Just as Li Fan had predicted, within the black-light domain that closely resembled Ink Death's, there should have been nothing left but absolute silence. Yet just as Giant Immortal Rat was basking in his smug satisfaction, a metallic sound, like raging waves crashing against mountains and mountains colliding with the sea, suddenly pierced through the black domain.

It resounded throughout the Archaic Immortal Realm.

From every corner of this continent of the Immortal Realm, different responses arose.

The rustling of wind through mountain forests, the murmuring of flowing streams, the fierce howl of wind and clouds converging, the clear cries of newly born life, the thunderous rumbling of mountains splitting apart.

These notes, each representing life, movement, and change, resonated with the sound of mountains and seas in the sky. Like countless surging waves, they violently tore apart the black domain.

"Such paltry tricks, yet you dare display them before an expert!"

With a thunderous shout, Inherit Dao burst out of the black light. The instant he escaped, his figure merged into heaven and earth, vanishing without a trace.

Sensing that something was wrong, Giant Immortal Rat let out a series of strange chuckles, yet showed no sign of panic. He shook his plump body, and in an instant, more than a thousand tiny hairs of different colors fell from his brocade-patterned skin.

As soon as they fell, these hairs transformed into upright human silhouettes.

In an instant, more than a thousand True Immortals stood in formation, protecting Giant Immortal Rat at the center.

"These figures are..."

"Nameless True Immortals?"

Li Fan saw everything clearly. Every hair that fell from Giant Immortal Rat represented a Great Dao. The Dao-incarnations now standing before him were essentially no different from the Nameless True Immortals who had transformed their very bodies into their respective Daos!

The Nameless True Immortal who had mutated after greedily devouring Great Daos was now spitting out the Daos he had already swallowed.

After relinquishing some of the Great Daos, Giant Immortal Rat did not grow weaker. Instead, the aura surrounding him became even more unfathomable, leaving others deeply unsettled. Li Fan also noticed a subtle change in his appearance.

His claws transformed into hands, his hunched body straightened, and the expression on his face became increasingly human.

A fierce wind rose between the mountains and seas.

It howled violently, scattering every Dao-incarnation protecting Giant Immortal Rat.

As Li Fan witnessed this scene, it was as though he saw countless possibilities, countless worlds, and countless living beings sinking into the mountains and seas before disappearing forever.

Although Inherit Dao had restricted his divine ability to a limited area, some stray winds still broke free from their original positions amid the fierce battle.

Like invisible blades, they sliced through the Archaic Immortal Realm.

Wherever these wind blades passed, all things perished. A gigantic rift opened in the void, leaving behind a vast chasm.

Even with an infinite supply of immortal power replenishing it continuously, this wound would be difficult to repair in a short time.

This alone revealed the terrifying extent of the destructive power unleashed at the center of the battle.

Amid the howling winds, the countless figures danced like willow branches swaying in the breeze. Though scattered, they refused to perish, stubbornly maintaining their forms within the winds of the mountains and seas.

At that very moment, another series of extraordinarily strange sounds emerged from Giant Immortal Rat's mouth. They resembled both the shrill, heart-rending squeals of rats and the impassioned chanting of a poet.

More and more hairs fell from Giant Immortal Rat's body.

True Immortals filled the air like a dense swarm, drifting outward in every direction.

As Giant Immortal Rat shed his fur, he became increasingly human in appearance. Yet he still wore a complete covering of rat skin.

The rapid chanting abruptly stopped, as though a blade had suddenly fallen and sliced open a layer of skin.

Giant Immortal Rat transformed into a human.

Unlike the surrounding Dao-incarnations of True Immortals, which were merely vague silhouettes without distinct features, the human-shaped Giant Immortal Rat now possessed a fully formed appearance.

At this moment, although he stood completely naked, Giant Immortal Rat was indistinguishable from an ordinary human.

"Honored Daoist brothers..."

"Please accept Giant Rat's humble greetings."

A voice that was neither male nor female, yet somehow both, emerged from the human-shaped rat.

He greeted them casually, without expecting Li Fan or Inherit Dao to respond. Before his words had even faded, he spread all ten fingers and remotely controlled the countless Dao-incarnations of True Immortals that had completely detached from his body.

It was like a puppeteer manipulating puppets from behind the scenes.

With Giant Immortal Rat's reinforcement, the faces of the countless True Immortal incarnations gradually took on distinct human features.

They no longer attacked solely by instinct. Instead, they fought as though the Nameless True Immortals themselves had returned to life, unleashing their divine abilities and spells to their utmost limits.

Their attacks involved not only the Five Elements, Solitude, and Silence Great Daos that existed within the [Yuanchu] possibility, but also Great Daos that were completely unfamiliar to Li Fan.

Before Giant Immortal Rat transformed, the Dao-incarnations of the True Immortals had been like a host of dragons without a leader, each fighting independently. But under the control of the human-shaped rat, they could finally unleash their true strength.

The pressure on Inherit Dao increased more than a hundredfold in an instant.

Li Fan seemed to glimpse a lofty figure commanding troops and deploying generals. With a few words and a laugh, powerful enemies were reduced to ashes.

"These Nameless True Immortals must have obeyed his commands and served under his direction while they were still alive."

"Then Giant Immortal Rat's true identity is..."

"Some kind of Immortal Emperor who once ruled the realm?"

Li Fan's thoughts raced. Having noticed the clue, he suddenly called out in a probing voice.

"Your Majesty! Your subject died such an unjust death!"

His ghostly voice pierced through the howling winds between the mountains and seas and penetrated the military formations established by the countless Nameless True Immortals, reaching Giant Immortal Rat's ears directly.

Giant Immortal Rat, who had been thoroughly enjoying his control over the Dao-incarnations of the True Immortals, suddenly froze for no apparent reason.

Although he quickly returned to normal, Li Fan did not miss that brief change.

"Senior Brother, do not panic!"

"I am coming to help you!"

With his suspicion confirmed, Li Fan let out a cold laugh. The Wuji Celestial Staff led the way, and he followed close behind, charging straight toward Giant Immortal Rat.

As soon as the countless Dao-incarnations of True Immortals noticed Li Fan's movements, they rushed forward to stop him.

Most of their attacks were blocked by the Wuji Celestial Staff.

Even the few that fell outside the coverage of the Great Dao of Wuji in the [Yuanchu] possibility could hardly penetrate the dual defenses of Li Fan's Myriad Aspects Dao Net and his Immovable Body of Mountain Sea.

Enduring the attacks of the True Immortal incarnations head-on, Li Fan charged directly toward Giant Immortal Rat.

He intended to seize the Immortal Emperor's head from the midst of a million-strong army!

Inherit Dao also understood Li Fan's intention and coordinated with him. The winds between the mountains and seas howled even more fiercely. Above the military formation composed of the True Immortal incarnations, an enormous figure gradually emerged, leaning forward to look down upon the battlefield.

Its gaze, which seemed merely to survey the mountains and seas, annihilated countless True Immortal incarnations.

Although Giant Immortal Rat's combat strength had increased tremendously after spitting out all the Great Daos he had devoured, there was no doubt that his true body was at its most vulnerable at this moment.

Li Fan moved with astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, he had already arrived within three zhang of Giant Immortal Rat.

The surprise attack was simply too fast. Giant Immortal Rat did not even have time to reclaim the Great Daos he had devoured.

Only a sparse layer of fur had grown back on his body when Li Fan's attack arrived.

The Wuji Celestial Staff struck first, followed by the saber and sword!

Faced with the staff, saber, and sword, three supreme treasures attacking together, Giant Immortal Rat had nowhere to dodge. Yet his eyes gleamed fiercely, and he showed not the slightest fear.

He opened his mouth, revealing a set of sinister fangs, and viciously lunged to bite the Wuji Celestial Staff, Dao Sword, and Dao Saber directly.

He actually intended to swallow these three lethal weapons that had come to take his life!

Truly worthy of the endlessly greedy Giant Immortal Rat!

However, Li Fan had anticipated precisely this reaction.

Amid a burst of laughter, the Wuji Celestial Staff, Dao Sword, and Dao Saber vanished into thin air. In their place appeared several pills suffused with swirling purple qi.

Although Giant Immortal Rat clearly witnessed this instantaneous transformation, his innate greed prevented him from retracting his fangs.

He had once devoured the immortals in the imperial court. He had even devoured an entire world.

What, then, would he dare not swallow?

As the countless released Dao-incarnations of True Immortals were rapidly withdrawn, Giant Immortal Rat eventually transformed from his human form back into a ferocious beast.

He gulped down the pills Li Fan had conveniently delivered straight into his mouth. Then he attempted to search for Li Fan's whereabouts.

By then, however, Li Fan had already retreated thousands of li and returned to a safe position, waiting for the medicinal effects to take hold.

"Let's see if you can survive swallowing so many poisonous pills at once!"

However, the time required for the Giant Rat Immortal's poison to take effect was far longer than Li Fan had anticipated.

It seemed that, after all, this was a ruthless figure who had crossed mountains and seas while lying inside a coffin. He had even developed a certain degree of resistance to the power of Dao Annihilation.

Inherit Dao and the Giant Rat Immortal remained locked in a stalemate for a full half day before the first abnormal changes finally appeared on the Giant Rat Immortal's body.

His originally brilliant, multicolored fur gradually began turning purple.

Moreover, the fur started falling from his body uncontrollably.

This was precisely the manifestation of Dao transformation caused by the poisonous pill Li Fan had refined.

At first, the Giant Rat Immortal did not notice anything amiss. It was only when fine purple hairs began drifting across the sky that he finally realized what was happening.

He cried out in a piercing shriek that tore through the clouds.

The Giant Rat Immortal no longer cared about fighting Inherit Dao. Instead, he hurriedly began gathering the hairs falling from his own body.

From the Giant Rat Immortal's cry, Li Fan heard not only fear but also desperation and reluctance.

This was somewhat unexpected.

However, whatever history the Giant Rat Immortal and his former subordinates shared, it would not prevent Li Fan from taking advantage of his weakened state and finishing him off.

With a sweep of his broad sleeve, Li Fan began competing with the Giant Rat Immortal for the Dao-transformed fur. At the same time, he maintained a connection with the medicinal power of the poisonous pill within the Giant Rat Immortal's body, ready to tighten the Myriad Aspects Dao Net at any moment.

The more fur he lost, the faster his strength declined. And the weaker he became, the harder it was for him to suppress the poison pill erupting within his body.

Once the Giant Rat Immortal began showing signs of defeat, his downfall was already inevitable.

Now that the moment of harvest had finally arrived, Li Fan certainly had no intention of yielding to Inherit Dao out of courtesy.

'Life and death are one, and all things return to the Dao. Transcending the mundane world, my pill shall now be complete.'

Li Fan silently chanted in his heart.

The Myriad Aspects Dao Net served as the pill furnace, while the power of the Ink Death Celestial Spirit served as the pill flame.

He slowly refined this drifting immortal from another possibility into a Dao Pill.

The Giant Rat Immortal struggled desperately, but the net continued tightening around him. In the end, all his efforts were futile.

At this moment, Inherit Dao also revealed his figure. He watched Li Fan refining the pill and pondered for a moment, but ultimately did not intervene.

After losing all his fur, the Giant Rat Immortal once again reverted to human form.

However, he no longer struggled.

He merely gazed silently at Li Fan and Inherit Dao in the distance.

"Those who devour others will eventually be devoured themselves."

"These words truly could not be more accurate!"

"Fellow Daoists, take care not to follow in my footsteps!"

"Hahahaha..."

Amid his wild laughter, the Giant Rat Immortal was completely refined.

He became a perfectly rounded, translucent pill resting in Li Fan's palm, shimmering with seven-colored purple radiance.

Without a doubt, this was the most beautiful and precious Dao Pill Li Fan had ever refined since mastering the Medicine King Scripture of Dao Refinement.

"It is a pity that I cannot consume it directly."

Li Fan glanced at Inherit Dao, who stood beside him with a solemn expression, and an idea suddenly came to mind.

"Senior Brother, here."

He spoke with great sincerity as he offered the Dao Pill to Inherit Dao.

"Oh? There is no need for that." Inherit Dao was genuinely surprised by Li Fan's gesture, but he immediately shook his head and declined.

It was not that he had seen through the pill's secrets.

After all, even Li Fan himself could not be certain whether the Medicine King Scripture of Dao Refinement, left behind by Sun Piaomiao, contained any problems. He was simply cautious by nature.

The reason Inherit Dao rejected Li Fan's kind offer was entirely due to his adherence to the rules taught by Lord Hill Guardian. No matter how precious a treasure might be, one should never snatch it from a fellow disciple.

Although the Dao Pill before him was extraordinary, it was not so wondrous that Inherit Dao would violate Lord Hill Guardian's rules for its sake.

"Senior Brother, suppressing this Giant Rat Immortal and his poison was possible entirely because you confronted him head-on."

"If you had not restrained the countless manifestations of True Immortal Dao projections he transformed into, I would never have been able to approach his true body so easily, much less enjoy the fruits of refining this Dao Pill. You are unquestionably deserving of it, Senior Brother."

"Besides, after consuming this pill, you can tell me about the Great Daos of the other possibilities you comprehend. If I consume it myself, I will not have the ability to explain those insights to you in such detail!"

...

Li Fan's words were indeed reasonable.

After Li Fan's heartfelt and sincere persuasion, Inherit Dao ultimately found it difficult to refuse his goodwill. Half-reluctantly, he swallowed the Giant Rat Immortal Dao Pill.

"Senior Brother, how does it feel?" Li Fan asked tentatively after a long while.

"Alas."

"The Giant Rat Immortal and those countless projections of True Immortals were, in truth, nothing more than a group of pitiful people."

Inherit Dao shook his head and let out a long sigh.

Li Fan asked, "Senior Brother, what do you mean?"

"I sensed countless scenes when I consumed the Dao Pill." As Inherit Dao spoke, he gently waved his hand, projecting the images before Li Fan.

At the beginning, it was a magnificent Immortal Realm, peaceful and harmonious, prosperous and flourishing.

The Giant Rat Immortal had already served as the Ruling Immortal Emperor for nearly two hundred million years. During his reign, all the immortals of the Immortal Realm had submitted to his authority, and everything had prospered.

Indeed, ever since the Giant Rat Immortal assumed power, even the Three Sages had ceased to concern themselves with the affairs of the Immortal Realm.

The countless immortals knew only the Immortal Emperor, not the Three Sages.

The transition from prosperity to decline began when the Dao Annihilation Calamity suddenly descended.

At first, the Giant Rat Immortal was filled with boundless ambition.

He firmly believed that he could lead the countless immortals in subduing this mere Dao Annihilation Calamity.

However, Dao Annihilation would subside only to erupt again, repeating the cycle over and over.

Although it could be suppressed for short periods, there seemed to be no hope of ever eradicating it completely.

On the surface, the Giant Rat Immortal maintained his composure, but inwardly, he grew increasingly frantic. Eventually, he conceived the idea of secretly visiting the Three Sages to seek answers.

Yet what he discovered left him utterly shocked.

The Three Sages were gone.

It was as though they had vanished from the world without a trace. No matter how hard he tried, he could not establish contact with them.

Although most of the immortals in the Immortal Realm had gradually forgotten about the Three Sages, the Three Sages of the Immortal Realm still represented the highest ideals of sagehood in the hearts of all immortals.

The Immortal Realm was already in turmoil because of the calamity, and its people were filled with anxiety.

If they learned that the Sages had disappeared, the Immortal Realm might descend into utter chaos before the Dao Annihilation Calamity could even destroy it.

After much deliberation, the Giant Rat Immortal decided to conceal the news.

To prevent the disappearance of the Sages from being exposed, he even took it upon himself to impersonate all three of them.

As an Immortal Emperor who had ruled for hundreds of millions of years, the Rat Immortal possessed extraordinary strength, far surpassing that of the other immortals. Perhaps impersonating a single Sage would not have placed much strain on him.

But impersonating all three Sages without revealing any flaws...

That was a little too much for him.

Thus, the Giant Rat Immortal desperately sought ways to increase his strength within a short period.

Driven to the end of his options, he came up with the idea of directly devouring True Immortals to steal the Great Daos they had comprehended.

The results were astonishing.

Relying on his peerless cultivation, the Giant Rat Immortal truly managed to merge multiple, fundamentally different Dao paths into a single body.

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.