Although the Xuanhuang Realm was far stronger than ordinary cultivation worlds, even it might not be able to withstand the violent immortal spiritual energy that would erupt outward upon detonating an immortal artifact.
Furthermore, detonating them within the Xuanhuang Realm would inevitably draw the attention of the old monsters lurking within.
Once Li Fan calmed himself from his excitement, he quickly realized this.
"Does that mean I need to head outside the realm?"
Li Fan subconsciously looked up at the sky.
And the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao's consciousness continually urging him in his mind seemed to confirm his thought.
Yet what puzzled Li Fan was that, up to this point, he still hadn't seen where the difficulty in this trial of Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang lay.
Compared to the first three acts, this fourth—and likely final—trial seemed to have presented no real difficulty so far.
As long as one followed the steps methodically, anyone could have reached Li Fan's current progress.
Next, traversing the void and detonating the immortal artifacts far from the Xuanhuang Realm should hardly be difficult either, empowered as he was by Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang's body.
"As for detonating the immortal artifacts, once one gains the power to transcend the immortal wall, choosing to actually leave would probably forfeit the qualification to become Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang. Only by making the same choice Mr. Bai historically made—defying the will of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao and choosing to remain in the Xuanhuang Realm—can one truly succeed as Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang..."
"But could it really be that simple?"
This was the Fallen Immortal Realm, after all. Even if one chose to detonate the immortal artifacts and cross the High Wall, what then?
Beyond the High Wall was a forbidden zone untouched even by the power of Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang, a completely unknown existence. It was virtually certain that beyond the High Wall, just like the Immortal Scroll Edict, was something the Fallen Immortal Realm simply could not simulate.
Upon returning to the real world, one would still be in Xuanhuang.
Anyone of sound mind wouldn't choose to leave the Xuanhuang Realm, would they?
Then what was the purpose of this trial?
Harboring these myriad questions, Li Fan quietly flew out of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Compared to thousands of years later, the gravitational pull of the Immortal Ruins was not yet so overpowering.
With Mr. Bai's strength far surpassing ordinary Longevity realm cultivators, resisting the Immortal Ruins and crossing the void was indeed not particularly difficult.
He sped through the void, the image of the Xuanhuang Realm behind him shrinking smaller and smaller.
Until at last it was completely swallowed by the darkness.
All around him was absolute, pitch-black nothingness.
Only the distant tugging force from the Immortal Ruins reminded Li Fan that none of this was an illusion.
"So this is the Pitch-Black Star Sea..."
A bone-deep loneliness and chill gradually welled up in his heart.
Looking all around, there was not the slightest difference in any direction.
No matter how fast Li Fan flew, the surrounding scenery didn't change in the slightest.
This almost made Li Fan doubt whether he was flying forward at all, or merely circling in place.
"Without beacons and a void latitude-and-longitude locator, crossing the starry sky purely with the physical body really is unrealistic."
Li Fan silently kept track of time in his head.
After flying at full speed for three whole days and feeling the distance was finally sufficient, Li Fan at last halted.
In the endless blackness, Li Fan stood alone.
He brought out all thirteen immortal artifacts he had gathered.
Though he was now far from the Xuanhuang Realm and had lost the world's direct backing, causing his strength to decline somewhat, merely destroying and detonating the immortal artifacts was still well within his reach.
The spiritual energy within his body surged violently, pouring first into the Desolate God Seal.
Like heavy hammers slamming down onto it in fierce succession.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Violent energy erupted into the void, yet before it could travel far, it was swallowed by the endless darkness.
Not even a ripple remained.
Under Li Fan's relentless assault, cracks began to web across the Desolate God Seal's already fragile surface.
Strands of immortal spiritual energy trickled forth from within.
Reinvigorated, Li Fan promptly channeled them into his body.
They remained distinctly separate from his own spiritual energy, incapable of being absorbed.
Yet imbued with these powers, Li Fan clearly felt a change coming over him.
Most noticeably...
The entire Pitch-Black Star Sea seemed to brighten just a fraction.
His vision seemed to gradually adjust to the darkness.
He could make out the distant dot behind him that represented the Xuanhuang Realm.
"Is this the precursor to 'crossing the immortal wall'?"
Even knowing this was only the Fallen Immortal Realm, an inexplicable excitement stirred within Li Fan's heart.
Without losing a single moment, he increased his output.
Soon, he had completely shattered the Desolate God Seal.
After fully absorbing the immortal spiritual energy contained inside, Li Fan swung his hammers of spiritual energy toward the second immortal artifact.
This immortal artifact was named the Great Sun Golden Bell.
Once Li Fan unraveled its restrictions, the Great Sun Golden Bell burst forth with scorching, blinding radiance, as though it were the sun in the sky itself.
It illuminated a vast swath of the dark starry sky.
Fortunately, no horrifying scene unfolded where some colossal, terrifying beast lurked in the dark staring down at him.
Under the illumination, Li Fan saw that the surroundings truly were nothing but empty void.
Following the same method, Li Fan set about destroying the Great Sun Golden Bell.
A venomous cry echoed in Li Fan's ears, lingering long without fading.
Li Fan turned a deaf ear, hesitating not in the slightest.
As the Great Sun Golden Bell vanished from this world, the immortal spiritual energy within Li Fan grew stronger by several notches.
Next was the third immortal artifact, the Yin-Yang Hook Sword.
...
After destroying nine of the thirteen artifacts in total...
As the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao reacted with ecstatic excitement in his mind, Li Fan knew it was enough.
By now, in his eyes, the sea of stars was no longer pitch-black.
Instead, it presented a bizarre, kaleidoscope spectacle of ever-shifting colors. Auroral hues bloomed and vanished, all warped and drawn toward the direction of the Immortal Ruins.
While his sight seemed to enter an entirely new world, his body also felt vastly lighter.
It felt as if he were floating on the surface of water; with just a slight push, a gentle leap, he could break free from the water altogether.
Immersed in this unprecedented novelty, Li Fan stayed still for a long time before shaking his head with a faint sigh. "A pity it is all fake."
"Mission complete. It's time to go back."
The moment he made this choice in his mind, the scenery around him froze in an instant.
Then, Li Fan keenly sensed that although nothing appeared to have changed on the surface, something different had occurred.
"Hm? Does this mean I've passed Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang's trial?"
"Isn't that a bit too easy?"
"Wait, no?!"
Li Fan's gaze snapped toward the remaining four immortal artifacts.
Among them was the Great Sun Golden Bell—which he had clearly destroyed earlier!
"What's going on?"
Narrowing his eyes, Li Fan reached out to retrieve the four immortal artifacts.
Yet to his shock, he discovered they were nothing more than phantoms.
"Could it be..."
An almost unbelievable conjecture surged into Li Fan's mind.
"I've already returned to reality?"
Chapter 1088