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Chapter 1675: The Starlight Synopsis

Chapter 1675: The Starlight Synopsis

Though it still felt as if it had all happened in an instant, the return process this time felt somehow less lengthy than before.

When Li Fan's consciousness reawakened, this strange and contradictory feeling was the first thing that surfaced in his mind.

He stared blankly at the characters materializing before him.

[This simulation has ended]

[You may choose one of the following options to retain:

1. An item you possessed during this simulation.

2. Your cultivation level from this simulation.

3. The simulation memory of a person close to you. This memory can be inherited by said person.

...

Compared to the stable text of the past, these few lines now flickered with a strange, alternating black and red glow.

This eerie light couldn't help but remind Li Fan of the scene at the very end of his previous life, when Truth and the Star had been locked in a tense standoff.

Moreover, the descriptive text itself seemed on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

This was definitely not his imagination.

As Li Fan focused his thoughts more intently upon it, the list of options disintegrated in an instant, turning to dust before his eyes.

Despite this, Li Fan felt no panic in his heart.

He already understood that this change in Truth was a good thing.

After the text shattered, Li Fan's vision was plunged into a brief moment of darkness.

But soon, a new light was reborn from the void.

Lines of completely new text began to reassemble, leaping into his view.

[This simulation has ended]

[You may choose one of the following options to retain:

1. Your cultivation level, any item you possessed, or any Dao you mastered during this simulation.

2. The simulation's outcome for any close companion. This outcome can be overlaid onto the current Mountain and Sea.

3. The Mountain and Sea Variation Outline from this simulation.

4. The Star Radiance Rhythm Summary from this simulation.

5. Forgo the above options to accelerate the recharging process.]

...

The four choices had become five.

And the specific content of the options had undergone a world-shaking transformation. With each line he read, it felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing his heart tightly.

"This must be the change brought about by my finally achieving the Saint realm and personally witnessing the end of the Mountain and Sea and the appearance of the solitary Star."

"Or perhaps, it's because I finally witnessed the true power of Truth and the reality behind each of its activations. Is that why it has become less restrictive with me?"

Li Fan didn't know the exact reason; perhaps it was both.

But in any case, this change in Truth's inheritance options was undoubtedly extraordinary.

Taking a deep breath, Li Fan closed his eyes, forcing himself to ignore the content of the options.

Only after he had completely calmed down did he begin to carefully analyze them again.

The original first and second options were now merged into one, and this new option was even more comprehensive.

It wasn't just limited to his cultivation level, but also included items he possessed, as well as the Daos he had mastered.

His cultivation level and possessions, Li Fan could understand.

But what did it mean by "the Dao you mastered"?

"Ordinary Daos are trivial to me now. This must be referring to a Mountain and Sea Great Dao. However, Truth has the divine power of [Dao Return], and once it absorbs something, the change is permanent. For instance, even if I don't choose to inherit a Dao now, the [Primal Xuanpin] is still under Truth's control. What's the point of inheriting it again?"

Li Fan frowned in thought.

He didn't believe Truth would offer a meaningless option.

Especially not after truly witnessing its divine might.

Having profoundly realized how ridiculous his past speculations about Truth had been, Li Fan knew he needed to approach it with a completely new perspective.

"Inheriting something already under its control... there seems to be a precedent."

After a long moment, Li Fan's eyes flickered as he recalled the experience of choosing to inherit a Heavenly Wonder from the Xuanhuang Realm.

"A Xuanhuang Wonder should be unique in the world. But after Truth's immense power created a new one, for a brief moment, two of them existed side by side."

"However... its unique nature wouldn't change because of this. So..."

Li Fan's heart skipped a beat as he reached a conclusion.

"The two merge and evolve further!"

If it were just a wonder from a single realm, it wouldn't be such a big deal.

But the object that could be strengthened now was a Mountain and Sea Great Dao—an existence on par with the Mountain and Sea itself, capable of creating a Saint!

If it were further enhanced by Truth, what kind of effect would it produce?

Recalling the Xuanpin Dao he had mastered and cultivated in his previous life, and looking at the four gleaming words [Primal Xuanpin] on the Truth panel, Li Fan felt an impulse surge within him. He wanted to choose this option immediately to see what would happen.

"If it's really as I think, this would be monumental. It would carve an entirely new path for me."

"As long as I keep strengthening it, perhaps even just by wearing its mantle, I could be no weaker than the Saints of the Other Shore."

He had almost made his decision.

But Li Fan suppressed the impulse and didn't choose immediately.

Instead, he carefully read through the remaining options one by one.

If the first inheritance option was for himself, then the second was for others.

Compared to before, its effect was also a qualitative leap.

Originally, one could only inherit memories along with their spiritual nature.

Someone like Rinsing Moon Bai, even though she had arduously cultivated to a transcendent realm in the previous life, had to start over as a mortal in the next.

But now...

"Directly inherit the simulation's outcome and overlay it onto the current Mountain and Sea."

He had seen the phrase "overlay it onto the current Mountain and Sea" before, in Truth's simulated deductions of the entire Mountain and Sea.

It wasn't hard to understand.

It meant that, just like Li Fan, others could now fully inherit everything gained in the previous simulation!

As the greatest beneficiary of this inheritance function, Li Fan naturally knew how terrifying it was.

Creating a Saint would be a simple matter!

"But there are drawbacks."

"The simulation's outcome naturally includes the complete memories of the previous life. A Saint's power is comparable to my own. If I were to truly create a Saint, no matter how well I concealed myself, flaws would inevitably be exposed."

"This is a trump card, a double-edged sword. It cannot be used lightly. Not even on Auntie."

Given Li Fan's nature, there was no one in the entire Mountain and Sea for whom he would use this second option without reservation.

"Perhaps in the future, when I'm backed into a corner again, I might use it," Li Fan thought to himself.

He had many concerns.

Fortunately, a faint ripple came from Truth, promptly informing him that he could still choose the old way of simply inheriting memories.

However, it was truly too wasteful and not highly recommended.

But everything was still up to Li Fan to decide.

"Wasteful, is it?"

Li Fan snorted softly, skipped it, and looked at the third and fourth options.

They were new possibilities that had appeared after the cataclysm of the previous life.

And...

Just from the wording, he knew they were extraordinary.

Li Fan's expression grew solemn as he read them slowly.

"Mountain and Sea Variation Outline, Star Radiance Rhythm Summary."

One concerned the Mountain and Sea, the other, the solitary Star.

Without a doubt, with Truth's abilities, it should be able to observe and record the changes in the Mountain and Sea, and even the Star.

But the key was...

What exactly were these two things?

If he inherited them, what benefit would they bring him now?

"They're too profound."

"I haven't even reached the Saint realm yet. If I inherit them rashly, I'm afraid it would do more harm than good."

Staring at these two lines for a long time, Li Fan sighed.

"Them appearing on the Truth panel now only means I finally have the ability to view the [Mountain and Sea Variation Outline] and the [Star Radiance Rhythm Summary]. But whether the outcome of viewing them will be good or bad is unknown."

"As for before..."

"I probably didn't even have the right to look."

The horrifying image of the Mountain and Sea disintegrating as the starlight devoured everything resurfaced in his mind.

He had no doubt that if his mortal self had encountered such a scene, he would have gone completely insane from being unable to bear it.

"Only by truly stepping into the Saint realm myself, rather than borrowing the mantle of a Mountain and Sea Great Dao, can I safely accept these two things," Li Fan faintly understood.

"Of course, since Truth has listed them, it means that with my current strength, even if I force myself to read them, I won't suffer any fatal damage."

"I can indeed glimpse their mysteries. However..."

"The other options are beneficial, but these two are potentially harmful."

Li Fan shook his head slightly. After a long hesitation, he ultimately chose neither of them.

"It's better to be safe."

"Besides, it's just one reincarnation simulation."

After calming his thoughts, Li Fan's gaze finally fell on the last option.

"Accelerate the recharging process..."

His train of thought paused for a moment.

That Truth needed to recharge had been a constant rule from the very beginning.

Even as Li Fan's strength grew and he encountered various opportunities, the required charging time had continuously shrunk and was already extremely short.

But ultimately, it still required time to charge.

In the past, Li Fan would have subconsciously skipped this option, thinking it held little significance.

But now, after the inheritance options had changed and his choices to inherit cultivation and items had been merged into one, this option to accelerate recharging still remained.

It even occupied its own line.

"Could there be some hidden meaning to this?"

Judging from Truth's current behavior, the answer was almost obvious.

But the benefit of choosing this option was simply too low. After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan ultimately shook his head and passed over it.

"I choose to inherit the Dao I mastered in the previous life."

Li Fan's expression was grave as he made his decision.

From the depths of his being, he felt waves of ambiguous ripples from Truth.

They vanished in an instant.

Just as Truth had expressed before, everything was ultimately based on Li Fan's choice.

A moment later, a mysterious yet familiar rhythm descended.

"The Xuanpin Dao..."

At the end of the Mountain and Sea, he had spent countless years with it.

Li Fan recognized the aura of Xuanpin at a glance.

Thanks to Truth's concealment, the descent of this Mountain and Sea Great Dao did not spread beyond the Xuanhuang Realm.

It was even confined to a ten-meter radius around Li Fan.

The Great Dao settled upon him like a well-worn piece of clothing, and Li Fan donned it with practiced ease.

Like the emperor's new clothes, he wore it, and yet he did not.

It only lingered on Li Fan for a moment before vanishing silently, like a fleeting dream.

But this change was within Li Fan's expectations.

He gazed far into the distance, beyond the Primal Possibility.

He looked towards the place in the Mountain and Sea where the Xuanpin Dao resided.

He carefully perceived it.

"As expected, the Xuanpin has been strengthened."

"Although not as exaggerated as doubling its power, it's still shocking enough to shake the world."

"And..."

A peculiar expression flickered across Li Fan's face.

"Having inherited the sliver of the Xuanpin Dao I mastered for so many years, the current Xuanpin in the Mountain and Sea has actually been tinged with my aura?"

At the same time, Li Fan also noticed the characters for [Primal Xuanpin] under the [Dao Return] heading on the Truth panel.

The moment he chose to inherit, their seven-colored hue had faded to transparency.

"Truth's control over Xuanpin remains."

"But the Xuanpin of today is not the Xuanpin of yesterday."

"It needs to be reabsorbed to be stabilized."

After all, having once been the Xuanpin Saint, Li Fan could naturally see the reason for this change.

"After my choice to inherit today, the Xuanpin in the Mountain and Sea has also been permanently altered."

"Even if I reincarnate again, and Truth reshapes the Mountain and Sea at the end of time, the Xuanpin in the new cycle will still be the one I have changed."

A wave of understanding washed over Li Fan.

At the same time, a strange sense of unease surfaced.

The source of his unease wasn't some impending crisis.

It was because his "magic pill for regret" no longer existed.

In the past, no matter what choice he made, he could use Truth to return to the initial anchor point, erasing all the consequences of his actions.

But now, as his strength gradually increased and he came face to face with the true nature of Truth, this "privilege" of not having to bear any consequences was gone.

"It seems I must be extremely cautious with any changes involving the Mountain and Sea Great Daos."

In truth, Li Fan still suspected that Truth had the ability to reset the Mountain and Sea to the "pure" version from when he first transmigrated.

However, Truth had now deliberately informed him of this permanent change.

Even if Li Fan insisted on opposing it, it would be useless.

It was better to just accept it quietly.

"Overall, the changes to the Xuanpin Dao itself are still beneficial to me."

For one, it would be much easier for Li Fan to don the mantle of Xuanpin again.

And for another...

Li Fan had a feeling.

If he used this method of inheriting the Daos he commanded to mark all the Mountain and Sea Great Daos with his essence...

...then even if he didn't advance to the Saint realm, his true strength would not be the least bit inferior to a Mountain and Sea Saint.

"The plan now is still to increase my own strength."

"As for the struggle between the Mountain and Sea, Truth, and the Star..."

"In the future, it's not impossible that I might join in."

Caught in this precarious position, Li Fan had his own way of survival.

Lie low as much as possible when weak.

Seize every opportunity to strengthen himself.

Until the situation is completely reversed—then it will be time to settle the score!

Li Fan didn't find it unacceptable that his body was being controlled by Truth.

Nor did he fall into despair.

He had already figured it out. With Truth's power, it could completely occupy his body and will at any time.

But it hadn't done so.

It must have a purpose.

Whether it was the special nature of his own infinite spirituality or his unique identity as a "transmigrator," he couldn't be sure.

In short, Truth's special treatment of him was the capital he could use to continue playing the game.

"Just you wait."

"There's still a long road ahead."

"Hmph."

He thought this without any fear of the possibility that Truth could spy on his thoughts.