Chapter 1336: Before the Ancient Inscription Dao
Chapter 1336: Before the Ancient Inscription Dao
These missing portions were all just tiny slivers. If not for the Dao Transformation Stone recording every detail and allowing for comparison, Li Fan would never have so easily discovered the anomaly hidden within the myriad Tian Beast's Eyes.
"Mo Rubin mentioned before that the differences in the scenery were distortions caused by the observations of different Tian Beast's Eyes..." Li Fan's gaze seemed to pierce through the countless bubbles, reaching straight to the truth behind the scenes.
"These gaps can, in fact, be seen as the blind spots of the Tian Beast's Eyes. In other words, an invisible entity has occupied a fixed position in their fields of vision. Observing from hundreds, even thousands of perspectives, is not enough to perceive its complete form. Only by stitching together the blind spots from all the Tian Beast's Eyes..."
As his thoughts surged, the tiny fragments began to slowly piece themselves together in his mind, eventually forming a winding, enigmatic, and utterly complex character!
To call it a character was not entirely accurate; before Li Fan's eyes, it even resembled a distorted human figure!
This humanoid character was formless and intangible, yet it fell within the observational range of the Tian Beast's Eyes. A single Tian Beast's Eye, let alone perceive its full form, could not even detect its existence. But it did, after all, occupy a space within their field of vision.
It was like a shadow cast from different angles.
Even if one could not perceive the object's original form by "seeing" it, by combining all the shadow patterns and performing a reverse deduction, it was possible to reconstruct this formless and intangible object!
Li Fan suppressed the shock thrumming within him, careful not to show any sign of abnormality in front of Mo Rubin.
This humanoid character was not a True Immortal Script.
But its essence was, perhaps, no different from that of a True Immortal Script.
The True Immortal Scripts for Chaos, Hunger, and Creation were all projections of the Dao, concrete manifestations of its power.
And this humanoid character before him was likewise the projection of a certain Dao.
"The moment a cultivator observes a True Immortal Script, the specific power it represents naturally emerges in their mind. Hunger, Chaos, Creation, and even that mysterious character representing the divide between immortals and mortals—they are all the same. The reason for this is that all True Immortal Scripts are the Inscription Immortal's engravings and annotations of the Dao."
"The Great Dao is inherently formless, yet the Inscription Immortal was able to give its essence concrete form as individual characters, making it countless times easier for the world to perceive and understand."
"But this humanoid character did not..."
Li Fan slowly contemplated the immense power contained within the character.
"Perhaps it was a naturally formed manifestation of a Dao's projected power. Or perhaps, it was another True Immortal's attempt at the [Inscription Dao]."
"But this one was clearly far inferior to the later Inscription Immortal!"
He could judge that this character appeared at a point in time before the Inscription Immortal because the Dao of a True Immortal tolerates no others. If the Inscription Immortal already existed, no other attempter of the [Inscription Dao] could have ever appeared in the world.
"The very instant they made the attempt, they would have surely been ruthlessly crushed by the terrifying power of a Nameless True Immortal."
The gap between this unknown attempter and the true Inscription Immortal was like that between two artists attempting to capture the world's mountains and rivers with a brush.
The Inscription Immortal's work was so vivid and lifelike that it made the viewer feel as if they were truly there.
The other attempter, however, was like a child scribbling. Their combination of abstract lines bore so little resemblance to the real thing that it was difficult to even figure out what the drawing was supposed to be.
Li Fan gazed at the distorted humanoid character for a long time, remaining silent.
Yet, he felt no disdain for this clumsy attempt at inscribing the Dao.
This was because the object the humanoid character attempted to inscribe was...
Having witnessed Creation, the transformation between immortal and mortal, and even the transformation between truth and falsehood, Li Fan's ability to discern and grade True Immortal Scripts was likely unmatched even by True Immortals themselves.
He faintly sensed that despite the clumsy method of inscription, the grade of the original Dao this distorted humanoid character sought to inscribe was not affected in the least.
"It is above Creation, perhaps on the same level as the transformation between immortal and mortal."
A sharp glint, imperceptible to others, flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
"The Tian Beast was formed from a jade pendant that the Xuantian King brought back from the Immortal World. After it was touched by water, it actually transformed into a living creature."
"Could it be because of the character hidden within this jade pendant?"
The method to discover this hidden humanoid character was both difficult and simple at the same time.
Even if the Xuantian King did not possess a Dao Transformation Stone, Li Fan refused to believe that someone with his semi-immortal strength would be unable to find this hidden secret.
By the same token, the Gloomy Sea of Darkness and the You Clan were all the Xuantian King's handiwork.
It stood to reason that he must have also noticed that character representing the divide between immortals and mortals.
"Perhaps the Xuantian King's breakthrough back then was aided by the power of these two characters," Li Fan mused to himself.
Because the inscription method for this humanoid character was simply too crude, Li Fan was unable to comprehend much from it for the time being. He could only commit it deeply to memory for now.
As for any trace of the Xuantian King...
Li Fan had already observed every single Tian Beast's Eye and, just as he expected, found no sign that the Xuantian King had ever been there.
But Li Fan said nothing. He continued to stand there quietly, but he had already begun to ponder a way to break the formation here.
The Floating Starry Sky Grand Formation was based on an ancient immortal array, improved upon by the Xuantian King.
Now that he knew about the [Spirit Gathering Immortal Ascension Array], it was not impossible to crack the Tian Beast's Eye array here with the help of the Final Dissociation Disc.
Especially since Mo Rubin had brought him directly inside the formation, all the operational details were laid bare before him.
In the silence, Li Fan's progress in cracking the formation surged.
Mo Rubin finished observing all the Tian Beast's Eyes, taking only twice as long as Li Fan.
An unconcealed look of disappointment flashed across his face.
"Not here either?" Li Fan asked at just the right moment.
Mo Rubin shook his head and sighed softly. "He didn't even come here to take refuge."
"The two places my deductions pointed to as Brother Xuanyuan's most likely hiding spots have both come up empty," Mo Rubin said, his expression grim.
"Shall we set off for the next location, then?"
But Mo Rubin rejected Li Fan's suggestion.
"The Tian Beast's Eyes look outward to the Star Sea and inward to the Xuanhuang Realm."
"Now that we are here, how could we not make use of them?"
Mo Rubin stared at the thousands of constantly shifting Tian Beast's Eyes before him and spoke softly.
"Didn't you say the Xuantian King never passed down the method to control them? You can still command the power of the Tian Beast's Eyes?" Li Fan asked in surprise.
Mo Rubin's tone was proud. "They are, after all, part of the Floating Starry Sky Grand Formation. As the saying goes, all variations stem from the same principle. Give me a little time, and it won't be difficult to command a portion of their power."
Li Fan couldn't help but praise him. "Daoist Brother, you are truly a great talent. How long will it take?"
"It can certainly be done within three to five months," Mo Rubin declared in a low voice.
Hearing this, Li Fan nodded slightly. After a moment of thought, he suggested, "It would be a waste of time for me to wait here. Why don't I return to the Xuanhuang Realm and conduct a more thorough search? Perhaps I can uncover some other clues."
Mo Rubin studied Li Fan for a moment before finally agreeing. "Very well."
Tossing out a jade talisman, Mo Rubin said, "Take this. I will notify you immediately if I find anything."
Li Fan put the talisman away and cupped his hands. "Then I'll ask Daoist Brother to send me out of this Tian Beast's Eye formation first."
Mo Rubin nodded, formed a hand seal, and pointed. Li Fan's vision blurred, and he suddenly found himself inside another miniature bubble.
The bubble continuously shrank, gradually becoming a thin film that enveloped his body.
Finally, the film tore apart, and a moment later, Li Fan was back in the Xuanhuang Realm, within Nine Mountains Prefecture.
"Coming here in the future won't be so troublesome. You can transfer directly through the Tian Beast's body."
"Though the Tian Beast is dead, its skeletal frame remains."
Mo Rubin's voice echoed in Li Fan's ears before slowly fading away.
Li Fan looked up, his gaze seeming to pierce through space and time to reach the Tian Beast's Eyes beyond the void.
After a thorough check to confirm that Mo Rubin had left no marks or hidden tricks on him, Li Fan's eyes narrowed, and he scoffed inwardly. "He agreed so readily."
"He probably couldn't wait to get me out of the way."
Li Fan had a faint feeling that inside the Tian Beast's Eye formation, Mo Rubin had been holding back, keeping some of his abilities hidden. That was why he decided to go with the flow and suggest leaving for the time being.
In any case, with the help of the Final Dissociation Disc, he would likely crack the Tian Beast's array even before Mo Rubin could.
"It would be for the best if he can find the Xuantian King's whereabouts."
"But if he can't, I'll still have him contribute to the Xuanhuang Realm's ascension."
A Dharma King of the Xuantian Sect was far more useful than the likes of Yin Shangren or Xu Ke. He certainly couldn't be wasted.
With that thought, Li Fan activated the phantom of the Wooden Sword and returned to the Great Xuan's small world in the next instant.
The moment he returned to the Xuanhuang Realm, he sensed that Yin Shangren, who had gone missing in the storm of echoing star power, had returned safely.
However, as the main culprit behind the turmoil, Bai Hua's feelings toward him had shifted from friendly to hostile.
The two were in a standoff above the Lecture Stage.
Bai Hua wore a solemn expression, looking as if she was demanding an explanation from Yin Shangren.
Yin Shangren, however, kept his eyes closed, offering no explanation but also radiating no hostility.
As Li Fan looked at Yin Shangren, a strange feeling rose in his heart.
He had interacted with Yin Shangren across so many lifetimes, spending a cumulative total of over a century with him; Li Fan understood him better than anyone else in the world.
He easily noticed the wondrous change that had occurred in Yin Shangren.
Yin Shangren was a World Ghost, the residue that the Xuanhuang Realm could not absorb while devouring and fusing with other destroyed cultivation worlds.
Because of this, being near Yin Shangren was often accompanied by an aura of strangeness and deathly stillness.
But now...
This composite body of a World Ghost was actually emanating faint wisps of a unique life force!
Even Li Fan couldn't help but be astonished.
He immediately appeared before Yin Shangren.
"Congratulations, Daoist Friend. It seems you've found a blessing in disguise!" Li Fan said softly after studying him for a moment.
Only then did Yin Shangren slowly open his eyes. "Without the Saint Teacher's help, I might never have reached the edge of the Star Sea, let alone obtained such a fortune!"
Yin Shangren thanked him with genuine sincerity.
And the moment Li Fan saw his eyes, he understood why Yin Shangren had been unwilling to open them while facing Bai Hua.
His two eyes were black and white.
The black one radiated a vigorous life force, while the white one emanated an endless aura of death.
The instant he met the gaze of those black and white eyes, Li Fan felt as if he had been pulled into a boundless illusion.
Countless lives were born, only to be destroyed in all manner of calamities.
Life and death cycled and evolved at a terrifying speed.
Li Fan even noticed that his [Psychological Age], which had never before been affected by illusions, began to tick up rapidly the moment he fell into the black-and-white vortex.
If this was the effect on Li Fan, Bai Hua's condition was even worse.
She was not even looking directly, merely glancing from the side. Yet her glazed body, which had seemed as indestructible as golden light, flickered like a candle in the wind, on the verge of collapse!
Fortunately, Yin Shangren also noticed the changes in Li Fan and Bai Hua, and he himself had no intention of harming them.
Slowly, and with some difficulty, he closed his black and white eyes.
The storm of life-and-death illusions gradually subsided, and only then did Li Fan and Bai Hua return to normal.
"You..." Bai Hua pointed at Yin Shangren, an expression of utter astonishment on her face, unable to hide her terror.
She found it hard to believe. Not long ago, this person's strength had been on par with her own. But in just a few short days, he had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.
Li Fan asked with great interest, "What's the story behind this life force on you? At the foot of the High Wall, that continuous Great Wall should be made of nothing but destroyed worlds. How could it hide such immense vitality?"
Yin Shangren paused before slowly explaining, "It was precisely because I discovered the life force within those realm fragments that I acted without regard for the consequences. In truth, I was already dominated by instinct at that time and briefly lost control of my actions."
Hearing this, Li Fan couldn't help but frown.
"Even now that I've absorbed the life force from the realm fragments, I'm still unclear about its source. However, I can show the Saint Teacher where this life force is..." Yin Shangren said, word by word.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan nodded. "The Great Xuan's small world is still too fragile."
The phantom of the Wooden Sword unsheathed itself, carrying Yin Shangren and Bai Hua into the void of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Catalyzed by the endless life force, his half-successful [Foundation Establishment Through Oneself] actually showed signs of mending.
The True Self Dao foundation within his body slowly began to merge with his own being.
This caused Yin Shangren's signature double-echoing voice to disappear.
With a solemn expression, Yin Shangren turned his head, averting his gaze from Li Fan and Bai Hua.
He opened his black and white eyes once more.
Then, he raised his left hand and plunged two fingers into his eye sockets.
With a slight pull, he gouged out both of his eyeballs!
No blood gushed forth, only two small spheres, one black and one white, spinning ceaselessly in the void!
After leaving Yin Shangren's body, the black and white spheres gradually drew closer to each other.
However, Yin Shangren's hand remained between them, preventing them from attracting and fusing.
"The source of the life force is these two black and white spheres?" Bai Hua couldn't help but ask upon seeing this bizarre scene.
"Not just the life force. It is also the source of the deathly aura." With the spheres out of his body, Yin Shangren's speech seemed to become somewhat difficult for some reason.
The black and white spheres continuously radiated their unique energies into the surroundings.
But because they were attracting and constraining each other, their energy did not suddenly diffuse into the void.
Instead, they formed a Taiji-like vortex, achieving a strange equilibrium.
Li Fan gazed at the black and white spheres, faintly sensing a familiar aura from them.
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