Chapter 1182: Civilization Survivors
By comparing the flow of time to that of the Xuanhuang Realm, the Saint Embryo Li Fan could roughly gauge his distance from the destination.
When the temporal ratio between his location and the Xuanhuang Realm slowed to three-to-one...
...the Saint Embryo Li Fan knew the unknown entity he was searching for lay just ahead.
Along his journey, aside from the desiccated giant, he had encountered other remnants from long-shattered cultivation worlds of antiquity.
These included, but were not limited to, the skeletal remains of cultivators and the rubble of ancient structures.
Li Fan had even come across a few artifacts that cultivators had once wielded.
However, after drifting in the void for ages, they had all lost their spiritual essence and were now inert.
Yet, judging by the methods used to forge them and their distinct appearances, they clearly originated from a multitude of different cultivation worlds.
This debris, like cosmic refuse, seemed to be caught in a delicate equilibrium between two opposing forces in the void, preventing it from being drawn toward the Immortal Ruins.
Instead, it all remained suspended here in stillness.
It was a graveyard of worlds, forgotten by the cosmos.
The deeper he ventured, the denser this field of cosmic garbage became.
Every piece was a testament to the bygone existence of a different cultivation world.
Uncertain whether this debris was still tainted by the power of the True Immortal Script, the Saint Embryo Li Fan dared not make contact with any of it.
He carefully maneuvered his puppet and sword-body, weaving around the floating obstacles.
Consequently, his pace slowed considerably.
"Fortunately, my guess was correct," he mused. "The closer I get to that immense power in the Star Sea, the weaker the influence of the 'Solitude' character becomes."
"For now, I've escaped the danger of being completely consumed by it."
However...
The power of the True Immortal Script was not to be underestimated.
Though he hadn't been completely corrupted, the Saint Embryo Li Fan could feel it subtly altering his behavior and thoughts.
For instance, an inexplicable desire for seclusion would surface, a yearning to withdraw from everything and everyone.
Furthermore, the Black Sword—the Heavenly Wonder that formed the very foundation of his cultivation—was beginning to feel strangely distant, a subtle chasm forming between them.
From any normal perspective, this should have been impossible.
After all, once the Saint Embryo Li Fan had devoured the sword and integrated it as his Dao foundation, they had become one and the same.
The man was the sword, and the sword was the man.
Yet the power of the True Immortal Script could forcibly undo this fusion, prying them apart.
"True and absolute solitude?"
"Is this what it means to be alone?"
A deeper anxiety began to stir within the Saint Embryo Li Fan.
Could this power of solitude somehow affect his original body and the [Truth]?
While the [Truth] itself was of an incredibly high order, his original body's current strength was far from adequate to resist such a power.
Even the slightest possibility of that was a risk Li Fan could not afford.
A resolve slowly formed in the Saint Embryo's mind.
"I cannot allow this power of solitude to affect my original self, even if it means wasting this entire expedition."
"I will have to end my own existence before any sign of that appears."
With that thought, the Saint Embryo Li Fan consumed his last soul-nourishing treasure and activated the Burning Soul technique.
His speed skyrocketed, and he shot through the narrow gaps in the debris field like a phantom.
These relics from ancient cultivation worlds formed a boundless ocean of wreckage that seemed to stretch on forever.
The nourishing energy in his body was almost completely depleted, yet he still hadn't managed to break free from this vast sea of ruins.
"If all this debris could be preserved..."
"...then could fragments of those old cultivation worlds also have survived relatively intact?"
Wandering through this ocean of relics, the Saint Embryo Li Fan was suddenly reminded of the Dharma Spreader and the Heavenly Doctor, who had transported fragments of worlds from the Star Sea to patch the Xuanhuang Realm.
"Who's there?"
Just as he was lost in thought, Li Fan's heart suddenly clenched. He felt a spiritual sense from the void lock onto him!
He cried out, his gaze snapping toward the source of the lock-on.
The sensation vanished in an instant. He caught only a glimpse of a blurred figure flickering away before it disappeared into the darkness.
His expression grim, the Saint Embryo Li Fan moved to the spot where the figure had appeared.
"Not some mysterious, spectral entity," he realized, "but a living person?"
"In the entire Darkest Star Sea, besides the Xuanhuang Realm, there are other surviving cultivation civilizations?"
The revelation sent a shockwave through the Saint Embryo Li Fan's mind.
It wasn't just because he had sensed the figure's aura; it was because they had deliberately left a message behind.
The message itself was baffling to Li Fan, though the method—a lingering imprint of spiritual sense—was something only a cultivator could accomplish.
"Bing-Three, seventh-day of Shuo?"
"Jiu?"
Li Fan stared at the two brief lines, lost in contemplation.
"It must be some kind of code," he concluded. "But the script is the common tongue of the cultivation world. This was undeniably a surviving cultivator."
Although he had yet to find the source of the great power in the Star Sea that had shaken the Xuanhuang Realm, the discovery of another spark of civilization was in itself a momentous revelation.
"To survive in the Darkest Star Sea for so long," he reasoned, "one would need more than just resources. The greatest challenge is resisting the pull of the Immortal Ruins. This place, situated at a point of delicate equilibrium between two forces, has become a safe zone."
"This also proves..."
The Saint Embryo's eyes glinted. He studied the unknown cultivator's message but, with great caution, chose not to reply.
"The great power in the Star Sea, the one capable of counteracting the Immortal Ruins, isn't a recent phenomenon."
"Instead, some recent event must have caused it to erupt with sudden intensity, which is why its effects were finally felt all the way in the distant Xuanhuang Realm."
...
Images of the Immortal Ruins and the Dharma Spreader surfaced in Li Fan's mind once more.
Those two had wandered the Darkest Star Sea for a very long time; they surely couldn't have been unaware of this place.
"Interesting."
The power of solitude had made the Saint Embryo's heart grow somewhat cold, but the discovery of this new spark of civilization rekindled a flicker of restless curiosity.
He forcefully suppressed the feeling, however.
"Even without making contact, it's clear that anyone who can survive in such a hostile environment won't be easy to deal with."
"Moreover, the universal laws in the Darkest Star Sea are more complete than those in the Xuanhuang Realm. The ceiling for cultivation is higher. These people have been here for a very long time..."
"Their power cannot be underestimated."
Still, Li Fan wasn't particularly worried for the Xuanhuang Realm.
The Xuanhuang Realm was teeming with prodigies and geniuses, further bolstered by the Dharma Spreader's New Method.
In contrast, this sea of ruins was barren of resources. If a conflict were to break out, the Xuanhuang Realm would undoubtedly hold the upper hand.
"I'm overthinking things," he conceded. "The distance between us is immense. If not for this chance occurrence, an encounter would have been nothing more than a pipe dream."
He temporarily dismissed the thought of a cage match between the two surviving civilizations of the Darkest Star Sea.
The most pressing issue now facing Li Fan was his rapidly dwindling time.
Should he continue deeper into the sea of ruins in search of the great power's source?
Or should he attempt to make contact with the civilization here?
After a moment of brief deliberation, the Saint Embryo Li Fan made his choice.
He would choose the latter.
"They've lived here for ages," he reasoned. "They must know more about that great power in the Star Sea than I do."
"Rather than buzzing around like a headless fly, I should simply ask for guidance."
The Saint Embryo Li Fan's eyes glinted with decision.
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