Chapter 469

564. Can... and cannot

Nothingness contains chaos, and chaos contains nothingness. No living being can be born in it, and no tangible or intangible laws of the Great Dao can be formed within it, let alone the myriad beings that evolve from it.

A despairing silence filled the air, along with an aura of annihilation!

Two seemingly contradictory phenomena can intertwine almost perfectly and coexist in this area where nothing else exists.

This is the Outer Deep Space.

"As you can see, this place is not like the universe. You must be extremely vigilant and not think that you are immortals and that nothing will happen to you!"

"This place is fraught with danger; the slightest mistake could mean annihilation!"

On the deck, Immortal King Chang Li stood high at the bow of the ship, her words ringing out clearly in everyone's ears.

"I want to tell you that in the past, not only have immortals disappeared in the Outer Deep Space, but there have also been many cases of immortal lords and even immortal kings who may never return!"

"In this environment, once you lose your way, it's impossible to return to space, which means..."

As he spoke, Immortal King Chang Li paused, surveyed the assembled immortals, and roared in a deep voice, "Die!"

The moment the word "death" was uttered, the group, who had been laughing and joking, immediately became serious.

Immortal King Chang Li continued:

"Therefore, I must emphasize that during this period of time in Outer Deep Space, I require your absolute obedience. Any disobedience will be your own responsibility, regardless of life or death!"

These words immediately sent a chill down the spines of all the immortals.

"Yes!"

The immortals nodded respectfully.

"Next, I'll talk about the situation in Outer Deep Space..."

All the immortals listened attentively.

Xiao Minghuang also paid close attention. Although she had mastered the Star Dao and could communicate with the Dead Star to replenish herself even after leaving the universe, she had never been to the Outer Deep Space before, so she needed to understand some basic knowledge.

The voice of Immortal King Chang Li rang out. "The Outer Deep Space profound, vast, and boundless, beyond the reach of the Great Dao..."

Therefore, even immortals can no longer receive blessings through communion with the laws of the Great Dao.

When operating in Outer Deep Space, one can only rely on the power of one's own small world.

This means that once the physical body is shattered, unless one possesses extremely profound inner strength, it is very likely that it will be difficult to rebuild the body.

This is tantamount to exposing one's true spirit and inner world to the outside world, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.

Furthermore, in such an environment, only beings at the True Immortal level would dare to set foot there.

As for those below the level of immortals, they would likely find themselves unable to make any progress even before stepping into the outer realms due to a lack of Spiritual Qi and the laws of the Great Dao.

Only.

The truth is merely something we've taken a step towards.

Ordinary True Immortals can penetrate several miles into the Outer Deep Space.

This distance refers to the limit of the Cosmic Great Dao, extending all the way to the limit beyond the Dao's boundaries.

However, this does not mean that a true immortal is absolutely safe within this distance.

After all, nothing is absolute.

If a storm of chaos and nothingness were to suddenly erupt, even a Celestial King, let alone a True Immortal, would only be able to barely escape.

For a Celestial Lord, the maximum depth of Outer Deep Space is a hundred miles or so.

As for Immortal Kings, the limits of their ability to travel are difficult to grasp. Generally, newly entered Immortal Kings can penetrate about a thousand miles into the Outer Deep Space, while veteran Immortal Kings like Lifeng Immortal King, who have undergone six thousand tribulations, can reach at least seven or eight thousand miles. As for Primordial Immortal Kings like Immortal King Chang Li and Immortal King Mo Chen, who have undergone nine thousand tribulations or more, they can even reach tens of thousands of miles!

This distance appears very short.

After all, in the universe, let alone immortals, even ordinary kings and saints can cross dozens of miles in the blink of an eye.

But this place is not within the coverage of the Cosmic Great Dao.

The laws governing Outer Deep Space are also incompatible with the Cosmic Great Dao.

"... Now, in the Outer Deep Space, there are several small outposts that were previously established... actually, they are just a few desolate stars. There are arrays that were previously set up there. Once we arrive, we only need to activate them to temporarily settle down, and then use these outposts as centers to expand outwards..."

"Everyone must be aware that no one may leave the group or act alone; otherwise, they will be responsible for their own life or death!"

Immortal King Chang Li Changli slowly recounted the functions and roles of each stronghold, explaining them in detail to everyone.

Next, she began to explain the principles of Star Attraction Technique.

"The principle of the Star Attraction Technique is not complicated. By operating specific Dao principles, one can resonate with the depleted source sealed within the Dead Star. Then, an opening is created outside the sealed source, and Immortal Dao Law are injected into it to help the Dead Star's source regain its power. Afterward, it is guided to transfer to its own small world."

"The next step is to wait until it returns to the universe, releases it, and resonates with the Cosmic Great Dao and the origin of the Dead Star. This will allow us to reshape its celestial order and restore it to a great world."

"In general, the Star Attraction Technique is not complicated; all of you immortals should be able to learn it easily!"

Immortal King Chang Li said, "If anyone has any questions, please ask them now, and I will answer them for you."

This time, no one dared to be perfunctory.

Many people asked questions, Immortal King Chang Li answered them one by one.

These immortals remembered them all, keeping them firmly in their minds.

"Alright, in about fifteen minutes we'll be officially leaving space. Everyone, get ready."

Finally, Immortal King Chang Li gave a final instruction, then turned and left.

The immortals dispersed and began preparations.

"Fellow Daoist Ziwei, please wait!"

Just as Xiao Minghuang was about to leave and return to the cabin to make final preparations with Ye Ruoshui and the other five women, he suddenly heard the voice of Immortal King Chang Li behind him.

"Fellow Daoist Changli, is there something you need?"

Xiao Minghuang turned around and asked.

"There is indeed a small matter I would like to ask you about, fellow Daoist."

Immortal King Chang Li smiled.

"Fellow Daoist Changli, your cultivation and experience far surpass mine. There is probably nothing I know that you do not know... However, if there is anything I can do to help you, please feel free to speak. I will certainly tell you everything I know!"

Xiao Minghuang said with a smile.

"Haha... Fellow Daoist, your words are truly witty..."

Immortal King Chang Li Changli chuckled, then became serious and said, "I've heard that your path is called the 'Star Dao.' I wonder if this path can also have any influence on the Dead Star beyond the realm?"

"This..." Xiao Minghuang hesitated slightly upon hearing this, pondered for a moment, and then said slowly, "It's possible, but it's also impossible..."

"Hmm?" Immortal King Chang Li narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "I don't quite understand what you mean, fellow Daoist. How can 'can' and 'cannot', two completely opposite meanings, coexist?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't explain clearly," Xiao Minghuang shook her head and said, "But I must emphasize that what is possible and what is not possible are not mutually exclusive..."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "My Dao is the 'All Heavens Past Star Dao,' which means all the stars within the heavens, that is, within the universe, and beyond the heavens, that is, in the Outer Deep Space the realms, regardless of their nature."

"In other words, we can communicate with both life-bearing stars in the heavens and Dead Star in the Outer Deep Space."

"Of course, fellow Daoist knows that there are very few living stars in the heavens, because they all exist in the form of worlds. Therefore, most of the stars in the heavens are barren stars and do not have much value."

Xiao Minghuang gave a lengthy explanation.

Immortal King Chang Li Changli frowned and asked, "So, is it possible or not?"

"Able."

"Then why did you say 'yes and no' just now?"

"I'm used to it..."

Xiao Minghuang gave an awkward laugh.

Immortal King Chang Li shook his head and sighed, "Actually, the reason I came to see you this time is to ask how much you can reduce the pressure on our entire team if we encounter some extremely large Dead Star."

"Based on my estimation, and given our current team composition, under normal circumstances, Mo Chen and I can guide one medium-sized world per year, while Li Feng, Wei Ming, and Yin Cang will likely need two to three years..."

As she spoke, she looked at Xiao Minghuang and asked, "If your Star Dao can help us share the pressure and speed up the process of attracting the Dead Star, then we can gain an advantage in the pioneering movement and compete for pioneering areas in other celestial realms!"

"In this way, with one side gaining at the expense of the other, our Eternal Heaven will have nothing to worry about!"

After speaking, the Immortal King Chang Li appeared sincere.

Upon hearing Immortal King Chang Li's words, Xiao Minghuang was also taken aback, seemingly somewhat surprised.

But she quickly realized what was happening.

The fundamental purpose of the pioneering movement.

It's not about how many Dead Star were summoned.

The number of Dead Star they guide is greater than that of other celestial realms.

Even if they only manage to guide one, as long as no other celestial realm receives a single one, then it will be considered a success.

After all, the pioneering movement was meant to alleviate the Immortal Slaying Tribulation. All the realms were struggling to hold on, and whoever couldn't hold on any longer would collapse first.

Once a celestial realm collapses, no one will escape unscathed, and countless immortals will perish. In that case, the crisis of the Immortal Slaying Tribulation can be resolved immediately.

"Fellow Daoist Changli, while I am somewhat confident about what you've said, I cannot guarantee it."

Xiao Minghuang said earnestly, "I haven't tried it, so I dare not draw any conclusions, but I believe it won't be long before I give you an answer."

"Very well, I look forward to your display of skill, fellow Daoist!"

Immortal King Chang Li cupped his hands in greeting, then turned and left.

Watching the departing figure of Immortal King Chang Li, Xiao Minghuang's eyes darkened, a thoughtful expression appearing in them.

Just now.

She lied.

The reason she spoke so eloquently and incessantly was to interrupt Immortal King Chang Li's train of thought and make her talk at her own pace.

In fact, she succeeded.

Xiao Minghuang has successfully convinced Immortal King Chang Li that her Star Dao might not be very effective against the Dead Star.

But in fact, she was not only confident in summoning the Dead Star, but also able to summon a large number of Dead Star in an extremely fast and simple way!

She can even temporarily share this ability with others!

It wasn't that she didn't trust the Immortal King Chang Li.

Xiao Minghuang knew, of course, that Immortal King Chang Li and even Longevity Heavenly Venerable Changsheng valued her highly; otherwise, they wouldn't have tried to win her over time and again.

But at the same time, she also knew.

No matter how much the Longevity Heavenly Venerable trusted her, he was still the Longevity Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Realm, and his fundamental stance was on the side of the Heavenly Court. Therefore, peaceful coexistence between her and the Heavenly Court was destined to be impossible...

A look of reminiscence surfaced in Xiao Minghuang's eyes. Several years ago, after she killed Immortal King Bo Feng, she encountered a sudden change on her way back to the Ziwei Star Domain.

Years ago.

In the vast universe.

The stars shone brightly, and the silence was profound.

A streak of light traveled through the universe, like a comet streaking across the void.

Amidst utter desolation.

A flash of blood suddenly appeared, and in an instant it transformed into a surging sea of blood, covering the sky and the earth, stretching endlessly, as if splitting the boundless universe in two.

And on this inevitable path swept by the river of blood.

The streak of light abruptly stopped, transforming into a human figure that revealed its form.

It was Xiao Minghuang.