In a flash, the sinister Su Bai mirrored Li Fan's Nine Heavens Dustfall Finger, but with a thousandfold increase in power!
The immense force descended. This time, Li Fan didn't experience a painless "death." He felt his body and soul being relentlessly crushed!
Given the sinister Su Bai's ability to instantly kill him, this was clearly deliberate torture.
Li Fan even saw a flicker of enjoyment on his face.
"You…"
The scene shifted again.
Li Fan was back where he started.
Two consecutive deaths fueled his frustration, but years of reincarnation had tempered his mind. He quickly regained his composure.
His initial anger stemmed from the shock of a supposed "Longevity realm" cultivator instantly killing him, a "Half-Immortal."
But now, he knew the sinister Su Bai was far more powerful than a mere Longevity realm cultivator.
In the cultivation world, strength reigned supreme. There was no point in being angry.
"This isn't the real world. It's an illusion created by Eternal Remnants."
"The sinister Su Bai appears and attacks without warning, but also gives the testee time to prepare."
"Even after failing and dying, I'm instantly revived…"
Li Fan understood the nature of Su Bai's Eternal Remnant trial.
Defeat the sinister Su Bai.
"In reality, no one in the Xuanhuang World or the Dark Star Sea could achieve this."
"But within this Eternal Remnant illusion, it's a thought experiment. Any conceivable method can be used…"
"It's like an advanced version of the Heavenly Profound Mirror's Dao Discussion combat function."
Realization dawned upon Li Fan.
"Immortal array, Profound Primordial Spirit!"
His thoughts raced. The Dissociation Disc within his mind flared brightly.
It seemed to have instantly reconstructed the missing Profound Primordial Spirit Formation!
Black and white swirled around Li Fan, creating earth, fire, water, and wind within the void, manifesting a world.
He stood at the center, like a creator god!
He felt he could control and manipulate everything within this formation.
The Dissociation Disc hadn't yet acquired the complete Profound Primordial Spirit Formation diagram.
But having mastered three-ninths of it, it understood the complete formation's power.
Thus, within Su Bai's Eternal Remnant space, it bypassed the intermediate steps and directly "conceived" the final result.
Within the void, Li Fan sat at the center of the Profound Primordial Spirit Formation.
The newly created world rapidly expanded, engulfing the sinister Su Bai.
"I am the master of the Immortal Realm!" Li Fan invoked the formation's power, transforming its laws into chains, attempting to bind the sinister Su Bai.
The combined power of the nine formations within the Profound Primordial Spirit Formation was truly terrifying.
Flickering lights flowed from the sinister Su Bai, merging into Li Fan's world.
Countless illusory copies of Su Bai appeared, each seemingly possessing Longevity realm cultivation.
Like ants, they swarmed the sinister Su Bai.
Bound by an increasing number of chains, the sinister Su Bai seemed to give up, remaining motionless.
He allowed the Profound Primordial Spirit Formation to drain his power.
But the sinister smile on his face unsettled Li Fan.
He quickly understood the source of his unease.
The Profound Primordial Spirit Formation couldn't gauge the sinister Su Bai's upper limit.
Even though it drained his power at the theoretical maximum rate with each passing moment, this endless deduction…
…seemed to have no effect on him!
"How is this possible?!" Li Fan was so shocked he wondered if this trial was a posthumous joke by Master Bai.
Theoretically, the complete Profound Primordial Spirit Formation could transform Immortals into mortals, and mortals into Immortals, with each breath.
It was constantly stripping away True Immortal cultivation, yet the sinister Su Bai remained unmoved, like an unshakeable mountain.
"The Unnamed realm?" Li Fan wondered.
The sinister Su Bai, seemingly tired of this game, allowed the Profound Primordial Spirit Formation to drain him completely.
A seemingly infinite amount of True Immortal cultivation poured into Li Fan's world, causing it to expand endlessly within the void.
Even the Immortal Legion Dissociation Disc reached its limit.
Cracks appeared on its surface. Unable to withstand the strain, it shattered!
Li Fan's "Immortal Realm" collapsed along with the formation.
This time, he perished in the destruction of his own creation.
…
"The Unnamed True Immortal realm."
Revived once again, Li Fan pondered the methods he knew that could, theoretically, counter the Unnamed realm.
"Merging with the Dao, becoming one with the Dao…"
As the sinister Su Bai approached again, a seven-colored brush appeared in Li Fan's hand.
"Imprisonment!" With a thought, a True Immortal inscription appeared in the void.
Like an invisible chain, it bound the sinister Su Bai.
"Chaos!"
"Starved!"
"Trapped!"
"Ancient!"
…
Li Fan inscribed more True Immortal characters, each representing a Great Dao law, sending them towards the sinister Su Bai. He was like a legendary Inscription Immortal.
He used the principles of heaven and earth as his weapons.
Countless characters reverted from their inscription form into lines, weaving an intricate, illusory dreamscape that pulled the sinister Su Bai inwards.
Li Fan's body, enveloped by countless Dao lines, seemed to become the Dao itself, his form indiscernible.
Victory seemed within reach.
But a glimpse of the sinister Su Bai's mocking smile sent a chill down Li Fan's spine.
He then witnessed a terrifying sight.
The sinister Su Bai, trapped within the vortex of Dao lines, extended his right hand.
As if drawn by an irresistible force, all the lines converged towards his hand.
Within three breaths, the boundless Dao inscribed by Li Fan vanished, transforming into a crystal-clear candy.
The sinister Su Bai tossed it into his mouth, crunching it with a loud crack!
This time, Li Fan experienced what it felt like to be refined into candy and devoured.
…
"Even the Inscription Immortal method doesn't work?"
Numb, Li Fan disregarded the absurdity of the sinister Su Bai's power.
He focused solely on defeating him.
"If conventional methods fail, I'll use my specialty!"
He stood ready once more.
"Ascend!"
Li Fan roared.
The illusory Xuanhuang Worlds within him, formed from the feedback energy of his previous ascensions, materialized one after another.
Within this illusionary space, their number increased a millionfold.
Countless Xuanhuang Worlds shimmered like stars.
All ascending simultaneously!
Even the sinister Su Bai, approaching to kill Li Fan, paused, captivated by this bizarre spectacle.
Just as the billions of Xuanhuang Worlds reached their ascension threshold, Li Fan cut off their power source.
They plummeted from their peak.
Like countless boulders falling into the ocean, they created a catastrophic shockwave!
Black qi erupted from every crack in space, coalescing into monstrous beasts.
The densest concentrations of black qi even formed humanoid figures!
Almost identical to the Heavenly Soul Mo Sha of the Xuanhuang World!
Even Li Fan, the architect of this chaos, was shocked, his pupils contracting as he watched this pandemonium.
The Dao Obliteration Calamity, its black qi taking form.
They surged towards the only two living beings in this space.
And most of them targeted the sinister Su Bai.
Li Fan, with his illusory Unnamed True Immortal cultivation, barely managed to survive, observing the sinister Su Bai's reaction.
The sinister Su Bai, no longer relaxed or playful, carefully avoided contact with the black qi beasts.
With each wave of his hand, swathes of them vanished.
But the endless tide trapped him.
He frowned, seemingly annoyed.
His body rippled.
With each ripple, another copy of Su Bai appeared.
Their faces weren't as clear as the sinister Su Bai's.
But Li Fan could discern their expressions.
Some resembled the benevolent Master Bai of the Xuanhuang World. Some were carefree wanderers. Some were timid scholars. Some were bloodthirsty butchers.
Each possessed the same cultivation as the sinister Su Bai.
And like the black qi beasts, they were endless!
The army of Master Bais subdued the black tide, but intentionally avoided harming Li Fan.
They seemed to be leaving him for the sinister Su Bai.
Staring into countless eyes filled with mockery, amusement, and pity, Li Fan chose to end his own life.
…
Reborn once more.
"Even the black qi of the Dao Obliteration Calamity doesn't work?"
This time, Li Fan didn't resist, but pondered quietly.
"Perhaps only the true Dao Obliteration Calamity can kill him."
Unfortunately, he didn't know what the true calamity looked like.
Baseless imaginings wouldn't work in this Eternal Remnant space.
Before his thoughts could wander, he was killed again by the sinister Su Bai.
For a long time, Li Fan tried every method, desperately resisting while searching for a solution.
While the damage to his soul from each death within the Eternal Remnants was negligible, after countless repetitions, his true body began to change.
"I can leave this trial whenever I want."
When his soul's capacity was reduced by a third, Li Fan sensed a subtle shift.
But he didn't flee.
He made a decision.
"I've known the way to defeat this sinister Su Bai all along."
"Even across countless reincarnations, the only path to victory likely remains the same."
He hesitated.
"I can easily kill this sinister Su Bai…"
"But it risks exposing True Return."
"Is it worth the risk?"
After another death at the hands of the sinister Su Bai, staring into his hateful smile, Li Fan's resolve hardened.
"First, I trust the character of the Xuanhuang World's Master Bai. He sacrificed himself for the sake of mortals. He wouldn't set a trap within his own remains."
"And…"
Li Fan's eyes shone brightly.
"I am an Immortal, no longer a mortal."
"Could a mere skull steal True Return from me, after all this time?"
In the real world, his true body was ready to activate True Return at any moment.
Within the Eternal Remnant illusion, he looked at the approaching sinister Su Bai, a sneer on his face.
With an air of defiance, Li Fan chanted softly,
"When the real is made to appear fake, the fake becomes real."
The sinister Su Bai froze mid-flight, his face contorted in disbelief.
Then, his body faded and vanished.
The invincible sinister Su Bai, a being who could crush Unnamed True Immortals and withstand the Dao Obliteration Calamity, was erased by a single thought.
"This is…"
"…the Dao of the Interplay of Truth and Illusion."
"Not a baseless fantasy."
"But a true, attainable Great Dao."
"However, I'm still far from mastering it."
Having tasted the power of this supreme ability within the illusion, Li Fan felt a tinge of loss and melancholy.
He had theoretically defeated the sinister Su Bai.
The Eternal Remnant space began to collapse.
He returned to reality.
He felt True Return's satisfaction after a fulfilling meal.
"The Xuanhuang Celestial Venerable, truly loved the world."
"Seeking survival in death, embracing the world with True Return."
A moment later, a prompt from True Return appeared in his mind.
(End of Chapter)