Chapter 538

The Weakness of Reversion

Li Fan didn't know how long it had been since he had taken a good look at himself. The image of himself that he subconsciously held in his mind was that of a frail scholar, frozen at the age of twenty. After all, no matter how much his appearance aged, in the end, once he activated Reversion, he would return to this very appearance at his anchor point. Therefore, for Li Fan, aging was essentially a false proposition.

What all living beings in the world feared most—old age, sickness, and death—were merely temporary "states" for him, which he could shed at any time. Li Fan even felt a certain degree of "indifference" to the changes happening to himself. How much more so for the myriad beings of the Xuanhuang Realm.

Kou Hong, Dao Xuanzi, He Zhenghao, Zhang Zhiliang, Xiao Heng... The destinies of these people would change with Li Fan's actions in each reincarnation. An enemy who fought to the death in one life might become a close friend sharing drinks in the next. In yet another life, they might even become Li Fan's loyal subordinates. And what then? Perhaps they would become innocent souls caught in the crossfire during Li Fan's battles with others. But regardless of what they experienced, once Li Fan activated Reversion, their "state" would revert to the anchor point he had chosen. So, for them, did their experiences, life after life, not constitute another form of illusion?

When people satirize extremely selfish individuals, they often say things like, "The world doesn't revolve around you; why should everyone constantly make way for you?" But for Li Fan, the world—at least the Xuanhuang Realm where he resided—truly revolved around him. With a single thought, the world reset. Past events all became fleeting smoke. Under such circumstances, how could Li Fan possibly regard the people in this world as beings of the same standing as himself? Even if he could only achieve this through the use of the exotic treasure, Reversion, Li Fan, who could reverse time, indeed found it impossible to treat the beings of the Xuanhuang Realm as his "equals."

Li Fan observed himself in the mirror for a long time but did not detect the "apathy" that Gao Yuan had mentioned. This might suggest that perhaps even Li Fan himself had not noticed certain subtle changes quietly occurring within him. Much like his psychological age, which continued to steadily increase even with each activation of Reversion. Li Fan's being was not, in fact, as he believed, completely unchanging. Reversion could reverse time, but Li Fan, as its vessel, had gained the ability to still "change" even under the effects of Reversion.

"I thought my acting was already good enough..." Li Fan chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Li Fan closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, his gaze seemed to have undergone a subtle change. It appeared more lively and vibrant, showing a hint of affection for everything around him in the world. Li Fan observed himself carefully once more, making continuous adjustments. After a long time, he finally stopped.

"I've temporarily changed it back," he murmured. "However, acting is still just acting. No matter how convincing, it's not real. There are too many people in this world with unimaginable abilities. Even an ordinary guard monk in the Congyun Sea possesses such keen insight. To deceive everyone in the world, I suppose that's currently impossible. But it's fine; it's not a major flaw. There are also people in the world who are truly heartless and devoid of righteousness."

Li Fan merely made a slight adjustment to himself regarding this small incident and didn't dwell on it much. And the fact that Gao Yuan and others imagined him, Li Fan, to be an Immortal Venerable who had fallen from grace, made him feel somewhat dumbfounded.

"I truly have no profound intentions. I merely wanted to find an excuse to avoid the potential major battle in Tianling Province."

Li Fan, who had quietly left Myriad Immortals Island alone, submerged himself into the sea. He descended tens of thousands of meters into a trench, ensuring he was not being followed. Only then did Li Fan activate the Marvelous Profound True Spirit Transformation, reverting to his original appearance. He then temporarily buried all the items he had acquired from the Myriad Immortals Alliance since entering the world as an "ancient Celestial Dao Sect monk," concealing and sealing them with his Heaven-Obscuring Hand. Stripped bare, Li Fan changed his clothes himself and returned to the surface. He first borrowed a suitable set of clothes from a nearby mortal island to change into, then headed straight for the island where the Empire and others were located.

Before long, he reached his destination. Since he had not concealed his aura, as he approached, the Empire's Holy Master—the azure luan bird that had once been by Xu Ke's side—sent a divine sense warning.

"Fellow Daoist, what brings you here?"

Li Fan stopped, hovering in the air, and smiled faintly. He simply replied with the two words: "Alliance."

Shortly after, Xiao Qing herself flew out to greet him. She observed Li Fan carefully for a moment, then led him into a secret chamber on the island. Li Chenfeng did not seem to be on the island; it was unknown where he had gone. Even the Spirit-Lock of the Formless Killing Intent had temporarily lost its effect. Li Fan replayed the scenes recorded by the Dao Transformation Stone in his sea of consciousness and discovered that Li Chenfeng had left the Xuanhuang Realm. However, the location of his departure this time was different from where he had returned to the Empire previously.

"Not the Empire, but another minor world?" A thought stirred in Li Fan's mind, but he did not reveal it, merely making a mental note.

"Fellow Daoist, are you also a member of the Myriad Realms Alliance?" Xiao Qing asked directly.

"That's right. I've been sent by my superior to inform you all that our cooperation will likely be temporarily suspended," Li Fan said calmly.

"What?!" Even though Xiao Qing had lived for thousands of years, she was momentarily stunned by such sudden news. Startled, she immediately stood up, her phoenix eyes fixed intently on Li Fan. "What does this mean?" Then, she eyed Li Fan with suspicion, her eyes narrowing slightly: "Are you truly from the Myriad Realms Alliance?" She was already beginning to doubt Li Fan's identity.

A faint killing intent subtly permeated the air. Li Fan cupped his hands, signaling Xiao Qing not to be too nervous. He explained, "It's not that our Myriad Realms Alliance intends to go back on our word; there are genuine reasons for this. It's not just your Empire; we've temporarily severed ties with all other minor worlds as well. The instruction from above is for everyone to lie low for a while until the storm passes."

Xiao Qing's tightly furrowed brows did not relax in the slightest. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Li Fan continue, "I know you are eager to escape the Xuanhuang Realm. But the situation is indeed special, and we are forced to do this. After all, we also benefited greatly from our last transaction. We are eager to complete the remaining part of the deal as soon as possible."