"The First Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang wasn't an immortal descending to the lower realm..."
"He was an immortal transforming into a mortal?"
In an instant, Li Fan's mind was violently shaken.
An immortal descending to the lower realm and an immortal transforming into a mortal—the two might seem similar at first glance, but in reality, there was a fundamental difference between them.
An immortal who descended remained a True Immortal; their power was merely restricted by the upper limit of what the lower realm could endure.
Yet once one transformed into a mortal...
An immortal was no longer an immortal!
Becoming a True Immortal was the dream of every mortal cultivator. Yet in the ancient Xuanhuang Realm, there had actually been such a True Immortal who chose to willingly degrade himself and be banished into the mortal dust.
"The Dao Annihilation Tribulation!" The name flashed through Li Fan's mind in an instant.
Apart from seeking refuge from the horrifying catastrophe that would later destroy the Immortal Realm, Li Fan could think of no other reason why anyone would find such a drastic measure necessary.
"When the First Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang transformed into a mortal, there must have still been a considerable amount of time before the Immortal Realm's catastrophe.
"Such foresight! Such audacity!
"This is truly a True Immortal descending into mortal dust!"
Li Fan could not help but marvel inward.
Yet on second thought, he realized, "However, one cannot rule out the possibility that he was forced to do so. After all, from the memories of True Immortals seen before, the Immortal Realm also possessed a strict hierarchy.
"If it were purely to evade the Dao Annihilation Tribulation for himself, then theoretically, he would never have taken up the role of Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang.
"Clearly, the First's descent was meant to coordinate with the Immortal Realm in fulfilling some sort of grand plan.
"And the Xuanhuang Realm was one of their proving grounds."
Recalling the Indeterminate Ring and the Nine-Star Red Bead within the immortal array he had seen before, along with the countless frozen corpses controlled by the Watcher, Li Fan vaguely connected all the disparate clues together.
"It might even be that the Immortal Realm established Xuanhuang as an experimental field not merely for refuge.
"They were also attempting to explore and find a solution to the Dao Annihilation Tribulation.
"Yet judging from the final outcome now, they failed.
"The Dao Annihilation Tribulation raged and spread across the Immortal Realm far faster than anticipated, claiming the lives of countless True Immortals in the process.
"Meanwhile, the lower realm of Xuanhuang remained unscathed the entire time. This shook the resolve of certain immortals who were striving to resist the catastrophe.
"And that led to the subsequent Immortal Domain Fragment Plan..."
Narrowing his eyes in thought, an even greater question surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
"Did that First Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang really die?"
The True Immortal remains had been handed down and kept under the control of successive generations of Heavenly Venerables Xuanhuang.
Then what of the First himself?
Mortals and immortals were distinct; since the First had managed to leave behind a bloodline, he must have completely transformed into a mortal body.
Could a figure of such caliber have simply vanished into the river of history because his lifespan ran dry, just like countless ordinary mortals?
Or had he adopted a new identity, concealed his name, and watched everything unfold in secret?
"From the looks of it now, the close ties between the Xuanhuang Realm and the Immortal Realm are undoubtedly linked to this First Heavenly Venerable. A True Immortal who lowered his Momentum and was banished served as a bridge between the immortal and mortal worlds, secretly monitoring everything occurring in Xuanhuang.
"Yet this True Immortal was also constrained by the Immortal Realm; perhaps he grew dissatisfied and staged his death to break free.
"The second Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang was no longer an immortal transformed into a mortal, but rather a being chosen from within the Xuanhuang Realm itself...
"Either the price required for an immortal to turn mortal was too high to be sustainable, or even within the Immortal Realm, the Xuanhuang Realm plan was top-secret, with very few True Immortals permitted to take part, leaving them unable to find another candidate willing to turn mortal.
"Or perhaps, it was a combination of both."
Recalling the profound character he had witnessed within the You people's bloodline, Li Fan thought thoughtfully, "For an immortal to transform into a mortal is by no means as simple as merely lowering one's Momentum.
"It also involves the Transformation Between Immortal and Mortal.
"That is a power on nearly the same level as Creation..."
Thoughts raced through his mind.
In a matter of moments, Li Fan had roughly reconstructed the probable truth regarding the Immortal Realm and Xuanhuang.
Most of it was deduced from the commonalities he had momentarily grasped between the First Great Heavenly Venerable and Xing Wuque's lowering of Momentum, but being able to align so neatly with the clues uncovered previously spoke volumes.
"A banished immortal who has been hiding in the shadows all along...
"Yet in my previous life, when the High Wall collapsed and the Star Sea was thrown into turmoil, he still left no trace.
"It seems that by this point in time, even that banished immortal is no longer present within the Pitch-Black Star Sea.
"Of course, that does not necessarily mean he has perished. It is highly likely that he has already leapt beyond the High Wall!"
As the base where Li Fan currently operated, the Pitch-Black Star Sea appeared relatively secure on the surface, which gave him a degree of peace of mind.
"Since the You people carry the bloodline of the First Great Heavenly Venerable...
"I wonder if I could use the formula for 'Manifest' to stimulate their bloodline resonance and trace that banished immortal?"
A dangerous thought suddenly popped into Li Fan's mind.
Yet he quickly suppressed it by force.
"For now, there is no need to take such a pointless risk. Perhaps later, when I possess the strength to begin exploring beyond the High Wall, I can reconsider it."
Glimpsing the tip of the iceberg of the ancient Immortal Realm through these fragmentary clues made Li Fan increasingly curious about that realm, but it also instilled in him an intense vigilance toward the immortal domain fragments he had gathered but not yet assembled.
"If there truly were True Immortals in the past who regarded the lower realm as a hotbed to escape catastrophe, then these dismantled, sealed immortal domains could very well have become their hiding places..."
Li Fan pondered, hesitating over whether to activate the immortal domain fragments left behind by Sun Piaomiao.
After deliberating for a long while, he finally made up his mind and cast his hesitation aside.
"A blind box like this has to be opened sooner or later.
"Better to open it early than late.
"Having mastered the method of downgrading immortal arrays and possessing multiple immortal arrays, I can ensure that even if an accident occurs, I can calmly trigger Revert to the True.
"Besides, there is still a place in the Star Sea specifically tailored against immortals..."
A sharp glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
He summoned Sun Piaomiao's descendants from the Medicine King Sect, including Liu Ruchen, bringing along all the immortal domain fragments.
Enveloped by the projection of the wooden sword, he swept them to the center of the Star Sea.
The phantom image solidified, conjuring the appearance of a bright blue sky and an ordinary world.
He did not allow Liu Ruchen and the others from the Medicine King Sect to realize their true predicament.
Only Li Fan alone could see the boundless black mist churning not far away, a sight that sent shivers down one's spine.
"The speed of its expansion is faster than anticipated.
"Furthermore, the outer perimeter of this black mist region..."
Li Fan observed for a while, comparing it to what he had seen before, his brows furrowing slightly.
He had witnessed the omens of the Dao Annihilation Tribulation here more than once, but back then, at an immense distance, the sense of crisis only surged when he directly laid eyes upon the black mist.
Now, however, even if he averted his gaze and avoided looking straight at the boundless black mist, a hair-raising foreboding still welled up within him like a tide for no discernible reason.
The sense of danger lingered relentlessly, beyond the power of the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Incantation to dispel.
In fact, the longer he stayed, the more intensely it mounted.
Subduing his instinct to flee, Li Fan carefully tasted the exact sensation.
"It feels like a crumbling wall collapsing, a great mansion teetering on the verge of ruin, with me standing right beneath it..."
Despite the intense crisis, Li Fan did not retreat; instead, he pressed forward.
The wooden sword's projection advanced until it was practically at the edge of the churning, ever-expanding sea of black mist.
"Begin," Li Fan said indifferently to Liu Ruchen and the others inside the wooden sword's projection.
Completely unaware of their surroundings, the members of the Medicine King Sect simply gazed with dazed expressions at the floating clusters of light before them.
Bound by chains of golden light, a rainbow-colored chess piece, a white chess piece, and six gray chess pieces hovered visibly.
"These are the fragments of the Immortal Realm left behind by our Patriarch!"
About to unlock the ancient Immortal Realm secrets left by Sun Piaomiao, the Medicine King Sect disciples felt their hearts surge with excitement as, following Li Fan's instructions, they began fusing the immortal domain fragments.
With the longevity azure power of Liu Ruchen's World-Salvation Longevity Scripture taking the lead, they first fused together the six individually sealed gray chess pieces.
The process went astonishingly smoothly.
Just like the result when Li Fan had orchestrated the fusion earlier, the six gray pieces merged into a slightly larger rainbow-colored chess piece.
Now, only two six-in-one rainbow pieces remained in the field, alongside the most critical piece—the white chess piece transformed from the Medicine King Cauldron.
The white chess piece seemed stimulated by the two fused pieces, rainbow radiance rippling endlessly around its rim.
Although smaller than the rainbow pieces, it acted as the core.
The restraining golden chains trembled precariously, on the verge of snapping at any moment.
Li Fan retreated explosively while releasing the seals.
Fervor burned in the eyes of the Medicine King Sect group as they steered the two rainbow chess pieces forward, flanking and escorting them to the side of the white piece.
In an instant, the halo of light around the white piece abruptly expanded outward.
It swallowed both rainbow chess pieces whole.
In the field, only a single chess piece remained.
Buzz...
A faint, low rumble began to emanate from the chess piece.
Peering through layer upon layer of immortal arrays, Li Fan carefully observed this newborn piece.
Strangely enough, even though the absorption of all the pieces was complete, the expected immortal domain did not manifest right away.
Nevertheless, Li Fan was certain that the fusion had succeeded.
For he could sense that the "weight" of the immortal domain nearby was steadily climbing.
Both the wooden sword's projection and the surrounding immortal arrays were placed under dire strain.
Under the domain's influence, they were at risk of shattering at any second.
Just as Li Fan prepared to channel more power—at least enough to sustain them until the true immortal domain appeared—a peculiar protective force emanated from that final white chess piece.
It swept directly over the wooden sword's projection and the immortal arrays.
As though slipping into a different layer of space, the crushing pressure of the immortal domain's might naturally vanished.
Li Fan remained outside the immortal domain's perimeter.
Using the wooden sword's projection as his eyes, he peered into the domain.
Strictly speaking, the projection had not truly entered the immortal domain; rather, the immortal domain had erected sheltering pillars for them.
The stunned members of the Medicine King Sect received the same protection.
Like a crumpled ball of paper steadily unfolding, the chess piece representing the immortal domain emitted light that grew increasingly brilliant.
It even pushed back the continuous black mist that had been creeping in from nearby.
Li Fan retreated rapidly once more to prevent those rays from shining upon him.
The radiance from the immortal domain did not extend infinitely across the Pitch-Black Star Sea as ordinary light would.
Instead, after expanding to cover a certain area, it came to a halt.
Seen from afar, it resembled an enormous orb of light floating at the edge of the sea of black mist.
The white light was so dazzling that it even blinded the senses of the wooden sword's projection Li Fan had placed inside.
Li Fan could faintly discern countless blurred, swaying figures within.
Resembling people, yet not people.
Resembling scenery, yet not scenery.
Just as Li Fan was eagerly awaiting the immortal domain's full revelation, the sea of black mist that had been driven back by the domain's radiance suddenly surged into turmoil.
A black tide churned, its expansion accelerating noticeably.
Billowing black mist swept forward in a flash, arriving at the edge of the immortal domain's luminous sphere.
And as if the nascent immortal domain had sensed something unimaginably terrifying, its radiance abruptly contracted.
From an enormous sphere of light, it shrank back into the white, rainbow-rimmed chess piece.
Then, before the dumbfounded gazes of the Medicine King Sect disciples, it transformed into a streak of white light, pierced the firmament, and fled in frantic haste.
The firmament in the eyes of the Medicine King Sect disciples was, of course, the protection of the wooden sword projection and immortal arrays Li Fan had erected.
A measure capable of trapping the Heavenly Physician for a short time could not even hinder this white light for a fraction of a second.
Just as the immortal domain chess piece was about to vanish into the Star Sea, a colossal finger descending from the heavens tore through space and pinned it firmly down.
It was none other than Li Fan's Nine Heavens Dust-Descending Finger!
Perhaps sensing the aura of high Momentum upon the Nine Heavens Dust-Descending Finger, or perhaps because the threat of the black mist had been averted, the white light ceased its struggle after only trembling for a brief moment.
It drew back all its fluctuating auras, floating silently in midair.
"That reaction was rather excessive.
"The emergence of the black mist must have triggered some sort of obstruction.
"The unfolding of the immortal domain has failed."
After observing for a while, Li Fan understood.
This temporary setback did not mean the immortal domain chess piece had lost its function.
Rather, it had entered temporary dormancy.
However, from the fleeting moment before it folded back, Li Fan had already caught a glimpse of some scenes within the domain.
"It is basically certain that there are no living things in this immortal domain.
"The scenario I feared—of a slumbering True Immortal lurking inside—will not occur.
"Yet aside from the most fundamental laws of the Immortal Realm, the most prominent thing within this immortal domain..."
Li Fan knitted his brows, extending a hand to trace tentative gestures in the air.
"These floating silhouettes of light and shadow...
"Are they True Immortal seal characters?"
Li Fan was not entirely sure.
From the fleeting glimpse of the immortal domain, he had caught sight of numerous drifting black lines.
Having immersed himself in True Immortal seal characters for so long, Li Fan naturally recognized at a glance that those were precisely the structural strokes that appeared within various True Immortal seal characters.
"True Immortal seal characters are essentially the materialization of laws.
"And when materialized True Immortal seal characters break down and revert into laws...
"Is that the process of a chess piece unfolding into an immortal domain?"
Enlightenment dawned upon Li Fan.
The immortal domain chess piece could, in truth, be viewed as the superposition of countless True Immortal seal characters!
At the same time, Li Fan's heart stirred with excitement.
To construct an entire immortal domain, the sheer number of True Immortal seal characters contained within this chess piece had to be beyond imagination!
"The True Immortal who crafted this chess piece back then was by no means an ordinary figure!"
Chapter 1371