My Longevity Simulation

Chapter 1335: The Dao Annihilation Calamity of the Immortal Realm

"As for this question, it was not just you and me. In fact, throughout the ancient Xuanhuang Realm, everyone who knew that Big Brother Xuanyuan had ascended to the Immortal Realm and later returned was incomparably curious," Mo Rubin said with deep emotion.

"However, no matter what methods they used to investigate, Big Brother Xuanyuan never revealed any details. He merely glossed over it by saying that the Immortal Realm had suffered a terrifyingly great catastrophe."

"He did not even tell us, his fellow Dharma Kings, nor Ji Yuzhen, the person he trusted most."

"Only after Big Brother Xuanyuan successfully broke through and decided to carry out the plan to lure the snake out of its hole did he casually mention a few things about the great calamity of the Immortal Realm."

"He referred to it as the Dao Annihilation Calamity. Although he never described the specific scenes of the calamity to us, merely hearing those two words was enough to make one's blood run cold. All of us Dharma Kings saw the flash of fear that passed through Big Brother Xuanyuan's eyes..."

"Dao Annihilation." Li Fan silently repeated the two words. As he carefully pondered them, an uncontrollable chill gradually rose within his heart.

He recalled the memories he had previously glimpsed within the flesh of the True Immortal.

Broken fragments of a voice echoed from the towering figure standing above the True Immortal.

"Qionglang Star Domain... annihilation... garrison..."

Li Fan fell into thought.

"This word, Annihilation, should refer to the Dao Annihilation Calamity. The Qionglang Star Domain encountered this disaster, requiring True Immortals to be dispatched to defend it, or perhaps to defend other star domains in advance."

He silently speculated.

"As expected, the calamity that destroyed the Immortal Realm showed warning signs long beforehand. The Immortal Realm must have attempted countless methods of self salvation, yet in the end they were still unable to stop the spread of the Dao Annihilation Calamity."

A new question arose in Li Fan's mind.

Did the Dao Annihilation Calamity exist only within the Immortal Realm?

After the destruction of the Immortal Realm, did it disappear forever?

Or would it one day reappear within the Lower Realm Star Sea?

What connection did the Dao Annihilation Calamity have with the Obliterating Wind Calamity that Li Fan had witnessed within the Boundless Mirror and the ruins of the First Origin Sect?

The power of the True Immortal seal script had run rampant across the Star Sea, bringing catastrophic destruction to an enormous region. The starlight dimmed, transforming it into the Darkest Star Sea.

However...

Life itself had not been completely extinguished.

Not to mention the still flourishing Xuanhuang Realm, even the seemingly lifeless Darkest Star Sea still retained the lingering consciousness of the Star Sea itself. As time continued to flow, its eventual revival was almost inevitable.

"The destruction suffered by the Darkest Star Sea is probably not even on the same level as the Dao Annihilation Calamity."

The word "Annihilation" allowed Li Fan to envision everything, all existence itself, being completely erased beneath the calamity.

"I'm afraid not even fragments of worlds would remain."

A shiver ran through Li Fan's heart.

Just then, while Li Fan was lost in thought, Mo Rubin continued.

"Big Brother Xuanyuan once instructed us that the details of this Immortal Realm calamity were something we should know as little about as possible. The more we knew, the more harmful it would be."

"He even warned us not to dwell upon its name whenever possible. Because it might seize that opportunity to become a nightmare heart demon. Even if we have never witnessed its true form, it can still exploit weaknesses in our minds."

"He only told us the name, Dao Annihilation, so that we would possess the most basic awareness to guard against it."

Mo Rubin's expression became solemn.

"If you do not know its name, then even if you encounter it face to face, you will not understand the true nature of the calamity. But if you know its name, then even the first time you glimpse the slightest trace of it, you will instinctively recognize it."

"In truth, Big Brother Xuanyuan encountered this world destroying calamity immediately after arriving in the Immortal Realm. Everything he later learned about the Dao Annihilation Calamity came from his conversations with the Faceless Immortal."

"Enough. We should not speak of this any further."

Mo Rubin abruptly ended the topic.

While they had been speaking, the White Jade Banner Pole formation had already finished its preparations.

With a solemn expression, Mo Rubin formed hand seals.

The White Jade Banner Pole rose into the air, releasing rings of light that enveloped the two of them.

"Let's go."

It resembled Li Fan's Wooden Sword phantom somewhat.

The White Jade Banner Pole pointed toward the heavens, constantly adjusting its direction.

Then countless tiny specks of white light emerged from the pole itself. After gathering power for several breaths, it shot toward the sky with Li Fan and Mo Rubin.

Although it was somewhat slower than Li Fan's Sword Shadow Divine Ability, the unstoppable, razor sharp will to pierce through all obstacles that surrounded it was something Li Fan's divine ability did not possess.

The pillar of light produced during its flight was extremely thin.

Furthermore, not the slightest trace of energy leaked outward, preventing the cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm from noticing it.

Standing within the banner pole, Li Fan watched the scenery of the Xuanhuang Realm rapidly retreat behind him.

Even the attractive force of the Immortal Ruins merely slowed their speed slightly.

Meanwhile, Mo Rubin remained completely focused on controlling the banner pole, occasionally steering around regions where the residual power of True Immortals had gathered.

After calculating that the White Jade Banner Pole would not collide with the basin filled with residual True Immortal power, Li Fan quietly waited for their destination.

After flying through the starry sky for roughly the time it took to burn one stick of incense, the White Jade Banner Pole suddenly came to a halt.

Its light dispersed, forming a bubble that completely enclosed the two of them.

Moments later, it slammed directly into an invisible barrier hidden within the void.

The bubble of white light perfectly absorbed the impact, dissolving the tremendous collision.

Li Fan and Mo Rubin arrived within the Eye of the Heavenly Beast.

"Ah!"

A scream immediately echoed throughout the small space.

It did not come from Li Fan or Mo Rubin.

Instead, it came from Han Zhong, the cultivator Li Fan had previously encountered, the one who had accidentally entered the Eye of the Heavenly Beast after making a mistake while activating a teleportation formation in Nine Mountains Province.

Having been trapped here for so long, Han Zhong had long since abandoned all hope of escaping.

Only his instinct to survive had allowed him to endure until now.

Upon seeing other living people, he first let out an excited roar.

Just as he was about to say something else...

Mo Rubin's expression suddenly changed.

Without hesitation, he fired a streak of black light that struck Han Zhong directly.

Han Zhong's eyes were filled with disbelief.

Without understanding what had happened, he was reduced to ashes and completely annihilated.

"Fellow Daoist, you..." Li Fan pretended to be completely stunned.

Mo Rubin first carefully inspected the surroundings, making absolutely certain that not even a fragment of Han Zhong remained. Only then did he explain.

"Although I have no idea why that cultivator appeared here, he had already been contaminated."

"If we made contact with him recklessly, there is a very high chance we would become infected as well. It is better to eliminate the danger before anything happens."

Li Fan's expression relaxed somewhat, though he still appeared puzzled.

"Contaminated?"

While observing the surroundings, Mo Rubin replied, "It is an extremely troublesome illness. Even for Big Brother Xuanyuan, resolving it was exceedingly difficult."

"It should be related to the calamity that struck the Immortal Realm back then."

"Fortunately, under normal circumstances, it is extremely difficult to encounter within the Star Sea. This is the Eye of the Heavenly Beast, however, so the probability of contamination is much higher."

"The concentration of this illness throughout the Lower Realm Star Sea is extremely low. It was already like this ten thousand years ago. During our journey through the Star Sea just now, I deliberately checked again. It appears nothing has changed."

"However, the Eye of the Heavenly Beast observes an incomparably vast expanse of star domains. Once the scale expands beyond a certain limit, no matter how low the concentration may be, it will inevitably become apparent."

As he spoke, Mo Rubin set up several layers of restrictions throughout the surrounding area.

They appeared to be specifically designed to guard against this strange affliction of the void.

Li Fan carefully pondered the meaning behind Mo Rubin's words.

"So this illness becomes more likely to spread as the area of observation expands. Does that mean merely observing it is enough to become infected?" Li Fan asked, inwardly startled.

Mo Rubin nodded.

"Exactly. That is why I killed him immediately without any hesitation. Fortunately, the chance of this illness spreading through ordinary means is quite low. I have already checked, and it has not spread any further. This place is safe for now."

"Such a bizarre method of transmission, and it is even connected to the Immortal Calamity of the upper realm..." Li Fan appeared somewhat worried.

"What happens after someone is infected? That trapped cultivator just now did not seem to display anything unusual."

Mo Rubin cast several more restriction seals.

The transparent bubble that had been tightly wrapped around them, barely large enough to hold two or three people, slowly expanded as if it were being inflated.

"The reason there were no abnormalities is because the illness was still dormant within his body and had not yet erupted. You would only understand its true horror after coming into contact with it. It reduces the upper limit of one's divine soul and even the upper limit of one's life essence. The severity of that reduction increases as the infection worsens. Eventually, although the victim does not die, they become as fragile as a paper figure."

"Even an ordinary breeze would be enough to scatter both soul and body. Of course, before reaching that point, they must first endure all the suffering caused by the continual reduction of their life essence."

Mo Rubin sighed softly.

"Just imagine it. Another person's quiet whisper would sound like deafening thunder in your ears, shaking your divine soul until it aches and tears apart. An accidental touch from someone else would feel like a devastating blow, leaving your flesh mangled and bloody."

"The normal world would become, in your eyes, an endless apocalypse where horrifying disasters unfold every moment. By then, death might actually become a form of release."

"But because this illness exists to sustain its own spread, it will actually keep its host alive until their life essence has been reduced to its absolute limit. One cannot live, yet cannot die either..." Mo Rubin slowly shook his head.

"So this illness is truly troublesome," Li Fan said.

However, what surfaced in his mind was the scene from years ago, when the Heavenly Doctor had used a jade bottle to collect the black mist that emerged from Han Zhong's corpse.

"If it were to spread throughout the Xuanhuang Realm, that would become a serious problem," Li Fan said with an unreadable tone.

"Ten thousand years have passed, yet the illness has barely spread at all. Even if it truly has a tendency to spread into the lower realm, the time required would certainly be unimaginably long," Mo Rubin replied casually, attempting to reassure him.

His attention shifted toward the Eye of the Heavenly Beast before them.

"So this transparent space is the Eye of the Heavenly Beast? It seems Xuantian King is not here either." Li Fan sounded somewhat disappointed.

Mo Rubin shook his head.

"This is merely one observation node of the Eye of the Heavenly Beast. Do you know how the compound eyes of tiny insects are made up of countless smaller eyes? The Tianshou Beast is the same."

Li Fan immediately understood.

As Mo Rubin continued casting spells, the transparent bubble shook violently and steadily shrank.

It seemed to be trying to expel the two of them.

Pop!

The bubble burst.

Li Fan felt his vision blur.

The next moment, they found themselves within a strange space.

It resembled one bubble floating among countless others upon the surface of a vast ocean.

Across the curved boundaries flashed the images of countless identical bubbles.

Li Fan could even vaguely see himself and Mo Rubin inside some of the surrounding bubbles.

However, those other versions of himself differed in appearance, clothing, expressions, and movements. Yet they still carried an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Countless versions of himself met one another's gaze.

An indescribably strange feeling arose within Li Fan's heart.

"It is merely a distortion caused by the simultaneous observation of countless Eyes of the Heavenly Beast."

"As long as you remain true to your heart, you will not be deceived."

Mo Rubin was already accustomed to this strange sight. He carefully observed the countless bubbles, seemingly searching for something among them.

"Brother Xuanyuan never taught me how to control the formation governing the Eyes of the Heavenly Beast. Fortunately, I have come here several times before. I can only rely on this clumsy method and search little by little."

Mo Rubin sounded rather helpless.

Within this space, the number of Eyes of the Heavenly Beast seemed endless.

They appeared both incredibly close and unimaginably distant from one another.

Divine sense could not lock onto them. One could rely only upon direct observation with the naked eye.

Nor did the countless bubbles remain stationary.

From time to time, as though struck by waves, every bubble underwent irregular drifting movements, constantly changing position.

As a result, most previous observations immediately became useless.

Despite the immense difficulty, Mo Rubin showed no trace of frustration, remaining completely focused upon his search.

He also reminded Li Fan.

"Within the Eyes of the Heavenly Beast, an independent set of natural laws almost exists. You need not worry about reaching the end of your lifespan. Even if you remained here for ten thousand years, you would never die of old age."

"If one day your lifespan truly comes to an end and you do not wish to die, you could hide here instead. I cannot guarantee everlasting immortality, but surviving another several thousand years should not be difficult."

Li Fan nodded.

"The Heavenly Beast truly is extraordinary."

"I have heard its body was comparable in size to an entire prefecture of the Xuanhuang Realm. Could it have been brought back from the Immortal Realm by the Xuantian King?" Li Fan asked.

As expected, Mo Rubin nodded.

"Yes. And no."

"Back then, Brother Xuanyuan believed it was merely an ordinary jade pendant, nothing more than an inanimate object. Unexpectedly, after it touched water, it began to emit the aura of a living creature."

"After carefully raising it, it continued growing larger and larger. Even its combat strength increased continuously."

"To be honest, if we truly fought to the death, I might not even be its opponent."

A trace of nostalgia flashed across Mo Rubin's eyes.

Then, perhaps remembering that the Heavenly Beast had long since perished, with even its corpse having transformed into mountains and rivers, a dense killing intent flashed through his gaze.

Li Fan remained silent.

The surroundings once again sank into complete silence.

Li Fan imitated Mo Rubin and began searching through the countless bubbles for possible clues.

Although the number of bubbles was as countless as the stars in the heavens and their positions constantly shifted.

Li Fan possessed the support of the Dao Deviation Stone.

Every bubble was ultimately different from the others.

Each time he observed one, he deeply imprinted it into his memory, effectively placing a unique mark upon it.

No matter how the bubbles drifted, he could still distinguish each one with perfect clarity.

Time slowly passed.

The number of bubbles marked by Li Fan steadily increased.

One possibility after another was eliminated, and Li Fan's gaze gradually became sharper.

Because he had discovered something rather strange.

Compared to his true self, every distorted version of himself within those peculiar bubbles appeared to be missing a small piece.

The missing portion differed in every bubble.

But if all those missing pieces were combined together...