In the center of the Guang Wu Star Sea, surrounded by a hundred Heavenly Pillars, despite the darkness, the Dao Obliteration Calamity churned like turbulent waves.
However, this small-scale calamity was contained by the dense ring of True Immortal Heavenly Pillars, acting like a breakwater.
Occasionally, shimmering specks of light would drift out from the abyss.
The hundred pillars would erupt in light, shooting out threads that ensnared the specks, slowly pulling them out of the vortex.
…
Li Fan observed, nodding in approval. "Whether those True Immortals within the pillars volunteered or not, creating such a structure is an extraordinary feat."
"Besides…" Li Fan paused, recalling the Giant Rat Immortal. "Senior Brother, there's something I still don't understand. What was the Guang Wu Star Sea's plan in sending that Giant Rat Immortal? At his peak, even the two of us combined might not have been a match for him. But he was weakened after drifting in the Dao Obliteration Calamity for so long. My ability to suppress the Dao Sword and Dao Knife demonstrates my strength."
"Even if I'm not his equal, escaping unharmed wouldn't be a problem. The Guang Wu Star Sea must know this. Yet, they sent a weakened Immortal Emperor to us…" Li Fan was puzzled.
"I was also confused at first, but I found the answer within the Giant Rat Immortal's memories," Dao Bearer said, stroking his beard.
He showed Li Fan another scene.
The Giant Rat Immortal's coffin, for some reason, had been brought back to the central vortex.
The hundred pillars, radiating light, held the coffin and slowly lowered it into the churning Dao Obliteration Calamity.
However, they didn't let it be consumed. They held it firmly, suspended just above the abyss.
The coffin's presence intensified the vortex.
After an unknown amount of time, something beneath the invisible, imperceptible darkness seemed to be drawn to the coffin, struggling to emerge.
The Guang Wu Star Sea forces were on high alert. Whatever was about to appear was clearly of great importance. The light from the pillars intensified, and numerous True Immortals arrived, their gazes fixed on the center.
Boom!
A massive wave crashed against the "breakwater," sending tremors through the hundred pillars and even the surrounding star region.
But the Guang Wu Star Sea Immortals weren't alarmed. They were elated.
"It worked! We've lured it out!"
"Don't panic, everyone. Follow the plan!"
As the waves continued to crash, the pillars tilted precariously, seemingly on the verge of collapse.
But the Guang Wu Star Sea Immortals didn't flinch.
More and more figures arrived.
Their goal wasn't to save the pillars but to capture whatever was beneath the vortex.
Threads of light shot out from the True Immortals, securing the coffin, their bait.
Having waited for so long, the unknown existence beneath the vortex seemed to have lost patience. It surged out from the depths.
"Activate the formation!"
A commanding voice echoed as the figure emerged from the Dao Obliteration Calamity.
The hundred pillars shimmered, and faces appeared on their surfaces, as if the sealed Unnamed True Immortals had returned to life, glaring at the intruder.
The uneven pillars instantly became uniform in height.
The connection between the central vortex and the outside world was severed.
The intruder's escape route was cut off.
Trapped, the mysterious force surrounding it gradually dissipated, revealing its true form.
It was another coffin!
However, this coffin was even more decayed and damaged than the Giant Rat Immortal's, barely retaining its shape.
Within the coffin, a formless figure, like a lump of mud, lay slumped, seemingly devoid of consciousness. It neither resisted nor attempted to escape the Guang Wu Star Sea Immortals surrounding it but simply stared at the Giant Rat Immortal, who had lured it into this trap.
What happened next proved the Giant Rat Immortal's dying words:
Those who devour will be devoured.
Looking at the grotesque, formless, decaying rat, the faces on the hundred pillars wore expressions of undisguised greed, as if looking at a delectable feast.
They devoured the decaying rat without hesitation.
Sounds of satisfied feasting echoed through the air.
The faces on the pillars vanished, and the pillars returned to their normal appearance.
As the central pillars shrank, the Dao Obliteration Calamity vortex reappeared.
The Guang Wu Star Sea Immortals didn't act immediately but first retrieved the coffin and assessed the surrounding area.
Their next hunt wouldn't occur for another three years.
Their next catch was another distorted True Immortal from a coffin, this time not a rat, but a long worm covered in human mouths and eyes. The mouths cursed each other, while the eyes uniformly expressed calmness, sorrow, and despair, seemingly reflecting their final emotions.
Regardless, this creature met the same fate, devoured by the faces on the pillars.
…
Li Fan looked at Dao Bearer, puzzled. "Senior Brother, Unnamed True Immortals merge with the Dao. Aren't they usually limited to a single Dao Path?"
"How can those Guang Wu Star Sea Immortals absorb the remnants of the Dao within the Giant Rat Immortal? Are they all geniuses capable of [cultivating multiple Daos]?"
"Of course not," Dao Bearer chuckled.
"Normally, cultivating multiple Daos is impossible. However, the Daos within the Giant Rat Immortal are different. He attempted to fuse them when he devoured them. And then, drifting within the Dao Obliteration Calamity…"
"To avoid being annihilated, the Daos instinctively tried to merge. If a coffin drifts long enough, under immense pressure, the remaining Daos will partially fuse…"
"…making them consumable by True Immortals."
"It's like a hard rock, impossible to swallow whole. But if crushed into powder, it can be consumed. However, the consequences…" Dao Bearer shook his head.
"Such shortcuts are never the proper path."
"But how does this relate to the Guang Wu Star Sea sending the Giant Rat Immortal to test me? With such valuable bait, shouldn't they have kept him? Unless…"
Li Fan suddenly realized something and looked up at the sky.
Dark clouds had gathered above the Dark Star Sea outside the Primordial Immortal Realm.
"The Dao Obliteration Calamity?"
Li Fan sensed through Keeper Qiu's projection that the pressure of the Dao Obliteration Calamity upon the Dark Star Sea was intensifying.
This was highly unusual.
"Is it because we killed the Giant Rat Immortal?" Li Fan looked at Dao Bearer.
"Perhaps their target wasn't you, Junior Brother. After all, there are many ways to subdue the Dao Sword and Dao Knife. They simply needed someone powerful enough to kill the Giant Rat Immortal. I believe diverting the calamity was their true goal." Despite the impending Dao Obliteration Calamity, Dao Bearer remained calm.
"Master's projection alone might not be enough to withstand it. But with you, Junior Brother, as a variable, it's sufficient. Truly ingenious! It's a good thing we didn't release them prematurely…"
He was referring to Jixian and the others sealed within the Heavenly Pillars.
"Junior Brother, we must combine our strength to face this tide."
"I'm honored to fight alongside you, Senior Brother."
The greater the burden on Keeper Qiu's projection, the less power Li Fan could access.
As the dark clouds approached, to prevent the Dark Star Sea's collapse, he had to return the power he had borrowed from the other Heavenly Pillars.
However, this still wasn't enough to withstand the intensifying Dao Obliteration Calamity.
It seemed to be targeting the Primordial Immortal Realm where the Giant Rat Immortal had perished, wave after wave crashing against it.
If they couldn't withstand it, the lower realm would be destroyed in moments, and Li Fan would have to flee to the True Return.
Seeing Dao Bearer's composure, Li Fan calmed himself.
"Senior Brother, give me a moment."
Before he could finish, Dao Bearer transformed back into his blue form, having switched places with his projection.
Li Fan looked beyond the Great Wall and saw the Shuo Star Sea's Dao Net erupt in a blinding blue light, enveloping the entire star region and flying towards the Great Wall.
"Together we thrive, divided we fall!"
Dao Bearer's voice reached Li Fan.
"I'm honored to face the Dao Obliteration Calamity with you, Senior Brother," Li Fan replied, hiding his momentary hesitation.
He began to merge the Dao Net with the Great Wall.
Both the Dao Net and the Great Wall were essentially formed from Unnamed True Immortals, acting as supports against the Dao Obliteration Calamity.
The Great Wall was essentially five Keeper Qiu projections, while the true creator of the Dao Net was the spirit stone enlightened by Keeper Qiu.
Therefore, merging them was relatively straightforward.
The Shuo Star Sea was abruptly pulled from its original location towards the Great Wall.
However, due to the narrow Obliterated Lands outside the Great Wall, the remaining space wasn't enough to fully accommodate the Shuo Star Sea. It looked as if the Great Wall's star region was piercing into the Shuo Star Sea.
This was just an illusion.
From Li Fan's perspective, beside the five towering Keeper Qiu projections stood smaller figures reaching only to their waists – Dao Bearer.
He stood respectfully behind Keeper Qiu's projections.
And behind them were densely packed Dao strings, acting as additional supports, although not as effective as true Heavenly Pillars.
As the merging progressed, the Dao strings grew denser.
With the increasing support, Li Fan finally felt the dark clouds above the Primordial Immortal Realm begin to dissipate.
Not completely vanish, but retreat temporarily.
They would return.
"Thank you for your help, Senior Brother," Li Fan said solemnly.
Dao Bearer waved his hand dismissively. "I saved myself as much as I saved you. The Dao Net alone couldn't have withstood it."
He pointed towards the Shuo Star Sea's original location.
Already unstable, and now with the Dao Net gone, the Dao Obliteration Calamity surged down, consuming everything. The once vibrant star region was now a desolate void.
The resulting Obliterated Lands completely isolated the merged Dao Net and Great Wall from the outside world.
Li Fan's expression darkened. "It seems your conjecture was correct, Senior Brother. The Guang Wu Star Sea's frequent fishing expeditions within the Dao Obliteration Calamity must have attracted unwanted attention. Wherever those coffins appear, the Dao Obliteration Calamity intensifies. Keeping them around is too dangerous."
"And I just happened to demonstrate sufficient strength. So they used this scheme to pass the problem on to me."
Dao Bearer pondered and added, "I believe it's not just the frequency of their expeditions, but something specific they retrieved that triggered the Dao Obliteration Calamity's focused attack."
"After all, if there's truly some being within the Dao Obliteration Calamity, it wouldn't know the Guang Wu Star Sea Immortals were behind it. It would only remember the Giant Rat Immortal, their bait."
"The Guang Wu Star Sea must have tampered with the Giant Rat Immortal. The fluctuations released upon his death attracted attention from beyond the Dao Obliteration Calamity…"
"If only the pathways weren't severed, I would attack them right now," Li Fan seethed.
Dao Bearer narrowed his eyes. "Patience, Junior Brother."
"To attract the attention of the Dao Obliteration Calamity and alter its course… this is no small matter."
"I shall inform Master."
Li Fan was startled. "Trouble Master with this? Isn't that inappropriate? It would make us appear incompetent."
Dao Bearer shook his head. "This isn't the time for pride. You've studied the [Keeper Qiu's Musings]. You should know that Master spent countless years observing the Mountain and Sea, trying to understand their patterns and changes."
"But he never found any answers."
"If Master knew that the Guang Wu Star Sea had found a way to manipulate the Dao Obliteration Calamity, he would be very interested…"
Without waiting for Li Fan's response, Dao Bearer closed his eyes and entered meditation.
Li Fan sensed a mysterious connection pierce through the barrier between the mortal world and the Mountain and Sea.
(End of Chapter)