414 Chapter 1269-1272 (8.5K words)

Chapter 1269: Immortal Folding Array

After undergoing some tempering in the Ashen Small World, Sun Luyao, who had narrowly escaped death under the "Return" technique, indeed showed considerable progress.

A dim light quietly bloomed, piercing through the surface of the Xuanhuang Realm's land and reaching its inner core.

After a thorough search, they did discover remnants of what seemed to be a protective barrier array.

However, compared to the Ashen Small World, the array lines in the Xuanhuang Realm appeared even more ancient and profound.

Li Fan, while activating the Infinite Mirror to continue exploring, incorporated the data of these confirmed arrays into the model derived from the Terminal Dissociation Disc.

"Most of them match, but at certain crucial nodes..." Li Fan's gaze flickered as he held the Infinite Mirror and transformed into streams of light, traversing the depths below the Xuanhuang's earth.

In this extremely chaotic environment, where material existence had ceased to exist under unimaginable pressure, only a dark red breath flowed, carrying a mysterious whisper-like sound.

Under such extreme conditions, Li Fan's divine clone had no choice but to enter the Infinite Mirror to survive, relying on the Immortal Artifact's main body.

However, it wasn't easy for the Infinite Mirror either. It proactively released a dim light to protect its main body, while Sun Luyao remained vigilant, surveying the surroundings.

"Senior, I clearly observed the array remnants from above, but when I got close, I couldn't see them anymore..."

"Moreover, I sensed the aura of Immortal Seals here, many of them..."

"Much stronger than before," Sun Luyao emphasized.

"Have you recovered any memories after coming into contact with the Immortal Seals?" Li Fan inquired while observing the surroundings.

After the Infinite Mirror shattered, the information related to the Immortal Realm disappeared along with it. Even though Li Fan helped it roughly reconstruct the lost data, the missing records did not return.

However, after the "Return" technique against the Immortal Realm, there might be some variables, prompting Li Fan to ask the question.

Seemingly casually and uninterested, Li Fan was actually closely watching Sun Luyao, observing any changes in his demeanor.

"No," Sun Luyao's emotions remained unchanged. He honestly admitted, "After being annihilated by the power of the Immortal Seals, my consciousness entered a blank state. I can't perceive the existence of those missing parts."

"However..."

"However..."

Sun Luyao's words suddenly stopped, seemingly caught in some kind of contemplation and doubt.

"Hmm?"

"Well, I don't know how to express it to Senior. In any case, it's a very magical experience. Although it does seem to be nonexistent, it feels like I instantly flew to a distant world. It's too mysterious; I don't know if it's my genuine perception or an illusion in the midst of life and death." Sun Luyao spoke slowly, his tone somewhat dreamy and elusive.

Upon hearing his words, Li Fan's thoughts paused slightly.

"If the Immortal Realm still exists, this 'Return' technique is equivalent to forcibly opening a passage to the Immortal Realm. However, it is only open to specific objects."

"And now, with the destruction of the Immortal Realm..."

"The passage still exists, but the destination is no longer there. Yet, according to the testimony of the Infinite Mirror, it's also possible that the true Immortal Land, the so-called place of the former Immortal Realm, hasn't disappeared. Instead, after a brief stay, it was forcibly expelled. In other words, the old ways are difficult to tolerate!"

A sudden impulse surged within Li Fan.

Utilizing the remaining essence of the source, he contemplated the possibility of disguising himself as an Immortal Artifact and utilizing the power of the "Return" technique to explore the true Immortal Land.

Once the idea arose, it was like a raging flood, difficult to suppress. It was only when the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra spontaneously activated that the desire was suppressed.

Li Fan suddenly realized, "This is the longing of mortals for immortality, the pursuit of transcendence at a lower level of existence. It is engraved in the depths of the soul, innate and indelible."

"For me, relying on my divine clone to attempt and having the main body ready to return at any time, the risk isn't too high. Hmm... it's just right to sit back and watch the final act of this world. It will take a long time. I can plan carefully..."

In his contemplation, Li Fan's divine clone also found a method to unravel the hidden initial protective array in the Xuanhuang Realm.

What surprised him was that it was unexpectedly identical to the method used by the transmission law to conceal the seal of the Book of Crossing Calamities.

In other words: the superimposition of space in multiple directions. In simpler terms, it's like a line segment hidden in different spatial dimensions. From a certain angle, nothing can be discovered naturally. Only by continuously changing perspectives and "rotating" all distributed entities into one can the hidden array finally be revealed.

Under Li Fan's guidance, the ancient mirror of the Infinite Mirror gradually reflected the traces of the array lines.

It was clearer than what was seen on the ground.

It was like the imprint left by a ruthless behemoth, even the space itself carried a sense of vicissitude.

While the Infinite Mirror seemed unaffected, Li Fan's divine clone almost synchronously aged visibly at an eye-catching speed.

And this was solely due to the approach caused by the "sight."

This was the first time Li Fan had seen a real Immortal-level formation, not just a theoretical one.

Although it was just a few strokes of lines, it brought many gains to Li Fan, who considered himself at the pinnacle of mortal realm formations.

"So, it's like this."

"The unexpected twists at these formation nodes, though surprising, seem to be how it should be. My previous understanding was too shallow."

"Wonderful, wonderful."

Li Fan exclaimed repeatedly, immersed in the traces of a true Immortal-level formation. It seemed that he turned a blind eye to his aging and the impending crisis of disappearance.

On the other hand, the Infinite Mirror's Sun Luyao, perhaps too shocked to react, just stared blankly, allowing Li Fan's divine clone to rapidly weaken without any warning.

Just as Li Fan's divine clone was about to completely dissipate due to aging, an inexplicable vitality suddenly emerged from its core.

The intention of death completely vanished, and even the residual aura of the Xuanhuang Realm's protective array couldn't shake the faint souls that were previously like candle flames in the wind.

This sudden change left Sun Luyao, the spirit of the Infinite Mirror, in utter astonishment.

"E- Elder!"

Li Fan could already communicate with himself within the array's aura. He glanced at Sun Luyao and smiled faintly, "What's wrong? Want to learn?"

"This is called the Mystic Art of Life and Death. Reverse life and death, free from life and death."

Sun Luyao shivered and dared not speak.

After holding back for a while, he slowly said, "Elder's power is truly beyond the junior's imagination..."

Li Fan temporarily didn't bother to settle accounts with him. Concentrating all his attention, he delved into the original protective array of the Xuanhuang Realm.

From the glimpse of the array observed so far, the scale of the original protective array was unexpectedly enormous.

If these discovered details were proportionally enlarged into the model derived from the Terminal Dissociation Disc's deductions, then theoretically, the range of the original protective array was dozens of times larger than the initial Xuanhuang Realm!

Completely contrary to common sense!

"Where did it go wrong?"

Li Fan was momentarily stunned, and after a brief contemplation, he continued to activate the Infinite Mirror, projecting the remaining array traces.

As the actual data of the original protective array gradually filled in, and some key formation nodes appeared, Li Fan modified the deduced formation model.

He understood the reason for the inconsistency between theory and reality.

In the previous deductions, the protective array was just a large array that covered the Xuanhuang Realm. However, in reality, this original array folded several times in the same position with slightly different forms!

Converging layer by layer inward and compressing changes, it formed the true Xuanhuang Protective Array!

"Simply stacking and folding has increased the potential of the array several times. Moreover, if the folding array is unfolded, it can instantly erupt with the power of the array's upper limit under normal conditions."

"More importantly, if the Xuanhuang Realm itself expands its territory, the protective array can also expand perfectly into new territories by continuously unfolding in this manner. Even if the connection with the Immortal Realm is temporarily severed, as long as one holds the reins of the original protective array, the array's perfect state can be maintained through this method."

The Terminal Dissociation Disc within Li Fan's main body released its power to the limit, assisting the divine clone deep within the Xuanhuang to comprehend the original protective array.

With the subtle analysis function of the Infinite Mirror's ethereal light, Li Fan was able to smoothly transform the array traces into something he could comprehend gradually.

During the research, Li Fan found that the original array frequently used the technique of folding formations.

Any seemingly simple formation structure could potentially hide thousands or even tens of thousands of extremely complex formation units.

To ensure that the analysis of the array wouldn't fail due to omissions, Li Fan had to slow down the deciphering speed.

He left no detail unchecked, using the Infinite Mirror to thoroughly reflect everything. This made it challenging for Sun Luyao.

Although he had grown accustomed to being squeezed to exhaustion, such a high-intensity workload still made him utterly miserable.

Just because he had made a mistake earlier, Sun Luyao had a guilty conscience. At this moment, he could only endure it with gritted teeth.

Li Fan wouldn't actually let the Infinite Mirror disintegrate before deciphering the original protective array. He would still accurately use the essence of source power to rescue him just before Sun Luyao collapsed.

Time slowly passed, and the analysis of the array was mostly completed.

It reached the outer area of the central core.

However, at this moment, Li Fan proactively stopped the exploration. The remaining essence of source power was enough to support the Infinite Mirror in completing the final task. Yet, in the peripheral region of this central core, Li Fan faintly sensed a crisis.

Carefully perceiving, Li Fan confirmed that this premonition of danger did not come from the original protective array itself but from another aspect.

"Is there a restriction here?"

Li Fan squinted his eyes.

"Sun Luyao!" he called out proficiently.

Sun Luyao responded, uplifting his exhausted spirit, and carefully re-surveyed the surroundings.

"Elder, besides the traces of the array, no abnormalities were found!" After completing the investigation, Sun Luyao hurriedly reported.

Li Fan contemplated for a moment and said, "Check again!"

This time, Li Fan personally guided the ethereal light of the Infinite Mirror, using the method of exploring the "folding" to thoroughly inspect the space outside the central core of the original array.

Sure enough! He found a set of warning restrictions that had been folded several times, completely hiding its traces in the usual state!

The aura of the warning restriction was also ancient.

However, compared to the traces of the original array, it had a taste of being somewhat weak. It had already been deciphered, the core power had disappeared, leaving only an empty shell.

But even this empty shell still gave Li Fan a fatal sense of impending crisis.

"It should be of the same origin as the source of the original Xuanhuang array, both of celestial origin." Without being careless, after careful investigation, Li Fan came to this conclusion.

"If the restriction were complete, even with the accumulated heritage of the Xuanhuang Realm for over a dozen eras, I'm afraid it would still be helpless. Fortunately, such a terrifying celestial restriction has already been broken by predecessors!"

Li Fan discovered the loophole in the restriction.

As a precaution, he separated a part of his divine soul to probe. After confirming it wasn't a trap, he brought the Infinite Mirror and entered the central core area through the hole in the restriction.

After a brief moment of darkness.

When the light reappeared, what appeared before Li Fan's eyes was no longer an empty void but a peculiar apparatus.

Constructed by innumerable concentric circles of varying sizes, all sharing the same core, these circles were distributed in different directions.

Using the term "countless" is not an exaggeration but an accurate description. The concentric circles forming this strange apparatus were genuinely uncountable, neither by divine consciousness nor eyes.

Despite losing its power source and remaining motionless, it still seemed to be constantly changing its quantity.

Focusing on this apparatus, the world in front of Li Fan seemed to want to branch off into another realm.

"Not an illusion."

"My existence is being weakened?"

In Li Fan's divine clone, alarm bells rang loudly. This wasn't just for the divine clone but also for the true body hiding in the Illusory Space of the Myriad Immortals Alliance. They both felt a terrifying pressure, almost as if it were a substantial crisis.

Wisely, Li Fan's divine clone instantly gave up exploring the peculiar circular apparatus.

The sense of division and impending crisis vanished instantly.

Li Fan tried to recall the appearance of the circular apparatus in his sea of consciousness. While he could reconstruct it, the number of circles in the apparatus remained fixed. Moreover, it was not identical to the actual object seen before; there were subtle and indistinguishable differences.

What startled Li Fan even more was that each time he recalled it, the number of circles in the apparatus was different.

Yet, his intuition told him that each recollection was correct.

This mysterious scene reminded Li Fan of the quantum superposition state he had heard about before transmigration.

"It seems that this circular apparatus is also a remnant from the Immortal Realm."

Li Fan changed his approach, shifting his focus away from the circular apparatus itself and towards the missing parts of the apparatus.

It was evident what was missing from those circular formations. It wasn't Li Fan's speculation but rather, like murals in the surrounding space, depicting the original appearance of this strange apparatus.

An infinite pattern of circular apparatuses made up the entirety of the mural. Similarly, the number of circles in these apparatuses varied.

However, all the apparatuses had one common feature.

At the center of each circle floated a bead.

A bead with what seemed like nine-star patterns engraved on it, and it was crimson red.

Chapter 1270: Shaking Uniqueness

In the rather dim mural, the crimson bead with nine stars was particularly conspicuous. It seemed like numerous eyes, eerily staring at Li Fan.

Simultaneously, as Li Fan had this thought in his mind, he genuinely felt the myriad red beads in the mural coming alive, emitting a peculiar aura.

Neither righteous nor evil, ancient and aged, yet seemingly reborn anew. What shook Li Fan the most was that just through the virtual image left by the mural, his divine soul clone experienced a phenomenon where a part of itself was absorbed and assimilated.

Moreover, Li Fan tried various methods, but none could stop it. Only by using Source Power Essence could he isolate the influence brought about by the nine-star crimson bead.

"What on earth is this nine-star crimson bead?"

"If the actual bead were here, even the protection of Source Power Essence might be useless."

"Hmm..."

Li Fan speculated on the possible consequences after being absorbed by the crimson bead.

"It's not enough to cause any substantial harm to living beings, but it will leave a special imprint in every soul and even the essence of life that is absorbed. And this is only the effect of the nine-star crimson bead."

"Circles in formation, but the bead is invisible..."

Li Fan squinted his eyes, inspecting the extremely peculiar apparatus.

"Indefinite quantity, infinite possibilities."

"Impressions from the nine-star crimson bead."

After all, this apparatus was part of the Xuanhuang Guardian Formation.

Its profound meaning would undoubtedly not deviate too much from the essence of the formation.

Li Fan directly simplified this circular apparatus, considering it as part of an unknown formation unit. He then incorporated it into the Guardian Formation model after the actual data correction by the End Disintegration Disc.

After thousands of iterations and data derivations, Li Fan deduced the most likely purpose of this circular nine-star apparatus.

"Creating myriad life forms..." A strange gleam appeared in Li Fan's eyes.

According to his calculations, the central function of this Xuanhuang Guardian Formation was to use the nine-star circular bead to imprint all the newly born creatures in the Xuanhuang Realm with a special mark. Then, through an indeterminate number of circular formations, it adjusted the imprints within the life essence of these creatures to generate differences in temperament, talents, and more.

"This..."

"What a marvelous formation?!"

Even though he had witnessed the formidable Immortal-level formation, the Primordial Spirit Genesis Formation, capable of reshaping the elements of fire, water, wind, and recreating the world, after understanding the principles behind this current formation, Li Fan couldn't help but sincerely exclaim.

After all, this was the first time he had truly seen such a powerful formation capable of manipulating the form of "life."

"Even achieved through an indeterminate number of circular formations and the nine-star crimson bead. It is still quite remarkable."

"From another perspective, perhaps the prototype of this formation in the Immortal Realm is even more potent. It's just that without the support of Immortal Spirit Qi, some crucial formation nodes lose their effectiveness, and they have to use this peculiar object as a substitute."

"But now..."

Li Fan's gaze once again focused on the vacant area where the nine-star crimson bead should have been.

"The nine-star crimson bead is the key."

"Based on my previous discovery, the bead is likely recalled by the 'Returning' Incantation. However, if this incident occurred after the Immortal Realm catastrophe, due to the uncertainty of returning, the bead should have returned to the Xuanhuang Realm. It's precisely during this process that someone forcibly took it away."

"So much effort indicates that the mastermind behind this is not capable of directly using the 'Returning' Incantation. Instead, they, like me, are leveraging external forces..."

The 'Returning' Incantation is different from True Immortal seals like Chaos and Hunger. Not only does it exhibit vastly different power, but it cannot be imitated poorly to cast degraded versions.

As if an invisible force were obstructing him, with Li Fan's current cultivation, he was fundamentally unqualified to write or even copy the 'Returning' Incantation.

"The rules in the Immortal Realm are strict, as evident. Even though the Immortal Realm has been in ruins for many years, the regulations still stand."

After realizing the underlying principles, Li Fan became even more curious about the current whereabouts of the red bead.

"The nine-star crimson bead probably existed along with the birth of the Xuanhuang Realm. It forcibly imprinted all living beings in the Xuanhuang Realm. In other words, it's very likely that all unique life trait data of Xuanhuang Realm's living beings is stored in the nine-star crimson bead."

At first, this deduction may sound incredible. However, considering the current exploration of the Xuanhuang Guardian Formation, it is the most plausible inference.

"This is the true method of the Immortals, unimaginable, and can be considered a power only possessed by the creators of the world."

"Recording information about distinctive living beings means that, if the conditions of energy and technology are met, recreating any historical figure that appeared in the history of Xuanhuang is not a problem."

"Indeed, the beings created by this method will only be like cloned replicas. The ultimate achievements of a person are closely related to their own experiences."

"But..."

Li Fan's mood suddenly became heavy.

Discovering that a life like his could be created, modified, and reproduced at will by true Immortals, even with the supreme treasure 'Returning to Reality' in his possession, he couldn't help but feel an inexplicable sensation.

"I regard the lives of Xuanhuang beings as toys. True Immortals see me the same way."

Li Fan self-mockingly chuckled.

Of course, this was only a sigh uttered by Li Fan in his mind under great shock. It wasn't his true inner thought.

With his thoughts settled, he returned to the previous topic.

"The Xuanhuang Realm has a creation stone tablet that records every event in the world."

"After creating an entirely identical individual, based on the records of the stone tablet, one can completely reproduce all the experiences that the individual has gone through."

"Original individual, identical life experiences..."

"The ultimately shaped 'life' will also be exactly the same."

The final conclusion drawn from the deduction made Li Fan fall into silence.

The discovery by the Crossing Calamity Sect undoubtedly indicated that since ancient times, from the moment the Xuanhuang Realm was created, it has always been under strict surveillance.

And now, it's not just surveillance.

The entire Xuanhuang Realm seems more like a gigantic experimental field.

The content of the experiment is genuinely chilling.

"If the speculation is true, then the Immortal Realm is doing this to cultivate a unique cultivator?"

"And after achieving the goal, based on these strictly monitored data, they can mass-produce countless identical beings."

In Li Fan's mind, the faces of those cultivators who left their names in the history of the Xuanhuang Realm flashed by.

Xuanyuan Hong, Su Bai, Xu Ke...

As well as He Zhenghao, Xiao Fan, Zhang Haobo, and so on, all these individuals can be recreated.

Without unique characteristics, can these individuals still be called individuals?

Even though Li Fan has the 'Returning to Reality' treasure, allowing him to return to predetermined anchor points continuously, in Li Fan's mind, each of these individuals he has encountered has their unique symbols.

He Zhenghao is He Zhenghao.

Xuan Tianwang is Xuan Tianwang, Mr. Bai is Mr. Bai.

Even if they are NPCs, they have names and surnames, differentiating each NPC.

But now...

The world as Li Fan knew it suddenly changed.

Behind every NPC, there could be countless duplicates.

He doesn't need to press the 'Returning to Reality' button; these entities can swap themselves. Even if destroyed ten thousand times, as long as the original data is not lost, they will be recreated.

The single-player world that Li Fan thought existed only for him has now turned into an online game played by countless players.

This made Li Fan feel a bit nauseous, something he couldn't suppress.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt the world spinning.

All things in the world seemed to be changing into twisted and distorted lines, colorful and mixed with the murmurs of unknown gods, gradually corroding Li Fan's determination.

Even with the blessing of the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra, he couldn't maintain a stable and unchanged Dao heart.

Li Fan's consciousness violently shook, like roots spreading out in water, slowly disintegrating.

"Ugh... Ugh..."

His figure became ethereal, but Li Fan was just bending over, vomiting like a helpless mortal.

This sudden change directly bewildered Sun Luyao.

He had no idea why this mysterious and immensely powerful senior suddenly turned into this appearance.

"Ugh..."

Li Fan's vomiting became more intense.

What he vomited out wasn't tangible filth but his own essence and spirit.

"Senior..."

This scene made Sun Luyao feel fear deep from within.

As if something extremely terrifying was about to happen.

"Ugh..."

Li Fan's breath gradually diminished.

"Cough, cough..."

It transformed into a soft cough.

Then it turned into a slightly manic, deep laughter.

Along with the sinister laughter, there were Li Fan's murmurs.

"Senior... What are you saying?"

Sun Luyao's heart was filled with dread, unable to resist asking, "Hehehe..."

"So I said, it's great that all of you are dead!"

"All dead, and I'm the only one left. That's the perfect situation."

Like the whispers of a demon from the depths of the Nine Hells, Li Fan, in his murmurs, locked Sun Luyao with his divine sense.

Even though these words seemed somewhat incomprehensible to Sun Luyao, they still sent shivers down his spine.

Just as he was about to say something more, Sun Luyao suddenly realized that the core source of the array within his body began to riot without reason.

As if in the next moment, he would be destroyed in the midst of this self-destructive chaos.

After the initial panic and confusion, Sun Luyao finally reacted.

He looked at Li Fan with disbelief, "Senior, why?"

Li Fan's gaze was completely different from what he had seen before.

It was genuine indifference.

In his eyes, Sun Luyao seemed to be non-existent.

Inside the Infinite Mirror, the body that had just completed the process of breaking and reassembling was gradually disintegrating.

As the Infinite Mirror Spirit, Sun Luyao could do nothing about it.

Realizing that he was about to perish, Sun Luyao, who had not tasted the flavor of death for many years, couldn't help but lose his composure completely.

He tried everything to save his own life.

"Senior, spare me! I am your most loyal slave. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it!"

"Senior, I was wrong! I shouldn't have harbored any other thoughts. I deserve to die a thousand times!"

"Senior, spare me! I still have usefulness! The remnants of the Xuanhuang Protection Array are not fully explored. I can still be of value!"

Sun Luyao conveyed his pleas faster and faster, eventually sobbing and wailing incessantly.

"Senior, let me live a little longer! Let me..."

Plop.

Like a cockroach being easily stepped on, Sun Luyao's life abruptly came to an end.

The ancient mirror that was originally radiating with a spiritual luster suddenly dimmed.

It fell powerless.

"Dying and still making so much noise. From now on, you might as well never appear again..."

Li Fan's eyes turned pitch black. After a slight rotation, he muttered with a hint of madness.

With a simple sentence, he passed a death sentence on Sun Luyao.

Not in this life.

But from now on, for generations to come.

As long as he exists, Sun Luyao will never reappear in the main storyline of the story.

Without Sun Luyao.

There is still Sun Lufei, Sun Luchang.

Just a change of code names, for Li Fan, there is no difference at all.

Sun Luyao, who appeared for the last time, would probably never have thought that everything was fine a moment ago. He was helping the senior explore and analyze the ancient Xuanhuang Protection Array.

And the next moment, he would be forever erased from existence.

The root cause of all this was just because he witnessed Li Fan's momentary psychological breakdown and the ugly side that emerged.

Perhaps describing it as a psychological breakdown is not accurate.

Ever since obtaining the Huan Zhen and experiencing the supreme power of restarting everything firsthand.

There is almost nothing that can truly cause emotional harm to Li Fan at the mental level.

Even the so-called True Immortals, or even nameless True Immortals, are the same.

Yes, the power of True Immortals can indeed pose a threat to his life.

But it's only by influencing his methods, preventing the occurrence of Huan Zhen.

Not affecting Huan Zhen itself.

Originally, Li Fan thought that as long as the supreme authority of the one-click restart of Huan Zhen was not shaken, his mental defense line would always be impregnable and would not be truly affected.

Everything, cannot resist the phrase "just Huan Zhen."

But today, Li Fan encountered something that could truly hurt him.

Because his uniqueness was challenged.

Although this uniqueness originally did not exist for him and was bestowed by Huan Zhen.

But it still made him unable to bear it.

After a brief struggle and persistence for a while, he finally broke through.

But Li Fan, having experienced countless reincarnations and innumerable hardships, was truly extraordinary.

He quickly completed self-adjustment after not breaking down for long.

Yes, those True Immortals can indeed do the same to ordinary people as Li Fan does to ordinary people.

But they are all dead.

Dead!

In this world, now there is only him, a player.

Realizing this, Li Fan slowly returned to normal.

As for the unlucky Sun Luyao...

And the only partially explored ancient Xuanhuang Protection Array...

It's a matter for the next life.

For Li Fan, it doesn't matter at all.

Chapter 1271 False Time False Also True

After casually eliminating Sun Luyao, Li Fan's divine sense still stood silently in this mysterious space, his face stern, silently contemplating.

"Huan Zhen, Huan Zhen, Huan Zhen..." he kept muttering in his heart.

The surroundings became blurred and dimmed.

In an instant, it brightened again.

"True in falsehood, false also true."

Seven big characters, radiating a calm and eternal brilliance, appeared in front of Li Fan.

It was a sentence that appeared every time he activated "Huan Zhen." In hundreds of cycles, he had become very familiar with it.

But at this moment, in Li Fan's eyes, who had discovered the profound secrets of the Xuanhuang Protection Array in the primal realm of the world, these seven words had a completely different meaning.

"False also true, false also true..."

After a long time, Li Fan once again emitted a sinister and deep laughter.

Undeniably, the glimpse of the primal realm protection array displayed by Li Fan revealed a certain possibility.

It was chilling and difficult to accept.

"True true, false false."

"Who is true, and who is false?"

"Yes, none of this matters at all. As long as I always control the only button, I am the true one!"

"I am the only one!"

The madness in Li Fan's eyes gradually faded away, and his eyes, from complete darkness, slowly regained their liveliness.

As if he had turned back into the Li Taishi who covered the sky with one hand in the court.

When the cornerstone of the reality's authenticity was shaken and on the verge of collapse.

When the boundary between reality and illusion became indistinguishable and unverifiable.

The only thing one could do was to firmly grasp the constant anchor.

"Huan Zhen" might transcend the layout of the immortal realm to the mortal realm, but it might also be a part of the device left by the immortal realm.

For the current Li Fan, this was an existence that could not be verified.

Even though he had tried to guide the variables outside the dark star sea to judge the specific scope of Huan Zhen.

But now, it seemed that the additional variables outside the high wall might not be unintentionally displayed to the reorganized world after Huan Zhen.

The truth is elusive.

But...

Regardless of whether it fell into this situation, Li Fan was extremely fortunate. The button for "Restart," an eternal constant in infinite variables, had always been in Li Fan's hands.

So, to unravel the mystery, what Li Fan needed to do was no different from what he had been pursuing before—the pursuit of eternal freedom.

Restarting again and again, using the infinite variables born from Xuanhuang Realm, the dark star sea, and even beyond the star sea to nourish himself.

To achieve transcendence.

If he found an existence that could compete for the button, then killing it was the solution.

When he reached the ultimate everything, the answer would naturally reveal itself.

Now, for Li Fan, besides the Law Transmitting and the Sky Healer, there was one more obstacle on his path forward.

An even greater threat, an unknown existence that couldn't be ignored and urgently needed to be dealt with.

That was the mysterious person who took away the Nine Stars Red Bead, one of the eyes of the Xuanhuang Primal Protection Array.

"In the Nine Stars Red Bead, there should be recorded all the characteristics of the Xuanhuang creatures before the destruction of the protection array. As long as the bead is in hand, it shouldn't be difficult to deduce conclusions similar to mine."

"In a situation where the power gap is so huge, before finding a solution, the wise thing to do is to hide."

"Or, when he is sure that the immortal realm is truly destroyed, having a divine artifact in hand may inevitably lead to unprecedented ambitions, setting up additional schemes in secret."

Li Fan's gaze swept over the empty central hub of the array.

"Perhaps I can glean some clues from other hubs of the primal array."

However, now that the Mirror Spirit of the Infinite Mirror was destroyed, continuing the investigation was beyond his current capabilities.

All he could do was wait for the next life.

Li Fan shook his head slightly, and his figure turned into a black line, leaving from underground.

...

Sun Family's secret chamber.

Feeling an inexplicable sadness surging in his heart, tears unconsciously streaming down, Sun Luyuan rushed back from the outside and broke into the underground chamber, looking at the familiar and quietly floating Infinite Mirror, he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.

"Younger brother?"

Sun Luyuan called softly.

Sun Luyao's figure instantly emerged from the Infinite Mirror, "Brother, are you looking for me?"

"What's wrong?" Sun Luyao asked curiously.

Sun Luyuan's spirit suddenly became trance-like.

For some reason, although the image in front of him was exactly the same as in his memory, he always felt an extremely unfamiliar feeling.

Sun Luyuan was stunned for a long time.

After a while, he said in a daze, "Nothing. Maybe I've been too tired lately, feeling a bit paranoid."

Sun Luyao showed a concerned expression, "Brother, you should pay attention to your health. The future of the Sun Family still depends on you."

Sun Luyuan smiled.

After careful instructions, he left the underground chamber.

What Sun Luyuan didn't know was that Sun Luyao didn't do what he had always done before: watching his elder brother's back disappear and seeing him off.

Instead, the fluctuation of emotions on his face disappeared instantly. Afterward, without any nostalgia, he entered the Infinite Mirror.

At the moment of Sun Luyao's true death, the lingering divine sense he left behind was cut off. Merged into the fake Infinite Mirror, becoming a mechanically responsive existence.

Even though the level of mechanization was a bit more realistic, it was ultimately not a real life.

Not the real Sun Luyao.

Shortly after, Li Fan's divine sense returned with the empty shell of the Infinite Mirror.

"Without the spirit, I'll just create it myself."

Li Fan called out the lingering divine sense left by Sun Luyao. After carefully observing it, he coldly decided.

This strand of divine sense contained Sun Luyuan's complete memories during his lifetime.

In theory, it was entirely possible to "resurrect" him.

"Although I don't have treasures like the Indefinite Copper Ring and the Nine Stars Red Bead at hand."

"But there's no need to consider the body. It's just a true reproduction of divine sense, and it's actually quite easy to operate."

Recalling the various details of the array, under the continuous derivation of the terminal disintegration disc, a simplified version of a part of the original protective array slowly emerged.

"Simulate, myriad living beings."

"This name is not bad."

Following the naming conventions of the three immortal-level arrays he had already mastered, Li Fan named this array.

He then attempted to "create" or "resurrect" Sun Luyao.

To be safe, Li Fan first divided Sun Luyao's divine sense into multiple parts for preservation.

Later, he put one of them into the simplified simulated array.

An extremely mysterious aura gradually emanated from the array.

As the array slowly operated, in a shimmering white light, the figure of Sun Luyao reappeared.

There was a bit more vitality in his eyes, and the communication with Li Fan was very smooth.

In a few breaths, the two sides communicated over millions of times without showing any inappropriate flaws.

However, Li Fan still shook his head slightly, unsatisfied, and destroyed it.

"Too real. To the point that it seems fake."

Chapter 1272: Simulated Iteration Method Jue

One by one, Sun Luyao was simulated and then destroyed by Li Fan.

During this process, Li Fan gradually developed his unique understanding of [Creation].

"Elder..."

Until the divine sense copied and stored by Sun Luyao was about to be completely exhausted, a hesitant voice with a hint of greed resonated again in the Sun family's underground chamber.

Almost identical to Sun Luyao's words and actions, even Li Fan, the creator, could hardly discern any difference.

However, it was just an appearance.

Li Fan was well aware.

The newly created Sun Luyao acted entirely according to the response set by Li Fan, without any active thought process.

The gap with true life was too vast.

Moreover, these created thought entities did not receive recognition from the immortal artifact, the Boundless Mirror.

In other words, in the Boundless Mirror's perception, they were completely different existences.

"Simulate, myriad living beings; it only creates different temperaments for living beings."

"But to truly create life from scratch, additional means are needed." Confirming this, Li Fan shook his head with some regret.

However, this did not mean that Li Fan gained nothing.

In Li Fan's original sea of consciousness, inside the Terminal Disintegration Disc.

A consciousness, or a virtual personality created by the simulated array, was slowly taking shape.

Li Fan set it with a simple purpose.

The top priority was to increase the efficiency of the array's derivation and analysis. Tireless and never-ending.

Before, even though Li Fan had the Terminal Disintegration Disc, to maximize its effectiveness required not only the amplification of the Transformation Stone but also Li Fan himself allocating a large portion of his energy to oversee it.

With a mechanized simulated personality, Li Fan could free up some energy.

"In fact, this is almost like the legendary spirit-infused immortal artifact. Just using a clever method achieves a slightly weaker performance."

"Looking at the big picture, not only the Terminal Disintegration Disc but any strange object or magical treasure can be operated in this way."

"Almost without any cost, it can significantly increase the power of the artifact... The power is hard to say, but it's definitely more convenient. And you can customize and train according to your needs."

"In a sense, this is a unique form of [Array Refinement] technique."

While Li Fan contemplated, the simulated personality of the Terminal Disintegration Disc had officially taken shape.

Its appearance was modeled after a cultivator, Gao Yuan, whom Li Fan found very handy during the hundredfold reincarnations. Li Fan had once served as the interim island master of Wuxian Island, and Gao Yuan had left a good impression on him with his ability to observe words and actions and his loyalty to his duties.

Li Fan found his appearance pleasing, so he set the simulated personality accordingly.

As for the real Gao Yuan's current situation...

Li Fan didn't care.

"Master, is there anything I can do for you?" Gao Yuan said respectfully.

"Organize existing immortal-level array data, deduce the connections between them and the shared foundation units of the arrays."

"Based on this, uniformly improve and deduce the arrays of the Xuanhuang Realm. Record and preserve all results."

"At the same time, try to find possible methods for my self-promotion..."

Li Fan issued a series of orders.

The Terminal Disintegration Disc came to a complete halt for a moment. Then, it started to operate rapidly again, appearing even more organized compared to before.

Li Fan could see the feedback from the simulated personality, manifested in the data.

For example, the proportion of the Terminal Disintegration Disc computing power occupied by each task, and the estimated remaining time needed to complete the tasks.

And when the tasks yielded results, the simulated personality automatically organized the outcomes, waiting for Li Fan's review.

"Much more user-friendly than before."

The pressure in his mind vanished, but the efficiency of the Terminal Disintegration Disc's derivations increased rather than decreased.

"This is the overwhelming methodology from the immortal realm."

"I used to be like someone holding a weapon but only knowing how to swing it."

"And this, all comes from exploring the immortal realm formations and gaining insights..."

Thinking about this, Li Fan's thoughts paused slightly as he looked at the lethargic Iteration Method Jue lying on the long table.

"Come to think of it, this little thing's situation is somewhat similar to mine before."

"But the security here is strict, and I can't find a way to contact her individually."

Li Fan subtly glanced at Zhang Xu and Huayue Ye, the two He Dao guardians, thinking about his plan.

There would be someone to deliver a pillow when you felt sleepy. In just a few days, Li Fan got an excellent opportunity.

"Would Iteration Method Jue like to iterate methods?"

"Isn't this a benefit we get only once every hundred years of guarding? How can it be arranged now?"

Looking at the elder of the Guardian Hall, Zhao Shihuan, in front of him, Li Fan asked with a puzzled expression.

Zhao Shihuan smiled and said, "Your Sun family has contributed to the Immortal Alliance. After discussions by Chief Xu and all the elders of the Guardian Hall, your guarding time will be reduced from three hundred years to two hundred years."

"But the corresponding benefits and merits will not be reduced. You can rest assured about that."

Only then did Li Fan remember the assurance Sun Luyao had given him when he came to visit earlier.

"It seems that Xu Yuanxuan didn't deceive him this time."

Zhao Shihuan continued, "After all, it happened suddenly. If Brother Sun feels unprepared, you can keep this opportunity for another time. Wait for a joint use in the future."

"I came here this time just to inform you of this."

Compared to how he treated Zhang Xu and Huayue Ye, Zhao Shihuan's attitude towards Li Fan was noticeably more polite. After all, this was a greeting from the chief elder himself, and Li Fan's position in the Guardian Hall would certainly not be low in the future. Establishing a good relationship in advance was also human nature.

"Then, thank you, Elder Zhao..." After contemplating for a moment, Li Fan said in a deep voice, "I have recently gained some insights, so I plan to use this opportunity to iterate methods directly."

Zhao Shihuan nodded.

In the envious eyes of the other two guardians, Li Fan left the guarding seat and came to the face of Iteration Method Jue.

Iteration Method Jue stared at this big enemy who often squeezed and urged her, and her cheeks puffed up with anger.

"I'm already working hard enough. Why do I still have to..." Iteration Method Jue was about to complain, but when she met Li Fan's serious gaze, her words swallowed back.

It seemed that Li Fan's adjustments to Iteration Method Jue during this period had some effect.

However, Iteration Method Jue still seemed unwilling on the surface. She widened her eyes and stared at Li Fan, her cheeks puffing up, showing a somewhat rebellious appearance.

Seeing this scene, the other entities in the Iteration Method Space couldn't help but suppress their laughter.

For a moment, the air was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

After all, they were all insiders, and there was no need for unnecessary precautions. The other guardians were just watching the show with a good attitude.

"Alright, alright, I'm afraid of you. If you have any requests, just say it quickly."

Iteration Method Jue lay weakly on the long table, resigning herself to the situation.

Li Fan skillfully caught the flying white paper, and characters rapidly appeared on it one by one.

When the last character appeared, Li Fan didn't hesitate for a moment.

With a thought, the white paper turned into a stream of light and flew in front of Iteration Method Jue.

The whole action was done in one go, as if rehearsed countless times.

At first, Iteration Method Jue still seemed lethargic. However, she quickly discovered something and became visibly excited.

Her chubby little hand slammed the table suddenly, muttering, "What a mess, so difficult!"

Under her impact, the characters on the table instantly scattered.

"You wait a moment," Iteration Method Jue said to Li Fan.

Next, the large character light sphere above her head spun rapidly, as if struggling to derive something.

Li Fan took advantage of the opportunity to chat with Zhang Xu and Huayue Ye, the two He Dao guardians.

"Although the guarding time has been reduced by a hundred years, for some reason, I vaguely feel that this may not be a good thing. I even recall scenes of leaving in the future, unexpectedly feeling a sense of reluctance." Li Fan expressed his confusion.

Zhang Xu smiled, "I know exactly why. In our Zhang family's past guarding of the He Dao, when we left, we also held a mixed feeling of gain and loss. Because staying in the same place for a long time inevitably breeds dependence. Even with our He Dao cultivation, we can't avoid being worldly."

Huayue Ye also agreed, "Yes. Hundreds of years have passed, and what the outside has become is somewhat intimidating..."

The three of them chatted happily, occasionally glancing at Iteration Method Jue.

This time, it seemed indeed difficult for Iteration Method Jue to derive the targeted cultivation method, just as she complained.

The time spent had far exceeded the usual requirement for He Dao cultivation.

"It seems that Brother Sun has gained a lot this time." Zhang Xu said somewhat enviously.

Li Fan did not deny, "My beloved wife fell, and I became a father. Too much has happened recently..."

After more than half of the predetermined time had passed, Iteration Method Jue finally completed the derivation of the cultivation method.

"Alright, take it."

Perhaps due to excessive consumption, Iteration Method Jue's attitude improved a lot, not as harsh as before.

Li Fan nodded, took the white paper, and firmly memorized its contents.

Then, he arched his hand, returned to the guarding seat, and resumed his calm demeanor.

"According to the regulations, you can rest for two hours," Zhang Xu said.

"I see she looks a bit tired, so how about adding another hour? After all, this derivation was an impromptu decision to increase the effort for me." Li Fan suggested.

Zhang Xu and Huayue Ye exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

Within the permissible limits of authority, giving a colleague a bit of face was not a problem.

"I didn't expect you to be quite considerate," Iteration Method Jue said in a low voice.

Without mentioning words of gratitude, she just collapsed on the long table and fell into a deep sleep.

Li Fan's gaze remained calm as he observed the cultivation method derived by Iteration Method Jue in his mind.

"Pseudo-Simulation of Living Beings Technique."

The effect of the cultivation method was actually the same as the "Simulating All Living Beings" grand array.

In fact, due to the successful transformation of the original technique, its efficacy was slightly reduced.

However, Li Fan's goal was not this cultivation method.

Just taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Fan passed on the method of creating a simulated personality under the supervision of the Wan Xian Alliance to Iteration Method Jue.

However, Iteration Method Jue wasn't too foolish.

Upon realizing that this method could be highly beneficial to her, she took the initiative to cover up Li Fan's secretive actions.

Three hours later, Zhang Xu appeared beside Iteration Method Jue on time, transforming into a copper gong to wake up the little girl.

Afterward, Iteration Method Jue seemed to be immersed in endless derivation work.

However, in reality, some changes were quietly taking place.

Inside the Iteration Method Jue's light sphere, a figure was slowly forming.

The little girl held her head with both hands, excitedly watching ahead.

"Good, good, good! I didn't expect this method to actually work."

"I tried it before, splitting another me to help with the work, but it was useless."

"Now there's hope..."

Iteration Method Jue's eyes widened with excitement.

Before long, the simulated personality officially appeared.

"Ah!!!!"

Iteration Method Jue's miserable scream echoed throughout the interior of the light sphere.

"Why is it youuuuuu!"

The little girl instinctively distanced herself from the simulated personality.

Just because...

For some reason, despite being crafted based on the most handsome face she could imagine in her mind, the final product that appeared in front of her was the actual appearance of Li Fan, or rather, Sun Ang!

"Master, what can I do for you?" The simulated personality, resembling Li Fan, responded without any objection to Iteration Method Jue's exaggerated reaction, speaking in a mechanical and respectful manner.

"Huh?"

Iteration Method Jue finally mustered the courage to approach and experiment.

After finding that the simulated personality was very obedient and did whatever was asked, her courage instantly grew.

Without any politeness, she ordered, "Help me derive cultivation techniques!"

"Never stop!"

"Now that I've accumulated nearly ten years of materials, you must accumulate at least fifty years for me!"

As the little girl spoke, her eyes sparkled, seemingly already envisioning a beautiful future.

"Ten years of materials..."

"What does this mean?"

At this moment, Li Fan's curious voice suddenly sounded.

This directly caused Iteration Method Jue's expression to freeze.

"You!" She pointed her chubby little finger at the simulated personality, her face full of disbelief.

"How is this possible? How could you possess intelligence? Clearly, you're just another mechanized version of me..."

"Just a trivial hidden feature." Li Fan gestured politely, explaining, "You don't need to worry. The simulated personality won't have independent thoughts. The reason it's like this now is that I temporarily took control of the personality to facilitate communication with you."

"What do you want?" Iteration Method Jue's big eyes seemed to shimmer with tears, portraying a pitiful look.

"I warn you, don't mess around! I'll scream for help!"

Li Fan paid no attention to Iteration Method Jue's poor acting skills.

The conversation returned to the topic of the "ten years of materials."

"Ah! I understand now. In fact, every time you complete the derivation of a cultivation technique, the time required is a bit less than what you show."

"With each completed derivation, you accumulate some spare time. That's your stockpile."

...

As Li Fan continued speaking, Iteration Method Jue's face gradually turned pale.

"I've unknowingly accumulated so much."

"Do I really need fifty years in total..."

"This is no longer in the realm of laziness."

Li Fan stared directly at Iteration Method Jue.

"What exactly do you want to do?"