Chapter 1327: Taijia Realm Divine Power

In his previous life, the sacred embryo avatar accompanied the Xuanxian Boat on its expedition to the Xuanhuang Realm, but unexpectedly fell into a dharma transmission trap. There, he encountered the terrifying immortal realm overseer who, with a single glance, stripped one-tenth of the immortal boat's living inhabitants of their lives.

Cooked in a giant cauldron, like an abyss or a vast sea, the overseer transformed the world, which contained countless frozen cultivators, into an Yin-Yang Pearl. Within the Yin-Yang Pearl, there were two distinct worlds. One was an boundless, deathly silent icy ocean, while its opposite was a sea teeming with life.

When Li Fan first mistakenly entered the Yin-Yang Pearl's miniature world, he believed it to be the dojo of the Reincarnation Heavenly Venerate from the Xuanhuang Realm. This was because the world's continuous cycle of Yin and Yang, life and death, and the way adversity turned into prosperity, indeed matched the descriptions of reversing life and death.

However, as Li Fan's understanding broadened and he witnessed numerous true immortal formations, he began to question his initial assessment. While the formation within the Yin-Yang Pearl was exceptionally profound, Li Fan could glimpse its mysteries upon first encountering it. It was clearly far from the complexity of an immortal formation. The cycle of life and death within the Yin-Yang Pearl didn't rely on the grand formation for reversing life and death. Instead, it depended solely on the intrinsic essence of the Yin-Yang world and the power derived from the immortal realm overseer. The grand formation for reversing life and death acted more like a catalyst, merely accelerating the process.

In his previous life, the Sacred Emperor turned the Xuanhuang Realm upside down, and later, the realm plunged into an apocalyptic crisis due to the Grand Formation of All Things Returning to Emptiness. Both the Dharma Transmitter and the Celestial Physician exerted their full power to resist, yet the mysterious Reincarnation Heavenly Venerate never appeared from beginning to end. This might have been because Lan Yu had chosen to seek enlightenment in the starry void, and the true Reincarnation Heavenly Venerate had not yet successfully completed their reversal of principles. However, Li Fan believed that even if the Reincarnation Heavenly Venerate were to emerge, they likely wouldn't intervene to stop his destructive actions.

There were intricate connections between the Reincarnation Heavenly Venerate and the overseer. The overseer bore a mission from the immortal realm; besides monitoring anomalies in the Xuanhuang Realm, they also seemed tasked with collecting all the different human types that had ever appeared there.

As for the Reincarnation Heavenly Venerate... This entity seemed to have broken free from the shackles of the immortal realm's mission, acting solely based on its own interests. The overseer Li Fan and the Xuanxian Boat encountered possessed no self-awareness, acting entirely on instinct or according to predetermined rules. Almost indistinguishable from a puppet, it seemed incapable of truly bearing the heavy responsibility of an overseer. Li Fan therefore speculated that the overseer's true spirit might have already abandoned its original body, specifically to free itself from its immortal realm duties after the realm's destruction. The backlash experienced by the Xuanhuang Grand Heavenly Venerate after failing in his duties in the previous life indicated that even with the destruction of the immortal realm, its imposed restrictions persisted. No one would wish to be perpetually shackled. Theoretically, it was entirely reasonable for the Xuanhuang Realm overseer to desire freedom.

"Once, I used fake true immortal remains to lure the Myriad Immortals Alliance's dharma transmitters into the Yin-Yang Realm, which ultimately led to their collective demise. Yet, the Myriad Immortals Alliance acted as if the incident never occurred. This suggests that the Dharma Transmitter, or perhaps the Celestial Physician, certainly knew the true origins of this Reincarnation Heavenly Venerate. It's even possible that the Celestial Physician assisted in the transformation from immortal realm overseer to Reincarnation Heavenly Venerate..."

Returning to the present, the two black and white spheres Elder Yin formed after removing his eyes emitted aura fluctuations almost identical to those of the Yin-Yang Pearl. However, in these black and white spheres, life and death were distinctly separated. They hadn't yet reached the state of the Xuanhuang Realm's Yin-Yang Pearl, where life and death seamlessly flowed and perpetuated endlessly.

Li Fan stared at the black and white spheres, remaining silent for a long time. After a long moment, he finally spoke: "A certain secret realm in the Xuanhuang Realm also contains similar creations."

"However, the fusion of black and white, life and death there, is even more mystical than your simple twin spheres of life and death. Within that Yin-Yang Pearl, countless corpses are frozen. I wonder..." Li Fan's eyes gleamed with intense curiosity.

After completing his demonstration, Elder Yin reabsorbed the black and white spheres into his body, transforming them back into his normal eyes. "Indeed, there were once frozen corpses within the white sphere," he said. "But that was before the world's destruction."

"When the world died, those frozen corpses gradually melted, transforming into the purest death energy..."

Hearing this, Li Fan mused inwardly: "This must be the difference caused by the overseer's absence."

"Among the many cultivation realms in the lower world, the Xuanhuang Realm is clearly distinct. Not only does it have appointments from the immortal realm, like the Xuanhuang Grand Heavenly Venerate and the overseer, but a true immortal even visited in person. Though the reason is unknown, that true immortal somehow perished..."

"And the world from which Elder Yin acquired the black and white spheres was also under the immortal realm's surveillance, though it was of a slightly lower grade than the Xuanhuang Realm."

Li Fan would certainly contact the Reincarnation Heavenly Venerate, who was suspected to be the overseer's manifestation after shedding its original form. However, his primary goal in this life was to merge with the immortal souls of heaven and earth to achieve Dao, so he naturally had to minimize any unnecessary variables.

Elder Yin continued, "I am a world's wraith. I once believed that in this life, I would be forever trapped in this state of decaying remnants. But the moment I sensed the immense vitality within these black and white spheres, a powerful premonition suddenly surged within me..."

As he spoke, the vitality in Elder Yin's black eyes began to swirl even faster. "Perhaps absolute decay doesn't truly exist in the world. The reason I'm a remnant wraith is simply the severance of vitality. As long as enough life force is infused..."

As he spoke, Elder Yin's complexion grew increasingly rosy, making him appear more and more like a normal human cultivator. But Li Fan narrowed his eyes, realizing that the situation wasn't so simple. Just as Li Fan expected, as if stirred by the powerful life force within him, his originally calm gray eye also began to slowly accelerate its rotation. Threads of desolate, decaying death energy emerged from Elder Yin's body, quickly neutralizing and suppressing the nascent vitality. The scent of decay slowly emanated from Elder Yin.

Elder Yin coughed a few times, and the turbulent storm within his black and white eyes gradually subsided, revealing a hint of helplessness. Upon seeing this, Bai Hua looked thoughtful, a hint of schadenfreude flickering in her eyes.

Li Fan directly stated, "The two energies of life and death, seemingly opposite, are in fact one. If you try to stimulate life force while simultaneously suppressing death energy, it will only backfire."

"Life is the root of death, and death is the fruit of life. To dig up the root, you must affect the fruit. But to pluck the fruit, you don't necessarily harm the root..."

Li Fan perfectly assumed the role of a revered master, immediately beginning to lecture Elder Yin on the principles of the Dao. Elder Yin already possessed extraordinary comprehension, and now, with the twin black and white spheres of life and death within him, he had no difficulty understanding Li Fan's intentionally profound and mysterious words. Within his calm eyes, the black and white energies circulated with increasing speed. Surprisingly, Bai Hua also showed considerable talent for the Dao of life and death. As she listened intently, she appeared to gain significant insights.

The lecture lasted for a full half-day, nearly exhausting Li Fan's accumulated knowledge. Finally, with a wave of his hand, Li Fan transmitted the Grand Formation for Reversing Life and Death into both their consciousness seas. This Grand Formation for Reversing Life and Death was a further deduction by the Final Disintegration Disk, based on the original formation within the Yin-Yang Pearl. It represented the pinnacle of practical application for the Dao of life and death within the Darkest Star Sea. The moment he connected with the formation, an unconcealable look of surprise and delight appeared on Elder Yin's face.

"Life and death are opposites, but you might be able to use this formation to gradually transform the infinite death energy within that white sphere into life force. However, you must maintain a balance between the two."

Li Fan glanced at Bai Hua and continued, "Consume the generated life force as quickly as possible. Besides cleansing your own decay, perhaps you can also assist Fellow Daoist Bai Hua."

Bai Hua's body trembled slightly, wondering what secret Li Fan had uncovered about her. Elder Yin nodded slightly in response.

"By the way, Holy Master, when I absorbed the black and white spheres, I also gained some information about this ruined world," Elder Yin said. "Though not extensive, it's quite interesting."

After a brief review of the Grand Formation for Reversing Life and Death, Elder Yin spoke up again. "This realm is named Taijia. Before its destruction, though not vast in scale, it was an exceptionally powerful cultivation realm within the Star Sea."

"This was because the Taijia Realm was an extremely rare cultivation realm, one that lacked a world's Heavenly Dao. Cultivators within it practiced the Taijia Divine Art, which reportedly allowed them to bypass the non-existent Heavenly Dao of their world and communicate directly with the Star Sea's primordial consciousness, thereby invoking its power..."

A trace of astonishment flashed in Elder Yin's eyes. And judging from the fragmented images he displayed with a wave of his hand, the divine abilities of the Taijia Realm cultivators were indeed exceptionally terrifying. Swords soared across star rivers, and fists suppressed worlds. Without any protective measures, they could traverse the Star Sea using only their physical bodies...

Elder Yin's tone suddenly shifted: "However, it was precisely because of this direct connection with the Star Sea's primordial essence that when the power of the true immortal seal characters erupted within the Star Sea, the Taijia Realm cultivators were among the first to be affected."

"The Star Sea's divine power, which they had always relied upon, lost its efficacy. The Taijia Realm, once renowned throughout the Star Sea, perished at a speed far greater than that of typical cultivation realms."

"Most ridiculously, just as the Taijia Realm faced complete annihilation, some Taijia cultivators chose not to fight to the death. Instead, they knelt, continuing to beg for communication with the Star Sea's primordial essence..." Elder Yin shook his head, his tone laced with disdain.

Bai Hua added, "We cultivators believe that true power resides within oneself. While relying on the Star Sea's power might grant temporary might, it ultimately turns to dust when disaster strikes."

"In fact, the immortal cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm are no different..."

At this point, Bai Hua suddenly paused. She had suddenly remembered their own actions: promoting Xuanhuang's sublimation and seeking to elevate their power and realm through the merit of "following the dragon." This seemed to have no essential difference from the immortal cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm or the cultivators of the Taijia Realm.

Li Fan immediately saw why Bai Hua had suddenly faltered. He smiled faintly. "There is still a difference," he said.

"After the Xuanhuang Realm's transformation, the power granted to each of us will ultimately become our own. It's a one-time transaction; even if we were to turn against the Xuanhuang Realm in the future, this bestowed power could not be reclaimed."

"But for the Taijia Realm cultivators..." Li Fan shook his head, offering no further comment.

"However, the Taijia Divine Art, which allows direct communication with the Star Sea's primordial essence, does have some merits." Li Fan had previously shown Elder Yin and the others the recovering primordial essence of the Star Sea.

"The Xuanhuang Realm isn't an entirely isolated entity; it's still within the Star Sea. If its sublimation could receive support from the Star Sea..." Elder Yin also perceived the potential marvelous applications of the Taijia Divine Art.

"However, what I gained from the black and white spheres were only fragmented memories," he said with a hint of regret.

Elder Yin then haltingly explained the incomplete Taijia Divine Art. It was convoluted and extremely unusual, indeed entirely different from ordinary cultivation techniques. This was also Li Fan's first encounter with such a technique, and he couldn't help but be intrigued.

"The core essence of this art lies in communicating with the Star Sea's primordial essence."

"Ten thousand years ago, during the Star Sea's most powerful era, even half-immortal cultivators were like ants in its eyes, let alone ordinary cultivators. Naturally, establishing contact with the Star Sea's consciousness was incredibly difficult," Li Fan slowly explained.

Elder Yin nodded in agreement. "Precisely. The Taijia Divine Art is exceedingly difficult to cultivate, with perhaps one in ten million achieving mastery. But once one grasps its fundamentals, the energy that can be stirred with a single move is far beyond what normal cultivators can achieve."

Li Fan smiled. "However, times have changed. The Star Sea has been destroyed, and its primordial essence has been reborn amidst the desolation. Now, it's like a powerful being undergoing reincarnation, currently in its infancy..." A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and Li Fan's voice was filled with confidence: "With this shift, the difficulty of communicating with it has significantly decreased under the current circumstances."

"Let me try first!"

The phantom of a wooden sword unsheathed, and Li Fan stepped onto it, soaring away. In an instant, he flew out of the Xuanhuang Realm, vanishing from Elder Yin and Bai Hua's sight.

"This flying escape divine ability is truly enviable. If one could learn it, they would no longer be bound by the Star Sea..." Bai Hua said with undisguised envy.

Elder Yin did not reply. He quickly lowered his head, beginning to ponder the Grand Formation for Reversing Life and Death that Li Fan had previously imparted. In Elder Yin's eyes, the value of this grand formation was certainly no less than that flying escape divine ability.

In a flash, Li Fan traversed more than half of the Darkest Star Sea, reaching its very center. Here, the recovering primordial essence of the Star Sea was most active. Li Fan stood quietly in the void. He did not immediately activate the incomplete Taijia Divine Art. What he had just said was indeed logical, but he hadn't fully explained. Even a newly born Star Sea consciousness still presented a chasm-like gap between itself and cultivators. Under the current circumstances, only a fated child like the Sacred Emperor, who possessed the potential to drive the Star Sea's complete recovery, could hope to converse directly with it. As for ordinary cultivators who wished to achieve a similar effect to the Sacred Emperor's... "Then, they would first need the Star Sea to *see* them!"

A glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes, and the Ascension Formation was instantly deployed. A "mountain peak" rose from the depths in the center of the Star Sea. Slowly it ascended. Li Fan stood at its summit, gazing upwards. He resembled an ancient emperor ascending a peak to perform the Fengshan sacrifice, striving to draw closer to the heavens. Li Fan wished to stand even higher, to amplify his presence and thus become more conspicuous in the perception of the Star Sea's primordial essence. He sensed that the Ascension Formation's upward thrust had slowly reached its limit.

Li Fan then began to silently recite the Taijia Divine Art. Although incomplete, its efficacy in communicating with the Star Sea's consciousness remained. A surge of intention drifted upwards, directly reaching the source of the Star Sea. In an instant, Li Fan felt as though he had plunged into a brilliant star river.