Chapter 1590: Mountain and Sea Sacrifice for Survival

It was as if, at the brink of death, a cry for help was suddenly heard from a kindred spirit.

Faint tremors, like the sound of mountains roaring and seas surging, emanated from the fragment.

Li Fan knew in his heart that this was a peculiar "language," created by the fragment in imitation of the mountain-sea communication sounds it had glimpsed.

The Sound of Mountains and Seas!

Naturally, the current Li Fan couldn't fully comprehend its meaning, but that didn't stop him from trying to analyze its inner meaning and perform a certain degree of "translation."

The specific method involved continuously infusing and then ceasing the infusion, recording the changes in the fragment's vibrations. Afterwards, he would attempt various permutations and combinations.

Just as yin and yang can evolve into all things in heaven and earth.

This simple act of giving and taking allowed for communication between two beings existing in different Mountain-Sea eras.

Even though it took a considerable amount of time.

"What era is this? Has the dynasty fallen?"

These simple eight characters cost Li Fan over thirty years.

Fortunately, everything is difficult at the start, and the communication between the two became much smoother afterwards.

"The Mountain-Sea Apocalypse. The world has endured countless eons of tribulation. The dynasty has long been buried, forgotten from the memory of the common people, and I know not what day this current era is."

After this sentence was uttered, the fragment seemed to freeze, instantly falling silent and almost returning to its previous state of transparent invisibility.

It seemed to be immersed in this difficult-to-accept truth, remaining silent for a long time.

Li Fan didn't urge it, nor did he infuse it with the power of longevity again. He just waited silently by its side.

The fragment's silence lasted for a full three years.

It seemed that this ancient being's concept of time was different from that of current Mountain-Sea creatures.

"Who are you? I thank you for recreating me, for saving me from my dire state."

What was transmitted again was actually a word of thanks.

Li Fan was inwardly dumbfounded, but he maintained a straight face, showing no flaws, and replied solemnly: "I am but a humble immortal, not worth mentioning. By the grace of heaven, I encountered the fortune of longevity. To save you was merely a small gesture, not worth speaking of."

Then, without giving the other party time to reply, he immediately took control of the conversation, pressing with questions: "Who are you? In what era did you reside? How could you endure myriad calamities and exist until now?"

To its savior, this ancient being seemed to have no intention of concealing anything.

It slowly recounted its past: "I am a Mountain-Sea Sage, serving kings to commune with the netherworld, seeking the path to heaven for the myriad people. However, witnessing an era of shifting valleys and changing mounds, my power was insufficient to save. I secretly lived on with frosted temples, bearing guilt and grief. How dare this remnant body claim to be extraordinary? I am merely a firefly among decaying grass..."

From the other party's words, Li Fan dimly glimpsed a corner of an ancient civilization that once existed within the Mountain-Sea realm.

It was a vast dynasty that called itself Yi, born and evolving from the Infinite Sea, prospering to its peak. Its kings, or perhaps its subjects, possessed power nearly equivalent to that of present-day "Immortals." The most powerful entities within the dynasty, responsible for safeguarding its security and future, were a group of beings known as Mountain-Sea Sages.

The Mountain-Sea Sages of the dynasty were the first to clearly understand the state of their Mountain-Sea realm and to attempt to harness its power for their own use. It was with their help that the Yi Dynasty was able to establish its boundless and vast power amidst the vast Mountain-Sea realm.

The Mountain-Sea Sages prayed day and night, communing with netherworld deities, able to glimpse the communication of the Mountains and Seas even with their ant-like bodies.

The older the Mountain-Sea Sages, the longer they were immersed in the communication of the Mountains and Seas. Their bodies seemed to be transformed, becoming beings akin to the Mountains and Seas themselves.

A single being, no matter how powerful, could not long endure such changes. In order for the dynasty to be perpetuated forever, the successive generations of Mountain-Sea Sages decided to merge all their bodies and consciousnesses into a single entity.

This was done to counteract the assimilation by the Mountains and Seas.

The Mountain-Sea erosion continued, but with the continuous addition of new priests from all over the dynasty, the Mountain-Sea Sages were able to, according to their plan, continue steadily and peacefully.

But one day, a change no one had foreseen suddenly occurred within the Mountain-Sea realm.

"The Mountains and Seas actually had a day of convergence. Our spiritual platforms were damaged, and we gradually lost our true selves. Some fell into an abyss of madness, others initiated a calamity of mutual slaughter, like remnant ants in a boiling pot devouring their kin..."

"All ten thousand sages perished, and only I remained!"

Li Fan could feel the profound sorrow within this ancient being.

To draw them closer, Li Fan also displayed similar feelings of grief. And he showed the Mountain-Sea Sage the scene of his homeland's original possibility being destroyed by a single path.

The similar experience, coupled with the previous life-saving grace, indeed made it trust Li Fan even more.

"The calamity you have suffered is a thousandfold greater than ours. How tragic..."

Li Fan nodded gravely: "The Mountains and Seas are completely overturned, with no safe haven. We can only build a drifting skiff, suspended above the Mountains and Seas."

The Mountain-Sea Sage responded: "That is not a long-term plan, merely a method of survival."

Li Fan showed a despondent expression: "We know this ourselves, but the convergence of the Mountains and Seas is something we are powerless to stop. Senior, do you have any good strategies to teach me?"

This time, the Mountain-Sea Sage's silence lasted longer than all previous silences combined.

However, the longer the other party remained silent, the more hopeful Li Fan became.

Because Li Fan subtly sensed that the Mountain-Sea Sage wasn't silent out of refusal, but rather was contemplating a truly feasible solution!

Perhaps the regret of failing to save the dynasty as a Mountain-Sea Sage in the past was to be compensated in this present era.

"I have a method, one collectively devised by the former Mountain-Sea Sages..."

"Senior, please speak freely," Li Fan said directly, fearing the other party might have reservations.

As the Mountain-Sea Sage continued to speak with tremors like ancient Mountain-Sea communication, Li Fan's eyes gradually lit up.

It must be said, the Mountain-Sea Sages were indeed the most powerful collective existence of the ancient dynasty within the Mountain-Sea realm.

This world-saving method, compared to the current civilization's 'Shoreline Project', was nothing less than superior!

"The convergence of the Mountains and Seas is an irresistible trend, irreversible and unstoppable. Even possessing the power of the Mountains and Seas themselves cannot prevent it. This is the conclusion reached by the Mountain-Sea Sages after observing Mountain-Sea communication day and night."

"Accompanying the convergence of the Mountains and Seas is an inevitable endless annihilation. However, this annihilation is for the beings within the Mountains and Seas, and for the Mountains and Seas themselves."

"In reality, the convergence of the Mountains and Seas isn't a true disappearance. Instead, it's a leap to another, more advanced energy form. This energy form transcends the comprehension of beings born within the Mountains and Seas, so to them, the convergence of the Mountains and Seas appears as annihilation, like an endless void."

"The plan proposed by the Mountain-Sea Sages is essentially the same as the research on Inkfall at the Lanke Daoist Temple. Both are attempts to seek survival amidst the annihilation of the Dao."

"However, what these ancient civilizations sought was even more extreme."

"Yi, born from the Infinite Sea, further ascended to the Upper Mountains. From initially being unable to adapt to the Upper Mountains, it eventually succeeded in surviving and spreading throughout the Mountains and Seas. The Mountain-Sea Sages of the Yi Dynasty had great confidence in the adaptability of the dynasty's rulers and people. Therefore, their plan was also audacious: to cross mountains and seas, and enter beyond the Mountains and Seas!"

"It bears some resemblance to Emperor Tianluo's plan."

"I do not know what Emperor Tianluo relied on then to support his plan of further elevating the Immortal Realm and transcending the Mountains and Seas. But the plan of these Mountain-Sea Sages is not merely castles in the air..."

A strange expression flickered in Li Fan's eyes.

During years of ritualistic probing, the Mountain-Sea Sages, from the perspective of the Mountains and Seas, had occasionally captured glimpses of what was suspected to be the existence after the Mountains and Seas merged!

Initially, they didn't understand why. They weren't sure what they had seen. They merely recorded and sealed it strictly as per custom.

It wasn't until later, when the calamity of Mountain-Sea convergence gradually arose and various parts of the dynasty collapsed, that they recalled what they had previously recorded.

"The sound of the Mountains and Seas intensified, with extraordinary anomalies."

"There seemed to be a sense of alarm."

In the Mountain-Sea Sages' records, the scene they had glimpsed was described thus.

In stark contrast to the Mountain-Sea anomalies, was a "gaze" that swept across the Mountains and Seas.

It seemed to come from beyond the heavens, instantly permeating the Mountains and Seas, causing the Mountains and Seas to instinctively fear.

To describe it as a "gaze" seemed profound and mysterious.

But that was precisely the reality.

When, many years later, the Mountain-Sea Sage, now a fragment, described the scene from back then to Li Fan.

Li Fan surprisingly, genuinely felt a sense of being gazed upon.

The existence that caused even the Mountains and Seas to fear, its majesty over the beings within the Mountains and Seas could be imagined.

It was as if, when mortals first saw the Starving Immortal, Li Fan's mind was instantly and violently impacted.

Fortunately, the Mountain-Sea Sage had warned him in advance, and Li Fan was no longer the mortal he once was. Having experienced countless things, his will was resilient, far surpassing the ordinary.

He forcefully suppressed the fear in his heart.

Following the source of the "gaze," he looked up.

It was as if, above the Mountains and Seas, he saw a solitary star hanging, illuminating the Mountains and Seas, yet indifferent to all living beings!

"It truly is It."

"The destination after the Mountain-Sea convergence, something that even the Mountains and Seas greatly feared, 'the existence where Mountains and Seas will ultimately be seen no more'."

"The so-called Star."

Only today did Li Fan realize that the various things mentioned in Sun Piaomiao's Mountain-Sea prophecy were not mere metaphors.

Instead, they were things seen and known that would naturally emerge after genuinely seeing the light and shadow left behind from the past.

The moment he saw the Star, for some unknown reason, all the fear Li Fan had felt earlier completely vanished.

In its place, was a sense of relief and liberation.

It was as if, for beings within the Mountains and Seas, perishing in the annihilation of the Dao was not something to be feared, but rather their destined fate.

Li Fan's heart was filled with tranquility. Before this destined outcome, all his inner desires completely subsided.

Without desires or demands, there was no longer any inner drive.

The symbol of "living being" rapidly declined because of this. Although his vitality did not diminish, Li Fan gradually became like a stone imbued with life, his reactions to the outside world growing increasingly faint.

"My friend, awaken!"

Just as Li Fan was about to sink and lose his independent consciousness, a thunderous roar from the Mountain-Sea Sage startled him awake.

The Star's anomaly shattered with a crash. The Mountains and Seas he had seen no longer existed.

Li Fan returned from illusion to reality!

"I was almost lost, fortunately saved by Senior. My gratitude overflows and cannot be expressed in words!" Li Fan said.

Although from the Mountain-Sea Sage, faint fluctuating responses were also transmitted.

In truth, since Li Fan had long known of the Star's existence from the Mountain-Sea prophecy, how could he have no precautions at all? With Li Fan's current level of willpower, he would absolutely not have been completely captivated by the Star's gaze without any resistance.

It was precisely his intentional descent, followed by allowing the Mountain-Sea Sage beside him to intervene and save him. This was to deepen their relationship.

Li Fan understood human nature and was well-versed in this tactic.

And it never failed.

As expected, through mutually saving each other, the trust between them greatly increased.

Thus, in the subsequent continuous communication, Li Fan obtained more details about the Yi Dynasty's Mountain-Sea Sages' world-saving plan.

Although the Mountain-Sea Sages had received a few wisps of the Star's gaze, to wish to cross out of the Mountains and Seas based solely on this was clearly unrealistic.

Their plan was to use the Star's gaze as a spark, to ignite and spread it among the dynasty's subjects.

Those who see the Star are seen by the Star.

The gaze of ants could hardly discern the Star's true face.

However, billions of ants, with an uninterrupted gaze, might eventually attract the Star's true attention.

And the moment the high-hanging Star cast its gaze upon the ants within the Mountains and Seas, that would be the opportune moment for the Mountain-Sea Sages to lead the Yi Dynasty to transcend the Mountains and Seas!

"The Mountain-Sea Sages' plan..."

"It indeed has a certain possibility."

After careful evaluation, Li Fan reached this conclusion.

"However, it requires the vast territory of the Yi Dynasty as a foundation."

"Firstly, given the minuscule nature of beings within the Mountains and Seas, the cost required to attract the Star's gaze would undoubtedly be terrifying. Furthermore, maintaining this intensity for just a fleeting moment would be useless."

"It would require years and months, an unimaginably long accumulation of time..."

With just a rough calculation, Li Fan felt his scalp tingle at the sheer enormity of the numbers.

With Li Fan's current strength, the moment he received the Star's gaze, his desires almost vanished completely, and he nearly turned into an inert stone. Let alone other weaker beings.

The cost of gazing upon the Star, though not death, was no different from death.

"Only this vast ancient dynasty spanning the Mountains and Seas could have the audacity to execute this plan."

"But in reality..."

"It was merely a gamble."

Li Fan secretly shook his head.

Within the Mountains and Seas, no being had ever known the true face of that Star.

Even if the Star's gaze was truly attracted, what would happen next, and whether it would enable them to transcend the Mountains and Seas, was also an unknown.

"The Mountain-Sea Sages of the Yi Dynasty had confidence because of an inherent characteristic ability they possessed as ancient beings of the Mountains and Seas."

"Just like certain schools of fish, even in the boundless ocean, always manage to discern direction. It was precisely by relying on this ability that they were able to forge a unified dynasty amidst the vast Mountains and Seas and endless possibilities."

"This ability is truly enviable."

Specifically, the current Sacred Spirits of the Mortal Realm are unable to perceive other versions of themselves across different possibilities.

Only upon reaching the transcendent realm, like Xie Subai or Black Heavenly Doctor, can one observe other versions of oneself.

But the people of Yi, from birth, could simultaneously perceive countless versions of themselves existing at once.

At the same time, countless versions of themselves died, and countless versions of themselves were born.

They had long been accustomed to such a life.

Under the guidance of a unified will, for any single task, they could allocate an infinite number of themselves to execute it collectively.

The efficiency was unimaginable.