Chapter 802

Still anchored at one year!

Still at the peak of Jieli Mountain!

A formless ripple burst out from Li Fan, who was at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

Although his eyes remained somewhat bloodshot, the overwhelming hunger had indeed weakened significantly!

Having prepared in advance, Li Fan immediately activated the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra.

Once again, he silently resisted this deadly hunger.

The hunger had only been slightly suppressed, but for Li Fan, it was a great relief.

In his previous life, over eight years, he himself had no idea how he managed to endure.

If not for the enhancement of the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra and his obsession with Longevity,

he feared he would have already given up and devoured everything within this Small World of Great Xuan!

Li Fan did not know what consequences such an act would bring.

But deep down, he vaguely sensed that if he truly did so, his fate would be no better than that of the corpse in the Immortal Ruins.

Having experienced eight years of torment, in this life, Li Fan had developed a far greater tolerance for the slightly weakened hunger.

He was now able to endure it while also thinking about other matters.

“This hunger still doesn’t fade with the passage of time… It seems I can only rely on [Truth] to lessen its effects.” Li Fan thought to himself.

Since this time, he had chosen an inheritance option that accelerated [Truth]'s charging process.

Thus, by the time he anchored at four years, [Truth] had already fully charged.

With immense perseverance, he maintained his clarity of mind while flying toward Yi Yin’s Tomb, where he absorbed the Dao Deviation Stone.

Only then did he activate [Truth].

Returning to Jieli Mountain at the one-year anchor point, Li Fan’s eyes were no longer bloodshot.

Even without using the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra, sheer willpower alone was enough to suppress the hunger.

“The reduction effect has improved significantly.”

“But the hunger still remains.”

“It seems I need to do this again.”

Li Fan narrowed his eyes: “Only after using [Truth] four times in succession can I completely eliminate the negative effects.”

“So, this is the price of directly confronting a True Immortal?”

There was no doubt—the corpse Li Fan had seen in the Immortal Ruins was that of a True Immortal.

In fact, given that the figure had opened its eyes, it was hard to say whether it had truly perished.

After all, everything Li Fan had experienced already demonstrated the terrifying nature of a True Immortal—one could not assess such beings with common sense.

“This is just like the mark I left behind in Yuandao Prefecture after being devoured for ten years.”

“There are indeed things in this world that can affect me even after I activate [Truth].”

“But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the entity hovering above Yuandao Prefecture, or the so-called True Immortal, surpasses [Truth] in rank.”

“It’s simply because I am the vessel of [Truth].”

“Since my memory isn’t erased during the process, [Truth] is not absolute or pure.”

“These negative factors persist because they are carried along with me, surviving even after [Truth] is activated.”

“Just like the Dao Deviation Stone Crystal in my mind. It doesn’t need to be deliberately preserved—once I merge with my Divine Dao of Transformation, it naturally follows me back to the set anchor point.”

“The same applies to my Spiritual Consciousness and Divine Soul.”

“Although their actual growth is reduced after each use of [Truth], this is precisely why I am able to grow stronger with each cycle.”

While relying solely on willpower to suppress his hunger, Li Fan slowly pondered.

Shifting his attention away also proved to be an effective method for alleviating the hunger.

Recalling the events of his past lives, Li Fan contemplated his future course of action.

He had witnessed the Dharma-Transmitting Immortal Ancestor’s methods.

And he had also seen the power of a True Immortal.

With his perspective widened, Li Fan knew he had to adjust his approach accordingly.

Soon, another four years were anchored.

After absorbing another lower-grade Dao Deviation Stone, the Dao Crystal in Li Fan’s mind became even more brilliant and radiant.

Li Fan once again activated [Truth].

This time, when he returned to the peak of Jieli Mountain, his body and mind remained completely stable, without any anomalies.

Not daring to be careless, Li Fan meticulously examined himself from head to toe.

Then, he circulated the Purple Heaven Righteous Will, cleansing his soul and eliminating any potential hidden dangers.

Thus, an entire year passed.

On the mountaintop, at the edge of the cliff—

Facing the sea of clouds, as the morning sun bloomed with thousands of strands of Purple Clouds light, Li Fan let out a slow breath.

"Several instances of [Truth]... yet in total, it has only been a little over ten years."

"But it truly feels like a lifetime has passed—longer even than the centuries I spent building my Dao Foundation."

"Hunger (饑)…"

A highly intricate character symbol surfaced in Li Fan’s mind—the same one he had seen upon the vast and desolate lands of Immortal Ruins.

Not daring to recklessly experiment, he could only ponder upon it in his mind.

"In the White Mist, at the central ruins of the Maze Zone, I once saw the character [Chaos] engraved on a fractured stone."

"And yet, within the Immortal Ruins, there exists a [Hunger] character."

"This ‘Hunger’ character… it may very well be the ultimate reason why the Immortal Ruins constantly absorb external forces."

"Is this an immortal technique?"

"That would be far too terrifying."

Li Fan’s eyelid twitched slightly.

Steadying his mind, he sensed something was amiss.

"The [Hunger] character within the Immortal Ruins is a complex symbol. Though I do not fully understand its meaning, the moment I saw it, I instinctively grasped its concept."

"Yet, the [Chaos] character in the White Mist Maze was written in the same standard script used throughout the cultivation world."

"The [Hunger] character alone has the power to drive countless cultivation realms into utter despair."

"Meanwhile, the [Chaos] character I encountered—one that even a non-Dao Integration level abomination could survive near…”

A realization struck Li Fan.

"That was not the original [Chaos] character."

"It was a mere imitation, copied from the true immortal technique [Chaos] by someone with a particular purpose."

Upon reaching this conclusion, Li Fan fell silent.

Even the crude, third-hand imitation technique he had used had caused significant upheaval in the Xuanhuang Realm.

Then what of the true Chaos?

A Chaos character that could rival the Hunger character of the Immortal Ruins…

How terrifying would its power be?

Even immortals had been completely suppressed by the Hunger character, their fates unknown.

The severing of the immortal path—

The inexplicable disconnection of countless cultivation realms—

Could all of this be related to Chaos?

In that instant, Li Fan fell into deep contemplation.

This time, he had gained too much.

So much, in fact, that it had already surpassed the limits of his understanding—

A revelation that was not necessarily a blessing.

After all, even the Dharma-Transmitting Immortal Ancestor did not know how to counter such forces.

Let alone the True Immortals who stood above the Heavenly Sovereigns.

"I must not be overly ambitious."

"I must proceed with caution, step by step—first surviving the life-and-death tribulations of the Xuanhuang Realm."

Only after a long time did Li Fan finally regain his composure.

A trace of loss and longing flickered through his mind.