In his previous life, Li Fan's Holy Embryo clone followed the Xuan Immortal Ark on its expedition to the Xuanhuang Realm, only to fall into the Immortal Ancestor's trap.

There, he encountered the terrifying Immortal Realm Watcher who, with a single glance, stripped away the lives of one tenth of all living beings aboard the Immortal Ark.

A great cauldron boiled the world like an endless abyss, refining a frozen world containing countless cultivators into a Yin Yang Pearl.

Within the Yin Yang Pearl existed two separate worlds.

One was a boundless sea of deathly silence covered in ice. Opposite that lifeless world was an ocean overflowing with vitality.

When Li Fan first entered the small world within the Yin Yang Pearl, he mistook it for the Dao field of the Xuanhuang Realm's Rebirth Heavenly Sovereign. Within that world, yin and yang, life and death endlessly circulated, perfectly matching the concept of reversing life and death.

However, as Li Fan's horizons gradually broadened and he witnessed countless genuine Immortal formations, he began to doubt his own judgment.

Although the formation within the Yin Yang Pearl was incomparably profound, Li Fan had already been able to glimpse its mysteries when he first encountered it. It was clearly still far from the level of an Immortal formation.

The cycle of life and death within the Yin Yang Pearl did not rely on the Reversal of Life and Death Formation itself. Instead, it depended entirely upon the world's origin essence and the power of the Immortal Realm Watcher.

The Reversal of Life and Death Formation functioned more like a catalyst, merely accelerating the process of reversing life and death.

In his previous life, the Holy Emperor turned the Xuanhuang Realm upside down. Afterwards, the Xuanhuang Realm fell into an apocalyptic crisis within the All Things Return to Void Grand Formation. The Immortal Ancestor and the Heavenly Doctor exhausted all their strength trying to stop it. Yet from beginning to end, that mysterious Rebirth Heavenly Sovereign never appeared.

Perhaps this was because Lan Yu had chosen to venture into the Star Sea to comprehend the Dao, and the true Rebirth Heavenly Sovereign had not yet successfully defied the natural order. However, Li Fan believed that even if the Rebirth Heavenly Sovereign had truly been born, they likely would not have intervened to stop his world destroying actions.

There was an inseparable connection between the Rebirth Heavenly Sovereign and the Watcher.

The Watcher bore the mission of the Immortal Realm. Besides monitoring abnormalities within the Xuanhuang Realm, it also seemed responsible for collecting information on every different human who had ever appeared within the Xuanhuang Realm.

As for the Rebirth Heavenly Sovereign...

It seemed to have freed itself from the restraints of the Immortal Realm's mission, acting solely for its own benefit.

The Watcher encountered by Li Fan and the Xuan Immortal Ark possessed no independent intelligence. It acted entirely according to instinct, or perhaps according to predetermined rules.

It was little different from a puppet and hardly seemed capable of bearing the enormous responsibility of overseeing an entire cultivation world.

Therefore, Li Fan speculated that the Watcher's true spirit might have already abandoned its original body. Only by doing so could it free itself from the duties imposed by the Immortal Realm after its destruction.

The backlash suffered by the Xuanhuang Great Celestial Venerable after neglecting their duties in the previous life proved that even after the Immortal Realm had perished, the restraints it imposed still remained.

No one wished to remain shackled forever.

Theoretically speaking, it was entirely reasonable for the Xuanhuang Realm Watcher to seek freedom.

"Back then, I used a fake True Immortal relic to lure the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance's Dharma-Transmitters into the Yin Yang World. In the end, they all died there. Yet afterward, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance behaved as though nothing had happened. This proves that the Immortal Ancestor, or perhaps the Heavenly Doctor, certainly knows the true identity of the Rebirth Heavenly Sovereign. It is even possible that the Heavenly Doctor assisted in the Watcher's transformation into the Rebirth Heavenly Sovereign..."

Returning to the present.

The black and white spheres formed after Yin Shangren dug out his own eyes emitted an aura almost identical to that of the Yin Yang Pearl.

The only difference was that within these black and white spheres, life and death remained completely separate. They had not yet reached the endless circulation and perpetual cycle of life and death found within the Yin Yang Pearl of the Xuanhuang Realm.

Li Fan stared silently at the black and white spheres for a long time.

Only after quite a while did he finally speak.

"There is a secret realm somewhere within the Xuanhuang Realm that contains a similar creation."

"However, compared to your simple dual Life and Death Pearls, the Yin Yang Pearl where black and white, life and death intertwine is even more marvelous. Within that Yin Yang Pearl lie countless frozen corpses. I wonder..."

Li Fan's eyes shone brightly.

After displaying them, Yin Shangren reabsorbed the black and white spheres into his body, restoring his normal eyes.

"The White Pearl indeed once contained frozen corpses. But that was before the world was destroyed."

"When the world died, those frozen corpses gradually melted away and transformed into the purest death qi..."

Hearing this, Li Fan silently pondered.

"This should be the difference caused by the absence of the Watcher."

"Among the countless cultivation worlds of the lower realms, the Xuanhuang Realm is clearly extraordinary. Not only does it have an Immortal Realm appointed Xuanhuang Great Celestial Venerable and an Watcher, but a True Immortal once personally descended there. Although I do not know the reason, that True Immortal ultimately perished..."

"The world where Yin Shangren obtained these black and white pearls was likewise under the surveillance of the Immortal Realm. However, its status was clearly lower than that of the Xuanhuang Realm."

Li Fan would certainly seek contact with the Rebirth Heavenly Sovereign, who was likely the Watcher that had shed its shell like a cicada.

However, the primary objective of this life remained integrating the Dao through the Celestial Spirit of Heaven and Earth. Naturally, he intended to avoid introducing unnecessary variables.

Yin Shangren continued.

"I am merely the lingering soul of a dead world. I originally believed I would remain forever as this worthless remnant. Yet the instant I sensed the immense vitality within these black and white pearls, a powerful premonition suddenly arose within me..."

As he spoke, the vitality swirling within his black eye accelerated.

"Perhaps absolute decay does not truly exist in this world. The reason I have become this remnant soul is merely because all vitality has been severed. As long as enough vitality can be poured into me..."

As he spoke, Yin Shangren's complexion became increasingly rosy.

He looked more and more like a normal human cultivator.

However, Li Fan narrowed his eyes.

He could already see that things would not be so simple.

Just as Li Fan had expected, stirred by the intense vitality throughout his body, the originally tranquil gray eye also began rotating increasingly faster.

Threads of withered, decaying death qi emerged from Yin Shangren's body.

Very quickly, they neutralized the original vitality and suppressed it.

The aura of decay slowly spread from Yin Shangren's body.

Yin Shangren coughed softly several times.

The storms within his black and white eyes gradually subsided, revealing a trace of helplessness.

Seeing this, Hundred Flowers fell into thought. A hint of schadenfreude even flashed through her eyes.

Li Fan spoke directly.

"Life qi and death qi appear to oppose one another, but in truth they are one."

"You seek to awaken vitality while suppressing death qi. That will only produce the opposite result."

"Life is the root of death. Death is the fruit of life. Dig out the root, and the fruit must inevitably move. Pluck the fruit, yet the root need not necessarily be harmed."

Li Fan perfectly played the role of a Holy Teacher.

Right there, he began expounding the Dao to Yin Shangren.

Yin Shangren already possessed extraordinary comprehension, and now he also carried the black and white Life and Death Pearls.

The many profound and mysterious statements Li Fan intentionally crafted presented no difficulty for him whatsoever.

Within his tranquil eyes, the circulation of black and white qi became increasingly rapid.

Even Hundred Flowers proved to possess exceptional talent in the Dao of life and death.

As she listened attentively, she too seemed to gain considerable enlightenment.

The Dao lecture continued for half a day.

Li Fan nearly exhausted every bit of knowledge he possessed.

Finally, he waved his hand and transmitted the Reversal of Life and Death Formation into the sea of consciousness of both cultivators.

This Reversal of Life and Death Formation had been further deduced by the Final Dissociation Disc based upon the original formation inside the Yin Yang Pearl.

It could be called the supreme application of the Dao of life and death within the Darkest Star Sea.

The instant he came into contact with the formation, unconcealable shock and joy appeared upon Yin Shangren's face.

"Life and death stand opposed to one another. However, with this formation, you may gradually transform the endless death qi within the White Pearl into vitality."

"But you must always maintain the balance between life and death."

Li Fan glanced at Hundred Flowers before continuing.

"Consume the vitality produced by the transformation as quickly as possible. Besides cleansing your own decay, perhaps you can also lend Fellow Daoist Hundred Flowers a helping hand."

Hundred Flowers' body trembled slightly.

She had no idea what secret of hers Li Fan had discovered.

Yin Shangren nodded slightly.

"By the way, Holy Teacher, while absorbing the black and white twin pearls, I also learned some information about this ruined world."

"It is not much, but it is quite interesting."

After briefly organizing the Reversal of Life and Death Grand Formation, Yin Shangren spoke again of his own accord.

"This world is called the [Taijia Realm]."

"Before its destruction, although it was not particularly large, it was one of the most powerful cultivation worlds in the Star Sea."

"The reason was that the Taijia Realm was an extremely rare cultivation world that possessed no Worldly Heavenly Dao."

"The cultivators there cultivated the Taijia Divine Art. It is said that they could bypass the nonexistent World Heavenly Dao and communicate directly with the Star Sea's Source Will, drawing upon the power of the Star Sea..."

A trace of amazement flashed across Yin Shangren's eyes.

From the fragmented scenes he displayed with a wave of his hand, the divine abilities of the Taijia Realm cultivators were indeed terrifying.

Their swords crossed the Star River.

Their fists suppressed entire worlds.

Without any protection, they could traverse the Star Sea with their physical bodies alone.

Yin Shangren's tone suddenly changed.

"However, precisely because they were directly connected to the Star Sea's Source Will, when the power of the True Immortal seal script erupted throughout the Star Sea, the cultivators of the Taijia Realm were among the very first to be affected."

"The Star Sea's divine power that they had always relied upon lost its effectiveness. As a result, the once renowned Taijia Realm declined even faster than ordinary cultivation worlds."

"The most laughable part was that when the Taijia Realm was on the verge of complete destruction, a portion of its cultivators did not choose to fight to the death. Instead, they knelt on the ground and continued praying to communicate with the Star Sea's Source Will..."

Yin Shangren shook his head in disdain.

Hundred Flowers also commented, "We cultivators pursue power that belongs to ourselves. Borrowing the Star Sea's strength may grant overwhelming might for a time, but when calamity descends, it ultimately vanishes like a bubble."

"In truth, the Longevity Immortal cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm are no different..."

At this point, Hundred Flowers suddenly stopped speaking.

She had suddenly realized that their efforts to promote the Ascension of the Xuanhuang Realm and improve their own cultivation through the merit of assisting its rise were, in essence, not fundamentally different from the Longevity Immortal cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm or the cultivators of the Taijia Realm.

Li Fan naturally saw at a glance why Hundred Flowers had suddenly fallen silent.

He smiled slightly.

"There is still a difference."

"Once the Xuanhuang Realm completes its transformation, the power fed back to each of us truly becomes our own. It is a one time transaction. Even if we later become enemies of the Xuanhuang Realm, the power bestowed upon us cannot be taken back."

"As for the cultivators of the Taijia Realm..."

Li Fan shook his head without offering further comment.

"However, this Taijia Divine Art, which communicates directly with the Star Sea's Source Will, does have some merit."

Li Fan had previously taken Yin Shangren and the others to witness the awakening Star Sea's Source Will.

"The Xuanhuang Realm is not a completely isolated existence. After all, it still exists within the Star Sea. If its ascension could receive the support of the Star Sea..." Yin Shangren also realized the potential value of the Taijia Divine Art.

"Unfortunately, what I obtained from the black and white twin pearls were only fragmented memories."

He spoke with some regret.

Yin Shangren then painstakingly recited the incomplete Taijia Divine Art.

Its wording was obscure and awkward, filled with strange expressions. It was indeed completely different from ordinary cultivation techniques.

It was also Li Fan's first encounter with such a type of cultivation art, and it immediately aroused his interest.

"The essence of this technique lies in communicating with the Star Sea's Source Will."

"Ten thousand years ago, when the Star Sea was at the height of its prosperity, even Half Immortals were no more than ants in its eyes. Ordinary cultivators were even less significant. Naturally, establishing communication with the Star Sea's consciousness was unimaginably difficult."

Li Fan spoke slowly.

Yin Shangren nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. The Taijia Divine Art is extremely difficult to cultivate. Among countless cultivators, perhaps only one can truly master it. But once someone succeeds, every movement and every strike can mobilize power far beyond what ordinary cultivators can achieve."

Li Fan smiled.

"However, times have changed. The Star Sea has perished, and its Source Will has been reborn amid the ruins. It is now like a mighty being reincarnated, still in its infancy."

A sharp light flashed through Li Fan's eyes, and his voice was filled with confidence.

"As one side declines and the other rises, under the current circumstances, communicating with It has become far easier than before."

"Let me give it a try first."

The phantom of the Wooden Sword left its sheath as Li Fan stepped onto the flying sword.

In an instant, he flew out of the Xuanhuang Realm, disappearing from Yin Shangren and the others' sight.

"This flight divine ability is truly enviable. If I could master it, I would no longer be constrained by the Star Sea."

Hundred Flowers said with undisguised admiration.

Yin Shangren did not reply.

He quickly lowered his head and began studying the Reversal of Life and Death Grand Formation that Li Fan had previously taught him.

In Yin Shangren's eyes, the value of this grand formation was no less than that flight divine ability.

In the blink of an eye, Li Fan crossed more than half of the Darkest Star Sea and arrived at its center.

Here, the awakened Star Sea's Source Will was at its most active.

Li Fan stood silently within the void.

He did not immediately activate the incomplete Taijia Divine Art.

What he had said earlier was indeed true.

But he had not revealed the whole truth.

Even though the Star Sea's consciousness had only recently been reborn, the gap between it and ordinary cultivators remained as vast as heaven and earth.

Under the current circumstances, only someone like the Holy Emperor, a Child of Destiny capable of driving the revival of the entire Star Sea, could possibly communicate directly with the Star Sea.

As for ordinary cultivators who wished to achieve the same result...

"Then the first step is to make the Star Sea notice you."

A brilliant light flashed through Li Fan's eyes.

The Ascension Formation was completed in an instant.

A towering "Mountain" rose from the center of the Star Sea.

It continued climbing ever higher.

Standing upon the summit, Li Fan looked upward.

It was just like the ancient emperors who climbed sacred mountains to perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices, hoping to draw closer to the heavens.

Li Fan also wished to stand higher, increasing his momentum so that he would become more conspicuous within the vision of the Star Sea's Source Will.

When he sensed that the Ascension Formation had reached its limit.

Li Fan silently began reciting the Taijia Divine Art.

Although incomplete, it still retained its ability to communicate with the Star Sea's consciousness.

A strand of thought drifted upward.

Straight toward the source of the Star Sea.

Boom!

In that instant, Li Fan felt as though he had fallen into a magnificent river of stars.

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