My Simulated Road to Immortality Chapter 5 - 5: Stirring Up Waves on Calm Ground
Previously on My Simulated Road to Immortality...
5 Chapter 5: Stirring Up Waves on Calm Ground
Translator: 549690339
[Simulation ends]
…
As Li Fan snapped back to awareness, he remained captivated by the might of Dao Xuanzi’s sword strike.
“This must be the essence of a Foundation Establishment Grand Completion cultivator…” Awe overwhelmed Li Fan.
The sheer force of Kou Hong, capable of wiping out Xuanjing City with ease, had already shocked Li Fan deeply. Yet, Dao Xuanzi’s ultimate sword move truly made him grasp his own triviality.
Just like an ant staring down a massive wave, Li Fan couldn’t even begin to comprehend that sword attack, much less grasp its complete shape.
A mere brush with such strength showed Li Fan the vast gulf separating ordinary people from Foundation Establishment Grand Completion experts.
“Lacking the Immortal-Ordinary Miasma, I suspect that no matter how many rebirths I endure or how cleverly I scheme against them, I couldn’t pose a real threat,” Li Fan reflected inwardly, a mix of gratitude and profound unease washing over him.
“What exactly is this Immortal-Ordinary Miasma? Don’t cultivators rise gradually from ordinary humans? How can the blood of mortals wield such a potent restraining power over them?” These underlying mysteries ignited his intrigue.
Still, Li Fan swiftly pushed those ideas aside.
“For now, I should review the successes and failures from this lifetime,” he resolved.
While observing the images flashing on the display, Li Fan pondered deeply.
“The surprise attack on Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong unfolded largely as anticipated. I employed bullets dipped in the blood of condemned inmates to erode their strength. Next came the Golden Core Technique to throw them off balance. Finally, unleashing the blood rain as the decisive blow drained them to exhaustion, allowing me to seize them unharmed…”
“The real shock was how intensely the Immortal-Ordinary Miasma hampers cultivators. It straight up caused Kou Hong’s demise.”
“Even more astonishing, I had dismissed their ‘brothers for a century’ remark as mere banter. But their connection ran far deeper than that. During the assault, Dao Xuanzi alerted Kou Hong, who realized his end was near and passed the Golden Core Technique to his comrade.”
“Witnessing Kou Hong fall to a hidden strike, Dao Xuanzi sacrificed his own existence for a devastating last assault, seeking vengeance for his ally… These deeds clearly demonstrate an exceptionally profound camaraderie between them…”
“So why would such steadfast brothers clash to the bitter end over the Golden Core Technique?” Li Fan’s confusion deepened.
Abruptly, memories of his initial encounter with the pair resurfaced.
“Golden Core Path: If I exist, he cannot…” Li Fan contemplated silently, “Does the Immortal Law prohibit shared cultivation…?”
“If even such intimate brothers meet this fate, what chaos must reign in the broader Immortal Cultivation World?”
Li Fan sensed that the Immortal Cultivation World of this realm diverged sharply from his preconceptions.
“Regardless of the difficulties ahead, I won’t back down. Especially with the aid of [Real], I’ll proceed with care, confident that no challenge can block me.”
Though doubt flickered briefly in Li Fan, his resolve soon hardened.
“In this fabled Immortal Realm, pursuing the Immortal Way demands leveraging Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi. Last round, I targeted them together in an ambush; maybe this time, I should side with one against the other.” Li Fan’s mind raced ahead, devising fresh tactics to handle them.
Despite facing exalted Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Li Fan felt no true fear. He scarcely viewed them as genuine “foes.”
Arrogance didn’t drive him; rather, the [Real]’s gift of infinite restarts proved overwhelmingly superior!
How could a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s prowess rival fifty years of prophecy and endless opportunities to refine strategies through mistakes?
With the simulation concluded, Li Fan opted to accelerate the Void Transformation energy accumulation.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Mortal
Biological Age: 20/86
Mental Age: 216/1080↑
Void Transformation Charge: 30%
“This time, the mental age cap only rose by a handful of decades; it looks like it’s hitting a plateau.” Li Fan had anticipated this, so it didn’t trouble him much.
“Counting my life before crossing over, this marks my fifth existence. The road to immortality, truly arduous.” Li Fan let out a sigh. “May these fifty years count for something.”
Once more, Li Fan embarked on his fifty-year vigil.
Like clockwork in a scripted routine, events progressed predictably.
Excelling in the imperial exams, earning selection, and claiming the top honors as zhuangyuan.
Serving as county official, extracting ores, and forging weapons.
Capitalizing on King Langya’s demise to rise swiftly, Li Fan grew restless.
A decade felt excessively drawn out. Without the underworld’s daily oversight or constant Jiangnan disruptions, he could have mobilized global forces over those extra years, boosting the odds of nabbing the two cultivators intact.
In turn, Li Fan instructed a trusted agent to infiltrate the palace and administer a gradual toxin to the emperor in secret.
Little did he expect this choice to unleash unforeseen turmoil.
At first, Li Fan’s poisoning went undetected. But the once-vigorous emperor weakened abruptly, breeding paranoia.
He grew convinced of a secret plot against him. His prime suspect? His former trusted kin, King Langya.
Consequently, when the anchor hit year 7 and the emperor lay dying, he bypassed King Langya for the succession, naming the frivolous Nan Wang instead.
Luckily, Li Fan’s spies in the palace relayed the intelligence swiftly. Reacting at once, Li Fan sprang into motion.
He sent killers to eliminate Nan Wang en route to the capital; simultaneously, under King Langya’s banner, he proclaimed the emperor’s murder by inner circle betrayers. Rallying under the call to “quell the realm’s disorder,” he commanded his long-built forces and rushed toward the capital, claiming the government through sheer might.
Such bold maneuvers inevitably spawned lasting repercussions.
The initial backlash came from the officials. Per the emperor’s final decree, the crown belonged to Nan Wang. Didn’t this make King Langya’s move outright treason? Though Li Fan’s troops silenced open revolt, the bureaucrats resisted through delays and work stoppages. Some covertly reached out to local lords, plotting to march on the capital for “restoring order.” Li Fan showed no quarter, executing a wave of them to rein them in. Then, with covert support from his father-in-law, the chief academician, he spent several months just to steady the chaos.
In that span, unrest had erupted throughout the Da Xuan Kingdom. Local princes proclaimed independence, defying central commands.
Thus, Li Fan was forced to send armies to crush them individually.
Firearms offered an edge, yet their supply remained scarce. Across the sprawling Da Xuan lands, suppressing them demanded immense toil.
Juggling battles and governance, Li Fan wore himself ragged.
Only by the 22nd anchor year did he eradicate all threats within and without.
Reckoning it up, versus sticking to the original patient scheme, this hasty path actually cost extra years to dominate the realm fully.
“I must exercise greater caution and patience,” Li Fan conceded once calm returned, absorbing the hard lesson. “One slip can unravel everything. Too many deviations weaken my foresight considerably.”
Thankfully, the hiccups proved minor, leaving the overarching plan intact.
With stability restored, time accelerated onward. In a blink, the 35th anchor year dawned.
That year, Li Fan departed Xuanjing City, journeyed over a thousand miles, and arrived in person at the Eastern Ruin Abyss.