Chapter 164: Founding True Foundation for a Hundred Generations ( 3k+ words )

"The simulation is over."

...

In the familiar yet unfamiliar study, Li Fan stood motionless, still immersed in the aftermath of the "Sky Overturning Palm."

After a long time, he took a deep breath.

Although he killed a Nascent Soul cultivator with Foundation Establishment cultivation, Li Fan didn't show much satisfaction. One reason was that the red-haired Nascent Soul's cultivation was not strong in itself. More importantly, Li Fan did not rely entirely on his own strength.

He used the "Exploding Law Astonishing Deity Formation" to forcefully increase the power of the technique to the Golden Core realm. Then, he activated a bunch of formations for assistance. Finally, the Twenty-Eight Swords of the Clouds and the Sky Overturning Palm, two major killing moves, were unleashed.

In the end, it only resulted in a mutually assured destruction with the opponent.

If it weren't for "Founding True" as a reliance, it would probably have been a case of perishing on the spot by now.

However, looking back at the options from "Founding True."

Li Fan undoubtedly chose the second option—to retain his cultivation.

While confirming his choice, he concentrated his mind, carefully paying attention to the changes about to happen in his body.

When he inherited the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment stage, the fairy and mortal poison in his body silently dissolved when the cultivation arrived. What Li Fan was curious about now was how "Founding True" would deal with the laws of this world, where "Foundation must borrow the wonders of heaven and earth."

Holding his breath and focusing, the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment later stage suddenly surged out from his body.

The fairy and mortal poison disappeared like snowflakes into water, dissolving without a trace.

Spiritual energy inexplicably surged in his body, and then his momentum climbed steadily.

In an instant, he reached the later stage of the Qi Refinement realm.

Then, in his dantian, a azure pearl suddenly appeared without any sign.

It was the Sea of Blue, the Cang Hai Pearl, which should not have descended yet!

The root of heaven and earth attached to the Cang Hai Pearl, converting its laws into Li Fan's foundation.

However, this foundation-building process was a hundred times or even a thousand times faster than Li Fan would have done it himself!

In just a moment, the Cang Hai Pearl disappeared without a trace.

A blue ocean shadow lingered in Li Fan's dantian.

In the blink of an eye, Li Fan completed the foundation-building process.

Afterward, the aura on his body continued to rise until it stopped at the later stage of Foundation Establishment.

"It seems that even relying on the power of 'Founding True' to enhance my cultivation, I still have to follow the cultivation rules set by Primordial Daoist back then in this world."

"This is the power of 'Defying the Laws of Heaven and Earth,' right?"

"The essence of the rules of cultivation has completely changed. If you want to play the game of cultivating immortality, you must follow the established rules."

After pondering for a moment, Li Fan recalled scenes from his previous life, as if he had gained some understanding.

"Primordial Daoist defied the laws of heaven and earth, but did not show himself in the world."

"The powerful practitioners under the united path suppressed a state, which is the most powerful force on the surface."

"Under the united path..."

Thinking of the various factions in the Origin Daozhou fighting among themselves but ultimately serving as sacrifices for the Blue Feather Primordial Daoist's enlightenment.

Li Fan couldn't help but sigh, "Under the united path, all are ants."

"Foundation Establishment, Nascent Soul, Golden Core, Qi Refinement."

"There is no essential difference."

"Only after sacrificing the soul of heaven and earth and achieving the united path can one barely enter the sight of the Blue Feather Primordial Daoist."

"But..."

"Not attaining eternal life is ultimately futile."

"The Blue Feather Primordial Daoist struggled for thousands of years, but still reached the end of his lifespan."

"Attaining eternal life..."

"Attaining eternal life..."

...

Li Fan repeated these three words in a whisper, as if contemplating something, his brow furrowed.

"Not attaining eternal life is ultimately futile."

"If one attains eternal life, then what?"

"The Primordial Daoist set new rules for the path of cultivation."

"Since then, if one does not follow his path of cultivation, it will be impossible to cultivate."

"But if one truly follows his path of cultivation, then even if one attains eternal life, one will still be under his shadow."

Li Fan seemed to have figured something out, and his expression suddenly calmed.

"In this world, the path of cultivation has already been established according to his will, forming a set rule."

"To transcend, one must step out of the game from the beginning."

"But as a chess piece, and the weakest one at that, how can one step out of the game on their own?"

"Unless... relying on external factors."

"Still True..."

Li Fan stared at the Still True holographic screen in front of him, his gaze constantly shifting.

"Since the day I learned that everything in the world can be seen as wonders of heaven and earth, I have had the idea of relying on Still True to build my foundation."

"For this, I have observed the process of foundation-building over a thousand times."

"I also unlocked two anchor points."

"Now, it's time to try."

With a resolution in his heart, Li Fan flew to the Dissociation Peak where he first realized the murderous intent of No Phase.

He quickly built a simple grass hut and arranged the surroundings to prevent outsiders from entering.

Then, he sat cross-legged in the hut, and with a thought, the prompt from Still True appeared.

"Would you like to set the current time point as the second anchor point?"

Without hesitation, Li Fan replied, "Yes!"

The second anchor point was set.

"Now, we just need to wait for Still True to recharge."

"Still True's charging speed has not increased, still requiring about nine years."

"During this time, I can't just sit idly."

"I haven't studied He Zhenghao's 'Mountain and River Hundred Channels Array Diagram' much, but Zhang Zhiliang's 'Infinite Law,' I remember the general idea."

"It's a good opportunity to continue strengthening my proficiency in formations."

"But unfortunately, in this Desolate Immortal Forbidden Zone, I can only improve my theoretical knowledge and cannot practice formations."

Li Fan sighed, then focused his mind on the comprehension of formation Dao.

Nine years passed in the blink of an eye.

"It's time!"

With the ability to roll back at any time, Li Fan finally had the confidence to use Still True to build his foundation.

Currently, the celestial wonder for his foundation building was still the Cang Hai Pearl.

So, the first step was...

Shattering the foundation.

"Supreme Primal Scriptures" revolved, transforming all the accumulated power into refined cultivation, stored within the body.

Then, looking at the oceanic illusion between reality and illusion in his dantian, Li Fan forcefully struck a finger on his dantian.

Li Fan spat out a large mouthful of blood, and his breath rapidly weakened.

The oceanic illusion in the cloud sea violently swayed, and a black crack appeared in the middle.

The oceanic illusion became increasingly ethereal.

Li Fan pointed again.

This happened three times, and the cloud sea completely disappeared from the world.

Li Fan, on the other hand, was as weak as a thread, his face as pale as paper, almost on the verge of death.

"I exerted too much force; I should take it easier in the next life."

Li Fan thought to himself.

His injuries quickly recovered as he re-refined his cultivation, and he returned to the realm of perfect Qi refining.

"If it weren't for the 'Supreme Primal Scriptures,' trying to build the foundation with Still True would probably be a hundred times more difficult." The fluctuation of realms in this instant made Li Fan think so.

Setting his mind, Li Fan began his first attempt.

Different from building a foundation with a tangible celestial wonder, Still True, although inside Li Fan's body, was intangible and formless.

Sensing it was extremely difficult.

Fortunately, Zhang Haobo's foundation-building celestial wonder, the intangible and formless "Heaven Slaying Sword Intent," served as a reference for Li Fan, who had the fortune of witnessing the entire process.

After a long time, a blurry white light emerged from Li Fan's dantian.

Then...

Bang!

Li Fan's dantian exploded.

"Still True!"

Before his consciousness disappeared, Li Fan silently called out.

The light and shadows changed, not returning to the initial study room, but still inside the small grass hut at the top of the Dissociation Peak.

Naturally, he chose to return to the second anchor point.

Choosing to shorten the recharging time.

After reducing thirty percent of the recharging time, the recharging process would only take six years.

Li Fan frowned slightly, carefully recalling the process of building the foundation in the previous life, constantly contemplating and gaining insights.

Six years passed in a flash.

Still True completed recharging, and Li Fan began his attempt once again.

Three fingers shattered the foundation.

This time, although Li Fan's complexion remained pale, he only spat out a small mouthful of blood.

Returning to the realm of perfect Qi refining, he carefully comprehended the rules of Still True.

This time, the faint white light appeared somewhat gentler.

The situation improved slightly, but it didn't last long.

Bang! Li Fan's dantian exploded again.

"Still True!"

Six years later, Li Fan began his third attempt.

The white radiance representing the rules of Still True became slightly gentler.

This time, the duration of perseverance was longer than the previous two attempts.

However, it was still far from the formation of the phantom of Still True.

Li Fan's dantian exploded again.

"Still True!"

The fourth attempt.

"Why does my dantian keep exploding?" Recalling the process of building the foundation in the previous lives, Li Fan couldn't help but ponder.

The practice path set by the Supreme Primal Lord emphasizes stability.

Even if one's aptitude is poor, as long as the lifespan is sufficient and the conditions are met, one will undoubtedly succeed in cultivation.

However, Li Fan's current process of building the foundation with Still True is contrary to the path set by the Supreme Primal Lord.

Originally, he thought the difficulty in building the foundation would be in comprehending the intangible and formless Still True. Unexpectedly, perhaps because Still True was already integrated with him, comprehending its existence wasn't as difficult as imagined.

On the contrary, it seemed that the incompatibility with the Supreme Primal Lord's cultivation path led to the explosion of the dantian, becoming the biggest obstacle to his successful foundation building.

Perhaps, if he could solve this problem, success in building the foundation with Still True would not be far away.

Thinking about this, Li Fan's heart lifted a little.

The fourth attempt began.

Bang!

The fifth attempt!

Bang!

The sixth attempt!

...

Each time represented six years of time.

Although each time ended in failure at the last moment, with the dantian bursting, the radiance of Still True indeed became gentler and more soothing.

Things were moving in a positive direction.

Li Fan's faith became firmer.

In the endless cycles, Li Fan tirelessly repeated the process of building the foundation, focusing solely on the task and disregarding everything else.

The tenth attempt.

The twentieth attempt.

The thirtieth attempt.

...

After the fifty-sixth attempt, Li Fan finally made significant progress.

In his dantian, the gentle white light seemed to solidify, pleasing to the eye like congealed fat and smooth jade.

The light no longer changed, but its shape did.

"Could it be that success is finally within reach?"

Seeing this, the ancient well in Li Fan's mind, which was usually calm, also rippled slightly.

But obviously, things were not that easy.

This time, the dantian was intact and did not burst.

However, Li Fan felt as if there were tiny insects constantly wriggling deep within his bones, muscles, and tendons.

This itchy, tingling, and painful sensation made Li Fan emit a muffled groan.

And this was just the beginning.

One round lump after another suddenly protruded from Li Fan's body.

Then, as if possessing consciousness, they kept moving.

The lumps grew larger and larger, almost the size of half a head in a few breaths.

Covered in these terrifying blood-colored tumors, Li Fan now looked like a non-human monster.

Moreover, these blood-colored tumors were still expanding.

Finally, with a "puff!"

The tumor reached the limit that the refined body of Qi cultivation could withstand and burst like a balloon.

Flesh chunks and blood splattered everywhere.

Throughout the small grass hut.

Li Fan was also drenched in his own blood and flesh.

But he remained indifferent.

In the sea of consciousness, the blue flame phantom appeared.

At the same time, the Profound Yellow Heart Refining Incantation kept operating.

Li Fan entered a state of worry-free, fear-free, and indifference.

However, the phantom of Still True in the dantian remained indifferent even as Li Fan's physical body decayed.

But the physical body cultivated through Qi refining was still fragile.

Slowly, Li Fan's life force became faint.

Then it would disappear.

At the final moment, Li Fan silently invoked Still True.

The fifty-seventh attempt!

Six years later, Li Fan tried again.

The white jade radiance changed shape as Li Fan comprehended it.

The lumps on Li Fan's body surged up and down.

After a long time, another failure.

The fifty-eighth attempt.

Failure!

The fifty-ninth attempt.

Failure!

...

Time and time again, failure did not diminish Li Fan's determination and faith.

He summarized his experiences, comparing each foundation-building process.

He found that when deliberately manipulating his comprehension, he lasted longer when he was ignorant and in a state of chaos and confusion.

"Although I can't perceive Still True, it seems that my body is influenced by it in some way since we are integrated."

"Building the foundation with my ego-consciousness is much smoother than using self-consciousness."

During the 75th attempt to build the foundation, Li Fan seemed to have an insight.

As he expected, the shape of the white jade light gradually became regular.

Each attempt was like a trim, restoring it to its original shape.

...

The ninetieth attempt.

When the white jade light finally became an elliptical shape, it stabilized.

There were no more tumors appearing on Li Fan's body.

The radiance flickered, transitioning from virtual to real.

It seemed about to manifest in the dantian.

But...

Suddenly, a realization flashed in Li Fan's mind.

It lacked a little.

As if something had suddenly descended into the small grass hut on the top of the Disintegration Peak.

In an instant, Li Fan's hair turned snow-white.

His skin shriveled and wrinkled.

Terrifying furrows and cracks appeared on his face.

Muscles dissolved, leaving only a layer of skin drooping on the skeleton.

Unrecognizable, frightening appearance.

Li Fan's age was rapidly increasing, and in a moment, he would likely die of old age on the spot.

"Still True!"

Li Fan didn't hesitate.

Attempts 91 through 98.

Every attempt was the same.

He was just a little short of success in building the foundation with Still True.

On the ninety-ninth attempt, he returned to the top of the Disintegration Peak.

"Where is the difference?"

Li Fan frowned.

He knew that success was now within reach.

But it couldn't be solved by simple attempts.

It required a moment of enlightenment to find the problem.

Li Fan had a premonition that the answer should be straightforward.

It was like poking through a layer of paper; one poke would break it.

But now, Li Fan was inside this mountain, unable to see the true face.

He couldn't find the correct solution.

Contemplating, Li Fan descended from the mountain.

He strolled through the mundane world, seeking his own answers.

At the same time, he observed, for the first time, this grand world not influenced by him.

Anchored for 5 years, a severe drought hit Jiangnan.

A group of refugees attacked the Langya Wang Mansion.

The Langya Wang Mansion suffered heavy losses.

Except for Langya Wang, who escaped through a dog hole and saved his life.

All others in the Wang Mansion were massacred by the refugees.

The news spread, shocking the court and the public.

The emperor was furious, ordering the military to suppress the refugees.

Simultaneously, Langya Wang was summoned to the capital, where he was carefully comforted.

From then on, Langya Wang remained in the capital.

Anchored for 15 years.

The emperor suddenly fell seriously ill.

Before his death, he summoned Langya Wang to the palace and passed the throne to him.

Langya Wang ascended the throne, changing the reign title to Xuanjing.

Anchored for 16 years, simultaneous uprisings occurred in various places.

Emperor Xuanjing appointed his confidant as the Grand General for Pacifying Rebellion and led the army to quell the unrest.

After three years, the Grand General for Pacifying Rebellion finally put down the uprisings across the country.

He returned to the court in triumph.

Emperor Xuanjing ordered the officials to welcome Langya Wang from outside the capital, and at the same time, they were to greet him with imperial honors.

The Grand General for Pacifying Rebellion, with an arrogant expression, calmly accepted the reception.

He did not dismount in the presence of the officials, nor did he kneel before the emperor.

Emperor Xuanjing remained unfazed, supporting him with his hand and welcoming him into the palace.

A lavish feast was arranged.

After three rounds of drinks, the officials quietly withdrew.

Dozens of executioners rushed in.

The heavily intoxicated Grand General for Pacifying Rebellion was suddenly awakened and questioned Emperor Xuanjing.

Emperor Xuanjing remained silent and gloomy.

Under the siege of the executioners, although the Grand General for Pacifying Rebellion was unparalleled in bravery, he was covered in wounds.

On the verge of death.

Before dying, he pointed at Emperor Xuanjing and bitterly said, "If there is a next time, I will personally lead a large army, crush Xuanjing, and use your head as a wine pot to satisfy the hatred in my heart!"

He then died under the swords.

...

Time seemed to freeze in that moment.

Li Fan, who had been silently observing, now revealed his figure.

His eyes were bright, as if he had suddenly enlightened.

"People don't have a second chance."

"There is no second chance in this world."

"But I do."

"My Still True..."

"Transcends beyond the world."

In an instant, the surroundings became illusionary, and Li Fan returned to the top of the Disintegration Peak.

Li Fan once again exhaled Still True.

"When true becomes false, false is also true..."

"False is also true..."

He stared at the seven characters formed by Still True, and his mind became clear.

"I use Still True to build the foundation in accordance with the rules of this world!"

Everything fell into place without any obstacles.

The white jade light sphere instantly appeared in the dantian.

The third anchor fell with a resounding echo.

(End of this chapter)