Chapter 1326: Feigning Madness to Witness the High Wall

My Longevity Simulation

"Heh heh heh, Fellow Daoist, you must be joking. Beyond the High Wall..." Zhong Daogong's eyes flickered. Faced with Li Fan's relentless questioning, he decisively denied it.

"Do I look like I am joking?" Li Fan interrupted him without the slightest courtesy.

A fierce light flashed in his eyes, and the aura around him surged violently, as if he would erupt the moment negotiations failed.

The fluctuations emanating from Li Fan were all too familiar to the elders of the Immortal Ark.

They were precisely the fluctuations of the True Immortal seal script.

Seeing that Li Fan truly seemed serious, the expressions of the Immortal Ark elders changed dramatically.

"Fellow Daoist, please calm down. We can discuss this properly!"

As they tried to persuade him, they retreated while activating layer upon layer of the Immortal Ark's defensive barriers.

Li Fan's expression remained gloomy.

"It was precisely because I attempted to deduce the source that shook the High Wall that I suffered the backlash. Now I have little time left to live. Within this Darkest Star Sea, there absolutely cannot exist such a terrifying force."

"It was clearly the work of an unknown civilization beyond the High Wall, yet your Immortal Ark pretends it was your own achievement. You shamelessly claim credit for the work of others. Your pursuit of fame is one thing, but because of it, I..."

The more Li Fan spoke, the more agitated he became. The fluctuations of the True Immortal seal script around him grew increasingly intense.

His gaze toward the Immortal Ark cultivators resembled that of someone looking upon the murderer of his father, as if he were prepared to perish together with them at any moment.

In truth, his accusations were almost completely unreasonable and made little logical sense.

But one must not forget that, publicly, Li Fan only had twenty years of lifespan remaining.

To cultivators, twenty years passed in the blink of an eye.

Naturally, the Immortal Ark elders had no intention of arguing with a dying man whose emotions had become unstable.

They could only comfort him helplessly.

"Fellow Daoist, you have misunderstood us."

"We truly did not lie. The source behind the disturbance of the High Wall both originated beyond the High Wall and is deeply connected to our Immortal Ark. In truth, they share the same origin."

"You? Beyond the High Wall?" Upon hearing this, Li Fan calmed down somewhat, though his eyes still overflowed with suspicion.

The Immortal Ark elders secretly discussed the matter among themselves.

The story of the Shang Immortal Ark breaking through the High Wall was one of their highest secrets, but the man before them was already destined to die.

Furthermore, they were far too close to the Xuan Immortal Ark. If Li Fan suddenly went mad and scattered True Immortal seal script everywhere, the damage inflicted upon the Immortal Ark might be beyond repair.

Using a secret to temporarily stabilize him was not unacceptable.

"Sigh. It is a long story. Fellow Daoist, please allow me to explain it slowly..."

Zhong Daogong recounted to Li Fan the history of the split between the Xuan Merchant Immortal Ark and the Shang Immortal Ark, as well as how the latter ultimately smashed through the High Wall and gained its freedom.

Meanwhile, the other elders of the Immortal Ark joined forces to silently isolate the surrounding space.

On one hand, this prevented the Immortal Ark's greatest secret from leaking.

On the other, it trapped Li Fan within.

Li Fan seemed completely unaware of their subtle actions.

The hostility surrounding him gradually subsided. His expression became somewhat blank, mixed with a trace of regret.

"So it was I who acted rashly? I never imagined that the former Xuan Merchant Immortal Ark had such an extraordinary history."

Seeing Li Fan gradually calm down, Zhong Daogong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He then asked, "May I ask what Great Qi's attitude toward cooperation truly is? Even if you are unwilling, surely there is no reason to delay your response for so long."

"The truth is that Great Qi itself remains deeply conflicted over this matter. Only after I acted recklessly and suffered this severe backlash did my master reluctantly tell me that Great Qi naturally has interest in crossing the High Wall. However, the greatest concern is that everything related to the world beyond the High Wall likely carries unimaginable danger..."

After speaking those words with complete seriousness, Li Fan glanced around.

It seemed that he had finally noticed the confinement techniques jointly arranged by the Immortal Ark elders.

A trace of displeasure flashed through his eyes.

However, he merely snorted coldly without making an issue of it.

His black and white hair fluttered without any wind.

Countless silver threads emerged from among the strands of his hair.

Before the Immortal Ark elders could even react, those silver threads had already formed a grand formation throughout the void, sealing and imprisoning the Immortal Ark elders in exactly the same way.

Repaying them in kind did not immediately arouse their vigilance.

Instead, every Immortal Ark elder found their attention drawn to Li Fan's voice.

"Everyone, take a look. This is the scene related to the world beyond the High Wall that I deduced through the World-Protecting Immortal Artifact."

The words World-Protecting Immortal Artifact and beyond the High Wall together instantly shook every Immortal Ark elder.

All eyes focused upon the projection.

The viewpoint rose endlessly upward.

The entire Darkest Star Sea lay before them.

The cold and silent Star Sea, for some unknown reason, seemed to boil.

An ominous aura that made one's scalp tingle spread endlessly.

Not long afterward, an earth-shaking roar echoed from the distant horizon.

Then it was as if an enormous boulder had crashed into the Darkest Star Sea, raising monstrous waves that swept across the heavens.

...

The scene ended abruptly.

Although it lasted only a brief moment, the Immortal Ark elders had already understood what it depicted.

The High Wall had collapsed.

An unknown existence had descended into the Star Sea.

The scene appeared both illusory and astonishingly real.

It looked exactly like an authentic recording of something that had truly happened.

The Immortal Ark elders stood utterly transfixed, unable to recover from the overwhelming shock brought by the great upheaval of the Star Sea.

"This..."

Zhong Daogong also remained absent-minded for a long while before looking toward Li Fan.

"Now you understand why the backlash left me in such a state?" Li Fan said with complete calm.

"If the High Wall collapses and the Star Sea falls into chaos, then even with Great Qi's current strength, it would be impossible to guarantee our own survival. That is precisely why we have been unable to make a final decision."

"Freedom is certainly desirable, but only when safety comes first."

Li Fan let out a long sigh.

Silence fell throughout the area.

Although the Immortal Ark elders remained silent outwardly, fierce arguments had already erupted among them through divine sense.

"Is... is that scene real?"

"Such a vision could never have been fabricated by cultivators like us. Even the most horrifying nightmare could never produce such a scene."

"In my opinion, it does not look fake. Those fluctuations felt far too real. To be honest, I almost fled instinctively just now. Only because the surrounding space had apparently been sealed by his formation was I unable to escape."

"Then what about our plan? We intended to gather the power of the True Immortal seal script, draw upon the remaining immortal power of the Star Sea, create a tidal wave, strike the weakest section of the High Wall, and ultimately leap across it. We have planned this for so long, hoping to recreate the feat of the Shang Immortal Ark. Who could have imagined this outcome? Could the High Wall in that deduction actually have been collapsed by our own impact?"

"Wait. I just tried. This fellow's formation is genuinely formidable. Even I cannot escape."

"Do not let this fellow frighten you. A deduced scene is not necessarily the true future. We absolutely cannot abandon our plan because of this..."

"I am telling you, something is wrong. Even with the three of us joining forces, we still cannot break this formation."

...

A subtle atmosphere gradually spread among the Immortal Ark elders.

On one hand, they remained deeply shaken by the vision of the Star Sea's great upheaval.

On the other hand, they were horrified to discover that Li Fan had silently imprisoned all of them within his formation.

"Fellow Daoist, what exactly do you mean by this?" Zhong Daogong narrowed his eyes and demanded.

Li Fan ignored the question.

Instead, he appeared almost deranged as he muttered to himself.

"My master and the other seniors abandoned cooperation with your Immortal Ark and gave up probing the weak points of the High Wall for the sake of Great Qi's safety. I can actually understand their decision..."

"But if that is the case..."

"Then would I not have died for nothing twenty years from now?"

"Great Qi intends to give up."

"What about your Immortal Ark?"

Li Fan stared fixedly at the elders of the Immortal Ark and asked.

Elder Zhong Daogong could not immediately discern Li Fan's state of mind. He hesitated and remained silent.

Seeing that he received no answer, Li Fan's emotions instantly became agitated again.

"And what about all of you!"

"If you abandon it as well, then let us pretend none of this ever happened. Would that not make my unauthorized use of the immortal artifact, my deduction of the future, and the shortening of my lifespan completely meaningless?"

"I originally had a bright future. Among all the young disciples of Great Qi, my talent and learning surpassed everyone else. Even if I could not become a grand literary sage whose name would be remembered for eternity, at the very least I could have become a great teacher like my master, passing on the Dao, imparting knowledge, and resolving doubts..."

"All of that vanished into smoke because of a single sentence from your Immortal Ark."

Li Fan's tone became increasingly deranged. Strange black markings even began to spread across his face. The sight alone was enough to make one's scalp go numb.

"If I die, then so be it."

"But if I become a laughingstock after death..."

"I refuse to accept it!"

Li Fan pointed directly at Zhong Daogong.

"Give me an answer!"

"Will your Immortal Ark continue with the plan, or will it not?"

"If you are afraid and decide to cancel the plan..."

"Then all of you can be reduced to ashes together with me!"

As Li Fan spoke, countless silver lines suddenly lit up throughout the surrounding void.

It was as if thousands upon thousands of suns had risen simultaneously above the horizon, illuminating the space occupied by the Immortal Ark.

Every expression on every face became perfectly visible.

A silver wind began to blow through the void.

Just the slightest brush across their faces left bloody cuts.

The Immortal Ark elders immediately employed their own methods to defend themselves.

However, as the invisible wind within the void grew increasingly violent, all of their expressions changed dramatically.

"What... what kind of formation is this!"

"Danger! Everyone be careful! I have never seen such a terrifying formation in my life!"

"Quickly! Use the [Resolve] True Immortal seal script character to break the formation!"

The elders reacted with remarkable speed. Before the words had even finished, Jian Daosheng, the Grand Elder of the Celestial Pivot Institute, had already written a [Resolve] True Immortal seal script character.

Under the influence of the True Immortal seal script's power, the silver formation lines instantly collapsed.

However, before the Immortal Ark cultivators could celebrate, an astonishing scene unfolded before their eyes.

Within the surrounding darkness, countless new blazing lights rose like another multitude of suns.

Even more silver lines than before emerged once again.

Endlessly regenerating, they wove themselves into an entirely new formation.

The [Resolve] character melted the formation like ice turning into water.

Yet at the very same moment, even more water froze back into ice.

Thus, the formation imprisoning them not only failed to collapse.

Instead, it became even larger and more intricate.

"Quick! Whoever else knows the [Resolve] True Immortal seal script character, continue using it!"

"Calm down! The Immortal Ark has not retreated, and we are all gathered here. If too many True Immortal seal script characters erupt at once, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"This brat has gone completely mad! What exactly is he trying to do!"

As countless silver threads continued flashing, Li Fan's voice rang out once more.

"Fellow Daoist Zhong! Answer me!"

"What exactly is your Immortal Ark's decision!"

Zhong Daogong's expression turned extremely ugly.

In all his years, this was the first time he had ever been forced into such a position by a junior.

And yet...

Looking at the ever increasing number of different True Immortal seal script characters floating from Li Fan's body, Zhong Daogong felt an intense headache coming on.

If all of those True Immortal seal script characters activated simultaneously within the formation, then even with the Immortal Ark elders' lifelong mastery of True Immortal seal script, severe injuries would be unavoidable.

Only now did Zhong Daogong truly understand just how troublesome a cultivator who possessed the power of True Immortal seal script while completely disregarding their own life could be.

"Answer me!"

Li Fan's nearly insane roar echoed throughout the formation.

Seeing that Li Fan was already on the verge of complete collapse, with the True Immortal seal script characters pouring from his body in terrifying numbers.

Zhong Daogong finally sighed helplessly and answered.

"Fellow Daoist, rest assured. Our Immortal Ark will never abandon the plan to explore beyond the High Wall."

"Words alone prove nothing!"

"Then what does Fellow Daoist propose?" Zhong Daogong asked patiently, forced by the circumstances.

"Take me to that weak point in the High Wall first so I can see it with my own eyes! If you abandon the plan, then I alone, even at the cost of my own life, will crash into the High Wall myself!" Li Fan declared resolutely.

The Immortal Ark elders exchanged glances.

"What do you think? Can this formation be broken?"

"You know our attainments in formations. Even if we sat down to study it, it would take at least eighty to a hundred years to understand it. Breaking it quickly is completely impossible."

"I already warned all of you not to rely too heavily on True Immortal seal script. You should have continued developing other arts and divine abilities. None of you listened. Now you've been completely manipulated by someone else."

The elder of the Celestial Pivot Institute named Meng Xiaomeng wore an expression of obvious schadenfreude.

"So what should we do now? Are we really going to take him to that weak point in the High Wall?"

"Perhaps we should."

"This man's lifespan is nearly exhausted. His mind has already descended into madness. He cannot be judged by ordinary logic. He truly might throw himself against the High Wall and die."

"Besides, do not forget that his attainments in True Immortal seal script are extremely profound. We might be able to make use of him as the first test subject for the experimental plan."

"Indeed. Let us stabilize him first. As long as we can ensure he does not leak our secrets to the outside world."

...

Half because Li Fan threatened them with his own life, and half because of certain hidden schemes.

The elders of the Immortal Ark ultimately agreed to Li Fan's request.

They would first take him to witness the so called weak point in the High Wall.

The Immortal Ark, together with the assembled elders, moved through the void while carrying the Return to Void Grand Formation.

Passing through the Sea of Relics, they drew closer and closer to the foot of the High Wall.

"Ahead lies the continuous expanse of fragmented worlds."

"Beyond that is where the invisible High Wall stands," Zhong Daogong said.

Li Fan let out a cold snort.

"I have been there before. Tell me how we proceed from here."

"The fragmented world wall is connected as a single whole. If the Immortal Ark enters it, it will likely be captured by that supreme power and never escape again. Furthermore, as you have already noticed, the closer one gets to the High Wall, the stronger the returning stellar force becomes. With our cultivation, we can barely maintain our footing. But an Immortal Ark of this size cannot."

Zhong Daogong patiently explained.

"Do not worry. Since we have already come this far, we naturally will not break our promise."

Li Fan swept his gaze across the crowd. After pondering for a moment, he finally nodded.

Thus, six elders remained behind to guard the Immortal Ark.

The remaining elders accompanied Li Fan as they continued deeper toward the High Wall.