"Hahaha, fellow Daoist, you must be joking! What lies beyond the Great Wall…" Zhong Daogong's eyes flickered. Faced with Li Fan's aggressive questioning, he flatly denied it.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Li Fan interrupted sharply, his eyes flashing with anger, his aura surging as if he were about to explode.
The elders recognized the fluctuations emanating from Li Fan. It was the power of the True Immortal Script! Seeing that he seemed serious, their expressions changed.
"Fellow Daoist, calm down! Let's talk this through!" They backed away from Li Fan, activating the Ark's defenses.
Li Fan's face remained grim. "I am perfectly calm! I just want an explanation! It was because I tried to divine the source of the disturbance affecting the Great Wall that I suffered this backlash and am now nearing my end… There's nothing within the Dark Star Sea that could inflict such damage. That weak point was clearly caused by an unknown civilization beyond the Great Wall, yet your Ark claimed it as your own achievement! Taking credit for others' work, how shameless! Your deception has cost me…"
Li Fan's voice grew louder, his agitation increasing, the True Immortal Script's power surging around him. He glared at the elders as if they were his mortal enemies, ready to perish along with them.
His accusations were almost nonsensical, but remember, Li Fan now seemingly had only twenty years left to live. For a cultivator, twenty years was but a blink of an eye. The elders wouldn't argue with a dying man in such an emotional state. They tried to appease him. "You misunderstand us, fellow Daoist! We didn't lie. The source of the Great Wall's instability does originate from beyond, but it's also closely related to our Ark, sharing the same origin…"
"You? Beyond the Great Wall?" Li Fan seemed to calm down slightly, but suspicion still lingered in his eyes.
The elders conferred privately. While the Merchant Ark breaking through the Great Wall was a closely guarded secret, the man before them was dying. They were too close to the Profound Immortal Ark. If he went berserk and unleashed the True Immortal Script's power, it could cause irreparable damage.
Temporarily appeasing him with a partial truth was acceptable.
"Alas, it's a long story. Allow me to explain…"
Zhong Daogong recounted the story of the Profound Merchant Ark's division and how the Merchant Ark ultimately broke through the Great Wall and escaped. Meanwhile, the other elders discreetly sealed off the space, both to prevent the leak of this crucial secret and to confine Li Fan.
Li Fan seemed oblivious to their actions. The anger within him gradually subsided, replaced by confusion and regret. "So, I was reckless? I never knew the Profound Merchant Ark had such a story."
Seeing him calm down, Zhong Daogong breathed a sigh of relief. "What is Great Qi's stance on our cooperation? Even if they disagree, they shouldn't have left you without a response for so long."
"Actually, Great Qi is also conflicted. After my reckless attempt and subsequent backlash, my master finally told me that Great Qi is naturally interested in crossing the Great Wall. However, anything related to the world beyond carries immense danger…"
After saying this with a serious expression, Li Fan looked around, seemingly noticing the confinement spell cast by the elders. A flicker of displeasure crossed his eyes, but he only snorted, refraining from any outburst. His black and white hair stirred as if blown by an invisible wind. Thin, silver threads emerged from his hair.
Before the elders could react, these silver threads formed a formation in the void, confining them in turn. This act of mirroring their own tactics didn't raise any alarms. Their attention was immediately captured by Li Fan's voice.
"Look! This is what I saw through our world-protecting immortal artifact, a scene related to the world beyond the Great Wall!"
The combination of "world-protecting immortal artifact" and "beyond the Great Wall" instantly grabbed their attention.
Their perspective zoomed out, the entire Dark Star Sea spreading before them. The cold, desolate Star Sea seemed to be boiling, an ominous, chilling aura permeating the void. Soon, a booming sound echoed from the distance. Then, the Dark Star Sea surged like a giant wave, as if struck by a colossal rock!
…
The scene abruptly ended. Despite its brevity, the elders understood what it depicted: the Great Wall crumbling, an unknown existence descending upon the Star Sea!
The scene felt incredibly real, like a recording of an actual event! The elders were stunned, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the Star Sea's upheaval.
"This…"
Zhong Daogong was also speechless as he looked at Li Fan.
"Now you understand why I suffered this backlash," Li Fan said calmly. "The collapse of the Great Wall, the turmoil in the Star Sea… if that truly happens, even Great Qi might not survive. That's why we haven't made a decision. Freedom is desirable, but safety comes first…" He sighed.
Silence fell upon the pavilion. While outwardly silent, the elders engaged in a heated internal debate.
"Is… is this real?"
"This scene… it's beyond our comprehension. Even in the most terrifying nightmares, such a scenario wouldn't appear."
"I think it's real. The fluctuations felt too authentic. Honestly, I almost fled just now. But it seems he's trapped us in a formation. I couldn't escape."
"What about our plan? Using the combined power of the True Immortal Script to trigger the residual immortal energy in the Star Sea, creating a tsunami to breach the Great Wall's weak point… We've planned this for so long, hoping to replicate the Merchant Ark's feat. Who could have predicted this outcome? Could it be that the Great Wall in that vision collapsed because of us?"
"Wait, I just tried. This formation he's set up is quite formidable. I can't get out either."
"Don't be intimidated. A vision doesn't necessarily represent the true future. We can't abandon our plan just because of this…"
"I'm telling you, this isn't good. Even with our combined strength, we can't break this formation."
…
A sense of unease spread among the elders, not only due to the shocking vision but also because they realized they were trapped in Li Fan's formation.
"Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this?" Zhong Daogong narrowed his eyes, demanding an explanation.
Li Fan avoided the question, seemingly lost in thought, muttering to himself, "My master and the other elders, prioritizing Great Qi's safety, decided against cooperating with you and probing the Great Wall's weak point. I understand their concerns…"
"But if that's the case, wouldn't my death in twenty years be meaningless?"
"Great Qi intends to abandon the plan. What about your Ark?" Li Fan stared intently at the elders.
Zhong Daogong, unsure of Li Fan's state of mind, hesitated to answer.
Seeing this, Li Fan's agitation returned. "What about you?! If you abandon the plan as well, then everything that has happened, my reckless use of the immortal artifact, the resulting backlash and shortened lifespan… wouldn't it all be for nothing?"
"I had a bright future. Among the young disciples of Great Qi, my talent was unmatched. I could have become a literary giant, my name remembered for generations, or at least a renowned teacher like my master, passing on knowledge and guiding others…"
"All of that is gone, because of your Ark's words." His voice grew increasingly frantic, his face contorting with a strange darkness that sent chills down their spines.
"If I must die, so be it. But to die a laughingstock… I won't allow it!"
Li Fan pointed at Zhong Daogong. "Give me an answer! Will your Ark continue the plan, or not?! If you're afraid and abandon it… then perish along with me!"
As he spoke, countless silver lines lit up in the surrounding void, like thousands of suns rising simultaneously, illuminating their prison. Every detail of their faces was visible. A silver wind swept through the void, leaving cuts on their faces with its gentle touch, forcing them to raise their defenses. However, as the invisible wind intensified, their expressions changed drastically.
"What… what kind of formation is this?!"
"Danger! Be careful! This formation is incredibly powerful!"
"Use the 'Jie' character to break it!"
The elders reacted swiftly. Before the words faded, Jian Daosheng wrote the character "Jie" [Unravel/解]. Under the influence of the True Immortal Script, the silver lines of the formation began to crumble.
However, before they could celebrate, something unexpected happened. Countless more silver lines appeared in the surrounding darkness, like more suns rising, forming a new, even more intricate formation. While the "Jie" character melted the ice of the formation, more water froze in its place! The formation confining them not only persisted but grew larger and more complex.
"Quickly, anyone else who knows the 'Jie' character, follow up!"
"Calm down! The Ark isn't far. If we unleash too much True Immortal Script power at once, the consequences will be dire!"
"He's gone mad! What is he trying to do?!"
As the countless silver threads flickered, Li Fan's voice echoed.
"Fellow Daoist Zhong! Answer me! What is your Ark's answer?!"
Zhong Daogong's expression darkened. It was the first time in centuries he had been cornered by a junior like this. And yet…
Looking at the various True Immortal Script characters emanating from Li Fan, Zhong Daogong felt a headache coming on. If these characters were activated simultaneously within the formation, even they, the elders of the Ark, wouldn't escape unscathed. He finally understood how troublesome a cultivator wielding the True Immortal Script, coupled with a disregard for their own life, could be.
"Answer me!"
Li Fan's near-crazed voice reverberated through the formation. Seeing him on the verge of collapse, the density of True Immortal Script characters swirling around him reaching a terrifying level, Zhong Daogong relented. "Rest assured, fellow Daoist. Our Ark will not abandon the plan to explore the world beyond the Great Wall."
"Words are meaningless!"
"Then what do you want?" Forced to concede, Zhong Daogong asked patiently.
"Take me to that weak point in the Great Wall, so I can see for myself! If you abandon the plan, I'll ram into the Great Wall myself, even if it means my death!" Li Fan's voice was firm.
The elders exchanged glances.
"Can we break this formation?"
"You know our skills in formations. Even if we sit down and study it, it will take decades, if not centuries, to understand it, let alone break it."
"I told you, we shouldn't rely too heavily on the True Immortal Script. We need to focus on developing other techniques and spells. You wouldn't listen. Now look at us." Elder Meng Xiaomeng of the Celestial Axis Institute looked smug.
"What do we do now? Do we really take him to the Great Wall's weak point?"
"It might not be a bad idea."
"He's nearing his end, his mind unhinged. We can't apply normal logic to him. He might actually kill himself by ramming into the Great Wall."
"And don't forget, he's highly proficient in the True Immortal Script. We can use him for preliminary experiments."
"Indeed. We just need to appease him and ensure he doesn't reveal our secrets to the outside world."
…
Partly due to Li Fan's life-threatening pressure, partly due to their own schemes, the elders finally agreed to his demands. They would take him to witness the so-called weak point in the Great Wall.
The Ark, along with the elders, moved through the void within the Return to the Void Grand Formation. Passing through the Sea of Relics, they drew closer to the foot of the Great Wall.
"Ahead are the scattered world fragments. Beyond them lies the invisible Great Wall," Zhong Daogong said.
Li Fan snorted. "I've been there. Which way do we go now?"
"The Great Wall of Shattered Worlds is a continuous structure. If the Ark approaches, it might be trapped by its power and unable to escape. Besides, as you've noticed, the closer we get to the Great Wall, the stronger the Echoing Star Power becomes. While we can withstand it with our cultivation, the Ark cannot…" Zhong Daogong explained patiently.
"Rest assured, now that we're here, we will honor our promise."
Li Fan looked at them, pondered for a moment, and finally nodded in agreement. Six elders remained behind to guard the Ark, while the rest, along with Li Fan, continued forward.
(End of Chapter)