Chapter 1472

The Four Sage Sovereigns of the Immortal RealmChapter 1480

"To comprehend the Three Thousand Great Daos with the power of one individual. What the Grand Master conceived surprisingly aligns with my own thoughts."

Looking around, Li Buren was somewhat surprised and at the same time, a little perplexed.

The Grand Master's inner world was a manifestation of the myriad forms of sentient beings and countless Great Daos in heaven and earth. Each living being copied by the Grand Master became a vessel for the manifestation of the Great Daos.

Li Buren looked at the countless faces arrayed around him, and for a moment, he almost had the illusion of being inside a Dao Net. In fact, conceptually speaking, the Grand Master alone was indeed equivalent to a "Dao Net." However, whether it was the intricate level of enlightenment of the beings here or the sheer number of Dao principles, there was still a significant gap compared to the Dao Net Li Fan had seen in the Suoxing Sea.

"These various paths of Dao all manifest according to different beings. But..."

Li Buren's gaze shifted from Lan Yu and casually fell upon another mortal from Yuandao Province. The aura of the Great Dao condensed around them was related to "painting," and the intensity of its fluctuations was far beyond what a mere mortal could possess!

"The shadows copied by the Grand Master possessed a comprehension of the Dao far surpassing their original counterparts..." Li Buren looked towards where the myriad shadows of sentient beings were focused. In the depths of the unknown, lay the Illusory Life Shadow.

Li Buren instantly understood: "So that's it. The Illusory Life Shadow is the ultimate manifestation of change. It adapts not only to the timing but also generates various different reactions to the sentient beings it encounters in heaven and earth."

When the Ten Immortal Sects first entered Tiandu and saw the Illusory Life Shadow, different cultivation methods appeared before everyone's eyes and ears. Without exception, all seemed to have a great connection with what they had learned previously, as if tailor-made for them. The people of the Ten Immortal Sects thus concluded that the Grand Master must be from the Immortal Realm, and what was imparted to them must be a legacy cultivation method of the Immortal Realm.

"The Immortal Realm... why would it use mortal techniques? The true inheritances of the Ten Immortal Sects are still far inferior to immortal methods!"

"They never would have imagined that the so-called inheritances were merely different evolutions naturally produced by the Illusory Life Shadow after coming into contact with them. Like a mirror!"

"The Grand Master allowed them to enter and meet the Illusory Life Shadow, and the intermittent freezing of Yuandao Province's beings in the future was probably for the sake of the Dao manifestations reflected in this mirror." Thinking this, Li Buren couldn't help but look at this Tiandu Grand Master in a new light.

He obtained a supreme treasure that led directly to the Nameless Realm, but unlike Jixian, he did not directly comprehend the Dao of the supreme treasure. Instead, he used it as a tool, attempting to encompass all the Great Daos of the world... And the Grand Master was actually just a mere Half-Immortal. Such behavior could only be described as arrogant and overestimating one's abilities.

But Li Buren knew deeply that the Grand Master, facing the Nameless Supreme Treasure, could still suppress his inner greed, guarding it for ten thousand years without changing his original intention. He would certainly not be a fool.

"He must have his own reasons for doing this."

Li Buren did not press him for answers for the time being. Instead, he looked at the Grand Master's ten-thousand-year accumulation, observing the different Dao paths generated by the Illusory Life Shadow through its interaction with countless beings in the world. He actually smiled, a very rare sight.

"Insufficient strength. You're just preparing a wedding dress for someone else."

"Such a generous gift, I shall accept it."

Thinking this, towering black ink surged out from Li Buren, acting like countless tentacles to successively permeate the myriad Dao manifestations within the Grand Master. Just as Li Buren had surmised, each figure contained insights into different Dao paths. Like fruits that had condensed for tens of thousands of years, they were incredibly fragrant and tempting to cultivators. Li Buren showed no mercy, directly claiming them all for himself.

As the myriad Dao manifestations were swallowed by Li Buren, different droplets gradually began to appear within Li Fan's true body, in the endless black ocean of the Ink Slaughter Immortal Soul. This was identical to how Ink Slaughter had previously permeated the Xuanhuang World.

The Grand Master's comprehension of Dao over ten thousand years, combined with Li Fan's own insights gained in reincarnation, led countless ink droplets, representing different Dao paths, to separate from the Ink Slaughter Immortal Soul. The myriad forms of sentient beings continuously emerged, bringing vitality to the Ink Slaughter Immortal Soul and also providing Him with paths to transform into different Great Daos.

Feeling the drastic changes happening within his body, Li Fan's heart stirred, and a constantly flickering flame, red with black edges, appeared in his palm.

"Ink Slaughter as the core, Blazing Flame as the form."

"This flame..."

Li Fan flicked his finger, and the black flame instantly transformed into a thread, flying out of the Xuanhuang World and crashing into the Heavenly Pillar formed by Jixian in the Sea of Utmost Darkness. Not a single ripple was produced, and the Heavenly Pillar remained unmoving. After all, it was formed by an Anonymous True Immortal, capable of resisting the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation. Li Fan's true body was still only at the Half-Immortal realm; although Ink Slaughter was extraordinary, it was fundamentally insufficient to harm Jixian's Heavenly Pillar.

Li Fan was not surprised. He raised an eyebrow, sensing the inconspicuous dark scorched mark on the Heavenly Pillar.

"Even with an Anonymous Immortal body merged with a single Dao, and its powerful repulsion towards other Dao paths, it couldn't completely eradicate Ink Slaughter."

"Furthermore, accompanied by that dark mark, Ink Slaughter's erosion continues. Although slow, it is persistent."

"If time is extended indefinitely, even the majestic Heavenly Pillar may one day be pierced through."

"And this is only the beginning..."

Li Fan had a premonition that as he corroded more and more Dao paths, Ink Slaughter's corrosive ability would become stronger. "It's as if different Dao paths, despite their differences, subtly share certain commonalities. The more Dao paths are eroded, the more commonalities are grasped. Using this as a key, one will ultimately be invincible."

Li Fan's idea of using Ink Slaughter to permeate the Three Thousand Great Daos had just sprouted and already taken root. Aside from his own accumulation, it was largely due to the Grand Master's tens of thousands of years of collection.

As the towering black ink completely engulfed the Grand Master's inner world, Li Fan also noticed some characteristics of the Grand Master's Dao comprehension. Unlike the Dao Net's structure of countless parallel nodes, the Grand Master ultimately centered everything around himself. Myriad Dao manifestations surrounded him in the center, like an emperor worshipped by all the Great Daos of the heavens! But now, with Li Fan's sudden intervention, this majestic emperor had become a solitary figure.

Li Buren confronted the true Grand Master. Surrounded by countless versions of his former self and cornered, the Tiandu Grand Master, unexpectedly, showed no signs of dejection, fear, or anger. The youthful and innocent-looking Daoist boy had a calm expression. He merely kept calculating something with his fingers. Ultimately, it seemed to yield no results. He shook his head, choosing to give up.

He quietly asked, "Where do you come from, fellow Daoist?"

"Naturally, from where I came," Li Buren said coldly.

Seeing that Li Buren was unwilling to reveal, the Grand Master did not press further. Instead, he bargained, "I will yield the Shadow of Grand Incipience to you; may I then depart?"

"Grand Incipience?" Li Buren pondered for a moment. Then he said coldly, "If I kill you, this Illusory Life Shadow will also be mine."

Upon hearing this, the Grand Master felt a hint of melancholy, but not towards Li Buren's resolute killing intent. Instead, it was regarding the different name for the phantom: "So, what you see is Illusory Life."

"There's no difference."

The Grand Master shook his head: "Before the birth of heaven and earth, chaos was boundless, and Grand Incipience first emerged. Thereafter, all things came into being in mutual generation."

"Grand Incipience is the ultimate power of change in the world. If Grand Incipience were still Grand Incipience, the world would not have become what it is today."

"The Great Dao itself is decaying. Grand Incipience transformed into Illusory Life... Heh heh, in the past, I was truly deluded."

Li Buren narrowed his eyes, listening to these somewhat abstruse remarks.

"Even if the Great Dao weren't decaying, and the true Dao of Grand Incipience were right before you, what could you, a mere Half-Immortal, do with it?"

Seeing that Li Buren was slow to act, the Grand Master was happy to live a little longer.

"Fellow Daoist, you are mistaken. The Dao of Grand Incipience already has its master. It is precisely my master."

"Although my master has departed, leaving only a remnant shadow in the world, it is not something I can covet. I merely borrow my master's divine might to comprehend the Dao paths of the world," the Grand Master calmly stated, showing no signs of being on the verge of death.

"Do you think I'll be afraid to refine you just because you fabricate a non-existent master?" Li Buren scoffed.

The Grand Master smiled dismissively, pointing to the Daoist robe on his body: "This Daoist boy attire of mine has been around for tens of thousands of years, exactly as I looked when serving by my master's side. It hasn't changed for a very long time, so how can you claim I'm fabricating it?"

"Whether you believe it or not, fellow Daoist. But you needn't worry; even if you kill me, my master won't come to my aid. In the past, my master left behind a phantom to support the collapsing heavens of the Immortal Realm. Unfortunately, before I could send the phantom there, entire swathes of the Immortal Domain were already engulfed by Dao Annihilation. As I looked at my master's phantom, greed instantly stirred within me..."

"How could someone capable of transcendence fail to control even their own remnant phantom? Your lie has become too crude," Li Buren commented.

The Grand Master glanced at Li Buren, his tone enigmatic: "When I say my master departed, I mean he passed away, not transcended. Although my master possessed heaven-defying divine abilities, since he chose to die, naturally not a trace of spiritual essence would remain."

Upon hearing this, Li Buren was stunned and speechless. What the Grand Master said was indeed somewhat beyond his expectations.

"Merging with the Grand Incipience Dao, yet dying so easily?" His words were full of disbelief.

"Easily... Heh heh heh."

The Grand Master laughed without answering, but instead brought up another topic: "Indeed, if my master, that old man, had wanted to continue living, there would likely have been ways to extend his life. But my master simply didn't wish to!"

"Who else in this world would less wish for my master to perish than I? After all, as long as he was alive, even the reigning Immortal Emperor of the Immortal Realm would be respectful and courteous when they saw me."

"And once he died..."

"Heh heh heh." The smile on the Grand Master's face appeared somewhat sinister and twisted.

"So, your master was a top-tier powerhouse in the Immortal Realm. How did he compare to Patriarch Shouqiu?" Li Buren ignored the other's strange expression and directly asked.

"Patriarch Shouqiu." This name pulled the Grand Master out of his resentful mood, and he seemed momentarily dazed. Then he slowly said, "My master and Patriarch Shouqiu never met."

"My master was a well-known powerhouse throughout the Immortal Realm, while Patriarch Shouqiu was hidden in the wilderness, rising suddenly and gaining immense fame."

"I once asked my master about Patriarch Shouqiu, but he said..." The Grand Master suddenly paused, intending to keep Li Buren in suspense.

Li Buren actually managed to hold back from asking, merely looking at the Grand Master coldly, waiting for his next words. After a standoff, the Grand Master felt it was pointless and said, "My master merely said five words lightly: 'No responsibility, naturally strong.'"

"What it specifically meant, I don't know."

"Anyway, until his immortal demise, he never mentioned Patriarch Shouqiu again."

Li Buren carefully savored the five words, "No responsibility, naturally strong." After a moment, he suddenly asked again, "Just how many powerhouses like your master were there in the Immortal Realm?"

The Grand Master's expression sank into recollection: "There were only three individuals in the entire Immortal Realm who could sit and discuss the Dao with my master. Of course, this doesn't include Patriarch Shouqiu."

"My master would sometimes take me along when he traveled, and other times he would wander off on his own."

"I remember once asking my master who among the Four Sage Sovereigns was the strongest. My master didn't answer, but just smiled and tapped my forehead. He said this..."

"Who is the strongest, I don't know. But if you ask who is the most laborious, it must be Sage Sovereigns Lianshan and Guihai."

"After my master said this, he suddenly burst into hearty laughter, as if he had thought of something amusing."

The moment he heard the terms Lianshan and Guihai, Li Buren instinctively thought of the mountain and sea that Patriarch Shouqiu had seen. He couldn't help but ask, "These Lianshan and Guihai..."

The Grand Master awoke from his memories and stared at Li Buren. After a period of silence, perhaps contemplating something, he still answered Li Buren's question.

"Lianshan, the first immortal in the world."

"Guihai, who opened the Infinite Spring."

"One could say that these two Sage Sovereigns, starting from nothing, created the eternal golden age of the Immortal Realm in the past," the Grand Master stated solemnly, enunciating each word. From his demeanor, his admiration for these two Sage Sovereigns was evident.

Those few brief sentences struck Li Buren like thunder. The Grand Master's words were not difficult to understand. Lianshan was the first immortal in the world. Guihai was the True Immortal who found a way to connect to the Infinite Sea, making immortal power inexhaustible from that point onward. A figure who had personally witnessed the vastness and boundlessness of the Infinite Sea and could harness its power for his own use. His strength must have reached an unimaginable level.

The name "Lianshan," when associated with a mountain opposing the Infinite Sea, was quite thought-provoking. "Perhaps the mountain was the initial foundation of True Immortal power."

Li Buren's mind raced with thoughts. The Grand Master's background was far more significant than he had imagined.

"Besides the three Sage Sovereigns: Grand Incipience, Lianshan, and Guihai, what about the remaining one?" Since the Grand Master answered everything he knew, Li Buren continued to extract information about the Immortal Realm from him.

"The remaining one..." The Grand Master pondered for a long time, unusually hesitant.

"Cannot be spoken of."

After a long pause, he shook his head. "My master, Lianshan, and Guihai have all passed into immortal demise. Only this one Sage Sovereign still exists in the world."

"If mentioned, he will surely be sensed."

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