Chapter 21: The Cultivation Realm
"This is the cultivation realm..."
After breaking through the Immortal Extinction Formation, the Tai Yan Boat appeared within a continuous mountain range.
Below was a deep abyss emitting a breath similar to the Ruins Abyss, seemingly bottomless.
The mountains rose and fell, shrouded in clouds and mist, presenting a magnificent sight.
On the tallest mountain range, a vast and enormous city stood towering.
Li Fan wanted to laugh heartily, but he couldn't help but cough, continuously spitting out blood.
He was already too old.
Originally, he was already at the edge of life and death, and the pressure brought about by traversing the Immortal Extinction Formation completely destroyed his vitality.
However, being able to glimpse the cultivation realm before dying, this life was not lived in vain!
"[Truth]!"
...
[The simulation ends.]
After the darkness, Li Fan's consciousness gradually recovered.
Recalling his efforts in his previous life, when he tried various methods to successfully pass the Immortal Extinction Formation, only to accidentally discover the way to break it.
Li Fan couldn't help but feel the unpredictability of life.
What he couldn't forget was the scene where he looked back at the group of Void Ripper Whales.
"How much did the cultivators of that era hate ordinary people? They not only banished them all and sealed them with the Immortal Extinction Formation but also arranged so many Void Ripper Whales..."
"No wonder the dark layer is so vast, larger than all the previous layers combined. It seems that over the thousands of years, it has been opened up by these Void Ripper Whales."
"The distance is getting farther and farther. In the future, the Land of Immortal Extinction might completely detach from the cultivation realm..."
Various thoughts surged in Li Fan's mind, but he suppressed them one by one.
Replacing them was an uncontrollable joy.
After nine reincarnations, nearly five hundred years, he finally touched the threshold of cultivation.
It could be foreseen that the road ahead will be even more difficult.
But Li Fan's desire for immortality remained unchanged, unwavering through countless lifetimes!
...
Back in the present, facing the choices after this simulation, Li Fan was unusually hesitant.
According to his previous plan, Li Fan intended to choose to accelerate the charging progress. The sooner he completed the charging of [Truth], the sooner he could go to the cultivation realm.
Yes, even though the path to the cultivation realm was now smooth and there were no dangers, Li Fan still decided to wait until he had a chance to start again before setting off.
After all...
The path of cultivation is difficult! And this cultivation realm doesn't seem too friendly to ordinary people.
Stability comes first, without a doubt!
However, after seeing the list of available items, Li Fan hesitated.
Because he saw the Stone Tablet of Prohibition among the selectable items.
After some contemplation, Li Fan decided to choose to keep the stone tablet.
He wanted to use this to verify a certain guess in his mind.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Mortal
Physical age: 20/86 Mental age: 483/1116 Charge progress for the Void Ripper Whale: 0%
2nd Anchor point charge progress: 51%
Current anchor points: 1 Bound items: "Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra," Tai Yan Boat, Stone Tablet of Prohibition (damaged)...
Li Fan's tenth life began.
During the twenty years of waiting for the charging to be completed, Li Fan followed the established historical trajectory, doing only a few things that didn't affect the course of history, preparing for his journey to the cultivation realm.
After three years, Li Fan arrived outside Qian Hong's tomb.
After contemplating for a moment, he chose not to use the Immortal-Mortal Miasma to break the tomb but instead took out the Stone Tablet of Prohibition directly from [Truth].
The stone tablet he brought from the previous life underwent a strange change once it appeared in the world.
A soft white light enveloped the stone tablet, making it look somewhat illusory.
After a while, it started to dissipate like ice in the scorching sun.
Unsurprisingly to Li Fan, the power of the Stone Tablet of Prohibition within Qian Hong's tomb had just become much stronger!
"As I thought! Cultivation techniques cannot be practiced together, and the same goes for natural treasures of heaven and earth."
"There should never be two identical treasures in the world, but I used the power of [Truth] to create another identical one out of thin air. The result is that the two wonders spontaneously fused and eventually returned to one."
"As for which one disappears and which one remains..."
"Of course, the strong one will survive and the weak one will not!"
Li Fan then commanded his men to forcefully attack Qian Hong's tomb.
As expected, the strengthened Stone Tablet of Prohibition was remarkable. Even when using the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, it took considerable effort to reduce its power.
Wearing armor, Li Fan entered Qian Hong's tomb and looked at the Stone Tablet of Prohibition.
Its appearance had not changed much on the outside; it just seemed slightly less damaged.
[Truth] still couldn't absorb it, indicating that it was only a quantitative change and had not reached a qualitative one.
Li Fan squinted and ordered his men to move the stone tablet out of the tomb.
When the strengthened Stone Tablet of Prohibition was removed from the tomb, the destructive force surrounding it suddenly disappeared.
With this, Li Fan's experiment ended.
He stored this enhanced Stone Tablet of Prohibition in the Tai Yan Boat to be used as his asset for the journey to the cultivation realm in the future.
In the twentieth year, [Truth] was about to finish charging.
Li Fan mercilessly executed a group of corrupt officials and landlords, confiscating the wealth accumulated by their families for generations.
Because after going to the cultivation realm, he would still have to deal with mortals, so it was necessary to prepare wealth in advance.
In addition to money, food was essential.
However, food was the foundation of the country, and Li Fan was asking for too much at once.
Officials and even merchants in the capital heard about this and seized the opportunity to raise grain prices, attempting to make a fortune.
Li Fan didn't hesitate; during the morning court, he controlled the Tai Yan Boat at its largest size and hung it in the sky above the imperial palace.
The huge Tai Yan Boat floated over the capital like a dark cloud.
Countless citizens, upon seeing this, knelt down and kowtowed. The civil and military officials, witnessing such supernatural means from Li Fan, changed their expressions and showed enthusiasm, even actively helping Li Fan prepare food.
With the active assistance of the officials, combined with the elimination of a group of corrupt merchants, the Tai Yan Boat was finally filled to the brim.
With everything prepared for millennia, Li Fan had no more concerns in the mortal world.
He steered the Tai Yan Boat and once again arrived above the Ruins Abyss.
Freeing his mind and allowing the Tai Yan Boat to drift automatically at a constant speed.
Although it only took a few hours in total, to Li Fan, it felt longer than the hundreds of years he had experienced before.
After a long wait, Li Fan finally traversed the Immortal Extinction Formation and arrived in the cultivation realm!
Getting used to the tearing sensation brought by crossing two realms, Li Fan looked excitedly outside the Tai Yan Boat.
However, after seeing the surrounding scenery clearly, Li Fan became somewhat dumbfounded.
*****
TL Note: Thoughts on the new translation style?