Chapter 1363: An Immortal Array to Trap the Heavenly Doctor
Chapter 1363: An Immortal Array to Trap the Heavenly Doctor
His thoughts coalesced as Li Fan tightly gripped the bronze coin from the Beilin Immortal Realm, trying to decipher its purpose.
"It can't just be simple currency, can it?"
Li Fan had a nagging feeling that the immortal coin concealed other secrets.
He first tried to infuse and activate it with Source Power Essence.
However, Source Power Essence was merely the energy form from the lower realm that most closely resembled immortal spiritual power; it was by no means its equal.
When faced with a true creation of the Immortal Realm like the Beilin coin, it naturally proved ineffective.
A tide of Source Power Essence surged forth, only to crash against the coin's surface, unable to penetrate it.
Li Fan withdrew the Source Power Essence and, after a moment of contemplation, moved to the void outside the Xuanhuang Realm.
As expected, what he saw was different from his usual view.
As he continuously elevated his own "presence," the speed at which the scenes on one side of the coin flickered grew slower, while the panorama visible at any given moment expanded.
And...
Above the canopy of the panoramic view of the Beilin Immortal Realm, a hazy shadow faintly appeared!
Its features were indistinct, but with a single glance, the spiritual energy within Li Fan began to boil uncontrollably.
In an instant, he could no longer maintain his elevated state and plummeted back to his mortal level.
Yet, the churning of the spiritual energy inside him did not stop.
Li Fan's brow furrowed slightly. He wanted to use greater power to forcefully suppress this strange turmoil.
But this decision was like adding fuel to the fire.
It was as if he had been set ablaze by an unknown flame that burned relentlessly until his entire body and all his spiritual energy were incinerated.
Only then did it end.
A short while later, with a ripple of inexplicable energy, Li Fan's body manifested once more in the void.
Within a few breaths, his physical and spiritual energy were fully replenished.
"It wasn't just my spiritual energy and physical body; even my soul was nearly affected."
"Thankfully, I was decisive enough to sever the connection between my soul and body in time."
Li Fan examined the state of his new body, his expression grave.
"Just from a single glimpse of that figure..."
"Is this the punishment for a mortal being who dares to gaze upon the face of a True Immortal?"
"If not for my extraordinary survival abilities, any other Dao Integration cultivator in the Xuanhuang Realm would have likely perished under such a penalty."
"That figure is certainly no ordinary True Immortal. The Nameless Realm..." Li Fan mused thoughtfully.
For the time being, he sealed the Beilin coin away. Li Fan didn't rush to fuse the Immortal Realm fragment.
Instead, after suppressing it within the Great Qi small world, his true self leisurely made his way toward the Mysterious Immortal Boat.
At the same time, he made sure to halt the preparations for the Jun Tian Ritual to avoid arousing the suspicions of the Mysterious Immortal Boat.
Along the way, Li Fan sensed the changes that had been occurring in his body recently.
Even though the changes were minuscule, Li Fan's control over himself had long reached a state of perfect clarity, so he naturally perceived them distinctly.
He touched his face. "I'm actually starting to transform into the likeness of that Thousand-Eyed Desolate God... Is this the price for wielding its power?"
"And I haven't even participated directly, merely been influenced by the previous Jun Tian Ritual."
A flicker of interest crossed his face before vanishing. Committed to the performance, Li Fan first returned to the original location of the Mysterious Immortal Boat.
Finding no trace of it, he feigned a dazed stupor for a moment.
Only then did he use the mutual connection from the Jun Tian Ritual to locate the boat's new hiding place.
The portal to the immortal boat was shut tight, and surprisingly, no elder came out to greet him.
An anxious look on his face, Li Fan unleashed his aura as a signal. After waiting a while longer with no response, he prepared to force his way in.
Just then, Zhong Daogong's somewhat feeble voice finally came through. "Don't worry, we're alright."
"It's just... not convenient for us to meet right now."
Li Fan first breathed a sigh of relief, but upon hearing Zhong Daogong's words, his expression turned indignant. "After the Jun Tian Ritual, our fates are intertwined. Do you still not trust me?"
Zhong Daogong sighed and explained, "Not at all, not at all. Is it possible that you haven't noticed the changes in your own body?"
Li Fan looked stunned. After inspecting himself, his body trembled violently. "What in the world happened?"
Only then did Zhong Daogong slowly recount the full story of their strange encounter with the immortal puppet.
Li Fan's expression shifted constantly as he looked like he wanted to speak but held back.
"Fortunately, that puppet was also heavily injured. In the final moments, it only managed to snatch the last chess piece and an immortal coin, without causing greater damage to the boat. Otherwise, I truly would have been irredeemably at fault."
"The main thing is, we underestimated the power that immortal puppet could unleash. We never imagined that something capable of contending with a Desolate God still existed in the Star Sea today," Zhong Daogong said with a light cough.
After a long silence, Li Fan finally spoke. "Even if I had been here, I'm afraid I would have fallen for the trap. After all, it was an immortal puppet, immune to True Immortal Scripts and made of genuine True Immortal flesh..."
"Could it be that the Star Sea hides a civilization that completely surpasses both the Immortal Boat and Great Qi?" Li Fan asked, feigning shock.
"I'm afraid that's the truth," Zhong Daogong said, then changed the subject. "Now that this civilization has collected all the chess pieces, they will likely focus all their energy on recreating the immortal realms of the past. They shouldn't bother us again for a while."
"They didn't leave any tracking methods? To lose such a supreme treasure just like that... it's hard to accept."
"Even if we can't defeat them, we should at least track them down to probe their strength and cause a scene. At the very least, let them know that the Mysterious Immortal Boat is not to be trifled with," Li Fan snorted.
Zhong Daogong didn't refute him, saying with his usual composure, "We were simply outmatched. The Mysterious Immortal Boat has always prioritized survival over contests of pride. Besides, none of us has yet been able to comprehend that world-shocking escape art of yours."
Li Fan was left speechless.
"This Thousand-Eyed Desolate God is one of our final trump cards. Although it can unleash immortal-level power, it requires lengthy preparations. And afterward, we have to face the backlash from the Desolate God..."
"The reason we can't meet with you for now is that, as part of the Jun Tian Ritual, you were not affected by the Thousand-Eyed Desolate God. You act like an anchor, slowing down our gradual transformation," Zhong Daogong explained briefly.
"You remaining outside is actually beneficial for our recovery."
Li Fan nodded, accepting this explanation.
"Do you need any help? I recall a Dao Venerable in Great Qi who once researched the topic of transformations caused by the influence of True Immortal power..."
Zhong Daogong paused, seeming to hesitate for a moment.
In the end, he rejected Li Fan's kind offer. "Don't worry. After all these years of dealing with the power of True Immortal Scripts, we are quite experienced."
Li Fan sounded a bit regretful. "Alright. I was only concerned for the boat's safety, which is why I took a great risk to come here. I am, after all, in the middle of secretly performing the ritual..."
"The ritual currently covers three hundred million people. If everything goes smoothly, that number could increase three to five times over," Li Fan reported on his progress.
A hint of joy finally entered Zhong Daogong's tone. "That's good. This will surely minimize the backlash from the Star Sea."
"This was just a minor incident, it won't have a major impact. We must prioritize the bigger picture; there can be no mistakes with the ritual. You should return as soon as possible!"
With these words, he had clearly issued an order for Li Fan to leave.
So they've finally grown suspicious of me, Li Fan thought. They're in an extremely weakened state and don't dare let me inside.
But because they still need me to find sacrifices for the Jun Tian Ritual, they haven't openly turned against me.
Li Fan understood the situation perfectly and was about to cup his hands in farewell.
Boom!
A strange, powerful shockwave, like a colossal tsunami, shot out from the distant High Wall and arrived in an instant.
It swept past with such incredible speed that, coupled with his need to hide his true strength in front of the immortal boat's crew, Li Fan could only pretend he hadn't reacted in time.
He was caught by the impact and dragged for several thousand kilometers through the Star Sea before he could barely stabilize himself.
As for the Mysterious Immortal Boat, which had been in a state of concealment, it was violently knocked out of its hidden state by the bizarre and powerful shockwave.
It tossed about like a lone skiff in a tempestuous sea, swaying endlessly.
"What happened?"
Li Fan returned to the vicinity of the immortal boat, looking somewhat disheveled. He gazed toward the High Wall, the source of the shockwave, and asked, his voice filled with alarm and uncertainty.
The crew of the Mysterious Immortal Boat was also utterly baffled.
"According to our records, a phenomenon like this has only occurred three times..."
"We have no idea where it came from."
"What a pity. If we weren't in a state of recovery from severe injuries, we would have to trace it to its source no matter what."
Stirred by the anomaly, the other elders of the immortal boat emerged, one by one. All of them appeared weak and drained of energy.
Li Fan sensed the receding wave and noticed that its power diminished drastically as it traveled through the Star Sea. It seemed as though the residual True Immortal power scattered throughout the cosmos acted as an impediment to its path.
"I'll go take a look!" Li Fan declared, cupping his hands toward the immortal boat.
"Don't worry, if I can't find the source, I'll return immediately!"
Without waiting for a response, Li Fan summoned the phantom of his wooden sword and sped off in the direction the disturbance had come from.
He swiftly crossed the Realm Fragment Great Wall, following the residual energy fluctuations in the Star Sea, and soon approached the source.
But his expression couldn't help but turn grave.
Because he had just discovered that this terrifying disturbance seemed to be coming directly from the flaw in the High Wall!
This discovery made Li Fan's heart skip a beat.
He couldn't help but accelerate.
A few breaths later, when Li Fan arrived at the flaw in the High Wall, he found Mo Rubin, who should have been comprehending its secrets, now unconscious with only half of his head remaining.
The wooden sword and the enlightenment phantom he had left behind were still present, seemingly unaffected by the recent wave.
"No wonder I didn't notice..."
"What happened here? Can the High Wall retaliate and injure people? Could it be that Mo Rubin truly comprehended something?"
Li Fan's thoughts raced. After a quick examination, he found that Mo Rubin was only severely injured and had not perished. This brought him some relief.
He was about to inspect the flaw in the High Wall again when his expression suddenly changed.
He had faintly sensed a familiar aura rapidly approaching!
"The Heavenly Doctor?!"
"Did he also sense that disturbance and come here?"
Li Fan pondered for a moment before quickly making a decision.
There was no need for a direct confrontation with the Heavenly Doctor just yet. If he discovered Li Fan's secret plan to sublimate the Xuanhuang Realm, it would undoubtedly add complications.
The phantom wooden sword flickered, swiftly carrying Mo Rubin's half-head away from the scene.
"Strange. The Mysterious Immortal Boat mentioned observing this kind of inexplicable wave several times before."
"If this wave was caused by Mo Rubin comprehending the flaw in the High Wall, doesn't that mean someone else has done this before?"
Connecting this to the swift arrival of the Heavenly Doctor, Li Fan began to understand.
"The Heavenly Doctor has long since discovered the flaw in the High Wall?"
"And he's even studied it more than once, gaining insights?"
"He truly is not to be underestimated. Even with an immortal array at my command, this is still true," Li Fan thought, deeply shaken.
He flew past the Realm Fragment Great Wall and found a desolate, empty stretch of the Star Sea.
Only then did Li Fan begin to heal Mo Rubin's injuries.
With a massive infusion of spiritual and soul power, Mo Rubin gradually awakened from his comatose state.
The flesh and blood of his body also began to slowly regenerate.
"Ugh..."
Mo Rubin's eyes fluttered open in confusion. Seeing Li Fan's concerned face, he stared blankly for a moment.
Then he snapped his head around, looking from side to side.
"Huh? Wasn't I at the foot of the High Wall?"
"You were gravely injured. It's a good thing I found you in time," Li Fan explained simply.
This seemed to trigger a missing piece of Mo Rubin's memory, and his body jolted as if electrocuted.
"What exactly happened? You were in a terrible state just now. What could have injured you so badly..." Li Fan stared intently at Mo Rubin.
Mo Rubin opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"While you were unconscious, a strange wave swept across the Star Sea."
"And there are records of three identical waves occurring before..."
"Do you know what this means?"
Li Fan's words made an expression of utter disbelief appear on Mo Rubin's face.
After pondering for a long time, he finally spoke slowly. "Actually... I'm not entirely sure myself."
"I only remember that I was comprehending the secrets of the High Wall when I suddenly seemed to understand something."
"I can't describe what I perceived."
"I just felt that in that instant, it was like a fish leaping from the sea, a bird breaking through the blue sky. I felt as if I had witnessed a completely different landscape than ever before..."
Mo Rubin's tone was somewhat dazed as he frowned, trying to recall the feeling.
"And then, I lost consciousness and passed out."
Li Fan couldn't help but ask, "You couldn't even put up the slightest resistance?"
Mo Rubin shook his head.
That bizarre wave decays rapidly as it travels through the Star Sea. Even at the distance where I encountered it near the immortal boat, its power was terrifying. One can only imagine the earth-shattering force at its point of origin by the High Wall. If what Mo Rubin says is true, could it be a self-defense mechanism triggered by his enlightenment? Li Fan mused internally.
At this point, Mo Rubin also realized something. "You brought me away... does that mean someone went to investigate the flaw in the High Wall?"
"Correct. And this person is very strong. Stronger than you or I, I'm afraid," Li Fan said, his tone heavy.
Mo Rubin's expression shifted continuously.
"No, I have to return to the flaw immediately. I have a premonition that my previous insight is fading like the tide. If I can't use the aura of the High Wall to retain it, all my previous efforts will be wasted!" he declared with grim determination.
With that, he paid no mind to Li Fan's reaction and shot directly toward his destination.
To do so knowing a powerful, unknown enemy lay ahead was completely contrary to Mo Rubin's usual cautious nature. It just went to show how immensely alluring the secrets of the High Wall were to a cultivator.
It had even reached the point where it could influence one's state of mind.
Li Fan considered for a moment, then decided to follow.
The phantom wooden sword enveloped them both as Source Power Essence formed an immortal array to conceal their auras.
"Actually, returning now is a good opportunity. After checking and finding no one, our opponent will likely try to track us for a while. They'll never expect us to double back..."
As he spoke, the two had already returned to the flaw in the High Wall.
As expected, the Heavenly Doctor was nowhere to be seen.
Mo Rubin was about to step forward when Li Fan's arm shot out to stop him.
After careful observation, they discovered a web of threads clinging to the void ahead.
They were stuck to the invisible High Wall, heavily obscuring the location of the flaw.
The sight made both Li Fan and Mo Rubin draw a sharp breath.
"This..."
Both of them had personally experienced the transcendent nature of the High Wall. Mo Rubin, in particular, had spent month after month comprehending the Dao beneath it. He knew full well that with his strength, just remaining at its base for an extended period was an extremely difficult feat, let alone leaving his own energy or traces upon it.
"To think such a figure has emerged in the Star Sea?"
After his initial shock, Li Fan quickly composed himself. "It's only a temporary measure. Those golden threads are already fading on their own."
"We just need to wait a little."
Mo Rubin's voice was grim. "The problem is, we can't wait."
"The one who set this up must have had a similar experience with enlightenment. They know they only need to delay me for this short period..."
"And..."
Mo Rubin glanced around. "I'm afraid that person hasn't gone far and is waiting nearby for us to take the bait."
Despite his words, Mo Rubin was already moving involuntarily toward the gold-threaded flaw in the High Wall.
The aura he could no longer suppress indicated that his reason was slowly being overwhelmed by desire.
His brows knitted in thought for a long while before Li Fan finally let out a long sigh. "Very well. I'll risk my life to accompany a gentleman, then."
"I'll hold them off!"
"You need to be quick. I may not be able to delay them for long!"
Before his words had faded, strands of fine gold thread flew out from Li Fan's body.
They wove themselves into an exquisitely beautiful and profound pattern in the void.
"Let's see how the Heavenly Doctor fares against my [Bewildering, Myriad Beings of Xuanhuang] Grand Array!"
Li Fan snorted coldly in his mind.
Although he didn't want a premature conflict with the Heavenly Doctor, he was by no means afraid of him.
Especially with the dual advantages of his escape art and the immortal array, Li Fan was confident he could suppress the Heavenly Doctor for a short time!
Having received Li Fan's promise, Mo Rubin no longer held back.
"Demonic Heart, Immortal Intent!"
he uttered a low cry.
In an instant, thousands of faces, like a vast storm cloud before a downpour, surged from within Mo Rubin's body.
They all wore different expressions.
Like moths to a flame, they rushed toward the golden threads left by the Heavenly Doctor.
Under the cover of the myriad demonic souls, Mo Rubin's true body stealthily approached the High Wall.
Buzz...
A sound like a vibrating zither string suddenly echoed through the Star Sea.
Before the army of demonic souls could even get close to the Heavenly Doctor's golden threads, a great number of them melted away like snow and ice under a direct sun.
But they didn't vanish completely, leaving behind only hazy figures. Upon closer inspection, a fine golden thread could be seen inside each of these figures.
The threads linked the demonic souls together, and in an instant, they turned against their master.
They clashed with the demonic souls still under Mo Rubin's control.
"A mere mortal trick dares to compete with an immortal art?"
Mo Rubin shouted lowly.
His eyes instantly plunged into a strange, silent darkness.
Under his gaze, an invisible mirror quietly appeared on the battlefield.
It reflected all the demonic souls controlled by the Heavenly Doctor's golden threads.
The mirror's surface erupted with black light, turning from illusory to solid.
Then, the demonic souls within the mirror all took on Mo Rubin's own face!
Even with the golden threads still controlling them from within, they were forcefully possessed by Mo Rubin!
And so, relying on the cover of his immortal demonic souls, Mo Rubin successfully broke through the Heavenly Doctor's outer defenses.
The flaw in the High Wall was within reach, but Mo Rubin suddenly found he couldn't move.
Transparent needles had pierced his body at some unknown point. At first, there was only one.
Then one became two, and two became four.
As if they had a will of their own, they instinctively multiplied, soon filling every acupoint on Mo Rubin's body.
The slightly ferocious expression on Mo Rubin's face also seemed to freeze over.
Li Fan, who had been setting up his array while observing, witnessed this and was considering whether to intervene.
But he found he had once again underestimated this former Dharma King of the ancient Xuantian Sect.
The moment he was immobilized, a trace of blackness silently tainted every invisible needle. It spread upward like a creeping swamp.
If one were to look closely, they would see that the blackness was the manifestation of Mo Rubin's demonic souls! But unlike the ones he had released earlier, these were far more irrational.
Their eyes held only crazed destruction as they gnawed relentlessly at the sealing needles.
When one of the needles was devoured by a demonic soul, it was thus pulled from his body.
It then flew toward the other needles, aiding in their corrosion.
Consequently, the sealing needles began to disintegrate at an ever-increasing pace.
After just a few breaths, Mo Rubin had broken free of them all.
"The Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Devil Heart Immortal Art, truly worthy of being an Immortal Realm technique personally chosen for Mo Rubin by the Xuantian King. It is indeed extraordinary!" Li Fan, having watched Mo Rubin's charge from start to finish, couldn't help but praise him silently.
Having repelled the sealing needles, all that stood before Mo Rubin was the Heavenly Doctor's final line of defense.
Meanwhile, Li Fan, who had successfully laid his array, could already sense the Heavenly Doctor's aura not far away.
"Even if you are the strongest in the Star Sea, you will still have to take a walk through my [Myriad Beings of Xuanhuang] Array!"
A fierce light erupted in Li Fan's eyes.
Gazing at the distant, white-haired figure, Li Fan seemed to recall the first time he had laid eyes on this peerless expert from the Tianfa Realm.
Source Power Essence was drawn out continuously as the Final Dissociation Disc spun at its absolute limit.
Everything he had gathered about the Tianfa Realm over a hundred reincarnations flashed through his mind in an instant.
"Let me give you a taste of the beautiful world I've tailor-made just for you!"
"Array, activate!"
Li Fan roared.
An invisible wave instantly enveloped the flying Heavenly Doctor.
A trace of astonishment flashed across his face.
Then, the Heavenly Doctor's vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
When he awoke again, he was dazed for a moment.
Then, an utterly innocent voice roused him.
"Venerable One! Venerable One!"
The Heavenly Doctor looked toward the source of the voice.
It was an adorable young girl. She looked no older than ten, yet she already had a Nascent Soul cultivation.
"Su Xiaomei."
Information about the girl instantly appeared in the Heavenly Doctor's mind.
"Two worlds have merged, their respective Heavenly Daos attached to mother and daughter."
"Extraordinarily gifted, born free from the affliction of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma—a perfect constitution that countless beings dream of."
"Immortal-Mortal Miasma?"
Suddenly, the Heavenly Doctor felt a sense of dissonance.
However, after a brief moment of dizziness, he remembered what had happened over the last ten thousand years.
In the final, decisive battle between the Tianfa Realm and the Xuanhuang Realm, it was the Tianfa Realm that had narrowly emerged victorious.
The Tianfa Realm successfully devoured the Xuanhuang Realm, gaining the resources of an entire cultivation world and temporarily distancing itself from the Immortal Ruins.
But the price had been steep.
Of all the Venerables of the Tianfa Realm, he was the only survivor; Tian Jue, Tian Yin, Tian Yu, and all the others had fallen in battle.
In their final moment of desperation, the cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm had sacrificed their own world to launch a fatal blow.
The Immortal-Mortal Miasma, the Law cannot be cultivated together, and other fundamental laws of heaven and earth were silently implanted into the Xuanhuang Realm like a poison.
Even the most fundamental principles of cultivation had been subtly altered.
Because of his severe injuries, he had fallen into a coma and failed to notice in time.
By the time he awoke from his slumber, the Tianfa Realm had undergone a cataclysmic transformation.
Because of the law that forbade mutual cultivation, cultivators turned on each other.
The Tianfa Realm, already ravaged by war, nearly had its lineage severed entirely.
Fortunately, after a period of slaughter, the surviving cultivators had enough techniques to practice.
The killing stopped, but the cultivators had lost all trust in one another.
They lived in isolation, filled with vigilance, upon a wasteland.
During this time, other surviving cultivators from the Star Sea discovered the remnants of the Tianfa Realm.
Their own homes had been destroyed in the great calamity of the Star Sea, so they came here to settle down.
Over ten thousand years, the entire Star Sea remained in flux.
The gravitational pull of the Immortal Ruins constantly devoured everything in the Star Sea.
The Tianfa Realm, which had narrowly escaped back then, now stood as the last paradise in the Star Sea, but it had inevitably drifted to the edge of the Immortal Ruins.
It teetered on the brink, in constant danger of complete annihilation.
When the Heavenly Doctor awoke, this was the scene that greeted him.
Though profoundly shaken, he immediately took remedial action.
Through various means, he finally convinced the few Longevity-realm experts on the lands of the Tianfa Realm to form a temporary alliance.
It was a loose confederation at best.
They gathered the cultivators of the Tianfa Realm and supported the cultivation of mortals.
The Tianfa Realm slowly regained its vitality, but the Longevity-realm experts all had their own schemes.
Faced with the Tianfa Realm, a colossal ship about to sink, they had all begun to plan their own escapes.
And it was this Tianfa Realm that the Heavenly Doctor had to save.
(End of Chapter)
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