Immortal Emperor Zhaiyang handed this scripture to me back then, he also said that your attainment in Dao arts far surpassed his own. Truly worthy of being a disciple of a Sacred Lord!" At this moment, Shanhua could not care less about the long-deceased former Immortal Emperor; the lies tumbled effortlessly from his lips.
Amid Shanhua's sweet-sounding flattery, Li Fan scrutinized the scripture in his grasp.
In a sense, Shanhua was not lying.
Although this *Chapter of the Initial Opening of Mountain and Sea* depicted the founding of the Immortal Realm within the Sea of Infinity and atop Mount Shangfang, it also contained an abundance of Sacred Lord Taiyi's personal insights from witnessing those momentous events.
It was exceedingly similar to the *Mound-Guarding Jottings* Li Fan had acquired before.
However, compared to the Mound-Guarding Lord's direct, unvarnished expression that called things as they were, Sacred Lord Taiyi was far more "literary and sentimental." Throughout the entire scripture, there was virtually no plain depiction; instead, it was filled with countless seemingly nonsensical words and phrases.
Had it not been personally penned by Sacred Lord Taiyi, Li Fan would almost have mistaken it for the raving lunacy of a madman.
This world-astonishing scripture seemed not to have been written for worldly mortals at all. The immortals of the Immortal Realm fell squarely within the realm of mortals in this sense. Perhaps only the other Sacred Lords were fit to be its readers—
That was, had there been no annotations by Wuji.
After all, Great Venerable Wuji—namely Archmage Tiandu—had served before Sacred Lord Taiyi for countless ages. Under his direct tutelage, he understood the Sacred Lord's thoughts far more readily than ordinary people ever could.
While his annotations might not match the Sacred Lord's original intent with absolute perfection, they were nine times out of ten on the mark.
Looking at the scripture alone, Li Fan truly could not make sense of it.
Yet with the aid of the Archmage's annotations, he was barely able to glimpse Sacred Lord Taiyi's state of mind.
In one passage:
The moment Sacred Lord Lianshan became the world's first immortal, every living being in existence at that time benefited more or less from it. All living beings were immersed in immense joy. Only Sacred Lord Taiyi, while feeling faint delight, felt an equal measure of apprehension welling up within. At the time, Sacred Lord Taiyi could not understand where this apprehension stemmed from.
Another passage recounted how, after opening the Spring of Infinity, Sacred Lord Guihai invited Sacred Lords such as Lianshan and Taiyi to witness the occasion. Guihai teasingly said to Lianshan, "Brother, do you know which is taller: the mountain or the sea? If not, we shall wait and see." Lianshan smiled and replied, "Though the mountain is high and the sea is deep, an immortal can stand upon the mountain's peak and also tread upon the Spring of Infinity. Hence, the immortal is the highest." Guihai clapped his hands and laughed. In a trance, Sacred Lord Taiyi faintly saw the howling visages of mountain and sea upon the two Sacred Lords before him, and for a moment felt a deep, chilling dread.
...
With the aid of this *Chapter of the Initial Opening of Mountain and Sea*, Li Fan felt as though he had returned to the dawn of the Immortal Realm's creation, personally experiencing primeval past events through the eyes of Sacred Lord Taiyi.
Beyond matters concerning the various Sacred Lords and the newborn Immortal Realm, this scripture also described certain innate beings and the Absolute Beginning Immortal Realm.
That was an almost boundless, wild continent. Across the continent roamed numerous wondrous innate beings. Some of these beings were manifestations of Great Daos, some were bizarre objects that had developed consciousness, and others were "humans."
Yet these "humans" in the Absolute Beginning Immortal Realm were vastly more powerful than today's mortals. Perhaps because they were nurtured directly by heaven and earth, these "humans" could hunt the Dao-bearing innate beings across the continent, digesting and absorbing them for their own use.
However, as time passed, the "humans" realized that this crude, brute-force consumption could not grant them true mastery over these Daos. Once they died, the Daos returned to heaven and earth. Nor could they pass down the "Dao" through procreation. Thus, "humans" began to ponder ways to truly control the Dao.
They began to study and emulate those Dao-bearing innate beings across the continent. Some, in order to master a Dao path, even abandoned their human forms entirely. Over the long ages, countless "races" began to emerge and evolve, while the innate beings gradually faded into seclusion due to the covetous eyes of "humans."
The *Chapter of the Initial Opening of Mountain and Sea* did not explicitly reveal Sacred Lord Taiyi's true identity. Yet from various details, one could deduce that Sacred Lord Taiyi had not originally been "human," but rather born from an innate being.
...
"Still, once one's strength reaches Sacred Lord Taiyi's level, what form of life one takes no longer matters."
"So long as one desires, one can adopt ten thousand transformations at any moment."
Like the *Mound-Guarding Jottings*, the *Chapter of the Initial Opening of Mountain and Sea* was vast and profound. It would require a great deal of time and careful contemplation to truly comprehend.
Although Shanhua had offered up such a magnificent gift, Li Fan had no intention of sparing him.
This Dao of Shanhua carried a strong nuance of illusion becoming reality. It would be most fitting for filling the Myriad Manifestations Dao Net.
And Shanhua the Nameless possessed exceedingly sharp intuition.
He could actually sense Li Fan's hostile intention. Looking at the countless Heavenly Pillars standing around him, cold sweat pouring down, he blurted out, "Great Venerable, do you require True Immortals to serve as Heavenly Pillars?"
"There are still many surviving True Immortals in the Shuo Star Sea! And in the Guangwu Star Sea, the number of gathered True Immortals is even greater! I am willing to serve as your vanguard, Great Venerable!"
Hearing this, Li Fan's eyes flickered, and he temporarily stayed the hand about to descend.
Though he had suppressed quite a few True Immortals this time, their quality was somewhat disappointing.
Most were merely ordinary True Immortals; only two were at the Nameless realm.
One wielded the Dao of [Shared Prosperity]. The master of this Dao rule could enjoy all the benefits brought by the prosperity of the faction he belonged to, while granting his peers within the faction a certain degree of power amplification.
Yet he himself was immune to the negative effects brought by the faction's decline. Even if the faction he attached himself to perished, he could withdraw at his ease. His core principle was sharing blessings, but never misfortunes.
Although this Great Dao's capability seemed somewhat niche, its amplification effect was actually terrifying. It flourished continuously, snowballing with cumulative boosts. The Nameless of Shared Prosperity had once been an honored guest of multiple governing Immortal Emperors.
Had it not encountered an insurmountable force of nature like the Dao Annihilation Tribulation, the Immortal Realm might truly have developed and prospered without limit.
As for the other Nameless True Immortal Li Fan had suppressed this time, it was [Divine Thought]. Even when star seas were cut off from each other by the Dao Annihilation Tribulation, one could rely on the Dao of Divine Thought to locate surviving pockets of civilization in isolated corners.
It was through Divine Thought that the Guangwu Star Sea and the Nameless True Immortal named [Kuixing] had been contacted.
...
"To say these Great Daos are useless would be unfair."
"However..."
"Their strength is indeed rather underwhelming. Perhaps the truly powerful among the Nameless True Immortals have already fled to other possibilities."
At this thought, Li Fan grew considerably more interested in the remaining Nameless within the Shuo Star Sea faction.
"Aside from Shanhua, there are Chaos and Ni."
"As well as that giant blue hand who forged the Dao Net."
Having begun extracting memories from the suppressed True Immortals, Li Fan had acquired a preliminary understanding of this mysterious figure.
Unlike other Nameless who interacted openly with the Dao paths they had proven, the Nameless who had single-handedly forged the Shuo Star Sea's Dao Net had never revealed their true identity. Whenever appearing, they replaced their form with a blue silhouette of light, and the immortals were utterly unable to discern what Dao path this person commanded.
The few True Immortals suppressed within the Shuo Star Sea's Dao Net likely knew their true identity. Yet even after the True Immortals and the Immortal Hunt later joined forces, they were never released, remaining firmly suppressed deep within the Dao Net.
...
Li Fan could not help thinking of the castellan of the City of Ultimate Bliss.
He had almost forgotten that he still had an agreement with that True Immortal.
*Soon. Just wait a bit longer, and I will set you free.*
*This Shanhua is indeed still of some use right now, so there's no rush to seal him into a Heavenly Pillar. In any case, as Di Sanmo said, the return of those thirteen Primordial Dao Manifestations is still a long way off.*
With this thought, Li Fan gave a cold snort. "Seeing as you possess some sense, I shall spare you from the crime of disrespect for now."
Shanhua the Nameless felt as if an enormous burden had been lifted and hurried to express his gratitude for the Great Venerable's benevolence.
Right at this moment, another event occurred that nearly scared the wits out of him.
The black cat on his shoulder, which had temporarily lost consciousness after the Nameless Kuixing borrowed its body, had now leisurely stirred awake.
When it saw the figure not far away spouting audacious words to its master, its fur bristled, and it began hissing and shrieking viciously at Li Fan.
"Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!"
"Insolent little beast!" No longer caring to pamper his beloved pet, Shanhua slapped the black cat on the head.
Stinging from the pain, the black cat did not back down at all. Instead, it turned toward its own master and growled in a low hiss.
"An ingrate beast! Great Heavenly Venerable, please take no offense!"
Shanhua smiled bitterly, nervously apologizing to Li Fan.
"Do you think I would lower myself to bicker with an unevolved beast?" Li Fan sneered. Beckoning with his hand, he seized the black cat midair into his grasp.
He studied the little creature closely.
To tell the truth, the black cat and Maobao did share a passing resemblance in appearance. No wonder Li Fan had almost mistaken it at a sudden glance earlier.
Held in Li Fan's hand, its life completely at another's mercy, the black cat remained entirely oblivious.
Still ignorant of life and death, it bared its fangs and brandished its claws at Li Fan, growling incessantly.
"Quite fierce, aren't you?" Li Fan clicked his tongue.
Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Shanhua said, "Normally, I constantly nourish this little beast with infinite immortal power. Perhaps from consuming too much of it, it grew obstinate and unruly. It behaves this way when encountering other True Immortals as well."
"It is by no means aimed at you, Great Venerable."
"Sigh, it was clearly so adorable when it was little."
Hearing this, infinite immortal power surged in bubbling streams from Li Fan's fingertips, which he offered to the black cat's mouth.
Sure enough, the black cat instantly settled down, greedily gulping down the energy from the Sea of Infinity in huge mouthfuls.
The little thing could certainly eat.
Only after quite a while was it finally full and satisfied.
Yet somewhat to Li Fan's surprise, he had thought that once fed to its fill, the black cat would become more obedient.
Instead, the ungrateful beast turned hostile in the blink of an eye, hissing and growling at Li Fan once more.
Seeing Li Fan's expression gradually turn grim, Shanhua cursed inwardly and explained tremblingly, "This beast shares the temperament of cats everywhere under heaven. It is only fond of those it is familiar with."
"Even if an outsider employs tricks, in the end, they can never make it truly obedient."
...
His interest gone and feeling disillusioned, Li Fan tossed the black cat back to Shanhua.
Yet right at that moment, his movement paused slightly.
Shanhua's heart tightened again, assuming Li Fan had changed his mind.
Instead, he heard Li Fan ask quietly, "What did you just say?"
Bewildered, Shanhua could only repeat his words:
"...It shares the temperament of cats everywhere under heaven. It is only fond of those it is familiar with."
...
With those words, Maobao slowly floated into Li Fan's mind's eye.
Along with the image of it lying quietly on the Saint Emperor's shoulder.
One cat and one man, as though standing ahead.
Crossing time and space, quietly looking back at Li Fan's true self.
A point that Li Fan had long overlooked welled up in his heart.
How could a divine creature like Maobao be subdued by the Saint Emperor with mere Source Power essence?
Whatever the Saint Emperor wanted, Maobao cooperated almost entirely from start to finish.
Even with tasks that severely depleted its stamina, the Saint Emperor needed only to feed it a little Source Power essence to pacify it.
If it were anyone else...
Could they have done the same?
Previously, Li Fan had never considered this question.
Yet now...
Chapter 1498