Chapter 1141: Extinguishing the World Reveals the True Culprit

Chapter 1151Destroying Worlds to Lure the True Culprit

"Could it be...""Immortals?"

This thought involuntarily surfaced in Shang Shaojun's mind. As far as he knew, some of the refugees from other cultivation worlds were also Immortal realm beings. Although not as invincible as the Immortal Heavenly Venerate of the Xuanhuang World, they were certainly not beings that ordinary Dao-fusion cultivators could contend with. "That must be it." A chill ran down Shang Shaojun's spine, and he became even more cautious around Li Fan.

The two continued deeper into the Roaring Abyss. As the integration of different world laws reached its peak, new phenomena began to emerge from the darkness. A faint crimson glow illuminated the path ahead. Fragmented continents hung upside down, floating above them. From a distance, one could faintly discern ruins spread across the land, and countless white bones within them.

All the floating world fragments were utterly silent. Thick, root-like red threads grew from these fragmented continents, extending into the Roaring Abyss and hidden in the darkness. Hair-raising sounds occasionally echoed through the space, resembling the scraping of a metal blade across bone, or the heavy breathing of someone on the verge of death. The eerie atmosphere of this place caused Li Fan and Shang Shaojun, who had come to uncover its secrets, to halt in unison.

Seeing Li Fan meticulously observe the strange scenery ahead, Shang Shaojun pondered for a moment before transmitting his thoughts: "These shattered worlds, they seem... to still be alive?" He sounded uncertain. Saint Fetus Li Fan did not reply.

Instead, he simply swung his sword, sending a beam of sword light straight towards one of the shattered worlds. Upon seeing this, Shang Shaojun's heart tightened, and he immediately became wary. Although he had witnessed Li Fan's extraordinary swordsmanship, the backlash from a world, even a dying one, was not to be underestimated. The silver-white sword light traversed space in an instant, arriving above the fragmented continent. What Shang Shaojun hadn't anticipated was that the sword strike Li Fan unleashed seemed not intended for destruction. After piercing the barrier and arriving, it remained perfectly still.

Furthermore, the trail it left in the air upon its arrival had not faded. The sword light solidified, seemingly forming a thin silver thread, connecting Li Fan to the fragmented world. Li Fan floated, standing on the silver thread, eyes closed as if comprehending something. "This is..." At first, Shang Shaojun was baffled by Li Fan's actions. But as he watched, for some reason, a scene of a mortal physician diagnosing and treating a patient came to his mind. "Using the sword as a conduit to observe life and death." "Could it be that this person is not only extraordinary in swordsmanship, but also deeply skilled in the medical arts?"

Shang Shaojun's heart trembled. And Li Fan's next action made his heart pound even faster. Li Fan gently tapped his foot on the silver thread, and a ripple of energy spread along the thin line into the fragmented world. Initially, it was an imperceptible tremor. Then, as if resonating with something, the tremor intensified. The previously silent and dead land suddenly awakened. A roar emanated from underground, and countless streams of lava erupted, accompanied by the world's furious bellow.

At this moment, Li Fan lightly flicked his finger, severing the sword light beneath his feet. He then swiftly retreated back the way they came. "Stay back." Before Li Fan's words had fully registered, Shang Shaojun felt a tremendous force strike him, sending him uncontrollably tumbling backward. His vital energy surged within him; he had clearly sustained minor injuries.

Shang Shaojun turned back in horror, discovering that the world "diagnosed" by Li Fan had already plunged into destruction through violent self-collision. Being merely a fragment, the world was inherently fragile. It simply couldn't withstand such violent internal energy fluctuations. The land completely disintegrated, transforming into endless crimson flames. While releasing its final light in the darkness, it also signified the demise of a world.

Shang Shaojun watched this scene, lost in thought. Li Fan, beside him, explained: "If this world were to be destroyed by external force, it would not only provoke a backlash from the world itself, but perhaps also alert the being behind all this." He continued, "But if we forcefully activate the world's last remaining power, causing it to die naturally..."

As Li Fan spoke, a thousand sword phantoms simultaneously appeared behind him. Sword lights intersected, flashed brightly, and then merged into the air. "Enter the formation." Hearing Li Fan's telepathic message, Shang Shaojun's heart skipped a beat again. However, he was already nearly numb from shock and simply followed instinctively. Upon entering the formation space, Shang Shaojun saw sword shadows swiftly circling around them once more. A thousand swords flew in unison, creating an extremely concealed hiding spot. Before taking refuge in the sword formation, Shang Shaojun saw Li Fan employ the same method, successively destroying several fragmented worlds ahead. The terrifying impact released by the worlds' destruction transformed the deepest part of the Roaring Abyss into a momentary purgatory. Countless dark crimson ashes, swept by the violent energy, burst forth out of the abyss, like a thousand ghosts roaming at night, or a stampede of beasts. The Thousand-Sword Formation seemed to be struggling. It was continuously contracting. The countless sword lights also spun faster and faster, almost forming continuous lines.

Yet, Li Fan showed no sign of worrying that the formation couldn't hold. He stood upright with closed eyes, doing who knew what. "Wait." As if discerning Shang Shaojun's confusion, Li Fan transmitted a simple message, then fell silent. Shang Shaojun took a deep breath, and with the aid of the cool energy, he quickly calmed down. The sword lights swirling around them not only blocked the view of the outside world, but they even obstructed his spiritual sense, preventing him from seeing what was happening outside. But judging by the occasional thudding sounds of huge objects colliding with the sword formation, the destruction of several world fragments in succession must have caused an extremely terrifying impact on the outside world.

"If not for this person, I would likely have returned in a sorry state from this impact alone." "Swordsmanship, medical arts, formations... could there truly be someone in this world proficient in all these arts?" Shang Shaojun's thoughts churned, and even with the aid of the Immortal Heart Spell, he couldn't completely suppress the myriad speculations about Li Fan's identity.

Who knew how much time had passed. The storm outside the sword formation finally began to subside. But Li Fan still showed no intention of dispelling the sword formation. And judging by his increasingly grave expression, there seemed to be something else outside, something even more terrifying than the destruction of multiple worlds. "The mastermind behind it all?" Shang Shaojun's mind recalled the horrifying scene of countless world fragments hanging upside down above their heads. This clearly couldn't have formed naturally. The thought of a formidable being capable of treating worlds like playthings, perhaps appearing nearby at this very moment, sent shivers down Shang Shaojun's spine. "I wonder if this sword formation can truly conceal us?" "If It discovers us, we're certainly doomed!"

(End of this chapter)