Chapter 1641: Mingdao Immortal Reappears

Angry Squid

Li Fan tried to find more clues from the phantom that Huanzhen had inexplicably created before him. However, it was clear that Huanzhen’s creation was far beyond Li Fan’s current ability to comprehend. Ultimately, Li Fan had no choice but to give up.

“For now, I won’t concern myself with Huanzhen’s intentions. I’ll simply assume it’s filling in gaps to help me complete the Saint Creation Plan. The mere fact that Huanzhen’s power is gradually recovering is enough to warrant my vigilance.”

Li Fan was no longer the same as before, when he simply viewed Huanzhen as his "exotic treasure" or cheat ability. All signs indicated that Huanzhen possessed its own independent consciousness and was very likely intricately linked to the so-called "Creator Gods" of Shanhai. Li Fan still remembered the situation when he activated Huanzhen at the edge of the Eternal Void Realm. In the Eternal Void Realm, a terrifying presence seemed to awaken, violently striking the white mist that represented Huanzhen. The Transformation of True and False appeared bound, remaining motionless. It was truly a terrifying and despair-inducing sight.

“The higher my power level, the closer I get to Saints and realms like the Void Realm, the easier it is for Huanzhen’s existence to be exposed. If not for the heaven-defying power of the Transformation of True and False, which can alter Shanhai in a single thought, I fear I would have already truly fallen into the Saints’ view.”

“It could clearly communicate with me directly, yet it insists on being an enigma, using roundabout methods to give hints. Now, it’s even directly bypassing me and influencing Shanhai... Indeed, only one’s own true abilities are reliable.”

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, suppressing the dissatisfaction he felt towards Huanzhen. Patiently, he tried to communicate with it again. However, Huanzhen remained silent, just as it had in the past. Li Fan was at a loss.

Already feeling frustrated, he suddenly heard cheers emanating from outside the Guangwu Immortal Embankment. "Thanks to everyone's hard work, a total of 399 new Sky Pillars have been completed."

"After a brief period of rest and reorganization, we can formally accept the invitation and journey to the Realm of Creation and Destruction!"

The words "Realm of Creation and Destruction" quickly captured Li Fan's attention.

“Hmm?”

Previously, to avoid detection by Bai Souyue, who was on the verge of transcendence, Li Fan had not been within the original probability but had hidden within Shanhai, observing from afar. His attention had been almost entirely focused on Bai Souyue, so he hadn't paid much heed to what was happening in the Guangwu Star Sea. Unexpectedly, they were now connected to the Realm of Creation and Destruction and the Five Venerables of Shared Tribulation!

“Invited to go?” Li Fan sneered inwardly: “They don’t even have the Transcendent Realm, so how could they catch the eye of the Five Venerables of Shared Tribulation? Traveling there would likely be like sheep entering a tiger’s den, directly becoming their resources.”

But soon, Li Fan realized something was amiss. Li Fan was quite familiar with the people of the Guangwu Star Sea, as he had personally annihilated them once before. Precisely because they were too weak, they held little practical value. Therefore, the Five Venerables of Shared Tribulation would normally never take an interest in them, let alone issue an "invitation."

“But if the invitation is real...” Li Fan couldn’t help but recall the speculation that Emperor Tianluo had successfully led his people to transcendence.

“If there’s anything about the people of the Guangwu Star Sea that would make the Five Venerables of Shared Tribulation look at them differently, it might be their status as survivors from the Primordial Era. The transcendence of the Primordial Immortal Realm had blessed later generations, greatly enhancing their potential and spiritual essence...”

As Li Fan secretly observed Xingfu, the leader of the Guangwu Immortals, a plan immediately formed in his mind. The Realm of Creation and Destruction was an unknown and exceptionally dangerous place. Even Daoist Ming had gone and never returned. And Faceless Immortal, after the separation of morality, had met a tragic end within it. Despite being swept away with almost no resistance under the might of the Saints, for ordinary transcendent experts, it was indeed a perilous place.

Under normal circumstances, Li Fan would certainly not risk exploring it without reason. But now, a heaven-sent opportunity with little risk presented itself. Moreover, the long wait for Bai Souyue's demise was indeed boring. Since he was idle anyway, he might as well go to the Realm of Creation and Destruction to investigate!

“Perhaps I can even uncover the reason for Faceless Immortal’s inexplicable sudden death before.”

Having settled on his plan, Li Fan lightly exhaled. A wisp of smoke-like figure then appeared. It had no fixed appearance, and following Li Fan’s instructions, it stealthily drilled into Xingfu’s body. Xingfu was only at the Nameless Realm, completely powerless to resist Li Fan’s unfathomable might. The smoke-like figure enveloped Xingfu’s divine soul.

“When true becomes false, false also becomes true!”

As Li Fan chanted leisurely, like a replicated copy, the smoke-like figure, which had been formless, officially transformed into Xingfu’s appearance! The real Xingfu struggled in vain but was utterly powerless to resist. He was replaced! From beginning to end, Xingfu’s external body showed no abnormalities whatsoever. The Guangwu Immortals present did not notice in the slightest that their leader had been unknowingly replaced.

The method used for this possession was precisely what Li Fan employed to create completely independent clones. However, this time, the independent clone was replicating Xingfu, not himself. A moment later, Li Fan adapted to this new body. He searched Xingfu’s memories for information regarding the invitation to the Realm of Creation and Destruction.

“It turns out it wasn’t an invitation specifically from the Five Venerables of Shared Tribulation, but a widespread, net-casting effort targeting all survivors of the Primordial Immortal Realm.”

“And the one who wrote the invitation...” Li Fan’s heart skipped a beat: “Primordial Daoist Ming?”

After the destruction of the Primordial Era, some surviving True Immortals eked out an existence in the lower star seas. Those with ability, however, left the Primordial Era and ventured into other possibilities, some even achieving transcendence. It could be said that Primordial survivors were scattered everywhere. After all, Daoist Ming had authored the Supreme Dao Sutra, and over half of the Primordial True Immortals had benefited from his teachings. Upon sensing the aura left by Daoist Ming on the invitation, those willing to accept the invitation were certainly not few. Guangwu Xingfu was one of them.

In fact, Xingfu also had a glorious past. The reason he chose "Xingfu" (meaning revival/restoration) as his Dao name was because he was a descendant of an Immortal Emperor! His ancestor was the Limitless Immortal Emperor, whose lifespan spanned 99.99 million years. After the Limitless Immortal Emperor's demise, no new reigning Immortal Emperor had emerged from their family. Therefore, Xingfu had, since childhood, taken it upon himself to revive his ancestor's great legacy. Xingfu possessed extraordinary talent, achieving the Nameless Realm after a thousand years of arduous cultivation. With his ancestor's lingering blessings, if he accumulated tens of thousands more years, he might truly become the family's second reigning Immortal Emperor.

Unfortunately, with the descent of the Dao Annihilation, the Immortal Realm ceased to exist. His dream of revival was shattered along with it. When the apocalypse arrived, Xingfu fled in disarray. Relying on his Nameless Realm cultivation, he barely escaped disaster and arrived in the lower star seas. However, he did not abandon his path. Here, he gathered other surviving True Immortals and established the Guangwu faction. Using the method of "fishing for Dao Annihilation," he collected several immortal treasures, hoping to leave this devastated land, find another home, and re-establish an immortal enterprise.

Until Daoist Ming's letter arrived, completely disrupting his plans. Xingfu's prestige was naturally incomparable to Daoist Ming's. Daoist Ming's words meticulously described the magnificent scenery of the Realm of Creation and Destruction—in no way inferior to the original Immortal Realm—making it absolutely suitable as a second home! The homeless Guangwu Immortals were naturally drawn in. Even Xingfu himself was tempted! However, out of instinctive caution, Xingfu had always harbored doubts about the reality of the beautiful world depicted by Daoist Ming.

But all these concerns vanished instantly after he personally visited the Realm of Creation and Destruction! Li Fan carefully examined Xingfu’s memories regarding the Realm of Creation and Destruction.

“The reason it’s named ‘Creation and Destruction’ is because this realm is remarkably a blend of countless possibilities that have already been destroyed in the Dao Annihilation!” A gleam flashed in Li Fan’s eyes: “It’s not like Huanzhen, creating something from nothing, regenerating from void. Instead, it’s reconstructing past memories within reality...” What Xingfu saw was the Immortal Realm he was familiar with!

“Perhaps this is why Daoist Ming chose to remain in the Realm of Creation and Destruction. With the destruction of the Primordial Era and nowhere to call home, recreating the home from memory within the Realm of Creation and Destruction was naturally an excellent choice.” The sights Xingfu witnessed were almost indistinguishable from the true Primordial Immortal Realm. Even Li Fan, observing meticulously from an outsider’s perspective, found no flaws.

“According to Daoist Ming’s letter, the more past memories gathered, the more realistic and stable the conjured possibility would be. If all surviving True Immortals from the Primordial Era could be gathered, it might truly be possible to perfectly recreate the exact same probability! Not just the world itself, but even the living beings within it!”

“This is also the fundamental reason why Daoist Ming extended invitations to the Guangwu Immortals,” Li Fan exclaimed with some astonishment.

This art of void conjuration naturally couldn’t compare to Huanzhen’s divine abilities. If one had to draw a parallel, it could perhaps be seen as Shanhai’s version of the Fallen Immortal Realm! However, Xuanhuang was merely a small realm, a mere speck. With the power of one person, it might be possible to reconstruct memories. But a single possibility encompassed the boundless star seas of the lower realms and even the immeasurable Immortal Realm built upon Shanhai. Even transcendent experts could not be omniscient or omnipresent, let alone conjure such vastness through mere thought. Perhaps Saints possessed such abilities, but it was clear that the Saints of Shanhai, who upheld the belief that the ultimate outcome was irrelevant, would not waste their energy on such trivial matters.

Therefore, the people of the Realm of Creation and Destruction needed to pool their wisdom and leverage the strengths of all immortals. It wasn’t just the Primordial Era; every possibility Xingfu saw within the Realm of Creation and Destruction represented countless surviving True Immortals from that specific possibility!

“I must say, this truly is an impressive and vast power, completely unknown to the general public.”

“But,” Li Fan snorted inwardly: “Even such an extraordinary force, once I diverted trouble to them and drew the attention of the Saints of the Other Shore, had not a shred of resistance, instantly turning to ashes. Only the blank possibility itself remained.”

Thinking of the Realm of Creation and Destruction whose existence had once been erased, Li Fan couldn’t help but sigh: “This is it: below the Saints, all are ants.”

“Only by finding a way to contend with Saints can one truly stand firm in Shanhai. Therefore, the Saint Creation Plan must succeed. If Bai Souyue fails, I’ll find others! Shanhai has countless talents; there will always be someone who can meet my needs.” Li Fan, having once again glimpsed the might of a Saint through fragmented insights, secretly made up his mind.

After a long mental journey, Li Fan’s thoughts returned to the Realm of Creation and Destruction.

“The core of the Fallen Immortal Realm is the Supreme Dao Sutra, left by Daoist Ming. Perhaps the establishment of the Realm of Creation and Destruction is also inextricably linked to Daoist Ming.”

“The invitation he sent to the Guangwu people was also a means of guidance. It didn’t directly specify the exact location of the Realm of Creation and Destruction within Shanhai but directly transported them there. However, it only provided guidance and did not help resist the Dao Annihilation encountered during the crossing. This is also why the Guangwu people only remembered the Realm of Creation and Destruction after acquiring methods close to transcendence.”

“As for the Shuo Star Sea, they had also received an invitation from Daoist Ming. The Guangwu Immortals were initially able to discover the existence of the Shuo Star Sea precisely because of Daoist Ming’s guidance. However, none of the True Immortals in the Shuo Star Sea knew about this message...” Li Fan thought for a moment, guessing that Chengdong must have intercepted the invitation and kept it hidden. Chengdong’s master, Shouqiu, was one of the Saints of the Other Shore. He naturally disdained seeking refuge with the Five Venerables of Shared Tribulation. He wouldn’t even permit his subordinates in the Dao Net to engage in such degenerate acts.

“The Realm of Creation and Destruction, though insignificant in the eyes of Saints, is indeed a place I can visit to broaden my horizons.”

“This method of void reconstruction...”

“Perhaps it will be of immense help for me to comprehend the Transformation of True and False.” After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan felt a vague premonition in his heart. Even though he had reached a considerable level of mastery over the Transformation of True and False, Li Fan still needed to rely on the moment when everything transformed from solid to void, and then from void to solid, whenever Huanzhen was activated, to gain deeper insight. All other treasures in Shanhai offered no assistance in comprehending the Transformation of True and False. This had always been a source of great frustration for Li Fan.

But now, he faintly perceived a turning point. How could he not go investigate thoroughly?

“Anyway, with this new body, even if I’m exposed, my life won’t be in danger.”

“No, it’s not just a new body. I am Xingfu!”

Inside the figure, the connection with Li Fan slowly faded completely. It was as if Xingfu himself was truly directing the Guangwu Immortals, preparing for their journey to the Realm of Creation and Destruction. Whether in speech, behavior, or methods of thinking and acting, there was no difference from the original Xingfu. The Guangwu Immortals noticed no abnormalities. With everything ready, the immortals collectively crushed the invitation left by Daoist Ming.

Although called an invitation, it had no physical form. It was merely a line of text existing in Xingfu’s memory. Furthermore, Daoist Ming’s method included inherent concealment abilities. Ordinary soul-searching or memory-sensing techniques, when viewed from an "outsider’s" perspective, could not perceive the characters left by Daoist Ming. Only Xingfu "himself" could clearly remember and access it. Therefore, even after Li Fan swept through the Guangwu Star Sea multiple times, he had never discovered the existence of this invitation. This time, Li Fan used his "False Becomes True" clone to possess Xingfu, effectively becoming Xingfu himself. This was a fortunate coincidence, allowing him to learn about the Guangwu Immortals’ connection to the Realm of Creation and Destruction.

As the line of characters from Xingfu’s memory transformed from void to reality, appearing in the physical world, an unfathomable, mysterious power seemed to descend. It transformed into a fine thread, visible only to Xingfu, pointing directly into the depths of Shanhai!

“This direction indeed leads to the Realm of Creation and Destruction!”