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Chapter 1519: Hidden Emperor Creates Immortal Ship

Instantly restrained, Li Fan was inwardly startled, but outwardly he showed no weakness. He likewise asked, "Retrograde Boat?" His eyes were fixed on the shabby man's shoulder, where the wooden boat now looked completely new.

The shabby man chuckled softly and released Li Fan. "As expected of a disciple of Old Man Shouqiu, your insight is truly extraordinary." He showed no intention of concealing it, freely admitting the identity of the treasure in his hand.

"Old Man Shouqiu…" Li Fan silently repeated the name, both familiar and strange, as numerous images flashed through his mind. At the same time, Li Fan noticed something unusual about his body. After entering this painting, recalling the past no longer caused the piercing pain in his skull that he used to experience. It seemed he could browse his past memories freely. However, a vague intuition told Li Fan that if he did so, the outcome would certainly not be good. This strong sense of contradiction made Li Fan instinctively feel the strangeness of the place.

Seeing Li Fan remain silent, the shabby man wasn't annoyed; instead, he changed the subject: "Since you are a disciple of Shouqiu, you should have no regard for my Retrograde Boat. How did you come to be here, young man?" He said with a hint of melancholy, "I thought I would never see anyone else in this lifetime."

Li Fan noticed that although he had transferred a large amount of life energy into the painting, it seemed to have been entirely absorbed by the Retrograde Boat. The shabby man, as the boat's owner, received not a single bit of it. He remained as he was before. Though his appearance was that of a middle-aged man, he exuded an indescribable aura of death. Li Fan, with abundant life energy within him, was naturally extremely sensitive to it. During his period of silence, he finally confirmed that the shabby man before him was not a real living being, but merely an existence akin to a projection. However, Li Fan didn't let his guard down. After all, the shabby man's recently displayed power was truly terrifying. Even as a mere illusionary projection, he possessed such oppressive power. It was hard to imagine what level of cultivation the shabby man possessed in his prime.

"The Dao of Immortality, a Shouqiu disciple." "Could this be the source of the endless life energy within me?" Li Fan vaguely recalled more. Since the other party showed no obvious hostility, Li Fan decided to push his luck and probe further. He said in a deep voice, "Sir, you are being a bit sweeping in your generalization. Why can't a Shouqiu disciple covet a treasure like the Retrograde Boat? To reverse time—what an incredible opportunity and fortune! It might not be inferior to the Dao of Immortality!"

Hearing this, the shabby man looked at Li Fan with some surprise. Then, as if realizing something, he smiled faintly in relief. He then directly threw the wooden boat from his embrace towards Li Fan. "Old Man Shouqiu must be trapped in the Eternal Silence Void Realm, which is why he only passed down his lineage and had no time to teach disciples. Take a look at this Retrograde Boat. See if it's as miraculous as you imagine."

Since the other party dared to throw it, Li Fan dared to catch it. With the treasure, the Retrograde Boat, in hand, he began to examine it closely. As if sensing the endless life energy within Li Fan, the treasure boat became even more greedy, attempting to seize it like a black hole. Li Fan didn't completely cut off the transfer of life energy; instead, he consciously continued to release faint trickles of it. At the same time, he used this wisp of life energy to sense the internal condition of the Retrograde Boat. He had always been very curious why this treasure, said to be able to reverse time, required life energy to sustain its existence, just like living beings in the world.

Though only palm-sized, the wooden boat felt as heavy as a mountain. Li Fan had to exert all his strength just to grasp it. His divine sense followed the flowing life energy and entered the boat's interior. He discovered that the internal condition of the Retrograde Boat was even worse than its exterior. Alarming cracks covered every corner of the boat, like horrific scars. Through these cracks, Li Fan vaguely saw countless images that didn't belong to this space-time. Li Fan vaguely understood in his heart that this was not his illusion. These images were certainly not mere illusions. If one accidentally fell into these fissures, they might truly get lost in the temporal turbulence. Avoiding these extremely dangerous fissures, Li Fan's divine sense attempted to pinpoint the destination of the life energy within the entire Retrograde Boat. Affected by the pervasive space-time fissures, his perception of life energy became chaotic. It took him considerable effort to finally understand.

"Retrograde, retrograde." Li Fan knelt down and gently stroked the boat's deck, deep in thought: "Although it appears to be merely an object, it is in fact a living entity. Going against the flow also consumes its own lifespan. And under the erosion of temporal power, it consumes a thousand times, even ten thousand times more. Furthermore, besides life energy, it seems to consume something else…"

Li Fan narrowed his eyes. From his perspective, this Retrograde Boat was like an old man on the verge of death. Although it desperately tried to absorb external life energy to barely survive, at most, it could only barely cling to life. Moreover, it was difficult to say how long such an extended existence could last. Had Li Fan not come here today and contributed a large amount of life energy, who knows when this astonishing immortal treasure might have quietly vanished with this painting.

"How could this be?" Li Fan couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He had thought he found news of a treasure capable of reversing time, but he never expected that this treasure was in a state of near-ruin after being severely overdrawn. After checking several times and confirming this fact, Li Fan's consciousness withdrew from the Retrograde Boat.

"How about it? Even if I gave you this treasure boat, would you want it? You'd probably drown in the river of time before even returning to your target time node…" the shabby man said with a half-smile. Unexpectedly, Li Fan didn't play along with the usual expectations, stating directly, "Yes. Of course I want it." "Even a damaged Retrograde Boat represents an opportunity for desperate survival. No matter how slim the hope of success, when one truly reaches a dead end, it becomes the only source of life," Li Fan said with a serious expression.

The shabby man was startled, and the smile on his face slowly vanished. After a long silence, he finally said in a faint, melancholic tone, "What you said… is not wrong." "If Xuanyuan Hong had possessed such awareness back then, he wouldn't have left the Retrograde Boat here."

Hearing the familiar name, Li Fan immediately followed up, asking, "Xuanyuan Hong… is he Xuan Tianwang from the Xuanhuang Realm? Did he achieve his past accomplishments thanks to this Retrograde Boat?" The shabby man's eyes showed a look of reminiscence as he slightly shook his head: "In my opinion, Xuanyuan Hong reached his level partly due to luck, partly due to his own character and diligence. Of the remaining forty percent, the Retrograde Boat accounted for half. As for the other half…" "The Mountains and Seas Fishery played an indispensable role." The shabby man's gaze drifted outside the painting.

"Mountains and Seas Fishery?" Li Fan was startled at first, then realized the other party was likely referring to the fishing pond. "But what is the meaning of naming it 'Mountains and Seas?'" In a trance, images of endless oceans and continuous mountain ranges suddenly reappeared in Li Fan's mind. Accompanying the mountain and sea phenomenon were endless light and heat, a scene where countless possibilities were melted into a scorching light. It seemed he was one step closer to fully recovering his memories.

Just at this critical moment, the shabby man placed a hand on Li Fan's shoulder, pulling Li Fan back from the fantasy of his memories to reality. Only then did Li Fan realize his perilous situation in reality. Whether it was his clone in the Xuanhuang Realm or his true body in the Great Xuan Small World, their heads had both exploded. Even most of their bodies were gradually evaporating from top to bottom due to the shock brought by the mountain and sea phenomenon. Not even the "Dao of Immortality" within him could stop this trend of disappearance. Had the shabby man not awakened him in time, Li Fan would likely have also become a mere illusionary existence within a short period.

"Your state… it seems a bit off?" The shabby man observed Li Fan with a mix of surprise and uncertainty. Li Fan cupped his hands and bowed, "Senior, your insight is truly unique. To be frank, I seem to have gone astray during my cultivation, and most of my past memories have vanished. Even recalling bits causes my body to suffer severe backlash. I've struggled from a mortal to my current cultivation, relying entirely on instinct and the aid of the Dao of Immortality within me. As for Old Man Shouqiu, whom you mentioned, Senior… I do have some impressions, but only vague images." As Li Fan spoke, he conjured the solitary figure of Old Man Shouqiu gazing at the sea, presenting it before the shabby man.

Upon seeing Old Man Shouqiu, the shabby man's expression immediately turned solemn, showing respect. He then carefully observed Li Fan before slowly saying, "The Dao of Immortality within you is indeed wielded by Old Man Shouqiu. Since Old Man Shouqiu is involved, there can be no falsehood. However, as for this Dao of Mountains and Seas, I was only fortunate enough to hear Old Man Shouqiu explain a little about it back then. I don't know the specifics well and can't help you much. But don't worry too much. With the protection of the Dao of Immortality, even if this realm is annihilated, you will remain safe." There was a hint of envy in the shabby man's tone.

Li Fan nodded upon hearing this. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior. By the way, may I know your name?" The shabby man waved his hand, "For one who is already dead, names are like passing clouds. Why mention them again?" Li Fan replied, "One day, when I recover my memories and return to my master's side, I will certainly explain today's events to him. Although Senior has perished, this phantom remains. With my master's divine abilities, it might not be impossible to turn death into rebirth." The shabby man initially seemed to have no hope for this. But a moment later, as if something occurred to him, he changed his mind. "I am Emperor Taitian of the Immortal Realm."

"I ruled for a thousand years, undisturbed, and then retired. When the Calamity of Dao Annihilation descended and intensified, I secretly sought a method of salvation. This Lanke Dao Arena was built under my direction," the shabby man said calmly. Hidden Immortal Emperor of the Immortal Realm, Lanke Dao Arena, Calamity of Dao Annihilation… Each keyword triggered extensive memories in Li Fan's mind. It took him a long time to barely recover from the severe impact. Li Fan's expression when looking at the shabby man was now different.

"Senior, since you were once the ruling Immortal Emperor of the Immortal Realm, your accomplishments must have been profound. Why have you fallen to this state?" Although the question was a bit blunt, Li Fan spoke directly, full of questions. He raised the Retrograde Boat in his hand. "Is it because of this item?" Emperor Taitian nodded. "That is one reason. But the main reason is that my cultivation was insufficient, and I failed at the last hurdle."

He sighed, seemingly lost in past memories. After a long moment, he continued, "Your divine sense entered this treasure boat just now. Did you perceive its life energy?" "Indeed. This treasure appears to be an object, but is actually a living entity." "That's because this Retrograde Boat was forged using my own body as material," Emperor Taitian said with a smile. Upon hearing this, Li Fan couldn't help but show a look of shock. He looked at the shabby man before him, making sure the other party wasn't joking.

"But rumors say that the Retrograde Boat was created by a so-called 'Reverse Immortal'…" "Oh? Reverse Immortal? I haven't heard of that. However, there might not be only one Retrograde Boat in the world. As long as one comprehends the Dao of Retrograde, creating another one is not impossible," Emperor Taitian said calmly. "Comprehend the Dao of Retrograde?" Li Fan seemed to realize something. "Xuan Tianwang?" Emperor Taitian neither confirmed nor denied. "I am merely a lone wandering spirit; how can I know everything about the outside world? However, if anyone in this world could recreate a Retrograde Boat, I believe Xuanyuan Hong is the most likely candidate. After all, when we parted ways, his comprehension of the Dao of Retrograde was already quite formidable."

Li Fan remained silent. "Some things can only be understood through experience. For instance, perhaps the vast majority of worldly affairs can be altered by reversing time. But it is precisely that tiny, unchangeable fraction that ultimately determines the final outcome of the river of time. No matter how you change the direction of the river of time, in the end, the surging waters will still flow into the calm, vast ocean. If one lacks the power to change the entire ocean, then reversing time is nothing more than a futile struggle," Emperor Taitian said calmly.

Listening to the other party's words, Li Fan felt a faint sense of familiarity. It seemed he himself had once had similar thoughts. "Irrelevant to the ultimate outcome." Four large characters involuntarily emerged in his mind, corresponding to the scene described by Emperor Taitian.

"Although I was once an Immortal Emperor, how many Immortal Emperors have there been throughout the history of the Immortal Realm? How many can truly transcend like Old Man Shouqiu? You are a Shouqiu disciple and have obtained the Dao of Immortality. You already possess the foundation for transcendence. I don't know how much stronger that makes you compared to an ordinary Immortal Emperor." Although he was continuously praised by Emperor Taitian, Li Fan felt no honor; instead, he felt a wave of discomfort. It was as if he didn't particularly approve of his identity as a Shouqiu disciple. "Strange." "Could it be…" Li Fan suppressed this strange thought in his mind and continued, following Emperor Taitian's words: "Someone like my master should possess the power to change the entire ocean, as you said, Senior?"

"It's merely a glimmer of possibility. In the Eternal Silence Void Realm, even Old Man Shouqiu would likely find it difficult to proceed."

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