บท 20: Chapter 20 Accidental Success
Li Fan was aboard the Tai Yan Boat, returning to the top of the ruins abyss.
"What the hell is that thing..." Li Fan's face was rather gloomy.
Even though he used a small trick to see the true face of the monster, he still had no idea about how to escape its sight and successfully cross the dark layer.
"That giant whale is so huge, but the Tai Yan Boat is so small. Yet every time I pass by, it always finds me like a cat spotting a mouse..." Thinking of this, Li Fan felt a headache coming on.
"I can only try other methods. Fortunately, I have plenty of opportunities to try." Li Fan sighed helplessly.
...
Fifteen years later, 35 years anchored.
Li Fan had long since sneaked into the Thunderstorm Layer.
In these fifteen years, he had attempted to force his way through the dark layer several times.
But during these days, from the time he entered the dark layer to the moment he was spotted, the time the giant whale took to react has greatly reduced. Based on the speed of the Tai Yan Boat, he simply couldn't escape in time. Therefore, he could only return in embarrassment after engaging in a battle with the giant whale.
"Only on the days when the white mist dissipates, the giant whale seems to be delayed by something and only discovers me after a while. Relying on this little extra time, perhaps I can fly to the bottom of the ruins abyss."
This time, Li Fan decided to go all out and cross the dark layer at the fastest speed before the giant whale could react.
The big wind began to rise.
The Tai Yan Boat was at full power, showing an astonishing speed.
The illusion was getting closer and closer, yet just as he was about to reach it, the terrifying cry of the giant whale rang out again.
And it approached rapidly.
"There's about one quarter of the distance left, I won't make it in time." Li Fan made a judgment.
Narrowing his eyes, Li Fan's ferocity was spurred.
He didn't bother to fly towards the bottom of the ruins abyss, rather, he turned his head towards the direction of the whale's cry and smashed into it with all his might.
Unfortunately, his determination did not prove to be of any use.
There was no collision, Li Fan only felt a darkness around him, and knew he had been swallowed by the giant whale again.
"Real!"
Li Fan roared fiercely.
...
[Simulation Terminated]
Li Fan heaved a somewhat frustrated sigh.
After taking a while to calm his mind, Li Fan decided to increase the speed of energy charging.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Mortal
Biological Age: 20/86
Mental Age: 368/1116
The mental age has reached its limit and will not increase.
"At least I can squander the remaining 748 years." Li Fan could only comfort himself this way.
Eight incarnation.
Anchored at four years.
Li Fan once again used Qian Hong's Tomb.
"Detected rechargeable item: Stopping Monument (Damaged)."
"Proceed with recharging?"
Seeing the [Real] prompt, Li Fan finally felt a bit better.
At this moment, the anchor charging progress had reached 51%.
"At least this life wasn't wasted…" Li Fan said with a hint of self-mockery.
Anchored at five years, the white mist dissipated, and the Void Transformation charging progress was nearing 90%. But anything less than 100% didn't make much difference to Li Fan. He could only choose to patiently wait.
Anchored at twenty years, Li Fan tried and failed.
Anchored at thirty-five years, Li Fan tried again, but still failed.
However, these attempts were not entirely useless; at the very least, he was becoming more proficient in controlling the Tai Yan Boat and could last longer under the pursuit of the giant whale.
Anchored at fifty years, Li Fan did not choose to force his way through the dark layer again.
He had grown old, his reactions and spirit had declined significantly. There was no possibility of success.
So, he decided to meet with two old friends to see if he could get any clues from them.
On Li Fan's 70th birthday, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi arrived as expected.
"Dao Xuanzi, don't push your luck too far!"
...
Listening to this, Li Fan suddenly felt a twinge of nostalgia.
Once again, he lured the two to the Grand Master Mansion under the guise of teaching them the Golden Core Technique. After three rounds of drinks, Li Fan unfurled a scroll.
The painting seemed a little aged, depicting a terrifying, colossal Giant Whale hidden in the darkness - all that was visible was its ghastly gaping mouth, ready to devour anyone in its path.
"Have the two of you ever seen such a creature? My ancestor once said on his deathbed that if there's a chance to escape this deadly place in the future, there's nothing to worry about. We will be safe under the protection of our Sect's Tai Yan Boat. But the only cause of concern is the last layer, where a Giant Whale lurks, and we must be extremely cautious," Li Fan inquired.
"Could there really be such a ferocious beast hiding in that vast stretch of darkness?" Kou Hong looked at the painting, skeptical and furrowed his brow, "how is it that I've never seen it?"
Dao Xuanzi, however, seemed to recall something."
"Oh? It seems you're familiar with this beast," Li Fan asked curiously.
Dao Xuanzi shook his head. "I've only read about it in an ancient text. In ancient times, there was a Beast Taming Sect known for their ability to control exotic beasts with a secret technique. At the peak of their power, they were considered on par with the top sects."
"Sadly, during the Great Calamity, the Beast Taming Sect, which focused only on one technique, was among the quickest to perish."
"Among the most famous beasts controlled by the Beast Taming Sect, one was supposed to be a giant whale."
"Now that you mention it, I do seem to remember something about a Splitting Realm Whale," Kou Hong excitedly chimed in.
Upon hearing this, Li Fan eagerly asked, "Do the two of you know how to avoid this Splitting Realm Whale?"
Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi chuckled awkwardly, "We've only heard snippets of tales regarding it. Such a beast has been extinct for thousands of years in the Immortal Cultivation World. How could we know its habits?"
Li Fan couldn't help but feel disappointed.
In the end, would he have to depend on himself after all?
After handing "The Golden Seal of the Jade Realm of a Thousand Mechanisms" to Dao Xuanzi and dismissing the two, Li Fan chose to end this life.
...
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Mortal
Physical Age: 20/86
Mental Age: 418/1116
Ninth reincarnation!
In this life, Li Fan once again opened Qian Hong's Tomb, hoping to absorb the energy of the halting monument.
Regrettably, [Real] showed no reaction.
Despite his disappointment, Li Fan had already prepared himself for this outcome.
Hence, [Real]'s anchored charging progress remained at 51%.
Anchored for twenty years, thirty-five years, fifty years, Li Fan tried various methods but was unable to cross the dark layer due to the watchful eyes of the Giant Whale.
After sixty-five years, Li Fan was already eighty-five years old, nearing the end of his life.
This time, he didn't choose to end his life early because he didn't know how many more attempts it would take to break through this Immortal Forbiddance Formation.
Being able to try one more time was always a good thing.
Unfortunately, he was already too old to outwit the Giant Whale. Not forcing himself to struggle, Li Fan gave up control of the Tai Yan Boat, allowing it to slowly drift towards the abyss below.
Wind Layer, Illusion Layer, Upside-down Layer, Streaming Flame Layer, Mysterious Ice Layer, Thunderstorm Layer, Dark Layer…
Li Fan slipped into a confused sleep. When he woke up, he was shocked to discover that the Tai Yan Boat was almost reaching the very bottom of the abyss!
"What's going on? Why didn't the Splitting Realm Whale appear this time?" Li Fan was utterly puzzled, but that didn't stop him from accelerating towards the faintly twinkling lights.
But, as Li Fan accelerated, the roar of the Giant Whale suddenly echoed out!
"Why did it suddenly discover me now?" Li Fan frowned deeply in confusion.
Suddenly, a lightning bolt of realization struck him, "So, that's how it is! The Splitting Realm Whale is blind to or ignores objects moving at a constant speed! As long as the same speed is maintained throughout, one could safely pass through this Immortal Forbiddance Formation!"
Having figured out the key, Li Fan couldn't help but laugh heartily.
With this, the final obstacle to leaving the Immortal Realm had been completely removed!
Amid Li Fan's loud laughter and the Giant Whale's roar, the Tai Yan boat burst through the crack between the realms, heading back to the Immortal Cultivation World.
The surroundings became blurry, as if they had traversed several worlds' distance in an instant. Li Fan groaned under the enormous pressure, fresh blood flowing from his eyes and nose.
But he paid it no mind.
Looking back at the Immortal Realm he had left, the distance grew farther, and his viewpoint became infinitely high, showing Li Fan a sight he would never forget:
Hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of Splitting Realm Whales, working together, day and night, in the void, creating pockets of darkness.
And the Immortal Realm Li Fan had come from grew increasingly distant from the Immortal Cultivation World.
Ever more distant.
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