Chapter 1510: Life Returns to the Dao

Images of countless divine abilities and spells were slowly overflowing from a speck of light.

Though the Era Projection had been instantly suppressed by Ziyi, now, facing slight signs of this supreme treasure losing control, Li Fan and Chengdao both had to treat it as a formidable enemy. After all, it represented a possibility—the sum total of all divine abilities that had ever appeared from its genesis to its annihilation. The power it could unleash was truly unimaginable. Even if this possibility did not include mighty figures like Old Man Shouqiu, nor did it record transcendents like the Three Sages of the Immortal Realm. Yet, this Era Projection was still not something the current Li Fan and Chengdao could withstand. Even the entire High Wall Shuoxing Sea would be vulnerable before it. They could only strive to suppress it before it fully erupted.

Chengdao was the quickest to act, manifesting the phenomenon of Mountains and Seas. Gusts of wind roared, pushing and blowing the light and shadows inward. At the same time, he said with a wry smile, "Senior Ziyi acts decisively, coming and going swiftly. But he seems to have forgotten this Projection Orb."

"It might even be a test from the senior," Li Fan replied, cautiously retreating to a safe area and remotely assisting with the suppression using his Myriad Phases Dao Net.

The two fellow disciples collaborated, spending over half a year to barely suppress the Era Projection Orb temporarily. Gazing at the small point where all the radiance had converged, Chengdao's face showed worry: "This is merely treating the symptoms, not the root cause. Although we forcibly suppressed it this time, the next eruption will likely be even more intense... The two of us might not be able to handle it," he added.

Li Fan also nodded: "Though the treasure is good, it's also a hot potato."

During the half-year period of sealing the Era Projection Orb, Li Fan had also greatly benefited. It was like constantly experiencing countless Dao techniques firsthand. Even if the vast majority of them were dross to Li Fan, with only one in ten thousand yielding insight, this still represented an unimaginably astronomical number given the extremely large base. Li Fan even felt that even with an enhanced version of the 'Dao Derivation Art,' it would probably take tens of thousands of years to deduce such a vast number of diverse divine abilities. Li Fan accepted all of them without rejection, transforming them into his own resources. With computing power comparable to the Stone Mother of Dao Transformation, he was able to proceed in an orderly manner.

Despite facing such a grand feast of Dao techniques and divine abilities, Li Fan felt little excitement. After Ziyi's guidance, his perspective had transcended the mortal world, now looking far towards the Mountains and Seas. For Li Fan, with Huanzhen's help, reaching the required strength to traverse was almost a certainty. Even if he were to forever retreat within the High Wall from then on, relying on gradual accumulation over time, he would eventually reach the realm of transcendence step by step.

The problem lay in the method of crafting a vessel. The requirements for one's disposition were profound and abstruse. It couldn't be achieved solely through quantitative accumulation. If the conditions weren't met, even cultivating for eons wouldn't change the outcome. If it couldn't be done, it just couldn't be done. Li Fan had once tried to use Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong as raw materials, shaping and altering their growth experiences in an attempt to foster an Eternal Remnant Thought. Naturally, it was an unequivocal failure. Now, Li Fan recalled that situation; what seemed like a mere hair's breadth difference was, in reality, likely an unbridgeable chasm.

Thinking of this, Li Fan somewhat envied those who were already capable of condensing an Eternal Remnant Thought. "The seeds of transcendent powerhouses...""It's a pity that cultivators with such talent are exceedingly rare. Throughout the entire history of the Xuanhuang Realm, there have only been a handful of them. If I wanted to learn from them, there isn't much to draw upon.""It seems, as Ziyi said, I must forge a path unique to myself."

Li Fan pondered, a rare indecision surfacing in his heart. Now, a critical question lay before Li Fan: Huanzhen, the transformation of truth and falsehood. Could it be considered Li Fan's own path? With Huanzhen's protection, once he reached the required cultivation level, he would presumably be able to disregard all risks within the Mountains and Seas, traversing freely. It would be thousands of times easier and more comfortable than the traversal methods of so-called transcendent powerhouses. Did this mean he no longer needed to worry about his own Dao path? Did it mean he wouldn't need to cultivate 'Only I as the Vessel' anymore? Judging by the power Huanzhen had demonstrated so far, it certainly seemed that way.

But for some reason, Li Fan always had an unsettling feeling in his heart. It was as if, once the Mountains and Seas beyond the mortal realm became involved, Li Fan's past unconditional, blind trust in Huanzhen naturally vanished. This matter concerned how Li Fan should proceed with his path in the future, making it critically important. Consequently, Li Fan, very uncharacteristically, felt somewhat lost. More crucially, it seemed that no one but Huanzhen could give him an answer regarding this matter. Yet, Huanzhen seemed completely oblivious to Li Fan's thoughts, maintaining a consistent silence. Though it continued to follow Chengdao, exchanging insights on Dao comprehension. Li Fan's thoughts, in reality, remained mired in the relationship between Huanzhen and his own Dao path.

"Junior Brother, you seem to have something on your mind?" Even though Li Fan had disguised himself well, he couldn't escape Chengdao's notice. Since witnessing the true nature of the Mountains and Seas again and perceiving the essence of traversal, Chengdao's cultivation seemed to have advanced even further.

Seeing that he had been seen through, Li Fan no longer concealed it. He asked, "Senior Brother, do you have a clear direction for your own path of traversal?"

He had expected Chengdao to be as lost as himself, but to his surprise, Chengdao replied with great resolve: "It's not as if I only gained this enlightenment today. Ever since Master enlightened me, I've had the answer in my heart. Even if the Mountains and Seas are difficult to cross, I just need to follow Master's path. Since Master, that venerable elder, can traverse the Mountains and Seas with ease, then I certainly can too."

"How could it be that simple..." Li Fan parted his lips, wanting to retort. But upon careful thought, it indeed seemed to be true. Moreover, this notion perfectly aligned with Chengdao's very essence. Li Fan revealed a thoughtful expression.

"Perhaps I've been thinking about this the wrong way.""No need to be so conflicted.""If I can't determine whether Huanzhen is my path to traversal, then I'll simply disregard it for now. Perhaps I've indeed relied on it too much.""From today onwards, I'll act as if I don't possess this wondrous treasure, and I will search for my own path of traversal. Until the day I reach the realm of transcendence.""If I succeed, then all is well, but if I fail...""Huanzhen might be able to back me up." This thought, as soon as it arose, was fiercely stifled by Li Fan. "If I harbor such thoughts, it will be difficult to forge my own path of traversal. Since I've made this decision, I must burn my bridges." Li Fan thought of his own Infernal Samsara function, and a preliminary idea immediately formed in his mind. However, experimenting in this lifetime was not advisable. He would wait until the next lifetime, after creating the most suitable environment for enlightenment, before making an attempt.

The slight confusion in his heart gradually settled. Li Fan bowed to Chengdao: "Many thanks for your guidance, Senior Brother."

Chengdao waved his hand: "You comprehended it yourself; it has nothing to do with me."

After this minor interlude, their attention returned to the Era Projection Orb. "Senior Brother, I have a plan that might resolve its hidden danger," Li Fan said.

"Oh?" Chengdao was pleasantly surprised.

"The reason this Projection Orb went out of control is that the man from Guangwu Star Sea had already prepared for a mutual destruction when he released this treasure. The divine abilities recorded within the Projection Orb had, in fact, all been detonated. However, he never imagined that there would be a powerhouse in the world capable of easily suppressing all these detonated divine abilities by himself. As soon as Senior Ziyi acted, he restrained all the erupting divine abilities within the Projection Orb. However, now that Senior Ziyi has departed, the restraining power he left behind cannot last forever," Li Fan elaborated eloquently.

"I naturally understand this principle," Chengdao slowly nodded.

"So the crucial point lies in the divine abilities recorded within this orb. Senior Brother, are you reluctant to part with this treasure?" Li Fan suddenly asked.

Chengdao chuckled derisively: "Junior Brother, what are you saying? Although this item is extraordinary... how can it compare to the path of traversing the Mountains and Seas? Even with a thousand spells and endless Great Daos... can they cross the Mountains and Seas? They would still vanish into Dao Annihilation," Chengdao clearly had a clear understanding of this.

Li Fan smiled slightly: "Then it's simple. Prevention is better than suppression; our continued forced suppression will only be counterproductive. Future eruptions might be even more violent. It would be better to release the divine abilities recorded within the orb. Of course, this must be done gradually."

Chengdao stroked his beard, pondering for a moment. Then he frowned: "It's just that there are truly too many divine abilities and spells recorded within this Era Projection Orb. Even if we release them to the maximum extent without affecting the surrounding starry sky, it might be difficult to fully vent the pressure before the Projection Orb finally explodes."

Li Fan did not answer directly, instead pointing to the High Wall Shuoxing Sea, which was shrouded in boundless darkness and depleted of vitality. "Senior Brother, do you think this starry sky is a bit desolate? How does it compare to the Immortal Realm in its heyday?"

"It's far from comparable, of course." Chengdao was also clever and quickly understood. He asked with some surprise: "Junior Brother, are you thinking of distributing the divine abilities and spells from this Era Orb to the living beings of the Star Sea?"

"Precisely!" Li Fan clapped his hands and laughed. "Don't let the current desolation of the Star Sea deceive you. As long as we give living beings some time and a suitable environment, their numbers can increase indefinitely. Digesting this Era Projection Orb will definitely be effortless. Moreover, the divine abilities recorded within this Projection Orb can also serve as keys to initiate their cultivation. As long as the base number is large enough, perhaps we can even create a few nameless True Immortals."

Chengdao stared at the Era Projection Orb, clearly tempted: "This supreme treasure also contains many Great Daos from other possibilities. If absorbed by this starry sky beneath our feet, it might compensate for its deficiencies."

"And you and I, Senior Brother, can also, through the eyes of the myriad beings in the Star Sea, survey all the divine abilities within this Projection Orb. It's truly killing several birds with one stone," Li Fan chimed in with a smile.

The two discussed it carefully, and before long, they finalized the 'Returning Dao' plan, which would benefit all living beings in the Star Sea. The key to the plan's success was a sufficiently large number of living beings. For Li Fan and Chengdao, this was not a difficult task. Under the shroud of the Dao Net, the living beings' desire to reproduce, conception rates, survival possibilities, and growth speeds all increased severalfold. Within the High Wall, the Xuanhuang Realm and the Primordial Immortal Realm's affairs were also solely determined by Li Fan. And with an endless supply of energy from the Infinite Sea, even if there were countless more living beings, there would be no worry of resource scarcity. The total number of living beings in the High Wall Shuoxing Sea therefore soared rapidly.

Sixty years passed, and when the total number of living beings in the entire Darkest Star Sea had increased nearly a hundred thousand-fold, only then did Li Fan and Chengdao slightly ease their efforts. The Returning Dao plan had not just started then; it had been gradually unfolding throughout those sixty years. As each living being was born, Li Fan and Chengdao would oversee and manipulate the process, randomly dividing a wisp of Great Dao divine ability fluctuation from the Era Projection Orb and integrating it with the new life. Under the protection of the two powerhouses, these divine ability fluctuations would not harm the fragile new lives. Instead, they became akin to innate divine abilities for them. Firmly imprinted deep within their souls, they also served as guiding lights throughout their growth. Naturally, the divine abilities and spells recorded in the Era Projection were of mixed quality. The power of the innate divine abilities received by each living being also varied. This was unavoidable. However, for Li Fan and Chengdao, it made little difference into whose hands the divine abilities recorded in the orb fell. The every action of all living beings participating in this Returning Dao plan was under the control of Li Fan and Chengdao.

Chengdao was not particularly familiar with this aspect. However, Li Fan, with his abundant experience from the Xuanhuang Realm, handled this matter with ease. Under the blessings of immortal formations, even with an immense number of participating beings, there was no sign of anything going out of control.

"I didn't expect, Junior Brother, that your attainments in the path of formations are also quite profound," Chengdao praised, stroking his beard.

"A minor skill. Just a detour I took on my cultivation journey in the past," Li Fan slightly shook his head.

"Junior Brother, there's no need to be modest. Who's to say that the path of formations cannot traverse the Mountains and Seas?" Chengdao was quite serious. "I recall that in the Immortal Realm, there was once a formation called 'Xuan Yuan Shi Ling.' It was a brilliant formation that even Master frequently praised. It is said that this formation played a significant role in the Immortal Realm's continuous expansion within the Upper Mountain."

Chengdao's words immediately caught Li Fan's attention. "'Xuan Yuan Shi Ling...'"

"I do know a part of this formation. But it doesn't seem to possess such power, does it?" Li Fan asked tentatively, a hint of doubt in his voice. As he spoke, Li Fan also displayed five of the grand formation diagrams he knew, including 'Desolate Fall' and 'Illusory Chamber Blooms,' for Chengdao to see.

Although Chengdao was not proficient in formations, worldly matters were largely inseparable from the Mountains and Seas. After careful study, he did perceive some profound mysteries. "Each formation, when viewed individually, has limited power. But when they are merged and superimposed, the power they can unleash increases a thousandfold. Just like the frantic increase in the number of living beings in the Star Sea during this period. Furthermore, from what I recall, the parts you are missing from the Xuan Yuan Shi Ling Grand Formation seem to be the more crucial ones."

Chengdao narrowed his eyes and manifested the image of the Xuan Yuan Shi Ling Grand Formation in operation, as he had once seen it.