"A message from the Profound Heaven King…" Li Fan feigned contemplation, then sighed. "It must be a secret only True Immortals can comprehend."
"Could it be information about the culprit behind the Profound Heaven King's disappearance?"
Mo Rubin shook his head. "Baseless speculation is meaningless. Although we can't know the exact content of Brother Xuanyuan's message, the fact that it was sent through the Eye of the Celestial Beast might provide us with a direction."
With that, Mo Rubin manipulated the Eye of the Celestial Beast once more. The images on the countless surrounding bubbles froze, then rapidly rewound, as if the Eye of the Celestial Beast was hurtling backward through the Star Sea.
"This is the trajectory of Brother Xuanyuan's message through the Star Sea."
"The High Wall traps all beings within the Dark Star Sea. This message might be the only one to escape in millennia."
"I can calculate the exact location where the message breached the High Wall. Then we can go there and investigate," Mo Rubin explained slowly.
Li Fan frowned. "At most, there might be a slight trace left on the High Wall by the message. You don't expect to find a hole in it, do you?"
Mo Rubin smiled mysteriously. "Why not?"
"Fellow Daoist, do you know what the High Wall truly is?" he asked, seeing Li Fan's surprised expression.
Li Fan replied, "It's called the High Wall, but it's actually the end of the Star Sea, a point where there's no path forward. This 'end' is artificially created, blocking the way, like a wall descending from the heavens to seal off the Star Sea."
"Indeed. The High Wall isn't a physical object, but a rule. Since Brother Xuanyuan's message to the Faceless Immortal likely broke through the High Wall and reached beyond the Star Sea, it means…"
"The rule… was broken." A sharp glint flashed in Mo Rubin's eyes.
Understanding dawned on Li Fan. "If that broken rule in the High Wall hasn't been repaired in millennia, it might be a passage to the outside!"
"But… is that possible?"
"After so long, would such a breach still exist?" Li Fan remained skeptical.
Mo Rubin smiled. "That depends on our luck. The harbinger of Dao Obliteration is about to engulf the Star Sea. If we can't find a way to cross the High Wall…"
"…then we're doomed." His smile was chilling.
Li Fan's expression turned grave.
Mo Rubin cupped his hands. "The journey to the edge of the Star Sea is long. Having witnessed your unparalleled escape technique, I'd like to request your assistance."
Li Fan replied solemnly, "Certainly."
A viscous membrane enveloped them, and in a moment, they were outside the Eye of the Celestial Beast, in the Dark Star Sea. The spectral wooden sword materialized, shielding Li Fan and Mo Rubin.
Mo Rubin formed hand seals, and an oval, brownish-yellow eye emerged from his forehead. It felt identical to the Eye of the Celestial Beast.
"This is one of the auxiliary formations of the Eye of the Celestial Beast. It allows me to attach an observation point to myself, guiding me through the Star Sea."
As he explained, Mo Rubin manipulated the brown eye, projecting a beam of light. It didn't illuminate the dark Star Sea, but it was visible to Li Fan and Mo Rubin, pointing straight towards the depths of the Star Sea, guiding their way.
"Just follow this beam, fellow Daoist."
"If there are dangerous areas with concentrated True Immortal residual power along the way, the Celestial Beast's guidance will avoid them."
As if to prove his words, the straight beam of light suddenly curved, bypassing an unseen obstacle before continuing its path.
Li Fan waved his hand dismissively. "No need for that."
His spectral wooden sword accelerated sharply, charging straight towards the dangerous area marked by the Eye of the Celestial Beast without hesitation.
Mo Rubin's expression changed slightly. Before he could speak, however, he was astonished to find that they had traversed a considerable distance in an instant. The spectral wooden sword had passed through the dangerous area without any adverse effects.
A somewhat comical scene unfolded. The guiding beam of the Eye of the Celestial Beast continued to twist and turn, while the spectral wooden sword simply flew straight ahead, refusing to take detours. The beam of light had to constantly adjust its direction to keep up. The spectral wooden sword's speed was so great that the Eye of the Celestial Beast's guidance sometimes disappeared momentarily, forcing Li Fan to stop and wait for it to reappear.
In this manner, they sped towards the edge of the Star Sea.
"I thought your escape technique was already impressive, but it's even stronger than I imagined! It can actually ignore the concentrated True Immortal residual power in the Star Sea?" Mo Rubin exclaimed, finally recovering from his astonishment.
"I've made some recent breakthroughs. It even extended my dwindling lifespan," Li Fan replied casually.
Mo Rubin's gaze lingered on Li Fan's face, but he didn't press further.
With Li Fan's escape technique protecting them, the normally perilous journey across the Star Sea became a smooth and safe passage. After nearly a day, they passed through the Sea of Artifacts and the Great Wall of Shattered Worlds, reaching the edge of the Star Sea.
The guiding beam of the Eye of the Celestial Beast became increasingly faint, prompting Li Fan to slow down. Even though the core of his spectral wooden sword was the Interplay of Truth and Illusion, existing between the real and the illusory, colliding with the High Wall at such high speed would likely result in severe injuries.
Mo Rubin used the Celestial Beast's Eye to observe their surroundings. A slight miscalculation at the starting point, magnified over such a vast distance, could lead to significant deviations at the edge of the Star Sea.
"It should be… nearby."
Before he could finish, Li Fan's spectral wooden sword came to an abrupt halt.
"No path ahead. We've reached the High Wall."
These words made Mo Rubin's expression turn serious.
"Please move along the boundary, fellow Daoist. If I detect any trace of the message, I'll notify you immediately."
Li Fan nodded in acknowledgment. It wasn't that he was intentionally aloof, but the True Immortal residual power concentrated at the base of the High Wall was on a completely different scale from the rest of the Star Sea. Without the Great Wall of Shattered Worlds to buffer and dissipate it, even with his supreme escape technique, Li Fan had to focus all his energy on resisting the immense force.
He moved along the High Wall with great difficulty.
After a long while, Mo Rubin still hadn't found their target. Li Fan, however, began to feel dizzy. A sense of unease washed over him, urging him to leave. Yet, his instincts didn't sense any danger, only this inexplicable feeling. Li Fan suppressed it, trying to understand its source.
Soon, a realization dawned upon him. "It's from being near the High Wall for too long, creating the illusion that it's collapsing and about to crush me. It's because the difference in 'potential' between myself and the High Wall is too great."
Understanding this brought him some comfort. Since there was no actual danger, he ignored the unsettling feeling and continued exploring the High Wall.
But he had clearly underestimated the oppressive force of the High Wall. After a short while, his unease intensified. The Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra became completely ineffective, even affecting the flow of his spiritual energy and his thoughts. To his horror, Li Fan discovered that his height had imperceptibly shrunk under the High Wall's pressure.
Upon further inspection, he found that not only his physical body, but also his soul and even his cultivation level were being compressed and diminished, as if the High Wall was truly descending upon him!
Li Fan stopped pushing himself and retreated from the High Wall.
"This is the first time I've been so close to the High Wall for so long."
He let out a sigh of relief as his body returned to normal.
Looking at Mo Rubin, his condition was even worse. Perhaps due to prolonged observation of the High Wall, the Celestial Beast's Eye on his forehead was slowly closing, as if being squeezed shut, its opening now almost half its original size. Mo Rubin's body trembled uncontrollably, as if he had witnessed something utterly terrifying.
Seeing this, Li Fan was puzzled. Given Mo Rubin's mental fortitude, even seeing the High Wall shouldn't have frightened him to this extent.
Finally, Mo Rubin spoke, explaining the reason.
"Thousands of demonic hearts, all witnessing the High Wall, their emotions amplified a thousandfold within me…"
"Forgive me, fellow Daoist." He slowly regained his composure.
Li Fan waved it off. "It's a being beyond mortal comprehension. I'm glad you're alright."
"Did you find any trace of the Profound Heaven King's message?"
To Li Fan's surprise, Mo Rubin nodded. "I've compared the section of the boundary we've covered. I did find a spot that's different from the rest."
"But the sample size is too small to be certain. We need to examine the entire area marked by the Eye of the Celestial Beast."
"Very well."
After resting and recovering, they set off again.
As they approached the High Wall, Li Fan's expression suddenly changed. Without any warning, the crushing sensation returned! Their previous rest hadn't negated the High Wall's oppressive force. Upon returning to its base, they immediately resumed experiencing its immense power.
Mo Rubin's body trembled violently, his fearful expression mirroring Li Fan's own.
"Since retreating is useless, we can only persevere," he said through chattering teeth.
Li Fan closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing his discomfort. Following the guidance of the Celestial Beast's Eye, they continued their difficult exploration along the wall. With each step, they felt themselves shrinking, the High Wall looming larger and more intimidating.
Fortunately, the area they needed to investigate wasn't particularly vast.
"Indeed, that spot is different from the rest of the High Wall. Hurry!" The almost completely closed Celestial Beast's Eye projected a faint beam of light, guiding Li Fan.
Under the pressure of the High Wall, as their power diminished, the effectiveness of Li Fan's spectral wooden sword escape technique also weakened. He had a premonition that if they stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to maintain the spectral wooden sword. Without his escape technique, he wouldn't be able to escape the High Wall's base, and with the ever-increasing pressure, they would eventually be crushed and obliterated. Only True Return could save them then.
Fortunately, they reached their destination before that happened.
It was truly just a single point, one among the countless endpoints in the vast Dark Star Sea. Finding its exact location under the pressure of the High Wall, without specific guidance, would have been impossible. But the Profound Heaven King's message had made the impossible possible.
Li Fan had originally intended to escape with his technique before his power was completely drained. But as he stepped onto that point, the High Wall's pressure remained, but… it no longer intensified. It was as if they had just arrived at the base of the High Wall for the first time.
Li Fan and Mo Rubin exchanged a look, both seeing the elation in the other's eyes.
"I was right! Brother Xuanyuan's message pierced through the High Wall's rules!"
Li Fan agreed. "This is like a weak point, a flaw in the High Wall. At the very least, we can now stay here and study it."
"Otherwise, forget studying it, even prolonged proximity would be impossible."
Mo Rubin's eyes narrowed, his expression dreamy as he stared at the wall, as if seeing the hope of escaping the Dark Star Sea. A demonic heart flew out from his body, its expression identical to his own, reaching out to touch the edge of spacetime.
A moment… then another… then another…
Mo Rubin's expression gradually froze.
He felt nothing.
After all this effort, they had reached the exact location where the Profound Heaven King had breached the wall. Yet, even facing this flawed section of the High Wall, Mo Rubin still felt nothing.
Even a flawed High Wall was beyond the reach of beings below True Immortal level. Realizing this, a shadow crossed Mo Rubin's face.
Li Fan, too, couldn't sense anything from this supposed breach. Before him was still the void, an incomprehensible and impenetrable end. Whether it was flawed or not made no difference to them. They could only perceive it through the effects of the High Wall's pressure on them.
Li Fan was naturally unwilling to give up. He felt a strong urge to use the Ascension Formation, to increase his "potential" and lessen the gap between himself and the High Wall, to get a closer look. But with Mo Rubin present, using the Ascension Formation would surely attract his attention. He suppressed the urge for now.
"I'll try that next time, when I'm alone."
They fell silent, gazing at the wall with a mixture of awe and frustration. The High Wall's pressure didn't lessen, and soon, it became unbearable again. Li Fan had no choice but to retreat with Mo Rubin to a safe distance.
(End of Chapter)