-----------
This high quality machine translation is powered by: https:// geriatrictranslations.com/
Special Permission was given to upload the novel on WebNovel.
Geriatric Translations can be supported on patreon (https://www. patreon.com/geriatricvibes) where additional chapters can be enjoyed.
You can also join the Geriatric Translations Community on Discord to connect with other readers: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------
In the Great Profound Kingdom, Mystic Capital, the Grand Tutor's Mansion.
Li Fan held his wine cup, looking at the hall filled with officials who had come to celebrate his birthday. Despite being in his advanced age (70 years old), he couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.
After all, today, the Grand Tutor's Mansion was filled with almost all the high-ranking officials of the court! What a grand occasion!
Thinking back, when Li Fan first arrived in this world, he was just a poor scholar.
For over fifty years, he had risen from nothing to become the Grand Tutor, wielding immense power. The story of his journey could easily fill a long novel of several million words.
Life is like this; what more could one ask for!
Li Fan stroked his beard and drained the fine wine in his cup.
"To the Grand Tutor's health!"
All the officials present raised their voices in unison.
Li Fan felt even more pleased.
Just then, a series of discordant shouts came from outside.
"Look! What is that!"
"Heavenly fire has descended, it's an omen of good fortune! Go tell the Grand Tutor!"
"It seems to be flying towards our Grand Tutor's Mansion!"
...
Hearing the commotion outside, Li Fan frowned.
The previously lively hall suddenly fell silent.
Li Fan stood up and walked out first.
However, before he could scold the servants or express his dissatisfaction, he was captivated by the sight in the sky.
Far in the distance, two silver streaks, one in front of the other, sped towards them like meteors.
"This is..." Li Fan was stunned.
In the blink of an eye, the two meteors had arrived above Mystic Capital and abruptly stopped.
At the same time, a voice like thunder descended from the sky, ringing in everyone's ears.
"Daoxuanzi! Don't push me too far!"
...
Everyone present was shocked. Some even called out to the immortals and fell to the ground in worship.
A word that had been buried deep in his memory, almost forgotten, suddenly sprang to Li Fan's mind.
"Cultivator..." Li Fan was dazed, muttering to himself, "How is this possible..."
The two cultivators in the sky clearly didn't care about the thoughts of the mortals below.
Another voice rang out: "Kou Hong! Do you think I will let you off just because you fled to the Severed Immortal Land? Hand over the cultivation technique you obtained that day, or I will pursue you to the ends of the earth!"
"Ridiculous! It was precisely because I lacked the Golden Core Formation Technique that I was trapped at the Foundation Establishment Stage for nearly a century, on the verge of death, about to turn into withered bones. Now that I have obtained this technique for forming a Golden Core, how could I possibly hand it over to someone else!" Kou Hong snorted coldly, his tone full of disdain.
"Indeed!" Daoxuanzi sighed deeply, "The Golden Core Path, it's either me or you. There are many cultivation techniques for forming a Golden Core in this world, but there are even more cultivators trapped at the Foundation Establishment Stage!"
Daoxuanzi's tone suddenly turned fierce: "Given this, now that the path to immortality is before me, how could I possibly let you go? How could I not push you too far!"
Kou Hong laughed loudly: "It's just a matter of survival! How laughable that we, brothers for a hundred years, are now drawing swords against each other for a glimmer of hope!"
Daoxuanzi sneered in response.
Kou Hong suddenly said: "I know I'm no match for you, and today I will likely not escape. But with so many mortals here, I wonder if you can withstand the concentration of Mortal Immortal Miasma!"
Daoxuanzi's expression changed: "Kou Hong! What are you planning to do!"
Kou Hong laughed maniacally: "It's just a matter of survival!"
Listening to the conversation between the two cultivators above, Li Fan felt a sense of foreboding. Before he could react, a crimson flame exploded above Mystic Capital.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The deafening explosions rang in Li Fan's ears, and his vision turned blood red. In a moment, he fainted.
...
After an unknown amount of time, Li Fan finally regained consciousness.
At first, he was a bit disoriented. After a while, he remembered what had happened.
Li Fan coughed, spitting out a few mouthfuls of blood, and shakily got up, looking around.
It was still night, and the once luxurious Grand Tutor's Mansion had become a pile of ruins.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burnt flesh.
All the officials who had been present moments ago were now dead, their bodies mutilated beyond recognition.
Li Fan's wives, concubines, and five sons were also spared no mercy.
Li Fan's aged face showed no emotion. His eyes were vacant.
He stood there for a long time before dragging his weak body out of the Grand Tutor's Mansion.
The once bustling and lively Mystic Capital had now become a hell of blood and fire. Everywhere he looked, there were broken bodies and collapsed buildings.
After this disaster, the number of surviving commoners would be no more than one in a hundred.
All of this was because of the two suddenly appearing "immortals," the two cultivators.
Li Fan had no strength left and slumped against a broken wall.
His hearing had been destroyed by the intense explosions, but it didn't matter.
At this moment, he just wanted to laugh.
How could there be cultivators in this world?
Since the day he entered officialdom, he had used his power to search for any traces of the existence of immortals.
When he became the Emperor's teacher, the most powerful man in the land, he had scoured the entire kingdom!
From the icy seas in the north to the vast oceans in the south, from the Ruin Abyss in the east to the mountain ranges in the west.
In the entire Great Profound Kingdom, there was not a single trace of the existence of immortals!
But today, after he had grown old and had given up all hope, two cultivators descended from the heavens, appearing before him, and without any hesitation, destroyed everything he had.
Is this what immortals are?
From where do the immortals come?
All his anger and frustration eventually turned into endless confusion.
Fate is cruel!
At the same time, Li Fan felt incredibly fortunate.
Fortunate that he had finally confirmed the existence of immortals before his death!
Otherwise, in his next life, wouldn't he have wasted another fifty years?
That's right! He, Li Fan, a mere mortal, had risen from a humble scholar to become the Emperor's teacher, the most powerful man in the land. How could he have achieved this without any means?
This was also the reason he had survived the attack of the immortals.
"True Illusion!"
Li Fan silently chanted, and the surroundings suddenly dimmed, as if seen through a thick curtain of water, surreal and indistinct.
"True becomes false when false becomes true"
Seven large characters lit up in the darkness, then suddenly scattered, forming a screen of light.
"Charging complete."
"Do you wish to virtualize the current scene and return to the initial anchor point?"
Two lines of small text appeared one after another.
At the same time, a series of images appeared, rapidly filling the entire screen.
These were the fifty years of Li Fan's life in this world.
Li Fan looked at the images of himself, stunned for a long time.
[True Illusion]
This was the name Li Fan had given to the mysterious treasure he carried with him.
It had only one function: to transform reality into illusion, to turn the real into the virtual!
By transforming reality into illusion, it would turn Li Fan's real experiences into simulated ones, allowing him to return to the initial anchor point, the moment he first arrived in this world.
In fact, this was already Li Fan's second life.
In his first life, although Li Fan had great ambitions, he was just an ordinary person. After failing the imperial examinations multiple times, he gave up on the idea of becoming an official at the age of thirty. He then started a small business, became a wealthy man, married, had children, and lived a simple life. It was only when he was on his deathbed that he finally awakened the [True Illusion].
This led to the second life of Li Fan, where he rose to power with unstoppable momentum.
Unfortunately, it seemed he had used it in the wrong way.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan decided not to end this life immediately. There were a few things he needed to do first.
Turning off the screen and returning to reality, Li Fan mustered his strength and began handling the aftermath of the disaster in Mystic Capital.
After searching for some survivors, Li Fan, relying on his years of authority, managed to stabilize the situation somewhat.
Even though Li Fan could no longer hear, he could still find paper and pen to communicate. Although it was a bit difficult, it didn't stop him from issuing orders.
First, he ordered his trusted Defensive Guard Camp, stationed outside the city, to rush to Mystic Capital to maintain order. He then sent orders to the surrounding cities to send supplies and officials to Mystic Capital.
Most of Mystic Capital's buildings had been destroyed. After the Defensive Guard Camp took control of the city, Li Fan decided to stay in the military camp and oversee the recovery efforts.
Following Li Fan's orders, supplies and personnel from the surrounding cities began to flow into Mystic Capital.
After a month, the ruined Mystic Capital slowly regained some life.
Only after the Great Profound Kingdom had recovered from the blow did Li Fan start to order the collection of information about the two immortals who had appeared that night.
This included where they had come from, where they had gone, and any other conversations they might have had along the way.
Unfortunately, after months of investigation, the only thing they discovered was that the two cultivators had appeared from the direction of the Ruin Abyss in the east. Everything else remained a mystery.
The mutual destruction of the two immortals that Li Fan had hoped for did not happen.
"I shouldn't have expected such a thing," Li Fan sighed inwardly. "Since that's the case, there's nothing left for me to hold on to in this life."
Standing in the newly rebuilt Grand Tutor's Mansion, Li Fan once again activated the [True Illusion].
"Do you wish to virtualize the current scene and return to the initial anchor point?"
Li Fan no longer hesitated and chose "yes."
On the screen, countless vivid images froze. Then, the power, wealth, and influence of this life shattered like a dream, turning into meteors that flew into Li Fan's mind.
The scenes flashed by rapidly in Li Fan's mind, finally stopping at the image of the two cultivators standing high above the Grand Tutor's Mansion.
"Daoxuanzi, Kou Hong," Li Fan softly repeated their names. "Fifty years from now, I will still be waiting for you in Mystic Capital."
"Wealth and honor are but fleeting clouds to me," Li Fan's consciousness gradually faded, but his will and goal became more determined than ever.
"In my next life, I will hunt immortals!"
The light in his mind slowly dimmed, and Li Fan slowly fell into a deep sleep.
(End of Chapter)