Chapter 1390: Finger Flick Across the High Wall

Before Li Fan could react, a voice clearly echoed in his mind. It seemed to have precisely targeted him. Then, it quickly faded, like snow melting into water, leaving no trace. Only after this entire event did Li Fan's body stiffen slightly and his breath catch. He scanned his surroundings, observing cautiously. Staring at the "True Reality" interface that had appeared before him, Li Fan exhaled deeply after a long while, silently willing it to close.

"Thankfully, it was just a false alarm!" he thought. "The target of the telepathic message seems to be just the one who destroyed this bronze crane. But this message... did it come from beyond the High Wall?!" Li Fan felt a mixture of shock and uncertainty. He narrowed his eyes, carefully recalling the voice he had just heard.

"Tianluo Era Two Hundred and Thirteen. Beginning with Shangzhang Dayuanxian, Zuoe Efeng, ending with Zhuyong Chifenruo, Yanmao Xuanyi..."

"What does this mean?" Li Fan's brows furrowed. It seemed to be just a random, jumbled collection of words with no practical meaning. But given the message crossed the High Wall and was clearly targeted, it must hold a deeper significance.

"It seems to refer to a specific period of years," he mused. "But there's an added layer of complexity. What could it mean? Could it be a unique calendar system of the Immortal Realm?" Li Fan pondered for a long time but couldn't make sense of it. The concepts mentioned in this message were entirely new to Li Fan, even in his previous cycles of reincarnation.

"This message is only triggered after destroying the bronze crane," he realized. "The bronze crane was left with the Immortal Domain chess piece... Perhaps it's crucial information left by Sun Piaomiao for whoever completes the recreation of the Immortal Domain." Li Fan could only speculate at this point. He had too little information to delve deeper, so he simply committed the message to memory for now.

What Li Fan was more concerned about now was the significance of the message originating from beyond the High Wall. "Did Sun Piaomiao vanish without a trace because he was already beyond the High Wall? When he disappeared, the calamity that destroyed the Immortal Realm hadn't occurred yet, and the High Wall didn't exist. Later, the invisible High Wall rose from the ground, enveloping the Star Sea. Sun Piaomiao never returned..."

"What exactly does the High Wall signify?" A myriad of thoughts instantly flooded Li Fan's mind. This message from beyond the High Wall once again piqued his intense interest in this unknown realm.

"Regardless, the Immortal Domain left by Sun Piaomiao must be an important clue. His current strength is still insufficient to probe it. Dao Fusion! Immortal Realm!"

As Li Fan continued his exploration, the more he encountered, the more he felt an endless sense of mystery and the unknown. His desire to grow stronger became unprecedentedly intense.

In the Xuanhuang Realm, time passed minute by minute. The Great Heavenly Venerate, Nameless, was without knowledge or consciousness. Following the natural operation of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, it continuously repaired the damage accumulated over ten millennia. Coupled with Li Fan's continuous subtle nourishment through various methods, three years passed, and the Xuanhuang Realm had reached its peak strength. It had arrived at the critical point where quantitative change would lead to qualitative transformation. All living beings in the world, even those within the illusion array, were still infected by this grand momentum naturally born between heaven and earth, filled with a mix of anticipation and endless dread.

The three-year period had ended. Li Fan noticed that the restriction on Nameless had begun to slowly dissipate on its own. The true Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate, after ten millennia of absence, was once again about to descend upon the world!

Suddenly, an invisible weight seemed to press down on his shoulders. This was the might and authority originating from the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate! Feeling the restraint on him, Li Fan frowned slightly. This situation was not within his expectations. However, after careful consideration, Li Fan quickly felt relieved.

The Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate was appointed by the Immortal Realm to oversee the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao and all living beings in the world. After Mr. Bai, although the position was vacant for ten millennia, the rank still existed. The Dharma-Preaching Heavenly Venerate disseminated the new method of "devouring heaven and earth" to all beings. From absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to defying its principles, the higher one's cultivation realm, the more deeply bound they became to the world. By now, cultivators of the new method and the Xuanhuang Realm had become inextricably linked, forming a part of heaven and earth. The Xuanhuang Heaven and Earth must strictly obey the commands of the Great Heavenly Venerate; disobedience was impossible. This also led to a situation where, when the new Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate appeared, all cultivators practicing the new method also felt the power of this new constraint.

Conversely, while cultivators were indeed a part of heaven and earth, the overall strength of Xuanhuang Realm cultivators was too formidable. Even without counting the Dharma-Preaching Heavenly Venerate who stood above all beings, the combined strength of the other cultivators would not be much weaker than the Xuanhuang Realm itself. Although the restrictions from the ancient times of the Xuanhuang Realm could affect cultivators, their effect was limited.

"As the saying goes, the balance of power is not fixed in ancient times. The strong can govern the weak, but the weak cannot!" The burden on Li Fan's body was even far less than that of the chess piece supporting fragments of the Immortal Domain on his shoulder. For Li Fan, it didn't affect his actions in the slightest.

"However, such a drastic change in the Xuanhuang Realm cannot be hidden from the Dharma-Preaching Heavenly Venerate and the Heavenly Physician. They will certainly return to the Xuanhuang Realm immediately."

"Fortunately, over these three years, I have made ample preparations." Li Fan's gaze shifted beyond the Xuanhuang Realm. Golden threads enveloped the boundaries of the Xuanhuang Realm's sky, resembling an invisible High Wall, separating the Xuanhuang Realm from the outer void! Within the condensed golden light, countless different fleeting images seemed to constantly evolve. Li Fan looked at his meticulously prepared creation with great satisfaction.

"The improved Grand Array of Xuanhuang Beings. Coupled with the replicated invisible High Wall... and most crucially, the deterrent power of Nameless True Immortal's leg bone!"

"With the support of the infinite Star Sea's power, it won't be a problem to trap the Heavenly Physician and the Dharma-Preaching Heavenly Venerate, these two Grand Supreme figures, for some time!"

In his previous life, the Heavenly Physician escaped so quickly because Li Fan was, after all, only at the mortal realm, and the Immortal Array was merely maintained by refined source energy, a downgraded existence. It simply couldn't truly simulate the might of a "True Immortal." So, when the Heavenly Physician faintly perceived something in the illusion array and chose to confront the True Immortal directly, the immense disparity allowed him to immediately discover the flaws in the array.

But this life was different. Li Fan connected the core of the array with Nameless True Immortal's leg bone. Even if it was just a remnant bone of the deceased Nameless True Immortal, the faint aura it emanated would not be much weaker than that of a True Immortal! The performance of the Hungry Immortal from the Immortal Ruins and the Southern Immortal Sky Pillar appearing simultaneously in his previous life attested to this point. With the pressure of an aura indistinguishable from a True Immortal, the Heavenly Physician would certainly not court death needlessly. If he insisted on trying... even at the Grand Supreme Realm, he would probably be consumed, without resistance, into the characters on Nameless True Immortal's leg bone!

One could say that the Grand Array of Xuanhuang Beings, with Nameless True Immortal's leg bone at its core, had undergone a qualitative transformation to some extent. It was not an iteration of the array itself, but an elevation brought about by the extraordinary and refined materials used for its arrangement!

This was merely Li Fan's first layer of defense. In addition to the illusion array, Li Fan also erected a layer of high wall outside the Xuanhuang Realm using the Art of Imprisonment. This high wall, while indeed incomparable to the invisible High Wall that confined the Darkest Star Sea, was nevertheless an imitation based on Mo Rulin's insights into the High Wall's flaws from the previous life, and the collective contemplation of countless beings on the High Wall in this life, refined by Li Fan.

Li Fan had tested it himself. To cross this wall, one would need their momentum to reach ninety-nine percent of the critical point, even if not necessarily reaching the True Immortal realm. Without a large amount of True Immortal blood and flesh to fuel it, and without the aid of an ascension array, the Heavenly Physician and the Dharma-Preaching Heavenly Venerate, at their current realms, simply couldn't traverse the high wall in a short period!

"My high wall, even if it seems only slightly different from the true invisible High Wall, that slight difference is a world apart. The Heavenly Physician's strength, at the Grand Supreme Realm and the limit of the Star Sea, is not to be underestimated. I cannot expect this wall to hold them back for too long. I still have a third method!"

Li Fan withdrew his gaze from the sky and looked around the Xuanhuang Realm. "Once the Xuanhuang Realm begins its sublimation, all the qualitative changes occurring within it can serve as my weapons. The Super Immortal-Mortal Miasma, countless Immortal Souls of Heaven and Earth..."

"As long as I don't show any intention of refining Moshu, they can all be used by me! After all, I am the greatest contributor to the Xuanhuang Realm's ascension to an Immortal Domain. If successful, I can absolutely be called the Xuanhuang Realm's reborn parent. The power of the Immortal Domain's laws should be enough to contend with even the awakening of the Hungry Immortal."

"All preparations are complete. It's time to begin." Li Fan sneered inwardly. His gaze then locked onto Nameless, the Great Heavenly Venerate. Since the lifting of the trial restrictions three years prior, Nameless had remained motionless, seemingly formally accepting the position of Great Heavenly Venerate. However, its characteristic lack of knowledge or consciousness kept its expression calm, devoid of joy or sorrow.

The decree from the Immortal Realm no longer existed. The current Great Heavenly Venerate's every action was predicated on the highest interests of the Xuanhuang Realm. In the current situation, using the immortal spiritual energy from the Great Heavenly Venerate's legacy to assist the Xuanhuang Realm's sublimation became an inevitable choice. Urged by the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, vast quantities of immortal spiritual energy quickly surged from Nameless. Like adding fuel to a blazing fire, it propelled the Xuanhuang Realm onto its final path of sublimation. Either it would successfully ascend to an Immortal Domain, or it would be eternally doomed and turn to dust!

Under Li Fan's thorough preparations, success was almost certain, assuming no interference from external forces. Therefore, the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao did not hesitate in the slightest. Amidst the rising winds and surging clouds, it dispersed the immortal spiritual energy to every corner of heaven and earth. Even though it wasn't the first time he had seen true immortal spiritual energy, Li Fan was still deeply mesmerized by this incredibly mysterious power. Even with the immortal spiritual energy right before him, Li Fan still couldn't comprehend its form of existence, let alone utilize it. Perhaps, as Li Fan had predicted, only by ascending to the Immortal Realm, even if just a half-immortal, could one command such transcendent power.

But just because Li Fan couldn't utilize it didn't mean that other objects around him couldn't. "Disintegration Disc! Little Beastie!" With a thought from Li Fan, two light clusters appeared on his shoulders, one on the left and one on the right.

The Final Disintegration Disc had accompanied Li Fan's growth throughout. Its ability to infinitely deduce arrays greatly assisted Li Fan. For a long time, the arrays deduced by the Disintegration Disc were Li Fan's strongest trump card. However, it was, after all, a mortal creation. Confined by its inherent material limitations, the Final Disintegration Disc had reached its limit a long time ago. Even though Li Fan continuously fed it Immortal Array data, it only achieved a theoretical breakthrough between mortal and immortal. It could successfully deduce Immortal Arrays, but in reality, it still couldn't analyze or create true Immortal Arrays; it could only use a downgraded method of Immortal Arrays as a substitute. Now, sensing the immortal spiritual energy permeating heaven and earth, the Final Disintegration Disc trembled uncontrollably, filled with greed and yearning, like a cultivator who had seen the Immortal Souls of Heaven and Earth.

The situation with the Little Beastie was similar to the Disintegration Disc. This little creature's appetite was truly terrifyingly large. Only after devouring four Immortal Domain chess pieces did it finally stop eating. However, it seemed to have eaten too much, as the Beastie had been slow to undergo its transformation and evolution. It had simply remained in a long period of slumber. After some examination and a brief communication with the Beastie, Li Fan guessed that the Immortal Domain had not been fully formed, and what it had consumed were only fragments of laws. This rather unhealthy "food" had caused the Beastie some indigestion. It needed pure immortal spiritual energy as a catalyst to aid digestion.

Both of these were at a critical juncture, on the verge of a breakthrough. Once they were imbued with immortal spiritual energy, they would undergo a qualitative transformation, just like the Xuanhuang Realm! The immortal spiritual energy permeating heaven and earth grew increasingly dense. The greed of the Disintegration Disc and the Little Beastie grew stronger, almost beyond control, threatening to break free from Li Fan.

Under Li Fan's communication and assurance, even if somewhat unwillingly, the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao still separated two extremely tiny, but absolutely pure, strands of immortal spiritual energy. These were transported to Li Fan's side. The moment he received this immortal spiritual energy from the Great Heavenly Venerate's legacy, Li Fan sensed that the Xuanhuang Realm's favorability towards him had, invisibly, plummeted significantly. He scoffed, ignoring it for now. Li Fan resisted the urge to investigate further and infused these two strands of immortal spiritual energy into the Disintegration Disc and the Little Beastie, respectively.

An incomparably crystalline and brilliant light gradually enveloped the two. Even Li Fan, their master, lost his perception of them. He was even forced to retreat by the pressure emanating from the two light clusters. Two immortal artifacts seemed to be in the process of being conceived.

Li Fan also sensed that the interception array he had set up in the center of the Star Sea had been triggered. The loss of a little immortal spiritual energy did not slow down the Xuanhuang Realm's momentum towards ascension. Li Fan continuously formed hand seals, rapidly burning large amounts of wriggling True Immortal flesh and blood as the driving force to elevate the Xuanhuang Realm's power.

In the center of the Xuanhuang Realm, a towering phantom suddenly appeared, reaching from heaven to earth. It was mottled with light and shadow, and profound, mysterious characters were revealed on it. It was precisely the stone tablet formed by Nameless True Immortal's leg bone! As a solid pillar to support the Xuanhuang Realm and prevent its fall after ascension, it had been set up by Li Fan long ago. A tremendous roar resounded throughout heaven and earth. Countless torn wounds appeared on the Xuanhuang Heavenly Curtain. It seemed the world could not withstand the immense impact of sublimation and was on the verge of falling apart. At this moment, Li Fan's nurturing over the past decade played a crucial role.