Chapter 1326: Ancient Ming Dao's Predecessor

The missing parts were all minuscule. If it weren't for the Dao Transformation Stone meticulously recording and comparing each location, Li Fan wouldn't have so easily discovered this anomaly hidden within the myriad Eyes of Heavenly Beasts.

"Mo Rujun mentioned before that the varying images are distortions caused by observations from different Heavenly Beast Eyes..." Li Fan's gaze seemed to pierce through the countless bubbles, reaching directly to what lay behind.

"These missing parts can actually be regarded as blind spots of the Heavenly Beast Eyes. Alternatively, an invisible entity occupies a fixed position within the Heavenly Beasts' field of vision. Hundreds or thousands of observations from different viewpoints fail to reveal its complete form. Only by piecing together the blind spots from all the Heavenly Beast Eyes..."

Li Fan's thoughts churned, and one by one, the tiny fragments in his mind slowly pieced themselves together. They eventually formed an intricate, enigmatic, and extremely complex character!

Though called a character, to Li Fan, it even resembled a distorted human figure!

This character, resembling a human figure, was formless and invisible, yet it fell within the observation range of the Heavenly Beast Eyes. Any single Heavenly Beast Eye, let alone perceiving its full form, couldn't even detect the character's presence. However, it did occupy a portion of the field of vision.

It was like a shadow cast from different angles.

Even if one couldn't perceive the object's original form by "seeing" it, by combining all the shadow patterns and reverse-calculating, one could reconstruct this formless and invisible entity!

"This character..."

Li Fan suppressed the tremor in his heart, not revealing any abnormality in front of Mo Rujun.

This character, resembling a human figure, was not a True Immortal Seal Script.

However, its essence might be no different from a True Immortal Seal Script.

True Immortal Seal Scripts like "Chaos," "Hunger," and "Creation" were projections of the Dao and concrete manifestations of power.

The character resembling a human figure before him was also a projection of a certain Dao.

"The moment cultivators observe a True Immortal Seal Script, the specific power it represents naturally emerges in their minds. Be it 'Hunger,' 'Chaos,' 'Creation,' or even the mysterious character representing the distinction between immortals and mortals, all are like this. The reason for this is that all True Immortal Seal Scripts are engravings and annotations of the Dao by the Dao-Engraving Immortal."

"The Grand Dao is originally formless, yet the Dao-Engraving Immortal can concretize its essence into individual characters, making it millions of times easier for people to perceive and comprehend."

"But this character, resembling a human figure, lacks that..."

Li Fan slowly pondered the immense power contained within this character.

"Perhaps it's a naturally formed projection of a certain Dao's power manifesting. Or it could be another True Immortal's attempt at engraving the Dao."

"But this one is clearly far inferior to the later Dao-Engraving Immortal!"

The reason for concluding that this character appeared before the Dao-Engraving Immortal is that the Dao of a True Immortal tolerates no rivals. If the Dao-Engraving Immortal already existed, no other attempt at engraving the Dao would have appeared in the world.

"The moment such an act occurred, it would undoubtedly be mercilessly crushed by the terrifying power of an unnamed True Immortal."

The gap between this unknown aspiring immortal and the true Dao-Engraving Immortal was like that between two painters both attempting to use brushes to record the landscapes of mountains and rivers.

The Dao-Engraving Immortal's paintings were lifelike, making viewers feel almost immersed.

But the aspiring immortal's work was like a child's playful scribbles, a combination of abstract lines. Forget about its similarity to reality; even trying to understand what the painting depicted was incredibly difficult.

Li Fan gazed at the distorted human-figure character for a long time, remaining silent.

Yet, he felt no contempt for this seemingly crude method of Dao engraving.

Simply because the subject this human-figure character attempted to engrave...

Having witnessed "Creation," "Mortal-Immortal Transformation," and even "True-False Transformation," Li Fan's ability to identify and discern the hierarchy of True Immortal Seal Scripts was probably unrivaled, even by True Immortals.

Li Fan vaguely sensed that even the crudeness of this attempt at Dao engraving did not diminish the fundamental Dao's grade that this distorted human-figure character attempted to engrave.

"It's above 'Creation,' perhaps on par with 'Mortal-Immortal Transformation.'"

A subtle glint, imperceptible to others, flashed in Li Fan's eyes.

"The Heavenly Beasts were formed from a jade pendant that Heavenly King Xuantian brought back from the Immortal Realm. After touching water, it surprisingly transformed into living creatures."

"Could it be that this was caused by the hidden character within the jade pendant?"

The method for discovering this hidden human-figure character was both difficult and simple.

Even if Heavenly King Xuantian didn't have the Dao Transformation Stone, Li Fan didn't believe that someone of his demi-immortal strength couldn't uncover this hidden secret.

Similarly, the Dark Sea and the Nether race were all Heavenly King Xuantian's creations.

There was no reason he wouldn't have noticed the character representing the distinction between immortals and mortals.

"Perhaps Heavenly King Xuantian's breakthrough back then utilized the power of these two characters." Li Fan couldn't help but ponder this.

Because the method used to engrave the Dao for this human-figure character was too crude, Li Fan couldn't comprehend anything from it immediately. He could only engrave it deeply into his mind for now.

As for Heavenly King Xuantian's whereabouts...

Li Fan had observed all the Heavenly Beast Eyes. As expected, he found no traces of Heavenly King Xuantian having been there.

But Li Fan made no announcement. He remained quietly standing, beginning to ponder how to break this formation.

The Floating Star Array was based on ancient immortal formations, improved by Heavenly King Xuantian.

Given that he already knew about the Spirit Gathering Ascension Array, it was not impossible to break the Heavenly Beast Eye Array here with the aid of the Ultimate Disintegration Disc.

Especially since Mo Rujun had brought Li Fan directly inside the formation, all the operational details of the array were laid bare.

In the silence, Li Fan's progress in breaking the array soared.

Mo Rujun completed the observation of all Heavenly Beast Eyes, taking only twice as long as Li Fan.

A hint of disappointment, unconcealed, flashed across his face.

"Not here either?" Li Fan spoke at the opportune moment.

Mo Rujun shook his head and sighed softly, "He didn't even come here for refuge."

"According to my deductions, the two most likely places for Brother Xuanyuan to hide were both empty." Mo Rujun's expression was not good.

"Then shall we depart for the next location?"

Mo Rujun, however, rejected Li Fan's suggestion.

"The Eyes of Heavenly Beasts observe the star sea externally and peer into the Profound Yellow internally."

"Since we're already here, how can we not make use of them?" Mo Rujun gazed at the myriad floating Heavenly Beast Eyes before them and spoke softly.

"Didn't you say Heavenly King Xuantian didn't pass down the method to control them? You can still mobilize the power of the Heavenly Beast Eyes?" Li Fan asked in surprise.

Mo Rujun's tone was proud: "After all, they are part of the Floating Star Array. As the saying goes, all changes do not depart from their origin. As long as I'm given some time, it won't be difficult to call upon some of their power."

Li Fan couldn't help but praise: "Brother Dao is indeed highly talented. How long exactly will it take?"

"It will certainly be done within three to five months," Mo Rujun said gravely.

Hearing this, Li Fan nodded slightly. After seemingly pondering for a moment, he suggested: "My remaining here would be a futile wait. Why don't I return to the Profound Yellow Realm first to conduct a thorough search and fill in any gaps? Perhaps I can find some other clues."

Mo Rujun looked at Li Fan and finally agreed: "Very well."

Throwing out a jade talisman, Mo Rujun said: "Take this item. I will notify you immediately if there are any results."

Li Fan put away the jade talisman and cupped his hands, saying: "Then, Brother Dao, please send me out of this Heavenly Beast Eye formation first."

Mo Rujun nodded, formed a hand seal, and pointed. Then Li Fan's vision blurred, and he suddenly seemed to appear within another miniature bubble.

The bubble continuously shrunk, gradually transforming into a thin film that enveloped Li Fan's body.

Finally, the film completely tore apart. Moments later, Li Fan returned directly to the Profound Yellow Realm, specifically to Jiushan Province.

"From now on, coming here won't be as troublesome as before. You can transfer directly via the Heavenly Beast's body."

"Though the Heavenly Beast is dead, its bone meridians remain."

Mo Rujun's voice echoed in Li Fan's ears, then slowly faded away.

Li Fan looked up, his gaze seeming to pierce through space and time, reaching directly to the Heavenly Beast Eyes beyond the void.

After checking carefully and confirming that Mo Rujun had not left any marks or hidden tricks on him, Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he scoffed inwardly: "He agreed quite readily."

"Perhaps he couldn't wait to get rid of me."

Li Fan vaguely felt that within the Heavenly Beast Eye formation, Mo Rujun hadn't used his full strength, seemingly holding back some abilities. Therefore, he went with the flow and proactively suggested leaving for now.

Anyway, with the aid of the Ultimate Disintegration Disc, he should be able to break the Heavenly Beast Array even before Mo Rujun.

"If he can find Heavenly King Xuantian's whereabouts, all the better."

"If not, he will still contribute to the sublimation of Profound Yellow."

The Heavenly King of the Xuantian Sect was more useful than Venerable Yin, Xu Ke, and others. Naturally, he couldn't be wasted.

As Li Fan thought this, the phantom of his wooden sword activated. The next moment, he was back in the Grand Profound Minor World.

The moment he returned to the Profound Yellow Realm, he sensed that Venerable Yin, who had previously disappeared in the echoing stellar energy storm, had safely returned.

However, as the culprit who caused the upheaval, Bai Hua's perception of him had already turned from friendly to hostile.

The two were currently confronting each other above the Preaching Platform.

Bai Hua's expression was solemn, as if demanding an explanation from Venerable Yin.

Venerable Yin, meanwhile, kept his eyes closed, offering no explanation but also emitting no hostility.

Li Fan looked at Venerable Yin, and a strange feeling arose in his heart.

Having interacted with Venerable Yin through many lifetimes, for a combined period of over a century, Li Fan understood him better than anyone else in the world.

Li Fan easily detected the profound changes that had occurred in Venerable Yin.

Venerable Yin was a World Phantom, the residue that the Profound Yellow Realm couldn't absorb during its process of devouring and merging with other ruined cultivation worlds.

Being with Venerable Yin was often accompanied by an aura of strangeness and deathly stillness.

But now...

This World Phantom aggregate was unexpectedly exuding faint traces of unique vitality!

Li Fan was also greatly astonished.

He immediately revealed himself and appeared before Venerable Yin.

"Congratulations, fellow Daoist, you've turned misfortune into a blessing!" Li Fan observed him carefully for a moment, then said softly.

It was then that Venerable Yin slowly opened his eyes: "Without the Holy Master's help, I might never have reached the fringes of the star sea, let alone encountered this good fortune!"

Venerable Yin thanked him sincerely.

The moment Li Fan saw his eyes, he also understood why Venerable Yin had been unwilling to open his eyes earlier when facing Bai Hua.

His two eyes were one black and one white.

The black one exuded vibrant vitality, while the white one radiated endless death qi.

The moment he met those black and white eyes, Li Fan felt as if he was drawn into an endless illusion.

Countless lives were born, then annihilated amidst various calamities.

Life and death cycled and evolved at an extremely terrifying speed.

Li Fan even noticed that his psychological age, which had never been affected by illusions, began to fluctuate wildly the moment he fell into the black and white vortex.

If Li Fan was affected to this extent, Bai Hua's condition was even worse.

She wasn't looking directly; she was merely observing from the side. Her Glazed Body, which originally seemed indestructible with golden light, now flickered precariously like a candle in the wind!

Fortunately, Venerable Yin also noticed the changes occurring in Li Fan and Bai Hua, and he himself had no intention of harming them.

With some slowness and difficulty, he closed his black and white eyes.

The life-and-death illusion storm gradually subsided, and only then did Li Fan and Bai Hua return to normal.

"You..." Bai Hua pointed at Venerable Yin in astonishment, her face unable to conceal her horror.

She found it truly hard to believe. The person before her, not long ago, had strength comparable to her own. Yet in just a few days, he had undergone an almost world-shaking transformation.

Li Fan asked with great interest: "What's with this vitality on you? At the foot of the High Wall, the continuous Great Wall should only contain ruined worlds. How could such vast vitality be hidden there?"

Venerable Yin paused, then slowly explained: "It was precisely because I discovered the vitality within that ruined realm that I acted without regard for the consequences. In fact, at that time, I was dominated by instinct and briefly lost control of my actions."

Hearing this, Li Fan couldn't help but frown.

"Even though I have now absorbed the vitality from that ruined realm, I still don't understand its origin. However, I can show the Holy Master where this vitality lies..." Venerable Yin said, enunciating each word.

After a moment of thought, Li Fan nodded: "The Grand Profound Minor World is still too fragile."

The phantom of the wooden sword unsheathed, carrying Venerable Yin and Bai Hua to the void of the Profound Yellow Realm.

Catalyzed by the endless vitality, his half-successful 'Foundational Cultivation Through Self' even began to show signs of restoration.

The True Self Dao Foundation within his body slowly merged with him.

This made Venerable Yin's characteristic double-echoing voice disappear.

With a solemn expression, Venerable Yin turned his head, avoiding Li Fan's and Bai Hua's position.

He reopened his black and white eyes.

Then, he extended his left hand, inserting two fingers into his eye socket.

With a slight effort, he plucked out both eyeballs directly!

No blood gushed forth; instead, two small orbs, one black and one white, continuously spun in the void!

After leaving Venerable Yin's body, these two black and white orbs gradually drew closer to each other.

However, Venerable Yin's palm always remained between them, preventing them from fusing together.

"The source of vitality is these two black and white orbs?" Seeing this strange scene, Bai Hua couldn't help but ask.

"Not just vitality. The source of death qi, too." With the two orbs out of his body, Venerable Yin found speaking somewhat difficult for some unknown reason.

The black and white orbs continuously emitted their unique energy outwards.

However, due to their mutual attraction and restraint, they did not suddenly spread out into the void.

Instead, they formed a Tai Chi-like vortex, achieving a strange balance.

Li Fan looked at the black and white orbs, vaguely sensing a familiar aura emanating from them.