My Simulated Road to Immortality Chapter 2240 - 1691: What the Three Saints Overlooked (Part 2)

Of course, with their abilities, they naturally couldn’t resist the Taiwei Saint Emperor.

But that didn’t stop them from dreaming about it every now and then.

All living beings in the Holy Dynasty would never know that every thought in their spirit consciousness was actually under the control of the Taiwei Saint Emperor.

Yet Taiwei intentionally allowed these disharmonious elements to exist.

Perhaps it was precisely because of these "evil thoughts" that the Holy Destiny Medicine was not so "sweet".

And could be safely ingested.

"This Taiwei Saint Emperor is indeed an intriguing person."

"It’s just a pity, he’s too exhausted."

Li Fan’s heart was steadfast, as countless gathered thoughts, whether praising or slandering the Saint Emperor, could not shake his true self.

He simply absorbed and utilized the life experiences.

In the Other Shore, time went unnoticed.

Once Li Fan fully absorbed the effects of the Great Medicine, he suddenly opened his eyes.

Only then did he realize he was the first among all saints to awaken.

"It seems that the practice in Endless Reincarnation has greatly improved the Cosmic Cycle," Taiyi nodded.

Li Fan slightly bowed, only to discover that the true forms of the Three Saints of Mountain Lian had disappeared and had already headed toward the Void Realm.

Only their illusions remained seated.

"We go ahead. The ten-thousand-year Void Realm is no small matter."

"Before the Mountain Sea has fully merged, the reason we can’t advance beyond, aside from the exceedingly long Void Realm, lies in other factors. If our increased strength is sufficient, we’ll probe once more. If not, we’ll discuss further strategies."

Li Fan was curious about what kind of crisis in the void realm could trouble even the true forms of the Three Saints. Yet, Taiyi’s Illusion did not speak further and shifted the topic.

Pointing back to the Mountain Sea: "Cosmic Cycle, you might as well return to the possibilities of that Endless Reincarnation. While you digest the Great Medicine, we’ve found something almost overlooked."

The message was conveyed only to Li Fan, and not openly shared.

Li Fan was taken aback.

Even after he had subdued the Mountain Sea Path, what could have been missed?

But knowing that the Three Saints of Mountain Lian wouldn’t joke about such matters, Li Fan focused earnestly on the Endless Reincarnation again.

Due to the suppressing power of his remnant Cosmic Cycle, the cycle hadn’t collapsed.

Compared to what he had personally experienced, it seemed unchanged.

Li Fan swept his saint-level thoughts over that small area multiple times. Yet he still hadn’t discovered the missed point mentioned by the Three Saints.

Unwilling to easily give up or ask for hints from Taiyi’s Illusion, he began to ponder independently.

Scene after scene replayed in his spirit consciousness, as if he relived them again.

But this time from the perspective of an outsider.

This time, Li Fan finally discovered some clues.

"The Cosmic Reincarnation Path might not have noticed the presence of the saints beyond the Other Shore. When I was lost in reincarnation, it had ample chance to escape."

"Why did it linger, even pulling me into reincarnation, insisting on staying here?"

"Even in the end, when losing an arm to survive, it only took a small portion of its essence and left a substantial body to sustain the cyclic possibilities."

"Without external interference, as long as the Cosmic Reincarnation Path remains in the Mountain Sea, the cycle can continue."

"Is it both escaping and luring us away?"

"What is the Cosmic Cycle guarding, or valuing, here?"

Suddenly, Li Fan understood, as a glint of insight flashed in his eyes, examining the cyclic possibilities once more.

Even the Three Saints nearly overlooked it, so naturally, it was deeply hidden.

But now that Li Fan knew its value, he became very patient.

He examined countless possibilities one by one, no longer rushing through.

Immersing himself fully in it.

During this period, other saints awakened and saw Li Fan still with closed eyes. They assumed he was still digesting the Great Medicine and took no particular notice.

Instead, they focused more on the Three Saints’ exploration of the Void Realm.

Silently, Li Fan spent almost the same amount of time as when he previously got lost, checking the entire Endless Reincarnation possibilities once again.

Finally, he found the target.

It could be said that all the existing cycle possibilities were labyrinths constructed by the Cosmic Reincarnation Path to conceal it.

And the reason the Cosmic Reincarnation Path lingered until the last moment was precisely because of this object’s existence.

A seemingly sparse and ordinary cycle possibility, where everything in the world flows through the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

In an endless plain, there stood a lone stele.

On it, there seemed to be some faintly carved words.

Li Fan had his figure flash to the stele, wanting to reach out and touch it.

Yet, like passing through an illusion, his hand came up empty.

"Even with my divine consciousness scanning from above, I couldn’t see its existence."

"Only by being here in person can it be seen."

"This stele..."

Li Fan was certain the Three Saints had been here before.

Even though he couldn’t sense the presence left behind by the Three Saints, the stele reflected the shadows of the Three Saints!

Or more accurately, the lines.

Li Fan’s eyes scanned the stele’s dozen mottled markings, searching for the traces belonging to the Three Saints of Mountain Lian.

"Here, this place,"

Two new marks represented Mountain Lian and Mountain Gui.

"And..."

"Here."

An old, but recently added mark. It was the breath left by Taiyi.

Merely a sparse, ordinary mark, yet it summarized the image of the Three Saints.

The lines engraved on the stele seemed like the shadows of the Three Saints, as if saints were personally present.

"On that stele, there are dozens of other marks..."

Li Fan was momentarily stunned.

But he quickly realized.

As the Mountain Sea was devoured by the Tao Annihilation, the current Three Saints were far from their peak state and power.

It could only represent a period of time on their part.

"However, whoever can leave a mark on this stele certainly isn’t weak. At least possessing the strength of the Mountain Sea saints."

"And even before the Mountain Sea was severed..."

Li Fan faintly sensed the presence of other saints from the stele’s other mottled lines.

Most of them achieved sainthood via the Mountain Sea Path!

"This stele must have a long-standing history. Because even Mountain Lian and Mountain Gui had not left marks on it before."

"That was in the ancient timeframes before the birth of the Saint of Mountain Lian."

"When only Taiyi existed."

"But at that time, Taiyi hadn’t yet reached his peak."

Li Fan reached out again, wanting to touch the Mountain Sea Path engraved on the stele.

"It seems there are more Mountain Sea Paths than I imagined."

"But, the ancient saints had already occupied them long ago. So the later ones wanting to attain sainthood had to find new paths, through consolidation of oneself or creating new worlds to prove the Tao."

"..."

Upon thinking this, Li Fan’s thoughts came to a slight pause.

He suddenly realized something was amiss.

There were so many saints in the Mountain Sea once, so why are there only a few like Mountain Lian now?

Where did those who left marks on the stele go?

"Either they perished in the current timeframe."

"Or they vanished before the Mountain Sea was cut off by the Tao Annihilation, hence they don’t exist in the current timeframe."

"..."

"It must be the second scenario."

Considering the current state of the Mountain Sea, all saints unified for salvation would unlikely engage in internal fighting.

If they had perished in the Tao Annihilation, the saints of the Other Shore would surely mention it.

But not a word has been said.

This suggests these saints don’t exist in the current Mountain Sea.

In short, those who left their imprints on the stele didn’t live to see the time of Li Fan’s birth.

They even perished long before the Mountain Sea catastrophe happened.

Why did they perish? What force could slay saints?

Several questions surfaced in Li Fan’s mind.

Yet the Three Saints of Mountain Lian only pointed out the stele’s existence but didn’t reveal the story behind it to Li Fan.

Regarding that too ancient timeframe, Li Fan knew almost nothing.

Speculating was challenging.

"Even saints can’t endure eternally."

While Li Fan was lamenting, subtle ripples arose within him once more.