Chapter 1316: Crossing the Star Sea with a Single Sword
Chapter 1316: Crossing the Star Sea with a Single Sword
The flow of time hadn't truly changed.
Instead, the rate at which the Xuanhuang Realm evolved around the Immeasurable Mirror had accelerated countless times over.
In the span of a single breath, as though a fast-forward button had been pressed, light and shadow flickered in and out of existence tens of millions of times.
The simple, ancient Immeasurable Mirror visibly grew more weathered, its age deepening with every passing moment.
One could even see with perfect clarity as tiny, gray, dust-like particles flaked away from the mirror's surface, carried off by an unseen wind before dissolving into the air.
Having once hidden a sliver of his divine sense within the Immeasurable Mirror for nearly a full lifetime, Li Fan understood it better than even its original artifact spirit, Sun Luyao. Thus, he could clearly discern the transformation taking place.
"So this is the Xuanhuang Realm's process of digestion..."
Though the physical form of the Immeasurable Mirror gradually dissolved, the power of the deductive laws it contained lingered, refusing to disperse. Clearly, the power level of an immortal artifact was still far beyond that of the current Xuanhuang Realm. Thus, the world lacked the ability to completely assimilate it.
Finally, it dissolved completely, leaving only a spectral afterimage floating silently in the air.
As if sensing the unmoored power of the immortal artifact's laws, a mysterious change descended upon the Xuanhuang Realm.
Though the change was almost formless and incorporeal, Li Fan's current power and profound understanding of the Xuanhuang Realm allowed him to perceive everything unfolding before him.
A transparent human figure appeared beside the mirror's spectral form. The passage of ages, the power that turned oceans into mulberry fields, seemed to have no effect on it whatsoever.
The transparent figure drifted closer, gradually overlapping with the spectral image as if it were swallowing the Immeasurable Mirror whole.
Then, like a ripple spreading across the surface of water, the humanoid figure slowly dissolved into the fabric of the Xuanhuang Realm, vanishing from Li Fan's sight.
From start to finish, the figure never once spared Li Fan a glance.
It was as if Its sole purpose was to carry away the power of the Immeasurable Mirror's laws.
"A Spirit of Heaven and Earth... a type I've never seen before."
"And unlike any other Spirit of Heaven and Earth, when a cultivator sees it, they feel no greedy impulse to devour it..."
Li Fan withdrew his Xuanhuang World-Ending Transformation ability and gazed into the distance.
He could almost see it now, in some distant corner of the Xuanhuang Realm: the transparent figure from before, attaching itself to a newborn infant.
As the infant grew, a new Immeasurable Mirror would be born. But it would no longer be an immortal artifact. It would be a wonder of the Xuanhuang Realm itself!
Normally, the Xuanhuang Realm's entire process of assimilation and transformation would take thousands, even tens of thousands of years. But under the power of Li Fan's Xuanhuang World-Ending Transformation, it was all completed in less than half a day.
Ordinarily, helping the Xuanhuang Realm absorb an immortal artifact should have earned him some goodwill from the world. Yet, though Li Fan waited for some time, he sensed no increase in the Xuanhuang Realm's benevolence.
After a moment of reflection, realization dawned on Li Fan. The transformation of ages, for the Xuanhuang Realm, was also a form of consumption, a drain on its 'lifespan'. The gain and the cost had essentially cancelled each other out.
In truth, Li Fan wasn't concerned about this. What mattered was the tangible increase in the Xuanhuang Realm's power. Every iota of its growing strength would one day be reflected in the future Xuanhuang Immortal Soul. And he would be the ultimate beneficiary.
Drawing back his gaze, Li Fan had the faint sense that as the laws of the Immeasurable Mirror integrated with the Xuanhuang Realm, a qualitative change—a creation from nothingness—was beginning to brew.
"The Dao of deduction from the Immeasurable Mirror does not yet exist within the Xuanhuang Realm. Once the world absorbs it and makes it its own..."
"A Heavenly Dao that can foresee the future... interesting."
The Heavenly Dao should have records of the vast majority of events, past and present, within the Xuanhuang Realm. Bolstered by such a massive amount of information, the accuracy of its future deductions might even surpass that of the Immeasurable Mirror in its prime.
"This must be the highest state of deduction mentioned in the Taiyan Sect's *Nine Scrolls of Divination*: replacing human calculation with the calculus of Heaven itself."
"For the Xuanhuang Realm, devouring an immortal artifact isn't just an increase in power. More importantly, it is a completion of Its laws. With every immortal artifact It devours, It takes another step closer to becoming a true Immortal Realm." A sense of understanding instantly flooded Li Fan's mind.
...
Ten days later.
The Lecture Stage in the Great Xuan.
Master Yin, Bai Hua, Master Qiaogong, and Xu Ke were already present, waiting together for Li Fan to appear.
Ultimately, their resolve to seek the Dao had conquered their fear of the unknown.
"Last time, our round trip to the center of the Star Sea took almost a month and a half. I wonder how long it will take to reach the foot of the High Wall this time," Master Qiaogong remarked with a sigh.
"The Saint Teacher said the borders of the Star Sea are even more dangerous. A round trip of several years might be normal," Bai Hua said, frowning.
Master Yin chuckled. "Look on the bright side. We might run into some calamity on the way and just never come back."
Master Qiaogong and Bai Hua were both speechless.
As they were speaking, Li Fan's figure materialized on the Lecture Stage.
Instead of leading them away at once, he took a seat upon it, his expression solemn, and began to lecture.
This time, Li Fan was expounding upon the Dao of the Sword.
"There are three paths for the swordsman."
"The lowest path is to hold hardened steel to forge one's will, to wield a sharp blade to temper one's body. The heart is honed by the sword, and the body becomes one with the sword. They command the sword to slay their foes, body and sword as one."
"The next path is where the sword in hand is born from the sword in the heart, and the sword in the heart can manifest as the sword in hand. Where one's thoughts reach, all things in heaven and earth can become a sword."
"The highest path is the realm of no sword, no self."
...
After this opening summary of the three paths, Li Fan began to elaborate on each state in detail.
Below the Lecture Stage, the audience listened, becoming gradually entranced.
Even Master Qiaogong and the other three were captivated by the lecture, for a time forgetting their mission to the fringes of the Star Sea.
As Li Fan's lecture deepened, numerous phenomena manifested in the sky. Aside from the usual omens that accompanied his every sermon...
The most spectacular sight was the countless swords that came speeding from every corner of the Great Xuan.
Despite being nothing more than common iron, they now flew through the air. They hovered as if in audience with a sovereign, their blades dipping in a slight bow.
More and more swords converged, blotting out the sky and sun until they formed a veritable forest of blades above the Lecture Stage.
Thousands upon thousands of swords hung there silently, as if they too were listening to Li Fan's sermon on the Dao.
"Neither sword in hand nor sword in heart; the form is unseen, but the intent is ever-present..."
When Li Fan uttered his final words seven days later, The thousands of flying swords hummed as one, erupting in a blinding radiance.
When the light faded, the cultivators on the Lecture Stage were astonished to find that the thousands upon thousands of swords had vanished without a trace!
Most of the cultivators were mystified, assuming the sky-full of blades had simply returned to their owners.
Only a few cultivators with exceptional insight stared blankly at the sky, a dawning realization on their faces.
"No sword, no self, yet the sword intent endures..." Xu Ke muttered to himself. He opened his palm, and the phantom of a longsword appeared above it.
The other three watched this, their gazes sharp with astonishment.
Just as they were about to discuss it, they suddenly heard Li Fan's voice. "The preparations are about done. It's time to depart."
"Be warned. The outcome of this journey is unknown, a matter of life or death. There can be no turning back," Li Fan told them, seeking final confirmation.
They all nodded in understanding.
"Sword..."
"Rise..."
A soft breeze swept by, and a spectral wooden sword, vast as a flying ship, materialized around Master Yin and the others, enveloping them completely.
Li Fan stood poised at the sword's tip and pointed forward into the void.
The surrounding scenery warped instantly. The world stretched into countless distorted lines that streaked backward as light blended into a swirling vortex of color.
The spectral wooden sword shielded them from the bizarre, phantasmagorical scenery outside.
Though they could sense the sword carrying them deep into the Star Sea at an incredible speed, the passengers within its spectral form felt no sensation of movement at all.
The play of light outside the spectral sword abruptly went dark. All color vanished, leaving only writhing shadows. Master Yin's expression shifted. "Have we already left the influence of the Immortal Ruins?"
His answer came in the shocked expressions of the other three.
"Weren't we told the path ahead would be fraught with peril?" Master Qiaogong's tone was bewildered.
They could faintly sense the spectral sword plowing straight through the Star Sea, forging ahead without hesitation.
It ignored the hidden powers of calamity, accelerating again and again as it raced toward their destination.
"No sword, no self... No sword, no self..."
"The sword fundamentally does not exist. Even the calamitous power that annihilated the Star Sea must be helpless against that which does not exist!" Xu Ke stared intently at the spectral sword, his eyes growing ever brighter.
At that moment, Li Fan's voice sounded once more. "Your choice to venture deep into the starry void with me has already proven your courage and conviction."
"You have all struggled to survive this long... It's best we avoid any unnecessary sacrifices."
"Saint Teacher..." The four gazed at the back of Li Fan's figure, poised at the sword's tip, their expressions a mixture of complex emotions.
Li Fan paid no mind to what the four behind him were thinking.
He was focused on comprehending this art of sword flight, one that had already reached the zenith of speed.
Ten days ago, after helping the Xuanhuang Realm digest the Immeasurable Mirror, Li Fan had made a trip to the Heavenly Sword Sect Ruins.
In the center of the Sword Tomb, the wooden sword seemed to have changed along with the transformation of this era's Xuanhuang Realm, becoming something unique.
Compared to when Mr. Bai had casually created it thousands of years ago, the wooden sword now seemed more profound, as if it had been tempered and settled by the long passage of time.
"No one knows just how many immortal artifacts the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm has devoured."
"Perhaps some of the power from their laws supplemented the Dao of the Sword in the Xuanhuang Realm..."
Li Fan had previously come into contact with this wooden sword in both the Fallen Immortal Realm and reality.
And each time, the insights he gained were different.
Especially now.
Now, after coming into close contact with immortal spiritual power and personally laying an immortal array of world-ending devastation, Li Fan had new thoughts as he looked upon the wooden sword.
"The more one knows, the more one sees in it."
"Or perhaps, the projection of the Dao of the Sword, descending from above onto the Xuanhuang Realm, has become a little more vivid."
Li Fan sought enlightenment in the Sword Tomb for seven days. He left the Black Sword where it was, allowing it to continue steeping in the wooden sword's aura.
Upon his return, he imparted all he had learned upon the Lecture Stage.
It all culminated in a single divine technique, one that now carried Master Yin and the others on a swift flight toward the fringes of the Star Sea.
This spectral form of 'no sword, no self' was not merely the Dao of the Sword.
Rather, Li Fan had integrated his own experiences into it: the [True False Transformation], the world-hiding and void-concealing restrictive arts taught by the Heavenly Doctor, and the Golden Lock Across the Sky from the Floating Starry Sky Grand Array.
Not only was it blindingly fast, but it could also exist in the space between reality and illusion, allowing it to almost completely ignore the residual power of the True Immortal Scripts along its path.
Still, he had not yet truly reached the state where he could turn reality into illusion. The spectral sword was undoubtedly still affected, however slightly, by the lingering power of the True Immortals.
It was just that the spectral sword traveled so fast that it outpaced the speed at which the remnant True Immortal power could even react, creating the illusion of it plowing ahead completely unimpeded.
As the one guiding the sword, Li Fan could clearly sense the rapid depletion of the energy required to maintain its spectral form.
If not for the fact that his Dao foundation—built upon the Five Elements Great Cave-Heaven and the Xuanhuang World-Ending Transformation—was so profound as to be comparable to several former cultivation worlds combined, he would never have been able to sustain it for this long.
"Throughout the entire Xuanhuang Realm, besides the Heavenly Doctor and perhaps the Dharma Spreaders, not even those Longevity masters from the Five Elders Council could necessarily unleash a sword strike like this." A flicker of pride rose in Li Fan's heart as he watched the space-time of the star sea warp around them.
Aided by the spectral sword, a journey that should have taken over half a year was completed in a mere two or three days. Their destination was already in sight.
Upon spotting a few familiar relics floating in the dead Star Sea, Li Fan began to slow the sword's flight.
"This is the Relic Sea the Saint Teacher mentioned?" Master Qiaogong squinted, gazing ahead.
"It must be an accumulation of artifacts left behind from various realms after the ancient cultivation world was destroyed," Bai Hua explained, recognizing a few decorative objects among the debris.
Master Yin, on the other hand, had fallen silent since their arrival. He periodically pressed his temples, his expression grim and unsettled.
The spectral sword drifted slowly through the Relic Sea, and before long, they had passed through the region.
Ahead of them, an even larger conglomeration of ruins suddenly loomed into view.
It filled their entire vision, a breathtaking vista of wreckage and debris.
The sight of this massive graveyard, a pile of corpses from innumerable worlds, sent a tremor of fear through their hearts.
A deathly silence fell within the spectral wooden sword.
And then, the spectral sword abruptly came to a halt.
"Hmm?"
Startled, they looked up.
They saw Li Fan fly out from the spectral form and begin laying a formation in an empty expanse between the Relic Sea and the Realm Fragment Great Wall.
Golden lines, as if alive, swiftly etched intricate patterns across the void.
They shone for a brief moment before fading into the darkness.
One item after another flew from Li Fan, integrating themselves into the grand array.
One glance was enough to tell that this was no ordinary array.
They were so close, yet they couldn't sense the slightest fluctuation of power from it.
"Fellow Daoist Yin, what formation is this?" Master Qiaogong asked in a hushed, bewildered tone.
Master Yin shook his head, his gaze fixed not on Li Fan's work, but on the distant Realm Fragment Great Wall.
Li Fan showed no hesitation. The array he was laying before them was, of course, the immortal array he had only recently learned from the primordial soul of Ji Yuzhen, a Dharma King of the Xuantian Sect.
The A Thousand Miles in a Moment Array!
Ji Yuzhen himself was no expert in formations; he had only witnessed the A Thousand Miles in a Moment Array a few times while being led by the Xuantian King.
But Li Fan, aided by the Final Dissociation Disc, was able to replicate a rough version of it.
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