"The Eternal Silent Void?" This was the second time Li Fan had heard the Tai Heavenly Emperor mention this place. Even with his fragmented memories, he knew Shou Qiu Gong was an exceptionally powerful being. For such a figure to struggle there…
"What exactly is the Eternal Silent Void?" he asked.
The Tai Heavenly Emperor's expression turned strange. He gestured around them. "Here, there, everywhere you've ever seen… all of it can be considered the Eternal Silent Void. Even if it isn't now, it's destined to become so. This is the fate of all beings in the Mountain and Sea."
His words only deepened Li Fan's confusion. The fallen Emperor, however, seemed intent on speaking in riddles.
"When I transformed into the Upstream Ark, I journeyed against the current of the river of time. Initially, even with my near-Transcendent strength, I could only reach three thousand years into the past."
"Three thousand years may seem long, but it's a mere blink of an eye. With foreknowledge, I made preparations for the arrival of Dao Obliteration. But it was futile. I could save some True Immortals, but not the Immortal Realm."
"So I tried again and again, striving to reach further into the past, to gain more time. As my understanding of the Dao of Upstream deepened, so did my reach. Three thousand years, five thousand, ten thousand, fifty thousand!" Though his tone was calm, his words revealed the spirit of a true powerhouse.
"Despite the cracks spreading across the Upstream Ark, I still held hope. Until…"
"I reached the end of the river of time." His eyes filled with a distant longing.
"The end? Impossible." Li Fan was stunned. Images flashed through his mind, causing a sharp pain. Then, he understood.
"Like a river that appears from nowhere, no matter how hard I struggled against the current, I couldn't go any further!"
"Dao Obliteration?" Li Fan asked softly.
The Tai Heavenly Emperor nodded. "Indeed. Dao Obliteration doesn't just consume our present. It erases our past, reducing everything to nothingness."
"Seventy-four thousand, eight hundred and seventy-six years. That was the furthest I reached. But it's been a long time since I last journeyed. Staying within this painting… that number has likely decreased." He sighed.
Even as a listener, Li Fan felt the crushing weight of that revelation. What could be more despairing than a fate unchangeable even by reversing time? He felt as if he had accompanied the Tai Heavenly Emperor on his journey, witnessing the encroaching tide of Dao Obliteration at the river's source.
Suddenly, a realization struck him. "So, the Eternal Silent Void… it's…"
"The parts of the river already consumed by Dao Obliteration," the Tai Heavenly Emperor confirmed.
This explanation, however, raised a bigger question. "If Dao Obliteration has already consumed the past, how did my master, Shou Qiu Gong, go there? Traveling through that nothingness… even Master would face mortal danger. Why would he risk it?"
The Tai Heavenly Emperor didn't hesitate to answer. With a wave of his sleeve, an image of a shimmering river appeared between them. He drew his finger across it like a sword, erasing a portion of the river's beginning, leaving only the latter half flowing.
"Have you ever wondered why we still exist, even though the river's source has been consumed? Can we exist without a past? If I went back to your mortal years and killed you, would you still be here now?"
Li Fan narrowed his eyes. He had considered this, instinctively dismissing it as impossible. But the continued existence of the world proved otherwise. The river's source being consumed didn't immediately affect its downstream flow. Only when Dao Obliteration reached the "present" would time and space cease to exist.
The Tai Heavenly Emperor looked at him intently. "I, along with many powerful beings in the Immortal Realm, including the Three Sages, believed the same. Until we realized… we were wrong."
He didn't elaborate on how they had discovered their mistake, but simply presented his irrefutable conclusion. He waved his hand again, and the horizontal river turned vertical, shrinking dramatically, revealing its consumed upper reaches.
"The river's foundation still exists. Our continued existence is proof of this. Dao Obliteration consuming it is an illusion."
Li Fan saw a breathtaking sight: a vertical river of shimmering blue light, partially consumed by an encroaching darkness.
"Dao Obliteration doesn't attack sequentially, from past to present. It attacks simultaneously across all of time. Some parts of the river are completely consumed, while others endure. We exist within one of these surviving segments."
He looked towards the distant past. "The reason we exist is because within that seemingly all-consuming darkness, there are still those who endure. If they fall… so will we. We won't even know how it happened, as if we were never meant to exist. No power, not even Shou Qiu Gong's Dao of Longevity, can escape that fate." He sighed heavily.
Li Fan was stunned. He finally understood why Shou Qiu Gong had ventured into the Eternal Silent Void. It was an act of both salvation and self-preservation.
"Understanding this unites all powerful beings. We must traverse the consumed segments of time, reaching the surviving segments and offering aid. Repeating this process, we might eventually… reach a point in the past where Dao Obliteration can be stopped."
"But I am nearing my end. My will is strong, but my power is insufficient. Traveling upstream is my limit. Traversing the consumed segments… is beyond me." His voice was filled with regret.
This revelation far exceeded anything Li Fan had imagined. He didn't even remember possessing such knowledge in his past. His mind reeled from the shock.
After a long silence, he suddenly asked, "Could it be… that our realization, our understanding of the river of time… was because… someone from the future traversed the consumed segments and aided us?" His voice trembled slightly.
The Tai Heavenly Emperor nodded solemnly.
Li Fan stared at the image of the river, envisioning countless powerful beings working together to save the consumed segments of time. A surge of emotion overwhelmed him.
After a long while, he calmed down. The initial excitement faded, replaced by new questions. How could one traverse the consumed segments of time? And how could they be sure that reaching the distant past would offer a solution to Dao Obliteration? What if, after all their efforts, they found there was no hope?
He voiced his concerns.
The Tai Heavenly Emperor's expression turned serious. "If we don't try, our only fate is destruction. We must try, to grasp at that sliver of hope. We can only hope those in the distant past can endure until reinforcements arrive." He pointed towards the heavens.
"Those who reach the Other Shore are all exceptional beings. But those who can traverse the consumed segments, venturing into the Eternal Silent Void… are even rarer. Such individuals, even without hope, will still fight. Their resolve wouldn't be shaken by the mere possibility of failure." His tone was graver than ever.
"You have Shou Qiu Gong's legacy, and Transcendence is almost guaranteed. But with your current mindset, even on a larger stage, you might not progress further. The Dao of Longevity can only grant you immortality in this world."
Li Fan looked at the segment of the river the Tai Heavenly Emperor was pointing to, feigning understanding. "Any cultivator who learns of this plan would be eager to contribute. It's a great regret that I, due to my circumstances, cannot participate."
"But you still have a chance. Perhaps your arrival here was destiny." As he spoke, the Tai Heavenly Emperor's voice trailed off, his expression becoming distant, as if struck by a sudden inspiration. A strange aura emanated from his fading form.
"Lingering here is pointless. I will impart to you the Dao of Upstream! If one day you can aid those in the Eternal Silent Void, my sacrifice will not be in vain!"
A bright light enveloped him as he merged with the Upstream Ark. The ark then shot towards Li Fan with incredible speed.
Li Fan, initially moved by the Emperor's words, instinctively tried to dodge, but he was no match for the Tai Heavenly Emperor, even in his weakened state.
He could only watch as the ark entered his body.
The image of the river of time exploded within his mind. He experienced the Tai Heavenly Emperor's countless journeys upstream, reliving his struggles and insights. It was like being consumed by his own lost memories.
But the Tai Heavenly Emperor had considered Li Fan's limited capacity. The less important details faded, leaving only the crucial events and the Emperor's understanding of the Dao of Upstream, like sediment settling at the bottom of a river.
This inheritance resonated with Li Fan's lost memories, triggering a flood of images from his past.
"True Return!" He grasped at the most important piece. He remembered the name he had given his treasure, and its many uses.
"What happened? Why is True Return like this? Not only are functions like Samsara Between Worlds gone, but even my anchor points have vanished?!"
Though he had recovered some memories, his mind was in turmoil. The Tai Heavenly Emperor's inheritance only worsened the situation.
In the Xuanhuang World, Li Fan's original body, within the confines of the Grand Tutor's secret chamber, was collapsing under the strain, his upper body exploding into a bloody mess. Longevity Qi surged from his mangled form, desperately trying to heal him.
But the mental shock was too great, overwhelming even the Dao of Longevity.
"True Return! True Return! True Return!" he cried out desperately.
But just like before, there was no response. True Return seemed deaf to his pleas. He repeated the command several times, but the result was the same.
Panic and despair consumed him as he felt himself fading.
Then, he remembered the Tai Heavenly Emperor's words. "Such individuals, even without hope, will still fight."
His fear subsided, replaced by steely resolve. In that instant, he found his path to survival.
The Upstream Ark.
(End of chapter)