Chapter 1616: Dark Observation of the Moral Way

Misty water vapor emanated from Li Fan, spreading outwards and instantly engulfing mountains and seas.

Black and white qi intertwined around Dao De, forming a colossal vortex that attempted to manifest from the mist.

But in the end, it was futile.

The mist grew thicker.

Eventually, it submerged everything around Li Fan, including the numerous streaks of light observed at the last moment.

Curtains of misty vapor, layer upon layer, obscured everything. The world was plunged into darkness.

Anchored for 1 year!

Having successfully performed Verity Restoration and escaped Dao De's suppression, Li Fan remained motionless for a long time.

He simply chose to retain his aunt's memories from the previous simulation.

"The spring water, almost brimming with the vitality of the entire Mountain and Sea Star Realm, constantly washing over her, could indeed revive my recently deceased aunt whose body was intact."

"But it's a slow process, requiring at least a hundred years. In the previous life, only a little over fifty years had passed, and my aunt's consciousness hadn't fully awakened yet..."

He carefully reviewed his aunt's memories to ensure there were no omissions.

Only then did Li Fan choose to let his aunt inherit them.

With Verity Restoration in hand, everything was under control.

In this Saint Creation Project, Li Fan held absolute initiative.

The probability of Bai Souyue discerning the truth behind the scenes was almost zero.

At least, it would be until she achieved sainthood.

Bai Souyue felt as if she had a very long dream.

In the dream, after finally escaping from the Faceless Immortal and heading towards the Star Sea beyond the high wall, she encountered an unknown celestial hand.

To avoid the fate of being imprisoned, she resolutely chose to commit suicide.

"Oh, right. It wasn't a dream."

"It was my experience from the previous life." Bai Souyue rubbed her slightly aching temples.

"I don't know if it's my imagination, but I always feel that this time, my revival took longer than before."

"Could it be..."

Bai Souyue's brows furrowed instantly, and her heart trembled.

"So, my rebirth count isn't infinite after all?"

"This is definitely not good news for me..." Bai Souyue became a little worried for a moment.

Although Bai Souyue was not a pessimist.

However, infinite rebirth and rebirth with a limited number of times are absolutely two completely different matters.

"I wonder what my rebirth count is related to. Does each rebirth consume something currently unknown? Will the number increase again as my strength grows?"

Bai Souyue's mind raced uncontrollably, filled with various conjectures.

Putting that aside, Bai Souyue, now revived, had secretly made up her mind. She would no longer be swayed by the Boundless Wall to seek ordinary cultivation grounds outside the Xuanhuang Realm. Instead, she would diligently cultivate and develop within the Xuanhuang Realm. From her experiences in the previous life, the outside world was a hundred times more perilous than the Xuanhuang Realm!

While playing the role of his aunt's good nephew, Li Fan also recalled his final experiences from the previous life.

He had long suspected the true Dao De identities of the Faceless Immortal and He Gan Immortal, and thus did not hesitate to use the "True Spirit Incineration Art" to force out He Gan Immortal's real identity.

Unfortunately, Li Fan originally wanted to see He Gan Immortal and Faceless Immortal's exasperation after their identities were exposed. But he never expected...

Faceless and He Gan actually merged and attained the Saint position!

Since when did becoming a Saint become so simple?

Although Li Fan still didn't know exactly how one achieved sainthood, being "Unique across All Realms" and "On Par with Mountains and Seas" should be the minimum conditions a Saint must meet.

"If Dao De unites, one can attain the Saint position."

"Does this mean that the Faceless Immortal and He Gan Immortal, after the separation of Dao De, were inherently unique existences across all realms?"

After much contemplation, Li Fan had a vague realization.

"Indeed. If it were the original Dao De True Immortal, perhaps other possibilities in the Mountain and Sea would contain another version of him. But the Faceless Immortal and He Gan Immortal were originally not entities that existed in the Mountain and Sea. They should be products hatched by the Dao De True Immortal through a secret art of Dao De separation. From the moment of their birth, they were unique in the Mountain and Sea."

"What others achieve through arduous effort — the 'Myriad Selves Becoming One' — this Dao De True Immortal could accomplish with a simple method..."

"However, the method of Dao De separation, capable of dividing a unique entity of the Mountain and Sea, is inherently extraordinary."

He quickly resolved the first question, but Li Fan was utterly perplexed by the second one.

How did He Gan Immortal and Faceless Immortal manage to be "on par with the Mountain and Sea"?

After much thought, Li Fan couldn't find a reasonable explanation.

He could only speculate that it might be related to their unique state.

"The two aspects of Dao De, seemingly separate but actually interconnected, should inherently be 'you in me, me in you,' difficult to separate."

"But I forcefully defined their attributes, leading to a complete separation of Dao De."

"It was as if the Great Dao collapsed and changed, and at that instant, an immense amount of energy might have burst forth. Just like the chain reaction I knew before transmigrating..." Li Fan fell into wild conjectures.

After all, at this point, Li Fan could only imagine the answers.

The principle of achieving sainthood was inherently one of the greatest secrets in the Mountain and Sea. If Li Fan could merely observe and ponder briefly to unravel the secret of sainthood, then the number of Saints in the entire Mountain and Sea would not be so scarce.

"To seek answers, I still need to start with the Faceless Immortal and Dao De Immortal."

"Although the Faceless Immortal is weak, he has always hidden himself very well. It's difficult to even find his traces, let alone capture him alive."

"As for He Gan Immortal... I already know he will appear in that possibility at a fixed time. Perhaps I can ambush him in advance."

"Of course, all of this assumes that with the activation of Verity Restoration, the Mountain and Sea has been reset."

"The Dao De True Immortal, who had achieved sainthood, has been reverted to his original state!"

In fact, Li Fan wasn't too worried about this.

If Dao De were still present, with the power of a Saint, even though the Mountain and Sea is vast, He would certainly be able to pinpoint Li Fan immediately.

But so much time had passed since Li Fan's Verity Restoration, and the Mountain and Sea remained utterly silent.

This was sufficient proof that, at this stage, no Saint named Dao De existed in the Mountain and Sea!

"The power of Verity Restoration transcends the Mountain and Sea."

"Or perhaps..."

"Verity Restoration doesn't reset the Mountain and Sea. Rather, it..."

Connecting this with his discovery about intuition, Li Fan harbored a new guess.

But just like the secret of Dao De's sainthood, it was purely an imagination, unsupported by any real evidence.

Li Fan could only temporarily suppress it in his heart.

After nearly thirty cycles of reincarnation, Li Fan's comprehension of the transformation between truth and falsehood had reached a new level.

The curtains of misty vapor could withstand the suppression of the newly ascended Saint Dao De.

To transcend and contend with a Saint.

Looking at the Mountain and Sea, this was indeed an extraordinary feat. However, Li Fan was not overly confident.

"Although what remains in the Other Shore are mere Saintly phantoms, the combined might of the Nine Saints is far greater than the Dao De I witnessed."

"While I can resist Dao De, I might not be able to endure under the Nine Saint phantoms. Therefore, the Saint Creation Project must continue."

"However... investigating the Dao De True Immortal's secret to sainthood can perhaps proceed simultaneously."

Li Fan left a phantom in the original Xuanhuang Realm, then took a step, leaping into the possibility where he had witnessed Dao De's ascension to sainthood in the previous life.

"He Gan and Faceless are not to be underestimated. Full preparations must be made in advance!"

Compared to the scenes of destruction Li Fan had witnessed previously, this possibility still brimmed with life.

The most significant difference from the original possibility was the absence of the Grave Keeper.

The Immortal Realm was largely destroyed in the initial wave of Dao Annihilation.

But precisely because of this, the Immortal Realm in this possibility was not directly destroyed. Instead, it managed to survive as scattered islands upon the great tide of Dao Annihilation!

From his past encounters with Dao Annihilation, Li Fan had long known that it seemed to possess its own unique consciousness.

The stronger the resistance encountered, the fiercer its offensive. However, if there was almost no room for resistance before Dao Annihilation, it would instead maintain a relatively calm state for a considerable period.

It would merely slowly devour, until the remaining areas were completely engulfed.

Such was the case for the many surviving lower-realm star seas in the original possibility.

And in this possibility, it was applied to the Immortal Realm.

The Immortal Realm was fragmented into tens of thousands of scattered islands by Dao Annihilation; the Three Saints were absent, the Immortal Emperor no longer existed, and communication was severed.

Even nameless True Immortals were exceedingly rare, let alone Transcendent powerhouses.

"Such a possibility holds almost no value for He Gan Immortal."

"What is he doing here to comprehend the Dao?"

Faceless Immortal had already explained He Gan Immortal's method of comprehending the Dao quite clearly: it was to use the calamities he personally caused to exhaust the remaining conscience within him.

Ensuring that the fundamental "De" (virtue/morality) within him would not be affected by his own actions.

"He Gan Immortal's location for comprehending the Dao must have been meticulously chosen."

"If my guess is correct, there is someone or something extremely important here for He Gan Immortal, or rather, for Dao De True Immortal."

"But Dao De True Immortal is not a native of this possibility."

The scattered Immortal Sea was not vast, especially for a Transcendent powerhouse like Li Fan.

Since no clues could be found for now, a comprehensive survey would be conducted.

In any case, there was ample time for preparation before He Gan Immortal's arrival.

It took a full five years, but Li Fan finally discovered something on an Immortal Realm island that might be related to Dao De True Immortal.

"These eyebrows and eyes are extremely similar to Dao De after he achieved sainthood."

"Could it be a descendant of Dao De True Immortal in this possibility?"

Li Fan looked thoughtfully at a female True Immortal, a very rare sight in this dominion without any Immortal Servants.

If, under the former "Wu Wei" (non-action) rule, Immortal Servants were not controlled, then on this Immortal Island, beings who were originally Immortal Servants had, by the will of the island's master, shed their "servant" status.

Though not True Immortals, they enjoyed everything equivalent to True Immortals.

Even including connection to the Infinite Sea and the Above-Mountain!

However, they did not ascend to the Immortal ranks on their own, but entirely depended on the female True Immortal's bestowal.

In the complete Immortal Realm, the Immortal Emperor's Celestial Court controlled the access permissions for ordinary True Immortals to the Infinite Sea.

Yet, within this surviving Immortal Island possibility, this female True Immortal actually wielded the former Immortal Emperor's authority.

And she bestowed it freely upon all beings under her rule.

Anyone could become an Immortal!

These beings also held her in extreme respect, but it was not the respect of servants for their master.

Rather, it was a pure, heartfelt reverence born from having received her grace.

The female True Immortal, suspected to be a descendant of Dao De, was also very pleased with the attitude of the island's beings. They mingled freely and coexisted in great harmony.

It was quite like a carefree, ideal paradise.

"She has indeed inherited the name of Dao De."

"But it's just a child's game," Li Fan scoffed dismissively.

His merciless gaze locked onto all True Immortals on the island.

In an instant, it was as if ten thousand li were frozen.

All beings on the island, including the female True Immortal, instantly fell into a state of stillness.

From her mind, Li Fan ascertained her identity.

Though not a descendant of Dao De True Immortal, she had intricate connections with him.

In this possibility, when the world-destroying Dao Annihilation descended, Dao De True Immortal attempted to turn the tide and save beings from calamity, just like the original Grave Keeper.

But unfortunately, Dao De True Immortal's power was simply insufficient to contend with Dao Annihilation of such magnitude.

As a result, he perished tragically within the Dao Annihilation.

However, Dao De True Immortal's death was not without value. He did indeed save many lives.

The female True Immortal on the island was one of them.

Although a long time had passed since that calamity, most beings in the scattered Immortal Sea had already forgotten Dao De True Immortal.

But she had not.

She even took it upon herself to become the new Dao De True Immortal, deliberately altering her appearance to resemble her former benefactor.

Performing acts of Dao De!

Saving, educating!

"However, it's limited to this possibility. And it's even involved in He Gan Immortal's Dao comprehension..."

For a moment, it was difficult to fathom Dao De's cultivation method.

Li Fan decided not to alert anyone for now, hiding in the shadows to observe.

Withdrawing his gaze, all the frozen True Immortals on the island returned to normal.

They had no idea of Li Fan's presence.

Their lives and actions continued as before.

Li Fan concealed himself in the shadows, quietly made arrangements, and waited patiently.

Until...

Rolling black mist descended from the sky without warning.

It swept and spread across the entire world.

This black mist possessed no substantive lethality; beings would not suffer any harm even upon direct contact.

However...

Their behavior and thoughts would change because of it.

Without warning, they began to wield slaughtering blades against those around them, even repaying kindness with enmity, launching a collective attack on their benefactors!

"Great kindness begets great enmity; losing virtue leads to Dao's evolution..."

In this possibility, naturally, no karmic retribution occurred. After betraying kindness, these people not only suffered no consequences.

Instead, their strength advanced by leaps and bounds, as if they had consumed an immortal pill!

Those who lost their virtue became increasingly powerful.

Creating boundless slaughter that spread throughout the entire possibility.

He Gan Immortal, meanwhile, was hidden above the scattered Immortal Sea, at the very core of the circulating black Dao De mist.

Li Fan could perceive that most of He Gan Immortal's attention was focused on the female True Immortal.

Even though morality on the island had reversed and chaos reigned, she still did not give up trying to save everyone.

It was simply that insufficient ability was the original sin of everything.

Her struggles and efforts were merely a drop in the ocean.

He Gan Immortal, however, had no intention of letting her go.

Nor did he directly harm her.

Instead, he manipulated the black Dao De mist, transforming the once ideal paradise island into a terrifying purgatory.

The female True Immortal could not perceive the black mist raging in the world.

In her eyes, the people who had previously gotten along so well had, for some unknown reason, turned against each other, becoming seemingly irreconcilable enemies.

It seemed they had become sworn enemies.

And she, the island master, became the target of everyone's collective attack.

No matter how much she acted out the role of Dao De, she would ultimately not let herself die in vain at the hands of these people.

So, she took action.

Her strength was far greater than that of the other True Immortals on the island.

In the chaos, it was inevitable that she would act with excessive force.

And with each drop of blood that stained her hands, the face she mimicked of Dao De True Immortal would fade a bit.

Slowly, her Dao De appearance faded, and she reverted to her original look.

"The two characters 'Dao De' are not something you can bear."

He Gan Immortal's expression was desolate, and the black aura surged like smoke.