Li Fan remained at the edge of the High Wall for a long time, unable to recover from the tremendous upheaval that had just occurred.

The eighteen Star Spirits had suddenly broken away at the very moment the Immortal Ark was about to cross the High Wall, its most critical moment.

There was no doubt that this was not the Star Spirits' own will.

The Elders of the Immortal Ark cared deeply for the Ark. There was no question about that. They had even been willing to sacrifice their own lives without hesitation to ensure its continuation.

"It was the Star Sea's original consciousness. At that instant, it sensed something."

Li Fan narrowed his eyes. Filled with caution, he retreated another stretch into the distance.

"The Star Sea's consciousness acts purely on instinct. It does not bluff like humans do. That means an indescribable great terror truly descended just now."

"And yet I watched the entire process without noticing anything."

That was what concerned him the most.

He had once walked along a glass boardwalk through a wetland park.

Walking there, he could see everything beneath the water with perfect clarity through the transparent glass.

The underwater scenery was completely different from what lay above the surface, giving it a unique charm.

The fish beneath the water would often gather near the glass walls.

The younger fish continued swimming and playing without the slightest awareness, even when visitors pressed against the glass to watch them.

But the larger fish, those that seemed to have lived for many years, sensed danger with astonishing sensitivity before anyone even approached. With a flick of their tails, they fled into the deep water and vanished.

...

How similar that scene was to what had just happened.

As the memories resurfaced, Li Fan belatedly felt a chill run through his body.

"My current strength still places me among those young fish, incapable of sensing that danger."

"Perhaps only existences at the level of the Star Sea itself, or rather those at the Star Sea's limit, the Supreme realm, qualify as the adult fish."

"But regardless of which they are, compared to those silent eyes watching from beyond the High Wall..."

Thinking of this, Li Fan's expression darkened as his vigilance toward the outside of the High Wall grew even stronger.

"Beyond the High Wall... I wonder whether the Xuan Immortal Ark, after staking everything on that desperate attempt, actually managed to break through."

Li Fan carefully recalled the final instant before the Immortal Ark disappeared, focusing on the trace of perception he had left within it.

After a long while, his expression changed slightly.

To verify his speculation, he returned once more to the vicinity of the High Wall.

Separating a strand of divine sense, he directed it toward the invisible High Wall.

The attempt was no different from throwing an egg against a stone.

The instant the fragile strand of divine sense collided with the High Wall, it was shattered by the wall's rebounding force and vanished completely.

Li Fan did not stop.

He continued projecting strand after strand of divine sense.

Only after more than ten thousand attempts did he finally notice a subtle difference.

"The disappearance caused by colliding with the High Wall is different from the disappearance inside the Immortal Ark just now."

"When it strikes the High Wall and is destroyed, I can still vaguely perceive the process of destruction. Even though it lasts only an instant, and I had to repeat the experiment tens of thousands of times before noticing it. But it is fundamentally different from that instantaneous disappearance after crossing beyond the High Wall."

"The Xuan Immortal Ark succeeded. It truly broke through the High Wall's blockade."

Li Fan's heart shook violently.

"The combined power of the eighteen Star Spirits, limitless Star Sea energy, together with the explosive fusion of the True Immortal seal script characters, truly granted transcendence for a single instant."

The success of the Xuan Immortal Ark finally allowed Li Fan to see hope of crossing the High Wall.

The methods used in this life could be completely replicated.

For a moment, his emotions could not help but surge with excitement.

Yet almost immediately, when he recalled what had happened to the Xuan Immortal Ark after crossing the High Wall, that faint joy disappeared completely.

"The moment it crossed, all perception vanished. Even if that counts as success, to me it is no different from failure."

"There are clearly countless dangers beyond the High Wall. There are even unknown forces hunting True Immortals. I absolutely cannot recklessly venture beyond the wall while knowing nothing."

Placing his own safety above everything else was Li Fan's most fundamental principle. He would never abandon it for temporary gains.

Of course, accidents occurring during the execution of that principle were another matter.

"I must find a way to maintain perception even while separated by the High Wall."

"Perhaps that will only be possible after understanding the true nature of the High Wall itself."

Li Fan turned toward the only known flaw in the High Wall.

Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he moved a little closer.

Carefully, he observed the direction in which the Xuan Immortal Ark had disappeared.

Threads of golden light spread outward like flowing mercury.

This was the technique he had learned from the Heavenly Doctor within the illusion formation, a method specifically for probing the High Wall.

After a long while, Li Fan withdrew the golden threads. His expression became rather strange.

"Even though the Xuan Immortal Ark has already broken through the High Wall, I still cannot detect any flaw in the wall itself."

"And yet, back then, a single transmission of the Xuantian King's divine will was able to leave an eternal mark upon the High Wall."

"As expected, the High Wall's blockade is far weaker against nonphysical forms. If I want to establish communication across the High Wall, perhaps this is the direction I should pursue."

Li Fan's greatest combat strength currently lay in the Transformation Between Truth and Falsehood, along with several Immortal formations.

Mental and soul cultivation were not his strengths.

"Carefree. The Dream Paradise."

Li Fan suddenly thought of the Longevity Immortal Heavenly Sovereign within the Xuanhuang Realm.

"I wonder how far the Dream Paradise has spread throughout the Star Sea by now. Has it reached the boundary of the High Wall?"

The disciples of the Medicine King Sect, along with countless beings from various small worlds, continued exploring the dream realm.

However, the Carefree Paradise and the world of dreams were simply too vast.

Every newcomer could only explore step by step.

Even the earliest pioneers, Sun Erlang and his two companions, had only just reached Dream World Level 6.

It was still far too early to uncover the true secrets hidden within the dream realm.

Nevertheless, Li Fan believed that even if this life yielded no major discoveries, with accumulated experience and the endless stream of living beings continuing their exploration, the day when the mysteries of the dream realm were fully uncovered would not be too far away.

"In the end, my own strength is still too weak. Otherwise, why would I need to place my hopes on Carefree?"

Li Fan sighed inwardly.

"Perhaps after I use the Xuanhuang Celestial Spirit to achieve Dao Integration in this life, the situation will improve somewhat."

"However..."

Li Fan once again turned his gaze toward the direction of the High Wall.

"It is highly likely that when the Xuanhuang Realm ascends into an Immortal Domain, whatever exists beyond the High Wall will once again cast its gaze upon it. I must also prepare in advance and delay them for as long as possible."

Fortunately, the incident from his previous life, when Cat Treasure captured an immortal, causing the High Wall to collapse and the Star Sea to fall into turmoil, had given Li Fan a valuable reference.

"This time, an entire world is ascending into an Immortal Domain. The disturbance it causes may be even greater. To be safe, I must complete the devouring of the Celestial Spirit before half the time it took for the previous life's anomaly to occur."

"The Celestial Spirit of Heaven and Earth may have changed its name, but its essence remains the same. It is still born bearing a heavenly duty."

"If I want to complete the devouring as quickly as possible, then the Spirit of Heaven and Earth itself must be born as swiftly as possible."

Having managed the Xuanhuang Realm for so many years, and even possessing the ability to reverse the principles of heaven and earth to summon a Spirit of Heaven and Earth out of thin air, Li Fan naturally understood every type of Spirit of Heaven and Earth like the back of his hand.

"The time required for a Spirit of Heaven and Earth to manifest after being awakened by the will of heaven and earth varies greatly. Across a hundred reincarnations, the one that descended the fastest was..."

"Only Ink Death!"

A brilliant light flashed through Li Fan's eyes.

In the lifetime when Zhang Haobo used the Twenty-Eight Congyun Swords to slay Crimson Flame and became the youngest Dao Integration Immortal Sage in Xuanhuang history, he was killed by Ink Death the instant he broke through.

Almost the very moment Crimson Flame was slain, Ink Death had already been activated by the will of heaven and earth.

"Unlike the other Spirit of Heaven and Earth, Ink Death is part of the operating mechanism of heaven and earth itself. It likely remains permanently active and can be instantly awakened at any moment. This is perhaps a spontaneous change that the Xuanhuang Realm developed after being stitched together with fragments from the outside world."

After only a brief moment of thought, Li Fan understood.

"Ink Death will most likely undergo its transformation from a Spirit of Heaven and Earth into a Celestial Spirit of Heaven and Earth alongside the ascension of the Xuanhuang Realm. Furthermore, among all Spirits of Heaven and Earth, its actual combat strength ranks among the very strongest."

"It truly could not be more suitable."

Li Fan nodded slightly. With a turn of thought, he had already locked onto his target.

"The matters of the Immortal Ark have been settled. It is time to return and carefully prepare for the Xuanhuang Realm's final ascension."

Feeling the single strand of Star Spirit Power obtained from the Star Sea, currently sealed within the immortal formation inside his body, Li Fan became even more confident in completing his plan.

Just as he was about to leave upon the wooden sword, another disturbance suddenly occurred near the High Wall.

This time, however, it did not originate from the High Wall itself.

Instead, it came from the entrance leading into the underground fissure basin.

An enormous amount of life force suddenly erupted outward.

Like a fountain, it shot high into the Star Sea.

A figure borrowed this tremendous force and escaped from within.

Li Fan looked closely.

It was none other than the long missing Qiao Gong.

After being swept away by the echoing star force storm, Qiao Gong had become trapped within the maze-like underground earth fissure, disappearing without a trace.

Li Fan had been unable to contact him ever since, although he could vaguely sense that his aura remained steady and that his life was never truly in danger.

Unexpectedly, he had finally escaped from the labyrinth.

Qiao Gong seemed extraordinarily excited by his successful escape, dancing about wildly while shouting in celebration.

Li Fan extended his hand and directly pulled him over.

The surrounding scenery changed abruptly.

Thinking that he had only escaped one danger to fall into another, Qiao Gong's face immediately turned deathly pale.

Only after recognizing Li Fan did he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Clearing his throat, he respectfully bowed.

"Greetings, Holy Teacher."

Li Fan replied calmly.

"It has indeed been quite some time since I last saw you. I even entered those underground fissures searching for you before. However, the underground earth fissure twists endlessly beneath the entire Star Sea. It was impossible to search completely, so I eventually gave up."

"Judging by your current appearance, it seems misfortune has turned into good fortune."

Compared to before his disappearance, Qiao Gong's spirit, vitality, and bearing had all undergone a qualitative transformation.

It was obvious that he had encountered an extraordinary opportunity within those endless underground fissures.

At the mention of this, a trace of pride appeared on Qiao Gong's face.

"As expected of the Holy Teacher. Your insight truly sees through everything. I indeed obtained a small opportunity."

"When I first discovered that I had become lost within those endless underground rivers, I panicked a little."

"But I quickly realized that the place was overflowing with vitality. Even if I remained trapped there for my entire life, there would be no danger to my life."

"So I gradually relaxed."

"You know me well, Holy Teacher. I have always been accustomed to locking myself away in my workshop conducting research without ever leaving. Staying inside those underground rivers was merely changing the environment. Besides, I still had Shangguan's puppet to vent my frustrations on, so there was no chance of becoming bored..."

Qiao Gong continued speaking endlessly.

Li Fan interrupted in a deep voice.

"Get to the point."

Qiao Gong paused awkwardly before continuing.

"After adapting for a while, I had nothing to do, so out of curiosity I began researching those endless underground rivers."

"Who would have thought I would accidentally discover their secret."

His tone gradually became excited.

"Those underground rivers are unbelievably complicated."

"At first I tried memorizing every single route they took, but there were simply too many branches, so I never succeeded."

"I did not give up. During that period, my mind was completely filled with the shapes traced by those underground rivers."

"Then one day, after I accidentally broke Shangguan again, I prepared to repair her."

"But while repairing her, as if possessed, I instinctively engraved the flow patterns of those underground rivers that had remained in my memory onto Shangguan's puppet."

"What happened afterward was something I had never heard of in my entire life."

At this point, Qiao Gong unconsciously licked his lips, a strange expression flashing through his eyes.

Li Fan naturally knew that the so-called Shangguan puppet was actually the puppet that contained the memory backup of Shangguan Tuo, Qiao Gong's master and an elder of the Heavenly Mechanism Realm.

According to the laws of the Heavenly Mechanism Realm, however, memory backups possessed no status equal to the original owner.

They could only obey the commands of Heavenly Mechanism Realm cultivators absolutely.

Li Fan had always known about Qiao Gong's somewhat twisted hobby.

Since he merely entertained himself, Li Fan had never bothered to interfere.

But seeing Qiao Gong's current expression, even Li Fan became interested.

Qiao Gong seemed to savor the memory for a moment before speaking slowly.

"I never imagined that after the repairs were completed, the Shangguan puppet, which should have obeyed every order without resistance, not only refused my commands..."

"It even cursed me viciously."

"The insults were so unbearable that they reminded me of some very unpleasant memories from long ago."

"I became furious and accidentally hit it a little too hard."

"So I broke it again."

"Only much later did I suddenly come to my senses."

"Something extraordinary had happened."

Li Fan pondered.

"You mean that the patterns of those underground rivers actually awakened Shangguan's self-awareness?"

Qiao Gong shook his head vigorously.

"No."

"It already possessed complete self-awareness as a memory backup."

"It was merely restricted by the prohibitions left behind by the Heavenly Mechanism Realm and therefore could only obey my commands."

"But after those patterns were engraved..."

"Everything became different."

He licked his lips once again.

"The newly born Shangguan was no longer treated as a memory backup."

"According to the Heavenly Mechanism Realm's prohibitions..."

"It became Shangguan Tuo herself."

"Of course, Shangguan Tuo has been dead for who knows how many years. That is obviously impossible."

"But because of the influence of those unknown patterns..."

"She was revived, in a certain sense."

"And what I engraved was only an utterly insignificant fragment of the shapes formed by those underground rivers."

"This is simply..."

"Unimaginable!"

Qiao Gong exclaimed in amazement.

After hearing his explanation, Li Fan suddenly understood the true purpose of those underground dark rivers that stretched throughout the entire Darkest Star Sea.

They were not merely reservoirs storing vitality.

They were also an unimaginably powerful divine ability.

A divine ability capable of granting independent self-awareness to the Darkest Star Sea sealed behind the High Wall.