Chapter 1341: Earth Fissure Across the Star Sea

Since mastering the Wood Sword Phantom Escape Art, Li Fan had never encountered a situation where this divine ability was so drastically affected by external factors. He even had a faint premonition that if he hadn't just absorbed the Tri-Forked Tree and deepened his understanding of the true-false transformation, this sudden fall would have, at the very least, led to the collapse of his divine ability and severe injuries.

Fortunately, Li Fan had made some progress after all. It was precisely this slight improvement that allowed him to barely maintain the Wood Sword Phantom and successfully enter the basin node within the Great Wall of Ruined Realms!

Unlike the basin reservoir Li Fan had encountered before, which was used to store the residual power of True Immortals, upon entering this place, one could clearly perceive the difference between it and the outside world, caused by the intense changes in the forces of elevation and depression. It was like a bottomless chasm suddenly cleaving open the earth. Li Fan and his companions had now fallen to the bottom of this abyss, looking up at the continuous sliver of sky that was revealed. However, the sky here was a desolate, pitch-black expanse.

And this chasm basin…

Li Fan did not retract the Wood Sword Phantom, still using it to protect Venerable Yin and Baihua. He himself flashed outside the phantom, personally experiencing the surroundings. The surroundings were still shrouded in gloom. But the "darkness" here was unlike the desolate void outside. It was more like a summer night descending, brimming with vibrant life hidden within!

"The chasm node of the Great Wall actually accumulates such immense vitality?" Li Fan was startled. After a more careful examination, he confirmed that none of this was his imagination.

Li Fan observed further. Within the chasm node, besides pure vitality, there seemed to be no living creatures being nurtured. Moreover, its actual scope was not merely a small corner, as it appeared from a normal perspective. Instead, it extended infinitely outwards, seemingly without end.

With no immediate danger, Li Fan finally retracted his divine ability. Venerable Yin and Baihua looked around with expressions of astonishment. The emergence of vitality in this place clearly surpassed their understanding. Their nerves were taut, fearing that unknown creatures might suddenly emerge from the nearby gloom to attack them.

Observing their reactions, Li Fan realized they weren't as composed as he was. Perhaps it was their first time experiencing the effects of such drastic changes in spatial "potential," having departed from the regions they were accustomed to, which made them agitated and uneasy. It was like mortals who had lived their entire lives on a plateau suddenly finding themselves on a cliff's edge or in a deep underground valley without any means of self-protection. It was inevitable that their state of mind would naturally change.

After reassuring them in a low voice, Li Fan led them to slowly begin exploring the chasm basin. There was complete silence. Pure vitality, as if from the dawn of creation, flowed quietly here like an underground river. The vitality rose but could not escape the deep chasm; it merely gathered and permeated the area.

Li Fan keenly noticed that the vitality here was significantly different from the life-nurturing vitality found in the Xuanhuang Realm. If there were such an immense amount of vitality in the Xuanhuang Realm, it would undoubtedly trigger all sorts of incredible changes. Mountains would rise from the ground, and towering trees would stretch endlessly. It would also certainly be accompanied by the birth of countless new species and sentient beings. But here, vitality was merely vitality. It did not meet the conditions for the birth and evolution of life; it was like stagnant water, giving off an incredibly eerie sensation.

"Perhaps it's because the 'potential' here is too low," Li Fan mused.

After slowly exploring for most of the day, the surrounding scenery showed no significant changes. Li Fan frowned and told Venerable Yin and Baihua to wait in place. He himself, controlling the Wood Sword Phantom, moved forward rapidly. At his current escape art speed, he could traverse the entire Sea of Utter Darkness in less than a day. However, Li Fan was shocked to discover that this chasm basin was far more narrow and elongated than he had imagined!

Furthermore, as he proceeded, Li Fan found that the chasm was like a labyrinth, gradually extending into different branches. At first, it was manageable, with only a single digit number of forks. But later, each branch led to dozens, even hundreds, of different passages. Soon after, each passage further branched into numerous extensions. Eventually, even with his heaven-defying escape art, Li Fan dared not venture deeper. This chasm labyrinth was simply too vast. He had explored rapidly for three days, which theoretically should have been enough to cover the entire Sea of Utter Darkness. Yet, at this moment, he could not see the end of the chasm labyrinth at all.

Li Fan could only rely on his memory of the way he came to return first. After explaining the situation to Venerable Yin and the others, both were inexplicably shaken.

"This peculiar chasm is definitely not just beneath the Great Wall of Ruined Realms," Venerable Yin realized, seemingly enlightened. "Perhaps it's like an underground conduit, leading from all directions to various parts of the Sea of Utter Darkness!"

Baihua nodded in agreement: "I can vaguely sense the source of the vitality here. Besides the ruins of countless shattered worlds within the Great Wall of Ruined Realms, it also originates from every corner of the dormant Sea of Stars! It truly is like an underground river, drawing in every trace of nascent vitality, gathering it here like streams."

If the Great Wall was the supreme entity confining the Sea of Stars, then this chasm basin hidden beneath the Great Wall's node was the lowest point in the entire starry sky. Most of the vitality resurging from the Sea of Stars' destruction slowly flowed through the omnipresent chasms beneath the Sea of Stars, eventually converging here. It was precisely because it had gathered most of the vitality from the entire Sea of Stars over tens of millions of years that the sheer magnitude of vitality contained here made even Li Fan's heart pound.

"This magnificent creation is certainly beyond human capability," Venerable Yin said, his expression flickering with uncertainty. "Could it be another work of a True Immortal? Like the Great Wall, its purpose is to completely seal off the vitality of the Sea of Utter Darkness."

As for Baihua, she had gradually emerged from her earlier trepidation. "Sacred Master, may I extract some vitality from this place?" she asked.

Li Fan's eyes flickered slightly. After a moment of thought, he replied: "If you only take a small amount and don't trigger a violent surge in the vitality river, there should be no danger. But remember, don't be greedy; stop when you've had enough. Otherwise..." Li Fan gazed at the calmly flowing vitality here, his expression serious: "The quantity is too immense. If its overwhelming force suddenly erupts, even vitality can kill!"

Baihua nodded: "I know that. In fact, I don't need that much. I just need enough to awaken the frozen Glazed World..." Baihua's voice was faint as she spoke, simultaneously transforming into her Glazed Golden Body. Within the brilliant golden, transparent core of her body, a miniature world, carved as if from ice and jade, was prominently visible. One could faintly discern the past scenes of countless cultivators, sects, and mountains within it.

"Glazed... Flower Blossom..." Baihua chanted softly, and her golden body suddenly transformed into a thirty-two-petaled Glazed Golden Flower. It was sacred and solemn. The Glazed Golden Flower flew into the river of vitality without causing any splashes or scattering of energy. It merely floated serenely. Its thirty-two petals slowly unfurled. Li Fan watched as threads of vitality were drawn by these petals and funneled into the miniature world at the flower's center.

However, the immense vitality before him seemed incredibly viscous. It was not easily extracted. Even with all thirty-two golden petals exerting their might, only one or two drops, visible to the naked eye, appeared within the central phantom. But even this small amount of vitality was like a long-awaited rain for the miniature world. It was like a wilted flower, rehydrated and regaining its original vibrancy. All sorts of incredible changes occurred within that miniature world, the Myriad Flourishing Realm.

A look of ecstatic joy appeared on Baihua's face. Venerable Yin was also momentarily captivated by this marvelous sight.

However, Li Fan noticed that due to Baihua's act of drawing vitality, the slowly surging immense vitality around her subtly formed a miniature vortex. The vortex was small at first, but it quickly gained momentum, expanding wildly. It was as if all the vitality in the entire chasm was about to surge forth. The crushing, all-encompassing power, as if from above, made even Li Fan look on with caution.

"That's enough!" Li Fan frowned and warned.

Baihua was still relatively clear-headed and not blinded by immediate gains. Despite her reluctance, she ultimately retracted the thirty-two-petaled Glazed Golden Flower. Without an outlet, the gradually roaring vitality river finally subsided. However, for a short period, the accumulated vitality did not recede, forming a rapid current here. Under the scour of the vitality's power, Li Fan and his companions, who were within it, felt as though their very souls were about to be swept away. Li Fan had to strengthen the protection of his Wood Sword Phantom divine ability.

Venerable Yin looked at the seemingly calm yet strangely perilous surroundings and suddenly had an epiphany: "I know where that contradictory and constantly perilous feeling comes from! It's because what flows here isn't just vitality. On the surface of the vitality, there's another layer flowing – an unknown power that absorbs vitality! It is precisely this power that continuously draws vitality from all corners of the Sea of Stars and seals it here!"

Baihua, having returned to her normal form, nodded in agreement: "It was so difficult for me to absorb because I had to separate this power from the pure vitality. Strictly speaking, the rank of this life-stripping power doesn't seem very high. Even I can separate it from the vitality. But..." A hint of fear flashed across Baihua's face. "Its quantity is simply too immense. There's as much life-stripping power in this chasm as there is vitality. We might be able to withstand a few waves of its assault, but we absolutely cannot survive its continuous scouring."

At this point, Baihua couldn't help but glance at Li Fan. She paused: "Perhaps, Sacred Master, with your extraordinary escape art, you might be able to escape."

Li Fan didn't respond. Instead, he extended his hand to touch and feel the rapid current of vitality around them. The erosion of the life-stripping power was remarkably evident. The affected hand instantly turned pale. The flesh seemed to have been drained, and the bones beneath were faintly visible. Moreover, this loss of vitality slowly spread to other parts of his body. Li Fan decisively severed his arm, thus stopping the life-stripping power from further eroding him.

The severed hand fell into the river of vitality. Without the protection of its main body, it quickly dissolved and vanished, like a wax figure under high heat, becoming part of the river of vitality.

"This power..." Regrowing his arm, Li Fan moved it slightly, recalling the details he had perceived earlier. It wasn't ordinary vitality extraction. Instead, it instantly scoured away the very foundation upon which vitality depended. With its base removed, vitality had nothing to cling to and simply drifted away. It was a profound and enigmatic sensation. Li Fan still couldn't comprehend what the so-called foundation of vitality truly was, but he could clearly feel its loss.

"Indeed, it's incredible. But... Does it seem to share some similarities with the Great Wall?" Li Fan mused thoughtfully: "The so-called Great Wall is, in fact, a supreme rule or restriction. There is no path forward, or rather, there is no 'forward' at all! And this life-stripping power in the chasm causes the very foundation for life's sustenance to vanish."

The chasm basin was hidden beneath the normal Sea of Stars. Like an underground river, it spread throughout the Sea of Stars. Its immense scale clearly indicated that only a being capable of building the Great Wall could have created it.

"Perhaps, as Venerable Yin speculated, it's used to extract and seal off the birth of vitality in the Sea of Stars?" But Li Fan quickly felt a trace of doubt. It did extract vitality, but it didn't do so completely. Because the vast amount of vitality absorbed by the chasm over tens of millions of years still lay quietly here! Indeed, entering the chasm was extremely difficult. Li Fan had traveled back and forth between the Great Wall of Ruined Realms countless times without noticing the minuscule node entrance. But it wasn't impossible. There was still a possibility of entering by chance or coincidence. Just like this time, Xu Ke was caught in the riotous reverberations of starlight and coincidentally entered this chasm.

"If the intention was truly to cut off the vitality of the Sea of Stars, with the means used to create the Great Wall and excavate the chasm, these vitalities could certainly be extracted directly outside the Great Wall. Yet, it was intentionally left within the Sea of Stars..." Li Fan pondered, his expression unreadable: "Either the creators of the chasm and the Great Wall are two different entities. Or, it was done intentionally."

Before Li Fan's eyes, a complete visualization of the entire Sea of Utter Darkness suddenly appeared. Around the Sea of Stars, the Great Wall stood tall, sealing it off. At the bottom of the Sea of Stars, chasms crisscrossed, forming interconnected conduits that extracted and preserved the vitality of the Sea of Stars. And at the fringes of the Sea of Stars, the highest Great Wall and the lowest chasm converged at one point.

"A wonder of the Sea of Stars," Li Fan thought. "For the living beings within the Sea of Stars, both are incredibly despair-inducing existences. However... Perhaps this chasm isn't."

The scene before Li Fan's eyes changed once more. "The Sea of Stars is recovering from its destruction. However, re-nurturing life is not something that can be achieved overnight. Especially over tens of millions of years, the residual power of True Immortals lingered and had not dispersed. Even if vitality reappeared, it would quickly be contaminated by the residual True Immortal power. It's like an arid desert where, even if there's a little rain during the day, it quickly evaporates. The slowly emerging vitality across the Sea of Stars would be a pure waste, unable to truly allow the Sea of Stars to nurture life. But if all of it were collected..."

Li Fan narrowed his eyes.