Chapter 1586: Mountain and Sea Reveal Their True Form

The Taiji Wooden Staff was on its last breath, its black and white faces at both ends becoming as faint as paper. The patterns on its body had almost completely vanished, with only a few remnants remaining.

Having survived the ordeal, it finally settled down.

It became impatient when fed by Li Fan's Xuanhuang phantom, even showing a fawning expression.

Only after a full meal did it slowly recover. However, it didn't stay docile for long.

Just three days later, the Taiji Wooden Staff reverted to its old ways.

Having realized Li Fan's immense power, it chose not to attack him again. Instead, it leaped directly out of the boat and fled towards the source of the "scent" it had sensed earlier in the Annihilation of Dao.

It was completely unaware that the Xuanhuang Immortal Boat was trailing closely behind it.

"Although this beast possesses some intelligence, its wisdom is quite limited," remarked Ruan Ruiyu, the dwarf elder who was the leader of the Twelve True Immortals, upon seeing this.

"The senior is right, a beast is indeed a beast," the others unanimously agreed.

The Taiji Wooden Staff's memory was truly poor.

Each time it was tormented to the brink of death in the Annihilation of Dao, it would instinctively flee back into it at the first opportunity. It was as if there was something more terrifying on the Xuanhuang Immortal Boat than the Annihilation itself.

After the initial few jests, the Twelve True Immortals finally realized something. Even if the Taiji Wooden Staff wasn't highly intelligent, its instinct as a living creature to seek advantages and avoid harm shouldn't be absent. One or two escapes could be attributed to momentary folly, but if it consistently behaved this way...

Everyone looked at Li Fan, who stood alone at the bow, his expression unfathomable. A chill once again surged within them.

The questions on the tip of their tongues were forcibly suppressed.

The Twelve True Immortals all felt some regret about boarding this "pirate ship." Although it was said to be heading towards the Great Other Shore World, from all current indications, it seemed the other party didn't intend to take them there so easily.

But apart from remaining on the boat and following this path to its bitter end, they had no other options. Entering the Annihilation of Dao on their own was a dead end. Resisting Li Fan might lead to an even quicker death. Despite the myriad of bitterness in their hearts, the twelve brothers could only endure it silently.

Unbeknownst to the Twelve True Immortals, they had actually misunderstood Li Fan on this point.

It wasn't that he didn't want to take them to the Great Other Shore World.

Rather, Li Fan himself didn't know where this so-called Other Shore was or how to get there.

"Theoretically, there should be numerous lighthouse-like beacons in these boundless mountains and seas, guiding the specific direction to the Other Shore. New Transcendents only need to persistently find the nearest lighthouse and then continue sailing towards the next one, eventually reaching the Great Other Shore World."

"However, for some unknown reason, I've been drifting in the Annihilation of Dao for so long, yet I haven't seen any trace of a lighthouse."

"There are two possibilities. One, I haven't condensed my own transcendent true meaning, so even if a lighthouse were right before my eyes, I wouldn't be able to perceive it. This possibility isn't very high, as the Solitary Sail above my head isn't fake."

"The other possibility is that traversing the mountains and seas inherently requires this much time. Just as I saw in the memories of the Solitary Sail: without directional guidance, the time required to cross can exhaust the lifespan of a Transcendent. And if there were clear directional guidance..."

"Even if the time required were reduced a hundredfold, it would still be an unimaginably long period."

Li Fan was already prepared for this.

He didn't expect to reach the Other Shore quickly.

"When Ziyi descended previously, he repeatedly mentioned 'unwillingness to run errands' and 'not making this trip for nothing.' This suggests that even in the eyes of a seasoned Transcendent like him, descending from the Other Shore is not a negligible expenditure."

"However, earlier, whenever the original possibilities involved those Transcendent beings, they seemed to instantly sense it and descend..."

As he rode the waves through the Annihilation of Dao, a faint premonition arose in Li Fan's heart.

It seemed that within these boundless mountains and seas, the concept of time passing did not exist.

Or rather, time only flowed for them.

No matter how long they stayed there, it wouldn't affect any possibilities in the mortal world.

It seemed incredible, but having once flowed against the River of Time, Li Fan could barely comprehend the reason behind it.

"To leave the mortal world and enter the mountains and seas is to instantly leap out of the River of Time. At the moment of leaping out, the River of Time seems to fall into a relative stasis, and only when one re-enters does it begin to flow again."

"If one views the mountains and seas themselves as a massive tree growing luxuriantly from bottom to top, then the myriad possibilities in the mortal world are the rings of growth on its trunk, layer upon layer."

"Below represents the past, and above indicates the future."

"These rings representing possibilities are not merely two-dimensional. They are three-dimensional, penetrating the tree from top to bottom according to time."

"Originally, if the Annihilation of Dao didn't exist, the past and future of the mountains and seas would be connected and whole. Those who could flow upstream would be able to freely and smoothly traverse different positions up and down the tree."

"But due to the emergence of the Annihilation of Dao, the Tree of Mountains and Seas was severed at its waist."

"Even if one could reverse the flow of time, the range of activity would be limited to the segment of the trunk one currently inhabits."

"Furthermore, the tissues originally belonging to the tree trunk, between the rings of growth, have mostly been swallowed by the Annihilation of Dao. Ordinary beings can only survive within the lines of the rings themselves."

"My flowing against the River of Time means traversing the Tree of Mountains and Seas vertically, from top to bottom, along the traces of the rings of growth. And traversing transcendence means leaving one's current ring line and moving across the cross-section of the Tree of Mountains and Seas, resisting the Annihilation of Dao."

"Whether horizontally or vertically, one is confined to a single section of the tree trunk."

"As for the Great Other Shore World..."

Having personally traversed the mountains and seas, Li Fan gained a concrete understanding of their structure.

However, even now, he still couldn't imagine what kind of existence the Other Shore truly was.

"What's certain, though, is that the Other Shore is completely independent of the many possibilities within the mountains and seas."

"If forced to make an analogy, perhaps it can be seen as a place created by hollowing out a certain section of this tree trunk, from top to bottom."

"Even without traversing the River of Time or crossing the Annihilation of Dao, one can smoothly travel to all time nodes of all possibilities..."

"If it truly possesses this ability, then it truly lives up to its name as the Other Shore."

Li Fan mused about the situation on the Other Shore, his thoughts swirling.

Meanwhile, the Taiji Wooden Staff, which had been frantically fleeing through the Annihilation of Dao, finally led the Xuanhuang Immortal Boat to a place where vitality converged after dozens of attempts!

It wasn't a complete possibility.

Instead, it was an immortal coffin floating atop the Annihilation of Dao!

It was unknown how long it had been drifting, but the surface of the immortal coffin had turned completely black.

Even from a distance, Li Fan and the Twelve True Immortals on the wooden boat could vaguely sense the ominous aura clinging to it.

The Taiji Wooden Staff, however, was not particular. Regardless of what was buried inside the immortal coffin, its black and white halves transformed into a Taiji symbol, directly covering the drifting coffin as if clamping down on it fiercely.

The black and white Taiji diagram rotated rapidly, causing the coffin's light and shadow to twist and blur. It slowly descended into the vortex formed by the Taiji diagram.

Although the immortal coffin's defenses were still intact, there were faint signs of it being swallowed by the Taiji diagram.

Just as the Taiji Wooden Staff was about to swallow the immortal coffin, Li Fan tugged on a thread, forcibly pulling it back from the Annihilation of Dao.

Back on the Xuanhuang Immortal Boat, it still clung tightly to the immortal coffin.

Li Fan flicked his fingers several times, shaking the Taiji Wooden Staff until it was disoriented and its patterns scattered. Only then did it reluctantly let go.

It hid in a dark corner, glaring fiercely at Li Fan, who had snatched its prey.

Li Fan, however, paid no attention, calmly placing the immortal coffin before him.

On the wooden boat, the Twelve True Immortals wore solemn expressions. Unconsciously, they had drawn closer to each other.

"Senior, there seems to be something ominous inside this coffin," Ruan Ruiyu cautioned.

"Ominous..." Li Fan chuckled softly, as if completely unconcerned.

He unsealed the coffin.

Instantly, an infinite brilliance erupted from within the coffin.

Black mist accompanied by blood-red light made it eerie and terrifying.

A figure clad in bright yellow imperial robes, exuding an indescribable nobility, suddenly appeared before Li Fan and the others.

After a moment of silence, the figure coldly questioned, "Since you have seen this Emperor, why do you not bow?"

"Immortal... Immortal Emperor?" Ruan Ruiyu stammered in surprise after seeing the figure.

Just as everyone's minds were greatly shaken, this regal figure suddenly seized the opportunity to attack them.

Its clothes gradually became tattered.

Its human head transformed into the head of a giant rat!

The Twelve True Immortals were horrified, about to become fodder for the rat's mouth.

"It's you, after all."

Li Fan, however, seemed to have anticipated this. A transparent furnace rose, like a towering, encircling wall, sealing the giant rat immortal within.

Still shaken, the Twelve True Immortals watched with lingering fear as the monster in the furnace gradually shed its human form and completely transformed into a giant rat.

Li Fan observed his old acquaintance before him, watching it struggle frantically within the furnace, yet unable to break through the seal.

"It seems I haven't strayed too far from the origin."

"I'm still within the range from which the Guangwu Star Sea can salvage things in the Annihilation of Dao. To be more precise, it's still a near-sea region."

The Rat Emperor before him was no different from what he had seen in his previous life.

Having devoured an entire possibility, the Rat Emperor's power was beyond doubt. Yet, before the current Li Fan, it was utterly powerless to retaliate.

It was slowly refined within the furnace.

Transforming into nourishment to strengthen the Xuanhuang Immortal Boat.

Li Fan watched expressionlessly as the giant rat in the furnace disintegrated into countless light fragments.

In his mind, however, he was thinking of other things: "I obtained Emperor Taitian, which allowed me to flow against the River of Time. Yet, when I returned to ten thousand years ago, Emperor Taitian at that past time node also vanished. This proves that those who comprehend the 'contrary principle' become special existences attached to the River of Time, penetrating the Tree of Mountains and Seas from top to bottom."

"Transcendent beings in the Other Shore might also possess this ability, but it should be through the unique properties of the Other Shore. If relying solely on their own cultivation paths, they probably wouldn't be able to achieve this."

"However, whether it's those who comprehend the 'contrary principle' or Transcendent beings, they should all be unique existences within a severed section of the Tree of Mountains and Seas. No matter at which time node they perish, it is considered complete death. Even the so-called reversal of time cannot change this."

"As for Huanzhen..."

Li Fan frowned slightly.

"As a power on par with the mountains and seas themselves, it can directly reset and restore the state of the Tree of Mountains and Seas."

"As long as it doesn't exceed the scope of the mountains and seas, it will be affected by it."

"However, it's still uncertain whether the scope of Huanzhen's influence is limited to the section of the Tree of Mountains and Seas I'm currently in, or if it affects the entire mountains and seas..."

"There's a way to prove it."

"Master Shouqiu!"

"In the previous life, Master Shouqiu was not within the mountains and seas, but rather in the Eternal Silence Void Realm outside the trunk of the Tree of Mountains and Seas. If Huanzhen didn't affect him, then he must still possess some memories concerning my previous life and Chengdao." A thought tightening his heart, Li Fan mused.

"It seems that even if Huanzhen awakens after I reach the Great Other Shore World, I cannot easily use it. At least, until I clarify this point, I should try my best not to expose myself to the eyes of those Saints."

Li Fan, of course, dared not directly ask Master Shouqiu for clarification.

Even Ziyi and Chengdao, two figures who could come into contact with Master Shouqiu, could potentially become the fuse for Huanzhen's exposure.

Chengdao was fine, being "confined through discourse" by Li Fan within the Xuanhuang Immortal Boat.

Ziyi, however, was beyond Li Fan's control.

"I can only hope that Huanzhen's scope of influence is larger."

"Otherwise, I might have to flee at the first sign of trouble even before reaching the Other Shore." Li Fan tried his best to calm the urgency in his heart.

Li Fan was not one to worry needlessly.

It was just that, after his current deductions, he had learned that Huanzhen's existence had the potential to be exposed. Naturally, he needed to take some precautions for the future.

"Giving up on eating for fear of choking, not going to the Other Shore is unacceptable."

"Blind optimism, making no preparations, is also unacceptable."

However, after assessing all the power he could wield, Li Fan had temporarily found no way to retreat unscathed in front of Master Shouqiu.

"Among the ranks of Saints, what they fear is only the continued existence of the mountains and seas."

"The only thing that might make them slightly wary is my newly learned Secret Art of True Spirit Incineration."

"This method..."

A glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes; he had made his decision: "I must make good use of it."

"Although the Art of True Spirit Incineration can burn mountains and boil seas, its drawback is that the True Spirit Flame spreads too slowly."

"Unless..."

"I am well-prepared. I will scatter sparks throughout different possibilities and time nodes across the mountains and seas!"

"A single spark can ignite a prairie fire. And my infinite spiritual energy is enough for me alone to spread these sparks throughout the mountains and seas."

"At that time, with a single thought from me, the mountains and seas will burn."

"Although, most likely, before the mountains and seas are completely incinerated, the Transcendents from the Other Shore will jointly extinguish the flames. And the spiritual energy I expend to ignite them will also become nourishment for the mountains and seas. However, the heavily damaged mountains and seas might not survive the erosion of the Annihilation of Dao."

"The Transcendents from the Other Shore... wouldn't dare to gamble!"

"This deterrent method should be effective."

Li Fan pondered repeatedly, and the unease in his heart gradually faded.

"It seems that before going to the Other Shore, I still need to make ample preparations."

"Coincidentally, I will proceed slowly. At each possibility I encounter, I will lay down a secret hand."

"Other Transcendents unify their many selves. But I, I will go from one to ten thousand!"

"Heh heh..."