Fishing in Dao Annihilation

In the Guangwu Star Sea, the central region surrounded by the hundred Heavenly Pillars was pitch-black. Yet dark undercurrents surged within, and Dao Annihilation rolled like billows. Yet this small-scale Dao Annihilation was firmly kept at bay by the dense ring of True Immortal Heavenly Pillars encircling it like a breakwater. From time to time, faint specks of light drifted out from the central abyss of Dao Annihilation. All at once, the hundred Heavenly Pillars blazed with radiant light, shooting forth silken threads like ropes to ensnare those motes of light. They then slowly dragged them out of the whirlpool. ... Watching this wondrous spectacle, Li Fan nodded in approval. "Regardless of whether the True Immortals within those hundred Heavenly Pillars were willing or not, constructing a project of this scale is an extraordinary feat in itself." "Moreover..." Li Fan mused, recalling the Giant Rat Immortal from moments ago. "Senior Brother, there is still one matter I find puzzling. Just what did the Guangwu Star Sea intend by sending this Giant Rat Immortal here? In his prime, perhaps neither of us would have been a match for him, even if we joined forces. But he sealed himself in an Immortal Coffin and drifted through the Dao Annihilation for who knows how many years; he was already rotten to the core. My ability to suppress the Dao Sword and Dao Saber with one hand had already demonstrated my strength. "Even if I were no match for the Giant Rat Immortal, retreating unscathed would have been no problem. The Guangwu Star Sea couldn't possibly fail to understand this. Yet they practically threw away such a rotten Immortal Emperor by sending him here..." Li Fan wore a puzzled expression. "At first, I was somewhat perplexed by this as well. However, I found the answer in that Giant Rat Immortal's memories." Chengdao stroked his beard and smiled. He proceeded to enlighten Li Fan. It was still the central region of the Heavenly Pillars, the whirlpool of Dao Annihilation. For some reason, the Immortal Coffin housing the Giant Rat Immortal had been brought back here by the Guangwu Star Sea. The hundred Heavenly Pillars still cast a net of radiance, cradling the Immortal Coffin and slowly lowering it into the whirlpool of Dao Annihilation. Next, however, they did not let it be swallowed by the surging tides of Dao Annihilation. Instead, they kept a tight grip on the coffin, binding it fast. Hovering at extreme proximity right above the Dao Annihilation. The presence of the Immortal Coffin caused the local whirlpool of Dao Annihilation to surge with increasing violence. After an indeterminate time, beneath the unseen, imperceptible pitch-black Dao Annihilation, something seemed to be drawn by the Immortal Coffin. It was about to surge forth! The Guangwu Star Sea treated this as if facing a mortal foe. The thing about to emerge from the whirlpool of Dao Annihilation seemed to hold tremendous significance for them. Not only did the hundred Heavenly Pillars blaze with ever more dazzling light, but a good number of living True Immortals arrived in person. Figure after figure stared toward the center of the pillars. Boom! Like a monstrous ocean wave crashing against an embankment, the impact sent the hundred Heavenly Pillars—and even the entire star sea sheltered beneath them—into violent convulsions. Yet the True Immortals of the Guangwu Star Sea were overjoyed rather than alarmed. "It really lured it over!" "Do not panic, everyone! Proceed according to plan!" As the giant waves pounded incessantly, the hundred Heavenly Pillars tilted to varying degrees. It seemed as though they would collapse at any moment. Yet the immortals of the Guangwu Star Sea paid it no heed. More and more figures rushed in from the outer perimeter of the pillars. However, their goal was not to save the toppling Heavenly Pillars, but to claim whatever lay beneath the whirlpool of Dao Annihilation! Silken rays of light shot from these True Immortals as well, forcibly anchoring the Immortal Coffin that served as bait. The prolonged failure to seize the bait seemed to exhaust the patience of the unknown entity below. At last, It leaped forth with a roar from beneath the Dao Annihilation. "Activate the array!" A low shout ringing with righteous dignity accompanied the sudden emergence of the figure from beneath the Dao Annihilation. The hundred Heavenly Pillars blurred simultaneously, revealing distinct faces across their surfaces. As though the sealed Nameless True Immortals had returned from the dead, they glared in unison at the sudden enemy in their midst. The pillars, which had been uneven—lower in the center and higher at the perimeter—instantly leveled off to equal height. The dark whirlpool in the center was severed from all contact with the outside world. With its retreat cut off, the rash intruder could no longer escape back into the surging tide of Dao Annihilation in short order! As it remained in the star sea, the inexplicable power shrouding It slowly drained away, finally revealing Its true appearance to the onlookers. It was remarkably another Immortal Coffin! However, this coffin was even more decayed and battered than the one the Giant Rat Immortal inhabited. Only a rough outline of an Immortal Coffin remained. In the center of the coffin, a figure neither rat nor human lay slumped like a heap of mud atop the coffin's remnants. It seemed to have lost all reason. Facing the hunt of the Guangwu Star Sea immortals, it neither fled nor fought back. Instead, it merely kept staring at the Giant Rat Immortal who had lured it into this fatal trap. And what followed next proved true what the Giant Rat Immortal had said before his demise: Those who devour others shall eventually be devoured. Beholding this eerie, grotesque, entirely non-human rotten giant rat, the faces on the hundred Heavenly Pillars looked as though they had laid eyes on some exquisite delicacy, their expressions brimming with unvarnished greed. Without paying the slightest mind to the decayed rat's vile appearance, they divided and devoured it completely. Contented groans and sighs of a feast well-savored echoed through the void. On the Heavenly Pillars, the faces vanished, returning to the appearance of ordinary pillars. As the central pillars slowly lowered once more, the whirlpool of Dao Annihilation reappeared. The immortals of the Guangwu Star Sea did not repeat the operation right away. Instead, they first hauled the Immortal Coffin away to conduct a safety assessment of the area around the Heavenly Pillars. The next trapping and hunting expedition took place three years later. The entity lured and dredged up this time was another mutated True Immortal inside an Immortal Coffin. Only this time, it was not shaped like a rat, but was a giant worm covered with human mouths and eyes. The mouths cursed and spat at one another, while the countless eyes bore an eerily unified expression of serenity, grief, and despair—seemingly the final emotions they had felt in life. Regardless, once this mutated monstrosity was drawn to the surface, its fate was the same: to be divided and devoured. ... Li Fan looked back at Chengdao, somewhat confused. "Senior Brother, a Nameless True Immortal integrates body with Dao. Under normal circumstances, isn't one only able to cultivate a single Dao path? "Why were the immortals of the Guangwu Star Sea able to absorb the remnant Dao paths within the Giant Rat Immortal? Could it be that all of them are geniuses capable of cultivating multiple Daos simultaneously?" "Naturally not," Chengdao smiled. "Ordinary Great Daos cannot be cultivated concurrently, of course. However, the Dao principles within this Giant Rat Immortal are different. In the process of devouring them, the Giant Rat Immortal had already attempted a fusion of various Daos once. Furthermore, he drifted through the surging tide of Dao Annihilation... "To avoid being extinguished by Dao Annihilation, they had no choice but to coalesce as much as possible. Even the Dao itself has an instinct to perpetuate its existence. Therefore, if an Immortal Coffin drifts between mountain and sea long enough, the unimaginable pressure forces a degree of fusion among the remnant Great Daos themselves... "That is what grants True Immortals the possibility of devouring them. "It is like a hard stone. Normally, one cannot swallow it. But if it is ground into powder, one can barely choke it down. As for the consequences, however..." Chengdao shook his head slightly. "Taking opportunistic shortcuts is not the orthodox path after all." "Then what does this have to do with the Guangwu Star Sea sending the Giant Rat Immortal to probe me? Logically speaking, with such valuable bait, shouldn't they guard it carefully? Could it be..." Li Fan suddenly realized something. He snapped his head up, looking toward the sky. Without him noticing, outside the Primordial Immortal Realm, the Pitch-Black Star Sea had become heavily overcast, as though shrouded in dark storm clouds. "A Dao Annihilation Tribulation?" Sensing carefully through the phantom of the Duke of Shouqiu, Li Fan detected that the Dao Annihilation pressure bearing down on the Pitch-Black Star Sea was steadily escalating. This was flagrantly abnormal. "Is it because we killed the Giant Rat Immortal?" Li Fan looked at Chengdao. "Perhaps the Guangwu Star Sea's target was never you, Junior Brother. After all, suppressing the Dao Sword and Dao Saber could be explained in too many ways. They merely happened to need a powerhouse capable of slaying the Giant Rat Immortal. Diverting calamity onto someone else was what they truly sought, I believe." Though the Dao Annihilation Tribulation was looming, Chengdao still wore a smile. "Had it only been Master's phantom within the Great Wall, it truly might not have held out. But with you as an anomaly, Junior Brother, our strength is just enough. Wonderfully marvelous indeed! Fortunately, I didn't rashly release them before..." The "them" Chengdao spoke of referred naturally to the Hunger Immortal and the others sealed in the Heavenly Pillars. "Junior Brother, facing this surge now, we will likely need to join our forces." "It is indeed what I desire, though I dared not presume to ask!" The heavier the burden of upholding the Dao required of the phantom of the Duke of Shouqiu, the less power Li Fan could draw from it. As the dark clouds blanketed the sky, Li Fan had no choice but to return all the power of the other Heavenly Pillars to prevent the Pitch-Black Star Sea from suffering a catastrophic collapse. Even so, it remained somewhat insufficient to withstand this surging tide of Dao Annihilation that seemed to come out of nowhere. As if precisely locked onto the location in the Primordial Immortal Realm where the Giant Rat Immortal had fallen, wave after wave arrived in relentless succession, hammering away without end. The situation changed in the blink of an eye. If they failed to hold out, the lower realm would be obliterated within moments, and Li Fan would likely be forced to use Revert to the True to save his life. Fortunately, seeing that Chengdao remained calm and composed, Li Fan steadied his mind. "Junior Brother, wait for me a moment." Before his voice died away, Chengdao shifted from an emaciated old man back into a blue figure, having evidently completed the swap between his true self and his phantom manifestation. Gazing into the distance beyond the Great Wall, Li Fan saw the Dao Net of the Shuo Star Sea suddenly erupt with dazzling blue light, sweeping along the entire star sea and flying toward the Great Wall. "United we benefit, divided we perish!" Chengdao's voice reached Li Fan's ears from afar. Li Fan immediately responded with great joy, "I am willing to withstand the Dao Annihilation together with you, Senior Brother!" In his heart, he hesitated for a moment. Yet he showed no sign of it. He began cooperating to weave the Dao Net and the Great Wall simply together. The Dao Net and the Great Wall: In truth, both transformed Nameless True Immortals into pillars supporting the Great Dao. The Great Wall holding back the Dao Annihilation was fundamentally formed from five phantoms of the Duke of Shouqiu, whereas the true creator of the Dao Net was a mountain-sea spirit stone personally enlightened by the Duke of Shouqiu. Thus, merging the Dao Net and the Great Wall went remarkably smoothly. The Shuo Star Sea was roughly dragged from its original position and brought near the Great Wall. However, because a narrow, long strip of Annihilation Lands lay outside the Great Wall, the remaining starry sky was not sufficient to fully accommodate the Shuo Star Sea. As a result, in the process of mutual contact and accommodation, it looked as though the star sea where the Great Wall stood thrust violently into the Shuo Star Sea. This was merely the surface appearance. In Li Fan's eyes, beside the five phantoms of the Duke of Shouqiu standing tall between heaven and earth, there stood figures that only reached up to their waists. Looking at their appearance, they were none other than Chengdao. They stood with heads bowed behind the phantoms of the Duke of Shouqiu to show respect. Behind the figures of master and disciple hung diagonally strung Dao strings. Though they could not reach directly into the Dao Annihilation like true Heavenly Pillars, they still served as a form of support. As the fusion deepened, the ropelike Dao strings grew denser and denser. Under this constantly increasing support, Li Fan finally felt the dark clouds drifting above the Primordial Immortal Realm slowly disperse. They had not vanished. Rather, seeing that their objective could not be achieved, they had temporarily receded. There was no telling when they would make a comeback. "Thank you, Senior Brother, for coming to my aid," Li Fan said solemnly. Chengdao waved his hand. "It was saving you as well as saving myself. Had there only been the Dao Net, I fear I would not have endured." With that, Chengdao pointed toward where the Shuo Star Sea had originally been located. Already in a precarious state, with its supporting Dao Net relocated, the Dao Annihilation Tribulation surged down in an instant, swallowing everything. The once-vibrant starry sky had collapsed into pitch-black oblivion. The resulting zone of total annihilation cut off the combined Dao Net and Great Wall from the outside world like a catastrophic cave-in. Li Fan's expression darkened. "Senior Brother's guess is likely spot on. The Guangwu Star Sea's frequent use of the Immortal Coffin to fish for things in the Dao Annihilation probably drew some sort of attention. Wherever the Immortal Coffin is, the Dao Annihilation Tribulation erupts even more violently. Keeping it around was an undeniable hazard. "And since I happened to display sufficient strength, they schemed to toss this hot potato over to me." Chengdao pondered for a moment and added, "I suspect it wasn't merely the frequency, but that they dredged up something extraordinarily special. That is why the surging tide of Dao Annihilation laid siege to it. "After all, if an entity truly exists within the tide of Dao Annihilation, it wouldn't know that the immortals of the Guangwu Star Sea orchestrated everything. All it remembered was the Giant Rat Immortal who served as bait. "The Guangwu Star Sea must have tampered with the Giant Rat Immortal's body. The moment his life and Dao were extinguished, the fluctuations emitted drew the attention of whatever lies beyond the tide of Dao Annihilation..." "The only vexing thing is that the starry paths are cut off. Otherwise, I would march right to their doorstep," Li Fan said resentfully. Chengdao narrowed his eyes. "Do not be hasty, Junior Brother. "To be able to draw the gaze of the Dao Annihilation tide and induce real changes in the tribulation itself... this is no small matter. "Allow me to report this to Master." Li Fan was startled. "Troubling Master already? Isn't that unadvisable? Wouldn't it make the two of us look incompetent?" Chengdao shook his head. "Now is not the time to act tough. You too have studied the Mound-Guarding Jottings, so you should naturally know that over the countless years Master spent guarding the mound and gazing upon the sea, he attempted to summarize the changes and laws of mountain and sea. "Yet he never succeeded. "If Master learns that this so-called Guangwu Star Sea has discovered something capable of causing fixed changes in the tide of Dao Annihilation, he will surely be very interested..." Having said that, without waiting for Li Fan to respond, Chengdao closed his eyes and sat cross-legged. Li Fan sensed a mysterious connection pierce through the barrier between the mortal realm and the mountain and sea.