Though containing an ocean of infinite possibilities, the immortal spiritual energy at Li Fan's fingertip flickered like a candle in the wind, fragile and unstable.
To his alarm, after ninety-nine breaths, it vanished without a trace, as if snuffed out by an unseen breath.
"Only the external manifestation disappeared. The immortal spiritual energy still remains within this body… or rather, within this skin." Sensing within, Li Fan confirmed his suspicions.
He tried again.
This time, he wasn't content with a single point of light.
He attempted to construct a formation using immortal spiritual energy.
Of course, to avoid detection, he kept the scale small, choosing the [Boundless, Primordial Manifestation] formation for analysis and observation.
It was no different from the formations deployed by the immortal artifact Dissociation Disc. In fact, he felt even greater control. He didn't need the Dissociation Disc to act as an intermediary. The information gathered by the Primordial Manifestation formation flowed directly into his mind, as if he had deduced it himself.
He looked towards the city outside. Instead of the bustling Supreme Bliss City, he saw a rapidly spinning vortex.
Countless specks of consciousness floated, swirled, and settled within this vortex.
Occasionally, some flickered with a blue light, then, defying the vortex's pull, slowly descended to its depths.
Li Fan saw a massive, predatory shadow lurking below, devouring the blue specks as they approached.
As if sensing his gaze, the shadow turned towards him, a knowing smile appearing on its formless face.
While maintaining the Primordial Manifestation formation, Li Fan counted the time. As expected, after ninety-nine breaths, the formation, constructed from immortal spiritual energy, vanished like melting snow, the connection to his internal energy source severed.
The vortex also disappeared.
"That devouring shadow…"
"It's Scholar Zhu."
"It seems the selection of suitable consciousnesses occurs simultaneously with Supreme Bliss City's operation."
"The triennial Ceremony is merely a facade." Understanding dawned upon Li Fan.
Though he had a deal with this former Nameless True Immortal, there was no trust between them.
Scholar Zhu had merely made a calculated gamble after witnessing Li Fan's potential. He didn't care about his identity or how he infiltrated Supreme Bliss City and replaced Ma Tiande. He didn't even care about Li Fan's true objective.
As long as Li Fan could help him escape the Dao Net, he was willing to offer support.
"In fact, he probably doesn't expect me to free him. As long as I can infiltrate the Immortal Hunters and disrupt the Governing Council and the Dao Net, increasing his chances of escape, he considers the deal worthwhile…"
As Li Fan pondered, a wave of rejection surged from the skin.
"Get out! Get out of me!"
"Get out! Get out! Get out!"
"Ant! You dare desecrate me!"
…
The rejection intensified, the voice echoing in his ears growing louder, like thunder, unbearable. And it was his own voice.
Hearing himself screaming at himself was unsettling.
Finally, he was forced out of the immortal skin.
Returning to his original form, Li Fan examined the treasure in his hands.
Granting a mortal the power of a True Immortal, calling this skin a treasure was an understatement.
"Based on the images that appeared while wearing it, the original owner's cultivation was nearing the Nameless Realm."
"But before they could merge with the Dao, the Dao Obliteration Calamity struck."
"The Immortal Realm shattered, True Immortals and even Nameless True Immortals perished. The Dao manifested, the Dao flourished, the Dao perished, the Dao vanished. This simultaneous spectacle of creation and destruction triggered a sudden enlightenment, allowing them to take the final step!"
"Unfortunately, their timing was terrible. Their ascension, at such a critical moment, was like removing a crucial supporting pillar from an already collapsing structure…"
"Heaven and earth crumbled, the Dao collapsed."
…
The subsequent memories were fragmented and chaotic, containing conflicting timelines. Li Fan could only deduce that this Nameless True Immortal, though initially escaping the calamity, was eventually captured and embedded within the Dao Net, becoming a crucial node connecting to the Great Dao.
"Unlike Scholar Zhu."
"This Nameless Immortal is truly dead."
"And the day of their death was the day the Dao Net was created."
"Their Dao, instead of returning to heaven and earth, was captured and utilized, forming one of the Dao Net's most stable nodes…"
Li Fan tried to reconstruct the scene from the fragmented memories.
The creation of the Dao Net must have been a magnificent event.
Yet, it was accompanied by the resentful curses of a Nameless True Immortal.
"Like the owner of this immortal skin, three other Nameless True Immortals were sacrificed to create the Dao Net."
"Four nodes in total, along with that invisible giant hand, initially stabilized the Dao Net."
Li Fan took a deep breath.
Even in death, this Immortal's skin could grant a mortal the power of a True Immortal. And the lingering consciousness and memories within further attested to their power.
Yet, such a powerful being was cruelly sacrificed, becoming a living pillar of the Dao Net, their name and deeds lost to history.
"The death of a nameless ant."
"In the face of the great calamity, those who couldn't control their fate were no different from mortals," Li Fan sighed inwardly.
After the possession, the immortal skin had thinned, turning an unsettling pale white. This was why it had expelled him.
But Li Fan discovered that it wasn't consumed. It quickly regained its color and fullness.
However, he still couldn't wear it.
After a stick of incense burned, he sensed that he could use it again.
"It's not the skin's inherent property."
"But a restriction imposed by another entity. Unless I surpass them in power, I must abide by this rule," Li Fan realized.
"It must be a constraint set by those who created the Dao Net. After all, the skin of a Nameless True Immortal, capable of granting anyone comparable power, is a devastating weapon."
Li Fan donned the immortal skin again.
This time, he wanted to see if he could increase its duration through adaptation.
With the power of immortality flowing through him, he focused his consciousness, seeing the infinite ocean once more.
"They say the Immortal Realm is vast."
"But this ocean is a thousand, ten thousand times greater."
Even this second time, Li Fan was momentarily awestruck.
"Immortal spiritual energy originates from here. No wonder it's infinite."
As he marveled, he thought of the Star Sea. Though its energy level was lower, it also possessed an infinite nature.
"Does this mean the Star Sea's energy also originates from here?"
A crucial question arose.
Was the Star Sea's infinite nature inherent, or a consequence of the Immortal Realm's destruction?
Li Fan scanned the infinite ocean, silent.
Recalling the Immortal Realm from a True Immortal's memories, a theory formed.
"[Infinity] was likely a characteristic unique to the Immortal Realm."
"But with its destruction, this characteristic was passed down to the lower Star Sea."
"Scholar Zhu said the Immortal Realm's bliss far surpassed that of Supreme Bliss City. This must be due to this infinite power. Without the concern of energy depletion, only pure pleasure remained. If not for the Dao Obliteration Calamity, their bliss would have been eternal."
Since forming his Nascent Soul within the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heavens, Li Fan understood the advantages of an unlimited energy supply. Though his Five Elements Grotto-Heavens, phantoms of the Xuanhuang World, surpassed those of ordinary cultivators, they were still finite.
"This is a key difference between immortals and mortals."
"An endless supply of energy, eliminating the concern of depletion, allowing for unlimited amplification of techniques and divine abilities…"
Even an ordinary punch from a mortal, though inconsequential on its own, repeated infinitely, could shatter the Xuanhuang World.
"Ultimately, even the weakest force, multiplied by infinity, becomes unimaginable."
Li Fan's thoughts were interrupted by the dissipation of the immortal spiritual energy.
The disparity between immortal and mortal power left him with a sense of loss.
As he waited for the restriction to lift, another question arose.
"Infinity is wonderful. But what is its price?"
The existence of infinite power contradicted his understanding of the world.
He could comprehend the power of immortal spiritual energy, but its infinite nature was a mystery.
"What is that infinite ocean?"
"A wondrous thing seemingly existing only in dreams…"
"Are there truly no negative consequences?"
His apprehension vanished as he regained access to the infinite immortal spiritual energy.
Nothing was worse than knowing the predetermined time of the mortal realm's destruction.
Li Fan cleared his mind, focusing on studying the immortal skin and immortal spiritual energy.
Time passed quickly.
The duration of the immortal skin's second use was identical to the first.
But Li Fan didn't draw any conclusions yet. He continued testing, donning the skin as soon as the restriction lifted.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye.
He finally confirmed that the duration was fixed, unaffected by "proficiency."
But his three years of research weren't fruitless.
The immortal spiritual energy at his fingertip flickered like a flame.
This time, observing the energy within his body, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.
As if it were a part of him.
Not the immortal skin, nor Ma Tiande's body, but the core of his being, his divine sense reflecting the Dao.
"I'm stuck at the Half-Immortal Realm because, with the Immortal Realm's destruction, I can't be infused with immortal spiritual energy."
"And the remaining immortal spiritual energy seems to have specific ownership markers, preventing theft."
"Only through the Xuanhuang World's ascension process can these markers be partially erased. That's how the immortal artifact Dissociation Disc obtained its infinite immortal spiritual energy."
"But what works for immortal artifacts doesn't work for True Immortals."
With a thought, immortal spiritual energy surged through Li Fan's body, forming a miniature infinite ocean.
This ocean once belonged to the unknown Nameless True Immortal who became a Dao Net pillar.
But now…
It was gradually being imprinted with Li Fan's mark.
"It's still far from a complete takeover."
"Just a faint trace of my presence."
"But I've only been familiar with it for three years. Given more time…"
Li Fan's eyes gleamed. The immortal spiritual energy vanished as the immortal skin's restriction activated.
"Can immortal spiritual energy be inherited?"
It originated from an unknown, infinite ocean, inaccessible and unusable by individuals, even True Immortals.
"The process of being infused with immortal energy on the Ascension Platform must be the key to accessing this infinite ocean."
"If every True Immortal needs a unique marker to utilize its power, then mastering these markers might grant control over immortal spiritual energy."
Li Fan suddenly realized that the infinite ocean and the Dao Net were, in a way, similar, like the miniature infinite ocean within him and the miniature Dao Net within his divine sense.
(End of chapter)