Chapter 774: An Unwilling Return
“This sensation?” Xu Bai’s eyes narrowed reflexively.
Having created a clone in every lifetime, he had long grown accustomed to dividing his consciousness.
But now, with the creation of this new Holy Embryo—what was, for all intents and purposes, a third clone—an entirely new sensation washed over Xu Bai.
The Mysterious True Spirit Transformation was an advanced technique derived from the principles of the Sun Stealing Technique.
It was arguably the most orthodox cloning technique in the world of cultivation.
Whether it was the main body or a clone, both were under the absolute control of his consciousness.
The Holy Blood Embryo Transformation, on the other hand...
Before the Holy Embryo detached itself, it truly felt like a part of his own body, completely subject to his will.
Yet, from the moment it separated from his back, a subtle and mysterious transformation seemed to occur.
And he did still possess absolute control over it.
But...
Something just felt... off.
The Holy Embryo turned to face Xu Bai, their eyes locking.
It was like looking into a mirror, with the only difference being that one was clothed and the other stood stark naked.
Outwardly, they were identical in every way.
Yet as Xu Bai stared, a persistent feeling of dissonance settled in his heart.
He was suddenly reminded of a scene from a horror movie he'd seen before crossing over to this world.
Late at night. A bathroom.
He had just finished washing up when he casually glanced at his reflection in the mirror.
And to his absolute terror, the man in the mirror was suddenly grinning back at him—an eerie, unsettling smile.
The thought vanished in an instant.
In reality, nothing of the sort happened. The Holy Embryo didn't lose control, nor did it offer him a mysterious smile.
Yet, as he looked at the Holy Embryo, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
If his original self, Li Fan, were to perish, then his clone, Xu Bai, would undoubtedly die with him.
But what about this Holy Embryo?
Would it die too?
The very purpose of the Holy Blood Embryo Transformation was to ensure the imperial lineage would never be broken.
The answer, then, was obvious. It would not.
“So that's the fundamental difference between a Holy Embryo and a clone,” Xu Bai realized with a flash of insight.
“When Qing said it was almost identical to a clone...”
“The key word was *almost*.”
The moment this realization struck him, far away in Tianquan Province, his original self—Li Fan—abruptly ceased his meditation on the Limitless Fullness and Emptiness Technique.
He replayed the clone's entire journey to the empire in his mind, and a strange expression crept onto his face.
“Interesting. So, I wasn't entirely immune to its influence.”
Looking back on it now from his perspective as the original...
...the choice his clone, Xu Bai, had made seemed more than a little rash.
Of course, the decision was still his own.
But circumstances and surroundings matter; even the same person might make a completely different choice under different conditions.
And that was precisely what had happened with Xu Bai.
Had he been there himself, faced with the red string and the Holy Blood Embryo Transformation, he would have undoubtedly studied the string first.
He wouldn't have rushed into creating the embryo.
While he did intend to use the technique to create another clone...
...he would not have been so eager.
He would have proceeded with the utmost caution.
Though Li Fan understood all this in a flash, he still felt no immediate sense of danger.
Even so, a thread of unease began to form.
After deliberating for a long while, the thought of immediately initiating a Return to Truth surfaced in his mind.
“Virtualize current scenario and return to initial anchor point?”
The world around him began to dissolve into nothingness as the system prompt appeared.
But Li Fan hesitated.
He thought of the hard-won Limitless Fullness and Emptiness Technique, which he had yet to fully decipher.
He thought of the Dissociation Disc, which he had yet to merge into one.
He thought of his yet-unfound method of using the Terminal Stone Disk to completely block the senses of the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
He thought of how he still hadn't piloted the Medicine King True Cauldron out of the Xuanhuang Realm to venture into the Immortal Ruins.
He thought of...
He was truly loath to leave it all behind.
He remained frozen for a long time, as still as a stone statue.
A fierce battle raged in his mind, and his body began to tremble.
“Virtualize current scenario and return to initial anchor point?”
The system prompt appeared once more.
Li Fan's expression flickered between light and shadow.
But in the end, he chose “No.”
In an instant, the dissolving world solidified, becoming real once more.
As for Li Fan, having made his choice, he felt as if he had just endured an epic battle in the span of a single moment.
He nearly collapsed, his body drained of strength and drenched in sweat.
Yet his instincts screamed that he had made the wrong choice.
He rested only for a moment, just long enough to catch his breath.
Then, Li Fan opened the interface for [Truth] once more.
“Virtualize current scenario and return to initial anchor point?”
The system prompt appeared, as reliable as ever.
But this time, the words no longer sounded so reassuring.
All human action is driven by desire.
And now, as Li Fan opened the interface for the second time, his desire to initiate the return was, compared to before...
...noticeably weaker.
A torrent of hesitation, reluctance, and lingering attachments flooded his mind.
This time, the struggle was shorter.
In the end, Li Fan closed the interface again.
He let out a ragged breath.
It was as if all the strength had been drained from his body in an instant.
He slumped to the floor, gasping for breath.
After a long pause, he managed to push himself up on his hands, an inscrutable emotion flickering in his eyes.
He began his third attempt.
The result was predictable.
He made his decision even more quickly this time.
After only a few breaths, he had already closed the interface.
“The Xuanhuang Heart Refining Mantra...”
On his fourth attempt, Li Fan silently began to circulate the supreme immortal technique that had saved him from peril time and again.
But with the Heart Refining Mantra active, the very instant he opened the interface...
...he closed it of his own accord, before the myriad attachments even had a chance to cloud his judgment.
The Heart Refining Mantra was formed by opposing a cultivator's Dao heart.
Li Fan now wished to Return to Truth to avert disaster.
But under the mantra's influence, the very thought of returning was instantly converted into fuel, strengthening his divine sense instead.
Having failed yet again, Li Fan stood silently in his private chamber, not speaking for a long time.
This time, Li Fan stopped struggling.
Instead, he closed his eyes and began to think with a chilling calm.
He was now facing the most dangerous situation he had ever encountered since crossing over to this world.
He had laid his plans in this life for so long, but it wasn't yet time to reap the rewards. This gave rise to a powerful sense of reluctance to let go.
And under the influence of some unknown power, this reluctance was being amplified to an extreme.
It had reached the point where he was now actively, willingly, refusing to Return to Truth.
Even now, a part of him still felt that nothing was truly wrong.
He was just being a little too greedy, that's all.
But ultimately, Li Fan cherished his life above all else.
His unwavering obsession with longevity allowed him to recognize the truth.
If he couldn't initiate a return, then in the perilous Xuanhuang Realm, he truly risked annihilation at any moment.
A damnation from which there would be no return.
(End of Chapter)
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