Yet after waiting for a long time, the Dharma Transmitters of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals never saw any greater upheaval strike the Xuanhuang Realm.
Had the venerable Heavenly Venerable actually misjudged?
No matter how unbelievable it seemed, the Dharma Transmitters ultimately had to accept this fact.
Yet out of deep reverence for Heavenly Venerable Chuanfa, none of them dared discuss it openly.
Still less did anyone dare to send an inquiry to Heavenly Venerable Chuanfa of their own accord.
They could only attribute it to the Heavenly Venerable's deep concern for the common mortals of Xuanhuang—reaching out to warn them even over the slightest tremor. After all, a disturbance truly had occurred.
What the living beings of the Xuanhuang Realm could not perceive was that outside the void, an enormous reservoir of True Immortal power had quietly accumulated.
Standing before the filled depression and sensing the faint, almost imperceptible pull, Li Fan could not help but nod in satisfaction.
The harvest this time had exceeded his expectations.
The presence of the natural depression served as a near-perfect vessel for the True Immortal power. Supplemented by the concealing formations Li Fan had laid around its perimeter, any anomaly here was flawlessly veiled.
Li Fan was confident that even if Chuanfa and his peers passed by, they would never discover anything amiss unless they conducted a deliberate, meticulous investigation rather than merely flying past.
"With these reserves in hand, the Super Xuanhuang Realm plan becomes far more certain."
The power stirred by the Immortal Ruins True Immortal's comprehension of the "Hunger" character formula was naturally different from pure immortal spirit power; it could not be absorbed directly by the Xuanhuang Realm.
However, Li Fan could route it through the Ascent Arrays, transforming these vast reserves of power into the driving force for the Xuanhuang Realm's ascension. In doing so, the consumption of True Immortal flesh would be drastically reduced. Otherwise, relying solely on the yield from the Kunqian Bone Hand, even draining Ou Shangtian dry would never produce enough Ascent Arrays.
"Like a lake suspended in the sky, like the ruins of an immortal realm." After gazing at it for a long while, Li Fan finally shifted his gaze away from the depression.
He temporarily sealed the area under concealing formations.
"Next, I must find a method to firmly anchor the world's elevation."
"Otherwise, I will have to take a desperate gamble and force out the world's immortal soul just before the Xuanhuang Realm's immortal descent. Everything can change in a breath, and anything could happen. It might all end in total failure..."
"The production of True Immortal flesh and Source Power Essence must also be increased in tandem."
Attempting the works of a True Immortal with a mortal body naturally brought endless constraints.
Although Li Fan had accumulated all manner of bizarre substitute powers across multiple lifetimes of reincarnation, they were still not immortal spirit power itself. As he drew closer to his goal, everything became increasingly complicated.
As for how to briefly anchor the world at a high elevation, Li Fan currently had no leads whatsoever.
Setting aside the meditating True Immortal in the Immortal Ruins, under a higher-dimensional perspective, the highest peaks across the entire Pitch-Black Star Sea were either along the Great Wall of Remnant Worlds beneath the High Wall, or gathered deep within the Xuanhuang Realm's Sea of Endless Gloom.
Of course, there were also naturally formed peaks in the starry sea. Just like the depression before him, none of them were things the current Li Fan could fully study and comprehend.
"Next, a two-pronged approach."
"The foot of the High Wall and the Sea of Endless Gloom must both be analyzed simultaneously."
"As for the High Wall, perhaps I can leave it to the Xuan Celestial Vessel. Being able to study True Immortal seal characters and adapt them for their own use, those vessel elders certainly possess the ability. As for the Sea of Endless Gloom..."
The face of Mo Rubin, Dharma King of the Xuantian Sect, instantly surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
"Conveniently, after communicating with the vessel this time, I've already mastered the 'Manifestation' seal character. Perhaps it is time to awaken Mo Rubin."
One of the functions of the "Manifestation" character was to reveal the underlying connections between all things. King Xuantian's cultivation methods all stemmed from the heritage of the Azure Nether Pearl.
If possible, perhaps by stimulating the "Manifestation" character, he could follow the trail to find traces of the Azure Nether Pearl or even King Xuantian himself.
"This Mo Rubin cultivates the Myriad Tribulations Imperishable Demonic Heart Immortal Art. Possessing multiple personas, he can shift between them almost at will. He is exceptionally meticulous and cunning."
"Yet King Xuantian is his fatal weakness..."
With a flicker of his figure, Li Fan returned to Xuanhuang in an instant and arrived beneath the Preaching Platform.
A giant net woven from Source Power Essence sealed away the slumbering Mo Rubin and Ji Yuzhen's primordial soul.
Li Fan did not awaken the female Dharma King, Ji Yuzhen.
Although he had absorbed the vast majority of her memories and undoubtedly understood her better, she gave Li Fan an even more dangerous feeling than Mo Rubin.
By comparison, Mo Rubin, with whom he had dealt across several lifetimes, was somewhat easier to handle.
With a flick of his finger, the phantom wooden sword unsheathed. Li Fan brought Mo Rubin with him into the void outside the Xuanhuang Realm.
Then, he slowly withdrew the golden sealing net.
Exposed to the cold, dead Pitch-Black Star Sea, Mo Rubin instinctively sensed danger and slowly came to his senses.
Almost the instant he awakened, Mo Rubin noticed Li Fan standing not far away.
"Hmm? I remember before falling asleep, I should have been in..." Mo Rubin was momentarily dazed, but after brief reflection, he deduced the likely culprit behind it all.
"Fellow Daoist, what is your intention?" Mo Rubin assessed Li Fan, his tone fraught with vigilance.
A mirror boundary concealed within the darkness materialized without a sound, locking onto Li Fan.
This was a divine ability from the Myriad Tribulations Imperishable Demonic Heart Immortal Art, capable of replacing whatever person was reflected on the far side of the mirror, turning them into a newly added demonic heart of his own.
As long as one was caught within its scope, regardless of cultivation depth, none could escape.
This was the confidence Mo Rubin derived from his Immortal Realm heritage.
Yet Mo Rubin soon sensed something wrong, his expression shifting slightly.
The mirror indeed enveloped Li Fan.
However, on the other side of the mirror, there was no trace of Li Fan at all! It was as though the figure before him were merely an illusion that did not exist in the physical world!
Paradoxically, the unmasked vitality emanating from Li Fan's body unmistakably proclaimed his reality!
The Transformation of Real and Fake was an order of power that stood even above the "Creation" True Immortal seal character. Naturally, it was beyond Mo Rubin's comprehension.
At this moment, the Xuantian Sect Dharma King only knew that he had encountered an exceedingly troublesome opponent.
After attempting several more times without being able to lock onto Li Fan, he decisively gave up, silently dispersing the mirror boundary ability.
"Fellow Daoist Mo, there is no need to be nervous. If I truly intended to harm you, why would I awaken you of my own accord?"
"The Myriad Tribulations Imperishable Demonic Heart Immortal Art is not truly imperishable through myriad tribulations. I have at least three or four methods to break it," Li Fan said with a faint smile, speaking softly.
These few words fell upon Mo Rubin's ears like claps of thunder.
The Myriad Tribulations Imperishable Demonic Heart Immortal Art was a technique personally bestowed upon him by King Xuantian back then, known to very few. Yet Li Fan had laid bare the secret in a single sentence...
"Just who are you, Fellow Daoist?" Mo Rubin asked with a solemn expression.
Li Fan did not answer directly, asking instead, "Fellow Daoist, do you know how long you have slumbered?"
All of Mo Rubin's attention had previously been fixed on Li Fan.
Now, prompted by Li Fan's reminder, Mo Rubin pinched his fingers to calculate, and his body shuddered violently.
"Ten thousand years have passed; things have long since changed and people are no more. If you are interested, Fellow Daoist, why not listen as I tell you the tale of these intervening years?" Li Fan said with immense sincerity.
Mo Rubin pondered for a moment and nodded.
And so, Li Fan slowly recounted how the Xuantian Sect fell, how the Ten Sects took its place, how calamity arose again, how the Xuanhuang Realm was pushed to the brink of ruin, how Heavenly Venerable Chuanfa rose abruptly, and how the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and Five Elders Association divided and ruled the realm.
Mo Rubin's expression shifted continuously.
"Those vermin of the Ten Sects truly deserved to die!"
From beginning to end, this was the only sentence Mo Rubin could not help uttering. The rest of the time, he listened attentively.
With his Demonic Heart Immortal Art's acute sensitivity to the emotions of those around him, Mo Rubin was eighty percent certain that the man before him was not lying.
"Those of the Ten Sects inherited the legacy of the Xuantian Sect after all, and they possessed the true heritage of the Archmage; they were not so easily wiped out. Some among them had already shattered the boundaries and left long before the calamity fully erupted," Li Fan said, shaking his head slightly.
"Left?" Mo Rubin narrowed his eyes.
"Not merely leaving the Xuanhuang Realm. Rather, they crossed the High Wall and went beyond it!" Li Fan said resonantly.
Mo Rubin's reaction was stronger than ever before: "Beyond the High Wall? Utterly impossible!"
Li Fan had long anticipated Mo Rubin's response: "Look, Fellow Daoist!"
With a gentle wave of his hand, an image of a sword spanning heaven and earth bursting with boundless brilliance, tearing through the cosmos, and cleaving across the void instantly appeared before Mo Rubin's eyes.
"This was the scene back then when the Heavenly Sword Sect forged the Realm-Cleaving Divine Sword and shattered the world's bounds to depart. While it remains unconfirmed whether they succeeded, with such overwhelming might, they surely intended more than merely escaping the Xuanhuang Realm, wouldn't you say?" Li Fan asked.
Mo Rubin stared intently at the repeating scene before him.
"This realm-cleaving divine weapon is merely a mortal instrument. How could it possibly cross the High Wall? Utterly laughable!" Mo Rubin still refused to budge from his stance.
"The divine weapon was smelted from Taiyuan Fine Gold combined with countless sword intent Dao embryos, and supplemented by innumerable heavenly treasures..." Li Fan explained unhurriedly.
Mo Rubin cut him off: "Just that? No matter the heavenly treasure, as long as it is a product of the Xuanhuang Realm, it could never achieve such an effect."
"Then what if it was also infused with a wisp of pure immortal spirit qi?" Li Fan asked in a deep voice.
Mo Rubin snapped his head up, glaring at Li Fan.
"Immortal spirit qi?" His tone and expression were entirely different from before.
After a long silence, Mo Rubin spoke in a low voice: "If the core of this realm-cleaving divine weapon truly contained immortal spirit power, it might indeed be possible to cross the High Wall with it..."
"Precisely," Li Fan said, his tone enigmatic.
Did the realm-cleaving divine weapon forged by the Heavenly Sword Sect back then truly contain immortal spirit power?
Li Fan did not know either.
However, the Heavenly Sword Sect's forging of the divine weapon was done at Mr. Bai's behest.
Mr. Bai had inherited the legacy of the Great Heavenly Venerable, and he had even ventured before the High Wall and returned. How could he not know that mortal materials alone could never cross the High Wall?
If they failed, crashing head-on into the High Wall, there would be absolutely no hope of survival.
With Mr. Bai's character, how could he have sent people to their deaths in vain?
Therefore, after learning the weight of the Great Heavenly Venerable's legacy from Sun Tianci in his previous life, this hypothesis had taken root in Li Fan's mind: Mr. Bai had likely allocated a portion of the immortal spirit qi obtained from detonating the immortal artifacts to the Heavenly Sword Sect, successfully helping them carry out their plan to cleave the realm and escape.
Because compared to the four remaining immortal artifacts such as the Great Sun Golden Bell, the amount of immortal spirit qi obtained from detonating the other nine immortal artifacts had been far too small.
Rather than having been consumed, it was more likely that a portion had been partitioned away.
It was even difficult to say whether there were members of other sects aboard that realm-cleaving divine weapon alongside the Heavenly Sword Sect back then.
Confronted with Li Fan's explanation, Mo Rubin remained silent for a long time before finally cursing, "Damned scoundrels, caring only for their own escape while disregarding the common mortals of Xuanhuang!"
Mo Rubin certainly had the right to curse them so.
Back then, King Xuantian, who had already attained a half-immortal physique, could have easily escaped entirely alone.
Yet precisely to bring his homeland, the Xuanhuang Realm, along with him, he embarked on the prolonged Starry Sky Drift Plan, which led to all the subsequent misfortunes.
Hearing Mo Rubin's curse, Li Fan seized the opportunity to shift the conversation toward King Xuantian.
"King Xuantian's character was noble and pure, shining like the eternal sun, unmatched by anyone in this world. Setting aside the cowardly rats of the Ten Sects, not a single person has arisen in the ten thousand years since to inherit his ambition. That the Xuanhuang Realm has endured until now is merely because the beings within are struggling to save themselves," Li Fan sighed deeply, expressing heartfelt sorrow.
Hearing Li Fan praise King Xuantian so highly, Mo Rubin's perception of him gradually shifted, though not enough to lower his guard completely.
"To speak plainly, I wish to inherit King Xuantian's ambition: to rescue the Xuanhuang Realm from the abyss and help it cross the High Wall, escaping this Pitch-Black Star Sea."
"To this end, I have poured out my heart's blood and withered away half my life. Yet as my final hour approaches, I look back only to find that in this vast Xuanhuang Realm, there is not a single person worthy of trust, not a single companion to walk beside me." Li Fan's tone carried a thread of desolation.
Observing closely upon hearing this, Mo Rubin detected the unmistakable sign that Li Fan truly did not have long to live.
His pupils shrank violently.
Li Fan continued, "By a stroke of fortune, I discovered the heroic deeds of the ancient Xuantian Sect. My blood surged with admiration, and I came to regard them as kindred spirits."
"I searched for traces of any among them who might have survived, and at last, I found you, Fellow Daoist, in your slumber..."
Li Fan looked at Mo Rubin, a gratified smile gracing his face.
Mo Rubin felt an indescribable surge of emotion welling up within his chest.
Yet, cautious by nature, he suppressed the feeling and began weighing the credibility of the other's words.
"The affairs of the Xuantian Sect transpired over ten thousand years ago. How did you come to know of them?" Mo Rubin asked.
"Amidst a sea of blossoms in a ring-shaped crater, I discovered the shattered soul of Ji Yuzhen," Li Fan answered truthfully.
"Though it was merely pieced together from countless memory fragments, it was enough to glimpse the past of the Xuantian Sect."
Mo Rubin shuddered visibly. "Ji Yuzhen? Is she still alive as well?"
Li Fan shook his head slightly. "Only a few remnants of her soul remain."
Mo Rubin opened his mouth to say something, but abruptly stopped.
After a moment of silence, he looked directly at Li Fan and said, "Back then, the Xuantian Sect suffered an immense upheaval. Our brothers were killed or wounded, and we lost contact with one another."
"Among us, there may even have been traitors..."
"To tell you the truth, aside from King Xuantian, I trust no one."
Li Fan nodded in understanding. "In fact, my awakening of you, Fellow Daoist, was also motivated in part by the desire to find King Xuantian."
Chapter 1332