Li Fan couldn’t remember how long it had been since he last truly looked at himself.
The image of himself that lingered in his mind was still that of a slender scholar in his twenties.
After all, regardless of how his appearance aged, whenever he activated [Truth], he would revert to his original look at the anchor point he had chosen.
Thus, for Li Fan, aging was merely an illusion.
The common fears of all living beings—aging, illness, and death—were merely temporary states that he could escape at any moment.
Even the changes occurring in his own body were something he viewed with a certain indifference.
If he didn’t care much about the transformations within himself, then the vast populations of the Xuanhuang Realm mattered even less.
Kou Hong, Dao Xuanzhi, He Zhenghao, Zhang Zhiliang, Xiao Heng…
These people, in each cycle of reincarnation, had their fates altered by Li Fan’s actions.
And in the future?
Perhaps they would become mere collateral, innocent souls lost in one of Li Fan’s battles.
Yet…
No matter their fate, whenever Li Fan activated [Truth], their “state” would reset to the anchor point Li Fan had selected.
So, for them, were these lifetimes just illusions?
People often mock the extremely selfish by saying, “The world doesn’t revolve around you. Why should others cater to your whims?”
But for Li Fan, at least within the Xuanhuang Realm, the world did revolve around him.
With a single thought, the world could reset.
All past events would vanish like smoke.
In such circumstances, how could Li Fan possibly regard the people of this world as equals?
Even if it was the artifact [Truth] that allowed him to do this, Li Fan, with his power over time, could not treat the beings of the Xuanhuang Realm as his “equals.”
Li Fan scrutinized his reflection for a long time, but he didn’t notice the “indifference” that Gao Yuan had mentioned.
This perhaps suggested that even Li Fan himself was unaware of some subtle changes taking place within him.
Just like how his psychological age continued to grow with each use of [Truth].
Li Fan wasn’t as unchanged as he thought.
[Truth] could reverse time, but as the vessel of [Truth], Li Fan had gained a unique ability—to retain “change” even within this reversed timeline.
“I thought my acting was flawless…” Li Fan chuckled to himself.
He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his gaze seemed subtly different.
It looked more lively and vibrant, as if he now held a newfound love for everything around him.
After adjusting for a long while, Li Fan finally stopped.
“For now, I’ve covered it up.”
“But acting is still just acting. No matter how convincing, it’s never real.”
“This world has many individuals with unimaginable abilities. Even a regular guard in Congyun Sea can have such keen insight.”
“To deceive everyone in the world—it seems that’s still beyond my reach.”
“But it doesn’t matter; it’s just a minor flaw.”
“There are plenty of ‘cold-hearted’ people in the world, after all.”
This small episode didn’t weigh heavily on Li Fan’s mind; he made a minor adjustment and moved on.
Moreover, Gao Yuan and the others speculating that he was a fallen Longevity Immortal Sovereign made him feel both amused and helpless.
“In truth, I have no hidden intentions. I just wanted an excuse to avoid the impending great battle on Tianling Prefecture.”
Alone, Li Fan quietly left Ten Thousand Immortals Island and dove into the ocean’s depths.
He continued descending tens of thousands of meters into the trench, ensuring he wasn’t being followed.
Only then did he activate the [Mysterious True Spirit Transformation] to return to his original appearance.
He buried all the items he had acquired from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance under his guise as an “ancient cultivator from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect,” concealing them with [Sky-Shrouding Hand].
Then, stripped bare, Li Fan transformed his attire and resurfaced.
He borrowed some suitable clothes from a nearby mortal island and then headed straight for the island where the people from the [Empire] were located.
Before long, he reached his destination.
He hadn’t concealed his aura, so as he approached, the Empire’s Imperial Saint Master, a green luan who once accompanied Xu Ke, sent him a warning via divine sense.
“What business do you have here, fellow cultivator?”
Li Fan stopped mid-air, smiled slightly, and responded with a single word: “Federation.”
Soon after, the green luan, Xiao Qing, personally came to welcome him.
She carefully observed Li Fan before leading him to a secret room on the island.
Li Chenfeng was apparently not on the island; it was unknown where he had gone.
Even the soul-locking ability of the Formless Killing Intent was temporarily inactive.
Li Fan replayed a scene recorded by his Dao Deviation Stone, discovering that Li Chenfeng had left the Xuanhuang Realm.
But the departure point differed from the place where he had returned to the Empire before.
“Not the Empire, but another small world?”
This thought crossed Li Fan’s mind, but he said nothing, merely noting it.
“So, you are also from the Federation of all World’s?” Xiao Qing asked directly.
“Correct. I was sent by our lord to inform you that, unfortunately, our collaboration must be temporarily halted,” Li Fan replied calmly.
“What?!” Even with over a thousand years of experience, Xiao Qing was taken aback, staring at Li Fan with her phoenix eyes.
“What does this mean?”
She scrutinized Li Fan with suspicion, her eyes narrowing. “Are you truly from the Federation?”
She was already beginning to doubt Li Fan’s identity.
The killing intent in the air began to grow, but Li Fan raised his hand to indicate that she needn’t worry.
He explained, “It’s not that the Federation Of All World’s intends to break our promise; there are unavoidable circumstances.”
“We’re not only cutting off contact with your [Empire] but also with all other small worlds.”
“Our higher-ups have instructed us to lie low for a while and wait until the situation calms down.”
Xiao Qing’s furrowed brows remained tense, and as she was about to respond, Li Fan added, “I understand you’re eager to leave the Xuanhuang Realm.”
“But the situation truly is complex; we have no choice.”
“After all, we also gained a great deal from our last exchange. We’re just as eager to complete the remaining part of our deal.”
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