Chapter 1327: Ascending to Touch the Immortal Shadow
Chapter 1327: Ascending to Touch the Immortal Shadow
They were surrounded by an endless, inky blackness, with a dead, boundless expanse of world fragments visible in the distance.
The tide of Echoing Star Power grew steadily stronger, and the pace of Li Fan's group slowed to a crawl.
"The residual power of True Immortals gathered beneath the High Wall is even stronger than it was back then," Zhong Daogong remarked, his gaze fixed on the path ahead, his tone heavy.
Under the influence of the pervasive Echoing Star Power, not only were their physical bodies exposed to the void, but even their spiritual sense dissipated like a reed in the wind, unable to venture far from their bodies.
The group had to rely on the Immortal Boat's unique "Borderless" communication method to converse.
"As magnificent as the High Wall is, if this trend continues, I fear it's only a matter of time before it collapses."
"The rate at which the residual power is increasing is faster than we anticipated. It seems that even without that boy, we would have had to proceed with the 'Wall Leap' plan eventually. If the High Wall were to fall, we would have no chance of survival."
"Even so, being forced into this is still rather infuriating."
...
The members of the Immortal Boat were deep in heated discussion.
The "Borderless" communication was a method exclusive to the core of the Immortal Boat, so they spoke without restraint, even in Li Fan's presence.
But they could never have imagined that Li Fan was also a master of this "Borderless" communication technique. Thus, he heard every word the Immortal Boat elders uttered.
A thoughtful look flickered in his eyes, but on the surface, he feigned complete ignorance.
"How... much... longer...?"
He would only turn back from time to time, his indistinct spiritual sense pressing them for an answer.
Zhong Daogong's reply was always the same: "We're almost there. Just ahead."
This was no mere excuse from Zhong Daogong.
It was a perfect example of the saying, "the closer it looks, the farther it is." The vastness of the Star Sea was on full display here in this remote region, at the foot of the High Wall. Though they seemed to be drawing near the Realm Fragment Great Wall, after flying for a long time, the distance ahead seemed undiminished, as if stretching into infinity.
Only the subtle changes in the landscape of the Realm Fragment Great Wall proved they weren't just treading in place.
And the ever-intensifying Echoing Star Power had become a major obstacle to their progress. It was like wading through an endless, muddy swamp, with the towering mountains in the distance as their goal.
"This is too slow." Li Fan seemed to be growing impatient. "At this rate, my lifespan will run out before we even get there."
Zhong Daogong was about to explain, "It's not that we..."
But he was cut short by Li Fan's cold voice. "Watch out!"
With his words, the phantom of a longsword, radiant with golden light, descended upon them.
The body of the blade was adorned with images of mountains, rivers, the sun, moon, and stars, exuding an aura of majestic sanctity.
"Which direction?" Li Fan demanded in a deep voice.
The members of the Immortal Boat were still captivated by the obviously extraordinary golden sword phantom. It wasn't just because of the supreme sword Dao it represented.
It was because they were horrified to discover that, enveloped by the golden sword's phantom, the pressure of the Echoing Star Power they endured was instantly reduced by more than half!
It felt as if they were standing on a suddenly raised highland, in another world entirely, no longer battered by the raging waves.
"How is this possible?!" The members of the Immortal Boat were all aghast.
The Echoing Star Power was, in essence, the residual power of True Immortals. Even with the word "residual," it was still power on the level of a True Immortal.
For this golden sword phantom to be able to diminish its influence, didn't that mean it was on par with an Immortal?
Of course, the Immortal Boat members didn't dare to speculate any higher. Even so, Li Fan, who could wield a divine ability capable of contending with the power of a True Immortal, couldn't help but draw their astonished gazes.
"This boy is truly like a treasure trove; the surprises never end."
"If we could comprehend this divine ability, it might open up a second path for our Immortal Boat, beyond the True Immortal Scripts!"
"No, it's not just him. That Great Qi civilization... it's unfathomably deep."
The appearance of the golden sword phantom sent ripples through their thoughts. The expressions of the Immortal Boat elders varied, but Li Fan seemed completely unfazed, staring intently at Zhong Daogong. "Point the way, quickly. Unleashing this 'One Sword to Slay Immortals' is incredibly taxing; I can't maintain it for long."
Within the domain of the golden sword phantom, even spiritual sense transmissions became much clearer.
Zhong Daogong's eyes flickered when he heard the name "One Sword to Slay Immortals."
But in the end, he still pointed the way for Li Fan.
The golden sword blazed, crossing the Star Sea. Its speed was countless times faster than their own flight. The dead worlds within the Realm Fragment Great Wall grew larger in their vision at a visible rate. They were getting closer and closer to the foot of the High Wall.
Following Zhong Daogong's guidance, Li Fan piloted the sword's phantom to an unusual "protrusion" on the Realm Fragment Great Wall.
Like a beacon tower on a continuous wall, the number of world fragments piled up here was significantly greater than elsewhere.
"The weak point in the High Wall is here?" Li Fan asked, narrowing his eyes.
Zhong Daogong shook his head. "No. In fact, there are quite a few structures like this along the Realm Fragment Great Wall. They are likely crucial nodes for maintaining its structural integrity. To reach our destination, we need to borrow the 'momentum' of this place."
The golden sword phantom came to a halt. Zhong Daogong and the other Immortal Boat elders all wore grave expressions.
"Daoist friend, please head upwards."
The Immortal Boat elders cast a spell in unison, and a blurry image appeared before Li Fan.
The flat, slightly curved space was severely warped by the protrusion of the Realm Fragment Great Wall here. Like a tower pushing upwards, its momentum and energy were a clear cut above other locations.
"Follow the momentum of the Realm Fragment Great Wall, and ascend."
With a gentle point of his finger, Zhong Daogong magnified the image of the spatial protrusion infinitely. In an instant, it enveloped them all.
They were now within the spacetime protrusion marked on the image, yet they felt nothing.
Li Fan stood motionless, carefully sensing the subtle differences in the surrounding spacetime.
"It took our Immortal Boat hundreds of years to figure out this 'climbing' method. It's perfectly normal for you to be confused at first, my friend."
"If you really can't do it, just release the golden sword phantom. We can fly up ourselves."
The Immortal Boat elders offered their "well-intentioned" advice.
Li Fan paid them no mind. He closed his eyes, and a scene flashed through his mind.
In truth, Li Fan had personally experienced this so-called sense of spatial high and low before.
It was in his previous life, when the High Wall collapsed and an unknown entity descended, causing a tempestuous upheaval throughout the Star Sea.
At that time, however, he had been so shaken by the world-shattering spectacle that the superficial phenomena had captivated his attention.
He hadn't focused on the accompanying feeling of spacetime turbulence, like a great cataclysm in the Star Sea.
"The distinction between high and low."
The memory in his mind slowly shifted from illusory to real. It felt as if he had returned to the end of his previous life, watching the magnificent, turbulent waves of the roiling Star Sea.
A slow trickle of understanding seeped into his mind.
The illusion vanished. He looked at reality once more.
At the highest point of the Realm Fragment Great Wall, this protrusion was now exceptionally conspicuous.
"Everyone, hold on tight!"
Li Fan announced in a deep voice.
The sword phantom once again erupted in a dazzling golden radiance. Though it was like the sun in the sky, for some unknown reason, the golden light only shone in this one area, not illuminating a very large range.
Though it didn't seem to move, the golden sword phantom felt as if it had crossed billions of miles of spacetime in an instant, becoming decayed and flickering.
Cold sweat began to bead on Li Fan's forehead. His body began to tremble uncontrollably.
The members of the Immortal Boat watched as the view of the Realm Fragment Great Wall, which appeared smaller due to the distortion and aberration, filled their vision. A look of astonishment crossed their faces.
"He actually managed to complete the ascent on his first try?"
"This child's talent and comprehension are truly rare in this world. He must be a leading figure in that Great Qi civilization."
"To have such achievements at such a young age... give him a few hundred more years, and he might truly be able to cross the High Wall! No wonder he became a bit unhinged when his end was suddenly near. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to accept it either!"
As the Immortal Boat elders looked at Li Fan, a flicker of regret crossed more than a few of their faces.
The ascent, the transformation, continued.
The area enveloped by the golden sword phantom was rapidly shrinking, barely covering the Immortal Boat members and Li Fan.
The once brilliant golden light also slowly dimmed.
It was clear that its consumption had intensified, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.
But the changes it brought were also obvious.
The surrounding landscape of the Realm Fragment Great Wall, which had previously stretched to the horizon, slowly curled up, shrinking into a ring.
As their perspective continued to rise, the ring grew smaller and smaller.
Finally, it converged into a single point.
Boom! Boom!
It felt as though they had reached the end of the road, or perhaps slammed into a wall.
The last remnants of the golden sword phantom shattered in an instant.
Li Fan violently coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face deathly pale.
But he just casually wiped it away, a look of surprise and mania flashing in his eyes.
"Is this the High Wall?" Li Fan coughed lightly, spitting out another large mouthful of blood. He paid it no mind and turned to ask.
"No."
"This is the foot of the High Wall, in the truest sense." Zhong Daogong carefully sized Li Fan up, first shaking his head in denial, then sighing with emotion.
He, too, surveyed his surroundings.
"We have to climb again?" Li Fan couldn't help but look up upon hearing this.
"The High Wall is difficult to cross, or perhaps impossible to cross at all. One can only throw oneself at it," Jian Daosheng said solemnly.
"There are fewer of us this time. With our combined strength alone, we probably won't be able to reach the impact point from last time. But we should be able to get close enough to observe the traces."
With that, the Immortal Boat elders stood in a circle.
Then, a strange aura emanated from them.
It didn't rise steadily but surged like giant ocean waves, each one higher than the last.
Carried by this impacting force, the scene that had shrunk to a small point changed once more.
The small point extended downwards, forming pillar-like lines.
The aura from the Immortal Boat elders grew ever more vigorous, and the lines continuously thickened.
Like a celestial mountain pillar, it gradually stretched beyond sight, yet it firmly supported the people above.
Because of the continuous ascent, their field of vision also became elevated and vast.
Li Fan gazed into the distance, and in the darkness, he seemed to sense a few peaks like their own.
And in the impossibly far distance, a majestic mountain stood tall.
He couldn't even see its peak.
It was only slightly shorter than the endless High Wall.
"That is..."
"A True Immortal of the Immortal Ruins?"
Looking back, a sense of understanding washed over Li Fan.
Li Fan had learned from the memories of the Xuantian Sect's Law King that the Xuantian King had once told his followers that he had found a way to lead them, and even the entire Xuanhuang Realm, out of the Darkest Star Sea.
But it was a feat that only a True Immortal could accomplish.
"This is the difference between an immortal and a mortal."
"Mortals are forever below, while only by ascending to immortality can one stand upon the peaks."
"The process of cultivation is a process of climbing step by step. But with the great calamity, the mountains that could once be inhabited have also collapsed."
"The mountain is gone, the path is hidden. Even if one can fly through the air for a time, one cannot remain in that realm for long."
By borrowing the momentum of the Realm Fragment Great Wall, he had reached a height that would normally be impossible. It was like ascending to a mountain peak of a realm that no longer existed, and all sorts of insights that did not belong to this era flooded Li Fan's mind.
"The distinction between immortal and mortal is already so vast."
"And the High Wall..."
Li Fan turned his gaze further into the distance.
Majestic and continuous, it pressed down like a celestial curtain.
He could see no beginning or end, no peaks or valleys.
It just stood there, blocking the way.
It was enough to fill one's heart with despair.
If he hadn't personally witnessed the scene of the High Wall's collapse, Li Fan, upon seeing this magnificent sight, would likely have developed a mental demon from that moment on. Just thinking of the High Wall's existence would inevitably fill his heart with fear.
And judging by the expressions of the Immortal Boat elders beside him, the effect was indeed so.
Their initial ambition was gone. Their faces showed only endless terror and reverence.
However, they seemed to have some kind of secret technique among them.
As they formed a circle, their wills also joined together.
Before long, they all awoke from their shock.
Li Fan also feigned waking up at just the right moment.
"We can't go any higher."
Zhong Daogong sighed, then looked into the distance, as if searching for the traces left by the Shang Immortal Boat years ago.
Li Fan waited patiently.
After a full half-day had passed, Zhong Daogong finally pointed in one direction and said with a solemn expression, "Daoist friend, can you sense the anomaly over there?"
Li Fan followed Zhong Daogong's finger.
At first glance, it seemed no different from the surrounding scenery.
But after careful consideration, Li Fan did indeed find some clues.
Li Fan reached out his hand, as if wanting to touch the far distance.
"This place... is twisted."
"Is this the trajectory left behind when the Shang Immortal Boat struck?"
Li Fan's tone was inscrutable.
He traced the scars in space with his fingers, hovering in the air.
Before his eyes, an image seemed to appear of half a magnificent immortal boat, resolutely crashing forward.
And then, it erupted in a heaven-and-earth-shaking light.
A trace of emotion flickered in Zhong Daogong's eyes. He nodded and said, "The energy released by crossing the High Wall is something that even the High Wall itself cannot withstand."
"Thus, the traces left here have not faded in ten thousand years."
"The mark is still there. From this, we can see that after so many years, there have been no signs of 'repair.' Therefore, theoretically speaking, it is highly likely that we can follow the traces left by the Shang Immortal Boat and reenact the grand feat of crossing the High Wall," Zhong Daogong said slowly.
Li Fan squinted his eyes, seeming to ponder something.
A short while later, he shook his head slightly. "No. We've already exhausted all our strength to reach this height. And there..."
Li Fan pointed to the location of the mark left by the Shang Immortal Boat and asked, "I'm afraid even with ten times the effort, we couldn't reach it."
"Let alone crossing the High Wall!"
(End of this chapter)
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