Chapter 1511: Mountain and Sea The Path to Longevity

It seemed to be during the initial creation of the Immortal Realm, when it first connected with the mountains and seas.

The Immortal Realm was not as boundless as rumored; in fact, Cheng Dao, the spirit stone of mountains and seas, could discern its boundaries with a single glance.

However, as time flowed, the spirit stone remained immutable. Yet, one by one, distinct glowing points began to emerge around the Immortal Realm, gradually expanding its boundaries.

Focusing on each specific point of light revealed more.

First, an immense power solidified the foundation of these light points, enabling them to stand firm in the mountains above. It was as if solid groundwork had been laid.

Subsequently, subtle, rhythmic fluctuations emanated. Wherever they reached, vitality and order emerged from the newly formed, primordial Immortal Realm. These fluctuations traversed each light point with extreme speed.

Thus, the scale of the Immortal Realm expanded exponentially.

Li Fan clearly perceived that these fluctuations must be the Profound Origin Primordial Spirit!

Although the complete nature of the Profound Origin Primordial Spirit remained unknown, sensing its aura through the five familiar array diagrams was not difficult.

Furthermore, the world-creating power of this array within the nascent mountains and seas aligned perfectly with Li Fan's initial expectations for the Profound Origin Primordial Spirit: to re-establish the elements of earth, fire, water, and wind, and to forge heaven and earth from the void!

“My initial understanding was essentially correct. It’s just that back then, I wouldn’t have conceived that the Immortal Realm wasn’t born from nothingness, but rather forged from within the mountains and seas...”

“While this Profound Origin Primordial Spirit is remarkable, it cannot be compared to the immense power of the mountains and seas. It requires a supreme powerful being to first lay the groundwork between the mountains and seas before it can be effectively utilized.”

“In essence, the Profound Origin Primordial Spirit serves as a handy tool for the Three Sages in constructing the Immortal Realm. After the initial connection between the Immortal Realm and the mountains and seas is established, all subsequent construction can be directly entrusted to the Profound Origin Primordial Spirit, ensuring efficiency, stability, and ease.”

Connecting this to his own experience of creating the Primordial Immortal Realm, and observing the terrifying outward expansion of the Immortal Realm’s light points within Cheng Dao’s memories, a sudden realization dawned upon Li Fan.

“Indeed, considering the boundless nature of the Immortal Realm back then, if the Three Sages had to personally oversee every expansion, wouldn’t they be utterly exhausted? The Profound Origin Primordial Spirit, at the very least, could eliminate a large portion of the mechanical and repetitive work.”

“After the Three Sages ceased to involve themselves in worldly affairs, they passed down the grand array diagrams, entrusting later generations with the task. This might explain why the grand array spread throughout the Immortal Realm. However, as it concerned the secrets of the Immortal Realm’s very construction, the most crucial diagrams were beyond the knowledge of ordinary True Immortals. Perhaps one would need to consult the successive ruling Immortal Emperors...”

The power of the Profound Origin Primordial Spirit that Cheng Dao demonstrated to Li Fan vastly exceeded his expectations. This reignited Li Fan’s previously abandoned idea of restoring the array diagrams.

“Cheng Dao is correct. The power to forge the Immortal Realm with the Profound Origin Primordial Spirit, allowing it to stand stable amidst the mountains and seas, if condensed into a Dao path, could indeed serve as a method of traversal. While it may not be suitable for me personally, I can entrust it to the Immortal Disintegration Disk.”

“Let it scout the path for me.”

In a flash, numerous thoughts surged through Li Fan’s mind.

Ever since crossing the high wall and connecting with the Infinite Sea, and with his rapid surge in power, many of the treasures Li Fan once held dear had gradually become less useful.

This was true for the Disintegration Disk, and also for the Heavenly Profound Mirror.

Perhaps each possessed its unique qualities, but they were, after all, merely some of the countless immortal treasures scattered from the Immortal Realm in antiquity. Even after enduring the eons and growing stronger than before, ultimately, however, they could not compare to the premier treasures of the former Immortal Realm.

Moreover, what he had obtained this time—retrieved by the Guangwu Star Sea from the Dao Annihilation—were the essential remnants of an entire possibility, such as the Dao Sword and Dao Saber.

However, Li Fan harbored no thoughts of discarding these “old companions.”

After all, compared to Huan Zhen, the Disintegration Disk, the Dao Sword and Dao Saber, and even the Dao Annal Pearl, held no essential difference.

It must be said that Cheng Dao, as a primordial spirit stone residing at the edge of the mountains and seas, possessed a truly enviable talent for Dao comprehension. Though he had never formally studied the art of arrays, his understanding of the Profound Origin Primordial Spirit Grand Array, gained merely through prolonged exposure, observation, and conjecture, was already comparable to Li Fan’s.

Furthermore, Cheng Dao possessed an exceptionally keen perspective, having originated within the mountains and seas. Consequently, he could make precise judgments on whether the path of arrays could serve as a means of traversal.

After another discussion with Cheng Dao regarding array formations, Li Fan had to concede the accuracy of his insights.

“Perhaps, in that grand era of the Other Shore, there are indeed elders who established themselves through array formations,” Li Fan said with a smile.

The sudden arrival of Ziyi had prematurely unveiled the curtain to the mountains and seas, and to the Other Shore, for Li Fan.

That potential landscape sparked an irrepressible yearning within Li Fan.

However, with his current strength constrained, he would invariably remain within the high wall until he discovered his own path of traversal.

Nevertheless, benefiting from the Dao Restoration Plan and the countless beings’ analysis of the Dao Annal Pearl, Li Fan’s progress in comprehending the Dao principles of all heavens advanced by leaps and bounds.

Sixty years passed, and the scale of the Myriad Phase Dao Net, much like the population of beings in the High Wall Star Sea, had increased multi-fold. And it wasn’t merely in terms of diversity.

With the infusion of Grand Dao from other possibilities, the Myriad Phase Dao Net grew increasingly stable.

Each Dao string was crystalline and lustrous, almost indistinguishable from the celestial pillars that sealed True Immortals.

Furthermore, with the addition of numerous purple-talisman True Immortals gathered from the Guangwu Star Sea, the High Wall Star Sea was now truly impregnable.

Even if the original possibility were to be annihilated, it could persist for a considerable duration.

Yet, despite such clear progress, Li Fan still had not the slightest clue as to how he could traverse the mountains and seas.

Since Cheng Dao gained sentience, he had cultivated for tens of thousands of years. His memories could even be traced back to the Immortal Realm’s initial creation. The progress achieved in the last century alone was comparable to that of the preceding ten thousand years. Cheng Dao was already immensely satisfied and naturally felt no anxiety over slow progress.

But Li Fan was different.

Though he had undergone a hundred reincarnations, the actual time devoted to cultivation was relatively scant.

After decades of arduous cultivation and enlightenment, seeing no tangible progress, Li Fan inevitably grew a little impatient.

Though he swiftly suppressed the unsettling feeling in his heart, it did not escape Cheng Dao’s keen observation.

The “senior and junior brothers” had endured countless shared experiences: facing adversity together, confronting life and death, and enjoying prosperity.

Cheng Dao and Li Fan’s current bond, much like the Dao of Huan Zhen, was profoundly illusory yet remarkably true!

Seeing the half-smile on Cheng Dao’s face, Li Fan decided to stop concealing his feelings, letting out a long sigh: “While the arrival of Senior Ziyi helped us resolve the hidden anxieties of the star sea, in the long run, it may not necessarily be a good thing.”

“I would have preferred to resolve all of this on my own back then. To glimpse it, yet be unable to reach it – that is where frustration arises.”

Cheng Dao chuckled, “To witness a Saint and subsequently feel longing is only human nature. If you experience it, how could I avoid it?”

“Senior Brother, you seem much calmer than I am.”

“It’s merely a matter of time; a few tens of thousands of years at most. Hardly worth mentioning,” Cheng Dao said serenely, stroking his beard.

“My aptitude is dull; I’m accustomed to trading time for cultivation. You, on the other hand, Junior Brother, don’t seem to have spent an excessively long time cultivating. This is likely why your mind is frequently beset by distracting thoughts...” Cheng Dao’s words revealed the truth.

Li Fan did not deny it, merely nodding.

If he truly had to wait tens of thousands more years to comprehend the path across the mountains and seas...

Then, before that, Li Fan would certainly need to find a way to experiment with some “unorthodox methods.”

He wouldn’t necessarily undertake it personally. Sending others to test the reality of the path ahead was a familiar tactic for Li Fan. To do so again, between the mountains and seas, would merely be a repetition of past methods.

Perhaps Cheng Dao had already vaguely perceived Li Fan’s inner thoughts.

Yet he said little more.

Everyone’s circumstances differ, and thus the methods adopted when confronting difficulties will not be uniform. There is no inherent right or wrong in this.

As long as one ultimately reaches the destination, the means are inconsequential.

This is what is called “all roads lead to Rome.”

However, Cheng Dao ultimately feared that Li Fan, in his haste, might stray from the path and stumble at the final stage before traversing the mountains and seas. After much deliberation, Cheng Dao finally made a decision.

“Previously, I attempted to contact Master again. However, as Senior Ziyi stated, Master is not within the mortal realm of the mountains and seas. He did not respond.”

“This profound method was personally transmitted by Master. Before his departure, he specifically cautioned against easily passing it on...”

Upon hearing this, Li Fan, observing Cheng Dao’s expression, had already anticipated his next words.

His heart swelled with joy.

He promptly and solemnly bowed to Cheng Dao, offering his thanks.

It was noteworthy that even with the Shouqiu’s Casual Notes, Lord Shouqiu had never given such solemn instructions. Instead, he had merely casually sealed it within the experimental field space inside the high wall, leaving it for any fated individual.

The value of a method that Lord Shouqiu himself was reluctant to personally impart was, naturally, immeasurable.

“However, Junior Brother, you are not an outsider. One day, upon meeting Master and formally entering his lineage, Master should also transmit it to you. It’s merely that Master is absent for now, so I am simply transmitting it on his behalf,” Cheng Dao stated solemnly, clarifying the circumstances.

After a moment of silence, he first bowed respectfully towards the distant heavens, in the direction of Shouqiu.

Only then did he turn to Li Fan and ask, “Junior Brother, have you ever wondered how Master was able to observe the mountains and seas, and guard the Immortal Realm for countless eons?”

“You must understand that when he was first dispatched to monitor anomalies in the mountains and seas, Master’s strength among the immortals was not particularly outstanding. He was likely within the normal scope of an unnamed realm. To speak disrespectfully, he might not even have been as strong as the two of us are now.”

“But what exactly enabled Master to disregard the passage of time and the transformations of the mountains and seas? How is it that even as successive Immortal Emperors fell, he, an elder, could always calmly observe the mountains and seas?”

Cheng Dao’s eyes burned with intensity as he fixed his gaze on Li Fan.

“To claim I had no doubts would certainly be false. When I first learned of Shouqiu’s Casual Notes, besides being astonished by Master’s vision and strength, my greatest query was his longevity. Yet, after much contemplation, there seemed to be no other reasonable explanation. I could only attribute it to Master’s immense power,” Li Fan replied.

“Longevity is the cause, not the effect. One does not achieve longevity because of strength, but rather gains strength because of longevity,” Cheng Dao stated solemnly, enunciating each word.

Li Fan’s heart jolted.

The concept of longevity had long been a deeply held obsession in his heart. Indeed, his initial reason for embarking on the path of cultivation was to achieve eternal life and unhindered freedom.

Hearing Cheng Dao’s words at this moment, it seemed that Lord Shouqiu had achieved his current level of cultivation precisely because he had attained the good fortune of longevity. His mind reeling, Li Fan swiftly adopted a posture of attentive listening.

“Junior Brother, though I am a spirit stone amidst the mountains and seas, I am ultimately not indestructible. Having remained by Master’s side for an extended period, even before my own sentience awakened, I had already become riddled with cracks due to intrusions from the mountains and seas, on the verge of shattering.”

“Fortunately...”

Cheng Dao’s expression softened with reminiscence: “Fortunately, throughout those long years, I was the only constant presence by Master’s side.”

“Perhaps it was simply due to our prolonged proximity, which had become a habit. In any case, Master could not bear to see me shatter and vanish amidst the mountains and seas. Thus, he enlightened me and imparted the marvelous method of longevity.”

“Having received the art of longevity, all my cracks were healed. From that point onward, I no longer harbored any fear of my life ending.”

A peculiar expression surfaced in Li Fan’s eyes. He had always believed that Cheng Dao’s survival from the Immortal Realm’s initial creation until now was solely due to his origin as a spirit stone of the mountains and seas.

He had never imagined that the fundamental reason would turn out to be the longevity method imparted by Shouqiu!

“Junior Brother, you must understand that this art of longevity is extraordinary. Even within the mountains and seas, it is utterly unique!”

Cheng Dao’s expression became unprecedentedly solemn: “Its uniqueness lies in being like a single fruit. While many can partake of it, the total essence always remains constant.”

“However, due to the peculiar nature of longevity, even if ten thousand people share it, ultimately, each one attains longevity.”

“Thus, Master was willing to transmit this method.”

Li Fan listened, his mind completely enthralled.

However, Cheng Dao’s description of longevity stirred something within him. He found himself thinking of Huan Zhen.

The transformation of truth and falsehood that Huan Zhen embodied was also, presumably, unique to the mountains and seas.

Could there be some commonality between the two?

Before Li Fan could ponder it further, Cheng Dao had already begun to slowly and eloquently expound upon the wondrous art of longevity.

As if to prevent outsiders from prying, while imparting the Dao, he also manifested mountain and sea phenomena.

Continuous mountains and seas enveloped them, amidst howling winds, completely obscuring any trace of Li Fan and Cheng Dao.

The wind howled in gusts, yet it could not obscure Cheng Dao’s every precious word.

“Master received the command to guard the mound, and until his life’s end, he never departed from it. Even if successive Immortal Emperors and the entire Immortal Realm forgot him, Master held no complaints in his heart. He remained steadfastly loyal to his duty until his very last moment.”

“It was not until the day his life force dwindled that Master’s heart found complete liberation. He performed one final bow towards the Immortal Emperor’s abode, and then plunged into the Infinite Sea...”

“But, unexpectedly, his destiny transformed at that very moment!”

“Because he actively sought death, he was resurrected!”

As Cheng Dao continued his narration, scenes from the depths of the Infinite Sea seemed to unfold before Li Fan’s eyes.

Innumerable water droplets filled the expanse, each one representing the condensed essence of endless time.

“Was the Infinite Sea already in this state during Lord Shouqiu’s era?”

“What exactly does this signify...?”

Li Fan felt a touch of bewilderment, but soon, a wondrous spectacle at the bottom of the Infinite Sea drew his attention.

A greenish-blue fragment lay silently on the seabed.

The droplets of water in the Infinite Sea were drawn to it, swirling around its form.

The seawater, a single drop of which could crush Li Fan’s consciousness, now coalesced into a colossal swirling vortex, yet it couldn’t even disturb the light emanating from the green fragment.