Chapter 1583: Flames Engulf the Mountains and Seas

Li Fan intently stared at the rapidly pulsating orb of light before him, which seemed on the verge of hatching at any moment. The Twelve True Immortals were also curious about the true nature of this primeval being, which they had collectively nurtured for tens of thousands of years without it emerging, and quietly observed it.

"Tell me about this object's origin," Li Fan asked indifferently.

Under Li Fan's imposing presence, the Twelve True Immortals dared not conceal anything and recounted: "When the Immortal Realm still existed, we were all immortals from the Zhuyu Starfield. The Zhuyu Starfield was a very special existence within the boundless Immortal Realm. Strictly speaking, it wasn't within the true scope of the Immortal Realm. Instead, it was a wild starfield, overlooked by successive Immortal Emperors, without an Immortal Minister appointed to it..."

"The Zhuyu Starfield," Li Fan recalled information about this starfield from his memory. "Is that the Immortal Realm territory rumored to contain a terrifying creature, abandoned halfway through its development? But it seemed to be just a legend. Until the destruction of the Immortal Realm, there appeared to be no real evidence of this creature's existence."

The dwarf elder nodded repeatedly: "Indeed, Senior. The terrifying creature never appeared from beginning to end, which gradually attracted True Immortals like us, who disliked restrictions and were unwilling to travel vast distances. However, the Three Saints are still the Three Saints. Their foresight is beyond our comprehension. That terrifying creature truly existed. And it had been in a deep slumber until the arrival of the Great Dao Annihilation Tide, which awakened it..."

Recalling the scene they had witnessed, varying degrees of fear appeared on the faces of the Twelve True Immortals. "Rather than saying the Zhuyu Starfield was swallowed by the Great Dao Annihilation Tide, it's more accurate to say it perished in the confrontation between that terrifying creature and the Great Dao Annihilation Tide. We couldn't see its full form, only glimpses of it. It was as grand as mountains and seas, directly confronting the Great Dao Annihilation Tide without falling behind..."

The dwarf elder displayed the scene from his memory of the terrifying creature fighting the Dao Annihilation. The creature's power was indeed astonishing. "We couldn't intervene in the battle between the terrifying creature and the Dao Annihilation. We could only try our best to evade and survive. The fierce battle lasted for half a day, and then this stalemate brewed an even larger Dao Annihilation. The Zhuyu Starfield was instantly swallowed, and the terrifying creature's light and shadow slowly disappeared into the Dao Annihilation. Only a shining orb of light remained, still struggling. Upon seeing this, we brought it out with us as we fled. After all, it was left behind by a creature capable of contending with the Dao Annihilation, so it must be extremely valuable. Perhaps it contained the path to transcendence. And events unfolded as we expected. In the years we've spent in the lower realms, half of us were able to attain the Anonymous Dao, all thanks to this orb," the dwarf elder explained in detail.

Li Fan frowned and interrupted him: "Back then, you were only ordinary True Immortals. How were you able to survive the Great Dao Annihilation Catastrophe?"

The Twelve True Immortals exchanged bitter smiles, then slowly revealed: "Senior, this is our greatest secret. The Zhuyu Starfield was never fully developed. Therefore, it was one of the Immortal Realm's starfields most susceptible to Dao Annihilation erosion. The immortals within the starfield, in preparation, each had their own insights and research on how to survive the Dao Annihilation. Among these methods, the 'Destruction of True Spirit' was widely recognized as the most effective. However..."

The dwarf elder hesitated for a moment before continuing: "It was too damaging to natural harmony and was considered a forbidden art. We only activated it together at the very last moment, when the Zhuyu Starfield was almost completely swallowed."

"What forbidden art could enable True Immortals to resist the Dao Annihilation? If it were truly that miraculous, why would the Immortal Realm have been destroyed?" Li Fan's tone carried a hint of suspicion.

"This is absolutely true, Junior would not dare to speak falsely." Thereupon, the dwarf elder slowly recounted the art of 'Destruction of True Spirit'.

After hearing it, a rather subtle expression flashed in Li Fan's eyes. In short, if the Dao Annihilation were likened to a great fire consuming everything, then the 'Destruction of True Spirit' was a method to preemptively and completely burn a starfield to ashes, thereby defending against the fire's ravages. The vitality and existence of the starry sky would be ignited, leaving only ashes. Even though these ashes would eventually be swallowed by the Dao Annihilation, the rate of its encroachment would be greatly reduced compared to a normal starry sky. To some extent, the ashes remaining after the starry sky was consumed could even be used as a makeshift wooden boat to cross the Dao Annihilation.

"We also knew a little about this 'Destruction of True Spirit' art back then. We held on until the very last moment before the Zhuyu Starfield was destroyed, when there was truly no other way, no means to sustain ourselves further. That's why we chose to burn all remaining starry sky, using a handful of ashes to craft a ship of escape. We arrived in the lower realms in a sorry state."

Li Fan vaguely sensed that there were still some untruths in what the dwarf elder said. But Li Fan was not one to quibble over details, and he had little interest in how they specifically survived. On the contrary, the 'Destruction of True Spirit' art he mentioned was indeed real. This kind of method, which inflicts severe self-harm while only slightly damaging the enemy, usually has no practical meaning. It only holds value in extreme circumstances, when the possibility of being swallowed by Dao Annihilation is imminent. But for Li Fan, it had significant reference value.

In fact, Li Fan had previously manifested a similar divine ability. In his previous life, when caught in the calamity of the Three Dao Merging, Li Fan chose to detonate himself in order to save himself. His immortal foundation, the Great Dao of Longevity, transformed into fuel that burned everything. Infinite light ignited the original possibility and everything around it. In a way, he truly achieved the feat of isolating the Dao Annihilation, burning mountains, and filling seas.

"However, compared to my crude method of directly and forcefully igniting with power on par with mountains and seas, the ignition efficiency of this 'Destruction of True Spirit' art is far superior. Because this art discovered how to use the very foundation of possibility as fuel... The True Spirit. Or rather, potential and spirituality."

Li Fan quietly began to circulate this art within his body. He grasped it more quickly than any other divine ability he had learned. Even upon initial practice, he felt a sense of effortless mastery. But at the same time, Li Fan's spiritual senses were ceaselessly sending him frantic warnings. "Even a slight misstep, and a raging inferno will instantly erupt. This art uses one's own spirituality as a spark and bait. One must first ignite oneself, using oneself as a guide to ignite the possibility one is within. Afterwards, one must extinguish the flames within oneself as quickly as possible. If delayed, the only outcome is to be buried together in a sea of fire. And no matter how calm and swift one is in crisis, the consumption of one's own spirituality by this art is evident. Each use drastically reduces one's potential. If used too often, one will be completely crippled..."

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, looking at the Twelve Immortals who were inexplicably uneasy around him, and suddenly understood: "Twelve individuals coexisting, setting fires together. If they share the burden, they can indeed minimize the loss of their own potential. Hmph, those capable of this level of mastery are certainly more than just 'slightly familiar' with the 'Destruction of True Spirit'. It's highly likely they are the creators of this art. Their original strength should have been far greater. It's precisely because they employed the 'Destruction of True Spirit' art that their strength was greatly diminished." In an instant, Li Fan had seen through the hidden secret of the Twelve True Immortals.

Perhaps these Twelve True Immortals never imagined that someone with a physique so perfectly suited to the forbidden art of 'Destruction of True Spirit' existed in the world. It should be known that because the art consumed one's own potential and spirituality, the cost of practicing it was truly immense. Often, there were simply no opportunities for 'practice'. Only someone immensely familiar with the theoretical foundations of 'Destruction of True Spirit' could successfully perform it on their very first attempt. Under normal circumstances, even after three to five consecutive attempts, there would be no possibility of igniting the possibility. Instead, one would only ruin oneself. But Li Fan was an anomaly.

"This 'Destruction of True Spirit' is truly an out-and-out evil art. I wonder who created it," a hint of displeasure seemed to flash across Li Fan's face. "If I'm not mistaken, what this evil art can ignite is not just a single possibility. It could even potentially affect other existing possibilities."

The dwarf elder quickly lowered his head and said, "Senior truly has keen insight; such a possibility does exist. However, it's merely a possibility. Firstly, the Mountains and Seas are too vast, and the potential of living beings in the world is limited. The burning fire often flares up for a while, then stops on its own once it loses the True Spirit as fuel. Secondly, between the Mountains and Seas, there is the Dao Annihilation. As a natural barrier, the Dao Annihilation is highly effective in suppressing such fires. For example, if we were to ignite this star-sea, the fire wouldn't even spread to a single possibility; it would be confined to this small corner..."

Li Fan smiled, hinting, "You've certainly researched this art quite deeply."

The dwarf elder gave a bitter smile: "It's the only way to save ourselves; we had no choice but to study it diligently."

Li Fan did not pursue the matter further: "Since I've arrived, you no longer need to use this evil art. For a mere twelve people, I am capable of giving you a ride. However, the Mountains and Seas are boundless; do you have a destination? The Great World of the Other Shore, or perhaps the Taiwei Holy Dynasty? Or should I just drop you off at the nearest possibility not yet swallowed by the Dao Annihilation?" Li Fan asked very kindly.

Seeing that Li Fan seemed genuinely to be considering giving them a ride, the Twelve True Immortals were all unexpectedly delighted. They exchanged glances, their silent communication unknown. A moment later, the dwarf elder nervously spoke: "Replying to Senior, we have indeed heard of the Great World of the Other Shore. However, we have never heard of the Taiwei Holy Dynasty. Might Senior be able to introduce it to us?"

Li Fan readily agreed: "The Taiwei Holy Dynasty was founded by a peerless powerful being in the Mountains and Seas, Emperor Taiwei..." With a single speech, he recounted the entire history of the Holy Dynasty, leaving the Twelve True Immortals spellbound.

"To think such a powerful being exists in the Mountains and Seas. We truly had limited vision in the past. However, this Emperor Taiwei seems a bit too domineering. We originally went to live in the Zhuyu Starfield precisely because we disliked being controlled by others. The Great World of the Other Shore..."

Li Fan spoke, interrupting their reverie: "The journey to the Other Shore is long. If you truly wish to come with me, you must be mentally prepared. The Mountains and Seas are vast, and the road ahead is endless. Perhaps by the time your lifespans conclude, we still won't have reached our destination."

The Twelve True Immortals did not discern the deeper meaning in Li Fan's earnest words. Automatically ignoring words like "endless" and "long," they all declared that they had made their decision. In their view, with the immensely long lifespans of True Immortals and Anonymous True Immortals, no matter how far the Other Shore was, it wouldn't take that long. They were certain to see the Other Shore within their lifetimes. Staying here, however, was a dead end. Compared to the forbidden art of 'Destruction of True Spirit', the survival rate of achieving a lone sail through the Mountains and Seas was clearly much higher. Therefore, their choice was obvious.

"In that case, come aboard." Li Fan said indifferently, and a lone sail reappeared. Beneath the lone sail was a cramped, narrow wooden boat. Although it was a bit small, the Twelve True Immortals could just about squeeze in.

"Gentlemen, if there are no objections, shall I depart?" Li Fan asked.

The Twelve True Immortals nodded cheerfully.

"In that case..." As if a sea breeze had swept through, the lone sail instantly billowed. The small wooden boat began to shake violently. It was as if raging winds and giant waves had risen around them, threatening to engulf the solitary boat at any moment.

"Dao... Dao Annihilation." Feeling the ubiquitous, terrifyingly familiar aura etched deep within their memories, a hint of uncontrollable fear appeared on the faces of the Twelve True Immortals. What happened next, however, added several degrees of shock to their fear.

"Oh, by the way, regarding the 'Destruction of True Spirit' art you just described, although I got the general idea, there are still a few uncertain points. I need to personally experiment to verify them. Since you're about to leave anyway, why don't you give this star-sea to me as material for an experiment?"

"Eh?" The Twelve True Immortals were all stunned by these words. Before they could even grasp the meaning of Li Fan's words, Li Fan had already acted. Clearly, Li Fan wasn't asking for their opinion, but rather making a slightly playful announcement.

A wisp of flame illuminated the starry sky. In just an instant, it became a prairie fire. Infinite light spread outwards from the flame's center. Moments later, this entire star-sea was engulfed in dazzling brilliance!

"What a fire, what a grand fire!" Li Fan stood atop the lone sail, clicking his tongue in admiration.

Meanwhile, the Twelve True Immortals, squeezed onto the wooden boat below, saw this scene and turned ashen, their faces pale as paper.

"You... you..." As if they had seen a ghost, their faces were filled with disbelief. They were too shocked to even utter a word of questioning for a moment. They simply couldn't understand why this person could successfully employ the forbidden art of 'Destruction of True Spirit' on his very first attempt. And even if this person's talent was extraordinary, unmatched in the Mountains and Seas, why would he consume his own spirituality to ignite the star-sea before them when he clearly already possessed the ability to cross the Mountains and Seas? It was crucial to understand that while they also researched and employed forbidden arts, they only did so out of desperate necessity for survival. But this person before them...

White flames of light stretched endlessly. And Li Fan's face, illuminated by the firelight, flickered in and out of view, becoming indiscernible.