Chapter 1170: Starsea Wanderer

While the technological development of both the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council was rapid during their confrontation, with various new methods constantly emerging, this period of high-speed advancement actually lasted less than three thousand years. For tens of thousands of years following the great catastrophe that severed the immortal path, the Xuanhuang World was predominantly embroiled in conflict and strife. Civilization did not progress; it regressed.

“If my speculation proves true, then I can scarcely imagine the magnitude of the civilizational gap between the areas inside and outside the high wall.” This scenario of a closed civilization, proclaiming itself the world’s strongest, suddenly having its external passage opened, only to swiftly collapse and perish without resistance against an enemy several eras ahead in military might, is not uncommon in the history of civilization. Even now, let alone before my transmigration, there are still small worlds disconnected from the Xuanhuang World that have forgotten the existence of immortal cultivators. These worlds establish flourishing mortal empires, whose achievements historians meticulously record. Yet, a single Foundation Establishment cultivator could effortlessly obliterate such a “prosperous dynasty.”

Li Fan’s ultimate goal has always been transcendence and eternal life. To achieve this, he has undergone countless reincarnations, solely to forge a path within the crisis-ridden and doomed Xuanhuang World. His ultimate destination is beyond this Darkest Star Sea, past the high wall. Yet, the current speculation about a potential civilization existing beyond that wall sent a chill down Li Fan’s spine. “If an immortal cultivation civilization truly exists and has developed for so long, they might possess power comparable to a True Immortal,” he mused, his eyes flickering with thought. “They might even be able to influence Huanzhen to some extent…” Despite these ponderings, he felt no fear. Huanzhen was his ultimate assurance. His ability to rewind time repeatedly, bringing memories and experiences back to a fixed anchor point, meant that even if the world beyond the high wall was millions of years more advanced, he could swiftly bridge that gap through a few cycles of reincarnation. “I just need to be cautious,” he resolved. “Until the situation is clear, I’ll rely on clones and the Holy Embryo, and my main body will never venture out. Prudence is paramount in all things!” He wasn’t afraid of encountering monsters beyond the high wall; rather, he feared there might be nothing there at all.

Within the dark void, Li Fan’s Holy Embryo, transformed into a streak of sword light, closely trailed the twenty-nine puppets. While only slightly more than half a year had passed in the Xuanhuang World since his departure, from the Holy Embryo’s perspective, he had been away for a full decade. The discrepancy in time flow rates had become increasingly pronounced as he ventured deeper into the star sea, peaking recently at an alarming fifty-to-one ratio. However, as the Holy Embryo Li Fan pressed onward, the time difference between his current location and the Xuanhuang World gradually began to converge once more, dropping from fifty-to-one to ten-to-one – a ratio not significantly different from when he first left the Xuanhuang World. Li Fan understood this was due to his slow approach towards another immense power source that warped the flow of time. “The star sea is boundless,” the Holy Embryo Li Fan mused with a slight sigh. “Even with the aid of this unknown great power, allowing me to travel hundreds of times faster than my maximum flight speed in the Xuanhuang World, it still took me this long to reach my destination.”

Over the past decade, he had severed his spiritual essence more than three hundred times. His power, once nearly comparable to a Dao Harmonization cultivator in the Xuanhuang World, was now reduced to that of an ordinary mortal. The agony he endured throughout this process was something even Li Fan, with his formidable resilience, never wished to experience again. Fortunately, in the final years, perhaps due to his strength diminishing to an extremely weak state, the frequency of black spot infections also significantly decreased. Moreover, after gaining insights from these more than three hundred divisions, the Holy Embryo Li Fan had developed his own methods for coping with this enigmatic ailment.

“Though the principle behind their appearance remains unclear, it’s certain that these black spots are connected to the immortal cultivation worlds that have been annihilated and vanished within the Darkest Star Sea.” If it had been merely one of the more than three hundred split souls infected by the black spots, Li Fan might not have sensed anything. However, with all these desolate, inert souls he had left behind throughout the Darkest Star Sea combined, Li Fan discerned a commonality among them. After seemingly falling completely silent, they did not remain stationary. Instead, they subtly flowed towards various parts of the Darkest Star Sea. Their method of movement was quite enigmatic; it wasn’t typical spatial movement. Rather, it was more akin to water droplets naturally cascading from a higher to a lower point, traversing the Darkest Star Sea at high speed. Once they reached their respective destinations, they successively vanished from Li Fan’s perception forever. “Those locations, between the depths of the star sea and the Xuanhuang World, seem to coincide with the voids I traversed,” the Holy Embryo Li Fan observed, looking back in silent contemplation. “It appears the myriad incredible phenomena within the Darkest Star Sea might all be interconnected. So then, what about this star sea power, comparable to the Immortal Ruins? Why did I feel no trace of it whatsoever while I was in the Xuanhuang World? Why did it suddenly manifest recently?” His mind brimming with questions, the Holy Embryo Li Fan grew increasingly intrigued by the unknown journey ahead.

“Hm?” Deep in thought, he suddenly grew alert, his gaze snapping forward. The unsettling sensation of being watched resurfaced, this time far more intensely than anything he had experienced over the past decade. It sent a shiver down the Holy Embryo Li Fan’s spine, his heart pounding. It felt as though an utterly terrifying presence lurked within the dark void ahead! With a swift thought, Li Fan first commanded a stone puppet to charge towards the perceived danger. Immediately afterward, a streak of sword light cleaved through the distance. The stone puppet seemed to collide with something, letting out a muffled thud before vanishing from Li Fan’s perception. Affected by the reduction of his spiritual essence, the sword light Li Fan unleashed was far less brilliant than when he had first left the Xuanhuang World, but it still illuminated the surrounding darkness. A pair of massive eyes abruptly appeared from the gloom, fixed intently on Li Fan. Simultaneously, a withered, enormous hand had, at some unknown moment, quietly materialized before the Holy Embryo Li Fan, poised to seize him. “Damn it!” he cursed. He had traversed the dark void for over a decade without encountering any other living beings. This sudden, unexpected confrontation with such a terrifying entity made Li Fan’s heart pound and his scalp tingle. Instinctively, countless sword shadows shot forth. He couldn’t tell if his own strength had diminished too much or if the monster was simply too powerful. These very sword shadows, capable of splitting mountains and dividing seas in the Xuanhuang World, surprisingly failed to inflict even the slightest damage. Seeing himself about to be fully entrapped in the monster’s grasp, Li Fan prepared for a desperate struggle. But then, he quickly sensed something was amiss. The massive, emaciated human figure before him… bore no trace of life. Its movements and expression remained utterly static.