Chapter 1023: Creating Something from Nothing
"I'm under strict supervision these days, so I can't see much. That makes this thing rather useless to me. If you want it, you can have it," the Tianxuan Mirror's avatar offered with a smile, meeting Li Fan's gaze.
Despite the avatar's proactive offer, Li Fan, to its surprise, refused immediately.
Seeing the guarded look on Li Fan's face, the avatar was left momentarily speechless.
"Rest assured, there's virtually no connection between me and a secondary body like this anymore. Think of it this way: would you humans want any further association with your own... waste?"
The avatar explained slowly, "The analogy is a bit crude, but the principle holds."
Within Li Fan's sea of consciousness, the Final Dissociation Disc pulsed with an unusual energy.
Fortunately, he managed to suppress it the moment it began, narrowly avoiding exposing his secret to the avatar.
Still, the fact that he was standing before the Tianxuan Mirror's avatar while possessing a secondary body of its own creation without being detected...
It certainly lent credence to its claim.
The avatar didn't go back on its word and handed the Measuring Heaven Shuttle over.
The instant his hand closed around the Measuring Heaven Shuttle, Li Fan felt himself plunge into an infinite world of mirrors.
Each square surface showed a different scene, and the countless mirrors combined to reveal everything that was happening across the Xuanhuang Realm in real-time.
"It's similar to the Creation Stone Slab," Li Fan thought. "But the slab recorded everything, whereas this Measuring Heaven Shuttle has no ability to store images."
"And trying to find a specific piece of information in this endless ocean of mirrored worlds..."
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, attempting to absorb all the reflected scenes into his mind at once.
After just a moment, however, his Transformation Dao Stone began to show signs of crumbling under the strain.
"It's too much. I'm afraid only the Transformation Dao Stone Mother could handle this."
Sighing inwardly, Li Fan withdrew his consciousness from the Measuring Heaven Shuttle.
"How was it?" the avatar asked with a knowing smile, as if it had fully expected Li Fan's struggle.
"Not bad," Li Fan replied, feigning an insatiable interest. "It's perfect for satisfying my voyeuristic tendencies."
The avatar was at a loss for words. "And you're supposed to be one of the most powerful cultivators in the Xuanhuang Realm..."
Li Fan just roared with laughter in response.
Silence fell between them once more.
After a while, the avatar looked at Li Fan, who showed no signs of leaving, and asked quizzically, "Was there something else?"
Li Fan acted as if he'd just remembered. "Ah! I almost forgot to mention!"
"We're out there risking our lives for your freedom, while you're just sitting here, leisurely waiting for us to succeed. Don't you think that's a little... unfair?" he asked, his expression perfectly serious.
"Always looking for an angle," the avatar remarked, showing no real anger, as if it had long since seen through Li Fan's nature.
"And the Measuring Heaven Shuttle was a gift, from you to me. That doesn't count as payment," Li Fan added pointedly.
A wave of helplessness washed over the avatar as it faced Li Fan's shameless persistence.
But what could it do? They were "partners," after all.
After a moment of contemplation, the avatar decided it was best to offer up something to get rid of this pest.
"You asked me about the Floating Starry Sky Grand Formation before. While the full details are only stored in my main body, I do have a formation here that is remarkably similar."
"In fact, it belongs to the same set as the 'Mysterious Jade, Myriad Spirits Return to Number Array' I gave you previously."
"Trying to fob me off with another formation?" Li Fan grumbled, but his eyes were already locked onto the avatar's finger.
With a resigned air, the avatar snapped off its finger and tossed it to him.
"There. I need to recuperate for a while, so don't disturb me unless it's urgent," it said, its voice tinged with weakness.
Having gotten what he wanted, Li Fan didn't press his luck. He gave a quick salute, turned, and vanished.
"Is he genuinely this greedy, or is it all an act?"
"A performance, or his true nature showing through?"
"I thought I had him figured out, but now... I'm not so sure."
The Tianxuan Mirror's avatar murmured these words to itself after Li Fan had departed.
"Venture into the Star Sea together..."
Recalling Li Fan's earlier proposition, the avatar was lost in thought.
...
In a hidden chamber within the Spirit Wood Realm.
Li Fan calmed the waves of excitement emanating from his Final Dissociation Disc and began to study the information about the second immortal-grade formation.
"The Desolate Fall, Void Room Generates Flowers Array."
A sharp glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes. "It really is part of the same set. And just as unbelievable."
The Mysterious Jade, Myriad Spirits Return to Number Array could digitize everything within its reach, manipulating it at will.
The Desolate Fall, Void Room Generates Flowers Array, however, could create matter from the void—something from nothing!
For instance, if one possessed a perfect understanding of the underlying principles of everything in the Xuanhuang Realm and had a sufficient supply of immortal energy, one could theoretically create an entirely new Xuanhuang Realm from thin air!
The Canghai Pearl, the Deduction Jade...
All the priceless treasures of the Xuanhuang Realm could be recreated in a single thought!
"It's a bit like how the Fallen Immortal could reflect the entire Xuanhuang Realm in a single glance."
"But..."
A flicker of doubt crossed his mind. "This array is undeniably profound, but what does it have to do with the Floating Starry Sky Grand Formation?"
He recalled the fragmented descriptions he knew of the Floating Starry Sky Grand Formation and studied the Desolate Fall, Void Room Generates Flowers Array again, but he still couldn't find any connection.
He had no choice but to use the Final Dissociation Disc for the analysis.
Now that it had absorbed another immortal-grade formation, particularly one from the same origin as the last...
...the analysis speed of the Final Dissociation Disc had reached a whole new level.
Even so, it still took a full seven days before Li Fan finally gleaned a possible answer.
An image appeared in Li Fan's mind: the dark golden chains, reaching out from the Xuanhuang Realm, spanning the endless void to ensnare countless other cultivation worlds.
"So that's how it worked..."
"Chains like those should only exist in the Immortal Realm..."
"The mortal worlds lack the fundamental materials to forge them. But the Xuantian King, with his profound and heaven-defying wisdom, comprehended the Desolate Fall, Void Room Generates Flowers Array. Using its power to create something from nothing, he managed to forge them in the mortal realm, achieving the impossible..."
As understanding slowly dawned, Li Fan felt a renewed surge of admiration for the Xuantian King.
"You can only create something from nothing if you have completely deconstructed the very essence of its power. From that perspective, the Xuantian King must have been just a single step away from true immortality. If not for the lack of immortal spiritual energy, he might have become an extraordinary figure even among the ranks of true immortals."
As the Final Dissociation Disc continued its analysis, Li Fan gained an even deeper appreciation for the sheer profundity and vastness of the Desolate Fall, Void Room Generates Flowers Array.
This, in turn, only magnified his admiration for the Xuantian King, who had managed to master such legacies from the Immortal Realm all on his own.
"No wonder the Law Kings of the Xuantian Sect remain so devoted to his memory, even after all these years."
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