Li Fan piloted the Taiyan Boat back above the Abyssal Chasm.
What in the world was that thing... Li Fan’s expression was somewhat grim.
Though he had played a small trick to get a clear look at the monster’s true form, he had absolutely no clue how to escape its notice. Until he found a solution, he would never be able to cross the Darkness Layer.
The Taiyan Boat is just a speck in the Darkness Layer. Yet every single time I approach, that great whale always finds me, like a cat spotting a mouse... Li Fan felt a headache coming on.
I can only try other methods. Fortunately, I still have plenty of opportunities left. Li Fan sighed helplessly.
***
Fifteen years later, in Anchor Year 35.
This time, Li Fan hid himself within the Thunderstorm Layer well in advance.
Over these fifteen years, he had attempted to force his way through the Darkness Layer several times. Yet with every entry into the Darkness Layer, the great whale seemed to get better at detecting him.
Given the Taiyan Boat’s flight speed, he simply couldn’t outpace it. Each time, after a brief period of dodging the whale, he would be forced to retreat in disarray.
Only on the days when the white fog recedes does the great whale take a while to notice me, seemingly delayed by something. Perhaps with this extra bit of time, I’ll be able to fly to the bottom of the Abyssal Chasm.
This time, Li Fan decided to risk it all, aiming to fly through the Darkness Layer at maximum speed and make it through before the great whale could react.
A strong wind began to rise.
The Taiyan Boat operated at full power, bursting forth with astonishing speed.
The illusory scenery drew closer and closer. Yet, just as he was about to reach it, the great whale’s terrifying cry rang out once more, rapidly approaching Li Fan’s position.
There’s still about a quarter of the distance left to go. I don’t have enough time.
Narrowing his eyes, Li Fan felt a fierce, reckless anger stir within him.
He gave up on reaching the bottom of the Abyssal Chasm altogether, instead turning around and charging fiercely toward the source of the cry.
Unfortunately, sheer ferocity was useless.
There was no collision. Li Fan saw his surroundings turn black and knew he had been swallowed by the great whale once again.
“Return to Truth!” Li Fan roared viciously.
[This simulation has ended]
Li Fan let out a frustrated sigh.
It took him a long time to calm his emotions. This time, Li Fan chose to accelerate the charging process.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Mortal
Biological Age: 20/86
Psychological Age: 368/1116
The limit of his Psychological Age had reached a ceiling and would increase no further.
At least I still have 748 years to squander. Li Fan could only comfort himself like this.
In Anchor Year 4 of his eighth life, Li Fan once again opened Qian Hong’s tomb.
[Discovered item convertible to charge: Halt Stele Fragment (Damaged).]
[Proceed with charging?]
Seeing the prompt from Return to Truth, Li Fan’s mood finally improved a little.
At this moment, the charging progress of the next anchor point had reached 51%.
At the very least, this life wasn’t a complete waste... Li Fan mused with a hint of self-mockery.
In Anchor Year 5, the white mist receded, but with the virtualization charging progress yet to reach 100%, he could only wait patiently.
In Anchor Year 20, Li Fan made an attempt, and failed.
In Anchor Year 35, Li Fan made another attempt, and still failed.
However, these attempts were not entirely wasted. At the very least, he had gotten increasingly proficient at maneuvering the Taiyan Boat, and could now endure the great whale’s relentless pursuits for longer periods.
In Anchor Year 50, Li Fan did not choose to force his way through the Darkness Layer again. He had grown old, and his reactions and mental acuity had significantly declined. Even if he made an attempt now, he saw no possibility of success.
So, he chose to meet two old friends, to see if he could glean any clues from them.
On the day of Li Fan’s seventieth birthday, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi arrived right on time.
“Dao Xuanzi! Do not push me too far!”
As he listened, Li Fan suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia.
Once again, he used the pretext of a Golden Core technique to lure the two of them to the Grand Preceptor’s estate. After three rounds of wine, Li Fan produced a scroll painting.
The painting looked quite old. It depicted a terrifying, colossal great whale that hid within the darkness. Only its ferocious, gaping maw was revealed, poised to seize and devour anything it encountered.
“Have either of you ever seen such a monster?” Li Fan inquired. “While on his deathbed, my ancestor said that if one ever gets the chance to escape this Immortal Forsaken Land in the future, one has little to worry about apart from this creature. Within the protection of my sect’s Taiyan Boat, one should be safe and sound. However, a great whale lurks in the final layer, and one must be exceedingly cautious.”
“Such a fierce beast actually lives in that vast, pitch-black emptiness?” Kou Hong glanced at the painting, his brow furrowing slightly with disbelief. “Why have I never seen it?”
“Could it be...” Dao Xuanzi, however, seemed to recall something.
“Oh? Fellow Daoist, you seem to know of this creature?” Li Fan asked, a note of expectation in his voice.
Dao Xuanzi shook his head. “I’ve only seen related records in an ancient text. It is said that there was once an ancient sect called the Beast Taming Sect. The Beast Taming Sect did not possess profound techniques. Instead, they relied on a single Beast Taming Art to control exotic beasts and make them fight on the cultivators’ behalf. At the peak of the Beast Taming Sect’s power, it was said they could rival top sects like the Taishang Sect and Great Dao Sect.
“Unfortunately, during the Great Reformation, a sect that cultivated only a single technique was also the fastest to fall.
“Among the most famous exotic beasts controlled by the Beast Taming Sect, there seems to have been this type of great whale.”
“Now that you mention it, I think I remember,” Kou Hong clapped his hands and said hurriedly. “I think it was called something along the lines of ‘Realm-Splitting Whale’?”
Li Fan’s heart stirred, and he quickly asked, “Do the two of you know how one might avoid this Realm-Splitting Whale?”
Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi both offered awkward, sheepish smiles. “We’ve only heard rumors about it. Such an exotic beast vanished from the cultivation world thousands of years ago. How could we possibly know its behavioural traits?”
Li Fan couldn’t help but feel disappointed. In the end, must he still rely on himself?
He handed the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture to Dao Xuanzi, sent the two men on their way, and then ended this lifetime.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Mortal
Biological Age: 20/86
Psychological Age: 418/1116
This was his ninth life!
In this life, Li Fan once again opened Qian Hong’s tomb, intending to absorb the Halt Stele Fragment to increase the charging progress of the next anchor point.
Unfortunately, Return to Truth showed no reaction whatsoever.
Though he found it pity, Li Fan had long been mentally prepared for this. Thus, the charging progress of the next anchor point remained fixed at 51%.
In Anchor Years 20, 35, and 50, Li Fan tried every method he could think of. But under the watchful, predatory gaze of the great whale, he still failed to charge through the Darkness Layer.
In Anchor Year 65, Li Fan turned eighty-five years old. He had reached his twilight years, and his life’s flame flickered like a lamp about to burn dry.
This time, he had not chosen to end his lifetime early, because he did not know how many more tries it would take to make it through the Immortal-Slaying Grand Array.
There was no harm in making one more attempt.
Unfortunately, he was simply too old this time; his thoughts had grown sluggish, and his reactions were dulled.
Unable to match the great whale in wits and courage any longer, Li Fan did not force the issue. Instead, he completely relinquished control of the Taiyan Boat, allowing it to drift slowly downward into the depths of the Abyssal Chasm from the very start.
The Gale Layer, the Mirage Light Layer, the Inversion Layer, the Meteor Fire Layer, the Arcane Ice Layer, the Thunderstorm Layer, the Darkness Layer...
Li Fan drifted into a hazy sleep. When he awoke, he was shocked to discover that the Taiyan Boat was already nearing the bottom of the Abyssal Chasm!
What’s going on? Why didn’t the Realm-Splitting Whale appear this time? Li Fan was utterly perplexed, but that did not stop him from revving up the boat’s power and speeding at full velocity toward the scattered points of light.
But as Li Fan accelerated, the roar of the great whale suddenly erupted!
Why did it suddenly detect me now? Li Fan deeply furrowed his brow.
Then, like a lightning bolt illuminating the night sky, Li Fan abruptly understood.
So that’s it! This Realm-Splitting Whale cannot see, or perhaps it ignores, objects moving at a constant velocity! As long as one maintains the exact same speed, one can pass through this Immortal-Slaying Grand Array safely and unharmed!
Having unraveled this crucial point, Li Fan could not help but laugh aloud.
With that, the final shackle binding him to this Immortal Forsaken Land was completely shattered!
Amid Li Fan’s wild laughter and the great whale’s furious roars, the Taiyan Boat burst through the rift between the two worlds, about to return to the cultivation world.
His surroundings blurred, and he felt himself traverse the distance of multiple worlds in an instant. The immense pressure made Li Fan grunt sharply, and blood streamed from his nose and eyes.
But he paid it no mind whatsoever.
Drawn endlessly upward, Li Fan turned his gaze back toward the Immortal Forsaken Land. From such vast distance and soaring height, he witnessed a sight that would be seared into his memory for all eternity:
Thousands upon thousands of Realm-Splitting Whales, moving non-stop in great pods, carved out swathes of pitch-black space from the void.
Meanwhile, the Immortal Forsaken Land that Li Fan had left receded ever farther from the cultivation world.