Li Fan shouldn't have been able to cultivate at all.
Back when he first journeyed from the Great Xuan to Glazed Glass Island, the Celestial Mortal Miasma poisoning his body should have completely blocked his path.
It was only through the combined effects of the Xuanhuang Pure Heart Mantra and the Purifying Spirit Pond that he had been able to begin his cultivation journey.
And as the miasma was purged from his body, the Xuanhuang Pure Heart Mantra had transformed, becoming the Xuanhuang Heart Refining Mantra.
This mantra, the Xuanhuang Mantra, became the foundation of his cultivation, his anchor, growing stronger with each breakthrough, its power supporting his ever-increasing strength, like pillars supporting a massive structure.
But in his previous life, when he had disseminated the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra, sharing it with the world… those pillars had weakened, their power diluted.
His true self's foundation, however, wasn't solely reliant on the mantra. It was also anchored by the True Return and the accumulated knowledge and experience of countless lifetimes. The effect on him had been… minimal.
But his fragments, his other selves, especially the weaker ones, had been significantly affected.
And it wasn't just him.
The mantra itself, its power spread thin, its essence diluted… it had become less effective.
The performance of the Azure Profound Army and the Great Qi Imperial Guard in the previous life, those who had cultivated the mantra, was a testament to this weakening. While they had maintained their discipline, their composure, amidst the chaos… they had fallen far short of the true potential of the Immortal Heart Mantra – the ability to endure a thousand lifetimes of tribulation, their hearts unwavering.
Having returned to this point in time, with the mantra once again his and his alone, he could feel the difference, its power now… concentrated. Undiluted.
"The Dao… it cannot be shared…"
"This isn't just some arbitrary restriction imposed by the Xuanhuang World's Heavenly Dao. It's a… fundamental principle. A tradition, perhaps. Something from the Celestial Realm."
"And it's not just about sharing techniques. It's also connected to… the position of Grand Celestial Venerable."
There was no doubt that the Immortal Heart Mantra, imparted by Master Bai to counter the reversed laws of the Xuanhuang World, originated from the Grand Celestial Venerable.
Appointed by the Celestial Realm, the Grand Celestial Venerable wielded immense power, controlling the Celestial Artifacts, overseeing the Xuanhuang World.
But it wasn't a position without… constraints.
The Watcher served as a… counterbalance, a check on their power. And inheriting the mantle also meant inheriting the Celestial Realm's… rules. Its punishments.
As he reviewed the events of his previous life, he remembered Sun Tianci, consumed by the Heartfire of Failure.
"Even with the path to immortality severed, the Celestial Realm's… failsafe… it still functions."
"The Immortal Heart Mantra's inability to be widely disseminated… that must be one of the restrictions placed upon the Grand Celestial Venerable."
He recalled the artifacts Sun Tianci had inherited.
The Great Sun Golden Bell, the Void Azure Lamp, the Purple Qi Dream Weaving Shuttle, and the Primordial Five Elements Disc.
And the concentrated ball of Celestial Spiritual Qi, extracted from the artifacts Master Bai had detonated.
"Passing the trials within the Fallen Immortal Realm… that wasn't the end. There was a… probationary period."
"Before the severing of the path to immortality, this period was for the Celestial Realm to… review the candidate. To officially appoint them."
"Now… that's no longer possible. But the process remains. If, after three years, there's no response from the Celestial Realm, the candidate is automatically approved. And unless something… catastrophic happens, like the destruction of the Xuanhuang World, they gain full access to the Grand Celestial Venerable's power."
"But until then…"
The Celestial Artifacts remained dormant, unusable. That was one of the reasons why Sun Tianci had been so easily swayed by Li Fan's fragment.
He hadn't possessed the power to resist Legacy Transmission. Not yet.
"According to Sun Tianci, those Celestial Artifacts… they have no spirit vessels. Without Celestial Spiritual Qi, the Grand Celestial Venerable can only activate them using the restrictions placed upon them by the Celestial Realm, consuming the artifacts' own power."
"They are… consumables. By the time Master Bai gathered them, they had already been used countless times. Their remaining power… it was… uncertain."
"But they are still Celestial Artifacts. To leave them unused… that would be a waste. This time… I will claim them. And that concentrated ball of Celestial Spiritual Qi…"
Having used Celestial Spiritual Qi to construct the world-destroying formation, he now understood its true power, its potential.
Within his mindscape, the Terminal Dissociation Butterfly pulsed with a vibrant, multi-hued light, its power growing, its understanding of the Dao deepening.
True Celestial formations, complex and powerful, were being simulated, their creation, their function, their destruction, analyzed, dissected, their secrets laid bare.
The data gathered during the Xuanhuang World's destruction had been invaluable, a catalyst for the Butterfly's evolution. It could now simulate Celestial formations as easily as it had once simulated mortal formations, adapting to his needs, its creativity limitless.
Though the process was slow, the computational cost immense, the Butterfly's simulated personality managed it efficiently, ensuring it didn't interfere with his cultivation.
Its current focus was on… downgrading the Celestial formations. Reducing their power requirements, making them less reliant on Celestial Spiritual Qi.
Celestial Spiritual Qi… it was a rare and precious resource. He couldn't create it on a large scale. Even the amount he could potentially acquire from the Grand Celestial Venerable's legacy wouldn't be enough for his plans.
But Source Power Essence… that was almost limitless.
If he could modify the Celestial formations to utilize Source Power Essence, it would solve many of his problems. He wouldn't need to rely on the unpredictable nature of the Sacred Emperor persona to counter Legacy Transmission and the Healer.
He could handle them himself.
He had witnessed their true strength, their limits, in his previous life. He knew what he was up against.
"As long as I don't push them too hard, with the power of Celestial formations… I should be able to… persuade them to… cooperate."
He remembered the translucent figure that had emerged from Legacy Transmission's dissolving body. The chaos of the storm had made it difficult to see clearly. But he had sensed… a familiar aura.
"Perhaps… this time… I can investigate."
The True Immortal avatar's descent, its casual dismissal of the Xuanhuang World, its inhabitants reduced to insignificant ants…
Mao Bao's appearance, its effortless consumption of the avatar…
The gulf between the Xuanhuang World and the world beyond the Wall… it was vast, seemingly insurmountable.
But that didn't mean the Xuanhuang World was worthless.
He had once been a mortal Grand Preceptor, his power insignificant compared to the Eternal Celestial Venerables of the Xuanhuang World.
But after one hundred and twenty-six lifetimes, he had turned them into pawns.
So, they could hunt True Immortals?
Give him another one hundred and twenty-six lifetimes, and he would be hunting them.
But the world beyond the Wall… it was still an unknown. A mystery he hadn't yet solved.
And he wasn't strong enough to venture beyond its confines. Not yet.
He had to be patient. He had to follow his plan.
…
Lost in thought, he completed another carving of Mao Bao.
He glanced at the other carvings, neatly arrayed around his cabin. Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine in total, filling the small space, their presence… stifling.
A flicker of flame appeared on his fingertip, which he flicked towards the pile of wooden cats.
The flame erupted, engulfing the carvings, their forms twisting and contorting as they were consumed by the fire, but the flames didn't spread, their heat contained, their destructive power focused solely on their intended targets.
The carvings vanished, leaving behind no smoke, no ash, as if they had never existed.
He watched the flames die down, the countless images of Mao Bao reflected in his eyes fading, dissolving into nothingness.
After a long silence, he turned away, his gaze falling upon the True Return panel.
It shimmered, its surface reflecting the familiar characters.
…
[Simulation Complete]
[Choose one of the following to retain:]
[1. One item from this simulation.]
[2. Your cultivation level from this simulation.]
[3. The memories of a close associate from this simulation. (These memories can be inherited by the chosen individual.)]
[4. Forgo a reward to accelerate energy regeneration.]
But beneath these familiar words, a new line of text appeared, its characters shimmering, their light flickering erratically, like the distorted "fog" he had seen during his last merging process.
[New variable detected. You may choose an additional reward.]
"A new variable…"
He wasn't in a hurry. He had waited three years. He could wait a little longer.
He considered the message carefully, his mind racing, analyzing its implications.
He had known, ever since he discovered that consuming Heavenly Wonders, Grotto-Heavens, even Eternal Remnant Will, could accelerate the True Return's energy regeneration, that it was… evolving. Growing. Learning.
Like a living being, it consumed, it absorbed, it… fed.
Heavenly Wonders, entire worlds, even his own experiences, his memories…
…they were all… nourishment.
But once consumed, they held no further interest for the True Return.
He was certain that even if he encountered that… civilization beyond the Wall again, without any new, significant discoveries, this… bonus reward… it wouldn't reappear.
He wasn't particularly interested in this additional reward.
He could obtain it later, in another lifetime.
What truly intrigued him… was the True Return's… reaction.
Before, it had only offered rewards when it had benefited, when its own power had increased.
But this time… a mere… anomaly, a "new variable," had been enough to trigger its… generosity.
This unexpected reward… it was a lure, a temptation, urging him towards the world beyond the Wall.
It was a promise. A guarantee that something valuable, something… essential, awaited him there.
And any change, any evolution of the True Return, his most powerful weapon, his greatest advantage… it would benefit him immensely.
He couldn't ignore such a… tantalizing prospect.
But as he had decided before, the world beyond the Wall was dangerous. He had to be careful.
"Alone… reaching that world… it's too risky."
"But the Xuanhuang World… it has proven its potential. Time and time again."
"With its help… with the help of its inhabitants… my chances of success… they will increase significantly."
The first step to escaping this desolate Star Sea was to transcend the Wall.
And even that… it would likely require multiple attempts.
The Wall had held the Star Sea's inhabitants captive for millennia. Master Bai's plan, to use the power of Celestial Artifacts to breach it… it was just a theory.
The legends of the Heavenly Sword Sect, the Demon Race, even the Ten Immortal Sects, their attempts to transcend the Wall… there was no proof of their success.
If any faction within the Dark Star Sea had successfully transcended the Wall during these past millennia…
…it was likely… the Shang Celestial Barge.
He remembered the Sacred Embryo's reaction to Ai Tianjue's words.
"He wanted to… crash the Celestial Barge into the Wall. To break free from this Star Sea."
"Did he succeed?" The Sacred Embryo had asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Ai Tianjue had been silent for a long time, then he had said, his voice heavy with a strange mixture of awe and… fear, "If they hadn't… why would we, the Xuan Celestial Barge, treat the very name 'Shang Celestial Barge' as… a taboo?"
"They… they succeeded?" The Sacred Embryo had been stunned, his mind reeling.
"The two halves of the Xuanshang Celestial Barge… they are… connected. We would know… if they had been destroyed. Or if they had… escaped."
"They're still out there. Beyond the Wall." Ai Tianjue had sighed.
"Their success… it proved that the power of the Celestial Realm… it's the only way to escape this… prison. But even during the Star Sea's golden age, finding Celestial Artifacts was a difficult task. Now… it's almost impossible."
"But the Tribulation… it left behind remnants of True Immortal power. And that… that is what we've been studying. Hoping to… unlock their secrets."
…
"The Shang Celestial Barge… it's still out there. Beyond the Wall."
He didn't believe Ai Tianjue would have lied. Not in that situation, facing the end of their world.
"And the two halves… they're still connected."
"If I find a way to transcend the Wall… I can use that connection to… find them."
"A foothold beyond the Wall… that would be… invaluable."
The Xuan Celestial Barge, due to the circumstances of the split, possessed no knowledge of how to transcend the Wall.
Their only assets were the Hundred Histories Immortal Record and their research on True Immortal scripts.
"The Xuanhuang World. The Celestial Barge."
"Two worlds… a bridge across the Wall."
"And the inhabitants of the Xuanhuang World… they will be my… scouts."
A plan began to form in his mind.
But there was much to be done before he could reach that stage.
First, he needed to increase his own power.
Even with the protection of Celestial formations, his Soul Formation cultivation, achieved through the Xuanhuang World's Transformations of Birth… it wasn't enough. He needed more power to face Legacy Transmission, the Healer, the True Immortals, and… whatever lurked beyond the Wall.
The battle between the Sacred Emperor and those two Supreme Beings had shown him the limits of his current path.
Relying on external forces, like the Sacred Dynasty's fortune and the Heavenly Dao's favor, wasn't enough. True power… it had to come from within. Like Legacy Transmission. Like the Healer. Though they had all reached the limit of the Star Sea's current potential, the Sacred Emperor had been… outmatched.
"I am still bound by Legacy Transmission's system. Cultivating within the Star Sea… it's not ideal."
"The most effective method…"
His eyes narrowed, a spark of inspiration igniting within their depths.
"Celestial energy, dispersed. The Xuanhuang World, ascendant. The Heavenly Souls of this world… merged with my own."
The Sacred Emperor's teachings, the New Law he had preached, its principles… they resonated with the Dao.
The Self as Foundation, the Primordial Golden Core, the Corporeal Nascent Soul, the Conscious Soul Formation, the Star Sea Dao Integration…
And the final stage, Resonance with the Dao, the path to Eternal Life… it was a tempting prospect.
For the past three years, he had pondered its secrets, its potential.
But there was a problem.
It was… theoretical. There wasn't a single cultivator in the Xuanhuang World who had successfully reached even the Primordial Golden Core stage using this method.
And he, Li Fan, with the True Return… even the first step, the Self as Foundation, was almost impossible.
Legacy Transmission's system, flawed as it was, was still… more practical.
The New Law cultivators had lamented, "A path to immortality, yet we are blocked. Legacy Transmission stands in our way." Because their potential had been limited, their growth stunted.
Even Eternal Life… within this desolate Star Sea, it was… meaningless.
But things had changed.
Thanks to Legacy Transmission and the Healer, their millennia of effort, the Xuanhuang World had become a focal point, a nexus of power, absorbing the essence of countless shattered worlds.
Its size had increased tenfold, its potential… limitless. He had seen it, during the brief influx of Celestial Spiritual Qi, the dormant power hidden within its depths, waiting to be unleashed.
The Xuanhuang World's true potential had yet to be realized.
"What is born of blue surpasses blue. Ice is colder than water." He recited the ancient proverb, a smile touching his lips.
"Who says a Grand Preceptor cannot wield more power… than an Emperor?"
The Xuanhuang World, infused with Celestial Spiritual Qi, its essence transformed, its laws rewritten, its very nature… ascending.
He had witnessed it in his previous life.
"And that was with most of the Celestial Spiritual Qi being used to fuel the All Things Return to Void formation. If all that energy had been used to… enhance the Xuanhuang World… the resulting Heavenly Souls… they would have been… unprecedented in their power."
"Perhaps… even capable of wielding Celestial energy."
Before him, all cultivators, with the exception of Legacy Transmission, had fed upon the Xuanhuang World, their power, their very existence, tied to its fate.
No matter how they manipulated the world's laws, they couldn't surpass its limits.
He, however, would do things differently. He would push the Xuanhuang World's limits, expand its boundaries, then… claim its power.
"And this uncontrolled growth… it might even… destabilize Legacy Transmission's foundation." He saw a new possibility, a new path.
The prison analogy.
The Eternal Celestial Venerables had replaced the prison's supports, its structure, becoming one with it, controlling it.
He, however, would… expand the prison. Increase its size. Change its very nature. And once it had grown beyond their control… he would replace them.
Legacy Transmission's control over the current Xuanhuang World was absolute. But a world ten times larger, a hundred times larger…?
He would lose control.
"And there's another benefit to this plan."
"The Xuanhuang World's Heavenly Dao… as long as I don't threaten it, as long as I don't attempt to claim its Heavenly Souls… it will not oppose me. It might even… help."
"After all, I'm helping it… ascend."
"And with its support, I can conceal my actions from Legacy Transmission and the Healer. They won't suspect a thing."
"And by the time they realize what's happening… it will be too late. My Celestial formations… they will be ready."
…
He reviewed his plan, nodding slowly. It was… ambitious. But… feasible.
Beyond increasing his cultivation level, he could also enhance his power through… external means.
True Immortal scripts, for example.
He had deciphered five new scripts during his time on the Celestial Barge.
Though not genuine True Immortal scripts, merely imitations, reconstructions… they would be sufficient against the Supreme Beings of the Star Sea.
But his greatest insight into True Immortal scripts hadn't come from the Celestial Barge.
It had come from the Law Derivation Jade.
The True Immortal script within her memories, unlike the destructive remnants scattered throughout the Star Sea, it was… different.
A spark of inspiration ignited within him, and he left his cabin, appearing above the sea of clouds, outside his secluded residence on Mount Jielidie.
Though his cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, he focused his will, his meager strength, and with a flick of his wrist, traced a character in the air.
A complex, profound symbol that shimmered for a moment, then dissolved, his cultivation base too weak to sustain it.
But in that brief moment, as the True Immortal script manifested…
…a rumble of thunder echoed through the Great Xuan Small World.
There were no clouds, but rain began to fall, a gentle, cleansing rain that covered the entire world.
The cold, harsh winter began to thaw, the air growing warmer, the land softening.
He could even sense… a faint stirring of spiritual energy, its origin unknown, unlike the artificially generated energy produced by Dao One.
This was… natural. Organic.
He observed the Great Xuan Small World, its transformation accelerated by the rain, his surprise growing. He could sense… a consciousness forming, a will awakening.
The Great Xuan Small World, devoid of spiritual energy, hadn't possessed a Heavenly Dao consciousness. Or perhaps it had, but it had been so weak, so insignificant, that he hadn't been able to sense it.
But now, after the brief manifestation of that single True Immortal script… the world was changing, evolving at a rate that would normally take millennia.
"Where is this power coming from?" He scanned the world below, searching for the source of this… accelerated growth, but found nothing.
"It's not… forced. It's not… draining the world's resources."
"It's as if… it's coming from… nowhere."
"Perhaps… this is what they call… Creation."
He paused, the image of the True Immortal script resurfacing in his mind.
"Creation…" He repeated the word, his mind focused on the character, its form, its meaning.
And the character, as if responding to his thoughts, shifted, its form changing, becoming… more complete.
But it was still… a pale imitation of its true form.
"Creation!" His eyes gleamed with a sudden, intense excitement, a burning desire to understand, to master, this power.
But then, he remembered. He hesitated, his excitement fading, replaced by a cold, hard pragmatism. He suppressed the urge, the dangerous temptation.
"I can use it. But to comprehend it… to truly understand its power…"
"…That would be… unwise."
He understood. This True Immortal script, this… Creation character… it was far more valuable, far more dangerous, than the [Chaos] or [Hunger] scripts. Even True Immortals had fought over it, according to the Law Derivation Jade's memories.
And even with the path to immortality severed, he couldn't be certain. Perhaps, somewhere in this desolate Star Sea, a True Immortal was already studying this script, attempting to master its power.
And a being who had survived the ancient war between True Immortals, who had claimed the Dao of Creation as their own… their power would be… immense.
Even the Wall… it might not be enough to contain them.
The horrors he had witnessed beyond the Wall… they had made him cautious. Paranoid. He wouldn't underestimate his enemies, even those who… might not even exist.
"The Xuanhuang World's transformation… if I could… combine it with the power of Creation…" He looked at the Great Xuan Small World below, its rapid evolution a miniature echo of what he envisioned for the Xuanhuang World.
If True Immortal scripts represented the pinnacle of external power…
…then the True Return represented the limit of his own potential.
"When the real is made to appear fake, the fake becomes real."
Beyond its ability to create simulated personalities, versatile and adaptable tools… it was the principle itself, the manipulation of reality, the blurring of the line between truth and illusion, that truly fascinated him.
He hadn't chosen a reward yet. He wasn't ready.
But within his mindscape, he could access the memories of his previous Soul Formation cultivation, achieved using the essence of the collapsing Xuanhuang World.
He focused on those memories, reliving them, analyzing them, as if that power, that understanding of the Dao, was still within his grasp.
He stood there, motionless, lost in thought, for an unknown amount of time.
Then, he opened his eyes.
A powerful aura erupted from him, washing over the Great Xuan Small World, its sudden intensity causing the world itself to tremble.
But it was fleeting, a brief surge of power that quickly subsided.
The wind blew, the clouds drifted, the world… returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
But Li Fan smiled.
(End of Chapter)