Chapter 5: Turbulence on Flat Ground

[This Simulation Has Ended]

…

Li Fan, having regained consciousness, was still immersed in the power of that sword strike from Dao Xuanzi.

"So this is a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection Cultivator…" Li Fan was filled with shock in his heart.

Kou Hong's strength, capable of destroying Xuan Capital with a mere gesture, had already left Li Fan in awe, but the sword strike Dao Xuanzi unleashed at the end made Li Fan deeply feel his own insignificance.

Like an ant facing a tidal wave, from Li Fan's perspective, it was impossible to comprehend that sword strike, nor could he see its full picture.

Yet even just a fleeting glimpse was enough for Li Fan to understand the gap between a Mortal and a Foundation Establishment Stage Great Perfection Cultivator.

"If not for the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, I fear that even if I went through a hundred lifetimes of Reincarnation and exhausted every scheme, it would not be enough to pose a threat to them." Li Fan felt secretly relieved, but at the same time, he also felt immense confusion and alarm.

"What exactly is this Immortal-Mortal Miasma? Aren't Immortal Cultivators grown from Mortals step by step? How can the blood of a Mortal have such a terrifying suppressive effect on Immortal Cultivators?" The meaning hidden behind this could not help but set Li Fan's imagination running wild.

However, Li Fan quickly forced all those thoughts down.

"First, let me summarize the gains and losses of this lifetime."

Watching the scenes flash across the light screen, Li Fan pondered to himself.

"The ambush on Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong went basically as I expected. First, using bullets soaked in the blood of death-row prisoners to deplete their strength, then using the matter of the Core Formation Technique to disturb their minds, and finally using the blood rain to seal the deal, weakening the two to the extreme before capturing them alive…"

"What I didn't expect was that the suppression of Immortal Cultivators by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma was so potent, directly leading to Kou Hong's death and dissipation."

"What was even more outside the plan was that I originally thought the 'hundred years of brotherhood' the two spoke of was just casual talk, but I didn't expect their relationship to be truly extraordinary. When attacked, Dao Xuanzi would call out to warn Kou Hong, and Kou Hong, knowing he could not escape death, voluntarily gave the Core Formation Technique to Dao Xuanzi."

"Seeing Kou Hong die from an ambush, Dao Xuanzi, unable to reconcile with the injustice, gave up his own chance of survival and unleashed a sword strike to perish together with me, avenging Kou Hong… All of this proves that there was indeed a friendship between the two that surpassed that of ordinary people…"

"Since that is the case, why would the two of them kill each other over a Core Formation Technique?" Li Fan was increasingly puzzled.

Suddenly, he recalled the scenes from when he first saw the two.

"The Golden Core Great Dao, with me there is no him…" Li Fan suddenly had a realization, "Can Immortal Techniques not be cultivated together…"

"If even those as close as brothers are like this, what exactly is the Cultivation World outside like?"

Li Fan had a premonition that the Cultivation World of this world might be completely different from what he had imagined.

"No matter how dangerous the path ahead is, I will not waver. Furthermore, with the help of [Huan Zhen], as long as I am careful enough, surely no predicament can hinder me."

After wavering for a moment, Li Fan's determination firmed up once again.

"In this so-called Immortal Extinction Land, if I want to seek the Immortal Dao, I still have to find a way through Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi. Last time I chose to attack them both simultaneously; perhaps this time, I can choose to win one of them over." His thoughts raced, and in the blink of an eye, Li Fan thought of several ways to deal with them in his mind.

Although the other party was a high and mighty Foundation Establishment cultivator, Li Fan was not particularly afraid. In fact, Li Fan did not even seriously treat them as formal "opponents."

It was not that Li Fan was arrogant, but that the function of [Huan Zhen] to constantly restart was simply too Heaven-Defying!

How could mere Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation compare to fifty years of foresight and countless opportunities for trial and error?

After the simulation ended, Li Fan still chose the option to accelerate the Virtualization charging progress.

Name: Li Fan

Realm: Mortal

Physiological Age: 20 / 86

Mental Age: 216 / 1080 ↑

Virtualization Charging Progress: 30%

"This time the mental age limit only increased by a few decades; it seems I am approaching the limit." Li Fan had long been mentally prepared for this, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

"If I count the lifetime before Transmigration, this is already my fifth life. The path to seeking immortality is so difficult." Li Fan sighed. "I hope these fifty years will not be wasted."

Li Fan once again began a fifty-year wait.

Like a pre-set program, everything proceeded according to plan.

Taking the imperial examinations, passing the exams, and becoming the top scholar.

Serving as a county magistrate, mining minerals, and forging guns.

After killing the Prince of Langya and taking his place, Li Fan was ultimately a bit impatient.

Ten years is too long; as long as he could not control the world, he would always be holed up in the Jiangnan region. If he could be given ten more years to mobilize the power of the entire world, then the plan to capture the two Immortal Cultivators alive would have a greater chance of success.

Therefore, Li Fan decided to send his trusted aides to infiltrate the palace and secretly poison the Emperor with a slow-acting poison.

Who would have thought that this very decision would cause turbulence in matters.

It turned out that although the actions of Li Fan's trusted aides in administering the poison were not discovered, the Emperor, who was in the prime of his youth, suddenly found his health deteriorating day by day, and he unexpectedly became somewhat suspicious.

He suspected that someone was secretly harming him. And his prime suspect was none other than his closest brother, the Prince of Langya.

This also led to the fact that in the anchor year 7, when the Emperor was critically ill, he did not pass the throne to the Prince of Langya, but instead passed it to the Prince of Runan, who had always been somewhat frivolous.

Fortunately, the mole Li Fan had planted in the palace sent out the news in time, and Li Fan acted immediately upon hearing it.

On one hand, he sent his subordinates to carry out an assassination on the road the Prince of Runan was taking to the capital; on the other hand, using the name of the Prince of Langya, he declared that the Emperor had been harmed by treacherous people around him, and under the banner of "Pacifying the State's Crisis," he led the army he had built up over the years and marched rapidly, invading the capital before anyone could react, and occupied the imperial court by force.

Such drastic measures naturally had many aftereffects.

First, the various ministers in the court were unconvinced. The Emperor's last edict was to pass the throne to the Prince of Runan. By doing this, wasn't the Prince of Langya rebelling? Although the ministers were outwardly intimidated by Li Fan's military force and could not openly resist, they were still able to comply superficially while disobeying in secret, engaging in passive strikes. Some even secretly contacted vassal kings from various regions, attempting to have them lead troops into the capital to carry out an act of "restoring order." Li Fan naturally did not soften his heart; he ruthlessly killed a batch of people to barely intimidate them. Later, with the secret help of his convenient father-in-law, the Chief Grand Secretary, it took several months to barely stabilize the situation.

During these few months, the various regions of Great Xuan were already in turmoil. The vassal kings declared independence one after another, turning a deaf ear to the imperial court's orders.

Therefore, Li Fan had no choice but to send troops to exterminate them one by one.

Although firearms were sharp, their quantity was limited. Coupled with the vast territory of the Great Xuan nation, it really took quite a bit of effort.

Between military affairs and political affairs, Li Fan was left frazzled.

After being busy back and forth like this for a long time, it wasn't until the anchor year 22 that the internal troubles and external threats were completely resolved.

Calculating it this way, compared to if he had patiently followed the plan before, it was actually a few years late before he completely controlled the world.

"I still need to be more cautious; I still need to keep my composure." After everything stabilized, Li Fan felt helpless and could only learn his lesson. "A tiny difference leads to a thousand miles of error. If there are too many variables, my advantage of foresight will shrink significantly."

Fortunately, it was all just minor turbulence and did not affect the overall situation.

After matters gradually returned to the right track, the gears of time sped forward, and in the blink of an eye, it was the anchor year 35.

This year, Li Fan left Xuan Capital, traveled thousands of miles, and personally arrived at the Eastern Void Abyss.