These cubic spaces were precisely the scenes of countless partitioned star seas laid side by side that he had seen after breaking out from the Pitch-Black Star Sea.
As before, the three states—darkness, faint glow, and flickering—coexisted.
Only, the panoramic overview on the circular wall here displayed vastly more cubes than what Li Buren had seen earlier!
Li Buren attempted to identify the location of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Once his gaze locked onto the point of light representing the Pitch-Black Star Sea, he also recognized the countless cubic spaces displayed alongside it.
Along the perimeter of all these cubic star seas, a bold swath of white demarcated this section of cubic spaces from the other regions.
This white appeared to be some kind of dividing line.
Visually, the region containing the Pitch-Black Star Sea lay side by side with all the other regions on the circular mural wall and was unremarkable.
Yet precisely because of this white ring, the cubic star seas demarcated within its boundary were subtly elevated.
Like stars clustering around a sovereign moon, they seemed clustered in the most prominent central position.
"Such uniqueness..."
Li Buren stared intently at that dazzling white ring.
"The Great Void."
The term surfaced naturally in Li Buren's mind.
During the era of the ancient cultivation world, it was the substantive boundary of the explorable starry sky—an endless void of pure nothingness.
Looking on from outside the circular mural wall, Li Buren could faintly sense the nature of this Great Void.
Yet he could not be certain.
"Though it is a place of absolute nothingness, it differs fundamentally from being ravaged by the Dao Annihilation Tribulation. The reason it appears void is that the vast majority of Dao principles there have vanished and ceased to manifest, leaving behind only a few Great Dao laws that stand like pillars. Just like this testing ground..."
"Only those within the scope of these Dao principles can clearly perceive what is concealed within the testing ground, and only then can one avoid having their attributes forcibly drained dry in the Great Void."
For ancient True Immortals seeking to advance further, they needed to integrate themselves with a Great Dao between Heaven and Earth to attain the Nameless Realm. Only when their comprehension of a Great Dao reached a sufficient depth could they take that step. Thus, the cultivation of a True Immortal was essentially the deepening comprehension of a specific Dao principle.
The three thousand Great Daos, though a figurative expression, naturally endowed True Immortals with many distinct "attributes" due to differences between Dao principles. For instance, the Hunger Immortal, the Xiyi Immortal, the Hegan Immortal, and so forth.
This place and the Great Void utilized restrictive measures resembling the Dao Annihilation Tribulation to filter out their "own faction" from among the vast multitude of True Immortals, granting permission to enter and leave this experimental star sky.
Identity and background could be fabricated with lies, but one's stance alone could not. In other words, if a True Immortal truly changed their cultivated Dao path just to infiltrate this place, they would immediately become part of the "faction." The place would welcome their arrival naturally, rendering the concept of "infiltration" meaningless.
"This restrictive mechanism is truly a colossal screening machine."
"And it is by no means limited to simple screening. Once one switches allegiances, turning back would likely be impossible."
As for why Li Buren was able to enter this place countless years later, it was entirely due to the heaven-defying method of "Soul Formation of the Mind, Dao Net Projection."
If the myriad Great Daos between Heaven and Earth naturally divided True Immortals into various distinct factions, then the Dao Net projection was an embodiment of "I want it all," joining every existing and known True Immortal faction without distinction.
In ancient times, this was utterly impossible. Not to speak of partaking in all three thousand Great Daos equally; even cultivating two different Great Daos simultaneously was exceedingly difficult. And even if one cultivated multiple Daos, it could never compare to mastering one to its utmost to attain the Nameless Realm.
"Just as I previously analyzed."
"The reason my Dao Net projection could exist unharmed is, first, because the Great Tribulation of Dao Annihilation struck and the Immortal Realm was shattered. The Nameless True Immortals who integrated their bodies into the Dao either perished or fled, leaving them no leisure to notice this miniature mirror reflecting the Great Dao."
"Moreover, there was another, even larger Shuo Star Sea Dao Net shielding it from view."
Under the grand backdrop of the Immortal Realm's ruin and the suspected abandonment of this testing site, combined with the superimposed effects of Li Fan's multiple reincarnations and various other factors, Li Buren had managed to enter this place by sheer fortune. It could be said that had a single condition been missing, he would have found no way inside.
"Records of the Great Void have existed since ancient times."
"Yet ever since the great catastrophe fell and the Great Wall was raised, all trace of it vanished."
"Judging from what lies before me, it must have undergone an overall transformation alongside all the experimental cubic star seas when the Dao Annihilation Tribulation erupted and emergency protective measures were activated."
Li Buren stared at the bold white ring representing the Great Void.
Its abrupt appearance among the countless small cubes on the circular mural wall seemed as though someone had forcefully drawn a circle across the boundless star sea!
Circling the target they sought!
"Though this testing site was abandoned for unknown reasons, various facilities remain in operation. Could that be the reason behind this demarcation of the Great Void?"
Li Buren silently analyzed the clues gathered from his observations.
Although the special nature of the Dao Net projection allowed him to slip in here, he possessed only the authority to "observe," not the ability to "manipulate."
Whether it was the partitioned cubic star seas on the circular mural wall or the various items flickering within the cylindrical hall, he could not touch or move any of them.
For now, he could not determine the true reason for demarcating those cubic star seas within the Great Void. But the mere fact that the Xuanhuang Realm's Pitch-Black Star Sea was among them was enough to make Li Fan's heart run cold.
Li Fan attempted to reconstruct the secrets hidden behind this experimental space as thoroughly as possible from the clues he possessed.
"The Dao Annihilation Tribulation is suspected to share a common origin with the Sea of Infinity."
"After using the incomplete Immortal Ascension Platform to connect to the Sea of Infinity, I discovered that as I drew upon the infinite power within the Sea of Infinity, the billions of droplets from the Sea of Infinity would pour down through an unseen conduit from that sacred, unknowable realm, submerging all things in the world. The premonition was so vivid that the primal fear it inspired stopped even an avatar puppet largely devoid of selfhood from daring to press that button."
"Yet True Immortals in the world were legion, not to mention all manner of immortal artifacts, immortal servants, and immortal puppets. They utilized infinite immortal spiritual power without needing to fear in this manner. The immortal spiritual power derived within the Dissociation Disc undoubtedly proves this." As Li Fan pondered this, an extraordinarily sacred power diffused from the Immortal Array Dissolution Disc.
Li Fan let the shimmering white light coil around his fingertips. Sensing its infinite nature, he seemed once again to behold the boundless Sea of Infinity.
"There cannot possibly be a second Sea of Infinity in the mortal realm."
"And when the Dao Annihilation Tribulation initially ran rampant, the Immortal Realm did not harbor much fear toward it. It was like mortals witnessing a raging flood while True Immortals were tasked to guard and garrison against it."
"A reasonable conjecture is that the ancient Immortal Realm was well aware that channeling power from the Sea of Infinity would trigger the Dao Annihilation Tribulation. Yet the temptation of infinity made it utterly impossible for the True Immortals to forgo utilizing the Sea of Infinity."
"They may have even constructed something akin to 'dams' and 'reservoirs' upon the Sea of Infinity. True Immortals did not connect directly to the Sea of Infinity; instead, they routed through the dams and reservoirs built by the Immortal Realm. In this way, they could prevent the Sea of Infinity from pouring down and bringing about the horrific catastrophe of the Dao Annihilation Tribulation upon the mortal realm."
"However..."
"The Sea of Infinity is an unimaginably magnificent and sacred realm. Even a Nameless True Immortal cannot compare to a single spray of waves casually kicked up within it."
"Even though the ancient civilization of the Immortal Realm developed to the point where it could restrict the Sea of Infinity to some degree, still..."
Li Fan recalled once again the obscure, terrifying ripples that emanated from beneath the deep sea when Revert to the True stood upon the Sea of Infinity.
"Those who play with fire inevitably perish in the flames."
"There is no dam in the world that remains impregnable forever. Once a breach opens, plugging it again becomes exceedingly difficult. Furthermore, countless True Immortals—whether by accident or design—sought to bypass the restrictions established by the Immortal Realm and connect directly to the Sea of Infinity, just as I did."
"Each occurrence was equivalent to tearing open yet another rift between reality and the Sea of Infinity."
"Over time, it was inevitable that the Dao Annihilation Tribulation would grow increasingly torrential."
Li Fan's thoughts surged as he continued his deductions.
"As portents of catastrophe appeared, star domains within the Immortal Realm were annihilated one after another."
"Revert to the True. This supreme treasure capable of defying the heavens and changing destiny seems likewise to have originated from the Sea of Infinity. While the Immortal Realm may not have known its exact function, they could vaguely deduce that it might thoroughly resolve this world-ending crisis. Thus, they covertly launched searches everywhere, even extending their scope to lower-realm star seas."
"They deduced the approximate time Revert to the True would likely appear. And Revert to the True was indeed supposed to appear then..."
"It was to appear in the Xuanhuang Realm and be discovered by the powers of the Immortal Realm. If the rulers of the Immortal Realm or Nameless True Immortals had possessed Revert to the True from the very beginning, perhaps they truly could have turned the tide and nipped the world-ending catastrophe of the Dao Annihilation Tribulation in the bud."
"However, due to some unknown reason, Revert to the True was delayed in its emergence."
"The Immortal Realm never received this world-saving treasure."
"Though the overall situation remained stable, it was only natural that alternative thoughts began to take root."
"Just as I glimpsed in the memories of that True Immortal: great figures had the ideas of great figures, and ants had their own ways of survival."
"True Immortals employed their own methods, each seeking a path to survival."
"Some transformed mortals into immortals; others utilized Nameless skeletons and Immortal Heavenly Pillars to craft immortal domain fragments as arks of salvation..."
"Yet what no one anticipated was that the Dao Annihilation Tribulation erupted ahead of schedule. Moreover, its ferocity far exceeded anything before, as if every connecting channel between the Sea of Infinity and reality had violently burst open. A monstrous disaster descended abruptly."
"Caught off guard, True Immortals, Nameless True Immortals, and even the rulers of the Immortal Realm—whose titles remain unknown—perished in droves like ants..."
Before Li Fan's eyes, the horrific scene of the Sea of Infinity pouring down and obliterating the Immortal Realm seemed to manifest.
"Though many Nameless True Immortals were willing—or forced—to transform their bodies into pillars to hold back the Dao Annihilation Tribulation, how long could they resist?"
"The Sea of Infinity engulfing reality is the prevailing momentum of history. Unless the 'dams' of the ancient Immortal Realm can be rebuilt across the numerous breaches during this brief window of safety, otherwise..."
Li Fan could not help looking at the doomsday countdown on the panel of Revert to the True.
"The Sea of Infinity seems to span across all possibilities."
"The Dao Annihilation Tribulation is by no means unique to my 'Primordial' possibility."
"Perhaps others likewise discovered and exploited the Sea of Infinity and met with the same disaster. Or perhaps after the great catastrophe struck back then, the Nameless True Immortals of the 'Primordial' possibility fled in panic to other possibilities."
"Though they leaped across possibilities, as long as they did not abandon infinite immortal spiritual power, their connection to the Sea of Infinity would always endure. Furthermore, once one reaches the realm of a Nameless True Immortal who integrates their body with the Dao, it is not something that can simply be cast aside at will."
"The Dao Annihilation Tribulation follows like a shadow, arriving in close pursuit to submerge the world..."
Deducing up to this point, even with Li Fan's current computational prowess rivaling that of a Dao Transformation Mother Stone, he could not help but feel a splitting headache creeping in.
Dealing with a single possibility alone was manageable.
Numerous clues converged, yielding countless potential answers. Li Fan could verify them one by one and select the one closest to the truth.
Yet the moment other possibilities became involved, the difficulty of deduction abruptly skyrocketed by several orders of magnitude.
First, Li Fan currently knew nothing of the conditions in other possibilities; he possessed far too little data.
Second, with every additional layer of possibility, the variables involved in deduction doubled. In theory, faced with infinite possibilities, even tens of thousands of Dao Transformation Mother Stones working in unison would fall short.
"However, with the Dao Annihilation Tribulation raging to this day, the possibilities still surviving in the mortal realm are likely far from infinite. A remaining lifespan of over seven million years..."
"Perhaps describing it as lingering on the brink of extinction would be more fitting."
His thoughts pushed to their absolute limit, Li Fan's vision suddenly went dark, forcing him to halt his deductions.
His attention temporarily detached from the truths of the Immortal Realm and the Dao Annihilation Tribulation, returning to that bizarre testing ground.
"The original purpose of this place was likely to lie in wait for Revert to the True."
"Only, because Revert to the True did not arrive as expected, this place was officially abandoned by the Immortal Realm."
"Yet that was only on the surface."
"Certain minor figures of the Immortal Realm did not completely give up and depart. However, their goal was likely not Revert to the True."
"Rather, it was merely to find a sliver of hope for survival amidst the imminent Dao Annihilation Tribulation."
"To create the method of demarcating the Great Void, the assistance of True Immortals of the Nameless Realm was undeniably involved..."
"Yet why did this entire group suddenly vanish without a trace?"
"Judging from the traces left behind from the past, the True Immortals gathered here were by no means few."
Li Buren once again surveyed this testing ground, attempting to pry into more of its secrets.
As his gaze swept around, his attention suddenly settled upon one of the items that had abruptly appeared in the cylindrical hall.
It was a strangely shaped figurine statue.
Like a hermit hidden in plain sight amidst a bustling court, it stood quietly there, having nearly escaped Li Buren's notice.
Had its unique style not borne an uncanny resemblance to something Li Fan had encountered before, Li Buren truly might have overlooked it.
Chapter 1463