Chapter 1416: When the False is also True
Chapter 1416: When the False is also True
"What is the meaning of this?"
"In the [Truth] simulation, the world-ending calamity that ripples across countless possibilities is showing a trend of being reversed?"
He silently invoked [Truth] with incredible speed. As the seven grand characters for [Fantasy Becomes Truth] exploded in his mind, his heart surged with astonishment and doubt.
"Ever since I attained the True Immortal realm, the age limit displayed on the [Truth] panel has reflected the estimated lifespan of this mortal world. I'm facing imminent doom, yet the world's projected lifespan is increasing instead of decreasing?"
A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
The domain of [Dao Concealment] descended upon the world.
With Li Fan as the epicenter, everything within sight, the entirety of the Darkest Star Sea, plunged into a silent, bichromatic stillness of black and white.
This time, within the bounds of Dao Concealment, another person besides Li Fan was able to move!
In a completely frozen world, this figure was so conspicuous that Li Fan noticed and locked onto them in a heartbeat.
And that person, it seemed, was also looking in Li Fan's direction.
Their eyes met!
"The... Heavenly Doctor?"
Although his appearance, attire, and aura were vastly different from the Heavenly Doctor he knew, Li Fan recognized him in a single glance.
Recalling the vision of Evil Su Bai he had witnessed outside the High Wall in Mr. Bai's eternal remnant thoughts, Li Fan instantly understood the source of the inexplicable sense of crisis he felt.
"Outside the High Wall, there isn't just an Evil Su Bai, but a corrupted Heavenly Doctor as well?"
"And how did he..."
Suddenly, Li Fan remembered the "thousand-day pact" he had made with the Heavenly Doctor inside the High Wall. Threatened by Li Fan with his very life, the Heavenly Doctor had begun to devote himself entirely to comprehending the principles of the High Wall in order to break through as quickly as possible.
"Evil Su Bai was only perceived when Mr. Bai had one foot out of the High Wall. Before that, I didn't sense any immortal-level fluctuations. So how did this corrupted Heavenly Doctor detect me before I even crossed the High Wall?"
"Is his power even greater than that of Evil Su Bai?"
Innumerable thoughts stormed through Li Fan's mind.
Within the black-and-white stillness of the Dao Concealment, the corrupted Heavenly Doctor continued to fly toward his position, albeit as if trapped in slow motion.
Li Fan also saw that the Realm Fragment Great Wall, stretching endlessly at the foot of the High Wall on the edge of the Darkest Star Sea, was in a state of utter ruin, as if it had been ravaged by a monstrous flood.
And the invisible High Wall that enclosed the Darkest Star Sea also seemed to have been breached, a gap torn through it.
Through that opening, the world beyond the High Wall was faintly visible.
Unlike the desolate, lifeless Darkest Star Sea, the world outside was clearly teeming with life, gathered in various clusters. But amidst this thriving domain of life, there was a jarring, utterly incongruous straight line of emptiness.
It was like a grand avenue to the heavens, leading to an unknowable realm far in the distance.
And at the end of this path, which looked as if it had been carved by the rampage of some primordial beast...
Li Fan's vision was inexplicably cut off.
As if obscured by a colossal shadow, as if blocked by a towering wall!
With no time to think and no luxury to comprehend the phenomena within the Dao Concealment, Li Fan's mind raced, urging [Truth] to act.
He understood now why the estimated lifespan of the mortal world in the [Truth] simulation had suddenly skyrocketed.
It was simulating the scenario where [Truth] falls into the hands of that corrupted Heavenly Doctor!
"If someone reaches the corrupted Heavenly Doctor's current level of power, they can wield [Truth] and save the mortal world from its great calamity?"
Li Fan ground his teeth in silent fury.
He didn't for a second believe that the corrupted Heavenly Doctor would spare his life after seizing [Truth].
"The lifespan on the [Truth] panel is both the mortal world's and my own."
"The fact that they weren't separated in the simulation means..."
"It's highly likely that I, as the vessel of [Truth], cannot be separated from it. Instead, I would be refined into a treasure, something akin to the Deduction Jade."
An icy chill spread through Li Fan's heart.
He pushed [Truth] even harder, retracting the domain of [Dao Concealment].
The speed at which the black-and-white world receded surpassed the speed of the corrupted Heavenly Doctor gliding through the stillness.
But what unsettled Li Fan was the constant roiling and churning of the mist outside the Dao Concealment, as if some terrifying existence was about to burst forth at any moment.
"[Truth]!!"
Li Fan roared one last time in his mind.
Even if the corrupted Heavenly Doctor could truly save the mortal world after obtaining [Truth], Li Fan would never willingly hand it over.
Either this mortal world would be utterly annihilated, or he, Li Fan, would be its one and only savior.
For him to sacrifice himself...?
Not a chance in hell!
The rolling white mist finally consumed everything.
As the familiar darkness prepared to swallow him, the tension that had gripped his heart finally released.
Li Fan's consciousness slipped into a brief slumber.
...
An unknown amount of time passed, or perhaps it was only an instant.
The Heavenly Doctor, clad in a long black robe, stared at his empty hands, a flicker of bewilderment in his eyes.
He glanced back at the long trail of destruction he had carved, his brows knitting together tightly.
With a single thought, his divine sense swept across the Darkest Star Sea.
His consciousness paused for a moment as it passed over the True Immortal meditating in the Immortal Ruins.
A rare hint of hesitation appeared on his face. Then, he reached out and lifted the skeletal form of the Hunger Immortal.
He flew out beyond the High Wall, traversing the long, empty channel.
As he reached the end and looked up into the distance...
The Heavenly Doctor's body suddenly went rigid, and his grip on the Hunger Immortal loosened unconsciously.
He stood frozen on the spot.
...
Boundless darkness swirled around him.
Li Fan's consciousness drifted, aimless as a leaf in water, caught in a wondrous state between waking and dreaming.
Devoid of thought and awareness, Li Fan observed his surroundings purely by instinct.
Not far away, a single point of starlight seemed to ignite. Then, thousands upon thousands of stars began to shine in succession, joining together to form a line that pierced the darkness.
Li Fan's consciousness plummeted toward this line of light, accelerating faster and faster.
As the light enveloped him, it shattered into countless phantoms, exploding with a silent roar.
Anchor Point: Year 1, Center of the Darkest Star Sea!
"Hah!"
Like a drowning man desperately breaking the surface, he instinctively gasped for air, his lungs burning.
Li Fan was still reeling from the immense pressure exerted by the corrupted Heavenly Doctor in the previous life.
"Hm?"
As the terror gradually subsided, the mystical image of the white line igniting in the darkness flashed through his mind.
"..."
The initial moments after returning to an anchor point were always the best time to comprehend the [True False Transformation].
Li Fan forced down all the distracting thoughts in his mind, immersing himself in the supreme power of [Truth].
But for some reason, the image of that white line lingered in his mind, refusing to dissipate. As he stared at the process of countless points of light connecting in the darkness, his comprehension of the [True False Transformation] soared at a terrifying rate.
Li Fan didn't question the reason; he simply went with the flow, sinking deeper into the experience.
A long time later, when the image in his mind finally dimmed and vanished, he snapped his eyes open.
"The... false... is also... true."
Li Fan slowly uttered these three words.
After countless simulations with [Truth], after experiencing the transformation between true and false time and again, Li Fan, at this moment, finally understood the meaning of the seven grand characters that always accompanied his regression.
"When truth is made false..."
"Perhaps this refers to the Dao Annihilation Calamity that affects all possibilities. Countless world-lines, in an instant, are turned from true to false, annihilated, and erased. They don't become nothingness, but rather conceptually non-existent, 'false'."
"And 'the false also becomes true' means..."
For a moment, Li Fan's expression was dazed.
"The power of [Truth], within the false space-time devoured by the Dao Annihilation Calamity, creates new possibilities out of thin air!"
"This..."
Even though he had speculated many times about the upper limits of [Truth]'s [True False Transformation], Li Fan was still left utterly stunned by what he had just realized.
"Wait, perhaps there's more to it than that."
Suddenly, as if a thought struck him, he eagerly opened the [Truth] panel once more.
Ignoring the four inheritance options that popped up, Li Fan stared intently at the column for his age limit.
Seven million, three hundred sixty-five thousand, eight hundred sixty-four years, thirteen days, and seven hours!
(End of Chapter)
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