"The Three Sacred Lords have actually grown powerful to such an extent? Unique across all realms..." Li Fan was momentarily lost in thought.
"The Immortal Realm is boundless, and from ancient times to the present, countless supreme talents have emerged. Yet those who can be called 'Sage' amount to no more than those four beings. Even with abilities as heaven-reaching as Master's, the world merely revered him as 'Duke,' not deeming him worthy of the title 'Sage.' Junior Brother, how could you underestimate the sages?" Chengdao shook his head.
"It's not that I underestimated them," Li Fan said with a wry smile. "It's truly that my understanding of the Immortal Realm relies entirely on vague records, making it impossible to form a proper picture. If not for Senior Brother's guidance..."
"Unique across all realms, or unique across the Mountain and Sea—that must be the legendary realm of true transcendence. Between the two Sacred Lords Lianshan and Guihai attaining the Dao, one relied on opening Mount Shangfang, and the other on unblocking the Infinite Spring. How, then, did Sacred Lord Taiyi manage to take that step? Could there truly be something in this world comparable to the Mountain and Sea?" Li Fan chose to change the subject directly.
Chengdao chuckled. "Though your senior brother possesses extraordinary knowledge, the secrets of a Sacred Lord's attainment of the Dao are not something I could possibly know. Unless the Sacred Lord reveals such things himself, who could be certain? That said, it is an undeniable fact that Sacred Lord Taiyi shares equal strength with the two Sages Lianshan and Guihai. Sacred Lord Lianshan once acknowledged as much in front of Immortal Emperor Louhuang and a host of Nameless True Immortals. As for Great Sage Jingfen, the last to attain the Dao...
"To speak somewhat irreverently, in the eyes of the Three Sages, Jingfen is likely nothing more than a junior with a bit of strength.
"The Three Sages are the Three Sages of the Mountain and Sea. But Jingfen is merely a Sacred Lord of our world.
"Yet this was only a judgment based on the time when the Immortal Realm fell. After so many years, what height of power Great Sage Jingfen has achieved cannot be presumed. Who knows—perhaps the Great Sage has already taken that final step onto the path of transcendence, just like the other three Sages?"
...
Afterward, Li Fan asked Chengdao about a few more secrets of the Immortal Realm before steering the conversation back to their enemy from the Guangwu Star Sea—that Coffin Immortal from the Other Shore.
"Following Kuixing's guidance, Shanhua has already found that Immortal Coffin.
"Just as Senior Brother expected, that Immortal Coffin truly is an object formed from the compression and condensation of the Great Dao. At their current speed, the Coffin Immortal will arrive in my Primordial Immortal Realm in roughly ten hours." Li Fan displayed the images transmitted by Shanhua to Chengdao.
"Shall we choose another place to meet the enemy? If you and I, fellow disciples, do battle with that immortal from the Other Shore, this continent may well be caught in the crossfire," Chengdao asked, glancing downward.
"If it is destroyed, I can simply recreate it. If it cannot even endure a tribulation of this scale, its destruction is no great loss. Moreover, although the living beings of this realm are somewhat lacking in strength, they can barely serve as helpers," Li Fan declined gently.
Chengdao praised sincerely, "Such a mindset of yours, Junior Brother, truly carries the air of an Immortal Realm sage."
Li Fan smiled faintly without answering.
"Still, with a formidable foe before us, we must make some preparations after all..."
Chengdao pondered for a moment before speaking. "If Junior Brother does not mind, I have a divine ability I can impart to you. Though I do not know which Dao that Nameless in the coffin is integrated with, this divine ability will at least ensure your self-preservation without worry, even if it cannot overcome the enemy."
Li Fan was overjoyed. "What are you saying, Senior Brother? I could ask for nothing better!"
Chengdao did not stand on ceremony either. He tapped the air toward the space between Li Fan's brows.
In an instant, Li Fan's body and soul felt as though they had returned to the Sea of Infinity, washed over by countless rapidly shifting visions.
Li Fan saw with utter clarity that the vast majority depicted a solitary figure sitting upon a mountain, gazing out at the sea.
It was none other than the Duke of Shouqiu!
Li Fan had seen this scene more than once in the Mound-Guarding Jottings.
Yet what differed in Chengdao's transmission was that this was a third-person perspective looking up in reverence!
Rather than the Duke of Shouqiu's own personal insights.
The Duke of Shouqiu not only sat upon the mountain gazing at the sea, but also sheltered a spirit stone beneath him, shielding it from the onslaught brought by the collision of Mountain and Sea.
"'Immovable Body of Mountain and Sea.'
"Channeling this divine ability allows one to remain steadfast and immovable amidst the catastrophic upheavals of Mountain and Sea, just like the Duke of Shouqiu.
"Beyond defense, depending on one's comprehension of the Mountain and Sea phenomena, one can also emulate from one's dharma body the scouring and eroding force of the Mountain and Sea. Of course, that does not mean this divine ability can truly replicate the Mountain and Sea itself. Rather, it pulls the opponent into the vast, boundless domain of Mountain and Sea that one has perceived, making them feel as if they are guarding the mound and gazing at the sea!
"If the opponent possesses abilities on par with the Duke of Shouqiu, or has received his legacy, they can naturally disregard such awe. But if it is an ordinary person...
"Especially those who truly experienced boundless despair within the Mountain and Sea, who managed to escape after endless ages only to face the Mountain and Sea once more—they would likely break down on the spot!"
As Li Fan comprehended and learned the Immovable Body of Mountain and Sea, he articulated its profound nuances piece by piece.
He spoke not for his own benefit, but for Chengdao's.
Chengdao nodded repeatedly as he listened, exceedingly pleased with Li Fan's rapid comprehension.
"This technique of Senior Brother's is truly marvelous.
"It carries no risk of harming fellow sect members, and it has miraculous effects against the True Immortals of the world. The more one fears the Dao Annihilation Tribulation and refuses to shoulder responsibility, the more one will be swayed by this divine ability," Li Fan continued to flatter.
At the same time, he manifested the Immovable Body of Mountain and Sea.
Li Fan remained the same Li Fan.
Yet around him, the Mountain and Sea seemed to swirl.
Chengdao's eyes lit up. "Junior Brother, your comprehension of the Mountain and Sea is quite profound, isn't it?"
"Only because Master and Senior Brother taught me well!"
...
Over the ensuing period, Li Fan consolidated the Immovable Body divine ability with Chengdao's assistance. Although he already possessed the protection of Illusion is Reality, one could never have too many protective divine abilities. Perhaps at some point in the future, it might save his life.
Therefore, Li Fan studied it with utmost diligence. Whenever he encountered any points of confusion, he promptly consulted Chengdao.
Far from finding it bothersome, Chengdao felt deeply gratified.
"He is here."
Li Fan suddenly withdrew his dharma body and gazed into the distant sky.
The light and shadow of the Mountain and Sea swirling around Li Fan instantly vanished, but sudden phenomena erupted across the Primordial Immortal Realm.
*Skrrrch...*
A grating screech, like rotten metals grinding against each other, echoed across the Primordial Continent. In the hearts of all living beings who heard it, an uncontrollable irritability welled up.
Immediately afterward, as the grinding sound grew louder and louder, this irritability gradually transformed into an impulse:
Go to where the screeching came from! Find the source of the sound!
Once this impulse arose, it became nearly impossible to suppress.
In an instant, many figures across the continent lost control of themselves and shot toward the outer skies.
Li Fan's cold snort echoed across the Primordial Continent at that very moment.
Under the awe-inspiring presence of the Father God of Creation, many beings regained brief lucidity. They forcefully suppressed their impulses and returned to the ground.
Yet there were still some who charged heedlessly toward the sound.
It was as though that grating grinding noise was their eternal pursuit, its importance transcending their lives and their Great Dao!
"A childish trick to bewitch the mind. Could it be that this Coffin Immortal has nothing more than this up his sleeve?" Li Fan made no further moves to stop them, allowing the creatures of the continent below to rush to their deaths one after another.
In his field of view, a corner of the Immortal Coffin's lid had indeed been opened.
The gap was like an abyss—gloomy, profound, and bottomless—devouring everything that rushed into it.
Every being that flew within a certain range of the Immortal Coffin was swallowed by that gloom in the blink of an eye.
Within the Immortal Coffin, the noise grew increasingly loud.
Moreover, noises different from before began to emerge.
If at first it had been the sound of the coffin lid being slowly opened, now it sounded as if some unknown, uncanny entity was relentlessly scratching at the inner walls of the coffin with its nails, seemingly struggling to rise from within and burst out!
The Immortal Coffin's target was clearly the Primordial Immortal Realm where Li Fan resided.
It accelerated continuously as it approached.
The change in sound did nothing to weaken its bewitching allure. Living beings of the Pitch-Black Star Sea swarmed toward the Immortal Coffin like moths to a flame.
With each one it devoured, its speed increased by a fraction.
Amidst Li Fan's solemn gaze, the Immortal Coffin arrived in the sky above the Primordial Immortal Realm!
"Allow your senior brother to meet him first."
Chengdao rose abruptly, took a step forward, and appeared near the Immortal Coffin in the very next instant.
"How dare you make such a racket before this venerable one."
His seemingly frail frame felt as though it contained inexhaustible power. He reached out and struck violently toward the Immortal Coffin.
Every move of his carried the faint howl of the Mountain and Sea, suppressing all the strange noises emanating from the Immortal Coffin.
In that instant, Li Fan seemed to behold the wondrous spectacle of the Mountain and Sea colliding, tempestuous waves crashing upon the shore.
"Is this Chengdao's true strength when holding nothing back?" Li Fan's pupils constricted.
Under the scouring of the Mountain and Sea, the Immortal Coffin shook violently.
Already utterly battered, it now reached its limit under this baptism of Mountain and Sea.
It seemed on the verge of disintegrating.
Yet what the Guangwu Star Sea pinned its high hopes on had never been just an Immortal Coffin—it was the immortal from the Other Shore within the coffin.
*Thump!*
A tremendous muffled sound rang out from inside the Immortal Coffin.
It was as though some being, in response to the howling of the Mountain and Sea outside, was pounding violently against the inside.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
The pounding grew increasingly rapid.
It was like thunder piercing the night sky, or a beacon dispelling fog.
Even with the sounds of the Mountain and Sea lingering, they gradually failed to suppress that pounding.
At the peak, the pounding ceased abruptly.
In that split second, the Immortal Coffin crumbled inch by inch. A black shadow surged forth from within, darting straight for Chengdao near the coffin.
"Senior Brother, be careful!" Li Fan called out in warning.
Before the words left his mouth, the black shadow had already collided with Chengdao.
Droplets stirred up by the tempestuous storm even reached Li Fan, who was watching from afar.
The Primordial Continent, built to the exact specifications of the Immortal Realm, rocked uncontrollably like a lone boat adrift on a stormy sea at night.
Under the buffeting gusts, Li Fan felt that the stable Dao principles of the Primordial Continent were actually being slowly disordered.
Having no time to attend to this Primordial Immortal Realm himself, he merely summoned the Five Heavenly Emperors and the Thirteen Heavenly Scars to maintain stability.
Li Fan looked toward where Chengdao and the black shadow clashed.
That black shadow—the Coffin Immortal—had already revealed its true form.
Yet it was not human.
It was a colossal rat!
Describing it simply as a rat was perhaps inaccurate. As it lunged forward, swiped its claws, and snapped its jaws, its movements were extraordinarily similar to a human's.
The fur across its body was multicolored and vibrant, as though patterned with fine brocade.
Upon its head, it wore an earthy yellow straw hat, though the brim looked as if a bite had been taken out of it, missing a corner.
The expressions on this rat's face were just as vivid as a human's.
Emotions like greed, solemnity, and urgency played across it in turn.
"The Strange Beast race?"
Looking at the creature, Li Fan could not help thinking of Di Sanmo's clan.
Yet he quickly dismissed this suspicion.
Not only because the Myriad Beasts Wheel showed no reaction whatsoever to this bizarre rat, but also because of a telepathic warning from Chengdao amidst the fierce battle:
"Junior Brother, be careful! That is a Giant Rat Immortal!"
Chengdao then explained to Li Fan what a Giant Rat Immortal truly was.
It was not a Nameless True Immortal who had attained the Dao through the Dao of the Giant Rat, but rather the product of a True Immortal mutating after voraciously, endlessly devouring Great Daos.
Under normal circumstances, when the immortals of the Immortal Realm gathered, no Giant Rat Immortal would ever be born.
They generally existed only within the possibilities where an apocalypse had descended.
To maximize their chances of surviving within a drifting Immortal Coffin, Coffin Immortals would often do everything in their power to collect surviving Great Daos to forge their coffins.
Yet if one drifted between the Mountain and Sea for too long, in addition to decaying and perishing, one would also suffer backlash from the Immortal Coffin forged of condensed Daos.
The realm of a Nameless True Immortal was that of integrating one's body with the Dao.
The Three Thousand Great Daos were originally mutually incompatible. Once integrated with one Dao, one could no longer accommodate another.
Yet under the unique circumstances of drifting between Mountain and Sea sealed within an Immortal Coffin, a miracle might occur where a Nameless True Immortal bore multiple Daos.
The price, however, was...
The Nameless True Immortal would mutate, transforming into all manner of bizarre appearances.
The Giant Rat Immortal was the most typical of these.
It still retained a degree of intellect, yet was dominated by an instinctive craving for Dao integration, desiring to devour everything around it that could be of use.
"If Master encountered a True Immortal who had perished in a coffin, he might take action to help bury them. But against these mutated True Immortals, there is no mercy!
"Leaving them alive is an absolute calamity!
"Once I suppress this vile beast, I will settle scores with that Guangwu Star Sea!" Chengdao's voice brimmed with a trace of fury.
Watching the Giant Rat Immortal flickering about, every claw swipe causing the surrounding Great Daos to shudder, Li Fan suddenly felt an odd sensation well up inside.
'The Guangwu Star Sea came for my method of suppressing the Dao Sword and Dao Saber. They certainly wouldn't entrust such a mission to a senseless Giant Rat Immortal...'
Just then, Li Fan caught the flash of a sharp gleam in the giant rat's eyes.
He hurriedly sent a telepathic warning: "Senior Brother, be careful! This is no ordinary Giant Rat Immortal!
"Someone may have seized its body, actively integrating into it!"
Upon hearing this, Chengdao's movements stiffened for an instant.
At that very moment, a burst of fine black light actually surged across the Giant Rat Immortal's foreclaws.
The light erupted suddenly, engulfing Chengdao.
The Giant Rat Immortal itself retreated rapidly, keeping a wide distance. Standing like a human, it stroked its whiskers with its forepaws, a smug look upon its face.
'This black light...'
Li Fan actually sensed an aura within it remarkably similar to Mo Sha.
"It seems the Lanke Dao Sanctuary is not the only one researching the force of Mountain and Sea blending," Li Fan mused.
Terrifying though this black light was, Li Fan did not worry for Chengdao.
Having accompanied the Duke of Shouqiu and survived by the Mountain and Sea for hundreds of millions of years, how could he fall so easily?
Chapter 1509