Chapter 1723: Zeng Shengxu's Matter in the Void Realm

Angry Squid: ...............

"Could it be that an old friend has willingly fallen into ruin?" Saint Taiyi asked, frowning.

"From the dawn of Mountains and Seas until now, countless billions of years have passed, and dozens of Saints have emerged. Yet, the Void Realm has always possessed a singular will. Defecting to it is not as simple as it seems; otherwise, Mountains and Seas would have been rife with traitors long ago," Saint Guihai said, shaking his head slightly.

"The anomaly, perhaps, originates from within the Void Realm itself."

The gazes of the three Saints intertwined, as if they were conferring.

Then, light and shadows flickered, and a Ruyi Scepter appeared horizontally before them. It was as clear as autumn water, radiating a crisp, brilliant glow that even the combined radiance of the three Saints could not subdue. Its cloud-shaped head subtly shifted, occasionally emitting a profound dark light, as if an eye lay hidden within, observing all things. The curve of its handle was as if naturally formed. As for its tail, it existed paradoxically between reality and illusion, like a confluence where a hundred rivers met the returning sea, their boundaries merging into one.

If Li Fan were still present and witnessed this Ruyi treasure, he would instantly recognize it as 'As You Wish,' a magical artifact once forged by Baixiao. Yet, for unknown reasons, despite it being forged by Baixiao before his transcendence, the three Saints treated it with exceptional caution. Even when the Dao Annihilation army had just arrived, threatening to engulf most of Mountains and Seas, the three Saints had not been nearly as circumspect. Facing the peculiar radiance emanating from the surface of 'As You Wish,' all three Saints, as if by unspoken agreement, chose to close their eyes.

"Let us use this artifact to uncover the truth."

"We must proceed with caution."

Without any visible manipulation from the three Saints, 'As You Wish' began to merge into its surroundings, a process accelerated a thousandfold starting from its tail. The wondrous Ruyi Scepter gradually faded into invisibility. Then, the hidden eye in the head of 'As You Wish' suddenly opened. It gazed into the Void Realm.

"The three Saints truly cannot be underestimated; with just a single encounter, they detected the anomaly and set up defenses."

"Fortunately, I was one step ahead!"

This time's gains were naturally less than those from the first surprise attack, but they were sufficient to create a second Mound Guardian avatar.

"The crucial part is the reward from the Void Realm's will," Li Fan mused. "The more Dao Annihilation I can summon, the faster it will be transformed by the Dao One Mountains and Seas Map."

As Li Fan pondered, a sudden, intense feeling of being spied upon surged within him. Without hesitation, the power of Illusion and Reality instantly enveloped him. Simultaneously, he extended the Dao One Mountains and Seas Map to cover himself.

Thump... thump... thump...

Without Li Fan's will to control it, the Void Realm reverted to its original silence. In the darkness, Li Fan seemed to hear only his own heartbeat. It was the instinctive tremor of his body.

"This immense power is no weaker than facing a New God directly."

"What exactly..."

Li Fan dared not move rashly, forcibly suppressing every thought in his mind. He hid under the Grand Dao of Truth and Illusion, observing what would unfold. Within the Dao Annihilation, ripples seemed to emerge from an unknown source, spreading like a wave across the entire Void Realm in an instant. It was as if a powerful gaze had swept through.

After a brief silence, the infinite Dao Annihilation within the Void Realm began to boil. It was a response! Even when the Lone Star descended and its starlight engulfed everything, the Void Realm's reaction had never been this intense. As if encountering something of paramount importance to itself, the Dao Annihilation—or perhaps the power behind the Void Realm—was exhausting every possible means to trace the source of that gaze. Li Fan could sense an irrepressible frenzy from the Dao Annihilation under his command.

"The always-calm Lord of the Void Realm has become so agitated."

"He can temporarily cast aside the mission of devouring Mountains and Seas."

"Devouring Mountains and Seas is for the descent of the Lone Star. But searching for the source of that gaze is for..."

"Himself."

Li Fan gradually understood the reason behind the Void Realm's current obsession. It was akin to a Xuanhuang cultivator witnessing the Crimson Flame, a Transcendent mighty one encountering the Grand Dao of Mountains and Seas, or Li Fan himself encountering the True God's Finger. While there were differences in realms and variations in strength, the pursuit of "advancement" and the possibility of progressing further remained universally the same.

"The Void Realm, by means of this gaze—or more precisely, its source—could gain an extraordinary fortune," Li Fan's heart trembled slightly at this thought.

The power behind the Void Realm seemed to exist solely for the descent of the Lone Star. After laboriously devouring Mountains and Seas, by the time the Lone Star broke free from its cage, it would struggle to preserve itself. The power behind the Void Realm was naturally aware of this fact. But just as the Mountains and Seas were destined to return to the stars, this was its rightful conclusion. It could not resist.

But what if...

What if it could advance further?

Even a New God, born after the destruction of Mountains and Seas, would be no match for the Void Realm's Dao Annihilation. If it could advance further, would it not possess the might of a True God?

How was this possible?! "Could it be that this gaze originates from a True God?"

"Just like the True God's Finger."

"The third fallback left by the God?"

"Why have I never encountered this in my many previous reincarnations?"

In an instant, a multitude of thoughts raced through Li Fan's mind. He immediately considered its possible origin.

"I just escaped the encirclement of the three Saints, and this gaze immediately tracked me down."

"Could it be..."

The coincidence was too great for Li Fan not to consider it.

"Lianshan, Guihai, Taiyi!"

A cold glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes. But with the Void Realm's waves intertwined with the mysterious gaze, Li Fan dared not reveal himself rashly. He could only remain hidden under the protection of the Grand Dao of Truth and Illusion. The Void Realm was boundless, yet that gaze seemed capable of surveying its entirety. After its search yielded no results, the gaze slowly dissipated on its own. The power behind the Void Realm desperately tried to retain it, but the ripples, like sand slipping through fingers, were ultimately impossible to hold. With the gaze gone, the boiling Void Realm once again fell silent.

Subsequently, Li Fan sensed a command from the power behind the Void Realm. Instantly, the Dao Annihilation surged into a roaring torrent once more, sweeping towards Mountains and Seas. Its momentum was immense, like a final, decisive assault. Mountains and Seas immediately found itself in a precarious situation.

However, Li Fan frowned slightly. "Although the Void Realm holds the overall advantage, it shouldn't be time for a decisive battle yet."

"By extending the battle lines, continuously encroaching upon Mountains and Seas, and gradually eroding its strength, victory could be achieved in one decisive strike. But now, the appearance of that mysterious gaze has thrown the Void Realm into disarray."

"Furthermore, I've still got some hidden power..."

"Could it be that, in this lifetime, Mountains and Seas will actually defeat the Void Realm?" An unbelievable thought suddenly surged into Li Fan's mind. Originally, Li Fan would have dismissed it as a joke, ready to shake his head and cast it aside. But it was as if a keyword had been triggered in Li Fan's mind, and suddenly a sharp pain pulsed, and a torrent of images flashed before him.

"Countless reincarnations, and finally, success."

"Mountains and Seas will suppress Dao Annihilation. The will of the Void Realm has crumbled; the threat of Mountains and Seas' destruction is no more!"

Joy was evident on every face. Li Fan and the surrounding Saints were all celebrating this moment. But for some reason, an ominous feeling suddenly surged into Li Fan's heart. The other Saints remained oblivious. Li Fan was the first to look up. A streak of starlight, originating from an unknown place, drifted down like falling snow, settling upon Mountains and Seas. Mountains and Seas, which had been celebrating joyously, unknowingly fell silent. All of them stared fixedly at Li Fan with unsettlingly strange gazes.

A chill rose in his heart, and then Li Fan was assailed by everyone around him simultaneously. Even the Mountains and Seas he had painstakingly saved turned against him.