The Unnamed True Immortal's Leg Bone continued deciphering the Transformation of Immortal and Mortal character, fueled by the Nether Race. Li Fan refined the Simulated Personality overseeing the process, enhancing its understanding of the Nether Race bloodline seals to prevent any unforeseen issues. Satisfied, he returned to the Great Xuan's Dao Discussion Platform, reviewing the progress of the dream exploration within Blissful Ignorance's Land of Dreams.
The dream realm's complexity was astonishing. Despite nearly a million participants, there had been no significant breakthroughs.
The most successful explorer, having reached Dream Level 7, could effortlessly destroy worlds within the dream, a level of destructive power comparable, even surpassing, Longevity realm cultivators in Xuanhuang. This explorer, named Hou Mingwu, possessed mediocre talent in the real world, barely reaching the Qi Refinement realm after a month of listening to Li Fan's lectures. However, within the Land of Dreams, he had stumbled upon a treasure called the Restoration Mirror, capable of repairing broken artifacts.
Most powerful artifacts within the dream had limited uses. Reactivating them was costly, either requiring vast amounts of dream currency or sacrificing lower-tier artifacts. Thus, many chose to sell their depleted artifacts.
Hou Mingwu, using the Restoration Mirror, repaired and resold these artifacts, quickly amassing a fortune. The Land of Dreams was vast. He constantly shifted his location, keeping his secret safe for a long time. By the time others discovered it, he was already powerful, possessing a vast collection of artifacts rivaling even the top dream exploration teams. He spared no expense during missions, using his artifacts relentlessly, overcoming even the most dangerous situations. His efficiency far surpassed others.
Though many coveted his treasure, he operated alone, refusing all offers of partnership, making him untouchable. Several teams had once attempted to ambush him using a tracking artifact, but he seemed to anticipate their arrival, setting a trap. Before they could act, the dream world they were in collapsed into an apocalyptic wasteland, scattering the attackers and inflicting heavy casualties. They suspected a traitor among them or that Hou Mingwu possessed a treasure capable of predicting the future.
After that incident, the plots against him ceased. They were partially correct. Besides the Restoration Mirror, Hou Mingwu did possess another treasure: Li Fan's protection! As his vanguard in the dream exploration, Li Fan wouldn't allow him to be harmed easily. The million participants were his eyes and ears, some even within those teams targeting Hou Mingwu, unaware of their betrayal.
Under Li Fan's protection, Hou Mingwu was practically invincible within the Land of Dreams.
And he hadn't disappointed. His experiences in the deeper levels confirmed Li Fan's theory: The Land of Dreams extended beyond Xuanhuang, into the Star Sea.
He had seen glimpses of the Profound Immortal Vessel within those dream worlds – not the vessel itself, but individual concepts like the Thousand-Eyed Desolate God, Celestial Star Lotuses, Duan Shen's Arm, and the Dao Pursuing Giant.
"The vessel's inhabitants are unaware of this. Blissful Ignorance isn't forcibly pulling them into the dream. He's using fragments of their thoughts and desires to construct it."
"The vessel's inhabitants are no ordinary cultivators. Yet, Blissful Ignorance can easily capture their thoughts. Is he… that powerful?" Li Fan frowned.
"But he hasn't detected True Return. Perhaps the vessel has encountered him before." He looked towards the barrier.
"It has already enveloped the vessel. Perhaps it's close to breaking through."
"No wonder Blissful Ignorance doesn't seem to care about Xuanhuang. He didn't even intervene during the world destruction events. Is he trying to bypass the barrier indirectly?"
The barrier's weaker effect on mental and spiritual energy seemed to support his theory about Blissful Ignorance's intentions.
"Venturing beyond the barrier physically is too dangerous. Perhaps I can use the Land of Dreams to scout ahead…" The thought crossed his mind.
"My chosen explorers, Sun Erlang and the others, are far behind this unknown Hou Mingwu. I should let people focus on what they excel at." He shook his head, assigning another sliver of divine sense to monitor Hou Mingwu.
He wasn't planning to interact with Blissful Ignorance yet, though he was certain Blissful Ignorance had identified him as the mastermind behind the dream invasion. But for some reason, Blissful Ignorance, despite his ability to expel them, hadn't acted.
"It seems he's reached a level of detachment where he simply doesn't care."
"Interesting."
"Unfortunately, his consciousness can't exist independently yet. If I destroy his physical body, the Land of Dreams will vanish!" Li Fan also felt a sense of superiority.
Blissful Ignorance didn't care about the intruders, and Li Fan didn't care about him.
"I just need to focus on Dao Integration." He refocused, his gaze deepening. The sense of impending doom he'd felt while envisioning Dao Integration no longer appeared.
"There shouldn't be any major issues."
But to be safe, he would visit the Profound Immortal Vessel.
"If the Mechanical Puppet is still useful, perhaps the Three-Pronged Tree is as well." The possibility of another free True Return simulation was tempting. Based on his previous cycle, it wouldn't require him to personally experience it, but would play out like a slideshow in his mind.
He quickly reached the vessel.
"The Three-Pronged Tree is on the second level of the vault, guarded by the Celestial Star Lotuses. Taking it by force would inevitably cause conflict…"
"Let's see what's happening inside." He silently infiltrated the vessel.
Their defenses had improved slightly, but not significantly. They were still useless against him. After some investigation, he understood the situation.
His previous raid had nearly caused the vessel to split apart. The tense atmosphere hadn't eased. The loss of resources had created a survival crisis. Even after the internal conflict and the resulting population decrease, resources were still scarce. The scarcity hadn't resolved the conflict between the Immortal Severing Tower and the Celestial Axis Institute. Their struggle had intensified, claiming the lives of many disciples.
In his previous cycle, his arrival had shifted the internal conflict outwards, uniting the vessel against an external threat. Most elders had even been willing to sacrifice themselves for the vessel's survival. But this time, without an external focus, their internal conflict had escalated. The vessel now displayed not the best, but the worst of human nature.
Of course, to Li Fan, "good" and "evil" were irrelevant. He only cared about the treasures.
The second level's treasures were stored within the Celestial Star Lotuses' seeds. These lotuses, ancient relics acquired by the vessel long ago, had survived countless calamities, drawing their sustenance from the Star Sea.
Destroying them wouldn't be difficult, but retrieving the treasures within their nearly hundred seeds would be challenging. He observed the lotuses closely, formulating a plan.
Though powerful, capable of encompassing a volume greater than hundreds of cultivation worlds combined, they were still living beings. And living beings had weaknesses.
He didn't need to find them himself. He had the Dao One Insects.
These insects were unique creatures capable of generating spiritual energy. He released a blurry shadow, a variant of the Dao One Insect, towards the lotus's iridescent glow. It possessed half the spiritual energy generation capacity, but significantly enhanced survivability. However, it was instantly vaporized.
Undeterred, he released two more. They met the same fate. Compared to the Celestial Star Lotuses, these insects were insignificant. Their deaths caused no ripples.
He persisted, releasing four more. Though they still vanished quickly, they lasted slightly longer. Their sacrifice wasn't in vain. They relayed information about the lotuses to the hive mind. Subsequent generations adapted, striving to survive within the lotus's light.
Their numbers increased exponentially. When they reached millions, they finally adapted, merging with the iridescent glow.
"Though sentient, these Star Sea creations are still bound by spiritual energy. After millions of generations, the Dao One Insects have deciphered them." He observed the spreading shadows within the lotuses, like ink staining water.
"Perhaps only Immortal spiritual energy, fundamentally different, can truly repel them."
The Dao One Insects' abilities were well-known: generating spiritual energy from nothing, even devouring grotto-heavens and worlds. But as Li Fan grew stronger, they had become less useful, deployed only in special situations like this.
He had tried to cultivate stronger variants, but exposure to Source Power Essence negated their unique properties. And as for Immortal spiritual energy… he barely had enough for himself.
"Perhaps after Dao Integration, I can create a suitable environment for them." The Immortal Realm wasn't just populated by True Immortals, but also countless creations and servants. He, too, would bring his "dogs and chickens" along when he ascended!
The Dao One Insects' infiltration was subtle, like a gentle rain. The lotuses didn't notice their seeds being replaced, only sensing a vague unease, their light flickering.
The seeds' protection was gone. Li Fan retrieved his primary target: the Three-Pronged Tree. Sensing True Return's reaction, his heart skipped a beat.
"It still works!"
"But it's not enough for a full simulation."
"Only twelve hours?" A glint flashed in his eyes. He was rarely this excited.
"If I'm right, using the Three-Pronged Tree won't end this cycle."
"Instead, the next twelve hours within the simulation will play out in my mind, like a precognitive dream."
"I wonder if I can bring back any gains?"
"Even if not, it's a life-saving measure!" He suppressed his urge to use it immediately, continuing to collect the treasures within the lotus seeds.
As expected of a Star Sea wonder entrusted with such an important task, the Celestial Star Lotuses reacted after he'd taken three items. They instinctively retracted, plunging the second level into darkness. Even Li Fan could no longer sense their presence. They had vanished completely!
This alerted the vessel's inhabitants. He sensed familiar auras approaching – Jian Daosheng, Zhong Daogong, and other vessel elders.
"And the Thousand-Eyed Desolate God."
"Their internal conflict keeps them on edge."
He smiled, vanishing in a flash of dim sword light. The second theft plunged the Profound Immortal Vessel into further chaos. The Immortal Severing Tower and the Celestial Axis Institute blamed each other, their decade-long conflict erupting into open warfare.
Meanwhile, Li Fan, back in the Great Xuan Small World, examined his spoils: the Three-Pronged Tree, a miniature Medicine King Cauldron, and a gray bird with broken wings. All relics of Sun Piaomiao.
The other treasures on the second level, concealed by the lotuses, were unknown. Retrieving these three, whose value, except for the bird, he had already confirmed, was the logical choice.
"The Three-Pronged Tree and the cauldron are definitely special."
"The bird probably has a hidden function I haven't discovered yet."
He would save the Three-Pronged Tree for a crucial moment before Dao Integration. He planned to feed the cauldron to the miniature Celestial Beast, if it could still eat.
He focused on the gray bird. He and the vessel's inhabitants had tried everything in their previous cycle, but found nothing special about it. It seemed ordinary. He examined it briefly, finding nothing unusual.
He resorted to a simple, brute-force method. He enveloped the bird in a miniature World Destruction Array.
To his surprise, the bird instantly vanished, annihilated completely, leaving no trace. This stunned him.
"Was it just a decoy left by Sun Piaomiao?" He examined the area carefully, confirming nothing remained.
"It seems I was mistaken." He chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Then, his expression changed. A faint voice echoed from beyond the heavens.
(End of chapter)