Due to the existence of the Immortal Ruins, the flow of time within the Pitch-Black Star Sea was inherently inconsistent. Thus, Li Fan compared only the Xuanhuang Realm against the City of Ultimate Bliss in the Shuo Star Sea.
Under normal conditions, the difference was as much as one hundred and twenty-fold!
In other words, over one hundred and twenty years passed in the Shuo Star Sea while barely a single year went by in the Xuanhuang Realm.
"With more than a hundredfold difference in time flow, it's no wonder the disparity between the inside and outside of the Great Wall is so vast."
"Even the current state of the Shuo Star Sea is drastically different from when Qin Zhuang left. Truly, times have changed."
Having preliminarily constructed a projection of the Great Dao and a miniature Dao Net within himself, Li Fan's understanding of the "Dao" had reached an entirely new stage.
Consequently, when faced with this preposterous time disparity, Li Fan naturally began to harbor doubts.
"Theoretically speaking, comprehending the formula of the character 'Hunger' to its absolute zenith could indeed produce such an effect. But..."
"That is a manifestation that should only belong to one who has proved the Dao through the character 'Hunger' to become Nameless."
"Judging by the displays of the Hunger Immortal that I've seen before, she clearly has not attained such a realm."
Various scenes of the Hunger Immortal he had witnessed flashed through Li Fan's mind.
When Cat Treasure manifested in the world, she was captured in pathetic disarray; she even blanched at the mere harbinger of the Dao Annihilation Tribulation—the surging tide of black mist—without the calamity itself having arrived. It seemed she could only rely on the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar to survive the ordeal. And when Sinister Su Bai drew exceedingly close and stomped right on her face, she was completely unaware...
"She might be only a single step away from Nameless. Yet the difference of that single step results in a world of difference when manifested externally!"
"The anomalous flow of time in the Pitch-Black Star Sea shouldn't be caused by the Hunger Immortal. Or rather, only a small fraction of it can be attributed to her comprehending the Dao."
"A greater cause seems to stem from the Immortal Ruins itself."
Li Fan recalled the scenes he had witnessed within the Immortal Ruins.
Apart from vast expanses of ruins and debris, the most conspicuous feature was that colossal character "Hunger" inscribed upon the earth.
Li Fan had previously conjectured that this character might have been penned by the Dao-Inscribing Immortal. Now, it seemed there might be deeper secrets behind it.
"The Hunger Immortal can cast off the shackles upon her body at any moment; those golden chains are clearly for self-restraint. The Immortal Ruins was once the site of the ascension passage leading to the Immortal Realm. When the Immortal Realm suffered the Dao Annihilation Tribulation, the Great Dao was crushed, and all things collapsed. The surviving immortals fled down to the lower realms in panic through the passage," Li Fan deduced, reconstructing the past scene.
"The Dao Annihilation Tribulation could destroy even the Immortal Realm. Back then, no one could guarantee that terrifying catastrophe wouldn't spread down through the ascension passage. Theoretically, the farther one fled, the better. Yet the Hunger Immortal halted in such a perilous place and refused to move. She even cast aside all danger to comprehend the Dao right on the spot..."
"In the past, I overlooked the absurdity in this."
Li Fan's gaze drifted toward the direction of the Immortal Ruins overhead. "If the Hunger Immortal truly needed to rely on the True Immortal seal characters carved upon the earth to comprehend the Dao, she could have simply ripped away the entire parcel of land along with the character. Once in a safe place, she could have gone into secluded cultivation to comprehend the Dao."
"Yet she didn't do so."
"The Dao Annihilation Tribulation came to an abrupt halt and didn't spread to the lower realms. The phenomena stirred by the True Immortal seal characters on the grounds of the Immortal Ruins even rival the pinnacle of Dao comprehension—the realm of a Nameless Immortal. The Nameless Immortal's leg bone serving as an Immortal Heavenly Pillar..."
These numerous clues drifted through Li Fan's mind one by one. Ultimately, they connected together completely, pointing toward the possibility closest to the truth.
"The Hunger Immortal didn't move that character 'Hunger' not because she was unwilling, but because she truly could not! Because beneath that character—or in the character itself—lies the transformation of a Nameless True Immortal's remains!"
"Whether this Nameless Immortal was willing or forced, after perishing, they returned to the Great Dao and transformed their body into a Heavenly Pillar, temporarily holding up the collapsing heavens of the Immortal Realm!"
"And precisely because of the death of this Nameless Immortal who proved the Dao through Hunger, the one in the Immortal Ruins conceived the idea of comprehending the character 'Hunger' to prove Nameless once more!"
Li Fan's heart jolted as his thoughts branched further outward.
Given the boundlessness of the Immortal Realm and the lower star seas, in all probability, the so-called ascension passage wasn't the only one.
Judging from the current state of the lower star seas, though the vast majority of regions had been utterly destroyed by the Dao Annihilation Tribulation, many surviving havens still remained.
"Perhaps this is the protection of other Nameless True Immortals!"
"Using themselves as pillars, they fended off the cataclysmic disaster crushing down from above."
Li Fan let out a long breath.
"If the Great Wall is a collapsed remnant wall, then the Nameless Immortals were the supporting pillars higher up."
"Even with the protection of a Nameless True Immortal, the Pitch-Black Star Sea is already in such a desolate state..."
"If the lower star seas can sustain life, the sacrifice of Nameless True Immortals was definitely indispensable."
Nameless True Immortals entered the Dao with their very beings. Compared to mortals—or even True Immortals—they could be considered an entirely different species.
Yet that was merely Li Fan's view.
Perhaps among these Nameless True Immortals, there were noble individuals like Su Bai who were willing to sacrifice themselves to save the living beings of heaven and earth, even if only temporarily.
Or perhaps the immortals who fled down had already anticipated that the Dao Annihilation Tribulation would pursue them. For their own survival, some among them needed to step forward and "self-sacrifice," buying enough time for everyone else to escape.
In short, some Nameless True Immortals had transformed into pillars standing between heaven and earth, temporarily warding off the Dao Annihilation Tribulation.
However, this method could only secure momentary safety; it could not protect them for eternity.
The Dao Annihilation Tribulation was merely delayed; it would not disappear.
"Behind the Dao Net, there faintly lies the handiwork of these immortals."
"I even sensed the aura of Nameless True Immortal remains from certain Dao Net nodes I glimpsed."
Yet Li Fan wasn't surprised by this.
The miniature Dao Net within Li Fan's divine sense was merely a projection. He understood deeply just how difficult it was to fit a tangible creation onto the ethereal Great Dao.
"The operation of the Dao Net is erratic."
"The giant hand I glimpsed outside the Dao Net that stabilizes it can only serve a supplementary role. That giant hand clearly doesn't manifest at all times. What truly anchors the Dao Net..."
Li Fan seemed to see once more the Dao Net spanning heaven and earth.
All the irrelevant lines vanished, leaving behind only a few crucial nodes.
They belonged to the Dao Net, yet they also resided within the Great Dao of heaven and earth!
Precisely because of the unique nature of these nodes, the Dao Net could adhere tightly to the formless, shapeless Great Dao!
"Nameless True Immortals!"
"There's even a strong possibility that they are living Nameless True Immortals!"
After achieving Mind Soul Formation, Li Fan peered once more into the true secrets of the Dao Net.
The few remaining Dao Net nodes in his vision faintly took on the hazy silhouettes of human figures. Then, staring intently at Li Fan, they suddenly opened their eyes without warning!
It was as if several Nameless True Immortals had revealed their true countenances.
Every single one was looking at Li Fan!
A sudden shudder of dread surged unbidden in his heart. Startled, Li Fan broke free from the illusion.
The human silhouettes vanished; they appeared to be ordinary nodes once more.
Yet Li Fan's heart was far from calm.
Was it just an illusion?
Li Fan didn't think so.
Having cultivated to his current realm, even a genuine immortal-grade illusion array could hardly affect him.
Much less would an illusion surface before his eyes without cause.
"The most likely explanation is..."
"The Nameless True Immortal nodes exist simultaneously within both the Dao Net and the Great Dao."
"The projection of the Great Dao within my Mind Soul Formation likewise mirrored these nodes into my perception."
"So, in a certain sense, I truly did see them!"
With a shift in thought, Li Fan reached a conclusion.
Soon, another question surfaced in his mind.
Since Li Fan could see them, could those Nameless True Immortals see Li Fan as well?
Inevitably, a wave of unease welled up in Li Fan's heart.
Believing he could hold his own against a Nameless True Immortal did not mean he could remain composed under the gazes of multiple Nameless True Immortals.
Although his consistently accurate spiritual intuition did not sound any alarms of danger, and although they had already been pinned into the Dao Net as living foundation nodes, the presence of these Nameless True Immortals that Li Fan sensed still made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.
However, making Li Fan abandon the power of Mind Soul Formation that he had already obtained simply because of danger that hadn't yet arrived?
That was utterly impossible!
Li Fan's true body turned his thoughts rapidly, pondering countermeasures.
Meanwhile, within the City of Ultimate Bliss in the Shuo Star Sea, Li Fan's divine sense avatar in the form of Ma Tiande had already begun preparing for the Grand Ceremony of the City of Ultimate Bliss.
The full-range communication ability of Mind Soul Formation allowed the divine sense to ignore temporal and spatial blockades, keeping it apprised of everything deduced by the true body.
However, those worries naturally belonged to the true body.
What the divine sense needed to do now was continue lurking in the City of Ultimate Bliss and peer further into the Dao Net.
First, though, he had to overcome the hurdle directly before him: the Grand Ceremony of the City of Ultimate Bliss.
Scholar Zhu was clearly repulsed by the Dao Net's encroachment. Yet for certain reasons, he wouldn't openly fall out with them; he would only vent his anger on Ma Tiande, the subordinate carrying out the tasks right in front of him.
Even though cultivators like Ma Tiande wore the guise of Dao Net operators, they were still merely ants in Scholar Zhu's eyes.
Li Fan sat quietly within Ma Tiande's residence, contemplating a means of survival.
"For this grand ceremony, Blade Island didn't give Scholar Zhu any face; not a single person came. On the contrary, the Sword Domain sent three cultivators to attend."
"The identities of these three are currently unclear, but representing a top faction of the Shuo Star Sea, their lives shouldn't be precarious like mine," Li Fan's divine sense mused with self-deprecating irony.
"In the entire Shuo Star Sea, only the Sword Domain is attending. Calling it a grand ceremony is merely a front; in reality, it's nothing more than Scholar Zhu amusing himself. And we are his playthings."
Within Ma Tiande's memories were scenes of past ceremonies.
The beings in the City of Ultimate Bliss, having indulged in unrestrained pleasure for three years, would begin slaughtering one another wantonly. Only when a mere handful of survivors remained would the slaughter cease.
Those survivors might rejoice at having escaped the boundless purgatory, but they would never know that they were merely tempting fruit on Scholar Zhu's plate.
"Those invited to the ceremony are all able to consume these slaughter fruits."
"They are indeed exceedingly precious divine medicines. Even for my true body, which has reached the Mind Soul Formation realm, they would offer immense benefits. But for the weak, they are downright poison!"
Li Fan was well aware of Scholar Zhu's intentions.
Scholar Zhu wasn't being petty or deliberately trying to kill Ma Tiande.
He had merely bestowed a fruit that truly qualified as a heavenly treasure. Who could blame him if the recipient couldn't withstand it?
"With the reinforced strength of my divine sense now, consuming a slaughter fruit shouldn't be much of a problem."
"The difficult part is how to consume the fruit safely without arousing the suspicion of Scholar Zhu or the Sword Domain cultivators at the ceremony. After all, given the strength Ma Tiande displays, there is no reason he should survive a slaughter fruit."
Although discarding the identity of Ma Tiande wouldn't incur any significant loss, Li Fan's divine sense was unwilling to vanish in such a pathetic manner.
"Perhaps the opportunity lies in the Dao Net above the City of Ultimate Bliss."
"Ma Tiande" looked up at the invisible haze blanketing the sky above the city, revealing an enigmatic expression.
Not long after, three streaks of sword light arrived from beyond the sky.
"Junior Ji Xingdao!"
"Junior Situ Tiantian!"
"Junior Zhao Xing!"
"We pay our respects to Scholar Zhu!"
Three resonant voices rang through the heavens—two men and one woman.
While their words were still echoing in the sky, the three had already flown into the City of Ultimate Bliss.
The City Lord's Manor materialized out of thin air, drawing the trio from the Sword Domain inside.
At the same time, Scholar Zhu's somewhat flirtatious voice sounded in Li Fan's ears: "Come along and join me in receiving the guests."
A chill ran through Li Fan's heart.
In keeping with Ma Tiande's past behavioral habits, he didn't conceal it and let the revulsion show directly on his face.
Knowing this was the state in which Scholar Zhu's psychology was at its most twisted and unpredictable, Li Fan walked toward the City Lord's Manor with extreme caution.
By the time he entered the manor, the three from the Sword Domain were already seated.
Li Fan glanced over. The three appeared very young—one might even say naive. Their eyes held a clear, innocent look, almost entirely devoid of worldly cunning.
Evidently, the Sword Domain intended to use the slaughter fruit refined by the City of Ultimate Bliss to "temper" these three youngsters.
"With such a shortcut, even if they can endure it, their personalities will probably become twisted and mad."
"Three fine seeds—even in our Xuanhuang Realm, they could be considered prodigies. Has the Sword Domain discarded them just like this?"
Without showing any emotion, Li Fan first bowed to Scholar Zhu.
Then, wearing an aloof expression, he merely nodded slightly toward the trio from the Sword Domain.
Theoretically speaking, the status of a Dao Net operator from the Governing Council was not inferior to that of the Sword Domain trio.
In reality, however...
Consumables could be replaced endlessly, whereas direct lineage disciples required painstaking cultivation.
The two clearly didn't stand on equal footing.
The three disciples of the Sword Domain seemed to understand this as well.
They took no offense at Ma Tiande's attitude. They merely exchanged smiles with utter indifference.
With apparent relish, they first drank down the three bowls of red broth set before them.
Compared to what Li Fan had tasted before, the broth looked even more horrifying. It contained not just eyeballs, but also the severed limbs and flesh of various non-human monsters.
Yet the three from the Sword Domain paid it no heed, savoring the broth with completely unchanged expressions.
Chapter 1440