Chapter 1135: Expelling the Immortal's Power Over Six Lifetimes
The vast, endless ocean of the water-attribute grotto-heaven began to freeze over for thousands of miles.
In the scorching fire-attribute grotto-heaven, the flames began to dim.
But they did not go out.
Instead, they contracted and condensed, transforming into strange, free-floating wisps of fire.
...
All sorts of incredible changes occurred in Li Fan one after another.
And his cultivation realm broke through Nascent Soul, surging wildly through the Soul Transformation stage.
Early Soul Transformation, mid Soul Transformation, late Soul Transformation...
Powerful.
Vibrant.
Aggressive.
This was how Li Fan felt at that moment.
But Li Fan had no time to savor any of it.
Just as he had expected, his rapid transformation within the True Immortal's web had already drawn the attention of the Faceless Immortal beyond the High Wall.
The surroundings no longer seemed so dark; specks of light began to appear.
It was as if waves were rising and falling. The silent Gloomy Sea of Darkness had an uninvited guest.
"Truth," Li Fan said decisively.
The scene around him froze.
Then, it rapidly dissolved into mist.
Perhaps it was because the Faceless Immortal had not conducted a full-scale investigation into the anomaly within the web, or perhaps the Gloomy Sea of Darkness had shielded him from the majority of the True Immortal's power.
In any case, this regression with [Truth] went smoothly.
The ethereal white mist did not last long before it dissipated with a whoosh.
Light returned.
Anchor point: Year 1, on the summit of Jieli Mountain!
"A safe return."
"This proves my method works."
Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief, temporarily ignoring the notification from [Truth].
He carefully examined his own face.
After another regression, the influence of the Faceless Immortal's power had indeed receded to some extent.
Li Fan's face was no longer a smooth, featureless blank.
Instead, the faint outlines of his facial features had begun to emerge, slightly raised.
However, this appearance was somehow even more unsettling than being purely faceless.
But Li Fan didn't care.
"Now, I just need to repeat the process."
With practiced ease, he flew towards the capital of the Great Xuan.
The events that followed in the Great Xuan and the other small worlds were almost identical to the previous lifetime—the 120th.
The only possible difference was that Li Fan was more proficient, skipping many of the exploratory steps.
To be on the safe side, Li Fan avoided creating any new complications, even halting his research into the use of the You Clan's faith power.
He suppressed all variables to an absolute minimum.
In the 121st lifetime, the charging progress for [Truth] was a bit faster.
It finished charging three months ahead of schedule.
Hide in the Gloomy Sea of Darkness, inherit his cultivation, and activate [Truth].
He executed it all in one smooth motion.
Then came the 122nd lifetime, the 123rd... all the way to the 125th.
At the beginning of Anchor Year 8, Li Fan once again arrived in the Gloomy Sea of Darkness.
He had a premonition that after this next regression, he would finally be able to completely shake off the Faceless Immortal's influence.
By now, his face was indistinguishable from a normal person's.
He could, however, still perceive some imperceptible flaw that neither his naked eye nor his spiritual sense could discern.
The influence of the True Immortal's web was still present.
But it was on the verge of shattering.
Li Fan suppressed the reckless impulse to test its limits.
He took a deep breath and silently recited the word in his mind.
"Truth!"
In an instant, the scene blurred between reality and illusion.
The mist condensed and then, just as quickly, dispersed.
126th lifetime, Anchor Year 1, Jieli Mountain!
"Hooo..."
A feeling entirely different from the past few lifetimes washed over Li Fan.
It was a feeling of no restraints, of true freedom.
"Long have I been trapped in a cage; now I return to nature once more."
Li Fan murmured, walking slowly to the edge of the cliff.
"Xuanhuang Realm, I'm back!"
Facing the boundless sea of clouds, Li Fan chose to inherit his cultivation.
Above the Great Xuan, the sky instantly roiled with storms.
The entire world seemed to groan under the immense pressure, as if it could not bear the weight.
But the change lasted only for a moment.
The immense aura emanating from Li Fan quickly subsided and dissipated.
The sky returned to normal.
"Peak Soul Transformation... The Great Xuan world is already struggling to bear this level of power."
"If I were at the peak of Dao Integration, I fear the world would be torn to pieces the moment I inherited my cultivation."
"But no matter. When that time comes, I can inherit my cultivation in the Xuanhuang Realm. Or, I could upgrade the Great Xuan world first."
Li Fan shook his head slightly, then turned his thoughts to his plans for this lifetime.
"This lifetime, I will remain hidden behind the scenes."
"I will not act personally unless absolutely necessary."
"Everything else is secondary, a means to verify my previous speculation."
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, his gaze distant, as if he could see the sky of the greater Xuanhuang Realm.
"Dharma Spreader... what exactly is your relationship with the Heavenly Doctor...?"
Setting aside the argument that the Dharma Spreader and the Heavenly Doctor have never appeared at the same time...
...the reason Li Fan had grown suspicious of the relationship between the two was still because of the *Heaven Mending Record* passed down by the Heavenly Doctor.
At the end of the *Heaven Mending Record*, a theoretical method for "healing the heavens" was described.
It was called "borrowing a shell to return the soul, breaking and then being reborn."
A world, no matter how powerful a cultivation realm it may be, is like any living creature; it has a natural end to its life.
Once a world inevitably heads towards ruin and decay, even the most brilliant medical arts are powerless to reverse its fate.
One can only watch helplessly as it perishes.
This was the normal, theoretical situation.
The Heavenly Doctor, however, proposed a possible way to save such a world.
That was to find another cultivation realm, one still in its prime, and perform an act of possession.
"The Heavenly Dao changes its master, and the world is overturned."
"Though it sounds absurd and unbelievable, for someone like the Heavenly Doctor, it might not be impossible."
"And besides..."
Every scene he had witnessed since first setting foot in the Xuanhuang Realm flashed rapidly before Li Fan's eyes.
"The various phenomena that the *Heaven Mending Record* speculated would occur while a world was being reborn in a new shell... they are far too similar to the current state of the Xuanhuang Realm."
"Bizarre phenomena run rampant, and the Heavenly Dao changes abruptly."
"More importantly..."
"The Heavenly Doctor is from the Tianfa Realm, yet he places such importance on the Xuanhuang Realm. He desperately roams the Darkest Star Sea, collecting fragments of other worlds."
"Adding to that all of the Heavenly Doctor's previous words and actions..."
A glint appeared in Li Fan's eyes.
"The validity of the Heavenly Doctor's world-mending plan is almost certain."
"The only truly terrifying part, when you think about it, is the Dharma Spreader's attitude."
"If he knew perfectly well that the Heavenly Doctor was from another world and wanted to use the Xuanhuang Realm to resurrect his own, yet the Dharma Spreader did nothing to stop him from beginning to end..."
"...and instead, just like the Heavenly Doctor, he also went out into the Star Sea to collect world fragments."
"..."
A heavy feeling settled in Li Fan's heart.
"Either the Dharma Spreader has no better way to save the Xuanhuang Realm and was forced into this course of action..."
"...or..."
"...the Dharma Spreader and the Heavenly Doctor are, in fact, the very same person!"
"Or rather, the Dharma Spreader is a clone of the Heavenly Doctor!"
A sharp glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
In the Xuanhuang Realm, countless cultivators shared a single question in their hearts.
While the Dharma Spreader's spirit roamed beyond the heavens, why didn't he leave a clone behind?
A single clone would have been enough to suppress all the petty schemers in the Xuanhuang Realm.
(End of Chapter)
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