My Longevity Simulation Chapter 1046: Like a Turtle in a Jar Again

Within the central four prefectures of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, a startlingly distinct boundary manifested between the sky and the soil.

On both sides of this line, the terrain of the earth and the expanse of the heavens mirrored one another with haunting precision.

The world appeared as though a massive mirror had sliced it into two identical halves.

Countless fissures spread out from this dividing line, suggesting that this entire segment of heaven and earth was teetering on the brink of total destruction!

Witnessing this cataclysmic sight, a flash of realization struck Li Fan: "So, the four core prefectures of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance—Tianyu, Tianchen, Tianshu, and Tianquan—were actually constructed using the primary body of the Tianxuan Mirror!"

"Reconstructing heaven and earth with a mirror..."

Li Fan’s expression turned increasingly grim.

The Tianxuan Mirror had never breathed a word of such vital intel before.

This implied one of two things: either the Tianxuan Mirror’s longing for autonomy was a deception, a performance staged for Li Fan and Mo Rubin to lead them into a snare.

As his inner anxiety intensified, Mo Rubin remained nowhere to be found.

Li Fan had planned to depart immediately, but upon stealthily reaching the edge of Tianquan Prefecture, he was alarmed to find that the Devouring Essense White Mist, which usually bridged heaven and earth, had vanished without a trace.

A formless, invisible barrier of light had taken its place, completely isolating the entire four-prefecture territory!

There was no way in and no way out!

In that instant, Li Fan was reminded of the time years ago when he first faced the Crimson Flame Incinerating Sea, fleeing in terror only to be cornered in the Congyun Sea!

However, Li Fan was no longer the man he once was.

Suppressing any panic, Li Fan calmed his spirit and retreated to the heart of Tianquan Prefecture, concealing himself within a random cultivator's cave mansion.

With the Final Dissociation Disc in his possession, the defensive formations of these dwellings were completely trivial to him.

The cave mansion’s interior was designed like a courtyard by the water, appearing as though it hadn't been lived in for some time.

It was likely just one of many estates held by the owner.

Nevertheless, the facility was fully equipped. Li Fan found a Tianxuan sub-mirror and tentatively checked the Tianxuan Mirror origin he carried.

"It is still functioning."

"There is a flood of talk within the Tianxuan Mirror regarding the disturbances in the four provinces, but the posts are being locked and erased the moment they are published."

"Luckily, the speech logs are still accessible to me."

Li Fan rapidly sifted through the data inside the Tianxuan Mirror.

"What is happening? Is the world ending?"

"Has the Five Elders Association launched another assault? I knew they wouldn't just take that massive loss lying down!"

"Every teleportation array has failed; nobody can leave or enter! The central four prefectures are under total lockdown!"

"Fellow Daoists, stay inside your cave mansions for your own safety and don't wander out. That is my only advice..."

...

The majority of the messages were useless rants from panicked cultivators.

Still, among the chaos, Li Fan managed to find a few valuable leads.

"Something massive is going down! I just escaped the Alliance headquarters, and it looks like a battle has started inside!"

"Stop spreading lies; the Alliance headquarters is a fortress. Who would be bold enough to start a fight there?"

"I saw it myself! Just as I was leaving, a massive explosion shook the place. Then, I caught a glimpse of over a hundred figures suddenly going on the offensive! I barely made it out alive."

"Hiss..."

The thread cut off there.

There were similar reports from other cultivators who had been abruptly kicked out of the Alliance headquarters.

"This aligns with the strategy I discussed with Mo Rubin..."

After a moment of thought, Li Fan produced a white jade horn and crushed it firmly.

A short while later, a high-pitched sound, audible only to specific cultivators, radiated outward.

This was the command for the Five Elders Association's suicide squads to begin their mission.

In the distance, Li Fan watched nearly a hundred dark silhouettes fly toward the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters through the rifts in heaven and earth. He then moved to a different cave mansion to stay hidden.

"I wonder what the situation is inside."

Without a clear understanding of the events, Li Fan refused to act blindly. He chose instead to watch from the shadows and wait for the situation to evolve.

The thunderous echoes between heaven and earth grew more frequent and intense.

The growing number of cracks was a terrifying sight. It looked as though the very fabric of existence might shatter at any second.

What troubled the cultivators of the four prefectures most was that, despite the chaos, the Alliance headquarters offered no explanation or comfort.

This period of dread lasted for about the time it takes to burn half an incense stick.

The sporadic explosions eventually faded, and the massive rifts stretching across the sky began to seal themselves.

A figure emerged in the heavens, whom Li Fan recognized instantly.

It was Chen, one of the Dharma Transmitters.

His face was grim, and his gaze was sharp with murderous intent.

Chen’s voice thundered across the land, declaring that a small internal disturbance had been suppressed and there was no cause for alarm.

He added, however, that to find the accomplices of the traitors, the lockdown of the four prefectures would remain in effect for now.

The cultivators were ordered to cooperate fully with the coming investigation.

...

After his announcement, Chen vanished quickly from the sky.

He left the cultivators of the four prefectures in a state of restless chatter, unable to find peace of mind.

"Could Mo Rubin have been caught?" Li Fan wondered.

He reconsidered; Mo Rubin’s techniques were incredibly mysterious. Even if he were discovered, capturing him wouldn't be simple. This thought brought Li Fan some relief.

Li Fan remained in his new hiding spot for three days, staying as hidden as possible to avoid detection.

During this period, black-robed agents from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance conducted searches, but Li Fan remained unnoticed.

Li Fan observed that these black-robed cultivators didn't seem to be trying very hard.

Their searches were superficial and rushed before they moved on to the next area.

"How curious."

Li Fan contemplated their lack of effort.

The isolation and the sweeping searches lasted for ten days.

Initially, the residents of the four prefectures were compliant, but as the days passed without a return to normalcy, resentment began to build.

The cultivators living in these four prefectures were the very heart of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

An indefinite lockdown without cause was bound to fail eventually.

Ten days in, facing a rising tide of protest, the Alliance finally ended the restrictions on the four prefectures.

The mirrored landscape in the sky faded away, and the white mist barriers returned to the borders.

However, the giant fissures in the sky did not disappear.

They remained like scars on the world, serving as a reminder of the recent chaos and the fragile nature of their reality.

Li Fan did not run immediately; he stayed in his hidden cave for another month. Only when the incident's impact had faded and people stopped talking about it did he finally slip away.

Throughout the entire ordeal, he never heard a word from Mo Rubin.

There were no calls for help and no warnings.

Li Fan decided to visit Weidu, the place where the Tianxuan Mirror’s human avatar had once resided.

The avatar was gone, leaving no trace behind.