Chapter 1465: It Really Does Give Guidance

The so-called 'spirituality' was a unique aptitude that Li Fan’s true body had only become capable of perceiving in cultivators and living beings after comprehending the divine ability Truth and Falsehood.

It was almost a comprehensive judgment of one’s temperament, talent, innate physique, fortune, and every other factor, determining the probability of that living being surpassing its own limits and achieving greater possibilities.

In the past, Li Fan’s perspective had been limited solely to the countless beings of the Xuanhuang Realm. The individuals he encountered in the Darkest Star Sea were also all among the most exceptional geniuses. Moreover, their numbers were far too few to draw any meaningful conclusions.

Now, however, Li Buren’s range of observation had suddenly expanded to encompass the entire Experimental Star Sea.

The Xuanhuang Realm was merely one star among the endless heavens, and the amount of available data had increased by tens of millions of times.

Li Fan suddenly discovered an astonishing fact.

“Among the countless cultivation worlds scattered throughout the vast sea of stars, the overall aptitude of the living beings in the Xuanhuang Realm unquestionably ranks among the very highest.”

As for what exactly caused such a difference in the average aptitude of living beings between cultivation worlds, that remained unknown.

“But the True Immortals within the experimental site must have discovered this extraordinary trait long ago. It is only natural that they regarded the Xuanhuang Realm as one of their key observation targets.”

Of everything within the Darkest Star Sea, the one Li Buren cared about most was the Xuanshang Immortal Ark.

At this point in time, the Xuanshang Immortal Ark had already begun wandering between the various cultivation worlds. Because its position was never fixed, and it would sometimes even travel near regions where stellar phenomena erupted, the records concerning the Xuanshang Immortal Ark within the experimental site were far from continuous.

During certain periods, all observation of the Xuanshang Immortal Ark would disappear entirely.

Then, not long afterward, it would seem to leap across space and suddenly appear somewhere else within the Star Sea.

Furthermore, there seemed to exist some method within the Xuanshang Immortal Ark capable of interfering with the experimental site’s recording process.

The recorded images were extremely blurry, as though the signal had been disrupted, flickering in and out without continuity.

To Li Buren’s exploration, it manifested as his divine sense constantly encountering invisible walls no matter where it moved.

He was completely unable to observe everything happening inside the Xuanshang Immortal Ark.

“It is said that the Xuanshang Immortal Ark discovered the truth that living beings throughout the various worlds were being raised like livestock. Therefore, they abandoned the idea of settling permanently within any single cultivation world. Instead, they continuously wandered throughout the Star Sea in hopes of escaping such a fate. To a certain extent, they truly succeeded.”

“According to the present Xuan Immortal Ark, the Xuanshang Immortal Ark most likely possesses an Immortal treasure, or perhaps a method that only a True Immortal can wield. Only by using immortality against immortality could such remarkable effects be achieved.”

As usual, Li Buren silently recorded every suspicious event that had occurred within the Xuan Immortal Ark during these fifty years.

Just as he was about to inspect the other two cube-shaped Star Seas besides the Xuanhuang Realm, he suddenly felt as though he had overlooked something important.

After pondering for a moment, his consciousness returned once more to the fifty years of recorded images from the Xuanhuang Realm.

This time, however, he no longer focused upon those dazzling and extraordinary individuals.

Instead, his gaze fell upon the ordinary countless masses.

Li Buren soon discovered that several of those faces looked strangely familiar.

At the point in history recorded by the experimental site, Li Fan himself did not yet exist.

The reason those people appeared familiar was because they had once appeared within the Reversal of Life and Death Grand Formation of the Rebirth Heavenly Sovereign.

Among those countless frozen corpses, they had each been one of them.

“Not only these.”

“Even one or two of these faces still exist within the present Xuanhuang Realm?”

With a single thought, Li Fan’s true body immediately located two such individuals within the Carefree Dreamland Paradise.

They had originally been ordinary mortals.

Only after the Dreamland Paradise enveloped the entire Xuanhuang Realm had they embarked upon the path of cultivation.

Yet within the historical records of the experimental site, in the ancient Xuanhuang Realm, those same two people had likewise existed as completely inconspicuous mortals.

“...”

Four faces crossed the endless river of time and overlapped before Li Fan’s eyes in pairs.

Even with Li Fan’s current power, where overturning the Xuanhuang Realm required nothing more than the turn of his hand, a faint chill still arose within his heart.

He recalled the mortal he had seen within the recorded images.

A man who had suddenly deviated from his original life trajectory, as though he had become an entirely different person, before going to receive a descending True Immortal.

“These mortals are probably nothing more than NPCs created to fill the Xuanhuang Realm, reusable through endless cycles of reincarnation.”

“At certain critical moments, they can even receive special instructions and complete missions assigned by the True Immortals...”

“This method of control is not achieved through divine abilities or cultivation arts. Rather, it is most likely rooted deep within the very core of these mortals themselves.”

Even before ascending to immortality, Li Fan had already been barely capable of creating living things through the Shape of Living Beings.

Therefore, he had never doubted that the True Immortals of the ancient Immortal Realm possessed the ability to mass produce living beings.

“These artificially created beings are recycled repeatedly. This shows that even the experimental site considered the issue of consumption.”

“Because the population base is sufficiently enormous, every reincarnation release occurs after hundreds or thousands of years have passed within the world. Almost no one could possibly notice.”

“Even if someone occasionally discovered the anomaly, it could easily be dismissed as mere coincidence, making it impossible to confirm.”

“Only someone like me, who spans two separate eras while possessing knowledge of the appearances of all living beings throughout the Xuanhuang Realm, can make such a definitive judgment.”

“Not only is every event recorded in detail, even the cultivation environment and the majority of living beings are predetermined.”

“As expected of an experimental site...”

“I simply do not know whether the other cultivation worlds besides the Xuanhuang Realm are the same.”

All the other worlds had already been completely destroyed.

Li Fan had no way to verify it.

However, he believed their overall structure was probably identical to that of the Xuanhuang Realm.

“The maintenance of the experimental site is absolutely connected to the unstable circular rings I discovered within the ancient formations of the Xuanhuang Realm, as well as the Nine Star Red Beads.”

“The Nine Star Red Beads have vanished without a trace and were most likely taken away by someone.”

“The traces of the [Return] character art were also left behind at the scene.”

“If it had been someone from within the experimental site retrieving them, there would have been no need for such elaborate methods.”

“Therefore, it was most likely an outsider.”

“Judging from the residual pattern of the Nine Star Red Beads that I saw back then, together with the recorded data within this experimental site, those Nine Star Red Beads should contain the complete life data of every living being that has ever existed throughout the history of the Xuanhuang Realm...”

Before Li Fan’s eyes, it was as though hundreds of millions of different faces flashed past in an instant.

Then a question suddenly surfaced within his mind.

If those mortals were merely NPCs created to fill the empty spaces of the world, then what exactly were those cultivators who had flourished throughout the history of the Xuanhuang Realm?

What about those peerless geniuses who had once dominated an era?

Those supreme experts whose names had resounded throughout the ages?

“The Xuanhuang Realm has always produced extraordinary geniuses in endless numbers.”

“Yet every cultivator who ever ascended to become a True Immortal has left behind absolutely no record.”

“Either someone deliberately erased their existence, or every single one of them reached the Nameless realm and naturally disappeared from the records of the world.”

“If it is the former, then that is still acceptable.”

“But if it is the latter...”

Nameless True Immortals, even though they died like ants during the great catastrophe that destroyed the Immortal Realm, still had to merge themselves with the Dao before achieving ascension.

Their numbers could never have been large.

Especially when considering the countless and immeasurable cultivation worlds spread throughout the lower realm.

No matter how blessed the Xuanhuang Realm was by heaven and earth, it was impossible for it to produce so many Nameless True Immortals.

Like a bolt of lightning tearing apart the mist, a thought suddenly emerged within Li Fan’s heart.

“Could it be that Nameless True Immortals descended into the lower realm through some method, using themselves as bait in an attempt to lure and capture return to [Truth]?”

Li Fan’s thoughts raced rapidly.

“A supreme treasure originating from the Infinite Ocean, one capable of reversing the Dao Annihilation Calamity.”

“Even Nameless True Immortals would certainly be tempted by it.”

“If it were me, and I knew that such an experimental site existed in the lower realm, I would also find every possible way to interfere. Even if the official authorities prohibited it, I would still smuggle myself inside.”

“After all, it would only require sending down a single incarnation . It would cost almost nothing.”

“What if I truly succeeded in capturing it?”

“But how could [Truth] possibly be so easily caught?”

“They were destined to return empty handed.”

“Those capable of cultivating into Nameless True Immortals undoubtedly possessed exceptional aptitude themselves. Even if, for the sake of making the bait convincing, their incarnations lacked the memories of their true bodies, returning to the realm of True Immortals should not have been difficult.”

“As an experimental site, it should theoretically have been impossible for any experimental lifeform to escape through ascension.”

“However, those who descended from the Immortal Realm naturally did not fall under such restrictions.”

“Some of them might even have been existences whom the True Immortals overseeing the experimental site could not afford to offend.”

“Naturally, they would obediently allow them to leave.”

Li Fan suddenly recalled Mo Rubin's description of the Xuantian King's memories.

"The Xuantian King was able to successfully ascend and become an immortal because the Immortal Official responsible for overseeing the lightning tribulation happened to perish during the calamity that destroyed the Immortal Realm. Thus, he was able to ascend to the Immortal Realm by sheer luck. According to the Xuantian King himself, that lightning tribulation had never intended to let any cultivator survive it..."

"The Xuantian King was already faintly the greatest person in the Xuanhuang Realm throughout the ages. It was even suspected that he had received the assistance of the Fishing Pond from the very beginning of his cultivation journey. Even so, when faced with that ascension lightning tribulation, he still had absolutely no chance of surviving."

"It seems that under normal circumstances, escaping this experimental site would be completely impossible."

Li Fan's expression darkened, yet he also felt somewhat fortunate.

Fortunately, the Dao Annihilation Calamity had descended and destroyed the Immortal Realm. The True Immortals had scattered in all directions to save their lives, and could no longer spare any attention for this experimental site.

"Otherwise, even with the advantage of [Truth], I would probably be nothing more than a bird in a cage or a fish in a net..."

At this thought, Li Fan suddenly froze.

After pondering it carefully, he said, "Or perhaps the calculations made by the True Immortals in the past were not wrong. [Truth] truly did appear within this designated experimental site. It is just that..."

"Perhaps they also never expected that [Truth] possessed its own consciousness. Such methods might be able to deceive ordinary mortals, but how could they possibly deceive [Truth]?"

"Thus, it never revealed itself. It was waiting..."

"Not merely for the destruction of the Immortal Realm and the destruction of the experimental site. It was also waiting for a suitable and unique vessel."

Following this line of speculation, [Truth], which had remained silent ever since Li Fan returned from the Infinite Ocean, finally showed another fluctuation.

However, the emotion it conveyed this time left Li Fan somewhat unable to comprehend it.

"There is a degree of affirmation."

"And also a degree of amusement."

"This..."

Li Fan's expression remained unchanged. He even shamelessly tried to ask for further guidance.

After spending a hundred lifetimes in reincarnation together with [Truth], Li Fan could detect almost any subtle change occurring within it.

Li Fan keenly noticed that ever since returning from the Infinite Ocean and possibly coming into contact with some of [Truth]'s former acquaintances, [Truth] had gradually become more "active."

In the past, it would only lazily respond under certain extreme circumstances. But now...

This time, faced with Li Fan's sincere request for guidance.

[Truth], which had always remained indifferent, actually gave him an answer.

Li Fan himself had not expected this outcome at all. After being slightly stunned for a moment, he immediately searched for where [Truth] had given him its guidance.

Neither his main body nor his clone puppet Li Buren showed the slightest change.

The change existed within...

The period of time Li Fan had created in this life known as [Unceasing Reincarnation].

The Truth Heavenly Sovereign, trapped within it, had already experienced 9,363 reincarnations.

No matter what he tried, he had always been unable to change the outcome of the Xuanhuang Realm's destruction.

Thus, after his eight-hundredth attempt, the Truth Heavenly Sovereign finally chose to give up.

He abandoned all pursuits. At the beginning of every reincarnation, he simply accepted his fate and waited for destruction to arrive.

Gradually, he even felt that perhaps this was not so bad.

After all, no matter how destruction occurred, he would always return to the original point in time. From a certain perspective, did this not mean that he possessed eternal life?

After figuring this out, the Truth Heavenly Sovereign became even more comfortable with simply giving up.

He drifted through his days in a daze.

He did not notice at all that the speed at which he experienced each reincarnation was becoming faster and faster.

From Li Fan's perspective, under the disturbance of [Truth], the flow of this period of time had suddenly been accelerated, causing the reincarnations to proceed at an astonishing speed.

The Truth Heavenly Sovereign within it could not perceive this, but Li Fan could see millions upon millions of cycles unfolding in an instant, repeatedly playing out before his eyes.

The completely resigned Truth Heavenly Sovereign abandoned all struggle in every reincarnation.

The reincarnation therefore lost all variables.

Every cycle was exactly the same as the one before it.

...

Staring intently at the Truth Heavenly Sovereign within the reincarnation, Li Fan's expression gradually became strange.

Because he saw that the Truth Heavenly Sovereign's spirituality was slowly being stripped away as the number of reincarnations increased.

It was just like how Li Fan continuously used the divine ability of Truth and Falsehood upon a cultivator.

In the end, all spirituality was lost, and his future path was completely severed!

Li Fan's mind thundered.

"When the truth becomes false, the falsehood becomes truth."

"The divine ability of Truth and Falsehood can diminish a cultivator's spirituality."

"And does initiating reincarnation every time not amount to Truth and Falsehood?"

"Moreover, this Truth and Falsehood is personally activated through return to [Truth]..."

Li Fan's heart trembled violently. He immediately manifested a water mirror before himself.

He had observed the spirituality of countless living beings.

Yet he had never once seen his own.

With apprehension and dread, Li Fan looked toward himself.

A face and body so familiar that they could be no more familiar.

Yet this time, under Li Fan's renewed scrutiny...

To his great relief, the thing he had feared had not happened.

Even...

Li Fan's expression became somewhat strange.

He touched his chin and suddenly understood.

What exactly was the guidance given by [Truth]?

What was the reason that Li Fan, as its vessel, was so unique?

Why, among the countless living beings in existence, had [Truth] chosen Li Fan specifically?

Li Fan stared at his own face.

His spirituality did not seem particularly outstanding.

Yet, strangely, Li Fan had an indescribable feeling.

His own spirituality was incomparably pure and profound.

Even after being stripped away again and again through reincarnation, it had barely changed.

"If the ability to withstand Truth and Falsehood can also be considered a type of aptitude..."

"Then perhaps my aptitude in this regard is among the highest in the world."

"Unlike the aptitudes required for other forms of cultivation, this is what [Truth] truly values."