My Simulated Road to Immortality Chapter 2250 - 1696: Laying Deadly Traps in the Void Realm (Part 2)
Previously on My Simulated Road to Immortality...
The Four Saints—Gui Ming, Duan Chen, Ye Pan, and Xing Cha—gradually manifested their physical forms.
They moved to encircle the central figure, Guardian Hill.
Guardian Hill’s eyes drifted over the assembled Saints, his countenance remaining as cold and immovable as ice.
Deep within his soul, however, a faint tremor of unease stirred.
“This is not good!”
His concern was not for his own life.
Rather, it stemmed from the realization that two Saints had vanished simultaneously and unexpectedly.
Qie Ji and... Sui Jun.
Previously, through his dialogue with Li Fan, Lord Guardian Hill had discovered that Sui Jun was absent from the subsequent era of the Mountain Sea.
The man had met his end during that ten-thousand-year span, his existence eventually consumed by the Void Realm.
The original strategy involved Li Fan discarding the treasures of the Three Saints to flee with nothing but his battered remnant body.
It was anticipated that among the group, only Qie Ji would possess the inclination to hunt Li Fan down.
Yet, contrary to expectations, even Sui Jun had ignored the Three Saints’ treasures to give chase to Li Fan!
“He mentioned possessing another Three Saints Supreme Treasure capable of countering Qie Ji.”
“But if a second Saint is involved...”
The heart of Guardian Hill grew heavy with dread.
With no other options available, he could do nothing but attempt to delay the Saints who remained.
...
Deep within the recesses of the Void Realm.
In a desolate region where no traces of the Three Saints remained, a lone figure was in full flight.
Appearing disoriented, he directed his flight toward neither the ancient nor the modern Mountain Sea; instead, he darted through the Void Realm like a panicked, headless fly.
At the start, he managed to persevere by exhausting his final reserves of energy.
However, perhaps due to his wretched luck, the turbulent tides of the Void Realm surged more violently around him than elsewhere. As the gales and waves obstructed his path, Li Fan’s aura ebbed away until he was no longer capable of running.
He came to a halt.
The currents of the Void Realm roared, threatening to swallow him whole at any moment.
Li Fan’s complexion was as white as parchment. Nevertheless, he refused to surrender his hope for life, seated cross-legged amidst the Void Realm as he fought to mend his wounds.
Yet, his Qi Destiny appeared to have plummeted to a disastrous low.
The more he tried to harness his luck for healing, the more his condition deteriorated. He abruptly coughed up a spray of blood, followed by a massive hemorrhage of True Spirit, leaving him on the brink of death.
“Qie Ji. You are truly a formidable one, Qie Ji.”
Li Fan whispered to himself, his eyes scanning the surrounding emptiness.
Having once studied the Heavenly Fate Sutra and consumed a fragment of the Mountain Sea’s Miracle Luck, he was acutely aware of the drain on his own Qi Destiny.
It was more than just a loss: every potential path to survival was being ruthlessly crushed!
The legends say that Heaven always leaves a path open for man.
But now, pinned down by Qie Ji’s influence, Li Fan found himself facing a total dead end from every angle.
There was no path left to walk!
With a pained smile, he seemed to resign himself to his fate, ceasing all struggle.
He stopped resisting, allowing the surrounding Dao Yan to begin consuming him.
His physical form started to fade, and his True Spirit began to melt away like spring snow.
In that instant, a mysterious force wrapped around the crumbling Li Fan, protecting him.
“Reveal the location of the Mountain Sea’s Miracle Luck, and I shall grant you your life. What do you say?” A ghostly voice drifted into Li Fan’s ear.
Li Fan gave no response, acting as though he heard nothing.
Qie Ji’s words continued to echo like a Demon Sound, persisting relentlessly until Li Fan finally reacted.
Li Fan let out a cold snort and gave a weak shake of his head: “Do you think I’d believe you if I spoke? That is merely a lie used to trick Guardian Hill.”
Qie Ji let out a soft laugh: “I have hunted the Miracle Luck of the Mountain Sea for eons. If I couldn’t even detect its scent, I wouldn’t deserve the title of Qie Ji.”
“Such a familiar, nostalgic aroma...” Qie Ji remarked, inhaling deeply as if savoring a memory.
“I will say it once more. Give me information regarding the Mountain Sea Qi Destiny, and I will spare you. I am a man who never breaks his word,” Qie Ji declared with arrogance.
“If you simply kill me or search my soul, wouldn't the result be the same?” Li Fan challenged him.
Qie Ji fell silent at those words.
He seemed to be seriously weighing the logic of Li Fan’s question.
However, he eventually shook his head in disagreement.
He even increased the distance between himself and Li Fan.
The spectral figure circled Li Fan, observing the dying man with extreme caution: “No, no, no. I can feel that even though you appear cornered, a spark of vitality remains within you.”
“And this spark...”
“Aligns with a place where I cannot go!”
“There is no mistake.”
Qie Ji muttered under his breath, his voice laced with suspicion as he warily surveyed the area.
Yet, the truth remained beyond his grasp.
“I am certain you have a backup plan.”
“Your performance with Lord Guardian Hill was masterful, but it cannot ultimately blind the eyes of fate’s Qi Destiny.”
“This seemingly thin thread of life actually contains the potential for a sudden reversal. Those other fools are oblivious, trapped in the moment.”
“But... as long as I keep my distance, you have no way to harm me.”
Qie Ji’s spectral voice seemed to emanate from every direction at once.
Li Fan realized that Guardian Hill was right. This Saint Qie Ji was indeed cautious to a fault.
When combined with his ability to read the fate and Qi Destiny of all living things, plotting against him was an immense challenge!
“Fine, then!” Li Fan exhaled a long sigh, “Though the Miracle Luck of the Mountain Sea belongs to a dear friend, it is not worth more than my own life.”
“To hide from those watching him, he went through two cycles of rebirth, turning into a mortal and hiding within the Mountain Sea world. Yet, as the essence of the Mountain Sea’s Miracle Luck, he could not truly become a mere human. Even without memories of his origins, starting from a humble background, he achieved immortality during the Dharma Ending Age. However, upon his return to the Mountain Sea, his nemesis found him...”
“Actually, weren't you the one who was always chasing him?” Li Fan asked with a look of suspicion.
Qie Ji shook his head, dismissing the claim: “I was previously confined within the Circle of Xuanji and was helpless. Many covet the Miracle Luck of the Mountain Sea; I was but one of many.”
Li Fan went on: “In a moment of crisis, the Mountain Sea Fishing Old Man stepped in to rescue him. He was fished out of the Mountain Sea, escaping his doom. This... is what occurred in our portion of the Mountain Sea. As for this specific Mountain Sea, I am a newcomer and have no knowledge.”
“The Mountain Sea Fishing Old Man? What an incredible destiny.”
Qie Ji turned his gaze back toward the Mountain Sea, lost in thought for a moment. He then murmured to himself: “Following the fall of the Three Saints, I scoured the ruins of the Mountain Sea in secret. I found no sign of the Miracle Luck of the Mountain Sea.”
“Perhaps it sensed a new path and departed. Only the Miracle Luck of the Mountain Sea can act on instinct even while the Void Realm’s barrier numbs all senses.”
Having received his answer, Qie Ji’s interest in Li Fan evaporated.
He immediately withdrew his protective aura and began a graceful retreat.
The broken Li Fan shouted: “What about your promise to spare my life?”
Qie Ji gave a light laugh: “Did I not just save you? As I said, I never go back on my word.”
“However...”
“Saving you once is not the same as saving you for eternity. Whether you can endure this storm in the Void Realm depends entirely on your own Fortune.”
The voice of Qie Ji drifted away into nothingness.
The panic on Li Fan’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a calm expression.
“Then there is nothing else to be done.”
“I truly hope you manage to find the Miracle Luck of the Mountain Sea.”
“Hmm? What is the meaning of that?” Qie Ji’s voice suddenly returned, sounding much closer.
“Merely a heartfelt wish,” Li Fan said with a smile.
At those words, Li Fan felt Qie Ji’s stare lock onto him, as heavy and cold as stone.
“Trying to play mind games with me... Hah...”
After that, he ignored Li Fan’s cryptic remarks and departed for good.
Li Fan did not try to stop him; instead, he took a deep, steadying breath.
Something within the Void Realm seemed to be activated.
A moment later, Li Fan’s crumbling True Spirit began to visibly reconstruct itself!
The sight caused Qie Ji to turn back once more.
“This is...”
Li Fan paid him no mind, continuing to pull True Spirit directly from the Void Realm.
The blow Guardian Hill had dealt earlier was not merely for show; it had been a genuine, heavy strike.
It had come dangerously close to scattering Li Fan’s spirit into the abyss.
“Guardian Hill really doesn't hold back...”
Fortunately, after this brief period of rest, he was slowly mending.
As for the shattered fragments of his True Spirit...
Those had been nothing more than an elaborate illusion.
Even if he had lost a hundred times more True Spirit, it wouldn't have truly harmed him.
But to Qie Ji’s eyes, this phenomenon carried a terrifying weight.
“You can actually harvest the True Spirit gathered within the Void Realm?”
He finally noticed the subtle changes and cried out in utter disbelief.