Chapter 1530: A Simplified Fantasy Becomes Truth
Li Fan couldn't help but wonder if [Truth] had fallen silent precisely to help him escape the dangerous fusion of the three Daos. For him, [Truth] had been a constant companion through his rebirth and cultivation. The sudden absence of his ultimate safety net left him deeply unsettled.
Fortunately, the decades he had recently spent in a state of amnesia served as a buffer of sorts, as if to prove that even without [Truth], he could still forge his own path to the heavens.
“Still, compared to the ability to undo everything with a single thought, the Reverse Flow Boat is far too inferior,” Li Fan mused, a shadow of unease crossing his eyes. “Without my ultimate failsafe, I must be far more cautious. If I die this time, it will likely be for good.”
Giving up on trying to rouse the dormant [Truth], Li Fan turned his attention to the Reverse Flow Boat.
Though a poor substitute, it was his only means of escape now, and it deserved his full attention.
After its grueling eight-thousand-year journey against the current of time, the already damaged and decaying boat could only be described as pathetic. After his forced landing, all that remained was a bare deck and the stumps of a few pillars. If not for the faint aura of the Dao of Reverse Flow he could still sense from the deck, Li Fan might have assumed the vessel was completely destroyed.
“Although the Mount Tai Emperor said that anyone who comprehends the Dao of Reverse Flow can build such a boat, it seems only two have ever been created in the entire Primal Possibility over countless years. Clearly, it isn't as simple as he made it sound. At the very least...” Li Fan studied the wooden planks, his senses probing them for a long time, but he remained utterly clueless as to how he might repair it.
Let alone create a new one.
[Truth], the Longevity Dao, the Reverse Flow Boat—all of them were essentially out of commission. Li Fan's current situation was anything but favorable.
First and foremost, he had to find a way to reawaken [Truth]. Second, he needed to repair the Reverse Flow Boat and accumulate power for his Longevity Dao.
But for the current Li Fan, both goals felt impossibly out of reach.
Several pressing questions now confronted him.
First, with [Truth] dormant, were the abilities he had comprehended—[True False Transformation] and [Fantasy Becomes Truth]—still usable?
Second, since the Mount Tai Emperor had helped him return eight thousand years into the past, did another version of the emperor exist in the sealed village beneath the Mountain and Sea Fishing Ground at this point in time? If so, could that version sense what had transpired with his future self? And if not...
Third, once he recovered his strength and was back at his peak, what would be his next move? Should he return to the familiar safety of Anchor Point 1, a time he knew inside and out, or continue drifting further into the past until he found true security?
...
Even for Li Fan, these questions were daunting.
He could only tackle them one at a time.
Surrounded by what he suspected were disciples of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, Li Fan decided to first test his [True False Transformation]. His current body was devoid of cultivation, but fortified by the remnants of his Longevity Dao, it could just barely withstand the power he once wielded at the Dao Integration stage.
“When the true is made false, the false becomes true...”
Li Fan recited the incantation in his mind.
The air remained still; nothing happened.
But Li Fan wasn't alarmed. Instead, a long breath of relief escaped him.
In the instant he had tried to activate the ability, he had indeed felt the unique fluctuation of [True False Transformation]. It proved that even without [Truth], he could still manifest the change between real and unreal. After all, it was a Dao he had comprehended himself. As long as the Dao of Truth and Falsehood existed within the Mountain Sea, he could wield it at will.
The reason nothing had changed was simply because the Dao environment of eight thousand years ago was significantly different from that of his own time.
Across nearly ten millennia, Daos were born and extinguished, shaped and reshaped by the external influence of the Dao Annihilation Calamity. This era could almost be considered a different world entirely.
Therefore, while his ability had been successfully cast, the act of recreating his imagined cultivation within his physical body had failed.
As the saying goes, a miss is as good as a mile. The subtle differences, the drastic change in the environment, had caused his ability to falter. In short, the effectiveness of [True False Transformation] was built upon a detailed understanding of the world's Great Daos. Now, the Daos had changed, and Li Fan needed to reacquaint himself with them.
This, however, was not a major problem. Though separated by eight thousand years, it was still the same possibility, the same world. Given enough time to re-establish his perception of the Dao environment, Li Fan would once again be able to use [True False Transformation] with ease.
“Unfortunately, the divine ability [Fantasy Becomes Truth] seems to have vanished along with the dormancy of [Truth],” Li Fan sighed internally after a long moment of careful sensing confirmed his suspicion.
He wasn't particularly surprised. After experiencing the gain and loss of the Longevity Dao, Li Fan clearly understood that there was a fundamental difference between what was truly his and what was bestowed by others.
But even though it was gone, Li Fan had no intention of abandoning what was arguably the most powerful defensive ability in the entire Mountain Sea. An ability that could conceal his identity even from the Infinite Sea—once he had tasted such power, how could he willingly let it go?
“[Fantasy Becomes Truth] is, in essence, an extremely advanced application of [True False Transformation]. With my understanding of this Dao...” Li Fan carefully recalled the sensation of being under its protection.
It was a good thing he had been in that state almost constantly before; the experience had left a deep enough impression for him to analyze it now with relative ease.
“Even if I can't replicate the genuine [Fantasy Becomes Truth], creating a simplified version shouldn't be too difficult.”
Li Fan’s gaze swept over the hostile disciples surrounding him, and after a moment, a subtle change began to take place.
“You’ve been standing there for ages without saying a damn thing. I think you...” one of the cultivators had grown impatient and slapped Li Fan across the back of the head. He was still muttering curses, a vicious glint in his eyes.
But as Li Fan’s simplified [Fantasy Becomes Truth] took effect, the hostile expression on the man's face slowly dissolved.
The others standing nearby experienced the same change.
It was as if they had completely forgotten Li Fan's identity as the "Medicine King Sect disciple" who had fallen from the sky. They now saw him simply as "one of their own."
The cultivator who had struck Li Fan stood in a daze for a moment before his eyes widened in alarm. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “Damn it! Where did that kid go?”
The others snapped out of their stupor as if waking from a dream. “How is that possible?” one of them cried out. “He vanished right under our noses!”
“I didn’t sense any spiritual energy fluctuations from him. How on earth did he escape?”
They all found it hard to believe. A frantic scan of the area with their spiritual sense revealed no suspicious traces.
Just then, Li Fan spoke up, his tone filled with regret and frustration. “Can you smell that? There’s a faint scent of herbs in the air. I’ve heard the disciples of the Medicine King Sect are masters of pharmacology. They can heal, but they can also kill. We must have fallen for one of their tricks!”
“He’s right!”
The other cultivators sniffed the air and immediately came to the same conclusion, their faces contorted with regret.
None of them noticed anything strange about Li Fan, a person who shouldn't have been among them in the first place.
Having temporarily secured his safety, Li Fan let out a quiet sigh of relief.
For now, this was the best he could do.
The recovery of his strength would depend on his observation of this past era. He could only proceed slowly.
“Though the river of time has washed away the memory of my past enlightenments, as long as I encounter these Daos again, I should be able to grasp them quickly.”
“Others must forge a path from nothing. I need only walk it again.”
Li Fan looked up at the sky of this era’s Xuanhuang Realm, and a wave of familiar yet strange sensations washed over him.
However, he was still surrounded by enemies, and his simplified [Fantasy Becomes Truth] was not yet perfect enough to completely rewrite another's perception. Thus, he kept a low profile, focusing on comprehending the Dao and quietly accumulating power.
Just as the group of cultivators was panicking over their lost target, a streak of light shot across the horizon, rapidly approaching them.
“Damn it, Elder Song is here.”
The faces of the cultivators paled.
“Brothers, we need to get our story straight,” one of them quickly communicated through spiritual sense. “We stick to the story that we never saw another streak of light. Agreed?” A consensus was reached in an instant.
Li Fan looked up, his gaze fixed on the approaching figure.
He could see clearly that this Elder Song, so feared by the others, was merely a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Still, his flight speed was impressive, and he landed before the group in a matter of moments.
He questioned them about the Medicine King Sect’s departure and the other streak of light that had flown in the opposite direction.
The group recited their rehearsed story.
Elder Song’s gaze swept over them, lingering on Li Fan the longest, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. But he quickly dismissed it and didn’t press the matter.
“The departure of the Medicine King Sect was anticipated by the masters of the Ten Sects,” Elder Song declared, his tone dismissive. “Hmph, a bunch of fools who don’t know what’s good for them. Let them go.”
“Though they have left, their sect’s foundation remains. Our Verdant Valley is the closest, but it will be difficult to swallow everything the Medicine King Sect has left behind on our own. We can only pick the choicest parts. Follow me back to the sect at once. Prepare for the conflicts to come.”
“The world is about to descend into chaos,” Elder Song finished with a long sigh.
The disciples all acknowledged the order. They exchanged glances, eyes filled with the relief of having narrowly escaped punishment.
Li Fan blended seamlessly into the group, following them back to the so-called Verdant Valley.
Thanks to his ability, he felt perfectly at home no matter where he went. After some discreet inquiries, he quickly grasped the situation.
The Verdant Valley was an affiliate of the Supreme Oneness Sect, one of the Ten Great Immortal Sects. In reality, "affiliate" was just a title. They received few benefits but were required to pay hefty annual tributes. If the Ten Sects issued a summons, they had to respond without hesitation. They were little more than slaves.
But the Ten Great Immortal Sects were overwhelmingly powerful. Despite the discontent simmering among the Verdant Valley disciples, they were helpless and could only endure.
The Verdant Valley was located next to the Medicine King Sect. The Medicine King Sect was renowned for their healing arts and had saved countless lives. The Verdant Valley had capitalized on its proximity, building a respectable foundation for itself.
For a minor sect, having a Soul Transformation sect master and three Nascent Soul elders made them a considerable force within a radius of several thousand kilometers.
Not long ago, the Ten Great Immortal Sects had apparently sensed that the Medicine King Sect was planning to flee. They had issued an order to the Verdant Valley to keep a close watch and report any unusual activity immediately.
That was why the Verdant Valley disciples had been there to discover Li Fan when he fell from the sky.
...
“Elder Song, this disciple has an urgent matter to report.” While a tense atmosphere settled over the Verdant Valley as they prepared to fight for the Medicine King Sect's territory, Li Fan secretly sought out Elder Song.
“Oh? What is it?” Elder Song recognized Li Fan, a sharp light glinting in his eyes. “You were one of the mountain-patrolling disciples that day, weren’t you? What was your name again?”
“Replying to the Elder, this humble one is named Li Ping. I only just joined the sect,” Li Fan replied smoothly. Under the influence of his ability, the Nascent Soul elder could not detect the lie.
“What do you have to report?”
“That day, a streak of light from the Medicine King Sect did indeed return to the Xuanhuang Realm. It landed right in our midst. We captured the person, but... that scoundrel managed to escape...” Li Fan put on a convincing display of terror and anxiety.
Elder Song’s eyes instantly narrowed.
“The others... they conspired to deceive you, Elder. They even threatened me. I agreed at the time, but after I returned, the more I thought about it, the more my conscience gnawed at me.”
“You are a conscientious one,” Elder Song said, rising abruptly and striding out the door.
He returned a short while later.
There was now a faint scent of blood about him.
“Though you took part in the deception, you were able to repent in time. More importantly, you have the merit of exposing them.”
“You should be rewarded!”
“What do you desire?” Elder Song asked coolly.
“This humble one dares not ask for anything. I will accept whatever the Elder bestows,” Li Fan replied.
A faint smile touched Elder Song’s lips. After a moment of consideration, he gifted Li Fan a defensive magical artifact. With conflict brewing, such an item would undoubtedly increase one’s chances of survival.
“This Elder Song isn’t a bad person, after all,” Li Fan mused, casually playing with the dragon-patterned fire shield in his hand.
Of course, he cared little for the reward. His only reason for approaching the elder was to test the effectiveness of his simplified [Fantasy Becomes Truth].
During their first encounter, Elder Song had been instinctively suspicious. Now, however, he was completely deceived, fully accepting Li Fan as a disciple of the Verdant Valley.
“It will still take some time before I can deceive a Soul Transformation cultivator.”
“The more I comprehend the Daos of this time period, the faster that day will come.”
The surrounding spiritual energy seemed drawn to him, swirling around his body.
But Li Fan deliberately refrained from absorbing it.
He simply continued to gaze at the sky.
His brow furrowed, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
These were the same Daos he had known, yet as a former True Immortal, he felt a strange sense of powerlessness as he tried to comprehend them.
It wasn't that his past insights and memories had failed him.
It was that the very principles of the Xuanhuang Realm were instinctively rejecting his attempts to perceive them.
“Hmph. The Heavenly Dao of Xuanhuang.”
A sharp glint of light flashed in Li Fan’s eyes.
(End of Chapter)
Comments