My Simulated Road to Immortality

Even the earliest pioneers, the trio led by Sun Erlang, have only just reached Dream Level 6. The true secret of dreams remains far from being unraveled.

However, Li Fan believes that even if this lifetime yields no significant breakthroughs, with accumulated experience and an endless stream of living beings dedicating themselves to exploration, the unveiling of the ultimate mystery of dreams might not be too distant.

"Fundamentally, my own strength is still too weak. Otherwise, why would I need to rely on Wuyou?" Li Fan sighed faintly in his heart.

"Perhaps, in this lifetime, after my synthesis with the Xuanhuang Immortal Soul, the situation will see some improvement."

"Still..."

Li Fan's gaze shifted anew toward the direction of the High Wall: "It is highly likely that upon the ascension of the Xuanhuang Sublimation to the Transcendent Immortal Realm, the watchers beyond the High Wall will descend once more. I must prepare in advance, delaying them as much as possible."

Fortunately, in the previous lifetime, Kitty Treasure captured the Immortal, causing the High Wall to collapse and the Star Sea to enter turmoil, providing Li Fan with a reference point.

"This lifetime involves One Realm ascending into the Immortal Domain, potentially creating an even greater disturbance. To be cautious, I must complete the Immortal Soul's consumption within half the time of last lifetime's anomaly."

"The Heavenly Earth Immortal Soul—though under a different name—is essentially unchanged. It is still born under the mandate of Heavenly Duty."

"To expedite the consumption, it is crucial for the Essence of Heaven and Earth to manifest swiftly."

Having operated in the Xuanhuang World for many years, and capable of summoning the Essence of Heaven and Earth with a single deceptive shift in reasoning, Li Fan naturally knew the nature of various Essences of Heaven and Earth like the back of his hand.

"The manifestation time of the Essence of Heaven and Earth, from being catalyzed by the Will of Heaven and Earth to the revelation of physical form, can vary greatly. Across a hundred lifetimes in Reincarnation, the fastest manifestation ever witnessed..."

"Only [Mo Sha]!"

A sharp gleam flickered in Li Fan's eyes.

In a past lifetime, Zhang Haobo wielded the Twenty-Eight Swords of Cong Yun to furiously slay Crimson Flame, becoming the youngest Unity Immortal Monarch in Xuanhuang's history. Yet, immediately upon achieving Unity, he was tragically killed by Mo Sha.

Almost the very instant Crimson Flame was slain, Mo Sha was activated by the Will of Heaven and Earth.

"Unlike other Essences of Heaven and Earth, Mo Sha, as a component of Heaven and Earth's operational mechanism, likely exists in a constant state of residency, ready to be instantly activated at any time. Perhaps this is a unique transformation spontaneously derived after the Xuanhuang World was treated with external fragmentary sutures," Li Fan pondered deeply, quickly comprehending the essence.

"Mo Sha is likely to synchronize its metamorphosis from the Essence of Heaven and Earth to the Heavenly Earth Immortal Soul alongside the Xuanhuang World's ascension. Furthermore, in terms of actual combat power, Mo Sha ranks among the strongest of all Essences of Heaven and Earth."

"Indeed, it is most suitable." Li Fan nodded slightly, his thoughts turning as he locked onto his target.

"The Immortal Boat matter is settled—it is time to return and meticulously prepare for the final Xuanhuang Sublimation." Sensing the Star Spirit Force obtained from the Uniform Star Sea, sealed within the Immortal Array in his body.

Li Fan felt increasingly confident in accomplishing his plan.

Just as he was about to command the Wood Sword to leave, an anomaly occurred again near the High Wall's edge.

But this time, it was not the High Wall itself—it was the entrance to the crevice basin.

A massive surge of Vitality Force suddenly erupted from within.

Like a fountain, it surged high into the sky, crashing toward the Star Sea.

Unexpectedly, a figure leveraged the force of the eruption to escape from it.

Li Fan focused his sight—it was none other than the long-lost Craftsman!

The Craftsman had been swept into the Echoing Star Power storm, trapped within the labyrinth-like crevice basin, and had since vanished without a trace. Li Fan had been unable to contact him, only faintly sensing his aura as calm and steady, indicating he was in no mortal danger. And now, to his surprise, he had finally escaped from the maze.

The Craftsman seemed exhilarated by his liberation, dancing and shouting with joy.

Li Fan extended his hand, pulling him directly to his side.

The surrounding scene shifted abruptly. Thinking he had jumped from the frying pan into the fire, the Craftsman turned pale at once.

Only upon seeing it was Li Fan before him did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The Craftsman coughed lightly, straightened himself, and respectfully greeted: "Greetings, Holy Master."

Li Fan responded indifferently: "It has been quite some time since I've seen you. I once ventured into the crevice basin searching for your whereabouts, but the region beneath the Star Sea, with its intricate and sprawling passages, was impossible to thoroughly search. I abandoned the pursuit eventually."

"But now, it seems you've benefited from misfortune instead?"

Li Fan noticed a qualitative change in Craftsman's essence, spirit, and vitality compared to before his disappearance—clearly indicative of fortuitous encounters within that endless maze.

Craftsman's face revealed a hint of pride as he mentioned this: "Holy Master, your insight is unparalleled. Indeed, I have made a modest gain."

"At first, finding myself lost amidst the sprawling Dark River, I panicked a little. But soon, I realized that the place was brimming with Vitality. Even if trapped there for a lifetime, I would face no mortal peril. This realization eased my mind greatly."

"As you are aware, Holy Master, I've always been accustomed to staying cooped up in a lab, conducting experiments without stepping out—being in the Dark River was merely a change of setting. Besides, I could vent myself by using Shangguan's puppet, so boredom was never an issue..." Craftsman began rambling on.

Li Fan interrupted solemnly: "Stick to the point."

Craftsman paused, chuckled briefly, and carried on: "After adjusting to the environment, idle curiosity led me to investigate that seemingly infinite Dark River."

"Who would have guessed I'd stumble upon its profound secrets!"

The Craftsman's tone grew increasingly excited: "The underground rivers are so intricate and convoluted. Initially, I tried memorizing them all but failed repeatedly due to the sheer number of branches."

"I didn't give up. During that period, my mind was completely preoccupied with the patterns of those rivers' flows."

"One day, after accidentally breaking Shangguan while trying to repair it, I found myself unconsciously applying the flow patterns of the Dark River to Shangguan's puppet during the repair process. What happened next was beyond anything I could've imagined!" The Craftsman unconsciously licked his lips, a flicker of inexplicable expression flashing in his eyes.

Li Fan knew that the Craftsman's so-called Shangguan puppet was, in fact, a sealed replica of memories belonging to Shangguan Tuo, an elder of the Mechanism Realm.

Nonetheless, under the Mechanism Realm's rules, memory replicas lacked the same status as their original, being bound to comply entirely with the orders of cultivators from the realm.

Li Fan had always been aware of Craftsman's somewhat eccentric hobby. Yet since the Craftsman found amusement in his peculiar behavior, Li Fan had refrained from interfering.

But now, noticing Craftsman's expression, Li Fan couldn't help but grow intrigued.

The Craftsman seemed to savor a recollection for a moment before speaking deliberately: "I never anticipated that after completing the repairs, Shangguan's puppet—which should have been incapable of defiance—not only resisted my command but started berating me."

"The insults were exceptionally harsh, stirring up unpleasant memories from long ago. In my anger, I may have overdone it a bit and broke it again."

"It took me some time to calm down before suddenly realizing that something extraordinary had occurred!"

Li Fan mused aloud: "You're saying the flow patterns of the Dark River somehow activated Shangguan's self-awareness?"

The Craftsman shook his head furiously: "It was already a memory replica with complete self-awareness. However, constrained by the Mechanism Realm's Forbidden Formation of old, it was bound to obey my commands entirely."

"But after engraving those shapes—everything changed."

The Craftsman licked his lips again: "The newly emerged Shangguan was no longer a mere memory replica. Within the Forbidden Formation's judgmental framework, it became Shangguan Tuo himself!"

"Shangguan Tuo has been dead for countless years, so of course, this shouldn't be feasible."