Chapter 342: 不可记与忆

"When was this clone forged?"

Li Fan felt as if he had forgotten something extremely important.

His brows furrowed, and thoughts raced through his mind. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall any related memories. Even reviewing the memories stored within the Dao Transformation Stone crystal in his mind proved futile.

"And this cultivation method of mine..." Li Fan suddenly realized something, and his expression involuntarily turned grim.

"Immortal Venerable Jicheng offered a reward for longevity treasures, using the opportunity to use the Yanfa Jue as a prize. The 'Mysterious True Spirit Transformation' must have been derived from the Yanfa Jue."

"I'm always cautious in my actions; it's impossible for my true self to take such a risk. Therefore, I must have created a clone at that time to handle this matter."

"But..."

"I have absolutely no recollection of it?"

"Is this again the doing of that Heavenly Venerate who makes people forget calamities?"

Li Fan closed his eyes in contemplation, trying once more to recall, but still to no avail.

"No, that's not right."

After a long time, Li Fan opened his eyes, a pensive expression on his face. "Rather than saying I've forgotten, it's more accurate to say that the clone's past experiences have been completely erased."

"Things that never happened naturally leave no trace."

"What on earth is it?"

The fear of the unknown almost made Li Fan want to immediately return to his true form, break free from this influence, and investigate thoroughly. But he forcefully restrained himself.

"Regardless, I must note this down first. After this world ends, perhaps I'll remember what vanished at the summit of Separation Mountain."

"However, this method of subtly vanishing from memory is truly impossible to guard against. To prevent even forgetting this matter in the future, I must record it beforehand." With this thought, Li Fan prepared to find a blank jade slip from his storage ring to record what he had forgotten.

"Huh? What's this?" Suddenly, he noticed three jade slips placed separately in a corner of his storage ring.

"When were these placed here? I have no memory of it at all." Li Fan paused, slightly stunned, then his heart stirred, and he took out the jade slips to examine them one by one.

Strangely, one of the jade slips was completely blank, with nothing recorded on it. Of the other two, one only had the character "Dao" written on it. The other jade slip only had the character "Yuan" (Source) written on it.

"Dao Yuan? Yuan Dao? What do these mean?" Li Fan felt as if these terms were very familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had encountered them.

As if enveloped by a dark cloud, Li Fan's mood involuntarily grew heavy.

"Overthinking now is useless." After most of a day, Li Fan finally shook off the influence of this powerful negative emotion. He meticulously recorded the situation of his clone—its undeniable existence, yet his inability to perceive it, and his forgetfulness of certain related matters—onto the blank jade slip. Afterwards, he carefully placed the three jade slips back in their original spot.

"Although I can't recall what exactly happened for now, judging by these three jade slips I prepared as hints, I was aware of this matter."

"Perhaps I simply underestimated the true impact of the event when it occurred, which rendered all these preparations ineffective."

"If 'it' refers to that unknown event, then can it be inferred that after the event occurs, not only memories related to it but even all associated records become impossible to retain?"

After calming down, Li Fan pondered carefully, subtly inferring some clues.

"Since I had prepared, it indicates that its influence wasn't present from the anchored Year 1. Therefore, at the very least, once I return to my true form, I should understand what truly happened." Thinking of this, Li Fan's mind felt slightly at ease.

"Although this discovery is quite unbelievable at first glance, given how treacherous this world usually is, I strangely find it somewhat natural," Li Fan said, shaking his head with a self-deprecating remark.

Despite the unexpected encounter, Li Fan didn't forget the purpose of his trip outside the city. It was to test the effects of the 'Mysterious True Spirit Transformation' cultivation method.

He calmed his mind, slowly dispelling distracting thoughts, and began to circulate the True Spirit Transformation. A power distinctly different from spiritual energy, yet seemingly rooted in it, instantly surged from his limbs and bones, spreading throughout his entire body. Under the effect of this mysterious and unpredictable power, Li Fan felt as if countless ants were crawling all over him, causing an unbearable itching and pain.

Forcibly suppressing his discomfort, Li Fan continued to circulate the cultivation method, aiming to achieve his first random transformation after successfully cultivating it. The pain and itching continuously intensified. Various parts of his body also grew increasingly hot. Just as Li Fan felt as if every bone in his body was about to melt, he suddenly experienced a loosening sensation throughout his entire being.

All discomfort vanished in an instant, as if he had been given a brand new body... No, he had indeed acquired a new body.

Summoning a water mirror before him, Li Fan observed himself within it. It was a completely unfamiliar face, and his height, demeanor, and the subtle impression he gave at first glance were all vastly different from Li Fan's true self. If not for the fact that every movement of the figure in the mirror corresponded with his own, Li Fan would never have believed it was himself.

With a thought, he circulated the cultivation method again. Soon after, another face appeared within the secret chamber. Li Fan, as if he had found a cherished new toy, continued to transform. As he grew more accustomed to it, the time required for each transformation gradually decreased. Eventually, he could complete the transformation in almost a single breath.

"The Hundred True Spirit Transformations are indeed wondrous and unfathomable. In my opinion, they are almost akin to a divine ability!" Li Fan couldn't help but exclaim after completing his experiments.

Currently, he had only just begun cultivating this miraculous method. Thus, the transformations only granted him the cultivation level of the Qi Refining stage. However, he had already grasped all the essential principles; the rest was merely a matter of diligent, continuous effort over time. With his ability to multitask using the Dao Transformation Divine One, he believed he would soon be able to elevate the True Spirit Transformation to the Golden Core stage, matching his own cultivation.

Glancing at the messy secret chamber around him, Li Fan used the Great Five Elements Nirvana Sword to erase all traces. Afterwards, he quietly returned to Tianyu City.

With a hopeful thought, Li Fan searched for information related to the terms "Dao Yuan" and "Yuan Dao" in the Heavenly Profound Mirror. As expected, after browsing for a long time, he found no suspicious targets, only ordinary fragments of information.

"It seems I'll have to put this matter aside for now." Li Fan felt helpless and could only give up.

"It's now mid-Year 29 of the anchor. The one-year preparation period for the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Array popularization plan has expired, so I'll likely be summoned by Ji Hongdao soon."

"Following him to set up spirit-locking arrays for the grotto-heavens means I probably won't have much freedom for a long time."

"However, I have a hidden pawn: the daughter of the Myriad Immortals Alliance's Chief Array Master. She might prove surprisingly effective at a crucial moment."