"Watchers are bound by the Celestial Realm's mandate, likely creations of True Immortals themselves. Mortal strength is no match for them."
"Though the path to immortality has been severed, as long as they exist, they will continue to carry out their mission. And that… is our only hope of escape…" Zhong Gongdao rapidly wrote these words in the air, his finger tracing the characters with precise, practiced movements.
"This Xuanhuang World's Watcher… it doesn't seem actively hostile. As long as we remain silent, avoid drawing its attention, we should be safe, for now. But staying trapped in this cauldron is not a long-term solution. I can sense our life force… diminishing. Slowly, but steadily."
"The Watcher cares only for its mission. We need to understand what that mission is. Then, and only then, can we plan our escape…"
The cultivators' gazes, piercing the walls of the Celestial Barge, fixed on the terrifying figure outside, stirring the cauldron's contents.
"Do not look directly at it," Elder Gan Jingda said, his voice sharp, his hand moving to create a shimmering barrier, shielding them from the entity's gaze. "We can't risk provoking it."
Nangong Lie, the representative from the Dao Confirmation Academy, wrote a question in the air, his expression grim. "If we unleash the power of a True Immortal script, could we create enough chaos to escape? Surely even a Watcher cannot withstand the power of a True Immortal."
Zhong Gongdao shook his head. "While it's true that they cannot fully resist the power of a True Immortal script – as demonstrated by the [Forgetfulness] character I used earlier – their connection to the Celestial Realm grants them a certain… resilience. Far greater than that of a mortal cultivator."
"This Watcher… after being affected by the [Forgetfulness] character… it merely… forgot. It didn't leave." His meaning was clear. Using a True Immortal script was too risky.
Ai Tianjue nodded in agreement. "A single glance from that… thing… and one-tenth of our population perished. If it can withstand even a fraction of a True Immortal script's power… even if we could escape, how many of us would survive?"
"And what about after we escape?" Zhong Gongdao added. "If we exhaust our supply of True Immortal scripts here… how will we face Legacy Transmission?"
"We will have our revenge," Zhang, the head of the Star Forge, snarled. "Even if we can't get our hands on that Celestial Spiritual Qi, we'll take something from that world! We won't leave empty-handed!"
…
After a lengthy discussion, the Celestial Barge's elders reached a consensus. They would send out scouts, small teams of cultivators, to explore the area beyond the cauldron, to observe the Watcher, to try and understand its purpose. And they would prepare for the worst, for the possibility of a direct confrontation.
Twenty cultivators, their hearts pounding with a mixture of fear and determination, left the Celestial Barge, venturing into the unknown.
Some, their cultivation too weak, were caught in the swirling currents within the cauldron, their bodies dissolving into the viscous liquid, their screams silenced.
Those who managed to escape the cauldron's pull were mostly detected by the Watcher, their life force extinguished, their bodies compressed into small, shimmering spheres, their souls… gone.
Only one managed to escape the Watcher's notice, but they… never returned.
Undeterred, they sent out another hundred.
Three returned, their reports detailing a strange and unsettling landscape, but as they attempted to re-enter the cauldron, they were detected by the Watcher, their fates the same as their predecessors.
"This is suicide!"
"We should fight! Now! While we still have some strength left!"
"The weaker ones can't even escape the cauldron. The stronger ones are detected instantly…"
"Sending out Dao Entry experts… it's a death sentence!"
…
Despair threatened to consume them once more.
Then, Zhao Xian, the Sacred Embryo, Li Fan's other self, stepped forward.
He looked at his master, Ai Tianjue, and wrote in the air, his movements firm, resolute, "Master, allow me to try."
The elders of the Severing Immortal Tower were moved by his courage, his willingness to sacrifice himself for the greater good.
Ai Tianjue, however, his hand outstretched, refused.
As a member of the Severing Immortal Tower, the ruling faction of the Celestial Barge, and as Ai Tianjue's favored disciple, Zhao Xian was afforded a certain level of… protection.
Zhong Gongdao, however, ignoring the other elders' protests, sent out another three hundred scouts.
They all perished.
Witnessing their deaths, the cold, efficient way the Watcher extinguished their lives, the cultivators of the Celestial Barge reached their breaking point. Fear threatened to overwhelm them.
As Zhong Gongdao prepared to send out another wave of scouts, he hesitated, seeing the terror in their eyes, the hopelessness in their expressions.
It wasn't compassion that stayed his hand. It was doubt.
Was this futile? Were they simply throwing lives away?
Then Zhao Xian stepped forward once more.
"Elder Zhong," he wrote, his gaze meeting the elder's, a flicker of fear, then a steely resolve, hardening his eyes, "I am ready."
The elders of the Severing Immortal Tower, seeing the desperation in the eyes of the other cultivators, the silent plea for… hope… finally agreed.
After a brief farewell to his master, Zhao Xian, his every move observed by the thousands of cultivators within the Celestial Barge, their hopes resting on his shoulders, calmly, deliberately, flew out of the vessel.
"You have a fine disciple, Tianjue," Zhong Gongdao said, his voice soft, a rare display of… respect. He rarely spoke to others, preferring to communicate through written messages.
Ai Tianjue nodded, his expression a mixture of pride and… worry.
He watched as Zhao Xian successfully navigated the swirling currents within the cauldron, his heart pounding with a mixture of hope and dread.
Then… the waiting began.
Time stretched, and still… Zhao Xian didn't return.
Hope dwindled.
Just as Zhong Gongdao was about to concede defeat, to send out one final, desperate wave of scouts…
…a figure appeared, flying boldly past the Watcher, descending towards the Celestial Barge.
Zhao Xian.
Though they dared not cheer, fearing the Watcher's attention, the relief on their faces, the hope rekindled in their eyes, was palpable.
After losing over five hundred of their most promising cultivators, they finally had a chance.
They swarmed around him, eager to hear his report.
Zhao Xian, wasting no time, described what he had seen, his finger tracing characters in the air, his movements swift, precise.
"Nine Yin-Yang Orbs?"
"Each one containing… countless frozen corpses?"
…
His words were met with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
Several of the elders from the Celestial Axis Institute, however, frowned, their expressions thoughtful.
They conferred with Zhong Gongdao, their voices hushed.
Then Zhong Gongdao addressed the assembled cultivators, his voice ringing with a newfound confidence. "We… we might have found a way out!"
"This Watcher's mission…"
"…is to collect specimens."
His tone, however, wasn't one of relief. It was… grim. Disturbing.
"Specimens?" The cultivators exchanged confused glances. "What do you mean, Elder Zhong?"
"Perhaps… Headmaster Jian would be better suited to explain."
All eyes turned towards Jian Daosheng, the aged headmaster of the Celestial Axis Institute, his long white hair a testament to his many years, his wisdom, his knowledge of the Barge's history.
A wistful look appeared on his face as he began to write, his finger tracing characters in the air. "In the ancient times, when cultivation flourished, when countless worlds thrived… we, the Xuanshang Celestial Barge, chose to wander the Star Sea, without a permanent home…"
"Many believed it was due to our… entrepreneurial spirit. That we traveled between worlds, seeking profit. But…"
"Having a fixed base would have been far more… practical. Our lives, our very existence, depended on this vessel. And even in those ancient times, though the Star Sea wasn't as dangerous as it is now, traveling through its vast expanse… it wasn't without risk."
"And yet, we chose to wander, instead of settling down, establishing roots."
"Because the Xuanshang Celestial Barge… it was founded by those who had escaped a world… with a Watcher."
He paused, observing their shocked expressions, then continued. "Cultivators treat mortals like… livestock. And the Celestial Realm… they treat cultivators… much the same."
"Every prosperous cultivation world… they are all… observed. Monitored. Even those in remote, insignificant worlds… they cannot be certain that a Celestial being won't suddenly appear, interfering, judging, deciding their fate. What our ancestors discovered, what drove them to flee their homeland… that knowledge is lost. But we know this. They feared the Celestial Realm. They refused to be… cattle. And so, they built the Celestial Barge."
"At its peak, our population was less than a million. Perhaps… our insignificance, our small numbers… that's why we were left alone. Ignored."
He shifted his focus, explaining his deduction. "Based on Zhao Xian's report, those frozen within the Yin-Yang Orbs… they are cultivators who once existed within the Xuanhuang World. Throughout its history."
"Not just those who died," he emphasized. "But all who… existed."
"That is why," he continued, "those who tried to escape by masking their life force… they failed."
"The only way to escape this Watcher… is to become… one of its specimens. To become… someone who already exists within its collection."
…
The expressions of the Celestial Barge's cultivators varied, a mixture of hope, fear, and… disgust.
Though the Celestial Axis Institute hadn't been in power for millennia, their knowledge of ancient history, their understanding of the Celestial Realm, was still respected. They decided to try it.
Fortunately, during his reconnaissance mission, Zhao Xian had memorized the appearances of many of the frozen cultivators, their unique characteristics, their identifying marks.
The first group, thirty cultivators, their forms and auras meticulously altered to match those within the Watcher's collection, departed.
They moved cautiously, their every step measured, their every movement controlled, unlike Zhao Xian's earlier, more… reckless approach.
The Watcher ignored them.
All thirty successfully escaped the cauldron.
Hope surged through the Celestial Barge.
The exodus began, their movements swift, efficient, their escape a carefully orchestrated ballet of deception.
Once the last cultivator had escaped, the Watcher stopped stirring the cauldron's contents.
It seemed to… consider its work, then, with a massive hand, its form still unseen, it struck the side of the cauldron.
The cauldron rumbled, its size decreasing rapidly, shrinking, shrinking, until it was no larger than a marble, its surface smooth, translucent.
The swirling liquid within calmed, becoming a still, placid pool.
The Watcher paused, as if… confused. Then, as if remembering its purpose, it turned and left, its heavy footsteps echoing through the void.
The cultivators of the Celestial Barge, having watched this from a safe distance, their breath held, finally exhaled, their relief palpable.
Still wary of attracting the Watcher's attention, they continued to communicate through written messages.
"Elder Zhong, we've explored the area. It's a closed space. There's no other way out."
"We haven't figured out how the Watcher left."
…
The Celestial Barge, its legacy stretching back millennia, its people united in their desire for survival, quickly determined that their only escape route was through one of the nine Yin-Yang Orbs.
They chose one, their vessel entering its shimmering surface.
As they beheld the countless frozen corpses, a vast ocean of the dead, a primal fear gripped them, despite their earlier relief.
Safe within the orb, beyond the Watcher's reach, they could finally communicate freely, their thoughts flowing through their shared network.
"Why would the Xuanhuang World's Watcher collect so many corpses?"
"This… this place… it feels like a… formation."
"Our ancestors were right to flee. To the Celestial Realm, we are nothing but… cattle."
…
"Master," Zhao Xian asked, his voice reaching only Ai Tianjue, "are you certain the records of our ancestor's discovery… they're truly lost?" He had noticed the subtle exchange between Headmaster Jian and the Severing Immortal Tower elders.
Ai Tianjue hesitated.
This was a closely guarded secret, a truth not meant for a mere disciple. But Zhao Xian had proven himself. He had risked his life, and his information had saved them.
He was a hero.
After a brief discussion with the other elders, he received their permission to share this… truth.
"Headmaster Jian was correct. Our ancestor's warnings… they're no longer on the Celestial Barge."
Zhao Xian caught the subtle nuance in his master's words. "No longer on the Celestial Barge. You mean…"
"…They're on the Shang Celestial Barge?"
Ai Tianjue nodded. "During the split… we acquired the Hundred Histories Immortal Record. But the Shang Celestial Barge… they took something far more valuable. Our ancestor's research. His… discovery." His voice was tinged with a hint of regret.
"His discovery?"
"When our ancestor fled his homeland, fearing the Watchers, fearing the True Immortals, he searched for a way to… escape their control. To break free from their grasp." A wistful look appeared on Ai Tianjue's face.
"Immortals and mortals… we are fundamentally different. Even Dao Integration experts… to a True Immortal, we're no different from ants. Escaping their notice, their control… it seemed impossible."
"But our ancestor… he found a way."
Understanding dawned on Zhao Xian's face. "A Celestial Artifact?"
"More than that," Ai Tianjue said, his voice laced with a profound sadness.
"You know how some cultivation worlds, in ancient times, had close ties to the Celestial Realm? Over time, some of the artifacts they received… they were lost, scattered. Our ancestors, traveling through the Star Sea, collected these artifacts, studied them, hoping to… unlock their secrets, to harness their power…"
"They made… significant progress. But before they could fully utilize their research, the Star Sea Tribulation struck." He sighed.
"The Xuanshang Celestial Barge… it fractured. We, the Xuan Celestial Barge, acquired most of the resources, the Hundred Histories Immortal Record. But the Shang Celestial Barge… they took our ancestor's research. And a number of… Celestial Artifacts."
Zhao Xian was startled. "So… we… we lost that conflict?"
Ai Tianjue nodded. "In a way."
Zhao Xian fell silent, understanding dawning.
"No wonder they're so secretive about the Shang Celestial Barge," he thought.
"But why did they split?" he asked after a while, his confusion growing. "The Xuanshang Celestial Barge… they had survived for so long, traveling through the Star Sea. Why would they turn on each other just as the Tribulation struck?"
"Even facing this Watcher, this… impossible situation… we haven't fractured. The Xuanshang Celestial Barge… they were surely… more unified than we are."
"Because their leader… he wanted to commit suicide. To take them all with him."
"What?"
"He wanted to… crash the Celestial Barge into the Wall. To break free from this Star Sea."
Zhao Xian was speechless.
…
While the cultivators of the Celestial Barge searched for a way out of the Yin-Yang Orb, the Xuanhuang World's transformation reached a critical juncture.
The Sacred Emperor, still locked in his battle with Legacy Transmission, paused, his attention drawn to the changes in the world below.
The fusion of the shattered worlds was nearing completion.
The White Mist Barriers, unable to withstand the pressure of the expanding world, crumbled, their remnants dissolving into nothingness.
For the first time in millennia, the cultivators of the Xuanhuang World beheld a single, unified sky, its vast expanse stretching endlessly in all directions.
The chaotic energy of the Celestial Spiritual Qi had been fully absorbed, its initial destructive frenzy replaced by a… serene tranquility.
The cultivators, their minds slowly clearing, their greed and madness subsiding, stared at the pristine sky above, their expressions a mixture of awe and… confusion.
A low rumble, a deep, resonant vibration, echoed through the world, as if something ancient, something powerful, had been awakened.
Lines, faint and ethereal, flickered across the sky, their patterns too complex for even the Sacred Emperor to decipher.
Legacy Transmission's attacks intensified. He was no longer holding back.
The Sacred Emperor, sensing the shift, knowing that the final confrontation was upon them, fought back with renewed ferocity, his every attack aimed at delaying the inevitable.
The world trembled under the force of their battle, the air itself crackling with energy.
Then, a sudden wave of unease washed over the Sacred Emperor.
He looked at the sky, a strange, unsettling feeling creeping into his heart.
It felt as if… he was trapped within a formation.
Like his entire world, the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty, was encased within the Grand Formation of All Creation.
And as he had this thought, a faint, almost imperceptible message, a flicker of thought, reached him.
From the Xuanhuang World's Heavenly Dao.
Danger! Flee!
He was confused. The Xuanhuang World was stronger than ever before.
Where was the danger coming from?
As he hesitated, a golden light, a single, brilliant streak, appeared in the sky, descending towards the Xuanhuang World with incredible speed.
Like a needle, it pierced the world's surface.
The rumbling stopped. The world's transformation… it ceased.
As if that single golden needle had… interrupted the process.
Rage surged through the Sacred Emperor.
He vanished, his form a blur of starlight, bypassing Legacy Transmission, appearing beside the golden needle.
He reached out, his hand enveloped in Source Power Essence, attempting to pull it out.
But the needle, though it had clearly come from outside the Xuanhuang World, seemed to be… a part of it, connected to its very core, its essence.
As he pulled, the world trembled, mountains rising and falling, earth energy erupting from the ground.
He released his hold, abandoning his attempt.
And as he did, more golden needles, countless golden needles, rained down from the sky, piercing the Xuanhuang World's surface, their positions following a specific, almost… ritualistic pattern.
Not only was the world's transformation halted, but the Celestial Spiritual Qi that had been absorbed, integrated, was now being… expelled.
Wherever the needles landed, white mist appeared, spreading outwards, like tendrils of… something… reaching, searching, consuming.
Like a surgeon's scalpel, they began to dissect the Xuanhuang World, cutting it apart.
A strange power, an alien energy, enveloped the world.
The cultivators below, seeing the returning Celestial Spiritual Qi, didn't rush to claim it.
Instead, their minds clouded, their movements sluggish, their expressions vacant.
Many collapsed, their bodies falling to the ground, their consciousness fading.
They wouldn't witness what happened next.
"The Healer!" The Sacred Emperor finally understood.
He looked towards the sky, searching for his enemy.
But then…
Legacy Transmission attacked.
This time, there was no restraint, no holding back.
He unleashed the full force of his power, the very limit of what the Xuanhuang World could withstand.
"You dare defy me?!" His voice, cold and hard, echoed from every corner of the world, as if the very heavens themselves were condemning him.
The Sacred Emperor froze, his body stiffening, as if bound by invisible chains.
He felt the weight of countless gazes upon him, the accusing eyes of every cultivator in the Xuanhuang World, their combined disapproval a tangible force.
"This is… his domain. The Xuanhuang World… it's… his."
"But I, too, have allies here!" Starlight surged around him, his robe shimmering.
"Mo Rubin!" he roared. "How long do you intend to watch this play out from the shadows?!"
He didn't know where the former Dharma King of the Profound Heaven Sect was hiding.
But he was certain that Mo Rubin, ever the pragmatist, would be observing this… transformation of their world.
Their earlier conversations had revealed that Mo Rubin's loyalty wasn't to any particular faction, but to the Xuanhuang World itself.
He simply wanted their world to survive.
His true desire was to find his missing king, the Profound Heaven King, and escape this wretched Star Sea.
"Dao One!" the Sacred Emperor called out, his voice echoing through the world, ignoring Mo Rubin's silence.
The spiritual energy of the world responded, swirling around him, converging upon him.
Dao One, the creature he had unleashed, its essence spread throughout the world, its power amplified by the Xuanhuang World's recent transformation, answered his summons.
His body expanded as he absorbed its power, his size increasing exponentially. Ten feet, a hundred feet, a thousand feet…
The chains of disapproval that had bound him shattered, dissolving into nothingness.
He had become a true giant, his form towering over the Xuanhuang World.
But the influx of energy continued, as if he intended to consume the entire world's spiritual energy.
The Xuanhuang World, so vast only moments ago, now seemed… small. Insignificant.
Legacy Transmission's attacks, once overwhelming, were now… manageable.
He turned his gaze towards the Star Sea, searching for the Healer.
"I'll handle him," a voice said, stopping him.
Tian Yang stood before Legacy Transmission, his form radiating power.
"Go," he said, his voice calm, steady. "Even Legacy Transmission… he can't kill me. Not quickly."
He was no longer a child. His puppet body, now a perfect blend of dark gold and crimson, pulsed with a terrifying energy.
"Take this." The Sacred Emperor handed him the white ring, then turned and flew towards the descending golden needles, seeking their source, seeking the Healer.
He tried to intercept the needles, to disrupt their descent.
But they were too fast, too numerous, coming from all directions.
He had to find the source.
He glanced at Tian Yang, who was now clashing with Legacy Transmission, his movements fluid, his power immense. He didn't sense Mo Rubin's presence.
He continued his pursuit, leaving the Xuanhuang World behind, venturing into the desolate expanse of the Star Sea.
The power of Dao One, so potent within the Xuanhuang World, began to dissipate, its connection weakening as he distanced himself from the world's essence. Had it not been for the boost it had received during the world's absorption of the Celestial Spiritual Qi, its power would have faded even faster.
He had to find the Healer quickly.
But the Healer, another Supreme Being, it seemed, was unwilling to reveal their location, their presence a faint, elusive whisper on the edge of his awareness.
And the golden needles… they weren't being launched from a single point.
They were coming from… everywhere.
From every corner of the Star Sea.
He felt a growing frustration, his power, his immense strength, useless against this… invisible enemy.
A sudden thought, a dangerous impulse, flickered through his mind – an image of the sealed Tribulation of Annihilation and the Grand Magus's remains, hidden just outside the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty.
He almost… wanted to unleash them. To detonate them.
He was shocked by his own thoughts, quickly suppressing the dangerous impulse.
"Where did that come from?"
He pushed the thought aside, refocusing his search.
As the golden needles continued their relentless descent, the Xuanhuang World began to revert, its recent transformation undone.
The White Mist Barriers reappeared, separating the regions, their forms solidifying.
The world, so recently vibrant, so full of life, now seemed… dormant, its growth stunted, its potential… sealed.
The Sacred Emperor's frustration reached its peak.
He glanced at the Xuanhuang World below…
…and his heart skipped a beat.
It wasn't… completely restored.
That feeling… that unsettling sensation of being trapped within a formation… it lingered.
And it was growing stronger.
(End of Chapter)