Chapter 1477: Fishing Without Fault

The phenomena observed at the bottom of the Dark Sea suggest that the Xuanhuang World possesses remarkable "malleability." Having spent nearly ten millennia adjacent to the Immortal Ruins, the Xuanhuang World remains profoundly influenced by them, even after moving far away. The world itself has yet to fully recover from this long-term exposure.

"The precipitation of spiritual essence from Xuanhuang's living beings is estimated to continue for another century or so before it completely reverses."

"This slight decrease in spiritual essence has little real impact on individuals with low to moderate talent, as their cultivation potential is inherently limited. Whether they possess this essence or not is insignificant for them. However, for true prodigies, maintaining their spiritual integrity is crucial. This is similar to how the Grand Archmage was petrified after I severed his spiritual essence."

Within the now-empty Dark Sea, Li Fan established a formation to collect these precipitating, intangible spiritual substances. He intended to use a portion for his own research, while the remainder would be used to nurture the most gifted individuals in the Xuanhuang World.

Li Fan's plan to integrate myriad phenomena through Dao Annihilation received a strong start thanks to the Grand Archmage's gift. However, it would be exceedingly difficult to find another opportunity to effortlessly assimilate numerous Dao principles without repercussions. Li Fan's individual comprehension process, by contrast, was simply too slow.

Relying on the numerous prodigies of the Xuanhuang World was the optimal solution.

Even before achieving Half-Immortal status, Li Fan had leveraged Xuanhuang's prodigies to gain insights into the Dao. Now, he was simply returning to an old practice.

"However, the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang World is incomplete. It's not only inferior to the complete Heavenly Dao found in the primordial possibilities but also significantly weaker than the Dao principles observed even within the Darkest Star Sea."

"Yet, it's inconvenient to venture too far from this sanctuary within the High Wall..."

After a brief contemplation, Li Fan conceived a plan.

A figure manifested in the Annihilation Zone beyond the High Wall. It was an avatar created by Li Fan, drawing upon the power of Old Man Shouqiu's phantom.

This body was also constructed through a projection of the Dao Net.

Since this figure was primarily intended to "pave the way," Li Fan did not imbue it with flesh and blood; it remained a pure energy construct.

The avatar continued to fly away from the Annihilation Zone. Upon reaching a certain distance from the High Wall, it abruptly halted. "This is the maximum reach of Old Man Shouqiu's phantom power. Hmm... I'm still within the Annihilation Zone, specifically in the region where the Grand Dao is withered."

The avatar sensed its surroundings and continued to glide slowly forward. From its form, wisps of threads continuously emanated, resembling the strings of a Dao Net. These threads began to weave a path through the dim, starry expanse.

This created a sort of "tentacle" for Old Man Shouqiu's phantom within the High Wall, enabling its power to extend beyond the confines of that star field.

This, however, was not Li Fan's primary objective.

Had he chosen to disregard the Dao Annihilation above the High Wall and forcibly amplify Old Man Shouqiu's phantom, Li Fan could have extended its power to this very spot on his own.

His main purpose was to use this path to complete the fragmented Grand Dao within the High Wall.

The path of the Grand Dao extended infinitely, finally exiting the Annihilation Zone and connecting with the Shuo Star Sea.

Li Fan had initially been contemplating how to evade the attention of the Shuo Star Sea's Dao Net. However, upon close observation, he discovered that the Shuo Star Sea's Dao Net had actually contracted, receding from this border star region.

Remote observation revealed no signs of severe damage to the Dao Net; instead, it appeared brighter and more unfathomable than before.

"This is likely to show deference to the unnamed Immortal Emperor I am impersonating."

While merely a courtesy, this gesture inadvertently facilitated Li Fan's objectives. Sensing the relatively complete Heavenly Daos preserved within the Shuo Star Sea, strands of light began to separate from the avatar.

As if guided by incredibly nimble hands, a miniature Dao Net materialized in the starry sky within mere moments.

Compared to the Shuo Star Sea's true Dao Net, this miniature version appeared sparse and severely damaged. This was because its structural support was entirely composed of the numerous Ink-Killing Dao Aspects within Li Fan.

Fortunately, the Grand Archmage's accumulation from millennia of meditation proved invaluable; otherwise, Li Fan's individual comprehension alone would likely have been insufficient to weave such a network.

The miniature Dao Net served merely as a conduit, responsible for drawing the complete Grand Dao from the Shuo Star Sea into the High Wall.

Transforming the path into a net simply increased the efficiency of this drawing process.

Li Fan was not greedy; the miniature Dao Net ceased its expansion after occupying only a small segment of the starry sky beyond the Annihilation Zone.

"This level of efficiency is sufficient."

With a subtle shift of his consciousness, he instantly returned to the Xuanhuang World. There, above the Xuanhuang World, he wove another Dao Net.

The aura of the complete Grand Dao from beyond the High Wall gradually permeated from the Dao Net.

This infused vitality into the Xuanhuang World and, by extension, the entire Darkest Star Sea.

Unlike crude methods of simply replenishing with life force or immortal power, this process intrinsically repaired the myriad wounds inflicted by Dao Annihilation. While it was fundamentally a "robbing Peter to pay Paul" scenario, for the star region contained within the High Wall, it was akin to a complete "recreation."

Subtle threads of gratitude naturally emerged from the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang World and the primal true will of the Darkest Star Sea.

They instinctively converged beside the Dao Net formed by Li Fan's avatar, eagerly absorbing the "complete" Grand Dao from the outside world.

At a pace perceptible to the senses, this star field, barren for millennia, began to flourish.

The overarching context of primordial possibilities remained an apocalypse, constantly threatened by the tribulation of Dao Annihilation. With the total amount of Dao unchanged, any area where the Grand Dao became abundant necessarily implied another area beginning to deplete.

To prolong the time before the outside world could detect his subtle manipulation, Li Fan actively closed the connection after it had been open for a short period.

Disregarding the numerous thoughts arising from the Xuanhuang World and the Darkest Star Sea, Li Fan immersed himself solely in comprehending the Grand Dao beyond the High Wall.

By embodying the path himself, he actively embraced the Heavenly Daos. His perceptions, feelings, and insights were profoundly different from when he was merely a mortal individual.

Li Fan could now more easily discern the numerous voids within the Grand Dao.

Positions that should inherently contain Dao were instead empty due to various circumstances, a sight that was utterly alarming.

While the Grand Dao within the High Wall appeared "vibrant" compared to the Dao Annihilation-stricken Darkest Star Sea,

Li Fan perceived a sense of impending decline behind this vitality. It was akin to a frail elder, whose aging and weakness were fully apparent.

"If even my miniature Dao Net can discern this so clearly, how could those in the Shuo Star Sea remain oblivious to the current state?" Li Fan couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

He gazed intently at his nearby neighbor, the vast and obscure Dao Net.

Progress in cooperating with the True Immortals did not appear to be smooth. Compared to Li Fan's previous observations, only three to five additional Dao-bearing phantoms had emerged. It was unclear whether the remaining True Immortals were unwilling to cooperate or if their numbers were simply too few.

Li Fan, for the time being, had no leisure to concern himself with them. Instead, he dedicated his full attention to assimilating the gains from his expedition into the Darkest Star Sea.

Slowly stripping away the past memories of the Hunger Immortal Heavenly Pillar, Li Buren constructed a true flesh-and-blood body using Dao Annihilation's myriad phenomena, and comprehended the Star Sea Grand Dao with the assistance of Xuanhuang's sentient beings...

Li Fan was now entering a prolonged period of accumulation and development.

Fortunately, the High Wall ensured that the Darkest Star Sea functioned as a natural, secluded chamber, free from external disturbances.

Time flowed slowly.

The Darkest Star Sea was no longer desolate. Specks of vibrant life began to emerge in various corners.

This transformation was particularly noticeable in the sunken dark river beneath the Darkest Star Sea.

At the lowest depths of the dark river, the long-dormant river of vital energy began to surge and roar once more. Minute quantities of life force, drawn from across the star sea, converged into a torrent and poured into this location.

This surging, immense vital energy attracted an entity residing within the dark river.

It was the shadow of the Nameless Immortal, formed from the fluctuations recorded by the sunken dark river when the Hunger Immortal achieved Dao as the Nameless One.

Bearing no resemblance to the Hunger Immortal himself, it was merely a spectral black shadow.

The shadow existed in a state of pure unconsciousness, standing silently since its genesis. Only when the dark river surged with vital energy was it instinctively drawn to the most potent source of life force.

Like a great whale drawing water, the shadow of the Nameless Immortal absorbed all the overflowing vital energy.

The originally tenuous image, which seemed on the verge of dissipation, gradually solidified.

After standing by the river of vital energy for an extended period, the black shadow became indistinguishable from a living being.

However, upon completing this, it made no further moves. As if devoid of purpose, it simply stood silently beside the roaring dark river, just as before.

Meanwhile, Li Fan's consciousness, secretly observing the figure, continued to wait with utmost patience.

"If the enemy remains still, so shall I."

As the saying goes, "How can one sleep soundly with another person by their bedside?" Li Fan could not possibly enter peaceful seclusion until he had completely resolved the hidden threats within the Darkest Star Sea.

Currently, the entire Darkest Star Sea was virtually free of hidden dangers.

Aside from the fishing pond, which he wasn't yet ready to address, the only remaining concern was the newly emerged shadow of the Nameless Immortal within the subterranean darkness.

Having previously left a wisp of his divine consciousness to monitor the area, the shadow's unusual movements naturally did not escape his control.

After all, the shadow of the Nameless Immortal was not a true living entity.

It could not permanently retain the vital energy it absorbed.

As it stood like a statue, its vital energy slowly diminished with the passage of time.

Apparently unable to endure the continuous dissipation of vital energy, a hidden light-shadow finally stirred.

A severely corroded, incomplete mask, seemingly ravaged by time, swiftly emerged from the depths of the underground dark river.

It sped directly towards the shadow of the Nameless Immortal.

Upon entering the shadow, it thrashed wildly like a deranged beast, causing the figure to fluctuate violently.

Amidst a series of chilling chewing sounds, the shadow's fluctuations slowly subsided.

The mask then settled onto the shadow of the Nameless Immortal.

He gazed at the immense vital energy gathered nearby, and a surge of greed welled within him.

He slightly parted his lips, intending to absorb it all.

Just then...

A hand suddenly pressed onto his shoulder.

"Where did this scoundrel come from?"

"How dare you steal what belongs to me." The voice was calm, yet inherently commanding.

The figure instantly froze, instinctively attempting to flee, but found itself pressed down as if by towering mountains.

It couldn't move an inch!

"Damn it! This is someone else's Dao shadow after all; if it were my own body..." He had no time for further thought before a dizzying sensation overwhelmed him, and he found himself inexplicably captured within an unfamiliar space.

Two colossal stone pillars stood solitary before him.

As the figure gazed at the stone pillars, an ominous premonition suddenly welled within its heart.

"Those are..."

After a moment of recognition, the figure began to tremble uncontrollably.

He recognized what lay before him, of course. It was precisely his past fear of becoming an Immortal in the Pillar that had led him to pay a hefty price to secretly dispatch an avatar into the lower realms, seeking a means to avert disaster.

He never anticipated such a sudden catastrophe. Facing the overwhelming tribulation of Dao Annihilation, even his true self, despite immense divine powers, was helpless and reduced to ash. The ravages of Dao Annihilation even extended to his clone.

Nearly annihilated in both spirit and form, only a lingering wisp of regret remained. Incapable of movement, he was left to reside in solitude within the river of vital energy he had painstakingly carved out.

"If I hadn't completely suppressed my avatar's self-awareness to prevent detection back then, I wouldn't have fallen into such a dire state." He had privately lamented this for many years while lying in the dark river.

Nevertheless, compared to the countless True Immortals and the Heavenly Net Immortal Emperor who perished in the great tribulation of the Immortal Realm, the fact that a wisp of his consciousness remained was, relatively speaking, a fortunate outcome amidst misfortune.

Originally, he could only slowly accumulate and recover his strength, praying that the tribulation of Dao Annihilation would not reach him before he could move.

It wasn't until recently that he detected the fluctuations of the Nameless True Immortal achieving Dao above.

He never expected a new Nameless True Immortal to emerge so many years after the destruction of the Immortal Realm. His heart was a mix of surprise, fear, and joy.

The joy stemmed from the possibility that the Immortal Realm might not be entirely annihilated; otherwise, from where could this Nameless True Immortal have originated?

The fear was that the other party might discover him.

Although only a mere fragment of his being remained, and his past memories were fragmented and incomplete,

he had, after all, once been a Nameless Immortal.

If the other party became greedy and devoured him whole, refining him...

Amidst apprehension and hesitation, he ultimately decided to take a gamble.

He summoned all his accumulated power, activating the living form within the underground dark river he had created.

This allowed him to record the shadow of the Nameless Immortal who had attained Dao.

"With this Dao shadow, I can reverse my predicament!"

The mere thought of finally achieving rebirth made him feel somewhat disoriented.

His experiences over the past ten millennia had been utterly tormenting.

After a desperate struggle, having expended all his accumulated power, he plunged into an unprecedented state of weakness.

He was so weak that he couldn't even sense the movements of the Nameless True Immortal above.

Yet, observing the shadow of the Nameless True Immortal he had created from afar, he felt that every sacrifice had been worth it.

"Innumerable vital energies converge here. I'll wait a few more days until I can move, then I'll manipulate the Dao shadow to absorb all the vital energy. Escaping this wretched place should pose no problem."

His plan was meticulous.

Indeed, fortune seemed to favor him. The river of vital energy, which had been calm for so long, suddenly surged.

It wasn't just vital energy.

There was also an abundance of Grand Dao!

For him, a Nameless True Immortal trapped in desperation, this was even more crucial.

Although the Nameless True Immortal's main body had vanished amidst the Dao Annihilation, his comprehension of the Grand Dao still persisted.

By drawing upon the Dao principles of vital energy, he could almost instantly recover from his injuries. While achieving the Nameless Realm might be ambitious, at the very least, reconnecting with the Infinite Sea and regaining his True Immortal strength should be well within reach.