Chapter 1342: Supreme Being Walks with Heaven

Angry Squid:

“It’s like a reservoir hidden beneath the desert, collecting every single droplet of seeping water over millions of years.”

“Then, one day, when the time is right and heavy rain falls, soaking the desert with its sweet moisture, this underground reservoir will unleash its subterranean waters, sweeping across and washing over the entire desert. Harnessing the power of heaven and earth, it will transform the desert, instantly turning vast stretches of sand into a surging land of water!”

“This is a means to transform the world!”

Li Fan’s eyes flickered, as if he sought to penetrate the secrets hidden beneath the seemingly calm River of Vitality. Unfortunately, just as he had previously surmised, the creator of the River of Vitality was undoubtedly an existence beyond the mortal realm. Their arrangements, in particular, were clearly not achieved through formations, and were simply beyond Li Fan’s current comprehension.

The turbulent currents, caused by Baihua’s absorption of vitality, gradually subsided.

Even after it completely returned to a state of dormancy, Li Fan’s observations yielded no insight whatsoever.

The same was true for Venerable Yin and Baihua.

It was truly like a high wall, openly displayed before you, allowing you to use every method to probe, yet you could never uncover its secrets.

The disparity was almost despair-inducing.

The three stood in silence above the River of Vitality, not speaking for a long time.

It was unknown how much time had passed.

Li Fan gently shook his head: “Ancient sayings speak of sighing at the vastness of the ocean; today, we despair at the sight of this river.”

“This hidden place is not something we can explore at present. Xu Ke is lost within it; we can only hope that good fortune will favor him.”

Originally, searching for Xu Ke was thought to be a convenient side task. Who would have expected that beneath this Wall of Ruined Realms, a fissure spanning the entire Star Sea was hidden?

Thus, the plan had to change.

In truth, if Li Fan were to continue exploring indefinitely, relying on the recording function of the Dao Transformation Stone and the escape technique of the Wooden Sword Phantom, he might not be entirely incapable of fully exploring the Star Sea Fissure. However, the priority in this life was still the sublimation of the Xuanhuang Realm.

The vitality contained within the Star Sea Fissure was too immense; even drawing a small amount while promoting the Xuanhuang’s sublimation, the already explored areas would certainly be sufficient.

“Sage Master, I intend to stay here for now.” Baihua hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“The vitality here is of great use for the recovery of the Myriad Prosperity Realm. Although I can only extract a small amount each time, if I persevere, I can restore vitality to my homeland in at most half a year!”

Li Fan stared at Baihua, his gaze seemingly penetrating her physical body, reaching directly to the miniature world at her core.

“Even if it recovers, I’m afraid not all of your old acquaintances will be resurrected,” Li Fan said with a frown.

Li Fan could naturally see that the Myriad Prosperity Realm and its living beings had all been refined by Baihua into that golden, glazed state.

Even if they could be washed with surging vitality to return them from their glazed state, it was truly hard to say how many beings could withstand such a transformation during the back and forth.

Yet Baihua’s gaze remained firm: “I’ll do my best and leave the rest to fate! Previously, there was simply no way to revive the world, but now a golden opportunity is before us; how could I ignore it?”

Seeing this, Li Fan did not stop her.

At this point, Venerable Yin also spoke: “Like Baihua, I don’t wish to leave for a while.”

Li Fan raised an eyebrow: “Is this vitality useful to you as well?”

Venerable Yin shook his head: “No. It’s just that near this River of Vitality, I feel an unparalleled tranquility within my heart. Those fragments of world-souls that occasionally surfaced in my consciousness before, here, they have all fallen silent…”

This reason left Li Fan speechless.

“Very well. If you have nothing else to do, you can also try to find Xu Ke. It would be best if you can find him. If not, don’t force it; your own safety comes first.”

“The sublimation of Xuanhuang is a long-term plan. Half a year doesn’t matter. You two may stay here; I will come back for you in half a year,” Li Fan told them.

The two clasped their hands and bid farewell to Li Fan.

Li Fan, meanwhile, stepped forward, the Wooden Sword Phantom illuminating his surroundings.

A moment later, a strange fluctuation appeared around him.

It was precisely the Ascension Formation!

Its formidable power, akin to a cultivator ascending and climbing the Heavenly Gate, caused Venerable Yin and Baihua to involuntarily retreat and take temporary shelter.

In front of them, Li Fan’s actual position had not changed.

Yet they truly felt Li Fan growing further and further away from them, increasingly…

Li Fan, standing as a phantom within the wooden sword, gradually became ethereal.

Finally, he completely faded, vanishing from their sight.

“Such a technique…”

Venerable Yin was dazed and exclaimed, “If the Sage Master doesn’t come to pick us up in half a year, then we might be trapped here for life!”

Baihua did not refute him, merely saying, “However, this place is full of vitality, so there’s no need to worry about being trapped until death.”

She then continued to stare at the calm River of Vitality, awaiting the next opportunity to absorb.

The Wall of Ruined Realms.

Outside the node leading to the Fissure Abyss.

Without any warning, Li Fan’s figure abruptly appeared.

The moment he returned to the Star Sea, he ceased the Ascension Formation and, with the aid of the Wooden Sword Phantom’s escape technique, departed the node’s range.

In just a few breaths, he returned from the extremely low abyss to the normal, higher Star Sea. The rapid change in altitude within a short period caused his body and soul to feel as if they had undergone some violent shock.

Pfft...

Blood splattered, and his skin cracked. His soul, moreover, felt as if it had been rolled over by thousands of boulders, enduring immense pressure and being crushed.

Even with Li Fan’s foundational strength, his face instantly turned pale.

“That action just now was like half an ascension. It was merely ascending from a lower-tier world to the current Star Sea.”

“The impact received was already so violent; one can only imagine what kind of trials a true ascension would entail.”

“Without the protection of immortal spiritual energy, ordinary cultivators would likely have no chance of survival.”

Within the few breaths that Li Fan pondered, all his injuries had already fully recovered.

Without leaving, Li Fan gazed at the marvel beneath the high wall.

The invisible high wall, the continuous Wall of Ruined Realms, the endless fissure at the lowest point of the Star Sea.

Intertwined, they were dreamlike, bewildering, and unfathomable.

Even though Li Fan’s strength was nearing the apex of the Star Sea, in his eyes, this Star Sea remained full of mysteries.

Perhaps, as he grew stronger, the more he encountered and discovered, the more confusion would arise in his heart.

Until one day, he broke through a certain limit.

Everything would finally be revealed to the world.

Li Fan took one last deep look at this Star Sea marvel for the time being, then the Wooden Sword Phantom unsheathed and sped towards the Xuanhuang Realm.

“The ritual for dealing with the Immortal Ark is not urgent for now. If it succeeds too quickly, it might instead arouse suspicion.”

“However, as progress continues, it’s time to officially begin cultivating the Grand Heavenly Venerable of Xuanhuang for this era.”

The vast amount of immortal spiritual energy required for the Xuanhuang Sublimation Plan could only be accessed by becoming the Grand Heavenly Venerable of Xuanhuang.

The position of Grand Heavenly Venerable still carried various restrictions from the ancient Immortal Realm.

The scene of Sun Tianci’s unnatural death in the previous life was still vivid, which destined Li Fan to certainly not risk his own person.

Fortunately, in this life, there was no need to create another Sun Tianci who was born in harmony with the Dao.

The Dao-imparting phantom tirelessly preached day and night in multiple mortal minor realms.

A suitable target had already been found.

Li Fan’s figure flickered, arriving in an unnamed mortal world.

The scale of this small world, let alone compared to Daqi or Dali, was far inferior even to the Spirit Wood Realm.

A mountain range composed of thirteen peaks was the entirety of this world.

Rather than a small world, it was more like a small-scale grotto-heaven.

Yet, in such a small mortal world, one that even a Foundation Establishment cultivator might not pay attention to, Li Fan sensed the birth of a faint world Dao consciousness.

And within it, a boy whose nature could be described as utterly pure and true.

Perhaps precisely because the world was so small, it was extremely difficult for humans here to conceive the next generation.

Consequently, the overall human population always remained at a low level.

For them, the resources in the great mountains were almost endless.

With so few people across the thirteen peaks, everyone knew each other well. Thus, disputes were rare.

Most of their days were spent in leisure.

Inevitably, some of the humans here developed a curiosity about what lay beyond the mountains.

But just as the beings of the Star Sea were always trapped within the high wall, they, too, throughout their lives, could not leave the world’s boundaries.

There was one such small boy who, from the day he could walk, often climbed the highest peak in this world.

He would stand alone on the mountaintop, gazing at this small world.

The entire Thirteen Peaks mountain range was visible beneath him.

Then he would lie on the ground, quietly looking at the sky.

Li Fan had once observed this little boy.

During his climbing and gazing, his mind still held many scattered thoughts.

But once he lay down and met the gaze of the sky, his consciousness would almost fall into absolute emptiness, his thoughts completely settling.

If Li Fan hadn’t been able to sense his life force, he would have almost thought the boy had passed away.

One must understand that for a living being existing in the world, interacting with the outside will inevitably give rise to their own thoughts.

Only a very small number of people, whether by fortunate coincidence or extraordinary talent, can enter such a realm of unknowing and emptiness.

However, this realm, which cultivators aspire to but rarely achieve, was a constant state for this little boy.

Furthermore…

This world of Thirteen Peaks was truly too small.

Yet, by a strange coincidence, its own Heavenly Dao consciousness was born within it.

Among the extremely limited number of beings, the little boy’s daily habit of lying at the highest point of the world and gazing at the sky naturally attracted the attention of this world’s Heavenly Dao.

However, the Heavenly Dao consciousness of this Thirteen Peaks world was also in an embryonic, infant-like state.

It simply approached out of instinctive curiosity.

Consequently, the little boy’s soul was like a blank sheet of paper, slowly imprinting the approaching Heavenly Dao of the Thirteen Peaks world.

The traces left by the world’s Heavenly Dao in his soul did not affect the little boy’s inherent nature.

He still climbed to the peak and gazed at the sky day after day.

And without him realizing it, the Heavenly Dao consciousness descended more and more familiarly, leaving its imprints.

Li Fan had observed countless people and small worlds.

He had to admit that this was an unreplicable miracle.

“Seemingly human, yet like heaven; seemingly heaven, yet truly human. The unity of heaven and man, where man seizes heaven’s marvel!”

“To observe the Dao of Heaven and carry out its will—that is all.”

This little boy, who didn’t even have a formal name, had inadvertently achieved the perfect state coveted by ancient cultivators as recorded in their texts.

Even though the world’s scale was too small, the perfection level of its Heavenly Dao was utterly incomparable to that of the Xuanhuang Realm.

But without a doubt, for Li Fan, this little boy was absolutely a perfect embryo for a Grand Heavenly Venerable.

The Grand Heavenly Venerable of Xuanhuang was, in essence, a human overseeing Heaven.

While the Heavenly Dao flowed normally, at certain necessary moments, the Grand Heavenly Venerable would intervene and regulate.

For Li Fan, he merely wanted a puppet to open the legacy of the former Grand Heavenly Venerable.

The puppet’s degree of autonomy would naturally be as low as possible.

However, if it were merely a puppet without any initiative, it would be utterly incapable of passing the succession trials.

The appearance of this little boy perfectly resolved Li Fan’s problem.

“In his current state, after becoming the Grand Heavenly Venerable of Xuanhuang, he will not make any independent moves. He will completely adhere to the original operational methods of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, governing through non-action.”

“And for the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, a Grand Heavenly Venerable who manages nothing is also absolutely something it would be happy to see. Perhaps the level of compatibility is not inferior to that of Mister Bai…”

The more Li Fan looked at the little boy, the more satisfied he became.

He extended a finger, and a small amount of light and shadow quietly poured into the little boy’s pure and unblemished, blank consciousness.

It didn’t even disturb the approaching Heavenly Dao consciousness of this world.

This time, Li Fan did not directly infuse all the details of the Grand Heavenly Venerable’s Fallen Immortal Illusion trials.

Only subtle hints and guidance at crucial decision points.

The little boy’s thoughts were too simple.

With this guidance, he should be able to complete the trials through instinctive choices.

“The future Grand Heavenly Venerable of Xuanhuang cannot remain nameless.”

“From now on, I’ll call you Wuming (Nameless).”

To maintain Wuming’s purity, Li Fan did not even implant his own presence in his sea of consciousness.

Leaving the Thirteen Peaks, performing the ritual to enter the Fallen Immortal Illusion, and succeeding as the Grand Heavenly Venerable of Xuanhuang.

As well as the future detonation of the immortal artifact, infusing the Xuanhuang Realm with immortal spiritual power to promote the birth of the first Heaven and Earth Immortal Soul after sublimation…

All of this would rely on silent guidance and suggestion.

Thus, it meant that Li Fan would need to, in turn, cooperate with Wuming to carry out the Dao Harmonization plan.

However, Wuming’s characteristic of governing through non-action could minimize unpredictability.

“For a very long time, Wuming’s sense of existence will be almost zero.”

“However, if in this life, after I harmonize with the Dao, the sublimated Xuanhuang Realm still exists…”

Li Fan’s eyes showed a strange gleam: “As time flows, with his body merged with the super-Xuanhuang Realm’s Heavenly Dao consciousness, Wuming might be able to achieve something comparable to a True Immortal through this opportunity!”

It could be foreseen that the Xuanhuang Realm, propelled by Li Fan’s various methods in this life, could almost be promoted to an Immortal Domain.

And to be able to merge with the Heavenly Dao consciousness of an Immortal Domain…

Even True Immortals of old might not have been able to achieve it!

At that time, his strength would undoubtedly far surpass even the Star Sea consciousness of the Immortal Ark!

However, the time required would be truly too long.

And only a pure individual like Wuming, born by such a fortunate coincidence, could achieve it.

If it were Li Fan, it wouldn’t last long before his personal consciousness would inevitably clash with the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao.

Therefore, Li Fan had, from the very beginning, abandoned the idea of taking that position himself.

“I just wonder what changes will occur to the position of Grand Heavenly Venerable of Xuanhuang once the Xuanhuang Realm sublimates into an Immortal Domain?”

“Will the restrictions left by the ancient Immortal Realm disappear, or will they deepen once again?”