“ dāng shí wǒ dí què kàn dào le nà wèi xiān rén zhēng kāi shuāng yǎn ， kàn lái tā dí què hái huó zhe 。”
“当时我的确看到了那位仙人睁开双眼，看来他的确还活着。”
At that time, I did indeed see the Immortal open his eyes. It seems he is still alive.
“ yī yǎn yǐ jī zì miè xuán huáng ， kǒng pà fēi pǔ tōng xiān rén néng gòu zuò dào 。 kū zuò wàn zài ， wù dào yǒu huò ， kǒng pà lí tū pò dào wú míng zhēn xiān zhī jìng bù yuǎn le ba ……”
“一眼以饥字灭玄黄，恐怕非普通仙人能够做到。枯坐万载，悟道有获，恐怕离突破到无名真仙之境不远了吧……”
If what the Hundred Flowers Daoist said was true, this Immortal would eventually awaken from his enlightenment one day.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng dǒu rán shēng chū yī gǔ wú xíng de yā lì 。
李凡心中陡然生出一股无形的压力。
If that happened and I hadn't managed to escape this darkest star sea...
rú guǒ zhè bǎi huā dào rén suǒ shuō jiē shì zhēn ， nà me zǒng yǒu yī rì zhè wèi xiān rén huì zì wù dào zhōng sū xǐng 。
如果这百花道人所说皆是真，那么总有一日这位仙人会自悟道中苏醒。
I would have to truly realize my technique.
rú guǒ nà shí ， zì jǐ hái méi yǒu néng cóng zhè piàn zhì àn xīng hǎi zhōng táo tuō de huà ……
如果那时，自己还没有能从这片至暗星海中逃脱的话……
In other words, the time he spent in the Xuanhuang Realm had a limit.
jiù bì xū yào hái zhēn le 。
就必须要还真了。
However, for now, there was no need to worry too much about it.
yě jiù shì shuō ， tā zài xuán huáng jiè zhōng suǒ dài de shí jiān qí shí shì yǒu shàng xiàn de 。
也就是说，他在玄黄界中所待的时间其实是有上限的。
From his experiences over multiple cycles of rebirth, until seven hundred years ago, the Immortal of the Immortal Void hadn't shown any signs of awakening.
bù guò ， mù qián kàn lái hái shì bù yòng tài guò dān xīn zhè ge wèn tí 。
不过，目前看来还是不用太过担心这个问题。
"But perhaps the frequent eruptions of the obelisk built by the Celestial Alliance after that era were a reaction to the Immortal's impending awakening," Li Fan thought privately.
zhì shǎo zài tā suǒ jīng lì de shù cì lún huí lái kàn ， zhí dào máo dìng qī bǎi duō nián ， xiān xū xiān rén hái méi yǒu sū xǐng de jì xiàng 。
至少在他所经历的数次轮回来看，直到锚定七百多年，仙墟仙人还没有苏醒的迹象。
"Should I be more concerned about forcibly breaking free from the Immortal Void and leaving Xuanhuang, even crossing over the high walls, whether it would wake this Immortal who is still in his enlightenment?"
“ bù guò nà yī shì hòu lái tiān méng jiàn zào de fāng jiān bēi pēn fā de yuè lái yuè pín fán ， shuō bù dìng jiù shì chá jué dào le xiān rén sū xǐng de wēi jī ， bù dé yǐ ér wèi zhī 。” lǐ fán àn zì sī cǔn dào 。
“不过那一世后来天盟建造的方尖碑喷发的越来越频繁，说不定就是察觉到了仙人苏醒的危机，不得以而为之。”李凡暗自思忖道。
Thinking of this, Li Fan asked, "Let's not talk about the source of the calamity in the world of cultivation for now. What do you think of that invisible barrier surrounding the darkest star sea?"
“ bǐ qǐ zhēn xiān sū xǐng ， wǒ gèng yīng gāi dān xīn de shì ， rú guǒ qiáng xíng chōng pò xiān xū de xī yǐn ， lí kāi xuán huáng 、 shèn zhì kuà yuè gāo qiáng ， huì bú huì bǎ zhè wèi wù dào zhōng de xiān rén jīng xǐng ？”
“比起真仙苏醒，我更应该担心的是，如果强行冲破仙墟的吸引，离开玄黄、甚至跨越高墙，会不会把这位悟道中的仙人惊醒？”
The Hundred Flowers Daoist was silent for a moment before giving an answer that surprised Li Fan.
niàn jí cǐ chù ， lǐ fán bù yóu wèn dào ：“ xiū xiān jiè jié nàn de yuán tóu zàn qiě bù tí 。 dào yǒu duì bāo wéi zhì àn xīng hǎi de nà dǔ wú xíng bì zhàng zěn me kàn ？”
念及此处，李凡不由问道：“修仙界劫难的源头暂且不提。道友对包围至暗星海的那堵无形壁障怎么看？”
"This invisible barrier actually has two possibilities."
bǎi huā dào rén chén mò le piàn kè ， gěi chū le yí gè ràng lǐ fán yǒu xiē yì wài de dá àn 。
百花道人沉默了片刻，给出了一个让李凡有些意外的答案。
"The first is that it might be something from outside the darkest star sea, established to prevent the calamity caused by the True Immortal's inscriptions from spreading."
“ zhè wú xíng bì zhàng ， qí shí yǒu liǎng gè kě néng 。”
“这无形壁障，其实有两个可能。”
Li Fan nodded slightly. This was consistent with the guess made by the Heavenly King of Xuan earlier.
“ dì yī ， jiù shì zhì àn xīng hǎi zhī wài de cún zài ， wèi le fáng zhǐ zhēn xiān zhuàn zì dài lái jié nàn de kuò sàn ér jiàn lì de 。”
“第一，就是至暗星海之外的存在，为了防止真仙篆字带来劫难的扩散而建立的。”
"Regarding the second possibility..."
lǐ fán wēi wēi diǎn tóu ， zhè gēn xuán tiān wáng dāng nián de cāi cè yí zhì 。
李凡微微点头，这跟玄天王当年的猜测一致。
The Hundred Flowers Daoist's tone suddenly became solemn: "It is very likely that it was set up by the Immortal of the Immortal Void himself."
“ zhì yú dì èr zhǒng kě néng ma ……”
“至于第二种可能吗……”
"As I mentioned before, each True Immortal's path to becoming a True Immortal is unique. That Immortal who sought enlightenment through the character 'hunger' wanted to prevent other Immortals from discovering the existence of this character, which might interfere with his own process of enlightenment. Therefore, he set up measures beforehand to seal off and isolate this star domain."
bǎi huā dào rén de yǔ qì dǒu rán dī chén xià lái ：“ hěn yǒu kě néng shì nà wèi xiān xū xiān rén bù zhì 。”
百花道人的语气陡然低沉下来：“很有可能是那位仙墟仙人布置。”
The "high walls" were set by the Immortal of the Immortal Void?
“ zhī qián yǐ jīng shuō guò ， měi wèi xiān rén suǒ zhuī qiú de zhēn xiān dào tú shì dú yī wú èr de 。 nà wèi yù yǐ jī zì wù dào de xiān rén ， wèi le fáng zhǐ bèi qí tā xiān rén fā xiàn 【 jī 】 zì de cún zài ， cóng ér yǐng xiǎng zì jǐ wù dào de jìn chéng 。 suǒ yǐ zài wù dào zhī qián 、 bù xià shǒu duàn ， jiāng zhè piàn xīng yù fēng suǒ 、 gé jué nèi wài 。”
“之前已经说过，每位仙人所追求的真仙道途是独一无二的。那位欲以饥字悟道的仙人，为了防止被其他仙人发现【饥】字的存在，从而影响自己悟道的进程。所以在悟道之前、布下手段，将这片星域封锁、隔绝内外。”
Li Fan was initially surprised but after some thought, found it plausible.
【 gāo qiáng 】 shì xiān xū xiān rén bù xià de ？
【高墙】是仙墟仙人布下的？
He vaguely recalled the Heavenly King of Xuan's judgment from long ago: only by reaching the realm of True Immortal could one cross these high walls with the Xuanhuang Realm.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng xiān shì yī jīng ， ér hòu sī cǔn piàn kè hòu 、 jué de dí què bù wú zhè zhǒng kě néng 。
李凡心中先是一惊，而后思忖片刻后、觉得的确不无这种可能。
"The True Immortals that the Heavenly King of Xuan spoke about should be ordinary Immortal realms rather than the unnamed True Immortal realm."
tā mò míng xiǎng qǐ le xuán tiān wáng dāng nián de lùn duàn 。
他莫名想起了玄天王当年的论断。
"Only those who are close to or stronger than the Immortal Void's high walls can cross them. This is quite reasonable."
wéi yǒu tū pò dào zhēn xiān zhī jìng ， cái néng dài zhe xuán huáng jiè kuà yuè gāo qiáng 。
唯有突破到真仙之境，才能带着玄黄界跨越高墙。
"When the Celestial Realm collapsed, survivors scattered in all directions. The Immortal of the Immortal Void directly sat and attained enlightenment at the entrance of a celestial path after obtaining the Hunger Technique. This kind of courage..."
“ xuán tiān wáng suǒ shuō zhēn xiān ， àn zhào tā dāng nián hěn kuài jiù néng dá dào de shuō cí lái kàn ， yīng gāi jiù shì xún cháng xiān rén jìng jiè 。 ér bú shì wú míng zhēn xiān zhī jìng 。”
“玄天王所说真仙，按照他当年很快就能达到的说辞来看，应该就是寻常仙人境界。而不是无名真仙之境。”
"...is rarely seen within the Celestial Realm."
“ wéi yǒu jiē jìn huò zhě qiáng yú xiān xū xiān rén bù xià gāo qiáng shí de shí lì ， cái néng jiāng qí kuà yuè 。 zhè yě shí fēn hé lǐ 。”
“唯有接近或者强于仙墟仙人布下高墙时的实力，才能将其跨越。这也十分合理。”
"So it's not impossible that he casually set up high walls to seal off the entire darkest star sea."
“ dāng nián xiān jiè bēng tā ， xìng cún zhě sì sàn bēn táo 。 xiān xū xiān rén què zhí jiē zài xiān jiè tōng dào rù kǒu chù ， dé dào jī zì jué hòu zuò dì wù dào ， zhè fèn dǎn shí ……”
“当年仙界崩塌，幸存者四散奔逃。仙墟仙人却直接在仙界通道入口处，得到饥字诀后坐地悟道，这份胆识……”
As Li Fan pondered, he began to think that perhaps his second guess was closer to the truth.
“ xiǎng lái zài xiān jiè zhī zhōng ， yì shì bù duō jiàn yǐ 。”
“想来在仙界之中，亦是不多见矣。”
If this were true...
“ nà me tā suí shǒu bù xià fēng suǒ zhěng piàn zhì àn xīng hǎi de gāo qiáng ， yě wèi bì shì bù kě néng zhī shì 。”
“那么他随手布下封锁整片至暗星海的高墙，也未必是不可能之事。”
"Perhaps trying to escape from the darkest star sea would disturb the Immortal of the Immortal Void."
lǐ fán sī cǔn zhōng ， jìng rán jué de huò xǔ dì èr zhǒng cāi cè cái gèng jiē jìn shì shí de zhēn xiàng 。
李凡思忖中，竟然觉得或许第二种猜测才更接近事实的真相。
This was undoubtedly far more dangerous and unattainable than fighting against the Law Transmitter.
ruò zhēn rú cǐ ……
若真如此……
But wanting eternal freedom, who knew that right after setting out on his journey, he had already encountered two major enemies—the Law Transmitter and the Immortal of the Immortal Void...
“ kǒng pà xiǎng yào cóng zhì àn xīng hǎi táo lí ， shì bì yào jīng rǎo nà wèi xiān xū xiān rén 。”
“恐怕想要从至暗星海逃离，势必要惊扰那位仙墟仙人。”
What despair!
zhè wú yí shì bǐ gēn chuán fǎ duì kàng gèng jiā wēi xiǎn 、 bù kě qǐ jí de shì qíng 。
这无疑是比跟传法对抗更加危险、不可企及的事情。
Most cultivators in the darkest star sea would likely collapse their minds upon knowing the truth and lose all hope for advancement!
bù guò xiǎng yào cháng shēng zì zài ， shuí liào gāng gāng qǐ chéng ， jiù yǐ jīng fā xiàn qián fāng lù shàng xiān hòu chù lì zhe chuán fǎ tiān zūn 、 xiān xū xiān rén liǎng zūn bì yào miàn duì de dà dí ……
不过想要长生自在，谁料刚刚启程，就已经发现前方路上先后矗立着传法天尊、仙墟仙人两尊必要面对的大敌……
However, Li Fan merely narrowed his eyes but felt no discouragement.
zhè shì hé děng de ràng rén jué wàng ！
这是何等的让人绝望！
Whether it was the Law Transmitter or an Immortal—no matter how ethereal a "nameless True Immortal" might be...
kǒng pà zhì àn xīng hǎi zhōng de jué dà duō shù xiū shì zài zhī dào zhēn xiàng de shùn jiān ， dōu yào dào xīn bēng tā 、 zài nán yǒu jīng jìn zhī xīn ！
恐怕至暗星海中的绝大多数修士在知道真相的瞬间，都要道心崩塌、再难有精进之心！
As long as they were on his path to immortality, Li Fan would crush them!
dàn lǐ fán zhǐ shì mī qǐ yǎn jīng ， xīn zhōng què bìng méi yǒu yīn cǐ ér gǎn dào sī háo de jǔ sàng 。
但李凡只是眯起眼睛，心中却并没有因此而感到丝毫的沮丧。
"On my immortal journey, I walk alone. When others block me, my heart remains undisturbed."
wú lùn shì chuán fǎ ， yì huò shì xiān rén 。 nǎ pà shì xū wú piāo miǎo de 【 wú míng zhēn xiān 】……
无论是传法，亦或是仙人。哪怕是虚无缥缈的【无名真仙】……
"One sword cleaves through the star sea, heaven laments, earth weeps, and even deities are startled."
zhǐ yào dǎng zài tā de cháng shēng lù shàng ， lǐ fán jiù yí dìng huì jiāng qí niǎn suì ！
只要挡在他的长生路上，李凡就一定会将其碾碎！
Li Fan slowly recited these lines with a firm gaze.
“ cháng shēng lù shàng wǒ dú xíng ， shì rén zǔ wǒ yì bù píng 。”
“长生路上我独行，世人阻我意不平。”
The Hundred Flowers Daoist, who was not far away, didn't know what had happened. She felt that something strange had occurred in front of her, causing a shiver down her spine as if a great calamity were about to befall her.
“ yī jiàn pī kāi xīng hǎi rì ， tiān āi dì tòng xiān shén jīng 。”
“一剑劈开星海日，天哀地恸仙神惊。”
But this feeling quickly passed, and when she looked again, it vanished without a trace, as if it was just an illusion.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng huǎn huǎn cháng yín ， yǎn shén hán máng jiān dìng 。
李凡心中缓缓长吟，眼神寒芒坚定。
However, the Hundred Flowers Daoist knew that with her current "Lustrous Body" state, illusions or hallucinations could not occur in her.
bù yuǎn chù de bǎi huā dào rén bù zhī dào fā shēng le shén me ， zhǐ jué yǎn qián zhè wèi shēn shàng qì xī hū de fā shēng le mò míng zhuǎn biàn 。
不远处的百花道人不知道发生了什么，只觉眼前这位身上气息忽的发生了莫名转变。
So...
ràng tā jìng rán xīn zhōng yǐn yǐn fā máo ， shì yǒu dà nàn lín tóu zhī gǎn 。
让她竟然心中隐隐发毛，似有大难临头之感。
The Hundred Flowers Daoist stared at Li Fan, who seemed harmless and righteous, adding another layer of vigilance to him.
dàn zhè zhǒng gǎn jué zhǐ yī shǎn ér guò ， zài zǐ xì kàn shí ， què yòu xiāo shī wú zōng 。
但这种感觉只一闪而过，再仔细看时，却又消失无踪。
The Immortal of the Immortal Void was still too far from his present circumstances. After some thought, Li Fan temporarily set aside all these thoughts.
fǎng fú zhǐ shì tā de cuò jué yì bān 。
仿佛只是她的错觉一般。
He looked at the Hundred Flowers Daoist, whose figure was hidden in golden light, and asked again: "A True Immortal realm is beyond our current comprehension. I am more curious about your experiences."
dàn bǎi huā dào rén míng bái ， yǐ tā mù qián 【 liú lí shēn 】 de zhuàng tài ， cuò jué 、 huàn jué zhī lèi de ， gēn běn bù kě néng zài tā shēn shàng chū xiàn 。
但百花道人明白，以她目前【琉璃身】的状态，错觉、幻觉之类的，根本不可能在她身上出现。
"You weren't one of the survivors from that calamity, were you? Why are you here in the fishing pond?"
suǒ yǐ ……
所以……
"Little Daoist Lustrous, what's your connection to him?"
bǎi huā dào rén dīng zhe kàn shì rén chù wú hài 、 zhèng qì líng rán de lǐ fán ， xīn zhōng yòu zēng tiān le yī fēn jǐng tì 。
百花道人盯着看似人畜无害、正气凌然的李凡，心中又增添了一分警惕。
Li Fan's gaze was intense as the array seals around them subtly reinforced themselves.
xiān xū xiān rén ， jù lí xiàn zài de chǔ jìng hái shì tài yuǎn 。 sī liáng piàn kè hòu ， lǐ fán zàn qiě jiāng zhǒng zhǒng niàn tou yā xià 。
仙墟仙人，距离现在的处境还是太远。思量片刻后，李凡暂且将种种念头压下。
The Hundred Flowers Daoist barely glanced around and sighed: "Your vigilance is truly extraordinary."
tā kàn xiàng shēn yǐng cáng yú jīn guāng zhī zhōng de bǎi huā dào rén ， zài dù wèn dào ：“ xiān rén zhī jìng ， bú shì mù qián wǒ děng néng chuǎi cè de 。 xiāng bǐ qǐ lái ， wǒ gèng hào qí dào yǒu de jīng lì 。”
他看向身影藏于金光之中的百花道人，再度问道：“仙人之境，不是目前我等能揣测的。相比起来，我更好奇道友的经历。”
"In fact, I ended up in this fishing pond merely by chance."
“ nǐ bú shì dāng nián jié nàn zhōng de xìng cún zhě me ， yòu wèi shén me huì chū xiàn zài diào yú chí zhōng ？”
“你不是当年劫难中的幸存者么，又为什么会出现在钓鱼池中？”
"As I mentioned earlier, I had no control over it."
“ dào tóng liú lí ， yòu gēn nǐ shì hé guān xì ？”
“道童琉璃，又跟你是何关系？”
The Hundred Flowers Daoist continued slowly: "On that day, we survivors from various realms gathered to discuss how to escape the Sinking Star Sea."
lǐ fán mù guāng zhuó zhuó ， sì zhōu de zhèn dào fēng yìn qiǎo rán zài dù jiā gù 。
李凡目光灼灼，四周的阵道封印悄然再度加固。
"Unexpectedly, a strange fluctuation appeared in mid-air, locking me down."
bǎi huā dào rén wēi bù kě jué de cháo zhōu wéi piē le yī yǎn ， tàn le kǒu qì ：“ dào yǒu de jiè bèi zhī xīn ， dàng zhēn shì bù yī bān 。”
百花道人微不可觉的朝周围瞥了一眼，叹了口气：“道友的戒备之心，当真是不一般。”
"In an instant, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was already inside this fishing pond."
“ qí shí ， wǒ zhī suǒ yǐ shēn chù diào yú chí zhī zhōng ， zhǐ bù guò shì qiǎo hé ér yǐ 。”
“其实，我之所以身处钓鱼池之中，只不过是巧合而已。”
Li Fan smiled: "So you were caught by the fishing pond because of bad luck?"
“ zhèng rú wǒ zhī jiān suǒ shuō ， shēn bù yóu jǐ 。”
“正如我之间所说，身不由己。”
The Hundred Flowers Daoist's voice sounded somewhat helpless: "Sort of. The fishing pond automatically searches for treasures scattered in the vast expanse of space. The more rare and unowned a treasure is, the higher the chance it will be targeted."
bǎi huā dào rén xú xú jiǎng dào ：“ dāng rì ， wǒ men zhū jiè xìng cún zhī rén ， zhèng jù zài yì qǐ ， shāng tǎo cóng chén lún xīng hǎi zhōng táo chū qù de fāng fǎ 。”
百花道人徐徐讲道：“当日，我们诸界幸存之人，正聚在一起，商讨从沉沦星海中逃出去的方法。”
"My technique was fully realized; I am like a dark light lustrous lotus. More akin to a magical artifact than a person."
“ bù liào xū kōng zhōng mò míng yī zhèn bō dòng chuán lái ， jiāng wǒ suǒ dìng 。”
“不料虚空中莫名一阵波动传来，将我锁定。”
"It can only be said that my fate brought me this calamity."
“ wǒ zài chà nà zhī jiān jiù shī qù le yì shí ， děng wǒ sū xǐng zhī hòu ， jiù yǐ jīng shēn chù diào yú chí zhī zhōng le 。”
“我在刹那之间就失去了意识，等我苏醒之后，就已经身处钓鱼池之中了。”
"In the fishing pond, I don't know how many years I sank into oblivion. Later, by chance, I attached myself to a lustrous wisdom fruit similar to mine."
lǐ fán xiào le xiào ：“ zhè me shuō ， nǐ shì yīn wèi tài dǎo méi ， suǒ yǐ cái bèi diào yú chí zhuā jìn qù de ？”
李凡笑了笑：“这么说，你是因为太倒霉，所以才被钓鱼池抓进去的？”
"By absorbing part of its energy, I was able to maintain consciousness in the fishing pond."
bǎi huā dào rén de shēng yīn yǒu xiē wú nài ：“ shì ， yě bú shì 。 diào yú chí zì dòng sōu luó sàn luò xīng kōng zhōng de bǎo wù ， yuè shì zhēn xī de wú zhǔ zhī wù ， yuè shì yǒu kě néng bèi diào yú chí dàng zuò mù biāo 。”
百花道人的声音有些无奈：“是，也不是。钓鱼池自动搜罗散落星空中的宝物，越是珍稀的无主之物，越是有可能被钓鱼池当做目标。”
"Afterward..."
“ wǒ gōng fǎ dà chéng ， shēn ruò àn guāng liú lí lián ， yǔ qí shuō xiàng rén 、 gèng xiàng shì fǎ bǎo duō yì diǎn 。”
“我功法大成，身若暗光琉璃莲，与其说像人、更像是法宝多一点。”
"I sensed a force pulling at the lustrous wisdom fruit, knowing this might be my only chance for escape. So I left with it from the fishing pond."
“ zhǐ néng shuō ， mìng zhōng zhù dìng 、 yǒu cǐ yī jié ba 。”
“只能说，命中注定、有此一劫吧。”
"Haha, but you didn't notice because I hid well enough."
“ diào yú chí zhōng ， wǒ bù zhī chén lún duō shǎo zài 。 ér hòu jī yuán qiǎo hé ， fù zhuó zài yī méi xìng zhì gēn wǒ xiāng jìn de liú lí zhì guǒ shēn shàng 。”
“钓鱼池中，我不知沉沦多少载。而后机缘巧合，附着在一枚性质跟我相近的琉璃智果身上。”
The Hundred Flowers Daoist said calmly.
“ xī shōu le zhì guǒ qí zhōng yī bù fèn néng liàng ， zhè cái biàn dé miǎn qiǎng néng zài diào yú chí zhōng wéi chí shén zhì qīng xǐng 。”
“吸收了智果其中一部分能量，这才变得勉强能在钓鱼池中维持神智清醒。”
(End of Chapter)
At that time, I did indeed see the Immortal open his eyes. It seems he is still alive.
If what the Hundred Flowers Daoist said was true, this Immortal would eventually awaken from his enlightenment one day.
If that happened and I hadn't managed to escape this darkest star sea...
I would have to truly realize my technique.
In other words, the time he spent in the Xuanhuang Realm had a limit.
However, for now, there was no need to worry too much about it.
From his experiences over multiple cycles of rebirth, until seven hundred years ago, the Immortal of the Immortal Void hadn't shown any signs of awakening.
"But perhaps the frequent eruptions of the obelisk built by the Celestial Alliance after that era were a reaction to the Immortal's impending awakening," Li Fan thought privately.
"Should I be more concerned about forcibly breaking free from the Immortal Void and leaving Xuanhuang, even crossing over the high walls, whether it would wake this Immortal who is still in his enlightenment?"
Thinking of this, Li Fan asked, "Let's not talk about the source of the calamity in the world of cultivation for now. What do you think of that invisible barrier surrounding the darkest star sea?"
The Hundred Flowers Daoist was silent for a moment before giving an answer that surprised Li Fan.
"This invisible barrier actually has two possibilities."
"The first is that it might be something from outside the darkest star sea, established to prevent the calamity caused by the True Immortal's inscriptions from spreading."
Li Fan nodded slightly. This was consistent with the guess made by the Heavenly King of Xuan earlier.
"Regarding the second possibility..."
The Hundred Flowers Daoist's tone suddenly became solemn: "It is very likely that it was set up by the Immortal of the Immortal Void himself."
"As I mentioned before, each True Immortal's path to becoming a True Immortal is unique. That Immortal who sought enlightenment through the character 'hunger' wanted to prevent other Immortals from discovering the existence of this character, which might interfere with his own process of enlightenment. Therefore, he set up measures beforehand to seal off and isolate this star domain."
The "high walls" were set by the Immortal of the Immortal Void?
Li Fan was initially surprised but after some thought, found it plausible.
He vaguely recalled the Heavenly King of Xuan's judgment from long ago: only by reaching the realm of True Immortal could one cross these high walls with the Xuanhuang Realm.
"The True Immortals that the Heavenly King of Xuan spoke about should be ordinary Immortal realms rather than the unnamed True Immortal realm."
"Only those who are close to or stronger than the Immortal Void's high walls can cross them. This is quite reasonable."
"When the Celestial Realm collapsed, survivors scattered in all directions. The Immortal of the Immortal Void directly sat and attained enlightenment at the entrance of a celestial path after obtaining the Hunger Technique. This kind of courage..."
"...is rarely seen within the Celestial Realm."
"So it's not impossible that he casually set up high walls to seal off the entire darkest star sea."
As Li Fan pondered, he began to think that perhaps his second guess was closer to the truth.
If this were true...
"Perhaps trying to escape from the darkest star sea would disturb the Immortal of the Immortal Void."
This was undoubtedly far more dangerous and unattainable than fighting against the Law Transmitter.
But wanting eternal freedom, who knew that right after setting out on his journey, he had already encountered two major enemies—the Law Transmitter and the Immortal of the Immortal Void...
What despair!
Most cultivators in the darkest star sea would likely collapse their minds upon knowing the truth and lose all hope for advancement!
However, Li Fan merely narrowed his eyes but felt no discouragement.
Whether it was the Law Transmitter or an Immortal—no matter how ethereal a "nameless True Immortal" might be...
As long as they were on his path to immortality, Li Fan would crush them!
"On my immortal journey, I walk alone. When others block me, my heart remains undisturbed."
"One sword cleaves through the star sea, heaven laments, earth weeps, and even deities are startled."
Li Fan slowly recited these lines with a firm gaze.
The Hundred Flowers Daoist, who was not far away, didn't know what had happened. She felt that something strange had occurred in front of her, causing a shiver down her spine as if a great calamity were about to befall her.
But this feeling quickly passed, and when she looked again, it vanished without a trace, as if it was just an illusion.
However, the Hundred Flowers Daoist knew that with her current "Lustrous Body" state, illusions or hallucinations could not occur in her.
So...
The Hundred Flowers Daoist stared at Li Fan, who seemed harmless and righteous, adding another layer of vigilance to him.
The Immortal of the Immortal Void was still too far from his present circumstances. After some thought, Li Fan temporarily set aside all these thoughts.
He looked at the Hundred Flowers Daoist, whose figure was hidden in golden light, and asked again: "A True Immortal realm is beyond our current comprehension. I am more curious about your experiences."
"You weren't one of the survivors from that calamity, were you? Why are you here in the fishing pond?"
"Little Daoist Lustrous, what's your connection to him?"
Li Fan's gaze was intense as the array seals around them subtly reinforced themselves.
The Hundred Flowers Daoist barely glanced around and sighed: "Your vigilance is truly extraordinary."
"In fact, I ended up in this fishing pond merely by chance."
"As I mentioned earlier, I had no control over it."
The Hundred Flowers Daoist continued slowly: "On that day, we survivors from various realms gathered to discuss how to escape the Sinking Star Sea."
"Unexpectedly, a strange fluctuation appeared in mid-air, locking me down."
"In an instant, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was already inside this fishing pond."
Li Fan smiled: "So you were caught by the fishing pond because of bad luck?"
The Hundred Flowers Daoist's voice sounded somewhat helpless: "Sort of. The fishing pond automatically searches for treasures scattered in the vast expanse of space. The more rare and unowned a treasure is, the higher the chance it will be targeted."
"My technique was fully realized; I am like a dark light lustrous lotus. More akin to a magical artifact than a person."
"It can only be said that my fate brought me this calamity."
"In the fishing pond, I don't know how many years I sank into oblivion. Later, by chance, I attached myself to a lustrous wisdom fruit similar to mine."
"By absorbing part of its energy, I was able to maintain consciousness in the fishing pond."
"Afterward..."
"I sensed a force pulling at the lustrous wisdom fruit, knowing this might be my only chance for escape. So I left with it from the fishing pond."
"Haha, but you didn't notice because I hid well enough."
The Hundred Flowers Daoist said calmly.
(End of Chapter)