Chapter 162: Centuries of True Foundation Establishment

This simulation has ended.

Li Fan stood motionless in the familiar yet strange study, still immersed in the afterglow of the "Sky-Overturning Palm." After a long while, he finally took a deep breath. Although he had slain a Nascent Soul cultivator with his Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivation, Li Fan felt little pride. One reason was that the red-haired Nascent Soul cultivator's own cultivation wasn't strong. More importantly, Li Fan wasn't relying entirely on his own strength. He had used the "Spirit Shocking Formation" to forcibly elevate the attack's power to the Golden Core stage, and then activated a series of auxiliary formations. Finally, the "Twenty-Eight Cloud Swords" and "Sky-Overturning Palm"—two ultimate killing moves—were unleashed simultaneously. Yet, it still ended in a mutual destruction, a pyrrhic victory. If not for Huanzhen, he would likely be dead and gone by now. However, then again, if he hadn't relied on Huanzhen, given Li Fan's character, he probably wouldn't have risked his life, ultimately comprehending the "Sky-Overturning Palm" that reversed the situation.

He gazed at Huanzhen's options. Li Fan, without hesitation, naturally chose the second option: retain cultivation. As he confirmed his choice, he focused his mind, carefully observing the changes about to occur within his body. When he had inherited the Qi Condensation late-stage cultivation previously, the "Immortal-Mortal Miasma" in his body had silently dissolved and vanished as the cultivation descended. Li Fan was now curious how Huanzhen would handle the rule of this world that "Foundation Establishment requires borrowing from Heaven and Earth's wonders."

He held his breath, and his Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivation suddenly surged forth from within his body. The "Immortal-Mortal Miasma" dissipated without a trace, like snowflakes melting into water. Spiritual energy inexplicably emerged within him, and then his aura steadily climbed. In an instant, it reached the Qi Condensation late-stage. Then, within his Dantian, a small, azure pearl suddenly appeared without any warning. It was precisely the "Vast Sea Pearl," which shouldn't have appeared yet! The "Root of Heaven and Earth" attached itself to the Vast Sea Pearl, transforming its inherent laws into Li Fan's Dao foundation. However, this Foundation Establishment process was hundreds, even thousands, of times faster than Li Fan's own. In just an instant, the Vast Sea Pearl vanished. A phantom image of a blue ocean coiled within Li Fan's Dantian. In a flash, Li Fan completed the Foundation Establishment process. His aura then continuously rose, stopping only upon reaching the Foundation Establishment late-stage.

"It seems that even when relying on Huanzhen's power to raise my cultivation, in this world, I still have to follow the cultivation laws set down by the Dharma Transmitting Heavenly Venerate," he mused. "Is this the power that defies the principles of Heaven and Earth? The fundamental rules of cultivation have completely changed. If one wants to play this game of cultivation, one must follow the established rules." Li Fan pondered for a moment, recalling scenes he had witnessed in his previous life, and a realization dawned on him. "After the Eternal Heavenly Venerate defied the principles of Heaven and Earth, they no longer appeared in the world. Dao Integration experts suppress entire states, serving as the strongest visible combat power. Below Dao Integration..."

He thought of the various Spirit Transformation cultivators battling in Yuandao State, yet they were merely sacrifices for Azure Feather Heavenly Venerate's enlightenment. Li Fan couldn't help but sigh, "Below Dao Integration, all are ants. Spirit Transformation, Nascent Soul, Golden Core, Foundation Establishment—there's no fundamental difference. Only after sacrificing the spirit of Heaven and Earth and achieving Dao Integration can one barely enter the Eternal Heavenly Venerate's sight. But... without achieving eternal life, all is vanity. Azure Feather Heavenly Venerate lingered for thousands of years, yet their great limit still arrived. Achieving eternal life... Achieving eternal life..." Li Fan murmured these three words repeatedly, seemingly contemplating something, his brows furrowed. "Without achieving eternal life, all is vanity. Even if one achieves eternal life, what then? Back then, the Dharma Transmitting Heavenly Venerate established the path of new cultivation methods. From then on, if one didn't follow her cultivation path, one couldn't cultivate. But if one truly walked her path of cultivation, even if one genuinely achieved eternal life, one would still be under her shadow."

Li Fan seemed to have understood something, and his expression suddenly became calm. "In this world, the path of cultivation has already become a fixed rule, according to her will. To transcend, one must jump out of the chessboard from the very beginning. But as a chess piece, and the weakest one at that, how can one jump out of the chessboard on their own? Unless, by external means. Huanzhen..." Li Fan stared at the Huanzhen light screen before him, his gaze flickering. "From the day I learned that everything in existence could be considered a wonder of Heaven and Earth, I conceived the idea of using Huanzhen as a foundation to build my Dao base. For this, I observed the Foundation Establishment process over a thousand times, and unlocked two anchor points. Now, it's time to try."

With a resolution in mind, Li Fan flew to the peak of Mount Jieli, where he had once comprehended the "Formless Killing Intent." He simply built a thatched hut and set up some arrangements around it to prevent outsiders from trespassing. Then he sat cross-legged inside the hut. With a thought, Huanzhen's prompt appeared at the right moment.

"Do you want to set the current time point as the second anchor point?"

Li Fan answered without hesitation: "Yes!"

The second anchor point was set immediately.

"Now, I just need to wait for Huanzhen to finish charging. Huanzhen's charging speed hasn't increased; it still requires about nine years. I can't just be idle during this time. I haven't thoroughly studied He Zhenghao's 'Mountain and River Veins Formation Diagram,' but I vaguely remember Zhang Zhiliang's 'Infinite Method.' This is a good opportunity to continue improving my formation mastery. It's a pity, though, that this land of Immortal Isolation in Da Xuan only allows for theoretical improvement, not practical formation arrangement." Li Fan sighed, then his mind settled into comprehending the Way of Formations.

Nine years passed in a flash.

"It's time!" Able to rewind at any time, Li Fan finally had the confidence to begin establishing his Dao foundation with Huanzhen. Currently, the wonder of Heaven and Earth he used for Foundation Establishment was still the Vast Sea Pearl. So, the first step was... to shatter the Dao foundation.

The "Tai Shang Primordial True Scripture" circulated, converting all his cultivation power into pure cultivation essence, stored within his body. Then, gazing at the phantom ocean image, which hovered between reality and illusion within his Dantian, Li Fan suddenly struck his Dantian with a finger. Li Fan spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura rapidly weakening. The phantom "Cloud Sea" image shook violently, and a black crack appeared in its center. The phantom ocean image became increasingly ethereal. Li Fan struck again with another finger. After three such strikes, the "Cloud Sea" completely vanished from between Heaven and Earth. Li Fan, meanwhile, was barely breathing, his face as white as paper, almost at death's door.

"I used too much force. Next life, I can be gentler," Li Fan mused inwardly. With his internal cultivation re-refined, Li Fan's injuries quickly recovered, and he returned to the perfected Qi Condensation realm. "If not for this 'Tai Shang Primordial True Scripture,' my attempt to establish a Dao foundation with Huanzhen would likely be a hundred times harder." The rapid fluctuations in his realm made Li Fan think this involuntarily.

Calming his mind, Li Fan began his first attempt. Unlike establishing a foundation with a tangible wonder of Heaven and Earth, Huanzhen, though within Li Fan's body, was formless and shapeless. Sensing it was incredibly difficult. Fortunately, Zhang Haobo's wonder for Foundation Establishment back then was also the formless and shapeless "Sky Fiend Sword Intent." Li Fan, having been fortunate enough to witness the entire process, used this as a reference to sense the rules Huanzhen contained within his body. A long while later, a faint white light emerged from Li Fan's Dantian. Then... Li Fan's Dantian exploded. Before his consciousness vanished, Li Fan silently recited in his mind.

Light and shadow shifted, but he didn't return to the original study; instead, he was still inside the small thatched hut on Mount Jieli's peak. He had naturally chosen to return to the second anchor point. He chose to shorten the charging time. After reducing the charging time by thirty percent, the charging process would only take six years to complete. Li Fan frowned slightly, carefully recalling the Foundation Establishment process from his previous life and continuously pondering and comprehending it.

Six years flashed by. Huanzhen finished charging, and Li Fan began his attempt once more. Three fingers to shatter the Dao foundation. This time, although Li Fan's face was still pale, he only spat out a small mouthful of blood. Returning to perfected Qi Condensation, he carefully sensed Huanzhen's rules. This time, the shimmering white light appeared a bit softer. The situation had improved, but it didn't last long. Bang! Li Fan's Dantian exploded again.

Six years later, Li Fan began his third attempt. The white radiance, representing Huanzhen's rules, became slightly gentler again. This time, it lasted longer than the previous two attempts. But it was still far from the point where Huanzhen's phantom image would form. Li Fan's Dantian exploded yet again.

The fourth time. "Why does my Dantian always explode?" Li Fan couldn't help but ponder, recalling the Foundation Establishment processes of his previous lives. The cultivation path established by the Dharma Transmitting Heavenly Venerate emphasized stability. Even with the poorest aptitude, as long as one had sufficient lifespan and met the conditions, one would surely succeed in cultivation. However, Li Fan's current process of establishing a foundation with Huanzhen contradicted the Dharma Transmitting Heavenly Venerate's path.

"I originally thought the difficulty in my Foundation Establishment would be how to comprehend the formless and shapeless Huanzhen. But I didn't expect that, perhaps because Huanzhen itself is integrated with me, sensing its existence isn't as difficult as I imagined. Instead, it's this apparent incompatibility with the Heavenly Venerate's cultivation path, leading to Dantian explosions, that has become the biggest obstacle to my successful Foundation Establishment. Perhaps, if I can solve this problem, I'll be close to establishing a foundation with Huanzhen." Thinking this, Li Fan's spirits lifted slightly. He began his fourth attempt.

The fifth time! The sixth time! Each time represented six years of time. Although he repeatedly failed at the last moment, with his Dantian exploding, the radiance of Huanzhen, however, indeed became increasingly gentle and soft. Things were developing in a positive direction. Li Fan's conviction also strengthened because of this. In continuous cycles, Li Fan tirelessly repeated the Foundation Establishment process, over and over again. With undivided attention, he cast everything else aside.

The tenth time. The twentieth time. The thirtieth time. It wasn't until the fifty-sixth attempt that Li Fan finally saw significant progress. Within his Dantian, the warm white light seemed to solidify into a tangible form, as pleasing to the eye as solidified fat or smooth jade. The light itself no longer changed, but its shape did.

"Could it be that I'm finally going to succeed?" Seeing this, even Li Fan's tranquil mind, usually as still as an ancient well, couldn't help but ripple slightly. But clearly, things weren't that easy. This time, his Dantian remained intact; it didn't explode. Instead, Li Fan felt as if tiny worms were constantly wriggling deep within his bones and muscles, all over his body. That sensation—itchy, numb, and painful—made Li Fan let out a muffled groan. And this was just the beginning.

One by one, round lumps of flesh suddenly protruded from Li Fan's body. They then seemed to gain a consciousness of their own, constantly writhing. The lumps grew larger and larger, almost reaching half the size of a human head within a few breaths. Covered in these horrifying sanguineous tumors, Li Fan now looked like an inhuman monster. Moreover, these sanguineous tumors were still swelling. Finally, with a "thump!" The tumors reached the limit of what a Qi Condensation body could endure and burst open like balloons. Chunks of flesh and blood splattered everywhere, covering the small thatched hut. Li Fan himself was drenched in his own flesh and blood, but he remained unmoved.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the Azure Flame Illusory Spirit emerged. At the same time, the "Profound Yellow Heart Refining Mantra" continuously circulated. Li Fan entered a state of being free from worries, fears, and dread. The phantom image of Huanzhen, condensed in his Dantian, remained undisturbed, even as his physical body disintegrated. However, a physical body at the Qi Condensation stage was, after all, frail. Slowly, Li Fan's life essence became faint and indistinct, and then was about to perish. At the last moment, Li Fan silently recited "Huanzhen" in his mind.

The fifty-seventh time! Six years later, Li Fan tried again. The white jade light cluster changed shape with Li Fan's mental comprehension. Tumors on Li Fan's body rose and fell repeatedly. After a long while, he failed again.

The fifty-eighth time. Failure!The fifty-ninth time. Failure!

Repeated failures did not diminish Li Fan's determination and conviction. He summarized lessons learned, comparing each Foundation Establishment process. He found that when he deliberately manipulated his comprehension, he persisted for a shorter time than when he was ignorant and in a state of chaotic unawareness. "Huanzhen is integrated with me. Although I can't directly perceive it, my body itself is subtly influenced by it. Establishing the foundation with my primal consciousness is much smoother than with my self-consciousness." During the seventy-fifth Foundation Establishment attempt, Li Fan had a sudden realization.

As expected, what followed was that the white jade light cluster's shape gradually became more regular. Each attempt was like a pruning, restoring it towards its original shape.

The ninetieth time. When the white jade light cluster finally became an elliptical shape, it stabilized. No more tumors appeared on Li Fan's body. The light flickered, turning from illusory to solid. It seemed about to materialize in his Dantian. But... a sudden realization flashed through Li Fan's mind. Something was still missing.

It was as if something had suddenly descended upon the small thatched hut on Mount Jieli's peak. In an instant, Li Fan's hair turned snow-white. His skin withered and wrinkled. Horrifying furrows and cracks appeared on his face. His muscles wasted away, leaving only a layer of skin hanging loosely over his skeleton. He was no longer human-shaped, his appearance terrifying. Li Fan's age was rapidly increasing; he would likely die of old age in mere moments. Li Fan didn't hesitate.

From the ninety-first to the ninety-eighth time, each of Li Fan's attempts was like this. He was always just a hair's breadth away from successfully establishing his foundation with Huanzhen.

The ninety-ninth time, he returned to Mount Jieli's peak. "What exactly is missing?" Li Fan frowned slightly. He knew he was on the verge of success, but it wasn't something mere attempts could solve. He needed that moment of sudden enlightenment to find the problem. Li Fan had a premonition that the answer should be simple. It was like a paper window separating him from it—one poke and it would tear. But now, Li Fan was "in the midst of this mountain, unable to see its true face." He couldn't find the correct solution. While pondering, Li Fan floated down the mountain. He strolled through the mortal world, seeking his answer. At the same time, he observed, for the first time, this Da Xuan that wasn't under his influence.

Anchor Point Year 5: A great drought afflicted Jiangnan. A group of refugees stormed the Langya Royal Palace. The Langya Royal Palace suffered heavy losses. Apart from the Langya King who escaped through a dog hole and saved his life, everyone else in the palace was massacred by the refugees. When the news spread, the court and common people were shaken. The Emperor was enraged and ordered the army to suppress and kill the refugees. At the same time, he summoned the Langya King to the capital and consoled him carefully. From then on, the Langya King remained in the capital.

Anchor Point Year 15: The Emperor suddenly fell ill with a severe illness. Before his death, he summoned the Langya King to the palace and abdicated the throne to him. The Langya King ascended the throne, changing the era name to Xuanjing.

Anchor Point Year 16: Rebellions, large and small, broke out simultaneously across various regions. Emperor Xuanjing appointed his trusted confidant as the Grand General of Pacification and entrusted him with leading the army to quell the rebellions. The Grand General of Pacification spent three years, finally suppressing the rebellions in all regions. He returned to the capital in glory. Emperor Xuanjing ordered all officials to welcome him outside the capital and greeted him with imperial ceremony. The Grand General of Pacification wore an arrogant expression and accepted it without reservation. He did not dismount when meeting officials, nor did he kneel before the Emperor. Emperor Xuanjing's expression remained unchanged. He took the general's arm and welcomed him into the palace. A grand banquet was held in his honor.

After three rounds of wine, the officials quietly withdrew. Dozens of swordsmen and axemen surged in. The heavily drunk Grand General of Pacification was instantly startled awake and questioned Emperor Xuanjing. Emperor Xuanjing remained silent, his expression grim. Under the siege of the swordsmen and axemen, although the Grand General of Pacification was incomparably brave, he was covered in sword wounds. He was on his last breath. Before dying, he pointed at Emperor Xuanjing and spoke venomously: "If there is a next time, I will personally lead a great army, raze Xuanjing to the ground, and use your skull as a wine goblet to satiate my hatred!" Then he died beneath the blades.

Time seemed to stand still at that instant. Li Fan, who had been silently observing, now revealed his form. His eyes were bright, and he suddenly understood. "The people of this world do not get a 'next time.' This world also has no 'next time.' But I do. My Huanzhen... is beyond this world." In an instant, the surrounding scenery became illusory, and Li Fan was back on Mount Jieli's peak.

Li Fan once again summoned Huanzhen. "When the real is false, the false is also real... The false is also real..." He stared at the seven characters generated by Huanzhen, his mind utterly clear. "I shall establish my Dao foundation by taking Huanzhen's rules as this world's rules!"

Success came naturally, without any obstruction. The white jade light cluster instantly appeared in his Dantian. The third anchor point was set immediately.