"Do you understand True Return better than I do?" Li Fan's main body, sensing the Grand Magus's stubbornness, was amused. However, a strange sense of unease also arose, unusual for him.
He paused, carefully examining his feelings, and reluctantly identified the source of his unease.
"Could the Grand Magus be right?" His expression turned serious.
After pondering, Li Fan tried to communicate with True Return, but received only silence.
"True Return's reversion limit, anchored to one year prior, is when I first arrived."
"No matter how many times I revert, I can only start from that point."
"But what determines this?"
A thought arose in Li Fan's mind.
"It's 'me,' the host of True Return, that marks the starting point."
"If this is true, then…" Li Fan looked at the hopeful Grand Magus above Daoyuan Prefecture.
"The Grand Magus was born before Taiyi, before the mortal world existed."
"If I could revert to that time, perhaps I could change everything."
"Stopping the Dao Obliteration Calamity and the Immortal Realm's destruction at their source would be far easier than dealing with the current devastation." Li Fan couldn't contain his excitement.
However, when the Black Heaven Healer tried to steal True Return, the mortal world's lifespan also increased dramatically. From the perspective of the final outcome, giving True Return to the Black Heaven Healer or the Grand Magus seemed to make no difference. And Li Fan would never relinquish True Return, for any reason.
What truly unsettled him was the thought of the legendary Upstream Ark.
"I've always regretted that despite having the power of infinite reversion, I'm limited by the one-year anchor point. What if…"
"I could find a way to go back before that point? Would that mean I could reconstruct an even more distant past?"
He hadn't considered this before because his first reincarnation began at the one-year mark. Long-held experience had created a strong mental inertia, making him subconsciously dismiss it as impossible.
Until today, when the Grand Magus inadvertently sparked this thought.
"What is True Return's purpose?"
Naturally, this question arose. He recalled the complex, intertwined emotions True Return had displayed in the Infinite Sea. True Return undoubtedly possessed its own consciousness. Li Fan had confirmed this through countless reincarnations.
Compared to True Return's power, even Li Fan, now a Half-Immortal, was just a slightly larger ant, perhaps even less. True Return's willingness to attach itself to him stemmed from his profound, seemingly inexhaustible "spirituality."
"So, what True Return wants is a vessel that can sustain its continuous reversions."
"Therefore, it must have its own purpose."
Understanding this, Li Fan calmed down. Regardless, being chosen by True Return was his good fortune. Otherwise, he would have died a mortal in the Great Xuan Small World. He wasn't bothered by True Return's ulterior motives, even feeling a sense of relief.
He had often worried about True Return suddenly abandoning him. This worry hadn't faded with his increasing power, but intensified. But now…
"A partnership based on mutual benefit is more reassuring."
Li Fan closed his eyes, suppressing the turbulent thoughts in his mind. After a long while, he opened them again, his expression calm.
Although True Return possessed immense power, its actions and intentions, at least from their interactions so far, seemed logical, allowing for deduction and speculation. Although the lack of information meant his conclusions might not be entirely accurate, he could still discern the general outline of the truth.
"The terrifying existence within the Infinite Sea knows True Return."
"Something happened between them."
"Something even True Return can't reverse."
"So it seeks external help."
…
This thought struck Li Fan like lightning. A storm raged within his soul. Countless images and lights flooded his mind, each drop of rain containing eons of time, like the magnificent spectacle he had witnessed in the Infinite Sea, evoking awe and reverence.
It was an overwhelming amount of information, his soul feeling crushed by the weight of the world, his memories blurring, threatening to lose himself within the swirling lights and shadows.
Li Fan had created the Myriad Manifestation Divine Refinement formation, condensing the thoughts of countless beings into a powerful force to resist, even refine, True Immortals.
What he was experiencing now was the theoretical maximum power of that formation. The storm contained not just the thoughts of living beings, but also the memories of everything that had ever existed!
Even with his profound spirituality, Li Fan almost lost himself in this deluge. Fortunately, the storm abruptly stopped, the terrifying rain of light and shadows vanishing as if it had never happened. Only Li Fan's near-collapsed state proved it wasn't an illusion.
After a long while, he recovered slightly, his heart still pounding.
"What was that…?"
Everything had happened within him. Although caught off guard, upon reflection, he vaguely understood. His heart skipped a beat in fear.
"Did my deduction finally trigger True Return's true thoughts?"
"Its consciousness is so vast that even the ripples from its thoughts almost shattered me!"
Li Fan tried to calm down. Hearing about the terror of a supreme being and experiencing it firsthand were two different things. It felt like his body and soul were marked by the storm. Every recollection brought him back to that moment, his breath catching, his heart stopping, his body drenched in sweat…
After another wave of aftershocks, Li Fan finally regained his composure, suppressing his thoughts.
"No wonder True Return, despite having consciousness, has remained mostly silent. Its few emotional displays were all simple emotions."
"It's not that it disdains communicating with me."
"But…"
"I simply can't withstand the cost!"
Li Fan was now a Half-Immortal. Besides lacking the infinite nature of Immortal spiritual power, he was even stronger than ordinary True Immortals. Yet, he couldn't even withstand True Return's thoughts…
Even the Hill-Guarding Immortal, who could resist Dao Obliteration, hadn't made him feel this insignificant. Only the Infinite Sea evoked such helplessness.
"True Return's true power is actually…" Li Fan remained silent.
Every time he thought he had glimpsed True Return's limits, reality proved him wrong, showing him that he had only seen a small hill in a vast mountain range. Being within the mountains, his vision obscured by towering peaks, he couldn't see the whole picture.
Now, the mountains had trembled, almost causing the heavens to fall, allowing him a glimpse of their true scale.
"At least, this proves one thing."
"My conjecture triggered True Return's thoughts, which means I'm close to the truth."
Li Fan exhaled, looking at the Grand Magus with a changed perspective.
"It's not that I'm selfishly hoarding the treasure."
"We are partners, bound by mutual interest."
"Although you claim to be an avatar of Wuji, trying to interfere… is naive!"
"Do you really think True Return hasn't assessed you?"
"You're simply beneath its notice!"
Within the storm of True Return's thoughts, Li Fan had glimpsed the memories of everything that had ever existed in the mortal world.
"When the true is made fake, the fake becomes real. These memories might be the key to the Transformation of True and False."
As a primordial being, the Grand Magus had naturally been observed by True Return. But since True Return hadn't chosen him, he simply wasn't qualified!
"Achieving True Return's goal seems incredibly difficult."
"The further back I revert, the greater the resistance."
"And it won't succeed in just one or two attempts."
"Grand Magus of Tiandu…"
"Wuji precedes Taiyi. Such arrogance, asking me to hand over True Return."
"Let's see how much of True Return you can withstand!"
Having fully recovered, Li Fan casually pointed at the Grand Magus. His finger, like a pair of scissors, sliced through the air.
"Having served my master, I've witnessed the rise and fall of countless worlds in the Immortal Realm. Legends of this treasure, known to the most ancient and powerful beings, have existed since time immemorial. However, it was so elusive that it remained merely a rumor, never truly seen."
"So, the Immortal Realm gradually forgot about it. Only my master and the Linking Mountains and Returning Seas Sage Monarchs would occasionally mention it when reminiscing."
"As the Dao Obliteration Calamity drew closer, and all other methods failed, the Immortals recalled this legend…"
The Grand Magus continued rambling, showcasing his "knowledge." Suddenly, he stopped, his face filled with shock and confusion.
Ordinary beings wouldn't notice a slight weakening of their spirituality. But the Grand Magus, a primordial being with a perfectly integrated body and soul, instantly noticed the loss.
"What did you do?!" he shrieked, a mix of rage and fear in his voice.
Li Buren shrugged, his expression unchanged, repeating his usual line, "I don't know anything."
This time, he wasn't lying. He genuinely didn't know what Li Fan had done. When True Return's thoughts erupted, the connection between him and his main body had been temporarily severed and hadn't yet been fully restored. Even their connection, built upon the projected Dao Net and the Hill-Guarding Immortal's legacy, couldn't prevent this disruption.
The Grand Magus's expression shifted rapidly. He seemed to be searching for the missing piece of his "spirituality." For a primordial being like him, the integrity of his spirituality was paramount.
Fear crept onto his face. He began to scream at Li Buren, his expression contorted, forgetting even about the "treasure."
"Give it back!" he shrieked repeatedly.
Li Buren frowned at the piercing screams. He realized it wasn't just a tantrum. The power of the Hill-Guarding Immortal's projections he was utilizing was becoming unstable under the assault of the sound. The ability to dispel all Daos was pushed to its limit.
Even Li Buren's grip on his throat couldn't silence him. The screams, like a primordial roar echoing since the dawn of time, threatened to revert the world to its original, undifferentiated state.
The Hill-Guarding Immortal's projections, not being the immortal himself and still bound to this world, were weakening under this onslaught that threatened to cleanse the Great Dao itself. But Li Buren remained calm.
His connection to his main body was restored. He knew his main body was acting.
Within the Xuanhuang World, Li Fan struck again. Like being kicked hard, the Grand Magus's screams abruptly ceased. Li Fan didn't give him a chance to recover. The blade of "True becomes Fake" fell repeatedly. Each strike, though intangible, felt like a physical blow.
The pain the Grand Magus experienced was inexplicably thousands, even tens of thousands, of times more intense than what an ordinary person would feel! When Li Fan experimented on cultivators in the Xuanhuang World, even when their spirituality was completely drained, they showed little reaction. But for the Grand Magus, it was like having his flesh carved out!
Within moments, the Grand Magus was on the verge of collapse. He finally understood, his weak voice calling out for help, but Li Fan's final, merciless strike silenced him forever.
(End of chapter)