Chapter 1672: Breaking the Deadlock and Revealing the Secret Mystery

Angry Squid:

The Great Dao of Mountains and Seas fundamentally has no physical form.

Yet, at this moment, under Li Fan's forceful tug, a vibrant long serpent seemed to leap out of thin air!

The serpent was originally in a balanced state, its head and tail interlinked.

Now, with Li Fan's external force disrupting this balance, it instinctively counterattacked.

Seven-colored light instantly enveloped Li Fan. Amidst the surging flow of myriad possibilities, after a brief flicker of light and shadow, it was as if an acceleration button had been pressed.

The following scenes then sequentially unfolded:

After the serpent was captured, it struggled to break free. However, despite the surging, vibrant light and strenuous resistance, it ultimately could not escape Li Fan's grasp. Li Fan, with a triumphant expression, looked at the now ethereal, seven-colored serpent before him and inhaled deeply.

The seven-colored mystical energy surged into his abdomen.

As if enlightened, Li Fan sat amidst the surging flow of countless possibilities in this place, his body gradually exuding the aura that originally belonged to the seven-colored serpent.

Beneath him, the countless possibilities that had been slowly losing their cyclical characteristics due to the suppression of the seven-colored serpent surprisingly regained their stability.

Li Fan became immersed, unable to extricate himself. As if petrified, he seemed to lose his own essence.

After countless ages, Li Fan's form solidified completely within this space-time. As if he had always belonged there, blending seamlessly with nature, the very existence of "Li Fan" gradually faded away.

The light and shadow continued to flicker rapidly, each instant representing the passage of hundreds of thousands of years.

Li Fan's last remaining image in the world eventually vanished, transforming into wisps of hazy, seven-colored energy. These gathered from all directions, eventually coalescing into a seven-colored serpent!

Like a newborn, it was unconsciously unaware. The serpent acted on instinct, its body slowly coiling until its head and tail connected, restoring its original form.

Like the countless cyclical possibilities beneath it, it was caught in an eternal loop.

As if a wisp of cloud drifted by, the serpent vanished into it without a trace.

The light and shadow distorted and continued to accelerate.

Thus, after an unknown number of years and countless cycles, the seven-colored serpent miraculously manifested its form once more from thin air. It was as if something inside its belly was constantly struggling, growing increasingly violent.

The serpent exploded into countless ashes, and a figure leaped forth. It was Li Fan, who had been trapped in this place for an unknown number of years.

As if he had forgotten his period of confinement, he returned to the moment he first entered this place.

Li Fan observed the hidden mysteries within the myriad cyclical possibilities, and his final choice was identical to his previous one.

He merged into one of the possibilities, choosing to break the cycle with his own body and force the seven-colored serpent that governed the cyclical changes out of its true form.

The action proceeded smoothly as before.

After the seven-colored serpent was captured, it struggled incessantly but ultimately could not escape Li Fan's refinement.

As the hazy energy entered his mouth, Li Fan sat down to comprehend the Dao.

An unknown number of years passed in a flash, and eventually, his body merged with this realm.

One cycle was like this, and so were thousands.

Li Fan, a hunter of the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas, was instead trapped within it.

It was as if he had fallen into an eternal loop!

The Other Shore.

Tai Yi, observing this scene from afar, chuckled softly, "Our Mountain and Sea Traveler seems to have encountered some trouble. Should we lend a hand?"

Guardian Qiu nodded, "Time and space are like a wheel, perpetually cycling between creation and destruction. This cyclical universe [Zhou Hui] did not exist from the inception of the Mountains and Seas; it was a survival adaptation under the immense pressure of Dao Annihilation. Although the Mountain and Sea Traveler possesses exceptional talent, after shedding the mantle of a Saint, he is ultimately just a transcendent cultivator. His predicament… is understandable."

Morality, having been enlightened to sainthood by Li Fan, couldn't help but defend him, saying, "Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see clearly. If we were in his shoes, we might not perform any better."

The Saints remained silent, neither refuting nor agreeing. However, Saint Lianshan suddenly broke the silence: "Let us wait a little longer. From my perspective, within this seemingly unchanging situation, there is also a variable. This Mountain and Sea Traveler is not as simple as you imagine. You have somewhat misjudged him."

Saint Lianshan even smiled silently, a rare occurrence.

The other Saints, hearing this, all showed expressions of surprise and looked back at the scene.

The Mountains and Seas Alliance, The Other Shore, now enveloped the entire current section of the Mountains and Seas.

Under the white light, the flow of time held no practical significance.

Furthermore, where Li Fan was located, the cycle was self-contained. Even if billions of years passed within it, it would not affect the grand trend of the Mountains and Seas.

It was fine for the Saints to wait a little longer.

Just as Saint Lianshan had said.

What appeared to be an endless cycle of reincarnation, however, secretly contained a variable.

And this variable was Li Fan's opportunity to escape his predicament!

Everything originated from the sword strike Li Fan unleashed when he first arrived, in order to find traces of Zhou Hui.

That sword strike severed one of the possibilities in this place. Time froze, then withered and passed.

And when Zhou Hui evolved, trapping Li Fan within its own cycle, to prevent Li Fan from noticing, It chose to incorporate Li Fan's instinctive action into the cycle.

Consequently, in every cycle, one possibility was destroyed by the sword at Li Fan's fingertips.

Although countless possibilities surged here, and despite destruction, new possibilities still emerged.

But as Li Fan completely integrated into Zhou Hui, each cycle became smoother.

The speed of reincarnation accelerated, and the rate at which Li Fan destroyed possibilities already exceeded the rate of regeneration.

No matter how Zhou Hui tried, it was ultimately difficult to maintain balance. If this continued, the outcome was already predetermined: the myriad surging possibilities here would ultimately be completely destroyed by Li Fan's hand.

And having lost the core of its cycle, the reincarnation here was destined to collapse.

And if Zhou Hui chose to forcefully resist...

The outcome, however, remained unchanged.

It would merely mean Li Fan would be trapped for a longer time.

Ultimately, it would lead to an outcome of complete destruction.

Gradually understanding its predicament, the Zhou Hui Dao made its choice.

At the start of another cycle, just as Li Fan captured the seven-colored serpent, swallowed the hazy energy, and was about to fall into Dao comprehension...

...a much smaller, fleeting streak of seven-colored light appeared.

It sought to escape silently.

In the next moment, it was about to leap out of the surging flow of cyclical possibilities and hide within the boundless Mountains and Seas.

Just at this moment, Li Fan, who should have been immersed in Dao comprehension, suddenly opened his eyes.

Expressionless, he gently pinched with two fingers.

His two fingers, like a lock, firmly trapped the Dao of Zhou Hui.

The tiny colorful serpent was suddenly trapped, startled and enraged.

It tried to manifest the cyclical light and shadow again to trap Li Fan once more.

But since he had already broken free from the grand cycle, how could Li Fan repeat the same mistake?

"If you had been more decisive and chosen to escape when I first arrived, I might truly have had no way to deal with you."

"After countless cycles of attrition with me, you chose to sacrifice a part of yourself to survive…" "Hmph! It's too late!"

He gathered the Dao of Zhou Hui into his palm.

Li Fan lowered his gaze, slowly refining it.

Beneath him, the surging flow of myriad cyclical possibilities gradually fell into a frozen state, having lost their source of cyclical power.

Soon after, they would face complete annihilation.

Having already comprehended it countless times in the cycles, he was adept. This time, in just a dozen breaths, Li Fan had completely integrated this Great Dao of Mountains and Seas into himself.

A profound and mysterious aura slowly emanated from Li Fan.

At this moment, Li Fan re-entered the realm of a Saint!

Opening his eyes, Li Fan saw the myriad possibilities below, on the verge of collapsing, and gently pointed a finger.

With the infusion of Zhou Hui's power, the previously frozen possibilities surged forth once more.

However, this cycle would not continue indefinitely like the previous one.

Instead, through repeated cycles, it would gradually find its ultimate direction and embrace its final destiny.

But this was no longer related to Li Fan.

Donning the Saint's mantle once more, Li Fan looked up and seemed to vaguely see the Saints of the Other Shore smiling at him.

Li Fan took a deep breath, forcefully sweeping away the sense of stagnation caused by his long immersion in the cycles. He leaped, traversed the boundless Mountains and Seas, and returned to the Other Shore.

He had been away for countless ages, yet within the Xuanji Ring, there was no change whatsoever.

"I apologize for making you all wait," Li Fan said, expressing slight apology.

The Saints looked at Li Fan, who had once again ascended to sainthood, with various expressions.

"It seems Saint Lianshan was right; we all underestimated you. Hahahaha…" Tai Yi said with a laugh. Li Fan did not understand, so Guardian Qiu recounted in detail everything that had transpired on the Other Shore after his departure.

"It was merely a stroke of luck," Li Fan said, feeling somewhat abashed.

"Why be modest? Escaping from this endless cycle and even subduing the Zhou Hui Dao is something we might not easily achieve. Mountain and Sea Traveler, you are truly worthy of the title," Gui Hai, who rarely spoke, offered in praise.

Li Fan did not argue further.

He knew his own affairs best.

This capture of the Zhou Hui Dao, though seemingly effortless, was in fact extremely perilous.

Initially, when Li Fan's consciousness was clouded and he fell into that endless cycle, he truly did not perceive his situation.

It can only be said that for those in the Transcendent realm, the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas is truly an overpowering force.

Because of that unintentional sword strike that severed a possibility, Li Fan was destined not to be trapped forever. Therefore, from beginning to end, Zhen did not step forward to remind him. After all, compared to the eons Zhen had experienced, Li Fan's "endless" cycles here were almost like an "instant."

Having lost his "cheat code," Li Fan's consciousness was clouded, and he was trapped in the situation without realizing it.

If no turning point had emerged, then even if the Zhou Hui Dao had chosen to escape later, Li Fan would not have noticed.

Instead, he would have continued to remain in that cyclical possibility, eventually awakening only when the cycle completely collapsed.

He had intended to capture the Great Dao of Mountains and Seas, but was instead toyed with by it.

And all under the observation of the Saints.

Although the Saints certainly wouldn't stand by, the situation at that point would definitely not be as proactive as it was now.

What truly made Li Fan awaken was his own "intuition."

In cycle after cycle, Li Fan repeatedly experienced the same events, leading to increasingly frequent sensations of déjà vu.

At first, it was very subtle.

But later, it was as if he could clearly "foresee" future events, like a clairvoyant. Although Li Fan's "intuition" had always been very accurate, it had never reached such a level. This made Li Fan suspicious, and he gradually regained his awareness.

But he kept it hidden, pretending to still be immersed.

Because after discerning the whole situation, Li Fan also realized that due to his initial subconscious sword strike, this cycle would inevitably fail to sustain itself as long as he was involved.

Leading to an opportunity for its collapse.

There was no need to break the cycle; if he waited long enough, it would break on its own!

Like a patient hunter, Li Fan waited for the opportune moment.

It was only when Zhou Hui chose to 'shed its skin' (escape) that he decisively launched his attack.

He suppressed and refined it in one fell swoop.

Of course, it seemed as if Li Fan had absorbed Zhou Hui and attained sainthood.

In reality, this Great Dao of Mountains and Seas had entered Zhen's stomach.

On Zhen's panel, under the 'Dao Reversion' column,

After 'First Xuan Pin', a new line of characters appeared:

Second Shen Hui.

Brilliant light and vibrant colors intertwined within it. One could vaguely discern a seven-colored wandering dragon coiling above it.

For Li Fan, feeding Zhou Hui to Zhen was clearly the better option.

Firstly, although he had suppressed and refined Zhou Hui, with his current aptitude, truly achieving sainthood through it would not be quick. It would similarly require long periods of experience and refinement. This did not align with the "persona" of a "Mountain and Sea Traveler" who could swiftly rise from obscurity whenever they crossed into new Mountains and Seas.

Secondly…

In a sense, Zhen's consumption of it was no different from Li Fan himself comprehending the Dao to achieve sainthood. After the Zhou Hui Dao reverted to its true form, Li Fan could now choose to disguise himself as a Saint.

Whether it was Xuan Pin or Zhou Hui, he could choose either one.

Furthermore, with the blessing of the 'Following the Heart Transformation', he could switch seamlessly. One moment he was a Xuan Pin Saint,

the next second,

he would become the unfathomable

Zhou Hui. Such divine ability was already beyond the reach of ordinary Saints.

As for Li Fan wanting to achieve both...

With his current strength, it seemed he could not yet achieve it.

However, Li Fan had a vague premonition that as he grew stronger in the future, the combined power of two Saints applied to his body might not be unattainable.

Ultimately, it came down to that same old saying.

Everything was merely Li Fan's limit, not Zhen's limit.

"Subduing the Zhou Hui Dao is just an ordinary matter."

"As I step into the Saint realm, the wandering Daos of Mountains and Seas are destined to gradually fall into my grasp."

"It's not worth mentioning."

"But that intuition…"

Li Fan recalled once more the moment he awoke from the endless cycle.

"Initially, I indeed thought that the vague premonition was my intuition at work. These two feelings were too similar, almost indistinguishable."

"But it was later proven that the so-called intuition was merely my residual memories from repeated cycles. However…"

"If it's like this in the endless cycles, then what about in the real Mountains and Seas?"

Endless doubts welled up in Li Fan's heart.

Ever since he first embarked on the path of cultivation, Li Fan had benefited from his incredibly sharp intuition.

Under its guidance, he had repeatedly turned dangers into safety and avoided perilous situations.

Previously, Li Fan instinctively believed that this was his own intuition, a personal characteristic like his boundless true spirit.

But after this experience, Li Fan couldn't help but ponder further.

"Is it also my residual memory?"

"Is it just that my number of cycles hasn't been that many yet, so my intuition only appears intermittently and only functions at critical moments—that is, when I have a profound impression?"

"Mountains and Seas, Star, Zhen…"

Before Li Fan's eyes, the scene of Zhen forcing back Star and instantly resetting the Mountains and Seas seemed to reappear.

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