Chapter 1317: 登临抚仙影

Around them was endless darkness, and in the distance lay dead, boundless fragments of a world.

The echoing stellar energy, like a tide, grew stronger, and Li Fan and his companions' progress slowed considerably.

"The residual True Immortal power gathering beneath the Great Wall is stronger than it was back then," Zhong Daogong said, gazing ahead with a heavy voice.

Affected by the omnipresent echoing stellar energy, not only their bodies exposed in the void, but even their divine senses began to scatter like duckweed in the wind, dissipating shortly after leaving their bodies.

Communication among them still relied on the Immortal Ark's special Boundless Communication method.

"Although the Great Wall is mighty, at this rate, it will probably collapse sooner or later."

"The residual power is increasing faster than we anticipated. It seems even without that kid, we would still have to proceed with the Wall-Leaping Plan. Otherwise, if the Great Wall collapses, we would have no chance of survival."

"Even so, being forced like this is truly frustrating."

"Heh heh, let's just go with the flow and have him test it out himself."

The Immortal Ark members were in a heated discussion.

Boundless Communication was a method exclusive to the Immortal Ark's core members, so they were somewhat unrestrained even in front of Li Fan.

What they couldn't have imagined was that Li Fan also mastered this Boundless Communication technique, so he heard every word spoken by the Immortal Ark elders.

He mused inwardly, while outwardly pretending to be completely unaware of anything.

"How... much... longer?"

He would just occasionally turn back, urging them with his blurred divine sense.

Zhong Daogong's answer remained unchanged: "Soon, it's just ahead."

It wasn't just an excuse from Zhong Daogong.

It was a case of "what looks close is often far." The vastness of the Star Sea was fully evident in this frontier region, at the foot of the Great Wall. Although the Remnant World Great Wall seemed not far, after flying for a long time, the path ahead showed no reduction, appearing endless.

Only the slightly changing view of the Remnant World Great Wall indicated that they weren't standing still.

The increasingly strong echoing stellar energy also became an obstacle to their progress, like walking through an endless muddy swamp with towering mountains in the distance as their goal.

"Too slow," Li Fan said, seemingly impatient. "At this rate, I might reach the end of my lifespan before we even get there."

Zhong Daogong was about to explain, "It's not that we..."

But he suddenly heard Li Fan say coldly, "Watch out!"

A golden, radiant longsword phantom descended upon them with Li Fan's words.

The sword bore images of mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and stars, exuding an aura of majesty and sanctity.

"In which direction?" Li Fan asked in a deep voice.

The Immortal Ark members were still immersed in the extraordinary golden sword phantom. It wasn't just because of the supreme sword dao it represented; they were also horrified to discover that, enveloped by the phantom, the echoing stellar energy they were experiencing was instantly reduced by more than half!

It was as if they stood on a suddenly rising high ground, in another world, no longer battered by surging waves.

"How is this possible?!" the Immortal Ark members all exclaimed in shock.

The echoing stellar energy, in its essence, was residual True Immortal power. Even with the word "residual" attached, it was still True Immortal level power. That this golden sword phantom could reduce its effects surely meant it was on par with an Immortal?

Of course, the Immortal Ark members didn't dare to think higher. Even so, Li Fan, who could wield a divine ability capable of contending with True Immortal power, couldn't help but make the Immortal Ark elders look at him with new eyes.

"This kid is truly like a treasure, full of endless surprises."

"If we could comprehend this divine ability, perhaps it could open a second path for our Immortal Ark, besides the True Immortal Inscriptions!"

"No, rather than him personally, it's that Daqi Civilization that is unfathomable."

The appearance of the golden sword phantom stirred up a thousand waves. The Immortal Ark elders' expressions varied, but Li Fan seemed not to care at all, staring at Zhong Daogong.

"Quickly, point the way. Unleashing this Immortal Slaying Sword consumes a huge amount of energy; I can't hold it for long."

Within the golden sword phantom's domain, even divine sense transmissions became much clearer.

Upon hearing the words "Immortal Slaying Sword," Zhong Daogong's eyes flickered. But in the end, he gave Li Fan directions.

The golden sword shone, traversing the Star Sea at a speed many times faster than their flight. The desolate world within the Remnant World Great Wall grew visibly larger in their sight. They were getting closer and closer to the foot of the Great Wall.

Following Zhong Daogong's guidance, Li Fan controlled the sword phantom and arrived at an unusually "protruding" section of the Remnant World Great Wall.

It was like a tall beacon tower on a continuous Great Wall, where the accumulated fragments of the world were significantly more numerous than elsewhere.

"Is this the weak point of the Great Wall?" Li Fan asked, narrowing his eyes.

Zhong Daogong shook his head: "No. There are actually many such structures within the Remnant World Great Wall. They are likely crucial nodes that maintain its structural stability. To reach our destination, we need to leverage the potential of this place."

The golden sword phantom stopped, and Zhong Daogong and the Immortal Ark elders all grew solemn.

"Please ascend, fellow Daoist."

The Immortal Ark elders cast a joint spell, and a blurry image appeared before Li Fan.

The flat, slightly curved space exhibited extreme distortion due to the protrusion of the Remnant World Great Wall. It was like a towering structure pushed upwards, its potential and energy significantly higher than other areas.

"Ascend, following the momentum of the Remnant World Great Wall."

Zhong Daogong pointed gently, and the image of the spatial protrusion magnified infinitely, enveloping everyone in an instant.

They were already within the marked spatiotemporal protrusion in the image, yet perceived nothing.

Li Fan stood still, meticulously sensing the subtle differences in the surrounding space-time.

"Back then, it took our Immortal Ark several centuries to figure out this method of ascension. It's completely normal for you not to grasp it immediately, fellow Daoist."

"If it's truly impossible, then release this golden sword phantom, and we'll travel by physical flight."

The Immortal Ark elders offered their "kind" suggestions.

Li Fan ignored them, closed his eyes, and a scene flashed through his mind.

In fact, Li Fan had personally experienced this so-called sense of spatiotemporal elevation and depression.

It was during the collapse of the Great Wall in his previous life, when an unknown entity descended, causing tumultuous waves within the Star Sea.

However, at that time, shaken by the world-shaking scene, Li Fan was misled by superficial phenomena.

He hadn't paid attention to the accompanying sensation of spatiotemporal turbulence, like a great upheaval in the Star Sea.

"The distinction between high and low."

The scene he recalled in his mind slowly shifted from illusory to real. It was as if he was back at the end of his previous life, watching the magnificent, surging spectacle amidst the turbulent Star Sea.

A realization slowly dawned on him.

The illusion faded, and he looked back at reality.

At the towering part of the Remnant World Great Wall, this protrusion was exceptionally conspicuous.

"Everyone, brace yourselves!"

Li Fan said in a deep voice.

The sword phantom once again emitted a dazzling golden light. Although it was like the great sun in the sky, for some reason, the golden light shone only in this specific area and did not illuminate a large range.

Although there was no actual movement, the golden sword phantom seemed to have instantly traversed hundreds of millions of miles of space-time, becoming decayed and flickering erratically.

Cold sweat began to bead on Li Fan's forehead, and his body began to tremble slightly uncontrollably.

The Immortal Ark members, meanwhile, watched the Remnant World Great Wall region, which appeared a size smaller in their vision due to distortion and deformation. Their eyes showed astonishment.

"He actually completed the ascent on the first try?"

"This child's talent and comprehension are truly rare in the world. He must be a peerless genius in the Daqi Civilization."

"To achieve such feats at such a young age... give him a few more centuries, and he might genuinely be able to cross the Great Wall! No wonder he became somewhat deranged when his lifespan suddenly approached its end. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to accept it either!"

The Immortal Ark elders looked at Li Fan, and many of them felt a flicker of pity.

The ascent and changes continued.

The area covered by the golden sword phantom rapidly shrank, barely enveloping the Immortal Ark members and Li Fan.

The originally brilliant golden light slowly grew dim. Evidently, the consumption was intensifying, as if it could extinguish completely at any moment.

But the changes it brought were also evident.

The surrounding view of the Remnant World Great Wall, which had originally stretched endlessly towards the horizon, slowly curled up and contracted into a ring.

As their perspective continuously rose, the ring grew smaller and smaller, until it ultimately converged into a single point.

Boom! Boom! It was as if they had reached the end of a road, or had crashed into a wall.

The last remnant of the golden sword phantom shattered instantly.

Li Fan suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his face deathly pale.

But he merely wiped it away, a look of surprise and madness flashing in his eyes.

"Is this the Great Wall?" Li Fan asked, coughing lightly and spitting out another large mouthful of blood, though he paid it no mind.

"No," Zhong Daogong said, carefully scrutinizing Li Fan, first shaking his head in denial, then sighing with emotion, "This is, in a true sense, the very foot of the Great Wall."

He also surveyed their surroundings.

"Do we have to ascend again?" Hearing this, Li Fan couldn't help but look upwards.

"The Great Wall is hard to cross, or perhaps fundamentally impossible to cross. One can only ram into it with one's own body," Jian Daosheng said in a deep voice.

"Fewer people came this time, so with our combined strength, we likely can't reach the original impact point. However, the distance should be enough to observe the traces."

After speaking, the Immortal Ark elders formed a circle.

Immediately, a strange aura emanated from them.

It didn't surge steadily, but rather continuously surged like giant waves at the seaside, each higher than the last.

Carried by this surging power, the scene, which had shrunk to a small dot, transformed once more.

The small dot extended downwards, forming defined lines.

The aura from the Immortal Ark elders grew more vigorous, and the lines continuously thickened.

Like a celestial pillar-mountain, it gradually stretched beyond sight, yet firmly supported those above.

Due to the continuous ascent, their view also became higher and more expansive.

Li Fan gazed into the distance. In the darkness, he seemed to sense a few peaks similar to their own.

And in the invisible, extreme distance, a majestic mountain stood. Its peak was unseeable. It was only slightly shorter than the endless Great Wall.

"That's..."

"The True Immortal of the Immortal Ruins?"

Gazing into the distance again, a realization surged into Li Fan's mind.

Li Fan had learned from the memories of the Xuan Heavenly Sect's Dharma King that back then, King Xuantian had told his Xuan Heavenly Sect followers he had found a way to lead everyone, even the entire Xuanhuang Realm, to escape the darkest Star Sea.

However, only a True Immortal could accomplish this.

"This is the gap between Immortals and mortals."

"Mortals are always below. Only by ascending to Immortality can one stand upon the peaks."

"The process of cultivation is precisely a step-by-step climb. But with the advent of the Great Tribulation, the peaks that once could accommodate inhabitants collapsed."

"If the mountains are gone, the path is unclear. Even if one can temporarily fly through the air, one cannot ultimately remain in that realm for long."

Leveraging the momentum of the Remnant World Great Wall, they reached a height ordinarily impossible to achieve. It was like prematurely ascending a realm-mountain that no longer existed, and various insights not belonging to this era surged into Li Fan's mind.

"The distinction between Immortals and mortals is already thus."

"And the Great Wall..."

Li Fan turned his gaze, looking further into the distance.

It was majestically continuous, pressing down like a celestial curtain. Its beginning and end were unseen, its peaks and valleys unperceivable. It simply stood, blocking their view, and evoked despair.

If he hadn't personally witnessed the collapse of the Great Wall before, Li Fan, having seen this magnificent scene, would have inevitably developed inner demons and an unavoidable fear whenever he thought of the Great Wall's existence.

And judging by the expressions of the Immortal Ark elders beside him, that was indeed the case.

The grand ambitions they had when they arrived had vanished. Their faces showed only endless dread and reverence.

However, there seemed to be some secret technique among them. While forming a circle, their wills also united. Before long, they all awoke from their shock.

Li Fan also feigned waking up just then.

"We can't go up another inch."

Zhong Daogong sighed, then looked into the distance, seemingly searching for traces left by the Merchant Immortal Ark from back then.

Li Fan waited patiently.

After nearly half a day, Zhong Daogong pointed in one direction and said with a solemn expression, "Fellow Daoist, can you sense anything unusual there?"

Li Fan looked in the direction Zhong Daogong pointed.

At first glance, it seemed no different from the surrounding scenery. But after careful observation, Li Fan indeed found some clues.

Li Fan stretched out his hand, as if wanting to touch the far distance.

"This place... is distorted."

"Is it the trace left by the Merchant Immortal Ark when it crashed back then?"

Li Fan's tone was unreadable.

He caressed the engravings in space mid-air.

Before his eyes, half of a magnificent Immortal Ark seemed to appear, resolutely crashing forward. Then, an earth-shattering light erupted.

A flicker of emotion crossed Zhong Daogong's eyes as he nodded and said, "The energy unleashed from crossing the Great Wall was something even the Great Wall itself couldn't withstand. Therefore, the traces left here persist for ten thousand years."

"The mark is still there," Zhong Daogong said slowly. "This shows that after all these years, there are no signs of it being repaired. So, theoretically speaking, we have a very high chance of recreating the feat of crossing the Great Wall, following the traces left by the Merchant Immortal Ark back then."

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

Soon after, he shook his head slightly: "No. We've already expended all our strength to reach this height. And that place..."

Li Fan pointed to the location of the mark left by the Merchant Immortal Ark and asked, "I'm afraid even with ten times the effort, we wouldn't be able to reach it. Let alone cross the Great Wall!"