Chapter 1366: 均天衍星灵

“As the body transforms into the cosmos, the mind soars through the star river. Taijia is boundless, the spirit roams freely; Taijia is unchangeable, the spirit transforms; Taijia is formless, the spirit, the spirit…”

What Zhong Daogong began to chant, like reciting poetry, was precisely the Taijia Divine Art that Elder Yin acquired from the black and white pearls, and which Li Fan later taught to Xianzhou!

However, it was previously an incomplete scripture, but now, this divine ability specifically used to communicate with the Star Sea Consciousness has been completed after extensive research by Xianzhou’s elders.

Combined with the power of the True Immortal Seal Characters and amplified by the ritual, its power increased not by hundreds, but by thousands of times!

Zhong Daogong led the chant, and the Xianzhou elders followed, one after another, in harmony.

Like a magnificent movement of music, it echoed within the Star Sea.

Flags, each inscribed with fused True Immortal Seal Characters, fluttered in the air amidst the chanting. From an aerial perspective, one could see certain characters on the flags responding to the changing syllables, brightly and erratically flickering.

It was as if a colossal entity, composed of countless characters, was inhaling and exhaling!

Outside the ritual, Li Fan witnessed this scene, and in an instant, realized what the peculiar meaning he had previously sensed truly was.

A ‘Jun’ character was hidden among the fused and superimposed True Immortal Seal Characters at the site, concealed and unactivated.

Waiting only for…

The Star Sea Consciousness to be forcibly connected and descend. Then, it would suddenly erupt!

The Juntian Ritual, long prepared by the Xuanxianzhou, was, at its core, this simple and rudimentary.

However, achieving it was far from as easy as it seemed.

Take, for instance, the first step: forcing communication with the Star Sea Consciousness. This alone already far exceeded the capabilities of the Taijia Divine Art. Li Fan had previously used this art, and by accumulating a millennium of goodwill from the destroyed Taijia Realm, he had secured a promise from the Star Sea Consciousness to assist Xuanhuang’s sublimation and recovery.

After that, the Star Sea never responded again.

But now, the Taijia Divine Art, refined by Xianzhou’s members, had actually directly opened a bridge for cultivators to communicate with the Star Sea. Forcing the Star Sea’s fundamental essence to cast its gaze upon this location!

The chanting of the crowd grew increasingly grand, and Li Fan faintly sensed a massive vortex forming above the ritual.

Unlike the Dead Dark Sea, which was filled with deathly silence, within the vortex, light shimmered and life was boundless. Faintly, incomprehensible rumbling and whispering sounds echoed.

The surrounding Star Sea space seemed to emit groaning sounds, as if buckling under an unbearable burden.

Corresponding anomalies also emerged within Li Fan’s body.

It was exactly like his reaction after seeing the True Immortal’s phantom through the immortal realm copper coin previously. His spiritual power, body, and soul all boiled, as if they could be evaporated at any moment!

“However, when I encountered the True Immortal phantom before, I was virtually powerless to resist. But now…”

Li Fan took a deep breath, and was actually able to forcibly suppress the anomalies within his body.

“Though the Star Sea’s pressure is strong, it is ultimately not as potent as a True Immortal’s.”

“Vast and magnificent, it is ultimately inferior to a qualitative change through dimensional ascension!”

Many thoughts flashed through his mind, when Zhong Daogong’s voice suddenly rang in Li Fan’s ear: “Fellow Daoist, why haven’t you joined the ritual yet! For the success of the Juntian Ritual, your contributions have been immense. Now is the time to gather the fruits of our labor!”

It wasn’t just Zhong Daogong’s voice; Jian Daosheng, Nangong Lie, and all other Xianzhou elders also echoed in unison!

It sounded like an invitation, yet also like a compulsion.

“‘Is this because all Xianzhou elders have been deployed, leaving their interior vulnerable? And they can’t leave a variable like me outside, lest something unexpected happens?’” Li Fan secretly snorted.

“‘Then I shall not refuse!’” Yet, completely unafraid, he declared loudly and flew into the ritual.

He didn’t need to find a suitable position to enter.

The moment he flew into the ritual, Li Fan felt countless flags around him continuously swirling and changing their orientation, receiving him into the ritual!

The chanting coming from all directions even compelled him to unconsciously join in with harmonious sounds!

Everyone was in place, and this long-prepared Taijia Ritual finally reached its climax. Within the vortex shimmering with purple-gold energy, the previously howling sounds of wind and thunder suddenly quieted.

Even the vortex itself fell into a state of absolute stillness.

For every individual within the ritual, the scene before their eyes suddenly changed. It was as if they had leaped up, out of the Star Sea, to behold the Star Sea itself.

If the previous Taijia Divine Art had only communicated with the Star Sea indirectly, through transmission, then at this moment, the participants forcibly opened the door between humanity and the Star Sea, their gazes meeting!

The sensation of being thoroughly seen, head to toe, something he hadn’t experienced in a long time, emerged within Li Fan.

Even with absolute confidence that the ‘Return to True’ exotic treasure within him would not be discovered by a mere Star Sea Consciousness, Li Fan still remained extremely vigilant, having already called out the ‘Return to True’ interface, ready to activate it at any moment.

Just as Li Fan expected, even the black qi, which represented the precursor to the Calamity of Dao Annihilation, was undetectable to the Star Sea Consciousness, as if it were blind. Let alone the ‘Return to True’ ability.

The Star Sea Consciousness did not specifically linger on Li Fan, but instead uniformly directed its anger onto every Xianzhou elder within the ritual.

After all, being forcibly contacted by creatures akin to ants was, in fact, an absolute humiliation for the Star Sea Consciousness. Now, the Star Sea Consciousness was simply waiting to see what these ants before it actually wanted to convey.

Afterward, it would unleash its thunderous wrath.

However…

The ‘ants’ didn’t truly want to communicate.

Thousands of flags, amidst the magnificent chanting, fluttered without wind. As each flag continuously unfurled, the parts revealed by their folds instantly formed a single entity.

The ‘Jun’ character, hidden beneath thousands of True Immortal Seal Characters, finally made its grand appearance!

It was as if an invisible shackle suddenly appeared, connecting the vast Star Sea Consciousness above the vortex to the ‘ants’ in the ritual below.

At this moment, the ‘ants’ were able to stand on the shoulders of the Star Sea, gazing down upon all living beings.

Li Fan had once transformed into the Canghai Pearl, embodied the Heavenly Dao of a minor world, and even connected his will to the Xuanhuang Realm.

But none of those could compare to the exquisite sensation of this moment.

The vast Star Sea was no longer boundless. Instead, it was visible, like a part of his own body. The Star Sea was no longer dark and lifeless; with every breath, he could sense the infinite vitality accumulating beneath its calm surface.

Even the various laws that constituted the Star Sea were no longer so unfathomable. Like the hairs and pores on his body, he could perceive them all simply by looking down.

Wherever his thought reached, he could use the eyes of the Star Sea to observe every corner of it.

At this moment, under the effect of the ‘Jun’ Character Art, everyone in the ritual truly achieved parity with the Star Sea. They saw what the Star Sea saw, and felt what the Star Sea felt.

Li Fan, like all the Xianzhou elders, was inextricably immersed in this wonderful experience. He even specifically glanced at the center of the Star Sea.

Indeed, from the Star Sea’s perspective, there was no black qi in the central starfield.

Instead, vitality was latent, awaiting revival. A truly promising situation!

Li Fan naturally had no good intention to remind them; he seized this once-in-ten-millennia opportunity to absorb as much of the Star Sea’s Way as possible.

At the same time, he felt a little curious about the Star Sea’s attitude.

Logically speaking, having been ambushed by ‘ants’ using the ‘Jun’ character, the Star Sea’s fundamental essence should have been extremely furious by now.

Even if it couldn’t break free from the ‘Jun’ Character Art’s influence immediately, it should at least put up a symbolic struggle.

But now, the Star Sea was terrifyingly calm.

It wasn’t the calm before a storm, a quiet period for accumulating strength.

Rather, it was genuinely devoid of any angry emotions.

Why was this?

Doubt suddenly arose in Li Fan’s heart.

Under the influence of the True Immortal Seal Characters’ power, the Star Sea Consciousness was now connected to everyone in the Juntian Ritual.

Therefore, Li Fan didn’t exert much effort to follow the Star Sea’s thoughts and peek into its mind.

“This is…”

“‘While we are peering into the Star Sea, is the Star Sea also peering into us?!’” Li Fan’s heart was instantly filled with alarm.

In Li Fan’s previous understanding, transcendent beings like the Star Sea’s origin or True Immortals would absolutely not pay attention to mortal ‘ants’. However, the current behavior of the Dead Dark Star Sea directly overturned Li Fan’s perception.

Regarding the ‘ants’’ Juntian act, the Star Sea not only did not resist, but even actively embraced it!

Just as Li Fan and the others were immersed in the Star Sea’s perspective, the Star Sea Consciousness also seemed extremely interested in the lives of the ‘ants’.

Both sides thus existed in a delicate balance, experiencing each other’s lives.

However, due to the disproportionate sizes of the two parties, this balance was destined not to last long.

The Star Sea remained unharmed.

As for the cultivators in the ritual, drastic changes suddenly occurred to them.

Li Fan had once transformed into the Canghai Pearl and observed the changes in the Congyun Sea. Compared to mountains and seas, a cultivator’s life was like a fleeting ephemera. And compared to this starry sky, the rise and fall of worlds was but an instant.

Observing all things from the Star Sea’s perspective, they naturally also had to bear the temporal evolution of the starry sky.

Even with billions of sentient beings from the Xuanhuang minor world as sacrifices, it only delayed the inevitable by a few moments.

Soon, aging still enveloped the Xianzhou members.

“‘Hold on! The power obtained from the equalized Star Sea is being infused into our bodies! As long as we can absorb this power, we will not fear this degree of aging!’” The Xianzhou members seemed to have anticipated this, and Zhong Daogong transmitted a reminder to everyone.

However, like Li Fan, they hadn’t anticipated that the Star Sea would actually take an interest in them, these transgressors.

It wasn’t just them actively contacting the Star Sea’s fundamental consciousness; the Star Sea itself was also actively making contact.

The original plan was for the Star Sea to resist, and for them to delve deeper.

But now, each had taken a step further.

This also resulted in the Star Sea-level erosion they experienced being almost twice as strong as anticipated!

“‘This is bad!’”

The Xianzhou members quickly discovered this unforeseen change, and seeing the hair and bodies of those in the ritual turn white, their expressions filled with alarm and fear.

However, the elders were all resolute and decisive individuals; after understanding their current predicament and a brief exchange, they reached a unanimous decision.

“‘Things have come to this, the Juntian Ritual must not stop. To abandon it midway would incur even greater losses!’”

“‘Some people must be sacrificed to buy more time and hold on until the Star Sea’s power is fully infused.’”

After a brief silence, someone chuckled softly: “‘This old man has lived long enough in this life. Living another ten or twenty years would be a waste. If I, Gan Jingda, can help Xianzhou obtain the Star Sea’s fortune, then I shall die without regrets!’”

Before he finished speaking, and without waiting for others to respond, Gan Jingda’s life essence had already dissipated.

The remaining individuals in the ritual felt a surge of life energy appear out of nowhere within their bodies.

“‘With our old friends departed, my remaining in this world would only add to the sorrow. Better to go, better to go. The future of Xianzhou, I leave to you all!’”

“‘I am but a person of limited talent and shallow learning, so let me die first!’”

“‘Everyone, you must succeed! I’m going too!’”

“‘I didn’t want to die originally. But after thinking it over, everyone else remaining is more valuable than me… So there’s no choice. It just goes to show how bad my luck has been my entire life.’”

One by one, figures in the ritual voluntarily relinquished their life force. Under the catalysis of the power of time, they turned into dust and scattered with the wind.

One after another, the final words of the Xianzhou elders echoed in everyone’s ears simultaneously.

Sensing the surge of life force from their companions, welling up within them like bamboo shoots in spring, the survivors were all overcome with grief and sorrow.

But thanks to their sacrifice, just before the adverse effects of achieving parity with the Star Sea could completely engulf them, the immense power obtained from the equally divided Star Sea finally descended.

From the purple-gold stellar vortex, dozens of torrents suddenly branched out.

Each infused into the bodies of the cultivators who were still persevering in the ritual.

That was the true primordial power of the Star Sea; though in terms of ‘quality,’ it might not be as good as a True Immortal’s, in terms of ‘quantity’ alone, it even surpassed a True Immortal’s!

It felt completely different from facing a True Immortal.

The vast Star Sea’s origin power poured down.

Under the wash of this immense power, the bodies of the surviving Xianzhou elders gradually dissolved.

However, their life force did not vanish because of this; instead, it became even more vigorous.

They no longer aged, and their appearances remained frozen at the last moment before the infusion. They were merely enveloped by purple-gold radiance, making them indiscernible.

The immense power of the Star Sea was continuously infused. Their light-and-shadow bodies also grew accordingly.

Gradually, they transformed into towering giants standing and stretching across the Star Sea.

The emotions arising from their companions’ sacrifice and the excitement of their gains, along with other emotions, gradually subsided.

Li Fan personally witnessed the entire process of such a unique group of beings coming into existence.

Li Fan, who was always cautious, naturally did not directly absorb the Star Sea’s primordial power descending from the sky, unlike the Xianzhou elders. Instead, he used an immortal formation to isolate and preserve it. Adding to that, the ‘True-False Transformation’ enveloped and sealed it, making it vanish within the Star Sea, undetectable even to the Star Sea Consciousness.

For refining the Xuanhuang Elixir, another ingredient was added.

However, Li Fan felt little surprise in his heart. Instead, he watched with great solemnity as the starry figures appeared one after another before him.

After completely achieving their stellar bodies, they automatically disconnected from the link established by the ‘Jun’ Character Art. At this moment, only Li Fan remained in the entire ritual.

“‘Unable to communicate.’”

“‘Even their subjective consciousness from before seems lost? No, it’s still there! However, human emotional fluctuations have been suppressed to the extreme. They’ve become more like the ‘Star Sea’.’”

“‘So similar to the Heaven and Earth Spirit of the Xuanhuang Realm…’”

Li Fan then looked at the gradually closing purple-gold vortex.

He faintly sensed that the Star Sea’s own power had not diminished due to this equalization.

“‘It’s not that the ‘Jun’ Character Art failed.’”

“‘It’s that…’”

“‘No matter how infinity is divided, it remains infinity!’”