Chapter 230: Enduring Through a Hundred Tribulations

"Exceptional cultivation talent, you say...""Perhaps it was just my third senior brother's dying encouragement.""If I truly had astonishing talent, how could I have stopped at the Golden Core stage during my lifetime?""It even required the power of earth fire, absorbing and refining it for thousands of years, to barely achieve the Transcendent Divinity stage.""It was an unconventional path, a roundabout way to succeed. Although I eventually became a Transcendent Divinity cultivator, it certainly had nothing to do with exceptional talent."Li Fan shook his head and sighed inwardly.

After a while, Li Fan began to summarize the information he had gathered during this period.

During his first entry into the Cloudwater Heavenly Palace, Li Fan learned from Qin Tang and the Worm Daoist that a massive and exceptionally brutal war had occurred in ancient times. Although he wasn't sure if it was due to the influence of the Forgetfulness ability of the Immortal Venerable of Longevity, Li Fan couldn't find any related records in the Sky Profound Mirror. However, later in his 'Seeking Immortals' experience, the terrifying war scenes witnessed by the cultivator named Bu Er implicitly confirmed the existence of this war. Furthermore, based on the Eternal Remnant of True Master Tianyang, Li Fan gained an even deeper understanding of the war's cruelty. Even ordinary small sects in the cultivation world at that time were almost completely wiped out. It was clear how devastating this great war truly was.

Which two sides were fighting? And what were they fighting for? Tianyang's senior disciple brother, Sixing, had once disdainfully referred to the opposing side as "barbarians." However, judging by the outcome of the war, the enemy's strength was by no means weak. Although the Ten Great Immortal Sects ultimately claimed victory, it could only be described as a Pyrrhic one.

In his countless reincarnations, Li Fan had encountered powerful cultivators at the Dao Merging stage. He clearly understood how terrifying Dao Merging cultivators truly were. Yet, in ancient times, while not ubiquitous, Dao Merging experts were certainly not few in number within powerful sects. Not to mention, the Ten Great Immortal Sects definitely had Immortal Venerables of Longevity among their ranks. Just imagining it made him realize what a formidable force these sects represented when united. What kind of enemy could push cultivators to such a desperate brink? Li Fan was filled with doubts.

The truth remained hidden in the mists of history; even with his numerous opportunities, Li Fan had only glimpsed a small corner of it. To truly understand what happened back then, Li Fan needed more information. With this thought, Li Fan quietly suppressed his scattered thoughts about the ancient war. He then turned his attention to another matter.

"During the era of the great war, sects flourished immensely. The alliance of the Ten Great Immortal Sects held absolute dominance over the entire cultivation world.""The jade slip left by Tianyang's third senior brother, Lian Chang, did not record the 'Borrowing the Wonders of Heaven and Earth' cultivation method.""Therefore, I infer that the ancient war era likely predates the Immortal Venerable's Reforms.""Perhaps it was precisely this great war that severely weakened these ancient sects.""Only then could the Immortal Venerable's New Laws find the space and fertile ground for full development.""The period of reform arrived, and the New Laws eventually replaced the Old Laws.""Within a few years, the cultivation world regained its former splendor.""However, cultivators' excessive plundering of heaven and earth brought about heavenly backlash. The inability for laws to be cultivated together led to the sudden arrival of the Great Tribulation Era.""In the early stages of the Great Tribulation Era, although mutual slaughter was inevitable, overall order could still be maintained.""But as time went on, more and more cultivators approached their lifespans' end. Collapse became unavoidable.""At this critical juncture, the Immortal-Mortal Blight erupted. This marked the Great Plague Era.""Between two evils, cultivators chose the lesser. Under the threat of the Immortal-Mortal Blight, they had to suspend their mutual killings and seek a solution.""Massacring mortals proved counterproductive, so they were collectively migrated to surrounding minor worlds.""Once this world was devoid of mortals and the Immortal-Mortal Blight was thoroughly resolved,""true chaos and slaughter descended. The orthodox order of the cultivation world, which had endured for countless millennia, crumbled overnight. Everything fell into disarray, and cultivators, like ants, struggled desperately for survival.""I would call this period the Great Dark Age.""Even the darkest days eventually pass. When the number of cultivators dwindled to an extreme minimum, the slaughter finally ceased.""By this time, the cultivation world had already become a wasteland. Only solitary cultivators, who had survived the Great Dark Age, lived on this desolate land.""This can be called the Wasteland Era.""Following that, the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council were established, and a new order for cultivation re-emerged in the Xuanhuang Realm."

Li Fan organized his various observations and experiences since entering the cultivation world. A clear historical timeline slowly emerged.

"The vitality of cultivator civilization is truly resilient," Li Fan couldn't help but marvel inwardly. "Even after enduring one tribulation after another, almost total annihilation, they can still re-root and sprout from the ruins." Then, considering that his future opponents might be old monsters who had survived these various tribulation periods, Li Fan's scalp tingled. However, he remained utterly fearless.

"I can fail countless times.""But no matter your cultivation level, if you fail just once, you lose everything.""What is there for me to fear?""Those who obstruct my path to immortality, I will surely execute."

Li Fan had long realized that this newly ordered Xuanhuang Realm bore some resemblance to the "Fixed Fish" scenario. To survive, merely becoming the new fish leader was not enough. He would also need to escape the collective hunt of the ancient, watchful fish kings to truly be qualified to control his own destiny.

His mind slowly calmed. The world of True Simulation was not yet over. Li Fan guessed that Tianyang's "storyline" had not concluded. Since the flow of time in this world, similar to the Immortalfall Realm, was inconsistent with the real world, Li Fan was in no hurry to leave. He simply decided to remain in this Grotto-Heaven of Dao Incarnation, using Tianyang's body to cultivate the 'Body Incarnates as Others' Self' method.

For Li Fan, cultivating ancient methods was still a novel experience. It wasn't as direct or crude as the new methods. It placed more emphasis on comprehending the cultivation technique itself and on feeling and contemplating the Great Dao. Compared to the mechanical, repetitive arduous cultivation of the new methods, practicing the old methods gave Li Fan a greater sense of autonomy and enjoyment. Of course, this was also because Li Fan's current body was one that True Master Tianyang could cultivate with. If it were an ordinary person without cultivation aptitude, they certainly wouldn't find such joy.

He didn't require any rare heavenly and earthly treasures. After reaching the Perfection of Qi Condensation, Li Fan naturally broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, using Tianyang's body. After that, he progressed rapidly, through the Mid Foundation Establishment and Late Foundation Establishment stages, until he stopped after reaching the Perfection of Foundation Establishment.