Chapter 1722: Mountain and Sea Bandit Traitors

Although the Void Realm's Dao Annihilation worshipped Li Fan, it was not truly subservient to Li Fan himself. Rather, it was the layer of starlight that enveloped him. As the special envoy of the "Star," he naturally possessed the authority to command the Dao Annihilation army. However, if the true power behind the Void Realm were to appear, the Dao Annihilation would instantly lose control.

What Li Fan sought in this life was to become the true, undisputed master of the Void Realm. He declared his intention to rebrand the Dao Annihilation.

Li Fan revealed his starlight, firmly taking control of the myriad Dao Annihilation entities around him. Then, he manipulated the Mountains and Seas Diagram to transform them in batches. The ink-black Mountains and Seas Diagram continuously absorbed and expelled; amidst surging winds and clouds, the intangible Dao Annihilation gradually became imbued with the "Dao One" aura.

Before entering the Mountains and Seas Diagram, they were still pure Dao Annihilation forces. But after passing through the Diagram, they emerged branded as "Li's Army." These transformed Dao Annihilation entities were now absolutely loyal to Li Fan. Although currently a negligible force compared to the vast Void Realm, Li Fan believed that change had already begun, and the transformation of the entire realm was only a matter of time.

The Dao One Mountains and Seas Diagram acted like a whirlpool, slowly eroding the original Dao Annihilation. Li Fan, however, still found it insufficient, believing the pace of transformation was too slow. His gaze slightly narrowed as he looked towards the nearby mountains and seas. With a slight shift in thought, his subordinate Dao Annihilation entities became like a long spear, piercing straight into the mountains and seas.

The Sages of the Other Shore were very familiar with Dao Annihilation. In the past, even when the Dao Annihilation surged like a tsunami, the white light of the Xuanji Ring, reinforced by the Sages, could temporarily withstand it. But this time... the white light only blocked for a moment before shattering explosively upon impact!

Li Fan's elite Dao Annihilation forces were able to push straight through, descending upon the mountains and seas. Transforming into a world-destroying torrent, they instantly reduced thousands of possibilities to ashes. The Sages of the Other Shore were stunned by this sudden and unforeseen turn of events. The Dao Annihilation had actually disregarded the Xuanji Ring's protection as nothing—this was unprecedented!

The Sages' gazes instinctively turned towards the Three Sages. Sage Guihai saw myriad light and shadow appear before his eyes, but they ultimately dissolved into chaos. He could not deduce the cause of this change. As for Sage Lianshan, he had already summoned his true form back from the Void Realm. His Lianshan Staff emerged and promptly intercepted the sword-like Dao Annihilation rampaging through. He gave the command to retreat.

Among the Sages of the Other Shore, only the Three Sages could make Li Fan somewhat wary. Since Lianshan's true form had returned, Li Fan, knowing his strength, naturally wouldn't choose to confront him directly. One-third of the elite forces chose to cover the retreat, while the main army rapidly withdrew. They had arrived swiftly and retreated even more decisively. In a short while, what had seemed like a world-ending catastrophe vanished without a trace.

The Sages praised Sage Lianshan, declaring that his profound power had effortlessly resolved the Dao Annihilation calamity. However, Sage Lianshan vaguely felt that something was amiss. He remarked that this wave of Dao Annihilation was peculiar, and another Sage agreed, suggesting it might return soon and warning them to be careful.

In the Void Realm, although Sage Lianshan's intervention caused Li Fan to lose some of his elite forces, it was absolutely worth it. Li Fan understood the principle: Dao Annihilation devoured mountains and seas, and the essence of the divine returned entirely to the Void Realm, and thence to the Lone Star. That should be the case, he thought. But...

Li Fan stared intently at the twinkling lights slowly rising within the Mountains and Seas Diagram. The destination of these light points seemed to have been predetermined long ago. Even after Li Fan's loyal Dao Annihilation completed the world-cleansing eradication, they could not retain a single speck. The radiance drifted out of the Mountains and Seas Diagram, towards the unknown Lone Star above the Void Realm. No power could retain it.

This was also why the power behind the Void Realm was destined to be an unfortunate laborer. It expended vast effort to destroy the mountains and seas, yet could not enjoy the slightest benefit; everything profited the Lone Star that descended into the world. Before Li Fan's eyes, the image of the Lone Star devouring everything reappeared, and a thought suddenly sparked in his mind. Perhaps, he mused, it wasn't that it didn't want to, but that it couldn't. A divine fragment transformed into mountains and seas; after their destruction, everything returned to the divine. Even if the power behind the Void Realm coveted it, it might be powerless to act. However...

Within the Dao One Mountains and Seas Diagram, as Li Fan's thoughts flowed, the Mountains and Seas Boundary Stele instantly emitted a faint, mysterious glow. Even though it wasn't the true Boundary Stele, and merely a faint afterimage, the moment its radiance appeared, the light returning to the stars seemed to instantly lose its way, falling into indecision. It was just as he thought; Li Fan rejoiced at the sight.

But his joy did not last long. The virtualized Boundary Stele was, after all, no match for the influence of the true Lone Star. Ultimately, most of the absorbed mountains and seas essence still vanished towards the Lone Star's location. Only about one-millionth of the remnant was enticed by Li Fan and remained within the Dao One Mountains and Seas Diagram. Starlight descended, adhering to the Boundary Stele. This made the previously virtualized afterimage instantly become somewhat clearer. The starlight seemed to carry the mountains and seas; though only a few wisps, Li Fan distinctly felt the entire Dao One Mountains and Seas Diagram become more substantial.

The surprises didn't end there. The withholding and stealing of starlight was entirely dependent on Li Fan's own abilities. As for his subordinate Dao Annihilation devouring the mountains and seas, the power behind the Void Realm offered another "reward." A thought suddenly descended and then receded. It came suddenly, but with the dual blessings of Li Fan's Illusory Reality and the Mountains and Seas Diagram, he was not detected.

Examining the change, Li Fan discovered that the Dao Annihilation under his control, after being affirmed by the power behind the Void Realm, had already been promoted, remarkably becoming the "leader" of the myriad surrounding Dao Annihilation entities. He realized he could now mobilize more Dao Annihilation power from the nearby mountains and seas, and even, based on the Void Realm's memories, shape Sages of the Mountains and Seas. Although currently limited to creating only one, the potential was immense.

From this change, Li Fan vaguely discerned the operational mode of the Void Realm's Dao Annihilation. The will behind the Void Realm oversaw the entire situation. Dao Annihilation entities fought independently, carving up and devouring the mountains and seas. Those who achieved great deeds were promoted. Following effective methods of invasion, they influenced and transformed surrounding Dao Annihilation entities.

As for the Void Realm's memories, they originated from that mysterious will behind the Void Realm. Although Dao Annihilation could not secretly hoard what it devoured from the mountains and seas, during the erosion process, all beings within the mountains and seas, including the Sages, were observed with extreme clarity. With sufficient power, reshaping and evolving them would be effortless.

From the Dao Annihilation under his command, Li Fan sensed faint, flickering figures. These were none other than the familiar Sages. He noted that with the current scale of Dao Annihilation he commanded, it wasn't enough to shape the Three Sages. However... with a slight shift in thought, the Dao Annihilation churned and shadows converged. The ink-black Shouqiu soon appeared before him. Upon manifesting, he was slightly bewildered for a moment. But he quickly understood his situation and cupped his hands in greeting towards Li Fan. Having been shaped by Li Fan's subordinate Dao Annihilation, he naturally followed Li Fan's commands entirely.

He noted that it was not just an empty shell; it still possessed some of its former will and thoughts. But it wasn't the true Shouqiu, after all. However... Li Fan had several times been in complete accord with Shouqiu, and had often chosen to inherit Shouqiu's memories. His profound understanding of Shouqiu's various aspects all converged. A point of light emerged from his fingertip, which Li Fan then pressed into the center of the ink-black Shouqiu's brow.