Chapter 1703: Swallowing Mountains and Devouring Seas Technique

Angry Squid

As if plucking the strings of an instrument, Li Fan attempted to alter the rules of this world with his two fingers.

He thought, "With the power to devour mountains and seas, I will weave a colossal net. It will evolve into a world, compelling all creatures ensnared within to fight desperately, to the very last breath..."

"When creatures fall within the net, it will instinctively absorb them."

Li Fan then looked again at the two sides locked in mortal combat on the battlefield.

As if after their demise, one luminous orb after another drifted forth. Each represented the life force, principles, and innate potential held by the creatures on the battlefield during their lives.

Perhaps not the entirety of their essence, but certainly the most potent and vital aspects, unleashed in the desperate throes of life and death, where every potential was ignited.

On the mountains of corpses and seas of blood formed by the great battle, countless luminous orbs of varying sizes ascended, drifting into the overarching net that spanned the heavens and earth. The sight was unsettlingly bizarre.

Li Fan appeared mesmerized, repeatedly moving his fingers, attempting to alter the trajectory of the luminous orbs.

Despite repeated failures, he never gave up.

By the time this major conflict concluded, though Li Fan had yet to achieve a single success, a quiet confidence had begun to emerge in his eyes.

As was his custom, he kept nothing for himself.

Instead, he redistributed the gains recovered from the brutal fighting amongst the enlightened beings.

The surviving enlightened beings, for their part, displayed no particular gratitude towards Li Fan; they simply seized every opportunity to recover and fortify themselves.

As indigenous inhabitants of this world, they keenly understood that each subsequent battle would inevitably be more brutal than the last, until they were utterly annihilated.

Yet, their primal instinct for survival forbade them from yielding.

Even with the slimmest glimmer of hope, they would continue the struggle!

He mused, "This is an intrinsic quality bestowed upon them by the Net of So, entirely unrelated to any influence of mine. It actually works to my advantage."

Before the enlightened beings had even fully recuperated, the next wave of enemies descended upon them.

"Form ranks and repel the enemy!"

Li Fan’s divine consciousness rippled outwards.

Within the minds of the enlightened beings, an intricate and mysterious formation simultaneously materialized.

Though its underlying principles were beyond their comprehension, this did not prevent them from orderly entering the formation.

With Li Fan serving as the central core of the formation, all enlightened beings were linked together. Their collective killing intent congealed, forming a crimson cloud that soared skyward, shrouding the heavens.

This formation was devised by Li Fan, drawing upon the synergistic qualities of the Xuanji Ring.

Empowered by the grand formation, the enlightened beings shared senses, functioning as a single entity.

While it offered no direct boost to their individual strength or cultivation level, it invisibly unified countless combatants into a cohesive whole.

They no longer had to fear being attacked from behind; their companions' support invariably arrived at the most crucial moment.

From fighting as individuals, they now spontaneously organized into countless small units, efficiently encircling and annihilating their foes.

The dynamics of the battlefield shifted instantaneously.

What had previously been a brutal clash between evenly matched adversaries now, with the emergence of this formation, transformed into a one-sided massacre.

Li Fan had long anticipated this outcome, his attention consistently fixed on the firmament of this world.

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing this technique!"

Only after their victory, when the enlightened beings roared in unison, did he subtly shift his gaze.

"The defeated remains can be consumed."

Li Fan gestured towards the blood-soaked battlefield and spoke indifferently.

The enlightened beings were all momentarily stunned.

However, having been created specifically for mortal combat, they were not particular about such matters.

Upon receiving Li Fan's instruction, they promptly began to feast voraciously.

They quickly cleared the ravaged battlefield.

Beyond offering a slight satiation, the remains on the battlefield appeared to offer little significant benefit.

This was true for the vast majority of enlightened beings.

Yet, there were a few exceptions.

"You, and you, and you."

"Come forward."

Li Fan singled them out, and three to five figures swiftly flew before him, respectfully kneeling.

Although Li Fan's outward cultivation still appeared to be that of a mere mortal, the subtle aura imperceptibly emanating from him instilled an instinctive sense of trembling submission within them.

They dared not show the slightest disrespect.

"I see."

After a prolonged observation, Li Fan suddenly uttered this remark, though it was unclear what he had perceived.

Moments later, one of the kneeling figures abruptly exploded without warning, fragmenting into bloody pieces.

"Consume this."

Li Fan commanded the remaining figures.

Their bodies trembled slightly, but they did not hesitate, promptly devouring the fragments.

Only this time, as they consumed, Li Fan's fingers intermittently traced subtle patterns in the air.

It was as if he were touching something unseen, or perhaps playing a melody.

As the flesh was consumed, the kneeling figures were all strengthened to varying degrees.

At that moment, the next wave of enemies surged forth.

"Attack!"

Without a word, Li Fan simply gave the command, and the enlightened creations once again clashed with the ferocious entities from the Net of So.

This time, Li Fan gained no further advantage. The strength of these newly evolved creations had clearly factored in the synergistic boost of the unified formation.

Their power significantly surpassed that of the previous enemy wave.

However, the slight strengthening gained by the enlightened beings from their prior consumption of flesh and blood had not been accounted for in the enemy's calculations.

This oversight resulted in Li Fan’s side still maintaining a slight advantage in the overall situation.

Furthermore...

As the slaughter raged, Li Fan’s thoughts resonated ceaselessly once more.

The enlightened beings were astonished to discover that as their enemies fell, subtle, indefinable energies were captured and absorbed by them.

Some merely enhanced their vitality and cultivation, while others contained fleeting insights and memories of divine abilities and Daoist techniques! Though initially ignorant, the enlightened beings’ intelligence steadily grew following Li Fan’s awakening of them. They possessed an innate aptitude for divine powers and combat techniques.

Without any direct instruction from Li Fan, many of them instantly grasped the embedded memories.

Even the few who initially remained confused quickly deciphered the mysteries through shared understanding with their comrades.

What began as a mere contest of raw strength and vitality gradually saw the manifestation of divine abilities.

The conflict swiftly concluded.

If the initial state was one of slight advantage, then once the enlightened beings began awakening their divine powers, the tide of battle turned into an overwhelming rout.

Having reaped benefits, the enlightened beings became like ravenous wolves and tigers, fiercely contending for the remaining spoils on the battlefield.

However, with too little to go around for too many, the remnants were far from sufficient.

Consequently, they began to anticipate the next incoming wave of enemies with an unprecedented eagerness!

A peculiar emotion and atmosphere began to linger and grow within their hearts.

After their initial bewilderment, they quickly understood: this was the good fortune bestowed upon them by Li Fan.

Thus, they all knelt respectfully, signifying their deference and submission.

"Rise."

"I do not require your prostration. What I need is..."

"For you to join me in tearing apart this sky!"

Li Fan pointed towards the celestial canopy of the Net of So and stated calmly.

A difficult-to-resolve emotion seemed to be accumulating within him. After a moment of profound silence, the enlightened beings roared collectively towards the heavens.

For a moment, their voices reverberated through the cosmos and echoed to the highest heavens.

Concurrently, a shadowy flicker seemed to pass across the sky.

Subsequently, endless dark clouds began to converge.

Fierce winds began to whip up, and thunder roared.

This was the Net of So's response.

While the enlightened beings’ army had indeed made significant strides in power, as long as they did not exceed the Net of So’s upper limit of tolerance, it could always generate enemies to match them.

True to form, the next wave of evolved ferocious entities proved significantly more powerful than the last.

This was so much so that the recently strengthened enlightened beings almost felt as if they hadn't grown stronger at all.

Without any guidance from Li Fan, they spontaneously began to exert themselves, attempting to absorb and strengthen themselves even amidst the fighting.

Meanwhile, in Li Fan’s perception, within this world’s vast Net of So, another, smaller net appeared to be weaving and coalescing.

"Still not enough."

After observing for a prolonged period, Li Fan suddenly spoke.

And so, he raised the stakes again.

"Your inherent nature is chaotic and ignorant. Thus, while you can slay foes by instinct, you will ultimately fall short."

"I possess a method that can be imparted to all living beings."

"Absorb the spiritual essence of heaven and earth to gather vital energy. Utilize the wonders of heaven and earth to forge a Dao foundation…"

As Li Fan spoke, sentence by sentence, the gaze of the countless enlightened beings present subtly shifted as they observed the surrounding world of the Net of So.

It was as if they now perceived the world like the discarded remnants of a battlefield.

Everywhere, there was an intoxicating fragrance, a delightful allure.

This world had been crafted by So, mimicking its previous consumption of the Primordial Immortal Realm. Truly, it was a place where wonders abounded, and treasures lay everywhere.

Yet, all of it was now transforming into cultivation resources for the enlightened beings.

"Devouring mountains and seas..."

"Who cannot accomplish that?"

"If it does not change again, even with the foundation of the Primordial Immortal Realm, it will inevitably meet the same fate as the ancient Xuanhuang Realm."

Li Fan regarded it with a cold gaze.

While borrowing the name of the ancient Xuanhuang's teaching method, it was, in fact, an entirely different cultivation technique.

The reason the enlightened beings could truly succeed in devouring this world was...

...entirely due to Li Fan's deconstruction of the Net of So before him.

The essence of the Net of So was another materialization of So's past act of devouring mountains and seas. Li Fan, with the True Reality still in hand, had witnessed countless transformations between the illusory and real aspects of mountains and seas.

Especially after being bolstered by Shouqiu and the synergistic unity of morality, his comprehension of the transformations between reality and illusion, while perhaps not yet fully mastered, had certainly reached a preliminary stage of proficiency.

It must be noted that Shouqiu once, with a single thought, eradicated thousands of saintly illusory avatars, and he himself could achieve sainthood through the illusory forms of mountains and seas.

Since this world originated from mountains and seas, Li Fan’s deconstruction of it was not overly difficult.

The true challenge lay in locating So, who remained hidden behind the scenes.

Therefore, Li Fan had been waiting for So to rewrite the rules once more.

Change begets vulnerability.

From being able to only devour evolved ferocious entities, they had now ascended to the ability to consume the world itself.

The implications of this were entirely different.

So, possessing the power to devour mountains and seas, naturally understood this principle perfectly.

Indeed, as Li Fan had stated, if the rules were not altered and these enlightened beings were allowed to continue their rampaging, the net would likely soon shatter into pieces.

Representing So’s will, dramatic changes abruptly surged through the heavens and earth.

Ten thousand streaks of lightning simultaneously appeared, instantly illuminating the dim world.

The lightning did not merely flash and vanish; instead, it slowly filled the firmament as if frozen in place.

Like myriad fissures, or countless threads.

They densely covered the entire sky.

Moments later, an endless stream of creatures poured forth from these fissures.

Their sole targets were Li Fan and his army of enlightened creations!

Even if they had no concept of fear, the enlightened creations, upon witnessing this scene, couldn't help but feel their bodies stiffen.

It was truly as their Master had said: the sky had been torn open by them.

But...

The sheer number of enemies appearing simultaneously was simply overwhelming! Faced with such a terrifying quantitative disparity, no matter how fiercely they struggled, they would likely be effortlessly crushed into fragments.

"What good is anything now?"

"It’s merely a desperate struggle. Killing one is breaking even; killing two is a massive gain."

Just as their spirits faltered, Li Fan’s voice resonated within their minds once more.

Allowing them to barely regain their composure.

They contracted their defensive line, gathering in one spot to collectively face the surging enemy.

However, the disparity in strength between the two sides was simply too vast.

The army of enlightened creations crumbled upon contact.

This was no longer the Net's usual method of forcing a deathmatch before absorption; it had become an outright purge.

Li Fan disregarded the rapidly vanishing army of enlightened creations around him.

He even ignored the ferocious entities from the Net of So that were on the verge of assaulting him.

"I’ve found you at last!"

A cold gleam appeared in his eyes, and his actions mirrored those of the Saint Emperor Taiwei before him.

He extended his hands and tore forcefully.

Yet, it was more than mere imitation of the Saint Emperor’s actions.

The Saint Emperor’s desperate strike had only exposed So, hidden behind the scenes.

But Li Fan’s true intention was to carve a portion of its very essence for himself!

Not for the mountains and seas, but solely for himself.

"I wonder how the Dao path wielded by the first Saint of Mountains and Seas differs from what it is today!"

"The path of devouring mountains and seas—this resonates perfectly with my intentions!"

A boundless illusory realm was separated by a vast distance, connected only by the subtle network of mountains and seas.

What the Saints within the Xuanji Ring on the other shore perceived was entirely through the images transmitted by Li Fan.

Li Fan had no fear whatsoever of revealing his own secrets. With a single thought, reality and illusion shifted.

"Since you have arrived, do not depart."

Li Fan, in his mere mortal form, was infinitesimally small and unremarkable amidst the monstrous tide of billions.

Yet, without any apparent movement from him, all monsters that approached vanished in an instant.

As if they had been invisibly wiped away.

Without a single exception.

As Li Fan slowly paced, he gradually ascended into the sky.

Within the pervasive dark cloud of monsters, a long and massive void appeared with his every step.

Even with their programmed fearlessness, witnessing such an uncanny sight, the Net of So's evolved creations instinctively recoiled, unwilling to foolishly rush to their demise.

Beyond the shock of the instantaneous erasure caused by the shift between reality and illusion, the fundamental reason for their hesitation lay with their creator.

So, too, simultaneously experienced a tremor of fear.

Even the power of devouring mountains and seas could vanish in an instant before the transformations of reality and illusion.

So was a supreme predator, and equally cautious.

Facing Li Fan, whose origins were unknown yet who wielded unimaginable divine powers, it made a decision almost instantly.

This mountain and sea realm could no longer be inhabited.

Even a devastating loss was preferable to annihilation.

As if time, once frozen, now resumed, the previously suspended electrical light in the sky of this world slowly dissipated.

The world began to fragment, and the shadow that had lurked behind the scenes seemed to be receding.

As for the evolved ferocious entities...

...they had already become a grand feast for the remaining enlightened creations.

"Master’s divine power is unparalleled; he keeps his word! He truly led us to tear apart this firmament!"

Their hearts filled with immense excitement, they hunted the surrounding evolved entities with all their might.

The strength of some evolved entities even far surpassed their own.

Yet, at this moment, they appeared to have lost all purpose, standing inertly in place.

Allowing themselves to be slaughtered and then consumed.

"Truly, following the right person is paramount."

A nascent understanding began to burgeon within the minds of the enlightened creations.