Chapter 21

"Is this the world of cultivation...?"

The Taiyan Boat broke through the Immortal Sealing Array and appeared in a vast mountain range.

Below was a bottomless pit, from which a faint aura similar to the Xuyuan Abyss emanated.

The mountains undulated, shrouded in mist, forming a magnificent sight.

On the highest peak, a colossal city floated in the air.

Li Fan wanted to laugh, but he couldn't stop coughing, spitting out fresh blood.

He was too old.

Already on the brink of life and death, the pressure from crossing the Immortal Sealing Array had completely destroyed his vitality.

However, being able to see the world of cultivation before dying made this life worth living!

"Return to Truth!"

...

[This simulation has ended]

After the darkness, Li Fan's consciousness gradually returned.

Recalling how in his previous life he had tried various methods in vain to cross the Immortal Sealing Array, only to accidentally discover the solution, Li Fan couldn't help but marvel at the unpredictability of life.

What left an even deeper impression on Li Fan was the last scene of looking back at the Rift Whales.

"How much did the cultivators of old hate mortals? Not only did they exile them and seal them with the Immortal Sealing Array, but they also set up so many Rift Whales..."

"No wonder the Dark Layer is so vast, larger than the sum of the previous layers. It must have been opened up by the Rift Whales over thousands of years."

"As the distance grows, the Immortal Sealing Land may truly detach from the world of cultivation in the future..."

Li Fan's mind was filled with various thoughts, but he suppressed them one by one.

What replaced them was an uncontrollable joy.

After nine lifetimes and nearly five hundred years, he had finally reached the threshold of cultivation.

It was foreseeable that the road ahead would be even more difficult.

But Li Fan's pursuit of immortality was unwavering, even across a hundred lifetimes, and he would never regret it!

...

Returning to the present, Li Fan found himself in a rare dilemma after the simulation ended.

According to his original plan, he intended to choose to accelerate the charging process. The sooner he completed the charging of [Return to Truth], the sooner he could go to the world of cultivation.

Indeed, even though the path to the world of cultivation was now smooth and free of danger, Li Fan still decided to wait until he had another chance to start over before setting out.

After all...

The path of immortality is difficult! This world of cultivation doesn't seem very friendly to mortals.

Steady first, no problem!

But when Li Fan saw the list of selectable items, he hesitated.

Because he saw the Stopping Stele among them.

After some thought, Li Fan decided to choose to retain the Stopping Stele.

He wanted to use this opportunity to verify a certain suspicion in his mind.

Name: Li Fan

Realm: Mortal

Physical Age: 20/86

Mental Age: 483/1116

Void Transformation Charging Progress: 0%

Anchor Charging Progress: 51%

Current Anchor Points: 1

Bound Items: [Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Chapter], Taiyan Boat, Stopping Stele (Damaged)

...

Li Fan's tenth life began.

For the first twenty years, while waiting for the charging to complete, Li Fan followed the established historical path.

During this period, he only did a few things that did not affect the course of history, preparing for his future journey to the world of cultivation.

After anchoring for three years, Li Fan arrived outside Qian Hong's tomb.

He pondered for a moment and did not choose to use the Immortal-Mortal Miasma to break the tomb, but instead took out the Stopping Stele from [Return to Truth].

After the Stopping Stele, which Li Fan brought from his previous life, appeared in the world, it underwent a strange transformation.

The Stopping Stele was enveloped in a soft white light, appearing somewhat ethereal.

Soon after, it slowly dissipated like ice under the sun.

Li Fan then ordered his men to forcibly attack Qian Hong's tomb.

As Li Fan expected, the Stopping Stele inside Qian Hong's tomb had become much more powerful!

"Indeed! Immortal techniques cannot be cultivated simultaneously, and the same applies to these world wonders."

"There cannot be two identical world wonders in the world. I used the power of [Return to Truth] to create another identical one, resulting in the two wonders merging and ultimately becoming one."

"As for which one disappears and which one remains..."

"Of course, the strong survive, and the weak perish!"

Li Fan narrowed his eyes and ordered his men to use the Immortal-Mortal Miasma spray to break the tomb.

The enhanced Stopping Stele was indeed formidable. Even with the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, it took considerable effort to gradually reduce its power.

Wearing steel armor, Li Fan entered Qian Hong's tomb, his gaze falling on the Stopping Stele.

There was no significant change in its appearance, except that it looked slightly less damaged.

"[Return to Truth] still cannot absorb it. It seems that only a quantitative change has occurred, not a qualitative one." Li Fan felt a bit disappointed.

After ordering his men to move the Stopping Stele out of the tomb, the destructive forces surrounding it suddenly disappeared.

This made things easier for Li Fan.

He stored the enhanced Stopping Stele in the Taiyan Boat, preparing it for his future journey to the world of cultivation.

After anchoring for twenty years, [Return to Truth] was about to be fully charged.

Li Fan severely punished a batch of corrupt officials and landlords, confiscating all the gold, silver, and jewels accumulated by their families over generations.

This was because he would still need to deal with mortals after entering the world of cultivation, and he needed to prepare gold and silver in advance.

Moreover, cultivators often mix gold and silver into their artifacts, so there was no need to worry about gold and silver becoming useless in the outside world.

In addition to money, food was also essential.

However, grain is the foundation of the state, and Li Fan needed a large amount.

Officials submitted numerous memorials in opposition, and even merchants in the capital raised grain prices, hoping to make a profit.

Li Fan didn't waste time. During the morning court session, he placed the Taiyan Boat at its largest size, floating it above the palace.

The massive Taiyan Boat hovered over Xuanjing City like a dark cloud.

Countless civilians knelt and kowtowed, and the officials, seeing Li Fan's display of immortal power, changed their attitudes.

The complaints about Li Fan's violent methods to accumulate wealth disappeared instantly, and they even actively and enthusiastically helped Li Fan prepare the grain.

With the help of the officials and the execution of a batch of unscrupulous merchants, the Taiyan Boat was finally fully loaded.

With everything prepared, Li Fan had no more ties to the mortal world.

He boarded the Taiyan Boat and returned to the Xuyuan Abyss.

He relaxed his mind and let the Taiyan Boat automatically navigate at a constant speed.

It only took a few hours, but to Li Fan, it felt longer than the hundreds of years he had experienced.

After a long wait, Li Fan finally crossed the Immortal Sealing Array and arrived in the world of cultivation!

Adapting to the tearing sensation of crossing between worlds, Li Fan excitedly looked out of the Taiyan Boat.

However, when he saw the surroundings, he was somewhat taken aback.