Amidst the darkness, Li Fan felt countless copies of himself being created. The shadowy mass hidden beneath Daoyuan Prefecture was rapidly evolving towards the Ink Slaughter Immortal Soul realm.
Empowered by the Dao of Illusory Creation and the Dao of Eternal, they bypassed the usual ascension process, directly crossing the boundary between mortal and Immortal. From mortal to Immortal! Immersed in the sea of ink, Li Fan clearly saw the two Daos at work.
Illusory Creation provided the endless drive for transformation, pushing boundaries until the barrier between mortal and Immortal shattered. Eternal acted as an unshakeable foundation. No matter the internal or external changes, it remained firm, the bedrock upon which even the tallest towers were built.
Between change and unchanging, eons passed in an instant. Finally, a new strand of Ink Slaughter power emerged. Its transformation quickly spread throughout the mass. Within the mortal body of the Xuanhuang World, an Immortal Soul was born!
Since Li Fan provided all the energy for Ink Slaughter's ascension, he was, in essence, its parent, using the Xuanhuang World as an incubator. However, as the birthplace of the Immortal Soul, the Xuanhuang World received some benefits from Ink Slaughter's ascension, a feedback from their connection nurtured over tens of thousands of years.
However, compared to the transformation from a normal ascension, this change wasn't entirely positive. Once just one among many Heavenly Souls, Ink Slaughter now dominated. Its transformation into an Immortal Soul imposed some of its characteristics onto the Xuanhuang World.
Thick, dark clouds shrouded the sky. Black winds swept across the land, turning everything they touched into black particles. The Xuanhuang World, previously recovering from the Immortal Ruins' threat, became a gloomy, desolate wasteland!
Fortunately, most beings were asleep in the Blissful Ignorance Dreamland, protected by Li Fan's power. Ink Slaughter, respecting its "kin" and "parent," avoided direct conflict with the Dreamland. Li Fan could sense the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao's suppressed fury. Even the power of an entire world couldn't match the Ink Slaughter Immortal Soul now. The Heavenly Dao could only endure, hoping to gain strength from the benefits of Ink Slaughter's ascension.
But Ink Slaughter didn't stop there. Although it didn't directly target the Heavenly Dao, it extended its influence to the other Heavenly Souls within the Xuanhuang World. The diverse Heavenly Souls, manifestations of various laws, gradually developed Ink Slaughter patterns, their powers taking on destructive characteristics. Even the less aggressive Heavenly Souls, like Red Flame, became terrifying.
"If this corrupted Red Flame were ordered to boil the sea, the Congyun Sea would dry up in no time."
Ink Slaughter's influence wasn't limited to corruption. As darkness spread through the Xuanhuang World, shadowy figures with various attributes split off from Ink Slaughter, each possessing characteristics of other Dao paths, creating a strange, harmonious blend of destruction and life.
…
Observing these changes, Li Fan had a premonition.
"Perhaps this transformation by the Ink Slaughter Immortal Soul has given the Xuanhuang World some resistance to the Dao Obliteration Calamity."
"Perhaps this level of transformation isn't enough. But compared to its previous state, its resistance has definitely increased."
"Could this be the testing ground's original goal in implanting Ink Slaughter?"
Although the Xuanhuang World now appeared gloomy and desolate, in a world facing annihilation, it was perhaps more "suitable."
"Like a crude underground shelter being more suitable for survival in a wasteland than a magnificent palace on the surface."
"If this model were applied to the entire mortal world…" Li Fan narrowed his eyes.
"Even if it couldn't stop the Dao Obliteration tide, perhaps a few islands could survive. In a sense, it's also a method of salvation."
"But it requires surviving Ink Slaughter's initial cleansing." Li Fan felt the shadows writhing around him and shook his head slightly.
Not all cultivation worlds could withstand the changes brought by Ink Slaughter like the Xuanhuang World. Even this unique world, protected by Li Fan's power and bound to Ink Slaughter after housing it for millennia, would have suffered greatly without these advantages.
Let alone ordinary cultivation worlds.
"If this shadowy mass were released, even the Shuo Star Sea, empowered by the Dao Net, couldn't withstand it."
"It might resist temporarily, but against the transformative nature of the Ink Slaughter Immortal Soul, it would eventually be consumed."
Having infiltrated the Dao Net's core, Li Fan understood both Ink Slaughter and the Dao Net's power. He concluded, "Letting it evolve freely is more effective than absorbing it."
He carefully observed the various Ink Slaughter shadows, absorbing their attributes. Having merged with the Ink Slaughter Immortal Soul, he could easily replicate any Dao path it had assimilated.
Li Fan saw a possible path forward.
"A major limitation for True Immortal cultivation is the inability to cultivate multiple Daos simultaneously."
"Even with a heaven-defying technique like the Immeasurable Heavenly Axis Divine Separation Technique, one can only merge two or three Daos. But if I use the Ink Slaughter Immortal Soul as a foundation…"
"The Three Thousand Great Daos will be within my grasp!"
Li Fan saw the boundless Dao Net, seemingly descending from the heavens, being gradually tainted by the encroaching Ink Slaughter. He instinctively looked at his hands. Within the writhing black particles, different Dao paths seemed to be forming, reflecting his past cultivation experiences: the Five Elements, Azure Wind, Blue Flame, and more. With each new aspect, he felt himself growing stronger.
"The reason I can achieve what countless sages couldn't is because the Dao of Ink Slaughter doesn't belong to this world."
"Its core is Dao Obliteration, the Infinite Sea."
"It transcends the Great Dao of the mortal world! Thus, it's not bound by the limitations of single-Dao cultivation!"
"All Daos within the mortal world can be comprehended and utilized." Looking at his increasingly vibrant Ink Slaughter body, Li Fan felt a surge of understanding.
"If this is true for Ink Slaughter, then…"
"What about True Return?"
Amidst the churning darkness, his thoughts returned to his core.
"Using Ink Slaughter to assimilate all Dao paths."
"Each Dao, a step. Once I master all Daos in the mortal world, perhaps I'll be one step closer to the Transformation of True and False…"
Li Fan's Ink Slaughter body dispersed, merging with the newly ascended Ink Slaughter Immortal Soul within the Xuanhuang World. He first needed to assimilate the Dao paths it had mastered.
…
Having made significant progress, Li Fan finally found a suitable path in this desolate, post-apocalyptic world.
Li Buren, sensing the change in his main body, looked at the Grand Magus, still within the Illusory Creation projection, an idea forming in his mind. A speck of ink appeared on his fingertip, transforming into a wisp of black Qi that drifted towards the Grand Magus, merging with the chanting and seemingly vanishing into the vast lake.
However, the ink didn't disappear. Instead, it changed the lake's color! The Illusory Creation projection rippled, trying to expel the encroaching darkness. But each ripple provided an opportunity for the Ink Slaughter power to invade. A shadow appeared on the projection's forehead.
The Grand Magus of Tiandu, his expression unchanging since being captured by Li Buren, finally reacted. Although still seemingly calm, Li Buren saw through his facade.
"Ink Slaughter is more effective than brute force from the Dao Net."
Thinking this, Li Buren drew a wisp of Ink Slaughter power into himself. The starry sky dimmed as if falling into slumber. But moments later, within this darkness, greater vitality emerged.
Empowered by Ink Slaughter, Li Buren, although still no match for the Illusory Creation projection, could now partially ignore its influence. Surrounded by the chanting, he slowly but steadily advanced, finally reaching the Grand Magus.
He grabbed the Grand Magus by the throat, dragging him out from the protection of the Illusory Creation projection, his face contorted in terror!
"You…"
Before the Grand Magus could speak, a dark Dao Net enveloped him. Ink-like power poured into him through his crown. His pupils vanished, his eyes turning pitch black. His struggles ceased.
Li Buren was using Ink Slaughter to erode his Dao path. He had assumed that since the Grand Magus had clung to the Dao of Illusory Creation for millennia, he must have cultivated it. However, upon entering his core with Ink Slaughter, Li Buren realized he was wrong.
"The Grand Magus isn't like the Hunger Immortal, experiencing distorted time due to cultivating the Dao of Hunger. For her, millennia passed in mere days. He has genuinely been cultivating with the Illusory Creation projection since Heavenly King Xuan's era."
"After such a long time with the projection, even a fool would have a decent understanding of the Dao of Illusory Creation. But this Grand Magus…"
"Since encountering me, he has relied entirely on the projection's protection, showing almost no avoidance abilities himself."
Although he had entered the Grand Magus's core using Ink Slaughter, what Li Buren saw was incredibly "thin." Not just his Dao comprehension, but also his memories and experiences. It didn't match the expected depth of the Grand Magus who had overseen Tiandu and the Xuanhuang World for millennia.
Li Buren looked around, instinctively sensing something amiss. The empty space reminded him of the countless square Star Seas in the testing ground.
"Could this be just one part of the Grand Magus's inner world?"
Ink erupted from Li Buren's body, engulfing the space in moments. Under immense pressure, it began to seep outwards.
Boom! Boom!
Cracks appeared, and the tide of ink surged beyond the Grand Magus's apparent surface, entering a world teeming with figures. Countless figures, all identical, floated in the air. They were all the Grand Magus of Tiandu!
"These people… look familiar."
Among them, Li Buren even saw some familiar faces: mortals and cultivators from Daoyuan Prefecture, like Lan Yu, Dugu Xi, Dugu Shi, Feng Mu, and others, each with different expressions: rage, terror, indifference.
"Are all beings in Daoyuan Prefecture manifestations of the Grand Magus?" This was Li Buren's initial thought.
But he quickly realized it was wrong. The beings in Daoyuan Prefecture were still living their lives, unaffected by the Grand Magus's capture. Li Buren recalled the strange time dilation phenomenon in Daoyuan Prefecture.
He understood.
"It wasn't that ten years vanished, but that all beings within were frozen in time."
"Only the Grand Magus could move."
"During those ten years, he created copies of every being in Daoyuan Prefecture within himself."
"And his purpose…" Li Buren grabbed the figure of "Lan Yu."
"Although not the real Lan Yu, but…"
Li Fan sensed an understanding of the Dao of Life and Death from this figure, even more profound than the real Lan Yu's. He looked at the countless Grand Magus figures floating around.
Each one was cultivating a different Dao path!
(End of chapter)