Chapter 1565: Sacred Dynasty Reflects Through the Ages

Angry Squid

"Perhaps, the so-called talent levels of cultivators in the Mountains and Seas are, to some extent, similar to those of the Creator God," Li Fan mused leisurely.

With the Eternal Principle established, the Profound Yellow Immortal Realm became more stable, which in turn nourished Li Fan. Within the Myriad Forms Dao Network, it was as if refined gold had been implanted, creating a stable self-supporting structure. Even when extending far beyond the high wall, there would be no significant degradation.

Therefore, when Li Fan re-entered the Merchant Immortal Ship this time, the illusory projection of himself, enveloped by the Myriad Forms Dao Network, could almost exert more than half of his true body's power.

"Although Eternity forms its own path, which others cannot comprehend, it can be borrowed."

"Just like adding rare heavenly treasures during the process of refining artifacts or pills."

Thinking this, Li Fan had already infiltrated the Sacred Merchants once more.

The people on the Merchant Immortal Ship were still engrossed in studying the newly captured Cat Treasure. Furthermore, with the Eternal "outer garment" Li Fan left behind before his departure serving as a disguise, they hadn't even discovered the loss of the Eternal Dao.

However, the inexplicable disappearance of Wu Xin, who was responsible for guarding the entrance of the Merchant Immortal Ship, caused quite a stir. After all, Wu Xin had been on the Merchant Immortal Ship for an unknown number of years and was definitely considered an elder-level figure. The Sacred Merchant Master personally investigated the scene but couldn't ascertain the true reason for his disappearance.

After careful consideration, the Sacred Merchant Master merely ordered the relocation of the entrance passage, instead of choosing to seal off all entrances.

This gave Li Fan another opportunity to infiltrate.

Familiar with the path, he arrived at the space where the Cat Treasure was imprisoned. The situation now, compared to when Li Fan left, was vastly different.

The orange cat was still tightly bound by countless blue chains. Beside it, the black and white cat, captured later, was able to move freely.

It walked back and forth around the orange cat, occasionally sniffing lightly and letting out soft meows.

Towards its "companion," the orange cat appeared very indifferent. Its eyes were tightly shut, and it remained motionless.

It even occasionally erupted with a burst of orange-yellow light from its body, forcefully resisting the blue chains' restraints and forcibly pushing back the black and white cat that approached to sniff.

Li Fan subtly perceived that within this orange-yellow light cluster, there was an incomparable warmth and vitality. If the black and white cat's power was that of the cold Dao of Life and Death, then the orange cat's body contained merely a pure concentration of vitality. Because the gathered vitality was too vast, its external manifestation of power even far surpassed that of the black and white cat.

And at the same time the orange cat was forced to unleash its orange-yellow glow, billions of faint blue symbols simultaneously shimmered within the surrounding Merchant Immortal Ship space, stealing the vital energy from the orange-yellow light.

After this, Li Fan saw that several strands of orange-yellow fur had appeared on the black and white cat's body.

"This black and white cat is probably not the true Cat Treasure. Rather, it's the Sacred Merchant Master transformed," Li Fan mused to himself.

Indeed, as Li Fan expected.

Orange-yellow and black and white, different colors manifested on its body. The black and white cat's body suddenly displayed eerie light and shadow fluctuations, continuously shifting between a human body and a cat's body.

Finally, with a muffled groan, the Sacred Merchant Master revealed his true form.

The orange cat, which had been lying still, suddenly opened its eyes. It crouched low and let out a low, roaring sound like a whistle towards the Sacred Merchant Master. The countless blue chains around it seemed unable to restrain it for a moment, shaking violently. Many chains even disintegrated directly, transforming into countless scattered light particles.

It could be seen how much the orange cat detested the Sacred Merchant Master.

The Sacred Merchant Master, however, was quite unperturbed. With a gentle wave of his hand, layer upon layer of colored light shields enclosed and enveloped the orange cat, ultimately forming a sphere of light that completely sealed the Cat Treasure within. The unusual movements ceased.

Immediately after, figures appeared one after another; they were precisely the Sacred Merchant people involved in the Cat Treasure research.

"As expected of one of the Seven Prototypes of Heaven-Seizing, Pipa's strength is still far greater than Bai Qian's. We only took a few days to analyze Bai Qian, but for Pipa, we've always been somewhat helpless," the Sacred Merchant Master remarked with deep emotion, looking at the tightly enveloped light sphere before him.

"The reason for the smooth progress of our research on Bai Qian this time is largely thanks to our past analysis of Pipa. It's a pity, but it's almost impossible to catch a third Cat Treasure. If only we could have another Heaven-Seizing Cat for research..."

The Sacred Merchant Master chuckled, "Who said it's impossible?"

Everyone around was startled upon hearing this. "Since they sent Bai Qian last time, we haven't been able to contact them again. They must have suffered retaliation. Either they have fallen, or they fled for their lives in haste. Without their help..."

"The Heaven-Seizing Wonder Cats roam among the many possibilities in the Mountains and Seas, each with their own duties," the Sacred Merchant Master said confidently. "However, their respective responsibilities are mostly related to the tasks assigned by Saint Emperor Taiwei. Although they are independent, there are actually subtle hidden connections between all Heaven-Seizing Wonder Cats. We now have two Cat Treasures in hand, so naturally, we can follow the clues and find more Cat Treasures."

"But..." The Immortal Ship's people exchanged glances, most of them showing hesitation.

"The Heaven-Seizing Wonder Cats are vengeful. Capturing two in a row without them noticing is already great luck. If we act again, it might not be so..."

The Sacred Merchant Master waved his hand. "I've considered it. Although the Taiwei Holy Dynasty is formidable, it is merely one of the major powers in the Mountains and Seas. It venerates its Holy Emperor and is at odds with other powerful entities. While we are no match for the Holy Dynasty, there are plenty of entities in the Mountains and Seas that can contend with it. Our act of capturing the Cat Treasures is precisely our pledge of allegiance to them!"

Only then did the Immortal Ship's people realize. "Holy Master, have you already established contact?"

"The Annihilation of Dao is approaching," the Sacred Merchant Master said with a solemn expression. "Even with the protection of Eternity, it might not last long. How can we not plan ahead? Didn't past Holy Masters risk their lives to cross into other possibilities precisely to find a sliver of hope?"

Upon hearing this, the Immortal Ship's people were all greatly agitated. Some even shed tears on the spot.

Amidst their heartfelt words of praise, Li Fan finally learned that after the Merchant Immortal Ship had leaped beyond the high wall and barely escaped the Cataclysm of the Immortal Ruins, the entire Immortal Ship crew still maintained a strong sense of crisis.

Through some means, after learning the truth of the Immortal Realm's destruction, they became even more determined to escape from this area, which was affected by the Annihilation of Dao and was merely a place of survival.

Later, the First Immortal Ship Master, who had led the Profound Merchant Immortal Ship to escape from the Cultivation Immortal Realm, found a way to cross over to other possibilities. However, the safety on the other side of these possibilities was unknown.

So he voluntarily went alone to explore thoroughly.

From then on, this became a tradition of the Merchant Immortal Ship. Every successive Sacred Merchant Master had to bear the responsibility of pioneering, actively venturing into different possibilities to search for those that were relatively safe.

Among these, some never returned. Others, however, were still alive.

Only within the Sacred Merchants was the method of contacting these predecessors known. Therefore, other Immortal Ship people knew little about matters beyond the original possibility.

And it was precisely because of the self-sacrificing pioneering efforts of successive Sacred Merchant Masters that the Merchant Immortal Ship, even without having left its original location, already had a basic understanding of the endless possibilities within the Mountains and Seas.

Even more than Li Fan knew.

Li Fan, who was eavesdropping, nodded secretly. "The lingering legacy of centuries of struggle. This is the true foundation of the Merchant Immortal Ship. No wonder they were able to successfully escape before the initial destruction."

Li Fan stared at the Sacred Merchant Master not far away, who was holding forth garrulously. The desire to thoroughly examine the memories within his skull was almost irresistible.

In his opinion, this Sacred Merchant Master could definitely be considered a living map.

As if sensing Li Fan's malevolence, the Sacred Merchant Master, who had been speaking freely, suddenly stopped. He frowned slightly, looking around suspiciously.

Yet he couldn't pinpoint the source of the fleeting unease in his heart.

"Could it be an unusual movement from the Cat Treasure?"

The Sacred Merchant Master, uneasy, carefully checked on the orange cat Pipa but found no signs of it breaking free. As Li Fan's malevolence receded, his inner unease also gradually faded.

Only then did he return to the previous topic: "That Saint Emperor Taiwei attempts to expand the Holy Dynasty across all of the Mountains and Seas. Thus, he projects his own power onto countless possibilities in the Mountains and Seas. Anyone whose form is similar to his will be affected by him, becoming a so-called Holy Emperor."

"If, by chance, there is a Heaven-Seizing Cat performing its duty in that possibility," he continued, "the Holy Emperor will receive assistance from the Heaven-Seizing Cat and have an extremely high chance of unifying that possibility and creating a Holy Dynasty. At that moment, Saint Emperor Taiwei's true consciousness will awaken, and the pseudo-Holy Emperor, affected by the projection, will truly ascend the throne."

The Sacred Merchant Master slowly explained Saint Emperor Taiwei's methods, and the Immortal Ship people nearby were all astonished.

"We originally thought that the Heaven-Seizing Cats were already creations of heaven-seizing fortune. Now it seems these creations are merely a part of the vast Holy Dynasty's many methods."

"Compared to the colossal Taiwei Holy Dynasty, our Immortal Ship is like an ant. Yet we repeatedly presume to bite off pieces of flesh from this monstrous beast. It's truly too dangerous!"

The Sacred Merchant Master listened to his subordinates' discussions and waited for their emotions to calm down before continuing. "That Saint Emperor Taiwei is indeed very powerful, but his actions are also a bit too overbearing. Most of the strong individuals in the Mountains and Seas are going to the Joint Shore to discuss ways to cope with the Great Annihilation of Dao. Those who are unwilling to participate merely stake out their own territory and keep their distance from the Joint Shore."

"This Saint Emperor Taiwei not only has no intention of joining the Joint Shore," he explained, "but even acts as he pleases, expanding his Holy Dynasty without any regard. It is said that he has repeatedly clashed with powerful individuals in the Great World of the Joint Shore, making many enemies."

"As for that Great World of the Joint Shore, we currently don't have the qualifications or ability to go there. But possibilities that are at odds with Saint Emperor Taiwei and have been safe for a long time..."

The Sacred Merchant Master smiled slightly, wearing an expression of confidence.

This drew continuous praise from the Immortal Ship's people.

"But before we present the Heaven-Seizing Cats as our pledge," he continued, "we should still complete our research on them as much as possible. Even if we can't fully analyze them, we should push to the limits of our capabilities."

"After all, living under another's roof is not the proper path. In any case, only the power one truly masters can serve as capital for survival. Everyone, don't forget how the Profound Merchant Immortal Ship escaped from its homeland back then," the Sacred Merchant Master said gravely.

"Saint Emperor Taiwei? Holy Dynasty?" As Li Fan listened to the Immortal Ship members' discussion, Li Ping's appearance once again surfaced in his mind.

"So that's how it is. I was mistaken."

"The birth of the Holy Emperor, the intimacy of the Cat Treasures... It wasn't that the original Li Fan still existed in other possibilities. Rather, the clone I derived had a strong compatibility with Saint Emperor Taiwei. Therefore, subtly, it was influenced by him."

Recalling it now, Li Fan realized it was true. The Holy Emperor clone's loss of control wasn't sudden but gradually formed. Initially, the Cat Treasures were even indifferent towards the Holy Emperor, becoming more intimate only as interactions increased, even becoming completely obedient.

"Saint Emperor Taiwei, seated in his Holy Dynasty, projects onto billions of possibilities. Even within the high wall erected by the Tomb Guardian, his influence is hard to avoid. The extent of his power is evident," Li Fan thought, secretly astonished.

"Saint Emperor Taiwei's cultivation method is also a form of 'unification of selves' to some extent," Li Fan mused. "However, it is even superior to the methods of Xie Subai, Black Heaven Physician, and others who devour their alternate selves across different possibilities!"

"It's not just about the self. It's merely somewhat similar, all within the scope of fusion. What is devoured is not just a single individual, but rather a unified Holy Dynasty as a unit..."

Li Fan could almost imagine that if Saint Emperor Taiwei truly succeeded in spreading the Holy Dynasty across all of the Mountains and Seas, perhaps he could truly possess power on par with the Mountains and Seas themselves.

"However, doing so would deprive other powerful entities of their living space. Even if Tomb Guardian and Zi Yi are extremely principled, it would likely be very difficult for them to submit to Taiwei."

The Eternal Dao and Saint Emperor Taiwei—these newly discovered powerhouses of the Mountains and Seas once again broadened Li Fan's horizons.

"Indeed, with countless possibilities in the Mountains and Seas, it's not surprising what kind of powerhouses emerge."

"But on the other hand," he continued, "every being who reaches the peak of the Mountains and Seas possesses unique characteristics and has forged a path distinctly different from others..."

As Li Fan contemplated, the people on the Merchant Immortal Ship, after a short rest, once again resumed their research on the Cat Treasure.

This time, the orange cat Pipa's resistance was even stronger.

The blue chains binding it trembled more and more violently. It seemed as if they could disintegrate at any moment.

But the Sacred Merchant Master was not flustered in the slightest.

He disregarded the imminent collapse of the entire Immortal Ship.

He had long grown accustomed to the various situations that arose during experiments. In his view, with the protection of the Eternal Dao, even if the Merchant Immortal Ship were to instantly turn to dust, it could recover in an instant.

So not only did he not stop, but he also continued to draw upon the Merchant Immortal Ship's energy, increasing the intensity of the struggle against the orange cat.

The Immortal Ship people observing were already accustomed to this.

Their faces showed no trace of fear.

Only the joy of converting the Heaven-Seizing Cat's power for their own use.

Finally, the intensity of the power struggle reached a critical point.

A wave capable of destroying everything erupted with a roar.