Having activated the [Simulate, Myriad Forms of Existence] Grand Formation, Li Fan wasn't about to stop simply because of Mirror Profound's pleas for mercy.
From his previous cycles of reincarnation, Li Fan had gained a general understanding of Mirror Profound's character. While he might spare his life out of caution, he certainly wouldn't allow him to remain the Heavenly Profound Mirror's spirit.
When Legacy Transmission obtained the mirror, he chose to keep the original spirit, merely restraining it with the Mirror Masters, because he lacked the power to do otherwise. Li Fan, however, was different.
Not only did he have the formation's support, but he also understood and controlled Mirror Profound's human avatar. This avatar was essentially a custom-made replica of Mirror Profound, free from the constraints of an immortal artifact.
Mirror Profound himself had once assessed this body: "Possessing both the weight of an artifact and the spirit of a human. Flawless, nearly a True Immortal."
During the millennia he was sealed by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, Mirror Profound had painstakingly devised this escape method. Or rather, this path to escape. Its ingenuity lay not just in the human body itself but in the "principle" of its continuous regeneration. As long as the Heavenly Profound Mirror's main body remained, even if the human avatar was destroyed, it could quickly regenerate.
Previously, when Li Fan conversed with Mirror Profound, his explanations had been vague and cryptic. Now, upon direct examination, the method lay bare before him.
"Broadly speaking, it's similar to Zhang Qianmo's Grand Wish technique. However, Zhang Qianmo's Grand Wish manifestation relies on the Great Dao of the Xuanhuang World."
"While the foundation of Mirror Profound's avatar is the Heavenly Profound Mirror itself!"
"Though the Heavenly Profound Mirror no longer possesses any immortal spiritual energy, its status as an immortal artifact remains. Moreover, it retains a vast amount of knowledge from the Immortal Realm, further solidifying this status. The weight of a single artifact is no less than that of a world, perhaps even greater."
Li Fan's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration.
However, admiration aside, he couldn't pause in his work.
Under Mirror Profound's horrified gaze, he extracted a wisp of the Heavenly Profound Mirror's essence.
Di Sanmo and Legacy Transmitter Zhou, focused on maintaining a serene facade, were clueless as to what Li Fan had taken. But how could Mirror Profound not know?
Seeing the swirling, familiar aura in Li Fan's hand, Mirror Profound's expression was as if he had seen a ghost.
He frantically searched his memories for when he might have separated this wisp of essence. But no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't find the answer.
Despair and hopelessness washed over him. The essence he had willingly offered the Heavenly Profound Mirror in the past had become the final thread sealing his fate.
Mirror Profound had once proudly declared that no one in the Xuanhuang World could truly harm him. That had been true in the past. But now, Li Fan had reached the Half-Immortal Realm!
Using the former Profound Heaven Spirit Sealing Formation as a core, the Dissociation Disc instantly derived an advanced, immortal-level version, firmly controlling the Heavenly Profound Mirror's main body.
Attacking from both sides, targeting both the mirror spirit and the human avatar. With the Heavenly Profound Mirror's essence as a natural access point, he used the simulation grand formation to create a new "Mirror Profound," gradually seizing control.
Such a world-altering method was unimaginable to ordinary mortals. Even for Supreme Beings of the Star Sea like the Healer and Legacy Transmission, it likely remained a mere concept.
Yet, Li Fan could achieve it with ease. Part of the credit belonged to the immortal artifact Dissociation Disc, but more importantly, it was Li Fan's Half-Immortal cultivation that neutralized the Heavenly Profound Mirror's oppressive "immortal artifact" status.
They were now on equal footing, with no insurmountable gap. No matter how tightly defended, how could it withstand such an onslaught of methods?
Even without the Dissociation Disc's aid, Li Fan likely would have achieved his goal, albeit with more time.
The analysis and replication of Mirror Profound continued. Within the Heavenly Profound Mirror's main body, Li Fan discovered traces of hidden restrictions, which he effortlessly dispelled.
Even if Mirror Profound hadn't made his previous move, the current changes within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance couldn't be concealed.
"Legacy Transmission and the Healer are returning to the Xuanhuang World. Just in time to capture them in one fell swoop and suppress them," Li Fan mused, glancing upwards. He didn't give it much thought.
Having encountered Black Healer and Evil Su Bai, counterparts from outside the realm of possibility, Li Fan believed their continued confinement was in the best interest of all beings in the Star Sea.
While waiting for the analysis to complete, Li Fan reflected on the process of separating the Law Derivation Jade and replicating Mirror Profound.
"With my current methods, completely [replicating] a person is still somewhat difficult."
"But creating a near-perfect copy, eighty to ninety percent similar, shouldn't be a problem. This unavoidable imperfection, a consequence of insufficient power, might actually be an advantage now, as possibilities continue to converge and diminish."
"The true Healer cannot cross the wall. But what about a Healer-like being created by me…?"
Li Fan's eyes gleamed as he refined his exploration plan.
Within the Heavenly Profound Mirror's space, there was no distinction between day and night.
As expected of a complete immortal artifact, even without immortal spiritual energy, the difficulty of replicating its spirit exceeded Li Fan's expectations.
After thirty-six hours, he finally created a simulated Mirror Profound. It couldn't yet utilize all the Heavenly Profound Mirror's functions like the original spirit, but basic control, access to information, and even defense were no longer a problem.
The first thing Li Fan did after gaining control was to access the complete [Profound Primordial Spirit Grand Formation]. He had long coveted this complete immortal-level formation, capable of reconstructing the fundamental elements and creating a new world within the void.
"Hmm? A pity."
"The Heavenly Profound Mirror doesn't contain all nine complete formation diagrams," Li Fan sighed inwardly.
While he had gained something, besides the [Celestial Axis, Convergence of Myriad Spirits], [Desolate Fall, Blossoming from the Void], and [Boundless, Primordial Manifestation] formations he already possessed, the Heavenly Profound Mirror only contained two more:
[Dao's Origin, Unending Life] and [Transcendence, Cycle of Life and Death]!
Li Fan wasn't greedy. After countless reincarnations, he had only collected three formation diagrams. Obtaining two new ones at once was enough to keep him occupied for a while.
He carefully studied the two diagrams.
[Dao's Origin, Unending Life] described the principles of simulating the birth and evolution of life force within the formation, then circulating that life force throughout the world.
"Life force, born from nothingness. Manifesting solely because the Dao exists…"
"Marvelous."
Li Fan's eyes gleamed with sudden understanding.
After a long while, he reluctantly turned his attention to the other formation diagram:
[Transcendence, Cycle of Life and Death].
"A world with only the evolution of life is unnatural. Life and death must intertwine to conform to the Great Dao. This [Cycle of Life and Death] Grand Formation seems to describe the principles of life and death…"
Li Fan carefully observed it, finding similarities between its underlying mechanisms and the [Reversal of Life and Death Grand Formation] he had encountered before. However, this grand immortal formation was far more sophisticated than any mortal formation.
"It not only governs the cycle of life and death within a world but also extends to the world itself and even the Star Sea beyond?"
The more Li Fan pondered, the more amazed he became.
Activating the [Transcendence, Cycle of Life and Death] formation could instantly drain the life force of an entire cultivation world, transforming it into a single white feather. It could then reverse the process, drawing forth boundless life force from the feather to create a new world.
The same principle applied to the Star Sea.
On his own, Li Fan couldn't fully comprehend these two formations. Even a partial understanding gave him a headache.
The reason was that formations at the level of the Profound Primordial Spirit Grand Formation transcended mere technique. They incorporated the profound principles of the Great Dao. Understanding the formation alone, without grasping the Dao, was insufficient.
Fortunately, Li Fan possessed the immortal artifact Dissociation Disc.
"Though I don't fully understand them, I can still use them."
"Comprehend through practice."
Of the nine formation diagrams, Li Fan now had five.
With more than half, perhaps the Dissociation Disc itself could derive the remaining parts, given enough time. But the calculations involved were immense.
Li Fan relied on the Dissociation Disc for almost all his daily activities and couldn't spare the computational power for such a demanding task.
Therefore, he merely instructed the Dissociation Disc to allocate a small fraction of its power to slowly derive the remaining diagrams. Perhaps, like a cultivator experiencing sudden enlightenment, it might surprise him someday.
Li Fan attempted to search the Heavenly Profound Mirror for clues to the remaining diagrams.
"It seems the Heavenly Profound Mirror has suffered some memory loss from several shocks."
Li Fan frowned slightly.
After careful examination, he confirmed it wasn't a trick by the mirror spirit but genuine internal damage.
"The first shock occurred while still in the Immortal Realm. It seems the Heavenly Profound Mirror was contested and changed hands several times, constantly being refined," Li Fan deduced, based on the ancient traces within the mirror and its remaining memories.
"The second shock occurred after Xuanyuan Hong brought it back and, with his help, it willingly transformed from immortal to mortal." Li Fan pondered the image of the Profound Heaven King within the mirror's memories.
"The third shock…"
His next discovery jolted him. It concerned how the Heavenly Profound Mirror fell into Legacy Transmission's hands after the Profound Heaven Sect's destruction. The scene he witnessed answered a long-standing question.
Within Single-Minded Celestial Venerable's illusionary formation, Zhao Ruoxi, the Great Dao Sect's leader, had mentioned a Profound Heaven Envoy who escaped the pursuit of the Ten Immortal Dao Sects, vanishing with the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
Despite their efforts, and even the promise of Eternal Life in exchange for the mirror, the Ten Sects never found it.
Li Fan had never encountered any mention of this Profound Heaven Envoy in his interactions with Mo Rubin or within Ji Yuzhen's fragmented soul.
For a long time, he had assumed the Profound Heaven Envoy existed only within Zhao Ruoxi's dream, a figment of her imagination.
But…
Li Fan's expression shifted as he watched the rapidly flashing images.
The Profound Heaven Envoy was real.
But not one of the twelve Dharma Kings of the Profound Heaven Sect. In fact, this person had never even appeared formally within the sect.
A familiar mountain village scene. A village near Fishing Pond.
An ordinary-looking middle-aged woman awoke from her sleep to find a mirror inexplicably placed at her bedside.
Then, after receiving some unknown information, she burst into tears, clutching the Heavenly Profound Mirror and sobbing.
She faintly whispered the name "Ah Hong"—Xuanyuan Hong, the Profound Heaven King!
"No wonder Xuanyuan Hong always maintained a certain distance from Ji Yuzhen and the other female Dharma Kings, never formally acknowledging them."
"He already had a childhood sweetheart!"
"For ordinary cultivators, the long years of cultivation would create a gulf between them and mortals."
"But the Profound Heaven King's rise was meteoric. And he possessed a treasure like Fishing Pond…"
"Protecting his childhood sweetheart would have been child's play!"
The images flashed rapidly.
When Xuanyuan Hong gave the Heavenly Profound Mirror to the woman, he seemed to have taught her a suppression technique. Firstly, to prevent the mirror from turning against its owner, and secondly, to conceal its aura and protect the woman from harm.
The images the mirror perceived of the outside world were blurry. However, it clearly sensed the woman's rapid increase in power.
Within three years, she went from being a mortal to a Dao Integration cultivator.
One day, within an unknown chamber, the woman performed a secret technique on the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
"Ah Hong told me you have extraordinary origins, that you come from the Immortal Realm."
"But the Immortal Realm has been destroyed. Though you transformed from immortal to mortal with Ah Hong's help, the connection hasn't been completely severed. It wouldn't matter if Ah Hong were still here."
"But now he's in danger… I must find him."
"This journey is fraught with peril, a path with no return. I won't drag you to your death."
"Stay in the Xuanhuang World."
"Remember, the Immortal Dao is no more. Since you have become mortal, don't seek to ascend again."
"Not returning to your immortal artifact form doesn't mean there's no path forward. Your Dao lies in measuring heaven and earth."
"The Xuanhuang World holds countless mysteries. Even Ah Hong didn't fully unravel them. If you can uncover all its secrets…"
"The Great Dao awaits!"
"I have shown you the way, so you are indebted to me."
"This journey is dangerous, so I need your help!"
The figure gently pressed her hand against the mirror.
Using some unknown method, she unexpectedly drew forth another identical figure from the Heavenly Profound Mirror!
"From now on, your name is [Heavenly Profound]."
"Profound Heaven… I'm taking it with me."
Her voice faded away.
The restrictions on the mirror vanished at the same time.
Now free, the Heavenly Profound Mirror began to follow the woman's instructions, measuring heaven and earth, searching for the secrets of the Xuanhuang World.
One day, it encountered Legacy Transmission Celestial Venerable.
(End of Chapter)