Chapter 5: Raising Waves on a Flat Ground

The simulation ended.

Li Fan, regaining consciousness, was still immersed in the power of Dao Xuanzi's sword strike. “Is this the power of a Foundation Establishment Grand Perfection cultivator...?” Li Fan's heart was filled with shock. Kou Hong's previous ability to effortlessly destroy Xuanjing City had already astonished Li Fan, but the final sword strike unleashed by Dao Xuanzi made Li Fan acutely aware of his own insignificance. Like an ant facing a great tide, from Li Fan's perspective, he couldn't comprehend the sword strike or grasp its full scope. Even a fleeting glimpse was enough for Li Fan to understand the vast difference between mortals and Foundation Establishment Grand Perfection cultivators.

“Without the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, even if I were to reincarnate a hundred times and devise countless schemes, I probably wouldn't be able to threaten them,” Li Fan thought to himself with a hidden sense of relief, but also immense doubt and alarm. “What exactly is this Immortal-Mortal Miasma? Don't cultivators ascend step by step from mortals? Why would mortal blood have such a terrifying restraining effect on cultivators?” The hidden implications of this question made Li Fan's mind race with possibilities.

However, Li Fan quickly suppressed these thoughts. “First, let's summarize the gains and losses of this lifetime.” Watching the scenes flicker across the light screen, Li Fan pondered. “The ambush of Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong went largely as I predicted. First, I used bullets soaked in death row prisoners' blood to weaken them, then I disturbed their minds with the Golden Core cultivation method, and finally, I used the Blood Rain to seal their fate, capturing them alive after they were utterly weakened...”

“What I didn't expect was the Immortal-Mortal Miasma's incredibly potent restraint on cultivators, which directly led to Kou Hong's death and the end of his cultivation. Even more unexpected was that I had initially dismissed their 'century-long brotherhood' as mere words, yet their relationship proved truly extraordinary. When attacked, Dao Xuanzi warned Kou Hong, and Kou Hong, knowing he couldn't escape death, willingly gave the Golden Core cultivation method to Dao Xuanzi. Seeing Kou Hong die from a treacherous attack, Dao Xuanzi, unable to bear it, sacrificed his own life path to unleash a mutually destructive sword strike to avenge Kou Hong... All of this indicated a truly extraordinary friendship between the two.”

“If that's the case, why would they fight each other over a Golden Core cultivation method?” Li Fan grew increasingly puzzled. Suddenly, he recalled the initial scenes of meeting the two of them. “The path to the Golden Core, it's either me or him...” Li Fan became thoughtful. “Can immortal cultivation methods not be practiced concurrently...?”

“If even sworn brothers are like this, what kind of world is the external cultivation realm?” Li Fan had a premonition that the cultivation world in this realm might be completely different from what he had imagined. “No matter how dangerous the path ahead, I will not waver. Moreover, with the aid of the 'Returning to Truth' ability, as long as I am careful enough, I believe no predicament can hinder me.” After a brief moment of hesitation, Li Fan's resolve firmed once more.

“In this so-called land devoid of immortals, if I want to pursue the immortal path, I still need to find a way through Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi. Last time, I chose to attack both simultaneously; perhaps this time, I can try to win one over.” His mind raced, and in an instant, Li Fan conceived several methods to deal with them. Although they were high-ranking Foundation Establishment cultivators, Li Fan wasn't particularly afraid. In fact, he didn't even seriously consider them formal 'opponents.' It wasn't Li Fan's arrogance, but rather the 'Returning to Truth' ability to constantly restart was simply too defying of nature! How could mere Foundation Establishment cultivation compare to fifty years of foresight and countless opportunities for trial and error?

After the simulation concluded, Li Fan still chose the option to accelerate the Void Transformation charging progress.

Name: Li FanRealm: MortalPhysical Age: 20/86Mental Age: 216/1080↑Void Transformation Charging Progress: 30%

“This time, the mental age cap only increased by a few decades; it seems it's nearing its limit.” Li Fan had long been mentally prepared for this, so he didn't pay it much mind. “Counting my life before transmigration, this is already my fifth lifetime. The path to immortality, how incredibly difficult it is,” Li Fan sighed. “I hope these fifty years won't be wasted.”

Li Fan once again initiated the fifty-year waiting period. Like a pre-programmed sequence, everything proceeded methodically: taking the imperial examination, passing it, becoming the top scholar; serving as a county magistrate, mining minerals, manufacturing firearms. After killing the Prince of Langya and taking his place, Li Fan ultimately grew a bit impatient. Ten years was too long; as long as he couldn't control the whole empire, he would always be confined to the Jiangnan region. If he could have an extra ten years to mobilize the power of the entire realm, his plan to capture the two cultivators alive would have a greater chance of success. Thus, Li Fan decided to send his trusted confidants to infiltrate the palace and secretly administer slow-acting poison to the emperor.

Who would have thought that this very decision would create unforeseen complications? It turned out that while Li Fan's confidants' poisoning went undetected, the emperor, despite being young and vigorous, suddenly found his health deteriorating day by day, making him increasingly paranoid. He suspected someone was secretly harming him. His primary suspect was none other than the Prince of Langya, his former closest brother. This led to a change: in Anchor Year 7, when the emperor was gravely ill, he didn't pass the throne to the Prince of Langya but instead bequeathed it to the Prince of Runan, who had always been somewhat cynical.

Fortunately, Li Fan's moles in the palace relayed the news promptly. Upon hearing it, Li Fan immediately took action. On one hand, he dispatched his subordinates to assassinate the Prince of Runan on his way to the capital; on the other hand, he, under the guise of the Prince of Langya, declared that the emperor had been harmed by treacherous elements close to him. Raising the banner of "Suppressing the National Calamity," he led the army he had assembled over the years on a forced march, storming into the capital and seizing control of the court by force before anyone could react.

Such drastic measures naturally brought numerous repercussions. Firstly, the court officials were defiant. The emperor's dying edict had named the Prince of Runan as successor. "Isn't what you, Prince of Langya, are doing an act of rebellion?" Although the ministers outwardly yielded to Li Fan's military suppression and couldn't openly resist, they managed to feign compliance and engage in passive resistance. Some even secretly contacted regional vassal kings, attempting to persuade them to lead troops to the capital to "restore order." Li Fan, of course, showed no mercy, brutally executing a group of people to barely intimidate the rest. Then, with the secret assistance of his convenient father-in-law, the Chief Grand Secretary, it took several months to barely stabilize the situation.

During these months, chaos had already erupted throughout the Great Xuan. Regional vassal kings declared their independence one after another, completely ignoring imperial commands. Thus, Li Fan had no choice but to dispatch troops to suppress them one by one. Although firearms were effective, their numbers were limited. Coupled with the vast territory of the Great Xuan, this task proved quite arduous. Warfare and political affairs left Li Fan overwhelmed. He was busy with these matters for a long time, only fully resolving the internal and external threats by Anchor Year 22. Calculating this, he ended up gaining complete control of the empire several years later than if he had patiently followed the original plan.

“I still need to be more cautious, and more patient,” Li Fan thought helplessly after everything settled, only able to learn from the experience. “A slight deviation leads to a huge error. If there are too many variables, my advantage of foresight will be greatly diminished.” Fortunately, these were just minor ripples that didn't affect the overall situation. After things gradually returned to normal, the gears of time sped forward, and in a flash, it was Anchor Year 35. In this year, Li Fan left Xuanjing City and traveled thousands of miles to personally visit the Eastern Void Abyss.