Chapter 1646: First True Profound Yin

Like a fish about to take the bait, startled away by a stone suddenly falling into the water.

Or like a colossal creature from the depths, appearing as a shadow and rapidly approaching to suddenly swallow the fish that should have been hooked.

The moment the white mist appeared, the Grand Dao of Profound Birth, which the Sages had surrounded and eagerly awaited, vanished without a trace, like ice dissolving in water.

But at this moment, the Sages were no longer focused on the escaping Grand Dao of Mountains and Seas.

Within the vast white mist, the attention of all sentient beings still able to move was fixed on "Stillness."

"After searching throughout the Mountains and Seas, it has finally appeared. It was hidden so well!"

"This power..."

In the white circle of the Other Shore, the Sages' spectral forms combined their power, erupting into an incomparably brilliant halo, attempting to resist the mist's erosion.

Meanwhile, deep within the white mist, a continuous tremor occurred. A figure could vaguely be seen moving with difficulty; it was none other than Emperor Taiwei, who had departed and now returned!

The space between the mountains and seas was frozen, and only Sages could escape its effects.

However, the boundless white mist was even more potent than the Annihilation of the Dao. Even the combined efforts of the Sages ultimately proved futile.

One by one, the figures disappeared into the white mist.

Motionless and indistinct.

Yet, besides the Sages, Xingfu, who had witnessed the entire scene, remarkably managed to maintain normal thought processes within the white mist at that moment!

"Stillness..."

"So that's how it is."

Xingfu was speechless, lost in thought.

Then, simultaneously, he silently repeated in his mind:

"Stillness!"

The surging white mist swept over, engulfing the mountains and seas.

It was unclear how much time had passed, or perhaps it was only an instant later.

The white mist receded, and the mountains and seas reappeared as they were before!

However, the Sages of Mountains and Seas, who had been eagerly pursuing Stillness, suddenly found themselves slightly bewildered.

After recovering for a moment, they were all astonished:

"Where is the Grand Dao of Profound Birth? How could it vanish without a trace?" Only Xingfu had a peculiar look in his eyes.

He lowered his head, furrowing his brow, pondering in confusion:

"Still... Stillness?"

"What is Stillness?"

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Li Fan's eyes snapped open.

Before him, the Stillness panel suddenly appeared.

Compared to before, an additional line of ethereal characters shimmered with iridescent light.

Grand Dao Reversion: First Profound Birth.

The moment Li Fan's consciousness touched this line, the iridescent characters instantly dissolved, transforming into a wisp of mysterious imagery.

"Continuous yet existing, the root of Heaven and Earth."

"Profoundly deep and wondrous, immeasurable."

"In stillness it gathers, in motion it unfolds; all things emerge from it."

Even before this, Li Fan had known nothing about the Grand Dao of Profound Birth.

Yet, as the iridescent characters entered his vision, countless insights into the Grand Dao of Profound Birth spontaneously welled up in his mind.

Even though this Grand Dao of Mountains and Seas should have been incredibly arduous and recondite, impossible for even nameless True Immortals to comprehend in their entire lives.

To Li Fan, however, it was like a transparent book.

Presenting no difficulty whatsoever.

This was certainly not because Li Fan had suddenly awakened his enlightenment or gained extraordinary aptitude.

All these anomalies stemmed from Stillness!

Taking a deep breath, Li Fan quietly suppressed his insights into the Grand Dao of Profound Birth for the time being. He fixed his gaze on the four characters "Grand Dao Reversion" on the Stillness panel.

"'Grand Dao Reversion', 'Grand Dao Reversion'"

"And the 'First Profound Birth' that appeared subsequently."

"Could this mean Stillness has captured the Grand Dao of Profound Birth, one of the Grand Daos of Mountains and Seas?"

A terrifying tempest surged within Li Fan's heart.

This was completely beyond his expectations.

In fact, he had no idea how Stillness had managed to achieve this.

Li Fan recalled his experiences from the previous life.

Ever since sending his clone, Xingfu, into the Realm of Life and Death, he had quietly concealed himself, having long anticipated that the Sages of the Other Shore would scour the mountains and seas in search of Stillness's traces.

Relying on his past experiences of traversing the Mountains and Seas, he had hidden himself very well.

Even when all the Transcendents from the Other Shore emerged and joined forces with the Taiwei Holy Dynasty, virtually turning the Mountains and Seas upside down.

He was not exposed as a result.

Just as the Five Venerables of Calamity had said, if a Grand Dao of Mountains and Seas chose to hide itself, it would be almost impossible for others to detect its whereabouts.

Later, however, with the emergence of the Grand Dao of Profound Birth, all the Sages of the Other Shore and Emperor Taiwei appeared. The commotion grew, and Li Fan was secretly alarmed. Seeing that things were about to spiral out of control, Li Fan decisively chose to activate Stillness.

Even though the true form of the Grand Dao of Profound Birth had not yet revealed itself at that time.

Adhering to the principle of safety first, Li Fan still decisively chose to activate Stillness.

But something unexpected happened to Li Fan.

Stillness again showed no response.

Moreover, unlike its past malfunctions, this time there was no external interference, such as obstruction from the Sages.

Nor was Stillness severely damaged by the Calamity of Three Daos Merging.

The reason for its failure was entirely because...

Stillness seemed to have withdrawn from Li Fan's body.

Even recalling it now, Li Fan could still vividly feel the fear he experienced then. It was different from the sensation when Stillness had fallen into slumber in the past.

At that time, although Stillness was unusable, Li Fan always held a faint belief that one day it would surely awaken. He just needed to cautiously bide his time and wait for that day to arrive.

But when Stillness truly departed from Li Fan's body...

Only through loss could the value of possession be truly appreciated.

That brief yet infinitely long period was almost the most painful experience Li Fan had endured since his cycles of reincarnation.

Li Fan did not wish to dwell on it further.

Even though Stillness later returned and responded to his summons, reactivating.

Li Fan still felt anger towards Stillness's brief, unannounced departure.

It wasn't until a new life began and he saw the new line on the Stillness panel that all his doubts and anxieties vanished.

All transformed into pleasant surprise.

Li Fan also understood the reason for Stillness's unexplained departure.

It released a vast white mist, feigning its appearance to attract the attention of the Sages of Mountains and Seas.

In reality, it covertly submerged, successfully capturing the descended Grand Dao of Profound Birth!

"'Grand Dao Reversion.'"

"'Reversion.'"

"This description is excellent!"

Li Fan was overjoyed.

Every time he thought he had seen the limits of Stillness, but each time...

Stillness managed to surprise him again.

Li Fan had never imagined that Stillness could actually capture a Grand Dao of Mountains and Seas.

"How exactly did it do that?"

"Shouldn't Stillness be of the same rank as the Mountains and Seas? Profound Birth is also one of the Grand Daos of Mountains and Seas, yet it seemed to have no room for resistance and was easily captured by Stillness."

Recalling how Stillness had been severely wounded during the previous integration of the three Daos, and now sensing the Grand Dao of Profound Birth firmly bound within Stillness, Li Fan was utterly perplexed.

Yet, as usual.

Even after accomplishing such a monumental feat, Stillness still offered not a single word of explanation.

No matter how Li Fan inquired, it remained silent.

This made Li Fan itch with frustration.

"Nevertheless, it's ultimately a huge blessing."

Li Fan sighed helplessly, no longer dwelling on it.

He contentedly contemplated the Grand Dao of Profound Birth after its reversion.

At the same time, he did not forget to examine Bai Shuyue's memories from the previous life.

"Hiss..."

The moment he chose to accept Bai Shuyue's memories, Li Fan's sea of consciousness felt as if it had been pierced by a needle, throbbing with a faint pain.

The memory capacity after transcendence was far beyond what it used to be.

If Li Fan hadn't also been a powerhouse of the same caliber, and had not undergone the trials of Stillness's reincarnation, he might have had his mind shattered the moment he inherited Bai Shuyue's memories.

It took a while for Li Fan to slowly recover and digest his aunt's memories.

"The time it took Aunt to reach the Other Shore was shorter than I imagined."

"Perhaps it truly was due to her heaven-defying aptitude; it was as if something was guiding her in the dark, and without anyone leading the way, she found the Other Shore almost without taking any detours," Li Fan marvelled.

"Then, as I predicted, Aunt's secret of continuous reincarnation and rebirth was directly exposed before the Sages of the Other Shore."

"However, Aunt had never committed any wrongdoing, and after the Sages conducted a detailed examination and ultimately determined that her reincarnation was not due to her own doing but rather someone else's manipulation, they merely imprisoned her within the Myriad Ancient Heavenly Steps of the Other Shore, without causing her excessive trouble."

"At the same time, they ordered a search for my traces..."

Li Fan chuckled softly.

"Within the Myriad Ancient Heavenly Steps, even seeking death was impossible. Aunt could only dutifully toil day and night, diligently forging each green brick for Transcendent powerhouses to cross the River of Time."

"Until her release, Aunt decisively chose to commit suicide, initiating a new life. Hmm?"

Upon reading this, Li Fan's eyes immediately narrowed. He vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

Why would the Sages of the Other Shore suddenly release Aunt when they still hadn't found any trace of the mastermind?

Li Fan repeatedly reviewed his aunt's memories again and again.

Confirming there were no missing parts.

And the Sages of the Other Shore had never revealed the full story to Aunt from beginning to end.

His own hidden existence had also not been exposed.

But Li Fan still felt a faint unease.

Trusting his intuition, Li Fan did not hastily choose to let Bai Shuyue inherit the memories of her previous life.

"Better to put in extra effort and restart a new round of the Sage Creation Plan than to stumble due to a moment's oversight."

"However, the Sage Creation Plan is, after all, time-consuming. It would be great if Aunt could inherit only the memories from the life before last, skipping the experiences of the previous life."

As if sensing Li Fan's request.

The Stillness panel suddenly showed an unusual change.

From the iridescent characters of "First Profound Birth," a ribbon of light drifted out.

It transformed into a wondrous brush that wrote and modified the text options for Stillness.

As if it knew his thoughts, the text changed the moment the idea arose.

"Stillness can reflect my thoughts, restoring only the memories from the life before last?"

This turn of events left Li Fan dumbfounded.

"It seems I am far from comprehending the mysterious and wondrous uses of the Grand Dao of Mountains and Seas."

After a long while, Li Fan sighed deeply.

Since Stillness had already provided a solution, Li Fan was no longer in a hurry.

He began to carefully ponder his current situation.

"Originally, I wanted to initiate the Sage Creation Plan precisely because, in a simulation triggered by Stillness, I encountered a scenario where I, unprepared, ventured alone into the Other Shore and had my secrets exposed by the Sages."

"Thus, I sought to find a way to deal with the Sages. Since I couldn't confront them myself, I had to find a substitute. Stillness gave me a hint at that time."

"Aunt, being the person I was most familiar with, naturally became my chosen target."

"Aunt's reincarnation and transformation allowed her aptitude and spiritual insight to continuously accumulate."

"And I, too, gained a great deal from these successive rebirths. The Grand Dao of Profound Birth is the most important among them."

"Stillness requires a Grand Dao of Mountains and Seas as an energy source to activate a pure simulation. The previous simulation had completely depleted the power of longevity I had comprehended from Lord Shouqiu."

"But the longevity I acquired was not the complete Grand Dao of Longevity; it was merely a small portion shared by Lord Shouqiu. Now, however, I possess a complete Grand Dao of Mountains and Seas..."

"Does this mean I can now use this to activate a simulation?"

Li Fan's heart stirred.

This time, Stillness did not remain silent.

Instead, it provided an answer.

"It is indeed feasible!"

"Using the Grand Dao of Profound Birth as energy, it is truly possible to activate a simulation. This simulation can extend its results to the current segment of the Mountains and Seas!"

"However," Li Fan mused, frowning as he felt the faint stream of information from Stillness.

"Involving the Sages, such a simulation consumes an enormous amount of energy. Although it wouldn't completely deplete the Grand Dao of Profound Birth in one go, it would significantly impact it."

"After one extraction, it would then require a considerably long period to slowly recover. If its depletion is disregarded and simulations are conducted continuously..."

"It can only be sustained a maximum of three times?"

Li Fan's mind trembled.

The energy consumption for activating a Stillness simulation was far greater than he had imagined.

"It cannot be used lightly."

At the same time, Li Fan also sensed Stillness's attitude towards the Grand Dao of Profound Birth from its answers.

"It seems... it's not particularly concerned?"

Li Fan couldn't help but be stunned.

This seemed contradictory to Stillness's willingness to even leave his body to capture it.

After careful consideration, Li Fan slowly came to a realization. "The principle should be the same as with the former Heavenly and Earthly Wonders and Eternal Remnants."

"From nothingness to the first possession. That is what's most important."

"Once Stillness has taken possession of it, whether it specifically still exists or not becomes irrelevant."

Li Fan looked once more at the four characters "Grand Dao Reversion" on the Stillness panel.

"If I'm not mistaken, Stillness now possesses the complete nature of the Grand Dao of Profound Birth?"

With a slight stir of his thoughts,

The four characters "First Profound Birth" burst forth with a vibrant, iridescent light.

The shimmering colors filled Li Fan's mind.

It was similar to how Li Fan had once used the Transformation of Truth and Falsehood to simulate and disguise the True Intent of a Lone Sail.

Now, enveloped in the iridescent glow, an ancient, profound aura of Profound Birth, on par with the Mountains and Seas, emanated from his body.

"But it's different from a mere simulation."

"It's more like, due to the Grand Dao of Profound Birth returning to its place, Stillness is able to evoke its rhythmic power."

Stillness could fully manifest Profound Birth.

But Li Fan couldn't fully grasp its essence.

Therefore, even with the blessing of the iridescent light, Li Fan couldn't replicate Profound Birth to the level of a Grand Dao of Mountains and Seas.

"It's as if I've fallen into some strange loop."

This familiar scene made Li Fan inwardly grumble.

"However, now that Profound Birth has undergone reversion, I can constantly observe all its secrets. To perfectly disguise myself as a Profound Birth Sage would merely require consistent effort."

The Grand Dao of Mountains and Seas was profoundly extraordinary.

Especially now, completely unguarded and exposed before Li Fan, allowing him to probe it at will.

Every time Li Fan cast his gaze upon it, his mind almost became lost.

Fortunately, Li Fan was able to regain his clarity each time.

"My fundamental principle, after all, is Stillness, the Transformation of Truth and Falsehood."

"If I were to truly indulge in comprehending this Dao, wouldn't that be like buying the casket and returning the pearls, making myself a laughingstock?"