Chapter 1562: Immortal and Indestructible

Angry Squid:

Li Fan possessed the Dao Scroll of the Grand Supreme, and theoretically, all existing Dao information from the primordial era was within his grasp. Yet, the Dao principles condensed within the skeleton before him were not reflected in his knowledge, just like Inscription Dao!

"Understanding this Dao would elevate my comprehension of the transformation between truth and falsehood to a new level," a premonition instantly surged within Li Fan's heart.

However, he did not easily move to seize it.

This immortal skeleton must be extremely important to the Merchant Immortal Ship. Yet, there was no protection whatsoever around the skeleton. Not even the blue spectral power of the Lord of Holy Merchant appeared.

"This can only mean that the skeleton's own power already exceeds the combined defensive capabilities of the Merchant Immortal Ship. There is no need for any defenses at all." The faint sense of danger lingering in his mind never dissipated.

Li Fan stared intently for a long time, unable to ascertain whether the skeleton before him was alive or dead.

After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan finally made up his mind. The current situation was beyond what the Grand Heavenly Venerate Immortal Puppet could handle. His true body had to act personally!

"For the sake of safety, I will naturally not easily step outside the high wall. But sending out the Myriad Forms Dao Net is still feasible." Li Fan's thought stirred slightly, and the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm subtly trembled. The invisible net covering it immediately began to infiltrate and spread beyond the wall.

He was no stranger to the Shuo Star Sea beyond the high wall. In fact, in his previous life, Li Fan and Cheng Dao jointly established the Shuo Star Sea High Wall System. Especially at this current point in time, the Shuo Star Sea Dao Net had not yet been established. Therefore, the Myriad Forms Dao Net's covert infiltration proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

However, this starfield was still in a chaotic era where True Immortals and cultivators coexisted. The further away from the high wall, the more the support from the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm would be reduced, and the more easily he would be noticed. Li Fan did not expand blindly, focusing only on the location of the Merchant Immortal Ship.

According to his observations during this period of lurking, the Merchant Immortal Ship's entry channel in the Shuo Star Sea changed periodically. However, perhaps because capturing and researching the black and white cat had consumed most of the Merchant Immortal Ship's energy recently, the entrance Li Fan discovered showed no signs of changing.

The tentacles branching off from the Myriad Forms Dao Net were thus able to infiltrate smoothly. It is worth mentioning that the old man guarding the entrance of the passage seemed to have sensed the arrival of the Myriad Forms Dao Net. His expression changed ever so slightly. But, as before, he ultimately chose to act as if nothing had happened.

"This person is quite interesting." Li Fan did not entangle with him. The Myriad Forms Dao Net extended all the way, merging with the fragmented consciousness it had dispatched.

Within the tentacles of the Myriad Forms Dao Net, a phantom image of Li Fan slowly took shape, writhing into being.

"No matter how high the Dao's rank, none can escape the fate of mountains and seas merging." Li Fan gazed at the immortal skeleton ahead, and as his gaze directed, the nascent Ink Kill acted as a vanguard. Like a ferocious wolf or a ravenous tiger, it rapidly approached.

After a century of gestation in the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, infused with the rhythm of the Dao of Longevity, the nascent Ink Kill appeared in the world for the first time. Even Li Fan himself was not entirely aware of the full power of this nascent Ink Kill.

The black dots of Ink Kill, like a surging tide, heavily enveloped the immortal skeleton ahead. Li Fan, meanwhile, manipulated the Myriad Forms Dao Net to thoroughly seal off the surrounding space. This ensured that even with violent disturbances here, the Merchant Immortal Ship would not immediately detect them.

The Myriad Forms Dao Net acted like a mirror, reflecting everything in its surroundings. Li Fan keenly noticed the single thread of connection between this immortal skeleton and the outside world. But it was merely this single thread.

"It seems the Merchant Immortal Ship's utilization of this skeleton isn't very high. Perhaps they merely mechanically trigger its Dao principles." As Li Fan mused, the great tide of Ink Kill had already completely swallowed the side-lying immortal skeleton.

"Hmm," Li Fan was suddenly taken aback. In his predictions, no matter how powerful the nascent Ink Kill was, this immortal skeleton should not have been so utterly defenseless. With its ability to constantly rewind and restore itself, it should have at least been able to hold out for a while.

"Why is this?" Li Fan frowned and recalled the nascent Ink Kill. The spot where the side-lying immortal skeleton had been was indeed empty. Ink Kill should have devoured the skeleton. Yet, strangely, even though it had seemingly consumed it, Ink Kill felt as if it had swallowed only air. It showed no changes itself.

"The nascent Ink Kill can not only devour and annihilate all Daos. It can also restore the devoured Daos, transforming them into materials for weaving the Myriad Forms Dao Net." Li Fan lightly caressed the constantly shifting ink-like substance by his hand, confirming that this ability of Ink Kill had not vanished.

"So..." Realizing something, Li Fan's gaze refocused on the spot where the side-lying immortal skeleton had disappeared. He silently counted the time.

Ninety-nine breaths later, without any warning, the skeleton that had been swallowed by Ink Kill abruptly reappeared in the field. It still lay silently on its side. Only this time, the empty eye sockets of the skull were not looking down at the Merchant Immortal Ship. They were looking at Li Fan!

Sensing the sudden chill that arose in Li Fan's heart, the Ink Kill beside him spontaneously surged forth, protecting him. It was extremely vigilant, yet after a long time, Li Fan did not receive the anticipated frontal assault.

After observing for a while longer and confirming that this bizarre immortal skeleton posed no immediate threat, Li Fan released Ink Kill again. It surged towards the skeleton. The result was the same. The skeleton was once again swallowed without any resistance. But after ninety-nine breaths, it reappeared out of thin air. Its eyes still fixed on Li Fan.

Li Fan snorted coldly and tried again. This time, the Ink Kill cloud simply kept the skeleton's location covered. It did not withdraw even when the immortal skeleton vanished.

As the ninety-nine breaths approached, Li Fan held his breath and concentrated, carefully observing the changes within the Ink Kill cloud. The skeleton did not appear within the Ink Kill. But instead, an ominous feeling arose in Li Fan's heart.

Turning abruptly, he discovered that the immortal skeleton had appeared beside him at some unknown point. Its posture had changed; it was no longer lying on its side but had risen and was sitting cross-legged. Its right bony hand was propping up its skull, as if it was observing Li Fan with great interest!

Li Fan instinctively retreated. He stopped only after reaching what he felt was a safe distance. The immortal skeleton did not stop him. Its empty eye sockets calmly observed Li Fan.

Li Fan could now finally confirm that the skeleton before him was still alive! Or rather, it was in a very peculiar, difficult-to-comprehend state. It could not be simply measured by life or death.

"Greetings, Senior!" Li Fan shamelessly cupped his hands and bowed slightly. He completely ignored his previous brazen attack.

The immortal skeleton naturally showed no reaction, seemingly just a mere skeleton. The scene instantly fell into a static stalemate.

Li Fan believed that if he were to retreat now, the immortal skeleton would likely not stop him. However, to leave empty-handed after coming this far would be like entering a treasure mountain and returning with nothing.

"Since there's no immediate threat, I'll probe a bit more." He simply disregarded the changes in the immortal skeleton, instead urging the nascent Ink Kill cloud to swallow it again and again. And then, repeatedly watched the skeleton revive from nothingness.

"Ink Kill simulates the calamity of mountains and seas merging. Yet, this skeleton can repeatedly recover, seemingly ignoring the power of Ink Kill. How is this possible?" Even after observing the skeleton's reappearance process hundreds of times, Li Fan remained utterly baffled.

"It completely defies logic." Li Fan even briefly wondered if the nascent Ink Kill had somehow weakened.

However, the facts were before him; no matter how incredible, there had to be an underlying principle. "Theoretically, Ink Kill can devour all Daos in the mortal world." "Yet, there is one Dao that can ignore Ink Kill..."