These missing pieces were all extremely minute. Had it not been for the Dao Transformation Stone recording every single spot and comparing them against one another, Li Fan would not have discovered so easily the anomaly hidden across the myriad Eyes of the Tian Beast.
"Mo Rubin previously said the differing scenes were distortions caused by observation from different Eyes of the Tian Beast..." Li Fan's gaze seemed to pierce through the countless bubbles, penetrating straight behind the scenes.
"These missing parts can actually be regarded as blind spots of the Eyes of the Tian Beast. Or rather, some invisible presence occupied a fixed position within the Tian beast's field of vision. Observing from hundreds or thousands of vantage points would never reveal its full form. Only by stitching together the blind spots of all the Eyes of the Tian Beast..."
Li Fan's thoughts surged, and in his mind, those tiny fragments slowly pieced themselves together. In the end, they formed a convoluted, wondrous, and unimaginably complex character!
Though called a character, before Li Fan's eyes, it even somewhat resembled a contorted human figure!
This human-shaped character was formless and shapeless, yet it had fallen within the observational range of the Eyes of the Tian Beast. Any single eye, let alone grasping its whole picture, could not even sense the existence of this human-shaped character. Yet, after all, it had occupied a spot within their field of view.
It was like shadows cast by light shining from different angles.
Even if one could not divine the object's original appearance simply by "looking," assembling all the shadow patterns and deducing them in reverse could reconstruct this formless, shapeless entity!
"This character..."
Li Fan suppressed the tremor in his heart, displaying no abnormality before Mo Rubin.
This human-shaped character was not a True Immortal seal character.
Yet in essence, it might be no different from one.
True Immortal seal characters like Chaos, Hunger, and Creation were projections of Daos, concrete manifestations of power.
And this human-shaped character before him was likewise the projection of some Dao.
"The moment a cultivator observes a True Immortal seal character, the specific power it represents naturally springs to mind. Hunger, Chaos, Creation, and even that mysterious character representing the distinction between immortal and mortal are all like this. The reason is that every True Immortal seal character was an engraving and commentary upon a Dao by that Dao-Inscribing Immortal.
"The Great Dao is fundamentally formless, yet the Dao-Inscribing Immortal was able to concretize its essence into characters, making it tens of thousands of times easier for the world to perceive and comprehend.
"Yet this human-shaped character doesn't do that..."
Li Fan slowly pondered the boundless power contained within this character.
"Perhaps it is a natural formation, a manifestation of the projected power of some Dao. Or perhaps it was an attempt at Dao Inscribing by another True Immortal.
"Yet this one clearly fell far short of the later Dao-Inscribing Immortal!"
The reason he could deduce that this character predated the Dao-Inscribing Immortal was that the Dao of a True Immortal allowed no room for others. If the Dao-Inscribing Immortal had already existed, no other aspirant attempting Dao Inscribing could have emerged in the world.
"The moment such an act began, it would surely have been ruthlessly crushed by the terrifying power of the Nameless True Immortal."
The gap between this unknown aspirant and the true Dao-Inscribing Immortal was like that between two painters who both attempted to capture the mountains and rivers of heaven and earth with a brush.
The Dao-Inscribing Immortal's painting was vivid and lifelike, making the viewer feel as though they were right there.
The aspirant's, on the other hand, was like a child's playful scribbles—an abstract tangle of lines that bore little resemblance to the actual subject, making it an arduous task merely to decipher what the painting was supposed to depict.
Li Fan gazed at the contorted human-shaped character for a long time, remaining silent.
Yet he felt no contempt in his heart for this clumsiness in Dao-inscribing technique.
Simply because of what this human-shaped character sought to inscribe...
Having witnessed Creation, the Immortal-Mortal Transformation, and even the Transformation of Truth and Falsehood, Li Fan's ability to discern and appraise the tiers of True Immortal seal characters was something even a True Immortal could hardly match.
Li Fan faintly sensed that despite the crudeness of this attempt at Dao Inscribing, it did not diminish the caliber of the primordial Dao that this contorted human-shaped character sought to inscribe.
"Above Creation—perhaps on par with the Immortal-Mortal Transformation."
A glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes, imperceptible to outsiders.
"The Tian beast was transformed from a jade pendant that King Xuantian brought back from the Immortal Realm in the past. After coming into contact with water, it actually turned into a living creature.
"Could it be due to the character hidden within that jade pendant?"
The method to discover this hidden human-shaped character was both difficult and simple.
Even without the Dao Transformation Stone, Li Fan did not believe that King Xuantian, with his half-immortal strength, could have failed to uncover this concealed secret.
By the same token, the Sea of Endless Gloom and the You people were both King Xuantian's handiwork.
There was no reason for him to have missed the character representing the distinction between immortal and mortal either.
"Perhaps King Xuantian's breakthrough back then drew upon the power of these two characters," Li Fan could not help pondering.
Because the method of Dao Inscribing in this human-shaped character was far too crude, Li Fan could not comprehend much from it for the moment. He could only etch it deeply into his mind for now.
As for King Xuantian's whereabouts...
Li Fan had already observed every single Eye of the Tian Beast and, as expected, found no sign that King Xuantian had ever been here.
Yet Li Fan made no sound. He continued to stand silently, turning his mind instead to deciphering the array here.
The Grand Star-Crossing Array was based on ancient immortal formations and improved by King Xuantian.
With prior knowledge of the Spirit-Gathering Immortal Ascension Array, unraveling the Tian Beast Eye array here with the help of the Terminal Dissociation Disc was by no means impossible.
Especially since Mo Rubin had brought Li Fan directly into the core of the formation, laying bare every detail of its operation.
In the dead silence, Li Fan's deciphering progress skyrocketed.
Mo Rubin took only twice as long as Li Fan to complete his observation of all the Eyes of the Tian Beast.
An undisguised flicker of disappointment crossed his face.
"Not here either?" Li Fan chimed in at just the right moment.
Mo Rubin shook his head with a soft sigh. "He didn't even come here to seek refuge.
"The two places where Big Brother Xuanyuan was most likely hiding according to my deductions both turned up empty." Mo Rubin's complexion looked rather sour.
"Then shall we set off for the next location?"
Mo Rubin rejected Li Fan's suggestion.
"The Eyes of the Tian Beast look outward to the sea of stars and inward to Xuanhuang.
"Having come here, how could we leave them unused?"
Mo Rubin stared at the myriad drifting Eyes of the Tian Beast before him and spoke in a low voice.
"Didn't you say King Xuantian never passed down the method to control them? Can you still mobilize the power of the Eyes of the Tian Beast?" Li Fan asked, feigning surprise.
Mo Rubin replied with pride in his tone, "They are part of the Grand Star-Crossing Array after all. All variations return to their origin. So long as I am given a bit of time, channeling a fraction of the power here will not be difficult."
Li Fan could not help but praise, "Daoist Brother is indeed immensely talented. How much time do you need, specifically?"
"Within three to five months, it will certainly be done," Mo Rubin said in a deep voice.
Hearing this, Li Fan nodded slightly. As if after careful consideration, he suggested, "Waiting here would be pointless for me. Why don't I return to the Xuanhuang Realm first to conduct a thorough search and fill in any gaps? Perhaps I can uncover other clues."
Mo Rubin studied Li Fan and ultimately agreed. "Very well."
Tossing over a jade talisman, Mo Rubin said, "Keep this with you. The moment I have any results, I will notify you at once."
Li Fan stowed the jade talisman away and cupped his hands. "Then please send me out of the Tian Beast Eye array first, Daoist Brother."
Mo Rubin nodded, forming an incantation gesture and pointing a finger. Li Fan's vision blurred, and he suddenly seemed to appear inside another miniature bubble.
The bubble shrank continuously, gradually turning into a thin membrane enveloping Li Fan's body.
Finally, the membrane tore completely open. Moments later, Li Fan returned directly to the Xuanhuang Realm, within Jiushan Province.
"When you come here in the future, you won't need to go through all that trouble. You can transfer directly through the Tian beast's body.
"Though the Tian beast is dead, its skeletal conduits endure."
Mo Rubin's voice echoed in Li Fan's ears, then slowly faded away.
Li Fan looked up, his gaze seeming to pierce through time and space to reach the Eye of the Tian Beast out in the void.
After checking and confirming that Mo Rubin had left no marks or hidden tricks on him, Li Fan narrowed his eyes and scoffed inwardly. *He agreed readily enough.*
*Perhaps he couldn't wait to brush me aside.*
Li Fan had faintly sensed that inside the Tian Beast Eye array, Mo Rubin had held back, concealing certain techniques. Thus, Li Fan had simply gone with the flow and taken the initiative to propose leaving.
In any case, with the aid of the Terminal Dissociation Disc, he would likely decipher the Tian Beast Array even ahead of Mo Rubin.
*If he can find King Xuantian's traces, all the better.*
*If he cannot, he will still be made to contribute to Xuanhuang's sublimation.*
A Dharma King of the Xuantian Sect was even more useful than Master Yin or Xu Ke. He certainly couldn't let such a resource go to waste.
Thinking this, Li Fan activated the phantom wooden sword, and in the next instant, he returned to the Great Xuan pocket world.
The moment he had returned to the Xuanhuang Realm, he had sensed that Master Yin—who had gone missing earlier in the storm of Reverberating Astral Force—had returned safely.
However, as the culprit who triggered the turmoil, Baihua's attitude toward him had shifted from friendly to hostile.
The two were confronting each other above the Sermon Platform.
Baihua looked stern, demanding an explanation from Master Yin.
Master Yin, meanwhile, kept his eyes closed the entire time, offering no explanation yet radiating no hostility.
Li Fan looked at Master Yin, a curious sensation rising in his heart.
Having interacted with Master Yin across far too many lifetimes—accumulating over a century of time spent together—Li Fan understood him better than anyone else in the world.
Li Fan easily perceived the wondrous transformation that had occurred within Master Yin.
Master Yin was a world revenant, the unassimilable dregs left behind when the Xuanhuang Realm devoured and fused with other ruined cultivation worlds.
Because of this, being around Master Yin was usually accompanied by an aura of eeriness and dead silence.
Yet now...
From this aggregate of world revenants, faint traces of unique vitality were actually radiating!
Li Fan could not help being astonished.
He immediately revealed himself and arrived before Master Yin.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on turning misfortune into a blessing!" Li Fan examined him closely for a moment before speaking softly.
Only then did Master Yin slowly open his eyes. "Had it not been for Saint Teacher's help, I might never have reached the border of the sea of stars, let alone obtained such good fortune!"
Master Yin offered heartfelt thanks.
And the instant Li Fan saw his eyes, he also understood why Master Yin had adamantly refused to open them when facing Baihua earlier.
His two eyes were one black and one white.
The black eye radiated vibrant vitality, while the white eye emanated boundless deathly aura.
The moment he met those black and white eyes, Li Fan felt as though he had been pulled into a boundless illusion.
Countless lives were born, only to be destroyed amidst various tribulations.
Life and death reincarnated and evolved at a terrifying speed.
Li Fan even noticed that his [Psychological Age], which had never once been affected by illusions, saw its numbers tick upward in rapid succession the moment he fell into the black-and-white vortex.
If it was like this for Li Fan, Baihua's state was even worse.
She had not even met them head-on; it was merely a glance from the side. Her glazed body, which had seemed indestructible as golden light, was now like a candle guttering in the wind, shaking violently and teetering on the brink of collapse!
Fortunately, Master Yin also noticed the changes occurring in Li Fan and Baihua, and he harbored no desire to harm anyone.
Slowly and with some difficulty, he closed his black and white eyes.
The storm of life-and-death illusions gradually subsided, and only then did Li Fan and Baihua return to normal.
"You..." Baihua pointed at Master Yin in shock, unable to conceal the terror on her face.
She found it truly hard to believe. Not long ago, the man before her had possessed strength on par with her own. Yet in just a few short days, an earth-shaking transformation had taken place within him.
Li Fan asked with great interest, "What is the story behind this vitality on you? At the foot of the High Wall, that stretching Great Wall consists entirely of ruined worlds. How could such immense vitality be hidden there?"
Master Yin paused, then slowly explained, "It was precisely because I discovered vitality within those remnant worlds that I acted regardless of the consequences. In truth, I was overcome by instinct at that time, and my actions were briefly beyond my own control."
Hearing this, Li Fan could not help frowning.
"Even now that I have absorbed the remnant worlds' vitality, I remain unclear as to its source. However, I can show Saint Teacher where this vitality lies..." Master Yin said word by word.
Pondering for a moment, Li Fan nodded. "The Great Xuan pocket world is still too fragile."
The phantom wooden sword unsheathed, carrying Master Yin and Baihua out into the void of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Catalyzed by the boundless vitality, his "establishing the foundation with oneself"—which had only been half-successful—even showed signs of mending.
The True Self Dao Foundation within his body was slowly merging with himself, causing Master Yin's signature double-echo voice to vanish.
With a solemn expression, Master Yin turned his head away from where Li Fan and Baihua stood.
Once again, he opened his black and white eyes.
Then, reaching out with his left hand, he thrust two fingers into his eye sockets.
Exerting a bit of force, he gouged out both eyeballs!
No blood spurted out; there were only two small spheres, one black and one white, spinning unceasingly in the void!
After leaving Master Yin's body, the black and white spheres gradually drew closer to each other.
However, Master Yin kept his palm interposed between them to prevent them from attracting and fusing together.
"The source of the vitality is these two black and white spheres?" Seeing this bizarre sight, Baihua could not help asking.
"Not just vitality. They are also the source of the deathly aura." With the spheres separated from his body, speaking had inexplicably become somewhat difficult for Master Yin.
The black and white spheres continually radiated their unique energy into the surroundings.
Yet owing to their mutual attraction and restraint, the energy did not abruptly erupt through the void.
Instead, it formed a taiji-like vortex, achieving an eerie balance.
Looking at the black and white spheres, Li Fan faintly felt a certain familiar aura emanating from them.
Chapter 1336