“How do you feel?”
The voice of the tour guide, Bing Yin, echoed in Li Fan’s ears. Li Fan nodded slightly in response.
“A glorious age, indeed.”
These words were partly a response to avoid suspicion, but also a genuine sentiment.
Indeed, if one were to simply consider the act of “living,” the cultivators under the rule of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association lived far easier lives than the majority of cultivators throughout history.
Even the difficulty of obtaining a suitable cultivation technique was not much more challenging than that of a lone cultivator in the ancient era.
Though joining the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance meant becoming a slave for life, at least, as long as they didn’t do anything stupid, these “caged” horses could live a long time, and that was no problem.
In other periods of the Xuanhuang Realm’s history, those short-lived cultivators who wanted to become slaves might not even have been qualified.
As for whether life itself was precious or freedom was more important, that was another eternal and serious question.
Li Fan had no intention of dwelling on this. What he cared about was the hundred fragments of divine consciousness that had just been washed by the “Age” and were about to dissipate in his sea of consciousness.
However, they were absorbed by the Dao Crystal formed by his cultivation of the “Dao Integration Unification” secret technique.
Those things that he had experienced in the “Age” but whose details had quickly become blurry after the experience was over, slowly became clear again.
In the blue Dao Crystal, there were faint outlines of independent scenes slowly taking shape. It looked somewhat similar to the “Age.”
“What is this?”
Li Fan’s heart trembled slightly.
“The shadowy figure I vaguely saw after the ‘Age’ experience should not have been an illusion.”
“It seems like a method to implant brainwashing thoughts into the minds of all the cultivators who observe it.”
“But I have my own Dao Crystal, which not only immunizes me from this brainwashing but also…”
While continuing to tour the Museum of Divine Treasures under Bing Yin’s guidance, Li Fan divided his attention to observe the changes in his own Dao Crystal.
Perhaps because all Dao Crystals in the world originated from the initial “Mother Dao Crystal,” they were of the same origin. The Dao Crystal in Li Fan’s sea of consciousness spontaneously absorbed all the scattered divine consciousness.
It was also actively reconstructing the worlds that Li Fan had derived from his memory, based on the “Age” imprint contained within the divine consciousness memory.
Unfortunately, it seemed that due to the insufficient quality of Li Fan’s Dao Crystal and its limited computing power, when Li Fan tried to browse these worlds carefully, he discovered that they were currently only empty shells.
The images were not continuous, but rather, they developed in jumps and jolts.
The scope was also limited to a corner of the world that he had touched upon in his memory. Beyond that, it was a distorted and broken mirror image.
Li Fan observed for a while and discovered that these worlds were slowly expanding in both time and space dimensions, albeit at an almost imperceptible rate, due to the limitations of his derivation ability.
If the Dao Crystal was only like this, even if Li Fan reincarnated a hundred times, he might not make any substantial progress.
But Li Fan had not forgotten that there was a fixed Dao Crystal in Yin Yin’s tomb. With each reincarnation, he could absorb it, and the Dao Crystal in his mind would become even stronger.
“At that time, perhaps I can recreate the ‘Age’ myself?”
“What’s the point of that?”
Li Fan suddenly thought of something and his eyes flashed. “Senior Bing Yin, I suddenly have a question. You just said that you once invested millions of blank souls into the ‘Age’ for experimentation.”
“So, are there still real souls existing in the ‘Age’ that is currently running?”
He asked the tour guide.
“Hehehe, naturally, there are.”
Bing Yin seemed reluctant to talk about this matter, only giving a simple reply.
Li Fan pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, “You said that so many souls, constantly undergoing the ‘Age’ cleansing. Has anyone ever been aware that the world they are in is illusory and not real?”
“After all, no matter how ‘extremely realistic,’ there must be some difference from the real world, right?”
Bing Yin suddenly looked at Li Fan, glanced around, and lowered his voice. “When I took over from the previous Bing Yin, he told me an anecdote.”
“About 39 years ago, the ‘Age’ stopped running for a while.”
“The entire Museum of Divine Treasures was closed during that time, and no one was allowed to enter or leave.”
“Everyone was confused at the time, but later, there was a rumor that one of the million souls in the ‘Age’ mysteriously disappeared.”
“We searched the entire Museum of Divine Treasures, but we never found it.”
“The matter was never resolved.”
“As for whether it really escaped or disappeared due to a malfunction…”
Bing Yin stopped there, not saying anything further.
Li Fan nodded slowly. As long as something was possible, then with a large enough sample size, it could be considered inevitable.
A million souls, constantly reincarnating and repeating. There would always be a lucky one who would discover the truth of the world they were in.
Li Fan didn’t find it strange. He had just confirmed one thing from Bing Yin: The “Age” might not actually be used for brainwashing.
It was used to select and cultivate true geniuses. A person’s ultimate achievement cannot be solely judged by their talent.
Destiny, temperament, determination, etc., all play a role.
Often, some so-called geniuses die prematurely before they can grow up. On the other hand, those who are seemingly unremarkable might go further.
In the real world, cultivating cultivators requires a lot of resources, and there is also the risk of the cultivator dying unexpectedly, resulting in all the initial investment going down the drain.
However, in the “Age,” there is no need to worry about this at all. In fact, selecting through the “Age” might even be more effective.
Indeed, the Great Dark Age, the Wasteland Age, and other darkest periods in the history of the Xuanhuang Realm were incredibly dangerous, with extremely high mortality rates.
But conversely, if a soul could achieve something during this period, making a great achievement and changing history, it would prove their extraordinary nature.
Li Fan believed that in the long years of the “Age’s” operation, there should be no shortage of such individuals.
Picking them out, then giving them new bodies, applying brainwashing and absolute loyalty-binding spells, and cultivating them into absolutely loyal dogs and enforcers of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. The strength of these cultivators was frightening to think about.
At the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and during the construction of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array, Li Fan often saw some cultivators in black robes, unsure of which organization they belonged to in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. They were often expressionless, but the dangerous aura they inadvertently exuded and the bloodlust they couldn’t hide always made Li Fan feel a chill in his heart.
Li Fan guessed that these people were most likely cultivated through the “Age.”
“This method is brilliant.”
“As for me, perhaps when my Dao Crystal reaches sufficient quality, I can use the past history to hone myself.”
As the saying goes, heroes create the times. But times also create heroes.
Li Fan didn’t think he was particularly outstanding. He was just an ordinary person who relied on the “Truth” ability to struggle for survival in the dangerous Xuanhuang Realm. Based on his experiences as a Grand Tutor in the Great Xuan Dynasty over several lifetimes and the lessons he had learned, he could perhaps handle himself when dealing with cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage and below. But when facing those old monsters who had survived from the ancient calamities and lived to this day, he might be a little overwhelmed and still inexperienced.
More importantly, in front of these true powerhouses, he might not even have the opportunity to use the “Truth.” To contend with them, besides cultivation, mental strength and experience were also crucial.
By constantly experiencing the fragments of history in his mind, which mimicked the “Age,” he could perhaps make up for his shortcomings in this area.
…
The Museum of Divine Treasures housed countless treasures. Under Bing Yin’s guidance, Li Fan skimmed through the collections of the Xuanhuang Realm. In addition to the “Glorious Age” area, the museum had several other areas:
“Heroes of Glory” primarily displayed items related to cultivators who had left their mark on the history of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Mountain of Corpses, Sea of Blood: It was originally just an ordinary iron blade. After the Great Calamity arrived, its owner carried this weapon and slaughtered countless cultivators. The blood stained the blade crimson, and the Spirit, even after thousands of years, remained undissipated. After countless killings, its owner survived. But ironically, this weapon was found in the stomach of a subterranean beast. Its owner was only left with his bones, clutching the “Mountain of Corpses, Sea of Blood” in death, full of resentment.
Banner of Ten Thousand Heads: A magic weapon that emitted a foul odor, forged from ten thousand heads. These heads all belonged to the same sect: the Soul-Sealing Sect. The creator of the Banner of Ten Thousand Heads was also from the Soul-Sealing Sect. When the Great Calamity arrived, he slaughtered all his fellow sect members and forged them into a magic weapon, an act of extreme cruelty. Unfortunately, such a person ultimately did not survive the Great Dark Age. This magic weapon became someone else’s spoils of war. It was passed down for a thousand years and eventually ended up in the hands of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
…
The “Shifting Sands of Time” area showcased the various terrain changes that had occurred in the Xuanhuang Realm over thousands of years. Li Fan was astonished. The kind of changes in mountains and seas like the Cong Yun Sea were commonplace. The Heavenly River fell to the earth, mountains split open to create deep valleys. Even two states merged together in the blink of an eye. Li Fan couldn’t help but feel that he was a bit narrow-minded.
…
The “Clash of Ten Thousand Techniques” area displayed various cultivation techniques that had appeared in the history of the Xuanhuang Realm. Of course, only the relevant introductions were available, not the specific content of the techniques. Even so, Li Fan was captivated and couldn’t tear himself away.
…
Li Fan was immersed in it, unable to extricate himself. He lost track of time. As these astronomical numbers of objects from thousands of years ago appeared before him, the image of the Xuanhuang Realm gradually became vivid in his mind. It was no longer an empty concept but was imbued with the thickness of history.
Slowly, he finally reached the central area of the Museum of Divine Treasures. The most eye-catching thing was a large empty space in the center. Apart from a human skull, there was nothing else.
Bing Yin pointed at the skull and said, “This is the skull of the legendary first cultivator who was infected with the Immortal Mortal Miasma. I don’t know what’s so precious about it, but the Curator specifically designated that it should be placed…”
“Huh? What’s wrong with you?”
Bing Yin looked at Li Fan beside him with some surprise. He saw Li Fan suddenly close his eyes, as if he was in great pain, his whole body trembling violently. Beads of sweat kept dripping from his body.
“Are you alright?”
Seeing Li Fan’s condition worsen, Bing Yin couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Li Fan managed to force a smile, shaking his head slightly to indicate that he was fine. But he couldn’t bring himself to open his bloodshot eyes.
“Discoverable absorbable item: ‘Eternal Remnant.’”
“Absorb?”
“Discoverable absorbable item: ‘Eternal Remnant.’”
“Absorb?”
“Absorb?”
“Absorb?”
…
The “Truth’s” prompts echoed incessantly in Li Fan’s mind, as if they were out of control. The sound grew louder and louder, almost completely consuming his mind. He felt an indescribable hunger that was destroying his sanity.
He had experienced this hunger when he saw the Eternal Remnant of Tian Yang Zhenren. But now, the intensity of this desire was a hundred, a thousand times stronger than what he had felt when facing Tian Yang’s Eternal Remnant!