Chapter 1039: The Calamity-Annihilating Power of Du'e
With the mysterious figures leading the way, the two soul fragments encountered no further incidents of being torn apart.
Their pace along the mountain path quickened severalfold, the surrounding scenery blurring past them.
The only thing that puzzled Li Fan was that he had first appeared at the foot of the Du'e Sect's mountain.
He had barely climbed at all, yet the path down the mountain was just as long and arduous as the path up.
It felt as if it had no end.
After an unknown amount of time, The world before both soul fragments flickered, and the blurry figures that had enveloped them vanished without a trace.
As silence returned, they glanced to either side.
The scene was identical: a small courtyard enclosed by white walls, its red wooden gate half-open. The walls were mottled with patches of green and crimson—the crimson looked unnervingly like blood, while the green was moss, creeping from the cracks in the masonry.
"Two Du'e Sects? What's going on?"
He didn't ponder for long, instead directing both soul fragments to push open the red wooden gates and step into the courtyards.
The gate didn't creak as one might expect from its age. Instead, it swung open in eerie silence, adding to the sense of unreality.
The moment they stepped into the courtyards, Li Fan felt a pair of hands seize his ankles.
It happened in both locations simultaneously.
Yet, when he looked down, he saw nothing. But the chilling sensation that originated deep within his soul was undeniable.
"The Tianxuan Mirror is going to owe me big for this," Li Fan grumbled internally. "It never mentioned the Du'e Sect was this bizarre."
That fleeting thought vanished as the two soul fragments ignored the strange sensation below and continued their exploration deeper into the courtyards.
The doors to the central hall were tightly sealed and could not be opened.
On either side stood a stone door, leading to unknown destinations.
The scene was identical for both of his fragments.
"Interesting," Li Fan murmured, his eyes glinting.
He first tried attacking the central hall, but even after the structure was demolished, it restored itself to its original state in the blink of an eye.
Li Fan then had his two soul fragments enter the left and right stone doors, respectively.
The world before them flickered again.
When Li Fan could see his surroundings clearly, he was taken aback.
Beyond the stone doors lay a scene identical to the previous courtyard!
Again, there were stone doors to the left and right, and the central hall's doors remained tightly shut!
"This is..."
The path back had vanished, leaving only the way forward.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan made his decision. His two soul fragments contorted for a moment, and each split into two separate entities.
Now four fragments in total, they each walked toward a different stone door.
The scene shifted again.
As expected, what met their eyes was the same sight as before.
Li Fan frowned and continued to divide his soul.
Eight soul fragments drifted slowly into the stone doors.
Sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four, one hundred and twenty-eight...
What had entered the Du'e Sect was, after all, only a fragment of Li Fan's soul. After splitting into one thousand and twenty-four individual instances, it could finally divide no further.
Gazing at the twin doors flanking each of his fragments, Li Fan knew this initial exploration had been a failure.
"Did I take a wrong turn and wander into a trap? Or..."
"Is this a trial set by the Du'e Sect?"
Li Fan pondered for a moment before severing nearly a third of his soul.
Even with the Limitless Fullness and Emptiness technique replenishing him, a wave of dizziness washed over Li Fan.
This third of his soul was different from the simple fragments before; it was infused with a vast amount of the five elemental powers he had drawn out from his body.
It was enough to sustain it through numerous divisions.
"Go," he commanded. As he watched the soul fragment disappear into the void, Li Fan began to quickly recover his strength while continuing to observe the incoming images.
Just as before, the soul fragment soon found its way into the Du'e Sect.
It was once again torn apart by the mysterious figures and deposited into two separate, identical courtyards—one above, one below.
To Li Fan's surprise, however, it found no trace of the fragments he had sent in earlier.
It seemed they had each entered a different, isolated space.
An idea sparked in Li Fan's mind, and he commanded the original one thousand and twenty-four fragments to self-destruct in unison.
As the sensory feeds from them vanished, the new soul fragment deep within the Du'e Sect felt no change whatsoever.
"So, perception is completely cut off."
"Truly worthy of being one of the ten great ancient immortal sects."
Since he had not yet reached a level where he could simply ignore the machinations laid out here, Li Fan had no choice but to play by their rules.
This time, supported by a ceaseless stream of soul power, Li Fan pressed forward.
With every courtyard he entered, he split his soul into two entities, each exploring a separate path.
This process repeated itself seventy-two times.
Outside the Du'e Sect, the Dao Transformation Stone in Li Fan's sea of consciousness glowed with an unprecedented, brilliant light.
Countless identical scenes were arrayed within it, each one a perfect copy of the last.
"Thankfully, the near-identical nature of these scenes has eased the processing burden. Otherwise..."
Li Fan knew he was at his limit.
He could split them one more time, and his soul fragment would hold.
But his true self would be forced to sever the connection to all those sensory feeds. Otherwise, there was a very real risk that his sea of consciousness would be overwhelmed and burst.
The fragments he now controlled were just the faintest wisps of his consciousness.
They contained almost no power.
Even a simple strike from a mortal could likely dissipate them.
Yet, they still followed Li Fan's command, drifting slowly toward their respective entrances.
A new flood of images poured in at once.
For a brief moment, Li Fan's thoughts ground to a halt.
And then...
It was as if countless projections, all cast by his soul, finally converged upon a single point.
After a dizzying spin, they fused back into one.
Taking a moment to adjust to the singular viewpoint, Li Fan narrowed his eyes, surveying his surroundings.
It was still the same courtyard he had seen countless times.
Only this time, the stone doors on the left and right were gone.
Li Fan gazed at the central hall, a thoughtful look on his face.
He walked forward slowly and gently pushed open the doors.
Within the darkness, a black dot appeared, absorbing all surrounding light.
Then, it erupted, spewing forth that light a thousand times over.
A series of scenes flashed before Li Fan's eyes.
"The calamity is approaching. It is a great tribulation, but also an opportunity."
"If we can successfully navigate this tribulation, we shall endure for all eternity..."
"Among the infinite possibilities, that sliver of a chance does indeed exist."
"We can only seek life through death."
"Correct. If the Xuanhuang Realm can survive the great calamity, we too can harness the power of the tribulation to achieve transcendence."
"Then, let us begin."
...
In the darkness, it seemed as if countless identical figures were conversing rapidly.
As the vision progressed, Li Fan was stunned to see that these figures all transformed into the forms he had witnessed before.
They were the paper figures that had swarmed and filled the world!
Li Fan's mind reeled. He tried to see more, But the dark dimension around him began to shake violently.
All the ethereal scenes vanished without a trace.
By the time Li Fan could see again...
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