Chapter 1664: Saints Ranked in Order

“To traverse against the current, besides adhering to the core principles of one's path and preserving the foundation of one's existence, the most crucial aspect is discerning past and present.”

The one instructing the newly appointed Saints was the phantom of Saint Lianshan.

“Maintaining the foundation of one's existence means resisting the void's annihilation. But what does it mean to discern past and present?” asked Saint Fangcun, one of the new Saints, puzzled.

“In the Eternal Void, there is a boundless obscurity. There aren't just two directions, past and present. 'Present' refers to the direction we came from. 'Past' refers to our destination. As for other places...”

“They are endless and boundless. If your initial direction is wrong, even if you possess divine power and can endure for millions of years against the void's erosion, all you will see is nothingness.” Saint Lianshan gently waved his hand, joining forces with Saint Guihai to reveal an expanse of darkness to the Saints.

As if enveloped by a dark cloud, Li Fan felt his senses stripped away. The figures of the surrounding Saints vanished one after another, as if they had truly fallen into an endless void.

The sense of nothingness and dead silence even began to slowly erode the foundation of his own existence.

Vast and boundless, an immense expanse.

North, south, east, west, and even his own self became indistinguishable.

What's more, where was the past? Where was the present?

Not to mention traversing or traveling to a more distant past.

Even returning to the Shan Hai realm they had just left became a problem!

“This was merely a simulated scenario by Saints Lianshan and Guihai.”

“The true Eternal Void is indeed terrifying,” Li Fan thought.

He felt a sense of solemnity.

Though he had traversed it before, he had always journeyed downstream, reaching the very end of the Shan Hai realm. Crucially, he relied on the connection between Qiu Xinhui's imaginary replica and her true self, which provided precise directional guidance. He never had to worry about getting lost.

But now, without a guiding beacon for navigation, the difficulty was vastly different.

Before long, the two Saints dispelled the simulated void's darkness. The newly appointed Saints, whose forms reappeared, all shared Li Fan's solemn expression.

“You need not worry too much, as there are no paths in the void; the strong serve as beacons. In the true Eternal Void, our main bodies already exist. Think of it like a knot on a rope; you simply need to use the nearest fellow Saint as an anchor,” Saint Taiyi's phantom reassured them. “Based on our past calculations, connecting with the previous section of the Shan Hai realm and communicating across the vast void would require at least thirteen Saints working together. However, that is the absolute limit, allowing for no mistakes. Even a slight mishap would not only render all efforts futile but could also endanger the thirteen Saints, potentially leading to their demise.”

“Therefore, we have been preparing and have not truly begun the operation. But now, with the fortune brought by Fellow Daoist Xuanpin...”

“With the addition of the six new Saints, while it’s not foolproof, the risk has indeed been significantly reduced,” Shouqiu said slowly, looking at Li Fan.

“On the path through the void, the accomplished lead the way. Before you truly enter the Eternal Void, you must first decide on the order. The latter must closely follow the former without the slightest error. Otherwise, one wrong step will lead to countless others,” the phantom of Ye Pan stated very solemnly.

“Currently, our nine individuals have their sequence established in the void. The most ancient, and the foremost, is Lianshan. Following him, in order, are Guihai, Taiyi, Qiejian, Guiming, Duancan, Shouqiu, myself, and Xingcha.”

“As for your order, perhaps you could have a competition first.”

The six new Saints exchanged glances, and most of them showed eagerness in their eyes.

“A real fight might damage harmony. Why not use our old method? Each of you can project a phantom into this Xuanji Ring.” Before Saint Lianshan's voice finished, the white circle on the other side already glowed brightly.

As it shone clearly, the six new Saints were watched by the nine Saints from the other shore. “Heh heh, I’ve been waiting for this!” The first to agree was Jingui.

As his phantom flew into it, the remaining Saints found it difficult to decline.

Instantly, each of them projected a phantom and sent it into the Xuanji Ring.

“In the Xuanji Ring, one can perceive the whole from the subtle.”

“To perceive one is to see the whole. If any of you wish to conceal your true abilities, I'm afraid it won't work,” Elder Shouqiu said cheerfully once all the Saints were present.

Hearing this, the expressions of the six new Saints remained unchanged, and they nodded in response.

The white circle's radiance transformed as if into a battlefield.

The Saints projected their phantoms, appearing like tiny specks of light.

Inside the Xuanji Ring, time seemed to accelerate countless times.

Moment by moment, the Saints' specks of light collided intensely and ceaselessly. At the Saint realm, even a mere phantom projection would require a protracted battle to determine a victor.

The Xuanji Ring, however, expedited this process.

Not long after, under the watchful eyes of the Saints, one speck of light first completely dimmed and was defeated.

Upon closer inspection, it was Xuanpin.

Li Fan revealed a helpless expression and shook his head slightly:

“Still recovering from severe injuries, what a pity.”

Xuanpin was the master of Shan Hai's vitality, and had moreover just recovered their Saintly power after traversing from the end of the Shan Hai realm. Being the weakest was well within the Saints' expectations.

As long as one possessed the divine ability to infuse true spirits, even if they were merely a mortal, the Saints would not be concerned.

Next to be eliminated, in succession, were Fangcun and Taiqi.

As for the final three Saints, they were locked in an intense, indecisive struggle. Within the Xuanji Ring, black and white energies crisscrossed, sometimes close, sometimes distant, sometimes separating, sometimes merging. When separated, they were sharp and aggressive. When merged, they became a seamless, impregnable whole.

Opposing them was a single spark of fire, dividing into billions, forming a sky full of strange gray flames. In this sea of gray fire, every wisp of flame seemed to possess its own consciousness. Even if destroyed, it could quickly regenerate from nothingness. It was inextinguishable; the more it was extinguished, the stronger it became.

The black and white energies and the gray fire were locked in a fierce contest, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

Beyond them, a shadow lurked. At times, it would transform into the black and white energies, ambushing the gray flames. At other times, it would become Jingui's fire, fiercely striking at the swirling Taiji.

And when both Daode and Jingui attacked simultaneously, the shadow would use their own methods against them. The continuous shadow, fighting one against two, managed to remain undefeated.

The three struggled against each other, and even though the Xuanji Ring repeatedly accelerated time, a clear winner wasn't immediately found.

“To be equally matched, this result is truly interesting,” the phantom of Ye Pan said with a light chuckle and a shake of his head.

“Their destiny has its own reasons,” Saint Guiming suddenly said out of the blue.

The smile on Ye Pan's face suddenly froze. He then showed a thoughtful expression. “I was originally thinking of letting it be. But since you've said that, then let's wait a bit longer. Let them truly decide the winner.”

Upon hearing the conversation between Guiming and Ye Pan, Li Fan also pondered to himself.

A strange silence fell upon the scene, broken only by the continuous flickering of light within the Xuanji Ring.

After an unknown amount of time, the balance between the three was finally broken.

It was the phantom of Baixiao who shouted loudly:

“Boring!”

He then voluntarily jumped out of the Xuanji Ring, his phantom dissipating into nothingness.

Baixiao's main body felt nothing amiss. He even showed an appreciative expression, as if thinking, “As expected of me.”

Of the remaining Daode and Jingui, the perfected Daode ultimately proved superior.

Thus, the strength ranking of the six new Saints was determined.

Li Fan suddenly spoke:

“Should we six have another match with our esteemed predecessors?” “That won’t be necessary,”

Xingcha replied.

As a wooden boat, laden with starlight, gently sailed into the Xuanji Ring.

The starlight erupted violently, like billions of stars shining simultaneously.

Instantly, it engulfed everything.

The black and white Daode energies transformed into a Taiji symbol, rotating incessantly.

It tried to resist the destructive starlight.

But ultimately, it was futile.

It was finally annihilated by the starlight.

Thus, the strongest among the six new Saints was effortlessly defeated by Xingcha.

Witnessing this scene, all six Saints fell silent.