After the slash of [Truth], everything fell into complete silence.

The Grand Mage seemed to have been frozen in place, his expression rigid. In the end, he did not even have time to cry out those final words, "Save me," before his body seemed to be covered in a layer of gray, gradually becoming dim.

Li Buren did not let down his guard, because the Grand Mage's life signs had not yet disappeared. However, after observing him for quite some time, he finally confirmed that his opponent should no longer be able to move.

The Grand Mage, whose spirituality had been reduced to its absolute limit, had not died. Instead, he had transformed into something resembling a stone statue.

Around the stone statue, the various Great Daos remained forbidden.

The effect of 'Great Dao Retreat' was not much weaker than when the Grand Mage had still been alive. It was simply no longer deliberately targeting anyone, instead naturally radiating its own characteristics toward the surroundings. Thus, Li Buren was barely able to maintain his body without dispersing.

He stared at the stone statue and carefully observed it. After a long while, he finally understood something.

"It seems the Grand Mage was not lying."

"He truly has an enormous connection with the Wuji that existed before the Primordial Origin. He may even be like the Beast Race's [Primeval Dao Form], directly being a manifestation of the Great Dao."

"No..."

Recalling the Grand Mage's previous words, as well as the fact that despite having lived for countless years, he remained extremely 'naive,' Li Buren speculated that the Grand Mage might not have completed his manifestation entirely through his own efforts.

Instead, he had received guidance from someone else.

"After Wuji, Heaven and Earth were born. The Grand Mage's [Wuji] is indeed genuine. The only beings qualified to enlighten an innate lifeform like him were probably the Four Sage Lords of the Immortal Realm."

"Lianshan, Guihai..."

"The Four Sage Lords can be traced back to the very beginning of the Immortal Realm's birth. Even the entire cultivation system of the immortals was created by them. The Grand Mage, being a remnant of the Dao of Wuji left behind after Heaven and Earth were created, was discovered by them and subsequently transformed into a human."

As Li Buren pondered, he gradually reconstructed the Grand Mage's past.

"Wuji."

He carefully examined the strange power surging through the stone statue before him.

If the Sage Lords of the Immortal Realm had bestowed life upon the Grand Mage, then Li Fan had cut away the Grand Mage's 'life' one slash after another.

He had returned him to the state he should have originally possessed.

Without personal desires or thoughts, he was simply pure [Wuji].

Wuji and the world evolved from the Great Dao were destined to be mutually incompatible. The Grand Mage had still been able to suppress his own power while alive, but after he disappeared, the power of Wuji lost its restraint and gradually began spreading toward the surroundings.

This was a tendency.

Just like the birth and death of the Dao, its growth and decline, it belonged to the 'destiny' of Heaven and Earth's Great Dao itself. It could not be stopped.

"If it is allowed to spread unchecked, the possibility [Yuanchu] may use the Xuanhuang Realm as its center and recreate earth, fire, water, and wind."

"However, this kind of destruction is still very different from the Dao Annihilation Calamity. This is a natural evolution born from Heaven and Earth itself, a unique cycle of reincarnation. Even if everything returns to Wuji, after countless years, there will eventually come a day when Heaven and Earth are recreated. But if it is swallowed by the Dao Annihilation Calamity..."

"Then it will be eternal annihilation."

Li Buren was not forced back by the power of Wuji. Instead, he once again drew upon more of the power contained within the phantom of Lord Hill Guardian, suppressing the rate at which Wuji dispersed as much as possible.

Although dealing with the Grand Mage had been somewhat troublesome, once he had already speculated that Li Fan might possess [Truth], there was no reason to allow him to continue living.

Moreover, at the final moment just now, the Grand Mage had already begun calling for help.

If he had been allowed to summon that final surviving Sage Lord Senior Uncle, then even with the protection of Lord Hill Guardian's phantom, Li Fan would have been forced to return to [Truth] in a sorry state.

"This unexpected development happened entirely because I underestimated the Grand Mage's origins. But it cannot really be said that I was careless. Who could have imagined that the Heavenly Capital Grand Mage, who could fight the Xuantian King back and forth, would have such an extraordinary background? Not only was he connected to the Immortal Realm, he was also an innate lifeform..."

Li Fan's true body ordered Li Buren to temporarily remain beside the Grand Mage's stone statue and guard it. Meanwhile, through Li Buren's perspective, he simultaneously observed and comprehended [Wuji], while sighing inwardly.

Even after capturing such an existence whose origins and background were unparalleled within the possibility of [Yuanchu], Li Fan felt not the slightest bit guilty.

After truly recognizing the power of [Truth], and confirming that he was useful to [Truth] and that it should save him at critical moments, he was no longer as fearful of even the Four Sage Lords of the Immortal Realm.

"The state of Wuji before the birth of Heaven and Earth still belongs within possibility. With a single thought, [Truth] can construct possibility from nothing. It can even return to the point in time before Heaven and Earth first opened..."

"In other words, this [Wuji] is likewise encompassed within the authority of the Transformation Between Truth and Falsehood."

[Wuji] rejected the Great Daos of the mortal world, but against existences that transcended the mortal realm, its rejection was greatly weakened.

With the aid of the phantom of Lord Hill Guardian, Li Buren could barely stand within it and restrain it.

But Li Fan, relying on the power of [Truth], could comprehend it.

He could even turn it into something he could use himself.

This was the conclusion Li Fan reached after observing the Grand Mage's stone statue for a long time.

"Use the Transformation Between Truth and Falsehood to simulate [Wuji]."

Perhaps because his thoughts had been immersed in the storm of [Truth] and had been stained by countless memories from the mortal world, Li Fan felt that his comprehension had improved considerably once again.

Even with [Wuji], he inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity. Of course, this familiarity was not familiarity with the Grand Mage.

Rather, it was as though Li Fan himself had become an innate lifeform and had once observed [Wuji] from the perspective of an outsider before Heaven and Earth were born.

This innate advantage allowed him to rapidly gain an initial grasp of the application of Wuji at a terrifying speed that completely defied reason.

Or rather, its simulation.

A point of gray light suddenly appeared at Li Fan's fingertip.

The originally stable Great Daos of Heaven and Earth instantly became chaotic. Wherever the gray light existed, the Great Dao retreated, forming an absolute void containing nothing but gray light.

It lasted for only three breaths.

Li Fan had already consumed the power of an entire phantom of the Xuanhuang Realm within his body. The energy was consumed so rapidly that it became difficult to circulate for a time. Moreover, Li Fan did not possess the characteristic of 'infinity.'

Thus, after merely having a brief taste of it, he quickly dispersed the gray light at his fingertip.

Accompanying the enormous energy consumption was an overwhelming mental exhaustion.

It was even more intense than when he had previously used [Falsehood to Truth] to transform the Dao Deviation ofStone Mother.

Li Fan felt that in those few brief moments, he had seemingly experienced several reincarnations.

"It seems that the current me still cannot forcibly simulate and utilize it too much."

"But using it to save my life at a critical moment is simply perfect."

"As long as they have not transcended the mountain and sea, and still remain within the system of the Great Dao, I can ignore them to a great extent..."

"No matter how high their cultivation is, the result will be the same. This is the suppression of the innate over the acquired."

The experience of observing something from the outside and the experience of personally controlling it were completely different.

It might have seemed that Li Fan had effortlessly cut away the Grand Mage's spirituality. This disciple who had served at the side of a Sage Lord seemed pitifully weak.

But only after Li Fan had gained a certain degree of control over the power of [Wuji] did he truly understand how powerful it was.

"It almost completely ignores differences in cultivation."

"No wonder the Grand Mage always seemed not to care about anything. Even after living for countless years, he had little scheming. With the power of Wuji protecting his body, the vast majority of things happening in the world could not affect him. Naturally, there was no need for him to scheme against others or think too much. Innate strength... can instead become a kind of restraint."

"Perhaps he really is better suited to being the attendant boy of some great figure."

At this thought, Li Fan narrowed his eyes, and an idea emerged in his heart.

However, it was only an initial concept.

Its actual implementation would have to wait for the next few lives.

With the help of his true body, Li Buren finally managed to barely suppress the Wuji that was about to spread.

But the price was that a small portion of his strength had to be diverted.

Thus, the excess power used to suppress the Hunger Immortal was reduced by nearly half.

Li Fan, however, believed that this trade was absolutely worthwhile.

Putting aside the Wuji power he had gleaned, the information mentioned in passing by the Grand Mage alone was of immense value to Li Fan.

As for the various matters concerning the Immortal Realm's Sage Lords, there was no need to mention them.

What Li Fan cared about most was actually the treasure [Truth]. It seemed that this treasure had already been passed down since the very beginning of the Immortal Realm's birth.

"The more ancient an existence is, the more likely they are to know the truth about [Truth]. The various lies I fabricated to conceal the existence of [Truth] may be completely meaningless before these powerful beings. They could see through them at a glance..."

For now, Li Fan had not thought of any way to deal with this. But now that he knew this, he would at least not be caught completely off guard.

After leaving the Grand Mage's body, the countless Dao Aspects reestablished contact with the heavens and earth. The portions that had dissipated were replenished once again.

Countless Dao Annihilation with different appearances, like the multitude of living beings, were hidden within the vast black qi of the Ink Death Celestial Spirit.

In the Shuo Star Sea, Li Fan had obtained a Body Refining cultivation technique called [Great Dao Embodiment Body Art].

With the Great Dao residing within the body, in theory, upon cultivating it to its utmost level, one could become the mortal world itself.

But for a mortal body of flesh and blood to bear the Great Dao, it first had to undergo unimaginable tempering.

"Compared to this, the Ink Death Celestial Spirit has it far easier when devouring and accommodating different Dao Laws."

"Perhaps I can first make the physical body adapt to the properties of Ink Death."

As Li Fan sensed the Ink Death within his body, which seemed to possess a faint trace of vitality, countless thoughts emerged in his mind.

Naturally, he did not recklessly experiment on himself.

Instead, he once again had Li Buren take the lead.

Li Buren's physical body had been completely destroyed, leaving behind only the body of a Dao Net projection. He was the perfect candidate to test the transformed Ink Death Celestial Spirit.

A drop of essence blood was flicked by Li Fan toward Li Buren.

After devouring the essence blood, flesh began to wriggle within the Dao Net that shimmered with silver light.

Li Buren's "physical body" was thus hastily created.

Without adding any heavenly materials or earthly treasures, this fleshly body was exceptionally weak.

But as a wisp of Ink Death black qi merged into it, the body immediately became completely different.

If it had been the pure power of the Ink Ink Death Celestial Spirit from before, then even if Li Fan had merged with the Dao through Ink Death, he would still have been unable to fuse this highly destructive power with a fleshly body.

But now, Ink Death was no longer purely about destruction and annihilation. It had incorporated the various Dao paths of the heavens and earth.

The first thing used for experimentation was the most fundamental Dao of the Five Elements.

Five strands of black energy, similar yet distinct, continuously rotated and fused together.

Li Fan was exceedingly familiar with the process of incorporating the circulation of the Five Elements into the self. Thus, he smoothly transplanted this black vortex into Li Buren's body.

The frail fleshly body did indeed begin to dissipate because of Ink Death's destructive properties. In the blink of an eye, it became riddled with holes and utterly ruined.

It looked extremely frightening.

Yet a small portion still managed to survive by relying on the Five Elements properties contained within Ink Death. Using this as its foundation, it slowly reconstructed the fleshly body.

Li Buren moved his body slightly and conducted various experiments.

After nearly half a day, he reached a conclusion.

This newly created physical body not only possessed an extremely strong capacity to bear the laws of the Grand Dao, it even possessed considerable resistance to Dao Annihilation.

When Li Fan forcibly summoned the entire power of the Lord Hill Guardian's phantom, leaving only the Primordial Origin Bones and the Hunger Immortal Celestial Pillar to struggle on their own.

Faced with the impending calamity of overwhelming Dao Annihilation, the instinctive fear that surged within Li Buren's heart was far weaker than before.

"Although the flood covers the heavens, at least we can now swim beneath the surface. Although we still cannot escape the fate of eventually being swallowed, we can at least hold on for a little while." Li Fan was delighted.

One had to know that surviving the Dao Annihilation Calamity was something only Transcendent powerhouses could accomplish.

Yet Li Fan had achieved almost the same effect through the Ink Death Celestial Spirit, taking an indirect path to the same destination.

More importantly, Li Buren's body had currently only accommodated the Ink Death power bearing the properties of the Five Elements.

Once, in the future, he gradually incorporated the countless Grand Daos into his body, step by step.

Perhaps he would eventually be able to face the tide of Dao Annihilation without even changing his expression.

However, this was destined to be a long process.

Li Fan temporarily entrusted this arduous task to Li Buren.

He planned to strike while the iron was hot and resolve all the hidden dangers within the Xuanhuang Realm in one go.

Silver radiance spread across his entire body like a rain cloak, seemingly forming a protective suit draped over Li Fan.

This silver radiance was precisely the power of Wuji.

Li Fan's destination this time was the Dark Sea located deep within the Xuanhuang Realm.

The darkness capable of swallowing everything retreated before the silver radiance representing Wuji.

It was like a gigantic ball of light, illuminating this region that had remained pitch-black since time immemorial.

Li Fan strolled through it leisurely.

The various feelings of fear and dread he had experienced in previous reincarnations were nowhere to be found.

After exploring the shallower layers of the Dark Sea, he discovered nothing unusual.

Li Fan proceeded toward the depths, where the will of the True Immortal to survive resided.

The restrictions left behind by the Xuantian King and the Immortal Ancestor in the past did not require Li Fan to break them himself.

Under the illumination of the silver radiance, they all dispersed on their own, failing to obstruct him in the slightest.

Once again, he saw the enormous 'momentum' that had accumulated in the depths of the Dark Sea over tens of thousands of years.

Before him, energy condensed into countless bizarre forms, resembling clouds in the heavens. Li Fan could not help but pause slightly.

He was now a Half Immortal. Looking at these accumulations, he was no longer gazing upward in awe.

Instead, it was as though he stood atop a mountain peak, looking straight ahead into the distance.

"The reason immortals were originally called immortals is because of [Lianshan]."

"Only with the mountains could the birth of immortals become possible."

"The momentum of immortals..."

As Li Fan looked at the peaks before him, it seemed as though he could see the immortals of the former Immortal Realm.

"Immortals, return!"

He extended his right hand and gently grasped.

The Dark Sea instantly began to tremble.

The dark power that had accumulated for tens of thousands of years surged toward Li Fan's palm.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.