Chapter 1329: A Finger Descends, Destroying the Firmament

My Longevity Simulation

Li Fan had always held two theories regarding the origin of the High Wall.

One possibility was that the High Wall had been created by the True Immortals who comprehended the Dao within the Immortal Ruins. Much like the restrictions cultivators set up while in secluded cultivation, it existed to prevent outsiders from disturbing them.

The other possibility was that the High Wall had been established by some unknown existence beyond it. By sealing off the Star Sea, it isolated the catastrophe caused by the spread of the True Immortal seal script that had once engulfed the region.

Both theories had their own merits.

The High Wall possessed neither form nor substance, yet it completely sealed off the entire Star Sea. Such a method was utterly beyond the comprehension of mortal cultivators. Only beings on the level of an Immortal could accomplish such a feat. Although the Darkest Star Sea appeared vast beyond measure to cultivators of the lower realms, containing countless cultivation worlds, a True Immortal could take in its entirety with a single glance. The area enclosed with a casual stroke might simply have been the perfect size for an Immortal's cultivation ground.

On the other hand, the Star Sea itself was boundless. The Darkest Star Sea alone could never represent the entirety of the lower realms. It might not even amount to a single corner of them. After the great catastrophe that destroyed the Immortal Realm, the region where the Xuanhuang Realm was located witnessed the return of the Xuantian King after his ascension, and the escape of the Faceless Immortal. Beyond the Darkest Star Sea, could there truly have been no other survivors from the Immortal Realm? If they discovered the unusual changes occurring in the Xuanhuang Realm's star region, it would have been entirely reasonable for them to take preventive measures.

'The Immortal Realm collapsed, yet the vast lower realms instead became the battlefield where various factions gathered. What exactly lies beyond the High Wall now?'

'Do those surviving Immortals still rule supreme? Or did the cultivators of old rise up, discover a way to oppose the True Immortals, and perhaps even develop a civilization capable of hunting them?'

Li Fan's thoughts drifted leisurely, and a feeling of longing rose within his heart.

'Soon.'

'In this life, the Xuan Immortal Ark will serve as the vanguard to leap across the High Wall. Even if they ultimately fail, I can summarize the experience and continue in the next life. At most, after three to five attempts, there should be a very good chance of crossing the High Wall.'

'And after I achieve Dao Integration through the Celestial Spirit of Heaven and Earth, becoming the strongest cultivator within the Darkest Star Sea, I can unite the strength of both the Xuanhuang Realm and the Xuan Immortal Ark to the greatest extent possible, then begin exploring what lies beyond the High Wall.'

'Just as I once explored step by step from the Great Xuan Small World to the Congyun Sea, and then to the Xuanhuang Realm.'

As he fell into a brief trance, memories suddenly surfaced of the countless hardships he had endured before finally breaking free from the Immortal Severing Grand Formation and entering the cultivation world.

'Although the world beyond the High Wall is filled with danger, I am no longer the same as I once was.'

A gleam flashed through Li Fan's eyes.

'The difference in elevation...'

From this higher dimensional perspective, looking down upon the Star Sea beneath the High Wall, the insights welling up within his heart were dozens of times more active than when comprehending the Dao within the Star Sea itself.

Moreover, the insights naturally born while standing at such a height were fundamentally on a higher level than those gained under ordinary circumstances.

It was as if he were truly comprehending the Dao from the perspective of a True Immortal.

'Why are all beings beneath the Immortals considered ants?'

'A True Immortal can destroy the Xuanhuang Realm with a single glance. Yet no matter how powerful a mortal cultivator becomes, destroying such a vast world still requires considerable effort.'

'The reason is simple. An Immortal stands high enough. In the eyes of a True Immortal, an entire world is nothing more than a tiny point.'

He recalled what he had seen atop the Remnant World Great Wall.

The endless fragments of broken worlds had gradually shrunk as his altitude increased, eventually twisting into a ring before finally converging into a single point.

Compared to that colossal Remnant World Great Wall, even the present Xuanhuang Realm was merely an insignificant fragment.

The Great Wall became a point.

Yet viewing the Xuanhuang Realm as a point required nowhere near that level of elevation.

As he savored the sensation of continuous ascent, the scenes of the Great Xuan Small World and the Xuanhuang Realm within his vision gradually twisted and shrank.

Although they had not yet condensed into a single point, they already resembled a mass of yellow clouds viewed from outside the world itself.

Li Fan instinctively reached out to touch it.

Only then did he discover that his body seemed frozen solid.

Endless resistance surrounded him, preventing him from moving even the slightest bit.

'I am still too weak. Although by fortunate coincidence I have obtained the perspective of a True Immortal, possessing such vision and actually being able to act are two completely different things...'

Li Fan tried several more times.

The result never changed.

His body seemed detached from the world itself, making any meaningful movement impossible. Moreover, those repeated attempts rapidly drained the energy within him. Even with Li Fan's current foundation, he soon found himself nearly exhausted.

Knowing that he could not force the matter, Li Fan quickly descended from that lofty height.

Only after his viewpoint lowered did freedom of movement gradually return.

Li Fan let out a long breath as he recovered the energy he had just consumed.

A moment later, his gaze narrowed slightly.

He had noticed something unusual.

According to his normal recovery speed, he should have returned to peak condition within only a few breaths. After all, he possessed the Five Elements Great Cave Heaven as his foundation and had also absorbed the World Destruction Transformation of the Xuanhuang Realm. The energy that the newly fused Xuanhuang Realm could unleash when facing world destruction was unimaginably vast. For an individual cultivator, it was virtually inexhaustible.

Yet now, merely attempting to move while at that higher elevation had nearly depleted his entire energy reserve in a short period.

'It is not merely the change in elevation. Even the energy required simply to move increases almost exponentially.'

'This is also one of the fundamental reasons behind the difference between Immortals and mortals. Spiritual qi, even the total spiritual qi of an entire world, cannot support the expenditure required to act at that height.'

'The energy itself exists on too low a level. A higher grade substitute is needed.'

'Immortal spiritual qi...'

Various realizations flashed through Li Fan's mind.

Taking a single step, he left the Great Xuan Small World and arrived in another desolate small world inhabited only by endless primeval forests.

He quietly rested until fully recovered before once again attempting to ascend.

This time, however, he carefully controlled the rate of ascent.

When the endless primeval forest before his eyes had shrunk to the size of a glass marble, he stopped.

For Li Fan, who originally stood at the very lowest level, merely maintaining this elevation already consumed an enormous amount of energy.

This time, however, he did not use his own spiritual energy.

Instead, he employed source power essence, whose nature closely resembled Immortal spiritual qi.

Golden light enveloped his body.

The feeling of restraint weakened slightly.

Compared to before, when he had been completely frozen, it was incomparably easier.

Looking at the small world before him, now resembling a glass marble, Li Fan slowly extended the index finger of his right hand.

Buzz.

As if sensing an approaching fatal danger, a mournful lament suddenly echoed across the heavens of that desolate small world.

Yet nothing could prevent what was about to happen.

Li Fan gently lowered his finger.

Simultaneously, an enormous finger appeared above the heavens of the small world.

He applied just a little force.

Li Fan felt a slight resistance.

Golden source power essence surged forth like a roaring torrent.

That resistance was as fragile as paper.

It shattered instantly.

The finger's shadow above the heavens spread like boundless dark clouds, covering the entire small world.

There was no earth-shattering explosion.

Only a crisp sound, like glass being crushed beneath a finger.

In a single instant, the desolate small world was reduced to ashes.

A violent storm spread through the void as a result of the world's destruction.

No matter how fiercely it howled, Li Fan remained standing firmly within it.

Protected by golden light, the storm could not harm him in the slightest.

He narrowed his eyes as he looked at his own finger.

He was still immersed in the might of the world destroying strike he had just unleashed.

The tremendous consumption of source power essence had already caused him to fall from that "higher place" and return to a normal perspective. Even so, erasing an entire small world with such effortless ease...

It truly gave Li Fan the illusion of being an omnipotent god.

Li Fan closed his eyes. Only after a long while did he dispel that sense of disorientation.

'Back then, when the True Immortal of the Immortal Ruins destroyed the Xuanhuang Realm with a single glance, what they did was fundamentally no different from what I have done now. The only difference is that they stood at a far greater height and could wield far greater power...'

'Give me enough time. One day, I will be able to accomplish the same.'

Li Fan lightly brushed the tip of his right index finger, as though wiping away dust that did not exist.

'This move descends from above, like the finger of a True Immortal falling upon the world...'

'I shall call it, the Nine Heavens Descending Mortal Finger!'

'It signifies both the descent of a True Immortal into the mortal world, and the descent of a True Immortal's power to subdue the mortal world.'

'Excellent!'

Li Fan was quite pleased with the name he had chosen.

Sensing divine senses approaching to investigate the inexplicable destruction of the small world, Li Fan transformed into a streak of sword light and departed directly.

The desolate wilderness small world was too insignificant. Even if it vanished, it would not affect the overall stability of the Xuanhuang Realm.

After returning to Great Xuan, Li Fan savored the sensation of using the Nine Heavens Descending Mortal Finger while contemplating how he could unleash this divine ability more easily in the future.

Although the Nine Heavens Descending Mortal Finger possessed the power to destroy worlds, its shortcomings were equally obvious.

Its casting time was far too long. Merely ascending to the required height demanded that Li Fan spend a long time accumulating momentum.

Afterward, he also had to gather source power essence before he could move freely at that specific height.

If the target were a world, this would not matter much. After all, a world could not grow legs and run away. Its location would remain fixed.

But if the target were a cultivator, they would certainly not give Li Fan so much time to prepare.

'One solution is to set up formations beforehand and trap the target, buying me sufficient time.'

'As for the other...'

Among all of Li Fan's attainments, his greatest was in the Dao of Formations.

Now that he had comprehended a divine ability approaching the Immortal level yet could not wield it freely, it was only natural for him to seek a breakthrough through formations.

'All Daos under heaven share the same origin. Divine abilities can perhaps be transformed into formations, and formations can perhaps be transformed into divine abilities...'

Ever since ascending to that lofty height, Li Fan felt that his thoughts had become more active than ever before.

Standing at such an elevated vantage point allowed him to examine problems from a perspective that transcended mortal limitations.

'Final Dissociation Disc, begin deduction!'

Temporarily suspending all its other tasks, Li Fan poured every experience from beneath the High Wall, along with all his insights from casting the Nine Heavens Descending Mortal Finger, into it.

Because directly converting this divine ability into a corresponding formation clearly exceeded the processing limits of the Final Dissociation Disc, its simulated personality immediately entered a frozen state.

Li Fan pondered briefly upon seeing this.

Then he changed his strategy.

Rather than expecting to directly transform the Nine Heavens Descending Mortal Finger into a formation, he instead planned to divide the casting process into a series of graded formations.

Just as several ancient Immortal formations ultimately combined to form the Floating Across Starry Sky Grand Formation of the Xuanhuang Realm.

Li Fan intended to use several linked formations to achieve the rapid casting of the Nine Heavens Descending Mortal Finger.

'The first step is naturally Ascension.'

Having personally ascended several times, Li Fan already possessed a preliminary understanding of the process.

The so called ascension was, in truth, the act of stimulating energy and raising its "position" within this starry sky.

'To find a method of achieving this, perhaps I should imitate the Xuan Immortal Ark's plan. Gather sufficient power from True Immortal seal script characters, then use the High Wall to unleash it all at once.'

'But on one hand, I am not seeking to topple the High Wall with a single finger. The amount of energy required is therefore nowhere near that terrifying.'

'On the other hand...'

Li Fan once again recalled the towering peaks gathered within the depths of the Darkest Star Sea.

'Perhaps I can draw inspiration from the Spirit Gathering Ascension Formation,' Li Fan thought silently.

'The reason the Spirit Gathering Ascension Formation can so easily create one of the few energy peaks within the Darkest Star Sea is because it is built upon the corpse of a True Immortal.'

'If I also use a True Immortal's remains as formation materials...'

Li Fan's train of thought immediately expanded.

A flash of crimson light appeared in his hand.

It continuously writhed while emitting an ominous and bizarre aura.

It was none other than the remaining True Immortal flesh that had previously been activated by the ancient characters upon the Kun-Qian Bone Hand within Ou Shangtian's body.

'Although it lacks immortal spiritual power, it still belongs to a True Immortal. It should be of some help.'

Li Fan muttered as he used the mass of True Immortal flesh as the primary material for his first experiment.

With the Spirit Gathering Ascension Formation serving as a template, the Final Dissociation Disc's deduction progressed smoothly.

Before long, the prototype of a new formation had already taken shape.

Li Fan used source power essence to construct the formation, mixing the constantly writhing True Immortal flesh into it.

After a long period of preparation, everything was finally complete.

Narrowing his eyes, Li Fan activated the formation.

Silence lingered for a brief moment.

Then an incomparably dazzling pillar of light erupted from within the formation.

Fueled by the True Immortal flesh, its brilliance was astonishing.

What delighted Li Fan even more was that, from his perspective, the pillar was far more than merely bright.

It was slowly rising, continuously ascending, climbing above all living beings.

'It worked so smoothly?'

The thought had only just appeared in his mind when the pillar of light, which seemed capable of illuminating the entire sky, suddenly went out.

Li Fan was momentarily stunned.

After examining it carefully, he finally understood that there was nothing wrong with the formation.

Rather, the True Immortal flesh serving as fuel had already been completely exhausted.

Li Fan frowned slightly.

'Its efficiency is still too low.'

'There is still room for improvement.'

'Besides, it is not limited to the Kun-Qian Bone Hand.'

'There should still be other remains of True Immortals within the Xuanhuang Realm. Perhaps I can gather them all together...'

The purpose of the Ascension Formation was not merely to rapidly cast the Nine Heavens Descending Mortal Finger.

Its ability to elevate one's position might one day become indispensable for crossing the High Wall, or even attaining True Immortality itself.

Li Fan attached immense importance to it.

Temporarily casting aside all outside matters, he devoted his entire focus to researching it.

Under the deductions of the Final Dissociation Disc and Li Fan's own guidance and refinements, the Ascension Formation underwent more than a thousand iterations in only seven days.

Only then did its utilization efficiency of the True Immortal flesh rise to a level that Li Fan found barely satisfactory.