My Longevity Simulation Chapter 1142: The Derivation Law Never Rests

Elder Nangong looked briefly taken aback by Li Fan's inquiry, as though he hadn't foreseen it coming. Following a short hesitation, his eyes deepened into a grave intensity.

"Should such an individual really exist," he uttered deliberately, "it only strengthens the need to bar him from nearing the Derivation Law Jade."

"Enduring solitary life over hundreds of years while holding emotions steady and unaltered from start to finish... someone like that has to be either a lunatic or harbor an utterly extreme disposition."

Li Fan cut in, "I've learned that supreme talents in closed-door practice can immerse in cultivation for a century free of diversions. If isolation fails to shake their poise, isn't that entirely ordinary?"

Elder Nangong gave a light laugh and shook his head firmly. "Talents of that caliber wouldn't show up here at all, except if they're harboring hidden agendas."

Li Fan found himself at a loss for words briefly.

Nearby, Sun Luyuan's face took on a touch of unease.

"That's sufficient for now," Elder Nangong declared. "You're now part of the Hall of Guardians. I'll go over some key points that demand extra care. Apart from the Immortal Alliance's numerous rules, extra safeguards apply when handling the Derivation Law Jade."

"Brother Sun, you're free to go. Your assignment ends here."

This was exactly the chance Sun Luyuan had anticipated eagerly. With a quiet breath of ease, he shared a bit more guidance with Li Fan before departing.

For close to half an hour, Elder Nangong kept talking at a leisurely pace, covering everything in depth. Afterward, he led Li Fan away, soaring from the dimensional room.

They finished the official onboarding steps, and Li Fan obtained the usual supplies for a Hall of Guardians Elder.

Donning the signature black-and-gold attire of the Hall, he trailed Elder Nangong to the dome's core, where the most radiant star-like glow hovered.

"Once I guide you in for the ultimate transfer, my responsibilities will wrap up at last," Elder Nangong remarked with a sincere grin of liberation.

"Oh, just one final note," he continued. "You'll share guard duty here with two other Elders. Avoid sending messages or chatting with them unless it's utterly essential."

"The area housing the Derivation Law Jade captures every ripple of voice transmission. Assigned watchers review those logs on a regular basis."

Elder Nangong conveyed this through a covert sound transfer, his face utterly neutral, like the caution hadn't originated from him.

Li Fan clasped his hands in gratitude.

After parting from Elder Nangong, he dove into the glowing white speck.

A sight he knew all too well unfolded before him—the domain containing the Derivation Law Jade.

An enormous orb made of endless rune symbols drifted in the emptiness.

At every second, the symbols churned ceaselessly, morphing without stop.

Now and then, the whole rune orb would halt for an instant, release a burst of radiance, and disappear, just to reform and resume its perpetual cycle of change and computation.

Under the giant orb, a table hovered silently in the void.

A young girl who seemed merely five or six years old sprawled idly across it, her tiny frame lounging on the surface.

She gazed at the symbols that kept emerging on the table's face, appearing utterly weary and uninterested—just like in every prior encounter he'd had with her.

Detecting a fresh arrival, Derivation Law Jade raised her head a tad.

Spotting Li Fan's rigid features and the black-and-gold garb he sported, she pressed her lips together, then dropped her gaze once more.

"Yet another one who's plain-looking," she grumbled softly.

Li Fan paused, his face tightening a bit.

"Heh, you'll grow accustomed to it," an aged voice sounded from nearby.

It belonged to one of the other Dao Integration Elders posted there, who had concealed himself in the area.

"Zhang Xu," the elder stated curtly as his greeting, then went quiet again.

The remaining fellow guardian never bothered to acknowledge Li Fan.

Li Fan shrugged it off and headed to his "duty station."

The "duty station" was in fact a unique spot in this realm.

It mimicked a vital junction in an array. Occupying it gave the sensation of towering overhead, enabling clear oversight and detection of all nearby energy shifts.

Guarding the Derivation Law Jade involved spending most time right at this spot.

"This is honestly more confining than jail. It's no surprise those Dao Integration experts from the Sun Family all refused this post."

Reaching his station, Li Fan couldn't suppress a sigh.

He acted like he was scanning the area to get acquainted with it. Actually, he was covertly probing for flaws in the monitoring setup.

Besides the ever-changing glow and shade from the vast rune orb, the location stayed hushed— so hushed it bordered on oppressive.

In little time, Li Fan drew a blank on secretly reaching the Derivation Law Jade or piercing the barriers.

And so, roughly half a year slipped by unnoticed.

The girl, who had been hunched over her table, abruptly sat up straight, threw her arms up, and shouted with glee, "Yay! Break time!"

With that, she promptly collapsed back and started snoring gently in slumber.

"Six hours."

Right then, Elder Zhang Xu and the other Dao Integration sentinel uttered in unison.

Six hours—this marked the infrequent downtime allowed for Derivation Law Jade.

When it ended, she needed waking precisely on time.

Seeing Derivation Law Jade slumber so deeply, Li Fan inwardly let out a breath. "This feels somewhat cruel. She ought to get at least twelve hours of rest."

Over the half-year of his watch here, oddly enough, no cultivators had accessed this realm via the Derivative Jade Token.

As a result, Derivation Law Jade scarcely got any break from her labors.

After mulling it over, Li Fan at last raised his query to Elder Zhang Xu, as it aligned with his role.

Zhang Xu stayed quiet briefly before answering, "Three years back, a Five Elders Association infiltrator managed to snag a Derivative Jade Token and sneak in here with malicious aims. We caught and halted him promptly, averting serious damage, yet the event still rattled the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance's leadership."

"Pending a full probe into that affair, every Derivative Token usage has been halted entirely."

"Resumption might wait several years more."

Zhang Xu offered just those sparse lines and then hushed up again.

Li Fan, though, sank into reflection. "Derivative Jade Tokens rank as invaluable treasures, granted by the Immortal Alliance to cultivators of outstanding merit."

"Who would've thought one ended up with the Five Elders Association. And from Nangong's earlier caution, Five Elders Association agents slipping into the Alliance aren't uncommon. Such breaches happen every few decades or so."

"In direct clashes, the Five Elders Association can't rival the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance. Yet in plots and deceptions, the Alliance lags far behind."

Through the miraculous prowess of the Tianxuan Mirror's origin force, Li Fan already grasped the general whereabouts of the lost Derivative Jade Tokens.

"Being one of the three on-site sentinels, I'm under tight watch, making outright moves tough."

"Maybe an roundabout path would work—employ a Derivative Jade Token to arrange a solitary encounter with Derivation Law Jade."

Li Fan mulled over it quietly.

Twelve hours elapsed swiftly.

Yet...

Derivation Law Jade remained sprawled on the long table, dozing peacefully, with no hint of stirring.

From the pair of other Dao Integration sentinels, Li Fan caught a faint whiff of resignation.

"Brother Sun, your shift now."

Elder Zhang Xu transmitted with a lighthearted vibe via voice.