"Perhaps not just an ordinary True Immortal."
"But possibly a Nameless True Immortal!"
Li Fan lowered his head, concealing his thoughts, and walked briskly towards his residence.
"Come and join the fun, sir!"
"Brother Ma, long time no see! Have a drink with me!"
"You little rascal, I've finally caught you! Don't run!"
…
As he walked through Supreme Bliss City, calls echoed from all sides, each accompanied by a corresponding memory.
The voices belonged to old flames from the pleasure quarters, sworn brothers, or even vengeful enemies.
Vivid scenes flashed through his mind, as if he had personally experienced them.
But Li Fan ignored them, continuing towards his destination.
Having only recently possessed Ma Tiande, he was certain these memories weren't originally there. They were being imprinted upon his mind as he heard the voices.
"This isn't a simple illusion technique."
"It's as if these events actually happened within Supreme Bliss City."
Even as the voices faded with distance, the imprinted memories intensified.
Along the way, "Ma Tiande" accumulated countless fabricated experiences, each spanning years.
Wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes, his face becoming weathered.
Li Fan didn't conceal these changes. Instead, he deliberately slowed his pace, each step now labored.
After traversing a city block, "Ma Tiande" finally reached his residence.
As the dark gate closed behind him, the cacophony of the city vanished, swallowed by the silence.
Following Ma Tiande's usual routine, he completed his chores, then sat down, closing his eyes as if to study the "Dao Net's structure."
However, Li Fan was still analyzing the changes in his body.
"A false past influencing the real present."
"Is this the Profound Heaven King's chanting demonic voice?"
The top-grade Dao Transformation Stone within his divine sense activated, assisting in the analysis.
"If Ma Tiande succumbed to temptation, drawn in by any of those voices…"
"The 'past events' mentioned in their conversations would manifest in his body…"
Within the simulated scenarios, Li Fan saw Ma Tiande aging rapidly at the feast, turning into a skeleton, yet still laughing and joking with the others.
Until the revelry ended, and the skeletal remains crumbled to dust, Ma Tiande's consciousness trapped forever within Supreme Bliss City, joining the countless others.
"Kid, when you go to Supreme Bliss City, don't do anything besides what Scholar Zhu instructs. Stay for the full three years, and you might have a chance of returning."
The image of a senior member of the Shuo Star Sea Governing Council's earnest warning to Ma Tiande before his departure surfaced.
"The Shuo Star Sea's ability to hunt Immortals relies heavily on individuals like Scholar Zhu, former Immortals who have become mortal."
"Though fallen from grace, their power shouldn't be underestimated."
"Whether for appeasement or to indulge their twisted desires, the Governing Council provides them with 'playgrounds.' Supreme Bliss City is Scholar Zhu's."
"The countless beings within are all dead. It's a veritable ghost city. Their continued existence is sustained by a strange energy. Even the cyclical shifts between day and night and the endless slaughter can't truly kill them. They simply respawn with each new cycle."
"But the ultimate victor in the slaughter…"
Li Fan smacked his lips, recalling the taste of the red soup.
Being merely remnants, it didn't actually taste of flesh and blood.
What he had consumed in Scholar Zhu's mansion was the essence of countless refined and meticulously processed consciousnesses!
"Like an Eternal Remnant!"
"No wonder it was so delicious."
A single bowl provided the benefits of countless experiences without having to endure them.
The entire Supreme Bliss City could be considered a larger bowl of red soup.
However, the method used to "cook" its inhabitants was far more sophisticated.
Li Fan's mind raced, the top-grade Dao Transformation Stone working at full capacity, piercing through the illusion of revelry to see the underlying truth.
"Under the constant influence of the chanting demonic voice, the remnants within the city are constantly accumulating experiences. Any individual here has lived hundreds, even thousands, of times more than an ordinary being!"
"First, the consciousnesses that can withstand being force-fed such complex experiences have already undergone a transformation, becoming far more resilient."
"Second, just as a century-old ginseng is far more potent than a year-old one, the Profound Melody greatly enhances the 'cooking' efficiency within Supreme Bliss City."
Though he didn't know if Scholar Zhu sought an Eternal Remnant, what he saw within Supreme Bliss City made Li Fan, who once had similar intentions, realize the crudeness of his own methods.
"I thought cultivating an Eternal Remnant within a simulated dream paradise was the pinnacle of ingenuity."
"This former True Immortal has taught me a valuable lesson."
"Truly worthy of one who survived the Immortal Realm's destruction. Such methods of torment are unheard of. I must learn from this."
"A survivor of the Immortal Realm's destruction, his methods of torment are truly unprecedented and worth studying."
"Three years of blossoming, three years of fruiting. This cycle repeats endlessly…"
"The so-called [Ceremony] must be when he harvests these fruits."
These beings indulged in Supreme Bliss City for three years, their desires escalating, reaching a crescendo before exploding.
"The slaughter during the day must be more than it appears."
"If the demonic voice also permeates the city during the day, the survivors endure far more than imaginable. And to survive until the end…"
Even Li Fan was tempted by the potential of these "fruits."
"I might witness it firsthand in thirty days."
"These remnant fruits must be incredibly beneficial to cultivators. But why did Scholar Zhu only invite Blade Island?"
Though a newcomer, Ma Tiande had heard of Supreme Bliss City's feasts for all factions.
"Something must have changed this time."
Within the Shuo Star Sea, Blade Island and the Sword Domain were two dominant forces. The Sword Domain, centered around the former Heavenly Sword Sect of the Xuanhuang World, was a massive coalition of sword cultivators, numbering over a million.
Blade Island, however, only had eighteen members. To join, one had to challenge a current member. The loser died, the victor joined. This rule was established by the island's founder, the first to set foot on it. And the number eighteen was a recent increase. Originally, there were only five supreme sword cultivators.
In the past, when the Shuo Star Sea thrived and sword cultivators were plentiful, challengers flocked to Blade Island. Though none returned, the stream of hopefuls never ceased.
Because upon Blade Island stood the [Dao of the Blade].
Not a mere illusion, but the true essence of the Dao of the Blade.
A glimpse of it could lead to enlightenment, making death itself worthwhile.
The formless Dao manifesting on Blade Island had a reason, though there was no definitive answer, only speculation. Even the Shuo Star Sea Governing Council remained silent.
The most convincing rumor was that Blade Island's leader was a former Nameless True Immortal, merged with the Dao of the Blade.
Upon becoming mortal, their Dao returned to heaven and earth, but they somehow solidified and manifested a portion of it, allowing mortals to glimpse its formless essence.
"Perhaps the leader of Blade Island and Scholar Zhu of Supreme Bliss City are old acquaintances."
Nameless True Immortals were mere legends in the Dark Star Sea. Yet, upon arriving in the Shuo Star Sea, Li Fan had encountered two potential ones.
"This isn't a matter of luck. After the Immortal Realm's destruction, even True Immortals are forced to huddle among mortals," Li Fan thought with a sneer.
He wasn't interested in their motivations.
What truly intrigued him was how Nameless True Immortals could become mortal and survive.
He had witnessed True Immortals becoming mortal in the Xuanhuang World. It wasn't unusual.
But a Nameless Realm cultivator was merged with the Dao itself, becoming one with it. How could they escape such a union?
Recalling Scholar Zhu's grotesque form, Li Fan knew that becoming mortal came at a terrible price.
"Those who reach the Nameless Realm are exceptional geniuses. Yet, they willingly abandon their Dao…"
"Was it a desperate attempt to survive the Dao Obliteration Calamity, or a noble sacrifice to return the Dao to heaven and earth, saving the world?" A playful expression crossed Li Fan's face.
Just like the Xuanhuang World after Legacy Transmission's new cultivation method emerged, cultivators absorbed the Great Dao to cultivate, and upon death, everything returned to heaven and earth. A Nameless Realm cultivator was merged with the Dao.
If the Nameless Immortal perished, but their Dao remained, it would naturally return to heaven and earth.
However, a contradiction arose.
If a Nameless True Immortal was one with the Dao, how could they perish while their Dao remained?
"Perhaps I can draw a parallel to the Xuanhuang World."
"Though Dao Integration cultivators are merged with Heavenly Souls, with my current power and understanding of the Xuanhuang World's Heavenly Dao, separating them isn't difficult!"
"Though Nameless True Immortals are far more powerful than Dao Integration cultivators, the principle is the same."
"Perhaps the answer lies within the [Dao Net]."
Li Fan's eyes gleamed.
The Dao Net, the Shuo Star Sea's ultimate weapon against True Immortals, naturally extended to former True Immortals like Scholar Zhu.
And Ma Tiande was responsible for maintaining and connecting to the Dao Net.
In fact, Ma Tiande's life was expendable. Even if he angered Scholar Zhu and was condemned to eternal torment within Supreme Bliss City's hellish cycle, the Governing Council would simply send a replacement.
Ma Tiande considered himself a valuable asset, running errands for a fallen True Immortal like Scholar Zhu a waste of his talents.
But Li Fan, an outsider, saw the truth.
He was merely a consumable resource.
And there were countless more where he came from.
Unfazed, Li Fan studied the information on the Dao Net within Ma Tiande's memories.
"As expected, the key to utilizing the Dao Net is Dao Origin symbols!"
"Having mastered the basic Dao Origin symbols, connecting to the Dao Net through Ma Tiande's body shouldn't be a problem…"
But he was wrong.
Compared to Qin Zhuang's time, the complexity of the Dao Origins had increased a millionfold!
Each command required the coordinated operation of hundreds of thousands of Dao Origin symbols. The slightest error would be detected and reported to the Governing Council.
"Every certified Dao Manipulator has mastered the use of Dao Origins."
"The Governing Council allows for minor errors, but too many would raise suspicions."
The Dao Pill possession technique could only observe and inherit memories. Replicating the complex and intricate manipulation of Dao Origin symbols was another matter.
Especially for Li Fan, whose presence here was merely a thread of his divine sense.
"If only I had the Azure Underworld Pearl."
"It could perfectly inherit Ma Tiande's knowledge."
Li Fan shook his head, dismissing the impractical thought. Alone and deep within the Shuo Star Sea, he couldn't rely on the pearl's assistance.
"The Ceremony in thirty days requires the Dao Net's cooperation."
"It seems learning it myself is the only option."
"Fortunately, with the top-grade Dao Transformation Stone, replicating what Ma Tiande can do should be easy."
Li Fan began studying the Dao Origin symbols within Ma Tiande's memories.
The [Dao Origin Fundamentals: Thirty Lectures] from Qin Zhuang's memories were now obsolete. Even the meanings of some symbols had changed.
Li Fan had to abandon his previous knowledge and start anew.
But mastering the Dao Origin symbols wasn't as easy as he thought. The main problem was that the process by which Ma Tiande learned them was missing from his memories.
He had no recollection of how he acquired this skill, only that it was through arduous study.
He only had the result, not the process.
Li Fan could only work backwards.
Without the Dao Transformation Stone, even this first step would be impossible.
(End of Chapter)