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Chapter 20: Unintentional Success
Chapter 20: Unintentional Success
Chapter 20: Unintentional Success
Li Fan piloted the Tai Yan Boat and returned to the top of the Ruins Abyss.
"What on earth is that...," Li Fan's face turned somewhat dark.
Although he had used some tricks to see the true form of the creature, he had no idea how to escape its sight and successfully traverse the dark layer.
"That whale is so huge, and the Tai Yan Boat is so small. Every time I pass by, it always manages to find me like a cat finding a mouse..." Thinking about this, Li Fan was a bit frustrated.
"I can only try other methods. Fortunately, I still have plenty of attempts left." Li Fan sighed in resignation.
...
Fifteen years later, in the thirty-fifth year.
Li Fan had infiltrated the Thunderstorm Layer.
During these fifteen years, he had attempted to forcefully break through the dark layer several times.
However, in these attempts, the whale found him significantly quicker. Considering the Tai Yan Boat's flight speed, he was unable to escape. He could only return in a sorry state after struggling to evade the whale each time.
"On the day the white mist disperses, the whale seems to be delayed by something and takes a while to notice me. With this extra bit of time, perhaps I can fly to the bottom of the Ruins Abyss."
This time, Li Fan decided to take a gamble, speeding through the dark layer before the whale could react.
The strong wind picked up.
The Tai Yan Boat was at full throttle, bursting at an astonishing speed.
The illusory scenery grew closer and closer. He was about to arrive, but the terrifying roar of the whale resounded once again.
And it was approaching swiftly.
"Only about a quarter of the distance left, not enough time." Li Fan made a judgment.
He squinted, and a fierce determination was ignited within him.
He decided not to fly to the bottom of the Ruins Abyss this time. Instead, he turned around and charged fiercely toward the direction from where the whale's roar came.
Unfortunately, being fierce didn't help.
Without a collision, Li Fan only felt darkness all around, knowing he had been swallowed by the whale again.
"Not again!"
Li Fan roared angrily.
...
[End of simulation]
Li Fan sighed in frustration.
Taking a long time to calm his emotions, this time Li Fan chose to accelerate the charging progress.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Mortal
Physical age: 20/86 Mental age: 368/1116 Mental age had reached its limit and would not increase further.
"Fortunately, I still have 748 years to spare." Li Fan could only console himself this way.
The eighth life.
After four years.
Li Fan once again opened Qian Hong's tomb in this life.
"Detected chargeable item: Stone Tablet of Prohibition (Damaged)."
"Consume to recharge?"
Seeing [Truth]'s prompt, Li Fan's mood finally improved a bit.
At this moment, the charging progress for the anchored charge had reached 51%.
"At least I haven't come to this life in vain..." Li Fan said somewhat self-deprecatingly.
In the fifth year, the white mist dispersed. The charging progress for the virtual absorption was approaching 90%. However, if it wasn't 100%, it didn't make much difference for Li Fan. He could only choose to wait patiently.
In the twentieth year, Li Fan tried and failed.
In the thirty-fifth year, Li Fan tried again, but still failed.
However, these attempts were not completely in vain. At the very least, he became more proficient in controlling the Tai Yan Boat and began enduring longer under the whale's pursuit.
In the fiftieth year, Li Fan didn't choose to forcefully break through the dark layer again.
He had grown old, and his reactions and spirit had significantly declined. It was impossible for him to succeed.
So he chose to meet two old friends and see if he could get any clues from them.
On Li Fan's seventieth birthday, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi arrived on time.
"Dao Xuanzi, do not overstep your bounds!"
...
Li Fan listened and suddenly felt a bit nostalgic.
Using the lure of a Golden Core technique, he brought the two to the Imperial Advisor's Mansion. After three rounds of drinks, Li Fan brought out a scroll.
The painting seemed to have some age, describing a terrifying and huge whale hidden behind the darkness, only revealing its fierce mouth, ready to devour people.
"Have you two seen such a monster? Our ancestors said before his death that if we have a chance to escape this perilous place in the future, we need not worry about the rest. With our sect's Tai Yan Boat guarding us, we'll be safe. Only in the last layer, there is a lurking whale. We should be cautious." Li Fan asked.
"Such a fierce beast in that pitch-black vast space?" Kou Hong looked at the painting and frowned slightly, showing disbelief. "Why haven't I seen it?"
"Could it be..." Dao Xuanzi seemed to remember something.
"Oh? Fellow Daoist friend seems to know about this beast?" Li Fan asked expectantly.
Dao Xuanzi shook his head: "I've only read some related records in an ancient book. It is said that in ancient times, there was a sect called the Beast Control Sect. The Beast Control Sect didn't have any profound techniques, but with a skill called Beast Control Art, they could control the beasts in the world to fight for them. When the Beast Control Sect was at its peak, it was said to rival the top sects like the Tai Shang and Da Dao sects."
"Unfortunately, during the calamity of heaven and earth, the Beast Control Sect, which only cultivated one technique, perished the quickest."
"Among the most famous beasts controlled by the Beast Control Sect, it seems there was this kind of whale."
"You mentioning it reminds me. It seems to be called the Void Ripper Whale?" Kou Hong snapped his fingers and quickly said.
Li Fan's mind stirred, and he hurriedly asked, "Do you two know how to avoid this Void Ripper Whale?"
Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi smiled somewhat awkwardly: "We've only heard a few fragmentary descriptions. As for such a beast, it has disappeared from the cultivation world for thousands of years. How could we know its habits?"
Li Fan couldn't help but feel disappointed.
In the end, he would have to rely on himself, wouldn't he?
Handing the "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra" to Dao Xuanzi, after sending the two away, Li Fan chose to end this life.
...
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Mortal
Physical age: 20/86 Mental age: 418/1116
Ninth life!
In this life, Li Fan once again opened Qian Hong's tomb, wanting to absorb the Stone Tablet of Prohibition for charging.
Unfortunately, [Truth] didn't react at all.
Although he felt disappointed, Li Fan was already mentally prepared.
Thus, the charging progress for [Truth]'s anchored charge remained at 51%.
In the twentieth, thirty-fifth, and fiftieth years, Li Fan tried various methods but couldn't rush through the dark layer under the whale's watchful eyes.
In the sixty-fifth year, Li Fan was already eighty-five years old, nearing the end of his life.
This time, he didn't choose to end early because he didn't know how many attempts he would need to break through this obstacle.
Having one more try was always better.
Unfortunately, he was already too old this time, and his thinking had become slow, and his reactions sluggish.
Unable to match wits with the whale anymore, Li Fan didn't force it. He completely gave up controlling the Tai Yan Boat and let it sway towards the bottom of the Ruins Abyss from the beginning.
The Nebula Layer, Illusion Layer, Inversion Layer, Flowing Fire Layer, Arcane Ice Layer, Thunderstorm Layer, Dark Layer...
Li Fan fell asleep in a daze. When he woke up, he was shocked to find that the Tai Yan Boat was almost reaching the bottom of the Abyss!
"What's going on? Why didn't the Void Ripper Whale appear this time?" Li Fan was completely baffled, but it didn't stop him from accelerating and speeding towards the faint lights appearing below.
But as Li Fan accelerated, the roar of the whale suddenly appeared!
"Why did it suddenly notice me again at this moment?" Li Fan frowned deeply.
Then, as if a lightning bolt illuminated the night sky, Li Fan suddenly understood.
"So that's why! The Void Ripper Whale tracks me based on my acceleration! As long as I maintain a constant speed, I can safely pass through this Immortal Extinction Formation! "
Realizing this crucial point, Li Fan couldn't help but laugh heartily.
At this point, the last shackle to leave this Immortal Extinction Formation was completely unlocked!
Amidst Li Fan's laughter and the whale's roar, the Tai Yan Boat broke through the crack between the two realms and was about to return to the cultivation world.
The surroundings became blurry as if crossing the distance of several worlds in an instant, suffering from tremendous pressure, Li Fan suddenly groaned, blood flowing from his nose and eyes.
But he didn't care.
Looking back at the place he came from, because it was too far away and the perspective was infinitely high, Li Fan saw a scene that he would never forget in his lifetime:
Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of Void Ripper Whales. They formed groups and ceaselessly opened up patches of pitch-black space in the void.
And the place where Li Fan came from, the Immortal Extinction Formation, was getting farther and farther away as he headed closer to the cultivation world.