Chapter 1350: 仙傀终降世

The sudden burst of light was so dazzling that Li Fan instinctively squinted his eyes.

What Li Fan perceived was not just the light itself, but an enigmatic rhythm that inexplicably descended upon this place and converged on the silver eye.

Li Fan had encountered similar rhythms during his cycles of reincarnation. It was precisely like those that emerged from the outer celestial vortex when a minor world was upgraded. However, the rhythm now appearing on the silver eye was far more powerful and unfathomable. Even with Li Fan's current cultivation and understanding of the Great Dao, he could not fathom its true essence.

Enveloped by the rhythm, it was as if a paintbrush was rapidly sketching and adding countless details onto the silver eye. Although the eye itself remained unchanged, in Li Fan's eyes as an observer, it became increasingly "active." Ultimately, Li Fan, the eye's creator, even felt a sense of unfamiliarity towards his own creation.

After reaching the peak of its evolution, this "activity" began to spread into the Grand Qi Minor World. Like a spring breeze sweeping the land, a faint rumble of thunder and soft rain, silently nourishing all things. The power of "ascension" silently nurtured every inch of the Grand Qi Minor World's land. Even after Li Fan had already propelled this minor world's transformation using the power of Creation through worldly changes, this force was still capable of further elevating it.

"This is the true power of Creation. It is not driven by the enscripted characters of a True Immortal of Creation, but a phenomenon that naturally descends and arises from the flow of the Great Dao. It is the very rules depicted by the True Immortal of Creation's enscripted characters. Or perhaps, merely a part of it... it will be of great use for me to propel the Xuanhuang Realm's ascension in this lifetime!"

Li Fan intensely observed everything unfolding in the Grand Qi Minor World, attempting to engrave every detail into his mind. The rhythm of Creation, from its arrival to its disappearance, lasted less than ten breaths in total. Within the minor world, only Li Fan was able to perceive this cosmic change. When the surging rhythm subsided, the various changes it brought about continued to unfold sequentially within the world, unnoticed by its inhabitants.

Li Fan was immersed in the scene he had just witnessed, savoring it immensely. Once he calmed down and looked again at the silver eye's simulated celestial persona, he immediately noticed its transformation. Unlike before, it no longer looked at him solicitously from time to time. Most of the time, the eye remained closed. When it occasionally opened, its gaze was not directed at Li Fan, but rather at various aspects of the Grand Qi Minor World below. It seemed that Li Fan, its creator, was no longer as important to it.

"Interesting..."

Such "unruly behavior" ironically piqued Li Fan's interest. After a careful inspection, Li Fan confirmed that this simulated celestial persona was still entirely under his control. It was just that, perhaps due to having absorbed many minor world celestial personas, the eye had inexplicably gained a new "mission": the mission to maintain the minor world's normal operation. The priority of achieving this mission was only secondary to Li Fan's control authority. Thus, when Li Fan issued no commands, the silver eye instinctively operated in the mode of a "world's heavenly dao." This was much closer to a native world's heavenly dao than the original "simulated celestial persona." In other words, the silver eye now was, indeed, the minor world's heavenly dao. It had completed the transformation from "simulated" to "true." Moreover, the heavenly dao energy level to which the silver eye now belonged even exceeded the scope of ordinary minor worlds. Consequently, it also brought about changes to the world itself.

"If my previous method of propelling the world's ascension using Creation Characters and immortal spiritual power was an external, crude transformation of the world, then the changes now occurring within the silver eye are an internal, subtle transformation, gradually reshaping the world without a sound. Both can achieve the goal, but the latter is clearly more sophisticated."

Li Fan's eyes revealed a thoughtful expression. While comprehending the entire process, he deduced and refined his ascension plan for this lifetime.

"The ascension of a world can largely be seen as a process of reaching a higher potential. From external to internal means forcibly pulling it up with external power. Once that external power vanishes, there's a risk of sudden collapse. Without anchoring measures, the entire world could shatter into pieces. From internal to external means slowly propelling it using its own foundation. Step by step, there's no risk of falling. But the drawback is that the entire process is too slow! It could take millions of years, and I cannot wait!"

A light of understanding flashed in Li Fan's eyes: "However, perhaps I can use both approaches simultaneously."

His divine sense penetrated the silver eye, and the entire process of the simulated celestial persona's transformation subsequently appeared in Li Fan's mind. He corroborated this with his external observations. In a short period, he gained significant insights.

"It seems the optimal solution for propelling Xuanhuang's ascension is to create a celestial persona and replace the existing one. But with my current methods, simulating a minor world's celestial persona is still achievable. However, attempting to create the Xuanhuang celestial persona..." Li Fan slightly shook his head. Not only because the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao had absorbed countless other cultivation realms over ten millennia, but also because the Transmission of Dharma's counter-reasoning new method had bound cultivators of the Longevity Realm to the Xuanhuang world. To destroy the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao and replace it with a simulated celestial persona, all these Longevity Realm cultivators would have to be eradicated simultaneously. Leaving aside the Transmission of Dharma for a moment, the Carefree Celestial Venerable, who presides over the Carefree Paradise, was able to survive under the Immortal World-Ending Array. Such an entity is not something Li Fan can currently eliminate.

"However, in reality, for ten millennia, Heavenly Physician and Transmission of Dharma have been mending Xuanhuang using the corpses of other worlds. This is precisely the second method, from internal to external: feeding Xuanhuang with other worlds. Indeed, what Heavenly Physician seeks is not merely simple resurrection and revival of the Heavenly Law Realm by 'borrowing a corpse to return a soul'. He also wishes to go a step further, directly propelling the revived Heavenly Law Realm towards the Immortal Realm. This is what was once mentioned in the Heaven-Mending Record: 'breaking the cocoon to be reborn, ascending and transforming into feathers!' It's just a pity..." A cold glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes: "All of this is destined to serve my purpose!"

His consciousness instantly locked onto the fragment of the Immortal Realm, hidden deep within his body, formed by the fusion of six chess pieces. "In terms of the magnitude of absorption, perhaps even tens of millions of lower realms cannot compare to a single complete Immortal Realm. I just need to wait for the last chess piece to return from beyond the heavens, and it should complete the fusion. Then, when Xuanhuang ascends, I will integrate it... and I will lead the process!"

Thoughts surged, as he deduced all possible interfering factors that might arise. "The preparatory work is actually almost complete. Next, I need to consider how to prevent the ascension process from being interrupted. Heavenly Physician and Transmission of Dharma are bound to return from the Star Sea. And that True Immortal from the Immortal Ruins might also be awakened. And... Grand Master Tiandu, Faceless Immortal..." In the past, each of these names represented a threat so formidable that Li Fan would have had to immediately resort to his 'Return to Truth' ability. Now, Li Fan could scheme on how to resist them.

Half a month later. A disturbance from within the Xuanhuang Realm roused Li Fan from his strategizing. It was the reaction of the mark he had left on Tianyang's puppet. In this lifetime, as he secretly propelled the Xuanhuang Realm's ascension, and as the heavens widened and the earth expanded, certain things hidden within the Xuanhuang Realm were also undergoing quiet transformation alongside it. For example, the ancient mutated Immortal-Mortal Miasma hidden within the underground cavern of Qiling Prefecture. And Tianyang, buried deep beneath the Congyun Sea, refining its puppet body with the Earth Fire Primordial Array. The power of the earth fire was far more turbulent and surging than in the previous lifetime, causing Tianyang to show subtle signs of premature awakening.

Li Fan flickered, arriving at the bottom of the Congyun Sea. Gazing at the puppet body beneath the earth, he recalled the scene from his previous life where Tianyang's puppet alone resisted the Transmission of Dharma Celestial Venerable. Although it had virtually no power to retaliate, it consistently stood firmly in front of Transmission of Dharma. He mused to himself: "Tianyang is indeed a good helper. In the previous life, it was beaten too badly by Transmission of Dharma... In this life, I will help you get revenge!"

Li Fan's divine sense instantly pierced through the scorching earth fire, reaching Tianyang's puppet body buried deep underground. As it was slowly awakening on its own in a complete state, Tianyang's remaining consciousness was not as irritable as when it had been disturbed before. There was no declaration of "Tianyang's life, never weaker than others." Only the confusion of spanning ages and arriving in a new era.

"'Even after absorbing ten millennia of earth fire energy, this body is still too weak. At most, it's at the peak of the Soul Transformation stage... Is it truly worthy of the phrase 'never weaker than others'?" Li Fan's words instantly surfaced within Tianyang's sea of consciousness. Tianyang, gradually awakening from slumber, was immediately provoked to anger by these words. The earth rumbled, and earth fire surged. The massive puppet body was about to leap from the seabed.

"Tianyang's life..." Tianyang's muffled voice roared lowly, expressing his eternal conviction that had spanned millennia, forever shining brightly and unyieldingly. However, the violent emotions, like a volcano on the verge of eruption, instantly subsided upon hearing Li Fan's soft words, "Little Junior Brother," which followed. This address instinctively made him feel close, sorrowful, and guilty. His anger vanished, replaced by a desire to ascertain the identity of the speaker.

"Your Senior Brother will lend you a hand!" Li Fan's blurred figure suddenly descended. "Nine Heavens... Dustfall Finger!"

Accompanying Li Fan's whisper, the entire Congyun Sea seemed to calm instantly, becoming like a perfect mirror with not a single ripple. A single finger slowly pressed down from the sky. Though merely a slender digit, it possessed the might to obscure the heavens and blot out the sun. It precisely covered and pressed down upon Tianyang's massive puppet body. Tianyang's puppet body, having been refined by ten millennia of earth fire, had already transcended the realm of ordinary heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Yet at this moment, under Li Fan's single finger, all parts of the puppet were easily crushed into dust!

Tianyang was stunned. Its indomitable will froze, then was about to completely dissipate into the world. At that moment, a voice, seemingly that of his master Guangyangzi, slowly echoed within Tianyang's fading consciousness. "'Transforming the body into all things, traversing through the ages!'" Appearing alongside this figure was a body heavily bound by golden chains. Tianyang looked at that body, as if seeing his former self.

"'Go, Tianyang. Go and become the strongest in this realm!'" Master Guangyangzi's aged voice continuously resonated. Tianyang's sole remaining will instinctively floated towards that body. At the same time, the 'Body Transformation into Self-Existence Art,' already engraved deep within its instincts, began to operate. With virtually no hindrance, Tianyang successfully attached itself to that body. At the same time, Tianyang discovered that within this body, there also existed a thought-form of the same origin as himself, but without independent consciousness. Without needing his control, that thought-form actively came forth, nourishing his nearly shattered consciousness. In a trance, Tianyang seemed to witness everything that had transpired during the Body Transformation Dao. Long-sealed memories surged into his mind. An unnamed fire, reborn from the ashes. Tianyang once again roared out that phrase: "Tianyang's life! Never weaker than others!" With mind and will unified, Tianyang's remaining consciousness completely settled within this body.

Tianyang realized that this body, rather than being a physical form of flesh and blood, was more like a puppet. A puppet forged from strange metals and flesh containing terrifying, unknown energy.

"'Master was right. This puppet body is far stronger than the one I forged with earth fire before. Master, I am indeed still so useless.'" Guilt flashed briefly, then Tianyang's final vestiges of will calmly integrated into this flesh-and-blood puppet.

The moment Tianyang's consciousness was transferred to the flesh-and-blood puppet, Li Fan had already moved them both into the Grand Qi Minor World. The ascended simulated celestial persona, along with the numerous immortal arrays instantly deployed, sealed off this flesh-and-blood puppet. The surging aura emanating from the puppet forced even Li Fan to temporarily avoid its edge. It was a terrifying power originating from True Immortal flesh and blood, far surpassing anything mortal.

This puppet was precisely what Li Fan had previously crafted by using the copper-cast immortal crane as its skeleton, attaching True Immortal flesh and blood, and then integrating Tianyang's eternal lingering thought. It possessed only flesh and blood, without life force or soul, awaiting Tianyang's awakening. Before Li Fan delivered it to Tianyang this time, he had also incorporated a large amount of black star-stone powder. It could be said that, judging solely by the puppet's hardness, it was probably enough to ignore the terrifying suction of the Immortal Ruins and allow it to walk physically upon them!

Tianyang's consciousness slowly merged with the True Immortal flesh-and-blood puppet. Li Fan observed the puppet's constantly shifting expression from a distance.

"'With the eternal lingering thought assisting it, it should be able to endure and not be completely corroded by the power contained within the True Immortal flesh and blood. But after all, it is just a mortal. The consciousness that can remain after resisting immortal power won't be much. Like the previous Tianyang puppet, it will act instinctively and vaguely... My previous forged identity as Guangyangzi is enough to make him utterly obedient. But this puppet is far, far stronger than the original Tianyang puppet.'"

Li Fan was quite satisfied, carefully observing the changes occurring in the immortal puppet. The copper-cast immortal crane came from the Immortal Boat's hidden treasure. According to records, it was forged from fragments of immortal artifacts. The True Immortal flesh and blood were generated by Li Fan using the Ancient Character Art, tracing back from the True Immortal's bone hand. Black star-stone powder consisted of the finest dust particles from world remnants, cut apart by the World-Ending Immortal Array. All three were existences capable of contending with immortal power. And then, merged with Tianyang's eternal lingering thought... This puppet before him could truly be called an "Immortal Puppet"!

The True Immortal flesh and blood had initially only adhered to the copper skeleton. After integrating Tianyang's consciousness, it seemed to gain a backbone, even growing dense roots that burrowed into the copper skeleton. Bone and flesh completely merged into one. Tianyang's eternal lingering thought, like a brilliant, indestructible diamond, radiated light within its sea of consciousness. The puppet's appearance became increasingly vivid and distinct. The surging aura slowly subsided, and the newly born Tianyang stood silently, its eyes tightly closed.

The immortal array's protection was not withdrawn. Li Fan attempted to issue commands to Tianyang in his identity as Guangyangzi, the one who embodied the Dao. Tianyang was indeed very obedient. However, just as Li Fan had anticipated, Tianyang's independent consciousness suffered severe depletion during the process of merging with and resisting the True Immortal flesh and blood. The remaining level of its instincts was even less than expected.

"'What a pity. But with the experience gained in this lifetime, I can appropriately increase the strength of Tianyang's consciousness before completing the fusion in the next life.'"

Taking the Tianyang Immortal Puppet, he headed deep into the Star Sea. Li Fan began testing the strength of this immortal puppet's body. First, he unleashed a Grand Five Elements Annihilation Sword. This was a divine ability Li Fan had comprehended on his own but hadn't used for a long time as he gradually came into contact with near-immortal powers. The black light, which originally seemed capable of annihilating everything, left not even a faint mark when it struck the Tianyang Immortal Puppet! Li Fan raised an eyebrow, then thousands of black sword lights rained down, enveloping the Tianyang Immortal Puppet. However, this seemingly sharp and mighty attack couldn't even trigger Tianyang's instinctive self-defense. Tianyang stood still and silent, allowing the black sword lights to barrage it. It was as if it wasn't facing a lethal move, but merely a gentle breeze.

After a while, Li Fan nodded in satisfaction, ceasing to activate the Five Elements Annihilation Sword. "'The immortal puppet's body has indeed reached the point where it is invulnerable to all mortal forces. But... this does not mean my Grand Five Elements Annihilation Sword will be useless in the future. The rotation of the Five Elements, advancing fearlessly, annihilating everything. The artistic conception of this divine ability is not inferior. However, against immortal-level existences, relying solely on the core of Five Elements power to exert annihilation force is simply too weak.'" Li Fan mused. "'But if it could integrate the transformation of truth and falsehood...'"

Li Fan bent a finger, intending to strike out a sword towards the distant starry sky. But as he pondered, he hesitated, unable to make the move. "'My comprehension level is still too low. Being able to integrate it into escape techniques is already the limit. To use it for combat... Perhaps I still need to experience two or three more cycles of reincarnation. Or the help of that miraculous item that allows the 'Return to Truth' to simulate reincarnation on its own.'" Li Fan slightly shook his head, his thoughts calming, and slowly withdrew his finger.

He then resumed testing the Tianyang Immortal Puppet. Next were the powers of various True Immortal enscripted characters: Disorder, Suppression, Annihilation... Using essence of Origin Force as ink, Li Fan fully unleashed all he had learned. Immortal arrays sealed the surroundings, preventing energy fluctuations from leaking out. Layers of True Immortal power all descended upon the Tianyang Immortal Puppet.

Facing pseudo-immortal level destructive power, the Tianyang Immortal Puppet finally showed a slight reaction. The True Immortal flesh and blood pulsed like bellows, radiating a force field, isolating all effects brought by the True Immortal enscripted characters. This was not at Li Fan's command for Tianyang to do; it was entirely the Tianyang Immortal Puppet's instinctive reaction to a threat. Li Fan's pupils contracted sharply as he sensed this invisible force field. But he continued to activate the True Immortal enscripted characters without pause. One by one, the powers of True Immortal rules were absorbed and neutralized upon approaching the force field. The storm of True Immortal enscripted characters was like a strong gust of wind, only causing the Tianyang Immortal Puppet's clothes to flutter, unable to harm it in the slightest.

"'Is this the power of a True Immortal? And it's merely the spontaneous defense of True Immortal flesh and blood...'" Li Fan's eyes gleamed; he wanted to comprehend and study this True Immortal invisible force field. But to his disappointment, this force field was strikingly similar to the flaw in the high wall. Clearly right before his eyes, clearly existing, yet he still couldn't touch it; it was invisible and unknowable.

A scene suddenly appeared before Li Fan's eyes: An eagle in the sky looked down upon its prey on the ground. Then, it extended sharp talons and swooped down rapidly. Just as it was about to capture its prey, it slammed headfirst into a transparent protective glass. The eagle was dazed and barely managed to steady itself. It pecked at the glass in front of it, unable to comprehend why, with its prey clearly in sight, it couldn't advance an inch. It couldn't understand the existence of the glass. Just like Li Fan currently could not understand the existence of the high wall or the force field.

"'The power of a True Immortal is not something I can currently touch. But while a gentleman's nature isn't unique, he excels at utilizing external resources. Being able to temporarily wield it through the Tianyang Immortal Puppet is sufficient. This way, even when facing the Immortal Boat, I will have the capital to overturn the table.'"

Li Fan stopped making futile efforts. He began his final attempt. His expression was solemn, as he murmured: "Nine Heavens Soaring Intent, True Immortal Descends to the Mortal World!" He once again unleashed the Nine Heavens Dustfall Finger. However, this time it was with full power. Burning a mass of True Immortal flesh and blood, and boosted by the Ascension Array, Li Fan's perception rapidly elevated. In an instant, it felt as if he stood at the apex of the Star Sea, with the high wall across from him distantly in sight. Meanwhile, the Tianyang Immortal Puppet before him, though possessing the character 'Immortal', had only flesh and blood, but no immortal spiritual power. Thus, it still remained beneath the mortal realm. From this elevated perspective, the Tianyang Immortal Puppet appeared as tiny as an ant. All his previous solemnity and caution when facing it vanished. A sudden feeling arose in Li Fan's heart, as if a True Immortal sat high in the heavens, looking down upon the myriad beings below. Locking onto the Tianyang Immortal Puppet, he wore an arrogant expression and pressed a finger down.

Within the sealed immortal array, a fierce storm erupted. The Sky-Soaring Intent, capable of crushing all beings, mingled with the imposing might of a fall from the high heavens. The phenomenon of his index finger, initially the size of a soybean, instantly grew to resemble a toppling sky. Like a collapsing firmament, it pressed down fiercely!

Facing a divine ability of such might, the Tianyang Immortal Puppet finally instinctively sensed a hint of crisis. A trace of blood-red light bloomed in its eyes, and the Tianyang Immortal Puppet raised its hand, propping up the heavens! Li Fan grunted, his finger feeling as if it had pressed against a hard boulder. It trembled slightly, ultimately unable to advance an inch further! Fortunately, the Tianyang Immortal Puppet only defended instinctively and did not seize the opportunity to counterattack. Otherwise, Li Fan would surely have suffered severe injuries from this strike!

Li Fan didn't fare well, but the Tianyang Immortal Puppet, having endured Li Fan's strongest divine ability, wasn't in much better shape either. After all, it wasn't a true Immortal Puppet, but a fusion of several near-immortal objects. The momentum of the fall from high above directly caused some of the immortal puppet's flesh and blood to disintegrate. The copper skeleton even emitted sizzling sounds, clearly having suffered immense impact. His objective was merely to test the Tianyang Immortal Puppet's actual combat power, not to destroy it. Seeing that it had nearly reached its limit, Li Fan finally withdrew his divine ability.

Dismantling the Ascension Array, Li Fan slowly descended from the peak of the Star Sea back to the mortal world. He slowly regulated his breathing, dispelling the abnormalities within his body. Looking at the Tianyang Immortal Puppet, Li Fan frowned slightly: "After all, it's just a puppet, not a true life form, so it lacks self-repair capabilities. The True Immortal flesh and blood consumed during combat cannot recover on its own..."

As Li Fan was thinking this, Tianyang seemed to sense his thoughts. Driven by the core of eternal lingering thought, the True Immortal flesh and blood attached to the copper skeleton suddenly surged again, as if one begot two, two begot three, and three begot all things. The wounds on the immortal puppet from the previous test were instantly eliminated. The heavily scarred immortal puppet was restored to its peak condition.

Seeing this, Li Fan couldn't help but be astonished. His mind suddenly recalled the scene when he had previously used the Ancient Character Art to cultivate True Immortal flesh and blood, where the flesh was stimulated and continuously proliferated out of thin air. He was speechless for a long time. After a while, he finally sighed sincerely: "The divine might of a True Immortal is indeed infinitely profound and should not be underestimated." Then he frowned: "If not for Tianyang's eternal lingering thought serving as the core, suppressing this mass of True Immortal flesh and blood, this immortal puppet would likely lose control with the slightest carelessness."

At the same time, Li Fan also understood that it wasn't that the immortal puppet lacked the ability to repair itself. Rather, the immortal puppet's autonomy was too poor, and it had no active desire to repair itself. Only when Li Fan prompted or controlled it would it perform this action. "It's still due to the Tianyang consciousness embedded being too severely worn down. Its resilience is sufficient. But wanting it to greatly restrain Transmission of Dharma, Heavenly Physician, or even the True Immortal of the Immortal Ruins, would be somewhat difficult. It seems that to maximize its combat power, its subjective performance still needs to be enhanced."

Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly: "I remember that Qiaogong seems to still possess the combat experience of the Heavenly Mechanism Realm's Immortal Puppet Ancestor from back then... It's just that this fellow, like Xu Ke, should have been swept into the Star Sea's rift depression."

Li Fan turned his head, facing the periphery of the Star Sea, remotely sensing the mark he had left on Qiaogong. As before, Qiaogong's aura was very stable, not fluctuating like Xu Ke's. And compared to before, he seemed to be a bit closer.

"Interesting. It looks like I won't need to go find him; he'll be able to return on his own. That's fine too!"

Li Fan's gaze swept left and right. The sealing immortal array abruptly transformed, becoming the Myriad Things Return to Void Grand Array, raising a howling storm and erasing all traces of the battle. "This degrading immortal array is indeed effective."

After completing all this, Li Fan was not in a hurry to leave. Instead, he stood quietly, seemingly waiting for something. In the Star Sea, there was eternal darkness and stillness. Li Fan patiently waited for over half a month, yet he never waited for what he desired.

"It seems my conjecture was correct: the fall after an ordinary individual's ascension does not attract black qi. Only the weight of an entire realm, or a fall occurring in a special area like the center of the Star Sea, will trigger the black qi. This is the observed phenomenon. But what exactly is the cause of this phenomenon? The Tribulation of Dao Annihilation..."

As Li Fan murmured to himself, he returned to the Xuanhuang Realm with the Tianyang Immortal Puppet. Although the eagle initially couldn't understand the existence of the glass, once it began to try touching and studying the glass's properties, change would eventually occur.