Chapter 1330: An Immortal's Fall, Annihilating All Things
Li Fan began a new round of experiments.
This time, the height achieved by burning a fist-sized piece of True Immortal flesh was enough to activate the [Nine Heavens Descending Dust Finger], allowing him to effortlessly crush a small world the size of the Great Xuan.
“To achieve the effect of destroying the Xuanhuang Realm with a single finger, I estimate I'd need to burn an amount of True Immortal flesh nearly the size of a person...”
Li Fan fell silent, lost in thought.
“Compared to the efficiency of a True Immortal, there’s still a massive gap. But this is the best I can do for now. Perhaps as my strength grows, I’ll find a better way to refine the method.”
With the first and most crucial step resolved, the subsequent deduction work proceeded smoothly.
The Final Dissociation Disc successfully replicated the Nine Heavens Descending Dust Finger divine ability using a sequence of eight interconnected formations.
With the help of the Dissociation Disc, and with all the necessary materials, Li Fan could set up the array in an instant. This essentially made it an instantaneous divine ability.
“Unfortunately, since it’s constructed from arrays, it lacks the seamless perfection of a personal divine ability. If I were to face an enemy equally skilled in the Dao of formations, they might exploit the flaws between the interconnected arrays and shatter this ability with little effort.”
“Regardless, the immediate priority is to gather enough True Immortal flesh for research. I also need to prevent it from developing self-awareness when a large amount is gathered in one place.”
Li Fan stood suspended in the void above the small world of Great Xuan, his gaze fixed on the space beyond. Reflecting on his recent experiences, he gained a deeper understanding of his mission to usher in the birth of the Super Xuanhuang Realm in this lifetime.
“If the path to immortality is a process of a single person climbing upward.”
“Then my plan is to push the entire Xuanhuang Realm to ascend to the other side.”
Li Fan's eyes flickered, his thoughts turbulent: “In this age, even a single person ascending to immortality is impossible, let alone elevating an entire world.”
“In fact, without that mass of immortal spiritual power left behind by Mr. Bai, I would never have even considered this. It was only because I personally witnessed the Xuanhuang Realm’s transformation after being touched by that immortal power in my last life that I have any confidence at all.”
“Elevating a world is perhaps what the Heavenly Doctor has been plotting all along. The world he wants to elevate, however, isn’t the Xuanhuang Realm, but the Tianfa Realm. But in this life, his plan is destined to be hijacked by me!”
Li Fan felt not a shred of guilt in his heart: “With the ascension array, I can perhaps utilize that mass of immortal spiritual power more efficiently. But should I... incorporate the burning of True Immortal flesh into the world’s elevation process...”
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan decided to find a small world to experiment on first.
Although, in theory, nothing should remain after the True Immortal flesh is completely consumed by the array, Li Fan had a nagging feeling that there were some imperceptible changes occurring in the process.
The small world he chose this time was even smaller than the barren one he had crushed with a single finger before. It had little to no vegetation, a complete and utter wasteland devoid of life.
After using the Nine Heavens Descending Dust Finger to sever its connection to the Xuanhuang Realm.
Li Fan dragged it along, speeding through the void carved out by a Split Boundary Whale. He only stopped when he was far away from the main Xuanhuang Realm, ensuring that no potential disaster would affect it.
“Legends say that immortals can pluck stars and seize the moon. My own methods aren’t so far off.”
Using an array to replicate a divine ability required no effort at all; it even looked somewhat graceful. However, the rapid consumption of True Immortal flesh still made Li Fan's heart ache.
“After this experiment, my reserves will be completely depleted. I’ll have to spend some time gathering more.”
In the void, Li Fan looked down at the small world and began to place the ascension arrays across its surface.
“Aside from that, let’s see the effect of the [Creation] characters.”
Wary of a potential True Immortal occupying the Dao, Li Fan had never tried to comprehend the profound Dao principles contained within the [Creation] characters, even after learning them.
He had only ever used them as a tool.
For this experiment, Li Fan deliberately misinterpreted them, using a version of the [Creation] characters that was not his fully comprehended form.
With all preparations complete, the ascension arrays activated in an instant.
From countless corners of the world, massive peaks surged upwards. Like celestial pillars, they propped up the entire world.
As its “height” increased, all sorts of wondrous changes began to occur in this lifeless desert.
Vegetation and trees seemed to experience tens of millions of years of evolution in the blink of an eye, transforming from a thin layer covering the surface into a vast, primeval jungle of towering trees.
The monotonous landscape of the world’s surface also began to differentiate and evolve. Majestic mountains, deep canyons, and other magnificent, beautiful natural vistas appeared one after another.
“This kind of transformation doesn’t happen to cultivators like us.”
“A cultivator’s body doesn’t change at all as their height increases until they reach the absolute peak. But for a [world], it’s different.”
“It’s not a linear increase, but there is definitely constant feedback.” Watching the miraculous scenes unfold in the world below, waves of insight washed over Li Fan.
The world’s ascension continued as the True Immortal flesh burned.
Clearly, the higher it went, the more energy it required. The world's evolving scenery gradually came to a halt.
“It’s reached its limit.” Li Fan knew this would happen; he hadn’t expected the amount of True Immortal flesh he’d provided to push the small world to any great height.
He stared intently below, observing the changes that occurred after the “ascension” was complete.
The True Immortal flesh was completely consumed.
The small world, which had been rumbling continuously, suddenly fell into an eerie silence.
It was as if a pause button had been pressed.
The wind, clouds, air, and even all life within the world.
—were all frozen in place, utterly still.
“Hm?”
Li Fan seemed to sense something, and his expression changed slightly.
The Wooden Sword’s phantom unsheathed itself and carried him away at high speed, fleeing the region of the void where the small world was located.
Not long after Li Fan’s figure vanished, a terrifying catastrophe descended upon the small world.
Crack after crack burst forth from within the world.
At first, there were only a few, stretching from heaven to earth. Then, the cracks began to spread, rapidly covering every corner of the world.
It was like a sudden fall from a great height.
The higher it had climbed, the more devastating its fall!
The small world, temporarily elevated by the power of Li Fan’s arrays, ultimately returned to its original position.
In an instant, it was shattered to pieces!
Unlike the silent annihilation from the Nine Heavens Descending Dust Finger.
The small world, falling from on high, collided violently with the void of the Xuanhuang Realm.
It was like a massive boulder plunging into a pool of water.
Invisible ripples spread out from the point of the small world’s destruction, rapidly expanding in all directions.
Like a howling gale, the force blew Li Fan’s robes into a frenzy, though his body remained perfectly still.
Li Fan glanced back at the Xuanhuang Realm.
Although the Xuanhuang Realm itself wouldn’t be harmed by this accidental fall.
This hurricane of force did cause the Xuanhuang Realm to tremble slightly.
“It seems I’ve attracted the attention of the flies again.”
Sensing an aura from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance approaching, Li Fan did not immediately retreat.
He had not forgotten the primary objective of his experiment.
Li Fan scanned the area of the fall with his divine sense. No wreckage seemed to remain. Everything within the small world had been reduced to dust in the crash.
However, the black gas formed when the True Immortal flesh was decomposed by the white ring, Falling into the Mortal Dust, had not been annihilated along with the world.
It still floated quietly in the void.
“This black gas... what exactly is it?”
“Using True Immortal flesh as fuel really does cause this to hide within the world.”
Having obtained the result he wanted, Li Fan waved his hand, and a golden net enveloped the black gas, carrying it far away from this place.
Not long after Li Fan left, a figure arrived, a little late to the scene.
Had Li Fan still been there, he would have recognized this person as the leader of the Dharma Transmitters, Dharma Transmitter Jiang.
Dharma Transmitter Jiang presided over the Return to Ruins Realm and rarely ventured out. He would only appear when the Xuanhuang Realm faced a world-ending catastrophe that ordinary Dharma Transmitters could not handle.
It was unclear why a minor disturbance caused by a falling world would warrant his appearance.
Dharma Transmitter Jiang arrived at the epicenter of the disturbance, looking thoughtfully at the void, which now bore no trace of what had happened.
He scanned his surroundings but found no clues, causing him to frown slightly.
After searching for a long time without success, Dharma Transmitter Jiang was about to leave when his gaze suddenly sharpened, and he looked back at the spot where the world had fallen.
A faint wisp of the black gas, which Li Fan had seemingly collected in its entirety, had now reappeared.
The moment he saw this black gas, Dharma Transmitter Jiang’s expression shook violently.
As if he had seen it before and was very familiar with it, Dharma Transmitter Jiang didn't hesitate for a moment. He opened his mouth wide and swallowed the black gas, along with the entire expanse of space around the impact point.
After swallowing the black gas, Dharma Transmitter Jiang's complexion visibly began to decay.
Black veins emerged on his body, like a tide of ink threatening to engulf him.
Despite this horrifying scene, Dharma Transmitter Jiang's eyes remained perfectly calm.
A ripple appeared from his chest. Under this ripple, Dharma Transmitter Jiang's body began to shimmer and waver, like the surface of still water that had been disturbed.
Amidst the rhythmic vibrations, Dharma Transmitter Jiang, along with the black gas and space he had swallowed, slowly faded.
Eventually, he disappeared completely.
And at that impact point, no more black gas emerged.
It was as if nothing had ever happened.
...
Li Fan, of course, had no idea that the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance “fly” had unknowingly solved a major problem for him.
If Dharma Transmitter Jiang hadn't cleaned up the black gas in time, it's very likely that by the time Li Fan realized what was happening, the gas would have already silently begun to corrode the Xuanhuang Realm.
Li Fan's Dao Integration plan for this life would likely have come to an abrupt and fruitless end.
At this moment, Li Fan was pondering the reasons for his failed experiment.
“The ascension of a world is fundamentally different from the ascension of a cultivator.”
“This is reflected not only in the process but also in the outcome.”
“When a cultivator returns to a normal state from a ‘high place,’ they might feel some slight physical discomfort at most. It’s nothing like the catastrophic fall of a world.”
“Perhaps it’s because the world itself absorbs a vast amount of energy during the ascension process.”
Recalling the scenes he had witnessed in the small world during its elevation, he mused to himself.
Having verified the initial results, Li Fan now faced a new dilemma.
After pushing the Xuanhuang Realm to ascend, there would be a period before it evolved its heaven and earth immortal soul for Li Fan to devour. During this time, he would have to find a way to anchor the Super Xuanhuang Realm's elevated state.
Otherwise, he might be shattered to pieces along with the Xuanhuang Realm before he could even achieve Dao Integration, forcing an embarrassing and premature return to his anchor point.
“Ascending upward only becomes stable upon reaching a certain node. That node should be the boundary between immortal and mortal.”
“I wonder if the arrangements I’ve made in this life will be enough. If not, what method can I use to temporarily anchor the Xuanhuang Realm?”
The Xuanhuang Realm’s ascension was no simple matter.
He had originally thought he could achieve his goal just by following the steps, but the gulf between mortal and immortal was as vast as the heavens. As the plan slowly unfolded, one problem after another began to surface.
Fortunately, Li Fan had enough resources to face and solve them one by one, so he felt no anxiety.
While Li Fan was contemplating these problems, the Xuanhuang Realm grew quiet for a short while.
Just as it had in its original historical trajectory.
But this rare moment of tranquility was soon shattered.
The cause was someone crossing the A Thousand Miles in a Moment Array, returning from the foot of the High Wall.
Sensing the disturbance, Li Fan temporarily put aside his thoughts.
The person who returned was none other than Bai Hua.
She looked disheveled. Her once clear, glazed body was now covered in countless marks. The light within her flickered unsteadily, as if it could go out at any moment.
“Saint Teacher...” Seeing Li Fan appear before her, Bai Hua let out a long sigh of relief.
“What happened? When I returned, the few of you were nowhere to be found. The Realm Fragment Great Wall was in turmoil, and the accumulated residual power of True Immortals was pouring down...” Li Fan asked with a grave expression.
As he questioned her, he didn't forget to send out a stream of Source Power Essence to heal Bai Hua.
The effect of the Source Power Essence was immediate.
Nourished by it, Bai Hua instantly regained her spirit. She first cupped her hands in thanks before saying with some anger, “That Master Yin, I don’t know what came over him. He ignored our warnings and charged straight toward a section of the Realm Fragment Great Wall.”
“It would have been one thing if he was just throwing his own life away, but shortly after, a strange change erupted instantly. We were caught off guard, struck by the residual power of the True Immortals, and separated from each other.”
Bai Hua suppressed her anger: “I was a bit luckier; I crashed directly into the Realm Fragment Great Wall. Although I suffered some minor injuries, I managed to survive.”
“Fellow Daoist Qiaogong, however, was probably not so fortunate.”
Bai Hua’s expression turned grim.
“I saw with my own eyes that he was drifting toward the High Wall.”
“From what I saw, his chances are slim...”
Li Fan listened to Bai Hua's account and fell silent in thought.
“And Xu Ke?” Li Fan asked. Xu Ke had always been blessed with immense luck, so he should have been able to turn the danger into safety.
“The situation was too chaotic at the time; I didn’t see him. However, on my way back, I did see the communication mark he left behind.”
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