Chapter 1455: Large Bubble Identified

These block-shaped spaces were exactly what he had seen after breaking through the Dark Star Sea: countless partitioned star seas arranged side by side.

They still exhibited three coexisting states: dark, faintly lit, and flickering.

However, the total number of squares displayed on the circular wall here was far greater than what Li Buren had previously seen.

Li Buren tried to pinpoint the Xuanhuang Realm.

After his gaze settled on the light point representing the Dark Star Sea, he also recognized the myriad block-like spaces displayed in conjunction with it.

Along the periphery of all these block-like star seas, a broad white line separated this region of block spaces from other areas.

This white line appeared to be a demarcation.

Although visually, the Dark Star Sea's region appeared unremarkable and simply parallel to all other areas on the circular mural, the presence of this white ring subtly elevated the block-like star seas contained within its demarcated boundary.

They seemed to be the focal point, like stars clustering around the most conspicuous central position.

"This unique characteristic..."

Li Buren stared intently at the dazzling white circle.

"The Great Void."

The term spontaneously appeared in Li Buren's mind.

In the era of the Ancient Immortal Cultivation Realm, it represented the true boundary of the explorable cosmos—a void of pure nothingness, seemingly without end.

From his vantage point outside the circular mural, Li Buren vaguely perceived the essence of this Great Void.

However, he couldn't be certain.

"Although it's a place of complete nothingness, it's fundamentally different from being affected by the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation. Its emptiness stems from the disappearance of most Dao principles, leaving only a few foundational Great Dao laws, much like pillars. It's similar to this experimental ground..."

"Only those within the purview of these Dao principles can clearly perceive the hidden and obscured elements within the experimental ground, and can avoid having their essence forcibly drained when in the Great Void."

To advance further, ancient True Immortals had to merge their bodies with a specific Great Dao of the cosmos, thereby achieving the Nameless Realm. This step could only be taken once their comprehension of that Great Dao reached a profound level. Hence, True Immortal cultivation primarily involved a deepening understanding of a particular Dao principle.

Although "Three Thousand Great Daos" is a figurative expression, the distinct Dao principles inherently bestowed various "attributes" upon True Immortals, such as the Hunger Immortal, the Xiyi Immortal, the Hegan Immortal, and others.

The restrictive measures present here and in the Great Void, which resembled those of the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation, could filter True Immortals to identify "their own faction," thereby granting them permission to access this experimental star domain.

While identity and background could be fabricated, one's true allegiance could not. In other words, if a True Immortal genuinely altered their cultivation path to infiltrate this place, they would, by doing so, immediately become a part of the "faction." Since their presence would then be welcomed, the concept of "infiltration" would become irrelevant.

"This restrictive technique is, in essence, a colossal filtering mechanism."

"Moreover, its purpose extends far beyond simple filtering; once one changes allegiance, it's likely impossible to revert."

The sole reason Li Buren could enter this place years later was his extraordinary ability: "Mind Transformed into Deity, Dao Net Projection."

If the myriad Great Daos naturally categorize True Immortals into various factions, then Dao Net Projection represents an "I want it all" approach, allowing one to equally join all existing and known True Immortal factions.

This was absolutely impossible in ancient times. Not only was it unheard of to benefit from all Three Thousand Great Daos, but even cultivating two different Great Daos simultaneously was fraught with immense difficulty. Furthermore, even if one managed to cultivate multiple Daos, it ultimately paled in comparison to mastering a single Dao to its absolute peak and attaining the Nameless Realm.

"As I previously analyzed."

"My Dao Net Projection could safely exist for two reasons. Firstly, the Great Tribulation of Dao Annihilation struck, leading to the destruction of the Immortal Realm. The Nameless True Immortals, who had merged their bodies with the Dao, either perished or fled, leaving them no leisure to attend to these miniature mirrors reflecting the Great Dao."

"Secondly, there was an even larger Shuoxinghai Dao Net that obscured my presence."

Against the backdrop of the Immortal Realm's destruction and the suspected abandonment of this experimental site, a confluence of factors, including Li Fan's numerous reincarnations, allowed Li Buren to fortuitously gain entry. It can be said that without any one of these conditions, he would have been unable to enter.

"Records of the Great Void have existed since antiquity."

"However, since the Great Tribulation descended and the high walls ascended, it has been untraceable."

"From what I observe, it seems that after the outbreak of the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation and the activation of emergency protective measures, a fundamental transformation occurred, encompassing all the experimental block-like star seas."

Li Buren stared at the bold white circle representing the Great Void.

Its abrupt appearance among the countless small squares on the circular mural was as if someone had fiercely drawn a circle within the boundless star sea!

Marking out the target they wished to find!

"Although this experimental site was abandoned for unknown reasons, its various facilities remain operational. Could this be why the Great Void was demarcated in this manner?"

Li Buren quietly analyzed the situation, piecing together the clues from his observations.

While the unique properties of Dao Net Projection allowed him to infiltrate this place, he possessed only observational privileges, not manipulative control. He was unable to manipulate any of the partitioned block-like star seas on the circular mural or the numerous objects flickering within the cylindrical hall.

It was currently impossible to determine the true reason for demarcating the Great Void around those block-like star seas. However, the presence of the Xuanhuang Realm's Dark Star Sea within that demarcation was enough to send a chill down Li Fan's spine.

Based on the clues he had gathered, Li Fan attempted to reconstruct the secrets hidden behind this experimental space as thoroughly as possible.

"The Tribulation of Dao Annihilation is suspected to originate from the same source as the Sea of Infinity."

"After I connected to the Sea of Infinity using the incomplete Ascension Platform, I discovered that each time I harnessed its infinite power, billions of water droplets from the Sea would surge through unseen channels from that sacred, unknowable realm, threatening to engulf everything in the world. The premonition was so vivid, and the instinctive dread it caused was so profound, that even the avatar puppet, which possessed little self-emotion, dared not press the button."

"Yet, countless True Immortals, along with myriad immortal artifacts, servants, and puppets, exist in this world. They utilize infinite immortal spiritual power without facing such concerns. The generated immortal spiritual power within the Disintegration Disc unequivocally proves this point." As Li Fan pondered this, a supremely sacred power diffused from the Immortal Rank Disintegration Disc.

As Li Fan held the shimmering white light around his fingertips, sensing its infinite nature, he seemed to glimpse the boundless Sea of Infinity once more.

"There couldn't possibly be a second Sea of Infinity in the mortal realm."

"Initially, the Immortal Realm harbored no great fear of the rampaging Tribulation of Dao Annihilation. It was as if mortals were observing a widespread flood, with True Immortals tasked with its containment."

"A reasonable conjecture is that the ancient Immortal Realm was well aware that harnessing the power of the Sea of Infinity would trigger the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation. However, the irresistible allure of infinity made it impossible for True Immortals to forgo its utilization."

"They even constructed structures akin to dams and reservoirs upon the Sea of Infinity. Instead of directly connecting to the Sea, all True Immortals channeled its power through these intermediary Immortal Realm constructions. This system was designed to prevent the catastrophic deluge of the Sea of Infinity and the subsequent arrival of the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation upon the world."

"But..."

"The Sea of Infinity is an unimaginably vast and sacred expanse. Even a Nameless True Immortal cannot compare to a mere ripple that occasionally surfaces within it."

"Even if the ancient Immortal Realm civilization had advanced to a point where it could, to some extent, regulate the Sea of Infinity. However..."

Li Fan then recalled the terrifying and obscure Dao fluctuations that emanated from the depths of the Sea of Infinity when Huan Zhen stood upon its surface.

"Those who play with fire will inevitably be consumed by it."

"No dam in the world can remain impregnable forever. Once a breach appears, closing it becomes exceedingly difficult. Furthermore, countless True Immortals, whether by accident or design, sought to bypass the Immortal Realm's restrictions and directly connect to the Sea of Infinity, just as I did."

"Each such instance effectively tore another rift between reality and the Sea of Infinity."

"Inevitably, over time, the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation grew ever more ferocious."

Li Fan's thoughts churned, continuing his deductions.

"As signs of the calamity emerged, star domains within the Immortal Realm were annihilated one after another."

"Huan Zhen, this supreme treasure capable of defying fate and altering destiny, was also suspected to originate from the Sea of Infinity. Although the Immortal Realm might not have fully understood its precise effects, they vaguely surmised that it could potentially resolve this world-ending crisis. Consequently, they secretly commenced searches everywhere, even extending their efforts to the star seas of the lower realms."

"They deduced the approximate time Huan Zhen was expected to appear. And Huan Zhen should indeed have manifested then..."

"Had Huan Zhen, upon appearing in the Xuanhuang Realm and being discovered by Immortal Realm forces, been immediately controlled by the Immortal Realm's masters and Nameless True Immortals, it might have been possible to reverse the tide and quell the world-destroying Tribulation of Dao Annihilation in its infancy."

"However, for some unknown reason, Huan Zhen's appearance was delayed."

"The Immortal Realm never received this world-saving supreme treasure."

"Although the overall situation remained stable, it was inevitable that dissenters would arise."

"As I had glimpsed in that True Immortal's memory: grand figures had their grand designs, and even ants had their ways of survival."

"True Immortals each employed their own methods, seeking their individual paths to survival."

"Some transformed mortals into immortals, while others used Nameless Skeletons and Immortal Heavenly Pillars to forge fragments of immortal domains into vessels of salvation..."

"But what no one anticipated was the premature and far more violent eruption of the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation. It was as if all connection channels between the Sea of Infinity and the present world had suddenly exploded, unleashing an overwhelming catastrophe."

"Caught completely off guard, True Immortals, Nameless True Immortals, and even the currently unknown Immortal Realm masters perished like common ants..."

Before Li Fan's eyes, a terrifying scene unfolded: the Sea of Infinity unleashed its deluge, annihilating the Immortal Realm.

"Although numerous Nameless True Immortals willingly, or were compelled to, transform into pillars to withstand the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation, how long could their resistance last?"

"The Sea of Infinity's eventual engulfment of the real world is an inevitable trend. Unless the Immortal Realm's ancient dams can be swiftly rebuilt over the numerous rifts during this fleeting period of safety, then..."

Li Fan's gaze involuntarily fell upon the doomsday countdown displayed on the Huan Zhen panel.

"The Sea of Infinity appears to transcend all possibilities."

"And the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation is by no means confined to my original timeline."

"Perhaps others discovered and exploited the Sea of Infinity, incurring similar catastrophes. Alternatively, after the Great Tribulation, the Nameless True Immortals from the original timeline might have fled to other possibilities."

"Even if they jumped to other possibilities, as long as they didn't relinquish the infinite immortal spiritual power, their connection to the Sea of Infinity would persist. Furthermore, for a Nameless True Immortal who has reached the realm of merging their body with the Dao, such a bond cannot simply be abandoned at will."

"The Tribulation of Dao Annihilation, a relentless shadow, followed closely, successively engulfing worlds..."

Reaching this point in his deduction, even with computational abilities comparable to the Dao Transformation Stone Mother, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a burgeoning headache.

Dealing with a single possibility was manageable.

Numerous clues converged, yielding countless possible answers. Li Fan systematically verified each one, choosing the one closest to the truth.

However, once other possibilities became involved, the difficulty of the deduction suddenly escalated by several orders of magnitude.

Firstly, Li Fan currently knew nothing about the conditions of other possibilities; the available information was simply too scarce.

Secondly, each additional possibility effectively doubled the variables required for the deduction. Theoretically, with infinite possibilities, even thousands of Dao Transformation Stone Mothers combined would be insufficient.

"However, given the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation's ongoing devastation, the remaining possibilities in the mortal realm can hardly be considered infinite. With only a little over seven million years of lifespan left..."

"Perhaps 'barely clinging to existence' would be a more accurate description."

Li Fan's thoughts whirred to their maximum capacity before his vision suddenly darkened, forcing him to halt his deduction.

His attention temporarily shifted away from the Immortal Realm and the truth of the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation, returning instead to the bizarre experimental grounds.

"This place's original purpose must have been to stake out Huan Zhen."

"However, since Huan Zhen ultimately failed to appear as expected, the Immortal Realm officially abandoned this site."

"But only overtly."

"Some lesser figures from the Immortal Realm, however, did not completely abandon or leave this place. Yet, their objective was likely not Huan Zhen."

"Rather, it was simply to find a glimmer of hope for survival amidst the impending Tribulation of Dao Annihilation."

"To create the demarcation method for the Great Void, the assistance of Nameless True Immortals was absolutely indispensable..."

"But why did this entire group of individuals suddenly vanish?"

"Judging by the traces left behind, a considerable number of True Immortals had gathered here in the past."

Li Buren once more investigated the experimental grounds, seeking to uncover more secrets.

His gaze swept around, and suddenly, his attention fixed on one of the objects that had unexpectedly appeared later in the cylindrical hall.

It was a uniquely shaped human effigy.

It stood silently, like a reclusive grandmaster subtly integrated into the court, yet it had almost entirely escaped Li Buren's notice. If not for its distinctive design, which bore a striking resemblance to something Li Fan had encountered previously, Li Buren would likely have overlooked it entirely.