Chapter 802: Hunger and Chaos Share the Same Origin
Chapter 802: Hunger and Chaos Share the Same Origin
One year. The anchor point was set for one year.
He was back on the summit of Jieli Mountain.
An invisible ripple emanated from Li Fan, a cultivator at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.
Though his eyes still held a faint crimson hue, the gnawing hunger had indeed subsided considerably.
Prepared for this, Li Fan immediately began circulating the Mysterious Yellow Cleansing Heart Mantra.
Once again, he silently battled the fatal sensation of starvation.
The hunger had only been weakened slightly, but to Li Fan, it was a world of difference, a profound relief.
In the eight years of the previous timeline, he himself didn't know how he had managed to endure.
Li Fan didn't know what consequences such an act would bring.
But he had a nagging feeling that if he had truly done so, his fate would have been no better than that of the skeletal remains upon the Immortal Ruins.
Armed with the experience of being tormented for eight years, Li Fan's tolerance for the hunger, now diminished by one degree, was far greater in this life.
He could now resist the insatiable craving while also having the clarity to contemplate other matters.
"It still doesn't diminish with the passage of time... It seems I can only rely on [Truth] to lessen its impact," Li Fan thought to himself.
Because he had chosen the inheritance option that accelerated its charging progress this time,
[Truth] was fully charged by the fourth year of the anchor.
With immense willpower, Li Fan maintained his mental clarity as he flew into Yi Yin's tomb and absorbed the Dao Transformation Stone within.
Only then did he activate [Truth].
Returning to Jieli Mountain at the one-year anchor point, Li Fan's eyes were no longer red.
Even without using the Cleansing Heart Mantra, he could suppress the feeling of hunger with his willpower alone.
"The degree of reduction has increased significantly."
"But it's still there."
"It looks like I need to do this one more time."
Li Fan couldn't help but narrow his eyes. "Four consecutive uses of [Truth] to completely eliminate the negative effects."
"Is this the price for looking a True Immortal in the eye?"
Without a doubt, the remains Li Fan had seen in the Immortal Ruins belonged to a legendary True Immortal.
Moreover, since the being had opened its eyes, it was uncertain whether it was truly dead or not.
After all, everything Li Fan had just experienced spoke to the terrifying nature of a True Immortal. They could not be measured by common sense.
"It's just like the mark left on me back in Yuandao Province, after I was devoured for ten years."
"There truly are things in this world that can continue to affect me even after I activate [Truth]."
"But this doesn't mean that the entity looming over Yuandao Province, or this so-called True Immortal, possesses a status higher than [Truth]."
"It's simply because I am the vessel for [Truth]."
"Since my memories are not erased during the process, [Truth] is not absolute, not entirely pure."
"These negative factors can persist after the reset precisely because they travel along with me."
"It's like the Dao Transformation Stone crystal in my mind. I don't need to specifically preserve it in each life. As long as it is one with my Dao, its growth will be brought back to the designated anchor point."
"The same goes for my spiritual sense and soul."
"Although their actual growth is also diminished after using [Truth], this is the fundamental reason I can grow stronger through each cycle."
Li Fan slowly mulled over these thoughts, relying on sheer willpower to suppress the gnawing hunger.
Distracting his attention proved to be remarkably effective in escaping the sensation.
Recalling the events of the timeline before last, Li Fan began to formulate a plan for his future actions.
He had witnessed the power of the Dharma Spreader.
He had seen the power of a True Immortal.
As his horizons broadened, his methods and strategies had to change accordingly.
Soon, another four years passed from the anchor point.
After absorbing another low-grade Dao Transformation Stone, causing the crystal in his mind to grow even more brilliant and dazzling, Li Fan activated [Truth] once more.
This time, when he returned to the summit of Jieli Mountain, his body and mind felt completely normal. There was no trace of the anomaly.
Not daring to let his guard down, Li Fan meticulously inspected himself from top to bottom.
He then circulated the Purple Clouds Vast Righteousness Intent, cleansing his soul.
He was determined to eliminate any possible hidden dangers.
An entire year passed in this manner.
On the mountain peak, by the cliff's edge, Li Fan faced the morning sun as it bloomed above the sea of clouds, casting thousands of purple rays. He slowly exhaled a breath of air.
"Several resets, totaling just over a decade."
"But it truly feels like a lifetime has passed. Even longer than the hundred lifetimes I spent on my Foundation Establishment."
"Hunger..."
An image of the exceedingly complex symbol from the desolate land of the Immortal Ruins instantly surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
He didn't dare to rashly test it, only contemplating it within the confines of his thoughts.
"In the white mist, on a broken stone at the center of a Maze Domain, I once saw the character for 'Chaos'."
"And on the Immortal Ruins, there exists a character for 'Hunger'."
"This 'Hunger' character is very likely the ultimate reason the Immortal Ruins ceaselessly draws all things toward it."
"An Immortal Law?"
"If so, it's far too terrifying."
Li Fan's eyelid twitched slightly.
Composing himself, he felt a subtle sense of incongruity.
"The 'Hunger' character in the Immortal Ruins was a complex symbol. Though I didn't understand its structure, the moment I saw it, I naturally understood the meaning it represented."
"But the 'Chaos' character in the white mist Maze Domain was written in the same script commonly used throughout the cultivation world."
"The 'Hunger' character could drive countless cultivation worlds to utter ruin."
"And yet, the 'Chaos' I encountered was in a place where even a monster far from the Dao Integration realm could survive..."
Li Fan grew pensive, and in an instant, he understood. "It wasn't the primordial 'Chaos'."
"It was an imitation. A copy made by someone who had witnessed the Immortal Law of 'Chaos'."
The realization left Li Fan momentarily speechless.
Even the crude, third-hand imitation he had employed could stir up considerable turmoil in the Xuanhuang Realm.
What about the true character for "Chaos," then?
A character on par with the "Hunger" of the Immortal Ruins.
What terrifying power would it truly possess?
An immortal being was suppressed by a single character for "Hunger," its fate unknown.
The severing of the path to immortality.
The inexplicable loss of contact with other cultivation worlds.
Could all of this be related to "Chaos"?
In that instant, Li Fan was plunged into endless speculation.
He had gained too much from this experience.
So much, in fact, that it had affected him beyond the limits of his current perspective.
In truth, this was not necessarily a good thing.
After all, he didn't even know how to contend with the Dharma Spreader, let alone a True Immortal who existed on a plane far above.
"I can't get ahead of myself."
"I still need to proceed one step at a time, starting with getting out of the life-and-death crisis facing the Xuanhuang Realm."
A long while passed before Li Fan finally came back to his senses.
He felt a sense of wistful loss as the thought crossed his mind.
(End of Chapter)
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