My Longevity Simulation

Li Fan could clearly sense that Baili Shan, this new anchor, was far more stable than Elder Song. This was not merely because his relationship with Baili Shan seemed closer now.

[T/N: Apologies for the mistake in previous chapters! The correct spelling for 百里珊 is ‘Baili Shan’ instead of ‘Bai Lishan.’]

Rather, it had to do with the extent of the traces an anchor individual left behind in the long river of time.

'Unless something unexpected happens, Elder Song will probably never advance beyond the Nascent Soul stage in this lifetime. He is no different from the countless ordinary cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm. His eventual fate will simply be to perish like an ant in the great calamity of cultivation that will descend before long.'

'But Baili Shan, having obtained the Supreme Dao Scripture, will undoubtedly reach the Dao Integration stage, the pinnacle of the Xuanhuang Realm. He will live much longer and leave behind a far deeper imprint.'

Li Fan's gaze seemed to pierce through the mists of history and traverse the vast, surging river of time, allowing him to glimpse a scene ten thousand years into the future.

...

With his speculation confirmed, Li Fan changed his previous approach of concealing his identity through Illusion Is Also Truth. Instead, he began appearing frequently before others.

Baili Shan was now a figure who attracted everyone's attention within the Evergreen Sect. As Baili Shan's newly acquainted friend, Li Fan naturally drew considerable attention as well.

Compared to Baili Shan, a rising star whose brilliance was about to illuminate the world, Li Fan was a complete nobody without a single outstanding quality. Consequently, most Evergreen disciples could not understand why Baili Shan had become so close to him.

Some narrow-minded disciples even attempted to drive a wedge between the two. When their efforts ultimately proved unsuccessful, unsavory rumors began quietly spreading throughout Evergreen Valley.

"Pay no attention to those fools. You and I ultimately belong to a completely different world from them," Baili Shan said dismissively.

He paid no heed to the rumors. Instead, as he sensed the insights Li Fan had transmitted to him regarding the Supreme Dao Scripture, he was filled with delight.

"Indeed, the Great Dao is as vast as the heavens. Different perspectives reveal different aspects of it. By sharing our respective insights and verifying them against one another, our cultivation efficiency is several times greater than simply studying in isolation!"

At first, Baili Shan had regarded Li Fan merely as one of his own, someone who shared a common secret with him. However, after witnessing Li Fan's cultivation advance by leaps and bounds following his comprehension of the Supreme Dao Scripture, Baili Shan's attitude gradually underwent a subtle change.

He began to regard Li Fan as a fellow seeker of the Dao with whom he could mutually assist and support.

"Rumors are like floodwaters. Unless they are properly addressed, they will only spread further. I personally don't mind them. The problem is that you are the chief disciple of Evergreen Valley. In the future, you are destined to inherit the position of Sect Master."

"If you allow these rumors to spread unchecked, then when the time comes..." Li Fan shook his head slightly.

The expression on Baili Shan's face gradually stiffened. After contemplating for a moment, he frowned and said, "You have a point. I will report this to my master immediately..."

Li Fan waved his hand.

"Brother Baili, you need to learn to understand your own position. The situation now is not that you are begging to remain in Evergreen Valley. Rather, Evergreen Valley needs you to stay. If they cannot even resolve such a trivial matter themselves, then there is no reason for you to remain here!"

"But..." Baili Shan hesitated upon hearing this.

What Li Fan said seemed perfectly reasonable. However, it went completely against the way he had conducted himself for so many years.

As though seeing through the conflict in Baili Shan's heart, Li Fan volunteered, "Brother Baili, there is no need to worry. You only need to continue playing the role of that radiant and illustrious senior brother."

"I will be the villain."

Baili Shan stared at Li Fan's calm expression, completely dumbfounded.

Over the following days, a considerable bloodbath swept through Evergreen Valley.

Those who had fabricated and spread the rumors were publicly executed before the assembled disciples. Li Fan employed ruthless methods, slaughtering every last one of them and grinding their bones to dust.

As expected, the rumors came to an abrupt end.

As for Li Fan's brazen acts of slaughter, which openly violated the sect's rules, the Sect Master of Evergreen Valley and its various elders all chose to turn a blind eye.

They assumed that Baili Shan, out of concern for preserving his spotless reputation, was unwilling to take action personally and had therefore instructed Li Fan to do the dirty work for him.

Compared with Baili Shan, those few rumor-mongers were utterly insignificant. Their deaths were hardly worth mentioning. Naturally, no punishment was imposed. Some elders even stepped forward to openly support the two of them.

The disturbance gradually subsided.

However, Li Fan's ruthless figure, surrounded by the bloodshed, remained deeply etched in the hearts of Evergreen Valley's disciples, like a lingering nightmare.

'As expected, this method of establishing anchors is effective as well.'

'Moreover, compared with ordinary methods, it seems to work even better.'

Inside a secluded cultivation chamber, Li Fan sensed the numerous connections between himself and the mortal world in this spacetime gradually stabilizing. For some reason, a dangerous glint slowly appeared in his eyes.

However, after some consideration, it gradually faded.

'Still, this method can only be used occasionally. It cannot serve as my primary means. The most important requirement is that there must be people and things in this spacetime that can serve as anchors. If I slaughter all of them, or if their numbers are too few, the anchoring effect will actually weaken...'

He stood up and moved around for a while, carefully sensing the stability of the anchors he had established. Finally, Li Fan nodded with satisfaction.

'Although Evergreen Valley is only a small sect, its influence extends across a radius of ten thousand li. Now, everyone within the valley knows my fearsome reputation. With this as my foundation, the anchors I have established should be sufficient for my activities here, at least for the time being.'

Li Fan had no intention of staying here for long.

During this period, he had also secretly gathered some information about the brutal war currently being waged by the Ten Great Sects.

The enemy fighting against the Xuanhuang Realm was a cultivation world known as the Taiyuan Realm.

Compared with the Xuanhuang Realm, the Taiyuan Realm was inferior in both overall size and the strength of its cultivators. When the war first began, the rulers of the Xuanhuang Realm, the Ten Great Immortal Sects, had paid little attention to their opponent. They believed the conflict would be over very quickly.

Just as everyone had expected, the Taiyuan Realm suffered devastating losses when faced with the sudden invasion of the Xuanhuang Realm. Several of its largest sects were practically wiped out, leaving behind only a handful of survivors who united to resist to the death.

At first, the Ten Great Sects paid little attention to these scattered remnants of resistance. They were only concerned with plundering the resources of the Taiyuan Realm as quickly as possible.

However, no one had anticipated that the surviving resistance forces would grow at an astonishing rate, dealing a devastating blow to the Ten Great Immortal Sects.

Not only did they nearly annihilate the Xuanhuang Realm's vanguard cultivators, but they even launched a counterattack into the Xuanhuang Realm itself.

And all of this was thanks to a world-suppressing immortal artifact within the Taiyuan Realm.

The Taiyuan Resurrection Furnace!

The following was information that the Xuanhuang Realm had obtained only after paying an enormous price.

Any cultivator who perished within the Taiyuan Realm could be resurrected at full strength inside the Taiyuan Resurrection Furnace simply by activating its furnace flames.

It was said that the entire Taiyuan Realm had originally been established as an experimental ground for testing the capabilities of the Taiyuan Resurrection Furnace. Later, after the destruction of the Immortal Realm, the Taiyuan Resurrection Furnace had instead fallen under the control of the very experimental subjects it had once been used to study.

The enemy could resurrect their fallen cultivators endlessly, while every death on their own side meant one less soldier.

How could such a war possibly be fought?

The moment this information spread, the morale of the Ten Great Immortal Sects plummeted. Almost everyone was ready to abandon the invasion of the Taiyuan Realm.

However, at this critical juncture, Qu Yixing, the Sect Master of the First Origin Sect, exposed the truth with a single remark.

The information about the Taiyuan Resurrection Furnace had been deliberately leaked by the enemy. Their intention was to frighten the cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm into retreating.

It was true that the Taiyuan Resurrection Furnace possessed the ability to resurrect the dead. However, all immortal artifacts required immortal spiritual qi to operate.

There were no True Immortals in the Taiyuan Realm. Therefore, the Taiyuan Resurrection Furnace was most likely in much the same condition as the immortal artifacts left behind in the Xuanhuang Realm.

Every time it was used, its remaining power would diminish.

The resurrection method was not without limitations.

They had already sacrificed so much in the invasion of the Taiyuan Realm. Were they really going to abandon everything halfway through?

Furthermore, if the Taiyuan Resurrection Furnace truly possessed the miraculous ability to resurrect the dead, then after the Ten Sects eventually completed their conquest and occupied it, they might even be able to resurrect the cultivators of the Ten Sects who had perished in the Taiyuan Realm.

Whether for profit or out of a sense of righteousness, continuing the conquest had become the only choice for the Ten Sects.

Thus, they chose to continue committing their remaining forces, engaging the Taiyuan Realm in a war of attrition.

However, perhaps they had seriously miscalculated the amount of usable immortal spiritual energy remaining within the Taiyuan Resurrection Furnace.

The cultivators of the Taiyuan Realm were resurrected wave after wave.

Yet they seemed as though they could never be killed off completely.

As a result, the war fell into a complete stalemate.

...

After organizing the information he had gathered, Li Fan's expression became somewhat peculiar.

'Those who are not True Immortals cannot understand the infinite nature of immortal spiritual power.'

'They have chosen to throw away their lives to make up the numbers...'

Not every cultivation world was as special as the Xuanhuang Realm. As one of the most important experimental grounds within the Lanke Dao Field, the Xuanhuang Realm was under strict supervision. Even its immortal artifacts were merely incomplete products with their functions deliberately crippled.

Using the circumstances of the Xuanhuang Realm to speculate about other cultivation worlds would likely lead to rather unpleasant conclusions.

What truly piqued Li Fan's curiosity was the location of this so-called Taiyuan Realm. Back when he had served as a Disciple of the Lord Hill Guardian, Li Fan had obtained the highest authority within the Lanke Dao Field. However, he had never discovered the existence of the Taiyuan Realm among the starry skies containing the numerous experimental grounds.

'There are two possibilities. Either, at this point in time, the Xuanhuang Realm had already conquered and subsequently exterminated it.'

'Or the Taiyuan Realm is not located within the High Wall.'

Back when Li Fan was at the Grand Dao Sect, he had once come into close contact with and observed the golden spatial chains represented by the Floating Across Starry Sky Grand Formation.

Judging by the power they had displayed, it was entirely possible that they could pierce through the High Wall and connect to the starry sky beyond.

'Unfortunately, it seems they were forcibly activated by paying some sort of price.'

'Now they are already on the verge of collapse.'

'There is only one chance. No wonder the Ten Sects are fighting so desperately.'

'Their luck really is terrible.'

'An immortal artifact capable of granting unlimited resurrection...'

In Li Fan's understanding, even in the Immortal Realm of the past, an immortal artifact of this caliber would rank among the finest. Only the Ruling Immortal Emperors, who held authority over the Immortal Realm, could forge such artifacts and bestow them upon the Immortal Ministers governing the various Star Domains.

'Could this be another artifact left behind by a Hidden Emperor?'

Li Fan gazed into the distance at the faint image of the Floating Across Starry Sky Grand Formation in the heavens, silently contemplating.

"At this critical moment, when the world stands on the brink of life and death, someone must step forward to turn the tide and save the crumbling edifice."

Li Fan softly murmured these words, having already made up his mind.

After sending a single transmission to Baili Shan, Li Fan once again departed, drifting away effortlessly.

Entering the battlefield of the Taiyuan Realm was not particularly difficult. The Ten Great Immortal Sects were desperately conscripting cultivators due to their shortage of manpower.

After obtaining a verification token from the Valley Master of Evergreen Valley, Li Fan arrived at the mountain gate of the Taishang Sect.

It was even more magnificent than the one he had once seen depicted in a painting.

Mountain peaks floated high in the sky, forming a magnificent grand formation. The disciples of the Taishang Sect resembled celestial immortals looking down upon the mortal world below.

Unfortunately, the Taishang Sect was now rather deserted.

"Have you come here to volunteer for the expedition?"

The Soul Transformation cultivator of the Taishang Sect, Duan Yuxiao, stared at Li Fan with an expression of complete astonishment.

After carefully examining Li Fan and confirming that he matched the figure described in his memories by Zou Yunhao, the Valley Master of Evergreen Valley, Duan Yuxiao finally put aside his suspicions.

He spoke solemnly.

"Good! The sects throughout the world tremble at the mere mention of going to war. We need exemplary figures like you to set an example for everyone! Rest assured, our Ten Sects will certainly reward you generously!"

"Come with me!"

Duan Yuxiao was not making empty promises.

He directly brought Li Fan to the Taishang Sect's treasury and pointed toward the seemingly endless collection of cultivation techniques and magical treasures.

"You may choose any three items from here!"

"If you can return alive, I will personally report your achievements to my Martial Uncle, the Sect Master, and recommend that he accept you as a direct disciple of the Taishang Sect!"

Li Fan cupped his hands in gratitude before wandering through the Taishang Sect's treasury.

Clearly, this was only the outermost section of the treasury.

Although it was said to contain countless treasures, in reality, they were only valuable to cultivators below the Soul Transformation realm.

With Li Fan's current standards, naturally, none of these items caught his eye. Nor was there any unexpected discovery of a hidden treasure.

He simply picked out one cultivation technique and two magical treasures to keep up appearances.

Afterward, Duan Yuxiao personally escorted Li Fan to the battlefield.

Within the Taishang Sect, there were also golden chains belonging to the Floating Across Starry Sky Grand Formation.

However, compared with the ones Li Fan had previously seen, their condition seemed even more precarious. In Li Fan's eyes, these chains were clearly approaching their limits and could disintegrate at any moment.

Duan Yuxiao, however, seemed completely oblivious. He cheerfully led Li Fan along the golden chains, completing the spatial traversal.

The moment he stepped into the Taiyuan Realm, Li Fan keenly sensed wisps of immortal spiritual qi flowing throughout heaven and earth.

'Without the Xuanhuang Great Celestial Venerable interfering, surely this world will not reject my comprehension as well?'

Li Fan began sensing the Great Dao revealed within this world.

A moment later, he could not help but furrow his brows slightly.

Although the situation was considerably better than in the Xuanhuang Realm, it was still far from ideal. The reason was that the Great Dao of this world was incredibly solidified, seemingly fused into one indivisible whole.

Li Fan almost felt as though the being standing before him was a Nameless True Immortal who had comprehended the Dao itself!

'Moreover, the Great Dao of this world lies entirely outside my field of understanding. It is not something my Myriad Aspects Dao Net has ever encountered.'

A hint of delight emerged in Li Fan's heart.

Duan Yuxiao, by contrast, was not nearly as pleased.

It seemed he had noticed something. The moment he entered the Taiyuan Realm, his expression turned solemn.

Grabbing Li Fan, he flew rapidly toward a building standing on the ground ahead.

This place had apparently once been the headquarters of a sect in the Taiyuan Realm, but it had since been occupied by the Xuanhuang Realm. After enduring an unknown number of brutal battles, its original appearance had almost completely disappeared.

"Senior Brother Duan, what brings you here?"

A somewhat surprised voice rang out.

The speaker was a female cultivator whose entire body emanated an intense aura of bloodshed.

Her appearance was rather ordinary, but the heroic bearing between her brows was unforgettable.

Duan Yuxiao gestured toward Li Fan and explained the situation truthfully.

The female cultivator looked at Li Fan and nodded slightly.

"Although his cultivation is somewhat lacking, we can still announce his arrival to everyone to boost morale."

"How is the battle situation?" Duan Yuxiao asked.