Chapter 20

Li Fan drove the Taiyan Boat back above the Xuyuan Abyss.

"What the hell is that thing..." Li Fan's face was somewhat gloomy.

Although he used some tricks to see the monster's true form, he had no idea how to escape its sight and successfully cross the dark layer.

"That giant whale is so huge, and the Taiyan Boat is so small. Every time I go over, it always finds me like a cat spotting a mouse..." Thinking about this, Li Fan was quite troubled.

"I can only try other methods. Fortunately, I still have plenty of chances to try." Li Fan sighed helplessly.

...

Fifteen years later, the anchoring period reached thirty-five years.

Li Fan had already hidden in the thunderstorm layer early on.

During these fifteen years, he had attempted to forcefully cross the dark layer several times.

However, the time it took for the giant whale to detect him after he entered the dark layer had significantly decreased. At the speed of the Taiyan Boat, he couldn't escape in time. So, he could only return in a狼狈 manner after each encounter with the giant whale.

"Only on the day when the white mist dissipates does the giant whale seem to be delayed, taking some time to find me. With this extra time, perhaps I can fly to the bottom of the Xuyuan Abyss."

This time, Li Fan decided to take a bold risk, crossing the dark layer at the fastest speed before the giant whale could react.

The wind gradually picked up.

The Taiyan Boat's engines were fully engaged, bursting with astonishing speed.

The illusory scenery was getting closer, and just as he was about to reach it, the terrifying call of the giant whale sounded again.

And it was quickly approaching.

"Only about a quarter of the distance left, not enough time." Li Fan made his judgment.

Narrowing his eyes, Li Fan was provoked to aggression.

Instead of flying to the bottom of the Xuyuan Abyss, he turned around and charged fiercely in the direction of the giant whale's call.

Unfortunately, being aggressive didn't help.

There was no collision; Li Fan only felt the surroundings turn dark, realizing he had been swallowed by the giant whale again.

"Damn it!"

Li Fan roared fiercely.

...

[This simulation has ended]

Li Fan let out a sigh, feeling somewhat depressed.

After a while to calm down, Li Fan chose to accelerate the charging process.

Name: Li Fan

Realm: Mortal

Biological Age: 20/86

Psychological Age: 368/1116

The psychological age has reached its limit and will not increase further.

"At least I have 748 years to waste." Li Fan could only console himself this way.

The eighth life.

Anchoring period: four years.

Li Fan opened Qian Hong's tomb again.

"Detected rechargeable item: Stopping Residual Stele (damaged)."

"Do you want to recharge?"

Seeing the [Damn it] prompt, Li Fan's mood finally improved a bit.

At this moment, the anchoring charge progress had reached 51%.

"At least I didn't come to this life in vain..." Li Fan said with a touch of self-mockery.

Anchoring period: five years, on the day the white mist dissipates, the transformation charge progress was almost 90%. But anything less than 100% made no difference to Li Fan, so he could only choose to wait patiently.

Anchoring period: twenty years, Li Fan attempted and failed.

Anchoring period: thirty-five years, Li Fan tried again and still failed.

However, these attempts were not entirely useless. At least he became more proficient in controlling the Taiyan Boat and could endure the giant whale's pursuit for a longer time.

Anchoring period: fifty years, Li Fan did not choose to forcefully cross the dark layer again.

He was already old, with a significant decline in reaction and mental acuity. There was no possibility of success.

So he chose to visit two old friends to see if he could get any clues from them.

On Li Fan's 70th birthday, Kou Hong and Daoxuanzi arrived on time.

"Daoxuanzi, don't push me too far!"

...

Listening to this, Li Fan suddenly felt a bit nostalgic.

He still used the name of the Golden Core cultivation method to lure the two to the Grand Tutor's residence. After a few rounds of drinks, Li Fan took out a scroll.

The painting looked quite old, depicting a terrifying and massive giant whale hidden in the darkness, showing only its ferocious mouth, ready to devour.

"Have you two ever seen such a monster? My ancestor said before his death that if we ever get a chance to escape this place, we don't need to worry about anything else. With the protection of our sect's Taiyan Boat, we will be safe. Only the last layer, where the giant whale lurks, requires utmost caution." Li Fan asked.

"That vast, pitch-black area has such a fierce beast?" Kou Hong looked at the painting, frowned slightly, and said, "I haven't seen it."

"Could it be..." Daoxuanzi seemed to recall something.

"Oh? Do you know this beast, Dao friend?" Li Fan asked with some anticipation.

Daoxuanzi shook his head: "I only read about it in an ancient text. It is said that in ancient times, there was a sect called Yushou. Yushou Sect had no profound cultivation methods but could control the strange beasts of the world with the Beast Control Technique. At its peak, Yushou Sect was comparable to the top sects like Taishang and Dadao."

"Unfortunately, during the great calamity, the Yushou Sect, which cultivated only one method, was the first to be destroyed."

"Among the most famous strange beasts controlled by the Yushou Sect, there seems to be this giant whale."

"Speaking of which, I remember it. It's called the Rift Whale, right?" Kou Hong clapped his hands and said hurriedly.

Li Fan's heart stirred, and he quickly asked, "Do you two know how to avoid this Rift Whale?"

Kou Hong and Daoxuanzi both smiled awkwardly: "We only heard a few words about it. Such a strange beast has been absent 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 still had to rely on himself?

After handing over the *Qianji Yuhuan Jinzhang* to Daoxuanzi and dismissing the two, Li Fan chose to end this life.

...

Name: Li Fan

Realm: Mortal

Biological Age: 20/86

Psychological Age: 418/1116

The ninth life!

In this life, Li Fan opened Qian Hong's tomb again, wanting to absorb the Stopping Residual Stele for recharging.

Unfortunately, [Damn it] had no reaction.

Although he was disappointed, Li Fan was already prepared for this.

Thus, the anchoring charge progress of [Damn it] was fixed at 51%.

Anchoring period: twenty years, anchoring period: thirty-five years, anchoring period: fifty years, Li Fan tried various methods but could not cross the dark layer under the watchful eye of the giant whale.

Anchoring period: sixty-five years, Li Fan was already eighty-five years old, nearing the end of his life.

This time, he did not choose to end early because he didn't know how many more attempts it would take to break through the Immortal Sealing Array.

Every additional attempt was worth it.

Unfortunately, he was already too old, with his thinking becoming slow and his reactions dull.

Unable to outsmart the giant whale, Li Fan gave up on controlling the Taiyan Boat and let it slowly drift toward the bottom of the Xuyuan Abyss.

Gale layer, illusory light layer, inversion layer, flowing fire layer, mystic ice layer, thunderstorm layer, dark layer...

Li Fan dozed off and woke up to find the Taiyan Boat almost at the bottom of the Xuyuan Abyss!

"What's going on? Why didn't the Rift Whale appear this time?" Li Fan was very puzzled, but it didn't stop him from accelerating and heading toward the place where the stars were visible.

But as Li Fan accelerated, the giant whale's roar suddenly appeared!

"Why did it suddenly find me now?" Li Fan frowned deeply.

Then, as if a lightning bolt illuminated the night sky, Li Fan suddenly realized.

"Of course! The Rift Whale can't see or ignores objects moving at a constant speed! As long as I maintain the same speed, I can safely pass through the Immortal Sealing Array!"

Realizing this, Li Fan couldn't help but laugh.

Thus, the last barrier to leaving the Immortal Sealing Place was finally broken!

Amidst Li Fan's mad laughter and the giant whale's roar, the Taiyan Boat broke through the rift between the two worlds, returning to the cultivation world.

The surroundings became blurry, as if crossing the distance of several worlds in an instant. Li Fan, under immense pressure, let out a muffled groan, with blood streaming from his nose and eyes.

But he didn't care at all.

Looking back at the Immortal Sealing Place he had come from, due to the great distance and the wide angle, Li Fan saw a scene that would stay with him for life:

Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of Rift Whales, moving in groups, day and night, creating vast, pitch-black spaces in the void.

And the Immortal Sealing Place where Li Fan had come from was getting farther and farther away from the cultivation world.