"Completely wrong!" Before Young Lord Shang could reply, Sacred Embryo Li Fan rebuked coldly.
"The source of this power is not close at hand. It lies deep within the star sea!"
"What?"
Hearing Li Fan's words, Young Lord Shang was utterly flabbergasted.
"I know you find it hard to believe, Young Lord. But no matter. Once I break free from the shackles of the Immortal Ruins and fly beyond the Xuanhuang Realm, you will see that I am right!"
"I ask you to lend me a helping hand!" Sacred Embryo Li Fan bowed solemnly with full sincerity.
How could Young Lord Shang dare accept such a gesture from Li Fan? He hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.
"Brother Li, why go to such lengths? It's merely some supplies. Given our bond, a single word from you is all it takes."
"Yan Huan!" Young Lord Shang called his confidant over and instructed him to see to the matter.
"Rest assured, everything can be prepared within three days at most."
"Too slow! A godsend of an opportunity, gone once missed. One day!" Sacred Embryo Li Fan said bluntly.
Young Lord Shang hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "Fine! One day it is!"
He then seemed to send several telepathic transmissions with further instructions.
Having done all this, he turned back to stare at Li Fan, hesitating to speak.
"If you have something on your mind, Young Lord, speak freely!"
"Brother Li, do you truly intend to..." Young Lord Shang still seemed somewhat incredulous.
Sacred Embryo Li Fan smiled faintly and explained his reasoning. "The formidable force causing this upheaval across Xuanhuang originates from deep within the starry sky. It is fundamentally different from the suction of the Immortal Ruins that has always pulled at our realm."
"In the past, rashly flying out of the Xuanhuang Realm without the realm's protection would mean certain death and the scattering of one's Dao, not just for Dao Integration cultivators like you and me, but even for ordinary Longevity realm experts. Perhaps only someone with the strength of the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable could barely withstand it. But things are different now..."
Before Li Fan, a pool of water suddenly materialized.
In the center of the water, a colossal vortex spun rapidly, its surging currents swallowing everything around it.
Sacred Embryo Li Fan lightly pointed a finger.
Beside the first vortex, another one of equal scale abruptly appeared.
The forces of the two vortices interfered with each other, causing the direction of the water currents to lose their stability.
Young Lord Shang grasped Li Fan's meaning in an instant.
"Still, Brother Li, this is all just your speculation, isn't it? What if you guessed wrong..."
"If one hears the Dao in the morning, one may die content in the evening." Sacred Embryo Li Fan's expression remained utterly calm, showing not the slightest hint of fear. "If I let this rare opportunity slip by, even if I remain alive, I would live with regret for the rest of my days."
"Therefore, I must go," Li Fan said with resolute firmness. "I want to see for myself what kind of entity possesses such awe-inspiring might." A brilliant light shone in his eyes.
Young Lord Shang fell silent.
The efficiency of the Qingxuan Army was dependable.
Within a single day, they had gathered all the materials Li Fan requested.
"Beyond the star sea lies peril at every turn. Brother Li, won't you prepare a bit more? Do you truly intend to cross the starry void with just these?" Young Lord Shang muttered uneasily to himself.
"If time permitted, it would naturally be best to forge a sturdy flying boat. But does time allow for that? I can only make do with the Alliance's Dust-Crossing Boat as a substitute."
The Dust-Crossing Boat was currently the sole designated flying artifact of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals used to travel to and from the White Mist Lost Domains.
Back in his 114th life, Li Fan had accompanied Ji Hongdao aboard such a vessel to reach Chizha Abyss.
Forged from countless rare materials and equipped with numerous protective formations, only two of these craft existed in the entire Eternal Immortal Bastion.
Surrendering one of them was proof enough of Young Lord Shang's loyalty and goodwill.
"Nevertheless, as long as I can weather the fiercest clash between the two forces outside the Xuanhuang Realm, there shouldn't be much danger afterward." Sacred Embryo Li Fan seized the final moments to modify the Dust-Crossing Boat.
In truth, there was one thing he had not openly stated.
The greatest reliance Sacred Embryo Li Fan possessed for traversing the starry sky was not some external object, but his own Foundation Establishment wonder: the black sword wonder of Heaven!
As the embodiment of a law, the black sword was far more indestructible than almost anything in the Xuanhuang Realm.
Moreover, unlike ordinary defensive materials that would gradually erode, the black sword could use external forces to continuously temper itself, making its adaptability even stronger.
*It's also thanks to the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable's new method. Even if I abandon my physical form, as long as the Law of the Sword remains undestroyed, I can survive in the void indefinitely.*
Even while brimming with confidence, Sacred Embryo Li Fan also considered the various unexpected situations he might encounter once he flew out of the Xuanhuang Realm.
For instance...
The law of the black sword wonder of Heaven was the physical manifestation of the Xuanhuang Realm's Sword Dao law.
Once beyond the Xuanhuang Realm, stripped of the realm's support, would its strength suffer an immediate, catastrophic blow? Would it turn utterly frail?
Furthermore, the Heavenly Physician had once mentioned that outside the Xuanhuang Realm, within the void, one had to beware a certain "illness."
Li Fan had witnessed that sickness in Han Zhong as well.
Pitch-black decay, infecting the divine soul.
Even the Limitless Waxing and Waning Method, which restored the soul, offered no relief against it.
Sacred Embryo Li Fan did not expect to be immune to this ailment; he only hoped to use a massive quantity of precious soul-nourishing materials to extend the amount of time he could hold out in the void.
Another day slipped past in the blink of an eye.
The tremors rocking the Xuanhuang Realm were visibly grinding to a halt.
The cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm all wore expressions of relief, as if having survived a cataclysm, though many remained fearful and anxious, dreading that the horrifying disaster might strike again.
Outside Chizha Abyss, Sacred Embryo Li Fan had everything in place.
The Dust-Crossing Boat looked entirely different from its original state. Li Fan bade farewell to the members of the Qingxuan Army and stepped slowly into the flying boat.
Watching Li Fan's receding figure, Young Lord Shang opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated.
An impulse even surged uncontrollably within him to follow along, to burst forth from the Xuanhuang Realm and search out the secrets behind that vast, majestic power.
As a cultivator, how could he not feel curious about power of such a tier?
Yet...
He was not alone in the world, after all. He carried far too many responsibilities.
Young Lord Shang suddenly found himself envying the figure aboard the Dust-Crossing Boat.
"Could it be that you wish to cast life and death aside and come with me, Young Lord?"
As if reading his mind, Li Fan's voice suddenly transmitted into his mind just before departure.
Before Young Lord Shang could reply, Sacred Embryo Li Fan chuckled. "That wouldn't do."
Young Lord Shang started slightly.
"Do not forget, Young Lord, that vile scoundrels with ill intent still lurk in secret within the Xuanhuang Realm."
"If both of us leave, wouldn't we be letting those villains have their way?"
*And here I thought you'd tossed that straight to the back of your mind,* Young Lord Shang thought wryly.
The Dust-Crossing Boat slowly ascended into the air.
Sacred Embryo Li Fan's voice echoed in Young Lord Shang's ears.
"The future of the Xuanhuang Realm and the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals rests upon you, Young Lord."
"If I am fortunate enough to survive this ordeal, I will surely return to lend you my aid!"
Young Lord Shang accompanied the Dust-Crossing Boat all the way out of the white mist, watching as it vanished into the distant horizon.
A hollow sense of loss settled over his heart.
Though his acquaintance with Li Fan had been brief, the man's strength and demeanor had left him deeply awed.
*Make sure you come back alive,*
Young Lord Shang said quietly in his heart.
Chapter 1177