Chapter 1313: Reverse Entropy Returns Child

"Oh? I'd like to hear more about that," Li Fan said, his expression growing solemn.

"Can Fellow Daoist discern the marvelous function of this ancient seal script?" Zhong Daogong asked, keeping him guessing.

Li Fan pondered for a moment, then gestured slightly in the air with his finger. "'Ancient' means 'past' or 'old'."

"...Time reversal?"

Li Fan carefully observed the mysterious character on the ruins, pondering its meaning. His eyes suddenly lit up.

Zhong Daogong clapped his hands in admiration. "Fellow Daoist's comprehension is truly extraordinary! It takes our Xianzhou elders several days at best to grasp its essence. I never expected you to perceive it at a glance!"

"However, describing its power as 'time reversal' might be somewhat inaccurate. It's more like things themselves reverting to their past state..."

Li Fan listened to his explanation and nodded slightly.

"It sounds somewhat similar to Ou Shangtian's Kun Qian Ancient Hand," he thought to himself.

"At the peak of its power, this ancient character would undoubtedly cause horrific calamities within its range of influence. All things would revert to their past states, transforming from life to death, dissolving into quicksand. Truly, 'returning to dust'..." Zhong Daogong waved his hand, and dozens of images appeared before him.

Once the ancient character was unleashed, cultivators, towering trees, sprawling buildings on the ground, and even the world itself, all seemed to turn back time, evolving in reverse through space-time. Ultimately, they all dissolved into microscopic particles, scattered by the wind.

"If this authentic script still retained its full power, then even if we coveted it immensely, our Xianzhou would have no choice but to avoid it, daring not to even glance at it. However, now..."

Next, the people of Xianzhou demonstrated the marvelous utility of this True Immortal Seal Script through their actions.

The oldest among the elders, Jian Daosheng of the Immortal Severing Pagoda, slowly flew to the side of the ancient character.

He did not approach too closely but hovered in the air.

What Zhong Daogong had said about the ancient character's power being depleted was relative. In reality, a faint residual power still lingered on the true inscription. Compared to the ancient character at its peak, this power was almost negligible. However, just like the character itself, its strength could be harmful, but its weakness could be beneficial. Once the ancient character's reversing power was diminished to an appropriate range...

The wrinkles on Jian Daosheng's face slowly faded. Streaks of black suddenly appeared among his white eyebrows and hair. His posture became upright once more, and even his spirit grew more vibrant.

This scene was unmistakably the process of rejuvenation, a return to youth!

The Xianzhou elders were already accustomed to this sight, while Li Fan narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

He did not wait to completely revert to his youthful prime. After staying within the ancient character's enveloped area for only a few breaths, Jian Daosheng gracefully withdrew.

Li Fan understood that this was to prevent himself from being too deeply affected by the ancient character.

After Jian Daosheng, the other Xianzhou elders also took turns visiting the true inscription. They stayed for varying lengths of time, all emerging significantly younger.

"With this character present, wouldn't one be able to achieve eternal youth?" Li Fan exclaimed in surprise.

Zhong Daogong gave a wry smile. "It's not as simple as it seems. One can remain youthful, but immortality..."

He shook his head. "While reversing aging with the ancient character can indeed slightly increase one's lifespan, the more it's used, the weaker its effect becomes. Once the lifespan limit is reached, it will no longer increase."

"However, a youthful body is certainly far superior to one nearing the end of its natural lifespan."

After the Xianzhou elders had all finished, Zhong Daogong looked at Li Fan and asked, "Would Fellow Daoist like to experience it as well?"

Li Fan politely declined. "I am only thirty years old, precisely at the peak of my physical prime. Reverting to childhood would be detrimental instead."

Upon hearing this, the Divine Tree Space immediately fell silent.

All the elders stared fixedly at Li Fan, as if looking at a monster.

The expression on Zhong Daogong's face also stiffened slightly. "Fellow Daoist must be joking, right?"

Given Li Fan's own strength and his demonstrated mastery of formations and seal scripts, the Xianzhou members had long tacitly assumed him to be a cultivator who had lived for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Yet now, Li Fan claimed to be only thirty years old?

How could the Xianzhou members accept this all at once!

Li Fan chuckled. "It's just that I learn things a bit faster. While rare, there are still some individuals in our Great Qí who are even more talented than I am. There's no need for everyone to be so surprised."

These words thoroughly unsettled the Xianzhou members.

They jointly re-sealed the ancient character and led Li Fan out from inside the Divine Tree.

"Fellow Daoist, please stay here for a while and rest. We still have some matters to discuss..." Zhong Daogong gave this instruction from the top of the Xianzhou space, in a pavilion courtyard that resembled one atop a mountain peak.

"Oh, and here are the three items you previously selected." After handing over a scroll of white paper, Zhong Daogong hurriedly departed.

Ignoring the Xianzhou members, Li Fan slowly unfurled the white paper in his hand. The three treasures then leaped forth from the paper, appearing before him.

He had already carefully examined the bronze-cast immortal crane and the seven-colored flowing light.

With a wave of his hand, Li Fan directly put them away for safekeeping.

His attention then focused on the slumped figurine with downcast eyes.

Feeling the faint pulsations emanating from "Return to True," Li Fan's focus sharpened.

Like the previous two items, the figurine vanished into thin air moments later.

This time, however, it wasn't put away but transformed into an unknown energy, which was absorbed by "Return to True."

Li Fan stared intently at the "Return to True" panel.

Like faint electrical currents, the characters on the "Return to True" panel flickered several times.

Finally, it settled into stillness.

Li Fan's gaze fell on the item that had changed.

"Void Conversion Charge Progress: 400."

"Hmm?" Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly.

The Void Conversion Charge Progress was the prerequisite for activating "Return to True" and reversing everything. Only when the charge progress reached 100 could reality be turned into void, and truth into falsehood.

This was also why, after each activation of "Return to True," Li Fan had always hidden in the Great Profound Minor World, waiting for the charge to complete before venturing out.

Previously, the maximum Void Conversion Charge Progress was 200.

A charge progress exceeding 100 could, at crucial moments, protect Li Fan from external attacks, ensuring the smooth activation of "Return to True."

However, as the enemies Li Fan provoked became increasingly powerful, this protective function began to seem somewhat inadequate.

The progress would drop too quickly, making it barely better than nothing.

But now, this figurine had directly doubled the charge limit.

Furthermore, Li Fan also sensed that if this additional 200 charge progress wasn't consumed in the current life, it wouldn't disappear with the reset of "Return to True."

Instead, it would remain within "Return to True."

In other words, he could use this to perform "Return to True" three times consecutively.

"Interesting."

Li Fan recalled the appearance of the figurine in his mind. "The origin of this figurine is somewhat strange. Being able to add 200 to the charge limit, it's definitely an extraordinary item."

"I just wonder if, in the next life, encountering and absorbing this item again, the charge limit could be increased further?"

So far, Li Fan had not yet figured out the specific charging mechanism of "Return to True."

The unknown medium required to activate "Return to True" could only increase slowly with the passage of time.

"Perhaps a careful study of this figurine could unravel this mystery." Li Fan narrowed his eyes, noting this goal.

A 400 charge limit was, for Li Fan, like gaining an additional layer of protection. More critically, when facing a Faceless True Immortal or even higher-level beings, Li Fan could potentially escape their threats by activating "Return to True" multiple times consecutively.

Otherwise, if he only had the power of "Return to True" once, and still faced a fatal crisis after returning to a set anchor point, Li Fan's situation would become extremely perilous.

From this perspective, the life-saving significance of this figurine was undeniably immense.

"Xianzhou is indeed my blessed land."

"Later, I can also inquire about the origin of this figurine from them," Li Fan thought to himself.

Not long after, Zhong Daogong led the elders back to Li Fan.

It seemed that their recent discussion had reached some consensus, as the faint hostility and murderous intent Li Fan had previously sensed from some of them were now completely gone.

"Fellow Daoist, are you satisfied with this transaction?" Zhong Daogong asked first.

"I've gained a great deal. My master will certainly bestow rewards upon my return. By the way, rest assured, I will do my best to gather information about that rogue for you," Li Fan assured them.

"Haha, then we thank Fellow Daoist in advance."

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhong Daogong changed the subject. "Fellow Daoist has proven your credibility to Xianzhou. Following unanimous discussion and resolution by the Xianzhou elders, perhaps we can engage in a deeper level of cooperation."

Li Fan's interest was piqued. "Do you have other True Immortal Seal Scripts you haven't revealed?"

Zhong Daogong waved his hand. "Not True Immortal Seal Scripts. But something far more important than them."

The scene around the pavilion suddenly shifted, as if they had instantly arrived within the Darkest Star Sea.

As Zhong Daogong moved, the surrounding light and shadows rapidly changed, passing through a continuous sea of relics and the endless Great Wall of Fragmented Worlds.

They arrived at a place of void.

"This is..." Li Fan paused slightly.

"The High Wall. Beneath the High Wall," Zhong Daogong said with a complex expression and a solemn tone.

"Oh?"

Li Fan looked around, then said, "I have also been beneath the High Wall, to the very end of the Darkest Sea. The path forward was cut off, yet I saw no physical High Wall..."

"Why are you showing me this scene of the High Wall?"

Zhong Daogong's gaze was profound. "The High Wall stretches continuously, encompassing the entire star sea. However, the section of the High Wall that we Xianzhou are now showing Fellow Daoist is different from other places."

"Different? If it's still the High Wall, what precisely is different about it?" Li Fan's expression shifted.

It was Jian Daosheng who answered Li Fan. "This area can be said to be the weakest part of the entire High Wall. If there's anywhere in the star sea where one might cross the High Wall, then this place offers the greatest opportunity!"

"Presumably, there are many cultivators in Fellow Daoist's homeland who are unwilling to be trapped in the Darkest Star Sea for eternity and wish to escape, right? If we cooperate, success might not be out of reach," Zhong Daogong slowly stated.

"The weakest part of the High Wall..." Li Fan stared at the scene displayed by Xianzhou before him, repeating the words several times.

He didn't give an answer but instead countered with a question, "How are you certain of this? The High Wall's existence already transcends current understanding. It's formless and invisible, impossible to perceive. How can you accurately identify its weakest point?"

Zhong Daogong smiled faintly. "This matter involves a top-secret of Xianzhou. We cannot disclose it before both sides confirm a cooperative agreement."

"However, Fellow Daoist, rest assured, this is absolutely true. You can report this matter, and when you send someone again, Xianzhou can provide preliminary verification for you."

Li Fan's expression was solemn. After pondering for a long time, he cupped his hands and said, "This matter is indeed of great significance and beyond my authority to decide. After I return, I will certainly report it to my masters. Regardless, I will definitely provide you all with an answer."

"Then we await Fellow Daoist's good news!"

As the elders watched him go, Li Fan's escape light departed from Xianzhou, disappearing into the vast star sea.

"A risky move. If this matter were to be exposed..."

"What's there to fear? Is it possible someone in this star sea would come knocking on our door, demanding we share the location of this weak point in the High Wall? In my opinion, that would be even better. We're all fish in a boiling pot; it's high time we united!"

"Indeed, the Great Qí civilization is stronger, not weaker, than us. After all, they have survived the Great Tribulation to this day, and they also occupy an entire cultivation world. They are a suitable partner for cooperation."

"And that realm-protecting immortal artifact..."

The elders discussed amongst themselves.

Meanwhile, Li Fan, who was returning within the wooden sword's phantom, was contemplating the information Xianzhou had just revealed.

Although Xianzhou hadn't explicitly stated it, based on the crucial information Li Fan had secretly gathered in his previous life, it wasn't difficult to deduce why they knew the High Wall's weakest point.

"In the previous life, Zhong Daogong once mentioned that the reason the Profound Merchant Xianzhou split was because a faction within the Xianzhou decided to crash into the High Wall, using it as a means to escape the star sea."

"And they succeeded in the end."

"This weak point in the High Wall might be the very location where the Merchant Xianzhou crashed into it back then. The Profound Xianzhou was able to pinpoint its exact location thanks to the telepathic connection between the Profound Merchant Xianzhous..."

If the Xianzhou members hadn't revealed this, Li Fan would have activated his hidden trick in the Hundred Tales Immortal Record as soon as he left, plundering all the treasures within.

But now that Xianzhou still had secrets to uncover, it wouldn't hurt to wait a little longer.

"Xianzhou's persistent obsession with collecting True Immortal Seal Scripts, besides the power of the scripts themselves, might also be linked to this plan to escape the star sea."

"Crashing into the High Wall..."

"I wonder how the Merchant Xianzhou managed to do that back then," Li Fan mused to himself.

Within the wooden sword's phantom, Venerable Yin was resting.

The others, however, were still traversing the Great Wall of Fragmented Worlds, searching for suitable world fragments that could serve as ingredients for the Profound Yellow Elixir.

After Li Fan supplied them with more Ethereal Flowing Crystals, he did not seek out the Xianzhou members.

Instead, he used the Heaven's End at Hand formation to first return to the Profound Yellow Realm.

The Great Profound Minor World.

Li Fan's figure flickered, appearing beside the sleeping Ou Shangtian.

Sensing the Kun Qian Bone Hand still gestating within him, Li Fan used his hand as a brush and wrote an ancient character.

Concentrating his divine sense, he observed the changes within Ou Shangtian's body.

His understanding of the ancient character was still in its initial stages. Moreover, he hadn't injected much spiritual power, so the character's strength was extremely weak.

It barely enveloped Ou Shangtian's body.