Chapter 1290: Golden Needle Reverses Xuanhuang

The Overseer carries a mission from the Immortal Realm, and it’s highly probable that it’s a direct creation of a True Immortal. No mortal power can stand against it.

"Although the path to immortality has long been severed, as long as they exist, they will resolutely carry out their mission. This precisely is our hope for escape..." Zhong Gongdao quickly wrote in the air.

"This Xuanhuang Realm Overseer doesn't seem to actively attack us. As long as we make no sound and don't attract its attention, we should be temporarily safe. However, staying indefinitely in this pot is not a long-term solution. I can feel that the longer we stay here, the faster our life force drains away."

"The Overseer only cares about its mission. We must quickly figure out what this entity's mission is, and then devise a way to escape..."

Everyone looked up, their gaze passing through the Xuanxian Ark, settling on the terrifying figure stirring the water at the edge of the gigantic pot.

"Do not observe it, lest you provoke trouble." Elder Gan Jingda waved his hand, temporarily blocking everyone's view.

Nangong Lie of the Dao Attainment Academy, with a serious expression, wrote and asked, "If we use the power of True Immortal script to create chaos, is there any hope of escape? Though the Overseer is strong, it can't resist the power of a True Immortal, can it?"

Zhong Gongdao shook his head slightly, explaining, "Indeed, it should not be able to fully resist the influence of True Immortal script. The Huan character I just used has already proven this. However, given its intricate ties to the Immortal Realm, the Overseer possesses a certain degree of resistance to True Immortal power compared to us mortal cultivators."

"This Overseer, after being hit by the Huan character, merely forgot what had happened but did not leave this pot..." Zhong Gongdao's meaning was clear.

Ai Tianjue also nodded in agreement. "Precisely, using True Immortal script to create chaos is too risky. Just a glance moments ago wiped out a tenth of our ark's population. If it can resist even for a moment... even if we escape, not many on the ark would survive."

Zhong Gongdao continued, "Everyone, we must also consider what happens after we escape from here. If we exhaust all our accumulated True Immortal script, how will we contend with the Heavenly Venerable of Dharma Transmission in the Xuanhuang Realm?"

"Yes, this grudge must be settled. Even if we can't obtain any immortal spiritual energy, we absolutely must acquire some resources in the Xuanhuang Realm!" The Head of the Ark's Star Forging Workshop, Master Zhang, said with a fierce expression.

After deliberations among the ark's elders, a consensus was finally reached. They would first send out personnel to fly out of the pot and explore the surrounding environment, aiming to ascertain the possible mission of the terrifying Overseer. Simultaneously, they would remain prepared for the ark to be discovered by the Overseer and for a desperate struggle for survival.

Soon, twenty cultivators, one after another, left the ark, flying towards the outside of the pot.

Some of them, before even flying out of the gigantic pot's range, were drawn by an invisible vortex within the pot, plunged into the water, and vanished completely.

As for those strong enough to fly outside the pot, most were detected by the invisible Overseer, had their life force instantly extracted, and were crushed into small spheres.

Only one managed to narrowly escape the Overseer's range, but he never returned.

The Xuanxian Ark then sent out another hundred cultivators.

This time, although three cultivators completed their reconnaissance, they were all, without exception, discovered by the Overseer when attempting to re-enter the pot on their return journey.

They were crushed into spheres, instantly perishing.

"This mindless sacrificing of lives is not a solution!"

"Let's just fight it directly!"

"Those too weak can't even fly out of this pot. Those too strong will certainly be detected by the Overseer..."

"Especially the Dao-entering Elders, going out is just suicide!"

Inside the ark, the atmosphere once again plunged into despair.

At this moment, Zhao Xian, the body possessed by the Saint Embryo Li Fan, stepped forward.

Li Fan looked at Ai Tianjue and wrote with resolute determination, "Teacher, I wish to try."

All the elders of the Immortal Severing Pavilion showed expressions of emotion.

Their impression of this exceptionally talented young junior was excellent.

Ai Tianjue reached out and refused Li Fan's request.

The Immortal Severing Pavilion was currently the highest authority on the ark, and Li Fan was a direct descendant of the Immortal Severing Pavilion. Naturally, he received some preferential treatment.

Zhong Gongdao, overcoming all objections, once again dispatched a reconnaissance team of three hundred people.

The result was still total annihilation.

Watching those vibrant lives being mercilessly crushed into spheres by the Overseer, a chilling sense of dread had accumulated to a certain threshold in the hearts of everyone on the ark.

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

It wasn't that he had become soft-hearted, but rather that he too doubted whether such probing attempts were truly effective.

Just then, Li Fan stepped forward once more.

"Elder Zhong, I am willing to try." A hint of fear initially flickered in Li Fan's eyes, but it was swiftly replaced by unwavering resolve.

The elders of the Immortal Severing Pavilion, looking at the expressions of the cultivators from other ark organizations, sighed inwardly.

In the end, they agreed to Li Fan's request.

After a brief farewell to his teachers, under the gaze of countless eyes, Li Fan unhurriedly flew out of the Xuanxian Ark.

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

Elder Zhong, who rarely initiated conversations with others, spoke to Ai Tianjue this time.

Ai Tianjue nodded slightly, his expression complex.

Watching Li Fan successfully leave the gigantic pot, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Next came the long wait.

As time passed, no one saw Li Fan's figure return.

The spark of hope slowly extinguished.

Just as Zhong Gongdao believed Li Fan had also failed and perished, and was preparing to send out the final reconnaissance team, a figure openly flew past the Overseer who was stirring the pot's water.

It descended from the sky, returning to the Xuanxian Ark!

It was Li Fan!

Although the Overseer was above, no one dared to make a sound. But the expressions on the ark members' faces fully conveyed how excited they were at that moment.

After losing nearly five hundred of the ark's core members, they finally saw hope of escape.

Like stars surrounding the moon, they welcomed Li Fan to the center of the elders.

Li Fan didn't rest; he immediately used his finger as a pen to quickly recount the scenes and encounters he had witnessed outside.

"Nine Yin-Yang Orbs?"

"Inside each, there seem to be endless frozen corpses?"

The scene Li Fan described filled the ark's members with horror.

However, several elders of the Immortal Nexus Pavilion frowned slightly, as if recalling something.

After inviting Zhong Gongdao over for a discussion, Zhong Gongdao gathered everyone. "Everyone, perhaps we've found a way to escape from here!"

"This Overseer's mission..."

"It should be to collect different specimens."

Zhong Gongdao's expression was not one of joy at finding an escape route. Instead, it was very somber.

"Different specimens? Elder Zhong, what does that mean?" Everyone looked puzzled.

Zhong Gongdao said, "Head Jian, please explain the situation."

Everyone's attention then shifted to the white-haired Head of the Immortal Nexus Pavilion, Jian Daosheng.

Jian Daosheng, with a reminiscent look in his eyes, wrote and explained, "During the great era of ancient cultivation, the Star Sea flourished, and countless cultivation realms thrived. Yet, our Xuanshang Ark always chose to drift aimlessly through the Star Sea, without a fixed abode..."

"People assumed that the Xuanshang merchants pursued profit, which is why they traveled between realms to gain immense wealth. But..."

"Wouldn't having a fixed world as a base be more beneficial for trade? The lives of everyone on the Xuanxian Ark were tied to a single ark. At that time, though the Star Sea wasn't as perilous as it is now, years of flying through it inevitably led to encounters with calamities."

"Yet, we still preferred to wander the Star Sea rather than settle in any one realm."

"It was simply because the Xuanshang Ark was built by a group of cultivators who had escaped from cultivation realms where Overseers existed."

Jian Daosheng, sighing, looked at the shocked faces in the assembly and continued to write, "Cultivators regard mortals as livestock, raising them in pens. And the Immortal Realm's treatment of cultivators might be even worse."

"Virtually every flourishing cultivation realm shows signs of Immortal Realm oversight. Even in remote, nameless cultivation realms, no one can guarantee that Immortals won't suddenly descend and interfere. What the Xuanshang ancestors discovered that led them to flee their original homeland is unknown now. However, it's certain that it was out of fear of the Immortal Realm, and the desire not to be raised like livestock, that the Xuanshang ancestors decided to reside in an ark."

"Even at its peak, the ark's population was only around a million. Perhaps due to their small numbers, there was indeed no intervention from Immortal Realm forces for a long time."

Jian Daosheng then turned the topic to the reason for his conclusion: "Based on the scenes Zhao Xian witnessed, the nine Yin-Yang Orbs contain the frozen forms of cultivators who have existed in the Xuanhuang Realm from ancient times to the present."

"Not that they died, but that they existed," Jian Daosheng specifically emphasized this point.

"That's why previous disciples who tried to escape by concealing their life force found it useless."

"To escape from this Xuanhuang Overseer, the safest method is to disguise ourselves as cultivators who already exist within those nine frozen Yin-Yang Orbs."

The expressions of the ark members varied.

After all, the Immortal Nexus Pavilion had been in charge of the ark for thousands of years before the Immortal Severing Pavilion. Out of trust in the Immortal Nexus Pavilion, everyone decided to try this method.

Fortunately, during his previous reconnaissance, Li Fan's spiritual sense had swept across the endless frozen ocean, recording enough characteristics of the cultivators.

After successfully disguising themselves, the first group of cultivators departed.

They did not swagger like Li Fan but proceeded cautiously, step by step.

And the invisible Overseer truly seemed to pay them no mind.

The entire team of thirty people successfully escaped from the nightmarish gigantic pot.

With the feasibility confirmed, everyone on the Xuanxian Ark accelerated their escape.

Once all members of the ark had escaped, the Overseer's act of stirring the gigantic pot's water finally ceased.

It seemed to extend its palm and abruptly slap the pot's body.

Amidst the tremendous vibrations, the gigantic pot slowly contracted.

The Overseer slapped it continuously, and the gigantic pot became smaller and smaller. Eventually, it transformed into a small, crystal-clear bead.

Within the small bead, the original pot water transformed into a calm ocean.

The Overseer, having completed all this, stood dazed for a moment. After a long while, it seemed to recall its mission.

Amidst thundering footsteps, it departed from this space.

The Xuanxian Ark members, who had watched all this with bated breath, finally let out a long sigh of relief after confirming the Overseer had truly left.

However, to prevent attracting the Overseer back, everyone still communicated through gestures.

"Elder Zhong, we've already investigated; this is an enclosed space with no exits around."

"We still haven't figured out how the Overseer left."

The Xuanxian Ark's legacy had endured for thousands of years, and with concerted effort, they soon determined that the exit from this place was within those nine Yin-Yang Orbs.

After carefully selecting one, the Xuanxian Ark flew inside.

Upon witnessing the endless frozen corpses on the icy ocean with their own eyes, the ark members still felt an undeniable fear in their hearts.

Inside the Yin-Yang Orb, far from the Overseer once more, they could finally communicate with their spiritual senses.

"What is the Xuanhuang Overseer doing collecting so many corpses?"

"This place seems to be a profound formation."

"It seems the Xuanshang ancestors' choice back then was not wrong. In the eyes of True Immortals, cultivators are no different from livestock."

The ark members conversed.

"Teacher, are the records regarding what the Xuanshang ancestors discovered truly lost?" Li Fan, however, secretly asked Ai Tianjue through a spiritual message. Li Fan keenly noticed that just now there seemed to be a subtle exchange between Head Jian of the Immortal Nexus Pavilion and several elders of the Immortal Severing Pavilion. Hence his question.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Ai Tianjue's eyes.

Originally, Li Fan was not qualified to know this ark secret. However, Li Fan had just risked his life to scout ahead for the ark, and ultimately succeeded in bringing back crucial information.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the hero who saved the Xuanxian Ark. Thus, there was nothing left to conceal.

After discussing with other elders and finally receiving their permission, Ai Tianjue replied, "Chief Jian did not speak idly; the ancestors' legacy indeed is no longer on the Xuanxian Ark..."

Li Fan, however, understood the implication in Ai Tianjue's words. "Not on the Xuanxian Ark. Teacher, do you mean..."

"On the Shangxian Ark?"

Ai Tianjue nodded. "Years ago, internal strife split the ark into two. Although our Xuanxian Ark obtained the Myriad Tales of Immortality, the most crucial part of the Xuanshang Ark's heritage fell into the hands of the Shangxian Ark."

Given Ai Tianjue's personality, even he felt a slight regret when speaking of this matter.

"The most crucial part?" Li Fan's eyes flickered.

"Back then, after the Xuanshang ancestors left their homeland, they feared being pursued by Overseers, or even True Immortals. While drifting aimlessly through the Star Sea, they also tried to find a way to completely break free from True Immortals." A trace of longing flashed in Ai Tianjue's eyes.

"As the saying goes, Immortals and mortals are distinct. Even those who have merged with the Dao are no different from ants before True Immortals. Trying to escape True Immortals by ordinary means is simply wishful thinking..."

"But the Xuanshang ancestors did indeed succeed."

A hint of understanding flickered in Li Fan's eyes. "Immortal artifacts?"

"Precisely. And not just that," Ai Tianjue said with a hint of melancholy.

"As you know, in ancient times, some cultivation realms were particularly closely linked to the Upper Realm. As years passed, some immortal artifacts became scattered. The Xuanshang Ark traveled through the Star Sea, collecting immortal artifacts. And they attempted to analyze the power of these artifacts to make it their own..."

"Back then, they certainly achieved some results. Unfortunately, before they could convert these research findings into practical applications, changes had already occurred in the Star Sea." Ai Tianjue sighed.

"The internal conflict on the Xuanshang Ark then split it into two. Our Xuanxian Ark seized most of the stored resources, namely the Myriad Tales of Immortality. The Shangxian Ark, however, took possession of the research insights from that time, along with an unknown number of immortal artifacts..."

Li Fan paused slightly. "So, in that internal conflict back then, our Xuanxian Ark was actually the loser?"

Ai Tianjue nodded. "One could say that."

Li Fan then fell silent.

He thought to himself, "No wonder everyone on the Xuanxian Ark has always been so secretive about information concerning the Shangxian Ark."

After a while, Li Fan, with a puzzled expression, asked again, "The Xuanshang Ark drifted through the Star Sea for so long, why would internal strife break out just because a calamity struck?"

"Even when facing the near-hopeless situation with the Overseer previously, our Xuanxian Ark didn't experience internal strife. The Xuanshang Ark back then shouldn't have been worse than us, should it?"

"That's because the navigator of the Xuanshang Ark back then was about to do something crazy, leading everyone on board to their deaths," Ai Tianjue said coldly.

"Oh?"

"They wanted to pilot the Xuanshang Ark into a high wall, attempting to break out of this Star Sea," Ai Tianjue said slowly after a brief silence.

Li Fan was stunned.

Just as everyone on the Xuanxian Ark was still searching for an exit within the Yin-Yang Orb, the changes in the Xuanhuang Realm had entered a new phase.

The Sacred Emperor, who had been locked in an evenly matched battle with the Heavenly Venerable of Dharma Transmission, couldn't help but be distracted, looking at the unusual phenomena in the sky.

The fusion of numerous remnant realms was nearing completion.

The white mist barriers that once spanned across heaven and earth shattered one after another under the immense internal pressure of the Xuanhuang Realm's growth and decline.

For the first time, the boundless firmament, encompassing all regions, revealed itself to the Xuanhuang cultivators.

The dispersed immortal spiritual energy in the world had been completely absorbed by the Xuanhuang heaven and earth.

Cultivators slowly emerged from their greed and madness, awakening.

They stood dumbfounded, gazing at the pristine sky they had never seen before.

Boom...

Amidst the slight trembling of heaven and earth, it was as if something had been activated.

Lines of light flashed across the sky, then vanished.

Even with the Sacred Emperor's strength, he couldn't discern their true nature.

The Heavenly Venerable of Dharma Transmission's moves became increasingly sharp. Li Ping could feel that Dharma Transmission was gradually ceasing to hold back.

Understanding that the most crucial moment was approaching, the Sacred Emperor exerted all his strength, attempting to block the Heavenly Venerable of Dharma Transmission.

The rumbling sound of heaven and earth grew louder.

A sudden unease welled up in the Sacred Emperor's heart.

Looking at the sky, Li Ping felt as if he were caught within a formation.

It was as if the entire Great Qi world was enveloped by the Grand Formation of Heaven and Earth's Myriad Spirits.

The instant the Sacred Emperor had this thought, an extremely subtle mental fluctuation appeared in his mind.

It originated from the Xuanhuang Realm!

Though it flashed and vanished, Li Ping could discern what the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao intended to convey.

Danger! Flee!

Li Ping didn't understand why, as the Xuanhuang Realm was currently stronger than ever before.

Where could the danger come from?

Just as Li Ping was momentarily stunned, a golden light suddenly appeared from beyond the sky.

Like a golden needle, it flew rapidly and plunged forcefully into the Xuanhuang land!

The rumbling of the Xuanhuang Realm abruptly ceased.

It was as if this single needle had forcefully interrupted the Xuanhuang Realm's transformation process!

A surge of anger immediately rose in the Sacred Emperor's heart.

Starlight surged around him, and he instantly flashed, bypassing Dharma Transmission.

He arrived before the golden needle.

Essence of Source Power enveloped his palm, intending to pull this golden light from the Xuanhuang land.

However, to the Sacred Emperor's utter astonishment, this golden needle, clearly from outside the heavens, seemed to be like the Xuanhuang Realm's own meridians and blood vessels, fused with it.

As he exerted slight force, the Xuanhuang land beneath his feet also violently trembled.

Mountain ranges undulated, and earth vein power gushed forth.

Seeing this, the Sacred Emperor loosened his grip and gave up on pulling it out by brute force.

As he attempted to pull out the needle, countless golden needles, like a meteor shower, continuously flew in from beyond the sky.

One by one, they plunged into the Xuanhuang land according to some profoundly mysterious arrangement.

Not only was the Xuanhuang Realm's transformation process interrupted, but vortices appeared in the sky, and the immortal spiritual energy that had already been absorbed by the Xuanhuang heaven and earth was actually forced back out.

From the locations where the golden needles were embedded, wisps of white mist re-emerged.

Like sharp surgical knives, they began to recarve the Xuanhuang land.

A strange power was slowly enveloping the Xuanhuang Realm.

The living beings in the Xuanhuang Realm, after witnessing the re-released immortal spiritual energy, did not scramble for it.

Instead, they became disoriented and dazed.

Many more beings simply fainted and fell into a deep sleep.

They were unable to personally witness this profoundly strange celestial and terrestrial anomaly.

"Heavenly Physician!!" The Sacred Emperor now understood the instigator of this event.

He looked up at the sky, trying to locate the opponent.

However...

The Heavenly Venerable of Dharma Transmission's attack arrived abruptly.

This time, there was no holding back.

The Xuanhuang Realm's ultimate tolerable power erupted with a roar.

"Since the Heavenly Venerable has arrived, why do you not bow!"

Dharma Transmission's incredibly cold voice sounded simultaneously.

It was as if it originated from every corner of heaven and earth at once.

The Sacred Emperor's body instantly stiffened.

It was as if he faced the direct gaze and questioning of all cultivators practicing the new methods throughout heaven and earth.

Those myriad eyes of living beings seemed like shackles, tightly entwining him.

"So the Xuanhuang Realm is the Heavenly Venerable of Dharma Transmission's home ground..." A flash of understanding crossed the Sacred Emperor's mind.

"However, in this Xuanhuang Realm, I also have assistance!" The Sacred Emperor's starlight robe surged.

He roared, "Mo Rubin, how much longer will you watch the show?!"

Although he didn't know where the Law King of the Profound Heaven Sect was hiding, Li Ping was certain that when the Xuanhuang Realm underwent its anomaly, he would be hidden somewhere, silently observing everything.

From his previous brief exchange with Mo Rubin, Li Ping could tell that the Law King of the Profound Heaven Sect didn't particularly care about Xuanhuang orthodoxy.

As long as the world beneath his feet remained intact, it was fine.

What he cared more about was finding the vanished Profound Heaven King and leaving this extremely dark Star Sea.

So the Sacred Emperor, regardless of Mo Rubin's response, silently roared, "Dao One!"

The spiritual energy between heaven and earth instantly came alive.

Released through the Grand Cave Heaven of Five Elements, and already spread throughout the entire world with the Xuanhuang Realm's previous wild growth, the Dao One Insects now, upon being summoned by the Sacred Emperor, transformed from inert to active, surging into the Sacred Emperor's body.

Like an abyss swallowing an ocean, the Sacred Emperor's body gradually expanded with the continuous influx of insect-transformed spiritual energy.

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

The Dharma Transmission chains entwining him instantly turned to dust.

In the blink of an eye, the Sacred Emperor had transformed into a truly colossal giant, standing tall against the heavens.

Dominating the Xuanhuang land.

Yet, the infusion of insect-transformed spiritual energy still did not stop.

It was as if he truly intended to devour all the spiritual energy of the entire Xuanhuang Realm in a short time!

As his body continued to expand, the vast, merged Xuanhuang Realm slowly appeared to him as small as a room.

Dharma Transmission's attacks also became less difficult to resist.

The Sacred Emperor also had enough power left to look beyond Xuanhuang, searching for the Heavenly Physician's location.

"I'll block him!"

Just then, Tianyang's voice suddenly rang out.

He stood in front of the Heavenly Venerable of Dharma Transmission and said to the Sacred Emperor, "Go ahead, don't worry."

"Even the Heavenly Venerable of Dharma Transmission won't be able to kill me anytime soon."

Tianyang was no longer a young child; he had transformed into a puppet of intertwined dark gold and crimson colors.

It was the size of an ordinary person.

"Take this!" The Sacred Emperor handed the white ring to Tianyang, then flew out of the Xuanhuang Realm, following the continuously arriving golden needles to search for traces of the Heavenly Physician.

He also tried to intercept the golden light mid-flight.

But the golden needles came from outside the heavens, too fast and too dense.

There was simply no time to stop them.

Only by finding and resolving the source of the golden needles could they be stopped.

Seeing Tianyang already fighting the Heavenly Venerable of Dharma Transmission, he didn't detect any sign of Mo Rubin's appearance.

The Sacred Emperor couldn't bother with too much, and once again headed towards the starry sky.

The insect-transformed spiritual energy rapidly dissipated after entering the void.

If not for the Dao One Insects having gained some benefits when the Xuanxian Realm previously absorbed immortal spiritual energy to ascend, their current rate of demise would likely be even faster.

The Sacred Emperor understood that he had to find the Heavenly Physician's traces as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately...

This powerful individual, seemingly also at the Supreme Realm, apparently had no intention of revealing himself or engaging him in battle.

He remained completely hidden.

The Sacred Emperor also discovered that these golden needles seemed to have been arranged long ago.

They weren't just being launched from a single point in the starry sky, but countless golden needles were coming from every direction.

They descended into the Xuanhuang Realm with extreme precision.

The Sacred Emperor felt only frustration, possessing immense martial power yet having nowhere to wield it.

In his mind, a scene suddenly appeared: outside the Great Qi Minor Realm, the sealed remnants of the Immortal Calamity and the Archmage's bones. He subtly had the thought of breaking the seal and detonating them.

"Hmm?"

Soon, the Sacred Emperor was shocked by his own thoughts and forcibly suppressed them.

"How could I possibly have such an idea?"

The thought flashed and vanished, and the Sacred Emperor could only continue searching for traces of the Heavenly Physician.

As the golden needles continuously fell, the Xuanhuang Realm slowly but clearly reverted to its original appearance.

Between heaven and earth, white mist barriers rose once more, dividing the various regions.

The restlessly stirring Xuanhuang Realm seemed to be sealed by the golden needles, falling into a deep slumber.

The helplessness in the Sacred Emperor's heart had reached its peak.

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

Suddenly, his heart jolted.

Because he suddenly realized that the Xuanhuang Realm had not completely reverted to its original state.

Instead...

The sensation of being within a formation had not faded!

On the contrary, it grew more intense with time!