Chapter 1366: The Secret Hidden Within the Heavenly Doctor’s Heart
The Heavenly Doctor's pale hair and beard fluttered without wind.
His wrinkled face constantly shifted between countless different visages.
For some unknown reason, the Heavenly Demon, which had been frozen for ten thousand years, attempted to possess the Heavenly Doctor the moment it escaped its seal.
However, the Heavenly Doctor was now the Great Venerable of All Laws. The weakened Heavenly Demon was simply incapable of taking over his body.
With his left hand, he drove a long golden needle straight into the crown of his head.
His constantly changing face instantly returned to normal, while the Heavenly Demon's illusory figure was forced out of his body.
At the same time, countless golden threads intertwined into a vast net, as though weaving an actual world.
The Heavenly Demon, which had just been expelled from the Heavenly Doctor's body, found itself unable to resist. It was slowly drawn into the golden net world.
The Heavenly Demon let out repeated growls before finally being completely subdued by the Heavenly Doctor.
Yet there was not the slightest trace of joy on the Heavenly Doctor's face.
"It cannot communicate with me at all? Has it been frozen for too long and completely lost its intelligence?"
After carefully examining it, his tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
"That is fine as well. Its ability to corrupt the hearts of others still remains. That actually makes things much easier for me."
With a soft sigh, he lamented the passing of an old acquaintance before quickly returning to the task at hand.
He brought the sealed Heavenly Demon, together with another suitable world fragment, back to the Heavenly Law Realm.
Naturally, the year-long journey was not wasted.
As he sped through the Star Sea, countless golden threads resembling tentacles danced around his body.
They continuously sensed the residual power of the True Immortals encountered along his path.
He had ultimately been persuaded by the suggestion made by the Dao Attainment Heavenly Venerable Su Bai.
"If properly utilised, the power unleashed by these True Immortal seal script characters may truly be capable of shaking the Immortal Ruins..."
Thinking this, the Heavenly Doctor used his hand as a brush and consecutively traced several characters through the air.
Although they were merely phantoms, the moment the characters appeared, waves of immense power immediately rippled through the surrounding space.
Moreover, the intensity of those fluctuations continued increasing as the Heavenly Doctor drew closer to the Heavenly Law Realm.
This was merely the result of less than a year of comprehension.
The Heavenly Doctor's terrifying talent was fully evident.
When the Heavenly Law Realm finally came into view in the distance, the Heavenly Doctor casually dispersed the True Immortal seal script characters he had comprehended.
He then completely released his own aura and openly fed the world fragment to the Heavenly Law Realm.
While attracting the attention of nearly all the Longevity Immortals within the Heavenly Law Realm, he silently separated a phantom clone from himself, carrying the sealed Heavenly Demon toward the location of the Reverse Fusion Heavenly Venerable.
Whether this Heavenly Venerable possessed absolute confidence in his own strength or was simply too foolish, no one knew.
The other Longevity Immortals within the Heavenly Law Realm all concealed their auras and constantly changed their locations.
Only Reverse Fusion made no attempt whatsoever to hide himself.
Thus, the Heavenly Doctor smoothly infiltrated his vicinity.
At that moment, Reverse Fusion seemed to be cultivating in seclusion. He had just been awakened by the Heavenly Doctor feeding the Heavenly Law Realm. Looking upward at the sky, a trace of hatred flashed through his eyes.
Before Reverse Fusion floated a phantom image of the Heavenly Law Realm, which immediately caught the Heavenly Doctor's attention.
Several locations were marked within the phantom image.
Surprisingly, even as the Great Venerable of All Laws, those locations lay completely outside his perception.
The Heavenly Doctor's heart trembled slightly. After careful observation, he immediately understood.
"So these are actually remnants of the Xuanhuang Realm."
"This Reverse Fusion Heavenly Venerable unknowingly prolonged the Xuanhuang Realm's survival when he attained the Dao. As a result, the remaining consciousness of the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao sought him out."
"You are courting death!"
Murderous intent instantly surged within the Heavenly Doctor's heart.
The Heavenly Law Realm was his homeland. It carried the memories of himself and countless relatives and friends.
He would never allow anyone to covet or destroy it.
"The Eternal Dao of Heavenly Law. Solidify!"
The Heavenly Doctor no longer hesitated. He immediately unleashed his strongest killing technique.
Within the Heavenly Law Realm, the wind ceased.
The rain stopped.
Everything in existence, including the operation of heaven and earth itself, became completely motionless.
Even the Longevity Immortals, who themselves embodied the laws of heaven and earth, were no exception.
The Heavenly Doctor appeared behind Reverse Fusion.
He slowly raised his hand and placed it upon the other's head.
As ghostly light erupted violently, the subdued Heavenly Demon was poured directly into Reverse Fusion's body.
Just as had happened to the Heavenly Doctor earlier, countless different faces rapidly flickered across Reverse Fusion's own face.
It seemed that freezing the operation of the Heavenly Law Realm's Eternal Dao was an extremely exhausting burden even for the Heavenly Doctor.
The moment he successfully implanted a portion of the Heavenly Demon into Reverse Fusion's body, the Heavenly Doctor immediately restored the world's normal operation.
In that single instant, his hair became noticeably whiter.
Even the brilliance within his eyes gradually became clouded.
The Heavenly Doctor was the Great Venerable of All Laws of the Heavenly Law Realm.
The abnormalities upon his body likewise manifested throughout the entire world.
Thousands of miles became scorched wasteland.
Glaciers melted.
Countless living beings withered and perished.
It was as though the entire world had suffered grievous damage merely because of that brief moment of complete suspension.
Yet as he watched Reverse Fusion's previously ferocious expression gradually calm, the countless changing faces finally settled.
Faced with the Heavenly Doctor, the one who had attacked him, Reverse Fusion displayed not the slightest trace of hatred.
Instead, he even nodded politely.
Only then did the Heavenly Doctor finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Thanks to the return of the Heavenly Demon's Dao, together with the nourishment provided by the newly absorbed world fragment, the vitality lost by the Heavenly Law Realm was quickly replenished.
No one within the Heavenly Law Realm realised that the Heavenly Doctor had successfully used the Heavenly Demon to seize control of the Reverse Fusion Heavenly Venerable.
To ensure absolute safety, the Heavenly Doctor inserted eighty-one golden needles into Reverse Fusion's body.
This completely eliminated any possibility of Reverse Fusion's original consciousness awakening, or of the Heavenly Demon losing control.
Once successful once, success could be repeated.
Over the following thirty years, the Heavenly Doctor used the same method to completely seize control of every Longevity Immortal within the Heavenly Law Realm except for the One Heart Heavenly Venerable.
The One Heart Heavenly Venerable, Zhao Ruoxi, possessed countless incarnations spread throughout every corner of the Heavenly Law Realm.
Eliminating and possessing her would have been far too troublesome.
Moreover, she posed no immediate threat.
Thus, the Heavenly Doctor temporarily left her alone.
After unifying the Tianfa Realm under his sole authority, the Heavenly Doctor could finally devote himself entirely to his plan of saving the Heavenly Law Realm.
Time passed swiftly.
In the blink of an eye, another hundred years went by.
The Heavenly Law Realm devoured nearly one hundred carefully selected world fragments gathered by the Heavenly Doctor.
Its overall size expanded to more than twice its former scale.
The endless stream of life force also enabled it to completely digest the Xuanhuang Realm.
There were no longer any hidden dangers remaining within the entire world.
The Heavenly Doctor's own strength likewise rose accordingly.
He gradually touched the very limit that this starry sky could support.
He seemed capable of advancing another step at any moment.
Yet there was no path ahead.
That final and most crucial step simply could not be taken.
Even someone with the Heavenly Doctor's temperament could not help but feel faint frustration and despair.
"So this is the so-called Supreme Realm?"
The Heavenly Doctor remained silent for a long time.
Only after a long while did he let out a cold laugh.
"Supreme..."
"What a pity. It is nothing more than self-comfort for those unable to become immortals."
'Before me lies the Immortal Path that cannot be tread.'
'Before me lies the Immortal Path that cannot be tread.'
Feeling himself completely shackled by an incomparably profound Great Dao law, the Heavenly Doctor suddenly recalled his years of studying the High Wall.
"The two seem somewhat similar."
"And yet fundamentally different."
As this thought arose, the Heavenly Doctor's perspective suddenly rose higher and higher.
The enormous Heavenly Law Realm became little more than a toy resting in the palm of his hand.
Meanwhile, the High Wall at the edge of the Star Sea was now clearly visible, no longer impossibly distant.
Taking a single step, the Heavenly Doctor vanished from where he stood.
When he reappeared, he had already crossed an enormous distance through the miniature Darkest Star Sea.
This technique of shrinking the earth into a single step was one of the insights he had gained during the past century.
Having travelled constantly through the Star Sea while accompanied by the High Wall and the power of the Immortal Ruins, although his cultivation realm had not changed significantly, his actual strength had grown to an utterly unimaginable level.
Originally, crossing the star sea required more than a year.
Now, it required less than two days.
Moreover, the Heavenly Doctor had a premonition that his speed could continue increasing as his comprehension of the Star Sea's 'Momentum' deepened.
Perhaps one day, he would be able to traverse the entire Star Sea in the blink of an eye.
Arriving before the High Wall, the Heavenly Doctor skillfully released countless golden threads.
Like liquid mercury pouring across the ground, they spread outward, attempting to make contact with and perceive the invisible High Wall.
Over the years, he had repeated this process countless times.
Even though he had never gained anything from it, he continued this seemingly futile effort.
Because the Heavenly Doctor had always possessed a vague intuition that he would eventually discover something within the High Wall.
As if responding to the patience he had shown all these years, on this very day, the countless golden threads sweeping across the High Wall like a cascading golden waterfall suddenly came to a simultaneous halt.
The Heavenly Doctor's body trembled slightly. His eyes, which had long since become completely clouded, suddenly erupted with a brilliant light.
It was as though an opening had appeared within the boundless ocean.
Every one of the golden threads surged toward it like seawater rushing into a breach.
"What a pity. It is not an opening."
"It is merely a flaw."
"And it even bears traces of artificial intervention..."
After examining it carefully, the Heavenly Doctor could not help but feel regret.
"Perhaps it was left behind long ago by some mighty cultivator of the Star Sea."
As his perception sank deeper into the flaw, every distracting thought vanished from his mind.
He devoted himself completely to comprehending this flaw within the High Wall.
If, during the past century, the Heavenly Doctor had been unable to glimpse the true nature of the High Wall despite constantly exploring it.
Then now, through this single flaw.
He had finally caught sight of the true High Wall.
Creak. Creak.
No one knew what kind of scene he had witnessed, but two streams of tears unconsciously flowed from the Heavenly Doctor's eyes.
Even his body, that of a supreme powerhouse, could not withstand the pressure of the unknown force. His back gradually bent lower and lower.
Far away, within the world of Heavenly Law, heaven and earth suddenly rumbled violently for no apparent reason.
The sky itself seemed to have been slashed apart by invisible blades as countless cracks spread across the heavens.
At this critical moment.
Between continuing his enlightenment and the life or death of the Heavenly Law Realm, the Heavenly Doctor ultimately chose the latter.
His figure rapidly retreated, instinctively breaking free from his state of comprehending the High Wall.
The strange phenomena within the Heavenly Law Realm instantly disappeared.
The Heavenly Doctor touched the tear stains on his cheeks, confusion flashing through his eyes.
To his horror, he discovered that everything he had just seen and comprehended. Slowly faded away the moment his connection with the High Wall was severed.
Furthermore, an intuition arose within him, telling him that if he wished to preserve those memories, he had to reconnect with the High Wall before the sensations within his body completely faded.
He had to continue engraving them into himself.
"But the Heavenly Law Realm has already reached its limit. It cannot endure any more..."
For one of the few times in his life, hesitation and struggle appeared in the Heavenly Doctor's eyes.
In the end...
The Heavenly Doctor let out a long sigh.
He did not step forward again, allowing the sensation of enlightenment within his body to disappear completely.
Pfft.
Having acted against his own heart that pursued the Dao, the Heavenly Doctor's mind suffered devastating damage. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Golden needles continuously flew from his hand, piercing the vital acupoints throughout his body.
Yet they were completely unable to suppress the injuries that originated from the depths of his soul. He spat out several more mouthfuls of blood.
"A physician cannot heal himself..."
He remained standing motionless within the void for nearly half a month before fully recovering.
Still unwilling to give up, he attempted to explore the flaw in the High Wall once again.
But it was ultimately a case of 'once lost, lost forever.'
No matter how he looked, it was now no different from observing an ordinary section of the High Wall.
The Heavenly Doctor stood there blankly, his heart filled with a profound sense of loss.
He understood that he had forever missed the secret of the High Wall.
But the Heavenly Doctor was, after all, the Heavenly Doctor.
After another dozen days, he regained his spirits.
"My desire to become a True Immortal has always been for the sake of saving the Heavenly Law Realm."
"If I were to pursue the Dao while allowing the Heavenly Law Realm to be destroyed, that would never be my wish."
"Besides..."
"Although I cannot uncover the secret of the High Wall, I can still obtain its power."
With a single thought from the Heavenly Doctor, countless golden threads wove themselves into a towering wall before him.
Yet the instant it took shape, every golden thread shattered apart, dispersing into countless motes of golden light.
"The flaw in the High Wall has left its mark upon me."
"From this day onward, the High Wall is no longer something invisible to my eyes."
A sudden realization emerged within the Heavenly Doctor's heart.
"Perhaps..."
"I can build a High Wall outside the Heavenly Law Realm and isolate it from the attraction of the Immortal Ruins."
After attaining enlightenment beneath the High Wall, the Heavenly Doctor's strength advanced another step.
Over the following century, he wove together countless golden threads.
He actually succeeded in wrapping the entire Heavenly Law Realm into a giant golden cocoon, slowly dragging it away from the edge of the Immortal Ruins.
Just as it seemed that the Heavenly Law Realm was truly about to escape, this act of snatching prey from a tiger's jaws finally attracted the attention of the True Immortal cultivating within the Immortal Ruins.
That majestic figure suddenly appeared above the Heavenly Law Realm.
Looking at the Heavenly Doctor standing before him, as well as the tightly wrapped golden cocoon behind him.
His expression remained utterly indifferent.
The pressure radiating from the True Immortal caused even the Heavenly Law Realm, despite being protected within the cocoon, to tremble violently as mountains collapsed and the land split apart.
Yet the Heavenly Doctor, standing before this True Immortal...
For some unknown reason, felt not the slightest fear.
Instead, a trace of confusion arose within his heart.
"So..."
"This is a True Immortal?"
The phantom of the True Immortal slowly extended one hand.
Boundless suction surged from within his palm.
At that moment, the entire Darkest Star Sea was drawn toward the True Immortal's hand.
Even light itself was no exception.
Yet it was as though an invisible stake had firmly nailed the Heavenly Doctor in place, preventing him from moving in the slightest.
Holding onto the Heavenly Law Realm, the Heavenly Doctor resembled a kite tossed about by a violent storm.
He was flung back and forth endlessly, yet he never lost his grip.
The confusion within the Heavenly Doctor's eyes only deepened.
Standing beneath the overwhelming might of the True Immortal, he made no attempt to resist.
Then, as though he had suddenly realized something, he slowly closed his eyes.
...
Outside the Xuanhuang Multitudinous Living Beings Grand Formation, Li Fan looked at the formation, which was operating at full speed and on the verge of collapse, and let out a faint sigh.
The Heavenly Doctor's abilities truly were extraordinary.
Moreover, the downgraded Immortal Formation was not a genuine Immortal Formation.
Even if it had been a complete Immortal Formation, it might not have been capable of perfectly reproducing the true might of the True Immortal within the Immortal Ruins.
It was only to be expected that the Heavenly Doctor would discover its flaws.
"It does not matter. I have already uncovered enough secrets."