Just three simple words, without any further explanation, yet they sparked endless contemplation within Li Fan.
Illusion Becomes Reality clearly referred to the Dao of "When the real is made to appear fake, the fake becomes real."
The key lay in the preceding two words: "Divine Blessing."
"Divine... Blessing…" Li Fan carefully pondered the words on the True Return's panel.
The core was "Divine."
Illusion Becomes Reality was a divine ability bestowed upon him by the True Return; it could be considered a form of protection.
So, who did the "Divine" refer to? The True Return itself? Did it imply that, in the True Return's own understanding, it belonged among the gods?
"What constitutes a god?"
Li Fan couldn't help but recall the fable left by Sun Piaomiao and the legends of the Creator God, the Mountain, and the Sea.
"I've searched almost every corner of the Xuanhuang World these past years, yet I haven't found a trace of the book Liu Ruchen mentioned. It's as if it vanished into thin air."
"The probability of it naturally fading into the annals of history is low. Either someone took it, or it left with the fleeing remnants of the Ten Dao Sects, swept away along with their other resources…"
"The remnants of the Ten Sects are almost all in the Shuo Star Sea."
Li Fan's gaze once again fell upon his neighbors beyond the Great Wall.
The acquisition of the [Illusion Becomes Reality] Divine Blessing was no less significant to Li Fan than gaining the assistance of an Unnamed True Immortal level combatant.
Perhaps even more so.
Suppressing his excitement, Li Fan waited for approximately twenty-four hours until he sensed that [Illusion Becomes Reality] could be used again. He immediately calmed his mind, activated the ability, and returned to the Infinite Sea.
This time, he wasn't awestruck by the wonder of the True Return's blessing. Instead, he immediately began searching for the true application of Illusion Becomes Reality.
"Though a mere mortal ant, I can deceive the heavens and become equal to the Infinite Sea during the duration of the Divine Blessing…"
Li Buren's consciousness drifted through the vast ocean, attempting to channel its infinite power into reality.
Because of their equal status, this channeling didn't require him to bear any pressure. It was as if the ocean itself were acting.
His true body channeled in the present world.
He scattered the remaining Immortal Domain fragments around the Yuanshi Heavenly Pillar. Like the re-creation of heaven and earth, he reformed earth, fire, water, and wind. The Immortal Domain fragments reverted to their original Dao state, arranging themselves around the Heavenly Pillar.
Looking at this incomplete world, Li Fan integrated his Mo Annihilation Myriad Manifestations Dao Net into it. He filled in the gaps and attempted to tame the overlapping parts.
At the center of the Myriad Manifestations Dao Net was the Boundless power.
Anything that refused to submit to the Dao Net was instantly dispersed and then re-derived using the Daos Li Fan himself had comprehended.
Amidst a swirling mist, a nascent world was born.
It contained no living beings, only the Heavenly Pillars – Yuanshi, Jixian, Boundless, and others – stood tall.
And Li Fan's indistinct figure hovered above them.
"With heaven and earth established, myriad manifestations arise."
The Dao Net, hidden beyond the nascent world, radiated endless, varied lights. Various Daos began to manifest within this newly born world.
Instead of deriving them independently, Li Fan directly copied them from the [Primordial] possibilities, ensuring a smooth and predictable evolution.
Lights flickered, and in a short time, a primordial world emerged.
Five projections of Keeper Qiu and the numerous Heavenly Pillars supported the high heavens of this primordial world.
With the world formed, the infinite Immortal Power channeled by Li Buren surged down through the pathways of the Dao Net.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A terrifying commotion, akin to the descent of the Dao Obliteration Calamity, unfolded within the primordial world. The newly formed sky was completely engulfed by dark clouds. Under immense pressure, cracks appeared in the heavens. The world trembled violently, seemingly on the verge of collapse.
But the benefits of the Infinite Sea's power were also evident. The nascent primordial world, like parched land, greedily absorbed the power of the Infinite Sea. The distance between heaven and earth grew with every passing moment.
Mountains rose from the earth, rivers, lakes, forests, and plains emerged. The barren and desolate landscape transformed.
The cracks in the sky, formed under extreme pressure, were being mended by the power of the Infinite Sea.
Inspiration struck Li Fan. He didn't completely erase these celestial scars. Instead, he preserved thirteen of them, channeling even more power from the Infinite Sea into them.
Due to Li Fan's deliberate intervention, as heaven and earth expanded, each of the thirteen celestial scars accumulated energy equivalent to the entire primordial world. Li Fan sensed a nascent spirituality emerging within these scars due to the immense energy they held.
After much contemplation, Li Fan chose not to infuse a sliver of his divine sense into them to gain control. The infinite Immortal Power accumulated within the celestial scars was beyond his control. Attempting to dominate them might result in backlash.
Instead, Li Fan refined and separated the channels connecting each celestial scar to the Infinite Sea. Controlling these channels was akin to holding reins. No matter how these scars evolved, as long as he held the reins, he wouldn't lose control.
Inspired by this, when Li Fan sensed the gradual emergence of consciousness within the primordial world, he intentionally divided it into five regions: east, west, south, north, and center.
Each region was connected to a different channel of the Infinite Sea.
Like a river diverging into tributaries, the consciousness of the primordial world fragmented.
The vague unease Li Fan had felt vanished.
"It seems that a unified primordial consciousness would be too powerful, posing a risk of losing control," Li Fan mused.
Standing beyond the heavens, Li Fan quietly observed the continued evolution of the primordial world. Endless Immortal Power poured down from the Infinite Sea.
Under unimaginable pressure, the primordial world grew denser and more solid as it expanded.
"Forged externally by the pressure of the Infinite Sea, yet internally possessing the infinite adaptability of the Mo Annihilation Dao Net, capable of devouring all Three Thousand Great Daos…"
"Even with all my might, I probably wouldn't be able to cause much damage to this continent."
"Moreover, it's still visibly growing. It seems to have no limits. As long as the Infinite Sea continues to nourish it, it will continue to grow forever…"
Li Fan watched the changes with astonishment. He also felt that with the birth of this continent within the Great Wall, the entire Testing Grounds space had become more "stable," as if another sturdy pillar had been added.
…
Within the Infinite Sea, Li Buren remained unaffected amidst a furiously swirling vortex.
After channeling the power of the Infinite Sea into the real world, he discovered that no matter how much he increased the channeling intensity, the Infinite Sea always adapted accordingly without drawing attention to itself.
Li Buren gradually increased the flow, pushing the boundaries. The vortex now encompassed the entire observable range of the Infinite Sea!
Although he could command the elements within the Infinite Sea with the [Illusion Becomes Reality] ability, the primordial continent in the real world had a limited capacity.
With the output channels constrained, the mobilized power converged, forming a vortex of unparalleled magnificence.
"It's time."
Amidst the thunderous roar of the vortex, Li Buren remained unaffected, a detached observer. Suddenly, he had a premonition.
"The duration is much shorter than last time."
"It seems that concealing such a large commotion required more effort from the True Return."
Li Buren pondered, then skillfully returned through the vortex channel.
Without the channeler, the nourishment of the primordial continent was cut off. The burgeoning world instantly froze.
Then, roars of dissatisfaction erupted from the thirteen celestial scars and the five fragments of world consciousness.
Li Fan's faint figure, standing within the heavens, silenced them with a cold snort.
In the ensuing quiet, these nascent entities finally understood the source of their sustenance. They pleaded with Li Fan, seeking his favor.
Li Fan remained silent, waiting for the next cooldown of [Illusion Becomes Reality] to end.
During this interval, he sculpted magnificent buildings across the land and sky, using his hands as knives. Their designs were based on his glimpses of the Immortal Realm. Thanks to his previous practice with the wooden cat treasure, Mao Bao, Li Fan flawlessly recreated these celestial structures.
Days turned into years. When the cooldown of Illusion Becomes Reality finally ended, Li Fan didn't rush to activate it. Instead, he observed and analyzed the behavior of the thirteen celestial scars and five world consciousness fragments.
He withheld the influx of Immortal Power from the most demanding celestial scar and world consciousness fragment.
When the boundless power of the Infinite Sea poured down once more, those two could only watch enviously as their brethren feasted, while they received nothing.
These nascent entities possessed simple consciousness. Seeing others have what they lacked, they felt instinctively enraged. Their roars echoed throughout the world, even louder than the commotion caused by the influx of Immortal Power.
Li Fan chuckled coldly and severed all connections to the Infinite Sea.
The celestial scars and world consciousness fragments, in the midst of their greedy absorption, were stunned.
It took them a while to understand why Li Fan had cut off their supply.
For the sake of their sustenance, they united and attacked the two troublemakers, teaching them a harsh lesson.
The power of these naturally evolved entities was truly formidable. The primordial continent was scarred and battered from their battle.
Fortunately, the outcome was favorable. Outnumbered, the troublemakers dared not utter another peep. They could only watch helplessly as their brethren continued to feast.
When the duration of [Illusion Becomes Reality] ended again, although the primordial consciousnesses still grumbled at the cessation of their sustenance, their protests were much quieter. Especially the one that hadn't been fed this time remained completely silent.
The next time, Li Fan chose a different target to deprive. The two who had learned their lesson and behaved were granted access to the Infinite Sea. The deprived celestial scar was filled with both fear and anger, unsure of what it had done wrong.
It didn't know that Li Fan had simply chosen it at random.
The time after that, everyone feasted, and the celestial scars and world consciousness fragments rejoiced.
Then, they waited a long time, but the influx of Immortal Power never came. The primordial consciousnesses gathered outside the towering building where Li Fan's figure stood, but they dared not act rashly. They simply waited patiently.
Later, all connections to the Infinite Sea were restored.
Day after day, year after year, Li Fan continued to "train" these primordial consciousnesses using this method.
Fifteen years passed in the blink of an eye.
Li Fan sensed that the primordial continent had reached its limit. Although it could still absorb Immortal Power from the Infinite Sea, it could no longer grow stronger.
Li Fan sat high in the clouds, gazing at the vast continent below. He slowly raised his hand, and a giant pair of hands enveloped the primordial world.
With strokes like a dancing dragon and a coiling snake, he inscribed the shapes of living beings upon the earth.
After a burst of dazzling light, the complex characters shattered into countless fragments.
Across the primordial continent, living beings sprung up from stones, plants, mountains, and waters like bamboo shoots after the rain. Although their consciousness was still nascent, they knew who had granted them life.
They knelt on the ground and cried out in unison, "We thank the Great Lord for granting us life!"
Li Fan waved his hand again, granting each living being access to the Infinite Sea. Of course, the amount of Immortal Power these later-born beings could utilize was far less than that of the thirteen celestial scars and five world consciousness fragments.
Their combined capacity was probably equivalent to just one of the former.
"This is power."
Li Fan sensed that all access to the Infinite Sea within this primordial world was under his control. He could grant it with a thought and revoke it with another.
"Perhaps the former Immortal Emperors wielded such life-and-death power?" A realization dawned upon Li Fan.
As the primordial continent bustled with life, Li Fan silently recited "Illusion Becomes Reality" in his heart. However, the target of the divine ability was no longer the Infinite Sea.
It was this primordial world before him.
As the Divine Blessing activated, Li Fan became a part of the primordial world. He could clearly perceive everything happening within it, even the subtle exchanges between the fragments of world consciousness. It was as if he had become one of them, yet they remained oblivious to this new "brother."
After listening for a while and confirming that these world consciousnesses harbored no rebellious thoughts, Li Fan nodded in satisfaction.
"This Illusion Becomes Reality divine ability is truly useful."
"And…"
Li Fan silently sensed the duration of the Divine Blessing.
"Indeed. The duration varies depending on the target."
"When applied to this primordial continent, it can last almost indefinitely. Even if this world perishes with the passage of time, the effect of Illusion Becomes Reality will still remain."
"This Primordial Immortal Realm is a remarkable creation. Yet, the disparity between it and the Infinite Sea is still so vast…"
The pride Li Fan felt as a "creator" instantly vanished. Cold reality brought him back down to earth.
(End of Chapter)