"Hurry up and devour this Eternal Remnant Will, then use Return to Truth and run!
"Since it's placed at the very center of the Museum of Divine Treasures, this skull must be extraordinary. Quickly devour the Remnant Will, and you'll surely uncover the secrets hidden within!
"Act now!
"Take it and go. No one can stop you!
Return to Truth's urging grew more insistent by the moment, and with it came a tide of thoughts that rose and fell without end, whispering at the edges of his mind, pulling at him.
Li Fan wavered. For one dangerous moment, he nearly gave in and acted on the spot.
But he held on. With an immense effort of will, he crushed the impulse back down.
He recalled what had happened when he absorbed Reverend Tian Yang's Eternal Remnant Will.
First, the surrounding space had seemed to grow illusory. Then Reverend Tian Yang's skeleton had dissolved into crystalline white light, which was slowly drawn into him. A violent tremor had shaken his mind, and then consciousness had fled.
Only after what felt like personally living through the full length of Tian Yang's long life had the prompt from Return to Truth finally come. Only then was the absorption complete.
Drawing on that past experience, Li Fan quickly formed a judgment.
Absorbing an Eternal Remnant Will would create significant commotion. Not only would it cause the disappearance of the object carrying the Remnant Will, but the white light representing the Eternal Remnant Will would also precisely mark Li Fan as the instigator.
The absorption of an Eternal Remnant Will was not instantaneous. It required some time. And during this process, impacted by the lingering imprint of the Remnant Will's owner, one might briefly lose consciousness.
Upon realizing this, Li Fan swiftly reached a conclusion: he could not absorb this skull's Eternal Remnant Will!
To force the absorption recklessly would be no different from seeking his own death.
Don't be deceived by the empty space around the skull, or its seemingly unguarded appearance.
What was this place?
The headquarters of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
The Museum of Divine Treasures, housing countless precious artifacts.
The very heart of that museum.
Would there truly be no hidden protective measures here?
That would be the greatest joke in the world.
Li Fan was certain of it: if he gave in to greed, lost his senses, and forced the absorption, countless traps and restrictions would descend upon him in the next instant, followed by capture and experimentation.
Perhaps there was a sliver of possibility that the skull truly was unprotected.
But Li Fan would not gamble on it.
Because failure meant utter and irreversible ruin.
As for the Eternal Remnant Will itself, according to previous prompts from Return to Truth, each time he started over, when Li Fan found the carrier of the Eternal Remnant Will again, he could absorb it and use it once more.
Its nature was no different from the Dao Transformation Stone in Yin Yin's tomb; both were items that could be reacquired.
What ultimately made Li Fan abandon the thought of absorption was that the Eternal Remnant Will simply could not serve as a Bound Item in Return to Truth.
After activating Return to Truth, he could not bring it back.
Thus, it was equivalent to undertaking extreme risk for a venture doomed to be as futile as drawing water with a bamboo basket.
Having sorted through the known information, a rational consideration should have led Li Fan to completely discard the idea of absorbing this Eternal Remnant Will.
But the pull this object exerted on Return to Truth was overwhelming. The high walls of reason he’d built were utterly fragile, surely crumbling at the first assault.
The millstone of the Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Sutra spun wildly within him as Li Fan desperately suppressed the surging tide of desire.
Thus, he asked the docent, C-3, to take him to a rest area, to get away from that skull.
C-3 nodded in understanding, even kindly offering an arm for support.
To mask his abnormality and to distract himself, Li Fan initiated a conversation.
"Senior C-3, earlier I heard you say that the skull was placed in the central position on the Curator's specific orders?"
"Yes, it's quite strange," C-3 replied. "The museum holds countless treasures. I don't know why the Curator holds that one in such particular esteem."
It seems this Curator might also be able to sense the Remnant Will it carries. Li Fan thought privately. Aloud, he casually asked, "I wonder which senior within the Myriad Immortals Alliance the Curator is? I don't seem to have heard of him."
C-3 chuckled. "It's unsurprising that you don’t know. The Curator keeps to himself, living a very reclusive and low-profile life. Even for us docents, getting an audience with him is no easy task.
"But if we're talking about seniority and standing," C-3 continued, a note of pride entering his voice, "within the current Myriad Immortals Alliance, there are likely few who would dare claim to rank above the Curator."
"Oh?" Li Fan couldn't help his curiosity.
C-3 lowered his voice a few degrees. "The Curator has existed since the distant Primeval Era. That's a remote past, long before humanity rose to prominence.
"Almost nothing in this world escapes his perception. One could say he is omniscient, all-knowing." C-3's admiration was palpable.
To Li Fan, the description sounded vaguely familiar.
"He is a symbol of eternal life and wisdom. We honor him as Immortal Sovereign Tertius," C-3 said slowly.
Li Fan's expression shifted slightly. Sovereign... Tapir Tertius? He thought inwardly.
C-3, oblivious to Li Fan's reaction, continued to expound enthusiastically on the Curator's vast knowledge and wisdom. Even after they reached the rest chamber, he seemed reluctant to stop. Only when he saw Li Fan's poor physical condition did he tactfully cease.
"You can rest here," C-3 said. "The Museum of Divine Treasures is far too vast to tour in a short time. This is a resting area specifically designed for visitors, so you needn't worry about being disturbed."
After these instructions, and once he saw Li Fan gradually recovering, C-3 left a control jade token behind and departed.
Li Fan used the token to activate the restrictions, completely sealing the rest chamber. Deep within this private room, with that strange skull now gone from his perception, his trembling body finally began to calm.
It felt like he had just fought a great battle; Li Fan was overwhelmed with physical exhaustion, and his already aged body now felt even worse.
Eternal Remnant Will...
Now calmer, Li Fan pondered the reason for Return to Truth's extreme reaction.
Humans felt hunger because they needed to eat, to replenish the energy necessary for survival. That Return to Truth could also generate a desire to “feed” could only mean that he could obtain something from the Eternal Remnant Will that was useful for Return to Truth.
Setting aside the skull in the Museum of Divine Treasures for now, what could Reverend Tian Yang's Remnant Will possibly contain that Return to Truth would need?
Special: Eternal Remnant Will (Tian Yang) <Uses Remaining: 1>
Li Fan studied the information on Return to Truth’s panel and made his decision. He retrieved materials from his storage ring and arranged the ritual required to enter the Fallen Immortal Realm, using it as a smokescreen.
Then, he expended the final use of the Eternal Remnant Will and activated Return to Truth's memory simulation function.
A wave of dizziness washed over him.
"Tian Yang, time for your medicine..."
The voice of his master, Guang Yangzi, sounded in Li Fan's ears.