Chapter 19: Desire of the Void Ready to Devour Humans

This simulation has ended.

Li Fan regained consciousness. He stared intently at the scene of the Taiyan Boat's destruction on the light screen, a deep fear lingering in his heart, unwilling to dissipate.

"What exactly was that thing?" Li Fan wondered, a hint of doubt in his mind. When Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi previously traversed the Immortal Extermination Grand Array, they hadn't encountered this entity in the dark layer. Why was his experience different? Was it simply bad luck on his part?

Li Fan didn't think so. The dark layer within this Immortal Extermination Array was vast; the tiny Taiyan Boat was but a drop in the ocean. Yet, this unknown entity had found him with such precision...

"Most likely, it's a method specifically targeting mortals," he mused. "It seems safest to wait until the great fog disperses and light emanates from the bottom of the Ruin Abyss before exploring. Although it ultimately failed, the gains from the previous life were indeed far beyond expectation..."

Li Fan calculated silently in his mind, then chose to preserve the "Taiyan Boat."

Name: Li FanRealm: MortalPhysiological Age: 20/86Psychological Age: 333/1113↑Nihility Transformation Charge Progress: 0%Anchor Setting Charge Progress: 1%Current Anchors: 1Bound Items: *Thousand-Mechanism Jade Ring Golden Scroll*, Taiyan Boat

Observing the diminishing psychological age limit, Li Fan faintly felt a sense of pressure. Fortunately, the cultivation world was within reach. As long as he left this Immortal Extermination Land, he would be free to soar like a bird in the vast sky!

With this anticipation, Li Fan's seventh life began.

Before Realty was fully charged, Li Fan was resolute in avoiding any adventurous endeavors. Therefore, he still planned to spend the first twenty years following the script he had already experienced several times.

In Anchor Year 3, Li Fan once again arrived in Wen County, Jiangnan, to lay low.In Anchor Year 4, leading his confidants, he secretly came to Qian Hong's tomb. This time, he used a spray containing the Immortal-Mortal Mist to slowly corrode it until the power of the Stop-Step Broken Stele was weakened to the point where it could no longer penetrate steel armor.

Clad in steel armor, Li Fan entered the tomb and placed his hand on the stone tablet.

"Discoverable chargeable item: Stop-Step Broken Stele (Damaged).""Proceed with charging?"

The Realty prompt appeared at just the right moment.

"It's a pity there's still some damage," Li Fan lamented inwardly, choosing "Yes." The Stop-Step Broken Stele gradually dissolved into nothingness, vanishing. After absorbing the Stop-Step Broken Stele, Realty's anchor-setting charge progress directly increased by 25 units.

"Just three more times, and I can unlock the second anchor point?" Li Fan was delighted, though he also vaguely felt it wouldn't be that simple. "Too much speculation is useless. I'll know when I try again in the next life."

Other items in Qian Hong's tomb held no value for Li Fan. After instructing his men to reseal the tomb, Li Fan finally departed.

In Anchor Year 5, Li Fan finally couldn't resist and came to the Eastern Ruin Abyss. "Just a quick look, I won't go down," Li Fan told himself. Gazing at the endless sea of fog, his vision seemed to pierce through countless spatial barriers, reaching directly to the bottom of the Ruin Abyss.

He stood there for a long time. As the strong winds howled, the pervasive thick fog gradually dispersed, and the previously perilous Immortal Extermination Grand Array seemed to become less dangerous.

"At this moment, if I piloted the Taiyan Boat, I could travel smoothly all the way to the cultivation world, couldn't I?" A thought suddenly emerged in Li Fan's mind, and he could no longer suppress it. It expanded wildly, quickly consuming his entire focus.

"Yes, I've waited this long, do I really have to wait another fifteen years?""What if Realty isn't fully charged? How can one achieve the Grand Dao by being so timid?""I already tested it once in the last life. As long as I carefully avoid that unknown monster in the dark layer, I can leave this cursed place!"

A cacophony of voices incessantly echoed in Li Fan's ears. His eyes gradually lost focus, becoming blood red, as if he were bewitched by these sounds. Li Fan walked forward step by step, getting closer and closer to the endless Ruin Abyss.

Just as Li Fan was about to be drawn into the Ruin Abyss and shattered into pieces, a brilliant light suddenly burst forth from the bottom of the Ruin Abyss, piercing through the Immortal Extermination Grand Array and entering Li Fan's sight.

The irrational red glow in his eyes was temporarily suppressed. The four large characters, "Immortal Dao is Dead," suddenly appeared in Li Fan's vision.

Boom!

All the fervent, reckless thoughts that had previously filled his mind—of pursuing the path of cultivation and even leaping into the abyss—completely dissipated.

"What happened?" A sobered Li Fan immediately broke out in a cold sweat. In his eyes, the calm Ruin Abyss had suddenly transformed into a lurking beast, its massive maw open, ready to devour him. Li Fan immediately turned and fled without looking back.

After a long while, the great fog reconvened. From the bottom of the Ruin Abyss, a faint, angry roar was heard.

Fifteen years later, in Anchor Year 20, Realty was finally fully charged. With newfound confidence, Li Fan finally returned to the Ruin Abyss. Recalling that scene from years ago, Li Fan still felt a lingering fear, even though much time had passed.

"It seems my guess was correct. That monster in the dark layer indeed harbors immense malice towards mortals. Perhaps its mission is to devour all mortals who approach this place."

Though dangerous, Li Fan was absolutely unwilling to abandon the path to immortality. Without further hesitation, Li Fan piloted the Taiyan Boat, arriving safely, though with some minor scares, at the Thunderstorm Layer. Instead of proceeding further down, Li Fan stopped above the dark layer, waiting patiently.

"Whoosh..."

A strong wind began to pick up. The turbulent thunderstorm, affected by this inexplicable strong wind, also began to subside, slowly weakening. Tiny specks of light emerged from the darkness, then connected to form a continuous, vast panorama.

Li Fan didn't look at this inverted marvel. Instead, he used this precious and fleeting light to search for the monster lurking in the darkness. Unfortunately, he found nothing!

Seeing the light about to vanish, Li Fan gritted his teeth, no longer hesitant. He fully powered the Taiyan Boat and rapidly accelerated towards the bottom of the Ruin Abyss.

The strange cry resounded again, reaching him in an instant. At that moment, Li Fan suddenly completely changed the Taiyan Boat's sprint direction. After drawing a beautiful curve, the Taiyan Boat, which had been charging straight downwards, was now flying upwards at several times its previous speed!

Upwards, and further upwards!

With the Taiyan Boat's power fully engaged, it returned to the Thunderstorm Layer amidst a furious roar! Using the last glimmer of light that was about to disappear, Li Fan, now from a vantage point, finally saw the true form of the monster in the darkness.

It was a giant whale, too vast to describe with words. Even from a considerable distance, Li Fan couldn't discern its full form. Even just its open maw filled Li Fan's entire field of vision.

The giant whale, seeing its prey return to the Thunderstorm Layer, became furious but could only swim idly, unable to advance. After roaring a few times to vent its frustration, it reluctantly closed its mouth and vanished into the darkness.