Just then, his master, a Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch, suddenly found him and placed a coffin before him.
"Pingâan, the Great Calamity is imminent. Quickly, get into this Hermit Coffin. It will help you survive this disaster. You will reawaken someday in a future era."
"A future era?"
Li Pingâan was visibly shocked.
He had never heard of such a treasure.
"Master, what about you?"
"I must escort a group of disciples to a small Secret Realm for sanctuary."
"Master, will we meet again?"
"I..."
His masterâs expression was grave. He didnât give a direct answer, instead rapidly explaining a few things.
Finally, Li Pingâan lay down in the coffin, and his consciousness began to fade.
His masterâs parting words, filled with reluctance, were the last thing he heard before drifting into a deep slumber.
"Pingâan, donât be sad. If fate allows, we will meet again."
...
An unknown amount of time passed.
It felt like millennia had passed, yet it also felt like only an instant.
Li Changâan opened his eyes and groggily awoke. His mind felt like a complete fog, and all his past memories were hazy.
âWho am I? Why am I here?â
He rubbed his temples, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
âAm I Li Pingâan, or Li Changâan?â
Two different sets of memories seemed to intertwine in his mind, hazy and indistinct.
He struggled to recall the past.
After a long moment, he finally remembered.
âI... I am Li Pingâan. I lay in this Hermit Coffin to survive the Great Calamity, and I have only now truly awakened.â
âThat Li Changâan was nothing more than another consciousness, one my physical body generated while I was slumbering.â
He frowned, carefully sorting through his memories.
Perhaps because so much time had passed, many of his memories had grown indistinct, worn away by the years.
âThankfully, I woke up in time.â
âOtherwise, this consciousness called Li Changâan would have most likely taken complete control of my body.â
He felt a wave of relief.
He had truly survived the Great Calamity and awakened in a future era.
There had been one small mishapâthe appearance of this Li Changâan consciousnessâbut he had already erased it.
Just then, a brilliant golden light suddenly erupted in his mind.
âSomethingâs wrong...â
He suddenly clutched his forehead, his expression contorting in agony as his head throbbed as if it were about to split open.
Memories of his current life surged forth, no longer hazy.
Scene after scene from his past flashed through his mind, crystal clear, reminding him of his true identity.
âI am Li Changâan!â
âThereâs something wrong with this Hermit Coffin!â
âSo the so-called awakening in a future era... does it actually mean possessing the body of someone from that time?â
Li Changâan took a deep breath, unable to calm his racing heart.
That had been far too close.
He had almost lost himself completely, believing he was that person from Ancient Times.
The only reason he had been able to snap out of it was the golden light that had suddenly appeared in his mind.
That golden light was identical to the one that appeared with his daily Divination.
Clearly, it was the daily Divination that had awakened him.
If it had been anyone else, they would have likely fallen for it, completely forgetting themselves and becoming another person.
After a long while, Li Changâan finally calmed down.
âWhat just happened... was it a moment of confusion, or did I truly face a possession attempt?â
He pondered silently.
According to the Divinationâs prompt, the memories of Ancient Times in his mind were supposed to be just a dream.
But the dream had been far too vivid, as if a wisp of his consciousness had truly traveled through time, returning to Ancient Times and latching onto a Cultivator named Li Pingâan.
âIn the dream, Luo Kun looked very similar to the Luo Kun I know, and he was a Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch.â
âThe dream also featured a Stone Stele engraved with the words, "The Immortal Dao Must Perish." Those enemies called it the Immortal Suppression Stele...â
That Stone Stele was very familiar to Li Changâan.
Back when he was still in Qinghe Marketplace, someone had unearthed a Stone Stele from a Secret Realm that was also engraved with the words, "The Immortal Dao Must Perish."
Although that Stone Stele emanated no Magical Power, its material was so special that not even a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator could shatter it.
Luo Kun had once mentioned that the Stone Stele looked very familiar to him.
But Li Changâan hadnât noticed anything unusual about it.
âLooks like Iâll have to go back and take another look at that Stone Stele.â
Li Changâan mulled this over for a long time, his mind a tangle of thoughts.
In any case, he had truly acquired Tier Two Array Skills and was now just a single step away from Tier Three!
A moment later, he rose from the coffin and walked outside his cave residence. With a single thought, the surrounding Arrays materialized.
Previously, he only knew how to control these Arrays.
But now, he understood the Skills of creating, mending, and improving Arrays, and was extremely proficient in them.
Now, without even using his Pupil of Truth, he could spot the flaws in several of the Tier Two Arrays with a single glance.
If he wished, he could break through these Arrays with just a casual flick of Magical Power from his fingertips.
Even the Tier Two Top Grade Mirror Flower Water Moon Formation wouldnât be able to hold him for long.
Only the Tier Three Low Grade Green Wood Transformation Array seemed somewhat complex; he could not yet fully comprehend it.
Li Changâan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing toward the horizon.
The sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
An entire night had passed.
"Enlightenment in a single night..."
Li Changâan murmured to himself.
His situation was indeed just like the legends.
Legend had it that after someone achieved enlightenment overnight, their personality would change drastically, as if they had become an entirely different person.
Thinking about it now, those legends had to be true!
Those people were simply unlucky. They had no Treasures to protect them, so they lost themselves, their bodies taken over by the consciousness from the dream.
Li Changâan stood quietly for a long while, sorting through his thoughts. Only when the first rays of morning sunlight fell upon him did he return to his cave residence.