My Simulated Road to Immortality Chapter 2341: 1748: Mountain Sea Master Thief
Previously on My Simulated Road to Immortality...
While the Void Realm holds deep respect for Li Fan, its submission isn't directed at him as an individual.
Instead, that submission is offered to the enveloping layer of Starlight surrounding him.
As the representative of the “Star,” he holds the rightful power to direct the Dao Yan forces. However, should the Void Realm step out from the shadows, control over the army would slip away in an instant.
Still, in this life, Li Fan's true ambition is to rise as the authentic [Void Realm Master].
“Let Dao Yan change names!”
Starlight emanates from Li Fan, granting him solid command over the countless Dao Yan encircling him.
Next, he directs the Mountain and Sea Map to alter them in groups.
The dark-hued mountains and seas surge and recede without end, as the unseen Dao Yan slowly absorb the essence of “Dao Yi.”
Prior to stepping into the Mountain and Sea Map, they embodied untainted Dao Yan essence. But after emerging, they carried the imprint of the “Li Family Army.”
These altered Dao Yan now pledge unwavering loyalty to Li Fan. Their power remains tiny against the immense Void Realm at present.
Nevertheless, Li Fan is convinced that such alterations will inevitably reshape the entire realm!
The Dao Yi Mountain and Sea Map acts like a swirling vortex, steadily eroding the primal Dao Yan.
Even so, Li Fan feels the pace is insufficient: “The conversion rate remains far too sluggish…”
His eyes narrow faintly, fixing on the adjacent mountains and seas.
With a mere shift in intent, the Dao Yan forces loyal to him plunge into the mountains and seas akin to a piercing lance!
The Saints of the Other Shore possess considerable knowledge of Dao Yan.
Typically, even when Dao Yan waves crash like a torrent, the white glow from the Xuanji Ring, sustained by the Saints, can fend it off for a short while.
But on this occasion…
The white light managed only a momentary resistance before it cracked apart on impact!
Li Fan's superior Dao Yan pressed forward with speed, overwhelming the mountains and seas.
They morphed into a devastating flood, instantly reducing thousands of potential paths to scattered dust.
The Saints of the Other Shore stood frozen in shock at this surprising development, for Dao Yan had bypassed the Xuanji Ring's barriers in a way never seen before!
Their attention instinctively shifted to the Three Saints.
The Sea Return Saint found himself swamped by endless shifting visions, which dissolved into disorder. He failed to uncover the root of this disturbance.
At the same time, Saint Lianshan had recalled his actual form from the Void Realm. Releasing the Lianshan Staff, he barely stopped the frenzied Sword Dao Yan in its tracks.
“Withdraw!”
Within the Saints of the Other Shore, only the Three Saints posed any real threat to Li Fan. With Saint Lianshan back and mindful of his prowess, Li Fan had no intention of clashing directly.
A third of the elite units stayed behind to shield the pullback, as the main body retreated with haste.
They arrived in a flash, and their departure proved even swifter.
In mere moments, the seeming apocalypse of destruction faded entirely from sight.
“Truly, Saint Lianshan, with his command over Creation, effortlessly neutralized the Path-obliterating Calamity,” the Saints commended.
However, Saint Lianshan detected an underlying oddity.
“This Dao Yan… arrived in an unusual manner.”
“You're right. It might surge back soon. We need to stay alert.”
…
Within the Void Realm, though Saint Lianshan's actions led to the loss of some elite Dao Yan for Li Fan, the outcome proved highly valuable.
“Dao Yan consumes the mountains and seas, sending the core divine essence back to the Void Realm and the Lone Star.”
“That's how it should be. Yet…”
Li Fan watches the Mountain and Sea Map intently, noting how small flecks of starlight begin to rise.
Their path appears fixed in advance.
Even as Li Fan's devoted Dao Yan finished their destructive sweep, not a single piece could be held back. The glow drifted from the Mountain and Sea Map, heading to the enigmatic Lone Star beyond the Void Realm.
No power proves able to hold it in place.
“This explains why the entity lurking behind the Void Realm is fated to toil fruitlessly.”
“Expending vast energy to annihilate the mountains and seas, yet claiming no portion of the gains. Everything flows to the descending Lone Star…”
Li Fan pictures the Lone Star devouring it all once more, and a sudden insight stirs within him.
“Maybe it's not reluctance, but sheer incapacity.”
“Divine Split reshapes the mountain sea; once eradicated, everything reverts to the divine source.”
“Even if the hidden Void Realm desires it, it probably lacks the means to seize it.”
“However…”
In the Dao Yi Mountain and Sea Map, as Li Fan's mind turns over these ideas, the Mountain and Sea Boundaryless Stele erupts with subtle, arcane streams of light.
Though it's no genuine Boundaryless Stele, merely a dim remnant image.
Still, the instant its glow emerges into existence, the starlight-bound essences appear to falter in their course.
They waver uncertainly.
“Just as I thought…” Li Fan feels a surge of delight at the sight.
But that delight proves short-lived. The illusory Boundaryless Stele can't fully withstand the Lone Star's authentic pull.
Ultimately, nearly all the devoured mountain sea essence still slips away to the Lone Star's domain.
Merely a millionth fraction lingers, drawn by Li Fan into the Dao Yi Mountain and Sea Map.
Starlight rains down, clinging to the Boundaryless Stele.
This makes the former faint remnant image sharpen noticeably.
Starlight bolsters the mountain sea, and even in these scant threads, Li Fan clearly perceives the [Dao Yi Mountain and Sea Map] solidifying further.
His elation knows no bounds.
Skimming and claiming that Starlight depends solely on Li Fan's personal prowess.
As his subordinate Dao Yan engulfs the mountain sea, another “gift” arrives from the Void Realm's hidden force.
A concept drops swiftly and then dissipates.
It arrives abruptly, but Li Fan, bolstered by Illusion as Reality and the Mountain and Sea Map's combined aid, evades any notice.
Examining the shift, Li Fan realizes that his directed Dao Yan, now endorsed by the Void Realm's depths, has elevated, rising as the “leader” among the surrounding Dao Yan masses.
“Now able to rally greater nearby mountain sea Dao Yan forces, and even, drawing on [Void Realm Memory], forge into a Mountain Sea Saint! Though only one at present, the prospects are immense!”
Through this evolution, Li Fan begins to decode the Void Realm's method of managing Dao Yan.
The Void Realm's consciousness governs everything.
Dao Yan engage in solitary battles, carving through and absorbing the mountain sea.
Those who succeed gain advancement. By pursuing proven assault tactics, they sway and modify the Dao Yan nearby.
“Regarding the Void Realm Memory…”
“It stems from the enigmatic intent lurking behind the Void Realm.”
“Though Dao Yan can't retain the devoured mountain sea, in the midst of the corrosion, the mountain sea—along with all its inhabitants, including Saints—is scrutinized in full. With sufficient might, one can recreate and reshape them freely.”
Li Fan detects brief silhouettes amid his controlled Dao Yan.
Strikingly recognizable saints.
“At my current level of Dao Yan command, forming the Three Saints lies beyond reach. But…”
His mind moves, Dao Yan surges, and the silhouettes gather.
The shadowy Guardian Hill soon takes shape right before him.
Once it solidifies, a brief confusion crosses it.
Yet comprehension dawns quickly, leading it to bow toward Li Fan.
Fashioned from Li Fan's Dao Yan, it obeys his directives without question.
“Far from a hollow vessel, it preserves fragments of its former will and cognition.”
“Still, it falls short of the authentic Guardian Hill.”
“Even so…”
Li Fan, aligned in purpose and often opting to absorb Guardian Hill’s recollections.
Grasps every detail completely, drawing it all together.
A spark of light forms at his fingertip, which Li Fan then presses into Guardian Hill’s forehead.