Chapter 1378: 凡窥仙界景

In the small world, spurred by the constant threat of extinction posed by the stone stele, the reproductive drive of the Nether race elevated to a new level. With their subjective initiative fully unleashed, it was foreseeable that their reproduction rate would double.

"What limits their population expansion is not just resources, but also time."

"This physique..."

Li Fan's eyes flickered slightly as he casually captured a Nether clansman for study, comparing them to those of his previous life.

"As the seal gradually lifts, the efficiency of ancestral reversion isn't linear; instead, the enhancement grows more significant the further it progresses." Li Fan controlled the energy levels he output, constantly probing.

He found that the life force of this current group of Nether clansmen was terrifyingly vigorous. They could even, with their flesh and blood bodies, withstand the attacks of cultivators in the late Qi Refining stage.

"Even a robust adult Nether clansman could endure strikes from Foundation Establishment cultivators without dying. Given their physical constitution, as long as they weren't killed instantly, they would soon recover and become lively again..." Li Fan shook his head slightly, and the thoughts that had previously emerged in his mind instantly extinguished. "This level is already the limit," he said.

"It's not that I fear these Nether clansmen could cause chaos. Even if they become stronger, before the leg bone of the Nameless True Immortal, they would have no power to resist. I am merely wary of the First Xuanhuang Heavenly Venerate..."

"The possibility of revival through descendant bloodlines is not entirely impossible. It's better to be cautious."

"As for how to ensure that, in this life, I can use the Nameless Immortal Leg Bone to fully deduce the transformation from mortal to immortal..." Li Fan glanced at the indistinct mark on the stone stele.

"The true immortal transformation, once missed, is lost forever. If I cannot fully observe it upon the first encounter, I will never have another chance to comprehend it in this lifetime..."

"Once the deduction progress of the Nameless Immortal Leg Bone reaches over halfway, I will personally delve into the Nether bloodline to comprehend its mysteries."

"While comprehending, I will directly imbue everything I see and feel into the stone stele. I cannot retain memory, but the Nameless True Immortal should not be subject to this restriction."

Li Fan subtly finalized his plan.

Below, the stone idol, worshipped by the Nether clansmen as their savior, was continuously supplying Li Fan with essence of source power. As the Nether clansmen's physiques strengthened, the quantity and quality of essence of source power generated by each of their prayers far surpassed previous levels. In this life, Li Fan no longer needed to worry about insufficient essence of source power.

Golden light gurgled as Li Fan set up another layer of immortal array protection outside the Nameless True Immortal's leg bone. At the same time, he used Simulation, the Myriad Beings Array, to generate a Heavenly Grid, monitoring every movement in this small world.

After taking ample precautions, Li Fan nodded in satisfaction and departed.

Over the next six months, Li Fan utilized the inexhaustible essence of source power to deploy immortal arrays in most of the small worlds within the Xuanhuang Realm. One reason was to facilitate the small worlds' return to Xuanhuang, preparing for the future sublimation into an immortal domain. The second was to better control all realms and search for "embryos" suitable for forging eternal lingering thoughts.

In his previous life, Li Fan attempted to use Kou Hong, a sincere seeker of the Dao, to foster artificial eternal lingering thoughts. Although the final result was a failure, it provided Li Fan with some inspiration. In fact, given that the 'Still True' could barely devour Kou Hong's lingering thoughts, it wasn't far from the formation of true eternal lingering thoughts. Perhaps it was just a matter of the final push.

Li Fan mused that perhaps the forging time was too short, or the 'heat' was insufficient.

"The deepest emotions do not fade with the passage of time; instead, they become ever more profound. The more they are scoured by the river of time, the more brilliantly they shine," Li Fan mused with a thoughtful expression.

"I have yet to master the power of temporal distortion, but I can use illusion arrays to blur the lines between reality and illusion."

"In this life, I will gather enough 'seeds.' Then I will cast them all into the Mystical Myriad Beings Grand Array of Xuanhuang!"

"As long as I plant enough, I refuse to believe not one will ripen!" A sharp glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes. "If it weren't for the memories I recalled from devouring Kou Hong's lingering thoughts in my previous life, given my nature, I would likely still stubbornly attempt to merge with the Dao."

"Eternal lingering thoughts can awaken the 'Still True's' unknown abilities, making them incredibly important."

"Equally important are the Immortal Ark's three-pronged tree and the Yongpuppets, relics left behind by Sun Piaomiao. I just don't know if these items can still be utilized by the 'Still True' in this life..."

The Immortal Ark wields the power of True Immortal Seal Script, and treasures from the Immortal Record of Myriad Tales emerge endlessly from it. Furthermore, it can control an ancient Desolate God. Before the 'Still True' is fully charged, Li Fan will not rashly provoke it.

"Now that essence of source power is abundant, I can deploy immortal arrays to kill enemies at any time."

"But if we speak of my strongest offensive divine ability, it is still the Nine Heavens Dustfall Finger."

On the Grand Xuan Preaching Platform, three figures lay in a deep slumber: one large and two small, two males and one female. The youngest figure was naturally Ouyang Tian. As for the other two, they were similar to Ouyang Tian. The Foundation Establishment oddities within their bodies were all suspected to originate from True Immortal remains.

"In my previous life, from the flesh and blood of a True Immortal, I glimpsed many scenes."

"I wonder if this time, I can see more."

The oddity within Ouyang Tian's body was the Kunqian Bone Hand. The other male and female possessed the Wind-Stepping Foot and the Illusory Vision Divine Eye, respectively. The Wind-Stepping Foot not only allowed for swift movement on wind but also absorbed the luck and fortune of every person it killed. Using all living beings as steps, one could ascend to the heavens, looking down from the clouds. The Illusory Vision Divine Eye could not only discern the illusions of the world but also spontaneously generate illusions at critical moments. These could be warnings about the future or perceptions of hidden treasures in the vicinity. In short, its uses were boundless. In fact, when Li Fan previously captured the female cultivator with the Illusory Vision Divine Eye, before he even made a move, she seemed to have sensed him in advance. Her expression drastically changed. However, the power gap between her and Li Fan was too vast; even with her awareness, she had no time to react and was captured by Li Fan.

The three individuals embodying these supreme treasures floated quietly in the air. Li Fan, meanwhile, had finally completed his preparations.

With swift, flowing strokes, ancient characters suddenly appeared in the area. The mysterious power of tracing back to the past shone upon the True Immortal remains within the bodies of the three figures. True Immortal flesh and blood began to emerge from them. It was as if the True Immortal who had once died was truly about to be resurrected. Golden threads served as ropes, which Li Fan manipulated to bring the three masses of flesh and blood closer to each other. As if truly originating from the same source, even from a distance, they instantly gravitated towards each other.

Li Fan looked at the constantly wriggling, deformed mass of flesh and blood not far away, and a character he had long prepared gracefully formed. This character was not a True Immortal Seal Script but an array formation carved by Li Fan. Within the array, it connected to the Nether clansmen's small world. The simulated Heavenly Grid suppressing that area was responsible for transmitting everything affected here into the Nameless True Immortal's leg bone.

The array had not yet fully unfolded, only revealing faint wisps of its aura. The deformed mass of flesh and blood, as if encountering some terrifying monster, trembled as if boiling. It rapidly retreated, moving away backward. How could Li Fan let it have its way? Manipulating the character, he lightly suppressed it onto the mass. Even without fully connecting the array, this character still firmly suppressed the True Immortal flesh and blood. As if instantly losing its vitality, it became a pile of dead flesh, unable to move.

Li Fan, holding another character, then slowly drifted closer. Under the deterrent aura, likely from the Nameless True Immortal, even though Li Fan was a mortal existence below the immortal realm, upon his approach, the True Immortal flesh and blood showed no abnormalities. It allowed Li Fan to explore and examine it freely. All its strange properties seemed to have become ineffective.

Li Fan nodded slightly and extended a wisp of his divine sense into the True Immortal flesh and blood. After all, Li Fan was not the Nameless True Immortal himself. Like a fox borrowing a tiger's prestige, he could only superficially suppress this mass of True Immortal flesh and blood. When attempting to truly test an immortal with a mortal body, the inevitable backlash would still occur.

But this time, perhaps because Li Fan had previously glimpsed it, the backlash he suffered compared to his first encounter in the previous life was far less severe. His hair didn't turn white instantly, but his lifespan was consumed at two to three times the normal aging rate. This was entirely within Li Fan's acceptable range.

Li Fan's expression was indifferent as he watched scene after scene unfold before him. At first, the scenes were similar and related to what he had seen in his previous life.

"...Qionglang Star Domain... Annihilation... Guard...""...Target found...""Your servant, takes your command."

Still a conversation from the immortal realm. However, this time, there was the True Immortal's final lingering glance before leaving the immortal realm. Because of this, Li Fan was able to truly see the legendary immortal realm with his own eyes. It was like a vast ocean, with countless waves appearing simultaneously. Each wave was a star domain within the immortal realm. Within the star domains, True Immortals were as rare as stars. The vast majority were creations of True Immortals. The image of a magnificent and sacred palace simultaneously appeared within each wave. Seated in the palace seemed to be a grand figure governing a sector of the immortal domain. Even the True Immortal descending to the lower realm dared not look directly. Only a faint silhouette remained in his memory.

The star sea churned, and all the waves vanished below the horizon. The True Immortal had arrived in the lower realm, Xuanhuang. Even a fleeting glimpse of the vibrant, boundless scenes of the immortal realm he spied still stirred Li Fan's heart.

"It is rumored that the immortal realm is a supreme holy land with infinite resources. Now it seems that is truly the case."

"That ocean is truly vast! Each star domain contained within a single wave can be described as endless!"

"It's simply inconceivable!" Li Fan's mind was shaken, and his brows furrowed. What he witnessed from glimpsing a scene of the immortal realm completely surpassed his understanding.

The memory scenes originating from the True Immortal of the immortal realm continued. It showed him guarding Xuanhuang, seemingly waiting for something. The star sea rose and fell, an unknown amount of time passed. These True Immortals couldn't help but feel a growing unrest in their hearts.

"Five hundred years have passed since the calculated time."

"It still hasn't appeared..." The constant flickering of the scene was enough to show the True Immortal's inner turmoil at the time.

"Let's wait a bit longer." In the Xuanhuang Realm, the sun rose and set. More unknown time passed.

"Fifteen hundred years have passed."

"It has completely exceeded the margin of error..."

"The thing I worried about most has still happened. That thing..."

"It probably won't come now." As this thought emerged, the entire world instantly grew dim. As if losing the last straw of hope, the True Immortal closed his eyes, and endless despair surged within his heart. But for some unknown reason, he thought of something else, and the despair in his consciousness unexpectedly began to recede.

"Great figures have great figures' thoughts."

"Ants also have ants' way of survival."

The True Immortal's gaze swept across the Xuanhuang Realm of that era and the entire star sea.

Boom! The scene abruptly shattered.

"Even as a True Immortal, one is still an ant?"

"Then what kind of being is the 'great figure' he spoke of?"

"The Nameless True Immortal?"

"Is the difference truly that vast, whether one has proven the Dao of Namelessness or not?" Li Fan's mind was once again profoundly shaken.

The True Immortal's own memories were naturally millions of times more credible than baseless speculation. Consequently, Li Fan began to form a preliminary understanding of the immortal realm. As he delved into these memories, the rate at which his lifespan dwindled accelerated by two to three times compared to before. Strands of white appeared in his hair, but Li Fan still did not give up on continuing his observation. He had a premonition that the most crucial information was about to appear.

The scene shifted again, and the True Immortal was no longer looking down at the Xuanhuang Realm. Instead, he was seated at a stone table by a pond, drinking tea with another person. The figure was indistinct. But judging from the True Immortal's demeanor, the other party was undoubtedly a formidable figure. What shook Li Fan's mind even more was that the pond by the stone table where the True Immortal sat was also very familiar to him.

It was none other than the Fishing Pond!

A voice emanated from the figure opposite. The True Immortal continuously nodded respectfully, but no impression was left in the memory. After finishing a cup of tea, the figure opposite silently vanished. The True Immortal's continuously tense emotions also relaxed. The stone table, the stone chair, and even the cup of tea just consumed, like the figure, all disappeared. It was as if it had been a dream from beginning to end, as if it had never happened at all. But Li Fan could feel the True Immortal's excitement in the memory.

He looked at the calm pond not far away. With a flick of his finger, he tossed a ball of light into it. The ball of light entered the water without stirring a single ripple. In an instant, it was swallowed and vanished. The True Immortal closed his eyes, sensing something. After a long while, he slowly walked to the edge of the pond. He lowered his head, looking at his own reflection in the water.

A face appeared in Li Fan's mind.

The mass of True Immortal flesh and blood suppressed by the Nameless Immortal Leg Bone unexpectedly flared up violently. Li Fan's hair instantly turned completely white. He abruptly withdrew from glimpsing the memories.

"It's just the aging of the body, and I still have over three hundred years of lifespan left, so it's not a big deal."

"The True Immortal flesh and blood's rampage also quickly subsided. It should just be a brief resonance caused by the True Immortal's face appearing in the memory." Li Fan quickly made his judgment.

That mass of flesh and blood was still obediently suppressed by the Nameless True Immortal's leg bone. Li Fan, however, had not yet recovered from the scene he had just witnessed, and his expression was somewhat dazed. In the reflection on the surface of the Fishing Pond, he saw the True Immortal's face.

However, what left him bewildered and horrified was that the face was identical to his own!