Chapter 1181: Encountering a True Immortal Script Again
"Dead?" Li Fan, still shaken, let out a breath of relief.
But a lingering sense of crisis, coiling in his heart, told him it wasn't that simple.
Sure enough, when the several beams of sword light unleashed by the Saint Fetus clone touched the corpse ahead, they vanished into the darkness in an instant, like snuffed-out candles.
There was never any sound of impact, no thunderous roar.
The massive, desiccated body was like a primeval beast hidden in the void, devouring everything that dared to approach.
Another spell illuminated the surrounding space once more.
This time, he could see more clearly.
The mummified corpse looked much like an ordinary human in overall appearance, except for its abnormal size.
It seemed to have drifted in this void for a long time; the clothes on its body had rotted away.
However, after careful observation, what shocked the Saint Fetus clone even more was that this dried corpse before him...
...seemed to be merely a newborn infant.
Its hair was sparse, and it had yet to grow any teeth.
Around its neck hung an ornament resembling a longevity lock, and a rotten red string was tied to its ankle.
Its terrified posture, with one hand outstretched, made it look like a startled child desperately reaching for its parents.
"So massive even as an infant. It's hard to imagine how large it would be as an adult."
Li Fan was suddenly reminded of the Eternal Immortal Fortress beyond the Abyss of Roars.
That fortress in the white mist was also known as the Severed Palm Immortal City.
It was so named because the entire stronghold was constructed from the colossal severed hand of an ancient celestial venerable that had drifted out of the mist.
"Perhaps there's some connection between the two," Li Fan mused inwardly.
After all, he had yet to see any records in the Xuanhuang Realm of such a natively colossal creature.
Although the giant was dead, an ominous, mysterious power still emanated from its body, threatening to drag everything around it down with it.
"This mysterious power must be the culprit behind its death—and the source of my profound unease."
The Saint Fetus clone pondered for a moment, a flicker of resolve in his eyes.
Though he never wanted to try it again, he still struck at his own soul with his sword-intent, severing a divine sense.
"Ah..."
With his soul now extremely weak, his ability to endure pain had plummeted. Li Fan couldn't bear it and let out a pained cry.
His face turned deathly pale as he gasped for breath.
Without hesitation, he bypassed the giant corpse and continued deeper into the Star Sea.
Meanwhile, the divine sense he had left behind recovered for a moment before actively drifting forward to make contact.
Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. He foresaw that the Darkest Star Sea would be a place he'd have to frequent for a long time to come. Therefore, instead of blindly avoiding its dangers, it was better to take the initiative and uncover their true nature.
In any case, his main body was far away in the Xuanhuang Realm, and he had [Truth] as a safety net. He wasn't afraid of triggering any consequences he couldn't handle.
The severed divine sense was still some distance from the giant corpse when its vision went black.
It lost all perception of the outside world.
Its consciousness remained, but it was as if it had been locked in a cage, surrounded by absolute, eternal darkness.
There was no sound, no light, no passage of time.
It was as if it were the only thing left in the world.
Even its connection to the Saint Fetus and his main body grew increasingly distant and faint.
The sensation on the side of the Saint Fetus and the main body was also quite peculiar.
That divine sense, though clearly a part of himself, felt more and more like a stranger.
More critically, the endless solitude that enveloped the divine sense began to slowly seep through the connection between the main body and its offshoot, corroding him.
It was then that Li Fan discovered that after being surrounded by darkness, the state of his divine sense seemed to be permanently fixed.
It was as if it had been frozen, unable to make any move.
It couldn't even self-destruct.
The Saint Fetus clone's expression changed slightly. He launched several beams of sword light toward the divine sense's location.
He wanted to sever the connection with it.
But it was useless.
Just as when the sword light had touched the giant corpse, all his attacks vanished without a sound.
After several attempts, he had no choice but to give up.
Frowning slightly, he sensed the rate at which the endless solitude was encroaching and felt a bit of relief.
The distance of space and time did offer some limitation against this utterly bizarre existence.
The rate of corrosion affecting his main body was very slow.
Based on the current situation, it wouldn't threaten the safety of his soul for at least a hundred years.
As for the Saint Fetus clone, however, the situation was far less optimistic due to its proximity.
He estimated it could only hold out for about thirty days before it would be completely overcome.
The units of time here referred to the absolute time experienced by each entity.
"However, the situation should improve as I get farther away."
"Although it's still unavoidable, I can buy enough time. As long as I can see the true face of the great power that caused this tremor in the Xuanhuang Realm, even death is acceptable."
"Besides, the main body is only connected to the divine sense through me. If I disappear, the main body will be safe."
At this thought, the Saint Fetus clone stopped dwelling on it. He pushed the remaining stone puppet to its maximum speed, racing deeper into the Star Sea.
As he flew, he pondered the mysterious power he had just encountered, the one enveloping the giant corpse.
While the mysterious power assailed him, Li Fan was taking the opportunity to observe it.
"This feeling... it's not unfamiliar."
A flash of insight struck the Saint Fetus clone, and a guess formed in his mind.
"A True Immortal Script! Another True Immortal Script!"
According to Daoist Baihua, the calamities faced by the various realms in the Darkest Star Sea were not all the same.
Some faced [Submerge], some [Chaos], others [Hunger]...
And now, what the Saint Fetus clone had encountered in the void was yet another world-ending True Immortal Script.
"Is this [Solitude]? Or perhaps [Alone]?"
Without seeing the physical form of the True Immortal Script, Li Fan had no way of knowing the truth.
He could only speculate based on the external manifestation of its power.
"True Immortal Scripts, plaguing all realms. Even if they're likely not the originals but mere copies, they've still brought ruin to countless cultivation worlds across this starry sky."
"Among them, the [Hunger] script is particularly close to the Dao path of the Immortal of the Ruins. He was inspired by it, meditating in the ruins of the Immortal Realm's passage, attempting to grasp the true meaning of [Hunger]."
"For him, it might have been but a fleeting moment of enlightenment. Yet it created the terrifying existence of the Immortal Ruins, causing the entire Star Sea to fall into despair..."
"This is the power of an 'Immortal,' a power beyond the mortal coil."
The Saint Fetus clone's thoughts churned like waves.
"And now, not far ahead, there is an existence with power comparable to that of the Immortal of the Ruins."
"What could it possibly be?"
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