His primary goal in this life was to achieve Dao Integration with the Heavenly Soul of the supercharged Xuanhuang World. Until then, it was best to avoid Legacy Transmission and the Healer.
"The Soul Seal, World Substitution technique is mentioned in the Healer's Record of Mending the Heavens," Li Fan mused.
"A world, like a person, can be… possessed."
"But there are two prerequisites for successful world substitution. First, the consciousness acting as the 'world soul' must be incredibly powerful. At least comparable to the world's own Heavenly Dao consciousness. Otherwise, during the substitution, the world itself will collapse. A catastrophic event, on par with a world-ending tribulation."
The image of the translucent figure within Legacy Transmission's body flickered through his mind.
"Second, the cultivator performing the technique must completely suppress the world's consciousness, forcing it into dormancy. Two active consciousnesses could cause the world to… fracture."
"The Healer, Legacy Transmission, and the five Celestial Venerables of the Council of Five Elders… their combined power is sufficient for such a feat."
As he reviewed the Record of Mending the Heavens, analyzing the Healer's textbook execution of the technique, a spark of inspiration ignited within him.
"Soul Seal, World Substitution… Soul Seal, World Substitution…"
"The Great Xuan Small World's Heavenly Dao consciousness… it's newly formed, nascent… the perfect test subject."
He looked up, his gaze piercing through the earth, reaching towards the sky above the Great Xuan Small World.
A seven-colored vortex, invisible to all but him, appeared in the heavens, like a wound torn in the fabric of reality. Within, a nascent consciousness, resembling an infant, slumbered peacefully.
Wary of disturbing it, he carefully extended a sliver of his consciousness, approaching the infant cautiously.
He focused his senses, and the Great Xuan Small World unfolded before him – its winds and storms, its rising and falling tides, its blooming flowers and falling leaves… he felt it all, as if these changes were happening within his own body.
As his connection deepened, he sensed not just the natural world, but also the emotions of its inhabitants – their joys and sorrows, their hopes and fears, their births and deaths.
He became one with the Heavenly Dao, experiencing the world through its eyes.
For most cultivators, this would be a profound opportunity for enlightenment, a chance to grasp the secrets of the Dao, to develop powerful new techniques.
But Li Fan had other plans.
He withdrew from this state of complete immersion, maintaining a delicate balance between awareness and enlightenment.
"Simulate. Myriad Forms of Existence!"
With a thought, a translucent image of himself appeared within the seven-colored vortex, his understanding of the Great Xuan Small World's Heavenly Dao flowing into it, shaping it, transforming it.
The translucent figure shifted, its form changing, growing younger, its features softening, until it resembled… a newborn infant.
But this infant's eyes, though seemingly innocent, held a wisdom beyond its years.
It approached the slumbering Heavenly Dao consciousness, its movements swift, precise, then… merged with it, replacing it, its presence… absolute.
The Great Xuan Small World trembled, the sky above cracking, the seven-colored vortex spreading outwards like a wound.
"Dissociation Butterfly! Simulate!" Within his mindscape, the Terminal Dissociation Butterfly, momentarily pausing its analysis of downgraded Celestial formations, focused its computational power on optimizing the newly created simulated personality, ensuring its compatibility with the Great Xuan Small World.
The flickering, unstable form of the translucent infant, refined by the Myriad Forms of Existence formation, gradually stabilized.
"Substitution!"
Li Fan, deep beneath the earth, summoned a golden needle, then sent it flying towards the simulated Heavenly Dao consciousness in the sky above.
It struck the infant between its brows.
A soft cry, a nascent sound, echoed through the Great Xuan Small World, its frequency beyond the range of mortal hearing, yet its presence felt by every living being within.
The cry intensified, growing louder, stronger, then… faded into silence.
And with it, the tremors subsided, the cracks in the sky healing, the world returning to its previous state of… peaceful tranquility.
But Li Fan could sense it. The change. The simulated personality, the… Simulated Heavenly Grid, as he decided to call it, had replaced the Great Xuan Small World's nascent Heavenly Dao consciousness.
He hadn't destroyed the original consciousness. He had simply… suppressed it, sealed it away, its dormant energy, its slow growth, now fueling the Simulated Heavenly Grid, ensuring its smooth operation, its perfect integration with the world.
Like a parasite, it would feed upon the original consciousness, growing stronger, until, finally, it would consume it completely, becoming… the true Heavenly Dao of the Great Xuan Small World.
Li Fan studied the Simulated Heavenly Grid, its intricate workings, its connection to the world.
It was his creation. He could access its senses, its perceptions, its… understanding of the Dao. It was like having a… Heavenly Dao avatar, constantly feeding him insights, knowledge, power.
Though it was just a small world's Heavenly Dao, its constant flow of information, however insignificant on its own, would accumulate, becoming… something more.
"My first attempt… it was… crude." He glanced at the surface of the Great Xuan Small World, at the massive chasm created by the world's earlier tremors, and shook his head. "Had it not been for the Dissociation Butterfly's intervention… I might have… destroyed this world."
"But I've learned from my mistakes. The next world… it will be… smoother."
His modified Soul Seal, World Substitution technique, unlike the traditional method described in the Healer's Record of Mending the Heavens, utilized the Simulated Heavenly Grid.
Based on the "when the real is made to appear fake" principle and his understanding of the Great Xuan Small World's ancient protective formation, the Nine Star Crimson Pearl Formation, this simulation technique was unique to him, a power only he possessed.
The Simulated Heavenly Grid didn't have its own consciousness. It was a tool, a machine, following his commands without question, its loyalty absolute.
And more importantly, there were thousands of smaller worlds connected to the Xuanhuang World. The traditional Soul Seal, World Substitution technique required a comparable soul for each world, a difficult and time-consuming process.
Now, however, he could do it himself. And he could control countless worlds simultaneously, without fear of… rebellion. Without fear of losing control.
"Once all the smaller worlds are reintegrated with the Xuanhuang World, their Heavenly Dao consciousnesses will merge with its own. Though individually insignificant, their combined power… it's not to be underestimated. And with my other… preparations…"
A devious plan began to form in his mind.
"With my current strength, I can only create Simulated Heavenly Grids for smaller worlds. But once I ascend… perhaps I can create one for the Xuanhuang World itself. Even… for the Star Sea…"
The more he explored the interplay of truth and illusion, the more he realized that this… manipulation of reality… it was the true source of his power, far more potent than any specific cultivation technique.
"But it's… complex. Even after a hundred lifetimes, I've only scratched the surface. And it's… unique to me. Tied to the True Return. I can't… share it. Not even as a concept."
He also suspected that talent, comprehension… they weren't the key to mastering this power.
It was… opportunity.
Or perhaps… the True Return's whims.
In his previous life, after the True Return had detected the "new variable," his understanding of the "when the real is made to appear fake" principle had… deepened. He hadn't become more talented, more insightful. It was as if… the truth had become… more accessible.
"Resonance. Projection…" He remembered the Sacred Emperor's sermon, the Law Derivation Jade's cryptic explanations, and his eyes narrowed, his mind racing, countless possibilities swirling within.
…
The Great Xuan Small World's transformation hadn't significantly affected its inhabitants. Their attention remained focused on the Celestial Teacher and his ongoing sermon.
Five years passed.
The Dao Discussion Platform, once a small crater, had expanded to encompass an area five hundred kilometers in diameter. And still, people flocked to it, drawn by the promise of enlightenment, of power.
One day, the Celestial Teacher, his illusory form shimmering, waved his whisk.
The Dao Discussion Platform, now at the center of the world, became the focal point of reality itself. The surrounding landscape – the mountains and plains, the rivers and oceans – began to rotate around it, their movements synchronized with the platform itself.
Those seated upon the platform, though motionless, traveled thousands of kilometers in a single day, their journey a pilgrimage, a path towards enlightenment.
Within half a day, the Dao Discussion Platform, carrying millions of disciples, had become the center of the Great Xuan Small World.
The highest tier of the platform, representing the peak of Golden Core cultivation, held three figures.
Sun Erlang, Wang Xuanba, and Yue Zhenwei.
Yue Zhenwei, the youngest of the three, had surpassed his senior brothers, his talent undeniable.
They were all disciples of the Celestial Teacher, bound by a shared lineage, a shared purpose.
"Senior Brother Sun," Yue Zhenwei said, addressing Sun Erlang despite being older, his tone respectful, "to reach the Nascent Soul stage, we need to… consume a Grotto-Heaven. It seems… we must leave the Great Xuan Small World."
The Celestial Teacher's sermons covered more than just cultivation techniques. He had also shared knowledge of the outside world, of the dangers and opportunities that awaited them. The cultivators of the Great Xuan Small World weren't completely ignorant of the larger world beyond.
Sun Erlang, however, didn't put on any airs. "There's no need for such formalities, Brother Yue. You are older than me. I should be calling you Senior Brother."
He didn't wait for a response, his tone turning serious. "We are fellow disciples, bound by a shared lineage. The Xuanhuang World is a dangerous place. We should travel together. Protect each other."
"We, as the Celestial Teacher's most accomplished disciples, have been granted knowledge of suitable Grotto-Heavens. But…" A confident grin spread across his face. "Those are… ordinary Grotto-Heavens. Sufficient for reaching Nascent Soul, perhaps. But for those with greater ambitions, for those who aspire to Soul Formation… they are inadequate."
"I intend to find a Grotto-Heaven worthy of my… potential."
Yue Zhenwei's eyes lit up. "I was thinking the same thing, Senior Brother!"
"The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance controls most of the desirable Grotto-Heavens. The Council of Five Elders' territories… they offer better opportunities. Especially the Land of Blissful Ignorance. I hear their cultivators are all trapped within a dream realm, their defenses in the real world… practically nonexistent…"
They quickly reached a consensus, their plan formed.
They bid farewell to their master, then, leaving the Great Xuan Small World, set off towards the Land of Blissful Ignorance.
Li Fan's projection, observing their departure, his expression unreadable, continued his sermon, his voice echoing across the platform.
The Dao Discussion Platform, now the center of the Great Xuan Small World, pulsed with power.
Under the Simulated Heavenly Grid's control, formation energy flowed through the platform, its power shaping those within its embrace, their experiences, their memories, recorded, preserved within a silvery-white pearl.
Like the Xuanhuang World's Nine Star Crimson Pearl Formation, though less sophisticated, it captured the essence of their lives, their every action, every thought, every dream.
Like a giant, all-seeing eye, it watched them, its gaze inescapable.
This surveillance, however, was limited to the inhabitants of the platform, their inner world, their consciousness. It was undetectable by external forces.
"All beings within this world… none can escape my gaze."
"The Teacher of Heaven and Earth… the Teacher of All Creation."
His voice, amplified by the platform's power, resonated throughout the Great Xuan Small World.
…
Meanwhile, Li Fan's true self arrived at the small world where the remnants of the Nether Race resided.
Instead of capturing them, he observed them, his form hidden, his presence undetectable.
Their lives were simple, their routines predictable.
Eat, pray, train, reproduce, sleep.
"The bloodline of the First Grand Celestial Venerable… even with the Profound Heaven Sect's destruction, the shackles they placed upon them… they remain." A flicker of… something… crossed his eyes. Pity? Disgust? Or perhaps… a cold, calculating interest.
Hunted by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, their numbers dwindling, they were on the verge of extinction.
This time, he wasn't here to create another flesh farm. He had a different purpose.
While transforming them into… fuel… would provide him with a steady supply of Source Power Essence…
…he was more interested in understanding its origins.
Why did their prayers, unlike those of mortals or even cultivators, generate this potent, near-Celestial energy?
And what was so special about the Grand Celestial Venerable's bloodline?
Wang Xuanba, in his previous life, had failed to isolate it, even after experimenting on thousands of Nether Race members. Li Fan knew he had been using the wrong approach.
If purification didn't work…
…perhaps… regression would.
He extended a sliver of his consciousness, using the Celestial Barge's Dao Pill technique to possess the body of the strongest Nether Race male.
After a brief period of adjustment, he examined his new body, searching for… anything unusual.
He found nothing.
But he hadn't expected to. Not yet.
He focused on their daily prayers, observing the flow of energy, the subtle shifts within their bodies as they communed with their… god.
Ordinary Nether Race members wouldn't be able to perceive these subtle changes. They could channel the power of the Gloom, yes, but it was an instinctive act, a legacy passed down through generations, their understanding… superficial.
He, however, was different.
He lived among them for six months, observing their rituals, their prayers, his senses focused on the subtle flow of energy, the transformation of… something… into Source Power Essence.
He finally saw it.
During their prayers, a specific sequence of movements, a resonance within their bodies, triggered… something. A structure, like a miniature formation, hidden within their very cells.
And this… formation… transformed their life force, their very essence, into Gloom energy.
The process was fleeting, almost instantaneous, the resulting energy quickly dissipating, merging with their flesh and blood. Had he not been specifically searching for it, he would have missed it.
And this… transformation… it felt… familiar. Similar to the… interplay of truth and illusion he experienced when using the "when the real is made to appear fake" principle.
"Not quite the same. But… a similar resonance. An echo of that power."
The discovery sent a jolt of excitement through him.
He repeated the process, observing, analyzing, confirming his findings.
His instincts hadn't deceived him.
The power within the Nether Race, the power that generated Source Power Essence, was a… remnant. An echo of the same power that fueled the True Return's manipulation of reality!
His initial shock subsided, replaced by a cold, calculating excitement.
His mind raced, connecting the dots. "When the real is made to appear fake, the fake becomes real. The True Return's ability to… rewind time, to return me to my anchor point, regardless of what happens… it's because it manipulates… the very fabric of reality. The interplay of truth and illusion."
"Worlds are born and destroyed with a mere thought. This power… it transcends anything I've encountered so far."
"And this… remnant within the Nether Race… it can transform mortal energy into… something… approaching Celestial power."
"Though not as potent as the True Return… whatever created this… this power within the Nether Race, within the First Grand Celestial Venerable… it must have been… extraordinary."
Countless possibilities flashed through his mind.
"The True Return is within me, a part of me."
"But this… other artifact… it's likely… gone. Lost with the Celestial Realm." A pang of regret, of something precious lost, touched his heart. He had glimpsed a treasure beyond his reach.
"The first Grand Celestial Venerable… their creation… it wasn't… random. There was a purpose. A plan. Perhaps… a conspiracy."
Now that he understood the origin of Source Power Essence, he would try to… replicate it.
Such a power, transcending all known mortal techniques, couldn't be replicated through conventional methods.
Otherwise, the Profound Heaven King, and the current Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, wouldn't have relied on the Nether Race for their supply of Gloom energy.
Both the Profound Heaven King, a genius in his own right, and the Alliance, inheriting millennia of accumulated knowledge, had failed to unlock its secrets.
But he, Li Fan… he was different.
He possessed a power that transcended even this… remnant of a lost artifact.
The interplay of truth and illusion. The "when the real is made to appear fake" principle.
His initial attempts were failures.
But he could sense the difference between a dead end and a… challenging path.
He wasn't discouraged. He was excited.
If he succeeded… the applications of this power… they would be limitless.
Replicating this unknown artifact's power was far more difficult than creating a Simulated Heavenly Grid.
His only solace, the reason he persisted, was that this… remnant… it was constant. Unchanging.
Unlike the ever-shifting consciousness of a world's Heavenly Dao.
Each failure brought him closer to success.
To increase his chances, he dedicated even more time to prayer than the other Nether Race members, his devotion a performance, a carefully crafted illusion.
The Nether Race Chieftain, observing his… piety, smiled, his heart filled with approval.
He had failed over five million times.
And the True Return's energy level, usually fixed at 100%, had dropped to 80%.
He paused, startled by this unexpected development, deciding to wait for the True Return to recharge before resuming his experiments.
The Nether Race, at this point in time, wasn't facing any immediate threats. He could afford to wait.
As he was pondering his next move, he was summoned by the Chieftain.
The Nether Race didn't use names. They identified each other based on their position during prayer rituals, a simple, hierarchical system.
He arrived at the Chieftain's dwelling, a simple cave carved into the side of a mountain.
The Chieftain, after praising his dedication, informed him that the Great Sea of Gloom, having witnessed his piety, had decided to bestow a blessing upon him.
Li Fan feigned excitement, his heart pounding with anticipation, while mentally preparing to sever this fragment's connection to his true self, just in case.
But the expected danger didn't materialize.
As the Chieftain performed the ritual, he felt it – the presence of the Sea of Gloom, descending upon him, a torrent of dark energy flowing into his body.
The sensation was fleeting, almost instantaneous.
Then, light returned, and the Sea of Gloom vanished.
Even the dark energy that had flooded his body… it was gone, as if it had been a mere… illusion.
The Chieftain, however, looked… drained, his form seeming to have aged significantly. He placed a hand on Li Fan's shoulder, his voice filled with a solemn gravity. "You now carry the weight of our people's destiny. Remain faithful. Do not betray the Great Sea of Gloom's trust."
He conveyed this message through a combination of guttural sounds and exaggerated gestures.
Li Fan nodded, feigning understanding.
The next day, after his body had recovered from the… blessing, he resumed his observations, his senses focused on the subtle flow of energy during his prayers.
A faint hum, a vibration in the fabric of reality, and… Gloom energy materialized, flowing outwards, towards the Sea of Gloom.
And this time, he noticed something different. He had lost… more. More of his life force, more of his consciousness.
And the… remnant… the echo of that unknown power… it was stronger. More pronounced.
Millions of observations, millions of failures, and he had finally… found it.
"This… this could work."
Ignoring the strain on his body, the drain on his life force, he dedicated himself to his task, praying, observing, experimenting.
Six months passed, and his body, once strong and vibrant, withered, his movements slow and unsteady, his appearance that of a frail old man.
He was aging far more rapidly than the other Nether Race members.
They weren't afraid, however. They regarded him with reverence, their eyes filled with awe and respect.
He ignored them. He barely even registered the Chieftain's concerned inquiries.
He could feel it. His purpose, the reason he had taken this body, was nearing completion.
As his life neared its end, he made his way to the prayer cave, his steps slow and unsteady, his body trembling with weakness.
He knelt, his heart filled with a genuine, heartfelt… gratitude.
Perhaps sensing his imminent demise, the… remnant… the echo of that unknown power, didn't hold back this time. It didn't take its usual… tithe.
It consumed everything. Every last drop of his remaining life force, his essence, transforming it into Gloom energy.
And that… excess… that… overabundance…
…it amplified the remnant's presence, its… signature… making it… visible.
A surge of power, a brilliant golden light, erupted from his withered body, a final, defiant blaze of glory.
"Found you!"
His eyes, though clouded with age, shone with an almost manic intensity, his gaze fixed on the… trace, the echo of that unknown power, as his body dissolved, consumed by the very energy he had been studying.
"This… mark…"
This fragment of Li Fan's consciousness, its mission complete, vanished along with the body it had inhabited.
…
Nearby, Li Fan's true self, his form hidden, his presence masked, began to write in the air, his finger moving with incredible speed, tracing invisible characters, his movements fluid, precise.
Each stroke was like a blade, cutting through the fabric of reality, leaving behind faint, almost imperceptible scars.
The symbol he was drawing grew more and more complex, its scale surpassing even the Celestial formations being simulated by the Terminal Dissociation Butterfly.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, his eyes widening with a mixture of awe and… fear.
He had simply been following his instincts, capturing a fleeting moment of inspiration, tracing the… echoes of that unknown power…
But this symbol… it was… infinite, its complexity boundless, as if it contained the very essence of the Dao itself.
He couldn't capture it all. It was… too vast.
He felt a growing sense of frustration, of… futility. It was like trying to… map the entire world based on a single footprint.
He was attempting to… trace the outline of an unknown, incredibly powerful artifact, based on the faintest of impressions. Even if he couldn't recreate the artifact itself, he could at least… glimpse its form.
But this artifact… its power… it was beyond his current capabilities.
He felt a tremor within his true body, a warning, and he stopped, his hand falling to his side, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
The incomplete symbol dissolved, its energy dissipating.
And the memory of it, the faint impression he had managed to capture… it too began to fade.
"A missed opportunity…" he murmured, his voice filled with regret. He knew, instinctively, that he wouldn't get another chance. Not in this lifetime.
Even if he repeated the process, possessed another Nether Race member, prayed, observed, analyzed… he wouldn't see it again. The mark, the echo of that power… it was gone.
"Fortunately… I can try again. In my next life."
"But will I… remember?"
He glanced at the True Return panel. Its energy reserves were full. He considered his options, then shook his head.
Even if he could retain the memory of the symbol, he wasn't powerful enough to recreate it. Not yet.
"Dao Integration. Once I merge with the enhanced Heavenly Soul of the Xuanhuang World… then I'll be ready." He remembered how close he had been, how tantalizingly close to grasping the truth… and a renewed determination hardened his gaze.
Though his attempt had failed, it hadn't been a complete waste of time.
He hadn't captured the complete symbol, but he remembered… fragments of it, its structure, its… essence.
"It could be used to… enhance… Celestial formations. Even True Immortal scripts."
"What is that symbol?"
He was lost in thought, his mind adrift.
This encounter with a power beyond even that of immortals… it had deepened his understanding of the True Return, its potential, its… limitations.
(End of Chapter)