Chapter 1627: Wan Dao's Initial Repercussions

It was called a void, yet it wasn't utter nothingness. Possibility itself still remained. If one truly wanted an analogy, it was akin to the primordial era when heaven and earth were first separated and chaos began to yield.

"It's just a pity that the Sages cleaned it up thoroughly; even vague images can no longer be sensed," He Ganxian remarked with a hint of regret after observing for a long time. "I can only faintly perceive that another version of me seems to have died under this power..."

As he spoke, He Ganxian transmitted a wisp of Dao charm. Li Fan had never encountered this particular Dao in any other possibility within the Mountains and Seas; it was truly peculiar. It was even difficult to find words to describe it.

"It vaguely represents a catastrophe where consciousness sinks into ultimate stillness and annihilation. With consciousness gone, everything else ceases to have meaning. Not to mention morality, even the Mountains and Seas themselves would be nothing. No wonder it could eradicate the Faceless Immortal..."

Li Fan carefully savored this wisp of residual Dao charm from the Five Calamity Lords, feeling astonished.

At the ruins of the World of Creation and Destruction, the void did not last long. Suddenly, a rainbow light emerged from the depths of the Mountains and Seas. In an instant, it rode the wind and waves, pierced through the Dao Annihilation, and forcefully plunged into this void. Its origin point was precisely the Other Shore!

The transcendent beings present all simultaneously looked towards the descending rainbow light. It was, astonishingly, a small, seven-colored banner!

"The Sages have acted again!" Amidst cries of exclamation, the rainbow banner shattered with a bang, revealing a blurred figure. The figure looked down imperiously, scanning the blank possibility. Then, it merged into it.

As the Saint's phantom vanished, this blank possibility became like the surface of water about to boil. Calm, yet brimming with dynamic energy.

"The Saint's divine power is truly marvelous! This is a method to catalyze the re-evolution of the Grand Dao! It won't be long before new Grand Daos are conceived and born here. Such a sight is rare in the Mountains and Seas; we are fortunate to witness it today, and it might be greatly beneficial," He Ganxian exclaimed, his eyes shining.

As if confirming He Ganxian's words, a few wisps of color change appeared in the previously blank possibility. Like ethereal mists, ripples began to form. Or like a stone dropping into calm water, causing waves to ripple out. In an instant, one change begot a hundred, and a hundred evolved into ten thousand!

The speed at which the Grand Dao was re-conceived here was even faster than the two had anticipated! From the moment activity began, only a few breaths passed, and the Grand Dao here became as unfathomable as the starry sky. Illusions of Mountains and Seas seemed to emerge from the profound depths. The mountains were the Upper Mountains, the seas were the Infinite Seas. Mountains and seas connected, and the Immortal Realm came into being!

A burst of brilliance ignited from the darkness. It then continuously leaped through the darkness, and wherever it passed, it seemed to shape islands within the darkness. One after another, vibrant star-filled seas were born. The points of light incessantly jumped and self-replicated, transforming into a sky full of twinkling stars in just a moment. The vast and boundless Immortal Realm thus took shape under everyone's observation.

"This is..." Li Fan stared intently at the points of light that gradually dissipated after fulfilling their mission, a realization dawning on him: "The Profound Origin Primordial Spirit Grand Array?" These shining points of light that reshaped the Mountains and Seas astonishingly contained the aura of the Profound Origin Primordial Spirit Grand Array. However, the complete version of the Profound Origin Primordial Spirit Formation seemed to have transcended the level of a "formation" and reached the height of a "Dao." And the scene of the Immortal Realm's re-creation was simply too fast. Although Li Fan had some perception, he couldn't see it too clearly. He couldn't help but feel a little regret.

As for the transcendent powerful beings who arrived late and missed the grand spectacle of the world's re-opening, they all wrung their wrists, stomped their feet, and sighed incessantly. "The Sages acted, leveling everything and re-establishing earth, fire, water, and wind. If we miss such a grand scene today, who knows when we'll encounter it again!" an old man holding a wooden staff lamented. "It truly happened so suddenly; both the calamity and the Sages' arrival came and went quickly. Those who could react immediately and observe the Dao arising from the blankness were either experienced elders or individuals with extraordinary spiritual perception. After all, they were just a few," a middle-aged woman in a fitted long dress calmly remarked beside the old man. In the depths of her eyes, there was still a hint of regret.

The old man and the middle-aged woman looked at Li Fan and the other early arrivals with envy. When their gazes met Li Fan's, they nodded slightly in acknowledgment, even without knowing him.

Li Fan's heart stirred, and he transmitted a message to He Ganxian: "Did you gain anything?" If it were an ordinary opportunity, those powerful onlookers would certainly not display such expressions. But since Li Fan hadn't gained any particular insights himself, he asked He Ganxian.

He Ganxian's eyes were tightly closed, seemingly still immersed in enlightenment. However, he didn't forget to reply to Li Fan: "The phenomenon of the Ten Thousand Daos being reborn is like a bright mirror, capable of reflecting one's own cultivated path. What manifested here was the initial, purest state of the Grand Dao. For our cultivation, it has an extremely important verifying effect..." "Furthermore, the new Dao corresponding to one's own nascent path within this newly formed possibility can be directly captured and used to strengthen oneself at the very moment of its conception, before it fully actualizes. Normally, to absorb a Dao path, one would need another version of oneself within that possibility to cultivate to at least the Nameless Realm. Such opportunities are rare and hard to come by! Therefore, even for transcendent powerful beings, this re-opening of the Ten Thousand Daos is an exceptionally rare opportunity." "How were your insights, fellow Daoist?" He Ganxian didn't forget to ask, concerned.

Li Fan smiled: "My Grand Dao is not found here. Hence, I gained no insights." Hearing this, He Ganxian's body trembled, his eyelids quivered slightly, and he almost couldn't help but open his eyes. A blank possibility, with myriad Daos reborn. If one didn't see their cultivated Grand Dao in that blank mirror... Either their aptitude was too poor, eyes blind and unable to glimpse the truth. Or the path they cultivated was too profound, already beyond the scope reachable by ordinary Mountains and Seas possibilities! Seeing Li Fan's calm and unperturbed demeanor, it should not have been an exaggeration. Thus, He Ganxian became even more convinced of Li Fan's identity as someone from another segment of the Mountains and Seas.

In truth, Li Fan had not deceived He Ganxian in this matter. He genuinely hadn't seen traces of the evolution of True-False Transformation during the rebirth of the myriad Daos in this possibility. Or rather, the True-False Transformation itself did not exist within the mortal Mountains and Seas. If it wasn't visible in the macro Mountains and Seas, let alone microscopic possibilities.

"The True-False Transformation only exists at the instant when 'Return to True' is activated and the Mountains and Seas are reset. It's almost impossible to detect at other times. Otherwise, my comprehension and cultivation of it wouldn't be so slow."

However, that's not to say Li Fan gained nothing from observing this extraordinary sight. If the rebirth of the Ten Thousand Daos transformed into a mirror, allowing ordinary transcendent cultivators to see their own paths of cultivation within it... Then the True-False Transformation was another mirror. What it reflected was the Ten Thousand Daos themselves! It was just that the evolution of the Ten Thousand Daos from nothingness to existence was too rapid. With Li Fan's current aptitude, it was difficult to fully comprehend these countless Daos in such a short time. "Perhaps if Auntie's spiritual essence were stacked a few thousand times, it might be possible," Li Fan mused, not forcing the issue.

After the heavens and earth re-opened and the Grand Dao re-evolved, a considerably long period would be required before new life could be conceived, unless external forces relocated living beings into it. The group of transcendent powerful beings naturally didn't have such leisure. They all dispersed one after another.

Although Li Fan had nothing to do, he still waited for He Ganxian to finish his enlightenment. The time He Ganxian needed for enlightenment was longer than that of other transcendent powerful beings. Not until only the two of them remained did He Ganxian slowly open his eyes.

"Here, I've managed to capture a wisp of the Qi of Morality again. With careful refining, I might be able to perform the Morality Separation once more," He Ganxian said to Li Fan, quite delighted, seeing that they were alone. "Oh?"

"After the death of my other self, my cultivation method of Morality Separation was considered a failure. Originally, I would have needed hundreds of thousands of years to re-conceive the two balanced paths of morality and then wait for an opportune moment to perform the separation. However, since a Saint acted today, I fortunately captured a wisp of primordial morality." "This pure Grand Dao is ignorant, un-sentient, and unowned. Once refined, it can directly transform into my own power."

Li Fan understood He Ganxian's words. The re-evolved nascent Grand Dao had not yet intertwined or merged into the cosmic workings of heaven and earth. It remained in a clearly distinct state. Although it only lasted for a fleeting moment during the initial creation of heaven and earth... If captured, it was equivalent to a cultivator's tens of thousands of years of arduous cultivation, comprehension, and purification. Perhaps even surpassing it. That He Ganxian could seize this momentary opportunity spoke volumes about his exceptional talent.

"How long will your refining take?""A hundred years.""Good. May I observe the secret art of Morality Separation?" Li Fan asked with a smile.

He Ganxian replied nonchalantly, "The Grand Art of Morality can be witnessed by others. If fellow Daoist wishes to observe, I will certainly prepare a place for you!""Then I shall not decline!" Li Fan burst into laughter.

He noticed that ever since the Faceless Immortal's demise and the failure of the Morality Separation, He Ganxian had gradually lost the characteristics that should have belonged to him, slowly regressing towards his original state as the True Immortal of Morality. "The Grand Art of Morality is indeed quite profound. I want to see what it's all about," Li Fan mused inwardly.

"However, Morality Separation requires borrowing from the resonance between heaven and man, and thus needs a suitable location." He Ganxian's gaze swept across the surrounding Mountains and Seas, and he slightly shook his head, saying, "There's no suitable place nearby."

"What conditions are needed?""A critical moment when calamity looms, forcing a decisive choice," He Ganxian said, looking at Li Fan.

"This is an easy matter!" Li Fan immediately understood why He Ganxian had said this to him. "However, we've just incinerated mountains and boiled seas not long ago, so it's not easy to create another particularly large disturbance. But if it's just to help you, to force you into a desperate situation... I don't necessarily need to rely on the Mountains and Seas..." As Li Fan spoke, a wisp of flame suddenly appeared in his hand. The fire light, like a dragon, surged forth ferociously. In just a breath, it completely encircled He Ganxian.

He Ganxian stared intently at the surrounding True Spirit Fire, feeling secretly horrified. If the previous great fire that scorched the continuous Mountains and Seas relied on countless possibilities within the Mountains and Seas as fuel, then the flames before him now were purely sustained by Li Fan's spiritual energy. Most crucially... He Ganxian faintly sensed that this cluster of flames before him seemed capable of burning infinitely! After absorbing that wisp of nascent morality, He Ganxian's own intuition had strengthened somewhat. He was still very confident in his inner premonitions.

"He must have traversed the Eternal Silence Void Realm to carry so much incredible spiritual energy." "And it's precisely because this spiritual energy doesn't belong to him that he can't transform it into his own cultivation talent..." He Ganxian understood.

Li Fan hadn't mentioned his aptitude to He Ganxian. He hadn't even gone into secluded cultivation. But He Ganxian could discern a thing or two from the subtle clues he observed. For instance, during the previous creation of heaven and earth and the re-evolution of the Ten Thousand Daos. Although Li Fan claimed his cultivated Grand Dao was not among them, if his cultivation aptitude were truly high enough, even if he didn't cultivate the Ten Thousand Daos, he would still gain insights by analogy from observing them. Yet, Li Fan awoke too quickly!

Although he noticed this point, He Ganxian did not develop any contempt. In fact, he treated Li Fan with even greater solemnity. Cultivation talent and realm strength should never be confused. In other words, achieving the same transcendent realm with lower talent doesn't it even more highlight his extraordinary qualities? Moreover, Li Fan had implicitly traversed the Eternal Silence Void Realm from another segment of the Mountains and Seas!

"I suddenly understood: it's not that only those who traverse the Eternal Silence Void Realm are Saints." "Rather, in our understanding, only by reaching the realm of a Saint and possessing a Saint's power can one survive and traverse the Eternal Silence Void Realm where even conceptual existence ceases." "That's why we had that misconception." "But what if there's some unique method unknown to others that allows those below Saint-level, even mere transcendents, to traverse the Eternal Silence Void Realm?"

Ever since He Ganxian slowly regressed to his state as the True Immortal of Morality, his thoughts and considerations were no longer so extreme. Instead, he considered every aspect more comprehensively. "Besides, this person's assertion that he can help me become a Saint was made with such conviction. It shouldn't be false..." "Regardless of the reason, this person is worth befriending deeply."

Surrounded by the True Spirit Fire, myriad thoughts flashed through the True Immortal of Morality's mind. He remained expressionless, feeling the power of the True Spirit Fire. He shook his head slightly: "Although this fire is powerful, it cannot force me into a desperate situation. Even if I were completely surrounded, at the cost of some spiritual damage, I could still break through and find a way out." "What if we add the Dao Annihilation?" "Still not enough. Unless it's the power of the Mountains and Seas' destruction," the True Immortal of Morality still shook his head.

Now, it was Li Fan's turn to frown deeply. The True Immortal of Morality said in a deep voice: "My current strength is not what it once was. To perform the Morality Separation again..." "I need to leverage the desperate situation of the Eternal Silence Void Realm!"

Hearing the four words "Eternal Silence Void Realm," Li Fan's eyes instantly narrowed as he scrutinized the True Immortal of Morality in the firelight. The True Immortal of Morality's expression remained calm as he met Li Fan's gaze.

"Fellow Daoist, do you understand the 'Reverse' character art?" After a long silence, Li Fan suddenly spoke up and asked. "I understand it a little, having learned it to facilitate traversing the Mountains and Seas," the True Immortal of Morality said blandly. "Then, I'll see you at the end of the Mountains and Seas, at the beginning of time, before the Eternal Silence Void Realm!"

With that, Li Fan leaped, plunging back into the Mountains and Seas. Only this time, it wasn't a traversal across the Dao Annihilation. Instead, he moved rapidly against the flow of the River of Time, heading towards the earliest moments of this remaining segment of the Mountains and Seas.

Compared to his initial panic when first falling into the River of Time, Li Fan could now be said to be at ease. Yet, the True Immortal of Morality was surprisingly not inferior to him in the slightest. He followed closely behind!