The Great Wall of Remnant Worlds.
Li Fan controlled the phantom of the wooden sword, carrying Nangong Lie and the other two Celestial Vessel elders as they moved slowly through the expanse.
"Brother Li's escape technique is truly extraordinary. Not only is it remarkably swift, but it also lessens the effects of the reverberating astral power outside. Under its protection, our mission to find the gray Go stones should go far more smoothly," Nangong Lie remarked with admiration.
Lu Yuzhi chimed in, "Indeed. Otherwise, merely resisting that terrible suction would consume the vast majority of our strength."
Xu Gongding said nothing, scanning the void outside and diligently searching for any trace of the gray Go stones.
The resonance shared between items of the same set was insufficient to pinpoint their exact locations; it merely provided a vague sense of their general vicinity.
Within the Great Wall of Remnant Worlds stretched countless fragments of worlds, and the gray Go stones were disguised as artifacts hidden among them.
Finding their targets under such conditions was no different from searching for a needle in the ocean. Moreover, their divine senses were impeded here, making the exploration even more arduous.
Experiencing it firsthand, Li Fan finally understood the Heavenly Physician's difficulties. It was entirely understandable that collecting the Tianfa Realm fragments had taken several thousand years and remained incomplete.
Fortunately, the mysterious power the gray Go stones used to conceal themselves was peculiar. Provided one knew a secret was hidden within, a single look was enough to discern something anomalous about them.
There was no need to worry about missing them during the search. The group's luck was also quite good, as they found the first lost stone after only three days.
Resting quietly upon the ruins of an earth fragment was a rust-speckled bronze war chariot. Five remarkably spirited warhorses stood with heads held high before it.
The chariot's surface was covered in blade marks, presenting a weather-beaten appearance. Rather than reverting the chariot to its original form out in the open void, the four of them stowed it away for safekeeping, intending to hand it over to the Celestial Vessel's Council of Elders once they returned.
With this initial success, the elders were quite invigorated. Over the next ten days, the wooden sword phantom darted repeatedly, shuttling continuously through the Great Wall of Remnant Worlds.
They found three more disguised stones: a broken sword, a seemingly ordinary wine gourd, and a small wooden boat.
"I can't go on. I need to rest," Li Fan suddenly said, his face turning pale and looking thoroughly drained just as they were preparing to redouble their efforts.
Lu Yuzhi had a look of sudden realization. "It was our oversight. Such a heavenly-defying divine ability must consume an immense amount of energy. Brother Li, you have used it continuously for days, so it is only natural you have reached your limit..."
Nangong Lie asked with concern, "About how long do you need to rest, Brother Li? Without the blessing of your escape technique, our search efficiency will be far too slow relying on ourselves alone!"
Li Fan wore a solemn expression as he pledged, "Rest assured, give me three days and I will recover. The exhaustion of spiritual energy is secondary; the main issue is the severe toll on my mind and spirit."
After praising Li Fan effusively, Lu Yuzhi took the opportunity to inquire about the principles behind the escape technique.
The elders of the Celestial Vessel had long coveted Li Fan's wondrous escape art of flying with the wooden sword phantom.
However, while Li Fan was normally generous in sharing what he had learned, he had kept his lips tightly sealed regarding this wooden sword ability, never revealing even a shred of detail.
The elders had not given up, seeking every chance to pry. And this time, Li Fan's guarded stance actually showed a slight softening.
"This escape art of mine is condensed from two supreme Dao intents. The first is the sword: an unstoppable momentum, advancing with consummate valor."
"As for the second..." Li Fan paused, whetting the appetites of the three before continuing unhurriedly, "it is Close Horizons! The ends of the earth and the corners of the seas are but a hair's breadth away. Traversing the sea of stars is indeed immensely vast and long, but if it is reduced to mere inches, it can be crossed in a single step!"
He then went on to explain the two supreme true intents in detail to the trio.
The three elders listened attentively, nodding repeatedly and sinking into deep thought. Li Fan, meanwhile, showed an enigmatic smile.
He had not fabricated or distorted anything during his explanation. Given the experience and discernment of the Celestial Vessel elders, any falsehood or tampering would have been easily seen through.
Li Fan had simply concealed the most critical link: the true core of this escape ability was the Transformation of Real and Unreal.
Dao of the sword, Close Horizons—without the reinforcement of the core Transformation of Real and Unreal, it was impossible to perform as Li Fan did, ignoring the numerous perils and residual True Immortal powers permeating the star sea during flight.
Li Fan's purpose in intentionally "leaking" this divine ability was to distract the attention of the three elders. And his true objective was naturally the four stones they had retrieved.
Perhaps truly traumatized by Chuanfa all those years ago, even though the four individuals sent to retrieve the stones were theoretically incapable of betraying the vessel, the Celestial Vessel still enforced the rule of shared custody.
Each of the four possessed a fragment of an orb. When the four fragments combined, they formed a sealed storage space within which the retrieved stones were kept.
Only by their joint effort could the sealed stones be retrieved. In all other situations, one could only observe and monitor.
Originally, the group of four would glance at these stones from time to time. But after Li Fan casually revealed the secrets of his supreme escape art, the other three elders inevitably became preoccupied with pondering everything Li Fan had taught.
Consequently, Li Fan gained more time to study the mysteries of these gray stones without alerting the others.
*Transforming from the gray stone form again requires an immense source of energy.*
*Spiritual energy will not do, nor will True Immortal power.*
*Yet the Celestial Vessel quietly transformed one into an armored carapace...*
*It seems there are still treasures hidden in the second and third layers of the Celestial Vessel's secret reservoir!* Li Fan snorted coldly to himself, his divine sense repeatedly sweeping over the four stones.
*Forged from 'worlds'—perhaps they are pieces that lost their value and turned gray.*
*If the Heavenly Physician's Mending the Heavens Record compared a world to a human body, then the existence that forged this set of Go stones viewed worlds as 'vessels.'*
*Though people and vessels differ, the fundamental principles are interconnected.*
*The prerequisite for modification is complete mastery over the underlying mechanics...*
Sensing the four creations before him, Li Fan silently recited the *Mending the Heavens Record* in his heart.
After his contemplation and alterations, those minute characters transformed into an entirely different chapter.
*Merely drawing a tiger by copying a cat, changing the principles of the human body into a method for forging vessels.*
*Though some parts were forcibly adapted and make no sense whatsoever, the vast majority...*
*are actually effective!* Li Fan's eyes brightened slightly. In his vision, the four artifacts within the sealed space began to change accordingly.
The concrete forms of the broken sword, the war chariot, and the others ceased to exist. In their place were bright crisscrossing lines woven together.
All these lines originally converged at a shared starting point. Outside of them lay an even greater number of intricate, dim lines.
*The starting point of the lines is the original gray Go stone form.*
*And those dark lines represent the other switchable forms of the stone.*
*Magnificent...* Li Fan was almost entranced. He had once directly confronted the principles of Heaven and Earth of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Those crisscrossing lines that composed the myriad distinct living beings and diverse phenomena stretched across heaven and earth.
Originally, Li Fan had believed that the principles of Heaven and Earth of a world were sufficiently complex. But compared to what unfolded from this gray stone...
*What makes up the Xuanhuang Realm is merely a small fraction of this.*
*The rest was forged by a True Immortal using the laws of the Immortal Realm, transcending beyond ordinary worlds!* Li Fan felt an inexplicable tremor in his heart.
*By observing these, I might faintly touch upon a corner of the former Immortal Realm!* Li Fan closed his eyes, pretending to rest.
In truth, it was to conceal the colossal waves churning within his heart. The Immortal Realm had suffered the Dao Annihilation Tribulation and had been destroyed for over ten thousand years.
Everything regarding the former Immortal Realm had become the past. Even former True Immortals had become extraordinarily rare existences today, hunted by civilizations beyond the High Wall.
Yet now, Li Fan had discovered fragments of the Immortal Realm forged and concealed through specialized methods.
Or rather, calling them fragments was an exaggeration. They were merely lower-realm cultivation worlds processed and forged with a few higher Immortal Realm law fragments blended in.
Even so, to descendants living ten thousand years later when the immortal path was severed, this held extraordinary significance—especially to Li Fan.
*The law fragments contained in a single stone are too meager.*
*But what if it were an entire set of stones?*
*Sun Piaomiao founded the Medicine King Sect. Judging purely by medical principles, his comprehension of worlds and the Heavenly Dao might not have been inferior to that of the Heavenly Physician.*
*If even I can perceive the wonder of this stone, there is no reason Sun Piaomiao couldn't. What's more, he deliberately left the secret behind for posterity through a travelogue.*
*If the Immortal Realm fragments can truly be reproduced through fusion...* A sudden spark of inspiration flashed through Li Fan's mind.
*Could this be, in some sense, a plan to preserve the embers?*
An instant later, however, Li Fan naturally thought of the use for these gray Go stones.
*My grand plan for the ascension of Xuanhuang is already fairly complete.*
*If I can add fragments of the former Immortal Realm to it...*
*The laws of the Immortal Realm would act like heavenly pillars, reinforcing the principles of Heaven and Earth of the Xuanhuang Realm.*
*Ascending into a true immortal domain would be just around the corner!* Li Fan swiftly deduced the possibilities, and the conclusion set his heart racing.
*Furthermore, if the Celestial Vessel truly gathers all these gray Go stones, I fear they will lose their drive to cross the High Wall.* Given Li Fan's sharp insight, he naturally knew Zhong Daogong's earlier words were merely meant to placate him for the moment.
*However, I will need someone to cooperate with me in putting on a show for this matter.* After pondering, a plan formed in his mind.
Another day later, Li Fan pretended to have barely recovered his condition. After faintly sensing the positions of Master Yin and Baihua, he steered the wooden sword phantom toward them.
Coincidentally, their direction of travel overlapped with the resonance area of one of the stones, so it did not arouse the suspicion of the Celestial Vessel elders.
"Huh? The Great Wall of Remnant Worlds here seems somewhat different?" Li Fan suddenly said in an uncertain tone during their flight.
These words immediately startled the three Celestial Vessel elders out of their secret meditation. They examined their surroundings thoroughly, then shook their heads in confusion.
"Could it be that Brother Li overexerted himself and produced an illusion?"
"We do not sense anything abnormal?"
Faced with their doubts, Li Fan maintained a grave expression but could not explain why. The three elders exchanged glances, growing slightly tense as well.
Li Fan's sudden wariness did not seem feigned. At times, a cultivator's instinctive vigilance was far more accurate than deliberate investigation.
The group dared not be careless, keeping their nerves taut to guard against any potential disaster. Yet perhaps it was merely Li Fan's paranoia.
An incense stick's worth of time passed without anything unusual occurring. The three tense elders gradually relaxed again.
"It seems you were overthinking, Brother Li!" Nangong Lie said with a chuckle.
Li Fan sighed. "Perhaps!" He continued searching through the Great Wall of Remnant Worlds.
Not long after calming down, Li Fan started again in alarm.
"No! Watch out!"
Jolted by his sudden cry, the auras of the Celestial Vessel elders surged, their True Immortal seal characters at the ready.
Yet... looking around and waiting for a long time, still nothing happened. The three elders stared at Li Fan.
Li Fan said somewhat sheepishly, "I don't know what has gotten into me today. My heart is pounding, as if a great disaster could befall us at any moment."
"You might not know, but my spiritual instincts have always been extraordinarily accurate throughout my life. In the past, it was precisely by relying on this keen spiritual warning that I managed to avoid many deadly perils..."
"I can't help but heed it!" Li Fan gave a bitter smile.
Lu Yuzhi consoled him, "It is fine; being cautious is also a good thing. Perhaps traveling consumed too much of your mental energy earlier, and you haven't recovered yet. Why don't you rest a while longer?"
Li Fan shook his head. "Stopping makes me feel even more uneasy. Let us press on." The three elders could hardly refuse and had no choice but to keep following Li Fan.
Over the next stretch, after Li Fan put on two more false alarms, the three elders became thoroughly exhausted.
Nangong Lie hesitated to speak, while Lu Yuzhi was weighing his words to urge Li Fan to take a proper rest.
Little did they know that Li Fan had already located Master Yin and Baihua and successfully made discreet contact with them.
The communication was completed in short order.
Li Fan's expression changed once more before the three Celestial Vessel elders: "Careful!"
This time, rather than going on guard, the elders were exasperated to the point of laughing. "Brother Li, you—"
Before the words were finished, a terrifying wave of deathly aura swept over in an instant.
As if plunging headlong into a vision of a world's destruction, the four of them froze momentarily. At the same time, the life force within them began draining away at an astonishing speed.
Even as the group stood frozen, the sealed orb they jointly guarded—containing the four gray Go stones—inexplicably lost control and tumbled out into the void.
"Not good!" Nangong Lie's expression shifted drastically as he snapped back to his senses. He slapped the "Suppress" character formula directly toward the direction from which the deathly aura surged.
Yet the opponent seemed to have anticipated his move and had already fled that area. Nangong Lie's attack struck nothing.
Lu Yuzhi came to his senses as well. Checking the state of their rapidly draining life force, his face turned pale with shock.
Chapter 1343