This time, it wasn't a powerful being traversing possibilities and attacking directly. Instead, Li Fan sensed a presence, a gaze sweeping over him from beyond his world.
However, this being lacked the power of the Black Heaven Healer or the evil Su Bai to pinpoint a specific possibility. Or perhaps, within the wall, Li Fan was protected. In any case, this scan was indiscriminate. The gazer hadn't truly found him.
Even so, Li Fan felt a chill, as if being targeted by an ancient predator, almost instinctively summoning True Return. Fortunately, the feeling was fleeting, vanishing as quickly as it came, like an illusion.
But Li Fan knew it was real.
"That gaze must have been from another Yin Changshou."
"My weakening of Yin Changshou in this possibility has attracted the attention of his counterparts in others…" Li Fan pondered.
Looking at the dejected young man before him, a bold idea arose: "Could my 'true becomes fake' affect all counterparts across possibilities simultaneously?"
The thought excited him. However, after careful consideration, he dismissed it. If "true becomes fake" worked across all possibilities, the World Crossing Profound Coffin wouldn't have failed its synchronization after losing a single particle. Furthermore, Li Fan was self-aware. Perhaps, with deeper understanding of the Dao of True and False, he could one day affect all counterparts simultaneously. But at his current beginner level, it was impossible.
Li Fan quickly surmised the reason for the gaze from the other Yin Changshou.
"From the actions of the Black Heaven Healer and the evil Su Bai, it seems beings of their level need to constantly devour their counterparts to grow stronger."
"It can be considered a cultivation method, a 'convergence of selves.'"
"Theoretically, reaching this stage implies immense talent. Counterparts in other possibilities might have different cultivation levels due to varying circumstances, but they wouldn't be…"
"Completely blocked from advancing."
"Even a completely crippled individual should be easy for a possibility-traversing being to handle. Countless treasures exist in the Star Sea that can defy fate. Devouring them would still provide benefits. But the current Yin Changshou is a pure poison pill."
"Consuming him offers no benefit, only harm."
"Among countless selves, one has become an anomaly…"
"If Su Bai and the Healer had been subjected to this divine ability back then, they might not have been targeted."
It wasn't that Li Fan's "true becomes fake" directly affected possibility-traversing beings, but that it "poisoned" their cultivation materials, hindering their progress in a different way.
Of course, currently only Li Fan, with True Return, could administer this poison.
"Although I can't confront them directly, this is enough to disgust them." Li Fan was quite satisfied. Perhaps the cultivation method of "convergence of selves" had details he was unaware of. However, judging from the evil Su Bai's "obsession," every "self" was crucial. If a counterpart suffered such a fate, it would be unacceptable to a being of that level.
"Severing the future of one counterpart might not prevent the convergence of selves entirely, but it would weaken them, permanently."
Li Fan looked at the sky again, as if seeing the Black Heaven Healer, a stirring within him.
"At the end of this simulation, I can experiment on the Healer. I'll use 'true becomes fake' on him and send him outside the wall. Let's see how the Black Heaven Healer reacts."
Li Fan dismissed the ten test subjects. He further refined his understanding of "true becomes fake" until he was exhausted and reached a bottleneck, temporarily halting his practice. The small interlude in the Xuanhuang World was but a fleeting moment.
Li Fan's attention returned to the starry sky beyond the wall. Due to the difference in time flow, roughly thirty days had passed there. His "true becomes fake" had disrupted the coffin's world crossing, and the two Immortals inside, deterred, remained silent.
During this time, through contact and analysis with the Ink Slaughter Immortal Soul, Li Fan seemed to have found a way to forcibly open the coffin. After all, the Ink Slaughter Immortal Soul, bordering on the power of the Dao Obliteration Calamity, was the most destructive force in the mortal world.
Even though Li Fan's current realm was relatively low, the constant erosion was too much for even the World Crossing Profound Coffin to withstand. However, he remained cautious. The divine abilities displayed by the two Immortals within were beyond his Ink Slaughter Immortal Soul's ability to suppress alone. He needed other methods.
Qian Ruochang was easy to deal with. The Ink Slaughter Immortal Soul could isolate him from the Dao Net, rendering him little more than a physically strong mortal.
The challenge was the Nothingness Immortal. Even at close proximity within the group of new Immortal Hunters, Li Fan hadn't sensed him. Clearly, he was more powerful than Li Fan, perhaps slightly weaker than the Hungry Immortal within the Immortal Ruins, but not by much. After all, he was a True Immortal who had survived the great calamity.
"His difficulty lies in his 'nothingness' characteristic, severing all connections with the world…"
"So, I need to forcibly create a karmic connection with him."
Various methods flashed through Li Fan's mind, finally settling on a chessboard covered in black and white pieces.
"Immortal Domain fragments…" Li Fan's eyes gleamed. Even though he only possessed faded pieces from defeated players, the presence of the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar within the Immortal Domain fragments suggested deep connections.
"Let's see if he can still ignore it when burdened by the weight of the Immortal Domain."
With a plan in mind, the challenge was delivering the piece. Currently, all his actions relied on the Blissful Ignorance Dreamland's power. While it could reconstruct his body outside the wall, it couldn't create Immortal Domain fragments.
"However, the wall is meant to restrain those below the True Immortal level."
"Perhaps it can't restrain Immortal Domain fragments."
After a moment of thought, Li Fan found a possible solution. He selected a single Immortal Domain fragment and guided it towards a weak point in the wall. Outside, the power of the Blissful Ignorance Dreamland was ready to receive it.
As a precaution, Li Fan's main body was fully alert, prepared to use True Return at any moment. At the edge of the Dark Star Sea, beyond the Great Wall of Shattered Worlds, Li Fan's illusory figure appeared, holding the fragment between two fingers. With a serious expression, he threw it towards the wall, like Shang Xianzhou's desperate gamble.
Unlike the thunderous impact of the Profound Immortal vessel against the wall, the Immortal Domain fragment's collision was silent. From inside the wall, the fragment seemed to be swallowed, vanishing instantly.
However, outside the wall…
Li Fan waited, but the fragment didn't appear. His expression changed slightly. His Dreamland power now covered this entire Obliterated Land. If the fragment had crossed the wall, he would have sensed it.
Since it hadn't appeared…
Li Fan released a surge of Dreamland power, probing beyond the Obliterated Lands, trying to find the missing fragment. But after a long while, he found nothing.
"Even the mark I left on the fragment has vanished?"
Li Fan grew concerned, replaying the events in his mind.
"Could the Immortal Domain fragment have failed to cross the wall?"
He carefully examined the area where the fragment vanished, finding no trace.
"Could it be the time difference between the two sides of the wall? Do I need to wait longer?"
He waited patiently. Another day passed, and the fragment remained missing.
"Could the problem be the wall itself?"
Within the Obliterated Lands, Dreamland power gathered around the wall he sensed. The wall was intangible, appearing mysteriously when the Great Dao collapsed during the Dao Obliteration Calamity, holding up the crumbling heavens and creating a small haven within the devastated area, a space beneath the fallen ruins.
Li Fan stared at the emptiness, recalling the Profound Immortal vessel's desperate charge against the wall. At the moment of contact, the Dark Star Sea's spirit seemed to have seen something terrifying, fleeing in panic. Li Fan, too, had felt a chilling sensation, like being observed through transparent glass.
"Outside the wall, the Shuo Star Sea, they don't know about the Dark Star Sea within. Qian Ruochang passing over the wall without entering proves this."
"So, this inexplicable sense of dread, coupled with the vanishing fragment…"
An incredible thought arose.
"Could there be something within the wall?"
In this simulation, Li Fan had escaped the wall using the Blissful Ignorance Dreamland, but he had only seen inside and outside, not within the wall itself, as it was intangible.
However, being able to protect the Dark Star Sea and the surrounding Immortal Domain during the Dao Obliteration Calamity, the wall couldn't be merely a law. It was likely a physical object, like the Unnamed True Immortal's leg bone or the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar, concealed by some special method, undetectable even to Li Fan, let alone near-Unnamed realm experts like the Nothingness Immortal and Qian Ruochang.
"But He Gan Xian is familiar with the Xuanhuang World and even has connections with Xuanyuan Hong. Could it be that this Nothingness Immortal isn't He Gan Xian, as I've always assumed?"
Doubt arose in Li Fan's mind. However, the priority was confirming the existence of something "within" the wall.
Dreamland power enveloped the World Crossing Profound Coffin. Li Fan decided to deal with this unexpected matter first, leaving the two Immortals inside for later.
"The Xuanhuang World and this vast surrounding star region seem to have been a secret experimental site for the True Immortals of the Upper Realm. Although abandoned, the wall, as a protective measure, should be part of this site."
Despite his eagerness, Li Fan remained cautious.
"Judging from the feeling of being watched, there might be living beings within the wall."
"Also, the wall might be selectively permeable. After all, the Heavenly Sword Sect and Shang Xianzhou did cross it. Or perhaps, they discovered something within the wall?"
He recalled that neither had been particularly powerful in the Star Sea. Yet, after crossing the wall, they had gained the strength to hunt even True Immortals. Even considering the time difference and millions of years of accumulation, it seemed incredible.
"If they discovered something within the wall, within the ruins of the former Immortal experimental site, it would make sense."
The thought intrigued Li Fan. He could easily retrieve the lost Immortal Domain fragment with True Return, so it wasn't a concern.
"However, using an Immortal Domain fragment to impact the wall might be a good method."
"This is important. I need to do it myself."
Li Fan's main body pondered, then made a decision. Instantly, materials for creating an avatar appeared before him. After a long while, he was finally creating another avatar.
Having reached the Immortal realm and grasped Conscious Soul Formation, as well as understanding the workings of the Shuo Star Sea Dao Net, Li Fan had new ideas for creating avatars.
"Qian Ruochang's Dao string bones are a good example to follow."
"This avatar needs to be powerful to explore within the wall."
With a thought, the materials melted together like they were being baked in intense heat, and a human form began to take shape.
"A projection of the Great Dao can be the spirit of the heart."
The human form turned transparent, like a mirror reflecting the Great Dao of the heavens. Dao light coalesced, weaving a network within the body.
"Immortal Domain fragments can be the bones of the body," Li Fan murmured, tossing out an Immortal Domain fragment.
The fragment unfolded, transforming into a pillar-like object, slowly merging with the Dao Net within the body.
(End of Chapter)