Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi returned to the Immortal Cultivation World, discovering that both were cultivating the same technique. Li Fan no longer cared about their reactions.
At this moment, he had settled all matters and piloted the Taiyan Boat to the Void Abyss.
By convention, one should wait for the day every fifteen years when the white mist disperses to explore this Void Abyss.
However, Li Fan was already 71 years old, and the next dispersal was 14 years away.
By then, he would be 85, nearing his lifespan limit, struggling even to walk, let alone pilot the Taiyan Boat.
So, it was better to explore the reality of this Immortal-Sealing Grand Formation sooner.
In any case, he had nothing left to linger for in this world and could start the next life at any time.
Controlling the Taiyan Boat, Li Fan slowly descended to the bottom of the Void Abyss.
Without divine sense to guide him, he could only rely on his sight to determine direction.
The dense fog enveloped everything, leaving Li Fan with an intensely surreal feeling.
The surroundings were extremely silent, with only the sound of his own breathing audible.
With heightened concentration, he continued to fly downward.
Suddenly, as if colliding with something, the Taiyan Boat began to shake violently.
Li Fan immediately tensed up.
It seemed to be squeezed by an invisible force, with sounds akin to metal scraping emanating from outside the Taiyan Boat.
Fortunately, the defensive formation activated in time, enveloping the Taiyan Boat in a faint golden light.
The boat gradually stabilized, and the eerie noises vanished.
Only the constantly twisting and changing protective light screen spoke of the terrifying pressure outside.
"Past the Gale Wind Layer, next is the Illusionary Light Layer," Li Fan recalled Kou Hong's previous introduction about this Immortal-Sealing Grand Formation.
The Immortal-Sealing Grand Formation was primarily to prevent exiled mortals from returning to the Immortal Cultivation World.
The Gale Wind Layer was filled with strong winds.
Wind blades could easily tear apart mortal bodies, and even Foundation Establishment cultivators needed to protect themselves with spiritual power and proceed cautiously.
Below the Gale Wind Layer was the Illusionary Light Layer.
Like satin, the seven-colored radiance flowed everywhere in this abyssal layer.
Mortals who saw it would fall into endless illusions.
Below the Illusionary Light Layer was the Inversion Layer.
Entering this layer, one would feel the world transform, unable to distinguish up from down or left from right.
Coupled with the pervasive white fog and no divine sense to discern direction, one would inevitably become lost.
After the Inversion Layer was the Flowing Fire Layer.
Countless shooting stars and flowing fire flew at high speed in this space, shattering anything in their path.
Thick white fog served as a cover, making it difficult to guard against.
Below the Flowing Fire Layer was the Mysterious Ice Layer.
From this layer onward, the fog gradually thinned.
The Mysterious Ice Layer had nothing else, only extremely low temperatures.
Without corresponding protective measures, one would be frozen into an ice block upon entry.
Below the Mysterious Ice Layer was the Thunderstorm Layer.
Countless thunders, exuding a destructive aura, roared incessantly in this abyssal layer.
Finally, there was a vast space several times larger than the previous six layers combined.
According to Kou Hong, this layer posed no danger, only darkness, yet it inexplicably caused unease.
Passing through the Dark Layer, one could leave the Immortal-Sealing Grand Formation and reach the Immortal Cultivation World.
Li Fan cautiously controlled the Taiyan Boat, spending half an hour to finally traverse the Gale Wind Layer.
Upon entering the Illusionary Light Layer, under the dazzling radiance, Li Fan fell into layers of illusions.
In the illusions, he successfully escaped the Immortal-Sealing Grand Formation and, upon reaching the Immortal Cultivation World, fortuitously obtained a rare cultivation technique. In just a century, he formed a golden core.
Thereafter, his cultivation journey was smooth. A millennium later, he achieved ascension.
In the Immortal Realm, Li Fan started as a low-ranking immortal official and gradually cultivated, eventually becoming an Immortal Emperor who commanded respect in the Immortal Realm.
Subsequently, Li Fan broke through the spatial barriers of the Immortal Realm and ascended to the Divine Realm.
Starting as a miner in the Divine Realm, after tens of thousands of years, Li Fan cultivated to the Divine King realm, becoming the most formidable existence in the Divine Realm.
Thereafter, Li Fan painstakingly ascended to the Primordial Divine Realm, becoming a low-ranking gatekeeper.
He started anew with great effort.
This cycle repeated countless times...
Finally, the illusion collapsed.
Li Fan awoke, the previous experiences receding like a tide in his mind, leaving only faint traces.
Feeling speechless about his experiences in the illusion, Li Fan steadied his mind and continued downward.
A wave of dizziness hit, and he immediately lost his sense of direction, knowing he had reached the Inversion Layer.
Surrounded by endless white fog, the Taiyan Boat was like a drop in the ocean, not knowing which way was up or down, or where to go.
Thinking this exploration journey would end here, Li Fan was pleasantly surprised to find an inexplicable intuition emanating from the Taiyan Boat, guiding him on where to go.
Following the Taiyan Boat's guidance, it didn't take long for Li Fan to leave the Inversion Layer.
Next, having tasted success, Li Fan didn't deliberately control the boat, only providing power, allowing the Taiyan Boat to navigate the Immortal-Sealing Grand Formation on its own.
Flowing Fire, Mysterious Ice, Thunderstorm...
These places seemed extremely perilous, yet the Taiyan Boat flew unhurriedly, always narrowly avoiding each crisis.
With thrilling yet safe progress, Li Fan smoothly reached the final layer, the Dark Layer.
"Indeed, this Taiyan Boat was specifically responsible for migrating mortals a thousand years ago. The Great Migration Era lasted several centuries, and this flying boat certainly made more than one trip. Judging by its damage, the migration work likely never stopped for a century. The cultivators responsible for this must have found it exhausting to manually control it each time, thus leaving a hidden mechanism in the Taiyan Boat to automatically navigate through the Immortal-Sealing Grand Formation..." Li Fan, amidst his joy, suddenly understood why this journey was unexpectedly smooth.
The Taiyan Boat quietly advanced in the darkness.
Thinking that the long-awaited Immortal Cultivation World was just ahead, even Li Fan couldn't help but feel excited.
Suddenly, in the utterly silent darkness, an inexplicable, ancient, distant, and profound call echoed.
This strange sound instantly filled the entire Dark Layer, reverberating continuously.
Li Fan's heartbeat halted, as if encountering a natural enemy, his blood turning cold in an instant.
The call grew closer, seemingly surrounding the small Taiyan Boat from all directions.
Abruptly, the sound vanished.
Silence returned.
The surroundings remained pitch black, yet felt different from the previous darkness.
Li Fan felt a chill run down his spine.
He realized that the Taiyan Boat had been swallowed by some existence.
"Bang!"
The protective light shield of the Taiyan Boat shattered instantly, and the boat itself began to disintegrate.
The charging progress plummeted at that moment.
Taking one last deep look at the external darkness, Li Fan silently recited.
"Return to Origin!"
(End of Chapter)