My Simulated Road to Immortality Chapter 2292: 1718: Threefold Resolution of Their Crisis (Part 2)

Provided that no additional complications emerge from within the Void Realm.

Naturally, even with their spirits united, the raw power the three could manifest had its threshold.

Furthermore, the ethical divide Li Fan had foreseen would produce a maximum of eighteen Mountain Sea Saints.

Had the controllers of the Void Realm chosen to summon an infinite number of saintly reflections from diverse timelines—reckless of the toll, as seen in the previous era—they would have shattered the defenses of Li Fan and his allies instantly.

Yet, in this current incarnation, Li Fan and his companions displayed no evidence of the True and False Changes.

To the masters of the Void Realm, they appeared merely as slightly more formidable saints wielding somewhat exotic techniques.

A calculated strategist would never commit to such a desperate gamble under these impressions.

Consequently, after weighing the battlefield, He chose to pull back His forces with resolve.

The departure was swifter than the invasion; the primal malice and the avatars of the Three Saints of the Void Realm vanished into the ether in a heartbeat.

Nevertheless, a fleeting retreat did not signify that the Void Realm had surrendered its claim over the Mountain Sea.

Li Fan acutely sensed that as the Void Realm’s avatars withdrew, the path obstructed by Dao Yan grew increasingly shadowed and profound.

While such a maneuver could not hinder the Three Saints’ tier of power, it became progressively lethal to the Mountain Sea and its lesser saints.

Unable to seize the territory immediately, they sought to paralyze it.

Their plan was to settle conflicts at other temporal nodes before returning with an overwhelming legion to crush all resistance.

Logically, the decision made by the Void Realm's backstage was not flawed.

The tragedy lay in the fact that when the Lone Star descended, the entire Void Realm was consumed, only to be reset by the activation of Hai Zhen.

Thus, He remained oblivious to the fact that He was abandoning the very core of the True and False Dao!

Despite the disappearance of external threats, the tension on the field did not dissipate.

The Three Saints and Li Fan’s group traded looks, each concealing their personal agendas.

There was no requirement for Li Fan and his partners to explain their backgrounds.

Once the threat of the Three Saints' demise was averted, the fragments of divine sense they carried returned to their rightful owners automatically.

Flowing back into the true bodies of the Three Saints.

Through this convergence, the Three Saints grasped the full sequence of events.

Still, they found it nearly incredible that Li Fan and his group had managed to withstand an assault of fifteen-fold innate ferocity.

“Three Daoists, such magnificent divine techniques!” The Sea Return Saint remarked, his eyes scanning them with praise.

“It was pure fortune. This long struggle had left us at our limit. Had the Void Realm not retreated when it did, we likely would have fallen here!” Li Fan replied, his voice steady and his expression unreadable.

Guardian Hill offered a smile: “We are also indebted to the Three Saints for their unity; without that shared will, holding the line would have been impossible for us.”

Morality nodded his head: “Had we not acted as one this time, we never would have discovered such a profound resonance among us.”

Only those involved knew the hidden truth.

As the architects of the Xuanji Ring, the Three Saints understood that unity could multiply martial prowess, yet achieving a ten-fold surge like Li Fan’s trio was nearly unheard of.

However, given their performance in the recent conflict, the combat capability of Li Fan’s group was clearly not inferior to their own.

They could not demand answers by force.

“The chaos of the Void Realm persists; for now, our priority must be the restoration of the Mountain and Sea.”

The six figures exchanged glances, reaching a silent, temporary pact.

They turned their attention toward the two segments of the Mountain and Sea that the Void Realm had torn asunder.

The circumstances had shifted.

Both halves of the Mountain and Sea were now watched over by the Three Saints and bolstered by Li Fan’s presence.

Even if ten millennia had been devoured by the passage of time, they could be reconstructed with ease.

Through the combined might of all the Saints, the ley lines of the Mountain and Sea began to weave back together within the Void Realm.

Initially, a single beam of light pierced the gloom.

Soon, thousands of brilliant rays erupted.

The Mountain and Sea were made whole once more.

At the instant of reconnection, every Saint positioned on the Other Shore radiated a surging aura.

They were clearly receiving massive spiritual rewards.

After all, ten thousand years of latent accumulation had suddenly materialized, coupled with the karmic merit of mending the world.

Even if their Cultivation did not double, it saw a massive surge in power.

Li Fan was perhaps the sole outlier.

He did not exist within this specific Mountain and Sea, so there were no two versions of himself to merge.

Yet, the energy vibrating from him was just as potent as the others.

Beyond the facade of his agitated true spirit, he was also receiving the shared gains from Guardian Hill and Morality.

Though they remained seated within the Xuanji Ring, facing the Three Saints.

Li Fan, Guardian Hill, and Morality had essentially merged into a single entity.

They now possessed the weight to stand as equals against the Three Saints, removing the need for their previous subservience.

However, the greatest victors in this restoration appeared to be the Three Saints of Mountain Lian.

Li Fan had previously felt confident in facing them.

But with the Mountain Sea restored, the Three Saints had become even more enigmatic and powerful.

“They are, after all, ancient entities that have existed since the dawn of the Mountain Sea’s transformation.”

“If Guardian Hill’s foundation is vast, how could the Three Saints not possess even deeper secrets?”

“The collective essence of the Mountain Sea’s civilization, souls, and Dao is destined to strengthen through this reconnection.”

“Or perhaps, they are simply reclaiming their true, original power.”

Li Fan had already foreseen this possibility.

Even so, he was confident that the Three Saints could not yet distinguish the reality of his connection to Guardian Hill and Morality.

Sharing the goal of preserving the Mountain Sea, the current equilibrium would not be easily disturbed.

“The Mountain and Sea are joined; ten thousand years of time have been reclaimed. This is a momentous blessing!”

“Still, though we succeeded, why does this reborn Mountain Sea feel somewhat strange?” Bai Xiao asked, observing the restored ten-millennia span.

The Lian Mountain Saint replied: “Your perception is accurate. The Mountain Sea was severed by the Void Realm for too long. While it uses the ancient veins as a blueprint to manifest in the void, the reborn version will inevitably differ from the original.”

“Certain paths of possibility might have vanished, while others have been completely reshaped.”

“Consequently, the entire future of the Mountain Sea downstream will feel the ripple effects.”

“Nevertheless, for the overarching destiny of the Mountain Sea, this is a positive development.”

Guardian Hill suddenly spoke within Li Fan’s consciousness: “The records of Emperor Tian Luo’s existence have completely disappeared.”

Li Fan was taken aback, looking toward the primal origins of the Mountain Sea.

In the dawn of the celestial realm, Emperor Tian Luo should have been the sovereign.

The restored Mountain Sea should have followed the momentum of history to recreate those events.

Yet, inexplicably, the newly formed timeline showed no trace of him.

In his stead, a different ruler named Celestial Emperor Ling Xi occupied the throne.

The headwaters of time had abruptly shifted their course.

This caused the original possibilities to drift silently into two entirely separate destinies.

The timeline that thrived was the one inheriting the legacy of Celestial Emperor Ling Xi.

As for the original timeline Li Fan knew...

It had become a stream without a source, a tree without roots. Deprived of the power flowing from the upstream Mountain Sea, it was doomed to a quiet, slow decay.

“What does this signify?” Li Fan’s brow furrowed.

He wasn't concerned that his group, being products of the original timeline, would be erased by these changes.

Those who have reached the realm beyond are no longer bound by the fluctuations of their origin, especially given their current strength.

“With the Mountain Sea reborn, Tian Luo is no longer a part of its fabric.”

“Could it be...”

Guardian Hill paused, hesitant.

“The Three Saints claimed they did not see Emperor Tian Luo transcend with the celestial realm, but that might not be the whole truth.”

“We must find the reality ourselves,” Morality muttered.

“In this revived world, Tian Luo has left no footprint. The truth of that era may be lost. We must travel back to the earliest days of the Mountain Sea to find the 'opportunity' he sought in the lower realms and work backward from there,” Guardian Hill said, staring into the distance.

“If my intuition is right, the answer lies in the Mountain Sea ahead.”

Li Fan felt a sense of disorientation: “I believed the era of Emperor Tian Luo was the ancient past. To think that within the Mountain Sea, we have only traversed a few steps. It is but a tiny fragment of the world’s total history.”

Morality seemed to reminisce: “The shift in Tian Luo happened toward the end of his rule. It appears it was the discovery of what is called 'destiny' that triggered the change. We can indeed glimpse the secret.”

“However...”

“If that destiny is truly the key to transcending the Mountain Sea, once it is missed, it might be gone forever,” Morality noted suddenly.