Chapter 1680: Heart of the Celestial Ring

“That’s interesting.”

The intent swirling around the Grand Dao of Opportunity Theft seemed to be filled with resentment and an infinite yearning for the “Grand Dao of Truth and Falsehood.”

But all of it vanished completely with Li Fan's intervention, becoming pure Dao principles.

“What Opportunity Theft comprehended, though seemingly profound, was ultimately just a fantasy of someone who had never truly encountered the shifts between reality and illusion.”

After a long while, Li Fan, having thoroughly examined the remnant thoughts of Opportunity Theft, shook his head slightly.

“The stable foundation of all things, the shifts between reality and illusion, the balance of myriad wonders—these are all merely superficial aspects of the truth and falsehood transformations.”

“Much like the hall of the Grand Dao of Returning to Truth, which can reveal all Grand Daos under heaven and seems to encompass every principle within the mountains and seas. Yet, its true essence still lies in those four characters: 'Grand Dao of Returning to Truth'.”

“The true essence of the truth and falsehood transformations...”

“It is still those seven characters.”

As if sensing Li Fan’s thoughts, a line of small characters, “When the real becomes false, the false also becomes real,” suddenly appeared on the True Reality panel.

It seemed to contain infinite mysteries, then suddenly dissipated moments later, vanishing into the darkness.

“No matter how much more is said, it all boils down to a single thought of reality and illusion.”

“This is what is meant by 'the Grand Dao is utterly simple'.”

Of course, Li Fan had to admit that Opportunity Theft’s comprehension, to gain such insight the moment it touched True Reality, was indeed superior to his own.

Li Fan’s current understanding of the truth and falsehood transformations was built on gradual accumulation and contemplation through countless cycles of reincarnation.

“Being able to touch True Reality is one thing. Whether True Reality is willing to follow you is another matter entirely.”

Li Fan scoffed inwardly. On the 'Grand Dao of Returning to Truth' column, 'Fourth Opportunity Theft' instantly emitted a brilliant seven-colored light.

In an instant, as if he had become the Saint of Opportunity Theft, Li Fan scanned his surroundings and reached out towards a nearby void realm. The myriad strands of fortune that Opportunity Theft had released during its desperate struggle, some of which hadn't yet escaped far, were pulled back by Li Fan.

“Indeed, being imbued with fortune feels different.”

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, savoring the taste of immense good fortune.

“With my current comprehension of the Grand Dao of Cyclic Flow, I can achieve enlightenment and become a Saint on my own. Afterwards, I can try donning the mantle of Opportunity Theft again.”

“The power of dual sainthood may not necessarily mean a doubling of strength. But in actual combat, it provides an additional trump card.”

Having been in a perilous situation during his confrontation with Opportunity Theft, Li Fan was acutely aware of the deterrent power of the Grand Dao of Opportunity Theft.

“Actually, for me, Opportunity Theft is far less useful than the Grand Dao of Returning to Truth. But True Reality cannot easily appear before others, so I can use the name of Opportunity Theft as a guise.”

Beyond his insights into truth, falsehood, and opportunity theft, Li Fan also glimpsed an ancient legend within the residual thoughts.

“The Gods once left behind three contingencies?”

“If the second was True Reality and the Star, then what was the last one?”

Li Fan had personally been to the edge of the mountains and seas, witnessing their downfall and the arrival of the solitary star.

At that time, besides True Reality’s ability to turn the tide and contend with the Star, nothing else in the entire mountains and seas remained.

“It couldn’t possibly be me, could it?” Li Fan thought, half in jest.

He wanted to tentatively seek the answer from True Reality.

Unfortunately, True Reality remained as before, responding with silence.

Li Fan didn't mind.

As his strength gradually grew, enabling him to contend with and even slay Saints, he drew ever closer to the realm of the peak of the mountains and seas. “Presumably, it won't be long before I know all the answers.”

Li Fan shed the mantle of Opportunity Theft, allowing the myriad captured strands of fortune to dissipate once more.

With True Reality in hand, even immense good fortune paled in comparison.

“I wonder how things are with Lord Guardian of the Mounds.”

Having finally almost fully healed his hidden injuries, Li Fan swiftly sped away in the direction he had come from.

From afar, he sensed the tumultuous, wave-like aura of the Saints in combat.

He saw Lord Guardian of the Mounds, wielding the Three Saints' supreme treasures, facing the encirclement of Sundial Fate, Oracle Break, Karma Judgment, and Starcraft, yet not yielding an inch!

Lord Guardian of the Mounds stood firm, poised.

No matter how fate was altered, prophecies manipulated, or karmic judgments decreed, he remained oblivious and unshaken.

Starcraft seized every opportunity, unleashing a sky full of starlight, attempting to breach Lord Guardian of the Mounds' defenses.

Yet, it was effortlessly fended off by the Mountain Chain Staff and the Ocean Return Spade.

Meanwhile, the Sentient Being Rod appeared and disappeared unpredictably, occasionally materializing silently behind a Saint to deliver a blow to the head.

Although Lord Guardian of the Mounds was besieged, he also had opportunities to counterattack.

However, given the vast disparity in numbers, if the four Saints were determined to encircle him, he wouldn't be able to escape for a while.

At this moment, the battle was at its fiercest.

But Li Fan returned from the depths of the void realm!

Lord Guardian of the Mounds was overjoyed, while the other four Saints instantly froze. Since Cyclic Flow had returned, where were Suijun and Opportunity Theft?

It was known that the strength of these two surpassed that of the four Saints present.

If even they had met with misfortune...

The four Saints, including Starcraft, couldn't help but halt their attacks, their gazes fixed on the depths of the void realm.

They tried to locate the missing figures of Opportunity Theft and Suijun.

However, Li Fan’s words ruthlessly shattered their illusions.

“Suijun and Opportunity Theft have been executed! Why do you not surrender?”

Initially, the four Saints, including Starcraft, naturally regarded these words as a deception.

But as Opportunity Theft and Suijun still hadn't returned, the four Saints grew increasingly hesitant.

It couldn’t be that they had simply lost track of them, could it?

The four Saints exchanged glances.

“Stubborn fools. Don't blame me for showing no mercy.”

“Let me tell you, when I came here, the Three Saints granted me permission to ‘act without restraint and expediently.’ I had originally hoped you would help reshape the mountains and seas and jointly resist the Dao Annihilation. But now it seems...”

“You are not to be relied on.”

Li Fan spoke these words for Lord Guardian of the Mounds to hear.

Having spoken, he no longer concealed himself, revealing the aura of Opportunity Theft.

He took the lead, reaching out with an ethereal grasp towards Sundial Fate!

Sundial Fate instantly felt a cold, invisible hand gently caress its skull. It was immediately struck with terror and cried out in alarm, “The Grand Dao of Opportunity Theft?”

Opportunity Theft, the strongest among the Saints, had mysteriously vanished, yet its cultivated Grand Dao now manifested on Li Fan, the very person it had been pursuing.

What exactly had happened in the depths of the void realm? The outcome was self-evident!

Although it seemed incredibly unbelievable, Li Fan, after all, wielded the Three Saints' supreme treasures and carried their mission.

Who knew what other treasures the Three Saints had bestowed upon him besides the staff, spade, and rod?

The Three Saints' profound heritage was unfathomable.

Even if Opportunity Theft was the strongest among all Saints, it could still be easily suppressed by the Three Saints.

Recalling this, the four Saints, including Sundial Fate, hastily fled, scattering in all directions!

They left behind only Lord Guardian of the Mounds, who wore an equally astonished expression.

“Don't just stand there, Guardian of the Mounds. It will be too late once they come to their senses.”

After Li Fan spoke, his aura suddenly weakened.

Only then did Lord Guardian of the Mounds understand. He grabbed Li Fan and swiftly returned to the mountains and seas.

Amidst the chaotic currents of the mountains and seas, Li Fan explained the full story to Lord Guardian of the Mounds.

Naturally, there was both truth and fabrication in his account.

“So, you managed to slay Suijun and Opportunity Theft with the help of the Three Saints' supreme treasures, but you yourself were severely wounded,”

“And your Grand Dao of Cyclic Flow was utterly destroyed, leading you to instead comprehend the Grand Dao of Opportunity Theft?” Lord Guardian of the Mounds pondered and asked.

“Precisely. Knowing escape was futile, Opportunity Theft made a desperate last stand, abandoning the myriad strands of fortune it had seized and attempting to usurp my body's essence to escape certain death. It very nearly succeeded…” Li Fan said with lingering trepidation.

“That’s something it would do.” After a long silence, Lord Guardian of the Mounds sighed softly. “Opportunity Theft’s calculations were myriad, yet it didn’t know. I traversed from the end of the mountains and seas, having long cultivated the ability to rise from obscurity even if my cultivation were completely crippled. Lord Guardian of the Mounds, perhaps you don't know, but in the previous mountains and seas, I was originally a Profound Female Saint. However, after the mountains and seas reunited, two Profound Females appeared in this world. I was the later arrival and couldn't bear for us to turn against each other. So I voluntarily proposed to abandon my own Profound Female Grand Dao.”

“The Three Saints, considering my ability to infuse true spirits, then guided me to the Grand Dao of Cyclic Flow...”

This part, however, was not fabricated by Li Fan. It was something he had truly experienced in this life.

Lord Guardian of the Mounds nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, praising, “Fellow Daoist possesses great virtue! No wonder the Three Saints would entrust such a vital mission to you.”

Afterwards, the two discussed subsequent matters.

“Although the Three Saints did instruct me to act expediently, the mountains and seas are in turmoil and could be swallowed by the Dao Annihilation at any moment. I fear that the two of us alone cannot stabilize the situation. We still need the help of the four Saints, including Sundial Fate, and it would be unwise to engage in further killing,” Li Fan slowly said.

These words perfectly aligned with Lord Guardian of the Mounds' wishes.

After all, they had sat together within the Xuanji Ring for countless years; they had, to some extent, developed 'feelings' for each other.

“However, I’m unsure how exactly to make the four Saints willingly help reshape the mountains and seas. Ah, if only the Xuanji Ring were still intact,” Li Fan sighed, frowning.

Upon hearing this, Lord Guardian of the Mounds’ expression subtly shifted.

However, he didn't speak immediately. After careful consideration, he finally said, “Actually, to be precise, while we sat within the Xuanji Ring for countless years, the number of times it truly exerted its power was negligible.”

“After first experiencing the divine might of the Xuanji Ring, the Saints were subdued and could no longer harbor other intentions. They were forced to be of one mind and heart with the Three Saints.”

Li Fan’s eyes narrowed, and he immediately understood the hidden meaning in Lord Guardian of the Mounds' words.

“Although the Xuanji Ring is broken and we cannot restore it, as long as we make the Saints believe we still possess the Xuanji Ring, we can trick them into returning to their seats?”

“Based on my understanding of them, that is indeed true. At the very least, for a short period, they shouldn't detect any anomalies. That should be enough for us to work together to reshape and stabilize the collapsing mountains and seas.”

“Of course, the Xuanji Ring cannot be too fake. If it’s seen through at a glance, we won't be able to deceive them,” Lord Guardian of the Mounds slowly said.

“I wonder if any remnants of the Xuanji Ring remained after it shattered that day?” Li Fan asked.

Lord Guardian of the Mounds hesitated for a moment, seemingly lost in memory. After a good while, he replied with some uncertainty, “There should be. However, at that time, we were shaken by the fall of the Three Saints and didn't pay attention to the whereabouts of those fragments. But since the mountains and seas haven't fully fallen yet, the Xuanji Ring fragments should still be hidden within them.”

“Then we need to find them as soon as possible. Oh, by the way, I haven't seen the figure of Saint Emperor Taiwei since I arrived here. I wonder if he…” Li Fan suddenly asked.

Lord Guardian of the Mounds' expression darkened upon hearing this: “The fall of the Three Saints caused an earth-shattering commotion. Taiwei, sensing the anomaly, believed a great change had occurred on the other shore and rushed over to investigate. Unexpectedly, he was besieged by the Saints who had lost their restraints.”

“It was a deliberate ambush against an unprepared target… he couldn't hold on for long before he perished. Countless beings of the Taiwei Saint Dynasty also vanished along with him. This is also why I hid when you arrived. I witnessed their heinous deeds and didn't wish to associate with them, yet I couldn't stop them,” Lord Guardian of the Mounds sighed, full of sorrow.

Li Fan, in turn, offered comfort: “It’s alright. With me here, order will be restored from chaos. Everything will surely return to normal. When the mountains and seas are reunited, Saint Emperor Taiwei will be restored to his original state. The only cost will be a single instance of the power boost from the mountains and seas' reunification.”

Lord Guardian of the Mounds nodded slightly, assenting to Li Fan’s words.

Having resided within the Xuanji Ring for countless years, Lord Guardian of the Mounds was intimately familiar with its aura.

After a thorough search of the mountains and seas, dozens of Xuanji Ring fragments were quickly gathered.

To prevent the four Saints, including Sundial Fate, from discovering their plan, Li Fan intermittently revealed his presence during this time, drawing their attention.

Although the four Saints gradually grew suspicious of Li Fan’s words from that day, the fact remained that Opportunity Theft had fallen and Li Fan was alive.

Even with their suspicions, none were willing to be the first to act and test Li Fan's true capabilities.

Thus, they were indeed held in check by Li Fan.

“Presumably, these are all that are left,” Lord Guardian of the Mounds sighed softly, looking at the fragments before him.

Li Fan looked at the dozens of silently scattered white jade fragments before him, unable to discern any hint of their magnificent past, when they had once enveloped the other shore and commanded the mountains and seas.

He picked up one, examining it closely.

He couldn’t even discern its material.

“It seems that restoring it, or even just fabricating a replica, is far from as simple as I imagined.”

The Xuanji Ring truly lived up to its name. Li Fan observed it for a long time, yet he couldn't glean any clues about its workings.

“Indeed. The Xuanji Ring was jointly forged by the Three Saints. It could subtly influence even a Saint’s mind and was considered the pinnacle of creation in the mountains and seas. Apart from the Three Saints, no one else, even if they lived within it day and night, could possibly fathom its profound mysteries. Otherwise, if they had been trapped for so many years, wouldn’t they have found a way to escape long ago?”

“This is also why the Saints didn't actively collect the fragments after the Xuanji Ring shattered that day.”

“If I had personally witnessed the birth process of the Xuanji Ring, perhaps I could have attempted to replicate a portion of it. But when I entered the mountains and seas, the Xuanji Ring had already existed for a long time…”

As Lord Guardian of the Mounds spoke, his expression suddenly sharpened as he looked at the three treasures on Li Fan: the Mountain Chain Staff, the Ocean Return Spade, and the Sentient Being Rod.

Li Fan had previously given these three items to Lord Guardian of the Mounds to use in combat, and after Li Fan's return, Lord Guardian of the Mounds had voluntarily returned them.

Although in reality, these three treasures could unleash their greatest destructive power when wielded by Lord Guardian of the Mounds, Li Fan still retrieved them.

Seeing Lord Guardian of the Mounds’ gaze upon him at that moment, Li Fan's heart stirred.

He immediately summoned the three items, bowed respectfully, and solemnly declared, “Having traversed the mountains and seas and endured trials of life and death, I have finally found a way to break this deadlock. I hope you will not withhold your assistance.”

The three treasures had been with the Three Saints since their humble beginnings and possessed their own spiritual essence.

They had witnessed everything that transpired in both segments of the mountains and seas.

Now, facing Li Fan's request, after some deliberation, they seemed to reach a consensus.

The Mountain Chain Staff soared into the air, and dozens of Xuanji Ring fragments, as if drawn by a magnet, began to revolve around it.

Illusory images of continuous mountain ranges appeared one after another.

The Ocean Return Spade followed closely.

The illusory mountain and sea images merged, seemingly containing all laws and all Daos of the world.

Then, the Sentient Being Rod tapped repeatedly, and countless living beings slowly came into existence within the illusory mountains and seas.

The mountain and sea images created by the three treasures appeared as real as life.

They underwent the passage of time and the vicissitudes of ages.

And with each flicker of light and shadow, representing hundreds of millions of years, a beam of white light flew out from within.

Landing on the outer Xuanji Ring fragments!