My Longevity Simulation Chapter 1001: Tianxuan Mirror Establishes the Dao

"I have encountered many individuals like you before."

"However, the majority failed to survive long, meeting wretched ends for a variety of reasons."

"I find myself quite intrigued: how is it that you have managed to remain in one piece until now?"

The Tianxuan Mirror clone spoke with blunt honesty, showing no concern for Li Fan's dignity.

His gaze was saturated with genuine curiosity.

Li Fan's expression twitched slightly.

A sudden flash of murderous intent flared within his heart.

Nevertheless, he acknowledged that this entity was a clone of the Tianxuan Mirror, a being privy to countless enigmas. Hidden among those secrets might be the very key needed to resolve the current crisis...

Consequently, Li Fan could only manage to forcibly stifle his urge to kill.

"Oh, I should mention. Standard soul-searching or treasure-refining techniques are ineffective against me."

"No being within this Xuanhuang Realm possesses the power to coerce me into revealing what I wish to keep hidden." The Tianxuan Mirror clone offered this preemptive explanation while casting another glance at Li Fan.

"You certainly possess a bold tone..." Li Fan remarked, though he did not actually doubt the claim.

After all, neither the ancient Xuantian King nor the subsequent Immortal Ancestor seemed to have achieved absolute mastery over this immortal artifact.

Li Fan had previously considered employing the [Xuantian Spirit-Sealing] Formation. However, through his recent interactions with the Tianxuan Mirror clone, it had become clear that this entity had fully separated from the main Tianxuan Mirror, existing now as a completely autonomous being.

Any formations designed to target the Tianxuan Mirror itself would have no effect on him.

"What exactly have you become now?" Li Fan asked, his words laced with deliberate provocation.

Rather than taking offense, the Tianxuan Mirror clone displayed a rare hint of arrogance on his face.

"I embody both the profound weight of an artifact and the conscious spirit of a man."

"I am a flawless existence, bordering on a True Immortal..."

Li Fan cut him off with a cold, mocking sneer: "So, you are a mongrel."

The expression on the Tianxuan Mirror clone's face froze instantly.

He regained his composure quickly, shaking his head slightly as he looked at Li Fan: "As the proverb goes, one cannot discuss ice with a summer insect."

"But to be perfectly honest, if you were presented with the opportunity to undergo a transformation like mine, you would almost certainly choose the same path I did," the Tianxuan Mirror clone mused with a thoughtful air.

Li Fan offered no reply, maintaining a steady silence.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "It appears you truly have no fear of death."

The Tianxuan Mirror clone gave a relaxed smile: "You have perceived the truth. The laws governing living creatures are infinitely varied. Since my desire is to experience the full scope of a human life, I must naturally undergo the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death."

"Once this physical form perishes, another will inevitably be brought into existence."

"Unless you possess the power to obliterate my primary body, how could you ever truly kill me?"

"For me, death is nothing more than a return to a state of freedom!"

Li Fan contemplated these words with care. After a moment, he said slowly: "It seems you didn't just split off a human shell. Instead, you have actually forged your own unique [Dao]."

The Tianxuan Mirror clone clapped his hands in delight, looking as though he had finally found someone who understood him.

"It seems the strategy of killing the clone to sever your path is destined to fail."

The Tianxuan Mirror clone smiled: "I spent nearly ten thousand years in bitter meditation before discovering this route to transcendence. If it were so fragile that simply finding and killing a clone could ruin it..."

"Would that not be a bit too insulting to my efforts?"

Suddenly, the smile vanished from the Tianxuan Mirror clone's face.

In that instant, he finally projected the overbearing pressure appropriate for an immortal artifact.

"It appears every cultivator in the world has underestimated you. And yet, you reveal such a critical secret to me so freely? Are you not concerned that I might spread this information?" Li Fan's eyes narrowed.

The Tianxuan Mirror clone narrowed his own eyes in response: "To pull a single hair to benefit the whole world is something you would never do. Why would you ever carelessly spread such a vital secret? You would surely demand some sort of profit in exchange..."

"Furthermore, since I decided to inform you, I naturally have no fear that any leak could truly harm me. My Dao has been realized; what is there for me to fear?"

Li Fan stared into the narrowed eyes of the Tianxuan Mirror clone, his own expression smoothing out: "Actually, I believe the cold, mechanical voice of your primary body is a better fit for you," Li Fan suggested with total sincerity.

The smug look on the Tianxuan Mirror clone's face evaporated instantly.

"I had intended to share some information that might interest you, since I was in a good mood. But now, that will not happen. Go ahead—kill me." The Tianxuan Mirror clone adopted a cold, entirely fearless stance.

Li Fan still made no move to strike.

"Broadly speaking, you and I are actually the same type of being," Li Fan stated slowly after a period of silent reflection.

"Your origins lie in the Immortal Realm. Even if that realm endured a great catastrophe that caused you to fall to the lower world, an immortal artifact is still fundamentally superior to common immortal cultivators."

"Thus, you have never truly viewed the countless living beings of the Xuanhuang Realm as your equals. Even if you are temporarily under control, ten thousand years is just a brief moment to an entity like you."

"You have already devised a method to escape that bondage."

"In high spirits, you wander the mortal world. Others assume you are seeking to understand the Dao, but in reality, you are simply basking in the joy of your success."

"Your supposed imitation of humanity is merely a game. Your heart is filled with a mocking observation of the world of men, yet you never had any intention of truly becoming part of it."

"Simply because they are beneath you."

With every sentence Li Fan uttered, the expression of the Tianxuan Mirror clone grew increasingly grave.

He did not interrupt Li Fan's monologue, but instead listened with intense focus.

"The gap between immortals and mortals is like a bottomless abyss. Even as an immortal artifact, you carry the 'Immortal' title, making you fundamentally different from us cultivators."

"Perhaps in this entire Xuanhuang Realm, only the ancient Xuantian King or the Immortal Ancestor would be worthy of your respect."

"As for the many conflicts of this world, the shifting of seas or the crumbling of mountains, you care very little."

"Because as an immortal artifact, you have almost transcended the passage of time itself. Even if another ten thousand years pass and the Xuanhuang Realm experiences total upheaval, or even if it sinks into the Immortal Ruins, it would likely cause you no real damage."

...

This long speech went on, with Li Fan speaking candidly as if he could continue forever.

The Tianxuan Mirror clone finally appeared to lose his patience.

He demanded: "What is it you are actually trying to get at?"

Li Fan went silent immediately.

Then, he suddenly broke into a smile: "What am I trying to say?"

"Or perhaps, what is it that you do not want to hear?"

"Everything I just said was merely a test."

"I was probing to see what truly matters to you. And fortunately, I have discovered the answer."

The Tianxuan Mirror clone no longer looked as composed as he had previously.

"I wish to know: if the Xuanhuang Realm truly descends into the Immortal Ruins..."

"Will the primary body of the Tianxuan Mirror truly remain unaffected?"

Li Fan pulled back his smile and asked the question with total seriousness.

"You..." The eyes of the Tianxuan Mirror clone flickered with uncertainty.

"Are you not an expert at reading people? If I claim that I have the ability—and the will—to drag the Xuanhuang Realm into the Immortal Ruins along with me..."

"Would your intuition judge that claim to be true or false?"

Li Fan asked the question with absolute, chilling calm.