CHAPTER 2017: CHAPTER 1567

Li Fan found it increasingly incomprehensible.

After all, [Mo Sha] was the "answer" hoped for by the people of the Immortal World to counter the Great Calamity of the Mountain and Sea Meld. Ever since Li Fan coincidentally manifested the power of the Ink-Killing Immortal Soul, it had almost always succeeded, undefeated in every battle.

Yet now, the skeleton hidden within the Merchant Immortal Boat could completely ignore the erosion of Mo Sha!

If Mo Sha had been resisted in a stalemate, Li Fan might be able to reluctantly accept it. But such an overwhelmingly one-sided control defied his comprehension.

"Either this path is not within the mortal world, but above the mountains and seas."

"Or..."

The clouds of Mo Sha roiled, like furious hounds, vowing to devour the Immortal Corpse. However, the actions of Mo Sha were doomed to be in vain.

Swallowed by the dense clouds, disappearing, only to quietly reappear shortly after.

The cycle of reincarnation repeated.

Li Fan temporarily suppressed his inner doubts, patiently continuing to observe.

This skeleton contained Taoist Principles, though its rank was high, it definitely could not transcend the mountains and seas.

Having practiced cultivation through reincarnation till now, Li Fan was confident he still possessed this insight.

So why exactly, was it able to resist the corrosion of Mo Sha?

Catching glimpses of the scenes of reincarnation unfolding before him, Li Fan immersed himself deeply, losing track of time, until a thought flashed in his mind.

Staring at the turbulent Ink Sea in front of him, he mused, "The things that Mo Sha cannot devour, besides those beyond its capabilities..."

"The rest, is itself."

"Could it be..."

Li Fan’s thoughts returned to when he first met the Tiandu Grandmaster.

With the help of the countless illusions within the Grandmaster, Li Fan came to understand the two cornerstones of Mo Sha: Taiyi and Eternal.

It was precisely the intertwining of these two sacred forces, change and permanence, that forged a power capable of contending with the Mountain and Sea Meld.

"At that time, I tried to use Mo Sha to suppress the Grandmaster, but he dispelled it with two simple sentences."

"Master, please disperse; Master Uncle, please disperse."

"Taiyi is the master of Limitless; while Eternal, is the Master Uncle of Limitless."

"Uncle represents longevity. Although Eternal is not one of the Three Saints, for someone to be addressed as Master Uncle by Limitless, their strength and status could not be low."

"The Dao contained in this skeleton before my eyes is not [Taiyi]."

A thousand thoughts raced through Li Fan’s mind as he recalled the scene where the Merchant Immortal Boat had been thoroughly destroyed only to be instantly restored under the hollow gaze of the skull.

Finally, he had the answer.

"Eternal Path..."

Before identifying it, no matter how he observed, it was difficult to discern its subtlety. But once recognized, it seemed as though the layers of disguise shrouding the skeleton were lifted.

No longer did the sight appear as mere bones.

Instead, it manifested in its original form, a middle-aged man with a round face, smiling gently and appearing warm and kind!

However, he seemed to be asleep, with closed eyes, seemingly indifferent to everything around him.

"I once encountered the Taiyi and Eternal paths with the Grandmaster’s help and thought I had some insight. But it was merely something I thought I understood. Like mistaking Taiyi as Illusionary Life, I realized my understanding of [Eternal] was also flawed. Thus, faced with Eternity, I failed to recognize it."

Looking at the round-faced middle-aged man not far away, Li Fan seemed to see an existence that had always been constant throughout history. He sat quietly, as though condensing time and space. Although the surrounding time flowed, he remained unchanged.

The Eternal Path, absolutely one of the most supreme paths from primordial times. Just by watching, countless insights rushed into Li Fan’s mind.

Li Fan’s understanding was not weak, and with the addition of the Net of the Infinite Aspects and the Tai Shang Dao Book, he had an innate advantage for enlightenment with all primordial Daos.

But now, in the process of observing [Eternal], although he continually experienced countless insights, these insights were as fragile as bubbles, bursting quietly after a brief moment, ceasing to exist.

No matter how hard Li Fan tried, the outcome remained unchanged.

The slight smile on the middle-aged man’s round face seemed to quietly remind Li Fan that the path of Eternity belongs, and forever will only belong, to him alone.

Finally realizing this, Li Fan was not one to push against the current; he decisively halted his attempts at enlightenment.

With a wave, he stored Mo Sha away but did not retreat from the space.

After further observation, he became even more certain of his earlier judgment.

"Though Eternal is still alive, its state seems rather strange."

Squinting, Li Fan continued to observe for half a day, starting to grasp the oddness.

"The Eternal Path remains ongoing. But the True Immortal who attains eternal enlightenment..."

"It seems that their consciousness has already dispersed. What maintains his actions is merely instinct."

"What is before me, rather than [Eternal True Immortal], it is more apt to call it [Eternal Path] itself. However, different from the original Eternal Path, it is now a version altered or integrated by the True Immortal."

Although it was not fully clear what causes this strange scenario, Li Fan had some guesses.

"I guess it still ties back to [Eternal] itself."

"If there were fluctuations in self-awareness, it would be difficult to maintain a truly eternal state. Only by completely merging one’s will with the purest path can the premise for the continuity of eternity be established. In some Immortal Cultivation Worlds, the highest realm for cultivators is not ascension but unity with the world’s Heavenly Dao."

"This kind of ’Unity-Path’, although allowing a cultivator to complete self-transcendence and become as powerful as the world, would extinguish one’s will, turning them into a mechanism for maintaining Heaven’s Dao Operation."

"Eternal’s current scenario is somewhat similar to this Unity-Path."

After observing carefully for a long while, through several experiments, Li Fan managed to somewhat verify his judgment.

"It possesses no autonomous aggressiveness but maintains its own Taoist Principle characteristics."

"It will also respond appropriately to external stimuli. Without a doubt."

Thus, the sight of the unexpectedly manifesting Eternal Path, which initially startled Li Fan, now caused his heart to stir once more.

In a certain sense, the [Eternal] before him is the concretization of Taoist Principles. Moreover, these principles are highly independent and powerful, unable to be comprehended by others.

"But it can be activated and used." Recalling how Eternal restored the decimated Merchant Immortal Boat, Li Fan’s eyes gleamed.

"With this, it’s like having a protective shield of Hai Zhen. It’s no wonder the Merchant Immortal Boat could survive the Great Calamity of Immortal World’s destruction and repeatedly stay ahead of everyone else. Escape the High Walls, escape Primordial. It is because of Eternal’s backing that it has the confidence to attempt various seemingly suicidal and irrational actions."

Although Li Fan harbored ulterior motives toward [Eternal] Path, successfully activating Eternal’s power like the Merchant Immortal Boat did is not an easy feat.

The Merchant Immortal Boat has had Eternal for who knows how many years, and currently, all it can do is make Eternal open its eyes to restore the Merchant Immortal Boat.

For a newcomer like Li Fan, due to Eternal’s characteristics preventing comprehension, thinking he could quickly reach the level of the Merchant Immortal Boat seemed like wishful thinking.

After trying various methods, none had any actual effect.

Thus, Li Fan changed his approach.

The Eternal Immortal Corpse stood aloof, self-contained, neither decaying nor vanishing.

However, since the Merchant Immortal Boat managed to utilize Eternal’s power to reconstruct the destroyed Immortal Boat, it meant there was some connection between the space below the Merchant Immortal Boat and the Eternal Immortal Corpse in front of him.

"If independent research doesn’t work, then I will learn from it by stealing."

While unable to gain insight into the Eternal Path, Li Fan was confident he could break through the inexplicable connection created by the Merchant Immortal Boat.

With a slight shift in thought, the Net of the Infinite Aspects led by Mo Sha reappeared. But this time, the target was not the Eternal Immortal Corpse.

Rather, it was everything in this space, besides the Eternal Immortal Corpse.

The ink tide surged, sweeping inch by inch, ensuring nothing was missed.

Like sifting through sand by the great waves, under the roiling clouds, everything hidden in this space was revealed.

Because of that, Li Fan could see the means of the Merchant Immortal Boat.

What to forcibly connect with the now "Daoized" Eternal, allowing the Merchant Immortal Boat to draw the attention of the Eternal Immortal Corpse.

Turned out to be a meditation cushion!

The cushion looked unremarkable, seemingly woven from purple bamboo.

"Huh? This cushion seems a bit familiar?"

Momentarily dazed, Li Fan quickly recalled its origin from memory.

It was beneath the Taiyi Saint Lord in the depiction of the Tiandu Grandmaster!

Compared to the imagery in the Grandmaster’s memory, the cushion seemed to have suffered numerous tribulations, becoming much worn. However, its unique rhythm remained unchanged.

Watching intently for a long time, Li Fan unexpectedly saw the vague figure of [Taiyi] on this cushion!