Chapter 1281: Reunion in the Star Sea

My Longevity Simulation

A large number of Dao Integration corpses drifted chaotically, like kites pulled by invisible strings. The expressions on their faces still retained the joy of having just escaped disaster.

“Damn it…”

Looking at these faces that had been alive just moments ago, now completely frozen, Guan Xingxiu could no longer endure it. The Falling Star Divine Sword transformed into a streak of golden light and slashed straight ahead.

A cyan figure suddenly appeared, blocking the sword light.

Ice crystals bloomed like flowers at his fingertips. The surrounding air seemed to freeze, and the Falling Star Divine Sword was halted midair.

“This is… Qing Shuang?”

Xu Guanhai looked at the familiar yet strange figure and could not help but cry out in shock.

The one who had cast the spell to block the Falling Star Divine Sword was clearly Qing Shuang, a Dao Integration cultivator who had been drained dry and had already perished not long ago.

However…

“Old Guan, be careful. This Qing Shuang is not Ji Wantao himself, but a Spirit of Heaven and Earth.” Xu Guanhai immediately saw the clue and warned loudly.

[T/N: 青霜 (Qing Shuang) means Azure Frost]

The five surviving Dao Integration cultivators instantly tensed again.

Upon closer inspection, they discovered that this Spirit of Heaven and Earth Qing Shuang no longer had the originally blurred face. Instead, it closely resembled the appearance of Immortal Sage Qing Shuang Ji Wantao when he was alive.

What frightened them even more was that behind this new Spirit of Heaven and Earth Qing Shuang extended a thin thread, stretching into the void.

The thread was identical to the weapons they had previously seen used by the flying vessel to slaughter Dao Integration cultivators.

As they confronted the flying vessel, numerous thin threads extended from nothingness.

Familiar faces seemed to drift out from the shadows.

They surrounded the five survivors completely.

Sun Luchang’s face turned pale, his body trembling uncontrollably. “How is this possible? Even after death, the Spirits of Heaven and Earth can still be extracted and refined? What kind of evil technique is this…”

Zi Mei, however, seemed thoughtful. “This place is far from the Xuanhuang Realm. The principle of returning Dao to Heaven has lost its effect. If certain special methods are used, it may not be impossible to impersonate the Heavenly Dao and receive these Spirits of Heaven and Earth.”

Xu Guanhai smiled bitterly. “Old Guan, it seems we cannot escape this calamity. One or two Spirits of Heaven and Earth I might not fear. But this many… and that terrifying flying vessel…”

Guan Xingxiu’s eyes flashed with determination. “Then we destroy this monster first.”

“Wait.” Just as the Falling Star Divine Sword was about to pierce the flying vessel’s deck, Lan Yu suddenly shouted.

Lan Yu stepped forward, standing between the Spirits of Heaven and Earth, and said in a deep voice, “Query current mission completion probability.”

All the floating Spirits of Heaven and Earth froze. After a moment, the cold voice of the Wangzun flying vessel sounded.

“Current mission feasibility: extremely high.”

“Current energy reserves: sufficient.”

“Energy replenishment plan terminated.”

…

Voices echoed continuously. The expressionless Spirits of Heaven and Earth were dragged back into the void by the threads.

The seemingly fatal crisis vanished instantly.

Sun Luchang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and let out a long breath, still in disbelief. “It… it is resolved just like that?”

Lan Yu’s expression did not relax at all. “Only temporarily. It seems that as long as its energy is sufficient, it will not attack us as long as we do not attempt to escape.”

Guan Xingxiu nodded coldly. “But once its energy runs low, it will inevitably hunt and absorb us again. Hmph. We, high officials of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, reduced to rations for a tool in this cold void. Truly ironic…”

Zi Mei remained silent, his expression solemn.

Only Xu Guanhai gave a bitter smile. “I did not expect to live a bit longer. Consider it a gain. Everyone, relax a little. This thing just devoured so many Dao Integration cultivators. Perhaps it can last long enough for us to meet the Heavenly Sovereign.”

“Besides, they were ambushed before. If the five of us cooperate and stay vigilant, we might escape this place.” This sentence was transmitted through divine sense.

“I have the Heavenly Capital Martial Arena. If I deploy the combat domain, it should buy us time,” Lan Yu said.

“This place is not suitable to remain in. Let us recover first, then break through together. What do you think?”

“If we do not leave, we will die anyway. Let us fight.”

…

As they discussed, time passed slowly.

When all of them had recovered to their peak state and took action, things proceeded more smoothly than expected.

No Spirits of Heaven and Earth appeared to stop them. Even the Wangzun flying vessel itself was like paper and was easily torn apart.

“We… got out?” Sun Luchang was stunned.

“Something is wrong.” Guan Xingxiu looked at the surrounding void with a cold expression.

“We are still inside the flying vessel. We are imprisoned.”

The Falling Star Divine Sword erupted with dazzling light, attempting to illuminate the dark space.

But like the true star sea void, this place seemed boundless. The star light was like a firefly, extinguished in an instant.

“Go.” Guan Xingxiu still refused to give up. He summoned the Falling Star Divine Sword and sent it flying rapidly into the darkness.

It never returned, completely swallowed by the void.

The others also realized the problem and used their own methods, but none could escape this void prison.

“That damned thing never intended to let us go. While we were planning to escape, it had already set a trap for us.” Sun Luchang said angrily.

“This place seems to be a kind of formation, somewhat similar to the legendary Two-Extreme Microdust Formation from ancient times,” Xu Guanhai said after observing for a while.

He then sighed regretfully. “Unfortunately, I do not understand formations. Otherwise, I could attempt to break it.”

“I do not either.”

“…”

Everyone fell silent, then all turned their gaze toward Lan Yu.

This veteran Dao Integration cultivator had lived for thousands of years. Surely he understood at least a little about formations.

Under their hopeful gazes, Lan Yu shook his head helplessly. “I do have some knowledge of formations, but the level of this formation…”

“It is far above mine. I cannot comprehend it,” Lan Yu said truthfully.

Instantly, despair filled the group.

A deathly silence enveloped them.

“This formation is an absolute sealed space. I cannot find the exit. However, if that flying vessel attempts to kill us again, it will inevitably open a gap. That will be our opportunity,” Lan Yu said after a while, reigniting hope.

“I will deploy the martial arena. Everyone enter it to avoid another sneak attack.”

As he spoke, a circular structure appeared in the dark void.

With no better option, everyone flew inside.

As the entrance closed, the five looked at each other, and a surge of battle intent rose in their hearts.

“Elder Lan, can you control this treasure? Now is not the time for sparring. If we waste our strength, what will we do when the flying vessel attacks again?”

“What the hell, Old Guan, why are you attacking me?” Xu Guanhai shouted loudly.

Even though the five forcibly suppressed the agitation in their hearts, they still could not control themselves and began attacking one another.

Lan Yu explained somewhat helplessly, “This treasure was personally passed down by the Grand Mage back then. Once you enter it, you will be forced to continuously spar until you leave. This is the innate nature of the treasure and cannot be controlled. The reason I did not take it out earlier was precisely because of this.”

“However, the intensity of the sparring can be adjusted. I have already lowered it to the minimum. Do not suppress your fighting intent. Just make casual moves and maintain a state of combat. With the supplies we carry, there is no need to worry about energy consumption.”

After a period of chaotic exchanges, everyone gradually adapted.

They lightly sparred while calmly communicating with one another.

“This kind of warm up is not bad. At least it ensures we can act at peak condition at any time,” Xu Guanhai joked bitterly.

Sun Luchang sighed repeatedly, “It has been a long time since I fought like this with others. Fellow Daoists, go easy on me…”

Guan Xingxiu returned to the main topic, “In this desperate situation, we only have one chance. Therefore, we must clearly understand each other’s strongest methods.”

His words gained everyone’s agreement.

He then spoke first, “My strongest strike was something I comprehended not long ago within this star sea. It is called, Sword Dividing the Star River. Be careful.”

Guan Xingxiu gave a light shout, and a sword radiance slashed out. In an instant, it seemed as if countless starlights were born from it.

The star splitting sword did not hit the other four. Instead, it struck heavily against the sky of the training field.

The firmament trembled. Cracks appeared one after another, then quickly healed.

Guan Xingxiu praised, “What a fine treasure.”

The other four then each demonstrated their ultimate techniques. While sparring, their coordination grew increasingly tacit.

They even jointly deduced a combined attack method.

Within the void trapping formation, time seemed to lose meaning.

The five Dao Integration cultivators were like sharpening blades, nurturing their essence, qi, and spirit.

They waited only for the right moment to unleash their strongest strike.

After an unknown amount of time…

A tremendous vibration startled them.

It was not the shaking of the training field, but the trembling of the entire dark void outside it.

Or rather, it came from the Wangzun Flying Vessel.

Through their long cooperation in sparring, the five had already achieved a certain level of mutual understanding.

In an instant, they reached a consensus and waited for the moment of weakness to appear.

Without warning, the darkness vanished and light returned.

They seemed to have returned to the interior cabin of the flying vessel.

However, having suffered once before, the five did not hesitate at all.

Their strongest combined attack, which had been prepared for a long time, was unleashed directly.

“Sword Dividing the Star River!”

“Twilight Gazing at the Star Sea!”

“Feather Extinction!”

…

Shouts rang out at the same time. Five streams of light merged into one and struck fiercely against the wall of the flying vessel.

However, a despairing scene appeared.

A black hole suddenly manifested on the wall, swallowing the immense destructive power of their combined attack.

The hole slowly healed, and the wall returned to its original state.

Their painstakingly practiced killing move was like a joke, unable to cause even the slightest damage.

All five turned pale.

Guan Xingxiu’s Dao heart was shaken, and his body wavered as if about to collapse.

“How is this possible?” He muttered in a daze, unable to accept it.

Their strongest strike had failed. The five felt as if their hearts were dead, and it became difficult to muster any will to resist.

But soon, another violent tremor from the Wangzun Flying Vessel awakened them.

“Something is not right. The attack is coming from outside the vessel?”

“A void calamity?”

The five immediately realized, their faces filled with joy.

“We still have a chance!”

They also noticed abnormalities in the vessel.

The heaven and earth souls that had previously been absorbed had not appeared.

The vessel also seemed to have undergone a great battle, with faint cracks visible on the walls.

While they were still uncertain…

The cold voice of the Wangzun Flying Vessel sounded again.

“Third battle against unknown star sea civilization.”

“Energy reserves exhausted.”

“After calculation, the probability of victory in the next battle is zero.”

“Executing contingency plan…”

“Transferring data…”

“Initiating self destruction…”

The voice of the vessel caused the five Dao Integration cultivators to change expression drastically.

“Not good!”

Lan Yu instinctively expanded the training field again, enveloping the five.

The others also used their own methods to protect themselves.

“Initiating… ini… ini…”

However, something even more astonishing occurred.

The voice of the Wangzun Flying Vessel seemed to be interfered with, stuttering and repeating, yet no explosion arrived.

Boom, boom, boom.

From above the vessel came another series of loud explosions.

Amid rolling smoke and dust, a circular breach suddenly appeared. More than thirty unknown beings wearing strange armor poured in through the opening.

They were well trained. Ten of them surrounded Lan Yu and the others.

The rest continued to explore deeper into the vessel.

“Brother Lan Yu, you are well traveled. What do you think is happening?” Xu Guanhai asked through transmission.

Guan Xingxiu said uncertainly, “Unknown star sea civilization?”

“It is possible. Do not act rashly. Let us first try to communicate.”

After all, even the Wangzun Flying Vessel, which they could do nothing against, had been easily breached by these mysterious figures. Their strength was evident.

If fighting could be avoided, it was best to avoid it.

After some discussion, Lan Yu spoke, “Fellow Daoists, we mean no harm…”

The reply from the other side came quickly, using the same language, “Enough nonsense. Stay quiet.”

“Brother Liu, we cannot break their defensive treasure for now. Should we use the Immortal Talisman again?”

“No need yet. Just keep them trapped. We will deal with it after towing this vessel back.”

…

“Immortal seal script?”

Lan Yu and the others exchanged glances.

Time slowly passed in an eerie atmosphere.

A slight tremor from the Wangzun Flying Vessel broke the stalemate.

“Phew… we can remove the protection now.”

Amid relieved voices, another group arrived aboard the Wangzun Flying Vessel and took over this place.

Leading them was a long haired man wearing a peculiar Daoist robe, with half of a broken black jade hairpin inserted in his hair.

Although the aura emanating from this man was the same Dao Integration level as Lan Yu and the others, there was also another mysterious power mixed within it.

It caused the five Dao Integration cultivators from the Xuanhuang Realm to instinctively feel a faint sense of danger.

It was like facing a terrifying calamity within the endless dark void.

“Fellow Daoist…”

Lan Yu and the others tried to communicate with the long haired Dao Integration cultivator.

But it was as if he could not hear them at all. He only muttered to himself, “As expected, Brother Zhao was right. A ship really was captured in that direction. This is something that has not happened for thousands of years.”

“Keep an eye on them.”

Lan Yu and the others were about to speak again when the long haired man casually glanced at them.

Within his pitch black eyes, a character suddenly appeared like a ghost.

It manifested within the minds of Lan Yu and the others, and in an instant expanded like heaven and earth, filling all that they saw, felt, and heard.

Their eyes could not see, their ears could not hear.

They fell into endless darkness.

From the outside, however, it only seemed that the long haired Dao Integration cultivator had glanced at them lightly, and the five of them were immediately stunned.

They stood there blankly, lost in a daze.

The scene fell into silence. After the long haired Dao Integration cultivator left, people began whispering among themselves.

“Elder Wang is getting stronger and stronger. Those five were genuine Dao Integration experts!”

“What Dao Integration? If they do not understand the power of Immortal seal scripts, how are they any different from us Golden Core or Nascent Soul cultivators? They just have more brute strength.”

“That makes sense.”

…

The long haired Dao Integration cultivator hurried back. This captured flying vessel would naturally be inspected by specialists.

Although the craftsmanship of this flying vessel was indeed not bad, the most important thing was that no fluctuation of true immortal seal script power was detected.

Therefore, its true value was actually quite ordinary.

What the long haired Dao Integration cultivator cared about now was something else.

That Zhao Xian from the Academy of Dao Attainment had actually predicted the arrival of this flying vessel from the depths of the star sea.

How did he do it?

Could it be that he had secretly comprehended another type of true Immortal seal script power?

The long haired Dao Integration cultivator could not figure it out no matter how much he thought about it. He subconsciously touched the half broken black jade hairpin on his head.

“That one has been silent for seven or eight years. Is he finally about to reveal his edge?”

“First, he entered Soul Transformation in the morning and Dao Integration by evening in a single day, completely overturning the understanding of cultivation speed on the Immortal Ark. Then he comprehended a brand new true Immortal seal script…”

The long haired Dao Integration cultivator moved quickly. Before long, he returned from the Immortal Ark docking port to the Severed Immortal Tower.

In a quiet and dim secret chamber, he met Zhao Xian, who was also disheveled.

“Brother Zhao.” The long haired Dao Integration cultivator no longer had his previous arrogance and greeted softly.

Zhao Xian acted as if he did not hear, his eyes closed as he seemed to be contemplating something.

From time to time, his fingers lightly traced through the air as he muttered to himself.

The ignored long haired Dao Integration cultivator was not angered. Instead, he focused intently on the trajectories traced by Zhao Xian’s fingers, secretly trying to comprehend them.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Xian finally spoke, “The flying vessel has been found?”

The long haired Dao Integration cultivator nodded.

“This immortal vessel comes from the far side of the star sea, from where the Xuanhuang Realm once was.”

“The Xuanhuang Realm, like our Immortal Ark, survived the great catastrophe. But they have retained a considerable amount of resources…”

A trace of shock appeared on the long haired Dao Integration cultivator’s face.

Zhao Xian continued, “Unfortunately, the Xuanhuang Realm is too far from us. And it is too close to the Immortal Ruins.”

“For the Immortal Ark to go there would not be worth it. Of course, the final decision still lies with the Council of Elders.”

As Zhao Xian spoke, he handed over a point of light.

After reviewing the information within it, the long haired Dao Integration cultivator’s breathing quickened.

“Brother Zhao, how did you perceive all this?” he asked quietly before leaving.

Zhao Xian smiled slightly. “Though the star sea is vast, in the eyes of a True Immortal, it can be seen through at a glance. When you comprehended the true Immortal seal script, did you not also experience all kinds of visions in your mind?”

Wang Hai naturally would not admit otherwise. He nodded and said, “I see. Brother Zhao truly has extraordinary talent.”

Zhao Xian accepted the praise calmly, then handed over another point of light. “This is my new insight. After you review it, submit it to the Council of Elders.”

Wang Hai treated it as a supreme treasure. Instantly forgetting any prior displeasure, he eagerly examined its contents.

“Wonderful, truly wonderful.”

Wang Hai was utterly intoxicated, completely immersed in it and unable to extricate himself.

Only after a long while did the half broken black jade hairpin atop his head tremble slightly, as if it might break free at any moment. Only then did Wang Hai regain his senses.

"Brother Zhao is truly a great talent." This time Wang Hai bowed sincerely, then left the place with great excitement.

Zhao Xian, or rather the Holy Embryo Li Fan, watched Wang Hai’s departing figure. Sensing the gradually distorted back of the other party as he slowly lost control under the influence of the True Immortal seal script, he revealed a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

Due to the difference in the flow of time, it had already been nine years since Zhao Xian broke through to the Nascent Soul realm and was accepted as a core disciple by the Academy of Dao Attainment.

The real Zhao Xian, affected by the illusion created by Holy Embryo Li Fan, had always been tense, constantly worried that the Xuan Immortal Ark would be destroyed in the future. Even with Li Fan’s help, inner demons arose frequently.

Even the portion of divine sense that Holy Embryo Li Fan had split off was nearly exhausted, yet Zhao Xian’s condition had not improved.

Because of repeatedly displaying abnormalities, he had even been noticed by the Third Elder of the Academy, nearly exposing Li Fan’s existence.

Because of this, Li Fan also vaguely sensed a difference between the cultivation path of the Xuan Immortal Ark and that of the Xuanhuang Realm.

Cultivators of the Immortal Ark, whether breaking through bottlenecks or in daily cultivation, were extremely susceptible to the influence of inner demons.

These inner demons originated from the path of the star sea and were directly imposed upon the cultivator themselves.

Each time Li Fan helped intercept them, the frequency of the inner demons’ appearance only increased.

Moreover, as Zhao Xian’s actual realm grew stronger, the power of these inner demons also increased day by day.

Thus Li Fan simply stopped wasting effort on him and directly used the Dao Pill technique he had learned on the Xuan Immortal Ark.

His divine sense fused and replaced him.

From the root, it cut off the possibility of inner demons appearing.

Zhao Xian’s own talent could only be described as decent.

But to Li Fan’s surprise, after the Dao Pill was consumed, upon inheriting Zhao Xian’s body, he also simultaneously inherited the characteristics of the original inhabitants of the Immortal Ark.

Likewise, during cultivation, inner demons would arise.

However, compared to Zhao Xian, Li Fan, having experienced countless lifetimes, possessed a firm and resilient will.

Ordinary inner demons could not shake him.

Thus his cultivation encountered no obstacles.

According to his plan, he would lay low within the Academy of Dao Attainment, greedily absorbing the technological accumulation of the Immortal Ark over hundreds and thousands of years.

Afterward, he volunteered to represent the Academy and came to this Severed Immortal Tower.

To learn and test the method proposed by the Severed Immortal Tower for harmlessly utilizing the power of the True Immortal seal script.

The Severed Immortal Tower had not lied.

They indeed possessed an exquisite method that allowed ordinary cultivators to wield part of the power of the True Immortal seal script.

Just like the Dao Integration cultivator named Wang Hai earlier, who subdued the Lan Yu and his group of five in a single move.

The key lay in the half broken black jade hairpin he wore.

This jade hairpin was a relic of world extinction collected by the Immortal Ark from the vast ruins. Over long years, it had been influenced by the True Immortal seal script. As a result, traces of the Dao corresponding to the True Immortal seal script remained within it.

At the same time, it had been continuously washed by the star power echoing through the void.

The collision of two different True Immortal powers gave rise to the special existence of this black jade hairpin.

The method of entering the Dao mastered by the Immortal Ark’s Celestial Pivot Institute over the years also relied on these relics of world extinction to grasp the residual power of the True Immortal seal script.

However, what they selected were relics influenced by only a single True Immortal power.

The deeper one entered the Dao, the stronger the restraint imposed by the True Immortal seal script.

Not only would the body undergo certain terrifying transformations, but even the mind would be affected, becoming deranged and unstable.

The Severed Immortal Tower, by chance, discovered relics that retained two kinds of True Immortal seal script power.

They utilized and studied one of them, while treating the Echoing Star Power attached to it as an anchor.

When one went too deep into the Dao, one could trace back through the influence of the Echoing Star Power and withdraw from the state of entering the Dao.

Although this method did not allow one to reach the same upper limit of power as the Celestial Pivot Institute, it was safer and could be widely promoted among most cultivators.

Even those only at the Nascent Soul realm, with the assistance of special relics of world extinction and after a period of training, could instantly trigger and unleash the power of the True Immortal seal script.

If one were to fight within the star sea, and the surrounding environment happened to contain corresponding remnants of True Immortal seal script power, then its might could only be described as terrifying.

It far exceeded the limits of ordinary Dao Integration cultivators of the Immortal Ark.

Because of the proposal of this method, the Severed Immortal Tower later rose to prominence, almost completely replacing the Celestial Pivot Institute as the nominal true ruler of the Immortal Ark.

However, considering that in extreme situations the power of experienced Dao entrants was still required, the Celestial Pivot Institute was preserved.

After infiltrating the Severed Immortal Tower, Li Fan had personally tried entering the Dao under the condition of having an anchor.

But having witnessed the full eruption of the True Immortal seal script before, how could he possibly think much of such a shortcut method.

What truly interested him here was the research into different True Immortal seal scripts.

Because cultivators of the Immortal Ark could only reverse deduce the origin of the True Immortal script’s power through relics of world extinction, like blind men touching an elephant, each forming different understandings.

Li Fan, however, as one who had personally witnessed it, could select the correct versions from among many conjectures.

Hunger, Chaos, Nothingness, and others whose complete characters he had seen needed no mention.

As for the ones encountered while traversing the Star Sea, such as Solitude, as well as Fallen and Devoid, they were truly like supreme treasures to Li Fan.

Although the manifestations of the True Immortal scripts’ power differed, they all originated from the hand of the Dao Inscription Immortal.

In a certain sense, they shared common ground.

After mastering four or five correct answers, Li Fan could more easily identify versions closer to the truth from the research of the Severed Immortal Tower.

This was also the fundamental reason why, after disguising himself as Zhao Xian, he could continuously submit so called insights.

In fact, worthy of being True Immortal seal scripts, even versions deduced from their manifested power could rival the killing techniques of cultivators.

When Holy Embryo Li Fan tested them outside the Immortal Ark, the destruction they caused left him secretly astonished.

Among the many documents of the Severed Immortal Tower, what interested Li Fan the most was their speculative research on the classification of the True Immortal scripts.