Chapter 1303: Retrospection and Review
Chapter 1303: Retrospection and Review
For three years since setting the anchor, Li Fan had remained atop Jieli Mountain.
Li Fan, who was sitting in deep meditation, suddenly opened his eyes.
His thoughts were in turmoil, his composure shattered.
He let out a long breath, slowly rose to his feet, and walked out of his wooden cabin.
He came to the cliff's edge to gaze out at the sea of clouds. Gusts of mountain wind whipped at his robes, making them flutter and snap in the air.
It took a good few hours before Li Fan’s mind slowly returned to a state of calm.
In the past three years, this was hardly the first time such an episode had occurred.
It was different from before.
It wasn't a passive influence, like the time he fell into the True Immortal’s web, but a problem with his own state of mind.
Even with the protection of the Xuanhuang Heart Refining Mantra, he couldn't shake it off.
Whenever his mind sank into tranquility, an image would uncontrollably surface from its depths: in a field of darkness, the Cat Treasure would leap up and devour the silhouette of the True Immortal from the Immortal Ruins.
The vision always left him in a cold sweat, his mind thrown into chaos.
He could no longer maintain a state of meditation.
“Cat Treasure, Cat Treasure...”
Li Fan’s eyes flickered as he continuously muttered the name.
The Cat Treasure clearly possessed three special abilities—item replication, creature imitation, and physique refinement—yet when it was fished out of the Fishing Pond, it was only of white quality.
The Fishing Pond was, it seemed, the creation of a Nameless True Immortal who had already comprehended the Dao of Fishing.
So how could the Cat Treasure, capable of deceiving the Fishing Pond itself, be anything simple?
The fact that the Cat Treasure fed on Source Power Essence also illustrated its extraordinary nature to some extent.
However, neither the Saint Emperor, who was a pawn, nor Li Fan, who considered himself the player, had ever expected...
...that the Cat Treasure would turn out to be such a terrifying creation.
Wherever its immortal power reached, it was as if a True Immortal had arrived in person. Even as a mere phantom and not the main body, it suppressed the [Immortal Descends, All Things Return to Void Array] that had shattered the Xuanhuang Realm with a single gesture. In stark contrast were the three supreme experts from the Star Sea, who, even with all their might, could barely survive within the grand array.
The gap between a supreme expert and a True Immortal was simply immeasurable.
And the Cat Treasure, which could devour the phantom of a True Immortal in a single gulp...
Its true power was unimaginable.
In his previous life, Li Fan had used [Truth] at the very moment the Immortal Ruins' all-consuming pull vanished, the High Wall crumbled, and the Star Sea was thrown into chaos.
The instinct for survival had allowed him to temporarily suppress the fear in his heart after the initial shock.
It was only in this life that he had truly processed the event.
He was overcome with dread.
He had faced the True Immortal of the Immortal Ruins before, albeit through a clone. And despite the numerous side effects of using [Truth], he had ultimately succeeded in returning.
Therefore, in his previous life, when the True Immortal descended, Li Fan was startled but not panicked. He simply remained vigilant and did not immediately use [Truth], hoping to glean more secrets about the True Immortal.
He never imagined...
...that the True Immortal's descent would expose the Cat Treasure's true nature.
The True Immortal from the Immortal Ruins, who could annihilate the Xuanhuang Realm with a single glance, didn't even have time to react before being swallowed whole by the Cat Treasure. RAN(0B@Es
If the Cat Treasure had set its sights on Li Fan, how could he possibly have escaped?
A hundred lifetimes of planning, nearly reduced to nothing in an instant, doomed beyond redemption. How could Li Fan not feel terrified in retrospect?
“I thought I had been careful enough.”
“I had basically plumbed the depths of the Xuanhuang Realm. I thought I wouldn't need to be so wary anymore. I never expected what lay beyond the High Wall to give me such a massive scare...”
Ignoring the flashing information about the inheritance options from [Truth] that still flickered before his eyes, Li Fan returned to the wooden cabin.
The room was filled with small, lifelike cats carved from wood, each one in a different shape.
However, they were all unfinished pieces, missing limbs, making it impossible to discern the creature's original appearance from these carvings.
He had carved them all by his own hand over the past three years.
He used no spiritual energy, crafting them purely by hand.
Li Fan stared for a moment, then selected another suitable piece of wood and picked up a file that lay nearby.
He began to carve patiently.
Li Fan was using this method of recreation to confront the fear rooted in his heart, hoping to eliminate the influence the Cat Treasure had on him.
It did have some effect.
The frequency with which Li Fan startled awake from the Cat Treasure nightmare had decreased significantly compared to three years ago.
However, Li Fan knew it would still take a long time to truly resolve this "inner demon."
He also took this opportunity to properly review and reflect.
At the final moment of his last life, the Star Sea was in turmoil. The shockwave from the High Wall's collapse was more than many of the powerful cultivators who had survived the world-ending immortal array could withstand, and they were turned to dust.
At that time, Li Fan's divine sense, situated in the array's core and borrowing its residual power, vaguely sensed that the turmoil in the Star Sea was not entirely due to the collapse of the High Wall.
It was also caused by the abrupt arrival of some other existence.
Like a giant boulder plunging into a deep pool, it created countless splashes, kicking up monstrous waves in the already turbulent Dark Star Sea.
This was a major event the likes of which the Dark Star Sea had not seen in the ten thousand years since the immortal path was severed.
In that chaotic and perilous situation, thanks to his decisiveness and vigilance, Li Fan had indeed succeeded in using [Truth].
But the experience of activating [Truth] this time was different from before.
This was the deeper reason why Li Fan had been unable to truly find peace of mind for the past three years.
Normally, when activating [Truth], the surrounding scenery would dim as if veiled by a mist, becoming indistinct. After activation, all images would freeze, shatter, and fly into his mind.
When facing an extremely powerful threat—such as when the Xuanhuang Realm was annihilated by the single glance of the Immortal Ruins' True Immortal, or when the Faceless Immortal came searching for him—these powerful beings could move within the frozen scene of [Truth]. However, their speed was very slow, as if the reality within the process and the reality outside it existed in different streams of time.
But in his previous life, the scene Li Fan experienced during [Truth] was completely different.
The world outside the process seemed unaffected, remaining frozen as usual. But the surrounding images, which were supposed to be wrapped in mist, flickered intermittently. The brightness was unstable, like an old television that had lost its signal.
At that moment, Li Fan's mind had gone almost completely blank.
He had absolutely no way to counter it and could only wait for his final fate to descend, as if accepting a verdict.
Fortunately, however...
[Truth] ultimately activated successfully, and he, Li Fan, once again returned to the one-year anchor point.
When the intensely familiar scenery appeared before his eyes, Li Fan nearly collapsed, cold sweat pouring down his back.
As this thought crossed his mind, Li Fan's file slipped, and the nearly perfect wooden cat carving was instantly ruined.
Li Fan tossed it aside and picked up another piece of wood to carve.
He cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts, focusing with utmost seriousness.
When a carving that looked very similar to the Cat Treasure, but was missing two ears, took shape, Li Fan felt his heart grow much calmer again.
He began to review the experiences of his last life.
The greatest gain from his last life was, of course, learning of the Cat Treasure's existence and gaining a more concrete understanding of what lay beyond the High Wall.
Li Fan had once planned to see if he could use the legacy left by Mr. Bai to cross the High Wall if the opportunity arose. Now, however, he had temporarily dismissed the idea.
Although the world beyond the High Wall was terrifying, its actual impact on Li Fan at present was not too great.
After all, judging from the Cat Treasure's performance, the only beings that could truly catch its eye were those at the True Immortal level.
Li Fan was still far too far from the realm of a True Immortal.
Because he was so weak, there was no need to worry about such distant troubles.
As for the origin of that terrifying and formidable Cat Treasure, Li Fan had two theories based on his last life's experience.
First, the Cat Treasure was a creation of the same Nameless True Immortal who had made the Fishing Pond.
It might even be an extension of that Nameless True Immortal's power.
It was highly likely that there was more than one Fishing Pond and Cat Treasure, and they weren't all in the same location.
Their mission was to search for any True Immortals still existing in the world.
Once their traces were discovered, the Nameless True Immortal would descend and devour them.
It was just like the fate of the "Fish Kings" Li Fan had seen back then at the Fishing Pond event in the Cong Yun Sea.
But there was a problem with this theory.
One devours something because it has value.
The "Fish Kings" were divided up because they had been nourished by the spiritual energy of the cultivators participating in the competition. To other fish, they were a great tonic.
But for a Nameless True Immortal who had already comprehended a certain Dao and transcended, an ordinary True Immortal seemed to have no value worth devouring.
“Or perhaps, the real targets are True Immortals like the one from the Immortal Ruins, who have comprehended the Dao for ten thousand years and are on the verge of advancing. This would allow the devourer to claim their Dao comprehension as its own, mastering a second, or even more, Daos...”
True Immortals were already far beyond reach. Information on Nameless True Immortals was even scarcer. Li Fan could only make reasonable speculations based on his past knowledge.
Besides the possibility that the Cat Treasure was an extension of the Nameless True Immortal, there was a second theory.
The reason the Cat Treasure appeared in the Fishing Pond was because its target was the Nameless True Immortal who had entered the Dao through fishing!
The Fishing Pond scoured the starry sky for treasures. After sensing its power, the Cat Treasure disguised itself and got hooked, actively entering the Fishing Pond for the chance to find the Nameless True Immortal behind it.
As the saying goes, the angler also gets angled.
But while waiting, bored, for its prey to take the bait, it discovered another True Immortal. A pleasant surprise, one might say.
Judging from the Cat Treasure's expression at the end of the last life, it didn't seem to be a picky eater.
It was equally delighted by the appearance of the Immortal Ruins' True Immortal.
What the second theory represented was far more terrifying than the first.
After all, Li Fan had long known of the Nameless True Immortal's existence.
The realm of a Nameless True Immortal was even higher than that of a True Immortal. Instantly killing a True Immortal was to be expected.
But if the second theory was true...
...then it meant the Cat Treasure was likely just a vanguard.
A hunter from a civilization beyond the High Wall, sent specifically to hunt True Immortals—and even Nameless True Immortals.
Li Fan recalled the scene at the end of his last life, after the Cat Treasure leaped up and entered the Immortal Ruins.
“I couldn't perceive the specific situation inside. But the gradual disappearance of the Immortal Ruins' pull already speaks volumes.”
“There were no fluctuations from a fight...”
“The True Immortal of the Immortal Ruins probably couldn't put up much of a fight before it was captured.”
The reason he used the word "captured" instead of "perished"...
...was because Li Fan had clearly felt the pull of the Immortal Ruins slowly disappearing.
It was as if the source of the pull was being slowly dragged into a mire, gradually vanishing.
It wasn't that the True Immortal perished and the pull of the Immortal Ruins vanished in an instant.
“If this theory is correct, then the collapse of the High Wall and the turmoil in the Star Sea are proof that the force behind the Cat Treasure descended to capture the True Immortal.”
“To be able to create something like the Cat Treasure, the power beyond the High Wall must have developed to an unimaginable degree.”
“And capturing True Immortals must be profitable.”
“If a True Immortal has any value, it would be their immortal spiritual power and, second, their Dao...”
As Li Fan pondered, he set down another newly carved wooden cat statue.
His heart grew a little calmer once more.
After the fear was dispelled, another thought surfaced in Li Fan's mind: “Actually, on second thought, the discovery of the Cat Treasure isn’t entirely a bad thing for me.”
“At the very least, I now have a way to counter a True Immortal. I have the leverage to flip the table if things go south.”
“Unlike before, when I could only make a hasty retreat with [Truth] the moment a True Immortal descended.”
Li Fan’s eyes flickered. “The only thing I need to be careful about is exposing [Truth].”
“Judging from the scenes I experienced during the final use of [Truth] last life, the civilization behind the Cat Treasure actually possesses the power to affect [Truth] itself.”
“It's not like the power of a True Immortal, which directly affects me and thus hinders the activation of [Truth].”
“Instead, it truly, genuinely affected [Truth] itself.”
“Even if it was just a slight flicker in the visuals of the process...”
“If I want to use the Cat Treasure's power, I will inevitably have to use a clone.”
At this thought, Li Fan couldn't help but frown slightly.
In his previous life, his main body remained stationary within the space of the Deduction Jade.
He had split off numerous individuals to plot in the shadows.
The Saint Emperor clone, the Saint Embryo, multiple divine senses...
Although there were no major problems overall, there were subtle instances of losing control.
For example, the Saint Emperor clone displayed a higher moral standpoint. Although Li Fan himself had imposed this setting on him during creation, it led to an irreconcilable conflict with the main body. Later, it completely severed its connection with him.
This cut off the main body's perception, preventing him from knowing certain details of the battles against the Dharma Spreader and the Heavenly Doctor.
Another example was the mental stability of his divine senses, which was worse than that of his main body and clone. Their emotional fluctuations were sometimes too drastic, completely contrary to his own.
Although Li Fan could completely control every word and action of his divine senses, he couldn't entirely prevent this loss of mental control.
Besides the factor that a divine sense was just a strand of consciousness and was too weak on its own...
Li Fan had also vaguely sensed the fundamental reason why the divine senses he split off in the last life were so emotionally volatile.
It was the Xuanhuang Heart Refining Mantra!
First, the Saint Embryo taught the Xuanhuang Heart Refining Mantra to the Azure Profound Army guarding the Abyss of Roars.
Then, the Saint Emperor bestowed the Heart Refining Mantra upon the Great Qi Forbidden Army.
The number of beings cultivating this same technique exceeded one hundred thousand.
At first, Li Fan didn't think that widely spreading the Heart Refining Mantra would have any effect on him.
However, reality proved him wrong.
The Xuanhuang Heart Refining Mantra had been with him ever since he stepped onto the path of cultivation.
As he practiced it to the point where it became instinct, it had faintly merged with his very being.
After he spread it to others, the mantra's ability to maintain his mental stability was affected accordingly.
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