"Cultivating like this, who wouldn't go mad?"
After a long while, Li Fan finished reading the entire jade slip and could not help sighing in amazement.
What was recorded in the jade slip was naturally the Profound Art of Life and Death that Zhong Shentong had mentioned earlier.
It was an incomplete remnant scroll; who knew where it had come from.
The core tenets of the technique were even more incredible.
From the opening chapter, it stated its thesis plainly: everything in the world must eventually die.
Birds, beasts, plants, and humans.
Even cultivators, demonic beasts, and heaven and earth itself.
None could escape this destiny.
If one wished to transcend death, the only way was, before one's own demise arrived, to reach a superimposed state of life and death—neither alive nor dead, yet both alive and dead.
This was the envisioned pinnacle realm of the technique.
To achieve this state of "life and death coexisting" required an incomparable comprehension and insight into the essences of life and death.
The Chapter of Life and Death Perception was precisely the method within the technique used to comprehend life and death.
From the initial stage of "clinging to life and fearing death," to "disregarding life and forgetting death," and finally to "life and death coexisting."
The Profound Art of Life and Death was just such an extraordinary technique that drew upon the power of life and death for cultivation.
Because its underlying concept was so extraordinarily lofty, the content of the technique was also exceptionally profound and obscure.
Compared to the Wondrous Profound True Spirit Transformation, it was even more daunting.
Perhaps because even the creator of the technique had never attained that state of being both alive and dead, most of the cultivation methods in the latter half were mere speculations and conjectures.
Even in a cursory browse, Li Fan could spot one or two internal contradictions.
"A good technique, but a pity it is incomplete. If it were whole, it might be of some marginal use. As it stands, it can only serve as a reference.
"And unfortunately, Zhong Shentong's Seven-Colored Divine Light doesn't seem to be connected to this Profound Art of Life and Death at all."
Li Fan shook his head slightly.
Putting away the jade slip, Li Fan pondered for a moment, then attempted to circulate the Chapter of Life and Death Perception.
This chapter was the prerequisite method one had to cultivate to cross the threshold into the Profound Art of Life and Death; even mortals could practice it.
Naturally, Li Fan encountered no difficulty either.
Word by word, the text flowed quietly through Li Fan's mind.
Three days and three nights later.
As Li Fan meditated with his eyes closed, a sudden tremor shook his mind.
Countless images abruptly surfaced before his eyes.
He seemed to vaguely return to Great Xuan—the soaring ambition of sweeping top honors in the imperial examinations, his willful abandon in the Empress Dowager's palace, his towering arrogance while ruling the world...
And later, braving perilous obstacles, breaking through the Immortal Severing Formation, and finally arriving in the cultivation world.
Step by step from a mortal: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation.
Every exhilarating event from his past life rushed forward, vying to flood his heart.
It felt as if Li Fan were reliving them all firsthand.
In such a short span of time, so many great joys were compounded.
Even with Li Fan's mental fortitude, he could not help but feel a little light-headed and elated.
Just as this joyful atmosphere peaked...
Every vision burst one after another like bubbles.
In their place came the near-death moments Li Fan had encountered time and again.
"Father, Father..."
"Husband!"
Faint, heart-wrenching wails sounded by his ears—that was his first life, before he had awakened True Reversion, as he lay dying of illness.
"All I ask is a slim chance at survival!" Kou Hong's crazed laughter accompanied a tremendous roar and a sky full of flames, appearing before Li Fan's eyes.
That was his second life, when Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong fought fiercely, Xuanjing was reduced to ruins, and Li Fan had barely survived.
The Realm-Rifting Whale in the Immortal Severing Formation, the rapid aging as his body dissolved into the vast sea, the pursuit of the protector elders...
Crisis after deadly crisis descended upon Li Fan all at once.
Until the space within the Heavenly Profound Mirror was torn open, and ahead of him faintly appeared the kindly, benevolent face of an elderly man.
The fear in his heart could no longer be contained.
Li Fan broke out of his cultivation.
"True—"
The remaining half of the phrase "Reversion" was cut short before he could voice it in his mind.
The terrifying visions vanished without a trace in an instant.
Only then did Li Fan forcefully rein himself in.
His entire body was drenched in cold sweat, his breathing as ragged as if he had truly cheated death.
Li Fan's eyes flickered as he reviewed the experience just now.
"The cultivation failed.
"The Chapter of Life and Death Perception invokes inner fear of death in a way that is by no means a simple illusion.
"Rather, it is somewhat similar to that Will Horse—supremely illusory, yet virtually real.
"If the heart believes it to be real, then it is real.
"Truly perilous to the extreme. If one is deeply ensnared and cannot tell truth from falsehood, one might literally be scared to death.
"No wonder that Zhong Shentong is half-mad...
"Only like this can one truly experience the visceral dread of death."
At this thought, Li Fan sighed softly.
"Unfortunately, this method is useless to me.
"When facing the threat of death, an ordinary person naturally falls into panic and despair.
"But I am different.
"No matter the circumstances, I always have a life-saving straw.
"And that is my [True Reversion].
"When the perception of life and death is pushed to the extreme and I face a tangible, lethal threat, I instinctively call upon [True Reversion] to start everything over..."
"Wait..."
In an instant, an idea struck Li Fan, and his expression shifted slightly.
"Survival instinct...
"Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation..."
Standing up abruptly, Li Fan's thoughts raced.
Pacing back and forth, he weighed the feasibility.
"Cultivating the Dao heart in reverse requires me to fight my inner instincts.
"And for me, the greatest instinct is to call upon [True Reversion] when on the verge of death.
"If I use this to cultivate my Dao heart in reverse, the harvest will surely be incredible.
"Yet it is impossible to genuinely abandon the intention of using True Reversion at the brink of true death.
"Using the Chapter of Life and Death Perception eliminates that problem entirely."
Li Fan's eyes gleamed. A moment later, he calmed his mind.
He began circulating the perception method once more.
This time, when the beauty of life shattered completely and the threat of death descended anew, Li Fan still failed to break free from the habit etched deep into his soul—he still invoked [True Reversion].
Second attempt: failed.
Li Fan persevered. A third time, a fourth time...
All the way until after the fifty-sixth attempt.
Facing the Heavenly Physician's visage, Li Fan circulated the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation.
At the same time, through sheer willpower, he temporarily suppressed the instinctive urge to summon [True Reversion].
Yet the threat of death did not vanish with Li Fan's restraint.
Instead, it grew increasingly real.
The Heavenly Physician's features became clearer and clearer before his eyes, and the spiritual warning bells in Li Fan's heart sounded frantically without end.
In the end, drenched in sweat, Li Fan broke out of the life-and-death perception cultivation.
"Perhaps one can only truly face death without harming oneself after cultivating this perception chapter to the stage of disregarding life and forgetting death."
Li Fan knew very well that had he forced himself to hold on just now, even if he hadn't perished on the spot, his end would hardly have been any better.
"This technique truly has something wicked about it.
"However, during that brief moment just now, the harvest was immense."
From the Heart-Refining Millstone, a cool, refreshing stream—slightly more abundant than what he had obtained from crossing the white mist to seek reinforcements at the risk of his life—poured straight down upon his head.
Chapter 365