From the soul search, Li Fan learned the man's name was Qin Zhuang, the strongest being in the Changyang Small World.
Changyang lacked spiritual energy, possessing only a unique sun that dominated the sky. Daylight occupied three-quarters of each day and was constantly increasing, threatening to incinerate all life.
Qin Zhuang, starting as an ordinary mortal, absorbed the sun's energy, developing his potential. After ninety-nine years, he merged with the sun, plunging Changyang into eternal night.
As he prepared to leave, a mysterious figure appeared. Qin Zhuang, confident in his world-destroying power, was swiftly defeated. The figure revealed the truth about the Xuanhuang World, mortals, and Small Worlds, inviting him to join a united army against the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
Impressed by the figure's power and demeanor, Qin Zhuang agreed. A fierce war ensued. The alliance hadn't achieved the easy victory their records claimed. Initially, they were forced to retreat, barely clinging to the central four regions. Only after the Legacy Transmitter sought help from the Legacy Transmission Celestial Venerable, who sent countless golden threads from beyond the stars, was the united army defeated.
Scattered and fleeing, Qin Zhuang, one of the army's leaders, was imprisoned in the deepest level of the Netherworld Prison.
…
Li Fan pondered Qin Zhuang's memories. Though seemingly flawless, imprinted deep within his soul, something felt amiss. The memories weren't fabricated. The eternally night-shrouded Changyang World existed; Li Fan had even visited it.
"It's the incongruity between this body and these memories. Like a possession." Having experience with such matters, Li Fan sensed something was wrong. Though just a hunch, he trusted his instincts.
"If a soul search is useless, I'll have to try something else." He casually dropped the unconscious Qin Zhuang.
Qin Zhuang, seemingly near death, suddenly transformed into a blood-tinged golden light, fleeing towards the edge of the Xuanhuang World with even greater speed than before. He was desperate.
But the outcome was the same. Li Fan's wooden sword flashed, and he slammed Qin Zhuang back to the ground.
"Senior, spare me! Spare me!" Terror filled Qin Zhuang's eyes as he pleaded for mercy.
"What is your relationship with Si Tuyao of the Heavenly Sword Sect?" Li Fan asked bluntly.
"I… I don't understand what you're talking about…" Qin Zhuang feigned ignorance.
But the fleeting change in his expression didn't escape Li Fan's notice. Having received his answer, Li Fan pressed a finger against Qin Zhuang's forehead, enveloping him in an illusion array.
He attempted to use the array to probe Qin Zhuang's true past, the same method that had worked on the Healer. This time, it failed. Qin Zhuang's behavior within the array perfectly matched the logic of Changyang's strongest being. Dozens of simulated scenarios yielded the same result.
Li Fan began to doubt himself.
Qin Zhuang, emerging from the array, looked at Li Fan with increased fear. He hesitated to speak.
This fear, however, solidified Li Fan's suspicions. Qin Zhuang was afraid of his secrets being exposed. If he were truly just Qin Zhuang of Changyang, with his entire life revealed, his fear would be different.
"There must be some external restriction, a technique from beyond the barrier, protecting his deepest secrets from conventional methods."
Li Fan said meaningfully, "It doesn't matter. Let's see how long you can last." He had plenty of experience extracting information.
He created a Simulated Personality specifically for interrogation, imprisoning it within himself.
"Perhaps he can't speak, not that he won't. Either way, I'll… entertain him for a while." Li Fan's expression remained indifferent as he watched Qin Zhuang's suffering within the mental hell.
"Beyond the barrier…" Moments later, he looked towards the sky, lost in thought.
He knew that since the Great Calamity, some had escaped Xuanhuang, possibly even crossing the barrier.
"The Ten Great Sects, including the Heavenly Sword Sect, the Yao race of the Southern Bright Sacred Beast Mountain, and the Merchant Vessel."
"Those are just the ones I know of. There must be others."
"But only Qin Zhuang seems to have returned." Li Fan wouldn't let him go easily. The Star Sea consciousness's reaction to the Profound Immortal Vessel's crossing had deeply unsettled him. He was more wary of what lay beyond than ever.
"But most fear stems from the unknown. If I can gather some intelligence…"
"Let's see how resilient Qin Zhuang is."
Setting this aside for now, Li Fan made final preparations for Xuanhuang's ascension.
First, he needed to practice hunting Ink Slaying. He was eighty percent confident in the ascension itself, but swiftly eliminating the Heavenly Immortal Soul Ink Slaying required careful planning.
Ink Slaying was already among the strongest Heavenly Souls in Xuanhuang. Its power would undoubtedly increase after the ascension.
"But the fundamentals remain the same. Even after ascending, it's still a Heavenly Soul."
"If I know its attributes and weaknesses, I can exploit them…"
Li Fan went to the Congyun Sea, sending a sliver of divine sense towards Myriad Immortals Island. Hong Xi, the island's Nascent Soul realm master, suddenly looked up.
"A Heavenly Soul!" Greed surged within him.
Normally cautious, he would seek allies or even Nascent Soul realm experts for protection. But now…
"If news gets out, others will come, and the Heavenly Soul might slip through my fingers."
"I've cultivated in seclusion for years. A mere Heavenly Soul… I can handle it alone." Pride filled his eyes.
Seven days later, believing himself fully prepared, Hong Xi began hunting Chi Yan. The Heavenly Soul, capable of scorching mountains and boiling seas, proved to be all bark and no bite, retreating under his relentless attacks.
Hong Xi's confidence soared as he unleashed his full power.
After a full day of fighting, he finally triumphed! A new Dao Integration Immortal Venerable was born!
Standing proudly, reveling in his newfound power, Hong Xi envisioned a glorious future. Then, a sudden wave of fear washed over him, cold sweat dripping down his back.
He spun around, scanning his surroundings. The world was peaceful, nothing amiss. Confused, he dismissed it as a side effect of his ascension.
He didn't realize how close he had come to death. If not for Li Fan's intervention, Ink Slaying would have claimed him.
Back at the Great Xuan's Dao Discussion Platform, Li Fan observed the expanding ink-like substance contained within countless golden threads, a serious expression on his face.
"As expected of Ink Slaying."
"It can even corrupt near-Immortal power like Source Power Essence."
"And use it to its advantage!" Li Fan marveled after studying it.
He had captured Ink Slaying after Chi Yan's death, not to destroy it, but to study it. He recalled the Healer's words regarding the Great Five Elements Annihilation Sword.
"True annihilation doesn't exist within the natural cycle of a world. Destruction is merely a prelude to rebirth. To achieve true annihilation, one must venture into the depths of the Star Sea…"
But Ink Slaying contradicted this. Li Fan had witnessed true annihilation, even caused it. He knew what true nothingness looked like. And it was almost identical to what Ink Slaying caused.
"Except with a touch of Xuanhuang's unique flavor." Li Fan pondered.
"Ink Slaying's power of annihilation isn't something an ordinary cultivation world can produce."
"It's likely a mechanism inherent to Xuanhuang since its creation."
He inserted a finger through the golden threads. Instantly, the connection to his body was severed. The writhing ink-like substance attempted to invade before the connection broke, targeting both his body and soul.
Like peeling a potato, Li Fan shed layers of his being before finally isolating Ink Slaying.
"Such aggressiveness!" He frowned.
"And that sudden disconnection…" Hesitant, he regenerated his lost finger and tried again. The result was the same. His finger vanished, devoured by Ink Slaying. This time, it was even faster.
"The corruption has intensified."
"Ink Slaying is learning."
Regenerating his finger once more, Li Fan stopped.
"I was right. That feeling of disconnection is identical to what I felt beyond the barrier."
"What does this mean?" He was deeply puzzled.
After fruitless contemplation, he decided to focus on finding Ink Slaying's weakness.
"Theoretically, creation and destruction are opposing forces."
"To counter Ink Slaying, I need boundless life force."
He went to the crevice network beneath the Star Sea, channeling its life force towards the contained Ink Slaying.
Unexpectedly, Ink Slaying treated the life force as nourishment, expanding rapidly, straining the golden threads. Fortunately, several layers of Immortal Arrays provided backup. Li Fan calmly reinforced the containment.
After a furious but futile struggle, Ink Slaying seemed to give up, contracting inwards, its darkness deepening, resembling the Dark Star Sea. A profound aura emanated from it.
Li Fan's eyes widened. "This is…"
Within the vaguely humanoid shape edged with gold, he sensed an aura similar to the black Qi at the heart of the Star Sea!
"The Dao Obliteration Calamity?!" Alarmed, he doubled the containment measures.
His mind raced. "I suspected Xuanhuang was a testing ground for countering the Dao Obliteration Calamity."
"But I never figured out how."
"But if Ink Slaying is a weaker version of the Dao Obliteration Calamity…"
"Integrated into Xuanhuang's laws, it becomes part of the world's natural cycle."
"Ink Slaying brings annihilation, but then…" Images flashed through his mind – scenes of life returning after Ink Slaying's destruction.
"Though absolute, Ink Slaying's annihilation is followed by rebirth."
"This is Xuanhuang's inherent countermeasure." Understanding dawned upon him. He looked at Ink Slaying with new eyes.
"I was wrong."
"Though its manifestation is destruction, Ink Slaying is still a Heavenly Soul of Xuanhuang."
"And if it's a Heavenly Soul…" Li Fan pointed at the center of the humanoid shape.
"Xuanhuang World Destruction Transformation!"
Not just one, but all the transformations Xuanhuang underwent during existential crises manifested within the darkness. Like countless swirling vortexes, the ink-like substance churned. Under Li Fan's guidance, transformations emerged from nothingness!
Colors blossomed from the abyss of darkness. Even Li Fan, the orchestrator, was surprised. He watched as Ink Slaying's power was converted into other forms of world destruction, weakening and dying in the process.
His expression was unreadable. Only when the darkness was almost gone did he withdraw his power, absorbing the myriad Xuanhuang World Destruction Transformations.
"Destruction is the ancestor of creation."
"Creation is the path of destruction…"
"Is this the solution to the Dao Obliteration Calamity?"
(End of Chapter)