Chapter 1489: The Paramount Dao Scripture Left Behind

The Dao that Situ Xing had attained was [Engrave].

Using himself as a blade, he could engrave everything in heaven and earth, whether tangible or intangible.

It was initially inspired by the Dao-inscribing method of the [Immortal of Inscription Dao, Shangde], then combined with what Situ Xing was most skilled at, ultimately giving birth to this unique Dao art, one of a kind under heaven and earth.

The reason Situ Xing's Dao Proving Ceremony was so grand was that the creations he carved could serve as a lesser substitute for Dao inscription.

The Four Sage Lords of the Immortal Realm stood high above.

They had never opened the Immortal Path or connected the Infinite Spring. Although their deeds had benefited all immortals and brought merit that would endure for countless generations, most True Immortals of the Immortal Realm had never experienced the bygone age when there were no immortals in the world.

Whether it was the existence of the Immortal Path or the infinite nature of immortal power, in their eyes, these things were simply natural and taken for granted.

The Four Sage Lords of the Immortal Realm were merely symbols resembling gods in their minds.

The Inscription Dao Immortal, however, was the being most revered by the countless True Immortals of the Immortal Realm.

There was no other reason than his extraordinary talent. He had observed the Three Thousand Great Daos and comprehended them all. Moreover, he had inscribed and transformed the intangible Great Daos he had comprehended, granting them to all beings.

The vast and magnificent [Paramount Dao Scripture] recorded all the principles of heaven and earth.

It was said that nearly half of the Nameless True Immortals in the Immortal Realm had been born after studying the [Paramount Dao Scripture].

Unfortunately, the Paramount Dao Scripture, which originally floated within the [Shoreless Star Region] and could be observed by all immortals, happened to encounter the first large scale Dao Annihilation Calamity that erupted in the Immortal Realm.

It was said that at the instant the Dao Annihilation Tide descended, every character of the Paramount Dao Scripture erupted with boundless radiance. They transformed into a radiant belt that reached the heavens, temporarily blocking the Dao Annihilation Calamity.

This bought the True Immortals below, who were observing the scripture and comprehending the Dao, a brief chance to escape.

But it was ultimately only a scripture. It could not withstand such a terrifying calamity forever. In the end, it was swallowed by Dao Annihilation together with the entire star region.

Only a few fragments of the Great Dao symbols survived.

Situ Xing was fortunate enough to be born before the disappearance of the [Paramount Dao Scripture]. Through observing it, he precisely determined his own path.

He would become the second Inscription Dao Immortal.

One had to know that although the Paramount Dao Scripture stretched across the Shoreless Star Region and could be seen by all immortals, the Immortal Realm stood upon the [Mount Shangfang], vast and endless.

Even a single region known as [Shoreless] was beyond the ability of immortal power to fully explore. Those who possessed the ability, determination, and fortune to truly reach the Shoreless Star Region and observe the scripture were exceedingly rare.

The Paramount Dao Scripture was like a wall of carvings built along a mountain. It could not be moved.

But if someone could transfer the carvings and records of the scripture elsewhere, allowing the True Immortals of the world to glimpse its true form without having to cross mountains and rivers to reach it in person, that would also be an immense merit.

Situ Xing set his heart on this goal.

Without the scripture's guidance, becoming the second Inscription Dao Immortal was unimaginably difficult. Yet Situ Xing possessed extraordinary talent and fortune. After countless setbacks and consuming half his lifetime, he ultimately fulfilled his wish and attained the Nameless realm.

Attaining the Dao of [Engrave] meant that the Inscription Dao Immortal had an inheritor. Naturally, the entire Immortal Realm was greatly shaken.

Numerous Nameless True Immortals came to visit one after another. It was the most glorious period of Situ Xing's life.

Unfortunately...

The act of inscribing the Dao was far from as simple as he had imagined.

At first, he could rely on his memories of observing the [Paramount Dao Scripture] in the past and carve many different Dao paths into tangible forms.

But as time passed, Situ Xing gradually discovered that his success rate in inscribing the Dao was becoming lower and lower.

After attaining the Nameless realm, his body had merged with the Dao of Engrave, naturally causing him to become increasingly distant from other Dao paths.

He tried to carve them again.

He tried, failed, tried again, and failed again.

Only after finally giving up completely did Situ Xing recognize the immense power of that Inscription Dao Immortal through this cruel reality.

The act of inscribing the Dao was something beyond the capabilities of ordinary people.

Unfortunately, after leaving behind the [Paramount Dao Scripture], the Inscription Dao Immortal had disappeared without a trace. Situ Xing's desire to ask him how to harmonize all the different Dao paths consequently became impossible to fulfill.

Situ Xing was not someone who could be defeated by setbacks.

Although he could no longer directly inscribe Dao paths, he could still inscribe his own insights and the insights of other immortals.

It was a level lower, but it could still benefit all beings.

In a certain sense, Situ Xing had indeed accomplished his ambition of becoming the second Inscription Dao Immortal.

...

"[Mount Shangfang]?"

"[Paramount Dao Scripture]?"

Li Fan emerged from Situ Xing's radiant remnant thoughts.

Even as a remnant, the memories had been incomparably real. In particular, with the enhancement of the Paramount Dao Scripture within those memories, Li Fan's strand of divine sense had become completely immersed in them, almost losing itself.

Fortunately, with the approaching Dao Annihilation Calamity causing Situ Xing's thoughts to surge violently, Li Fan managed to regain consciousness in time.

He withdrew the power that had been returned by the other Celestial Pillars and the Lord Hill Guardian projection, restoring it to them. With their combined support, the Dao Annihilation Calamity slowly transformed into nothingness.

But Li Fan keenly noticed that compared to before, the pressure endured by each Celestial Pillar seemed to have increased slightly.

"It seems this method of using the Dao Annihilation Calamity to frighten people cannot be used too often. Every use creates a flaw, causing the Dao Annihilation Calamity to arrive earlier."

However, this was not within Li Fan's considerations.

At the very least, before he truly attained the True Immortal realm in this life, he should still be able to repeat this four or five more times. That should be enough.

Moreover, after experiencing the Dao Annihilation Threat once, the sea of consciousness in Situ Xing's heart had already been breached. It was no longer as flawless and consolidated as before.

With some effort, Li Fan could now inspect it himself, just as he had once peered into the Hunger Immortal.

From the memories of Situ Xing, a Nameless True Immortal who had attained the Dao long ago, Li Fan indeed obtained a great deal of extremely valuable information.

"Humans ascend the mountain and transform into immortals."

"Lianshan Sage Lord was the first to ascend the [Mount Shangfang], becoming the Sage who found and illuminated a path up the mountain for all living beings."

"Mount Shangfang, Infinite Ocean. They should be existences of equal scale within the mortal world."

"The so called immortals occupied the mountain and created the Immortal Realm. But the destiny of Mountains and Seas eventually merging also created the inevitable conclusion that the Dao Annihilation Calamity would descend."

Li Fan's consciousness had once personally visited the Infinite Ocean, experiencing the boundlessness of the sea firsthand.

Since the Mountain and Sea were of equal level, the Mount Shangfang should likewise possess a vastness of the same scale.

"The Immortal Realm created by the Mount Shangfang is boundless and immeasurable. In a certain sense, it is also a form of infinity."

Compared with the Mountain and the Sea, True Immortals were no different from ants.

Yet these ants had climbed to the summit, temporarily stepping upon the mountains and seas beneath their feet.

This gave Li Fan an almost stirring sensation that man could triumph over heaven.

Apart from Lianshan, Guihai, and the other two Sage Lords, the Inscription Dao Immortal was also one of those figures who seemed capable of looking down upon the Mountains and Seas.

In Situ Xing's memories, the Paramount Dao Scripture floating above the Shoreless Star Region was both awe inspiring and terrifyingly profound. It seemed to encompass the principles of both Mountain and Sea.

"The True Immortal seal script characters I once glimpsed, including [Creation], seem to have all originated from this scripture."

"Even one or two characters already contain such endless profundity. It is truly impossible to imagine how astonishing the complete scripture must be."

Even in the lower realm, legends concerning the Inscription Dao Immortal had circulated.

Li Fan had originally learned of the Inscription Dao Immortal's existence from Hundred Flowers. The resounding nature of his name and the depth of his influence upon the Immortal Realm could be seen from this alone.

As for the Four Sage Lords of the Immortal Realm, and even Lord Hill Guardian, perhaps their strength was greater.

But in terms of how widely their names had spread, they were far inferior.

This was determined by the nature of their respective Daos.

"The Inscription Dao Immortal has long since hidden himself from the world and no longer appears before others. Perhaps he has already left the possibility of [Yuanchu]."

"His method of inscribing the Three Thousand Great Daos and achieving transcendence is only natural."

...

Thinking of this, a trace of doubt arose in Li Fan's heart.

Through his exchanges with True Immortals and Nameless True Immortals during this period, he had more or less figured out the origin of the Immortal Realm and the entire process behind the descent of the Dao Annihilation Calamity.

But now, an unavoidable question appeared before Li Fan.

"The formation of the Immortal Realm originated from the Mountain and the Sea."

"But what exactly is the relationship between the different possibilities and the [Mount Shangfang] and [Infinite Ocean]?"

"According to the theory of [All Selves Return to One] that I previously deduced, the Mountain and the Sea are clearly born as existences at this level. Conversely, reasoning backward, this also means that even among infinite possibilities, there can only be one Infinite Ocean and one Mount Shangfang."

"Perhaps sharing the same Mountain and Sea is also the theoretical foundation that allows one to leap between different possibilities."

After pondering for a long time, Li Fan finally shook his head slightly.

Without reaching that realm, no matter how much one speculated, it was ultimately impossible to understand the principles involved. But now that the Mountains and Seas had revealed themselves, they had pointed out a direction for Li Fan's Dao path, which had originally been shrouded in mist and had come to a halt at the Half Immortal realm.

"Let us set aside transcending the Mountains and Seas for now."

"While within the Mountains and Seas, if one wishes to obtain powerful strength, one inevitably has to draw upon the power of the mountain and the sea."

"Lianshan and Guihai are the titles of the two Sage Lords, and they also expound upon the true essence of the power of the [Immortal]."

"Originally, everything was fine. True Immortals stood upon the Mountains and Seas, creating a glorious great age. But now, the problem is..."

"The [Mountains and Seas Merging]."

From the knowledge contained within Situ Xing's memories, it seemed that the Immortal Realm had been built upon the so called [Mountain Shangfang].

When the Mountains and Seas merged, everything within the mountain would fall into the depths of the sea.

Naturally, the Immortal Realm would also vanish along with everything else.

Recalling the Dao Annihilation Calamity that he had personally witnessed, Li Fan suddenly had a thought.

"The Dao Annihilation Calamity is not simply a matter of the Immortal Realm being swallowed by the Infinite Ocean."

"It is that when the mountain and the sea merge, the mountain is no longer the mountain, and the sea is no longer the sea."

"Perhaps, they return to what existed before the mountain and the sea..."

The parable left behind by Sun Piaomiao once again surfaced in Li Fan's mind.

The mountain and the sea had argued, and the sea had asked the mountain in return, "What do you mean by something originally belonging to you? Are our infinite lifespans truly innate to us?"

Countless scenes involuntarily filled Li Fan's mind.

"Situ Xing said that the merging of the Mountains and Seas is the great trend. But the key to solving everything lies in why the Mountains and Seas would merge in the first place."

Li Fan gazed into the distant horizon, toward the direction from which darkened Heavenly Doctor had crossed countless possibilities and charged toward this place that day.

"Perhaps the true answer to this question exists in that so called [Great World of the Other Shore]."

"Heavenly Doctor, Su Bai, Inscription Dao, Hill Guardian..."

"Whether they are people I have personally encountered or figures I have only heard about through historical rumors, they may all gather there."

One face after another flashed through Li Fan's mind. He could not help but take a deep breath, calming his surging emotions.

To be fair, Li Fan's strength was still far behind these people.

But with the supreme treasure [Truth] in his grasp, it was certain and beyond doubt that one day he would reach their level.

"The key is how to get there."

"At present, my idea of using Ink Death to devour and evolve the Three Thousand Great Daos, then merge the Dao into a single body, is still the path most suited to me."

"Especially after learning of the existence of the [Paramount Dao Scripture]."

"It is only a pity that the Paramount Dao Scripture was already swallowed by Dao Annihilation. The few remnants that occasionally survived are nothing more than two or three characters. Otherwise, if I could simply devour the Dao Scripture, I might immediately leap into the Transcendence realm."

Thinking of this, Li Fan could not help feeling somewhat regretful. He had lost a perfect shortcut.

But then he thought of something else. Although the true Dao Scripture had disappeared, there might still be some people who had seen the Dao Scripture during the history of the Immortal Realm and remained alive to this day.

"Anyone who survived the great catastrophe of the Immortal Realm back then must possess considerable strength. There is a high probability that they once went to the Shoreless Star Region and personally encountered the Dao Scripture. Such True Immortals, like Situ Xing, are all great tonics to me!"

"At the very least, they can save me thousands or even tens of thousands of years of painstaking contemplation!"

A sharp glint flashed through Li Fan's eyes.

If the Dao Annihilation Myriad Aspects he envisioned could only be comprehended by relying on himself alone...

Given Li Fan's virtually limitless expendable Spirituality, perhaps he could eventually accomplish it through countless long and endless reincarnations.

But the efficiency would inevitably be far too low.

How could directly asking an Immortal about the Dao not be much more convenient?

Just like in this life, after successively devouring Hunger Immortal and the Grand Mage, he had already been able to initially weave together a Net of the Dao Annihilation Myriad Aspects.

And now, by absorbing the memories within Situ Xing's mind, this Net would instantly expand several times over.

"The theoretical limit of an Nameless True Immortal on a single possibility is to merge body and Dao as one. To advance further, one must devour oneself from other possibilities."

"And I can make every aspect of Ink Death reach the realm of an Nameless True Immortal. Merely on a single possibility, as the Three Thousand Great Daos all return to my body, I may be able to grow to a level comparable to Evil Su Bai and Darkened Heavenly Doctor."

"Not to mention..."

Li Fan narrowed his eyes.

"The limit of every Ink Death Dao Aspect is those mighty beings who have unified their countless selves."

"Darkened Heavenly Doctor, Evil Su Bai..."

"They are nothing more than food on my plate."

With a cold snort, strands of black Ink Death energy enveloped the celestial pillar formed from Situ Xing, extracting the cultivation resources Li Fan needed.

Within the Darkest Star Sea, all hidden worries had been eliminated. Li Fan could finally cultivate in peace and digest the gains he had accumulated during this period.

With a thought, an invisible Dao Net instantly enveloped the entire Darkest Star Sea.

It analyzed and deconstructed every Dao manifested within the Star Sea.

At the same time, the [Path] leading beyond the High Wall was opened once again, continuously absorbing the more complete Dao paths from the Shuo Star Sea.

For any single Dao path in the world, even those with extraordinary talent might spend their entire lives without comprehending it. Li Fan's desire to comprehend all Three Thousand Great Daos simultaneously was destined to progress extremely slowly.

He had already prepared himself mentally for this.

Therefore, he did not seek mastery or refinement at first. He merely wanted to establish the basic framework.

Even if they were only extremely superficial outlines that could collapse at the slightest touch and were completely incapable of displaying any effect for now, it would be enough as long as Immortals could fill them in later.

"First, complete the Universal Investiture of the Gods..."

"Then, slaughter the Immortals of this world."

As Li Fan's thoughts wandered, the embryonic form of the Myriad Forms Dao Net formed by Ink Death gradually emerged.

The three Celestial Pillars, including the five phantoms of Hill Guardian, were all obscured by the increasingly dense Dao Net.

Time passed.

When Li Fan's dormant consciousness awakened once again, a hundred years had already passed.

It was not the arrival of the Dao Annihilation Calamity that disturbed Li Fan, but rather that he had sensed someone's return and awakened of his own accord.

The person who had arrived was none other than the incarnation of Emperor Sanmo's Dreamland Paradise dream power.

Previously, Emperor Sanmo had volunteered to search for Wan Shiyong. Who would have expected that he would never return?

Li Fan had also once asked Emperor Sanmo's true body about it, but Emperor Sanmo had likewise lost all sense of his dream incarnation.

He only knew that once the dream incarnation entered the starry sky where Wan Shiyong was located, all contact had been severed.

Originally, Li Fan had thought that this dream body of Emperor Sanmo would never return.

Yet unexpectedly, a hundred years later, it hurried back.

Not only the dream body, even Emperor Sanmo's true body, after finally sensing everything the dream body had experienced over the years, suddenly underwent a drastic change in expression.

He no longer hesitated and requested an audience with Li Fan.

And the reason that could move even this Beast of Wisdom whose lifespan was unknown...

"You mean that you followed Wan Shiyong and traveled to another possibility?"

The figure manifested by Li Fan looked solemnly at Emperor Sanmo, whose two bodies had now merged.

"That is correct. I did not actually remain in that possibility for very long. After learning the general situation, I quickly returned. I did not expect that a hundred years had already passed here. Although Withered Shadow had warned me beforehand that such an unexpected time difference might occur, suddenly discovering that a hundred years had passed still left me somewhat flustered..." Emperor San Mo's tone was filled with emotion.

"Another possibility..."

"What was it like?" Li Fan asked thoughtfully.

"The thirteen Primeval Dao Forms all exist. It is the supreme golden age of my race." Emperor Sanmo spoke slowly.

"Oh?" Li Fan raised an eyebrow and stared carefully at Emperor Sanmo.

He wanted to determine whether he was telling the truth from his expression.

"Is that not the place you have dreamed of reaching? Why did you come back? Was it to bring your true body over?"

"Do not worry. I will not stop you." Li Fan said indifferently.

Emperor Sanmo shook his head.

"Senior has misunderstood. In the history of that possibility, because there was no slaughter of the Nameless by humanity, my race continued to multiply to this day. Although various internal conflicts and battles occurred, we ultimately remained powerful. However..."

"We still had to flee before the Dao Annihilation Calamity."

"And moreover, it came far too quickly."

There was deep-seated panic in Emperor Sanmo's voice.

"The Thirteen Dao Forms struggled desperately to hold on. Yet I fear they will still be unable to escape the fate of destruction. The time left for my race is not much."

"So?"

"You want to bring your clansmen over?" Li Fan vaguely guessed Emperor Sanmo's intention.

Emperor San Mo nodded.

"Indeed. I have such an intention."

"Although our current world is also suffering from the Dao Annihilation Calamity, compared with it, the lower realm star sea is relatively stable. At the very least, there is still a long period of safety remaining. If we could reorganize ourselves here..."

Li Fan smiled.

"If you could complete the jump on your own, I imagine you would not have returned to seek my help."

Emperor Sanmo did not deny it and replied frankly, "We indeed require Senior's assistance."

"For some unknown reason, the Xuanhuang Realm does not exist in that possibility. Therefore..."

..

[TL:- 上方 (Shàngfāng) = Upper Realm/Direction, Higher Place.]