Chapter 1466: Power Harassing the Hungry Immortal

The Hungry Immortal had been meditating in the Immortal Ruins for a long time. Judging by her reactions to the expanding Immortal Realm and the blank stone tablet after awakening in the previous cycle, she was very close to attaining the Anonymous Immortal state—perhaps just one step away. Whether or not she became an Anonymous True Immortal would make an enormous difference to Li Fan's plans.

"If she doesn't attain the Anonymous state, no matter how close she is in power, I won't be able to easily transform her into a pillar supporting the Dao. This means I won't be able to free up the power of the Hill Guardian's phantom," Li Fan mused. "Perhaps I can help her..." As these thoughts crossed his mind, countless images flashed before his eyes, and he began to rapidly calculate various scenarios.

In the past, the Hungry Immortal in the Immortal Ruins was an utterly terrifying and untouchable being for Li Fan. He still remembered the dreadful power with which she had destroyed Xuanhuang with a single glance. Even though she had been easily captured by Cat Treasure and severely tormented by Xie Subai without her knowledge, the Hungry Immortal was still beyond the capability of Li Fan, who was merely a Half-Immortal, to contend with. However, now that he had mastered the power of the Hill Guardian's phantom, she suddenly seemed less invincible.

"The Xuanhuang Realm is still very useful to me; I cannot let it be easily destroyed," he thought. "But if she attains the Anonymous state, the resulting fluctuations are bound to destroy everything nearby..." After weighing his options, Li Fan had an idea.

In the pitch-black Star Sea, specks of starlight seemed to appear. Li Buren, having split off his Dao Net body, returned to the Star Sea. Essentially a projection of the Dao Net without a physical form, it could manifest wherever the Grand Dao extended. Thus, his presence in the Star Sea within the high wall was unaffected, even as he sat in his grand armchair. The body, formed by the Dao Net projection, was concealed within reality, like snow melting into water, leaving no trace.

Li Fan's main body rose, gazing from afar at Li Buren below the high wall. His divine sense, passing through the omnipresent Carefree Dreamland, instantly enveloped the Xuanhuang Realm layer by layer. The main body and the clone, two identical divine sense Dao Net projections, echoed each other, and the corresponding nodes in their Dao Nets began to naturally merge.

"Rise!" Li Buren cried out. With the immense power of the Hill Guardian's phantom upon him and using the connected Dao Net projection as a rope, he yanked forcefully towards the Xuanhuang Realm. The realm, enveloped by the Dao Net projection, immediately trembled slightly, then was slowly pulled away, inch by inch, from the Immortal Ruins' gravitational pull!

The escape plan from the Immortal Ruins, which the combined might of all cultivators in the Xuanhuang Realm had failed to achieve, was now completed by Li Fan alone. This demonstrated the vast difference between an Anonymous True Immortal and ordinary cultivators!

At this moment, outside the Xuanhuang Realm, countless immortal formations began to evolve. The Xuanhuang Realm seemed to fall into a vast mist, transforming from solid to illusory, becoming indiscernible. This was a concealment method Li Fan employed to avoid alerting the Hungry Immortal prematurely. It proved that the Hungry Immortal, deep in her meditation, truly paid little attention to her surroundings, as she remained completely unaware of the Xuanhuang Realm's departure.

Although the Dao Net pulling method appeared slow, this was only in relation to the Xuanhuang Realm's immense size. If converted to a cultivator's flight speed, it would be equivalent to traversing ninety-nine Xuanhuang Realms in a single breath. Despite seeming slow, it was actually fast, and without much difficulty, the Xuanhuang Realm successfully escaped the Immortal Ruins' pull.

All obstacles along the path were disregarded in the face of the Hill Guardian's phantom power, which rivaled that of an Anonymous True Immortal. Even the residual Dao Annihilation black qi from the previous test site's spatial vibrations was resolved by Li Fan's intervention. Its speed through the void steadily increased. Incredibly smoothly, after more than ten days, the Xuanhuang Realm arrived in a safe region of the cosmos. Its only drawback was the surrounding absolute silence.

Perhaps sensing the change in its environment, corresponding evolutions began to emerge within the Xuanhuang Realm. These included scenes of life resurgence, such as the Fusang Tree sprouting new buds and new underground rivers gushing forth. It was like a dying patient suddenly regaining vitality; the dynamic of attack and defense had now shifted. The fragments of other cultivation worlds, previously implanted by Heavenly Doctor, had been like tumors consuming the realm's body, but now they had become nutrients for the Xuanhuang Realm's rebirth.

The yellow color, representing the Xuanhuang Realm's inherent power, sounded the horn of counterattack. With the original central Xuanhuang region as its core, it rapidly expanded outwards. As he was virtually within the Xuanhuang Realm, Li Fan naturally observed all these changes.

"Previously, to resist the Immortal Ruins' gravitational pull, the Xuanhuang Realm had always diverted some of its power. Now that it's far from the Immortal Ruins, these powers have been liberated," Li Fan realized. "It's exactly like how I call upon the Hill Guardian's phantom." The speed at which the Xuanhuang Realm's vitality resurged somewhat surprised Li Fan.

He looked at Li Ningqing, also known as Yanfa Jue, who was still leisurely exploring the Xuanhuang Realm. The vacation Li Fan had given her had long ended, but he hadn't recalled her, as if he had forgotten about it. Having worked for several millennia consecutively, Li Ningqing clearly hadn't had enough rest. She even pretended to forget, not returning to Li Fan on time. Initially, she was very anxious, but seeing that so much time had passed with no reaction from Li Fan, her worries gradually dissipated. She spent her days touring and exploring various secret realms throughout Xuanhuang, utterly carefree and happy.

As expected of a former creation of the Immortal Realm, with her keen spiritual sense, she actually discovered several hidden places that Li Fan had overlooked. However, almost all of them were abandoned or damaged, holding little value. Therefore, Li Fan continued to let her enjoy herself, planning to settle accounts with her only after thoroughly understanding the situation of the Xuanhuang Realm.

"If I could operate the Hill Guardian's phantom power with such precision, I wouldn't need to rely on this little girl," Li Fan mused, shaking his head slightly. The immense power, comparable to that of an Anonymous True Immortal, was certainly effective for combat. But if he wanted to use it to search the Xuanhuang Realm, it would likely collapse before anything could be found. Li Fan had no intention of destroying his own base yet.

Setting aside the various dramatic changes occurring within the Xuanhuang Realm after its departure from the Immortal Ruins, Li Buren, the clone, followed step by step, eventually arriving above the Immortal Ruins.

Unlike ordinary True Immortals, the clone's current body was entirely formed from a projection of the Grand Dao, perfectly merged with this world. Without activating the Hill Guardian's phantom power, it was almost undetectable by others. However, the Hungry Immortal should not be underestimated. Li Buren's Dao Net projection body, compared to the dead silence of the Grand Dao in this desolate star-filled cosmos, still had some subtle differences.

As if sensing something, the golden shackles on the Hungry Immortal gradually began to jingle. Li Buren also detected a suction force emanating from the Hungry Immortal. It was her instinct to devour Li Buren, this "tasty food," into her belly. Li Buren did not resist, allowing his body to float and accelerate towards the Hungry Immortal.

When he was just three zhang away from the Hungry Immortal, Li Buren's heart stirred slightly. "Indeed, beneath this place," he thought, "there is the aura of an Anonymous True Immortal." It was well concealed by the Hungry Immortal, perfectly merged with the fluctuations generated by her own enlightenment. If he hadn't been so close, and if Li Buren, as a Dao Net projection, hadn't been incredibly sensitive to the Grand Dao of the world, it might truly have been overlooked.

With the Hungry Immortal's skeletal body in sight, Li Buren suddenly accelerated, instantly closing in on her. The Hungry Immortal finally became aware, opening her eyes abruptly, just as the power of the Hill Guardian's phantom descended upon Li Buren's body.

In a flash, Li Buren, utilizing the Hungry Immortal's still-active suction, pointed a finger at her brow. It wasn't an enlightening guidance, but rather a direct infusion of the Hill Guardian's immense power—akin to an Anonymous entity—seamlessly channeled through the Hungry Immortal's absorption. The Hungry Immortal's emaciated body instantly swelled like a balloon.

It didn't become full like normal flesh, but expanded in a distorted, grotesque manner. The degree of swelling varied across her body; at this moment, the Hungry Immortal resembled a terrifying monster found only in the deepest abysses. Even her two eyes were mismatched: the larger one occupied half of her face, while the smaller one was compressed, shrinking to just a pupil.

Nevertheless, both eyes fixed intently on the suddenly appearing Li Buren. In them, there was shock, confusion, and boundless rage. But soon, all these emotions transformed into terror.

She finally realized that the immense power being infused by the other party was far more than she could consume. If this continued, she might, in a sense, "burst." And it wasn't just her immortal body. The Hungry Immortal felt that the Dao of Hunger, which she had painstakingly comprehended during her secluded cultivation, was slowly being taken over by the other party with almost brute force.

It was like a cuckoo displacing a magpie, forcibly entering her house and then attempting to completely drive her out! The Hungry Immortal, shocked and enraged, instinctively fought back. Her immortal body being destroyed was acceptable, but her Dao path being encroached upon was absolutely not.

The Hungry Immortal vied with this mysterious intruder for ownership of the Dao of Hunger. However, she had not yet attained the Anonymous state; though only a sliver away, this Dao path did not yet truly belong to her. Initially, the Hungry Immortal could barely maintain her territory, relying on the familiarity cultivated from her past. But slowly, she was horrified to discover that the Grand Dao of Hunger was gradually shifting towards the other party!

From occupying 99% of the 'room' to being pushed into a corner, it only took a few breaths. The Hungry Immortal was utterly bewildered.

She could see that the opponent's efficiency was partly due to their immense power. But more importantly, the opponent's comprehension of the Dao of Hunger was also extremely profound. This allowed them to naturally contend for the ownership of the Dao of Hunger and emerge victorious!

"This... how is this possible?" The discovery of this fact dealt a blow to the Hungry Immortal that was even greater than her body being destroyed or her Dao path being seized.

"Clearly," she thought, "the skeletal remains of the Anonymous of Hunger are right beneath me! There's absolutely no place in the world where this Dao path is more concentrated than here. So where did he attain enlightenment on this Dao?" Unable to muster any resistance, the Hungry Immortal felt despair and bewilderment.

But for some unknown reason, the other party, who could have quickly taken over the entire Dao of Hunger, suddenly stalled halfway, becoming motionless at the last moment. However, the Hungry Immortal dared not make any rash moves, merely observing in silence. At the same time, she accumulated strength, preparing for a desperate counterattack.

In the Immortal Realm, death duels over the struggle for a certain Dao path were not uncommon, and the outcome was always a fight to the death.

Therefore, the Hungry Immortal held no illusions of luck. But what baffled her was that the other party seemed to truly stop just before the final step. They could have easily driven her out of the 'room' with a mere gesture, yet they didn't.

After a long time, something even more unexpected happened to the Hungry Immortal. The figure actually shook its head slightly and, step by step, withdrew from the 'room'!

The Hungry Immortal regained full control over the Dao of Hunger! With most of her strength recovered, her heart filled with joy.

Returning to reality from the struggle over the Dao, the Hungry Immortal vigilantly observed the figure not far away. The immense power that had been infused into her also inexplicably vanished, and her immortal body returned to normal in the blink of an eye. She retracted her golden chains and, looking at the mysterious figure before her, attempted to communicate. "Fellow Immortal," she began, "Why is this?"

After a moment of silence, a cold voice responded, "This Dao is too weak. It's better not to merge." This answer far exceeded the Hungry Immortal's expectations. She froze slightly, her mind momentarily blank. The words were not difficult to understand: the other party was disdainful of the Dao of Hunger, deeming it too weak. Therefore, even with a hundred percent certainty of successfully attaining the Anonymous state through it, they had voluntarily withdrawn.

But... how could this be? Could there truly be such an arrogant individual in the world? The Hungry Immortal's heart was filled with confusion and shock.

One must know that attaining the Anonymous state was a stark difference from being an ordinary True Immortal. In the Immortal Realm of old, True Immortals could freely establish their own immortal abodes in a star region and enjoy endless energy and resources. However, they were still subject to the Immortal Realm's governance; none dared to disobey the commands of the ruling Immortal Emperor. They were like citizens of the Immortal Realm.

Only at the Anonymous True Immortal realm could one ascend to the rank of "official." They could not only govern a star region but even openly debate with the ruling Immortal Emperor without punishment. The fundamental reason was that the source of True Immortals' infinite immortal power was firmly controlled by the Immortal Emperor; a single decree could strip a True Immortal of their access to the Infinite Sea.

Without this infinite nature, True Immortals would not even be a match for their own immortal servants or puppets. Furthermore, how could True Immortals, having tasted the essence of infinity, easily give it up? Therefore, under the rule of the Immortal Emperor, there were virtually no rebels.

The greatest goal of all True Immortals was to merge with a Grand Dao and ascend to the Anonymous state. It was said that Anonymous True Immortals could, to some extent, break free from the Immortal Realm's control and access the Infinite Sea on their own.

Thus achieving true freedom. Therefore, regardless of strength or weakness, ascending to the Anonymous state was an irresistible temptation for True Immortals in the world. But now, someone actually passed the Anonymous gate without entering?

The Hungry Immortal gazed at the figure not far away, filled with shock. "If you wish to merge, then do so," the voice said. "However, there are still some imperfections in your comprehension."

As the Hungry Immortal stared blankly, the other party spoke again. To her surprise, he meticulously revealed all of his own insights into the Dao of Hunger. The Hungry Immortal, comparing his insights with her own, was both astonished and delighted. She was astonished that his comprehension was indeed superior to hers, and delighted that with his supplementary insights, she was not far from taking that final step!