1298-1299

Chapter 1,298 Looking back and reviewing

Newest address: Anchored for three years, dissociated from the mountain's summit.

Li Fan, who was meditating in a seated position, suddenly opened his eyes.

His mind was in turmoil, no longer able to maintain calmness.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly stood up and walked out of the wooden hut.

He went to the cliff's edge to gaze at the distant sea of clouds, with mountain winds blowing fiercely, making his clothes flutter loudly.

It took a considerable part of the day for Li Fan's state of mind to gradually return to tranquility.

Such scenes had become not uncommon over the past three years.

Unlike before.

This time, when Li Fan successfully "Returned to Reality" one year after anchoring, his past experiences in cycles of reincarnation still deeply affected him.

It was not a passive influence like falling into the Net of a True Immortal, but an issue with Li Fan's own mindset.

Even with the protection of the Xuan Huang Immortal Heart Mantra, he couldn't break free.

Shortly after his thoughts would immerse, an uncontrollable image would suddenly emerge from the depths of his mind: a scene where Mao Bao leaps out of the darkness and then swallows the silhouette of a True Immortal from the Celestial Ruins.

This revelation would shock him into a cold sweat, throwing his mind into chaos.

He could no longer maintain a state of meditation.

"Mao Bao, Mao Bao..."

Li Fan's gaze flickered as he continuously muttered these two words.

Although Mao Bao possessed three unique abilities—object replication, life imitation, and the transformation of essence—it was merely of white quality when fished out from the fishing pool.

The fishing pool was subtly the creation of an unnamed True Immortal who had comprehended the Dao of Fishing.

How could Mao Bao, capable of deceiving the fishing pool, be simple?

Mao Bao feeds on the essence of Source Power, which also indicates its extraordinary nature to some extent.

Yet, whether it was the Holy Emperor used as a pawn, or Li Fan who considered himself a chess player, neither anticipated...

That Mao Bao would be such a terrifying creation.

Where the power of immortals goes, as if a True Immortal had personally arrived. Even if not in person, but merely a shadow, it could with a mere gesture, suppress the "Descent of the Immortal, All Returns to Void" formation that shattered the Xuan Huang realm. In stark contrast, three Supreme Beings of the Starry Sea, despite their utmost efforts, could barely survive within the immortal formation.

The gap between a Supreme Being and a True Immortal cannot be measured in terms of distance.

And Mao Bao, capable of swallowing the shadow of a True Immortal...

Its true strength is unimaginable.

In his previous life, at the moment when the gravitational pull of the Celestial Ruins vanished, the high walls crumbled, and the Starry Sea was in turmoil, Li Fan...

Driven by the instinct to survive, briefly suppressed his fear after the shock.

And it was only in this life that he finally came to his senses.

Feeling an immense sense of dread.

Having faced the True Immortal of the Celestial Ruins directly, even through an avatar, and despite the many side effects after truly "Returning," Li Fan ultimately succeeded.

So, after the True Immortal descended in his previous life, Li Fan, though startled, remained vigilant and did not immediately "Return." He did this to glean more secrets about True Immortals.

Unexpectedly...

The arrival of the True Immortal brought out the true face of Mao Bao.

A True Immortal of the Celestial Ruins, capable of annihilating the Xuan Huang with a glance, didn't even have the chance to react before being swallowed whole by Mao Bao.

If Li Fan were targeted by Mao Bao, how could he possibly escape unscathed?

Centuries of effort nearly vanished in an instant, never to recover. How could this not frighten Li Fan?

"I thought I had been careful enough."

"The waters of the Xuan Huang realm were nearly fully explored. There was no need to be so wary anymore. Little did I expect that beyond the high walls, a great shock awaited me..."

Ignoring the still-flickering "Return to Reality" inheritance option information before his eyes, Li Fan returned inside the wooden hut.

The room was filled with wooden carvings of cats, each with a different shape, lifelike.

However, all were unfinished, missing limbs, unable to reveal the cats' original forms.

These were all carved by Li Fan himself over three years.

Without invoking spiritual power, purely handcrafted.

Li Fan stared at them for a moment, then picked out a suitable piece of wood and took out a file from the side.

He began carving with patience.

This was Li Fan's way of directly facing the root of his inner fear, trying to eliminate the impact Mao Bao had on him.

It had

 some effect.

The frequency of Li Fan waking up from nightmares about Mao Bao had greatly decreased compared to three years ago.

However, Li Fan knew well that to truly resolve this "inner demon," it would take a long time.

He also took this opportunity to thoroughly review and contemplate.

At the last moment of his previous life, when the Starry Sea was in turmoil and the high walls collapsed, bringing shockwaves, many powerful cultivators who survived in the destruction of the immortal formation succumbed, turning to dust and smoke.

At that time, in the core of the immortal formation, leveraging the remaining power of the formation, Li Fan's divided spirit faintly perceived. The turmoil in the Starry Sea was not solely due to the collapse of the high walls.

But also because of the abrupt arrival of some entity.

Like a giant stone falling into a deep pond, causing countless ripples. In the already turbulent, darkest Starry Sea, it stirred up towering waves!

This was a major event that had not occurred in the Starry Sea since the path to immortality was severed ten thousand years ago.

In such a chaotic and crisis-ridden scene, thanks to his decisive and alert nature, Li Fan indeed succeeded in "Returning."

But the scenes he experienced during "Return" were somewhat different from before.

This is also a deeper reason why Li Fan has been unable to truly calm his mind over the past three years.

The normal scenery of "Return" would dim, as if covered by a layer of mist, unclear. After "Return" was activated, all scenes would freeze, shatter, and fly into his mind.

When facing a formidable threat, like when the Xuan Huang was annihilated by a glance from the Celestial Ruins' True Immortal or when the faceless True Immortal Suoji came. These powerful beings could move within the still scenes around "Return," though very slowly, as if the inside and outside of "Return" were in different timespaces.

But in his previous life, the scenes Li Fan experienced during "Return" were completely different.

The external scenes of "Return" seemed unaffected and remained still. However, the surrounding scenes, as if enveloped in fog, would flicker unpredictably, bright one moment and dim the next, like an old television set losing signal.

At that moment, Li Fan's mind was almost blank.

With no means to counter, he could only wait, as if facing judgment, for his final fate to arrive.

Fortunately, "Return" was ultimately successful, and he, Li Fan, once again returned to one year after anchoring.

When the familiar scenery appeared before his eyes, Li Fan was nearly exhausted, sweating profusely.

Thinking of this, Li Fan's carving knife slipped, ruining what was originally a perfect little cat sculpture.

He threw it aside and picked up another piece of wood to carve.

Clearing his mind of all distractions, he focused intently.

When a sculpture resembling Mao Bao but missing two ears was completed, Li Fan felt his heart calm down significantly.

He began to review the experiences of his previous life.

The biggest gain from his previous life was learning of Mao Bao's existence and gaining a tangible understanding of what lay beyond the high walls.

Li Fan had once planned to cross the high walls using the legacy left by Mr. Bai if possible. Now, he temporarily shelved that idea.

The terror beyond the high walls, though formidable, did not greatly affect the current Li Fan.

After all, from Mao Bao's behavior, it seemed only beings at the level of True Immortals truly caught its attention.

Li Fan was still far from reaching the realm of True Immortals.

Because he was too weak, there was no need for undue worry.

Regarding the terrifying origin of Mao Bao, based on his experiences from his previous life, Li Fan had two guesses.

One, Mao Bao was indeed a creation of the unnamed immortal who created the fishing pool.

It might even be an extension of the unnamed immortal's power.

The fishing pool and Mao Bao might not be the only ones, nor located in the same place.

Their mission was to search for the remaining True Immortals in the world.

Once they discovered their traces, the unnamed immortal would descend and devour them.

Just as Li Fan saw the fate of the "Fish Kings" in the Yunhai fishing pool.

But here lies a problem.

They were devoured because they had value.

"Fish Kings" were divided up because they were nourished by the spiritual power of monks participating in the fishing contest. To other "Fish Kings," they were a great supplement.

For an unnamed immortal who had already comprehended a certain Dao and transcended, ordinary True Immortals seemed to have no value worth devouring.

"Or perhaps, the real targets are like the True Immortal of the Celestial Ruins, who have comprehended the Dao for ten thousand years and are about to ascend to True Immortality. Being able to incorporate the understanding of the Dao into

 themselves, possessing the pathways of the second, or even more, Daos..."

True Immortals were already out of reach. Information on unnamed True Immortals was even scarcer. Li Fan could only make reasonable guesses based on his past understanding of things.

Aside from the possibility that Mao Bao was an extension of the unnamed True Immortal, there was a second guess.

Mao Bao appeared in the fishing pool because its target was the unnamed immortal who had entered the Dao through fishing!

The fishing pool scavenged treasures from the starry sky, and after sensing its power, Mao Bao disguised itself and voluntarily entered the fishing pool. The goal was to have the opportunity to find the unnamed immortal behind the fishing pool.

As the saying goes, the fisherman is also fished.

But during the tedious wait for prey to bite, it discovered another True Immortal. An unexpected joy.

From Mao Bao's expression at the end of the last life, it seemed not picky about its food.

The appearance of the True Immortal of the Celestial Ruins was also a pleasant surprise.

The implications behind the second guess are far more terrifying than the first.

After all, Li Fan had long been aware of the existence of the unnamed immortal.

The realm of the unnamed immortal was even above that of True Immortals. Instantly killing a True Immortal was to be expected.

But if the second guess is true...

Then it means that Mao Bao might just be a vanguard.

A hunter from a civilization beyond the wall, specially designed to hunt True Immortals, even unnamed True Immortals.

Li Fan recalled the scene at the end of his last life when Mao Bao leaped up and headed towards the Celestial Ruins.

"Unable to perceive the specific situation inside. But the gradual disappearance of the gravitational pull of the Celestial Ruins already explains some facts."

"No fluctuations of battle were emitted..."

"The True Immortal of the Celestial Ruins probably couldn't put up much resistance before being captured."

The use of "capture" instead of "fall" is because Li Fan clearly felt the process of the gravitational pull of the Celestial Ruins slowly disappearing.

As if the source of the gravitational pull was slowly pulled into a quagmire and gradually vanished.

Not as if, with the fall of the True Immortal, the gravitational pull of the Celestial Ruins instantly disappeared.

"If the guess is true, then the collapse of the high walls and the turmoil in the Starry Sea are proofs of the force behind Mao Bao descending to capture True Immortals."

"The power to create such a creation as Mao Bao, the force beyond the high walls must have developed to an unimaginable extent."

"Capturing True Immortals is profitable."

"If True Immortals have any value, it's either the power of their immortal spirit or the Dao of True Immortals..."

As Li Fan pondered, he placed the newly carved little cat statue in its spot.

His heart became a bit more peaceful.

When fear was dispelled, some thoughts emerged in Li Fan's mind: "Actually, upon closer consideration, the discovery of Mao Bao is not entirely a bad thing for me."

"At the very least, I now have a means to restrain True Immortals. I have the capital to overturn the table at a word's disagreement."

"Unlike before, once a True Immortal descends, I could only return in embarrassment."

Li Fan's gaze flickered: "The only thing to be cautious about is the exposure of 'Return.'"

"From the scenes experienced in the last 'Return,' the civilization behind Mao Bao actually had the power to affect 'Return.'"

"Not directly affecting me with something like the power of a True Immortal, thereby influencing the activation of 'Return.'"

"But indeed, affecting 'Return' itself."

"Even if it was just a slight fluctuation in the 'Return' scenes..."

"If I want to leverage the power of Mao Bao, I inevitably have to use an avatar."

Thinking of this, Li Fan couldn't help but frown slightly.

In his last life, his original body remained unmoving in the Yanfa Jue space.

He had divided into many entities, scheming in secret.

The avatar of the Holy Emperor, the Holy Embryo, multiple divided spirits...

Though overall no major problems arose, there were minor instances of loss of control.

For example, the avatar of the Holy Emperor exhibited a higher moral stance. Although this was a setting forcibly imposed on him during the creation of the avatar, it led to irreconcilable conflicts with his original self. Later, it even completely broke off contact with his original self.

This caused his original self's perception to be severed. Details of the battle transmission method and celestial medicine were thus unknown.

For instance, the mental stability of the divided spirits was worse than that of his original self or avatars. Emotional fluctuations were sometimes too intense, completely contrary to his original self.

Although Li Fan could completely

 control every word and deed of the divided spirits, he couldn't fully exempt himself from this mental state's loss of control.

Aside from the factor that the divided spirits were merely a thought and inherently too weak.

Li Fan also faintly realized the root cause of the emotional volatility of the divided spirits from his last life.

It was the Xuan Huang Immortal Heart Mantra!

First, the Holy Embryo passed the Xuan Huang Immortal Heart Mantra to the Qing Xuan army guarding the abyss.

Then, the Holy Emperor bestowed the Immortal Heart Mantra to the Da Qi forbidden army.

More than a hundred thousand beings practiced this method.

Initially, Li Fan didn't think that widely spreading the Immortal Heart Mantra would affect him much.

But it turned out he was wrong.

The Xuan Huang Immortal Heart Mantra had accompanied him on his path to immortality and had become intertwined with his being.

As he spread it externally, the stability of the Immortal Heart Mantra was accordingly affected.

Chapter 1,299 Real changes

Li Fan was never meant to embark on the path of cultivation.

Initially, when he traveled from the Great Mystery to the Glazed Isle, just purging the mortal miasma within his body nearly severed his journey of cultivation completely.

Fortunately, under the dual blessings of the Xuan Huang Heart-Clearing Mantra and the Body-Purifying Spirit Pool, he was able to formally begin his cultivation.

As he shed the miasma from his body, the Xuan Huang Heart-Clearing Mantra also transformed into the Xuan Huang Heart-Refining Mantra.

The Xuan Huang Mantra thus became his unconventional foundation, accompanying him throughout his life of cultivation.

The higher Li Fan's cultivation level grew, the more the Xuan Huang mantra foundation expanded, like pillars supporting his cultivation.

In his previous life, after Li Fan had widely disseminated the Xuan Huang Immortal Heart Mantra, the consequence was that these foundation pillars…

Became weakened due to their extensive dispersion.

His own foundation was not solely based on the Xuan Huang Immortal Heart Mantra but also included "Returning to Reality" and the experience gained from hundreds of lifetimes of reincarnation. Therefore, the impact on him was minimal.

However, this dilution had a naturally magnified negative effect on his avatars and divided spirits. The weaker the separated entity, the more pronounced this was.

It was not just him affected by the widespread dissemination of the Immortal Heart Mantra.

Even the Immortal Heart Mantra itself weakened significantly due to its dissemination.

This could be seen from the performance of the Qing Xuan army and the Da Qi forbidden army, who practiced the Immortal Heart Mantra in the great battle of the previous life.

They barely managed to maintain composure in the face of danger, but they were far from the orthodox Immortal Heart Mantra's "Endure a thousand tribulations without changing the immortal heart."

The gap became more apparent to Li Fan when he "Returned to Reality" to this life, monopolizing the Immortal Heart Mantra for himself.

"The law cannot be cultivated in common…"

"It seems it's not just the heavens of the Xuan Huang realm trying to suppress the abrupt evolution of cultivators. Rather, it's a tradition deeply ingrained in the Xuan Huang realm, originating from the Immortal Realm."

"Hmm, perhaps it's not only related to the non-common cultivation of the law. It's also deeply related to the position of the Great Celestial Sovereign of Xuan Huang."

Undoubtedly, the Immortal Heart Mantra given to the world by Mr. Bai to counteract and reverse the contrarian forces of Xuan Huang, must originate from the Great Celestial Sovereign of Xuan Huang.

The Great Celestial Sovereign of Xuan Huang, appointed by the Immortal Realm, wields the celestial instruments and oversees Xuan Huang.

In the realm of Xuan Huang, he possesses supreme authority.

However, this grand position of the Celestial Sovereign in the Immortal Realm is not so easily held.

Not only is there a "Watcher" colleague secretly hindering him, but inheriting the position of the Celestial Sovereign also means inheriting the restrictions and punishments of the Immortal Realm on the Celestial Sovereign of Xuan Huang.

After "Returning to Reality" to this life, Li Fan, upon reflection, remembered Sun Tianci, who was consumed by the heart-burning flame.

"Even now, with the path to immortality severed, the countermeasures of the Immortal Realm are still effective."

"The inability to widely disseminate the Immortal Heart Mantra is probably one of the various restrictions of the Immortal Realm on the Great Celestial Sovereign of Xuan Huang."

Li Fan then remembered the events after Sun Tianci's successful succession in his previous life.

"The Great Sun Golden Bell, the Tai Xu Qing Ming Lamp, the Purple Qi Dream Weaving Shuttle, the Mixed Yuan Five Elements Wheel."

These four items are the only remaining celestial instruments in the inheritance of the Great Celestial Sovereign of Xuan Huang.

Additionally, there was a condensed force of immortal spirit, originating from those celestial instruments detonated by Mr. Bai.

"After passing the test of the fallen immortal realm, there's still a probationary period before truly becoming the Great Celestial Sovereign of Xuan Huang."

"Before the path to immortality was severed, this probationary period was actually the waiting time for the Immortal Realm's review and appointment."

"After the path to immortality was severed, appointment by the Immortal Realm became a moot point. However, according to the procedure set by the Immortal Realm, if there is no response from the Immortal Realm within three years, the review is automatically considered passed. Generally speaking, as long as one doesn't encounter situations like Sun Tianci, where the realm of Xuan Huang is destroyed, simply waiting out the time will grant full authority of the Great Celestial Sovereign."

"And before that…"

The celestial instruments of the Great

 Celestial Sovereign's inheritance could not be used. This was one of the reasons why Sun Tianci was easily persuaded by Li Fan's divided spirit.

Facing the pressing Transcendental Celestial Sovereign, the newly appointed Great Celestial Sovereign of Xuan Huang truly did not have the power to contend.

"According to Sun Tianci, these celestial instruments bestowed by the upper realms all lack spirit presences. Without the force of immortal spirit, the Celestial Sovereign of Xuan Huang can only rely on the prohibitions left by the Immortal Realm, consuming the celestial instruments' own power to operate."

"In a sense, they are unquestionably consumables. When Mr. Bai collected them, these celestial instruments had already been used countless times. It's hard to say how much power they still possess."

"But after all, they are celestial instruments. Not using them in the fallen immortal realm is like letting treasures gather dust. This life, I still need to retrieve them. Not to mention that pure force of immortal spirit."

Only by laying down the world-ending immortal formation with his own hands did Li Fan truly understand the power and transcendence of "immortal."

In his sea of consciousness, the Terminal Disassociation Disk emitted an unusual seven-colored light.

Within the brilliance, the true "immortal formation" was being incessantly deduced.

The birth of the immortal formation, the operation of the immortal formation, the destruction of the immortal formation.

In the process of the world-ending formation of the previous life, the Terminal Disassociation Disk collected ample formation data. As if truly completing the metamorphosis from mortal to immortal, it can now deduce immortal formations on its own according to Li Fan's needs, just like deducing mundane formations.

Even if the deducing speed is extremely slow and the load on the Disassociation Disk is quite heavy.

But under the orderly arrangement of the Disassociation Disk's simulated personality, it does not affect Li Fan's normal cultivation.

The main direction of the Terminal Disassociation Disk's immortal formation deduction is to downgrade the immortal formation.

By slightly lowering the power of the formation, in hopes of being driven by a slightly inferior source of energy.

The difference between mortals and immortals is stark; Li Fan cannot massively create immortal spirit power. Even if he could harvest some from the inheritance of the Great Celestial Sovereign, it would not be enough to support Li Fan's plans for this life.

But the essence of source power, almost as powerful as immortal spirit power, is nearly inexhaustible for Li Fan.

If he could manage to drive the immortal formation with the essence of source power, it would undoubtedly save a lot of trouble.

Even if the Transcendental and Celestial Physicians return to the realm of Xuan Huang, he could easily handle them.

No longer needing to painstakingly create a Holy Emperor avatar to contend with them.

In the world-ending immortal formation of his previous life, Li Fan had a clear view of the true strength of the Transcendental and Celestial Physicians.

With a predefined strength comparison, he could also have a clear understanding when creating the immortal formation.

"As long as they are not driven to a dead end, with the immortal formation as leverage, inviting them to sit down and have a proper discussion shouldn't be a problem."

Li Fan's eyes flashed with the translucent figure that appeared after the Transcendental's body was annihilated.

In the chaos of the world-ending storm, it was incredibly chaotic. He hadn't been able to see clearly.

But vaguely, from that translucent figure, he felt a familiar aura.

"If there's a chance in this life, perhaps I can verify it."

When a true immortal descends, everything in the realm of Xuan Huang is as insignificant as ants.

Mao Bao's leap, even the shadow of a true immortal is but a meal on the plate.

The gap between the realm of Xuan Huang and beyond the high wall is evident.

But it does not mean that everything in the realm of Xuan Huang has lost its value.

When Li Fan was merely a mortal Grand Preceptor, the gap between him and the immortal longevity of Xuan Huang. Is just like today's gap between the realm of Xuan Huang and beyond the high wall.

But after one hundred and twenty-six cycles of reincarnation, the former mortal Grand Preceptor could already use the immortal longevity as a pawn.

What of the ability to hunt true immortals beyond the high wall?

Given Li Fan another one hundred and twenty-six cycles, it's not impossible for him to similarly use true immortals as pawns!

However, for now, beyond the high wall remains completely unknown to Li Fan.

With his current strength, he is still not sufficient to step beyond the high wall.

Thus, everything still needs to proceed in an orderly manner, according to plan.

...

With such thoughts, Li Fan completed another carving of Mao Bao.

His divine sense swept over, he had completed nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine wood carvings in

 the past three years.

Filling the wooden hut, further compressing the already not spacious room.

Li Fan's finger suddenly ignited a flame, and he threw it towards the pile of Mao Bao wood carvings.

Boom!

The flame surged, instantly turning into a roaring fire.

But it only burned the Mao Bao wood carvings and did not spread throughout the wooden hut.

The wood carvings perished in the flames, without black smoke, even without ashes.

In an instant, these nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine wood carvings were consumed by the fire, completely disappearing from the world.

As if they had never existed.

Li Fan quietly watched the fire slowly extinguish.

The countless images of Mao Bao reflected in his eyes also gradually disappeared with the dying fire.

After standing quietly for a long time, Li Fan shifted his gaze.

Looking towards the "Return to Reality" panel.

The light flickered, reflecting the familiar characters.

...

[This simulation has ended]

[You can choose one of the following options to retain:

1. An item you possessed during this simulation.

2. Your cultivation realm during this simulation.

3. The simulated memory of a person closely related to you during this simulation. This memory can be inherited by that person.

4. Forego the above choices to accelerate the charging process.]

After this paragraph, which Li Fan had seen countless times, there was an additional new prompt.

Li Fan's gaze became focused.

[New variable interference detected, an additional choice can be made this simulation]

Compared to the previous paragraph, this line of text was slightly different.

Instead, it resembled the scenes seen at the end of the last "Return to Reality".

Flickering more frequently than the normal "Return to Reality" reminders.

And being able to choose two items to retain was unprecedented.

"New variable interference…"

Having waited for three years, he wasn't in a rush at this moment. As before, Li Fan did not immediately make a choice.

Instead, he thoughtfully considered, carefully savoring this reminder from "Return to Reality".

Since discovering that it could "eat" oddities and cave heavens of heaven and earth, increasing the charging progress of "Return to Reality", Li Fan knew that "Return to Reality" seemed to grow by "eating" useful objects.

Oddities of heaven and earth, cave heavens, even eternal remnants, and even Li Fan's own experiences…

Were all within the interests of "Return to Reality".

Of course, once "Return to Reality" had consumed them, it was no longer interested.

So, Li Fan was certain that even if he encountered the forces beyond the high wall again in this life, without any other substantial gains, the reward from "Return to Reality" would not appear again.

Li Fan wasn't particularly concerned about this additional choice.

If he wanted, just one more cycle of reincarnation would be enough to obtain it.

What Li Fan truly cared about was the attitude of "Return to Reality".

Previously without exception, only when "Return to Reality" truly benefited did it give a reward.

And this time, merely sensing the so-called new variable interference, "Return to Reality" was unusually generous in giving an additional reward…

This sudden generosity, in Li Fan's view, was an unmistakable temptation.

Leading and enticing Li Fan to explore beyond the high wall.

Undoubtedly indicating that beyond the high wall, there absolutely exists objects of extreme interest or even great use to "Return to Reality".

As the fundamental trump card that has grown up to now, if "Return to Reality" could undergo any changes, Li Fan would definitely be the biggest beneficiary.

So, Li Fan couldn't help but be heartily tempted.

But as with the previous decision, beyond the high wall, step by step danger, needs long-term planning.

"Alone, stepping beyond the high wall is somewhat difficult."

"But the realm of Xuan Huang has proven its potential through multiple cycles of reincarnation."

"If the beings of the realm of Xuan Huang assist me, I will undoubtedly have an easier time."

The first step to leaving the darkest star sea is to be able to cross the high wall.

Just this premise alone, Li Fan might need to attempt multiple times to achieve.

After all, the high wall has trapped the beings of the darkest star sea for ten thousand years, and Mr. Bai's plan to detonate the force of immortal spirit to cross the high wall was merely a guess.

In the star sea, the Heavenly Sword Sect, the Demon Race, and even the rumors of the Ten Immortal Sects crossing realms and leaving, have no substantial evidence to prove their success.

If during the ten thousand years of the severed path to immortality and the towering high wall, there was any power in the darkest star sea that truly crossed the high wall...

Then it would probably only be...

The "Merchant Immortal Boat".

Li Fan's eyes flashed with the astonished expression of the Holy Embryo when he learned of this from Ai Tianjue in his previous life

.

"They intend to pilot the Xuan Merchant Immortal Boat, crash into the high wall, and attempt to break out of this star sea," Ai Tianjue said with an indescribable tone.

After the Holy Embryo's astonishment, he couldn't help but ask, "So, did the Merchant Immortal Boat succeed?"

Ai Tianjue was silent for a long time before saying with a complex expression, "If they hadn't succeeded, why would the Xuan Immortal Boat have considered the words 'Merchant Immortal Boat' taboo for a thousand years?"

"Suc… succeeded?" The Holy Embryo was not only astonished but also shaken.

"The Xuan Merchant Immortal Boat was originally one. Whether it was completely destroyed in the impact or has successfully escaped, it should be able to sense it."

"The Merchant Immortal Boat is still out there, beyond the high wall," Ai Tianjue sighed.

"Because of the success of the Merchant Immortal Boat, we in the Xuan Immortal Boat also clearly recognize that the power of 'immortal' may be the only way to escape this darkest star sea. But during the prosperous times of the star sea, searching for immortal instruments was already extremely difficult. Let alone after the collapse of the star sea."

"Fortunately, after the great calamity, the entire ruined star sea was filled with remnants of the power of true immortal runes. That's when we in the Xuan Immortal Boat began to research this power."

...

All sorts of things within the Xuan Immortal Boat flashed through Li Fan's mind.

"The Merchant Immortal Boat is still out there. Beyond the high wall."

Li Fan savored this sentence over and over.

He did not believe that in such a life-and-death situation in his previous life, Ai Tianjue would still deceive him.

So, the escape of the Merchant Immortal Boat should be true.

"The Xuan and Merchant Immortal Boats still sense each other."

"If a way to cross the high wall is found, it could be tracked through this sense to the Merchant Immortal Boat."

"With the Merchant Immortal Boat as a bridgehead, establishing a foothold beyond the high wall should be much easier."

Due to the initial split, the Xuan Immortal Boat does not contain materials that could help cross the high wall.

What's valuable inside the Xuan Immortal Boat should be the secret collection named "Hundred Immortal Records" and the research on true immortal runes.

"Xuan Huang, Immortal Boat."

"With these two realms as power, forge a bridge across the high wall."

"Then command the beings of Xuan Huang to clear the way for me."

Li Fan tentatively settled on a plan.

With this goal as a phased endpoint, there's still much for Li Fan to do at present.

First, improve his own strength.

Even if he could have immortal formations for protection in the future. The transformation of Xuan Huang's realm into a divine being is somewhat insufficient. Li Fan urgently needs to improve his own strength to face the Transcendental, Celestial Physicians, true immortals, and even the forces beyond the high wall.

The great battle between the Holy Emperor and the Transcendental, Celestial Physicians in his previous life had clarified his future path.

Like the Holy Emperor, relying on the fate of the Holy Dynasty and the care of the Heavenly Dao, it's ultimately not as good as the Transcendental and Celestial Physicians, whose mighty power is vested in themselves. Although they have reached the limit this star sea can bear, it's obvious that the actual combat power of the Transcendental and Celestial Physicians surpasses the Holy Emperor by more than a little.

"I am still under the shackles of the Transcendental's new laws. Cultivating in the star sea might not be suitable for me."

"The most practical method…"

Li Fan's gaze flickered: "Immortal power spreads, Xuan Huang is elevated. The soul of heaven and earth, merges with my body and soul."

In his previous life, the Holy Emperor shaped the heavens and the earth, teaching the new law to all beings, which indeed seems to directly point to the Great Dao.

With myself as the foundation, mixed yuan golden core, physical body nascent soul, mind and thoughts become divine, merge with the star sea Dao...

And the final "Echoing the Dao of Immortality", truly stirring the heart.

In the first three years of this life, every time Li Fan reflected, he felt its endless mysteries.

But still, that problem remains.

The new law is good, but it's only theoretically viable. Even in the world, there hasn't been a cultivator who truly cultivated to the mixed yuan golden core according to the new law...

Li Fan, who possesses the oddity "Return to Reality", even the first step of "With myself as the foundation" is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Let alone the higher realms that follow.

Compared to this, the laws of

 Transcendental are more suitable for Li Fan.

Previously, cultivators lamented, "With the immortal path unattainable, the Transcendental Celestial Sovereign looms above," because the limit for new law cultivators was already set in the realm of Xuan Huang back then.

Even if it's the realm of immortality, looking at the entire darkest star sea, it really can't stir up any waves.

But times have changed.

After the Transcendental and Celestial Physicians' thousands of years of diligent work, the current realm of Xuan Huang can be said to have gathered all the remaining essence of the entire star sea.

Not only has its scale expanded dozens of times, but in the previous life, under the stimulation of the force of immortal spirit, Li Fan also saw the hidden in various states, yet to be unleashed, vast vitality.

As the home in the Celestial Physicians' plan for the future.

The potential of the realm of Xuan Huang has never been truly unleashed.

The current combined Dao of the realm of Xuan Huang, although limited in strength, the future elevated realm of Xuan Huang might not be the same.

"Emerging blue out of the indigo and excelling the indigo, water becomes ice and is colder than water." Li Fan gently murmured.

"Who says the Grand Preceptor's authority must definitely be inferior to the Emperor?"

After the realm of Xuan Huang is nourished by the force of true immortals and with its own elevation, the laws of heaven and earth, and even everything nurtured in the world, will undergo a transformation.

Li Fan clearly witnessed this process in his previous life.

"And that was only when most of the immortal force was used on the 'All Returns to Void' formation. If the immortal force completely nourished the realm of Xuan Huang to catalyze it, the soul of heaven and earth that would be born would undoubtedly be unprecedentedly powerful…"

"By merging with this Dao, maybe even control of immortal power is possible." Li Fan silently deduced.

Before Li Fan, all cultivators of the realm of Xuan Huang, except for the Transcendental Celestial Sovereign, were sucking the blood and flesh of the realm of Xuan Huang.

Their cultivation and foundation were all built on the realm of Xuan Huang.

No matter how they tempered the principles of heaven and earth, they could not exceed the power limit provided by the realm of Xuan Huang itself.

What Li Fan wanted to do was first to push the upper limit of Xuan Huang to surge, and then take the step of merging with the Dao.

"Even, the uncontrollable elevation of the realm of Xuan Huang might cause the foundation of Transcendental to shake…" Li Fan's gaze flickered, deducing something.

Still the previous analogy of the prison.

The immortals of the realm of Xuan Huang removed the prison's beams, replaced them themselves, and merged into the prison.

What Li Fan wanted to do was to expand this prison.

After its scale has expanded several times, then take the place.

Transcendental indeed has almost complete control over the old prison. But if the area of the prison suddenly expands several times...

He would face the risk of losing control of the realm of Xuan Huang.

"This plan has another advantage."

"With my understanding of the Heavenly Dao of Xuan Huang, as long as I don't reveal the intention to merge with the soul of heaven and earth, It won't have hostility towards me. It might even help me secretly."

"After all, I am helping It complete its sublimation."

"And with the assistance of the Heavenly Dao of Xuan Huang, it would be possible to deceive the Transcendental and Celestial Physicians beyond the stars without them noticing."

"By the time they realize something is wrong and want to return, the pre-arranged immortal formation would be enough to block them."

...

After pondering the plan for a while, Li Fan nodded slightly.

Besides elevating his own realm, improving his combat power could also be achieved through external forces.

For example, true immortal runes.

In his previous life in the Xuan Immortal Boat, Li Fan comprehended five new true immortal runes.

Although they are not complete true immortal runes, but the imitation restoration by the cultivators of the immortal boat.

But it's enough to deal with the supremes of the star sea.

In fact, Li Fan's biggest gain from true immortal runes in his previous life did not come from the Xuan Immortal Boat.

But from the Yanfa Jue.

The true immortal rune in the memory of Yanfa Jue, unlike the pure destructive power permeating the star sea.

Li Fan's mind moved, and he appeared above the cloud sea outside Disassociation Mountain.

Although he only had the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment stage, his physical and spiritual power was condensed.

Using his hand as a pen, he drew with a single stroke.

An extremely mysterious character appeared and dis

integrated the moment it manifested.

This was because the Foundation Establishment stage's cultivation was not enough to support its display of power.

But at the moment this true immortal rune appeared in the world.

The Great Mystery small world suddenly echoed with a clap of thunder.

Without dark clouds, but a rain fell, covering the entire small world.

Originally in the depth of winter, under the nourishment of rainwater, it gradually became warm as spring.

Li Fan even sensed strands of spiritual energy, emerging from nowhere in the world.

Different from creating through Dao Yi Chong Sheng.

This spiritual energy, although thin, is the self-evolution of the small world.

Li Fan, suspended in the sky, watched the vitality change in the Great Mystery small world in the rain.

What surprised him even more was that the consciousness of heaven and earth in the Great Mystery small world seemed to be nurturing.

Because there was no spiritual power, the Great Mystery previously did not have the consciousness of the Heavenly Dao. Or rather, the consciousness of the Heavenly Dao in the Great Mystery was so weak that even Li Fan could not sense it.

However, just under the casual writing of this true immortal rune by Li Fan, the Great Mystery small world actually underwent changes in just a few days that might have taken thousands or even millions of years to accumulate.

"Where does this transformative power come from?"

Li Fan's gaze swept over the heaven and earth of the Great Mystery but could not find its source.

"Without forcing growth, without overdrawing the potential of the small world."

"As if born out of thin air…"

"Perhaps, this can be called 'Creation'."

Li Fan was slightly taken aback.

The image of that true immortal rune reappeared in his mind.

"Creation…"

He repeated these two words in his heart.

That true immortal rune, as if coming to life, spontaneously moved and changed.

Becoming slightly different from what was in his memory.

However, it was still far from its true appearance.

"Creation!"

Li Fan's eyes shone with a spark of insight.

An unstoppable urge to continue exploring the secret of "Creation" surged in his heart.

But soon, Li Fan remembered something, and his eyes regained clarity.

He directly suppressed the greed.

"It's usable as is."

"However, recklessly attempting to comprehend..."

"Might face unknown dangers."

Li Fan had a flash of enlightenment in his heart.

This possibly named "Creation" true immortal rune, is obviously more precious than "Chaos", "Hunger", and other runes. In the memory of Yanfa Jue, even true immortals were competing for it.

Even if the path to immortality is severed, Li Fan cannot guarantee whether, somewhere in the star sea.

A true immortal is comprehending this path.

Being able to ultimately seize the "Creation" path and possess it during the wars of true immortals back then, its strength is imaginable.

The mere high wall might not be able to block it.

After witnessing the great terror beyond the high wall of the star sea, Li Fan has become increasingly cautious.

Even if it's a hypothetical enemy that is very likely not to exist, Li Fan has no delusion of luck.

"If the transformation of the realm of Xuan Huang occurs, then complemented with the power of 'Creation'."

Li Fan looked down at the Great Mystery small world undergoing drastic changes, and visions of the soon-to-be Xuan Huang appeared before his eyes.

If the true immortal rune represents the extreme external force Li Fan can utilize.

Then Li Fan's own magical limit still falls on "Return to Reality".

"When the fake acts as real, the fake becomes real."

Aside from being able to create "Simulated Personality," a tool spirit that can be called omnipotent, Li Fan's greater touchstone comes from the "Real and Fake Transformation".

At this moment, he has not yet inherited his cultivation level.

But in Li Fan's sea of consciousness, he could see his own cultivation that he once possessed, using the transformation of heaven and earth at the moment of Xuan Huang's destruction as material for the Divine Transformation stage.

Quietly recalling, comprehending.

As if those cultivations had not disappeared with the activation of "Return to Reality".

Standing in mid-air, not knowing how much time had passed.

Suddenly, Li Fan opened his eyes.

A powerful aura suddenly descended upon him.

The Great Mystery small world seemed to sense something, and heaven and earth trembled.

But the anomaly only lasted for a moment.

Soon, the anomaly disappeared.

The clouds were light, and the wind was mild, everything was as if nothing had happened.

Li Fan, however, showed a slight smile.

.