Truth of the Star-Crossing Array

"Ahem." Sensing Holy Emperor Li Ping's gaze seemingly locked onto him, Master Yin gave a light cough. "All right, back to the point. Generating the dark repulsive force is an instinctual function of the array. Even though it is damaged, it continues to operate according to its original logic. This Grand Star-Crossing Array truly is remarkable. Once it lost its Xuanhuang energy supply, it must have begun searching for an alternative on its own. "The You people were born because of this. "You've likely realized it by now as well. The power generated by the You people's prayers can, to some extent, substitute for the supply provided by the Xuanhuang Realm's heaven and earth... "I don't know how well you understand the Dao of Formations. Does what I'm saying make sense to you?" As Master Yin spoke, he noticed that Holy Emperor Li Ping's mood seemed rather peculiar, and thought perhaps his explanation had been too esoteric or unclear. So he asked. "I understand a bit. The Grand Star-Crossing Array was constructed by the King of Profound Heaven. According to what you've said, this Sea of Gloomy Darkness serves as an essential functional component of the Grand Star-Crossing Array, just like the array module used to capture worlds within the sea of stars," Li Ping said after a moment's consideration. "Indeed." Master Yin nodded. "Furthermore, by my judgment, beyond these two and the array's central control, the Grand Star-Crossing Array should possess other functions as well..." "The principles of formations revolve in boundless circulation. The golden chains and the Sea of Gloomy Darkness alone cannot form a complete array cycle. There should indeed be two other subsidiary array modules to bring the grand array's operational efficiency to its peak." Before Master Yin could speak, he heard Holy Emperor Li Ping voice his own conclusion. "It seems your attainments in formations far surpass mine," Master Yin remarked in a subdued tone. Li Ping did not reply, instead pondering what other components of the Grand Star-Crossing Array were missing. At the same time, he did not cease his conversation with Master Yin. "If we view the Xuanhuang Realm as a flying boat struggling near the vortex of the starry sea, then in a certain sense, this place is the flying boat's power source?" Master Yin thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Then if... I mean if we provide the Sea of Gloomy Darkness with a sufficient supply of energy, would it be possible to gradually struggle free from the vortex once again?" Holy Emperor Li Ping asked slowly, his tone inscrutable. "...That is only possible in theory. We do not know the Sea of Gloomy Darkness's energy conversion efficiency. It is far more likely that even burning away the entire Xuanhuang Realm as it currently exists would fail to shift it by even a fraction of an inch. Besides, I have a feeling that because the population of the You people was depleted for a period of time, the energy supply to the Sea of Gloomy Darkness ran into problems again. Perhaps it has already begun to trigger a new method of evolution and energy absorption." Master Yin shook his head. "An elusive sense of crisis keeps surfacing in my heart. We cannot afford to be careless," Master Yin added, his tone growing cautious. "Still, haven't you produced a massive number of You people recently? If we can restore the Sea of Gloomy Darkness's energy supply, we might be able to prevent this evolution from occurring," Master Yin said suddenly. Holy Emperor Li Ping of Great Qi fell silent. ... Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters. Li Fan, having only recently failed in his attempt to decipher the multicolored rainbow, had no time to rest and recover. Without a pause, he immediately set to work deducing the Xuanhuang Realm's Grand Star-Crossing Array. He recalled the scene from his 119th lifetime, when Mo Rubin had mysteriously vanished in the Sea of Gloomy Darkness, leaving behind nothing but an empty husk. *So the Sea of Gloomy Darkness is actually part of the Grand Star-Crossing Array.* *Back then, Mo Rubin learned information regarding the King of Profound Heaven through the Heavenly Profound Mirror. In the end, he traveled to the Sea of Gloomy Darkness. It is uncertain whether he truly perished, but his entire cultivation was very likely devoured directly by the Sea of Gloomy Darkness and converted into Xuanhuang's motive power.* *Whether he possessed boundless compassion and willingly sacrificed himself for the Xuanhuang Realm, or used the opportunity to feign death and slip away like a cicada shedding its shell, one thing is almost certain: the King of Profound Heaven—or at the very least, matters closely tied to him—must be hidden within the Sea of Gloomy Darkness.* *Before, I thought this gloomy sea was purely the manifestation of an alien power, which was why I couldn't do anything about it. But now that I know it's the manifestation of an array's power...* *It's not impossible for me to crack it!* Holy Emperor Li Ping's various perceptions within the Sea of Gloomy Darkness, as well as the sights and experiences from the 119th lifetime, all surfaced in Li Fan's mind. Empowered by the Dao Transformation Stone, the Terminal Dissociation Disc let out a resounding hum. It was operating at its utmost limit, something unprecedented. *No wonder when I asked the Heavenly Profound Mirror for the Grand Star-Crossing Array back then, it dragged its feet and even brought out immortal-grade array diagrams to put me off. In hindsight, this Grand Star-Crossing Array is fundamentally the ultimate transformation array for Xuanhuang. It turned the Xuanhuang Realm from a pure cultivation world into an eternal immortal boat capable of traversing the Immortal Ruins.* *If the array hadn't been damaged, and if that High Wall didn't still stand beyond the Immortal Ruins...* *Perhaps the Xuanhuang Realm would have broken free of its shackles long ago to roam the starry sea.* *Perhaps when I asked the Heavenly Profound Mirror for the diagram of the Grand Star-Crossing Array, I gave myself away. Given the importance of this array, there was no reason for the Heavenly Profound Sect's Twelve Dharma Kings not to know about it. Yet my attitude at the time failed to show proper regard, treating it merely as an ordinary array...* Numerous thoughts flashed across Li Fan's mind at once. Time slipped by slowly as the Dissociation Disc and the Dao Transformation Stone flickered continuously with light. Feeling the long-absent, increasingly intense stabs of pain between his brows, Li Fan frowned slightly. *It seems the complexity of this Grand Star-Crossing Array surpasses even my imagination. With so little information available, even using three immortal-grade arrays as a foundation, forcibly deducing it is simply pushing it too far. Even trying to deduce a flaw in the Sea of Gloomy Darkness proves difficult.* *Moreover, does this array possess the ability to prevent itself from being deduced and cracked?* Li Fan felt a jolt of shock. Every time the Terminal Dissociation Disc reached a critical juncture in its deductions, the array data would suddenly collapse and vanish, losing the vast majority of its contents. It was as if some power were reaching across time and space to interfere. Li Fan even suspected that if his true body had not been hiding inside the Yanfa Jade space of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, he might have been directly targeted by that force rather than merely disrupted. *Fortunately, with each round of deduction and reconstruction, some data is still preserved after all. It will just take more time.* *Naturally, it would still be best to keep the Sea of Gloomy Darkness's current state stable and unchanged.* ... As thoughts surged through Li Fan's true body, Holy Emperor Li Ping's resolve underwent an abrupt shift. "Since this seat intends to contend with the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals for Xuanhuang, I naturally will not stand idly by."