My Longevity Simulation

Because he had once truly visited the Infinite Ocean, he could draw upon the power of infinity through the means of [Illusion Is Also Truth].

Compared with the Immortal Realm of the past, this archaic continent might now differ in only one respect, its [Momentum].

The reason immortals could stand above and look down upon the countless living beings was that, in ancient times, the Sage Lord Lianshan had ascended the Mountain Shangfang and opened up a path of ascension for all living beings in the world, creating something out of nothing. The entire Immortal Realm had even been built directly within the boundless Mountain Shangfang.

Yet where exactly was the Mountain Shangfang, and what did it look like? Few immortals in the world knew the answers.

This was the very meaning of the saying, "One cannot see the true face of the mountain because one is standing within it."

Li Fan, a 'Half-immortal', was no different.

Though he was within the mountain, he could not see its true appearance. Though he could draw upon its momentum, he could not understand the principles behind it.

"The Infinite Ocean is already so breathtaking. The grandeur of the Mountain Shangfang certainly cannot be inferior to that of the Infinite Ocean."

Whenever Li Fan wandered through the Infinite Ocean, he could not help thinking this. He could only infer the existence of the Mountain Shangfang by observing how the [Momentum] generated by each step of his ascent changed.

Even without deliberately pursuing greater heights in the Mountain Shangfang, the unrestrained infusion of infinite power had gradually transformed the momentum of the Archaic Immortal Realm over time. Perhaps this was the best proof that the mountains and seas shared the same origin.

At this moment, Li Buren sat cross-legged at the highest point of the Archaic Immortal Realm's heavenly canopy, inside a Daoist palace situated above the palaces of the Five Heavenly Emperors.

He could observe every movement across the continent, no matter how slight. Yet most of his attention was focused on an ancient, yellowed scroll in his hands.

The book appeared to be quite old and was already incomplete, with many pages torn away. Nevertheless, this did not prevent Li Buren from reading it over and over again.

This volume was precisely the Fables of Mountains and Seas that Li Fan had painstakingly sought out, the same book that Liu Ruchen had once read.

After the Medicine King Sect departed the Xuanhuang Realm with the Medicine King True Cauldron, the book had been confiscated by the Taishang Sect, one of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, and placed in the sect's treasury.

Later, the Taishang Sect split apart. Taking advantage of the turmoil, a faction escaped, bringing with them countless treasures from the sect's treasury, including this volume of fables.

At that time, beyond the High Wall, the Shuo Star Sea was a chaotic place where numerous factions had gathered. The remnants from within the High Wall shared a common origin in the Darkest Star Sea, so they instinctively joined forces. Ultimately, they managed to survive and gradually developed into the three factions that now existed in the Shuo Star Sea, the [Sword Domain], the [Thousand Crossings Daoist Grounds], and the [Abyssal Origin Land].

The Taishang Sect of old had been located within the [Thousand Crossings Daoist Grounds].

By now, Li Fan was practically an unrivaled authority in the Shuo Star Sea. Finding something within these mortal realms was an exceedingly simple matter.

He did not need to act personally. A single instruction to Benevolent Transmuter was enough to settle everything.

Although this volume of the Fables of Mountains and Seas was still incomplete, it described in greater detail the relationship between the mountains and the seas, as well as their differing attitudes toward the various forms of life that had appeared in the world over time.

For Li Fan, who had only recently learned about the mountains and seas, its contents provided considerable inspiration.

However, what prompted the deepest reflection in Li Fan was the discussion between the mountains and the seas concerning the future.

Something was born between the mountains and the seas. It was born one day, then perished the next.

It was born in the sea and perished upon the mountain.

The sea did not witness its death, but the mountain did. Overcome with grief, the mountain wept uncontrollably.

Rocks tumbled down the mountainside, startling the sea.

"Mountain, why have you suddenly become so sorrowful?"

"Sea, it is because I have witnessed the fate that awaits us."

"How can something so insignificant possibly be compared to us?"

"The mountains and seas are indeed immense today, but the day of our extinction will be insignificant. We will not perish because we are small. Rather, we will become small because we have perished!"

The mountains and seas trembled, overwhelmed by indescribable terror.

...

Only after many years did the terror finally subside, and the mountains and seas returned to their former state.

One day, the mountains and seas were playing together again.

Suddenly, the mountain abandoned the sea and departed.

Confused, the sea pursued it. The mountain was unwilling and moved farther away.

The sea roared in anguish. "Mountain, what has made you lose your temper this time?"

The mountain answered in a heavy voice. "Sea, have you never once looked up?"

The sea raised its head and gazed upward. In an instant, it saw a star hanging high above the mountains and seas.

Like the eye of a god, it watched over the mountains and seas.

The sea immediately abandoned its pursuit.

...

The star hung above the mountains and seas. Then, one day, it was gone.

The mountains and seas reunited, both feeling uneasy and apprehensive.

"Mountain, where do you think it has gone?"

The mountain did not answer. Instead, it stared intently at the sea.

A few breaths later, the sea fled in terror.

The mountains and seas never met again.

...

"The Mountain. The Sea."

"The Star."

Li Buren slowly closed the final page of the book, his expression difficult to decipher.

Most of the fables in this volume described the exchanges between the mountain and the sea.

The so-called [Star] appeared only in the final two short tales.

Yet its appearance was like a massive bell suddenly struck beside one's ear in the midst of absolute silence, leaving the reader utterly horrified.

Mount Shangfang and the Infinite Ocean. One represents infinity, while the other represents supreme momentum. Both were existences transcending the mortal world, vast and magnificent beyond imagination.

Yet according to this volume of fables, there existed something called the [Star] above both the mountains and the seas.

It could even instill fear in the mountains and seas themselves, causing them to part ways forever.

"If these fables are not nothing more than baseless fabrications, then things become interesting."

"The star. In the end, it vanished from the mountains and seas."

Li Buren could not help recalling the scene he had witnessed the first time he entered the Infinite Ocean.

"Could the disturbance at the bottom of the Infinite Ocean have originated from the [Star]?"

"And what exactly is the relationship between [Truth] and the [Star]?"

"Who, exactly, is Sun Piaomiao, to know such profound secrets?"

Li Fan had also once shown this fable book to Senior Brother Inherit Dao. However, this spirit stone born on the shores of the mountain and sea had no recollection whatsoever of the various things depicted in the fables.

He even found them somewhat unconvincing.

In Inherit Dao's view, these were nothing more than baseless speculations about the mountain and sea concocted by worldly people. After merely skimming through a few pages, he returned the book to Li Fan.

"Sun Piaomiao, the man who knew the true secrets of the mountain and sea, is definitely no ordinary person." Li Fan's understanding was entirely different from Inherit Dao's.

Someone capable of passing down such a marvelous method as the Dao Refining Medicine King Scripture would never be so bored as to write absurd stories completely detached from reality.

This was especially true of the terms mountain and sea. They were far too distinctive as metaphors. For any True Immortal, there was no possibility that they referred to anything else.

"Perhaps the crucial clues lie in those missing pages."

Li Fan had investigated the matter. Those pages had not gone missing during the period when the Taishang Sect kept the book in its collection. Rather, the book had already been incomplete from the moment it entered the archives.

"Which means someone deliberately tore out those pages and concealed them."

In the vast starry sky, finding the clues contained in those missing pages would be as difficult as ascending to heaven. Yet Li Fan faintly sensed that they were still somewhere out there.

Those remaining pages should still be waiting for him in some place.

"It is as though someone scattered bait along an entire path to lure their target in. There is no reason for the bait to suddenly disappear just before the target reaches the trap."

"However, perhaps that person never imagined that what they would lure here might not be prey, but a ferocious beast that devours anyone it encounters."

As a glint flashed through Li Buren's eyes, he crushed the mountain and sea fable book in his hand into pieces.

It transformed into thousands upon thousands of ochre-yellow threads, which he swallowed in a single gulp.

"No wonder it has survived for so long without decaying."

"As expected, it contains traces of Dao Refining techniques."

"Transforming the Dao into pills, tempering it through countless refinements. Even when the Great Dao decays, the Golden Core remains imperishable."

Li Buren smacked his lips, carefully savoring the taste.

"Wonderful!"

A moment later, his figure suddenly floated out of the Dao Palace and stood above the Archaic Continent.

Looking down at this immortal domain that he had personally created, he nodded with satisfaction.

"Divine medicines that are difficult to find, rarities scarcely seen since time immemorial."

"This is perfect for a first experiment!"

Li Buren had no intention of directly destroying this continent, which had taken him considerable effort to develop.

In fact, thanks to the infinite nature of the Immortal Realm, Li Buren could temper the Great Dao of this world using Dao Refining techniques.

As long as he controlled the heat properly and achieved a balance between creation and dissolution, he could refine one Immortal Realm Dao Pill after another without damaging the foundations of the Archaic Immortal Realm!

In other words, the Archaic Immortal Realm was like a fleshy lingzhi capable of endlessly regenerating its own tissues. It was absolutely ideal for creating Dao Refining pills.

Thus, Li Buren had no concerns about failure whatsoever. Even for his very first attempt at Dao Refining, he went straight into action.

"Five Heavenly Emperors, heed my command."

"Fire..."

"Ignite!"

Li Buren gave a low shout and issued an imperial decree toward the palaces situated in the five separate regions below.

Five-colored mystic light rose from the Archaic Continent, surging upward from the heavens until it covered the entire firmament.

The living beings within the world could not help raising their heads to gaze at the sky. An indescribable sense of dread arose in their hearts.

However, with the decree of the Creator Father above and the authority of the Five Heavenly Emperors below, the myriad living beings could only bow their heads and comply, no matter how terrified they felt.

The Thirteen Heavenly Scars swarmed forth like evil spirits, patrolling every corner of the continent. Anyone who dared to resist would be executed without exception!

Amid boundless terror, the living beings of the Archaic Immortal Realm knelt one after another, praying for the benevolence of their Father God.

Yet on the five heavenly canopies, streams of multicolored light surged ceaselessly, one after another, like raging fireworks.

From Li Buren's perspective, the various Dao laws within heaven and earth were being vaporized by the flames. They rose like wisps of green smoke, gathering before him and transforming into a round medicinal pill.

Thanks to Senior Brother Inherit Dao's selfless guidance, Li Fan had already acquired a general understanding of all the Dao paths belonging to the [Yuanchu] possibility.

It was like knowing every medicinal ingredient that went into a pill. Naturally, the refining process became effortless.

Smoke continued to rise without end. Eventually, a Dao Pill slowly took shape in Li Buren's vision.

It resembled purple qi arriving from the east, radiating an air of unparalleled nobility.

Yet Li Buren shook his head slightly.

"It actually failed."

He casually tossed the pill toward the Heavenly Emperor palaces below.

"Thank you for your gracious gift, Father God!"

The Great Emperor Wuji of Central Jun Heaven was the strongest among the Heavenly Emperors, so he managed to seize the Dao Pill first. Overjoyed, he did not dare forget to bow and offer his thanks.

The other Heavenly Emperors could only look on with envy.

Just as he had once used access to the Infinite Ocean to bring them to heel, Li Fan could still keep them thoroughly obedient even now that they had become the so-called Heavenly Emperors.

"Seven days must pass before I can refine the next pill. I need to wait for the Archaic Immortal Realm to recover naturally."

Li Buren calculated the cost of refining a single Dao Pill and could not help marveling at the wonders of infinite power.

In an ordinary lower realm, no matter how profound its foundations, such a round of refinement would undoubtedly leave it completely drained, with nothing left to sustain it.

The Immortal Realm, however, could replenish itself endlessly.