By comparing the flow of time with that of the Xuanhuang Realm, Sacred Embryo Li Fan could roughly gauge his distance from his destination.
When the ratio between their time flows slowly dropped to three to one, Sacred Embryo Li Fan knew that the unknown entity he was searching for lay just ahead.
Along the way, aside from that dried corpse giant, he encountered other remnants originating from ancient, shattered cultivation worlds.
These included, but were not limited to, the corpses of cultivators and the ruins of ancient structures.
Li Fan even picked up a few magical treasures once wielded by cultivators.
Yet having drifted in the void for far too long, their spirituality had completely dissipated, rendering them unusable.
Judging by their refinement methods and external traits, however, they hailed from a variety of distinct cultivation worlds.
This garbage-like debris, seemingly held in place because two opposing forces in the void had reached a delicate balance, was neither drawn toward the Immortal Ruins nor pulled into the depths of the star sea.
Instead, it drifted quietly in this place, as if forgotten by the entire world.
The further he advanced, the denser this debris became—each piece a lingering shred of proof that different cultivation worlds had once existed.
Uncertain whether this flotsam still carried the lingering power of the True Immortal seal character, Sacred Embryo Li Fan did not dare touch any of it. He merely steered his puppets and sword body, continuously dodging around it.
Inevitably, this slowed his pace.
"Fortunately, my guess was right. The closer I get to the mighty force of the star sea, the weaker the influence of the [Solitude] formula becomes.
"I've temporarily escaped the danger of being swallowed whole."
However...
The power of a True Immortal seal character was not to be underestimated.
Though he had not been entirely corrupted, Sacred Embryo Li Fan could still feel various shifts in his behavior and thoughts.
For instance, unbidden desires would well up in his mind to flee all things and withdraw into total seclusion.
Furthermore, the wonder of Heaven, the black sword, which served as his internal cultivation foundation, had actually begun to develop a faint estrangement from him.
Through conventional eyes, this was utterly inconceivable.
One had to remember that ever since Sacred Embryo Li Fan devoured it and forged it into his Dao Foundation, they had essentially become one and the same entity.
The man was the sword, and the sword was the man.
Yet the power of the True Immortal seal character could forcibly undo even such an integration.
"A solitary ruler through and through?
"Solitude?"
Sacred Embryo Li Fan even felt another faint tremor of unease rising within his heart.
Could this power of solitude affect his original self and True Reversion?
Although True Reversion's status was exalted enough, his original self's current strength left much to be desired!
Even if it were only a slight possibility, this was not a risk Li Fan could afford to take.
Sacred Embryo Li Fan gradually reached a decision.
"Even if I waste this opportunity for exploration, I cannot let the power of solitude affect my true self.
"Before any signs manifest, I will end my own life ahead of time."
With that thought, Sacred Embryo Li Fan swallowed his last soul-nourishing treasure and activated the Soul Burning Art.
His speed surged violently as he shot rapidly through the narrow gaps between the void debris.
These relics from ancient cultivation worlds formed an endless ocean, seemingly without bound.
The nourishing power within his body was almost entirely spent, yet he still had not managed to break out of this vast expanse.
"If even this debris can be preserved...
"Then could fragments of ancient cultivation worlds also be preserved relatively intact?"
Drifting through this ocean of relics, Sacred Embryo Li Fan suddenly thought of how Chuanfa and the Heavenly Physician had hauled world fragments from the star sea to patch the Xuanhuang Realm.
"Who's there?!"
Right as he was lost in thought, Li Fan's heart tightened abruptly. Out in the void, a strand of divine sense had actually locked onto him!
Shouting sharply, he turned his gaze toward the source.
The sensation of being tracked vanished in an instant. He caught sight of only a hazy figure that flickered swiftly and disappeared into the darkness.
With a grim expression, Sacred Embryo Li Fan arrived at the place where the figure had just stood.
"Not some mysterious anomaly, but a living person?
"In the Pitch-Black Star Sea, besides the Xuanhuang Realm, another cultivation civilization has actually survived?"
Sacred Embryo Li Fan was thoroughly shaken.
This was not only because he had sensed that figure's aura, but also because the other party had deliberately left behind a message.
To Li Fan, it seemed rather bizarre, yet it was undeniably a divine sense transmission that only a cultivator could leave.
"Bing-Three, seventh day, new moon?
"Calamity?"
Looking at these two brief phrases, Li Fan sank into thought.
"It's likely some kind of code. But given that it's written in the common script of the cultivation world, they are without a doubt surviving cultivators."
Although he had not yet seen the mighty force of the star sea that had shaken Xuanhuang, knowing that another spark of civilization existed within the star sea was already of immense significance to him.
"All these years, surviving in the Pitch-Black Star Sea required not only resources to sustain life, but above all, the ability to resist the pull of the Immortal Ruins. Located at the delicate equilibrium between those two forces, this place has formed a safe haven.
"This also proves..."
Sacred Embryo Li Fan's eyes flickered. Looking at the unknown cultivator's divine sense message, he exercised great caution and chose not to reply.
"The mighty force of the star sea capable of contending with the Immortal Ruins didn't just appear recently.
"Rather, some incident caused it to suddenly erupt with great intensity, which was why the Xuanhuang Realm, situated far beyond the Immortal Ruins, was able to detect it.
"..."
The figures of the Immortal Ruins and the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable rose in Li Fan's mind once more.
Those two had roamed the Pitch-Black Star Sea for so long; they could not possibly have been unaware of this.
"Interesting."
Because of the power of solitude, Sacred Embryo Li Fan's heart had grown somewhat detached, but upon learning of this new spark of civilization, a restless excitement stirred within him once again.
Yet Li Fan forcefully suppressed it.
"Even without making direct contact, anyone capable of surviving in such a harsh environment is clearly not easy to deal with.
"Moreover, the laws in the Pitch-Black Star Sea are somewhat more complete than those in Xuanhuang, with a higher ceiling. Having stayed here for so long...
"their strength is not to be underestimated."
Still, Li Fan had no intention of worrying for the Xuanhuang Realm.
Monsters emerged endlessly in the Xuanhuang Realm, and it was further empowered by the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable's new method.
Here in this sea of ruins, resources were impoverished. If the two sides truly went to war, the Xuanhuang Realm would completely crush them.
"Then again, I'm overthinking it. The distance between them is so vast that without a stroke of luck, even crossing paths would be an extravagant hope."
Tossing aside the notion of a cage match between the two remnant civilizations of the Pitch-Black Star Sea for the time being, the foremost problem confronting Li Fan was that he did not have much time left.
Should he continue pressing deeper into the sea of ruins to seek the source of the star sea's mighty force?
Or should he try to make contact with the civilization here?
Without overthinking, after a brief contemplation, Sacred Embryo Li Fan made his choice.
He would choose the latter.
"Having lived here for so long, they are bound to understand that mighty force far better.
"Rather than scurrying about like a headless fly, it is better to seek answers from those who know."
Sacred Embryo Li Fan's eyes gleamed.
Chapter 1182