Though the prickling sensation of being watched had vanished, a sense of unease still lingered in Li Fan's heart.
"Mastering the Great Dao on the level of the Mountain and Sea doesn't directly translate to combat power. For example, even with the True Return treasure, before fully grasping the interplay of truth and illusion, my strength is inferior to a Transcendent True Immortal," Li Fan mused. "Shou Qiu Gong, despite wielding Longevity, isn't on par with the Mountain and Sea. Judging by the purple-clad figure's demeanor, their strength should be comparable."
Gazing at the Shuo Star Sea-High Wall starry sky, drastically different from a century ago, Li Fan decided against taking any risks.
"After further comprehending and experimenting with the Dao of Longevity, I can initiate True Return," he decided. "I've gained much in this life and am nearing a bottleneck. I need to plan my next steps carefully."
Thanks to True Return, Li Fan had reached the pinnacle of the Dao of Longevity. However, he didn't intend to carry over this cultivation to his next life. With the anchor point set at one year, he couldn't be certain of Shou Qiu Gong's location or whether he was within the mortal realm. If Shou Qiu Gong, a master of the Mountain and Sea Great Dao, detected Li Fan's sudden mastery of Longevity, Li Fan, with True Return still on cooldown, would be trapped.
"The Faceless Immortal and the Grand Magus are unable to detect the cultivation connection forged by True Return. But Shou Qiu Gong, also wielding the Mountain and Sea Great Dao, might be different," Li Fan reasoned. "It's best not to risk it. Besides, the core of my strength in this life comes from my comprehension of the Great Dao. Even if I return to the Half-Immortal starting point, I can quickly regain my power."
Despite deciding against inheriting his cultivation, Li Fan continued to study the Dao of Longevity, retracing his steps and savoring its essence. He was paving the way for his next life. After activating True Return and returning to the one-year anchor point, choosing not to inherit his cultivation would sever his connection to the Dao of Longevity. However, he could leverage the imprint left by this life to forge his own path to Longevity.
It wouldn't be Shou Qiu Gong's Mountain and Sea path, nor did Li Fan aspire to instant mastery. Even a slight touch of Longevity's essence would suffice.
"Shou Qiu Gong's path to Longevity allows him to ignore the Dao Obliteration Calamity. My path only needs to allow me to traverse the Mountain and Sea," Li Fan thought. "Of course, this is just the first step. Later, I can integrate the interplay of truth and illusion."
Having learned of the connection between Mountain, Sea, Star, the Mountain and Sea Great Dao, Longevity, and True Return, Li Fan had pondered the possibilities of wielding all these powers.
"Ascending to True Immortal, empowered by the Mountain and Sea, mastering the interplay of truth and illusion, wielding the supreme power of True Return, and also walking the path of Longevity…"
In a way, Li Fan already possessed all three, albeit in diluted forms. He was still a Half-Immortal, connected to the Mountain and Sea through his avatar. His understanding of the interplay of truth and illusion was superficial, and his grasp of the Dao of Longevity was merely a fleeting glimpse.
Even so, Li Fan could sense subtle, profound changes within himself. The most tangible was his understanding of the Dao Chronicle Projection Pearl. Before comprehending Longevity, deciphering the pearl, though not overly difficult with the aid of the Star Sea's inhabitants, required effort.
Now, however, understanding came effortlessly, as if he had studied and practiced these countless divine abilities for eons. It was merely a matter of recalling them.
This process of his body resonating with the Heavenly Daos accelerated, eventually rendering the Star Sea inhabitants unnecessary. With a single glance, he could discern every strand and detail within the Dao Chronicle Projection Pearl, unraveling its complexities as easily as looking into a mirror.
This was true talent.
It was almost frightening.
Instead of joy, this transformation filled Li Fan with unease, a feeling of being consumed by the Mountain and Sea. While Cheng Dao was preoccupied, Li Fan ventured to the Star Sea's edge, drawing upon the power of Dao Obliteration to test himself. Though he didn't fully immerse himself, standing near the encroaching tide, the once-crippling sense of danger was gone.
Before, it felt like standing at the edge of a bottomless abyss, a single misstep from oblivion. Now, it was like standing by a vast lake. Even if he fell in, he could swim back to shore. As long as he avoided the depths, there was no danger.
"And with time, my swimming skills are improving," Li Fan realized. "Even if I do nothing, one day, I will be able to traverse the Mountain and Sea."
Such an opportunity would have filled others with ecstasy. Li Fan, however, felt only growing unease.
Strangely, True Return seemed oblivious to these changes, even encouraging them with its silence. Only once had it shown a flicker of something different, a hint of hesitation.
This only deepened Li Fan's apprehension.
After careful consideration, he concluded that even True Return hadn't foreseen the consequences of this threefold fusion and was observing with curiosity.
As time passed, the feeling of being consumed intensified. Visions, not from his own memories but seemingly from events within the Mountain and Sea, flooded his mind.
His body began to assimilate with the world around him. The most obvious sign was Cheng Dao's increasing forgetfulness. He had frequently sought Li Fan to discuss the Dao of Longevity. Now, he seemed to forget Li Fan's existence entirely, only remembering after Li Fan appeared before him. Cheng Dao himself remained unaware of this.
Other beings were even more affected. As the creator of the Primordial Immortal Realm, Li Fan was now forgotten by the Heavenly Emperor and the Celestial Scars. Even his connection to the Primordial Immortal Realm was severed, as if it had always existed, independent of him.
As the traces of "Li Fan" faded from the mortal realm, he merged further into the Mountain and Sea, no longer confined to Primordial Possibility.
The sky above, once solid, now had countless fissures, revealing glimpses of the vast, interconnected Mountain and Sea. Li Fan could step into it at any moment.
The opportunity for Transcendence was before him. A surge of longing coursed through him, but his instincts screamed warnings, holding him back.
"I can't stay here any longer," Li Fan thought in a moment of clarity.
The illusory nature of being consumed by the Mountain and Sea had distorted his perception of time. He thought only a few days had passed since comprehending Longevity, but a check of the Shuo Star Sea revealed a decade had gone by!
Shaking his head to clear his mind, Li Fan focused. "True Return!" he silently commanded.
The world seemed to freeze. He waited for the familiar darkness to engulf him.
One breath, two breaths, three…
But the darkness didn't come.
Like a bucket of ice water, the reality jolted him. "True Return!" he repeated, again and again.
But there was no response. True Return, it seemed, had either failed or abandoned him.
Terror, far surpassing the fear of being consumed by the Mountain and Sea, gripped him. His face contorted as he roared in frustration, not just internally, but aloud. Yet, it was as if he was forgotten by the world. Nothing responded.
Despair gave way to rage. He tried to unleash his power, to destroy the Star Sea, but his techniques, his divine sense, his very being, no longer interacted with reality.
He was fading from the world, merging with the Mountain and Sea. It wasn't a feeling of transparency or fading, but of becoming irrelevant.
The fissures in the sky multiplied. He was about to be drawn into the Mountain and Sea, whether he willed it or not.
"Is this my end?" he wondered. Unable to alter his fate, a strange calmness descended.
Something felt wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint it.
Then, half his body within the fissure, witnessing the vastness of the Mountain and Sea beyond the mortal realm, he was jolted awake.
Had True Return truly abandoned him?
Without True Return, with only the Daos of Longevity and the Mountain and Sea, could he maintain this state of being consumed? Wouldn't he have broken free long ago?
Only the threefold fusion allowed such seamless integration with the Mountain and Sea. Even Transcendents, even the Three Sages, couldn't achieve this.
This simple logic struck him like lightning.
"I haven't lost True Return," he realized, clinging to this hope like a lifeline. His eyes, previously devoid of emotion, now sparked with renewed purpose.
"Judging by True Return's actions in the Infinite Sea and its willingness to impart the Illusion Becomes Reality technique, it definitely doesn't want me discovered by the Mountain and Sea," he reasoned. "If the threefold fusion was merely a curiosity for True Return, it wouldn't remain indifferent to my imminent absorption by the Mountain and Sea."
His thoughts raced, his distorted perception of time returning to normal.
"True Return isn't ignoring me," he concluded. "The connection between us has been severed. Or perhaps, it can't hear my True Return command."
Understanding dawned.
"As long as True Return is still there, there's hope," he thought. "If calling doesn't work, I'll kick the door down!"
Now fully within the Mountain and Sea fissure, the light from Primordial Possibility faded as the rift closed. Inside the Mountain and Sea, the feeling of being consumed slowed, but visions and images flooded his mind like a gathering storm, threatening to materialize from the Mountain and Sea itself.
The Infinite Sea, the peak of the Upper Mountain, the Other Shore, and the realm beyond the Mountain and Sea, all seemed to sense the disturbance, roaring in response. Exposure seemed imminent.
Yet, the greater the danger, the calmer Li Fan became. He found his only solution.
Self-destruction.
The energy accumulated within him, his very will, ignited in an instant, exploding outwards without reservation. His Immortal foundation, the Dao of Longevity, all fueled the boundless light. He had never realized he possessed such power, a force capable of defying Dao Obliteration, of moving mountains and seas.
Primordial Possibility, still connected through the closing fissure, was engulfed first. The blinding light illuminated the dim starry sky, melting away the Shuo Star Sea, the Primordial Immortal Realm, the High Wall, and the Dao Net. Only a handful of beings within Primordial Possibility managed to withstand the onslaught.
From Primordial Possibility, the conflagration spread like wildfire, consuming everything in Li Fan's sight. The inferno shielded him from external observation, granting him a brief respite. Like a final burst of life before death, his power reached its peak.
He noticed the consumed possibilities didn't truly vanish but returned to the Mountain and Sea as phantom images, echoing the visions within his mind.
"What is the relationship between the Mountain and Sea and the mortal realm?" he wondered. "And what lies beyond the Mountain and Sea…?"
Reaching the pinnacle of power, he suddenly collapsed. His thoughts fragmented, unable to continue.
"I failed to awaken True Return," was his last thought before losing consciousness.
(End of Chapter)