Chapter 1381: The Hunt for Ink Death
From the soul search, he learned that the man before him was named Qin Zhuang.
He was originally the strongest being in the Changyang Small World, a part of the greater Xuanhuang Realm.
The Changyang Small World itself had no spiritual energy, only a peculiar great sun that hung in the sky, illuminating the world. Daylight occupied three-quarters of each day and was constantly lengthening, as if threatening to scorch and consume all life.
Qin Zhuang, starting as a mere mortal, continuously absorbed the energy of the great sun, unlocking his own potential. In ninety-nine years, he completely integrated that sun into his own body.
From then on, Changyang had no sun, and the world was plunged into eternal night.
Just as Qin Zhuang resolved to leave his small world, a mysterious figure appeared before him. The divine power that Qin Zhuang believed could shatter the heavens and the earth was no match for this stranger; he was defeated in just a few moves. Defeated and disgraced, Qin Zhuang was then told the truth about the Xuanhuang Realm, about mortals, and about the small worlds. The figure invited him to join an allied army to conquer the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
Captivated by the stranger's presence and strength, Qin Zhuang readily agreed.
What followed was a period of spectacular, earth-shaking war.
In this war of the small worlds' counterattack, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance did not have the easy, crushing victory that their records claimed.
In the end, it was a Transmitter who sought help from the Dharma Spreading Heavenly Venerate. Myriad golden threads descended from the starry sky like rain, and only then was the allied army utterly vanquished.
With their defeat, the allied forces scattered and fled. As one of the leaders, Qin Zhuang was captured and eternally suppressed in the deepest recesses of the Gloomy Prison.
...
Li Fan carefully savored the memories of the man before him.
On the surface, there were no flaws; they were all imprints from the deepest parts of the soul. Yet, Li Fan instinctively felt that something was amiss.
It wasn't that the memories were fabricated. In fact, the eternally dark Changyang World did indeed exist today; Li Fan had even visited it himself.
"It's the dissonance between this body and these memories. It's as if someone has possessed it, a cuckoo in the magpie's nest!" Having done similar things many times before, Li Fan instantly sensed the peculiarity of the situation.
Though it was only a faint intuition, Li Fan trusted his judgment.
"Since a soul search is useless, I'll have to find another way."
With that thought, Li Fan casually tossed the exhausted "Qin Zhuang," who was weakened from the ordeal of the soul search, to the ground.
Qin Zhuang appeared to be on the verge of death, but a moment later, he suddenly transformed into a streak of golden light and shot away, trying to flee the Xuanhuang Realm. This time, his speed was several times faster than before. A faint bloody tinge colored the golden light, a clear sign that Qin Zhuang was risking everything.
However, the outcome was no different.
With a flicker of the Wooden Sword's phantom, Li Fan plucked him from the air and slammed him back onto the ground.
"Senior, spare me! Senior, spare me..."
A look of utter terror finally appeared on Qin Zhuang's face as he begged repeatedly for his life.
"Situ Yao of the Heavenly Sword Sect. What is he to you?" Li Fan asked abruptly, getting straight to the point.
"Hmm? Junior doesn't understand what you're talking about..." Qin Zhuang replied cautiously, his face a mask of confusion.
But the fleeting change in his expression the moment he heard the name—how could that possibly escape Li Fan's notice?
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Li Fan wasted no more words and placed a finger on Qin Zhuang's forehead.
A disorienting illusion array enveloped Qin Zhuang.
Li Fan attempted to use the illusion to manifest a world that would reveal Qin Zhuang's true past.
But the technique that had worked on the Heavenly Doctor failed this time!
Within the illusion, Qin Zhuang's behavior perfectly matched the logic and actions of the strongest expert from the Changyang World. The illusion shifted through dozens of possibilities, yet the result remained unchanged.
It was enough to make Li Fan begin to doubt his own judgment.
As Qin Zhuang slowly regained his senses, the fear in his eyes when he looked at Li Fan was even more profound.
He looked as if he wanted to say something, but held himself back.
Yet it was this very fear that dispelled Li Fan's doubts. He became certain that the man was hiding a great secret.
Li Fan saw it clearly: Qin Zhuang's terror stemmed from the worry of his secret being exposed.
If he were truly just Qin Zhuang from the small world, the fear he would show after having his entire life laid bare would be completely different from what he was displaying now.
"It seems there's some kind of restriction or secret art from beyond the High Wall. Ordinary methods can't probe the secrets hidden deep within his soul."
Li Fan understood now. He looked at Qin Zhuang with deep meaning and said, "No matter. Let's see how long you can hold out."
When it came to prying a secret from someone's lips, Li Fan had more than enough experience.
He split off a Fabricated Personality specifically for interrogation. Then, he suppressed Qin Zhuang within his own body to give him some... special attention.
"It may not be that he doesn't want to talk, but that he's physically incapable of it. Regardless, I'll let him stew for a while," Li Fan thought, his eyes narrowing as he watched Qin Zhuang, already trapped in a living hell, screaming in agony. His expression remained cold and unmoved.
"Beyond the High Wall..." After a moment, he looked up at the sky, beyond the Xuanhuang Realm, and fell into deep thought.
From the various clues he had gathered, a group of refugees had fled the Xuanhuang Realm on the day the Great Calamity descended. It was even possible that they had successfully crossed the High Wall and escaped to the world beyond the Darkest Star Sea.
"The Heavenly Sword Sect and the other nine great immortal sects, the beast race from Nanming Sacred Mountain, the Shang Immortal Boat."
"And those are only the ones I know of. The Star Sea is vast, with countless cultivation worlds. Besides these, there must have been other lucky survivors."
"But as for those who have gone and returned, Qin Zhuang seems to be the only one."
Naturally, Li Fan wasn't about to let him go easily.
The actions of the Xuanxian Boat the moment it broke through the High Wall had filled Li Fan with a profound sense of unease. He had become more wary of what lay beyond than ever before.
"But most fear stems from the unknown. If I can just gather some intelligence..."
"We'll see how much Qin Zhuang can endure."
Setting the matter aside for the time being, Li Fan began the final preparations for the Xuanhuang Realm's ascension.
First on the list was a drill: hunting Ink Death.
He was already eighty percent confident that he could successfully guide the Xuanhuang Realm's evolution into an Immortal Realm.
But how to eliminate the Heavenly Spirit, Ink Death, in the shortest time possible required more careful consideration.
Ink Death was already one of the strongest Heavenly Spirits in the Xuanhuang Realm. After the ascension, its power would certainly soar to new heights.
"But no matter how it changes, its essence will remain the same. It is, after all, a Heavenly Spirit."
"As long as I understand its properties and weaknesses, I can find the right countermeasure..."
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan arrived at the Cong Yun Sea.
He sent a sliver of his divine sense toward Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
At the same time, the master of Ten Thousand Immortals Island, the Soul Transformation cultivator Hongxi, suddenly felt a premonition and looked up at the sky.
"A Heavenly Spirit!"
A wave of greed rose from the depths of his heart.
Normally, with Hongxi's cautious nature, he would have sought out a few fellow cultivators to plan a joint attack. He might even have asked a few Dao Integration seniors to provide support.
But now...
"If word gets out and it draws a crowd, it's hard to say who the Heavenly Spirit will end up with."
"I have cultivated in seclusion for many years. A mere Heavenly Spirit... I alone am enough to slay it."
A glint of arrogance flashed in Hongxi's eyes.
Seven days later, Hongxi, convinced he was fully prepared, began his hunt for Red Flame.
The Heavenly Spirit, capable of boiling the seas and burning mountains, turned out to be nothing more than a paper tiger. It retreated again and again under his fierce attacks.
Hongxi's courage grew with every blow. He unleashed every technique he had ever learned in a thrilling, unrestrained battle.
Finally, after a full day, he utterly vanquished Red Flame!
A new Dao Integration Immortal Lord was born in the skies above the Cong Yun Sea!
Hongxi stood suspended in the air, his heart pounding as he felt the unprecedented power surging through his body.
He imagined the wonderful life that lay ahead.
Then, suddenly, he felt an inexplicable pang of fear.
A cold sweat drenched him, as if he had just walked back from the gates of hell.
Hongxi spun around, scanning his surroundings.
The world was silent. The scenery was one of placid clouds and a gentle breeze. Nothing had happened.
Somewhat bewildered, Hongxi thought it over and concluded it must be a normal phenomenon after achieving Dao Integration.
He put it out of his mind.
What he didn't know was that he had indeed been on the verge of death.
Had Li Fan not intervened to stop Ink Death, he would have perished.
At the Lecture Stage in the Great Xuan Kingdom.
Li Fan's expression grew grave as he watched the inky mass, still expanding and proliferating despite being encased in countless golden threads.
"As expected of Ink Death."
"It can even corrupt Source Power Essence, a force that is nearly immortal."
"And it can convert that power for its own use!" Li Fan exclaimed in admiration after studying it for a while.
After Red Flame was slain, the descending Ink Death was not destroyed by Li Fan.
Instead, it was trapped and studied.
Li Fan couldn't help but recall the Heavenly Doctor's guidance in the illusion regarding the Five Elements Annihilation Sword.
"True annihilation does not exist within the self-sustaining cycle of a world. What is called extinction is merely a prelude to a better rebirth. To touch true destruction, you must venture into the depths of the starry sky..."
But what Li Fan felt from Ink Death now seemed to contradict the Heavenly Doctor's conclusion.
Li Fan had seen true annihilation, and had even helped bring it about.
He naturally knew what true destruction, true nothingness, looked like.
And it was almost identical to the effect caused by Ink Death.
"It just has a bit of the Xuanhuang Realm's own unique flavor," Li Fan mused.
"The annihilating power of Ink Death... this is not something that a normal cultivation world could ever produce."
"It must be a mechanism that has existed since the Xuanhuang Realm's very creation."
Li Fan extended a finger, pushing it into the barrier of shimmering golden threads.
In an instant, the connection between his finger and his body was severed.
Before the link was broken, the inky substance, squirming like a thousand insects, even tried to invade further.
It targeted not only his physical form, but also his soul.
Like peeling away the skin of a potato, Li Fan had to continuously carve away layers of his flesh and soul before he could finally isolate himself from Ink Death's influence.
"Such potent aggression!"
Li Fan frowned inwardly.
"And that feeling just now, of the connection suddenly being severed..."
Hesitantly, he circulated the power within him, restoring what he had lost.
He once again extended his index finger to test it.
Unsurprisingly, his finger was once again devoured by Ink Death in an instant.
And Li Fan keenly noticed that this time, Ink Death's movements were even faster than before.
"The degree of corrosion has also deepened."
"Ink Death is learning. It's evolving."
After completing the "peeling" process once more, Li Fan finally withdrew his hand.
"My feeling was correct. The sensation of being consumed by Ink Death, that feeling of the connection being severed, is exactly the same as what I felt beyond the High Wall."
"What could this mean?"
Li Fan's brow furrowed, his mind filled with doubts.
After pondering to no avail, he decided to first find Ink Death's weakness.
"Theoretically, the forces of creation and destruction are opposites."
"To deal with Ink Death, one would need an infinite amount of life force."
With a thought, Li Fan moved to the trench beneath the Star Sea.
He channeled the force of life from within and began pouring it into the sealed Ink Death.
He never expected that this life force would serve as mere nourishment for Ink Death.
The inky mass suddenly swelled, and the seal of a thousand golden threads was instantly on the verge of breaking.
Fortunately, there were still several layers of immortal arrays protecting it from the outside.
Li Fan calmly added more golden threads, reinforcing the seal.
After a violent burst of struggle failed to break the seal, Ink Death seemed to give up. It stopped expanding outward.
Instead, it began to contract inward.
The blackness grew richer, becoming as profound as the Darkest Star Sea itself.
A mysterious, abstruse aura slowly began to emanate from Ink Death.
Li Fan's pupils shrank. "This is..."
Within the golden-edged, humanoid void, Li Fan sensed an aura remarkably similar to the black mist at the center of the Star Sea!
"The Dao Annihilation Calamity?!"
Startled, Li Fan instinctively doubled the protective measures.
His thoughts raced. "I previously speculated that the Xuanhuang Realm might be an experimental field created by the Immortal Realm to find a solution to the Dao Annihilation Calamity."
"But I could never figure out what their method of resistance was."
"But if Ink Death is a weakened version of the Dao Annihilation Calamity..."
"Then the Dao Annihilation Calamity was integrated into the Xuanhuang Realm's body, becoming a part of the world's principles through the cycle of heaven and earth."
"When Ink Death strikes, all things in heaven and earth are reduced to nothingness. But afterward..."
Several images flashed before Li Fan's eyes.
They were scenes from the past, after Ink Death had wiped out worlds. From within the void, where all life had been extinguished, life began to reemerge.
"Ink Death's annihilation is absolute, but life can still be reborn."
"This is the Xuanhuang Realm's self-evolving counterforce."
A sudden enlightenment washed over Li Fan.
He looked at Ink Death with a new perspective.
"I was thinking about this the wrong way."
"Though its manifestation is annihilation, its essence is still that of a Heavenly Spirit of the Xuanhuang Realm."
"And since it is a Heavenly Spirit..."
Li Fan gently pointed toward the center of the humanoid darkness.
"Xuanhuang World-Ending Transformation!"
In an instant, it was not just one transformation.
It was every single variation the Xuanhuang Realm would manifest in a moment of existential crisis.
All of them descended upon the dense blackness at once.
It was as if countless whirlpools had appeared simultaneously, causing the inky mass to boil and churn.
Under Li Fan's guidance, from within the void, various transformations truly began to take form!
A spectrum of seven brilliant colors was born from the depths of the inky abyss.
Even Li Fan, the one who had orchestrated this phenomenon, had not anticipated this outcome.
He watched as Ink Death's power was continuously converted into other world-ending transformations. In the midst of this conversion, Ink Death itself was slowly weakened, dying.
Li Fan's expression was unreadable.
Only when the blackness was about to dissipate completely did he withdraw his divine ability, absorbing the thousands of Xuanhuang World-Ending Transformations into his body.
"Annihilation is the ancestor of creation."
"And creation is the path to annihilation..."
"Is this the proposed solution to the Dao Annihilation Calamity?"
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