Not only was the False Reality recharge at 50% after True Return, but its recharge rate had also increased dramatically.
It would only take about a year to reach 100%.
Furthermore…
"The recharge limit has doubled from 200% to 400%. This was previously only achievable after initially absorbing the Hanging-Armed Mechanical Puppet, but now it's my standard. And True Return's protective strength is far greater than before. It's no longer as fragile against True Immortals."
"As expected, True Return's power is directly linked to my own. My ascension to the Immortal realm has brought about corresponding changes in True Return. And these are just the observable changes." Li Fan narrowed his eyes, pondering with satisfaction.
At the bottom of the True Return panel were the anchor points and bound items.
He had three anchor points. The first was his arrival in this world, set upon his transmigration as a complete mortal.
The second was atop Mount Jielidie, with the Ocean Pearl as his Foundation Establishment treasure, at the late Foundation Establishment realm. The third was also atop Mount Jielidie, at the late Foundation Establishment realm, but with True Return as his Foundation Establishment treasure.
"The order of the bound items has changed slightly. It's no longer based on the order they were bound, but seemingly on their rank," Li Fan mused, observing the list, with the "…Leg Bone" at the top and the "Ten Thousand Blood" at the bottom.
After a moment, he closed the panel and, without hesitation, set his final anchor point at his current location and time.
The fourth anchor point of True Return was set.
Location: Center of the Dark Star Sea.
Cultivation: Half-Immortal!
"Reaching the Half-Immortal realm marks a new beginning. With the Immortal Realm destroyed, finding the path forward won't be easy. My power won't increase significantly for a while, so future reincarnations will likely start from this anchor point…"
"My main goals for this life are to gather and consolidate all usable resources within the wall and begin exploring beyond it."
"The Legacy Transmitter, the Healer, the Grand Magus, the Starved Immortal…"
"Hmph." Li Fan sneered.
"And the Xuanhuang World, the Profound Immortal Ark. I can finally claim the treasures I couldn't obtain before."
"With my ascension, my perspective has changed. Perhaps this time, I can discover more interesting things within the Profound Immortal Ark, and uncover the true secrets of Sun Piaomiao's legacy."
Li Fan's gaze drifted towards the Profound Immortal Ark at the edge of the Dark Star Sea. His Immortal presence, fixed at the highest point of the Star Sea, gave him a commanding view. The once vast and boundless Dark Star Sea now seemed like a small pond, easily surveyed.
"But I shouldn't get ahead of myself."
"I'll wait until True Return is fully recharged before acting." After a while, Li Fan withdrew his gaze.
"True Return recharges quickly now anyway."
Instead of returning to the Xuanhuang World, Li Fan remained at the center of the Star Sea.
While waiting, he reviewed his knowledge and skills.
Especially the True Immortal inscriptions.
During his mortal lives, across countless reincarnations, he thought he had mastered them. Even if there was a gap between his understanding and the true Dao characters, he believed it wasn't significant.
But now, from an Immortal's perspective, he realized how wrong he had been!
While the patterns were the same, the Immortal and mortal perspectives were vastly different.
He had overlooked countless details as a mortal. Recalling his past attempts at inscribing True Immortal characters, Li Fan shook his head.
"They were mere childish scribbles!"
"Come to think of it, the True Immortal inscriptions that caused the Dark Star Sea calamity, seemingly imitations by He Ganxian, weren't particularly impressive either. I could surpass him with a little more study." Li Fan scoffed.
"The True Immortal characters I know, disregarding their specific power, can be categorized into three tiers based on their accuracy. The first tier are He Ganxian's imitations, like 'Ancient' and 'Chaos'. The second tier are genuine True Immortal inscriptions from the Immortal Realm, like 'Starved' and 'Return'. They are superior to He Ganxian's in both aesthetics and practicality."
"The third tier, closest to the Dao itself, are those revealed by the Unnamed True Immortal's leg bone, like 'Imprisonment', 'Primordial', and 'Transformation of Immortal and Mortal'…"
The characters that had helped him ascend to Half-Immortal reappeared in Li Fan's mind.
Even as an Immortal, he felt they contained boundless mysteries.
He was completely engrossed.
A year passed quickly.
Anchored two years prior, Li Fan emerged from his meditation after True Return finished recharging. A year wasn't enough to fully organize his knowledge.
Fortunately, he could multitask, improving himself while attending to more pressing matters.
His first task as a Half-Immortal was to meet with some old acquaintances: the Healer and the Legacy Transmitter.
He had already pinpointed their locations within the Star Sea.
As expected, they were diligently searching for resources along the Great Wall of Shattered Worlds, working towards the revival of the Heavenly Law World.
With a flicker in his eyes, Li Fan crossed half the Star Sea in a single step.
He arrived before the Healer.
Without alerting him, he dropped a silver ring—one of the ninety-nine Immortal array rings he had crafted with the Dissociation Disc.
The Healer, searching for suitable materials among the shattered worlds, suddenly felt disoriented.
When he recovered, the desolate landscape of the Great Wall of Shattered Worlds had vanished.
Before him was a vibrant, familiar world.
The Heavenly Law World!
The Cloudwater Heavenly Palace, the Heavenly Law Pavilion, the Heavenly Sword Valley…
Seeing his long-lost homeland, the Healer froze.
He landed, touching the plants and trees, his cloudy eyes filled with nostalgia and disbelief.
But, befitting the Healer, he quickly realized this was an illusion, perhaps because Li Fan had deliberately left flaws.
The Heavenly Law World before him was devoid of life!
Only the newly created "world" itself existed.
Nothing else!
The Healer's expression turned serious. Golden threads shot out from his body, attempting to probe the nature of this illusion.
To his shock, his usually reliable probing threads quickly dimmed and dissipated.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his unease. He carefully searched the Heavenly Law World, but found no flaws.
And he was completely alone.
After searching three times, the Healer accepted his predicament.
Shock and confusion overwhelmed him. His aura fluctuated wildly.
Although this was the world he longed for, he knew it couldn't be real.
It was merely an illusion to trap him.
He tried to escape, but to no avail.
After an unknown amount of time, he looked towards the sky, opening his mouth as if to speak.
But he remained silent.
His aged face showed no despair or resignation, only growing resolve.
This time, instead of wandering aimlessly, he stood still, meticulously observing the "illusion."
He immersed himself in comprehending this world presented before his eyes.
Sometimes he frowned, sometimes his eyes lit up in understanding.
After a long while, a voice echoed beside him.
"Do you understand?"
It sounded both inquisitive and mocking.
The Healer jolted awake as if struck by lightning.
A figure in white stood beside him.
A slender young man looked at him with a faint smile.
He exuded no aura, but his eyes, like a vast star sea, were unfathomable.
Even the Healer, at the peak of the Supreme realm, the limit of the Star Sea, felt a surge of alarm.
Suppressing his fear, he bowed respectfully. "Senior, I understand a thing or two."
The young man, an illusion created by Li Fan within the formation, smiled slightly. "Not bad. I didn't expect such a desolate lower realm to produce someone like you."
"Very impressive!" Li Fan clapped, seemingly filled with admiration.
"I awoke to find my seclusion place enclosed by a wall. I came to investigate and stumbled upon you two…"
"This world is my creation for you. What do you think? Is it to your liking?"
These few words contained a wealth of information.
The Healer's mind raced, analyzing this unfathomable young man.
He wouldn't judge his opponent's strength by his apparent age.
"Able to trap me silently, and that formless pressure…"
"Lower realm, awakened."
"He must be a True Immortal."
"Not the one meditating in the Immortal Ruins."
"When did another True Immortal appear in this Star Sea?"
Confusion and suspicion filled the Healer's mind.
(End of Chapter)