Chapter 976: Walking the Path of Longevity Alone

"At that time, I did indeed see the immortal open his eyes. It seems he is still alive."

"To destroy the Xuanhuang realm with a single glance, marked by the character for 'hunger,' is likely beyond the power of an ordinary immortal. After meditating for ten thousand years, he must have gained significant enlightenment, probably not far from breaking through to the realm of the Nameless True Immortal..."

An invisible pressure suddenly arose in Li Fan's heart.

If everything the Hundred Flowers Daoist said was true, then one day, this immortal would awaken from his enlightenment.

If he hadn't managed to escape from this Abyssal Star Sea by then...

He would have to return to reality.

In other words, there was an upper limit to how long he could remain in the Xuanhuang Realm.

However, for now, he didn't need to worry too much about this.

At least in the several cycles he had experienced, there were no signs of the Immortal Ruins' immortal awakening, even after anchoring for over seven hundred years.

"But in that cycle, the obelisks constructed by the Heavenly Alliance later erupted more and more frequently. Perhaps they sensed the crisis of the immortal's awakening and acted out of necessity," Li Fan mused to himself.

"More than the True Immortal's awakening, I should be more concerned about whether forcibly breaking through the Immortal Ruins' pull, leaving Xuanhuang, or even crossing the high wall, would awaken this enlightened immortal."

Thinking of this, Li Fan couldn't help but ask, "Let's put aside the source of the cultivation world's calamity for now. What are your thoughts on the invisible barrier that surrounds the Abyssal Star Sea?"

The Hundred Flowers Daoist fell silent for a moment, then gave an answer that surprised Li Fan.

"This invisible barrier actually has two possibilities."

"First, it could have been established by an entity outside the Abyssal Star Sea to prevent the spread of calamity caused by the True Immortal's inscribed character."

Li Fan nodded slightly; this aligned with King Xuantian's previous conjecture.

"As for the second possibility..."

The Hundred Flowers Daoist's voice suddenly lowered. "It's highly probable that it was set up by the Immortal Ruins' immortal."

"As I mentioned before, every immortal's path to True Immortality is unique. The immortal who seeks enlightenment through the character for 'hunger' might have set up this barrier before beginning his enlightenment to prevent other immortals from discovering the character's existence and thus disrupting his progress. Therefore, he sealed off this star domain, isolating it from the outside."

The high wall was set up by the Immortal Ruins' immortal?

Li Fan was startled at first, but after a moment of thought, he realized that this possibility was not unfounded.

He inexplicably recalled King Xuantian's conclusion from back then.

Only by breaking through to the True Immortal realm could one cross the high wall, bringing the Xuanhuang Realm along.

"The True Immortal King Xuantian spoke of, judging by his claim that he would soon reach it, should be the ordinary immortal realm, not the realm of the Nameless True Immortal."

"Only strength comparable to or greater than the Immortal Ruins' immortal when he erected the high wall would allow one to cross it. This is quite reasonable."

"When the immortal realm collapsed back then, survivors scattered. Yet, the Immortal Ruins' immortal directly sat down to meditate at the entrance of the immortal realm passage after obtaining the 'Hunger' character art. Such courage..."

"It must have been rare even within the immortal realm."

"Therefore, it's not impossible that he casually set up a high wall to seal off the entire Abyssal Star Sea."

As Li Fan pondered, he began to feel that the second conjecture might be closer to the truth.

If that were truly the case...

"Escaping from the Abyssal Star Sea would likely disturb the Immortal Ruins' immortal."

This was undoubtedly more dangerous and unattainable than confronting the Transmitted Dharma.

Yet, aspiring to eternal freedom, he had barely begun his journey only to discover two formidable, unavoidable enemies standing in his path: the Heavenly Venerate of Transmitted Dharma and the Immortal Ruins' immortal...

How despair-inducing this was!

Most cultivators in the Abyssal Star Sea would likely suffer a collapse of their Dao heart and lose all will to progress the moment they learned the truth!

But Li Fan merely narrowed his eyes, feeling not the slightest bit of discouragement.

Whether it was the Transmitted Dharma or an immortal. Even the ethereal Nameless True Immortal...

If they blocked his path to eternal life, Li Fan would crush them!

"I walk the path of eternal life alone; if others obstruct me, my will remains unyielding."

"With one sword, I cleave the stellar sun, causing heavens to mourn, earth to wail, and immortals and gods to tremble."

Li Fan slowly recited these lines internally, his gaze sharp and resolute.

The Hundred Flowers Daoist nearby didn't know what was happening, only that the aura of the person before her had suddenly undergone a strange transformation.

It made her subtly uneasy, as if a great calamity was approaching.

But this feeling flashed by, and upon closer inspection, it vanished without a trace.

As if it were merely her illusion.

However, the Hundred Flowers Daoist knew that in her current Lapis Lazuli Body state, illusions or hallucinations were impossible for her to experience.

Therefore...

The Hundred Flowers Daoist stared at Li Fan, who seemed harmless and righteous, and a new layer of vigilance was added to her heart.

The Immortal Ruins' immortal was still too far removed from his current situation. After a moment of consideration, Li Fan temporarily suppressed these thoughts.

He looked at the Hundred Flowers Daoist, whose form was hidden within the golden light, and asked again, "The immortal realm is not something we can fathom at present. Comparatively, I'm more curious about your experiences, Daoist friend."

"Weren't you a survivor of the calamity back then? Why did you end up in the Fishing Pond?"

"And what is your relationship with the Dao child, Liu Li?"

Li Fan's gaze was intense, and the surrounding array seals quietly reinforced themselves.

The Hundred Flowers Daoist imperceptibly glanced around, then sighed. "Your vigilance, Daoist friend, is truly extraordinary."

"Actually, my presence in the Fishing Pond was merely a coincidence."

"As I mentioned earlier, I had no control over it."

The Hundred Flowers Daoist slowly recounted, "That day, we, the survivors from various realms, were gathered, discussing methods to escape from the Sinking Star Sea."

"Unexpectedly, a mysterious wave emanated from the void, locking onto me."

"I lost consciousness in an instant, and when I awoke, I was already inside the Fishing Pond."

Li Fan chuckled, "So, you were captured by the Fishing Pond simply because you were too unlucky?"

The Hundred Flowers Daoist's voice held a hint of helplessness. "Yes and no. The Fishing Pond automatically collects treasures scattered throughout the starry sky. The rarer and more ownerless an item is, the more likely it is to be targeted by the Fishing Pond."

"My cultivation technique had reached completion, and my body was like a dark, radiant Lapis Lazuli Lotus. Rather than resembling a human, I was more akin to a magic artifact."

"One could only say it was fate, that I was destined for this tribulation."

"Inside the Fishing Pond, I don't know how many years I drifted. Then, by a stroke of luck, I attached myself to a Lapis Lazuli Wisdom Fruit whose properties were similar to mine."

"After absorbing a portion of the Wisdom Fruit's energy, I was barely able to maintain my consciousness within the Fishing Pond."

"And later..."

"I sensed a force pulling the Lapis Lazuli Wisdom Fruit, realizing this might be my only chance to escape. So, along with Liu Li, I was fished out of the Fishing Pond."

"Heh, I just hid myself quite well, and you simply hadn't discovered me."

The Hundred Flowers Daoist said indifferently.