Chapter 1079: And Now Leaping Over High Walls

"Impossible. This immense spiritual power gathered within me is clearly not an illusion."

Li Fan's thoughts raced, and he quickly used a water mirror spell to examine himself. To his surprise, just as he suspected, his face was no longer that of Mr. Bai, but his own!

"This..." A sudden sense of shock seized Li Fan. "How could this be? The spiritual power gained from destroying immortal artifacts in the Immortal Annihilation Mirror actually manifested for real..."

Just as he felt lost, Mr. Bai's face suddenly appeared in his mind, like a flash of lightning cutting through the fog. Li Fan froze. "So that's how it is."

Indeed, everything Li Fan had just experienced in the Immortal Annihilation Realm was fake. However, in true history, Mr. Bai had genuinely collected and destroyed numerous immortal artifacts, thereby gaining the power to cross the high wall.

"Mr. Bai ultimately chose not to leave the Xuanhuang Realm. Therefore..." A brilliant light suddenly gleamed in Li Fan's eyes. His heart pounded uncontrollably: "That immense spiritual power from back then was perfectly preserved! It was stored in the Immortal Annihilation Realm! Within this final trial scene to become the Great Celestial Venerable of Xuanhuang!"

Li Fan felt the mighty power swirling around his body. He understood now. He had to make the exact same choice Mr. Bai had made back then: to inherit this spiritual power, cross the high wall, and live freely, or to choose to give it up, remain in the Xuanhuang Realm, and serve as the Great Celestial Venerable of Xuanhuang.

Although he didn't know why Mr. Bai had chosen to stay back then, Li Fan was not as noble. If given the chance to leave, why would he choose to be bound by the Xuanhuang Realm?

Almost without hesitation, Li Fan was about to decide to inherit the spiritual power. But at the last moment, he suddenly changed his mind. "Beyond the high wall, beyond the high wall..." Is it truly safe beyond the high wall? A huge question mark appeared in Li Fan's mind.

His current true body's strength was merely at the Nascent Soul stage, comparable to an ordinary Dao Integration cultivator. Within the Xuanhuang Realm, with the help of the Spiritwood Realm and individuals like Tianyang, he could barely protect himself. But once he left Xuanhuang and ventured beyond the high wall, the danger would likely far exceed that of when he first arrived in the Xuanhuang Realm as a mortal. One must know that true immortals existed beyond the high wall. The power fluctuations unleashed when crossing the high wall could very likely attract their attention. Especially in this current life, Li Fan was still caught in the net of the Faceless True Immortal. A Nascent Soul cultivator, no matter how much they struggled, might not necessarily draw the attention of a true immortal. But if a speck of dust at the Nascent Soul stage suddenly transformed into an immortal, Li Fan might not even have time to react before being captured and taken for study by the Faceless True Immortal.

Li Fan pondered for a long time, then finally let out a long sigh, completely suppressing his burgeoning desire. The chance for transcendence, which he had desperately sought through hundreds of reincarnations, was now before him. But when he truly had the opportunity to escape, Li Fan hesitated. Fundamentally, it was because Li Fan's current strength was still too weak, and he knew absolutely nothing about what lay beyond the high wall. It wasn't that he couldn't leave now, but the risks of leaving were too great—so great, in fact, that even Li Fan, with his 'return to true' ability, dared not easily attempt it.

"Wait a bit longer, wait a bit longer. It's not time yet. For others, if this opportunity to leave the Sea of Ultimate Darkness is missed, it will never come again. But I am different. Since I already know of the existence of this immense spiritual power, I can take it whenever I need it."

After a period of rational analysis, Li Fan's mind finally returned to a state of calm, like a still ancient well. Since he had temporarily given up the plan to cross the high wall, another question now stood before Li Fan: Did he need to inherit the mantle of the Great Celestial Venerable of Xuanhuang?

With almost no hesitation, Li Fan made a decisive choice. In ancient times, the Great Celestial Venerable of Xuanhuang might have been unique in their methods. But times had changed. The benefits might not be significant, but the duties and responsibilities to be borne were visibly immense: rectifying chaos, dealing with the tradition bearers, restoring normal order to the Xuanhuang Realm, and saving the Xuanhuang Realm from its impending fate of being engulfed by the Immortal Ruins. Li Fan had no interest in being any kind of savior. He also had no real sense of belonging to the Xuanhuang Realm. Now that he had found a way to cross the high wall, his next step was to quickly increase his strength, or to plan and test whether this escape method was truly effective and safe. As for this Great Celestial Venerable of Xuanhuang, whoever wanted to be it could be it. Li Fan certainly wasn't going to join in that commotion.

Since this trial was created by Mr. Bai, Li Fan believed it wouldn't force cultivators to make a choice. Sure enough, when Li Fan inwardly conveyed his intention to give up both options, after a long silence, the surrounding scenery began to shake violently. It shattered with a roar, like boiling water. After a slight dizziness, Li Fan finally returned to reality.

"Seems like it has a bit of a temper," Li Fan muttered to himself. Reflecting on his experience in the Immortal Annihilation Realm, it was a pity that, as before, he only retained vague, general memories. Any specifics regarding divine abilities or secret techniques could not be recalled at all. "If I were to become the Great Celestial Venerable of Xuanhuang, perhaps all the history within the Immortal Annihilation Realm would be inherited. But... it wouldn't be worth it. Especially since I'm already caught in the True Immortal's net in this life."

Li Fan calmed his thoughts. After a long while, he checked the time. To his astonishment, this journey through the Immortal Annihilation Realm had lasted over a year. It seemed the time flow ratio in this trial illusion was different from ordinary Immortal Annihilation illusions, being much closer to reality. Li Fan had a vague realization. "This trial illusion wasn't created casually. It probably requires a certain amount of energy. Although Mo Rubing entered the trial illusion over a year before me, I had already experienced it and was familiar with the plot. His progress might not be as fast as mine. It's possible he's still in the illusion now."

With that thought, Li Fan began to check what had happened over the past year. Transmitter Zhou, unable to reach Li Fan, guessed that Li Fan had successfully entered the illusionary trial. He had sent multiple messages intermittently, besides asking Li Fan to reveal some details of his experience once he left the illusion. The rest were various matters concerning the remnants of the Xuantian Sect. Although Transmitter Chen and others had passed the Transmitter's Oath, everyone knew that they were no longer suitable for their positions in the highest management of the Myriad Immortals Alliance. After a re-vote by all the Transmitters, they ultimately compromised and voluntarily departed.