My Longevity Simulation - Chapter 1154: The Transformation of Rebuilding the Foundation
“Isn’t this a bit wasteful?” Shang Shaojun quietly transmitted his question to Li Fan in the presence of his trusted aide, Yan Huan.
Seeing Li Fan’s enigmatic smile, Shang Shaojun realized his question might have been inappropriate. He let out a soft cough to mask his embarrassment.
“The name ‘Immortal Heart Mantra’ is too conspicuous. Shaojun, you might consider giving it a more ordinary name before passing it down,” Li Fan advised.
Recalling the technique derived from the Derivation Law Jade, Shang Shaojun turned to Yan Huan and said, “This is the [Heart Forging Technique], passed down by this senior. It will protect you from the erosion of demonic sounds. Spread it throughout the entire army as quickly as possible; ensure everyone learns it.”
The name “Heart Forging Technique” was so commonplace that Yan Huan showed little excitement upon hearing Shang Shaojun’s words. He merely bowed, accepted the order, and began practicing it on the spot.
“To possess such a secret technique and yet remain unaware of its value is truly…” Shang Shaojun remarked with a sigh, watching Yan Huan’s retreating figure.
“If they knew how precious this technique is, they might become overly cautious and struggle to master it,” Li Fan countered.
“The Qingxuan Army numbers a million strong. Though I’ve strictly forbidden its spread, the leakage of the Immortal Heart Mantra is likely inevitable. Aren’t you worried, Daoist friend?” Shang Shaojun asked, looking at Li Fan with confusion.
He found Li Fan’s actions since arriving at the Eternal Immortal Fortress utterly incomprehensible. It wasn’t for fame, nor for profit.
“Xuanhuang cultivators cling to their secrets, influenced by the notion that techniques cannot be practiced together. Over time, their mindset has subtly shifted,” Li Fan said.
“In the ancient cultivation world, people would sit together, discuss the Dao, and freely share knowledge. Such scenes are no longer seen.”
“I dislike that.”
The Holy Embryo Li Fan spoke calmly, his words carrying an air of transcendent detachment in the eyes of others.
“Let it spread. As long as it aligns with my will, what does it matter if it’s an immortal technique?”
Shang Shaojun gazed at Li Fan’s figure, momentarily entranced. Such boldness was truly rare in this world.
Being around such a figure, Shang Shaojun felt a surge of heroic spirit within himself.
…
All matters at the Eternal Immortal Fortress were settled, leaving no further attachments.
Standing outside the fortress with Li Fan, Shang Shaojun gazed at the vast white mist. “Where do we go next?”
Having inexplicably taken on the burden of “saving the Xuanhuang Realm,” Shang Shaojun felt a trace of uncertainty as they prepared to set out. But at this point, there was no turning back.
Glancing at Li Fan beside him, Shang Shaojun was certain that any attempt to back out now would be met with a swift sword strike.
“The fate of the Xuanhuang Realm rests on me alone. This feeling…” Shang Shaojun mused to himself, “It’s not bad.”
Li Fan extended his hand, and a small sword, no longer than his palm, instantly appeared in his grasp.
It seemed to be sensing something, spinning continuously.
Finally, the sword tip pointed in a direction and stopped.
Shang Shaojun looked in the direction the small sword indicated.
“Anything that exists must leave traces. Though that mysterious figure is immensely powerful, as long as they appear in the Xuanhuang Realm, they will inevitably interact with reality. By pursuing them, we can find more evidence,” Li Fan said, his eyes gleaming.
Shang Shaojun found Li Fan’s reasoning sound and nodded in agreement.
Unbeknownst to him, the direction the small sword in Li Fan’s hand pointed to was not toward tracking the mysterious figure.
Instead, it pointed to one after another of the enigmatic regions Li Fan had previously explored in his memories.
Of course, different paths lead to the same destination. They were bound to find, in those places, ample evidence of the Xuanhuang Realm being altered.
…
While the Holy Embryo Li Fan guided Shang Shaojun to uncover the truth hidden beneath the Xuanhuang Realm’s surface, in the small world of Great Qi, Master Yin’s experimental base had been preliminarily established.
“When I last met Mr. Bai, he told me that with my Foundation Establishment method, I might achieve the ‘Primordial Golden Core,’ ‘Physical Nascent Soul,’ or ‘Heart-Mind Soul Transformation.’ You could refer to these concepts for further deduction,” Li Ping, Li Fan’s clone, said to Master Yin.
Master Yin had just performed a bizarre act in front of Li Ping.
His body split open from the middle, and another version of himself struggled to crawl out from within.
Then, turning back, he devoured his own fleshly shell.
The sound of flesh and bones being chewed echoed through the experimental base, with Master Yin’s face smeared with blood.
Yet his expression remained utterly calm, his eyes filled with focus as he ate himself.
It was as if he wasn’t eating but conducting some kind of research.
Even with Li Ping’s countless past memories, watching Master Yin made him feel a slight chill.
It wasn’t about courage; it was simply contrary to human nature.
Chewing slowly, Master Yin finally consumed the other version of himself entirely.
Li Ping noticed that Master Yin’s outwardly displayed cultivation level had fallen from Foundation Establishment to Qi Condensation.
Only then did Yin Shangren wipe his blood-stained hands on his clothes and explain, “To deduce the next stage of the method, I must first walk the correct path.”
“My Foundation Establishment method has only half-succeeded. So, I must destroy my foundation and cultivate anew.”
He glanced up at the sky: “It might cause some trouble, but leave it to me.”
As Master Yin spoke, Li Ping suddenly sensed something descending upon the Holy Capital City.
Having cultivated the Heavenly Emperor’s Qi Classic and fused the entire dynasty’s fate into one, Li Ping alone represented the Great Qi Dynasty at this moment.
An external intrusion could not escape his perception.
It was as if cold worms were crawling slowly across the surface of his skin. After probing contact, the worms extended sharp spines, attempting to pierce into the core of the Great Qi small world.
“Hmm? This place seems to form a self-contained system. Their retaliation might be weaker than expected,” Master Yin remarked.
Li Ping knew that the “they” Master Yin referred to were the lingering spectres of the old world.
It seemed that Master Yin’s forceful alteration of his state had drawn the attention of his kind.
The sound of dripping rain began.
Yet no raindrops fell.
Above Li Fan’s head, a thick layer of dark clouds had appeared without notice.
They loomed over the experimental base.
The hard basalt stone ground, amid the sound of dripping rain, suddenly became as muddy as soft earth.
One pale arm after another burst out from the ground.
Li Ping frowned slightly, attempting to float into the air to avoid them.
But in this strange, altered space, he found he had lost the ability to fly.
Fortunately, the target of these world specters was not him.
To him, those arms were merely like illusory shadows.
Countless arms crawled across the ground, swarming toward Master Yin.
Master Yin, however, revealed a sinister smile.
He grabbed the nearest arm, yanked it out, and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing voraciously.
