Drawing the High Wall with a Flick of the Fingers

Before Li Fan could make any reaction, the voice rang out clearly inside his mind. It seemed to have locked onto him with precise intent. Then it faded rapidly away, like snow melting into water, leaving not the slightest trace behind. Only after all of this occurred did Li Fan's body stiffen slightly and his breath catch. He glanced around, observing vigilantly. Staring at the Trueness interface he had called up before him, Li Fan exhaled a long breath after a long while, willing it closed with a thought. "Fortunately, it was only a false alarm!" "The target locked onto by that transmission seemed to be solely whoever destroyed the bronze immortal crane." "However, this message..." "Did it seem to come from beyond the High Wall?!" Doubts and shock surged in Li Fan's heart. Narrowing his eyes, he carefully recalled the voice he had just heard. "Tianluo Era 213. Beginning Shangzhang Dayuanxian, Zuoe Efeng; ending Zhaoyong Chifenruo, Yanmao Xuanyi..." "..." "What does this mean?" Li Fan knitted his brows tightly. It appeared to be nothing more than a haphazard jumble of terms cobbled together, devoid of any practical meaning. Yet for a transmission to traverse the High Wall with such a clear target, there had to be some profound significance behind it. "It seems to refer to a specific span of years." "Yet with an added layer of compound meaning. How should it be interpreted?" "Could it be a dating system unique to the Immortal Realm?" Li Fan pondered for a long time, but remained unable to make head or tail of it. The concepts involved in this transmission were things he had never encountered in any prior cycle of reincarnation. "This transmission was only triggered after destroying the bronze immortal crane." "The bronze immortal crane was left behind together with the Immortal Domain chess piece..." "Perhaps it is crucial information left by Sun Piaomiao for whoever completes the reconstitution of the Immortal Domain." For now, Li Fan could only speculate as much. The relevant information at his disposal was simply too meager; no matter how deeply he probed, it would be useless. Li Fan could only firmly etch this passage into his memory for the time being. What Li Fan cared about more at the moment was the significance represented by this message coming from beyond the wall. "Did Sun Piaomiao vanish without a trace back then precisely because he was already beyond the wall?" "At the time he disappeared, the catastrophe that broke the Immortal Realm had not yet occurred, and the High Wall did not yet exist. Later, an invisible High Wall rose from the ground to envelop the star sea, and Sun Piaomiao never returned..." "What, exactly, does the High Wall signify?" Countless thoughts flashed through Li Fan's mind in an instant. This transmission from beyond the High Wall once again stoked his intense curiosity toward that unknown domain. "Regardless, the Immortal Domain left behind by Sun Piaomiao is definitely an important clue." "My current strength is not yet sufficient to peer into it." "Dao Integration! The Immortal realm!" As Li Fan continued to explore, the more he encountered, the more endless mysteries and unknowns he felt. His resolve to grow stronger became fiercer than ever before. ... In the Xuanhuang Realm, time ticked by second by second. Great Heavenly Venerable Wuming remained unconscious and unthinking, operating automatically under the guidance of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao to continuously mend the trauma accumulated over ten thousand years. Coupled with Li Fan's uninterrupted, covert nourishment through various methods, three years passed, and the Xuanhuang Realm had grown robust to the absolute limit. It had arrived at the critical threshold where quantitative accumulation sparked qualitative transformation. Even though the living beings across the world were enveloped in an illusion formation, they were still stirred by this immense momentum naturally gestating between Heaven and Earth, filled with anticipation tinged with boundless dread. The three-year limit had arrived. Li Fan sensed that the restriction upon Wuming had begun to slowly dissipate on its own. The true Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang, vacant for ten thousand years, was descending upon the world once more! An invisible, heavy weight suddenly seemed to press down upon his shoulders. This was the prestige and authority stemming from Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang! Feeling the constraint upon his body, Li Fan frowned slightly. This situation was somewhat unexpected, but after careful consideration, he quickly found peace with it. Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang was appointed by the Immortal Realm to govern the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao and all living beings of the world. Though the seat had been vacant for ten thousand years following Mr. Bai, the position still remained. Chuanfa had spread the new cultivation method of swallowing the heavens and eating the earth to all living beings. From absorbing the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth to defying the principles of Heaven and Earth, the higher a cultivator's realm, the more profound their tether to the world became. By now, cultivators of the new method and the Xuanhuang Realm were inextricably bound, having become a part of Heaven and Earth itself. The Heaven and Earth of Xuanhuang were bound to strictly obey the Great Heavenly Venerable's decree; there was no defying it. This also meant that once the new Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang emerged, every cultivator practicing the new method likewise felt the power of this shackle. Conversely, though cultivators were indeed part of Heaven and Earth, the collective strength of the cultivators in the Xuanhuang Realm was simply too formidable. Even without counting Chuanfa, who stood above all living beings, the remaining cultivators combined were hardly weaker than the Xuanhuang Realm itself. Although the restriction dating back to Xuanhuang's ancient past could affect cultivators, its potency was ultimately limited. "As the saying goes, the balance of strength has held no fixed rule since ancient times. Only the strong can govern the weak; the weak cannot govern the strong!" The burden upon him was far lighter than shouldering the chess piece bearing the Immortal Domain fragment. To Li Fan, it did not impede his movements in the slightest. "However, such a massive upheaval in the Xuanhuang Realm cannot be hidden from Chuanfa and the Heavenly Physician. They are bound to return immediately." "Fortunately, over these three years, I have made ample preparations as well." Li Fan turned his gaze outside the Xuanhuang Realm. Golden threads enveloped the boundary of the Xuanhuang sky, resembling an invisible High Wall that severed the Xuanhuang Realm from the void outside! Within the concentrated golden radiance, countless shifting silhouettes and fleeting gleams seemed to evolve endlessly. Looking at the creation he had meticulously prepared, Li Fan felt deeply satisfied. "The modified Xuanhuang Sentient Beings Formation, combined with an imitation of the invisible High Wall..." "And most crucially, the deterrence of the Nameless True Immortal's thigh bone!" "Backed by the boundless power of the star sea, trapping the two Supremes, the Heavenly Physician and Chuanfa, for a time will be no problem!" The reason the Heavenly Physician had broken free so quickly in the previous life was that Li Fan had only been in the mortal realm, and the immortal formation had merely been a downgraded existence sustained by Source Power essence, completely incapable of truly replicating the aura of an 'immortal.' Thus, when the Heavenly Physician grew faintly aware within the illusion formation and chose to confront the True Immortal directly, the immense disparity caused him to spot the formation's flaw at once. In this life, however, it was entirely different. Li Fan had linked the core of the formation to the thigh bone of the Nameless True Immortal. Even if it was merely a remnant bone of a deceased Nameless True Immortal, the faint aura it exuded was scarcely weaker than that of a living True Immortal! This had been proven in the previous life by the performance of the Hungry Immortal of the Immortal Ruins when it appeared alongside the Southern Immortal Sky Pillar. Faced with an aura suppression no different from that of a True Immortal, the Heavenly Physician certainly would not seek death for no reason. Should he insist on trying... Even in the Supreme realm, he would likely be reduced to nothing more than a character etched upon the Nameless True Immortal's thigh bone, unable to put up the slightest resistance! One could say that with the Nameless True Immortal's thigh bone anchoring it, the Xuanhuang Sentient Beings Formation had also undergone a qualitative transformation of sorts. It was not an iterative advancement of the formation itself, but rather an elevation brought about by the otherworldly nature of the materials used to construct it! And this was merely Li Fan's first line of defense. Beyond the illusion formation, Li Fan had also utilized the art of drawing a prison on the ground to erect a layer of high wall outside the Xuanhuang Realm. This high wall was certainly not on par with the invisible High Wall penning in the Pitch-Black Star Sea. Yet it was an imitation crafted from Mo Rubin's insights into the High Wall's flaws from the previous life, combined with the contemplation of the High Wall by countless living beings in this life, refined further through Li Fan's own modifications. Li Fan had tested it himself. To scale this wall, even if one did not need to be in the True Immortal realm, their momentum still had to reach the critical threshold of ninety-nine percent. Without vast amounts of True Immortal flesh and blood to fuel the drive, and without the aid of the Ascent Dharma Formation, Chuanfa and the Heavenly Physician would simply be unable to traverse this high wall in a short time relying solely on their current cultivation! "Even if my high wall appears only a sliver away from the true invisible High Wall..." "A miss by an inch is a difference of worlds." "The Heavenly Physician's strength—at the Supreme realm, the absolute limit of the star sea—truly cannot be underestimated. I cannot count on this wall stalling them for too long either." "I still have a third measure!" Li Fan withdrew his gaze from the sky. He looked across various parts of the Xuanhuang Realm. "Once the ascension of the Xuanhuang Realm begins, everything undergoing qualitative transformation within it can serve as my weapon: the super immortal-mortal miasma, countless Heaven and Earth Immortal Souls..." "So long as I show no intent to refine Mo Sha, they can all be used by me! After all, I am the foremost contributor pushing the Xuanhuang Realm to ascend into an Immortal Domain. If it succeeds, I could absolutely be called the second parent of the Xuanhuang Realm." "The power of the Immortal Domain's laws should be sufficient to contend even if the Hungry Immortal awakens." "Everything is prepared. It is time to begin." Li Fan sneered internally. His gaze promptly locked onto the Great Heavenly Venerable, Wuming. Ever since the trial's restriction from three years ago lifted, Wuming had fallen into a state of total stillness. He appeared to be formally assuming the duties of the Great Heavenly Venerable. Yet his unknowing and unthinking nature kept his expression utterly placid, without grief or joy. The decree from the Immortal Realm was no more. The current Great Heavenly Venerable acted in every way with the supreme interests of the Xuanhuang Realm as the guiding premise. Under the present circumstances, using the immortal spiritual energy left behind as the Great Heavenly Venerable's legacy to aid the Xuanhuang Realm's ascension became an inevitable choice. Urged urgently by the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, vast quantities of immortal spiritual energy soon surged forth from Wuming's body. Like oil poured onto a blazing fire, it propelled the Xuanhuang Realm to step onto the final road of ascension. It would either successfully ascend into an Immortal Domain, or be consigned to eternal damnation, reduced to flying ashes! Under the thorough preparations Li Fan had made, barring outside interference, success was virtually guaranteed. Thus, the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao did not hesitate in the slightest. Amid surging winds and gathering clouds, it dispersed the immortal spiritual energy to every corner of Heaven and Earth. Even though this was not the first time he had seen genuine immortal spiritual energy, Li Fan remained deeply intoxicated by this profoundly mysterious power. Even with the immortal spiritual energy present right before his eyes, Li Fan was still unable to comprehend its form of existence, let alone utilize it. Perhaps just as Li Fan had anticipated, only by ascending to the Immortal realm—even if only as a half-immortal—could one wield such transcendent might. Yet Li Fan being unable to use it did not mean the other items by his side could not. "Dissociation Disc! Little turtle!" With a thought from Li Fan, two balls of light appeared upon his shoulders, one to the left and one to the right. The Terminal Dissociation Disc had accompanied Li Fan's growth all along. Its trait of endlessly deducing formations had aided him tremendously; for a long time, the formations deduced by the Dissociation Disc had been Li Fan's greatest trump card. Yet it was ultimately a mortal creation. Hampered by innate material limitations, the Terminal Dissociation Disc had reached its ceiling long ago. Even though Li Fan continually fed it immortal formation data, it had only achieved a theoretical breakthrough between mortal and immortal. While it could deduce immortal formations smoothly, in reality it remained unable to analyze or create true immortal formations, forced to substitute them with downgraded versions instead. Now, sensing the immortal spiritual energy permeating Heaven and Earth, the Terminal Dissociation Disc trembled uncontrollably. Like a cultivator setting eyes on a Heaven and Earth Soul, it was brimming with greed and yearning. The situation with the little Tian beast was much the same as the Dissociation Disc. The little creature's appetite was truly terrifyingly immense. Only after devouring four Immortal Domain chess pieces in succession did it finally cease feeding. Yet it seemed to have gorged itself, for the Tian beast had long failed to undergo its evolution, remaining trapped in a deep slumber for an extended period. After a round of inspection and brief communication with the Tian beast, Li Fan guessed that because the Immortal Domain was incomplete, what it had swallowed were merely law fragments. Such unhealthy nourishment had given the Tian beast indigestion; it required pure immortal spiritual energy as a catalyst to aid its digestion. Both of them stood at the threshold of a breakthrough. They only awaited the blessing of immortal spiritual energy to undergo a qualitative transformation just like the Xuanhuang Realm! The immortal spiritual energy drifting through Heaven and Earth grew ever richer. The greed emanating from the Dissociation Disc and the little Tian beast intensified, growing nearly uncontrollable as they strained to break free of Li Fan. Through Li Fan's communication and assurances, the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, though somewhat reluctant, separated two exceedingly tiny yet absolutely pure wisps of immortal spiritual energy and channeled them over to Li Fan's side. The moment he received this immortal spiritual energy from the Great Heavenly Venerable's legacy, Li Fan sensed that the Xuanhuang Realm's favor toward him had plummeted substantially in the dark. With a cold snort, he ignored it for now. Forcing down his urge to investigate the energy, Li Fan struck the two wisps of immortal spiritual energy into the bodies of the Dissociation Disc and the little Tian beast respectively. A brilliant, crystalline light gradually enveloped both of them. Even Li Fan, their master, lost all perception of them. He was even forced backward repeatedly by the formidable pressure emanating from the two balls of light. Two immortal artifacts seemed to be gestating. Li Fan also sensed that the interception formation he had laid in the center of the star sea had already been triggered. The loss of a tiny bit of immortal spiritual energy had not slowed the momentum of the Xuanhuang Realm's ascension. Li Fan's hands continually formed seals, and massive amounts of squirming True Immortal flesh and blood were swiftly burned away, serving as driving fuel to elevate Xuanhuang's momentum. In the center of the Xuanhuang Realm, an illusory silhouette spanning heaven and earth abruptly manifested. Mottled lights and shadows flickered upon it, revealing profoundly abstruse characters. It was none other than the stone stele formed from the thigh bone of the Nameless True Immortal! As the solid pillar ensuring that the Xuanhuang Realm would not plummet after ascending, it had been set in place by Li Fan long before. A tremendous roar echoed between Heaven and Earth. Countless torn fissures appeared across the Xuanhuang sky, as though the world could not bear the colossal impact brought about by ascension and was breaking apart at the seams. At this moment, the nourishment Li Fan had provided over more than a decade demonstrated its vital effect.