Chapter 866: Gold Chain Binding the Distant Star

If no outsider breaks this cycle, this phenomenon might not cease until the power nurturing souls within the great yellow river completely dissipates. However, I observe that the aura here remains intensely potent. Without the protection of the seven-colored divine light, I doubt I could endure it for long.

Such immense power... it surely couldn't have sustained for just twenty or thirty years, could it?

A flicker of doubt arose in Li Fan's mind.

"What shattered the tranquility of the Netherworld, unleashing trillions of souls from the Yellow Springs? Unless it was a cultivator who, like me, strayed into this place. Or perhaps..." Immediately, the image of the skull he had suppressed not long ago surfaced in Li Fan's mind. "Could that individual still be alive?"

A sudden thought occurred to him. This wasn't a baseless fear conjured by the bizarre scenery; rather, the Netherworld was exceedingly remote. Even at his current speed, it would take him over a month of continuous flight to reach it. The likelihood of accidentally stumbling upon this place, unless one had a specific objective, was incredibly low.

In contrast, though only the skull remained, the black-gold pattern on its surface persisted despite the erosion of the gray mold. "The black-gold pattern remained eternal on its exterior, while the gray mold proliferated within the skull. This might suggest that the two forces were evenly matched, with neither capable of overcoming the other." Recalling the appearance of the mysterious skull, Li Fan felt his conjecture was increasingly likely to be true.

"If it had been completely eroded, it should have turned to dust, like countless other things within the Netherworld. The skull's continued existence implied it wasn't truly dead." The cultivation world possesses countless secret arts; cultivators in the Xuanhuang Realm can achieve indestructible paradises and eternal life. Therefore, it wouldn't be surprising if this mysterious skull could revive with the aid of the black-gold pattern.

"It is indeed extremely dangerous, yet also an opportunity. It could allow me to understand what truly transpired in other cultivation realms." Li Fan's eyes flickered as he instantly devised dozens of ways to utilize it.

However, he had not forgotten the primary purpose of his visit.

"'Junior brother, these Rift Whales can forge space from nothingness. Given their fondness for these spiritual entities, they must be highly beneficial. Would you like to try one?'"

Tian Yang hastily shook his head.

"'They are not human souls, merely resembling them,' Li Fan explained, seeing Tian Yang's slight aversion. 'These spiritual entities are concentrations of the Yellow Springs' power in this very place.'"

Tian Yang felt somewhat relieved. He took an ancient, adult soul, its original form indiscernible after prolonged immersion in the Yellow Springs. Tian Yang circulated his spiritual energy and absorbed it. A moment later, his eyes lit up.

"'Brother, I know why those large whales enjoy consuming them!' Tian Yang exclaimed excitedly. 'This minor world originally evolved from these Yellow Springs, much like a fruit blossoming on a tree. The Yellow Springs contain numerous, albeit rare, fundamental laws, with the most prevalent being the authority to create and expand space. While it's only at a minor world level, it is genuinely beneficial to me.'"

Tian Yang spoke at length, then, through a mental message, retrieved another spiritual crystal and absorbed it. This time, however, he frowned slightly.

"'Unfortunately, it seems to be affected by that gray mold, making it somewhat chaotic. Consuming just one is sufficient; more would offer no further advantage,' Tian Yang concluded."

Li Fan nodded slightly. His divine sense swept over the area, locating an ancient spiritual entity crystal. Upon absorbing it, a series of images instantaneously flickered through Li Fan's mind.

The waters of the Yellow Springs flowed in a perpetual circuit. At several fixed nodes, remnants of its power would linger. Over countless years, these energies accumulated, eventually blossoming and bearing fruit, forming a ring of nine 'worlds.' After an unknown expanse of time, life emerged within these worlds, and civilizations began to flourish. Upon death, the beings of these worlds would return to the Yellow Springs, and carried by the river's current, they would journey to other worlds to begin new lives.

These peaceful days continued unbroken, until one day... A golden chain, tearing through the firmament, appeared from the distant void. The chain rapidly expanded, instantly coiling tightly around and ensnaring the entire Yellow Springs world. Then, under immense tensile force, the Yellow Springs world continuously rumbled. Mountains and rivers collapsed, as if the apocalypse had arrived. Yet, the chain showed no sign of relenting. Sacred golden energy continuously surged from it, sharply severing the Yellow Springs world's connection to space itself, seemingly dragging it towards some unknown destination.

This was a monumental, immeasurable force, far surpassing anything within the Yellow Springs world. There was no room for resistance; it was relentlessly dragged through the void. After an unknown duration of movement, it finally managed to stabilize. The ultimate outcome was that the Yellow Springs world, under this intense strain, was torn asunder. Only one of the nine worlds remained, arriving here in this unfamiliar starfield alongside the Yellow Springs.

The images in his mind slowly faded, replaced by an unusual gleam in Li Fan's eyes.

He had long known that in ancient times, the Xuanhuang Realm possessed a miraculously powerful formation capable of capturing grotto-heavens and worlds from the distant void. It could even open spatial passages, directly enabling inter-realm warfare. Indeed, the vast majority of the innumerable grotto-heavens and minor worlds within the Xuanhuang Realm today originated this way. However, since the era of the Xuantian Sect and the subsequent rule of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, this formation appeared to have been damaged. Its renown faded, seemingly vanishing into the annals of history.

Now, remarkably, through the residual Heavenly Dao's memory within this Netherworld, he had the privilege of witnessing the ancient formation's power during its activation. Li Fan's heart trembled.

"'Spanning the void, golden chains ensnaring enemies...' 'How incredibly formidable is that?'"

Li Fan could now rightfully be called a grandmaster of formations. With the Doomsday Disintegration Disc in hand, it would be difficult to find anyone in the Xuanhuang Realm whose mastery of formations surpassed his. Yet, even he struggled to comprehend how such a magnificent formation could be constructed.

"'Plucking stars and seizing the moon... this must be the work of a True Immortal, surely?' Li Fan couldn't help but ponder. Moreover, the golden chain Li Fan glimpsed in the Yellow Springs' residual memory bore a striking resemblance to the one he had seen in the Immortal Ruins, which was used to shackle a True Immortal's remains."

"'I wonder if there's a connection between them?' Li Fan mused. 'That True Immortal was coincidentally trapped at the Immortal-Mortal Passage in the Xuanhuang Realm, which hardly seems like a coincidence. Before the Immortal Path was severed, connections still existed between the cultivation realm and the Immortal Realm. If immortal artifacts could provide support, then assistance in constructing formations should also have been possible.'"

Li Fan's mind raced with possibilities.

Seeing his senior brother remain motionless for an extended period, Tian Yang assumed something had gone awry. His telepathic query startled Li Fan awake.

"'Junior brother, did you witness the scene of the golden chain tearing through the void?' Li Fan couldn't help but ask."