Before the blood-robed man's words had even finished fading, everyone felt a gravitational pull materialize without warning above the circular floating enclave. Like a sudden vortex, it sucked them all inside.
Before plunging into the vortex, Li Fan casually glanced once more at the stone pillar resting on the blood-robed man's shoulder.
The instant the man had lightly patted the stone pillar earlier, Li Fan had sensed an extremely faint tremor rippling through the Dao Net in perfect sync.
A Pillar of the Great Dao? Or perhaps... one of the Great Daos itself?
To shoulder a Great Dao, and so effortlessly at that. This person's strength...
Is probably not inferior to Wuming! Li Fan thought with a sudden chill in his heart.
The invisible vortex swallowed all twenty-eight newly inducted Immortal Hunters at once.
When they regained their senses, they found themselves standing amidst an unfamiliar sea of stars.
Relevant information regarding this mission transmitted through the Dao Net:
"The True Immortal is estimated to arrive here in half an hour."
"Seize the remaining time to discuss the hunting strategy."
As everyone absorbed the information, their eyes collectively turned toward the so-called "Immortal Bait" floating in the void, which emanated an inscrutable fluctuation.
It was a bronze sarcophagus floating quietly, circled by patterns of nine dragons and nine phoenixes.
What chilled onlookers to the bone was that one corner of the coffin lid had already been pried open by someone unknown. From within came an intermittent, murmuring whisper.
Though the sound originated from the bronze sarcophagus, it felt as if it were whispering right behind their ears.
Demonic whispers poured into their ears. While it didn't seem to have any immediate effect on the crowd, anything capable of drawing a True Immortal across the sea of stars despite immense toil had to be extraordinary.
The crowd observed in silence for a short while before Dao Yuan, who had placed first in the test, took the initiative to speak: "I happen to know a thing or two about the origin of this Immortal Bait. Allow me to offer these humble remarks to start our discussion. If there are any inaccuracies, I hope you will bear with me."
Dao Yuan was modest in demeanor, and the surrounding crowd nodded in agreement.
"As everyone knows, the surviving True Immortals in the sea of stars today pursue roughly two goals. First, comprehension of the Great Dao in order to attain the Nameless realm. Second..."
"Naturally, methods of evading kalpas and surviving disasters. Back then, when the Immortal Realm suddenly collapsed, countless True Immortals died like ants. The group of immortals who were fortunate enough to survive subsequently developed a profound obsession with methods of escape and survival. It is said that after the destruction of the Immortal Realm, Nameless True Immortals gathered together to discuss and devise three godlike, profound methods of refuge."
Although Dao Yuan claimed this was common knowledge, the expressions on the faces of these newly recruited Immortal Hunters clearly showed that such secrets were beyond ordinary knowledge. Most of them were deeply captivated, listening intently.
However, some scoffed coldly, unimpressed by Dao Yuan's display.
"It is said that these three methods of refuge can shelter living beings through all tribulations in the world. Even facing a catastrophe like the destruction of the Immortal Realm, they can keep one safe and sound."
"The bronze coffin before us is one of those three methods: the 'World-Crossing Mysterious Coffin.' This mysterious coffin seemingly connects to other worlds; once one lies inside, one vanishes completely from this world..."
At this point, someone couldn't help but interrupt Dao Yuan.
"...Vanishes completely? Then how can one be sure whether they have fallen or truly escaped to seek refuge?"
This was evidently a question shared by the rest of the group.
Dao Yuan smiled faintly, pointing at the nine dragons and nine phoenixes carved upon the bronze coffin. "Do you see these dragon and phoenix carvings? Once someone lies inside and vanishes, the dragons and phoenixes cry out in unison, projecting a final glimpse of the world on the other side. It is said that every single one shows the departed overwhelmed with joy, bowing in gratitude. Presumably, communication remains possible as the occupant is delivered to the other world."
"As for the authenticity of these scenes... the fact that countless True Immortals, and even Nameless True Immortals, flock to this World-Crossing Mysterious Coffin is already quite telling."
Hearing this, the crowd gasped in astonishment.
"Then the one before us..."
Dao Yuan smiled. "Naturally, it is a replica."
Though an expected answer, everyone still couldn't help sighing.
"From the moment of its creation, the World-Crossing Mysterious Coffin was meant to help immortals escape catastrophe. Thus, mighty beings of great divine ability joined forces back then to proclaim its existence to all surviving immortals across the world. They also disseminated the aura fluctuations of the mysterious coffin and the method to enter and activate it."
"Those with affinity could enter the coffin to escape the calamity," Dao Yuan explained fluidly.
At this point, one of the newly appointed Immortal Hunters realized something: "In that case, didn't the mighty beings who forged the World-Crossing Mysterious Coffin escape into other worlds through the coffin long ago?"
Dao Yuan nodded. "Precisely so!"
"The mysterious coffin is also a legacy they left behind. It is said that the true mysterious coffin drifts through the sea of stars following a specific rhythm, constantly broadcasting proclamation pulses in all directions. Though our Shuoxing Sea has never seen the genuine World-Crossing Mysterious Coffin, we have already mastered replicating its fluctuations..."
Suddenly, a cold sneer inexplicably cut in: "How does Brother Dao know our Shuoxing Sea hasn't seen the genuine mysterious coffin? If one hasn't seen such a divine artifact with their own eyes, how could it be imitated so vividly and lifelike?"
Dao Yuan and the surrounding Immortal Hunters all changed expression upon hearing this.
However, that voice fell silent after offering that single sneering remark, and it was impossible to tell who had spoken.
Everyone covertly scanned one another, but no suspicious individual could be identified.
Seeing the awkward stalemate, someone stepped forward to smooth things over: "Brother Dao, please tell us about the other two methods of refuge. Hearing such secrets for the first time truly makes us terribly curious!"
The others chimed in in agreement, and Dao Yuan's expression relaxed as well. He spoke again: "As for the other two methods of refuge, I only know of one."
"It is the 'Reversed Boat.'"
"The Reversed Boat?" Everyone pondered the meaning of those words.
Dao Yuan took on a solemn expression. "The river of time surges ceaselessly, flowing forward since antiquity. This Reversed Boat is said to carry passengers upstream against the river of time, traversing back to before any of the calamities had occurred..."
"Ah!"
The shock that the Reversed Boat brought to the crowd far surpassed that of the World-Crossing Mysterious Coffin. After all, reversing time was a dream shared by every living being.
It ignited passionate discussion, and the crowd began debating fervently.
"Brother Dao, was this Reversed Boat truly created by those True Immortals?"
"I think it's utterly impossible. If they truly returned to the past, why hasn't our present reality of the Immortal Realm's destruction changed in the slightest?"
"Ah, that shows what you don't know. If one returns to the past and details of history change, it is like a river altering its course—naturally forming a different branch downstream. But we still remain in the original river, so of course we wouldn't perceive it."
"Absurd logic! By your logic, where we are should have vanished as the river of time shifted its course. Why do we and everything in the world still exist?"
"This..."
"The principles of time have already surpassed what we can comprehend or imagine. There's no need for you two to take it so seriously."
"Still, since Brother Dao speaks of it with such conviction... the existence of the Reversed Boat might not be entirely fabricated."
...
As the chatter went back and forth, Dao Yuan finally chuckled. "Whether the Reversed Boat is real or fake, I truly cannot say for certain. Never mind me, even the seniors in the Shuoxing Sea might not actually know. It is merely an ethereal rumor."
Someone else asked, "If the second method of refuge can already travel upstream against the river of time, then what about the third method of refuge...?"
The discussions about the Reversed Boat came to an immediate halt. All the new Immortal Hunters stared intently at Dao Yuan, waiting for his explanation.
Dao Yuan offered a wry smile. "As for this third method of refuge, even among the immortals of that era, very few knew its details. However, whoever knew its true form firmly believed that it was the most perfect refuge of all. If one could master that method, all tribulations in the world would be like fleeting clouds. That would be true Great Carefree Freedom, Great Ease, and Great Liberation!"
As Dao Yuan spoke, a deep yearning shone in his eyes.
Everyone present felt the same.
Yet there was one person whose heart was shaken far more violently than anyone else!
It was Li Fan!
Because he already knew from Trueness's countdown about the cataclysm sweeping across the mortal world, Li Fan had initially felt nothing but disdain upon hearing about the so-called three great methods of refuge.
Yet that disdain had vanished without a trace once he heard about the first method, the World-Crossing Mysterious Coffin.
Lying in the mysterious coffin allowed one to go to another world. The "world" here clearly could not be as simple as another lower realm's star sea. Almost instantly, Li Fan thought of the Jinggu Prime Source. The demon beast clan could use it to leap across possibilities. The True Immortals who survived the Dao Annihilation Tribulation might well possess the power to traverse possibilities as well.
If it were merely leaping randomly across possibilities like the demon beast clan, it probably wouldn't warrant the title 'World-Crossing.'
If what Dao Yuan said is true—that every survivor who leaped across was overjoyed and bowed in gratitude...
Could it be that this mysterious coffin can survey or even select the reachable possibility beforehand?
Li Fan's heart stirred.
The entire mortal world had 7.36 million years of lifespan remaining.
In other words, there had to be possibilities that could survive for over seven million years.
Although this number might not seem exceedingly long, compared to the "Primordial" possibility where Li Fan resided—already in a moribund state and liable to suffer the disaster of the Dao Annihilation Tribulation at any moment—it could already be considered long-lived.
If one could find such a paradise from the ruins of the shattered Immortal Realm, being overjoyed was only natural.
...
If the World-Crossing Mysterious Coffin had only slightly surprised Li Fan, then the existence of the Reversed Boat shook him to his core.
More than anyone present, Li Fan believed in the genuine existence of the Reversed Boat.
Setting aside the fact that he possessed an extraordinary treasure like Trueness, the Kunqian Bone Hand he had seen in the Xuanhuang Realm alone already proved that ancient immortals had mastered divine abilities relating to time.
However, even if one can reverse time, the arrival of the Dao Annihilation Tribulation is the broader trend. Just like the terrain of the mortal world: if the west is high and the east is low, rivers will generally rush from west to east into the sea. Even if one can repeatedly return to the river's source and start over, it cannot change the eventual outcome of flowing east into the ocean.
Reflected in reality, if the true cause of the Dao Annihilation Tribulation cannot be found, reversing time over and over is merely futile. Moreover, traveling upstream on the river of time surely demands an agonizingly heavy price. In all likelihood, it can be done once or twice, but never a third time.
Through this line of contemplation, Li Fan also understood how profoundly different his treasure Trueness was from treasures that merely reversed time.
"When the true becomes false, the false also becomes true."
"From nothingness, creating something from scratch with a single thought."
"Even the concept of time exists only because existence itself exists."
To use the eastward-flowing waters as an analogy again: my Trueness is like possessing the power to reshape the earth and even the sky at will.
Not only can it make all rivers flow backward, but it can even send the waters of the earth surging upward from below into the heavens...
Doesn't this correspond precisely to the so-called Great Carefree Freedom, Great Ease, and Great Liberation?
Although Li Fan already knew of the mortal world's impending doom, there was little panic in his heart. It was precisely because he believed that possessing Trueness gave him the power to rewrite everything.
After seeing the apocalyptic countdown jump by tens of millions of times, Li Fan had become even more certain of his judgment.
If there truly existed a method of refuge of Great Carefree Freedom in this world, it was probably none other than Trueness.
Dao Yuan's words, however, awakened a hidden worry buried deep in Li Fan's heart.
Back in the Pitch-Black Star Sea, the scene he had once witnessed of a True Immortal waiting silently in the Xuanhuang Realm seemed to indicate that the immortals of the past had already known of Trueness's existence.
Much like today's Immortal Hunters, they had laid an ambush in the Xuanhuang Realm long ago.
It was only because Trueness had been delayed for so long for some unknown reason that Li Fan ultimately escaped that fate.
Though this was merely Li Fan's conjecture, hearing the rumors of the Reversed Boat and the third method of refuge today brought a certain possibility to mind, weighing heavily upon his thoughts.
The mortal world is probably just a giant Xuanhuang Realm.
Just like everything that once happened in the Xuanhuang Realm: when catastrophe strikes, some choose to flee at the first wind, while others step forward and resolutely seek a way of salvation.
Others simply give up and lie flat, idling away the rest of their days.
There is truly nothing new under the sun. What I thought were secrets might not be absolute secrets after all.
It is just that those who knew them happen to no longer be around.
Li Fan had never underestimated the power of immortals.
Especially True Immortals capable of traversing possibilities.
If one day I leave the 'Primordial' possibility and travel to other worlds, I must be even more cautious.
Dao Yuan's words had stirred up turbulent waves in Li Fan's mind, making it hard to maintain his composure.
Fortunately, the others present looked no better, so he didn't give anything away.
"Alright, let us return to the main topic. According to information I just received, our target—that True Immortal—entered the Dao through 'Yi.'"
"What is 'Yi'?"
"'Looked at but unseen.' We must be on our guard."
As Dao Yuan spoke, his gaze swept toward the distance.
Chapter 1447