Previously, activating True Return would envelop the surroundings in an illusory mist.
Everything became unreal.
When Li Fan regained consciousness, he would be back at his designated anchor point.
But now…
When Li Fan activated True Return, instead of a thick curtain of mist, the entire world froze around him, shifting from vibrant colors to monochrome black and white.
Li Fan had never observed the world from this perspective. He stared at the shattered remnants of the All Things Return to the Void formation, the lingering wind forces seemingly frozen mid-air.
Countless Heavenly Immortal Souls surrounded him, each in a unique pose.
In the distance, he could faintly discern a gaunt figure descending—the Starved Immortal from the Immortal Ruins.
…
Everything appeared the same as before True Return, except for the monochrome stillness.
After observing cautiously, Li Fan suddenly moved, his figure flickering through the frozen world!
It was a novel experience. Li Fan narrowed his eyes, reaching out to touch a nearby Heavenly Immortal Soul.
Even in monochrome, he recognized the familiar figure of Chi Yan.
Compared to his time as a Heavenly Soul, Chi Yan's facial expression was more vivid, almost lifelike. But his eyes remained closed, and his illusory clothing was tattered, setting him apart from the other Heavenly Immortal Souls.
The moment Li Fan touched Chi Yan, the Heavenly Immortal Soul shimmered, dissolving into countless particles that scattered in the wind.
Li Fan sensed the range of this frozen world shrink significantly.
Ignoring the distant figures for now, Li Fan closed his eyes, replaying the images that had flashed through his mind.
Besides fragments of pure Chi Yan's Law, there were also scattered memories.
They were the experiences of a blind cultivator who had ascended through the Dao of Fire.
The power displayed in these memories startled Li Fan.
Within a boundless, cold, and desolate star region, the blind cultivator sat in meditation. After an unknown amount of time, flickering sparks gathered around him.
The cold star region gradually warmed, then became intensely hot. Finally, the entire region was consumed by invisible flames, reduced to nothingness, a void where even coldness ceased to exist.
In the final scene, the blind cultivator vanished.
Li Fan, having integrated with a Heavenly Immortal Soul, possessed the power of a Half-Immortal, despite being in the Dao Integration realm.
Therefore, he could truly appreciate the immense power displayed by the blind cultivator in the memories.
"Even the mere景象 of his meditation was so terrifying."
"A True Immortal… definitely a True Immortal!"
Li Fan was shaken.
But he quickly realized something even more profound.
"Wait, what I just saw…"
"A True Immortal meditating, then vanishing."
"Was that the moment he attained the Unnamed True Immortal realm?"
A tremor ran through Li Fan.
His thoughts raced. After a few moments, he formed a theory.
"Heavenly Souls are formed from the Xuanhuang World's laws utilizing the imprints left by past cultivators."
"After the Xuanhuang World ascended to an Immortal Domain, this characteristic was retained. Heavenly Immortal Souls are also the Xuanhuang Immortal Domain's laws, manifested through deeper imprints within the world."
"Aligned with the Dao, even merged with it. Those who resonate most deeply with various laws are naturally the Unnamed True Immortals who attained enlightenment through the Dao itself!"
"Upon entering the Unnamed realm, they vanish from the world. All the Xuanhuang Immortal Domain can perceive are their final moments before enlightenment…"
Li Fan's expression turned serious.
After attaining enlightenment, an Unnamed True Immortal became that Dao itself.
If his theory was correct, he had just absorbed the enlightenment of an Unnamed True Immortal!
Even if he only captured a fragment, it was immensely beneficial to him, having just stepped onto the path of immortality.
As he savored the insights within his mind, a thought struck him.
"Beyond True Immortal, one attains the Unnamed realm through the Dao. Each path is unique. This Dao of Fire is already occupied. What use is it to me?"
"Unless…"
"That blind Unnamed True Immortal is already dead."
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
He quickly scanned the surrounding Heavenly Immortal Souls. Those resembling human cultivators, like Chi Yan, were extremely rare. Only three.
"If I absorb them, I should be able to perceive the corresponding Dao and witness the moment those Unnamed True Immortals attained enlightenment."
Just as he was about to act, his expression changed.
The range of the frozen black and white world had shrunk drastically.
Only a sphere with a radius of nine zhang nine, centered around him, remained.
No Heavenly Immortal Souls were within this sphere.
Frustration welled up within Li Fan. "So, besides absorbing objects within this frozen world, lingering here for too long also accelerates its collapse."
"This area preserved by True Return isn't permanent. It seems its duration is quite short."
Li Fan now understood the change in True Return after his ascension to Half-Immortal.
After activating True Return, the world no longer instantly became illusory. Instead, a large area around him remained in a black and white stasis.
He hadn't yet determined the exact range of this area, but it was vast, encompassing at least the entire visible Xuanhuang Immortal Domain.
He suspected that the range and duration of this monochrome stasis were directly related to his power.
Having just entered the Immortal realm, the effect he could maintain was limited.
"I'll call this black and white stasis area the 'Dao Concealment' zone."
"Within the Dao Concealment zone, everything except me seems to be in a superposition of both real and unreal. Maintaining this zone requires energy related to True Return."
"When I touch or perceive something within the Dao Concealment zone, it's like pulling it from this superposition into the 'real' state, like me."
"This consumes a large amount of energy, shrinking the Dao Concealment zone…"
Even with the shrinking space, Li Fan didn't immediately leave the Dao Concealment zone.
He realized that comprehending the interplay of reality and illusion was far easier here than in the normal world. Every extra moment was immensely beneficial.
"When the real is made to appear fake, the fake becomes real."
Li Fan pondered the essence of True Return.
He looked towards the boundary of the Dao Concealment zone, nine zhang nine away.
Like before, it was enveloped in mist.
"The real becomes fake. The fake becomes real."
Li Fan frowned, trying to decipher this profound truth.
Soon, the Dao Concealment zone shrunk further.
The swirling mist engulfed everything but Li Fan.
His consciousness drifted into darkness.
However, this time, he didn't completely lose consciousness.
In a state between sleep and wakefulness, he saw a boundless light erupt from the darkness.
Within the blinding white light, countless events, people, and objects flashed before him.
When Li Fan fully regained consciousness…
Anchored one year prior, atop Mount Jielidie!
Li Fan felt disoriented.
He examined his hands.
Everything he had experienced felt unreal.
His mind was still immersed in his comprehension of the interplay of reality and illusion.
A full day and night passed before the wave of inspiration subsided. He temporarily stopped his meditation.
His attention turned to True Return's prompt.
[Simulation Complete]
[You may choose one of the following to retain:
One item from this simulation.Your cultivation realm from this simulation.The simulated memories of a close associate from this simulation. These memories can be inherited by the associate.Forgo the above choices to accelerate energy recharge.]
…
"Even after attaining Half-Immortal, there's no prompt for an additional choice due to external interference."
"It seems my ascension to Half-Immortal was within True Return's expectations."
Li Fan chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"However, the newly born Xuanhuang Immortal Domain isn't considered external interference, while the arrival from beyond the wall is…" Li Fan pondered briefly.
Then he shook his head.
"Overthinking is useless. As a Half-Immortal, I'm invincible within the Star Sea."
"This time, my focus is beyond the wall."
"I'll uncover whatever mysteries lie there!"
After countless trials, he had finally reached Dao Integration and the Half-Immortal realm.
Although not perfect, he was still an Immortal, transcending all mortals.
He would, of course, choose to retain his cultivation.
However…
Walking to the edge of Mount Jielidie's cliff, he looked at the fragile Great Xuan Small World, and even the Xuanhuang World.
He sighed.
"If I inherit my cultivation here, the Great Xuan Small World will be shattered by the ascension phenomenon."
"Even the merged Xuanhuang World might be torn apart by the shockwave, its fragments falling into the Immortal Ruins."
"Forget it!"
"I still need them."
Li Fan's expression turned solemn. He murmured, "The fake becomes real."
The sensation of his Half-Immortal cultivation from his previous life washed over him.
Thanks to his prolonged meditation within the Dao Concealment zone, his understanding of the interplay of reality and illusion had deepened.
Unlike before, where this simulated cultivation could only last for a moment, it now persisted for three full breaths!
With his incantation, Li Fan regained his peak Half-Immortal power.
In the first breath, his wooden sword unsheathed, and he appeared in the desolate depths of the Star Sea.
In the second breath, he chose to retain his cultivation through True Return.
The Star Sea churned violently!
With the Immortal-descended Li Fan as the epicenter, countless remnants of True Immortal inscription power formed a terrifying storm, shaking the Star Sea.
Drawn by an invisible force, the scattered remnants of True Immortal inscriptions converged towards the storm.
It threatened to escalate uncontrollably.
By the third breath, Li Fan had fully inherited the cultivation he gained by merging with the Heavenly Immortal Soul, Mo Sha.
For the first time since Profound Heaven King tens of thousands of years ago, a second Half-Immortal had appeared!
"True Return is truly invaluable," Li Fan marveled, feeling the boundless power within him. Unlike the ephemeral power he simulated through his understanding of reality and illusion, this was permanent.
True Return had transformed the fake into the real.
Li Fan, the Half-Immortal, looked at the growing storm of True Immortal remnants and extended his left hand.
The churning storm halted, then flowed into his hand.
In a few breaths, this catastrophic threat to the Star Sea was neutralized.
Li Fan smirked, looking at the remnants of True Immortal inscription power in his hand, now resembling a crumpled ball of paper covered in different handwriting.
Even without any protective measures, these remnants, which he once treated with extreme caution, couldn't harm him.
"It's not that these remnants have lost their power."
"But that the laws they embody can no longer affect me, an Immortal."
"They're merely the aftershocks of True Immortal inscriptions."
Li Fan was satisfied with his newfound power.
"Besides lacking Immortal spiritual energy, I'm no different from a True Immortal of the past. At least, our standing is the same."
"Immortal spiritual energy…"
Li Fan's attention turned to his bound item: the Dissociation Disc.
Normally, bound items, regardless of any changes they underwent during reincarnation, wouldn't affect their state within True Return's bound space.
Upon returning, they would revert to their original state.
But now…
With a thought, Li Fan retrieved the Dissociation Disc.
Countless stars ignited within his sea of consciousness.
The Immortal Legion Dissociation Disc had returned with him!
"Just like the Faceless True Immortal's leg bone before."
Li Fan looked at the "…Leg Bone" within True Return's bound space, deep in thought. "It seems only True Immortal level entities can accompany me through the shifts between reality and illusion."
(End of Chapter)