Chapter 1546: Morality Has True Immortals

The reason Li Fan could easily suppress the Archmage this time was due to his Spirit-Slaying Blade, which possessed an inherent counter to him. The Archmage's Limitless Great Dao was utterly vulnerable before "True and False."

However, "True and False" would not be as effective when facing the Hunger Immortal.

Before his spiritual essence could be reduced to its lowest point, the Hunger Immortal's half-step Nameless power would be enough to utterly destroy the First Immortal Puppet. Since "Returning to Truth" was no longer a reliable backup, Li Fan's true body would not easily appear when clearing hidden dangers around Xuanhuang, just to be safe.

As for the Mound Guardian's phantom...

In his previous life, Li Fan had used his clone, Li Buren, to gather all the Immortal Realm chess pieces and subsequently gained the importance of the Nameless True Immortal, which allowed him to activate the Mound Guardian's legacy. This time, however, the true Ink-Slaying Immortal Soul within him had vanished with the tribulation of the three Dao fusions. While he could barely manage to temporarily simulate the power of the Ink-Slaying Immortal Soul by using the "True and False" transformation, it was still a struggle.

However, to weave a complete and stable Myriad-Phase Dao Net capable of containing the expanded Immortal Realm within the chess pieces, he lacked the necessary power. Furthermore, the First Immortal Puppet's strength was insufficient to even gain the attention of the Mound Guardian's phantom.

So this time, Li Fan used the First Immortal Puppet to display the power of "Sitting on the Mountain and Gazing at the Sea," which resonated with the Mound Guardian's phantom inside the high wall and allowed him to directly obtain partial control over the Lanke Dao Field.

While this method offered much more convenience, it also came with numerous drawbacks.

The Mound Guardian's phantom served to support and resist the tribulation of Dao Annihilation in the nearby star-sea. To summon it, it first needed to be replenished.

In his previous life, he first had the blessing of the Primordial Bone. Moreover, Li Fan could completely disregard the safety of the star-sea within the high wall, ignore the tribulation of Dao Annihilation, and draw upon the Mound Guardian's phantom power as much as possible.

But now, the Primordial Bone was only half a piece within a complete Immortal Realm chess piece, making it difficult for significant use. Although the Limitless Great Dao's rank was high, in terms of supporting the tribulation of Dao Annihilation, an equivalent exchange only amounted to half a celestial pillar.

In total, he could only exchange for the power of one Mound Guardian's phantom, and Li Fan also had to consider his own safety. Therefore, a meticulous preparation was still required to confront the Hunger Immortal.

Don't be fooled by how easily Li Fan suppressed the Hunger Immortal into a pillar in the previous life. In desperate situations, even when facing the Mountain-Sea power displayed by the Mound Guardian's phantom, the Hunger Immortal showed no fear. That aura of devouring mountains and seas, transforming everything in the world into his own resources, was definitely not bluster. It was the underlying power of the Origin Dao of Hunger, stemming from beyond primal possibilities.

To be able to drift through the tribulation of Dao Annihilation, survive into primal possibilities, and then integrate and evolve—the current Dao of Hunger was by no means weak. It's important to remember that in the previous life, Li Fan used the power of nearly three Primordial Celestial Pillars to completely suppress the Hunger Immortal, and at that time, the Hunger Immortal had only just achieved Nameless Dao.

Li Fan, who had once peeled and savored the Hunger Immortal's celestial pillar, was naturally acutely aware of this. Therefore, he dared not be careless in the slightest.

Fortunately, purely in terms of understanding the Dao of Hunger, Li Fan's level of comprehension was likely even higher than the Hunger Immortal's at this moment.

After a series of meticulous arrangements, the perfect trap for the Hunger Immortal was completed.

Three years later, in Xuanhuang Realm time.

On the land of the Immortal Ruin, the skeletal body, which had been sitting in meditation comprehending the Dao, suddenly opened its eyes.

It gazed towards the "distant" center of the star-sea.

"What is... this situation?"

"Is someone trying to seize ownership of the Dao of Hunger from me?"

At first, he was a bit bewildered. After a while, the Hunger Immortal finally understood why he had inexplicably awakened from his meditation.

The Hunger Immortal immediately found it incredible, even somewhat amusing.

After all, the bones of the previous Hunger Immortal were right beneath him. It was absolutely impossible for anyone in the world to be more knowledgeable about the Dao of Hunger than him.

"Still stubbornly cultivating this Dao, they probably haven't discovered my existence yet. But to be able to startle me awake from my meditation indicates that this person has also made considerable progress in comprehending the Dao of Hunger."

The Hunger Immortal immediately found it interesting: "If I devour this person, it might save me some of the hardships of Dao comprehension."

With a thought, the chains wrapped around the Hunger Immortal rattled as they fully returned to his body. As the Hunger Immortal took his first step, the missing flesh on his body had already regenerated.

His figure flickered, and he had already arrived near the location where he sensed another Dao of Hunger comprehender.

"Hmm?" The Hunger Immortal inexplicably felt that the scattered Dao principles in the nearby star-sea seemed somewhat familiar.

But for a moment, he couldn't recall where this feeling of familiarity came from.

The comprehender who should have been there was nowhere to be seen. The Hunger Immortal's heart sank, and he quickly scanned his surroundings.

Suddenly, after seeing a figure standing silently in the star-sea not far away, the Hunger Immortal's body stiffened instantly. An instinct from his body and soul almost made him blurt out the words "Master."

This was because the figure, whether in physique or aura, was almost identical to his master, Wu Wei!

And as if sensing the Hunger Immortal's probing gaze, the figure slowly turned around at that moment.

A gaunt face, calm eyes.

When this face fell into the Hunger Immortal's eyes, it was like a series of heavenly thunders, shaking his soul and blurring his consciousness.

"It's really Master?!"

As shock, doubt, and numerous other emotions surged simultaneously within him,

the surrounding star-sea quietly began to change.

Faint, interwoven fine lines, like an invisible net, enveloped the Hunger Immortal.

Wu Wei's figure vanished, replaced by a series of shifting scenes around him.

The heavens and earth were on the verge of collapse, and the tribulation of Dao Annihilation descended! This was precisely the ancient memory buried deep within the Hunger Immortal's heart.

Only this time, Master Wu Wei, the Immortal, also failed to resist this overwhelming calamity. He was swallowed by the Dao Annihilation in a flash.

"Master!"

The Hunger Immortal trembled with fear. The Dao Annihilation aura closing in from all directions made him instinctively want to flee. A moment later, he finally regained his clarity.

"No... is this a trap?"

Although the Hunger Immortal finally realized something, alas, with the grand formation already complete, everything was irreversible.

The Hunger Immortal felt his vision gradually dim, as if an invisible giant hand was pressing down on him.

And the sensory connection between him and the bones of the previous Hunger Immortal was inexplicably severed.

All resistance was merely a drop in the bucket.

A celestial pillar slowly formed within the formation.

It wasn't until this moment of finalization that Li Fan manipulated the First Immortal Puppet to appear.

"Attacking a city is inferior; attacking the mind is superior," he slowly recited, a hint of satisfaction on his face.

First, he used the strategy of "luring the tiger out of its den," then shook the Hunger Immortal's mind with the image of Immortal Wu Wei. Finally, using his comprehension of the Dao of Hunger, he severed the connection between the Hunger Immortal and the bones beneath the Immortal Ruin. This directly reduced the difficulty of capturing the Hunger Immortal by more than half.

If they had forcefully engaged the Hunger Immortal in battle on the Immortal Ruin's land, it would have been far from this easy.

"It's a pity, though, that the Hunger Immortal has not achieved Nameless Dao."

"It's still barely half a celestial pillar."

Li Fan looked at the three celestial pillars he had currently collected and shook his head slightly.

Primordial, Limitless, Hunger.

All were incomplete, far from their magnificent appearance when standing proudly in the star-sea at their peak in his previous life.

"But I can't force it."

"Nameless Heavenly Venerables are good, but the risk is too great. The slightest carelessness, and my Eternal Immortal Ark might be overthrown before it's even built. For now, these three are barely adequate."

"If quality isn't enough, then win by quantity," Li Fan comforted himself.

After no longer having "Returning to Truth" as a reliance, Li Fan also learned to compromise. He no longer pursued perfection, prioritizing stability instead.

After carefully storing the Hunger Immortal celestial pillar, Li Fan then arrived on the Immortal Ruin's land.

Although the meditating Hunger Immortal was gone, the bones of the previous Hunger Immortal remained, and the Immortal Ruin's external suction force had not completely disappeared.

In his previous life, Li Fan chose to help the Hunger Immortal achieve success. After the Hunger Immortal achieved Nameless Dao, these bones disappeared.

But now, the enormous character for "Hunger" was still quietly engraved upon the Immortal Ruin's land!

Li Fan did not attempt to remove these bones.

He keenly noticed the aura of the Dao Annihilation tribulation that the bones were supporting. His experience from the previous life told Li Fan that if these bones were lost, the surrounding star-sea would instantly be affected by Dao Annihilation.

"To be constrained and restricted is truly frustrating," Li Fan slowly uttered.

Although he couldn't easily move them, it didn't prevent Li Fan from sitting in meditation and comprehending the Dao, just like the Hunger Immortal.

Of course, Li Fan did not intend to become the next Hunger Immortal.

What he attempted to comprehend was the Dao path of the bones' owner, from before their crossing of Dao Annihilation and arrival at the primal possibilities.

Li Fan vaguely had an epiphany: compared to the Dao of Hunger, that original Dao path seemed to contribute more to his expansion of the Myriad-Phase Dao Net.

He remained sitting cross-legged on the Immortal Ruin's land, at the central location of the enormous True Immortal seal script.

However, Li Fan did not bind himself with chains.

He was confident that his own will was sufficient to resist the influence of the Dao of Hunger.

As his own comprehension grew, it gradually resonated with the bones beneath him.

Some fragmented memories from the bones also surfaced in his mind.

The memories emerged, moving from recent to distant past.

"It's happening again! It's happening again! Last time the heavens collapsed, I was lucky enough to escape. This time, I'm afraid I won't be so lucky! Damn it, the Immortal Coffin of Deliverance is lost, and I've painstakingly searched for it for so many years without finding it!"

In the distance, the continuous sky vanished without warning. The great tide of Dao Annihilation was hidden in the darkness, pressing in from all directions.

Faintly, one could hear the sounds of mountains and seas colliding and roaring from the darkness.

This sound was all too familiar; it was precisely this sound, like a death knell, that had continuously resonated during the fall of his homeland. Ordinary people could not perceive it; only cultivators who understood mountains and seas could hear it. Now, as this mountain-sea symphony echoed once more, it also awakened the Hunger Immortal's instinctive fear.

Without the slightest intention of resisting, he wanted to flee.

"The fall of the Immortal Realm is already a foregone conclusion. I can only go to the lower realms to weather the storm for now and then figure out other solutions."

"Damn it, who took my Immortal Coffin of Deliverance?!"

Seemingly having prepared to escape long ago, with a flicker of light and shadow, the Hunger Immortal arrived near the Ascension Passage ahead of most other immortals.

As the connecting point between immortals and mortals, as long as he passed through it, he would be temporarily safe.

"The collapse of the Immortal Realm will last for a while. I hope I can find a way to escape before Dao Annihilation affects the lower realms." The Hunger Immortal's heart was filled with anxiety as he was about to head for the lower realms.

Suddenly, a voice called out to him.

"Fellow Daoist, please halt!"

The Hunger Immortal instinctively grew wary but paid no attention, pretending not to hear. He continued to flee forward.

But the path that could originally be traversed in an instant, for some reason, became incredibly distant. No matter what, he couldn't fly to its end!

"Fellow Daoist is deaf to my words; it seems you don't intend to give me this respect."

"I originally wanted to discuss something with you, but now, it seems there's no need!"

The voice drew closer and closer, like a shadow. In a moment, it arrived by the Hunger Immortal's side.

"The Immortal Realm is in distress, and the lower realms probably won't last much longer either. Someone has to step forward and support the Dao Annihilation for everyone. Why can't that person be you?!"

"Sacrifice the self for the greater good. We survivors will remember you."

The figure spoke earnestly. Immediately, the Hunger Immortal felt a hand press onto his shoulder.

And then he could no longer move!

First, a wave of terror, then an unnamable rage ignited within him.

"You're seeking death!"

Endless suction force instantly surged from the Hunger Immortal, madly devouring everything around him. Even the Ascension Passage became precarious because of it.

Many fleeing True Immortals were swallowed by the Hunger Immortal before they could even call for help.

Yet in the center of this all-disturbing vortex, another figure remained, completely unaffected, looking at the Hunger Immortal with a face full of pity.

"It seems your level of awareness is quite low."

"There's not even a need to mourn you. It saves trouble, I suppose."

In just a few words, the Hunger Immortal's fate seemed to have been decided, with his own thoughts completely disregarded.

The Hunger Immortal was both shocked and enraged.

"If it weren't for wanting to integrate into this world's Great Dao as quickly as possible, how could I, having changed my appearance, be bullied like this!"

"Damn it!"

The weight pressing on the Hunger Immortal's shoulder grew heavier and heavier. The Hunger Immortal also felt himself gradually detaching from the entire world, as an omnipresent immense force seemed to be crushing and flattening him inch by inch.

At the last moment before his consciousness vanished, the Hunger Immortal desperately tried to see the figure's face clearly.

"It's you?! The Moral True Immortal?!"

This was the last wisp of thought resonating within the Hunger Immortal's bones.

Filled with immense resentment, it lingered for a long time.

"Finally, I'm alive again."

"Everyone else died; only I survived. Facts prove that I was right. Hmph, Master, junior brothers, you can rest in peace in the underworld." The Hunger Immortal, who had crossed Dao Annihilation, endured hardships, and arrived at a new possibility, looked at the long-lost scenery of the Immortal Realm, feeling exceptionally joyful.

However, his good mood was soon interrupted.

"Strange, shouldn't the Immortal Coffin of Deliverance have descended into the present world with me? Why is it gone?"

"Moreover, the Great Dao here seems to be somewhat repelled by me."

"It seems I'll have to find a way."

"What kind of Sage Lord Lianshan or Guihai... they are merely hypocrites who vainly attempt to monopolize the mountains and seas!"

"The Great Dao of Mountains and Seas can be obtained by anyone. Today, I insist on devouring mountains and seas!"

In the shattered apocalypse where bolts of lightning constantly roared, the Hunger Immortal roared towards the sky like one possessed.

"You evil creature..."

And by his side, an old man with only half a head remaining, mumbled a rebuke.

"Old geezer! Watching your disciples and grand-disciples, and the Great Dao of this world you guarded, all devoured by me one by one, how does that make you feel? Hahaha!"

"You evil creature..." The half-head did not respond, still repeating the curse.

"Boring!" The Hunger Immortal stomped the head into pieces.

Shattered bone fragments, accompanied by flesh and brain matter, splattered instantly.

But halfway through their flight in the air, they were absorbed and stuck to the Hunger Immortal's leg.

Then, they continuously squirmed, disappearing and sinking into his leg.

"I simply refuse to believe it!"

"I can even devour Great Daos, so why should I fear these mountains and seas?!"

The Hunger Immortal looked at the distant darkness where the resonating symphony of mountains and seas quietly began to play, his eyes bloodshot.