My Longevity Simulation Chapter 1402: The Xuanhuang Ascension Immortal Domain

All the constantly shifting patterns on the stone slab gradually settled and sank inward.

It looked just like an ordinary mortal stone slab, completely unremarkable.

But Li Fan had personally witnessed the divine might of this stone slab earlier. How could he possibly be deceived by the illusion it was currently displaying?

'The key is how to activate the power of the stone slab.' Li Fan pondered deeply.

The stone slab in his hand had completely ceased responding to any stimulation from the outside world. Whether it was spiritual energy, source power essence, True Immortal flesh and blood, or even the obliterating wind calamity, none of these forces could provoke the slightest change from it, even when brought close to test its reaction.

Li Fan could even vaguely sense that when faced with all these probing forces, the stone slab truly possessed no defensive power whatsoever.

If these forces advanced another step and actually touched the stone slab, they would probably tear it to pieces in an instant.

'This...' Since this concerned whether he could successfully achieve Dao Integration and ascend to immortality in this life, Li Fan's eyes flickered. In the end, he temporarily abandoned the idea of testing it by directly destroying it.

His gaze swept over the stone slab again and again. Recalling the astonishing display of divine might it had shown earlier at the center of that strange formation, a thought suddenly emerged in Li Fan's mind.

Li Fan could not help looking toward the strange formation nearby. After the stone slab had been removed, it seemed to have disappeared into the world.

'It took so much effort to remove it. Could I really have to put it back again?'

Li Fan's expression shifted between uncertainty and determination.

At this moment, he suddenly found himself missing Cat Treasure.

'If Cat Treasure's replication ability were here, I would not have to agonize over this.'

There was no way he could simply return the stone slab to its original position. Given the little Heavenly Beast's current condition, barely clinging to life, it would absolutely be unable to pass through the formation again and retrieve the stone slab.

'From the looks of it, the stone slab and the formation activate each other. Neither can do without the other. Although I cannot replicate the stone slab, I can replicate the formation.'

'Even if I can only reproduce a small portion of it...'

Li Fan temporarily set aside this stone slab, which the Xuantian King had replicated from the Immortal Realm's Immortal Ascension Platform, and instead focused his attention on observing and studying the mysterious formation buried a million miles beneath the Xuanhuang Realm nearby.

Without the stone slab's support, the formation became hidden. But it had not truly disappeared.

At the very least, unlike the High Wall's 'formlessness', Li Fan could still vaguely sense the existence of the formation.

With a thought, countless golden threads shot out and pierced into the area covered by the formation. They transformed into countless tentacles belonging to Li Fan, assisting him in sensing and analyzing it.

Within his sea of consciousness, the Final Dissociation Disc suddenly shone brilliantly.

It was not because its load had exceeded its limits. Rather, it had vaguely sensed an entirely new type of formation structure. Extremely rarely, it actually displayed emotions of longing and excitement.

Li Fan stood silently, synchronizing everything he had comprehended with the Final Dissociation Disc.

At the same time, he adjusted his method of observation according to the feedback from the Final Dissociation Disc.

Again and again.

Even though its core was already capable of deducing Immortal techniques, the Final Dissociation Disc still struggled greatly to analyze this formation.

Time passed second by second.

Only six hours remained before the moment when Li Fan would attempt to achieve Dao Integration in the branch simulation.

In truth, Li Fan could ignore the result of the branch simulation. He did not necessarily have to attempt his breakthrough within these twenty-four hours.

But doing so would also mean facing more unexpected variables.

Within the period covered by the branch simulation, everything would unfold exactly as Li Fan had personally experienced it. The actions of the Immortal Ancestor, the Heavenly Doctor, the Grand Mage, the Hunger Immortal, and the others were all within his control. This allowed Li Fan to focus wholeheartedly on pushing the Xuanhuang Realm toward ascension and transformation without worrying about interference from the outside world.

But if he delayed until beyond the time covered by the branch simulation...

Anything could happen.

There would simply be too many variables, making every step like walking on thin ice.

'If I had not vaguely sensed the existence of some [once lost, forever lost] characteristic during the attempt to ascend to immortality, I would not need to be so cautious. After all, with [Truth], I can still turn the tide. Even if some unexpected change occurs, I should at least be able to preserve my life.'

'If what I sought were merely True Immortality, then so be it. After hundreds or thousands of attempts, sooner or later I would be able to become a True Immortal.'

'But what I seek is eternal life!'

Li Fan's gaze was deep, revealing not the slightest emotional fluctuation.

'True eternal life! True Immortals who died like ants when the great calamity arrived; even the nameless True Immortal whose leg bone was sealed and forged into an Immortal Ascension Heavenly Pillar...'

'None of these are my ultimate goal!'

'To roam freely through eternity without being bound by anything. That is what I have painstakingly sought all this time!'

Having comprehended the deepest desire within his own heart, Li Fan's countless anxieties and unease vanished completely the moment this thought arose.

All distracting thoughts concerning the countless possibilities dispersed like smoke.

At this moment, only an utterly pure and incomparably resolute will remained in his mind, the determination to pursue the Dao, ascend to immortality, and swear to attain eternal life.

The Final Dissociation Disc also sensed its master's determination at this instant.

Its radiance suddenly surged to an unprecedented level.

It no longer cared about the limits of what it could withstand and performed deductions without reservation. Countless formation unit data rapidly transformed, while cracks began appearing across the surface of the Final Dissociation Disc.

Li Fan also remained completely indifferent to the imminent collapse of the Final Dissociation Disc as it staked everything on this final attempt.

His mind was completely focused on comprehending the formation.

Throughout his hundred reincarnations, from He Zhenghao's [Hundred Veins Formation Diagram] to Zhang Zhiliang's [Unlimited formation]; from the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance's [Tianxuan Spirit Locking Grand Formation] to the ancient Xuantian Sect's [Floating Across Starry Sky Grand Formation]; even the Immortal-grade formation [Primordial Mystic Spirit]...

From ancient times to the present, from mortal formations to Immortal formations, Li Fan had already witnessed countless formations.

And with the supreme treasure Final Dissociation Disc by his side, constantly deducing and innovating day and night, Li Fan's attainments in formation arts had long since become unrivaled throughout the Star Sea.

Although the strange formation before him was a type of formation Li Fan had never encountered before, it was still ultimately within the category of a 'formation'.

Through his joint deductions with the Final Dissociation Disc, Li Fan gradually began to understand the manner in which this formation existed.

His eyes flickered. He also recalled the [Dao Refining Medicine King Scripture] passed down by Sun Piaomiao, and fell into deep thought.

'What is a formation?'

'Back then, Zhang Zhiliang of the Congyun Sea said that a formation was a standardized form of laws. But in my view, a formation is a shortcut for connecting numerous laws.'

'The reason we cultivators can use mortal bodies to move mountains and fill seas is because we can invoke the power of the laws of Heaven and Earth. The most elementary formations can be viewed as a tool for doing precisely this.'

'As for more profound formations, those are Immortal formations. They connect, fuse, and alter the laws of Heaven and Earth, allowing one to transform the rotten into the miraculous at will!'

Countless sparks of inspiration suddenly erupted within Li Fan's mind, as if pushing him into a profound and unfathomable realm.

'The great laws of the world have existed since time immemorial and circulate eternally. The reason ordinary formations require energy to operate is because, in order to invoke the power of laws through a formation, one must first establish a connection to those laws.'

'But this formation before me...'

A strange glint suddenly flashed through Li Fan's eyes.

'It uses the Dao itself as the formation!'

'It eliminates the process of establishing a connection and instead relies upon the natural circulation of the Great Dao itself to drive the formation!'

'At the same time, the Great Dao has no physical form. If the subtle balanced structure of [using the Dao as the formation] is disrupted, then the formation will naturally return to the Great Dao and disappear from the mortal world!'

Li Fan's thoughts spun faster and faster.

What stood before him was no longer an ordinary formation.

It was an unparalleled divine ability that used unfathomable methods to gently pluck the Great Dao laws of Heaven and Earth from existence, then knead and reshape them!

After comprehending this point, Li Fan felt as though he were directly facing a portion of the Great Dao itself. His mind inevitably trembled.

At this moment, the Final Dissociation Disc, which had been probing the [Dao Formation] while operating under an overloaded state for such a long time, finally reached its limit.

Countless cracks appeared one after another, like ravines across the earth, covering its entire surface in an instant.

Ding!

With a crisp sound, the Final Dissociation Disc that had accompanied Li Fan for so long shattered!

It dispersed into countless points of starlight that remained suspended within Li Fan's soul.

Without the assistance of the Final Dissociation Disc, Li Fan's vision instantly became blurred.

He could no longer peer into the true essence of the [Dao Formation].

However, no trace of disappointment appeared on Li Fan's face.

His gaze shifted away from the Dao Formation and toward the stone slab beside him.

'If this formation is a manifestation of the Great Dao, then this stone slab is the key that activates different Great Daos.'

'In truth, there really is nothing special about this stone slab. It is simply that the patterns engraved upon it happen to correspond with the [Daos] fused together within the Dao Formation.'

The aura surging around Li Fan completely subsided and became calm.

'A gentleman is not born different from others. He is merely skilled at making use of external things.'

'Even though I cannot completely comprehend the essence of the Dao Formation for now, that does not prevent me from...'

'Using it!'

'Using the Dao as the formation...'

Li Fan softly repeated these four words.

His figure flickered, and in an instant he left the depths of the earth and arrived beneath the vast sky of the Xuanhuang Realm.

'Use the Dao as the formation.'

Li Fan silently repeated these four words within his heart.

'Transform the mortal into the immortal.'

His expression became unreadable as he looked toward the stone stele standing within the You Clan's small world.

On the stone stele, the character representing the transformation between immortality and mortality had been accelerated by Li Fan through multiple methods. It was now only a hair's breadth away from fully manifesting.

Li Fan took a deep breath.

Using his finger as a brush, he did not infuse it with any energy. He simply imitated and copied the form.

With a slight application of force, he left only a faint mark upon the stone slab.

And even that mark seemed as though it could disappear at any moment.

Li Fan was completely focused at this moment. Even though the characters of the Immortal Mortal Transformation were still incomplete, it did not stop him from imitating them as best he could.

While copying the True Immortal seal script, Li Fan was also observing every movement within heaven and earth.

To his slight disappointment, even after he had completely written out all the known characters of the Immortal Mortal Transformation onto the stone slab, there was still no unusual phenomenon.

'Could it be that it has to be complete?' Li Fan could not help frowning.

Looking at the remaining You Clansmen in the small world, Li Fan considered whether he should throw all of them into the leg bone of the Nameless True Immortal at once, thereby causing the characters of the Immortal Mortal Transformation to fully manifest.

'Or perhaps... it has to be done somewhere else.'

After pondering for a while, Li Fan did not act immediately.

Instead, he carried the stone slab to the center of the Star Sea.

'Ascend!'

With a thought from Li Fan, the flesh and blood of the True Immortal began burning fiercely, transforming into an endless source of power for the Ascension Formation.

Holding the stone slab aloft with one hand, the Star Sea within Li Fan's vision rapidly became smaller.

Yet what was extremely strange was that no matter how much Li Fan's momentum rose, the stone slab suspended in his hand remained exactly the same size.

At first, compared to the entire Star Sea, it was merely an insignificant speck that could be ignored.

But as Li Fan's momentum continued to rise, amid the contrast between change and invariance, the stone slab gradually became almost comparable to the entire Star Sea.

'The Great Dao is projected from above to below. Whether mortal or immortal, everyone can glimpse a portion of the Great Dao. It is simply that the scenery each person sees is different. The difference in cultivation realm makes no difference to the Great Dao itself. The Great Dao one glimpses will not undergo any obvious change.'

'The only thing that can influence it to a certain extent is one's own comprehension of the Dao.'

'The same applies to the Great Dao, and to the Key of the Dao as well.'

Having ascended to the limit of the mortal realm, the energy within Li Fan's body was being consumed at an extremely terrifying rate. Only by borrowing the infinite power of the Star Sea from daoist boy Qiushui could he barely maintain this state for a short period.

Holding up the stone slab consumed twice as much power.

Without the assistance of the Star Sea, Li Fan probably could not remain in this elevated state for even a moment.

Steadying his mind, Li Fan continued with what he had left unfinished on the stone slab, though it was extremely difficult.

With his hand, he began engraving the characters of the Immortal Mortal Transformation.

As before, they only left behind faint marks.

But unlike before...

Li Fan's actions actually caused a certain identical symbol within the stone slab to respond.

Or rather, to resonate.

Just as it had when previously activated by the Dao Formation, patterns began appearing on the surface of the stone slab in a regular manner.

However, rather than countless different patterns continuously changing, only a single pattern appeared.

Buzz...

As the stone slab underwent this astonishing transformation, a corresponding phenomenon also emerged within the Star Sea.

At the center of the Star Sea, a muffled sound suddenly rang out. It was like the sound of paper being pierced by the tip of a brush.

A profoundly mysterious principle of the Great Dao descended upon the center of the Star Sea in response to the stone slab's summons.

It was as if, while standing atop a mountain peak, someone had suddenly lifted him up another step.

Li Fan felt the entire scene of the Star Sea within his vision suddenly contract.

Countless lines curled inward and converged into a single point.

The spiritual energy, flesh and blood, and even divine soul throughout his entire body seemed to be scorched by raging flames. They became blazing hot and boiled violently.

Like fine metal being forged in raging fire, like sand being sifted by tremendous waves.

All impurities had to be removed, leaving only the essence.

However, the consumption caused by this refining and extraction was simply too terrifying.

Even though Li Fan cultivated the New Method and could continuously grow new flesh and blood through his Cave Heaven, and even though he had mastered the Limitless Fullness and Emptiness Method, allowing his source power to remain inexhaustible and his divine soul to remain undying, he still could not withstand such an enormous level of consumption for long.

Li Fan felt the changes within his body with some alarm and decisively made a decision.

The phantom of the Wooden Sword left its sheath and, carrying the stone slab with it, plummeted downward at the speed of light.

The phenomenon within the Star Sea stagnated for a moment.

Then, amid complete silence, a tremendous roar erupted like the collapse of the heavens, reverberating endlessly and lingering for a long time.

At the same time, like waves splashing up when a massive stone falls into water, rolling black qi began emerging from the center of the Star Sea not long after Li Fan departed.

Li Fan naturally knew the consequences of attempting the Ascension here, in this special region at the center of the Star Sea.

But he also knew that the black qi of the Dao Annihilation Calamity would not spread quickly.

It would not affect his plans in this life to push the Xuanhuang Realm toward ascension and sublimation.

He had a reason that made it necessary for him to act here.

'The center of the Star Sea, the pinnacle of mortal momentum.'

'The combination of these two conditions creates the highest point that can be reached within the Star Sea apart from a True Immortal.'

'It is one step closer to the Great Dao itself.'

'It was precisely because of this additional step that the function of the stone slab, the Key of the Dao, was finally able to manifest properly.'

After returning to the normal Xuanhuang Realm, Li Fan stroked the stone slab in his hand.

All the various marks on its surface had already faded away.

Just as the Dao comes and goes, leaving behind no trace.

But the speculation in Li Fan's heart had already been verified.

'The Dao Formation is a formation created through supreme means, extracting strands of numerous Great Dao laws and then fusing them together.'

'The stone slab is the key that activates the laws wit