My longevity simulation

Spiritwood Realm.

The Tianyang Puppet was engulfed in flames as it suddenly dived from the sky, burrowing deep underground.

With continuous rumbling, in the blink of an eye, a deep passage was excavated.

Countless treefolk swarmed in, drilling into the passage.

Following Li Fan’s orders, they were tasked with excavating the buried minerals and resources hidden beneath the land.

From the highest treetop, one could see that such scenes were happening all across the Spiritwood Realm.

“Master, the Spirit Tree has spent over four thousand years barely restoring the vitality of this land. The world’s ecosystem is still extremely fragile. If we continue such destructive excavation…” The Treefolk Chieftain advised anxiously.

Li Fan simply smiled, saying, “Your vision is too narrow. If resources are left unused, buried underground, they are no different from ordinary rocks. Only by making full use of them and developing swiftly can we follow the true path.”

“As long as we become strong enough to plunder from other worlds and replenish ourselves before our resources are exhausted and our world declines, it will be enough.”

“To be confined to a single world, stagnating in one place—even if you survive for a time, you will inevitably be devoured by other worlds sooner or later.”

The Treefolk Chieftain had never heard such a theory before and was momentarily stunned. “Is… is that really so?”

Li Fan did not answer. Instead, he wore a profound, unreadable expression.

Watching the countless treefolk toiling diligently, a sudden idea struck him:

“If I help these treefolk collectively enhance their strength, I wonder if it will yield cultivation feedback through the Sitting Immortal Art?”

Treefolk were incapable of cultivation. Their strength was fixed from birth and depended entirely on the Spirit Tree.

The stronger the Spirit Tree, the more powerful the treefolk it birthed.

As heavenly spiritual entities, if nurtured with the right methods, their growth could be far swifter than that of cultivators.

At the very least, Li Fan knew of no fewer than ten rare heavenly treasures that could nourish Spirit Trees.

Sharing the Spirit Tree’s omniscient vision, Li Fan had an exact grasp of the world’s hidden valuable resources.

Under his direction, Tianyang maneuvered through the earth like a loach, spending a few days first clearing the passageways.

After assigning the Treefolk Chieftain to oversee the mining efforts, Li Fan took Tianyang and temporarily returned to the Xuanhuang Realm.

On the way, he made a stop at the ruins of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect.

He looted all remaining treasures, including the Heaven and Earth Divination Dice.

“Currently, there is no Federation of All Worlds in existence. If I were to suddenly approach the Five Elders Association, gaining their trust would be just as difficult as in my past lives—it would take considerable effort.”

“It would be better to first establish the renown of the Federation of All Worlds…”

“Anchor to Year 6.”

Recalling the various events of that year, Li Fan quickly identified a suitable target.

Before long, the Five Elders Association would launch a surprise attack on Jiushan Prefecture, aiming to seize the territory.

However, for some reason, their plans were leaked. Not only did the ambush fail, but they also fell into a trap set by the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, getting encircled and ultimately suffering a crushing defeat.

This incident later became a classic case repeatedly referenced by the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.

Li Fan was well aware of every detail.

Jiushan Prefecture, positioned at the border between the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and the Five Elders Association, was formed from the remains of the ancient (Heaven) beast after its death.

Due to its unstable spatial properties, teleportation formation could not function within the prefecture’s boundaries.

This made governance exceedingly costly, so the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance only maintained a stronghold at the strategic Jiushan Gorge, largely ignoring the rest of the region.

As a result, Jiushan Prefecture became a chaotic melting pot, unlike any other territory.

Aside from the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, the region also housed various native forces, with the Lingyuan Sect at the forefront.

Moreover, the Five Elders Association had secretly planted many sleeper agents there.

Jiushan Prefecture was easy to defend but difficult to attack. Whoever controlled it would gain a significant strategic advantage.

The Five Elders Association had long coveted the prefecture but had been unable to devise a successful method to seize it.

Not long after, they launched another attack because they believed they had successfully turned the Lingyuan Sect against its own allies.

As the largest native force in Jiushan State, the Lingyuan Sect was technically under the jurisdiction of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, yet it remained relatively independent.

The sect housed many Nascent Soul True Lords and Soul Transformation True Monarchs, and its members were highly united.

It was a force that could not be underestimated.

If they were to defect and coordinate from within, there was indeed a possibility of taking over Jiushan State in one swift move.

Because of this, after several secret meetings with the Five Elders Association and confirming that the Lingyuan Sect would provide assistance, they launched their surprise attack.

However, somehow, their plans were leaked.

The reinforcements from the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance arrived incredibly quickly—almost as if they had predicted everything in advance.

Realizing that the situation had turned against them, the Lingyuan Sect switched sides once again on the battlefield, launching a counterattack against the Five Elders Association.

This battle completely shattered the Five Elders Association’s hope of advancing through Jiushan Prefecture.

As a result, they shifted their strategic focus toward Tianling Prefecture instead.

“Lingyuan Sect…” Li Fan quickly went over the sequence of events in his mind.

He recalled this rather peculiar organization and frowned slightly.

Although in the grand scheme of the Xuanhuang Realm, the Lingyuan Sect was no more than an insignificant force, within Jiushan Prefecture, they were an entity that could not be ignored.

Given the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance’s usual way of handling things, it was surprising that they tolerated such an independent organization within their territory.

Aside from the unique terrain of Jiushan Prefecture, it had a lot to do with the Lingyuan Sect’s ability to “rise from the ashes.”

Their cultivation method, Vital Essence Technique of All Living Beings, became more effective the more people practiced it simultaneously.

This helped offset the negative effects of incompatible cultivation techniques.

Li Fan had studied this technique before.

However, it was obvious that there was something suspicious about it, so he had no interest in cultivating it himself.

“The leader of the Lingyuan Sect has never appeared in public. His identity is extremely mysterious.”

“No matter how many times the Lingyuan Sect has been wiped out in the past, it always resurfaces quickly due to the unique nature of its cultivation technique.”

“Moreover, aside from Vital Essence Technique of All Living Beings, the sect seems to possess other secret arts—not only do they eliminate the mutual hostility usually caused by practicing the same technique, but they also allow for the repeated and cyclical use of Cave-Heavens.”

“For example, the Peach Blossom Cave-Heaven I saw in the past had previously appeared in the hands of another cultivator.”

“…”

“There must be some special restriction involved. Otherwise, no matter how well he hides, he would have been found by now.”

Li Fan slowly pondered over everything related to the Lingyuan Sect.

“However, on this trip, I don’t need to clash with them.”

“I only need to assist the Five Elders Association in taking over Jiushan Prefecture.”

With this thought in mind, Li Fan stood atop his Tianyang Puppet, speeding toward Jiushan Prefecture.

Upon entering its territory, he deployed a formation to conceal his presence.

He then went into hiding near Tianlao Mountain.

“The Five Elders Association would never have imagined that their defeat was not due to a traitor leaking information.”

“It was merely a coincidence.”

As this thought crossed Li Fan’s mind, he soon saw a young man dressed in white slowly appearing on the horizon.