1294-1295

Chapter 1,294 The Immortal Descends All Things

Since the path to immortality was severed, the great land of Xuanhuang had not experienced the presence of immortal spirit energy for countless years.

Yet at this moment, the sacred aura sprouting from the earth and twining upwards seemed not to bring any benefit to the realm of Xuanhuang.

Instead, it brought about a catastrophe akin to extinction.

The greed of cultivators was a hundred times more frantic than the desire for the soul of heaven and earth. They would forsake everything around them to chase and obtain it. Anyone who dared to block their path was considered a killable enemy. Whether it was the soldiers of Da Kai or the cultivators of the Wanxian Alliance, their status, position, or level of cultivation made no difference in this frenzy.

The battle between the Da Kai Empire and the Wanxian Alliance turned into chaotic slaughter among all cultivators with the release of the immortal spirit energy.

Every breath saw thousands of cultivators fall.

The sky, burdened with continuous anomalies, accumulated a thick layer of strange clouds.

Not even the terror brought by the Law Transmitter himself could disperse them.

In the entire realm of Xuanhuang, only two armies barely maintained their sanity in such a dire apocalyptic scene.

One was the Forbidden Army of Da Kai, and the other was the Qingxuan Army, guarding the abyss.

Their commonality was the practice of the "Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra."

The Forbidden Army was personally taught by the Holy Emperor.

And the Qingxuan Army was taught by the Holy Embryo before leaving the realm of Xuanhuang.

As the rare lucky ones witnessing this tragedy unfolding within the realm of Xuanhuang, their faces paled and their bodies trembled. Even with the automatic operation of the Immortal Heart Mantra keeping their minds clear, the innate fear in their hearts could not be erased.

Not just the cultivators.

Birds and beasts, plants and flowers, even the land, mountains, and rivers of Xuanhuang, everything became uncontrollable due to the appearance of the immortal spirit energy.

Animals chased the immortal spirit energy with a disregard for their lives, either achieving their desire and exploding into death or perishing in the struggle.

Plants, though unable to actively chase, were occasionally lucky to be bestowed with the immortal spirit energy. Compared to other beings, most plants turned to dust in an instant after receiving the immortal spirit energy. However, a few survived the mighty cleansing and were thought to become immortals within the realm of Xuanhuang. But soon, frenzied cultivators, drawn by the scent, came. Even if the transformed immortal plants gained protective powers through rapid metamorphosis, they could not withstand the relentless attacks of the cultivators. Before long, they were divided and consumed by the cultivators.

Those lucky enough to snatch and consume the immortal plants also exploded into ashes shortly after, enjoying the bliss of the immortal spirit energy for a while longer before perishing in ecstasy and enlightenment.

If there was anything in the entire realm of Xuanhuang that truly benefited from the indiscriminate spread of immortal spirit energy...

It was the realm of Xuanhuang itself.

Like a long-parched land receiving a downpour from the heavens.

The realm of Xuanhuang was shrouded in a fantastical haze.

The land roared, mountains leaped, plains stretched, changes that would take millennia now occurred in the blink of an eye.

The sky, which had fallen slightly due to supporting the Holy Emperor of Da Kai, was now slowly regaining its former state, even becoming more lofty.

The realm of Xuanhuang was "growing" at a visible rate.

In a unique rhythm, the white fog barriers that served as boundaries between states, due to the realm of Xuanhuang's spontaneous growth, became dim under the pressure of mighty forces.

Even many barrier structures dissipated after a thunderous boom, their power as nourishment, merged into the realm of Xuanhuang.

The growth of the realm of Xuanhuang brought a significantly noticeable effect in power increase.

The anomalies in the sky caused by the excessive fall of cultivators were also being "digested" quickly.

...

In the face of this unprecedented change in the realm of Xuanhuang, the three forces that arrived from the starry sky had different reactions.

The Holy Emperor, amidst this drastic change in heaven and earth, was momentarily stunned.

In his perception, the bond formed with the realm of Xuanhuang through previous actions was fading as the realm grew. This feeling was like childhood friends growing apart with age, becoming strangers to each other.

Feeling a sense of loss, the Holy Emperor quickly regained his composure and looked at the soldiers of Da Kai still engaged in relentless fighting. With a thought, he directly transmitted the "Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra" to all. Although few of the frenzied cultivators could calm down to practice,

 saving even one was worth it.

The Law Transmitter's expression was complicated as he watched this dramatic change.

It was unclear what he was thinking, but the only thing he did was closely guard the Xuan Immortal Vessel beside him, which was showing signs of restlessness.

Voices from the elders on the Xuan Immortal Vessel came through.

"What a waste, what a waste! Immortal spirit energy, rare even in the starry sea! How could it be squandered by these mortals!"

"If I could obtain a wisp, perhaps I could fully unleash the power of the true immortal talisman..."

"Law Transmitter! Step aside! Let us collect some immortal spirit energy from the Xuan Immortal Vessel, and we can forget past grievances!"

Gan Jinda managed to restrain his excitement and spoke solemnly.

The Law Transmitter stood tall, unmoved: "You of the Xuan Immortal Vessel..."

"Just stay here, quietly watching."

"Go nowhere!"

Gan Jinda snorted with uncontrollable anger: "How bold! If you continue to obstruct, do not blame us of the Xuan Immortal Vessel for being ruthless!"

"The realm of Xuanhuang might indeed be the last sanctuary in this starry sea... but by comparison, the immortal spirit energy is even more important!"

"Exactly! Gan Jinda, don't waste words with this old thing! That's immortal spirit energy! If we can control more of it, perhaps we could even cross the high wall! Who needs to stay in this dark starry sea!"

Listening to the cacophony from the Xuan Immortal Vessel, reminiscent of a marketplace, the Law Transmitter's expression remained unchanged, only a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

Under the cover of the thunderous noise of heaven and earth, silent footsteps approached the Xuan Immortal Vessel from behind.

Without warning, a shadow latched onto the Xuan Immortal Vessel.

In an instant...

The entire vessel vanished into thin air.

As if it had never been in the realm of Xuanhuang.

The footsteps receded, leaving behind only a faint, frost-like aura of death.

The Holy Emperor's pupils dilated at this scene.

"What is that?!"

The shadow's arrival and departure were incredibly swift.

Not only were those on the Xuan Immortal Vessel caught off guard, even the Holy Emperor did not see it clearly.

He could only vaguely sense the dense, almost tangible aura of death on that figure.

The Holy Emperor looked towards the Law Transmitter.

Clearly, the Law Transmitter had anticipated the appearance of this shadow. Perhaps, even the shadow's attack on the Xuan Immortal Vessel was under his command.

"I don't have the power to make that thing obey. It was just a little hint from me."

"Dealing with those from the Xuan Immortal Vessel, this entity is more than appropriate."

The Law Transmitter's gaze remained fixed on the changes occurring in the realm of Xuanhuang.

He showed no excessive concern for the mysterious shadow or the Xuan Immortal Vessel.

Knowing the Law Transmitter would not explain further, the Holy Emperor did not pursue the matter and shared the same perspective to overlook the world.

The dramatic transformation of the realm of Xuanhuang continued.

If the overall power of the realm of Xuanhuang before the spread of immortal spirit energy was "1,"

In less than half a day, the realm's overall power had inflated to nearly "19."

Not purely due to the magic of immortal spirit energy but as a catalyst, allowing the realm of Xuanhuang to truly absorb and integrate the foundational forces of foreign worlds.

If before it was merely a simple blood fusion,

What the realm of Xuanhuang was doing now was akin to a cultivator absorbing the spiritual energy from spirit stones and making it their own.

The efficiency increased by countless times.

Even...

The remaining world forces hidden deep within foreign realms, previously dormant and unrevealed, were also found by the realm of Xuanhuang under the prompting of immortal spirit energy.

Becoming nourishment for the realm of Xuanhuang.

"Hehehehe"

"So that's how it is."

Sensing the rapidly approaching aura from outside the starry sky, the Law Transmitter suddenly let out a relieved laugh.

His smile ceased abruptly.

The Law Transmitter's expression changed suddenly, turning towards the Holy Emperor.

"Come, let's fight again!"

Expressionless, he instantly launched another strike with "Palm Within the World" at the Holy Emperor.

Without the support of the realm of Xuanhuang's power, unable to initiate "Eternal Xuanhuang Realm." But having broken through this move before, golden essence transformed into towering pillars, rising from the ground.

Firmly resisting the descending palm of the Law Transmitter.

In the moment of collision, the Holy Emperor realized that the Law Transmitter seemed not to have

 exerted his full strength.

This strike of "Palm Within the World" was incomparable in power to what had been used in the starry sky before.

And the Holy Emperor saw that after trapping him, the Law Transmitter immediately attempted to leave.

Seemingly in a hurry to find something, to prevent the dramatic changes in the realm of Xuanhuang from happening.

The Holy Emperor quickly understood something.

Though somewhat incredulous, he still exerted all his strength to break free from the Law Transmitter's giant palm.

"The Holy Heart is Eternal."

"The Holy Favor Endures!"

With a long chant, a ray of light shone down from the small world of Da Kai.

This was the essence of source power stored in the Holy Heart Temples across Da Kai.

One of the Holy Emperor's last resorts.

Once exhausted, his ability to exert force would significantly weaken. But at this moment, the Holy Emperor did not hesitate.

The dispersal of immortal spirit energy, under the prompting, with the realm of Xuanhuang as the main agent of integration among the worlds, was ongoing.

Things were developing in a direction favorable to the realm of Xuanhuang.

"As long as I can hold off the Law Transmitter..."

"My mission will also be considered complete."

"Though somewhat circuitous."

The Holy Emperor thought so, engaging the Law Transmitter once again.

Both did not wish to destroy the realm of Xuanhuang, so they restrained their power.

And the realm of Xuanhuang, after its fusion and transformation, could withstand much more fluctuation.

For a time, the battle between the Law Transmitter and the Holy Emperor once again fell into a deadlock.

...

The great land of Xuanhuang.

Countless cultivators were still fighting over the immortal spirit energy.

Tongyan State.

For some reason, there seemed to be more immortal spirit energy gathered here than in other states.

Therefore, the struggle here was the most brutal.

Another intense battle ended with a Nascent Soul cultivator turning to ash in satisfaction.

Due to the excessive number of deaths, the competition was not as fierce as before.

There was a rare lull in fighting before new cultivators appeared, and a golden light figure quietly arrived.

Looking at the wisp of immortal spirit energy in front of it, a glint of greed flashed in the eyes of the golden light figure.

But this greed seemed different from the meaning revealed by the cultivators of the realm of Xuanhuang.

Just as the figure was about to act, it suddenly sensed something, turning to look back.

A man with a dark face, full of stubble, and somewhat sleazy in appearance, was attempting to approach.

He even held a net in his hand, seemingly trying to capture both the figure and the immortal spirit energy together.

The discovered dark-faced man quickly put away the net and laughed heartily.

"Seeking death..." A killing intent flashed in the eyes of the golden light figure.

This person's cultivation was extremely weak; the figure could easily kill him with a slap. Yet, he dared to target...

Just as it was about to take action, a strong sense of crisis emerged in its heart.

Decisively, it abandoned the immortal spirit energy it was about to obtain and vanished in a flash of light.

Watching the golden light figure disappear in the blink of an eye, Jiao Xiuyuan slapped his thigh in frustration, regretting deeply.

"Damn, I've been tracking him for a long time, yet he still escaped!"

His expression changed, but Jiao Xiuyuan ultimately chose not to continue chasing the golden light figure.

Instead, he solemnly looked at the wisp of immortal spirit energy about to dissipate into the world.

Toward this rare treasure in the starry sea, Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes held some greed, but not much.

More than anything, he was unprecedentedly cautious.

He extended his palm, and a sprout grew from his palm's center.

The sprout quickly grew into a small tree, lush and swaying in the wind.

Carefully, he guided the wisp of immortal spirit energy in front of him to the tree, slowly absorbing it.

Jiao Xiuyuan closed his eyes, concentrating on his perception.

After a while...

"Indeed, this is immortal spirit energy." A spark of realization flashed in Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes, followed by many questions.

"Too strange, such a vast amount of immortal spirit energy could do so much."

"How could it be wasted like this?"

The more he thought, the more uneasy Jiao Xiuyuan felt.

"And..."

Jiao Xiuyuan looked up at the sky.

Just a moment ago, he seemed to faintly sense a familiar aura. But now, it had disappeared.

"Could it be my imagination?"

"It doesn't make sense. If it were really those guys, they should be frantically scrambling for immortal spirit energy right now."

Jiao Xiuyuan's brow furrowed as he

 sensed someone approaching and swiftly left.

...

The headquarters of the Wanxian Alliance was in chaos.

Not long ago, due to the return of the Law Transmitter to Xuanhuang, all law transmitters, mirror holders, and even the lineage of the Illusory Sage had temporarily left to meet the Law Transmitter.

During this period, a huge explosion occurred in the Treasury of the Gods, causing damage to many treasures within the treasury and severely shaking the entire headquarters of the Wanxian Alliance.

The surviving members of the Wanxian Alliance had not yet had the chance to investigate the cause of the accident.

They were shocked to discover that the Wanxian Alliance headquarters had lost contact with the outside world.

Unsure of what had happened, the Wanxian Alliance was in a state of panic.

However, the panic did not spread to the Hall of Protectors, especially within the space of Yanfa Jue.

The consecutive shocks had made the three guardians uneasy.

Especially "Sun Ang."

His aura fluctuated, his face flushed red, and beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.

"Sun Dao friend, are you alright?"

Having worked together for a long time, the three had become quite close.

Zhang Xu couldn't help but ask.

He, too, felt a bit of heart palpitations but nothing like Sun Ang's condition.

"After all, he's still too young." Zhang Xu thought to himself.

"Something seems wrong." Sun Ang, or rather Li Fan's true self, appeared somewhat guilty.

"Just now, I tried to contact Elder Xu, but there was no response."

Hua Yeyu comforted him: "Brother Sun, don't think too much. Even if some changes have occurred, nothing will happen within the headquarters of the Wanxian Alliance."

Zhang Xu also frowned and said: "Actually, my predecessor guardian also experienced a similar situation. About five hundred years ago, it was the same: continuous spatial tremors, loss of contact with the outside world. But it all turned out fine in the end."

"Let's hope so." Li Fan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said.

Inside the space of Yanfa Jue, an eerie silence fell once again.

The periodic severe tremors struck at the hearts of the three.

Li Fan's spirit sank, even ignoring the call of Yanfa Jue.

He wasn't as distressed as he appeared to be.

On the contrary, Li Fan felt better than ever.

"So this is immortal spirit energy..."

In his sea of consciousness, the End of Dissolution Disc was emitting an unprecedentedly dazzling light.

Upon truly encountering the legendary immortal spirit energy, the End of Dissolution Disc's ability to deduce immortal formations was finally completed.

Previously, although he had obtained the formation diagrams of three types of immortal formations through various serendipitous events,

Without immortal spirit energy, they were nothing more than castles in the air, mere theoretical exercises.

The formations, though profound, were still within the limits of the mortal realm.

But now, the situation was entirely different!

With the knowledge of what immortal spirit energy actually is and the supplemented data, the End of Dissolution Disc truly began to break through the limits of the mortal realm.

Gaining the ability to deduce and deploy [Immortal Formations].

Although it requires guidance from the immortal spirit force,

Based on the innate ancient protective formation of the realm of Xuanhuang and the newly appointed great celestial sovereign of Xuanhuang,

It made Li Fan's plan to activate an immortal formation possible.

The formation's name: [Immortal Descent, All Things Return to Void]!

It must be said, many unforeseen changes occurred in this life that caught Li Fan off guard.

Including, but not limited to, the uncontrollable split personality of the Holy Emperor.

And the fact that he actually formed an alliance with the Law Transmitter.

"Once the power reaches a certain level, controlling it like a chess piece becomes impossible."

Fortunately, the numerous contingencies he left behind ultimately prevented the situation from spiraling out of control.

Not reaching the point where he had to hastily return to reality in this life.

The sudden arrival of the Xuan Immortal Vessel was undoubtedly due to the merits of the Holy Embryo, Li Fan.

The reason he was able to successfully persuade the Xuan Immortal Vessel to embark on an expedition to Xuanhuang was not only because he collected records of the ancient remains on the immortal vessel, proving the possible existence of a complete true immortal talisman within the Immortal Ruins,

But also secretly controlled cultivators to severely damage the divine tree of the immortal vessel.

With the divine tree damaged, losing its basis for survival, the members of the Xuan Immortal Vessel were forced to unanimously decide to launch an early expedition to Xuanhuang.

Although the elders of the Xuan Immortal Vessel suspected that someone was secretly instigating this event,

The damage to the divine tree was a fact.

The culprit self-destructed, leaving no evidence.

To continue surviving in this dark starry sea, coming to Xuanhuang was their only choice.

Upon arriving near Xuanhuang, out of caution, the Xuan Immortal Vessel did not immediately wage war on Xuanhuang.

Instead, they planned to secretly scout the situation in Xuanhuang, quietly infiltrating a portion of their forces.

However, before they could implement their plan, the intense energy fluctuations in the void drew the attention of the Xuan Immortal Vessel.

Naturally, it was the battle between the Law Transmitter and the Holy Emperor.

The power displayed by the two supreme beings with every move made the members of the Xuan Immortal Vessel gravely serious.

But later, discovering that the Law Transmitter was the thief who had stolen the treasures of the immortal vessel years ago, and that the existence of the immortal vessel seemed to have been detected by the other party,

Forced the immortal vessel to reluctantly reveal itself.

In the competition with the two supreme beings, the Xuan Immortal Vessel consumed one of the nearly complete true immortal talismans.

The Holy Embryo guessed it was likely the "Hatred" talisman.

Created by the great elder of the Duanchan Tower, Zhong Dao Gong, who had never appeared before the public and was solely devoted to researching the remnants of true immortals.

The great elder's strength was unfathomable. For this expedition, he released three nearly complete true immortal talismans.

However, after the first "Hatred" talisman failed to achieve a particularly good effect, the people of the immortal vessel became more cautious.

They started considering forming alliances.

But they were abruptly interrupted by the fluctuations of immortal spirit energy coming from Xuanhuang.

Upon arriving in Xuanhuang and witnessing the chaotic scattering of genuine immortal spirit energy everywhere,

Feeling the activation of those true immortal characters that suddenly came to life throughout the Xuan Immortal Vessel,

The people of the vessel went completely mad.

Even the great elder, Zhong Dao Gong, appeared for the first time, looking dazedly at the immortal spirit energy below.

"This is the pure aura of immortal spirit."

After observing for a while, Zhong Dao Gong made a judgment.

"Mere cultivators have no use for it. But we can."

"Guide the immortal spirit force, infuse according to the operation of the true immortal talisman's original power..."

Zhong Dao Gong muttered to himself, coming to a final conclusion: "The power it can stimulate is comparable to a [True Immortal]!"

"If the treasures of the immortal vessel are all unleashed at once..."

"It might not be impossible to leap over the high wall with this power!"

Zhong Dao Gong's words quickly unified the opinions of everyone on the immortal vessel.

However, just as they were about to force the Law Transmitter to step aside and open a path,

Zhong Dao Gong suddenly shouted, "Be careful."

But it was too late.

One moment, the realm of Xuanhuang was teeming with the scattering of immortal spirit energy.

The next second, they found themselves in an unknown place.

Zhong Dao Gong reacted the fastest, releasing a talisman.

In an instant, the entire immortal vessel fell silent.

The crew, sweating profusely, looked at the scene outside the vessel.

As if they were in a pot, the Xuan Immortal Vessel floated on the water surface.

Outside the pot, an unseen entity seemed to be stirring the water in the pot.

The water surface constantly rotated, and the Xuan Immortal Vessel was also unstable.

The people on the vessel felt a significant drop in temperature around them.

"Just this glance caused the immortal vessel to suffer a large number of casualties."

"And it seems there is no difference due to cultivation level; it appears to be random..."

"How could such a terrifying existence exist in the realm of Xuanhuang?!"

...

Fear and chaos condensed within the Xuan Immortal Vessel.

Meanwhile, Li Fan gazed outside the immortal vessel.

That unseen entity, which he had encountered before leaving Xuanhuang this life, was the mysterious being they met while exploring the Reversal of Life and Death Formation with Shang Shaojun.

Originally thought to be the entirety of the Reversal Formation's small world, it was just one of the nine Yin and Yang Beads.

Each Yin and Yang Bead contained countless icy remains of long-gone cultivators.

"Law Transmitter, to be able to control this unseen entity..."

"Surely, he has connections with the Eternal Life Celestial Sovereign."

"This existence, with an ancient and distant aura, must have been present in the ancient realm of Xuanhuang."

Seeing this entity again, the Holy Embryo, Li Fan, had different insights.

And Zhong Dao Gong's subsequent analysis also confirmed his guess.

"This being must not be a living creature."

"In the records of the immortal

 vessel, perhaps there is a section that corresponds to it."

Zhong Dao Gong moved his fingertips rapidly in the air, sharing his speculation.

"In the ancient realm of cultivation, those closely related to the upper realms, in addition to establishing the position of [Great Celestial Sovereign] responsible for communicating with the immortal realm,"

"To prevent possible loss of control, they would occasionally appoint what is known as [Observers]."

"Observers don't necessarily exist in every cultivation realm, and they aren't necessarily living beings or cultivators."

"But without a doubt, they undertake missions given by the immortal realm."

"With tasks entirely different from those of the Great Celestial Sovereign."

The atmosphere within the immortal vessel became noticeably chaotic.

The creation of the immortal realm was clearly beyond the scope of what the members could handle.

Precisely because they are proficient in the power of true immortal talismans, the people of the immortal vessel are acutely aware of how powerful the [Immortal] truly is.

And an [Observer] given a mission by the immortal realm, how could it possibly be weak?

Despair, accompanied by the chaos, emerged within the Xuan Immortal Vessel.

Fortunately, the words Zhong Dao Gong wrote next reinvigorated them.

Chapter 1,295 The Golden Needle Reverses the Xuanhuang

"The Observers bear a mission from the celestial realm, and it's very likely they are direct creations of true immortals. No ordinary force can oppose them."

"Though the path to immortality has long been severed, as long as they exist, they will resolutely carry out their mission. This is precisely where our hope of escaping lies..." Zhong Gong swiftly wrote in the air.

"This Xuanhuang realm observer seems not to attack us proactively. As long as we make no sound to attract its attention, we should be temporarily safe. However, staying in this pot is not a long-term solution. I can feel that the longer we stay here, the faster our vitality drains."

"The observer only cares about its mission. We must quickly figure out what this creature above us is tasked with. Only then can we find a way to escape..."

The crowd looked up, their gaze passing through the Xuan Immortal Vessel, landing on the terrifying figure stirring the pot's water.

"Don't observe, lest we provoke an incident." Elder Gan Jinda waved his hand, temporarily blocking everyone's view.

Nangong Lie from the Proving Dao Academy earnestly wrote to inquire, "If we use the power of true immortal talismans to create chaos, is there any hope of escape? The observer might be strong, but it surely can't withstand the force of a true immortal, right?"

Zhong Gong slightly shook his head, explaining, "Indeed, it should be unable to completely resist the influence of a true immortal talisman. The 'Xuan' character I just used has proven this. However, given its deep ties with the celestial realm, compared to us mere cultivators, the observer does possess a certain ability to resist the power of true immortals."

"The current observer, after being hit by the 'Xuan' character, only forgot its previous actions but did not leave this pot..." Zhong Gong's implication was clear.

Ai Tianjue nodded in agreement, "Using true immortal talismans to create chaos is too risky. Just now, a single glance eradicated one-tenth of our people on the immortal vessel. If it can resist even for a moment... even if we could escape, not many on the immortal vessel would survive."

Zhong Gong continued, "Gentlemen, we also need to consider what to do after escaping from here. If we use up all the stored true immortal talismans, how will we confront the Law Transmitter Celestial Sovereign of the Xuanhuang realm?"

"Indeed, we must vent this foul air. Even if we can't grab some immortal spirit energy, we absolutely need to gather some resources in the Xuanhuang realm!" Zhang, the master of the Immortal Vessel's Forging Workshop, said fiercely.

...

After deliberation among the elders of the immortal vessel, a consensus was reached. First, send out individuals to flee the pot and investigate the surroundings, aiming to ascertain the possible mission of this terrifying observer. At the same time, be ready for the immortal vessel to be discovered by the observer and prepare for a desperate fight.

Quickly, twenty cultivators left the immortal vessel, flying out of the pot.

Some of them, before even flying out of the giant pot's range, were drawn into the invisible whirlpools in the water and completely disappeared.

Those strong enough to fly out of the pot were mostly discovered by the unseen observer, directly having their vitality extracted and turned into small spheres.

Only one managed to escape the observer's range, but never returned.

The immortal vessel then sent out a further hundred cultivators.

This time, although three cultivators completed the reconnaissance, they were all discovered by the observer while attempting to re-enter the pot during their return journey.

They were turned into spheres and instantly died.

"Sending people to die in vain is not the solution!"

"Let's just confront it head-on!"

"Those too weak can't even fly out of the pot. Those too strong will certainly be discovered by that observer..."

"Especially Elder Indao, going there is tantamount to seeking death!"

...

The atmosphere inside the immortal vessel sank into despair once more.

At this moment, Zhao Xian, the body possessed by the Holy Embryo Li Fan, stood up.

Li Fan looked towards Ai Tianjue and resolutely wrote, "Teacher, I wish to give it a try."

The elders of the Duanchan Tower were visibly moved.

They had a very high regard for this exceptionally talented junior.

Ai Tianjue extended his hand, refusing Li Fan's request.

The Duanchan Tower, being the highest authority on the immortal vessel, and Li Fan being a direct descendant, naturally received some preferential treatment.

Zhong Gong, against all objections, dispatched a team of three hundred for reconnaissance.

The result was still the annihilation of the entire team.

Watching those vibrant lives being mercilessly turned into spheres by the observer, a cold fear and despair accumulated in the hearts of the people on the

 immortal vessel to a certain threshold.

When Zhong Gong was about to issue another order, seeing the trembling bodies and despairing eyes of the cultivators before him, he hesitated.

It wasn't that he had softened, but doubts had arisen in his mind about the usefulness of such probes.

At this moment, Li Fan stood up again.

"Elder Zhong, I am willing to give it a try." Although Li Fan's eyes initially flickered with fear, they were quickly replaced by unwavering determination.

The elders of the Duanchan Tower, seeing the gazes from other organizational cultivators on the vessel, sighed inwardly.

They eventually agreed to Li Fan's request.

After a brief farewell to his teacher and under the watchful eyes of many, Li Fan flew out of the Xuan Immortal Vessel nonchalantly.

"Brother Tianjue, you've taken in a good disciple."

Elder Zhong, who seldom actively communicates with others, said to Ai Tianjue this time.

Ai Tianjue nodded slightly, his expression complex.

Seeing Li Fan successfully leave the giant pot and breathe a sigh of relief.

What followed was a long wait.

As time passed, the hopeful light slowly extinguished.

Just when Zhong Gong thought Li Fan had also failed and died, preparing to send out the final reconnaissance team,

A figure boldly flew past the observer stirring the pot's water from above.

Descending from the sky, returning to the Xuan Immortal Vessel!

It was Li Fan!

Although the observer was above and the people did not dare to make a fuss, the expressions on the faces of everyone on the immortal vessel fully illustrated their inner excitement at this moment.

After losing nearly five hundred of the immortal vessel's core forces, hope for escape finally appeared.

Li Fan was welcomed by the elders into their midst like a star holding the moon.

Without resting, Li Fan quickly reported what he saw and encountered outside, using his finger as a pen to quickly explain.

"Nine Yin-Yang Pearls?"

"Each one seems to contain endless frozen corpses?"

...

The scene described by Li Fan shocked everyone on the immortal vessel.

And several elders from the Xian Shu Academy furrowed their brows, as if they remembered something.

After summoning Zhong Gong for a discussion,

Zhong Gong gathered everyone: "Gentlemen, we may have found a way to leave this place!"

"The mission of this observer..."

"Should be to collect different 'specimens.'"

Zhong Gong's expression was not one of joy at finding a way to escape, but rather gloomy.

"Different specimens? Elder Zhong, what do you mean?" People were puzzled.

Zhong Gong said, "It's better if the head of the academy explains the situation."

Attention then turned to the white-haired head of the Xian Shu Academy, Jian Dao Sheng.

Jian Dao Sheng, with a nostalgic look, wrote to explain: "During the grand era of ancient cultivation, the star sea was prosperous, and countless cultivation realms were vibrant with life. However, our Xuan Merchant Immortal Vessel has always been willing to drift in the star sea, without a fixed home..."

"People thought the Xuan merchants pursued profit, hence traveling between worlds to seek huge profits. But..."

"Wouldn't having a fixed world as a base be more conducive to commerce? The lives of the Xuan Immortal Vessel depend on a single vessel. Although the star sea wasn't as perilous as it is now, flying through the star sea for years also inevitably encountered disasters."

"But we still preferred to drift above the star sea rather than settle in a single realm."

"Simply because the Xuan Merchant Immortal Vessel was built by a group of cultivators who had escaped from cultivation realms with the presence of observers."

Jian Dao Sheng showed a sighing look, continuing to write to the shocked crowd: "Cultivators regard mortals as cattle and sheep, and the celestial realm's behavior towards cultivators might be even worse."

"Almost every prosperous cultivation realm has traces of celestial observation. Even in those remote and unnamed cultivation realms, no one can guarantee that a celestial being won't suddenly descend to interfere. What the Xuan merchant ancestors discovered that made them flee their homeland is unknown. But what's certain is that it was out of fear of the celestial realm and not being treated like cattle and sheep that the Xuan merchant ancestors decided to live in the immortal vessel."

"At its peak, the population of the immortal vessel was only about a million. Perhaps because the number was too small, for a long time, there was indeed no intervention from the celestial realm."

Jian Dao Sheng then turned the topic to why such a conclusion was drawn: "From the scene Zhao Xian saw, those frozen within the nine Yin-Yang Pearls should be cultivators that have existed in the Xuanhuang realm from ancient times to the present."

"Not dead, but existed." Jian Dao Sheng emphasized this point.

"So previous attempts to escape by concealing one's vitality were futile."

"The most reliable way to escape from this Xuanhuang observer is to disguise oneself as a cultivator that already exists within those nine frozen Yin-Yang Pearls."

...

The people on the immortal vessel had mixed feelings.

Ultimately, out of trust in the Xian Shu Academy, they decided to try this method.

Fortunately, during Li Fan's previous reconnaissance, his divine consciousness scanned the endless frozen ocean, memorizing enough characteristics of the cultivators.

After successful disguises, the first group of cultivators set off.

Not as boldly as Li Fan, but cautiously and stealthily.

And the formless observer indeed ignored them as if they were invisible.

A team of thirty people all successfully escaped from this nightmarish giant pot.

With the feasibility verified, the people on the immortal vessel accelerated their escape.

After all members of the immortal vessel had escaped, the observer's action of stirring the pot's water finally ended.

It seemed to slap the pot's body vigorously.

In the midst of loud vibrations, the giant pot gradually shrank.

The observer continued to slap, and the pot became smaller and smaller. Eventually, it turned into a crystal-clear small bead.

Inside the small bead, the original pot's water transformed into a calm ocean.

After completing all this, the observer stood still for a moment, as if remembering its mission, and left this space with a thunderous step.

The Xuan Immortal Vessel people, who had quietly witnessed all this and confirmed the observer had finally left, then breathed a sigh of relief.

But to prevent attracting the observer back, they still communicated through gestures.

"Elder Zhong, we have explored, and this is a closed space with no exits around."

"We haven't figured out how the observer left."

...

The Xuan Immortal Vessel, with its thousands of years of heritage, quickly determined that the exit from this place was in one of those nine Yin-Yang Pearls.

They carefully selected one and flew into it.

When they saw the endless frozen corpses in the ocean with their own eyes, the people on the immortal vessel still couldn't hide their fear.

Inside the Yin-Yang Pearl, far away from the observer, they finally could communicate with divine consciousness.

"Why is the Xuanhuang observer collecting so many corpses?"

"This seems to be a mysterious formation."

"It seems that the Xuan merchant ancestors' decision back then was not wrong. In the eyes of true immortals, cultivators are no different from livestock."

...

The people on the immortal vessel communicated.

"Teacher, about the records of what the Xuan merchant ancestors discovered, are they really lost?" Li Fan asked Ai Tianjue via divine consciousness.

Li Fan keenly noticed that there seemed to be communication between the head of the Xian Shu Academy and several elders of the Duanchan Tower, hence his question.

Ai Tianjue's eyes flickered with hesitation.

Originally, Li Fan was not qualified to know this secret of the immortal vessel. However, Li Fan had just risked his life to find a way out for the immortal vessel and even successfully brought back crucial information.

Saying he was the hero who saved the Xuan Immortal Vessel was not an exaggeration. So there was no need to hide it anymore.

After discussing with the other elders and finally getting permission, Ai Tianjue replied, "The head of the academy did not speak falsely; the ancestral teachings are indeed no longer within the Xuan Immortal Vessel..."

Li Fan caught the implication in Ai Tianjue's words: "Not on the Xuan Immortal Vessel. Teacher means..."

"On the Shang Immortal Vessel?"

Ai Tianjue nodded, "When the immortal vessel was divided into two due to internal strife, our Xuan Immortal Vessel, although we obtained the 'Hundred Hears Immortal Record,' the most important thing from the Xuan merchant immortal vessel fell into the Shang Immortal Vessel's hands."

With Ai Tianjue's temperament, mentioning this matter also felt slightly regretful.

"The most important thing?" Li Fan's eyes flickered.

"When the Xuan merchant ancestors left their homeland, they feared being pursued by the observer or even a true immortal. While drifting in the star sea, they also sought ways to completely escape from true immortals," Ai Tianjue said, his eyes showing a trace of longing.

"As they say, immortals and mortals are different. Even if one reaches the realm of combining paths, in front of a true immortal, they are no different from ants. It's like a fool's dream to try to escape from a true immortal using ordinary methods..."

"But, the Xuan merchant ancestors indeed did it."

Li Fan's eyes showed a flash of realization, "An immortal artifact?"

"Correct. And it's not just that." Ai Tianjue spoke somewhat regretfully.

"You know, in ancient times, some cultivation realms had especially close connections with

 the upper realms. Over time, some immortal artifacts scattered everywhere. The Xuan Merchant Immortal Vessel, traversing the star sea, collected immortal artifacts. Moreover, they attempted to analyze the power of immortal artifacts for their own use..."

"Back then, they must have achieved certain results. Unfortunately, before they could transform these research findings into practical applications, a disaster had already occurred in the star sea." Ai Tianjue sighed.

"The Xuan Merchant Immortal Vessel split into two due to internal strife. Our Xuan Immortal Vessel obtained the majority of the stored materials, that is, the 'Hundred Hears Immortal Record.' The Shang Immortal Vessel took the research findings and an unknown number of immortal artifacts into their possession..."

Li Fan was slightly stunned, "So, the internal strife back then, our Xuan Immortal Vessel was actually the loser?"

Ai Tianjue nodded, "You could say that."

Li Fan then fell silent.

He thought to himself, "No wonder the Xuan Immortal Vessel has always been secretive about information on the Shang Immortal Vessel."

After a while, Li Fan looked puzzled again and asked, "The Xuan Merchant Immortal Vessel has been drifting in the star sea for a long time, why would it split due to a disaster?"

"Even in the face of a near-absolute situation like facing the observer, our Xuan Immortal Vessel did not have internal strife. The Xuan Merchant Immortal Vessel back then shouldn't be worse than us, right?"

"That's because, the leader of the Xuan Merchant Immortal Vessel back then wanted to do a crazy thing that would lead the entire vessel to death," Ai Tianjue said coldly.

"Huh?"

"They wanted to drive the Xuan Merchant Immortal Vessel straight into the high wall, trying to break out of this star sea." After a pause, Ai Tianjue slowly said.

Li Fan was stunned.

...

While the Xuan Immortal Vessel was still searching for a way out within the Yin-Yang Pearl, the situation in the Xuanhuang realm had entered a new phase.

The Saint Emperor, who was momentarily equal to the Law Transmitter Celestial Sovereign, couldn't help but be distracted and look towards the sky.

The fusion of numerous remnants had initially completed.

The white fog barriers that spanned the heavens and earth, under the overwhelming force of the Xuanhuang realm's growth and decay, shattered one after another.

The vast sky that encompassed all regions was revealed to the Xuanhuang cultivators for the first time.

The celestial spirit energy that had been absorbed by the Xuanhuang realm was completely expelled.

The cultivators, gradually awakening from their greed and madness,

Stood there, dumbfounded, looking at the clear sky they had never seen before.

Boom...

With a slight tremor of heaven and earth, it seemed as if something was activated.

Lines flickered across the sky momentarily.

Even with the Saint Emperor's strength, he couldn't discern their reality.

The Law Transmitter Celestial Sovereign's attacks became more and more fierce. Li Ping could feel that the Law Transmitter was gradually making no concessions.

Understanding that the most critical moment was approaching, the Saint Emperor exerted all his strength to try to stop the Law Transmitter Celestial Sovereign.

The rumbling sounds of heaven and earth grew louder.

But the Saint Emperor suddenly felt a sense of unease.

Looking at the sky, Li Ping had a feeling as if he was in a formation.

As if the entire Great Qi world was under the cover of a vast spirit array.

And at the moment the Saint Emperor had this thought, a very subtle thought wave appeared in his mind instantly.

It was from the Xuanhuang realm!

Although it was fleeting, Li Ping could distinguish the Xuanhuang heaven's intention.

Danger! Escape!

Li Ping was puzzled. The current Xuanhuang realm was unprecedentedly strong.

Where could the crisis come from?

Just as Li Ping was distracted, a beam of golden light came from the outer space.

Like a golden needle, it swiftly flew down, piercing deeply into the Xuanhuang realm!

The rumbling of the Xuanhuang realm stopped abruptly.

As if this golden needle forcibly interrupted the Xuanhuang realm's transformation process!

The Saint Emperor's heart surged with anger.

The starlight surged around him, and he quickly moved past the Law Transmitter.

He arrived in front of the golden needle.

With the essence of source power enveloping his palm, he tried to pull this golden light from the Xuanhuang realm.

However, to the Saint Emperor's astonishment, this golden needle, clearly coming from outer space, seemed to be integrated with the Xuanhuang realm itself. It was one with the realm.

As he exerted a little force, the Xuanhuang realm under his feet also violently shook.

Mountains rose and fell,

 and the power of the earth veins spurted out.

Seeing this, the Saint Emperor loosened his grip and gave up on forcefully pulling it out.

And just as he tried to pull out the needle, countless golden needles, like meteor showers, continuously flew from outer space.

One by one, they precisely landed on the Xuanhuang realm according to an extremely mysterious arrangement.

Not only was the Xuanhuang realm's transformation process interrupted.

The sky began to form vortexes, and the celestial spirit energy that had been absorbed by the Xuanhuang realm was forced out again.

The locations of the golden needles started to emit wisps of white fog again.

Like a sharp scalpel, it began to re-section the Xuanhuang realm.

A strange power was slowly enveloping the Xuanhuang realm.

The creatures in the Xuanhuang realm, upon witnessing the released celestial spirit energy, did not scramble for it.

Instead, they became dazed and confused.

Many creatures directly fainted on the ground, falling into a deep sleep.

They did not witness this extremely mysterious transformation of heaven and earth.

"Divine Doctor!!" The Saint Emperor already understood who was behind this event.

He looked up at the sky, trying to find the opponent's location.

However...

The Law Transmitter Celestial Sovereign's attack arrived suddenly.

This time, there was no mercy.

The limit of force that the Xuanhuang realm could just barely withstand erupted.

"Since the Celestial Sovereign has come, why not pay respects!"

The Law Transmitter's voice was cold and ubiquitous.

As if it came from every corner of the world at the same time.

The Saint Emperor's body suddenly stiffened.

As if facing the scrutiny and questioning of all cultivators who practice the new method in the world.

Those countless eyes of the myriad beings seemed like chains, tightly wrapping around him.

"It turns out the Xuanhuang realm is the Law Transmitter Celestial Sovereign's home ground..." A flash of realization crossed the Saint Emperor's mind.

"But in this Xuanhuang realm, I also have assistance!" The Saint Emperor's robe of stars surged.

He shouted loudly, "Mo Rubing, how long do you plan to watch the show!"

Although he didn't know where this Law King of the Xuantian Sect was hiding,

Li Ping was certain that when the Xuanhuang realm changed, he would definitely be hiding in some corner, silently observing everything.

From the brief interaction with Mo Rubing before, Li Ping saw that this Law King of the Xuantian Sect didn't care too much about what constitutes the true lineage of the Xuanhuang.

As long as the world beneath his feet was intact, that was enough.

What he cared more about was finding that missing Xuantian King and leaving this dark star sea.

So the Saint Emperor didn't care whether Mo Rubing responded or not, and silently shouted in his heart, "Dao One!"

The spiritual energy of the world came to life at that moment.

Released by the Five Elements Great Cave Heaven, and already spread throughout the world with the wild growth of the Xuanhuang realm, the Dao One worm, at this moment, under the Saint Emperor's summons,

Turned from death to life, rolling towards the Saint Emperor's body.

Like swallowing the sea, the Saint Emperor's body, with the continuous influx of worm-transformed spiritual energy, began to swell.

Ten zhang, a hundred zhang, a thousand zhang...

The chains of the Law Transmitter wrapped around him disintegrated in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, the Saint Emperor had turned into a truly towering giant.

Dominating the Xuanhuang realm.

And the influx of worm-transformed spiritual energy still did not stop.

As if it really intended to devour all the spiritual energy of the entire Xuanhuang realm in a short period of time!

As the body continued to expand, the grandly unified Xuanhuang realm, in the eyes of the Saint Emperor, slowly became the size of a room.

The attacks of the Law Transmitter also became no longer so difficult to resist.

The Saint Emperor also had the spare energy to look outside the Xuanhuang realm, to search for the Divine Doctor's location.

"I'll block him for you!"

At this moment, Tianyang's voice suddenly rang out.

He stood in front of the Law Transmitter Celestial Sovereign, speaking to the Saint Emperor.

"Go ahead."

"Even the Law Transmitter Celestial Sovereign won't be able to kill me in a short time."

Tianyang was no longer a young child, but had turned into a dark golden, reddish figure of a puppet.

About the size of an ordinary person.

"Take this!" The Saint Emperor handed the white ring to Tianyang, then himself flew out of the Xuanhuang realm, following the still incessantly incoming golden needles, to search for the Divine Doctor's trace.

He

 also tried to intercept the golden light halfway.

But the golden needles came from outer space, too fast, too dense.

There was no way to stop them.

Only by finding and dealing with the source of the golden needles could the assault be halted.

Watching Tianyang now fighting the Law Transmitter Celestial Sovereign, without noticing any sign of Mo Rubing appearing,

The Saint Emperor could not care too much and continued towards the starry sky.

The worm-transformed spiritual energy began to dissipate rapidly upon entering the void.

If it weren't for the fact that the Dao One worm also benefited a little when the Xuanxian realm absorbed the celestial spirit energy and ascended,

The speed of death might have been even faster now.

The Saint Emperor understood that he must find the Divine Doctor's trace as quickly as possible.

It's just a pity...

This equally "Supreme" strong being seemed to have no intention of showing himself or fighting him.

Always hiding his tracks.

And the Saint Emperor also discovered that these golden needles seemed to have been prepared in advance.

Not just from a certain direction in outer space.

But from any direction, countless golden needles.

Precisely falling into the Xuanhuang realm.

The Saint Emperor only felt suffocated, having immense power but nowhere to use it.

In his mind, the image of the exterminating celestial disaster and the remains of the grand magician sealed outside the Great Qi world suddenly appeared.

He even had the fleeting thought of unlocking the seal and detonating it.

"Huh?"

Soon, the Saint Emperor was shocked by his own thought and forcibly suppressed it.

"How could I have such a thought?"

The thought flashed by, and the Saint Emperor continued to search for the Divine Doctor's trace.

As the golden needles continued to fall, the Xuanhuang realm gradually returned to its original state.

The white fog barriers in the sky rose again, separating the regions.

The Xuanhuang realm, which was about to move, seemed to be sealed by the golden needles, falling into sleep.

The Saint Emperor's frustration reached its peak.

He inadvertently glanced down at the Xuanhuang realm again...

And was suddenly shocked.

Because he realized that the Xuanhuang realm had not completely returned to its original state.

Instead...

That feeling of being in a formation had not faded!

Instead, as time went on, it became more intense!