Chapter 1461: Fox Borrowing Tiger's Might

The power of the Tomb Keeper filled people with longing. However, Li Fan wasn't particularly concerned about the limitations that Qing Yin said would naturally arise from obtaining the Tomb Keeper's inheritance. Firstly, although the Tomb Keeper seemed to be the strongest known entity, Li Fan still didn't believe He could surpass Huanzhen. Secondly, it was Li Buren who acquired and practiced the Tomb Keeper's Sketchbook. If things went south, Li Buren could simply be used as collateral. It had nothing to do with Li Fan himself.

"There were still some unresolved questions in the images left by Qing Yin. For instance, why did Qing Yin specifically leave this record in the testing ground? His final glance towards the viewer clearly held a deeper meaning. Sun Piaomiao and the True Immortal who once guarded Xuanhuang in the lower realm still didn't fully understand their specific connection to this so-called 'Rotten Chessboard Dao Field'..." Too many secrets had been lost forever, with no chance of verification, following the descent of Dao Yan and the destruction of the Immortal Realm. Li Fan had no intention of delving into every single one.

"Although I can't fully unravel the secrets of the High Wall, gaining the Tomb Keeper's inheritance and Qing Yin's recognition granted me significantly higher 'authority' within this testing ground than a mere visitor."

As Qing Yin's image faded, Li Buren stood once again in the circular hall, quietly sensing his surroundings. The many objects that had previously been unresponsive to him now seemed, to some extent, tangible and manipulable. Aside from the human figurine that could recall historical images from the testing ground, the object Li Buren found to resonate most strongly with him was a dark red, solid wood Grand Tutor's chair.

Li Buren gently ran his hand over it, sensing a faint aura of the Tomb Keeper's phantom image. "It seemed the Tomb Keeper had once sat in this chair." Li Buren also tried sitting in it. The view suddenly shifted. In a daze, he left the circular hall at the core of the testing ground, floating out into a vast sea of monitored cube-like stars. Leaping upwards, he found himself outside the testing ground!

Li Buren saw a familiar star-filled sky. It was the long, narrow Annihilation Zone beyond the Shuo Star Sea. He could even, from a distance, glimpse the numerous vibrant star-lights within the Shuo Star Sea! Zooming in, he could focus on a single point and observe in great detail the World-Crossing Black Coffin, still quietly suspended in the starry sky, as well as the newly promoted Immortal Hunters who were immersed in their Paradise dream! Having previously examined the World-Crossing Black Coffin meticulously from his own perspective, Li Buren instantly noticed the differences when viewing it from this new vantage point.

His initial feeling was one of awkwardness and regret. It was as if a perfectly flawless creation now had an unexpected blemish! "This was the subtle mark I made on the World-Crossing Black Coffin using my 'True-False Divine Ability.' I couldn't even clearly see it myself, yet from this perspective, that imperfection was revealed in vivid detail..." Suppressing the discomfort in his heart, Li Buren continued to scrutinize the Black Coffin. The surrounding starry sky and the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth seemed to transform into undulating waves. And in this boundless ocean, the World-Crossing Black Coffin was like a small skiff. Although inevitably swept along by the currents, it could still safely weather endless storms and tides—that is, if it didn't have that blemish.

"With the blemish I created, it's like a seam in the hull of the boat. Seawater would slowly seep through the crack. If one still intended to cross the sea with it, the inevitable outcome would be to sink to the bottom." His vision seemed to leap over the river of time, glimpsing the future. This wasn't based on deduction, but rather a scene that directly appeared before Li Buren's eyes. "This feeling... Is this what true powerhouses see every day?"

At this moment, Li Buren understood. What he was seeing now must be the perspective from the High Wall itself. Even with various restrictions and formations left by other True Immortals, the High Wall's core foundation remained the five Dao-bearing phantom images left by the Tomb Keeper. Through the subtle connection between the wooden chair the Tomb Keeper once sat on and the phantom images, he could, to some extent, borrow a portion of the five phantom images' power. They could withstand the Dao Yan calamity and obscure the gaze of the Nameless. The immense value of the phantom images left by the Tomb Keeper hardly needed further elaboration. Leveraging their power, Li Buren not only immediately perceived the Black Coffin's imperfection but also vaguely discerned the principle by which it could traverse the world.

Just as Li Fan had previously speculated, this small skiff, seemingly capable of crossing endless oceans, wasn't remarkable in its own material composition. Instead, it appeared to be a composite of countless overlapping shadows. With each additional layer of overlapping shadow, its stability increased. Through successive accumulation, it became increasingly impervious to storms and waves. "This... it must be the same principle as Black Heaven Physician and Xie Subai hunting down their alternate selves from other possibilities, right?" Li Buren watched, somewhat captivated, the many overlapping shadows on the Black Coffin. His gaze seemed to follow them, revealing other possibilities. However, precisely because of the blemish he had previously created, the Black Coffin before him was now deviating from these overlapping shadows. Initially, the deviation was almost negligible. But Li Buren saw that, as if swayed by external forces and turbulent waves, the discrepancy was continuously growing with the passage of time!

His probing gaze was, as a result, distorted and obstructed. He couldn't truly see into other possibilities. Not even a speck of light or shadow. Li Buren sighed inwardly with regret. "If the World-Crossing Black Coffin had been perfectly intact, perhaps he really could have seen the path to other possibilities?" Compared to the Black Coffin itself, the method used to seal it appeared rather crude. It was like a flawless white wall haphazardly bound with a few rough ropes. It was indeed secure. However, with the High Wall's perspective, or rather, the Tomb Keeper's Dao-bearing phantom images' gaze, Li Buren easily saw the key to untying the knot. "So, at the Tomb Keeper's realm, all methods are understood. No matter what divine abilities, spells, or techniques you possess, I can see through them with a single glance from this elevated position."

Li Buren was captivated for a moment before an idea suddenly emerged in his mind. "I wonder if, besides 'seeing,' I can call upon more of the Tomb Keeper's phantom image power?" Once it arose, it could no longer be suppressed. He tried his best to recall the preserved contents of the Tomb Keeper's Sketchbook in his mind, sensing the lingering aura of the Tomb Keeper on the Grand Tutor's chair beneath him. He seemed to once again see the solitary figure of the Tomb Keeper, gazing at the sea, standing alone for eternities. In that instant, Li Buren felt as if he had returned to the High Wall's core, where the five phantom images resided! He was in the center of the phantom images, under their collective gaze. Li Buren felt immense pressure. This wasn't an act of receiving an inheritance, so the phantom images didn't seem to offer active protection. It was like directly facing mountains and seas, and the Tomb Keeper upon them. Li Buren felt as if his entire body was about to be pressed into the Grand Tutor's chair beneath him. Not just on a physical level, but a spiritual one too. He sharply noticed that the five encircling phantom images of the Tomb Keeper seemed to have moved closer to him. Li Buren decisively sprang from the Grand Tutor's chair. Like falling from the clouds to the mortal world, his boundless vision was compressed back into a confined space.

Li Buren experienced a moment of disorientation. Fortunately, his personal attachment to the perception wasn't strong, and he quickly adjusted. "He could indeed borrow the power of the phantom images. However, the phantom images were primarily used to withstand the Dao Yan; not much power could be borrowed. Moreover, it was a double-edged sword. The gap between him and the Tomb Keeper's phantom images was simply too vast. Even if the Tomb Keeper bore no ill will, using their power rashly would inevitably lead to assimilation." This was the conclusion Li Buren had drawn from his analysis.

Meanwhile, Li Fan's true self was filled with a joy far surpassing Li Buren's. "Ever since stepping out of the Abyssal Star Sea and encountering entities like the Dao Net, Immortal Hunters, and the Nameless True Immortal, I've always walked on thin ice. I've acted cautiously, constantly wary that these powerful beings might follow the connections and find their way to the Xuanhuang Realm. But now..." Li Fan's true self suddenly stood up, looking towards the High Wall, overjoyed. Just now, his true self hadn't detected the assimilation trend that Li Buren had perceived. In other words, whatever effects might arise from using the Tomb Keeper's phantom images, they wouldn't extend to him. "The Tomb Keeper alone could withstand the monstrous Dao Yan calamity. Even the ruling Immortal Emperor of the Immortal Realm bowed to him in deference... The phantom images he left behind should be something no ordinary True Immortal could contend with. The more power I can draw from the phantom images, the stronger I will be. In other words, in the area near this High Wall, I wouldn't fear even if the Nameless himself arrived!"

Li Fan hadn't been this excited in a long time. With Huanzhen, all treasures in the world seemed to hold little value to him. Theoretically, if he wished, he could transform anything, no matter how precious or rare, into an infinite supply. However, the Tomb Keeper's phantom images weren't valuable because of their quantity. Rather, similar to Huanzhen, their very existence was their greatest value! It was like finding a game-breaking item in a game. Li Fan was eager to try it out. His gaze turned towards the Black Coffin, which floated quietly outside the High Wall. "You two have rested long enough. Let me put you to work and test the true quality of the Tomb Keeper's phantom images!"

Calling upon the Tomb Keeper's phantom images would indeed have significant negative repercussions. Moreover, if too much power was drawn, it could even trigger the premature arrival of the Dao Yan calamity. But none of these were Li Fan's concern anymore! Li Buren, having received Li Fan's command, rested for a moment before sitting back down in the Grand Tutor's chair. At the same time, 'Ma Tiande', who had been sleeping in the Annihilation Zone's starry sky, suddenly opened his eyes. The vision of the Tomb Keeper's phantom images slowly merged with what this body saw. The World-Crossing Black Coffin, which had previously seemed flawless and utterly impenetrable, now felt as though it could be breached in an instant. Ma Tiande revealed a meaningful smile. Towards the 'knot' in his vision, he made a gentle stroke. The thousands of entangled ropes were thus easily and directly undone. With a dull rumble, the coffin lid slid open.

Qian Ruochang and Wuxian, inside the coffin, were visibly stunned by this sudden turn of events. Then, without the slightest hesitation, they unleashed their full potential, attempting to escape from the coffin. The moment they leaped out of the World-Crossing Black Coffin, Li Fan also clearly saw their true forms.

First, Qian Ruochang. From a normal perspective, he was a burly, muscular man wielding a massive pillar, appearing robust and fierce. However, in the vision of the Tomb Keeper's phantom images, Qian Ruochang wasn't even truly a 'person.' He was, instead, a cloud of qi, or perhaps, a Grand Dao aggregate. Just like the silver skeleton Li Fan had previously glimpsed, which was remarkably similar to the Dao Net, Qian Ruochang's entire body was directly composed of aggregated and manifested threads of the Grand Dao. Only the inner core, which controlled Qian Ruochang's body, was a spirit-soul belonging to a normal human. It was like a miniature Dao Net draped over the human spirit-soul. "No wonder Qian Ruochang always felt a bit strange to me. What is this? Grand Dao Incarnation? Or a Dao Net Mecha?" Qian Ruochang's method could indeed allow a mortal body to wield the power of the Grand Dao. Under the Nameless, even True Immortals would find it hard to contend. However, the drawbacks were extremely apparent. It wasn't connected to the Infinite Sea, nor did it truly link to the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth. Every bit of power consumed could not be replenished. Even if the miniature Dao Net could be called infinitely powerful, it wasn't sustainable. More critically, the spirit-soul enveloped by the miniature Dao Net was constantly being constricted by the Dao Strings. It was as if it were being flayed alive, and the degree of agony was imaginable. This didn't mean one could simply endure it with strong willpower. Under such pressure, the spirit-soul being fragmented into countless pieces was an inevitable outcome. Even with a strong spirit-soul and resolute willpower, it would only slow down the process. "Even a divine ability similar to my Wuji Yingxu would be useless. Given Qian Ruochang's current spirit-soul strength, he could only last for a maximum of three hundred years. For a mortal, that's a long life. But for the True Immortal realm, it's far too short."

Li Fan looked at Wuxian, who claimed to sever all ties with the world. But to Li Fan now, that was far from the truth. If every person in the world was a rich and three-dimensional projection of the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth from a certain angle, then Wuxian had, as much as possible, whittled himself down into a 'thin bamboo pole,' minimizing his intersection with the Grand Dao. Indeed, he seemed to have severed all connections with other things in Heaven and Earth. But fundamentally, it had nothing to do with 'non-existence.' It was closer to the Dao of 'Solitude' or 'Isolation.' "This immortal, reaching the culmination of their cultivation, wasn't pursuing the profound Dao of Non-existence. Instead, they transformed themselves into a principle within Heaven and Earth, becoming part of the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth while simultaneously remaining independent of it. The moment of great accomplishment would be a moment of minor transcendence. Truly worthy of being a True Immortal who has survived to this day!" Seeing Wuxian's true nature at a glance, Li Fan couldn't help but praise him. The benefits of observing from above, with the Tomb Keeper's vision, were self-evident. All manner of demons and monsters were revealed in their true forms with a single glance.

While Li Fan was observing, Qian Ruochang and Wuxian seemed to have already conspired. They unleashed their escape techniques to the maximum, simultaneously attempting to flee in different directions. Li Buren increased his call upon the phantom images' power and cast another profound gaze. The Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth, continuously undulating and shifting in this area, was thus frozen. Qian Ruochang and Wuxian were like insects caught in a net, unable to move!