Even an insignificant wave cast up by the River of Time carried greater lethal force than the so-called heavenly tribulations of the mortal world.
The Xuanhuang Realm remained still and quiet, but to Li Fan's senses, it was as if space had been forcibly crumpled by some outside power. Each sharply defined dividing line seemed like an incomparably sharp blade, cutting into Li Fan's body and soul.
Even though it was not his first time witnessing the storms from the River of Time, Li Fan's expression still changed slightly.
At the critical moment, Li Fan immediately made the most correct choice.
Using his own comprehension of the Transformation of Real and Unreal, he attempted to simulate the protection of Illusion Becoming True.
It also helped that he had just recovered his Dao Integration cultivation, advancing his comprehension of the Transformation of Real and Unreal by a small step. The efficiency of Illusion Becoming True increased slightly as a result.
Like donning a straw raincoat in wind and rain, Li Fan could at least barely move and discern directions.
The ripples stirred up in the River of Time did not cease for a long time, as if they would not stop until the disturbances caused by Li Fan had vanished.
Battered by the wind and waves, Li Fan was like a butterfly in a raging storm, always at risk of being completely torn apart.
In a flash, Li Fan thought of a way to save himself.
He recalled how, while traveling upstream against the River of Time, he had nearly lost himself, finally discovering the familiar light point representing the Medicine King Cauldron before landing safely.
“Even having arrived at this point in time, I am still like duckweed in the wind, without foundation. To survive within the ripples of time, I urgently need to find my anchor in this era and fully integrate into it. It is like drifting in a raging river and grabbing onto a reef to save one's life…”
The folds in space became increasingly dense, and Li Fan had nearly reached the point where every step was difficult.
There was little time left to waste. In almost an instant, Li Fan found the most solid anchor he could use at this time node.
“Originally, if that Lei Fanzi had not taken action, the Great Dao Sect would have been the best choice. It is a pity that the identity I played is already dead.” A realization arose in Li Fan's heart.
Pushing his evasion technique to the extreme, he raced back toward Evergreen Valley at top speed.
At Dao Integration speed, it was more than a hundred times faster than at Golden Core. A journey of a month was completed in an instant.
Above Evergreen Valley, he faintly sensed Elder Song's location, restrained his aura, and descended silently.
“Elder Song, it is me!”
Standing before Elder Song, while struggling against the ripples of time, Li Fan spoke as calmly as possible.
“Who… are you?” Elder Song narrowed his eyes, sizing up Li Fan, and looked somewhat confused.
Because of the previous effect of Illusion Becoming True, he did not recognize Li Fan.
Since the anchor had not been established, the ripples of time showed no sign of weakening. The increasingly dense folds almost covered the entire world. Li Fan felt that in the next second, he would be completely submerged by the River of Time.
At this critical moment, a stroke of fortune came to Li Fan, and he took out the spirit artifact Elder Song had previously given him. It was thanks to his usual habit of thrift that he had not thrown away the artifact simply because it was useless, but had kept it close at hand.
Taking it out now, it became a crucial lifesaving straw.
Although Elder Song did not recognize Li Fan, he recognized the spirit artifact he himself had refined, and thus recalled Li Fan's identity.
“Oh, it's you.”
With these words, Li Fan's identity was finally confirmed.
In an instant, he fell from the River of Time back into real space-time. The ripples of the River of Time gradually faded.
Even if there were some aftereffects, Li Fan could barely handle them himself.
Li Fan, who had made a trip around the gates of hell, coughed lightly and hurried forward: “Yesterday, in a fight with someone, this artifact saved my life at a critical moment. Therefore, today I have come specially to thank Elder Song…”
As he spoke, Li Fan secretly created a crack on the artifact. At the same time, he rapidly compressed the surrounding spiritual energy into a top-grade spirit stone and handed it over.
The strike from a peak Dao Integration expert who was once a True Immortal was naturally not something Elder Song of this Evergreen Valley could detect.
He looked at the bright, sparkling spirit stone before him—clearly no ordinary item—and smiled faintly: “You are thoughtful.”
He casually put away the spirit stone.
The relationship between the two grew closer, and Li Fan also noticed that the ripples of time outside reality had diminished somewhat.
With the crisis temporarily resolved, Li Fan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
“No need to be so nervous. Disciples like you, who are filial and sensible, are not many in our Evergreen Valley.” Elder Song had good eyesight; seeing the enormous change in Li Fan's emotions, he spoke to comfort him. It was also a sincere sentiment.
“Since that artifact is damaged, I will bestow another upon you. However, you must not rely on its sharpness to go fighting others. In these troubled times, steady cultivation is the proper path.” Elder Song said with a serious expression.
He took out another spirit artifact from his storage ring. Or rather, a spirit treasure.
Its quality was clearly a step above the one given to Li Fan: an archaic dark-gold bronze bell.
Elder Song looked at the bronze bell, a trace of nostalgia flashing in his eyes.
“This bell once followed by my side for a long time. However, limited by the refining materials, it is of little help to me now. Today I give it to you.”
“Blocking attacks below Nascent Soul is no problem.”
Li Fan was overjoyed and hurriedly accepted the bronze bell.
While thanking Elder Song, he refined the bronze bell in an instant.
What Li Fan valued was naturally not the bell's utility as a spirit treasure, but the time condensed within it.
It had been associated with Elder Song for most of his life, and now through refining, this bond was connected to Li Fan.
The wind and waves of the River of Time completely faded.
The first backlash brought by altering history was safely resolved by Li Fan.
“Elder Song's gift today will be repaid generously in the future!” Li Fan said solemnly.
Elder Song waved his hand: “It is good that you have this heart.”
After saying this, he left leisurely.
After seeing him off, Li Fan found a courtyard in Evergreen Valley to settle down temporarily.
First, he refined the dark-gold bronze bell once more.
To Li Fan, innate material defects were no limitation. Beneath layers of complex array inscriptions, even ordinary objects could rival immortal artifacts.
While helping the bell complete its transformation, Li Fan also reflected on his somewhat rash earlier actions.
“Looking back now, for those who travel upstream to another time, the greatest taboo is to be rootless wood and sourceless water.”
“It is not that history cannot be changed. After all, the River of Time is vast and boundless, containing endless possibilities within.”
“Rather, when changing things, one must have the ability to bear the backlash of the River of Time changing course.”
“Besides one's own strength, the most critical thing is the anchor. In short, it is the connection with other people, matters, and things in space-time.”
“The inheritance left by the Tai Tian Emperor lacked precisely this crucial point…”
Li Fan pondered for a long time, ruling out the possibility that the other party intended to harm him.
“The Tai Tian Emperor traveled upstream for at most tens of thousands of years, and he was once an Immortal Emperor of the Immortal Realm. The countless True Immortals of the Immortal Realm can be seen as his anchors. Naturally, he need not worry about the wind and waves of the River of Time changing course.”
“The same applies to the Xuantian King. The countless common people under the Xuantian Sect's rule, as well as several Dharma Kings suspected to be reincarnations of the Nameless True Immortal.”
“As for me, whether ten thousand years later or now, I have always been utterly alone…”
“The surging waves of the River of Time are only to be expected.”
Li Fan's thoughts raced; after sorting it all out, he couldn't help but let out a long breath.
He did not, however, fall into self-pity because of this absolute solitude.
Since there was no anchor, he would forge one.
“First, firmly establish my own existence in this time. Other matters can be discussed later.” Li Fan made his decision in his heart.
The next day.
“Senior Brother's divine might!”
“Looking at Senior Brother's momentum, he is not far from breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm, is he? It is truly the fortune of our Evergreen Valley!”
“Hmph, I fear Evergreen Valley's temple is too small to contain this great god.”
“What nonsense are you talking? How could Baili Shan be such an ungrateful person!”
…
In the sky, Baili Shan displayed his divine might, repulsing a group of petty cultivators coveting the Medicine King Sect. Below, the Evergreen Valley cultivators whispered among themselves.
Baili Shan seemed to pay no heed to others' gazes, gracefully leading his senior brothers back to make their report.
At the same time, he made a clear statement to Evergreen Valley's Sect Master Zou Yunhao.
“Rest assured, Master. A teacher for a day is a father for life; Evergreen Valley is also my eternal home. Even if I advance to Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, or even Dao Integration in the future, I will not leave Evergreen Valley by half a step.” Baili Shan said with extreme determination.
Zou Yunhao stroked his beard and nodded with great satisfaction.
Afterward, he said with some disappointment: “Actually, with your talent, Baili, if you could go to the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao, you would surely have a better future. Perhaps you might have a chance to contend with the heroes of the world. Staying in our Evergreen Valley…”
Baili Shan said proudly: “Rest assured, Master. Even if I stay in Evergreen Valley for my entire life, I will not be weaker than the so-called heaven's favorites of the Ten Sects!”
Zou Yunhao sighed and said nothing more.
He only thought it was the arrogant words of Baili Shan's youthful vigor, having not seen the depth of the Ten Sects.
Recalling when he first adopted Baili Shan, his tense expression yet looking around, Zou Yunhao silently thought: “Our Evergreen Valley has rarely produced such a young dragon; we cannot truly delay him. Perhaps this trip to the Taishang Sect can find him a better path.”
“The orthodox immortal arts are all within the Ten Sects. Everything else is heterodox and unorthodox…” Zou Yunhao sighed silently.
Baili Shan naturally did not notice his master's thoughts.
His absolute confidence and unwillingness to go to the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao were naturally because of that Supreme Dao Scripture he had accidentally obtained.
After studying this treasure for some time, Baili Shan was certain that the name “Supreme” was entirely deserved. He had merely glimpsed less than one-billionth of its radiance, and his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds.
“If I can fully comprehend the Scripture, I might even have hope of becoming a True Immortal!”
“What Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao? They are utterly unworthy of mention!”
Going to the Ten Sects would instead risk exposing the secret that he possessed the supreme treasure, whereas here in Evergreen Valley he was trusted absolutely. How to choose went without saying.
Baili Shan returned to his own small courtyard, about to enter seclusion to study the Supreme Dao Scripture further.
Only to be startled to discover that a person had inexplicably appeared in his room.
“Who are you?” Thinking his secret had been exposed, Baili Shan did not waste words; his Evergreen spiritual energy transformed into a medical blade, which he thrust out fiercely.
“Senior Brother truly is a person of high standing who forgets things. It doesn't matter if you don't remember me, but surely you haven't forgotten the Supreme Dao Scripture I presented to you?” Li Fan smiled faintly and casually dispelled Baili Shan's attack.
The four key words “Supreme Dao Scripture” awakened memories in Baili Shan that had originally disappeared.
“Is it you?!”
In an instant, countless thoughts surged through Baili Shan's mind.
There was killing intent, fear, and doubt.
Baili Shan was still young after all; what he thought showed on his face.
“Senior Brother, don't think too much. Look at what this is?” Li Fan smiled, slightly extending his palm.
Baili Shan stared intently and saw an extremely mysterious thin sheet lying there. It was precisely the Supreme Dao Scripture he knew so well!
Baili Shan's heart gave a start; his instinct was first to check within himself. Finding nothing lost, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He was no fool; after some thought, he finally realized.
“You… picked up two thin sheets?” Baili Shan suddenly understood.
“Exactly! Senior Brother, you are indeed clever.” Li Fan clapped his hands in praise.
“However, I vaguely know this treasure is extraordinary. But I could never find the correct way to activate it, so I steeled my heart and gave one to Senior Brother.”
“And Senior Brother's performance over the past month has confirmed my guess.” Li Fan said with a smile.
“Are these two thin sheets the same?” Baili Shan narrowed his eyes, sizing up Li Fan, and asked first.
“I don't know that. However, I guess there shouldn't be much difference. Senior Brother, please take a look?” Saying this, Li Fan actually presented the thin sheet he held with both hands.
Baili Shan, half-doubting, still took it and examined it.
After a moment, he exhaled and returned the so-called Supreme Dao Scripture.
“You guessed correctly. This one of yours is completely identical to the one I hold.” Baili Shan said in a deep voice.
“I hope Senior Brother will teach me how to use this Supreme Dao Scripture.”
After pondering for a moment, Baili Shan slowly explained his own comprehension.
Li Fan gripped the thin sheet in his right hand and closed his eyes in thought. After a moment, he opened his eyes, revealing a look of wildness.
“So it is actually so simple. What is painfully sought is better left unsought; one only needs to follow the Dao!”
Baili Shan gave a soft huff, somewhat disdainful.
Li Fan didn't mind, smiling as he asked: “Senior Brother, what are your plans for the future? With such a supreme treasure by your side, you can go anywhere in the world, can't you?”
Both holding the Supreme Dao Scripture was also counted as a shared secret between them. Although Baili Shan looked down somewhat on Li Fan, to prevent the other's exposure from implicating himself, he still warned in a deep voice: “For you and me, as long as the Supreme Dao Scripture is in hand, it makes no difference where we cultivate. Our strength is still too weak; once exposed, we do not have the strength to preserve ourselves…”
Baili Shan continued to advise.
Li Fan felt that, after Baili Shan began treating him as “one of his own,”
another anchor had been added to those left in this time-space.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 1534