Chapter 1547: The River of Time Loses Eternity

With a thought, another Xuanhuang World appeared, mirrored in his mind. The First even saw their own reflection within it, lacking true immortality but still undeniably them, their mortal self. Such power, even for a True Immortal, was awe-inspiring.

The final memory fragment within the immortal body was the moment the First enacted the separation of their mortal and immortal selves. They looked at their reflection, a mix of emotions swirling within them, finally settling into acceptance.

"My fellow immortals fled for a reason. The Heavenly Net Emperor's plan has reached its peak of madness. Dao Obliteration is imminent. Even in the lower realms, my immortal body would attract its attention. Only by shedding it can I survive…" They bid farewell to their past self and embraced mortality.

"I hope one day… I can return." This was their final thought.

Li Fan withdrew from the memories. The First had never fulfilled their wish. Once the heavens tilted, reversing their course wasn't easy.

"The key factor… was the Three Sages' abandonment. 'Irrelevant to the End.' Even with the power to intervene, they wouldn't waste their efforts on such trivial matters. Those who hadn't transcended Primordial Possibility could only save themselves or flee."

"I wonder what the Heavenly Net Emperor's plan was. To completely resolve Dao Obliteration and allow the entire Immortal Realm to transcend…" Previously, Li Fan couldn't imagine such a feat. But after reading the complete Fable, he saw a possibility.

Born in the Sea, standing on the Mountain, one could transcend. If this theory was correct, then perhaps finding another "Mountain and Sea Dao," like Longevity or True Return, and merging it with the Immortal Realm, could allow it to transcend, escaping Dao Obliteration.

But this was just a theory. What lay beyond the Mountain and Sea seemed even more terrifying. The fate of the first being, having glimpsed beyond, suggested immense danger.

"Even if it worked, the outcome might be no better than Dao Obliteration."

He was curious about the Heavenly Net Emperor and the Immortal Realm's ultimate fate, but at this point in time, it was a mystery lost to history.

"Perhaps traveling further upstream would reveal more clues. But it's pointless."

He focused on the immortal body before him, awakening its consciousness.

The First opened their eyes, their initial confusion quickly replaced by understanding. They bowed to Li Fan.

Li Fan, using the immortal body, observed the state of Dao Obliteration beyond the Xuanhuang World.

"More stable than in the future. The complete collapse the First feared… hasn't happened. The previous Hungry Immortal's remains, buried beneath the Immortal Ruins, must be holding it back."

He withdrew his gaze. He wasn't ready to confront the Hungry Immortal yet. In the past, with True Return as his safety net, he had acted without restraint, even destroying worlds on a whim. But now, caution was necessary.

With the immortal body and the Taiyuan formation, capturing the Hungry Immortal wouldn't be difficult. But he couldn't guarantee the Xuanhuang World's safety during the conflict. If his anchor points were destroyed, he would be vulnerable.

"Staying near the Immortal Ruins is too dangerous. I need to move the Xuanhuang World." He had experience with this. A plan formed in his mind.

"The Ten Sects still have some authority in this era. I can delegate the mundane tasks to them. But first…"

He instantly took control of the immortal body and vanished, reappearing near the Fishing Pond. He gazed at the ground below.

"Still sustained by the Ruo Tree's life force. Does this mean… another Tai Heavenly Emperor is here?" He narrowed his eyes, his senses alert, and descended into the underground village.

It was identical to the version he had seen in the future, seemingly frozen in time. But as he reached the painting where the Tai Heavenly Emperor had resided, he stopped.

The painting was the same: the young Profound Heaven King, his childhood sweetheart, and the village children.

But the reclining figure of the Tai Heavenly Emperor was gone.

"He's vanished." A strange mix of disappointment and relief washed over Li Fan. The spot where the Tai Heavenly Emperor had lain was empty. Even the Upstream Ark was gone.

But the life force diverted from the Ruo Tree still flowed into the painting, now absorbed entirely by the painting itself. This had caused a strange transformation. Li Fan heard the faint sounds of children playing, of Xuanyuan Hong and his sweetheart. The children in the painting even seemed to sense his presence, turning to look at him.

This unsettling sight reminded him of the fate of Xuanyuan Hong's descendants.

He took the painting, severing the connection, and considered the Tai Heavenly Emperor's disappearance.

"It seems mastering the Dao of Upstream and traveling the river of time… creates a single, continuous existence across time. Death in one segment means disappearance in all others."

It was a difficult concept, but his own experiences in the river of time offered some clues.

"I was once a single drop in the river, carried by the current. But with the power of Upstream, I became a line, stretching across time. That line… is my true form. I've become like the river itself."

"But my consciousness is trapped in this segment, unable to perceive the rest of my existence, like a being with its senses blocked."

"This is because my understanding of Upstream is rudimentary. If I mastered it, I could rise above the river, seeing all of my past and future selves."

As he stood there, lost in thought, the shattered remnants of the Upstream Ark within him began to slowly reform, a significant improvement from its previous inert state.

"Those who master Upstream can't be killed by ordinary means. Only a segment of their existence dies. As long as the line remains, they're immortal. Unless the river itself washes away their consciousness, or Dao Obliteration consumes an entire segment, or they, like the Tai Heavenly Emperor, choose to end their own existence."

He finally understood the Tai Heavenly Emperor's sacrifice. Though his body and soul were decaying from excessive Upstream travel, he still had a chance to recover. He didn't need the Hill Watcher's intervention. If the severed segments of the river of time were reconnected, the flow from upstream would revitalize him, restoring him to his prime. Though this seemed less likely than the Hill Watcher's direct intervention, it wasn't. He didn't need the entire river to be reconnected, just the segment immediately upstream. And the Hill Watcher, capable of traversing the Eternal Silent Void, could easily carry the Tai Heavenly Emperor's remnant to that segment, reviving him. It would be a trivial detour on his mission to deliver aid to the past.

And even without assistance, the Tai Heavenly Emperor could simply wait for the river to reconnect itself. The Mountain and Sea's ultimate fate was either complete merging and consumption by Dao Obliteration, or the success of the cultivators' efforts to reverse it. In the former scenario, all beings were doomed anyway. In the latter, the Tai Heavenly Emperor would be revived.

"He must have known this. But he chose to sacrifice himself." Li Fan recalled the Tai Heavenly Emperor's words: "Lingering here is pointless. I will impart to you the Dao of Upstream! If one day you can aid those in the Eternal Silent Void, my sacrifice will not be in vain!"

His resolute expression was still vivid in Li Fan's mind.

"He saved my life, but I still don't understand. Abandoning his only chance at survival… If the river reconnects, another Tai Heavenly Emperor from a different timeline might appear. But the one who journeyed upstream to save the world… will be gone forever. He saved me. The others… are not him."

"Perhaps the only way to restore him… is True Return." A thought struck him.

But his current understanding of the Interplay of Truth and Illusion was barely enough to restore his own peak cultivation, let alone recreate a vanished Immortal Emperor.

He sighed, abandoning the idea for now. He sealed the underground village with a powerful formation and, emerging from the ground, instinctively glanced towards the nearby Fishing Pond.

At this point in time, there was no Daoist temple, just a tranquil pond nestled in the mountains. No one would suspect its connection to beings beyond even the Unnamed realm.

"Even beyond the Unnamed realm," he realized. "The Tai Heavenly Emperor called it the 'Mountain and Sea Fishery.' This implies it's connected not to a single possibility, but to the entire Upper Mountain… A masterful creation. The 'Fishing Immortal' behind it must be at least a Transcendent, perhaps even capable of traversing the Eternal Silent Void like the Hill Watcher."

He suddenly remembered that not only had the stone tablet been absorbed by the Fishing Pond while attempting to comprehend the Dao of Fishing, but the Profound Heaven King had also vanished within it.

"To have the leisure to fish… they must still be within this timeline, not yet capable of traversing the Void. But even so, they're beyond my current reach." A flicker of apprehension crossed his eyes.

Even with True Return's protection, he had avoided the Fishing Pond. Now, with only a fragment of the Upstream Ark, he was even more cautious.

"Patience. I'll face this Fishing Immortal eventually."

He suppressed his emotions and returned to the Root of Heaven and Earth, handing the painting to his original body.

As his original body unfurled the painting, his eyes met the young Profound Heaven King's. He seemed to have been expecting this.

Li Fan wasn't surprised. Without the Tai Heavenly Emperor within, the painting posed no threat. Ignoring the young Xuanyuan Hong's gaze, he listened to the faint rustling sound emanating from the painting.

"Just like the demonic whispers I heard within the Xuanyuan bloodline, like a curse. But clearer. Is the Profound Heaven King trying to communicate something?"

If True Immortal script was using words to embody the Dao, then this was using sound. He had only encountered this once before, with the Grand Magus. Most True Immortals used script.

"Perhaps this Dao of Sound isn't from Primordial Possibility, but from another possibility, the one the Profound Heaven King went to."

"The Grand Magus was a disciple of the Three Sages. And the Three Sages exist across multiple possibilities."

He attempted to decipher the melody, his past experience merging with the Mountain and Sea aiding his comprehension. He had always possessed a keen mind.

Soon, he had a result.

(End of Chapter)