“The simulation has ended.”
…
In the familiar yet unfamiliar study, Li Fan stood still, still immersed in the aftermath of the “Heaven Overturning Palm.”
After a while, he took a deep breath.
Although he had killed a Nascent Soul cultivator as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, there was not much pride in Li Fan’s heart.
One reason was that the red-haired Nascent Soul cultivator was not particularly strong.
More importantly, Li Fan did not rely entirely on his own strength.
He used the “Explosive Law Formation” to forcibly increase the power of his techniques to the Golden Core realm. He also activated a bunch of formations for assistance.
In the end, the Cong Yun Sea Twenty-Eight Swords and the Heaven Overturning Palm, two major killer moves, were unleashed together.
Ultimately, it ended with both parties perishing.
If it weren’t for [Truth], he might have already died.
However, then again, if it weren’t for [Truth] as a reliance, given Li Fan’s character, he probably wouldn’t have been willing to sacrifice himself to comprehend the Heaven Overturning Palm that reversed the situation.
He stared at the options from [Truth].
Without a doubt, Li Fan chose the second option, retaining his cultivation.
While making the decision, he concentrated his mind, paying close attention to the changes about to happen in his body.
When he inherited the cultivation of the late Qi Condensation stage, the Immortal-Mortal Miasma in his body silently dissolved and disappeared as the cultivation appeared.
Now, what Li Fan was curious about was how [Truth] would deal with the laws of this world, which demanded that Foundation Establishment breakthrough required stealing Heavenly Treasures.
Holding his breath, the cultivation of the late Foundation Establishment stage suddenly surged out from his body.
The Immortal-Mortal Miasma dispersed like snowflakes, leaving no trace.
Spiritual energy inexplicably emerged within him, and then his momentum rose steadily.
In the blink of an eye, he reached the late Qi Condensation stage.
Then, in his dantian, an azure pearl suddenly appeared without any warning.
It was the Canghai Pearl that should not have appeared yet!
The Roots of Heaven and Earth attached to the Canghai Pearl, transforming its laws into Li Fan’s Foundation Treasure.
However, this process of Foundation Establishment was a hundred or a thousand times faster than Li Fan’s own.
In an instant, the Canghai Pearl disappeared.
A blue ocean silhouette lingered in Li Fan’s dantian.
In a short moment, Li Fan completed the process of Foundation Establishment.
Afterward, his aura continued to rise until it stopped at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
“It seems that even when relying on the power of [Truth] to enhance my cultivation, in this world, I still have to follow the cultivation laws set by the Immortal Ancestor step by step.”
“This is the power of ‘Opposing the Principles of Heaven and Earth,’ isn’t it?”
“The nature of the rules of cultivation has fundamentally changed. If you want to play the game of cultivating immortality, you must follow the established rules.”
Li Fan pondered for a moment, recalling scenes from his previous life, as if he had gained some insight.
“After the Immortal Ancestor opposed the principles of heaven and earth, he no longer appeared in the world.”
“A Dao Integration cultivator suppresses a state, and is the strongest battle force on the surface.”
“Under Dao Integration…”
He thought about the various Soul Transformation cultivators in the Yuandao Province killing each other but only ending up as sacrifices for Blue Feather Immortal Sage’s rebirth.
Li Fan couldn’t help but sigh: “Under the Dao Integration, all are ants.”
“Soul Transformation, Nascent Soul, Golden Core, Foundation Establishment.”
“There is no difference.”
“Only after sacrificing a Heavenly Spirit and achieving Dao Integration can one barely enter the gaze of the Immortal Ancestor.”
“But…”
“Without achieving immortality, it is ultimately futile.”
“The Blue Feather Immortal Sage, even after struggling for several millennia, still couldn’t escape the ultimate fate.”
“Achieve immortality…”
“Achieve immortality…”
…
Li Fan murmured these two words repeatedly as if contemplating something, his brows furrowed.
“Without achieving immortality, everything is ultimately futile.”
“If one does achieve immortality, then what?”
“In the beginning, the Immortal Ancestor established a new way of cultivation.”
“From then on, if one does not follow his path of cultivation, it is impossible to cultivate.”
“But if one truly walks his path of cultivation, then even if one truly achieves immortality, they will still be under his shadow.”
Li Fan seemed to have figured something out, and his face suddenly calmed.
“In this world, the path of cultivation has already been established according to his will, resulting in fixed rules.”
“To transcend, one must escape the chess game from the very beginning.”
“But as a chess piece, and the weakest one at that, how can one jump out of the game by oneself?”
“Unless one relies on external things.”
“[Truth]…”
Li Fan stared at the [Truth] screen in front of him, his gaze constantly shifting.
“Since the day I learned that everything in the world can be seen as Heavenly Treasures, I have had the idea of relying on [Truth] to build my Foundation Treasure.”
“For this reason, I have observed the process of Foundation Establishment thousands of times.”
“I’ve also unlocked two anchor points.”
“Now is the time to try.”
With determination in his heart, Li Fan flew to Mount Xie Li, where he had first comprehended the Formless Killing Intent.
He quickly built a simple grass hut and arranged the surroundings to prevent outsiders from entering.
Then he sat cross-legged in the hut. With a thought, the [Truth] prompt appeared at the right moment.
“Would you like to set the current time as the second anchor point?”
Li Fan didn’t hesitate: “Yes!”
The second anchor point was set in response.
“Now, it’s just a matter of waiting for [Truth] to recharge.”
“The charging speed of [Truth] has not increased, still requiring about nine years.”
“During this time, I can’t afford to be idle.”
“I haven’t studied He Zhenghao’s ‘Mountain and River Vein Formation Diagrams’ much, but I remember the basics of Zhang Zhiliang’s ‘Infinite Formation.'”
“It’s a good opportunity to continue strengthening my proficiency in formations.”
“It’s just a pity that in this Land of Immortal Extinction, I can only improve my theoretical knowledge and cannot practice laying down formations.”
Li Fan sighed, then settled his mind into the insights of the formation path.
Nine years passed in the blink of an eye.
“It’s time!”
Ready to turn truth into illusion at any moment, Li Fan finally had the confidence to start building his foundation with [Truth].
Currently, his Foundation Treasure is still the Canghai Pearl.
So, the first step was…
Shattering the Foundation Treasure.
The “Tai Shang Primordial Scripture” circulated throughout his body, converting all his cultivation into pure energy and storing it within his body.
Then, looking at the ocean silhouette in his dantian, Li Fan forcefully struck his dantian with a finger.
Li Fan spat out a large mouthful of blood, and his breath rapidly weakened.
The ocean silhouette of the Cong Yun Sea began to violently sway, and a black crack appeared in the middle.
The ocean silhouette became increasingly illusory.
Li Fan attacked again.
After three times in total, the ocean completely disappeared from the world.
Li Fan, on the other hand, was as weak as a strand of silk, his face as pale as paper, as he almost perished.
“I exerted too much force; I should be gentler in the next life.”
Li Fan thought to himself.
As his cultivation re-refined, Li Fan’s injuries quickly healed, and he returned to the state of perfect Qi Condensation.
“If it weren’t for this ‘Tai Shang Primordial Scripture,’ trying to build my Foundation Treasure with [Truth] would probably be a hundred times more difficult.” The fluctuation of realms in this instant made Li Fan think about this.
Settling his mind, Li Fan began his first attempt.
Unlike building a foundation with tangible and physical Heavenly Treasures, [Truth], though residing within Li Fan, was intangible and formless.
It was extremely difficult to sense.
Fortunately, Zhang Haobo’s Foundation Treasure, the intangible and formless “Heavenly Calamity Sword Intent,” served as a reference for Li Fan, who had the privilege of witnessing the entire process.
After a long time, a hazy white light appeared from Li Fan’s dantian.
Then…
Bang!
Li Fan’s dantian exploded.
“Truth!”
Before consciousness vanished, Li Fan silently prayed.
The lighting changed, not returning to the original village but instead to the small grass hut atop Mount Xie Li.
Naturally, he chose to return to the second anchor point.
He chose to shorten the recharging time.
After reducing thirty percent of the recharging time, the recharging process would be complete in just six years.
Li Fan frowned slightly, carefully recalling the process of building the foundation in the previous life and constantly contemplating and comprehending.
Six years passed in the blink of an eye.
[Truth] recharged, and Li Fan began his attempt again.
He used three fingers to shatter the Foundation Treasure.
This time, although Li Fan’s face was still pale, he only spat out a small mouthful of blood.
Returning to the state of perfect Qi Condensation, he diligently comprehended the rules of [Truth].
This time, the faint white light appeared a bit softer.
The situation improved slightly but didn’t last long.
Bang! Li Fan’s dantian exploded again.
“[Truth]!”
Six years later, Li Fan began the third attempt.
The white light representing the rules of [Truth] was slightly gentler this time.
The duration of persistence this time was longer than the previous two attempts.
However, it was still far too short for the [Truth] silhouette to take shape.
Li Fan’s dantian exploded again.
“[Truth]!”
The fourth attempt.
“Why does my dantian keep exploding?” Thinking back to the process of building the foundation in previous lives, Li Fan couldn’t help but ponder.
The way of cultivation laid down by the Immortal Ancestor emphasized stability.
Even if one’s aptitude was poor, as long as the lifespan was sufficient and the conditions were met, success in cultivation was guaranteed.
However, Li Fan’s current attempt to build his foundation with [Truth] contradicted the way of the Immortal Ancestor.
“I originally thought that the difficulty in building the foundation would be in sensing the intangible and formless [Truth].”
“But unexpectedly, perhaps because [Truth] itself is integrated with me, sensing its existence is not as difficult as imagined.”
“Instead, it seems that the incompatibility with the way of the Immortal Ancestor’s cultivation, leading to the explosion of my dantian, has become the biggest obstacle to my successful foundation establishment.”
“Perhaps if I can solve this problem, building the foundation with [Truth] is not far away.”
Thinking of this, Li Fan’s heart lifted a little.
The fourth attempt began.
Bang!
The fifth attempt!
Bang!
The sixth attempt!
…
Each attempt represented six years of time.
Although each time ended in failure at the last moment, with the dantian exploding, the radiance of [Truth] indeed became increasingly gentle.
Things were developing in a positive direction.
Li Fan also strengthened his faith as a result.
Continuously reincarnating, Li Fan tirelessly repeated the process of building the foundation, time and time again.
Single-minded, he cast aside everything else.
The tenth attempt.
The twentieth attempt.
The thirtieth attempt.
…
After fifty-six attempts, Li Fan finally made significant progress.
In his dantian, the gentle white light seemed to condense into a solid entity, as smooth as jade, pleasing to the eye.
The radiance no longer changed; instead, its shape transformed.
“Could it be that success is finally within reach?”
Seeing this, Li Fan’s mind, which was previously calm and unperturbed, couldn’t help but ripple with subtle waves.
But obviously, things were not that easy.
This time, the dantian remained intact, without bursting.
But Li Fan felt as if tiny insects were constantly wriggling throughout his body, deep within his bones and muscles.
The itching, tingling, and aching sensation made Li Fan emit a muffled groan involuntarily.
And this was just the beginning.
Round fleshy masses suddenly protruded from Li Fan’s body.
They seemed to develop a consciousness of their own, swimming ceaselessly across his body.
The fleshy masses grew larger and larger. In a matter of breaths, they almost reached half the size of a head.
Covered in these horrifying blood-colored tumors, Li Fan now looked like a monstrous creature.
Moreover, these bloody tumors were still expanding.
Finally, with a “puff!” sound.
The tumors reached the limit his Qi Condensation body could endure and burst like balloons.
Flesh chunks and blood splattered everywhere in the small grass hut.
Li Fan was also drenched in his own blood.
But he remained indifferent.
In the sea of consciousness, the Azure Flame Illusionary Spirit appeared.
At the same time, the Venerable Heart Refinement Mantra kept running.
Li Fan entered a state free of worry, fear, and anxiety.
The [Truth] silhouette that condensed in the dantian, despite the destruction of his flesh, remained unchanged.
However, the physical body of a Qi Condensation cultivator was quite fragile.
Slowly, Li Fan’s life aura became faint, then slowly extinguished.
As it was about to perish, at the last moment, Li Fan silently recited [Truth] in his mind.
The fifty-seventh attempt!
Six years later, Li Fan tried again.
The white jade light changed shape as Li Fan further comprehended.
The fleshy tumors on Li Fan’s body kept appearing.
After a long time, another failure.
The fifty-eighth attempt.
Failure!
The fifty-ninth attempt.
Failure!
…
Repeated failures did not diminish Li Fan’s determination and belief.
He summarized the lessons learned and compared each foundation building process.
Li Fan discovered that deliberate manipulation was more effective than a state of ignorance and confusion. He found that the time he could endure was much shorter if his mind was chaotic.
“Although I can’t perceive [Truth] directly, it seems to influence my body since it is integrated with me.”
“Building the foundation with my consciousness is much smoother than doing it with my subconscious.”
During the 75th attempt at foundation building, Li Fan had a moment of enlightenment.
As he expected, the shape of the white jade light sphere gradually became regular with each subsequent attempt, as if he was trimming it back to its original form.
…
The ninetieth attempt.
When the white jade light sphere finally took on an elliptical shape, it stabilized.
No more fleshy tumors appeared on Li Fan’s body.
The light flickered as it transformed from illusion to reality.
It seemed to manifest in the dantian.
But…
Suddenly, a realization flashed through Li Fan’s mind.
It was still lacking something.
It was as if something had abruptly descended into the small grass hut atop Mount Xie Li.
In an instant, Li Fan’s hair turned snow-white.
His skin dried up and wrinkled.
Terrifying grooves and cracks appeared on his face.
His muscles dissolved, leaving only a layer of skin hanging on the skeleton.
He became deformed like a horrific monstrosity.
Li Fan’s age rapidly increased, and in a moment, he seemed on the verge of dying of old age.
“Truth!”
Without hesitation, Li Fan exclaimed.
From the 91st to the 98th attempt, each attempt was the same.
Success in establishing the foundation with [Truth] was just a tiny step away.
On the 99th attempt, he returned to the Mount Xie Li.
“What exactly is lacking?”
Li Fan frowned.
He knew that success was now within a hair’s breadth.
But it wasn’t something that simple attempts could resolve.
It required a moment of enlightenment to identify the problem.
Li Fan had a premonition that the answer should be simple.
It was like breaking through a thin layer of window paper, easy to pierce.
However, at this moment, Li Fan was stuck on this mountain, unable to see the true nature.
He couldn’t find the exact solution.
As Li Fan contemplated, he descended from the mountain.
He strolled through the mortal world, seeking his own answers.
At the same time, he observed the vast world of the Grand Xuan that hadn’t been influenced by him.
In the fifth year, a severe drought hit Jiangnan.
A group of refugees attacked the Langya Prince’s estate.
The Langya Prince’s estate suffered heavy losses.
Except for Prince Langya, who escaped through a secret tunnel, saving his life, the rest of the mansion’s inhabitants were mercilessly killed by the refugees.
The news spread, shaking the court and the public.
The emperor was furious and ordered the military to suppress the rebels. Simultaneously, he summoned Prince Langya to the capital and protected him. From then on, Prince Langya remained in the capital.
In the 15th year, the emperor suddenly fell seriously ill.
Before his death, he summoned Prince Langya to the palace and passed the throne to him. Prince Langya ascended the throne and changed the era name to Xuanjing.
In the 16th year, simultaneous rebellions erupted across the country. Emperor Xuanjing appointed his trusted advisor as the Grand General to lead the army in quelling the unrest.
After three years, the Grand General finally pacified the rebellions throughout the land. He returned triumphantly to the court.
Emperor Xuanjing ordered the officials to welcome the Grand General outside the capital with imperial honors. However, the Grand General, with an arrogant expression, did not dismount in the presence of the officials and did not kneel before the emperor.
Emperor Xuanjing remained unfazed, extended his hand, and welcomed the Grand General into the palace. Lavish banquets were held to entertain the guests.
After three rounds of drinks, the officials quietly withdrew.
Dozens of executioners rushed in.
The Grand General, who was heavily intoxicated, suddenly woke up and questioned Emperor Xuanjing. Emperor Xuanjing remained silent.
Under the attack of the executioners, the Grand General, although valiant and unrivaled, was covered in wounds.
Barely clinging to life, he pointed at Emperor Xuanjing and resentfully said, “If there is a next time, I will personally lead a mighty army to crush the imperial capital. I will use your head as a wine jug to satisfy the hatred in my heart!”
He then died under the swords.
…
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Li Fan, who had been silently observing, now revealed his figure.
His eyes were bright as if he had suddenly enlightened.
“People don’t have a next time.”
“This world doesn’t have a next time.”
“But I do.”
“My [Truth]…”
“Transcends beyond the rules of the world.”
In an instant, the surroundings became illusory, and Li Fan returned to Mount Xie Li.
Li Fan exhaled [Truth] again.
“Truth into lie…”
“Reality into illusion…”
He stared at the six words generated by [Truth], his mind pure and clear.
“I will build the foundation based on the rules of [Truth]!”
Everything fell into place without any obstruction.
The white jade light sphere suddenly manifested in the dantian.
The third anchor dropped without delay.