Chapter 18: Diving Into the Abyss

chapter 18: diving into the abyss li fan didn't care about how kou hong and dao xuanzi would react when they returned to the cultivation world and realized that they were actually practicing the same technique. at this moment, he had already taken care of everything in the mortal realm and had piloted the tai yan boat to the ruins abyss. according to common sense, one should wait until the white mist dispersal day every fifteen years before exploring the ruins abyss. however, li fan was already 71 years old, and he would have to wait another 14 years until the next clearing of the white mist. by that time, he would be 85 years old and would be at the end of his life. it would be hard for him to even walk at that point, not to mention piloting the tai yan boat. it would therefore be better to explore the immortal extinction formation earlier. anyway, there was nothing left for him in this life, and he could start the next life at any time. maneuvering the tai yan boat, li fan slowly descended towards the bottom of the ruins abyss. without any divine sense to probe the path ahead, he could only use his sight to navigate. the thick fog shrouded everything, creating an extremely surreal sensation. the surroundings were also extremely silent, and only the sound of his own breathing could be heard. with his attention highly focused, he continued to fly downwards. suddenly, as if he had collided with something, the body of the tai yan boat began to shake violently. li fan instantly tensed up. it was as if a huge invisible force was pressing down against him, and a metallic grinding sound came from outside the tai yan boat.̃øv€l-b!n. fortunately, the defense formation was activated in time, and a faint golden curtain of light enveloped the tai yan boat. the body of the boat gradually became smooth, and that somewhat creepy noise also disappeared. however, the constantly distorting protective light screen indicated the horrifying pressure coming from the outside world. "after the astral wind layer would be the illusory light layer." li fan recalled kou hong's introduction to this immortal extinction formation. the immortal extinction formation was mainly designed to prevent banished mortals from returning to the cultivation realm. the astral wind layer was strewn with strong winds. the wind blades could easily tear apart a mortal's body, and even foundation stage cultivators had to protect themselves with their spiritual energy and deal with it carefully. below the astral wind layer was the illusory light layer. iridescent lights flowed like satin at this layer of the abyss. when mortals saw it, they would fall into endless illusions. under the illusory light layer was the inversion layer. a little speechless about his previous encounters in the illusion realm, li fan stabilized his mind and continued on. his brain suddenly felt dizzy, and li fan knew that he had come to the inversion layer at that moment. surrounded by endless white mist, the tai yan boat was like a drop of water in the ocean, with no way to distinguish directions. originally, he thought that his journey of exploring the formation in this lifetime would end here, but li fan was pleasantly surprised to find that a guidance system appeared in the tai yan boat, telling him where to go. li fan followed the guidance of the tai yan boat, and it didn't take long for him to leave the inversion layer. next, having tasted the ease of the guidance system, li fan did not deliberately maneuver at all, and only provided the power for the tai yan boat to fly through this immortal extinction formation on its own. flowing fire, arcane ice, thunderstorm layer... these places seemed vicious and dangerous, but the tai yan boat's unhurried flight always managed to narrowly avoid one destructive crisis after another. with little danger along the way, li fan arrived at the last layer, the void of darkness, very smoothly. "of course, this tai yan boat was specialized in migrating mortals a thousand years ago. the great migration era lasted for hundreds of years, and this flying boat surely wouldn't have made only one trip. judging from how broken it is, perhaps the migration work didn't stop for a hundred years. it must be that the cultivator in charge of this matter felt that it was a laborious thing to personally maneuver every time, so he left an automation system inside this tai yan boat, allowing it to automatically pass through the immortal extinction array... "li fan suddenly realized why his trip had gone so smoothly. the tai yan boat quietly moved forward through the total darkness. thinking of the cultivation world that he had been looking forward to for hundreds of years, li fan couldn't help but be excited, despite his usually composed demeanor. suddenly, in the incomparably silent darkness, an inexplicably strange and distant cry rang out. this odd sound spread throughout the entire layer of darkness in an instant, echoing continuously through it. li fan's heartbeat instantly stopped, as if he had encountered a formidable enemy, and the blood in his body instantly became ice-cold. the eerie cries were getting closer and closer, and in the blink of an eye, they surrounded the tiny tai yan boat, coming from all directions. suddenly, the sounds disappeared. it became silent again. the surroundings were still pitch black, but the darkness was different from before. li fan felt a chill run down his spine. he knew that the tai yan boat had been swallowed by some kind of existence. "boom!" the tai yan boat's protective light shield shattered in an instant, and the tai yan boat's body began to disintegrate. the charging progress began to plummet in this instant. looking deeply into the darkness of the outside world one last time, li fan silently chanted. "[truth]!"