“Only when I heard you mention that Guan Changge might have been swallowed by the Boundless Wall did I remember,” Nangong Shirong said with a sigh.
“Since my lord has once entered the Boundless Wall and broken through it, then rescuing Guan Changge should be an easy task, right?” One of the accompanying cultivators, Yan Yiqiu, immediately flattered.
Nangong Shirong’s expression darkened. “I wouldn’t be so sure. Whether it works or not depends on that kid’s luck.”
Realizing his mistake in excessive flattery, Yan Yiqiu’s face fell, and he quickly lowered his head.
At this moment, Xu Bai interjected, “My lord, what exactly is so special about the Boundless Wall?”
Nangong Shirong looked at Xu Bai, who was filled with curiosity, and after a moment of contemplation, he explained, “I cannot be certain, but based on my experience, I can speculate. The Boundless Wall might be a natural place for enlightenment. When visions appear upon its surface, there is a chance that nearby cultivators will be drawn into it.”
“Inside the Boundless Wall…” Nangong Shirong narrowed his eyes. “It is as if the [Spirit Awakening] function of the Tianxuan Mirror has been activated. No, it surpasses [Spirit Awakening] by several times. The moment a thought arises, countless insights flood in. That kind of joy, the thrill of effortless understanding—I can still recall it vividly.”
“But there is a downside. This heightened comprehension ability seems to apply only to the specific Dao that you are most obsessed with. At that time, I was entirely fixated on comprehending…”
Nangong Shirong paused, skipping over the details of his own cultivation before continuing, “I was already one step away from my breakthrough. With the amplified enlightenment, it didn’t take long before I achieved realization. Naturally, I then broke through the wall and emerged.”
“If even with the Boundless Wall’s enlightenment boost, he still needs ten years or more, then it’s no wonder he has gone missing.”
“Moreover, the cultivators who accompanied Guan Changge claimed that the visions they saw on the Boundless Wall depicted swordsmanship. This aligns with your lordship’s speculation…”
Xu Bai shared his deductions all at once but attributed them solely to Nangong Shirong’s theory.
Nangong Shirong neither confirmed nor denied it.
After a while, he added, “The flow of time inside and outside the Boundless Wall may not be the same. Furthermore, if one remains inside too long, even if they attain enlightenment, they may still be unable to leave.”
“So if we are to save Guan Changge, we must act quickly.”
At this, Yan Yiqiu spoke up, “Then, my lord, how do we enter the Boundless Wall?”
Nangong Shirong turned his head, his expression darkening. “Are you asking me?”
“I wouldn’t dare!” Yan Yiqiu hurriedly explained.
Nangong Shirong let out a cold snort. “If I knew, why would I have brought you all here?”
Yan Yiqiu inwardly cursed himself, wishing he could slap himself for his foolishness.
Meanwhile, before Nangong Shirong could finish speaking, Xu Bai had already flown back down to the Boundless Wall.
He pondered to himself, “Since this is not some eerie anomaly but a natural place of enlightenment, then with this body’s high affinity to the Heavenly Dao, I should be able to sense something.”
After observing for a long time, he still could not detect anything unusual.
After some thought, Xu Bai reached out both hands and touched the wall.
Closing his eyes, he remained motionless for a long time.
Under Nangong Shirong’s gaze, Yan Yiqiu and the other three followed Xu Bai’s example, placing their hands on the Boundless Wall to explore it.
Before the luminous surface of the wall, it was as if four stone statues had suddenly appeared.
As Xu Bai persisted in his efforts to sense his surroundings, the once-solid wall ahead seemed to gradually soften.
His body also became supple, as if slowly merging into the wall itself.
After a brief hesitation, Xu Bai did not resist.
Instead, he allowed the Boundless Wall to swallow his body.
In an instant, amidst the astonished cries of Yan Yiqiu and the others, Xu Bai vanished without a trace.
Nangong Shirong, however, remained fixated on the spot where Xu Bai had disappeared, his eyes flashing with an unreadable expression.
Since he had already learned the secrets of the Boundless Wall from Nangong Shirong beforehand, Xu Bai’s first thought upon entering was, “How can I move the Boundless Wall?”
He had not seriously expected this to be possible, so when countless thoughts surged into his mind involuntarily, he was somewhat surprised.
However, it was clear that he had wasted this rare opportunity for enlightenment.
According to the Boundless Wall’s own response, moving it without disrupting its enlightenment function…
was simply impossible.
The birth of the Boundless Wall was purely a chance occurrence. Even the heavens and earth themselves could not easily replicate it.
Xu Bai felt a slight sense of regret, but he quickly regained his composure.
Having completed an enlightenment session, he was not immediately expelled by the Boundless Wall. Instead, he began searching for Guan Changge’s whereabouts.
The scenery inside this space resembled that of the Root of Heaven and Earth, where a cultivator’s body was represented by abstract, distorted lines. However, unlike the orderly, singular lines of the Root of Heaven and Earth, the lines here shimmered with dazzling colors, swaying like seaweed drifting in water.
Xu Bai keenly noticed that, as time passed, some of the lines that formed his body were slowly dissolving, merging with the Boundless Wall.
Occasionally, he would see vague silhouettes devoid of vitality, with only their outer contours remaining. These seemed to be the remnants of cultivators who had mistakenly entered the Boundless Wall but never left, becoming one with this space.
Moving swiftly through the Boundless Wall, Xu Bai soon located Guan Changge, guided by the intermittent fluctuations in the surroundings.
At this moment, Guan Changge’s body had already shrunk to the size of a seven- or eight-year-old child, though he remained completely unaware of it. He clumsily swung a few sparse lines in his hand, which represented a sword.
“Guan Changge!” Xu Bai attempted to call out, trying to awaken him.
However, in the Boundless Wall, sound did not exist. Some of the lines from Xu Bai’s body seemed to flow away and disappear into the surroundings, yet they failed to catch Guan Changge’s attention.
Without hesitation, Xu Bai flew directly to his side and seized the sword from his hands.
Then, without another word, he willed his mind to take Guan Changge and leave.
But at the last moment, the part of Guan Changge that Xu Bai was holding actively detached from his body.
Startled, Xu Bai looked at him, only to see Guan Changge meeting his gaze before shaking his head slightly.
His already shrunken body contracted even further, yet a new sword emerged in his hands. His expression was one of obsession and determination as he continued to swing it.
“At dawn, the Dao I comprehend, By dusk, my life may gladly end.”
Xu Bai felt a slight stir in his heart.
After a brief silence, he no longer forced the matter.
Holding onto a part of Guan Changge, he broke through the Boundless Wall and departed.