Chapter 1422: 凡以尸为师

The surface of the originally vast, uniform Azure Gloom Pearl was divided into many different regions by various lines. Most of these regions had flickering, indistinct boundary lines. Only the area displaying a bright mirror seemed "alive," emitting fluctuations distinctly different from the Pearl's main body. From the rising aura, Li Fan faintly perceived a complete Immeasurable Mirror.

"Are these different partitions the various immortal artifacts the Azure Gloom Pearl once devoured?" Li Fan wondered. "But with the Pearl's past fragmentation, these functions became unusable. Only the newly opened Immeasurable Mirror area is barely functional..." A realization dawned on him.

Compared to the Azure Gloom Pearl itself, the area transformed into the Immeasurable Mirror was easier to conquer. Li Fan patiently used the Immeasurable Mirror region as a breakthrough point, finally succeeding in sending a wisp of his divine sense into the Azure Gloom Pearl's interior. This time, it wasn't easily expelled; instead, it took root and settled within the Immeasurable Mirror region.

Soon after, formations emerged continuously, born from his thoughts. Numerous light-green formation patterns, similar in color to the Azure Gloom Pearl itself, took root and proliferated within the Immeasurable Mirror region. Li Fan attempted to fully refine and control this immortal treasure using the "Formation Refinement" technique. With the Immortal Disintegration Disk in action, the efficiency was naturally extraordinary. In just one day, a mysterious connection formed between Li Fan and the Azure Gloom Pearl.

Li Fan let out a long breath, idly turning the Azure Gloom Pearl in his right hand. There was no tangible sense of contact; it was merely cool, smooth, and pleasant to the touch. The Azure Gloom Pearl had been reborn from destruction, as if remade. All its past shackles and restrictions seemed to have vanished. At the very least, Li Fan thoroughly inspected it, inside and out, and found no lingering unknown energy traces. Even so, he wasn't entirely at ease. The Formation Refinement continued unabated. On the Pearl's surface, within the vast azure sky, billions of silver stars gradually appeared—traces of the formation's operation.

Li Fan first began studying the Immeasurable Mirror's function. He had previously infiltrated this damaged immortal artifact for a period, so he understood it quite well. "The Immeasurable Mirror's various divine abilities are based on the immortal-level 'Immeasurable, Primordial Square' grand formation. Theoretically, it can analyze all things in the world. Even things beyond its own level can be slowly analyzed, like the Foolish Old Man moving mountains." He recalled. "However, the Immeasurable Mirror I encountered in the Xuanhuang Realm was greatly weakened. Forget analyzing all things in the world; even for the Heavenly Profound Mirror, also an immortal artifact, it could only glimpse through gaps. But now..."

Li Fan, holding the Azure Gloom Pearl, returned to the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Within the Alliance's headquarters space, the Azure Gloom Pearl in his hand rippled like green water. Suddenly, it transformed into the appearance of the Heavenly Profound Mirror, radiating a faint glow outwards. Li Fan received no threat alerts from the Heavenly Profound Mirror's simulated spirit. However, he keenly sensed a new functional area being opened within the Azure Gloom Pearl. It was also a small mirror, but an ancient bronze-green, identical to the Heavenly Profound Mirror's actual body!

"The Immeasurable Mirror it devoured was a weakened, damaged version. But the Azure Gloom Pearl, through its own divine power, can complete the Immeasurable Mirror's functions!" Li Fan realized. "And now, it seems after devouring the Immeasurable Mirror, it can replicate many functions of other immortal artifacts simply by analyzing them?" Li Fan was both surprised and delighted.

But this joy didn't last long. Perhaps because it was generated through the Immeasurable Mirror's analysis, the Heavenly Profound Mirror's functional partition in the Azure Gloom Pearl was right next to the Immeasurable Mirror's partition, and this boundary wasn't very clear. The Heavenly Profound Mirror's functional partition existed independently for only about half a cup of tea's time before being absorbed by the Immeasurable Mirror's partition. Li Fan couldn't control this merger. After the fusion, the faint image of a small mirror appearing on the Azure Gloom Pearl's surface also changed. The bronze-green faded, and its shape became circular. Within the mirror's surface, a pair of eyes seemed hidden, secretly observing everything outside. Li Fan's heart stirred slightly, and the Azure Gloom Pearl changed with his will. The illusory mirror materialized in his hand.

The analysis wasn't complete, but it already possessed many functions of both the Immeasurable Mirror and the Heavenly Profound Mirror. Besides common functions like internal space creation, storage, deduction, and analysis, what Li Fan valued more was the Heavenly Profound Mirror's ability for "differentiation and secondary generation." Unfortunately, this seemed to be a skill the Heavenly Profound Mirror acquired later, not an innate ability, so the Azure Gloom Pearl's analysis function couldn't directly replicate it onto itself.

"The Immeasurable Immortal Formation's status should be sufficient," Li Fan mused. "The Heavenly Profound Mirror data analyzed by the Azure Gloom Pearl is almost identical to what I read from the Heavenly Profound Mirror's simulated spirit. The only difference is the absence of an artifact spirit." A flicker of hesitation crossed Li Fan's mind. Ultimately, he didn't rush to use life-generating methods to cultivate intelligence for the Azure Gloom Pearl. He didn't even apply methods for simulating personality to it. From the fleeting glimpse of the God-Witch Realm, the twelve towering statues Li Fan saw gave him a subtle sense of unease. "For now, it's better to use it purely as an artifact."

After the analysis and fusion of the Immeasurable Mirror and Heavenly Profound Mirror concluded, Li Fan then tested the Azure Gloom Pearl's ability to manifest cultivation techniques. After Emperor Sanmo brought several corpses, Li Fan used the Azure Gloom Pearl to devour them. As the corpses vanished into the vast azure gloom, several distinct auras emerged within the precious pearl. They consisted of countless tiny characters, floating as scrolls above the azure sky. These corresponded precisely to the cultivation techniques practiced by these deceased prisoners during their lives. Even though their cultivation techniques had long been forcibly abolished, the Azure Gloom Pearl still revealed them! Upon comparison, they were absolutely identical!

Li Fan reached out and beckoned one of the scrolls. "Nine Refinements Wandering Spirit Art..." Li Fan absorbed these characters into his body. It wasn't just the cultivation technique itself; even the corpse's understanding of the technique during life and insights gained during cultivation appeared in Li Fan's mind!

"This way, with the experience of the 'former body,' cultivation will be incredibly fast!" Li Fan exclaimed. "The only pity is that there are insights, but no memories." Although Li Fan felt some regret, he also knew that achieving this level was undoubtedly the mark of an unparalleled treasure. "Learning from corpses, the efficiency is incomparably higher than ordinary seeking of guidance. After all, corpses won't hide anything."

However, in the current Darkest Star Sea, there were few things left that could inspire Li Fan to learn and emulate. "I wonder if these will still be useful," he mused. Thinking thus, Li Fan tentatively poured all the fine ash powder remaining from Qin Zhuang, after he was silenced outside the high wall, into the Azure Gloom Pearl. The powder was slowly consumed by the azure color. Even after his soul was scattered, Qin Zhuang still contributed his "light and heat." Within the Azure Gloom Pearl, a strong wind seemed to stir. Li Fan watched intently, afraid of missing any detail.

The Azure Gloom Pearl was, after all, a supreme treasure valued by King Xuantian. Ordinary methods of destroying corpses and erasing traces apparently couldn't withstand the Pearl's scrutiny. After a period of gestation, a wisp of strangely colored aura appeared within the boundless azure. It was extremely striking—a ceaseless gradient from black to white, as if encompassing all colors of time. Li Fan drew this wisp of aura towards him.

"Thirty Lectures on Dao Yuan Foundations..." Sensing this name, Li Fan's expression became a little strange. But soon, he immersed himself in Qin Zhuang's cultivation and understanding of Dao Yuan symbols. It was completely different from the experience of forcefully prying into memories with an immortal formation. Soul-searching for memories, especially with numerous restrictions still present in Qin Zhuang's soul, couldn't achieve such an immersive experience. It could only detect what Qin Zhuang had learned and how much time he spent. But with the Azure Gloom Pearl, all of Qin Zhuang's thoughts and contemplations based on these Dao Yuan symbols, from his lifetime, violently reappeared in Li Fan's mind. It was as if Li Fan, as Qin Zhuang, re-experienced his life!

By the time Li Fan's consciousness cleared, he had mastered these Thirty Lectures on Dao Yuan Foundations. Furthermore, combining his own understanding, Li Fan was even more proficient than Qin Zhuang, a member of the Immortal Hunt organization. This feeling of gaining without effort was truly captivating. Li Fan couldn't help but smack his lips. "Holding this powerful treasure, I can't wait to sweep through the area outside the high wall. It would surely be worth hundreds of years of my arduous cultivation." A dangerous glint appeared in Li Fan's eyes, but ultimately, he resolutely suppressed it.

Risk was one aspect. More critically, Li Fan couldn't yet determine if using the Azure Gloom Pearl's heaven-defying method to gain insights had any side effects. Changes in Li Fan's divine soul could, to a certain extent, persist even after experiencing 'Returning to Truth'. If the changes were minor, they might be negligible. But if they accumulated to a point where one or two 'Returning to Truth' cycles couldn't cleanse them, it would be extremely dangerous and not worth it.

"First, I'll use a large number of test subjects for safety verification," he decided. "Furthermore, theoretically, being able to capture the thoughts of a corpse from its lifetime certainly isn't limited to just cultivation techniques. I wonder if there's a way to restore all of a corpse's memories and thoughts from its lifetime? If that were truly possible, then creating and replicating a cultivator from scratch would make them even more like their original self." Li Fan toyed with the Azure Gloom Pearl, which had returned to its original appearance, his mind full of surging thoughts.

The remaining four Immortal Venerables of the Five Elders Council arrived punctually as summoned. Without alarming others, they were personally received by Emperor Sanmo and Qiao Sidao and brought to the Return to Void Realm, where Dharma Transmitter Jiang resided. Due to the seal of the Heaven-Reaching Grand Formation, they naturally couldn't perceive the presence of Dharma Transmitter Jiang at the formation's core. However, Li Fan intentionally released some of Dharma Transmitter Jiang's insights, synchronizing them with the visitors. Thus, upon entering this minor world, they became immersed in the profound insights of "Grand Dao as I Am."

This was especially true for Zhao Ruoxi. "Myriad Epochs, Only I" and "Grand Dao as I Am" are, at their core, conceptually intertwined. However, "Myriad Epochs, Only I" achieves ultimate unity with the Dao through continuous consumption. "Grand Dao as I Am," on the other hand, directly skips countless intermediate steps, arriving immediately at the destination: "I am the Dao, and the Dao is I." Even after undergoing Li Fan's rigorous guidance and a transformation of her mindset, Zhao Ruoxi couldn't help but feel a surge of imbalance and jealousy at this moment. Zhao Ruoxi's reaction was echoed by the other three Immortal Venerables, as well as Emperor Sanmo, Qiao Sidao, and others, none of whom fared much better.

"I originally thought Senior's Taijia Divine Art, used for motivation in the Alliance, which could communicate with the star sea, was already miraculous. I didn't expect this direct confrontation with the Grand Dao to be..." Qiao Sidao was speechless with shock, remaining silent for a long time. "Grand Dao as I Am" felt like conversing with the Grand Dao and gaining many insights. But once they left this state and returned to reality, it seemed as if nothing had happened. Not a single trace of the Grand Dao insights remained. When Li Fan withdrew his seemingly compassionate boon, the expressions on their faces revealed their inner disappointment.

"How was it?" Li Fan appeared at that moment and asked. Their expressions turned solemn. They first bowed respectfully, then one after another, they spoke, their words overflowing with praise.

"I intend to integrate these Grand Dao insights into your Dream Paradise," Li Fan then said calmly, once everyone had finished speaking. This statement made everyone's eyelids twitch, especially Wu You. After the initial irrepressible surprise, an immense dread welling up in Wu You's heart. Such a heaven-sent opportunity falling upon her... Could it be another trick from this True Immortal to torment people in a new way? Wu You had learned a lot from Zhao Ruoxi a few days prior.

Just as Wu You was unsure how to respond, Li Fan spoke again. "Within the dream, there is no life or death. Cultivators fear no death, making them perfectly suited as vanguards for exploring beyond the high wall. However, there's a drawback: their strength is too weak, and their cultivation growth is too slow." Li Fan smiled: "If they are too weak, no matter how many ants there are, they won't amount to anything significant. But if ants become hyenas, that's a different story. The manifestation of strength in Wu You's dream realm is only at the consciousness level. But through this method of directly confronting the Grand Dao, almost like an empowerment, it can instantly elevate mortal cultivators to the Immortal Realm in a short period. Moreover, it allows for quantifiable control."

Li Fan spoke softly, but his words struck the people present like thunder. They still harbored subtle doubts in their hearts, but Li Fan's recent display of various methods compelled them to believe. "Take this divine soul as an example." Li Fan opened his palm, and a speck of light floated within it. It was precisely a promising talent he had personally selected from the era. With a thought, the insights of "Grand Dao as I Am" that transformed the Heaven-Reaching Grand Formation were fully infused into this divine soul. Although still extremely weak, the theoretical understanding of this divine soul expanded at an unimaginably terrifying speed. It wasn't just Dharma Transmitter Jiang's own insights; it also included Li Fan's thoughts and ideas from over the years. Everything except the transformations of truth and falsehood had been recorded by him within the Heaven-Reaching Grand Formation.