The Myriad Phases Dao Net, woven with the nascent Ink-kill Shadow Clouds of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm as threads and the countless True Immortal seal characters recorded in the Great Supreme Dao Scripture as nodes, can almost be seen as a miniature version of the complete Great Dao of Primal Possibility.
Except for those Great Daos that had already escaped or disappeared, all other Great Daos were mirrored by Li Fan using the Myriad Phases Dao Net. Had it been the original version of the Myriad Phases Dao Net from his previous life, such an action would certainly have been detected by the True Immortals still existing in the Primal World. However, in this life, the Myriad Phases Dao Net does not directly reflect; instead, it uses the Great Supreme Dao Scripture as an intermediary for connections. Hence, it has remained in a safely hidden state.
With the initial successful creation of the Myriad Phases Dao Net, Li Fan's strength also reached an exceptionally subtle realm. Although he had not officially become a True Immortal, Li Fan could still wield infinite power through the Grand Heavenly Venerate Immortal Puppet. The Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was forged upon the Above Mountain. As the parent of Xuanhuang, Li Fan possessed the momentum of a True Immortal. Inside him, there was also the ethereal power of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, formed by the feedback from the Heaven-Sitting Art. Now, with the addition of the Ink-kill-centered Myriad Phases Dao Net, though not a True Immortal, his strength was beyond what ordinary True Immortals could match. Even an Unnamed Dao-Prover would not be Li Fan's match.
“Within the Primal, I have reached the pinnacle I can attain. Any future cultivation methods might slightly enhance my combat power, but they are useless for the next step forward.”
“Transcending...”
After experiencing the calamity of the Three Daos' Fusion, Li Fan lost all his memories and cultivation. He was even forced to an unfamiliar time and space ten thousand years ago. Yet, despite this, he only took a mere century to continuously recover to his former state and even reach a crucial point in his cultivation path. This was due to the profound accumulation he had gathered in his past cycles of reincarnation. Although there were minor disturbances, they ultimately had no bearing on the final outcome. Li Fan was destined to reach this point quickly.
“How, then, do I truly take that step?”
Li Fan seemed to be in the center of the Myriad Phases Dao Net, amidst a dark, starless void, where only countless fine lines representing various Great Daos intersected and crisscrossed. His gaze swept over them one by one, as Li Fan pondered the path most suitable for himself. He had begun seeking the answer to this question a long time ago. But even now, on the verge of success, the answer remained unclear.
“Logically speaking, when one's strength reaches my level, even if there's no immediate answer, there should at least be a general direction for advancement. It's impossible not to have a clear idea.”
“This is because my Dao path is too unique, unlike that of any other cultivator.”
Suddenly, the Myriad Phases Dao Net anomaly around him shattered, revealing the magnificent vista of the Xuanhuang Realm.
“Currently, almost eighty percent of my strength originates from the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. The moment I attempt to embark on the path of transcendence and leave the Primal Possibility, I will sever my connection with the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. Without that foundation, it would be like stepping into thin air, plummeting from a towering skyscraper to the ground in an instant.”
“To try and ascend again would be no different from starting the climb all over again, naturally fraught with immense difficulties.”
“This is the drawback of borrowed power, and it is also reasonable. After all, cultivating from a mere mortal to an Unnamed True Immortal in just a century is already incredible enough. How can there be perfection in this world?”
Li Fan understood this very clearly. However, despite saying this, he did not give up on finding a way to resolve the drawback.
“The mountains and seas are boundless; how can one cross them without a boat?”
According to Li Fan's previous way of thinking and modus operandi, the natural course would be to borrow power from others again to achieve his path of transcendence. However, the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas was different from before. To cross it, he could only rely entirely on himself. There seemed to be no more shortcuts, which temporarily put Li Fan in a predicament.
However, Li Fan was not in a hurry. Although He Zhen was still in a deep slumber, Li Fan's foundation was already stable. Before the Primal was swallowed by the Dao Annihilation, he had ample time to ponder.
While Li Fan was searching for answers regarding his future, so too were the cultivators of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. The step from Nascent Soul to God Transformation was even more difficult than all previous realms combined. Even Ji Wangxian, who exploited his family members to the extreme, even Chen Qiandu, who had vaguely begun forging his own path, and even the supremely talented Su Bai, facing this chasm-like gap, all inevitably felt a faint sense of despair. If God Transformation was like this, what about the subsequent Dao Integration? Even if they successfully reached God Transformation, how would they take the next step?
As soon as such a thought arose in a cultivator's mind, an unavoidable shadow would fall upon them. If they couldn't emerge from this shadow, their progress might be hopeless for a lifetime. The immense gap between different realms was not Li Fan intentionally making things difficult for Xuanhuang cultivators; rather, it was due to the unique circumstances of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. Although Xuanhuang cultivators stood upon the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm and gained a layer of ‘momentum’ from nothing, they were essentially still mortals. From Qi Condensation to Dao Integration, the entire cultivation process was essentially the transformation from a mortal to an Unnamed True Immortal. The gap between each realm was naturally unimaginably vast.
“There might be thousands who become star-ranked cultivators. But among these stars, fewer than one in ten thousand can enter the Investiture of the Gods! And among those on the list, even fewer can eventually pass through the Four Great Immortal Gates and ultimately join the ranks of Immortals!” Li Fan instantly saw clearly the potential and ultimate limits of all Xuanhuang cultivators. Without other fortuitous encounters, most of them would be trapped below the Nascent Soul realm for their entire lives. It seemed bleak. However, compared to cultivators outside the Xuanhuang Realm, they were already blessed by heaven. At the very least, with the protection of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, they largely no longer needed to worry about the calamity of Dao Annihilation.
“When the first Dao Integrator of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm is born, that will be the moment the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm officially connects with the Mountains and Seas. I hope you won't make me wait too long.”
Li Fan's gaze drifted over a few individuals below. After the initial formation of the Myriad Phases Dao Net, Li Fan ceased suppressing Su Bai. Without suppression, Su Bai's true talent finally began to manifest. He became the eighteenth star of Xuanhuang, the Star of Heavenly Benevolence. His Nascent Soul star phenomenon was precisely the 100,000-li radius around the transformed Ningyuan City. All living beings within it were protected by Su Bai, no longer troubled by spirits and monsters.
As for Chuan Fa (the Transmission of Law), it remained at its initial stage of cultivation. A century had passed, and even the most devout followers of Chuan Fa had gradually forgotten it. After all, in this past century, Chuan Fa had revealed no news. The vast majority of Myriad Immortal Alliance cultivators believed that Chuan Fa had ascended to immortality during the world's transformation. Otherwise, it was difficult to explain why, given Chuan Fa's stature, it had yet to transform into a star. After all, three of Chuan Fa's disciples from the former Myriad Immortal Alliance had already entered the Nascent Soul realm. They only occasionally recalled the astonishingly talented Immortal Venerate Chuan Fa of the past when they cultivated.
The path of cultivation for New Law cultivators in the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was even more arduous. Eight or nine out of ten were blown apart by the wondrous objects and grotto-heavens within their bodies. A very small number of extremely talented individuals successfully regained control over them, but when advancing to the next step, they almost faced a dead end.
"Extract the Marrow of Heaven and Earth to gain its spirit; sacrifice the Soul of Heaven and Earth to integrate with the Dao; defy the principles of Heaven and Earth to attain eternal life!"
After Nascent Soul, there were three major realms. In the past, even if New Law cultivators hadn't met the cultivation conditions, they could at least imagine them in their minds. However, now there wasn't even room for imagination. During the drastic changes in heaven and earth, many grotto-heavens remained and underwent transformation and sublimation along with it. However, the Marrow of Heaven and Earth and the Soul of Heaven and Earth directly disappeared from the sight of all New Law cultivators. Without the necessary materials for cultivation, how could one cultivate? The only thing sustaining the New Law cultivators was the belief that these materials hadn't truly disappeared, but rather that their current realm was too low to perceive them. Perhaps with future advancements in cultivation, they would have a chance to progress further.
However, the truth was not as they wished. The Marrow of Heaven and Earth is the change that heaven and earth are about to undergo. The Soul of Heaven and Earth is the one who holds the Dao of heaven and earth. In the original Xuanhuang Realm, these two were the natural operational mechanisms of the Xuanhuang Heaven and Earth. They would naturally appear in the world. But now, above the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, there was also the Creator, Li Fan! Wondrous objects and grotto-heaven resources could regenerate endlessly, but how could Li Fan hand over the operational authority of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm to others? So Li Fan hid them. If New Law cultivators continued to follow their original cultivation methods, they were truly doomed to a dead end.
Li Fan had no intention of kindly reminding them. He was more interested in seeing how Chuan Fa would ultimately change the New Law to make it function correctly within the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. After observing carefully for a while, Li Fan noticed Chuan Fa's aura fluctuating, showing signs of imminent awakening. Peering into Chuan Fa's mind, Li Fan discovered a fierce storm gathering within his consciousness. Thunderclouds rolled, all revolving around a single thought:
“Do not seek Eternal Life, only seek Dao Integration!”
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, staring at the phrase that continuously echoed in Chuan Fa's mind.
“How interesting.”
“It seems he has vaguely sensed my existence as the master of this heaven and earth.”
Undoubtedly, Chuan Fa's idea was exceedingly wise. Not to mention that the foundation of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm is the Boundless Sea, the Above Mountain, and the Great Dao of Eternal Life. The principles of Xuanhuang are the principles of Mountains and Seas and Eternal Life, which cultivators within the Xuanhuang Realm simply cannot reverse. Furthermore, there's also Li Fan, the helmsman of this realm. To defy the principles of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm would be like contending with Li Fan for control over Xuanhuang. Even if such a world-shaking genius were to truly emerge among the countless beings of the Xuanhuang Realm, Li Fan would decisively bring them under control before they could successfully prove their Dao.
“Severing one's spirit to seek life.”
“Good. It might seem like abandoning the most crucial step, but in reality, taking a step back opens up vast possibilities, securing room for survival.”
Li Fan was unstinting in his praise. He looked forward even more to Chuan Fa's complete deduction.
“If my prediction is correct, the original New Law solved the problem of cultivators being unable to cultivate. Then the current New Law will solve the problem of cultivators' slow cultivation speed.”
“The advent of the New Law will greatly benefit the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm!”
Within the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, all changes were under Li Fan's control. All thoughts of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm's beings were also under Li Fan's watchful eye. Therefore, Li Fan could, to some extent, “foresee” the future state of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. A slight smile appeared at the corner of his lips as Li Fan contentedly shifted his gaze.
He then returned his thoughts to his own path of transcendence.
“Sometimes, stepping out of the conventional framework and thinking about problems from a different angle can have surprising results.”
As if sensing something, Li Fan's consciousness once again descended into that dark, starless void. He walked leisurely within the boundless Myriad Phases Dao Net, oblivious to the passage of time, until he had personally re-traversed every single thread nine times. A flash of inspiration finally struck, illuminating the surrounding dark void.
“The mountains and seas are boundless; how can one cross them without a boat...?”
“I had been desperately searching for an answer, but I forgot that the ‘boat’ had already been built by me and was always beneath my feet!”
“Leaving the Primal means losing reliance on the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. Then, the solution is to find a way to bring the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm into the Mountains and Seas!”
“The Xuanhuang Immortal Realm is not only my immortal vessel for avoiding calamity, but also my vessel for traversing!”
At this point, Li Fan's thoughts instantly became clear and unhindered. As if comprehending everything, his loud laughter echoed throughout the Myriad Phases Dao Net. And with his enlightenment, an inexplicable change also occurred within the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. Heaven and earth trembled, and all things rumbled. The intense tremors lasted for a full quarter of an hour. All living beings within it felt a sense of imminent peril. However, once the tremors subsided, this sense of crisis quickly faded.
In heaven and earth, only the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao remained immersed in that feeling of fear, because it keenly sensed that the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, which originally had its foundation within Primal Possibility, was now completely “severing” itself from the Primal. If the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was originally a house built on the land of the Primal, then once the “severance” was complete, it would transform into a free-floating ship. Although it would be more free, it would also be more dangerous. The Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao undoubtedly yearned more for safety. But the one who caused all this was Li Fan, the parent of Xuanhuang. Even with a myriad of unwillingness, it could only silently endure. Solely for self-preservation, it instinctively activated many hidden potentials. Consequently, countless subtle changes emerged within the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, all to better adapt to the uncertain floating future.
For instance, the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm actively began to differentiate root-like tendrils, exploring and taking root in the surroundings along its foundation within the Above Mountain. Another example: more and more Souls of Heaven and Earth were summoned, gathering near the Four Great Heavenly Gates. Even though the connection with the Boundless Sea had not officially opened, they were already preemptively sensing the infinite power, preparing for the future official connection with the Mountains and Seas. Yet another example: originally, there were still some remnant, free-floating immortal artifacts and fragments within the Xuanhuang Heaven and Earth. In the past, the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao appeared very nonchalant, actively “digesting” them but only slowly achieving this through the natural circulation of heaven and earth. But now, streams of Souls of Heaven and Earth appeared near these immortal artifacts, collecting and imprisoning them. Then, they began actively “refining” them. Although for the current Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, these remnant immortal artifacts were not even considered tonics, to some extent, it still showed the attitude of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao.
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