For Li Buren, a being of pure destruction, the emotion of "fear" was practically nonexistent. His hesitation to use the power of infinity stemmed from instinct. Whenever the thought of utilizing infinite Immortal spiritual power arose, the boundless Infinite Sea appeared before him.
Towering waves, each drop heavy with eons of history, threatened to pour through the channel connecting him to the Infinite Sea, engulfing everything, even the Great Dao of heaven and earth. Nothing in the mortal world would survive. This immense pressure prevented him from pressing that invisible "button," even though it was within reach.
Besides the pressure from the Infinite Sea itself, what concerned Li Buren more was the terrifying existence hidden beneath its surface. The mere fluctuations of its thoughts upon sensing True Return could unleash catastrophic waves.
Since returning to reality, Li Fan had constantly tried to communicate with True Return, seeking more information about the Infinite Sea, but received no response. He was slightly relieved that True Return's power remained unaffected and readily available. Perhaps True Return was simply in a bad mood and unwilling to respond.
However, his brief journey into the Infinite Sea forced Li Fan to consider many things, such as the seemingly close relationship between the Infinite Sea and the Dao Obliteration Calamity, and the likely deep connection between True Return and the Infinite Sea, and its familiarity with the terrifying unknown existence within.
"Reverting everything to virtuality, returning to the original anchor point."
"Was the Infinite Sea, situated above the endless worlds, also reverted…?"
This heavy, unavoidable question loomed over Li Fan.
As his cultivation progressed, his understanding of True Return deepened. From seemingly struggling against True Immortals to creating independent timelines like the "Samsara of No Interval," True Return's limits seemed boundless.
However, today, after connecting to the Infinite Sea using the ancient Immortal method, Li Fan finally glimpsed True Return's limitations.
"The terrifying existence within the Infinite Sea seems to know True Return. If they are of the same rank, True Return's power of reversion might not affect them."
"But to confirm this, I need to enter the Infinite Sea again in my next life. However…" A shadow crossed Li Fan's eyes.
This was the first time since starting his reincarnation cultivation that he faced an enemy like himself, capable of transcending reincarnation. His near-drowning experience in the Infinite Sea added to the pressure.
Moreover, True Return's reaction in the Infinite Sea, the power surpassing everything in the mortal world, reminded him of the legends of the Creator God he had heard from Liu Ruchen.
"The powerful Creator God defeated his kin and extracted their power to create all beings in the world…"
Liu Ruchen claimed to have read this legend in an ancient text. Li Fan had searched Liu Ruchen's soul and indeed found the text in his memories. However, during the Medicine King Sect's hasty escape from the Xuanhuang World, the text, deemed unimportant, was left behind and lost.
"This legend of the Creator God isn't found anywhere else in the Xuanhuang World."
"It's reasonable to suspect that the so-called ancient text was perhaps just a casual note by Sun Piaomiao…"
"Liu Ruchen only briefly glanced at the book, reading only the Creator God legend and another fable about a conversation between a mountain and the sea."
Li Fan recalled what Liu Ruchen had seen.
In ancient times, there were only mountains and seas, coexisting harmoniously until life emerged in the sea. This new existence, different from the mountains and seas, enlivened the sea and caught its attention.
Initially, the mountains didn't care. Life in the sea was finite, while the mountains and seas were eternal. Compared to their endless lifespans, the sea's creatures were fleeting.
However, as time passed, the mountains noticed that the sea creatures weren't decreasing, but flourishing. Upon investigation, the mountains were shocked to discover that the sea, unwilling to see the creatures die, was sharing its infinite lifespan with them.
The mountains were furious. "Sea! Why are you doing this?! These tiny beings, how are they worthy of sharing our infinite lifespan?"
The sea gently replied, "Mountains, why not? We are eternal. Sharing our lifespan with them won't weaken us. Isn't it better for the world between us to be lively?"
The mountains were speechless. Observing the evolving sea creatures, they sighed. "Sea, it's not that I'm stingy. But once these tiny beings possess something that doesn't belong to them, they will instinctively crave more."
The sea asked, "What do you mean 'belong'? Was our infinite lifespan innate?"
The mountains fell silent.
…
"It seems like a simple fable. But combined with the Creator God legend and what I saw in the Infinite Sea, there's likely a hidden meaning. Sun Piaomiao…"
Li Fan pondered, deciding to find the lost text. However, the Medicine King Sect's escape had been deemed an act of betrayal. Their sect was ransacked. In the chaos, no one knew where the text had gone. It might have even been destroyed.
Li Fan summoned the stone tablet. Although it supposedly recorded everything that happened in the Xuanhuang World, Li Fan knew this was limited to the original Xuanhuang World. Transcendent powers like the Fishing Pond weren't recorded. So he didn't have much hope.
As expected, he couldn't find the text in Liu Ruchen's memories. However, with his current control over the Xuanhuang World, if the book still existed, he would find it. He issued a command, and the cultivators of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Council of Five Elders awoke from the Dreamland, searching their archives.
Li Fan turned his attention back to his avatar, Li Buren. Although he wasn't utilizing Immortal spiritual power, having returned from the Infinite Sea, Li Buren now possessed the attribute of "infinity."
Combined with the lingering wisp of Immortal spiritual power from the Immortal skin, it seemed he had passed some sort of verification. The wall-like boundary of the small space solidified and folded back. It was a strange visual shift. Li Buren felt the small space rapidly expanding.
As the space grew, a staircase leading upwards appeared. The expansion seemed endless, and the staircase stretched upwards without end. Li Buren didn't ascend immediately but observed his surroundings.
The space wasn't infinitely expanding like the staircase. After reaching a certain limit, it exhibited a strange curvature. Although still expanding, the rate slowed considerably. The space gradually filled, but besides the faintly silver staircase, it remained empty.
To uncover the wall's true secrets, Li Buren finally stepped onto the staircase. The next second, he felt like he was back in the Infinite Sea.
Lines streamed past him at high speed, some solitary, some clustered, some monochrome, others vibrantly colored. Upon contact, Li Buren discovered they were like the water of the Infinite Sea, containing vast amounts of historical and life data. However, the amount of data was insignificant compared to the true Infinite Sea, posing no burden to Li Buren. Moreover, the information within the lines was encrypted, revealing only blurry glimpses.
Hurtling forward in the torrent of lines, Li Buren soon emerged before a dim, deathly passage. The door sealing the passage had a large hole blasted through it. Four broken puppets lay nearby, their parts scattered around. Looking back, Li Buren saw that he was already at the end of the passage's entrance.
"No boundaries ahead."
"To leave, I need to travel through the lines again."
Li Buren looked at the fallen puppets. Although broken for who knew how long, he could still sense a faint threat. He picked up a fragment and tried to crush it with all his might, but could only damage it further.
"The material used to forge these puppets is extraordinary."
Not wanting to linger, Li Buren entered the passage.
"Hmm?"
As he flew, Li Buren noticed the difference between this place and the outside Star Sea. In a normal Star Sea, merging with the Dao Net, he could traverse the Dark Star Sea in three breaths. But this place seemed like a desolate land where the Great Dao was suppressed.
His connection to the Dao Net was hindered by an invisible barrier. The shining Dao Net projection in his mind dimmed. Only certain Dao paths remained unaffected, as if a fire had swept through the Dao Net, leaving only remnants.
Li Buren's speed and power decreased significantly. However, he wasn't worried, instead studying the dim passage with interest. Just seeing this place made the trip worthwhile.
"Before the Guardian Hall of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, there's a long path paved with Spirit Transformation Stones. Within that path, spiritual power is nullified, forcing cultivators to walk."
"This passage has a similar effect, but it restricts not ordinary cultivators, but Dao Integration True Immortals!"
"And it's not just this passage, but all the structures here."
The passage had no physical boundaries, only conceptual limitations like the wall, forcing those who entered to proceed in a specific direction.
"There should have been images on the walls of this passage. But they seem to be damaged."
The passage wasn't long. Reaching the exit, a circular light in the darkness, Li Buren looked back with a sudden realization.
Emerging from the passage, he entered a chaotic, cylindrical hall, its high ceiling invisible. It seemed to have been ransacked, appearing rather empty.
Following the faint deathly aura, Li Buren found a cleaned spot on the floor.
"This is…"
He rubbed his finger on the floor and lifted it. A distorted, illusory face appeared, screaming, "Save me!"
It was a residual trace, reactivated by Li Buren's immortal power. Unable to communicate, it mechanically repeated phrases like "save me" and "run." Li Buren shook his head and withdrew his power, and the face dissipated.
He carefully examined the cylindrical hall, finding thirty-seven such residual traces. These were only the remnants. The number of those completely erased was anyone's guess.
"Judging from their intensity, these are remnants of fallen True Immortals."
"The reason they are far weaker than the will to survive in the Dark Sea is, firstly, the difference in their power during life, and secondly, the thorough cleansing this place has undergone."
"True Immortals slaughtered like ants. What happened here?"
Besides the thirty-seven traces, Li Buren found nothing else in the cylindrical hall. Apart from the passage he had entered through, there seemed to be no other connections.
His investigation reached a dead end.
After pondering, Li Buren looked at the few brightly lit Dao paths in the miniature Dao Net within his divine sense. An idea formed. The fragments of his Immortal body folded back into a chess piece, hidden among the suppressed Dao paths, leaving only the glowing parts resonating with the remaining Dao laws in this place.
The infinitely tall cylindrical hall abruptly shrunk to a height of thirty-three feet. Objects materialized, filling the empty hall. On the cylindrical walls, Li Buren saw countless square spaces displaying images.
(End of chapter)