Chapter 1463: The Great Void Demarcation
These square spaces were the very scene he had witnessed after breaking through from the Dark Star Sea: countless, partitioned star seas arranged side-by-side.
They still existed in three states: dark, dimly lit, and flickering.
However, the panoramic display on the circular wall here showed a number of squares far exceeding what Li Bu Ren had seen before.
Li Bu Ren tried to identify the location of the Xuanhuang Realm.
After locking his gaze on the point of light representing the Dark Star Sea, he subsequently recognized the myriad square spaces arranged alongside it.
And at the edge of all these block-like star seas, a bold white line separated this entire region from the others.
This white line appeared to be some kind of boundary.
Although visually, the region containing the Dark Star Sea seemed to be on equal footing with all the other areas on the circular wall, holding no special prominence.
But the very existence of this white ring invisibly elevated the status of the square star seas enclosed within it.
"This special status..."
Li Bu Ren stared intently at the dazzling white circle.
"The Great Void."
The term surfaced in his mind, unbidden.
In the age of the ancient cultivation world, this was the substantive boundary of explorable space—a place of pure, endless nothingness, a hollow expanse with no visible end.
Observing from outside the circular wall, Li Bu Ren faintly sensed the true nature of this Great Void.
But he couldn't be certain.
"Though it's a place of complete nothingness, it's fundamentally different from being struck by the Dao Annihilation Calamity. The reason it appears so empty is that most of the Dao principles there have vanished, leaving only a few pillar-like Great Dao laws in existence. Just like this experimental site..."
"Only those who operate within the scope of these Dao principles can perceive the hidden and concealed truths within the experimental site, and only they can avoid having their own attributes forcibly drained within the Great Void."
For an ancient True Immortal to advance further, they needed to merge their body with a certain Great Dao between heaven and earth, achieving the Nameless Realm. Only with a sufficiently profound understanding of a particular Great Dao could one take this step. Thus, the cultivation of a True Immortal was largely a process of deepening their comprehension of a specific Dao principle.
The three thousand Great Daos, though a figurative number, naturally endowed True Immortals with many different "attributes" based on the distinct nature of each principle. For instance, there were the Hunger Immortal, the Xi Yi Immortal, the What Matter Immortal, and so on.
The restrictive measures here and in the Great Void, which resembled the effects of the Dao Annihilation Calamity, could screen out those belonging to their "own faction" from the vast sea of True Immortals, granting them permission to enter and exit this experimental star sea.
Identity and background could be fabricated with lies, but one's fundamental stance could not. In other words, if a True Immortal were to change the Dao they cultivated just to infiltrate this place, they would, by that very act, become a member of the "faction." This place would welcome their arrival, rendering the concept of "infiltration" moot.
"This restrictive method is, in essence, a massive sorting machine."
"And its purpose is surely not limited to simple screening. Once someone switches allegiances, turning back would likely be impossible."
The only reason Li Bu Ren could enter this place after so many years was entirely due to his heaven-defying technique: "Heart-Mind Manifesting Divinity, Dao Net Projection."
If the myriad Great Daos of heaven and earth naturally divided True Immortals into various factions, then the Dao Net Projection was the equivalent of declaring, "I'll have them all," impartially joining every existing and known True Immortal faction.
In ancient times, this would have been utterly impossible. Forget about embracing all three thousand Great Daos equally; even cultivating two different Great Daos simultaneously was fraught with immense difficulty. And even if one could cultivate all Daos, it would still be inferior to mastering a single one to its absolute peak and achieving the Nameless Realm.
"Just as I analyzed before."
"My Dao Net Projection is able to exist safely for two reasons. First, the Dao Annihilation Calamity descended and shattered the Immortal Realm. The Nameless True Immortals, who had merged their bodies with the Daos, were either dead or had fled. They had no time to spare for this tiny mirror reflecting the Great Daos."
"And second, there's an even larger Shuo Xinghai Dao Net providing cover for me."
Under the grand backdrop of the Immortal Realm's destruction and the apparent abandonment of this experimental site, the cumulative effect of Li Fan's many reincarnations and various other factors had allowed Li Bu Ren to fortunately gain entry. It was safe to say that if even a single one of these conditions had been absent, he would have been denied at the door.
"Records of the Great Void have existed since ancient times."
"But since the Great Calamity descended and the High Wall rose, all traces of it vanished."
"From what I see now, it must have undergone a holistic transformation along with all the experimental, block-like star seas when the emergency protective measures were activated after the Dao Annihilation Calamity erupted."
Li Bu Ren stared at the bold white circle representing the Great Void.
Its sudden appearance among the countless small squares on the circular wall was as if someone had forcefully drawn a circle in the vast sea of stars!
It was as if they had circled the very target they sought!
"Although this experimental site was abandoned for some unknown reason, its various facilities are still operational. Is that why this demarcation of the Great Void occurred?"
Li Bu Ren analyzed silently, piecing together the clues he observed.
Although he had managed to slip in due to the unique nature of his Dao Net Projection, he only had the authority to "observe," not the ability to "manipulate."
Whether it was the partitioned, square star seas on the circular wall or the numerous objects flashing within the cylindrical hall, He was unable to touch a single one.
He could not yet determine the true reason for the Great Void demarcation, but the fact that the Dark Star Sea of the Xuanhuang Realm was located within it was enough to send a chill down his spine.
Li Fan tried to reconstruct the secrets hidden behind this experimental space, using the clues he currently possessed.
"The Dao Annihilation Calamity and the Infinite Sea likely share the same origin."
"When I used the incomplete Ascension Platform to connect to the Infinite Sea, I discovered that as I drew upon the infinite power within it, the countless droplets in that sea would cascade down through some unseen channel, pouring from that sacred, unknowable place to drown all things in the world. The premonition was so real, and the instinctive dread it brought was so profound, that even my emotionless clone dared not press that button."
"But there are countless True Immortals in the world, not to mention immortal artifacts, servants, and puppets. They use infinite immortal spiritual power, yet they don't seem to share this concern. The immortal spiritual power generated within the Dissociation Disc is undeniable proof of this." As Li Fan thought this, a supremely sacred power emanated from the Dissociation Disc.
Li Fan let the shimmering white light coil around his fingertip, feeling its infinite nature while once again seeing that boundless, endless sea in his mind's eye.
"Surely there cannot be a second Infinite Sea in the world."
"And initially, the Immortal Realm showed little fear of the Dao Annihilation Calamity's rampage. They were like mortals watching a flood, with True Immortals standing guard to keep it in check."
"A reasonable speculation is that the former Immortal Realm was perfectly aware of the consequences of drawing power from the Infinite Sea—that it would trigger the Dao Annihilation Calamity. But the allure of the infinite was so great that the True Immortals simply could not give up on utilizing the Infinite Sea."
"They might have even built something akin to a 'dam' or a 'reservoir' upon the Infinite Sea. All True Immortals would connect not directly to the sea, but through these structures built by the Immortal Realm, acting as intermediaries. This would have prevented the catastrophic disaster of the Infinite Sea pouring down and the Dao Annihilation Calamity descending upon the world."
"But..."
"The Infinite Sea is a place of unimaginable grandeur and sanctity. Even a Nameless True Immortal cannot compare to a single, occasional cresting wave within it."
"Even if the civilization of the former Immortal Realm had developed to a point where they could restrain the Infinite Sea to some degree, well..."
Li Fan once again recalled the incredibly terrifying, hidden fluctuations of the various Daos that came from the depths of the sea when [Truth] had stood upon its surface.
"Those who play with fire will invariably be burned by it."
"No dam is eternally impregnable, and once a crack appears, plugging it again is exceedingly difficult. Besides, there were countless True Immortals who, whether by accident or intent, wanted to bypass the restrictions set by the Immortal Realm and connect directly to the Infinite Sea. Just like me."
"Every time that happened, it was like tearing another rift between reality and the Infinite Sea."
"Over time, it was inevitable that the Dao Annihilation Calamity would grow increasingly ferocious."
Li Fan's thoughts churned as he continued his deduction.
"Signs of the calamity appeared. One after another, star domains within the Immortal Realm were annihilated."
"[Truth]. This heaven-defying treasure likely also originates from the Infinite Sea. While the Immortal Realm may not have known its specific functions, they could vaguely guess that it might be the key to completely resolving this world-ending crisis. Thus, they began a secret search everywhere, even extending their scope to the lower star seas."
"They deduced the approximate time when [Truth] was likely to appear. And [Truth] was indeed supposed to have appeared back then..."
"...within the Xuanhuang Realm, where it would have been discovered by the forces of the Immortal Realm. If, from the very beginning, the masters of the Immortal Realm—the Nameless True Immortals—had possessed [Truth], it is possible they could have turned the tide and nipped the catastrophic Dao Annihilation Calamity in the bud."
"However, for some unknown reason, the appearance of [Truth] was delayed."
"The Immortal Realm did not receive the salvation it had been waiting for."
"Although the overall situation remained stable, it was natural for dissenting ideas to arise."
"Just as I glimpsed in that True Immortal's memory. The great have their own thoughts, and the ants have their own ways to survive."
"The True Immortals each employed their own methods, each seeking their own path to survival."
"Some turned mortals into immortals, while others used the remains of Nameless Immortals and celestial pillars to forge arks of salvation from the fragments of the Immortal Realm..."
"But what no one expected was that the Dao Annihilation Calamity would erupt prematurely. And its ferocity was far beyond anything seen before. It was as if all the connection channels between the Infinite Sea and reality had burst open simultaneously. A monstrous catastrophe descended in an instant."
"Caught off guard, True Immortals, Nameless True Immortals, and even the yet-unknown rulers of the Immortal Realm all died like ants..."
Before Li Fan's eyes, a terrifying scene seemed to unfold: the Infinite Sea pouring down, annihilating the Immortal Realm.
"Although many Nameless True Immortals were willing or forced to transform their bodies into pillars to hold back the Dao Annihilation Calamity, how long could they last?"
"The Infinite Sea devouring the real world is an unstoppable trend. Unless they could rebuild the 'dams' of the former Immortal Realm over the numerous cracks during that brief period of safety. Otherwise..."
Li Fan couldn't help but glance at the doomsday countdown on the [Truth] panel.
"The Infinite Sea seems to span all possibilities."
"The Dao Annihilation Calamity is by no means exclusive to my 'Primal' possibility."
"Either they all discovered and utilized the Infinite Sea, suffering an equivalent disaster. Or, after the Great Calamity occurred here, the Nameless True Immortals of the 'Primal' possibility fled to other possibilities."
"Although they jumped between possibilities, as long as they did not forsake the use of infinite immortal spiritual power, their connection to the Infinite Sea would always exist. Besides, at the state of a Nameless True Immortal merging with the Dao, it's not something one can simply discard at will."
"The Dao Annihilation Calamity, like a shadow, followed close behind, arriving to drown the world..."
As his deductions reached this point, Li Fan, whose computational ability now rivaled that of the Transformation Dao Stone Mother, felt a splitting headache.
Dealing with a single possibility was manageable.
He could gather numerous clues, deduce countless possible answers, and then verify them one by one, selecting the one closest to the truth.
But the moment another possibility entered the equation, the difficulty of deduction skyrocketed by several orders of magnitude.
First, Li Fan knew next to nothing about the state of other possibilities. The data he had was too scarce.
Second, every additional possibility doubled the number of variables involved in the deduction. In theory, with infinite possibilities, even thousands of Transformation Dao Stone Mothers working in unison would fall short.
"However, with the Dao Annihilation Calamity raging for so long, the number of remaining possibilities can hardly be called 'infinite'. A remaining lifespan of just over seven million years..."
"Perhaps 'clinging to life' would be a more apt description."
Li Fan's thoughts raced to their absolute limit. His vision suddenly went black, forcing him to halt his deductions.
His attention temporarily detached from the secrets of the Immortal Realm and the Dao Annihilation Calamity, returning to the bizarre experimental site.
"This place... its original purpose was likely to lie in wait for [Truth]."
"However, because [Truth] ultimately did not arrive as scheduled, this place was officially abandoned by the Immortal Realm."
"But only on the surface."
"Some minor figures from the Immortal Realm did not completely give up and leave. But their target was probably no longer [Truth]."
"It was merely a desperate attempt to find a sliver of a chance for survival in the face of the imminent Dao Annihilation Calamity."
"To be able to create the demarcation of the 'Great Void'... this group must have had the assistance of a True Immortal at the Nameless Realm..."
"But why did they all suddenly disappear?"
"From the traces left behind, the number of True Immortals gathered here was by no means small."
Li Bu Ren once again surveyed the experimental site, trying to glean more secrets.
His gaze swept around, and suddenly, his attention fixed upon one of the objects that had abruptly appeared in the cylindrical hall.
It was a humanoid statue of a peculiar design.
Like a great hermit hiding in plain sight, it stood there quietly, having almost escaped Li Bu Ren's notice entirely.
If not for the object's unique style, which was strikingly similar to something Li Fan had encountered before...
Li Bu Ren might have truly overlooked it.
(End of Chapter)
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