Countless black and white lines suddenly sprang to life, deviating from their original trajectories and hurtling towards Li Fan. They resembled countless tentacles, attempting to bind and restrain him.
This space, known as the Root of Heaven and Earth, was the birthplace of the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heavens. The interwoven black and white lines resembled a colossal loom, weaving the fabric of the Xuanhuang World. Not only the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heavens, but also the original mountains, rivers, and blessed lands of the Xuanhuang World were all born here. It was the origin of the world, the convergence of laws, the very beginning of creation.
When Li Fan first witnessed this magnificent sight, he could only marvel at the wonders of creation and seize this rare opportunity to comprehend the fragments of primordial laws flowing within the Root of Heaven and Earth. Now, having experienced over a hundred reincarnations and returned to this place, Li Fan perceived things he had previously been unable to detect.
For instance, though faint and almost completely merged with the Root of Heaven and Earth, he now saw the traces of human intervention, subtly influencing its operation from a fundamental level.
Faced with the instinctive attack of the countless black and white lines, Li Fan remained motionless, allowing them to penetrate deep within his body. Under normal circumstances, a cultivator encountering such an attack would quickly find their body, similarly composed of countless lines, dispersed and dissolved, utterly vanishing within this space.
However, an inexplicable force now resided within Li Fan, firmly holding his own lines together. No matter how the Root of Heaven and Earth tried to absorb him, he remained unyielding!
Anchoring Li Fan firmly in place was his comprehension of the Interplay of Truth and Illusion. Nearly all creations originating from the Xuanhuang World found it difficult to resist the Root of Heaven and Earth's power to revert things to their origin. But the Interplay of Truth and Illusion stemmed from True Return, far beyond the comprehension and deconstruction capabilities of the Xuanhuang World's Root.
Instead, tiny grey marks, following the countless lines piercing his body, spread towards the depths of the Root of Heaven and Earth. These were not the world-destroying True Immortal Script, but countless strands of Li Fan's divine consciousness, attempting to use this attack as an opportunity to probe the secrets of the Root.
Countless images flashed before his eyes. Within the void, light flickered. Each flicker signified trillions of lines interweaving. From nothingness, a world was being born in the darkness.
Boom!
Just as Li Fan was immersed in this profound spectacle, the images shattered. The Root of Heaven and Earth had detected his intrusion. The lines piercing his body faded and vanished in an instant. The connection between Li Fan and the Root was severed. Furthermore, the lines that had been weaving creation slowly retreated into the void, no longer visible.
The light suddenly brightened as he was expelled from the Root of Heaven and Earth, returning to Tianling Region of the Xuanhuang World.
"A pity," he murmured, "Its instinctive crisis response was quite swift."
Despite his words, he felt little regret. Li Fan narrowed his eyes, recalling the "traces of human intervention" he had glimpsed. Probing the Root of Heaven and Earth had been a mere pretense. His true objective was to divert its attention and sense the hidden imprints.
The imprints were both new and old. While he could barely discern the newer ones with his current strength, the older imprints were almost indistinguishable, sensed only through a familiar aura from a past encounter. The distinction between new and old was relative. Even the "new" imprints were thousands of years old.
"The Five Elements Great Grotto-Heavens are the handiwork of the First Beginning Sect, a measure taken to guide the formation of laws within the Root of Heaven and Earth in preparation for the World-Ending Calamity. With the Five Elements complete and Primordial Essence circulating, they form their own realms. The creation of each Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven is a significant drain on the Xuanhuang World, like a mortal woman giving birth. Normally, one would be the limit. But the guidance left by the First Beginning Sect within the Root remains, causing this birthing process to continue endlessly…"
Li Fan's eyes flashed. He had discerned the origin of the newer imprints. He pointed a finger towards the void. Despite the powerful repulsive force, he forced his way back into the Root of Heaven and Earth, relying on his own strength.
Like poking a hornet's nest, this action caused the countless black and white lines within the Root to erupt in a frenzy, surging towards him relentlessly. This time, Li Fan did not remain a stationary target. He dodged the attacks, using his finger as a blade to sever the imprints left by the First Beginning Sect.
A humming resonated throughout the Root of Heaven and Earth. Seemingly comprehending Li Fan's actions, the enraged lines softened and returned to their original state, resuming their tranquil weaving.
In a flash, Li Fan had destroyed all traces left by the First Beginning Sect within the Root. From this point onward, no new Five Elements Great Grotto-Heavens would be born in the Xuanhuang World. After all, Li Fan planned to create a Super Xuanhuang World. The creation of Grotto-Heavens was a drain on the Xuanhuang World's power, something he would not allow to continue. He intended to prevent the unnecessary creation of any Grotto-Heavens within the Xuanhuang World, conserving its strength.
With the repulsive force gone, Li Fan could examine the faint, ancient imprints more closely.
"As expected, they're identical to the ancient immortal formation guarding the Nine Star Crimson Pearl Formation." The ancient imprints resembled birthmarks, almost seamlessly integrated with the Root. Had Li Fan not encountered a similar formation before, he might have mistaken them for natural features.
A portion of the imprints was embedded within the space itself, preventing Li Fan from discerning the full form of the immortal formation. However, comparing it to the formation data from the Terminal Dissociation Disc, most of it matched.
"Finally found you," Li Fan's eyes gleamed.
According to his previous deductions, the Floating Ferry Starry Sky Grand Formation consisted of four sub-formations. Through his past reincarnations, he had identified three: the golden chains used to locate and capture cultivation worlds beyond the Dark Star Sea; the Eye of the Celestial Beast that served as an observation post; and the Dark Sea, also known as the Spirit Gathering Ascension Grand Formation, used to escape the pull of the Immortal Ruins.
The last one, however, had remained elusive, even after searching the entire Xuanhuang World. He hadn't even been able to pinpoint its possible location during the previous world's destruction by the immortal formation.
Unexpectedly, he found it this time while revisiting this place to absorb an anchor point.
"This Floating Ferry Grand Formation must have been modified by the Xuanhuang King from the former world-protecting immortal formation. Unlike the other sub-formations, the modifications here are minimal, practically untouched."
"With the Root of Heaven and Earth continuously weaving creation, the Xuanhuang World can continuously repair and even expand itself while navigating the Star Sea. This intrinsic growth, unlike the Legacy Transmission and the Healer's method of merging external shattered worlds, avoids the anomalies caused by conflicting world laws and the side effects of the fusion process…"
An image appeared before Li Fan's eyes. In the endless darkness of the void, the Xuanhuang World, like a colossal starship, slowly advanced. The Eye of the Celestial Beast observed and located; the golden chains searched for enemies and gathered resources; the Dark Sea provided endless power; and the Root of Heaven and Earth repaired and expanded the world. A perfect system for survival in the Star Sea.
"Floating Ferry Starry Sky... Floating Ferry Starry Sky… With this formation, one can indeed traverse the starry sky, impervious to calamities. The Xuanhuang King was truly a peerless genius!" Li Fan praised sincerely.
"It's just a pity… that such a brilliant individual met with unforeseen circumstances just before ascending to immortality." Li Fan narrowed his eyes. The Xuanhuang King's disappearance remained one of the greatest mysteries of the Xuanhuang World. Even after countless reincarnations and the revelation of all secrets during the world's destruction, Li Fan had yet to uncover the truth. He could only speculate that the process of ascension might carry immense risks.
"Although the Xuanhuang King is gone, this Floating Ferry Grand Formation can be used by me. I previously suspected that the Xuanhuang King might be hiding within the final sub-formation, but now…"
Due to Li Fan's "population control" efforts, the Root of Heaven and Earth had chosen to overlook his previous act of absorbing a Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven. It didn't generate any goodwill towards him, but it allowed him to roam freely within this world of converging laws.
This place seemed boundless, but it was merely an illusion created by the interweaving of laws and the immortal formation. Proficient in formations, Li Fan did not get lost. He quickly searched the entire Root of Heaven and Earth.
As he expected, he found no trace of the Xuanhuang King.
"Even during the world's destruction in my previous life, I didn't see Mo Rubing. If he were in the Xuanhuang World, with his strength, he would definitely have been able to withstand it for a while. Could it be…?" Li Fan frowned.
There was no reason for Mo Rubing to abandon his long-held goal and flee the Xuanhuang World. It was highly likely that he had gone to the Eye of the Celestial Beast, located somewhere unknown outside the Xuanhuang World.
"The Eye of the Celestial Beast, acting as a reconnaissance formation for the Floating Ferry Starry Sky Grand Formation, must have a wider observation range than I imagined, perhaps even beyond the void…," Li Fan realized.
"The Floating Ferry Starry Sky Grand Formation is almost integrated with the Xuanhuang World. Perhaps the Eye of the Celestial Beast can also be reversed, to observe the Xuanhuang World. However, even Mo Rubing might not know its exact location. Searching the starry sky blindly carries certain risks. That's why, in the 119th life, when I pretended to cooperate with him, he didn't choose this path. Only in the last life, when pursued by the Sacred Emperor's avatar and with nowhere to run, was he forced to make that choice."
Li Fan learned of the Eye of the Celestial Beast from an unfortunate soul who was randomly transported there from a teleportation formation in Jiushan Region. This led to an encounter with the Healer, who had sensed the energy fluctuation. Fortunately, with his wit, he gained the Healer's trust and, through this misfortune, obtained the secret "Record of Mending the Heavens."
The probability of being randomly transported to the Eye of the Celestial Beast was too low for Li Fan to attempt it himself. However, Jiushan Region, formed from the remains of the Celestial Beast, must have some connection to the distant Eye. Perhaps he could use this connection to locate it.
"The Floating Ferry Starry Sky Grand Formation is also crucial for my ascension of the Xuanhuang World in this life."
"Although the formation is broken, if I repair and reactivate it…"
In the Xuanhuang King's era, the Floating Ferry Starry Sky Grand Formation only enveloped a small area of the original Xuanhuang World. Compared to the current Xuanhuang World, formed through the merging of various realms, it was only the central core region.
"I can expand the formation and, without anyone noticing, gain control of the Xuanhuang World."
The Terminal Dissociation Disc was currently occupied with other tasks. Li Fan could only rely on his own understanding of the Dao of Formations to deduce. In his mindscape, the Floating Ferry Grand Formation spread from the center, gradually enveloping the Xuanhuang World, eventually transforming it into a colossal starship.
"When expanding and rebuilding the formation, I can integrate the world-destroying immortal formation I comprehended in my past life. Once the Xuanhuang World's transformation is complete, even if the descending immortal soul surpasses my expectations, with the formation as a shackle, it will never escape my grasp." Li Fan pondered.
Undeniably, working on the foundations laid by predecessors made things much easier. With the groundwork laid by the Xuanhuang King, Li Fan could save a considerable amount of effort in achieving his plans. In fact, without the Xuanhuang King's arrangements, Li Fan wouldn't be able to construct a new Floating Ferry Starry Sky Grand Formation with his current level of formation mastery.
"Currently, information regarding the four sub-formations is still insufficient."
Naturally, the image of Mo Rubing surfaced in Li Fan's mind. He had seen almost all of Mo Rubing's techniques during their battle with the Sacred Emperor in his past life. With sufficient preparation, Li Fan was confident in capturing him. It was time to settle the score for being toyed with by Mo Rubing.
However…
Before seeking revenge and information from Mo Rubing, Li Fan first visited the location of another Profound Heaven Sect Law King.
Eastern Eternal Continent, Ring Mountain.
Countless spirit flowers filled the sky, a breathtakingly beautiful sight. However, Li Fan knew that within these exquisite flowers lay hidden the memories, or rather, soul fragments, of Ji Yuzhen, one of the former Law Kings of the Profound Heaven Sect.
Ji Yuzhen cultivated the Immeasurable Heavenly Axis Soul Severing Technique. Even Xuanhuang King Xuanyuan Hong himself had praised this technique as unparalleled.
Although Ji Yuzhen seemed to have perished, a sliver of his life force remained, hidden within the countless soul flowers. At the end of his previous life, amidst the world-destroying storm of the immortal formation, this place was one of the last bastions of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
"My previous memory probing technique must have had some flaws. There are still secrets hidden within Ji Yuzhen's memories."
A glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes. A plain white ring, Falling to the Mortal Realm, appeared in his hand. He tossed it gently into the air, and the ring instantly enveloped the entire Ring Mountain. It descended silently, transforming everything it covered into spiritual energy. The vast Ring Mountain crumbled inch by inch.
The soul flowers, integrated with the mountain and hidden within, almost undetectable by ordinary means, slowly drifted out.
(End of Chapter)