Li Fan’s heart was deeply shaken.
He had never expected that after resolving Reverend Tian Yang’s lingering obsession, he would not only reap substantial gains himself, but also unlock an entirely new function of Return to Truth.
No wonder Return to Truth had transmitted waves of hunger the first time he encountered the Eternal Remnant Will.
Without delay, Li Fan began carefully studying this so-called Embodiment function.
Before long, his brows knit together slightly.
Consumes 100% of the Virtualization Charging Progress, abandons the physical body, and completely anchors the true spirit to an external object...
Upon embodying an object, autonomous consciousness is lost; only a faint trace of spirituality remains.
In exchange, the duration of existence is greatly extended.
When the duration limit is reached, Return to Truth will be automatically activated, returning the user to a preset anchor point.
Li Fan frowned.
What’s the use of this?
His initial reaction was one of disappointment. But as he thought it through more carefully, a vague yet intriguing application began to take shape in his mind.
At its most basic level, Embodiment allowed one to persist in the world beyond the natural end of a given life, evading death by taking the form of an object, and continuing to gather information all the while.
Although many details might remain unclear, grasping the broad currents of history should not be difficult, so long as the object was entrusted to someone reliable.
Moreover, according to the feedback from Return to Truth, activating Embodiment at his current level would allow him to persist for nearly three thousand years.
Even if that duration were shortened due to damage to the Embodied Object, it would still vastly enhance Li Fan’s grasp of future events and refine his predictions, enabling far more precise planning for his next life.
Anyone whose name endured in history for over a thousand years was certainly no ordinary figure. Such people could rightly be called heroes of their age.
Recording their names and investing in them after returning in the next lifetime would be far more efficient than his previous method of slowly scouting talent within a single province, relying solely on personal connections and fragmented intelligence.
A spark flared in Li Fan’s heart.
For example... in this life, I could use this to observe what the Xuanhuang World becomes after it is sealed beneath the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array...
Ever cautious, Li Fan reviewed the post-Embodiment details once more.
Embodying an Object and Turning Truth into Falsehood are powers of the same tier. After becoming an object, as long as one cannot resist the virtualization of Return to Truth, the trace of true spirit anchored to the object cannot be detected.
After Embodiment, the Virtualization Charging Progress will continue to increase automatically, and its upper limit will be raised to 1000%, greatly enhancing survivability.
Return to Truth will be automatically triggered when the time limit is reached or if the embodied object faces the risk of total destruction.
After weighing everything, Li Fan reached a clear conclusion.
His safety while using the Embodiment function was assured.
My lifespan in this lifetime is already drawing to a close. And as someone who participated in the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array’s construction, even if I managed to live a few more years, my movements would be tightly constrained.
In that case, I might as well embody an object, shedding this shell like a golden cicada, and quietly watch the tides of the world rise and fall.
But before that, I must choose both my vessel and the person to entrust it to.
Li Fan swept his gaze across the contents of his storage ring.
It finally came to rest on a crystalline disc.
The Array Breaker Jade Disc. A specialized artifact designed for dismantling arrays, custom-made by the Myriad Immortals Alliance’s Strategy Array Hall and issued exclusively to array masters of the Spirit Transformation realm and above.
It had been awarded to him for ranking within the top hundred in the final assessment at the Cosmos Branch Academy.
Yet over the years, consumed by the construction of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Arrays, Li Fan had barely ever used it.
Compared to items of uncertain origins, an artifact produced by the Myriad Immortals Alliance itself would undoubtedly attract far less suspicion.
Next, how should I place this Array Breaker Jade Disc into the hands of my chosen person?
Within the quiet of the secret chamber, Li Fan fell into deep contemplation.
Time flowed by slowly.
During this period, Li Fan received messages from Huangfu Song, Qi Buyi, and even Ji Hongdao, asking when he would emerge from the Museum of Divine Treasures.
They wanted him to go directly to the Strategy Array Hall at the Myriad Immortals Alliance headquarters upon leaving; the reward for placing second in the competition rankings was ready, and he could claim it anytime. Furthermore, the life-extending treasure was also prepared, awaiting his arrival.
Li Fan read these messages and merely sneered, refusing to reply to any of them.
He wasn't afraid they would come and forcibly take him away.
Within the Museum of Divine Treasures, there was a section called Myriad Forms Of Xuanhuang, which cryogenically preserved a sample of every living creature that existed within the Xuanhuang World.
After learning of the all-devouring Immortal Ruins above the Xuanhuang World, Li Fan had begun to harbor a suspicion during his visit.
This so-called Museum of Divine Treasures was less like a museum and more like a place meant to preserve the embers of a world.
Should the Xuanhuang World ever face true destruction, this place would likely remain to preserve the last sparks of civilization, a foundation from which it might one day be rebuilt.
Later, when he asked Docent C-3, it indeed turned out to be the case.
The Museum's status was extremely unique; all conflict was strictly forbidden within its walls. Even the Strategy Array Hall lacked the permission to forcibly apprehend someone here.
As long as Li Fan hid inside and refused to leave, Ji Hongdao and the others could do nothing.
Just before activating Embodiment, Li Fan checked on the situation with his avatar.
Han Yi had set out full of hope, exploring the ruins of the Heavenly Capital alongside his avatar Xiao Fan. Yet they returned with nothing. Worse, the expedition had been riddled with dangers neither could explain, leaving both men gravely wounded and limping back to Yuandao City to recuperate.
On the journey back, Han Yi kept casting suspicious glances at the avatar, looking on the verge of speaking but holding back.
A pity. I thought I could gain something by riding on this man's fortune . Li Fan thought, shaking his head slightly.
He then dispatched the avatar back to the Heavenly Capital ruins alone. There, it sought out a restriction array and walked into it, ending its life.
Now, I can proceed with the next phase of the plan. Li Fan's eyes gleamed.
As Embodiment was activated, a spark of his true spirit plunged into the Array Breaker Jade Disc within his storage ring.
Li Fan's consciousness abruptly went dark. The aura emanating from his body rapidly weakened to near nothingness.
Simultaneously, far away in Tianyun Province and Tianyu Province respectively, He Zhenghao and Huangfu Song both received Li Fan's final message sent just before his "death."
"A will?" Huangfu Song was filled with disbelief. He hurriedly contacted Ji Hongdao.
A short while later, when Qi Buyi arrived hastily with Huangfu Song, all they found was Li Fan's corpse.
"He died, just like that?"
Huangfu Song stood frozen.
Qi Buyi stepped forward with a grave expression and examined the body. After a moment, she gave a slow, solemn nod.
The two exchanged a look, a heavy silence hanging between them.
"His complexion had been off earlier," said Docent C-3, shaking his head with a sigh. "He said it was nothing, that he just needed to rest. And now this..."
“What do we do now?” Huangfu Song transmitted to Qi Buyi, his voice tight.
"What can we do? The man is dead," Qi Buyi’s face darkened. She shot Huangfu Song a sharp, displeased glance, then turned on her heel and strode away.