"The existence of the sinister Su Bai beyond the wall is truly earth-shattering."
"It's not just his power, but the implications for the entire mortal world."
"Countless possibilities unfolding simultaneously…"
"No, it's far more complex than that!"
As Li Fan watched the fleeting memories of the Xuanhuang World's Master Bai flash by like shooting stars, he glanced at the 7.36 million-year countdown on his [True Return] panel.
"The sinister Su Bai's memories contain not only immense carnage, but also scenes of a truly terrifying calamity."
"Even with his unfathomable power, the sinister Su Bai could only flee before this world-ending disaster!"
"It was the instantaneous collapse of an entire timeline!"
"The true Dao Obliteration Calamity!"
Through Master Bai's Eternal Remnants, through the eyes of the sinister Su Bai, Li Fan experienced the true horror of the Dao Obliteration Calamity.
From the Xuanhuang World to the Dark Star Sea, the Great Void beyond, and countless other cultivation worlds, including the Immortal Realm floating above the infinite sea…
This unimaginable, vast cosmos collapsed in an instant.
Without warning, without a sound, it was annihilated.
Even the concept of nothingness ceased to exist.
Only by leaping to another possibility before the calamity reached them could one survive.
…
"So, those 7.36 million years are True Return's calculated countdown to the disappearance of all possibilities?"
Li Fan's mind reeled.
"The sinister Su Bai, madly slaughtering versions of himself across other possibilities. After sensing Su Bai within the wall, he used every method to try and lure him back beyond the wall…"
"It seems the existence of other versions of himself is crucial to him."
"In the sinister Su Bai's memories, each act of self-slaughter was accompanied by unimaginable carnage, far more brutal than what he did in the Heavenly Law World. It was a destruction that left no corpses, no blood, no memories, only a void."
Compared to the sinister Su Bai, Li Fan's own acts of world destruction were insignificant.
"Is this the sinister Su Bai's nature, or is this how all beings of his level operate beyond the wall?"
Li Fan took a deep breath.
"Regardless, the sinister Su Bai is a greater threat to the Xuanhuang World than even the Dao Obliteration Calamity."
"At least the calamity hasn't arrived yet. But if the sinister Su Bai were to breach the wall, the world within would be instantly annihilated."
"That's why Master Bai chose to die, severing the connection. He even altered the memories of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao and the trials within the Fallen Immortal Realm, removing all traces of the sinister Su Bai."
"Only within his Eternal Remnants did he leave this crucial information."
The chaotic memories faded.
Li Fan returned to reality, the skull in his hand dissolving into starlight.
"During the time he was influenced by the sinister Su Bai, Master Bai gained a perspective beyond a single possibility."
"While I don't know exactly what he saw, it's clear this information is meant for future generations."
"Whoever can pass the trial and theoretically defeat the sinister Su Bai is the chosen one."
"The secret to the sinister Su Bai's survival and rise to power amidst the Dao Obliteration Calamity!" Li Fan's eyes gleamed.
"True Return awakened the [Incarnation] function after absorbing Tian Yang's Eternal Remnants, because Tian Yang had mastered the art of transforming his body into objects."
"And now, the [Dao Origin] function is awakened because of the sinister Su Bai's cultivation method."
Li Fan narrowed his eyes.
"Dao Obliteration. Dao Origin."
…
Deep within the Divine Repository of Wonders, at the Southern冥 Sacred Beast Mountain ruin, Li Fan's divine sense incarnation continued its conversation with Di Sanmo.
"Our people aren't always so lucky to arrive in a world where the Southern冥 Sacred Beast Mountain is intact."
"If the energy within it is depleted, it's a dead end," Di Sanmo chuckled.
Li Fan recalled seeing Di Yi, using the majestic Divine Face, retrieve the large bronze key from the white snake and unlock the immense energy within the Southern冥 Sacred Beast Mountain within the World-Splitting Whale's vortex.
"So, it's a single-use item," Li Fan mused.
Di Sanmo nodded. "That's why I, and some others, chose not to follow Di Yi. He allowed it. We were all gambling. Given our nature, if Di Yi's group perished, another Di Yi would emerge from those who remained."
"So far, that hasn't happened. It seems Di Yi won his gamble again," Di Sanmo smiled.
"But who can guarantee he'll always win?" Li Fan countered.
Di Sanmo remained silent.
"Even leaping to another possibility can't guarantee escape. I wonder what caused such a terrifying calamity." Silence hung in the air for a moment before Li Fan sighed.
"Immortal, allow me to tell you a story," Di Sanmo said suddenly.
"Not long ago… a soul escaped from the device known as [Era]. To endure countless reincarnations within Era and retain one's consciousness is exceedingly rare."
Having experienced Era himself, Li Fan was intrigued.
"Sounds like good material for creating Eternal Remnants," he thought.
"What happened to him?" Knowing Di Sanmo wouldn't mention this without a reason, Li Fan asked.
"He's gone," Di Sanmo shook his head.
"He hid within this ruin. The residual energy here could protect his fragile soul, but it wasn't enough. And he refused to return to Era…"
"He was too weak when I found him."
"I prolonged his life for a while, but it was futile."
"However, during his final days, we had many discussions. Based on my, and my people's, memories, he proposed a theory about the cause of this world-ending calamity."
"Oh?" Li Fan perked up.
"It's just speculation, Immortal. Take it as mere entertainment." After this disclaimer, Di Sanmo began his story.
"It's common knowledge that beyond True Immortal lies the Unnamed True Immortal realm. Unnamed True Immortals merge with the Dao, disappearing from all records. No one knows how many have achieved this throughout history. But…"
Di Sanmo waved his hand, and an image appeared within the ruin.
Countless lines, intersecting and interwoven, supported an entire world.
"Achieving the Unnamed True Immortal realm is difficult, improbable. But given infinite time, it's not impossible."
"And every time an Unnamed True Immortal is born…"
Di Sanmo tapped his finger, and a vertical line within the image vanished.
He repeated this, again and again.
The web, with its missing lines, became incomplete, slowly warping.
Li Fan's eyes narrowed.
Finally, the web collapsed.
The world within crumbled!
Di Sanmo waved his hand, and the image disappeared.
"This is just a simplified explanation, not necessarily the truth."
"Perhaps every Dao is more important than we realize. Even the loss of a few could cause the collapse of an entire possibility."
"Or perhaps, besides Unnamed True Immortals merging with the Dao, there are other factors causing the Dao's disappearance, leading to this unstoppable calamity…"
Di Sanmo's voice was somber.
Li Fan recalled the Unnamed True Immortal's leg bone, used to construct the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar.
"Perhaps this explanation is close to the truth."
Di Sanmo continued, "It's because of this chain reaction of collapsing possibilities that our attempts to leap from one possibility to another have become easier."
"Originally, even exhausting the Southern冥 Sacred Beast Mountain's energy wouldn't have been enough."
"To use a simple analogy, imagine countless possibilities, initially distant, collapsing and converging…"
Captivated, Li Fan saw an image in his mind.
In darkness, countless rays of light ignited, stretching endlessly.
Suddenly, some began to vanish.
More and more lights disappeared.
The remaining lights, influenced by this unknown crisis, drew closer, becoming distorted and entangled.
"Dao annihilation."
"Dao convergence."
Recalling what he saw in the sinister Su Bai's memories, a chill ran down Li Fan's spine.
"What was this soul's name? To form such a theory, he couldn't have been ordinary." Li Fan was deeply impressed.
Di Sanmo didn't hesitate, projecting an image.
"His name was Qiao Sidao."
"He perished six months ago."
Li Fan looked at the image of the man, his face etched with determination, and nodded.
"Six months ago…"
…
At the wall in the Dark Star Sea, the Healer, seemingly forgetting Li Fan's threat, was engrossed in comprehending the wall.
His progress was faster than he anticipated.
Perhaps it was due to his years of relentless attempts.
Or perhaps witnessing the true difference between mortal and Immortal after meeting Li Fan had sparked new insights.
He had a premonition that he was close to unraveling the wall's secrets.
This realization brought a subtle change in his demeanor.
He began to question his past actions.
"Perhaps that True Immortal was right?"
"If I had focused solely on cultivation, I might have already found a way to save the Heavenly Law World."
He quickly dismissed this thought, refocusing on the formless wall.
With sufficient accumulation, breakthroughs could happen in an instant.
A moment passed.
Or perhaps millennia.
The Healer abruptly withdrew his probing golden threads.
He felt he had grasped the wall's secrets.
But at the same time…
…an intense unease gripped him, a feeling he hadn't experienced since the destruction of the Heavenly Law World.
Even facing that True Immortal hadn't evoked such a response.
"What…?" He stopped his study of the wall.
Instinctively, he wanted to move away.
Suddenly…
He saw something that made his pupils contract.
The space before the formless wall, where nothing should exist, distorted.
His heart pounded, his unease reaching its peak.
A black thread appeared, silently piercing his chest.
It multiplied, one becoming a thousand, a thousand becoming a million, a million becoming billions.
In an instant, they pierced through the Healer, turning him into a marionette.
His consciousness faded.
But, strangely, the threads felt familiar.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but a figure appeared before him.
The Healer saw a younger version of himself.
But he wasn't wearing his usual white robes.
He wore black.
His face was expressionless.
Crack…
The Healer's head twisted grotesquely, turning 180 degrees.
Light and shadow flowed from his body into the black-robed figure.
The Healer's body became transparent, fading away.
The black-robed figure…
…or rather, the younger Healer, frowned slightly.
"Do you understand?"
He looked towards Li Fan!
…
At the same time, Li Fan, immersed in the secrets of the sinister Su Bai beyond the wall, felt a sudden sense of impending doom.
Stronger than ever before.
"Did triggering Master Bai's Eternal Remnants alert the sinister Su Bai?"
Terror gripped him.
Without hesitation, he activated True Return.
At that very moment, he noticed something strange.
His lifespan on the True Return panel, originally over three million years, was rapidly fluctuating.
Not decreasing.
But increasing!
In the blink of an eye, it jumped from three million to several billion.
And it continued to rise at an alarming rate!
(End of Chapter)