Chapter 1647: Heavenly Net Once Pursued the Way

The Great Dao of Mountains and Seas was indeed breathtaking.

If Li Fan hadn't experienced hundreds of reincarnations and walked similar paths of the Dao, he would undoubtedly have been captivated and unable to escape its allure.

But now, he could purely observe and examine the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas, which had been captured by the "Reversion to Truth."

In the previous life, after the clone created by Li Fan replaced Xingfu and entered the Realm of Life and Death, it completely severed ties with the main body to prevent exposure, becoming an independent entity. Li Fan was unable to know its experiences. However, after activating the "Reversion to Truth," "Xingfu's" memories returned as usual.

"Based on the accounts of the Five Venerables of the Same Tribulation and my years of contemplative insight, I can largely confirm that the Profound Female Dao was originally a power belonging to the gods. It was first absorbed by the Mountains and Seas, then stripped away from them by the encroachment of Dao Annihilation."

"Alternatively, everything between the mountains and and seas inherently originated from the gods. Though transformed into mountains and seas, as they crumble under the erosion of Dao Annihilation... numerous Great Daos of Mountains and Seas will reappear in the world!"

Li Fan's eyes flickered.

"According to the prophecy left by the Mountain and Sea Walker, the ultimate destination of the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas was originally to return to the stars. As the saying goes, from where it came, to where it shall return." "The demise of the Mountains and Seas, a solitary star hanging high, and the birth of new gods—this is the destiny and end of this realm of Mountains and Seas."

"But..."

"The Mountains and Seas did not fully absorb the power of the gods. For instance, the Mound Guardian attained immortality. Additionally, as Dao Annihilation encroaches and the apocalypse arrives, the various Great Daos originally absorbed by the Mountains and Seas are more likely to be stripped away, such as the Profound Female Dao this time." "In other words, the more the Mountains and Seas collapse, the easier it is for Saints to emerge."

"Originally, the flow of all power in the world was from the gods to the Mountains and Seas, and then to the stars. However, with the birth of Saints, a portion of the Great Dao that should have returned to the stars was instead claimed by them."

"Therefore, the stars are destined to be inferior to the gods. Furthermore, the more Saints there are, the weaker the stars' power becomes." "Currently, it is known that the stars are the source leading to the advent of Dao Annihilation. Hence..."

Li Fan understood.

"Preventing the destruction of the world by Dao Annihilation is not a fantasy." "Hope is even visible to the naked eye. For every Saint born within the Mountains and Seas, the power disparity between them will be diminished by a fraction. With a spark, the Mountains and Seas can be saved."

"And besides the struggle between the Mountains and Seas, Saints, and stars, there is also the 'Reversion to Truth'."

To this day, Li Fan still couldn't comprehend the true essence of the "Reversion to Truth." He had initially thought it was merely an exotic treasure embodying the grand principles of truth and falsehood. However, after the "Reversion to Truth" unlocked the ability of "Dao Reversion," everything became perplexing.

Li Fan deeply understood the terrifying nature of something that could claim the Dao of Mountains and Seas for itself.

"From being a mere mortal to capturing the Profound Female Dao, I have only undergone a little over two hundred reincarnations, not including the initial hundred lifetimes of foundation building." "With infinite spiritual power as a reliance, it's almost conceivable that with each reset, I might truly be able to use the 'Reversion to Truth' to gradually claim for myself all the portions that originally belonged to the Mountains and Seas, the Saints, and the stars." "What will happen in the end?"

Almost instantly, an answer spontaneously emerged in Li Fan's mind, making his heart clench.

The "Reversion to Truth" seemed to sense Li Fan's thoughts, emitting an inexplicable fluctuation. Li Fan wanted to delve deeper, but the fluctuation vanished in an instant, leaving him momentarily bewildered.

"The most important question is, after the Dao's reversion to truth, does the Profound Female Dao still exist in this current realm of Mountains and Seas?" "Theoretically, since the Profound Female Dao has already reverted to truth, even if the 'Reversion to Truth' resets the Mountains and Seas, it wouldn't spontaneously reappear. But..."

Li Fan vaguely felt that something was amiss. To verify his conjecture, he needed to visit the Realm of Life and Death again and repeat the events. With the experience from his previous life, he would be even more careful not to put himself in danger. He would still find Xingfu to act as a substitute.

The main body disguised its identity and went to teach the method of "Phantom Dao Inheritance." It also casually resolved the crisis of "fishing for Dao Annihilation." After taking over Xingfu, the main body drifted away, concealing itself within the Mountains and Seas. The clone, Xingfu, after ample preparation, once again led the Light-Wielding Immortals and was invited to the Realm of Life and Death.

Subsequent encounters in the Realm of Life and Death were no different from the previous life. The only change was that Bai Souyue did not go to the Other Shore and disturb the phantoms of the Saints. The illusory construction plan for the Realm of Life and Death also remained unexposed, allowing all preparations to be made more thoroughly without interruption.

After a million years of quiet contemplation and imitation, the progress of the painting's formation was significantly advanced. Xingfu had earned the absolute trust of the Venerables of the Realm of Life and Death.

One day, they summoned Xingfu.

"May I ask, Venerables, why have you summoned me?" Xingfu asked respectfully.

The white-haired youth, whose prototype originated from the end of the Mountains and Seas and was conjured through imagination, answered him.

"Among all the Awakened, your mastery of illusory construction is the deepest, even subtly surpassing ours. Therefore, there are some things you ought to know."

Xingfu's expression remained unchanged. "Venerable, you flatter me. My aptitude is likely ordinary; my superior performance is probably due to my single-minded devotion over the years."

The white-haired youth smiled, not refuting. He then asked, "How long do you think it will be until the painting is fully formed?"

Sensing the gazes of all the Venerables fixed on him, Xingfu did not answer immediately. After a long deliberation, he finally spoke in a solemn whisper, "If we continue at the current pace, the utterly mysterious Great Dao of Mountains and Seas will certainly manifest within a century at most!"

The white-haired youth burst out laughing upon hearing this. "You are more optimistic than us! Regardless, once the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas manifests, it will undoubtedly shake the heavens and earth. The Saints of the Other Shore and the Saint Emperor Taiwei will certainly sense its presence."

Xingfu's expression turned grave.

"To be frank, although we bear the title of Venerables, our strength is far inferior to theirs," Immortal Mingdao stated at this moment. "But that doesn't mean we have no ability to buy time. The Saints are in the open, while we are hidden. We just need to delay until the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas fully descends. If someone can gain control of it before the Saints realize, they can use the Dao's own divine power to conceal it."

"And even if we fail..." The white-haired youth smiled, "The Saints will naturally pursue the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas, and likely won't pay much attention to us."

Xingfu cupped his hands, a look of doubt on his face. "Didn't the Venerables say before that whoever obtains the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas depends entirely on their own fortune and destiny? Such an ethereal and uncontrollable matter..."

Among the Five Venerables of the Same Tribulation, Yuanzang snorted coldly, interrupting Xingfu. "Secrets should not be spoken lightly. That was merely a pretense for when you first arrived." "If it were truly uncontrollable, why would we have poured so many years of effort into this plan?"

Immortal Mingdao smiled and began to explain, "Do you recall when I mentioned to you that after our homeland was destroyed, a Great Dao of Mountains and Seas appeared in the lower Star Sea?"

Xingfu nodded. "Venerable once said that like attracts like. Perhaps this Great Dao of Mountains and Seas in the lower realm was attracted by the immortality held by Lord Shouqiu."

"In fact, this Great Dao of Mountains and Seas did not vanish without a trace. It was actually found by someone," Immortal Mingdao slowly revealed. Xingfu's mind reeled upon hearing this. "What?"

"In fact, since ancient times, there has been a circulating prophecy in the Immortal Realm about a world-saving object descending from the heavens. Therefore, as Dao Annihilation grew more rampant and the immortals became powerless, the Immortal Emperors began to seek that legendary artifact." "Based on various calculations, they ultimately concluded that it would appear in the lower Star Sea. So, they secretly constructed experimental Daoist temples in the lower realm, weaving traps, quietly awaiting the arrival of that wondrous object."

"Did they finally wait for it?" Xingfu, absorbed in the story, couldn't help but ask.

"Naturally, they captured it. It was precisely that Great Dao of Mountains and Seas that had been attracted!" Immortal Mingdao sighed with emotion. "It was also because of this stroke of fortune that Emperor Tianluo conceived that incredibly audacious idea."

Xingfu finally reacted, exclaiming in surprise, "No wonder Emperor Tianluo was so confident back then, claiming to have found the ultimate method to resist Dao Annihilation! Many believed him, and countless others cursed him for disbelief. So that's how it was!" "If one could obtain this divine object, the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas, they would indeed have the confidence to resist Dao Annihilation."

Xingfu was momentarily lost in thought, and after a while, he snapped back to reality and quickly asked, "So, did Emperor Tianluo ultimately succeed or not?"

As if recalling Immortal Mingdao's hesitant words from years ago, Xingfu suddenly realized, "Venerable said he might not have failed, so did he truly...?"

Immortal Mingdao shook his head. "Neither necessarily failed nor necessarily succeeded. The moment the Immortal Realm was destroyed, Emperor Tianluo led his followers and vanished into the Mountains and Seas, uncontactable by any means." "However, after that, many incredible changes indeed occurred. Most notably, the potential of the former Immortal Realm inhabitants significantly increased. The number of those who could achieve the Nameless Dao was immeasurable. Such a flourishing state did not exist when the Immortal Realm was still intact."

Xingfu murmured, "That does sound strange. They say 'country broken, home destroyed,' yet we, true immortals, did not perish with the Immortal Realm's destruction. Instead, our cultivation advanced repeatedly amidst these difficult apocalyptic times..." "Come to think of it, I do seem to have felt that cultivation was much easier in the lower Star Sea than it was in the Immortal Realm. I thought it was due to my own trials and tribulations, which transformed my character and aptitude. I didn't realize it was thanks to Emperor Tianluo?"

Xingfu was completely stunned.

Immortal Mingdao sighed. "This is also why I sent invitations to you all. On one hand, having gained this fortune, your average aptitude is indeed superior to that of other potential true immortals. And on the other..."

"If we could truly manifest the Immortal Realm through imagination, bringing Emperor Tianluo back to life..." At this point, Immortal Mingdao paused, glancing slightly at the white-haired youth beside him before continuing, "Perhaps we could use the imagined Emperor Tianluo to establish contact with his true self. However, it seems the destruction back then took away some crucial factor. The difficulty of using imagination to revive our homeland far exceeded my expectations, so we've had to put it aside for now."

"So there's such a deep connection here," Xingfu murmured.

"Before Emperor Tianluo finally executed his plan, he invited me to assist him. However, I ultimately refused." "Although he was somewhat disappointed, he still secretly shared his experience of capturing the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas. This is where our confidence comes from," Immortal Mingdao continued. "If the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas appears, we are ninety percent confident that we can control and bind it. Of course, who ultimately gains control will truly depend on individual fortune."

"The Realm of Life and Death possesses countless living beings. As long as it is one of our own, someone with shared aspirations, who benefits, we can accept it," the white-haired youth stated at this point.

After speaking, the eight Venerables jointly cast a spell, revealing to Xingfu the "trap" designed to capture the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas. It relied on the Realm of Life and Death itself, like a meticulously woven net of heaven and earth. The myriad streams of illusory thoughts flowing within the Realm of Life and Death formed the threads of this net.

"Of course, this net is merely the surface. The trap's core lies within: the bait used to attract the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas."

In the Realm of Life and Death, a yellow crystal suspended above countless illusory currents began to unfold its myriad facets, revealing its inner core. Within the boundless darkness, thousands of starlights floated and rotated. Among them, several central luminous projections were the most dazzling, their brilliance comparable to the sum of all other starlights.

"This is..." Xingfu stared at the magnificent scene before him. For some reason, he felt a faint sense of familiarity from the planetary light.

Shengshi, one of the Five Venerables of the Same Tribulation, said in a deep voice, "These are the foundational stones of the Great Dao that we stole from various possibilities within the Mountains and Seas. Initially, we intended to use them to construct a more solid Realm of Life and Death. Originally, the starlights here were all generally of equal strength. But then, one day... some of them suddenly erupted with dazzling intensity, becoming impossible to look at directly."

Immortal Mingdao interjected, "This very path was stolen by them from my homeland in the past. It's shameful to admit, but in my fury back then, I pursued them relentlessly. Yet, I ultimately proved no match for the five of them and was instead imprisoned. They only released me after the anomaly occurred."

Guangmo, one of the Five Venerables of the Same Tribulation, smiled. "Those are just old stories; why bring them up now? Once we saw the starlights flickering here, old grievances ceased to matter."

Xingfu already understood. "Just like our cultivation aptitude soared by association, have these stolen Immortal Realm Dao foundational stones also undergone a qualitative change?"

Immortal Mingdao nodded. "These Dao paths were once written by my own hand, mirroring the foundational stones of the Immortal Realm Dao. But now... even I can barely perceive them clearly."

Xingfu squinted, trying to discern the true immortal seal script within the dazzling light. But it was clearly in vain.

Immortal Mingdao paid no mind to Xingfu's actions and continued, "Though they haven't yet reached the level of the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas, they are no longer comparable to ordinary potential Dao paths. For the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas, they are sufficient to create a certain attraction and serve as bait."