Chapter 1491: Transcending Methods to Ascend the Dao

It seemed the Saint Emperor didn't simply tame Cat-treasure with essence of origin energy. Instead, Cat-treasure instinctively felt an affinity for the Saint Emperor, willingly resting on his shoulder at all times and serving him.

As Li Fan watched the black cat return to Shan Hua Wuming's shoulder, he couldn't help but ponder the origin of the Saint Emperor's clone. The Saint Emperor, Li Ping, was created by Li Fan using the vital blood of Wang Xuanba and Sun Erlang. However, during the Saint Emperor's lifetime, Cat-treasure had direct encounters with both Wang Xuanba and Sun Erlang but showed no particular affection for them.

"So, is the problem with Li Fan's current body?"

During the creation of the clone, the use of their vital blood was solely to strip them of their talents. The clone's connection to Li Fan, which allowed it to be a clone, relied on Li Fan's own vital blood. Li Fan's eyes flickered, and a storm of thoughts instantly surged in his mind. The "Li Fan" he was referring to was not himself, but the original owner of his current body—the frail scholar before Li Fan's transmigration and before he possessed the True Treasure.

Even after a hundred cycles of reincarnation, Li Fan had now completely merged with his body, with no trace of dissonance. Yet, it couldn't be denied that he had indeed "taken over" someone else's body.

"If Cat-treasure's original owner was the original Li Fan..."

Li Fan subtly gazed beyond the high wall.

"The original body's cultivation aptitude was indeed quite poor, but not entirely incapable of cultivation."

"Moreover, this was observed within the high wall, in the desolate realm of Xuanhuang, where the Great Dao had withered."

"In a normal environment, he would certainly be considered a promising talent."

"Infinite possibilities..."

Li Fan's thoughts raced.

"Theoretically, it's certainly possible for an ordinary person to rise and achieve the supreme Dao."

"In other words, theoretically, anyone within the high wall, or even within the prime possibility, might have another supreme powerful identity in other possibilities, just like the Black Celestial Doctor and Xie Subai."

"However, the current reality is not like this."

The high wall serves as a cover, concealing its inhabitants from the attention of those supreme beings who wish to devour their alternate selves. However, ever since Li Fan entered the experimental area within the high wall, gained the power of the Hill Guardian's phantom, and completely controlled the Darkest Star Sea, he had also sent out batches of the so-called "heavenly talents" from within the wall. None of them attracted any unusual fluctuations from beyond their possibilities. There was no sudden appearance like the Black Celestial Doctor, nor even a mental resonance or control akin to Xie Subai. Among these talents were individuals whom Li Fan considered to be absolutely top-tier in aptitude, such as the First Scripture and Qiao Sidao.

"If there truly were infinite possibilities, then their alternate supreme selves would definitely exist."

"But in reality, they don't."

"This implies that 'infinite' is not truly infinite."

"Because of the ravages of the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation, most possibilities have long since been extinguished."

"The alternate supreme selves of most people in this world can probably only be found in the past recorded within the Infinite Sea."

To have survived until now, in a world where only seven million years of lifespan remain, is either due to immense luck or power, like the Hill Guardian, capable of resisting the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation to some extent. Neither scenario was good news for Li Fan.

Based on what had happened to Celestial Doctor and Subai earlier, if Li Fan's conjecture was true, then the moment he stepped out of the high wall, he might be sensed by the Saint Emperor Li Fan from another possibility. An endless, life-or-death struggle would likely ensue between them.

"If the opponent could truly cross possibilities, even if I played every card I have, I probably wouldn't be their match. I would only be able to flee in disarray under the protection of the Illusory True Treasure."

Verifying this hypothesis was actually simple: Li Fan's true body only needed to step out of the high wall. Taking a deep breath, Li Fan temporarily suppressed this restless thought. Even if he was eager to verify it, now was not the time.

"Fortunately, I am cautious and haven't rashly leaped out of the high wall yet."

"Otherwise, I would have faced a considerable shock."

"For now, it's best to steadily increase my strength. The remaining True and False elements of the Shuoxing Sea, as well as the Guangwu Star Sea, and the Thirteen Dao Forms – if all of these combined aren't enough, then I'll suppress and devour all remaining True Immortals in the prime possibility."

"I refuse to believe that even then, I won't be a match for that Saint Emperor."

Thinking this, Li Fan coldly addressed the trembling Shan Hua before him: "I'll give you thirty days to accomplish this. If you can't provide a satisfactory result after thirty days..." Li Fan glanced at Shan Hua Wuming.

Shan Hua's heart leaped, and he quickly made another assurance. Li Fan said no more threatening words; with a flick of his sleeve, he dismissed Shan Hua. His mood gradually calmed from the agitation, and he began to process the gains from this encounter. What surprised Li Fan the most was, naturally, the "Chapter on the First Creation of Mountains and Seas" written by Saint Lord Taiyi, which Shan Hua had handed over. But as for what could maximize Li Fan's current combat strength...

He extended his left hand, and a pair of saber and sword, emanating an eerie green light, appeared in his palm. These were precisely the trump cards used by the nameless being who possessed the black cat, known as Peeking Star. Frankly, the multitude of immortals from Shuoxing Sea truly had the confidence to confront him head-on this time. Even if all beings in the Primordial Immortal Realm allied together, plus Li Fan himself, they might not have survived the pincer attack of that saber and sword.

"In the Shuoxing Sea, there are Saber Island and Sword Domain. They are manifestations of the remaining Dao of Saber and Dao of Sword from the prime possibility."

"But for this pair of saber and sword, their form is merely an illusion."

Li Fan gently stroked the green light in his palm, closing his eyes. He felt as if he were in that utterly silent, deathly still starfield.

"Slaughter, devour. Until all Daos merge."

"This is the true essence of this treasure."

"It perfectly aligns with my Myriad Phase Dao Net!"

Li Fan was overjoyed. He opened his mouth slightly and directly swallowed the green saber and sword. Thousands of green lights instantly surged from the saber and sword, integrating into Li Fan's Myriad Phase Dao Net. On the originally dense Dao Net, a pair of transparent saber and sword now faintly hung. This seemed so out of place among the various Dao manifestations in his human form. But precisely because of this, it subtly added a unique charm to the Myriad Phase Dao Net.

"Weapons of war, slaughter, ultimate end."

A gurgling flow of entirely new Dao insights, completely different from anything he'd experienced, permeated Li Fan's heart. This was a Dao path vastly different from the prime possibility, not merely originating from other possibilities. It represented a new potential for Dao paths to attach to and be carried by "non-living carriers." In the prime possibility where Li Fan resided, while there were instances of the Great Dao manifesting as objects, these supreme treasures could not cultivate like humans. Possessing a single Dao was an inherent characteristic they were born with, but it was also their lifelong limit. The Dao Sword and Dao Saber from the End Starfield, however, had directly opened up a supreme Dao for beings of their kind.

With a thought, a blood-red circular jade artifact appeared before Li Fan. It was the core body of the Yanfa Jue, which had been extracted from the little loli embodying it. Without the infinite immortal power, the fragmented Yanfa Jue could no longer be considered an immortal artifact. Its ability to deduce mortal laws was now useless to Li Fan. Li Fan had previously thought of re-enacting the process of Xuanhuang's ascension and transformation into an Immortal Realm, pushing the fragmented Yanfa Jue to revert from mortal to immortal, just like himself. But now, Li Fan had found a better method.

"It can even create a completely superior replacement for the Yanfa Jue."

"The Yandao Jue!"

Li Fan had already meticulously examined the Yanfa Jue. Its ability to deduce all possibilities in the world likely stemmed from a form of exhaustive enumeration. However, this brute-force method of realizing countless possibilities was unexpectedly efficient. It seemed to instinctively discard invalid possibilities.

"The Yanfa Jue inherently represents the Dao of Deduction (Yan)."

"Although it's only a partial projection of the Dao, it might be possible to reverse the heavens by using the Dao Saber and Dao Sword's method of devouring and growing."

"Transforming shadows into reality!"

Li Fan tightly gripped the blood-red ring in his palm. The images and insights concerning the ultimate weapons from the Myriad Phase Dao Net, which he had absorbed once, were then poured into it. The already somewhat eerie blood jade, after incorporating strands of chilling green light, became even more profoundly bizarre. As the saying goes, "A true teaching is but a single word." With the immensely rich experience of mutual consumption from the Dao Saber and Dao Sword, the fragmented Yanfa Jue quickly learned this advanced technique. Like something starved for millennia, it instinctively tried to attack its surroundings. However, Li Fan mercilessly slapped it, knocking it senseless. This was no ordinary slap, but one containing wisps of boundless power.

"You can only eat what I feed you."

"What I don't feed you, you can only watch."

After several attempts to feed himself and being severely disciplined, Li Fan successfully established rules for the Yanfa Jue. Watching the eagerly waiting blood-red ring, Li Fan looked at the several low heavenly pillars he had sealed this time. Without reaching the Wuming realm, they had almost no capacity to bear a Dao. They merely resembled true heavenly pillars in shape but couldn't be truly called such. Their insights into the Great Dao, after being consumed by Li Fan's Myriad Phase Dao Net, were also practically useless. They were somewhat an eyesore just standing there. They would be perfect for feeding to the Yanfa Jue. The leftovers, after having been absorbed once, were an absolute delicacy for the Yanfa Jue. As one low heavenly pillar after another disappeared, the Yanfa Jue gradually became translucent. The blood color was no longer so dazzling, instead becoming subdued and incredibly smooth within.

Li Fan once again examined the Yanfa Jue after its feast. Indeed, its "deduction" ability was more than ten times stronger than before. Moreover, as Li Fan expected, it had begun to transcend the boundaries of "deducing laws." It was rapidly advancing towards the broader Dao of "Deduction."

"The Dao Saber and Dao Sword represent a bottom-up progression, where projections gradually devour their true Dao paths, potentially even encompassing all three thousand Great Daos."

"In essence, they can almost be seen as another form of Myriad Phase Dao Net."

"However, there are still subtle differences between them. The Myriad Phase Dao Net is a true fusion of all Daos. No matter how much it devours, it will only present the complete appearance of all consumed Daos. But this kind of consumption by the Dao Saber and Dao Sword..."

"While devouring, they inevitably retain their original attributes. For example, even if they were to devour the Dao paths of an entire possibility, in the end, they would still retain their original form as weapons."

"The Yanfa Jue is also like this. No matter how it devours and evolves, it will ultimately remain in the form of a deduction jade."

Li Fan felt no pity for them. On the contrary, this made them better suited for his use.

"Applying this principle, not just the Yanfa Jue, but even any projection of a Great Dao, can be treated this way."

As he pondered, Li Fan had already found a way to create trouble for the Black Celestial Doctor, Xie Subai, and others.

"I need to conduct some thorough experiments."

Thirty days passed quickly. And Shan Hua did not disappoint Li Fan.

On the twenty-fifth day, Shan Hua brought Chaos along to visit.

"Please forgive this junior for my previous indecisiveness."

Before Shan Hua could speak, Chaos Wuming first apologized to Li Fan.

"I already knew they intended to harm you, but I did not step forward to stop them..."

Though Chaos remained expressionless, his words conveyed deep remorse.

Li Fan smiled. "You are a clever person, and I like clever people who listen."

Chaos was overjoyed, his apprehension completely dispelled. "I am willing to serve you wholeheartedly."

Li Fan glanced at Shan Hua, who was about to speak, and asked, "Shan Hua has collected the 'Chapter on the First Creation of Mountains and Seas.' Have you ever seen it?"

Chaos looked at Shan Hua beside him with a hint of surprise, then shook his head. "I haven't had the fortune to feast my eyes upon it."

Li Fan waved his hand, and the scripture transmitted by Saint Lord Taiyi appeared before Chaos. Chaos's reaction was like anyone seeing the scripture for the first time; he was almost immediately engrossed. However, before he could savor it, Li Fan put the scripture away. Chaos looked unsatisfied, but he dared not be presumptuous in front of Li Fan. He could only forcefully suppress his instinctive urge.

"Merit will be rewarded; transgressions will be punished."

"Do you two wish to earn merit, or commit transgressions?"

At this moment, Shan Hua finally had a chance to speak: "Chaos and I have ascertained that the Shuoxing Sea Dao Net still suppresses four Wuming beings. We wish to offer all of them, including the Great Net itself, to you, Great Venerable."

"The Great Net?"

"It's the title for the master who created the Dao Net. It's embarrassing to admit, but he has been our enemy for ten thousand years and our collaborator for a hundred. Yet, we still don't know his true identity or the Dao path he comprehends," Chaos explained.

"However, this person must be in the Wuming realm. And his strength is no less than mine or Chaos'," Shan Hua stated confidently.

"So, how do you plan to offer these five to me?" Li Fan asked with interest.

Chaos and Shan Hua exchanged glances, and finally, Shan Hua whispered, "Our previous contact with the Guangwu Star Sea was entirely through Divine Sense and my black cat."

"Divine Sense has already been captured by you..."

Shan Hua looked towards the location where Divine Sense had transformed into a heavenly pillar, only to realize with a shock that it was now empty. His words faltered.

"Are you looking for him?"

Li Fan then slowly displayed the blood-red ring in his hand to the two Wuming True Immortals. Even these two, who had endured countless calamities and were immortal, couldn't help but change their expressions at this sight.