Chapter 889: High Walls Lock the Deepest Darkness

"How truly pathetic..."

The Xuan Tian Cult Dharma King, having learned about the events in the Xuanhuang Realm during his slumber through the mind of the young preacher, couldn't help but feel as if he were reading a third-rate, absurd story.

"A great disaster is imminent, yet they continue to fight amongst themselves..."

"Perhaps human nature is simply like this. Xuan Tian King's judgment all those years ago was not mistaken."

The Xuan Tian Cult Dharma King shook his head slightly. Naturally, he had no intention of righting any wrongs.

What he wanted to do now was to find Xuan Tian King and then escape this place before the Xuanhuang Realm completely fell into the Immortal Ruins. If Xuan Tian King remained untraceable...

...he would have to find a way out on his own.

The young preacher's mind contained numerous contingency plans for escape. However, in the Xuan Tian Cult Dharma King's view, none of these plans were highly feasible.

What exactly was the Utmost Dark Starry Sky? Why had Xuan Tian King adamantly asserted that only those with the power of a True Immortal could escape this dead realm?

The numerous escape plans developed by the Myriad Immortals Alliance could indeed allow some individuals to leave the Xuanhuang Realm and temporarily evade the Immortal Ruins' pull. However, the Immortal Ruins affected an unimaginably vast expanse of void.

Within this void, many cultivation realms that had once been vibrant with life, like clusters of stars, had now been completely devoured by the Immortal Ruins over the years. Consequently, the brilliant starry sky had become dark and desolate.

Many could escape the Xuanhuang Realm. But escaping this dark prison...

It wasn't merely due to the immense vastness of this dark void. Even powerful cultivators in the Longevity Realm, without reference points or guiding beacons, would simply get lost and perish if they rashly ventured into it.

More importantly, an artificial high wall had been erected beyond the Utmost Dark Starry Sky. At the edge of this Utmost Dark Starry Sky, it caused all beings attempting to break through to sigh in despair.

Xuan Tian King had speculated that this high wall was perhaps constructed by cultivators from outside the Utmost Dark Starry Sky to prevent the disaster of the Immortal Ruins from spreading further.

To cross this high wall, one had to instantly unleash power beyond that of mortals. Otherwise, what was called "escape" would simply be moving from one part of the cage to another.

"If the Floating Starry Sky Grand Array were still intact, given the current scale of the Xuanhuang Realm, operating at full power, its peak burst might be enough to cross the high wall," the youth mused, looking at the surrounding ruins of the Zixiao Sect.

With a wave, he removed the Nine Heavens Ten Lands Formation covering the area. Then, his figure blurred and disappeared.

The Zixiao Sect ruins once again fell into their long-accustomed tranquility.

Seven full days passed. The air twisted, and a figure suddenly appeared.

The Xuan Tian Cult Dharma King, who had seemingly departed, had inexplicably returned to this very spot. Or perhaps, he had never truly left.

His "departure" moments ago had merely been a diversion.

"I had hoped to meet this brother from the cult, but it seems there's no chance," he murmured. Since their paths were not destined to cross, the Xuan Tian Cult Dharma King did not press the matter.

With a flash, his figure completely vanished. This time, it was no mere feint; he was truly gone.

Another ten days passed before a stealthy figure arrived outside the Zixiao Sect ruins. Its appearance was obscured, and its aura was hidden.

It was Li Fan.

After observing from a distance for a while, confirming there was no danger and no warning signs within himself, he cautiously stepped forward.

During this period, after successfully diverting the Myriad Immortals Alliance preacher's attention, he had been patiently waiting in the vicinity.

Only after sensing that the aura in the area had completely vanished, and waiting for a considerable time, did he return. He had initially expected a fierce battle between two powerful entities, with at least one suffering injury.

However, to his surprise, the Myriad Immortals Alliance showed no reaction to the incident whatsoever. Even the exposed members of the Congyun Sea Mutual Aid Society were not pursued by the Alliance.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

Li Fan wanted to know what exactly had transpired here.

A silver light flickered in his eyes, and a hidden formation in the air was activated. This formation, which Li Fan had derived using the Terminal Disintegration Disc, was a level beyond what most cultivators of this era could perceive or detect. Its sole function was to record every scene within its covered area.

As Li Fan continued to cast his spells, the scenes from over ten days ago reappeared in the air, vivid and lifelike.

A trace of horror flashed through Li Fan's mind when he witnessed the Xuan Tian Cult Dharma King's exceedingly bizarre divine ability. He was particularly shaken when the Dharma King effortlessly swallowed the young preacher, who was suspected to be at the peak of Dao-Integration.

Taking a deep breath, he managed to suppress the profound shock he felt.

"Is this the true power of a Xuan Tian Cult Dharma King?"

"It is indeed incredibly strange and makes one completely defenseless."

Li Fan imagined himself in the young preacher's position and found himself unable to devise any suitable counter-strategy for a moment. Even with his immense strength from the Five Elements Grotto-Heaven and the protective seven-colored divine light, he couldn't leverage any significant advantage against the Xuan Tian Cult's exceedingly strange offensive techniques.

Li Fan couldn't help but recall several divine techniques of the Xuan Tian Cult he had witnessed in Senior Sister Zhao's illusion: the *Heaven and Earth Conquering Ode*, the *Myriad Ages Only I Art*, the *Soul-Severing Illuminating Divine Skill*, and the *Heaven's Sorrow Earth's Lament Scripture*.

Senior Sister Zhao, by practicing just one of them, the *Myriad Ages Only I Art*, was able to become a One-Minded Heavenly Venerate. This alone was enough to demonstrate the immense power of the Xuan Tian Cult's foundation.

"Thankfully, I was cautious enough not to challenge him, even with my greatly improved strength. Otherwise, I might have been forced to restart," Li Fan secretly lamented.

Li Fan then observed that after devouring the young preacher, the Xuan Tian Cult Dharma King appeared dazed. He would occasionally look up at the sky and murmur to himself.

Li Fan's expression subtly changed when he heard the Dharma King, through some strange twist of fate, mistake him for a member of the Xuan Tian Cult. Following this, the Dharma King seemed to become lost in memories.

Li Fan could only vaguely make out words like "Xuan Tian King" and "escape" that the Dharma King occasionally uttered. However, he couldn't discern what was truly on the other's mind.

Li Fan continued to play the recorded scenes.

When he saw the Dharma King employ a trick, attempting to lie in wait for him, Li Fan couldn't help but sneer. He would never have shown himself without being one hundred percent certain of his safety.

Patiently, he fast-forwarded through the remaining recorded footage before finally erasing the formation. He then hurried back to the Spiritwood Realm.

He arrived at the circular hall where the faceless Xuan Tian Divine Statue was housed.

Li Fan stared intently at the stone statue. "I had originally intended to use this as bait to attract the remnants of the Xuan Tian Cult."

"Then I could 'close the door and beat the dog'—trap them and capture them alive. From their minds, I'd extract some ancient secrets of the Xuan Tian Cult."

"Now it seems I was overconfident."

"If I truly attracted a figure of the Xuan Tian Cult Dharma King's caliber, I would likely be the one caught, becoming the 'dog' in the trap."