Seeing his own face in the Fishing Pond triggered a torrent of thoughts.
"Could this body I possessed be the reincarnation of that descending True Immortal?"
"Did I awaken True Return not through transmigration, but by seizing this body's treasure?" The thought spread uncontrollably.
But… as if sensing his thoughts, True Return emitted a faint chuckle. Li Fan paused, then snapped back to reality.
"No. The original owner of this body was utterly ordinary, not a hint of Immortal potential."
"Without my intervention, he would have lived a mediocre life, dying as a powerless scholar, never achieving his ambitions."
"And even I, without True Return…" He recalled his first life after transmigration.
"Though surrounded by family, I still died an ordinary, unremarkable death."
"My foundation is built upon a part of True Return, strengthened by countless cycles of interaction…"
"I can't be a reincarnated True Immortal, nor is True Return a legacy left by one."
"There's only one possibility…"
"Even in that memory, the Fishing Pond reflected my true appearance." Eliminating the unsettling possibility didn't ease his mind, but intensified the chill within him. He looked towards the Fishing Pond in the real world.
"An Unnamed being, merged with the Dao. The Fishing Pond, regardless of time or place, represents that True Immortal."
"Does this mean the Unnamed True Immortal saw me through the pond?" His heart pounded. The implications were terrifying.
Was this a trap set by that True Immortal and the Unnamed True Immortal? Had his possession of True Return been exposed? Worse, True Return wasn't fully charged! Even with his escape techniques, he might not escape an Unnamed True Immortal! He cursed inwardly.
He had believed the Dark Star Sea within the barrier was relatively safe, as long as he avoided certain entities. He hadn't expected a simple investigation of True Immortal flesh to cause such trouble!
Though his past life suggested True Return could activate even after his death, he wasn't certain it would work if it wasn't fully charged. He hadn't personally experienced True Return's automatic activation.
Cold sweat trickled down his back. Facing his greatest threat yet, he refused to be passive. Possible solutions flashed through his mind.
"Go to the heart of the Star Sea, trigger the black Qi of the Dao Obliteration Calamity by simulating ascension…"
"Attack the barrier's weak point, attracting attention from beyond…"
"If captured by the Fishing Pond, find Mao Bao…"
…
But against an Unnamed True Immortal, these were futile struggles.
"These tricks might work against a True Immortal."
"But an Unnamed being…" He recalled the descending True Immortal's fear and reverence towards Unnamed beings, a sense of helplessness washing over him.
"I can only rely on True Return."
He did one thing: he retrieved the Mechanical Puppet from the Profound Immortal Vessel's vault. Having previously reconstructed the vessel's defenses, he moved through it like a ghost, retrieving the puppet, one of Sun Piaomiao's relics, without alerting anyone.
To his delight, even after consuming it once, True Return still craved the puppet. He fed it to True Return, watching the energy level rise to 150%, and breathed a sigh of relief.
"The effect is weaker, but it can still consume it again."
"Perhaps the Three-Pronged Tree is the same."
"An item that can be consumed three times…"
"What are these relics Sun Piaomiao left behind?" He frowned.
A thought suddenly struck him.
"The Three-Pronged Tree granted an extra simulation."
"Perhaps this puppet is also related to the power of simulation."
The image of the Immortal Realm reappeared.
"I've heard that if you stretch the timescale to infinity, the fundamental particles that make up everything, through countless combinations, will eventually recreate the past. This is a return, a form of destiny."
"Truth and illusion are intertwined. Each True Return simulation can be seen as a return to a previous state."
"An infinite timescale implies infinite energy…" His thoughts drifted to the depths beneath the Immortal Realm's ocean.
"Perhaps this puppet is the key to that infinite power."
"Or a projection of the Dao related to it." Lost in thought, he forgot about the imminent threat of the Unnamed True Immortal.
If the Unnamed True Immortal hadn't appeared by the time he reached the vessel, it meant they weren't coming. It was a false alarm.
When he finally emerged from his contemplation, there was no sense of relief.
"A True Immortal's power can reach across vast distances."
"An Unnamed being's power must be even greater."
"In that True Immortal's memory, they looked at me, but didn't react."
"Either an Unnamed True Immortal can't perceive True Return, or…"
"That Unnamed Angler isn't in a good position."
When Mao Bao had effortlessly captured the Starvation Immortal, Li Fan had two theories: Either Mao Bao was the Unnamed Angler's tool for capturing soon-to-be Unnamed True Immortals, a form of sustenance, or the angler had become the prey, with Mao Bao being a tool sent by an external force to track down the Unnamed Angler.
The current events seemed to support the second theory. Even after Li Fan's blatant actions, the Unnamed Angler hadn't appeared. They were clearly wary.
Li Fan took a deep breath. The True Immortal's blood had unearthed far more than he could handle. Neither True Immortals nor Unnamed True Immortals were within his power to confront.
His desire for Dao Integration intensified.
"Integrating with a Heavenly Immortal Soul would at least elevate me from a helpless ant to a wolf capable of biting back."
"Moreover, I have a feeling that reaching the Immortal level will trigger an unprecedented change in True Return!" A glint flashed in his eyes. This premonition, a form of reassurance or perhaps a promise, came from True Return itself after sensing his apprehension.
"I should avoid further complications this time."
"Dao Integration is the priority."
He made up his mind.
"The second level of the vault is protected by Celestial Star Lotuses. I haven't found a way to bypass them, so I won't force it."
"I'll just clear out the first level." A thief never left empty-handed.
He carefully selected useful items, leaving before anyone noticed.
Meanwhile, the Profound Immortal Vessel, upon discovering the theft, was thrown into chaos, nearly causing another schism.
Li Fan, returning with his spoils, focused on upgrading his two Supreme Being level protectors. He went to the edge of the Star Sea, holding the liquid sword and using the vessel's improved Grand Method of the Supreme Armour.
Having been millennia since any cultivator contacted the Star Sea consciousness, and with the goodwill accumulated by the Supreme Armour World, communication was even smoother than before. The Star Sea consciousness wasn't just indifferent to the loss of power, but also fascinated by a mere mortal's ability to wield such a technique. The infinite power it bestowed was subtly different this time.
Under the combined influence of the [Equalize] character and the Shape of Life, a new Autumn Water was born.
"Thank you, Great Master, for granting me life!" The naked sword spirit knelt in reverence. But this time, his eyes were more vibrant, more lifelike.
Li Fan nodded, bestowing the name he'd already chosen, then hurried back to Xuanhuang.
Eternal Remnant Will, True Immortal flesh and blood, the black starstone, the bronze immortal crane… along with the Ancestor's combat data. All the key ingredients were assembled.
During Tian Yang's reconstruction, Li Fan had Autumn Water infuse him with the infinite power of the Star Sea. The puppet's aura fluctuated wildly. If not for Li Fan's concealing arrays, it would have alerted the powerful beings within Xuanhuang.
After much effort, the Supreme Being Tian Yang was reborn. Though lacking the combat experience from his previous incarnation, he was now infused with the Star Sea's power, his form shimmering with starlight, appearing divine.
With his two Supreme Being level protectors in place, Li Fan finally relaxed.
"Even a True Immortal wouldn't be a problem now." He watched Tian Yang and Autumn Water spar, confirming his assessment.
He sat on the Great Xuan's Dao Discussion Platform, surrounded by treasures from the vessel's vault, arranged like stars in the sky.
"Some of these world-nourishing treasures can be integrated into Small Worlds."
"They'll serve as supplements for Xuanhuang's ascension."
"As for these artifacts, I'll distribute them to those exploring the Land of Dreams. These World Tool level treasures will greatly accelerate their progress."
…
He sent beams of starlight towards various Small Worlds, sensing the strengthening light points in his mind. Insights flooded his consciousness.
"The pill embodies the transformations of the Heavenly Dao. Medicine cures the ailments of all creation. The Dao is formless, unchanging, and eternally circulating. The pill unites with it, medicine manifests it. Is heaven and earth not a single pill formula?"
"The Dao Refining Medicine King Scripture is truly profound!"
While his previous attempt to ascend Xuanhuang had felt like a task, he now felt like an alchemist refining the ultimate pill.
"First, a gentle flame, slow and steady."
"I still need more ingredients." He replicated some of his previous preparations, subtly diverting a portion of the crevice network's life force into Xuanhuang.
This accelerated growth, though noticeable to a few, remained untraceable to its source.
Of course, he didn't forget to plant his "seeds" before the ascension.
For instance, the ancient Celestial Mortal Miasma, hidden within the underground caverns of Qiling Region. He had confirmed that, as part of Xuanhuang's laws, the miasma would grow stronger alongside the world. But his hasty True Return in the previous cycle had prevented him from witnessing its full potential. He would rectify this.
Besides the miasma, he gathered other hazardous objects capable of harming cultivators and even Xuanhuang's Heavenly Dao, like the Ruinous Heaven Arrows, first encountered during the cycle where the Profound Net replaced the heavens, capable of distorting the Heavenly Dao's consciousness, and the myriad Xuanhuang World Destruction Transformations, proven effective against Ink Slaying.
He subtly integrated these transformative forces into Xuanhuang, just like the Healer had transplanted other cultivation world fragments. Normally, such foreign elements would trigger Xuanhuang's defenses, causing calamities as the world attempted to assimilate them. But Li Fan's World Destruction Transformations originated from Xuanhuang itself. The world wouldn't notice this extra "flesh."
(End of Chapter)