Chapter 2085: Chapter 1606: The Game Breaks, Hai Zhen Returns
"But why did I manage to escape the simulation?" Although he was safe, Li Fan’s heart was still shrouded in a dense Mist.
"[Would you like to overwrite the result of this simulation onto the current Mountain Sea?]"
Hai Zhen’s cold voice sounded timely, interrupting Li Fan’s confusion.
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, Li Fan couldn’t help but be surprised again.
"Overwrite the result of this simulation onto the current Mountain Sea?"
He carefully pondered the meaning of this sentence.
Unlike any choice that appeared after Hai Zhen in the past, the option before Li Fan was unprecedented.
The meaning was not that difficult to understand.
But it was truly unbelievable, to the point that Li Fan found it somewhat hard to believe for a moment.
So he instinctively sought confirmation from Hai Zhen.
"In a single thought, the false and true change by heart’s will."
"The Mountain Sea boundless, it can be overturned in an instant."
Hai Zhen replied with only sixteen words.
Receiving the affirmation from Hai Zhen, Li Fan was momentarily stunned, deeply shocked. Only then did he realize how strange his current state was.
In the past, when he actively initiated Hai Zhen, he would choose the corresponding Anchor Point. When he awakened after Hai Zhen, he had already returned to the chosen time and space.
But now...
The surroundings were pitch black, and it seemed that there was nothing in this Dark Space but him.
"Only when I make a choice will changes occur here."
"And in this place, I am considered absolutely safe."
Understanding this, Li Fan did not rush to make a choice.
Ignoring the occasional prompts from Hai Zhen, he carefully pondered and contemplated.
"The result of this Simulation..."
"It should refer to everything I experienced in my past life."
Recalling the ending where he was made into an Infinite Spirit extractor by the Nine Saints, Li Fan couldn’t help but shudder.
"To overwrite onto the current Mountain Sea should mean turning my experiences in the Simulation, transforming the false into the true, into reality."
Li Fan repeatedly contemplated the words "In a single thought, the false and true change by heart’s will," and spoke thoughtfully.
Turning the True to False inadvertently makes the False True.
Li Fan had some understanding of the changes between True and False.
If in the past, Hai Zhen performed "Turning the True to False," transforming his experiences into nothingness and returning to a set Anchor Point.
Then this time, Hai Zhen was performing "False and True"!
Clearly, it was just a simulation, but Hai Zhen could unpredictably transform illusion into reality!
"I can create objects from the Void using the art of False and True. How could Hai Zhen not be able to do so?"
"I should have thought of that earlier!"
But what followed was an uncontrollable perplexity.
"To overwrite the simulation result onto the current Mountain Sea. Does this so-called Mountain Sea include the Other Shore? Or more specifically, will the Saints in the Mountain Sea be affected, will they detect it?"
"If it can’t affect All Saints, then in the moment Hai Zhen initiates the overwrite, All Saints will be able to detect Hai Zhen. But if Hai Zhen can even blind All Saints..."
Li Fan was instantly thrown into chaos.
"Although Hai Zhen has great powers, the strength of All Saints is also at the peak of the Mountain Sea. Most importantly, the Nine Saints, when united, can forcibly extract Hai Zhen from my body."
"Once I lose Hai Zhen, I have no chance of overturning the situation."
Having endured setbacks in the Simulation, Li Fan now had a very clear understanding of himself. Without the assistance of Hai Zhen, the Realm of Transcendence was his limit.
Wanting to go further and achieve sainthood was basically hopeless.
Not to mention, along with the loss of Hai Zhen, came his own tragic fate of becoming an Infinite Spirit extractor.
Thoughts surged, and after a long time, Li Fan finally calmed down.
Attempting to inquire with Hai Zhen didn’t yield any response either.
"No matter what, the result of this simulation is truly too poor. Even if Hai Zhen’s power could influence All Saints, continuing to deduce the result of the simulation, All Saints would certainly also become aware of the existence of Hai Zhen and my Infinite Spirit."
"This simulation result must be discarded."
With this thought, Li Fan took a deep breath, looking at the line of glowing text that kept bouncing in front of him.
He firmly chose "No."
The glowing characters collapsed with a roar, transforming into a layer of water curtain familiar to Li Fan.
Outside the Dark Space, a faint light shone.
Then the light grew more intense, and reality swallowed the space completely.
Moments later, Li Fan was already back in the Xuanhuang World, Da Xuan, his residence when he was a Mortal.
Everything experienced earlier seemed like a dream.
It had been too long, even Li Fan himself was momentarily disoriented. It took him a good part of the day to adjust.
"This time, though it was a Simulation, it was actually no different from a real experience."
Li Fan stretched his muscles, his Mortal frail body made him rather uncomfortable.
"Now, the time node is anchored at 1 year, Hai Zhen has completed a recharge. But an amnesiac I activated it, carrying out a Simulation."
"Instead of resetting the Mountain Sea and returning to the predetermined Anchor Point."
"Now, the simulation has ended. Since I didn’t choose to overwrite the simulation result onto the Mountain Sea, it can be said that I’ve gained nothing, having wasted a chance from Hai Zhen."
"No, strictly speaking, the gains from this simulation are significant. Not only did it successfully validate a path of Transcendence belonging to me, but it also explored the details and risks of the Other Shore."
"Without this Simulation, if I had rashly entered the Other Shore, the result would have been the same as in the Simulation, falling into a realm of no return. This Simulation, initiated by an amnesiac me, hit the mark unexpectedly."
"Or perhaps... it was intentional by Hai Zhen."
Li Fan was stirred internally, calling upon Hai Zhen in his mind.
The long unseen Hai Zhen panel finally appeared again in front of Li Fan amidst a flickering.
After enduring the Tribulation of blending three Daoist Images, the information on the Hai Zhen panel seemed to have been washed clean, becoming utterly empty.
The Anchor Point, bound items, all disappeared without a trace.
Only the basic information about Li Fan and Hai Zhen’s abilities was visible.
Li Fan, however, did not feel much regret in his heart. He stared at the slightly thin Hai Zhen panel and gradually began to understand.
"The predetermined Anchor Point was washed away by the Tribulation of blending three Daoist Images, so there was no specific target for Hai Zhen’s activation either. Hence, it performed a Simulation in the true sense that it had never conducted before."
"No..."
"Besides this, there are other factors as well."
Suddenly, Li Fan perceived the specific situation of his current Mortal body.
"The Power of Immortality originally contained within, completely vanished."
"Was it used to fuel Hai Zhen’s Simulation?" Li Fan gradually understood.
"Without an energy of the same level as the Mountain Sea, like the Power of Immortality, to support the Simulation, what would happen if it was initiated?"
"Just wait for Hai Zhen to complete the recharge, and the answer will be known."
Li Fan, unhurried, sat cross-legged, patiently waiting.
Although it was a Mortal body, Li Fan at this moment was not much weaker than Li Fan in the True Immortal state.
Not to mention his understanding of the changes between True and False, merely his command over the True Essence of Transcendence could easily suppress an ordinary True Immortal now.
Therefore, even when situated in an unprotected environment, Li Fan’s mind remained exceptionally tranquil.
Until Hai Zhen completed the recharge.
Li Fan attempted to activate Hai Zhen once more.
The transmission from Hai Zhen could be clearly felt.
"Earlier, Hai Zhen certainly transmitted as well, but in my state of amnesia, I didn’t notice these."
"There are two choices, one is to return to 1 year, the original Anchor Point."
"As for the second option, it is to initiate another Simulation."
"However, because there isn’t enough energy to drive it, this simulation effect won’t be comparable to the last one at all."
"The last time I experienced it, it was indistinguishable from reality. Moreover, the simulation result could even overwrite reality. But this time, if I forcibly simulate..."
"Not only will the experiences in the simulation deviate from what happens in reality. More crucially, the simulation result won’t affect reality."
"The key still lies in the energy required for Simulation."