Chapter 1306: One Sword Crosses the Star Sea

It wasn't truly that the flow rate of time had changed. Instead, the speed of evolution within the Profound Yellow Heaven and Earth surrounding the Immeasurable Mirror had expanded infinitely. It was as if an acceleration button had been pressed; light and shadow flickered erratically, millions of times within a single breath.

The ancient Immeasurable Mirror visibly grew more weathered and aged. One could even clearly see tiny, dust-like grey particles drifting off the mirror, carried away by the wind, and then dissipating into the air.

A divine projection had once remained almost entirely hidden within the Immeasurable Mirror for an entire era. Thus, Li Fan understood the mirror even better than its original spirit, Ling Sun Luyao, and could discern the changes occurring within it.

"This is the process of the Profound Yellow Heaven and Earth's digestion..."

Although the Immeasurable Mirror's physical form was gradually dissolving, the power of its deduction laws remained. Evidently, the energy level of the immortal artifact surpassed that of the current Profound Yellow Realm, which consequently lacked the ability to fully absorb and digest it.

Space-time continued to evolve at millions of times its normal speed. The ancient Immeasurable Mirror began to decay, its form eroded until only its reflective surface remained. Eventually, it dissolved completely, leaving only a faint silhouette quietly floating in the air.

As if sensing this detached power of immortal artifact laws, a mysterious change descended upon the Profound Yellow Realm. Although this change was almost imperceptible, Li Fan's current strength and understanding of the Profound Yellow Realm allowed him to clearly perceive everything unfolding before him.

A transparent human figure appeared beside the Immeasurable Mirror's silhouette. The passage of time and the power that transforms oceans into fields seemed to have no effect on it. The transparent figure floated closer and gradually merged with the silhouette, as if swallowing the Immeasurable Mirror. Then, like ripples on water, the human figure slowly blended into the Profound Yellow Heaven and Earth, disappearing from Li Fan's sight.

From beginning to end, this human figure did not spare Li Fan a glance. It was as if taking away the Immeasurable Mirror's law power was its sole concern.

"A Soul of Heaven and Earth, a type I've never encountered before."

"And unlike all other Souls of Heaven and Earth, cultivators who saw it felt no greedy urge to devour it..."

Li Fan retracted his World-Ending Transformation ability and gazed into the distance. He seemed to see that, at this very moment, in a certain corner of the Profound Yellow Realm, the transparent human figure had attached itself to a newborn infant. As the infant grew, a new Immeasurable Mirror would be born. However, it would no longer be an immortal artifact, but a unique wonder of the Profound Yellow Realm!

Under normal circumstances, the Profound Yellow Realm would require thousands or even tens of thousands of years to complete the entire digestion and transformation process. However, with the aid of Li Fan's World-Ending Transformation, this process was completed in less than half a day.

Logically, helping the Profound Yellow Realm absorb the immortal artifact should have yielded some increase in favorability. But Li Fan waited for a while and still detected no rise in the Profound Yellow Realm's goodwill. After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan realized the truth. The transformation of oceans into fields was, for the Profound Yellow Realm, a form of "lifespan" consumption. Thus, the merits and demerits balanced out.

Li Fan, in fact, did not mind this. The increase in the Profound Yellow Realm's strength was undeniable. Every increment in its power would be reflected in the future Profound Yellow Immortal Soul, and he would always be the ultimate beneficiary.

Retracting his gaze, Li Fan vaguely sensed that as the Immeasurable Mirror's law power integrated into the Profound Yellow Realm, a qualitative change, from nothingness to existence, was brewing.

"The path of deduction from the Immeasurable Mirror does not currently exist within the Profound Yellow Realm. Once the Profound Yellow Realm absorbs it and makes it its own..."

"A Heavenly Dao capable of foreseeing the future—how interesting."

The Heavenly Dao within the Profound Yellow Realm should have records of most past and present events. With ample information, the accuracy of its future deductions might even surpass that of the Immeasurable Mirror immortal artifact in its prime.

"This is the highest realm of deduction mentioned in the Nine Scrolls of Heavenly Derivation from the Taiyan Sect: using the calculations of Heaven to replace human calculations."

"For the Profound Yellow Realm, devouring immortal artifacts is not merely an increase in power; it is primarily a completion of laws. With each immortal artifact absorbed, it moves one step closer to becoming a true Immortal Realm." A sudden flood of insights welled up in Li Fan's mind.

Ten days later.

At the Grand Profound Discourse Platform.

Venerable Yin, Baihua, Qiaogong, and Xu Ke had already arrived, collectively awaiting Li Fan. Their determination to pursue the Dao ultimately triumphed over their fear of unknown risks.

"Last time, a round trip to the center of the Star Sea took us nearly a month and a half. I wonder how long it will take to reach the foot of the High Wall this time," Qiaogong remarked with a sigh.

"The Sage Master said the Star Sea's frontier is even more perilous. A round trip of several years might even be normal," Baihua said, frowning.

Venerable Yin chuckled, "Look on the bright side. What if we encounter some disaster along the way and can't return at all?"

Qiaogong and Baihua were both speechless.

As the group discussed, Li Fan's figure appeared on the discourse platform. Instead of immediately leading them away, he sat down solemnly and began to preach. This time, Li Fan imparted the "Way of the Sword."

"There are three types of swordsmen in the world."

"The lowest, who forge their will with hard iron and cultivate their body with sharp weapons. They temper their heart in the sword, uniting body and sword. They wield the sword to slay enemies, with body and sword in harmony."

"Above them, the sword in hand is the sword in mind; the sword in mind can transform into the sword in hand. Wherever thought reaches, all things in heaven and earth can become a sword."

"The highest is the realm of no sword, no self."

After summarizing the distinctions between the three, Li Fan proceeded to elaborate on each realm in detail. Below the discourse platform, everyone gradually became engrossed in his words. Even the four, including Qiaogong, were captivated by Li Fan's sermon, temporarily forgetting their mission to the Star Sea frontier.

As Li Fan's sermon deepened, numerous anomalies appeared in the sky. Not to mention the usual phenomena that occurred with every sermon. Most striking were the countless swords that flew in from all corners of Grand Profound. Though they were merely ordinary iron, they now flew through the air. Like subjects bowing before a king or sage master, they paused mid-air, their blades slightly bent, performing a subtle salute. More and more swords gathered, obscuring the sky and forming a forest of swords above the discourse platform. Thousands of swords stood silently, seemingly listening to Li Fan's teachings.

"No sword in hand, no heart in existence; though form does not manifest, intent endures..."

Seven days later, after Li Fan finished his last sentence, the thousands of flying swords resonated in unison, each bursting forth with dazzling light. When the sword light faded, the cultivators on the discourse platform were astonished to find that all the thousands of swords had vanished!

Most cultivators were perplexed, believing the countless flying swords had simply returned to their origins. Only a few exceptionally insightful cultivators stared blankly at the sky, as if on the verge of understanding something profound.

"No sword, no self; sword intent endures..." Xu Ke murmured to himself, then opened his palm, where a long sword's phantom visibly appeared. The other three saw this scene, and their eyes narrowed slightly.

Just as they were about to discuss, Li Fan's voice suddenly came: "Preparations are complete; it's time to depart."

"Know that this journey's outcome is unknown, and there can be no turning back midway," Li Fan confirmed to them one last time.

Everyone nodded, indicating their understanding.

"Sword..."

"Rise..."

A gentle breeze swept by, and the phantom of a wooden sword, resembling a gigantic flying boat, enveloped Venerable Yin and the others. Li Fan stood at the sword's tip, pointing forward in mid-air. The surrounding scenery abruptly transformed. Countless distorted lines stretched out, rushing backward. Then, the light merged, morphing into various twisted colors.

The wooden sword phantom isolated Venerable Yin and the others from the bizarre and fantastical scenery around them. Although they could feel the wooden sword carrying them rapidly into the depths of the Star Sea, those inside the phantom did not perceive any change in their own speed.

Outside the wooden sword phantom, the visible light and shadow suddenly darkened. Colors vanished, leaving only twisted shadows. Venerable Yin's expression shifted slightly: "Have we already left the Immortal Ruins' sphere of influence?"

His answer was the stunned expressions of the other three.

"Didn't they say the path ahead would be fraught with danger..." Qiaogong's tone was bewildered.

They vaguely perceived that the wooden sword phantom was recklessly charging through the Star Sea, forging ahead without pause. It ignored the hidden forces of disaster, accelerating continuously, dashing towards its destination.

"No sword, no self; no sword, no self..."

"The sword fundamentally does not exist in this world. Even the catastrophic power that destroys star seas would be helpless against something that doesn't exist, wouldn't it!" Xu Ke's eyes, fixed on the wooden sword phantom, grew brighter and brighter.

At this moment, Li Fan's voice sounded again: "Your choice to venture deep into the starry sky with me has already proven your courage and faith."

"You have all managed to survive until now... let's avoid unnecessary sacrifices whenever possible."

"Sage Master..." The four gazed at Li Fan's figure standing on the sword's tip, their expressions complex.

Li Fan paid no attention to what the four behind him were thinking. He was currently comprehending this sword-riding technique, which had reached its ultimate speed.

Ten days prior, after helping the Profound Yellow Realm fully digest the Immeasurable Mirror, Li Fan had visited the ruins of the Heavenly Sword Sect. In the center of the Sword Mound, the wooden sword seemed to have become unique due to the transformation of the current Profound Yellow Realm. Compared to thousands of years ago when Mr. Bai casually forged it, the wooden sword now, perhaps through the settling of time, had grown more profound.

"No one knows how many immortal artifacts the Profound Yellow Realm's Heavenly Dao has truly devoured."

"Perhaps some of those law powers have supplemented the Profound Yellow Sword Dao..."

Li Fan had previously sensed this wooden sword in the Fallen Immortal Realm and in reality. The insights he gained from it were always different. Especially now. After having close contact with immortal spiritual power and personally setting up the World-Ending Immortal Array, looking at the wooden sword again, new thoughts emerged in Li Fan's mind.

"The more one knows, the more one sees in it."

"Or perhaps, one could say that the projection of the Way of the Sword, descending from above onto the Profound Yellow Realm, has become more vivid."

Li Fan meditated in the Sword Mound for seven days, not taking away the black sword, allowing it to continue being influenced by the wooden sword. Upon his return, he imparted all his insights on the discourse platform. This ultimately transformed into a divine ability, carrying Venerable Yin and the others, rapidly flying towards the Star Sea frontier.

This phantom of 'no sword, no self' was not merely a simple way of the sword. Rather, it was Li Fan, based on his own experiences, who integrated the Transformation of Truth and Falsehood, the Heavenly Physician's teaching of the Hidden World Concealing Space Restriction, and the Floating Starry Sky Great Array's Golden Lock Across the Sky. Not only was its speed extreme, but it could also exist between reality and illusion, almost ignoring the residual power of True Immortal Seal Script along the path.

However, it had not yet truly reached the realm of transforming reality into illusion. The wooden sword phantom would certainly still be affected by some residual True Immortal power. It was just that the wooden sword phantom flew too fast, even exceeding the speed at which the residual True Immortal power could take effect, thus creating the illusion of unimpeded progress.

As the one wielding the sword, Li Fan could clearly sense that the energy required to maintain the wooden sword phantom was rapidly depleting. If not for his incredibly robust foundation, built upon the Great Cavern of Five Elements and the Profound Yellow World-Ending Transformation, almost comparable in scale to several cultivation realms combined in the past, he likely would not have been able to sustain it until now.

"Looking across the entire Profound Yellow Realm, besides the Heavenly Physician who imparts laws, even a few of the Longevity Elders from the Five Elder Council might not be able to unleash this sword," Li Fan thought, feeling a hint of satisfaction as he watched the rapidly changing starry space-time around him.

With the wooden sword phantom's augmentation, a journey that would originally take over half a year was now nearing its destination in just two or three days. Upon seeing a few familiar relics floating in the dead Star Sea, Li Fan controlled it to slow down.

"Is this the Sea of Relics the Sage Master spoke of?" Qiaogong squinted, looking ahead.

"It should be an accumulation of remnants from various realms after the destruction of the cultivation world in the past," Baihua explained, recognizing some decorative items among them.

Venerable Yin, however, had been silent ever since arriving. He occasionally pressed his temples, his expression grim and uncertain.

The wooden sword phantom slowly traversed the Sea of Relics. Before long, it had already left the area. Ahead of them, a much larger aggregation of ruins suddenly appeared in their field of vision. It almost completely filled their sight, even though it was merely ruins and debris. The accumulation of countless worlds' corpses still sent shivers down their spines.

A deathly silence fell within the wooden sword phantom. At this moment, the wooden sword phantom suddenly stopped.

"Hm?"

Everyone was startled awake. They saw Li Fan fly out of the phantom and begin setting up an array in a desolate area between the Sea of Relics and the Remnant Realm's Great Wall. Golden lines, as if alive, swiftly traced various patterns in the air. After glowing for only a moment, they concealed themselves in the darkness. Various items flew out from Li Fan's person, integrating with the grand array.

One glance at this grand array was enough to know it was extraordinary. Despite their close proximity, no one detected the slightest array fluctuation.

"Fellow Daoist Yin, what kind of array is this?" Qiaogong asked in a hushed tone, utterly astonished.

Venerable Yin shook his head, his gaze not fixed on where Li Fan was setting up the array. Instead, it occasionally drifted towards the distant Remnant Realm's Great Wall.

Li Fan had no reservations whatsoever; the array he set up openly before everyone was, naturally, the immortal array he had recently learned about from the primordial soul of Ji Yuzhen, the Dharma King of the Xuantian Sect.

Horizon Within Reach!

Ji Yuzhen herself was not proficient in array formations. She had only witnessed the Horizon Within Reach Array a few times under the guidance of the Xuantian King. But Li Fan, with the aid of the Disc of Final Dissolution, was able to largely reconstruct it.