Chapter 5: Flatland Ripples
[End of simulation]
...
Li Fan, who had regained his consciousness, was still immersed in the power of Dao Xuanzi's sword.
"That was a Foundation Establishment cultivator?" Li Fan's heart was filled with shock.
Previously, Kou Hong's ability to destroy Xuanjing City alone had already made Li Fan marvel, but Dao Xuanzi's final sword had made Li Fan deeply feel his own insignificance.
Like a cricket facing a tsunami, from Li Fan's point of view, he was unable to even comprehend that sword, let alone grasp its entirety.
Even if it was just a glimpse, it was enough for Li Fan to understand the gap between a mortal and a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator.
"Without the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, I'm afraid that even if I reincarnate for a hundred lifetimes and devise countless strategies, I still wouldn't be able to pose a threat to them." Li Fan was secretly happy in his heart, but at the same time, he also felt deeply puzzled and alarmed.
"What is this Immortal-Mortal Miasma? Aren't Immortal Cultivators all mortals originally? How come the blood of mortals has such a terrifying restraining effect on Immortal Cultivators?" The hidden meaning behind this could not help but make Li Fan's mind wonder.
However, soon Li Fan suppressed his many thoughts.
"First, let's summarize the gains and losses of this life."
Watching the scenes that flashed across the light screen, Li Fan pondered in his heart.
"The ambush of Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong was basically within my expectations. First, I used the blood-soaked bullets of the death row inmates to consume their strength, followed by using the Golden Core method to disrupt their hearts and minds, and then I used the blood rain to deal a finishing blow, capturing the two of them alive after they were weakened to the extreme..."
"What I didn't expect was that the Immortal-Mortal Miasma's restraint on cultivators was so powerful that it directly led to Kou Hong's death."
"What was even more surprising was that I originally thought that the hundred-year-old brotherhood they spoke about was just a casual remark. I didn't realize that the relationship between the two was indeed extraordinary. When attacked, Dao Xuanzi took the initiative to speak out to remind Kou Hong, and when Kou Hong knew that it was difficult to escape death, he gave the technique to Dao Xuanzi on his own initiative."
"Furthermore, when Dao Xuanzi saw Kou Hong die to the ambush, he gave up his chance of living and made a suicide attack to avenge Kou Hong. All of this shows that there is indeed an exceptional friendship between the two..."
"Since this is the case, how could the two of them kill each other because of a Golden Core technique?" Li Fan's mind became more and more puzzled.
Suddenly, he recalled the scene when he initially met the duo.
"A Golden Core technique with no other practitioners..." Li Fan was suddenly puzzled, "Immortal laws can't be practiced together?"
"With such close brothers fighting to the death over a single technique, what would the cultivation world look like?"
Li Fan had a premonition that the cultivation world might be completely different from what he expected.
"No matter how dangerous it is, I will not falter. What's more, with the help of [Truth], as long as I'm careful enough, no predicament will be able to hinder me."
After faltering for a moment, Li Fan's resolve was renewed.
"In this so-called Land Immortal Extinction, if I want to seek the Immortal Dao, I still have to find a way to do so through Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi. Last time, I chose to attack the two of them at the same time, but this time, I can perhaps choose to divide them." With his mind racing, Li Fan thought of several ways to deal with them in his mind in the blink of an eye.
Although the other party consisted of towering Foundation Establishment cultivators, Li Fan wasn't very intimidated. In fact, he didn't treat them as formidable opponents at all.
It wasn't that Li Fan was arrogant, but instead that the function of [Truth] to be able to start over again and again was truly heaven-defying!
How could a mere Foundation Stage cultivation compare to fifty years of foresight and countless opportunities for trial and error?
After the simulation was over, Li Fan still chose the option to speed up the progress of recharging.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Mortal
Physical Age: 20/86
Mental Age: 216/1080↑
Charging Progress: 30%
"This time, the upper limit of mental age has only increased by a few decades, so it looks like it's almost at the upper limit." Li Fan had also been mentally prepared for this, so he didn't particularly care.
"If I count the one before transmigrating, this is already my fifth life. The path to immortality is so difficult." Li Fan sighed. "I hope that these fifty years will not be wasted."
Li Fan once again began the fifty-year plan.
As if following a set program, everything proceeded step by step.
Take the imperial examination, win the examination, and become a scholar.
Become the county magistrate, mine minerals, and make guns.
After killing the king of Langya and replacing him, Li Fan was finally a bit anxious.
Waiting ten years to control the country was too long, and he would always have to be cowering in a place like Jiangnan. If he had ten more years to mobilize the power of the entire world, he would have a much greater chance of success at capturing the Immortals.
Thus, Li Fan decided to send a trusted confidant to sneak into the palace and secretly administer chronic poison to the emperor.
Who would have thought that it was this decision that stirred up waves.
Although Li Fan's poisoning was not found, the emperor was young and strong, and the strange weakening of his body caused him to be increasingly suspicious.
He suspected that someone secretly harmed him. And the chief object of suspicion was none other than the one he trusted the most, Prince Langya.
This led to the emperor passing on the throne to the carefree Prince Runan instead of Prince Langya when he passed away in the 7th year.
The good news was that Li Fan's insider in the palace sent out the news in time, and Li Fan acted immediately after hearing the news.
On the one hand, he sent his men to assassinate Prince Runan; on the other hand, in the name of Prince Langya, he claimed that the courts had betrayed the emperor and ordered the assassination. Under the banner of Prince Langya, Li Fan took his well-developed army to the capital, and before the people could react, he attacked, forcibly taking over the imperial court and declaring martial law.
Such drastic means naturally had many consequences.
The first was that the ministers in the court were not convinced. The emperor's posthumous edict was to pass the throne to Prince Runan. Was the ascension of Prince Langya not rebellion? The ministers could not openly rebel under Li Fan's oppression. However, they were still able to do so secretly, passively resisting and harming bureaucratic processes. There were even some who secretly contacted feudal lords, trying to invite them to lead their troops into the capital "to set things right". Li Fan was not merciful, and after killing dozens, he managed to deter the rest. Furthermore, there was also the help of the Chief Grand Secretary in stabilizing his position.
However, these few months had already ignited upheaval throughout the land. Feudal lords set up territories of their own, declared independence, and ignored the court's orders.
Thus, Li Fan could only send troops to eliminate them one by one.
Although the firearms were powerful, they were limited in number. Combined with the country's vast lands, it took a considerable amount of effort.
Between battle and politics, Li Fan was very busy.
It took until the 22nd year to completely resolve the internal and external problems.
Due to this, he was a few years late in controlling the world than if he had patiently followed his previous lives.
"I still need to be cautious and patient." After everything settled down, Li Fan could only helplessly learn a lesson. "A slight difference could lead to drastic effects. If there are too many variables, my advantage of foresight will shrink greatly."
Luckily, everything was just a slight ripple and did not affect the big picture.
After things gradually got back on track, the gears of time flew forward, and in the blink of an eye, year 35 arrived.
In this year, Li Fan left Xuanjing City and traveled thousands of miles to personally visit the eastern Ruins Abyss.