"True Return!"
As Li Fan chanted, a thick fog enveloped everything. However, to his astonishment, the light of the wordless stele, the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar, faintly penetrated the fog, its brilliance undiminished. The True Immortal beside it was also faintly visible.
Tian Yang and Autumn Water's efforts hadn't stopped her for long. The glimmer of light representing her within the fog was steadily approaching Li Fan. But just as she had slowed while approaching the stele within the Immortal Realm, her approach towards Li Fan also slowed, eventually stopping completely.
The dense fog obscured her, even the stele becoming hazy.
"That's…" Li Fan couldn't help but look towards the stele. Besides the two True Immortal script characters formed by the True Immortal and the White Ring, a third character, or rather, countless characters, were rapidly materializing on its surface!
A terrifying shockwave erupted from the stele. Though the Star Sea was now obscured by the fog, the ripples within it revealed the shockwave's intensity.
"Ugh!" Despite True Return's protection, the influx of countless characters felt like a hammer blow to Li Fan's mind, his consciousness nearly shattering.
Fortunately, at that moment, the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar itself couldn't withstand the pressure and exploded! Whether by coincidence or design, the largest fragment flew straight towards Li Fan, far faster than the True Immortal's pursuit, piercing through space and entering the True Return fog.
Simultaneously, the fog completely engulfed the world. The fragment, upon entering the fog, lost all momentum and its glow, floating motionless at its edge.
Disoriented but recovering, Li Fan, still enveloped by the fog and unable to return to his anchored point, pondered. After carefully analyzing True Return's feedback, he cautiously retrieved the fragment. A familiar screen appeared, and the interrupted True Return process resumed. Images from his past life flashed before his eyes.
Before darkness consumed him, he noticed the stele fragment had vanished.
…
Anchored to one year prior, atop Mount Jielidie! The twenty-year-old Li Fan opened his eyes.
"Haa…" This return didn't feel like a new life. The previous cycle's events were still fresh in his mind, as if they had just happened. He instinctively checked True Return's interface.
The energy level was at 31%. It had started at 400%, indicating how perilous the previous cycle's end had been.
Though he had returned to his anchor, unease lingered. He stepped out of his hut, gazing at the vast sea of clouds, his eyes fixed on a new item in True Return's inventory:
[…Leg Bone]
Distorted, unreadable symbols preceded the words "Leg Bone." Li Fan knew its origin.
"The wordless stele, the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar?"
"It was made from someone's leg bone?" He was deeply shaken.
The distorted symbols reminded him of the legendary Unnamed True Immortal. This bold conjecture sparked countless thoughts.
"But now, the most important thing…"
"Is to ensure my safety." He picked up a stone, clutching it tightly as he focused his mind.
True Return's prompt appeared:
"Do you wish to expend one available anchor point to replace the bound item with… Leg Bone?"
Relief washed over him. True Return was still under his control. The bone was just a stowaway from his previous cycle.
"Even so, this Unnamed True Immortal's Leg Bone is extraordinary." He marveled inwardly.
Unable to decipher its true origin, he used the placeholder name "Unnamed True Immortal."
He selected "no," keeping the bone in his inventory. His gaze returned to the fragment, his expression serious as he recalled the previous cycle's events.
"The wordless stele, also known as the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar, can resist the Dao Obliteration Calamity to some extent."
"The name 'Southern' implies there were others."
"Leg bone… Were the other pillars also made from the Unnamed True Immortal's bones? Or from other Unnamed True Immortals?" A chill ran down his spine.
"Initially, the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar didn't react to the Dao Obliteration Calamity. It was the Starvation Immortal who infused it with his [Starvation] character, creating the supporting pillar of light. The stele seems to possess the power to manifest the underlying Dao laws of everything, revealing them as True Immortal script."
"That's why I sent the White Ring towards it. Not to save the Starvation Immortal, since I was already preparing for True Return, but to understand the ring's true nature."
"As expected, it represents a powerful law of the mortal realm…" He recalled the character that had appeared on the stele.
"[Innate]."
"Almost on par with [Creation]."
"The Dao Inscription Immortal could express the Heavenly Dao as True Immortal script. But now, something beyond the barrier has forged the power of laws into a physical object?" This shook him even more than the bone.
"But I can't be certain the White Ring originated from beyond the barrier…" He rubbed his temples, taking a deep breath, refocusing.
"The stele, upon appearing, absorbed everything within the Star Sea, seemingly trying to reconstruct the Southern Immortal Heavenly Pillar by manifesting all the Dao laws on its surface."
"Everything I saw transformed into threads, adding shadows to the stele. That confirms it."
"And then…" A strange glint appeared in his eyes.
"When True Return activated, the stele reacted, revealing countless characters!"
There were too many characters, too complex. Even with the Dao Transformation Stone's aid, he couldn't memorize them, only recalling glimpses of dozens of familiar yet more complete True Immortal script characters.
But he didn't regret it. He sensed that trying to memorize the entire stele would have resulted in the same fate as the stele itself – instant annihilation.
"Though forged from an Unnamed True Immortal's bone and called a Heavenly Pillar, it couldn't withstand the myriad characters revealed by True Return…"
"It survived the Immortal Realm's destruction, only to be undone by its own nature." He shook his head, gaining a new understanding of True Return.
"As a Heavenly Pillar, the stele likely bore True Immortal script, protecting the Immortal Realm from the Dao Obliteration Calamity."
"That's why I gained so many insights upon seeing it. Though the characters vanished, their imprints remained…"
"Everything is a manifestation of the Dao. If I master all paths, I can manifest anything with a thought. That is the true Interplay of Truth and Illusion!"
Li Fan hadn't chosen to inherit his previous cultivation yet. He was still technically mortal. But as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a powerful aura erupted from him.
He returned to his peak Nascent Soul realm cultivation, based on the myriad Xuanhuang World Destruction Transformations. With a flick of his finger, a meteor shot from the mountaintop, piercing the Great Xuan Small World's sky, revealing the void beyond. The profound aura faded.
"My understanding of the Interplay of Truth and Illusion has deepened."
"Without True Return, I can briefly restore my previous cultivation and unleash a full-power attack."
"Though not sustainable, it's a significant improvement."
He opened True Return's interface, choosing to inherit his cultivation. Instantly, he returned to his peak within the Dark Star Sea, as if he had lived through hundreds of lifetimes.
"The Interplay of Truth and Illusion…"
He continued his contemplation, reliving the process of True Return's simulation. Suddenly, another wave of his peak cultivation descended upon him, as if he had merged with another version of himself. His spiritual power surged.
Drawing his wooden sword, he appeared in the void of the Dark Star Sea, unleashing his full power. Countless transformations manifested, lingering for a long time before fading. His doubled cultivation receded, returning him to his normal state.
"I've already reached the Star Sea's limit, yet with the Interplay of Truth and Illusion, I can briefly double my power…"
"And without any side effects. I can even borrow the energy for the transformation, achieving a form of perpetual motion." He looked at his hands in disbelief. Even he, the creator of this technique, was astonished by its power.
"True Return… True Return…" He repeated the words, his gaze deepening.
"What exactly is True Return?"
"The stele, merely by sensing True Return, manifested countless True Immortal script characters it couldn't handle. Its true nature…" Even in his imagination, he couldn't fathom True Return's origin.
He knew possessing True Return was his greatest fortune.
"I don't need any new techniques. By understanding True Return, I can achieve true creation and destruction with a thought."
"True Immortals, Unnamed True Immortals… their lives are in my hands." Excitement surged within him.
But fantasy had to give way to reality. After a while, he shook his head. "But there's a paradox. Without cultivation and deeper understanding, how can I truly comprehend True Return?"
"When I was weaker, even after countless cycles, I couldn't achieve this, not even briefly restoring my previous cultivation."
"My understanding of True Return grows alongside my knowledge of True Immortal script and the Dao."
True Return was too profound, too mysterious, too complex. Even the laws of the Heavenly Dao were merely tools for interpreting it.
"True Return is beyond the highest heavens. To reach it, I must first ascend to the Nine Heavens." His restless thoughts subsided.
"I must cultivate steadily, step by step."
He remembered why he had decided to unfold the Immortal Realm prematurely in the previous cycle.
"Looking back, my death in the simulation was likely caused by both Ink Slaying and the stele."
"Perhaps Ink Slaying, after ascending, returned to its true form as a miniature Dao Obliteration Calamity. And when the Immortal Realm unfolded, the stele appeared…" He shuddered at the thought.
"I was too naive."
"If the ancient Immortals relied on it to escape the Dao Obliteration Calamity, I should have known it wouldn't be simple." He sighed.
But he didn't abandon his plan to absorb Ink Slaying's Heavenly Immortal Soul. Its ability to threaten even Immortal-level beings only strengthened his resolve. It was the only suitable material within the Dark Star Sea.
"To anchor myself to the ascended Xuanhuang…"
"The stele is too dangerous. I can't use it."
"But… a fragment might be enough."
His wooden sword ready, Li Fan prepared his defenses, retrieving the Unnamed True Immortal's Leg Bone that had accompanied him through True Return.
(End of chapter)