Chapter 1590: Xuanhuang Crosses the Dao Annihilation
Chapter 1590: Xuanhuang Crosses the Dao Annihilation
Because of his ancestor, the Xuantian King, and that mysterious "Grandsire," the Dharma Spreader knew far more about the possibilities outside of the Xuanhuang Realm than any other Dao Integration cultivator.
"Brother Su's condition... it's as if he's sensing another version of himself from a different possibility. The influence is so immense that it's..."
"A transcendent expert?"
The Dharma Spreader naturally understood that there were paths of cultivation beyond the system of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. It was a realm he could never hope to reach, a path he had been forced to abandon. His own ancestor, Xuanyuan Hong, was an expert of that very caliber.
For a moment, a whirlwind of feelings churned within the Dharma Spreader as he gazed at Su Bai.
However, recalling the sense of dread that occasionally plagued the man's heart, the Dharma Spreader faintly understood that having another self at the transcendent level was perhaps not a blessing at all.
After careful consideration, the Dharma Spreader decided to share everything he knew with Su Bai.
Unexpectedly, upon learning the truth, Su Bai's state of mind stabilized.
"Another me, is it..."
"If I'm not mistaken, when these 'me's' meet, one is bound to be devoured. And right now, I'm the weaker one, the one to be consumed. All the fear in my heart stems from this."
The Dharma Spreader nodded slightly.
"If that's all it is, then there's nothing to be afraid of. At worst, I'll just stay here for the rest of my life and never leave," Su Bai declared with a carefree laugh.
"The world we inhabit is already vast enough. We might spend our entire lives unable to see it all. Why should we yearn to take another step, to venture into the Mountain and Sea? Human desire is infinite. Who's to say there isn't another Mountain and Sea beyond this one? Where does it all end?"
"Besides, I have a faint premonition. As long as we remain within the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, we may be able to witness the entirety of the Mountain and Sea without ever having to take that step ourselves," Su Bai added calmly.
The Dharma Spreader was initially taken aback, not immediately grasping Su Bai's meaning. But after a moment of reflection, he slowly came to understand. "Perhaps... perhaps your premonition is correct."
With a tacit understanding, neither of them looked up. They simply watched the dojos and palaces gradually rising in the heavens beyond, sensing the oppressive stillness that precedes a storm.
A century passed in the blink of an eye.
The changes within the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm were both many and few. The Divine Investiture Roll was nearly filled with names, the stars in the sky had multiplied, and the palaces and dojos in the heavens beyond had taken on a grand scale.
On this day, the number of Dao Integration cultivators who had ascended in the Xuanhuang Realm reached the ultimate number of ninety-nine.
Those named on the Divine Investiture Roll now numbered over a thousand.
The stars dotting the sky were countless.
Li Fan sat at the center of the Xuanhuang Realm, gazing at the World-Crossing Immortal Ark he had forged with his own hands, a sense of satisfaction welling up inside him that was beyond words.
The feedback from the [Sitting Heaven Art] was still potent. In fact, as his connection to the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm deepened, the feedback he received over the past century was even greater than what he'd gained when the Xuanhuang Realm first ascended and sublimated.
A phantom flickered in his palm, displaying the current state of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, now populated by a multitude of immortals.
"With these feedback phantoms, the Xuanhuang Immortal Ark possesses what is essentially an infinite reserve of restorative power. Even if a section is damaged, as long as the overall structure of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm remains, I can restore it in an instant."
"My confidence in crossing the mountains and sailing the seas has grown even stronger."
"The time is right. Let's see how this immortal ark fares against the tides of the Mountain and Sea."
Li Fan rose to his feet abruptly, standing as if at the prow of the great ark, his gaze fixed on the distant Guangwu Xinghai beyond the Annihilation Zone.
"The time to ride the wind and cleave the waves is now!"
Within the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, everything remained motionless, seemingly unchanged from the past.
But in truth, the entire world, along with the Rotten Axe Dojo, had transformed into a vessel and begun to move slowly.
Its initial movement stirred a cataclysmic wave!
Over the past century, the Shuo Xinghai had been thoroughly scoured by the immortals of Xuanhuang, but it was still a nexus of life. Now, as the Xuanhuang Immortal Ark set sail, the Shuo Xinghai was like a block of ice in its path.
It was shattered with ease.
Although the destruction was less absolute than that caused by the Dao Annihilation, it would likely take millions of years for life to gestate there once more.
After pulverizing the Shuo Xinghai, the ark reached the edge of the living star sea.
There was no path forward, but Li Fan waved his hand, commanding the Xuanhuang Immortal Ark to press on, charging headfirst into the boundary.
Its speed increased, faster and faster, until it slammed violently into the ethereal border!
The Xuanhuang Immortal Ark flickered like a phantom.
The colossal world vanished, leaving behind only the wreckage and desolation of the Shuo Xinghai's remnants.
Without the support of Shou Qiu's phantom, this region of space could no longer withstand the pressure of the Dao Annihilation.
The Dao Annihilation reacted with terrifying speed. Wisps of black energy soon began to seep out from all corners of the Shuo Xinghai.
It seemed this star sea would not live to see the day life returned.
At that moment, the Xuanhuang Immortal Ark felt as if it had plunged into a raging tempest. The vessel shook violently, threatening to break apart at any moment!
Li Fan vaguely remembered how, in his last life, Ziyi had casually swiped her hand and carved a path through the void consumed by the Dao Annihilation.
She had walked through that void with an air of relaxed ease, facing no danger whatsoever.
However, when Li Fan himself attempted to cross the Mountain and Sea, the situation was entirely different.
Theoretically, the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, with its current configuration, was more than capable of making the crossing safely.
But that was only in theory.
In its first direct confrontation with the Dao Annihilation, the Xuanhuang Immortal Ark encountered a host of problems that had never appeared in his previous deductions.
The most obvious was the relentless, pervasive erosion of the Dao Annihilation.
The Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was only nearing perfection, not truly perfect. Though Li Fan had used every means at his disposal to patch the fissures in its hull, they had not been completely eliminated.
The instant it entered the Dao Annihilation, the corrosive power began to seep through these cracks and into the immortal ark.
The sky of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was instantly veiled by what seemed like a black shroud, dimming its light.
It wasn't just the sky. In that same moment, countless tiny black fissures appeared in every corner of the world, leaking a terrifying aura.
It was the unmistakable sign of the Dao Annihilation's devouring presence!
As the master of the Xuanhuang Immortal Ark, Li Fan was startled but not panicked. He swiftly directed Ink Death and the Dao One Worm to fill the fissures as best they could.
At the same time, he crushed a phantom in his palm.
An infinite surge of energy burst forth from the shattered phantom, flooding every part of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. It was like a bolt of lightning that illuminated the gray, dimming world.
With this rapid infusion of reserve energy, the Xuanhuang world itself began to evolve at an accelerated rate, regenerating the areas that had been devoured by the Dao Annihilation.
The fissures crisscrossing heaven and earth slowly began to shrink. It seemed the anomaly would soon disappear.
However, these acts of patching and plugging could not fundamentally stop the Dao Annihilation's erosion. And the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, with its imperfect cracks, remained vulnerable.
After being momentarily repelled, the Dao Annihilation quickly regrouped and launched another assault.
Countless new corrosive black fissures appeared in different parts of the world.
Having gained experience from the first wave, Li Fan was even calmer now, methodically carrying out the repairs.
And so, in this ongoing clash, the skies of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm flickered endlessly between darkness and light.
"You never know your own crudeness until you've sailed the Mountain and Sea," Li Fan mused.
"I thought the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was already close to perfection, but the moment we entered the Dao Annihilation, so many flaws were exposed. Fortunately, I was well-prepared."
"And besides..."
Ink Death and the Dao One Worm, on which Li Fan had placed high hopes, were not only adapting quickly to survival in the Dao Annihilation but were also attempting to repair the ark's minute fissures.
"The fewer the cracks, the calmer the storm."
"A perfect hull ensures a safe crossing."
The Xuanhuang Immortal Realm itself was stable for now, but the condition of the living beings within it was far from optimistic.
Crossing the Dao Annihilation meant they were officially within the Mountain and Sea.
Thus, within the world of flickering light and shadow, phantom images of the magnificent, sprawling Mountain and Sea would occasionally appear.
The Infinite Sea, the Upper Mountain.
These were sights to which Li Fan had gradually grown accustomed.
But for the inhabitants of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, they were still profoundly shocking.
More than nine-tenths of all life, in the instant they witnessed the Mountain and Sea, were utterly annihilated, unable to withstand its immense pressure.
They vanished so quickly that not even a remnant of their consciousness could be preserved by the world. They had lost even the possibility of re-cultivating as yin spirits.
The once vibrant Xuanhuang Immortal Realm was instantly rendered desolate.
Witnessing such a tragic scene, Li Fan, the parent of the Xuanhuang, showed no trace of emotion on his face.
In his eyes, these beings who could not even withstand the first wave of the storm were utterly worthless to him.
If they died, so be it.
With a flicker of his will, a vast number of new lives were swiftly born to replace them.
The only ones worthy of his attention were those who had survived—the beings strong enough to serve as the ark's crew.
Although they had managed to cling to their lives, the vast majority of them were thrown into a state of absolute terror by the fleeting phantoms of the Mountain and Sea.
"What... what are these things?"
"Such a boundless Mountain and Sea... within it, I am less than an ant! I am nothing!"
"The sea overturns, the mountains hang upside down. They're going to crush us!"
"Is this what lies beyond the Xuanhuang? Sacred Venerable, have mercy! Sacred Venerable, have mercy..."
Panic, terror, and dread seized their minds. Countless illusions swirled chaotically in their thoughts.
Even as they desperately tried to remain calm, they could not protect their minds from the assault. Inevitably, they began to descend into madness.
It was like being trapped in a mire; once the fear of the Mountain and Sea took root, they would only sink deeper. At first, they could offer some resistance, but eventually, they would be completely consumed.
Just as all living beings were cowering under the terrifying might of the Mountain and Sea, unable to bear it any longer...
A magnificent and imposing figure once again materialized in the skies of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm.
It was the Primordial Xuanhuang Sacred Venerable, Ruler of the Spirit Heavens!
But unlike before, this time, the Sacred Venerable looked down upon them, a flicker of sorrow in his eyes, and let out an inexplicable sigh.
His voice was like rolling thunder, echoing ceaselessly throughout heaven and earth.
The colossal figure of the Sacred Venerable radiated an infinite, warm light.
The sound and light converged, as if gathering the surviving beings into a warm sanctuary. The terrifying phantoms of the Mountain and Sea in their minds slowly began to fade.
As their senses gradually returned, they all wept bitterly, falling to their knees to praise the Sacred Venerable's virtue.
They did not know, however, that Li Fan had only acted out of concern for the immortal ark's stability. Those who could not face the might of the Mountain and Sea on their own had already been placed on a list of a-disposables.
When they officially entered the Mountain and Sea and needed a buffer against the impact of the Dao Annihilation, that would be their time to make their contribution.
"Those who did not shrink from the might of the Mountain and Sea number seven hundred and sixty-two."
"Those who could face it with composure number one hundred and sixty-seven."
"And those who felt their spirits surge, ready to rise to the challenge, number a full seventy-six."
"Excellent. This is the foundation of my Xuanhuang Immortal Ark."
Able to perceive the hearts of all within the Xuanhuang at any time, Li Fan was quite satisfied with the current results.
Although they were under the protection of the immortal ark, and what they saw was not the true Mountain and Sea, these individuals had already met the most basic mental requirements for crossing it.
"However, this is just the first wave."
"The real calamities are yet to come," Li Fan thought to himself.
If crossing the Dao Annihilation were so simple, then countless transcendent experts would have likely emerged from the Mountain and Sea over the years.
From his understanding of the Dao Annihilation, Li Fan knew it was extremely cunning, possessing an offensive consciousness of its own.
When it detected a foreign object floating upon it, it would quickly launch an even more ferocious assault.
It would not stop until it had completely consumed its target.
"The longer one stays in the Dao Annihilation, the harder it is to survive."
"A thousand, ten thousand waves will come. A single moment of failure, and all previous efforts will be for naught!"
"Fortunately, this journey is not a particularly long one."
Li Fan's predictions were correct.
After a period of relative calm, the Dao Annihilation's erosion did not subside. Instead, it grew increasingly ferocious.
The world was not just filled with strange phenomena; the entire realm began to shake so violently it could not be controlled.
Mountains crumbling and rivers changing course were common occurrences.
Countless stars even began to fall from the heavens.
This was the phenomenon produced when Nascent Soul cultivators of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm could no longer endure and their frail bodies perished.
Normally, once a cultivator reached the Nascent Soul realm, they would be immortal and indestructible, coexisting with the Xuanhuang world. But now, the Xuanhuang world itself was in a state of crisis. The Grotto-Heaven regions that these Nascent Soul cultivators had refined were unfortunately devoured by the Dao Annihilation.
Naturally, there was no way for them to survive.
Only those on the Divine Investiture Roll and the Dao Integration cultivators could survive under the protection of the Xuanhuang Immortal Ark.
"The waves are indeed a bit rough," Li Fan remarked, standing between heaven and earth.
This crossing, it had to be said, was quite a harrowing experience.
"Constant repairs have consumed three entire Xuanhuang Immortal Ark phantoms."
"But fortunately, we've held on and haven't disintegrated."
"Better still, the ark's overall condition remains intact. The moment we exit the Dao Annihilation, it can instantly be restored to its peak state."
"Most importantly, this maiden voyage has exposed all of the ark's flaws. When we get back to shore, I'll re-refine it, and the ark will become truly perfect."
Li Fan was quite satisfied with the results of this experimental crossing.
"We'll rest and resupply just ahead!"
The Guangwu Xinghai was in sight.
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