Chapter 1465: Yuan Shi Bone Transformation Pillar

It was as if an unnamed Immortal, long fallen, had been reborn from their own withered bones.

Light danced and shifted, and a blurry figure emerged from the overlapping bones of a true Immortal. Around the figure, the Immortal Realm twisted, centering on it. It seemed this unnamed entity was repelling all the Grand Dao laws that composed the Immortal Realm.

However, by leveraging the power of the Hill Guardian's phantom, Li Fan faintly perceived that the unnamed figure wasn't merely repelling; after distinctly separating from the Immortal Realm's essence, it was silently transforming everything it touched, integrating it into itself. Perhaps 'absorption' wasn't the right word. 'Transformation' was more accurate. The vanished parts of the Immortal Realm weren't absorbed by the unnamed Immortal's figure. Instead, under the influence of an unfathomable power, they became entities nearly identical in essence to the figure itself.

All of this mirrored the scene Li Fan had witnessed during the Immortal Realm's first unfolding, when the Wordless Stele appeared. All things returned to their primordial state, reverting to the Wordless Stele; the evolution of the Dao was reversing to its original inception!

At this moment, Li Fan clearly understood the Dao embodied by this unnamed Immortal figure: "Primordial Origin." The weight of these two words needed no further explanation. It could re-establish earth, fire, water, and wind, returning a world to its nascent state.

The Celestial Pillar, originally meant to resist the Dao's Annihilation in a certain region, transformed into a swirling vortex that devoured the Immortal Realm upon revealing its true form. The speed of the Immortal Realm's external progression was faster than Li Fan had anticipated. What further alarmed Li Fan was that as the primordial origin of the Dao in this space increased, the unnamed Immortal's figure became blurry again, as if it could escape from this phantom space at any moment. Even with the vision granted by the Hill Guardian's phantom, it was becoming difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the Primordial Origin.

Knowing that delay would lead to complications, Li Fan no longer hesitated. On the grand armchair, it was as if billions of supernovae erupted simultaneously. Li Buren's projected spiritual network instantly transformed into an overwhelmingly dazzling white light. Within the phantom space, a pair of tangible colossal hands suddenly descended. From illusion into reality, they abruptly seized the Primordial Origin at the heart of the crumbling Immortal Realm.

The paralysis lasted only a few breaths before the victor was quickly determined. During this confrontation, Li Fan also glimpsed some insights into the power of both sides. Primordial Origin was the very beginning of the Dao. Though sacred and elusive, it was still a manifestation of the Dao's power. The Hill Guardian's power, however, seemed to be closer to that of mountains and seas. Even the Primordial Origin, with its transcendent status among the Three Thousand Great Daos, had to submit.

"Even if this skeleton only represents a fraction of the Primordial Origin's power, what resisted it was merely the phantom left by the Hill Guardian," Li Fan mused. "The changes observed just now clearly indicate that the Hill Guardian's strength surpasses that of the Primordial Origin." He thought of "Guarding the Hills, Gazing at the Sea..." To single-handedly contend with a calamity capable of annihilating even the Grand Dao clearly exceeded the limits of a 'Dao Cultivator'. "Only mountains can control the sea." He pondered, "But what exactly do these mountains refer to?"

The earth-shattering arrival of the Primordial Origin phantom was suppressed without a sound. Under Li Buren's precise control, the tangible colossal hands, along with the remaining Immortal Realm and fragments of the Wordless Stele, compressed it into a solitary stone pillar. It was then hurled toward the area within the high wall's experimental starfield where the Dao Annihilation's dark energy appeared most frequently.

The effect was immediate and dramatic. The unsettling, subtle fluctuations vanished instantly, as if they had never existed. The dark energy of Dao Annihilation, which typically intensified rather than dissipating without cause, now slowly faded like water without a source.

"'As expected of the Primordial Origin, it holds an absolutely crucial position among the countless laws of the universe. Its effect in supporting the Dao Annihilation is even better than I imagined,'" Li Fan mused, observing the Dao pillar. "'No wonder it was chosen as the material for constructing the Southern Celestial Pillar.'"

After its initial manifestation, only a few breaths had passed, and it had already dissolved into the Grand Dao of the heavens and earth, like ice melting into water. It was invisible to the mortal eye. Even Li Fan's true body could only vaguely sense that something was amiss in that space, but he couldn't pinpoint its origin. Only by borrowing the Hill Guardian's vision could he discern it.

"Beyond the Southern Celestial Pillar, other Immortal Pillars might also conceal unnamed skeletons no less significant than the Primordial Origin of the Dao. These must be the remains left behind by unnamed beings who achieved transcendence." From the memories of Qian Ruochang and Wu Xian, Li Fan had glimpsed many secrets. Once a true Immortal transcended and escaped the shackles of the Grand Dao, the Dao they embodied ceased to exist within this possibility. This was one of the reasons Li Fan had previously speculated caused the advent of the Dao Annihilation calamity. However, it was clear that not all these eminent elders who cultivated to the pinnacle of true Immortality completely disregarded the fate of their peers.

"According to Qian Ruochang, before they transcend and depart, they leave behind remains, phantoms, precious artifacts, etc., which bear part of the responsibility for the missing Dao. What's inside these Celestial Pillars must be what was left by true Immortals who transcended in the past. However, compared to the Hill Guardian's method of inheriting the Dao through a phantom, this method of leaving behind remains seems..."

Li Fan contemplated the stone pillar, recalling how the Primordial Origin skeleton previously seemed to possess consciousness, wanting to return to reality with him. He also remembered the incident where two identical skeletons, when merged, showed signs of the Primordial Origin figure manifesting. "It's not like the Dao-inheriting phantom, which is entirely independent of oneself. Even if it can be abandoned for a time, then..."

Li Fan mused, "After the minor transcendence of leaping out of a single possibility comes the great transcendence where countless possibilities converge, which is true transcendence. To take this step, one probably needs to retrieve what was left behind." Li Fan understood. This was likely why some transcendent true Immortals were unwilling to leave behind Dao-suppressing artifacts.

While Li Fan pondered, the after-effects caused by invoking the Hill Guardian's phantom power were entirely eliminated. The two bones of Primordial Origin, acting as Immortal Pillars, had, as Li Fan surmised, shared a portion of the pressure of the phantom's Dao inheritance.

Li Fan subtly sensed, "Quantifying it, roughly one and one-third of the Primordial Origin's bone power can be freely invoked by me. I only need to consider the directional changes Li Buren is undergoing, without worrying about a sudden collapse of the heavens or the advent of a Dao Annihilation calamity. Of course, as time passes, the pressure from Dao Annihilation will inevitably increase, and the power I can deploy will gradually diminish." Nevertheless, Li Fan was quite satisfied with the current outcome.

"In other words, if I could capture another unnamed true Immortal to act as an Immortal Pillar, I would be able to allocate even more power. Until the power of the non-Dao Hill Guardian's phantom is fully unleashed."

As Li Fan indulged in these fantasies, the deteriorating condition of Li Buren's spiritual consciousness abruptly pulled him back to reality. Repeatedly using the Hill Guardian's phantom, Li Buren had endured power erosion far beyond his limits. As Li Fan focused his thoughts on his clone's Dao network projection, he was momentarily entranced, almost seeing the figure with its back turned, hidden, guarding the hills and gazing at the sea. Only after breaking out in a cold sweat for no apparent reason did he snap out of the hallucination.

"'Even if the Hill Guardian's phantom holds no ill will, such frequent invocation is like injecting a colossal external force into a mold. The clone uncontrollably underwent deformation from within,'" he realized. "'Analogously, when Heavenly Dao Bai descended into the world by using my clone back then, it was the same principle.'"

Knowing he couldn't rush, Li Fan temporarily abandoned the idea of invoking the Hill Guardian's phantom again anytime soon. "Unless an uncontrollable situation arises. For now, I must return to the basics and restore the clone to its original state."

This was not a difficult task for Li Fan. With his true body serving as an anchor, he could, by comparing them, progressively strip away the Hill Guardian's influence, much like deboning and carving meat. It was merely troublesome and time-consuming. "After restoration, I must also find a way to enhance the clone's resilience. Otherwise, even with the power of the unnamed in hand, the time it can be invoked is limited."

Regarding this, Li Fan already had a faint idea. The Hill Guardian's power seemed to originate from mountains and seas. Only mountains and seas could control mountains and seas. Coincidentally, within Li Fan's own body, there was something loosely connected to 'sea': "The power of the Ink-Slaying Immortal Soul."

Although he could freely wield this enigmatic power by devouring the Ink-Slaying Immortal Soul and integrating with its Dao, previously, Li Fan hadn't fully comprehended the true nature of the 'Ink-Slaying Immortal Soul's' power. But now, after gaining insights from the Hill Guardian's more than a hundred eons of gazing at the sea, Li Fan vaguely perceived something.

Li Buren's spiritual network projection appeared violently stretched and distorted, even temporarily disconnected from his true body's link. Li Fan did not rush to personally intervene. Instead, he remained calmly in his central position. While slowly restoring the Dao network projection, he infused faint traces of Ink-Slaying Immortal Soul power into the clone's restored spiritual consciousness.

"'The black mist is a premonition of the impending Dao Annihilation,'" he mused. "'Like waves created when seawater crashes against mountains. Or rather, the merging of mountains and seas,'" Li Fan's eyes gleamed.

With the infusion of dark ink, the previously pure and dazzling Dao network projection seemed to gain a shadowy black edge. Although it still reflected the Grand Daos of the heavens, it was subtly different from before. In Li Fan's intuitive perception, this projected network had become slightly more 'solid.' But Li Fan was in no hurry to experiment. Instead, he repeated the process over and over, as if roughly outlining with a paintbrush.

Through this repeated process, Li Buren's spiritual consciousness completely solidified from its ethereal state. His entire body seemed to be formed by the manifestation of the Dao network projection, and the power of the Ink-Slaying Immortal Soul served as the filling 'flesh and blood.' A brand new body, meticulously sculpted by Li Fan, finally came into being.

Li Buren clenched his fist. Although he no longer had his Immortal Realm body, his power seemed to have weakened. However, he distinctly felt that he had become more 'resilient' to attacks. Looking at the lingering dark energy of Dao Annihilation in the experimental starfield, Li Buren, expressionless, opened his mouth wide and directly swallowed the dissipating clouds of dark energy. The surging dark energy, capable of obliterating all things in the world, churned within Li Buren's stomach. Li Buren, however, only felt a sharp pain. Yet, his body itself did not dissipate. Had it been his previous body made of Immortal Realm fragments, it certainly wouldn't have possessed such formidable resilience.

"'Just as I thought.'" His internal hypothesis was confirmed. Li Fan experienced the tumultuous upheaval within his clone's stomach. "The collision of mountains and seas." His thoughts seemed to return to the more than a hundred eons of time recorded in the Hill Guardian's musings. He witnessed the vast, boundless ocean waters ceaselessly eroding and assaulting the mountains beneath. Each collision between them brought about some change in the mortal realm.

"'What a pity. The Hill Guardian's legacy has been shared among other pieces on the Immortal Realm chessboard; otherwise, I should have been able to glimpse the true essence of mountains and seas.'" Despite prolonged observation and meditation, he made no progress. Li Fan regrettably had to actively withdraw from that profound state. Mountains and seas were clearly not things of the mortal realm. Even merely visualizing himself immersed in them brought corresponding changes to Li Fan.

The most immediate was his lifespan. Upon entering the Half-Immortal realm, Li Fan's lifespan became infinite, equivalent to 7.36 million years in this mortal realm. While not fixed and subject to change based on Li Fan's actions, these fluctuations were typically limited to the thousands, hundreds, tens, or single digits, not affecting the broader magnitude of his lifespan. However, now, this lifespan had abruptly and sharply decreased. It had been cut by a third!

Li Fan stared at the number, his expression turning subtle. "'Logically, the stronger I become, the greater the possibility of saving this entire mortal realm,'" he thought. "'Theoretically, this lifespan figure should have surged. Why did my glimpse into the mysteries of mountains and seas cause the future existence of the entire mortal realm to sharply decline?'" Li Fan was utterly perplexed. But clearly, this was not a good omen.

Li Fan did not stubbornly press on. "'The secrets of mountains and seas, it seems, are not something I can touch right now. I should first complete and enhance my clone's body to increase its resilience. If the Hill Guardian's phantom power were fully developed, it should be enough for me to traverse this shattered possibility.'"

Currently, for Li Fan, the phantom power within the experimental field was like a set of scales. To invoke the Hill Guardian's power, he first had to place an equivalent weight upon them. "'I can currently use, without pressure, only the power equivalent to one and one-third of the Primordial Origin's bones. The Path of Primordial Origin is the Immortal of Ten Thousand Daos. Even as mere remains, it shouldn't be much weaker than an ordinary unnamed true Immortal. If absolutely necessary, I can also unleash more of the Hill Guardian's power.'"

Li Fan pondered his next hunting target. There weren't many unnamed true Immortals whose identities were currently known. First, Li Fan's gaze fell upon the Immortal Ruins outside the Xuanhuang Realm. Besides the Hunger Immortal, who subtly approached the realm of an unnamed true Immortal, there was also the power beneath her, likely left by the previous Hunger Immortal to sustain the Dao Annihilation. Although the Hunger Immortal was being wantonly trampled upon by Xie Subai without her knowing it, with Li Fan's current strength, scheming against her would still require careful planning. And Li Fan didn't just want to capture a true Immortal of current power. He also had the more ambitious desire to capture the true Hunger Immortal, who had attained the unnamed realm.