Chapter 1324: True Immortal You Awakens

Chapter 1325: Immortal Realm Dao Obscuration Calamity

Angry Squid:

“Regarding this matter, it’s not just you and me. Even among all those in the Ancient Xuanhuang Realm who know that Brother Xuanyuan ascended and then returned from the Immortal Realm, every single one is immensely curious,” Mo Rubing said with great emotion.

“However, no matter what methods they used to inquire, Brother Xuanyuan did not reveal the details to them. He only vaguely mentioned it as a terrifying catastrophe in the Immortal Realm.”

“Even our fellow Dharma Kings, and Ji Yuzhen, whom Brother Xuanyuan trusted most, were not told.”

“It wasn’t until Brother Xuanyuan successfully broke through and decided to implement the 'lure the snake out of its hole' plan that he occasionally spoke a few words about the Immortal Realm’s great catastrophe.”

“He referred to it as ‘Dao Yan.’ Although he didn’t describe the specific scenes of the Dao Yan catastrophe to us, those two words alone sent shivers down one’s spine. All of us Dharma King brothers saw a fleeting look of fear in Brother Xuanyuan’s eyes…”

“Dao Yan.” Li Fan carefully savored these two words. Gradually, an uncontrollable chill spread through his heart.

He recalled the memories he had glimpsed earlier within the True Immortal’s flesh and blood.

Disjointed voices came from the tall figure above the True Immortal.

“Qionglang Star Domain… Yan… guarding.”

Li Fan pondered, “This character ‘Yan’ must refer to the Dao Yan catastrophe. Did the Qionglang Star Domain suffer a calamity, requiring True Immortals to go and guard it, or to guard other star domains as a precaution?”

Li Fan secretly speculated, “As expected, the calamity that led to the destruction of the Immortal Realm had early signs. The Immortal Realm must have tried many self-preservation methods, but ultimately, it could not stop the spread of the Dao Yan catastrophe.”

New questions couldn’t help but surface in Li Fan’s mind.

Did this Dao Yan catastrophe only target and appear in the Immortal Realm? After the Immortal Realm was destroyed, did the Dao Yan catastrophe vanish without a trace? Or, might it reappear one day in the Lower Realm Star Sea? What is the connection between the Dao Yan catastrophe and the obliterating wind disaster Li Fan witnessed in the Boundless Mirror and the ruins of the One Beginning Sect?

The power of True Immortal Seal Characters ran rampant, sweeping across the Star Sea and bringing devastation to a large area. Starlight dimmed, transforming into the Uttermost Dark Star Sea.

But…

After all, life was not completely extinguished. Not to mention the still vibrant Xuanhuang Realm, even the seemingly desolate Star Sea retained its Star Sea consciousness. With the passage of time, its recovery one day was almost a certainty.

“The destructive calamity encountered by the Uttermost Dark Star Sea is likely not on the same level as the Dao Yan catastrophe.”

The single character ‘Yan’ made Li Fan feel as if he was witnessing a scene where everything was utterly annihilated by the calamity.

“Even fragments of worlds might not be left behind, I fear.” A sudden dread filled Li Fan’s heart.

As Li Fan was lost in thought, he heard Mo Rubing say, “Brother Xuanyuan once instructed that the more we know about the details of this Immortal Realm catastrophe, the more harmful it is and the less beneficial.”

“He even told us not to recall its name if possible, because it might seize the opportunity to transform into a nightmare demon. Even if we haven’t seen its true form, it can still exploit our vulnerabilities.”

“He only told us the name ‘Dao Yan’ to give us a basic sense of precaution against it.”

Mo Rubing’s expression was solemn: “If one doesn’t know its name, even if they encounter it directly, they won’t understand the calamity’s true nature. But if one knows its name, even seeing its first signs will instinctively trigger a feeling.”

“In fact, Brother Xuanyuan encountered this world-ending catastrophe as soon as he arrived in the Immortal Realm. All matters concerning the Dao Yan catastrophe were learned later through communication with the Faceless Immortal.”

“Enough. Let’s not speak more of this.” Mo Rubing suddenly stopped speaking.

As they spoke, the White Jade Flagpole formation was already prepared.

Mo Rubing’s expression was solemn as he made hand seals. The White Jade Flagpole ascended, emitting a halo of light that enveloped both of them.

“Let’s go!”

It was somewhat similar to Li Fan’s wooden sword phantom.

The White Jade Flagpole aimed towards the sky, continuously adjusting its direction. Then, the flagpole itself emitted scattered white light. After accumulating power for a few breaths, it shot towards the sky, carrying Li Fan and Mo Rubing.

Although its speed was somewhat slower than Li Fan’s sword-shadow divine ability, it possessed an intelligent and assertive intent to break through everything, something Li Fan’s divine ability lacked.

The light beam formed by the flagpole during its ascent was extremely thin. Furthermore, there was no energy leakage, so it did not attract the attention of the Xuanhuang Realm cultivators.

Inside the flagpole, Li Fan watched the scenery of the Xuanhuang Realm rapidly recede. Even the gravitational pull of the Immortal Ruins only slightly slowed their speed.

Mo Rubing, meanwhile, was focused intently on controlling the flagpole, occasionally avoiding areas where residual True Immortal power converged along the way.

Having calculated that the White Jade Flagpole would not hit the basin filled with residual True Immortal power, Li Fan patiently waited for their arrival.

After flying through the starry sky for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the White Jade Flagpole suddenly stopped.

Light dispersed, forming a bubble-like shape that enveloped both of them.

It then violently collided with an invisible barrier in the void.

The white light bubble perfectly served as a buffer, dissipating the impact force.

Li Fan and Mo Rubing arrived inside the Eye of the Heavenly Beast.

“Ah!”

A shriek immediately echoed within this not-so-large area.

It wasn’t from Li Fan or Mo Rubing, but from Han Zhong, a cultivator Li Fan had previously seen, who had accidentally stumbled into the Eye of the Heavenly Beast while using a teleportation array in Jiushan Province!

Having been trapped for a long time, Han Zhong had originally lost hope of escape. Only the instinct to survive sustained his continued existence. Now, seeing other living people, he first let out an excited roar.

Just as he was about to say more…

Mo Rubing’s expression subtly changed. He directly sent out a black light that struck Han Zhong’s body!

Poor Han Zhong’s eyes were filled with disbelief as he was inexplicably reduced to ashes!

“Dao Brother, you…” Li Fan feigned astonishment.

Mo Rubing, however, first thoroughly checked to ensure no fragments of Han Zhong remained, then explained, “Although I don’t know why this cultivator appeared here, he was already corrupted.”

“Rash contact with him could lead to infection. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Li Fan’s expression softened slightly, but he still seemed puzzled: “Corrupted?”

Mo Rubing looked around as he spoke, “It’s a very troublesome affliction. Even for Brother Xuanyuan, solving it is quite difficult.”

“It should be related to the Immortal Realm’s catastrophe back then…”

“However, it’s generally very rare to encounter it in the starry sky. Since this is the Eye of the Heavenly Beast, the likelihood of corruption is higher here.”

“The concentration of this affliction in the Lower Realm Star Sea is extremely low. It was like this ten thousand years ago, and after ten thousand years, while I was just traveling through the Star Sea, I checked again. It seems there hasn’t been much change. But the Eye of the Heavenly Beast gazes upon vast star domains. When the scale is raised to a certain limit, even if the concentration is extremely low, it will truly become apparent.” Mo Rubing said, placing several restrictions around them. They seemed specifically designed against this void affliction.

Li Fan pondered the meaning of Mo Rubing’s words.

“This affliction, with the expansion of the observed area, increases the probability of infection… Does that mean it can spread just by being observed?” Li Fan’s heart tightened.

Mo Rubing nodded, “Exactly. That’s why I didn’t hesitate to eliminate him directly. Fortunately, the probability of this affliction spreading through ordinary means is also low. I just checked, and it hasn’t spread. There’s no immediate danger here.”

“Such a bizarre method of transmission, and it’s related to the Upper Realm Immortal Calamity…” Li Fan looked somewhat concerned.

“What happens after one is infected with this affliction? The trapped cultivator earlier didn’t seem to have any abnormalities?”

Mo Rubing cast several more restrictions.

The “transparent bubble,” which had tightly enveloped them and could barely fit two or three people, slowly expanded as if being inflated.

“The reason there were no abnormalities was that the affliction was still dormant within him and hadn’t erupted. If one were to make contact, they would realize its terrifying nature. Both the capacity of one’s soul and their life essence would be diminished. The degree of diminution would deepen with the severity of the infection. Eventually, even if one didn’t die, they would become as fragile as a paper doll.”

“Even a gentle breeze could scatter their soul. Of course, before that, they would face various sufferings brought about by the diminution of their life essence capacity.”

Mo Rubing sighed somewhat ruefully: “Imagine, someone’s soft whisper would be like a thunderclap in your ears, even shaking and tearing your soul with pain. An accidental touch from someone else would feel like a violent impact, leaving you battered and bloody…”

“A normal world, in your eyes, would become an apocalypse where terrifying calamities constantly unfold. At that point, death might be a release.”

“However, because of this affliction, before it diminishes one to the absolute limit, it will actually sustain the host’s life to ensure its own spread. Unable to live, yet unable to die…” Mo Rubing shook his head slightly.

“In that case, this affliction is truly troublesome,” Li Fan said, though in his mind, he recalled the scene of Celestial Physician using a jade bottle to collect the black mist emanating from the deceased Han Zhong.

“If it were to spread throughout the Xuanhuang Realm, it would be a problem,” Li Fan said with an unreadable tone.

“Ten thousand years have passed, and this affliction has barely spread. Even if it has a tendency to spread in the Lower Realm, the time required would undoubtedly be extremely long,” Mo Rubing casually reassured him.

His attention was focused on the Eye of the Heavenly Beast before them.

“This transparent space is the Eye of the Heavenly Beast? It seems Xuanti does not reside here either,” Li Fan said with some regret.

Mo Rubing shook his head, “This is merely an observation point of the Eye of the Heavenly Beast. Do you know that the true eyes of certain small insects are composed of thousands of tiny eyes? It is the same for the Heavenly Beast.”

Li Fan realized it upon hearing this.

As Mo Rubing continued to cast spells, the transparent bubble intensely shook and contracted.

It seemed as if it wanted to expel them.

The bubble burst, and Li Fan felt a momentary disorientation. The next moment, they were in a peculiar space.

It was like one of countless bubbles floating on a vast ocean.

Along the curved boundary, countless identical images of other bubbles flashed by.

Li Fan even vaguely saw himself and Mo Rubing within those outer bubbles.

However, the appearance, clothing, expressions, and movements of those other “selves” were not the same as his true self.

Yet, there was indeed an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Countless “selves” exchanged gazes, giving Li Fan a profoundly peculiar feeling.

“It’s merely a distortion caused by the collective observation of countless Heavenly Beast Eyes.”

“One only needs to adhere to their true heart to avoid being misled.”

Mo Rubing seemed accustomed to this peculiar sight. He looked around, as if searching for something among the myriad bubbles.

“Brother Xuanyuan did not give me the method for controlling the Heavenly Beast Eye formation. Fortunately, I’ve been here a few times before. I can only rely on this ‘dead method’ to slowly search.” Mo Rubing said with some helplessness.

In this space, the number of Heavenly Beast Eyes seemed endless.

They seemed extremely close to each other, yet also very far apart. Divine sense couldn’t pinpoint them; one could only rely on visual observation.

And the countless bubbles were not stationary.

From time to time, as if struck by water currents, countless bubbles simultaneously underwent irregular spreading movements, changing their positions.

This meant that most of the previous observations became invalid.

Despite such difficulty, Mo Rubing showed no signs of discouragement, focusing intently on his observation.

At the same time, he did not forget to remind Li Fan, “Inside the Eye of the Heavenly Beast, laws are almost self-contained. You don’t need to worry about your lifespan ending. Even if you stay here for ten thousand years, you won’t die of old age.”

“If the day your lifespan limit arrives and you truly don’t wish to die, you can hide in here. While it can’t guarantee eternal immortality, it should be no problem to live for a few more millennia.”

Li Fan nodded.

“This Heavenly Beast is truly unique.”

“It’s said its body is comparable in size to a province in Xuanhuang. Could it be that King Xuanti brought it back from the Immortal Realm?” Li Fan asked.

Mo Rubing nodded as expected.

“Yes, and no. Back then, Brother Xuanyuan thought it was just an inanimate object, an ordinary jade pendant. Unexpectedly, after encountering water, it began to emit the aura of a living creature.”

“Afterwards, with careful nurturing, it grew larger and larger. Its combat power even increased day by day.”

“It’s somewhat shameful to admit, but if it came to a true fight to the death, I might not even be a match for this Heavenly Beast.”

A trace of nostalgia flashed in Mo Rubing’s eyes.

Then, perhaps remembering that the Heavenly Beast of yesteryear had long since died, its bones transforming into mountains, a heavy killing intent flashed in Mo Rubing’s eyes.

Li Fan did not respond.

Silence descended once more.

Li Fan also emulated Mo Rubing, searching for possible clues among the countless bubbles.

Although the number of bubbles here was countless, like stars in the sky, and they constantly changed.

But Li Fan had the blessing of the Dao Transformation Stone.

After all, each bubble was distinct from the others.

Each time he observed a bubble, imprinting it deeply in his mind, Li Fan essentially made a unique mark on it.

No matter how the bubbles moved, he could clearly distinguish them.

Time slowly passed, and the number of bubbles Li Fan had marked increased.

One by one, options were eliminated, and Li Fan’s gaze sharpened.

Because he discovered something quite strange.

Compared to his original body, in the distorted scenes on those peculiar bubbles, his own body seemed to be missing a small piece.