My longevity simulation

Li Fan’s face was dark and silent.

He immediately began circulating the Limitless Fullness and Emptiness Method, attempting to mend the damage within his soul.

But to his surprise, the technique said to possess endless power and undying soul essence had actually lost its effect before the withered state of his spirit!

Sensing that the black corruption within his soul seemed to be spreading, Li Fan’s heart sank. Without hesitation, he chose to sever the decayed portion.

His head felt as if struck by a heavy hammer. His vision went white, dizziness overwhelmed him.

His complexion turned pale. In that single instant, at least half a year’s worth of the Limitless Fullness and Emptiness Method’s soul-nourishing effect was wiped away.

Li Fan instantly understood what had happened to him.

If the strength of one’s soul could be quantified, then all the previous damage he had suffered merely reduced that number temporarily. Once the Limitless Fullness and Emptiness Method circulated, the value would return to its peak.

However, this unknown spiritual decay directly affected the upper limit of his soul strength itself.

No matter how capable the Limitless Fullness and Emptiness Method was at repairing and restoring, when the upper limit was forcibly reduced, it could do nothing to restore it.

A dangerous gleam appeared in Li Fan’s eyes. His figure flashed as he instinctively retreated far from the drunken Han Zhong ahead of him.

The drunkard seemed completely unaware of what had transpired, still muttering nonsense.

Suppressing the killing intent rising in his chest, Li Fan’s gaze flickered. A sudden torrent of water appeared above Han Zhong’s head.

Splash!

It poured down endlessly upon him.

“Mm? Mm!”

Han Zhong was truly dead drunk. It took quite some time for the water to finally rouse him from his stupor.

Dazed, he stared blankly at the column of water descending from the heavens, confusion covering his face.

“You’re awake?” Li Fan’s cold voice reached his ears.

Only then did Han Zhong realize that an uninvited guest had appeared in his home.

He raised his hand to block the falling water and slowly stood up.

“You are…”

“Who I am is not important. What matters is that I am very interested in your… experience.” Li Fan’s sharp gaze swept across Han Zhong repeatedly.

A chill rose within Han Zhong’s heart.

Sensing that this visitor was no ordinary figure, Han Zhong dared not show any disrespect.

With cupped hands, he bowed deeply and said respectfully, “Senior, please ask anything you wish. I will tell you all I know, without concealment.”

Li Fan nodded slightly. “I heard you muttering in your drunken sleep that no one believed you. What was that about?”

At those words, Han Zhong’s expression turned somewhat awkward.

“It is, in truth, a rather… peculiar experience of mine,” he said. “I once spoke of it to others, but no one believed me. I even reported it to the Immortal Alliance, yet it was left unresolved. If Senior is truly interested, I can recount it again.”

Seeing Li Fan give a slight nod, Han Zhong paused for a moment, organizing his thoughts before continuing slowly.

“I do not know how many years ago it was, but I did something foolish…”

He was immediately interrupted by Li Fan.

“What do you mean, you ‘don’t know how many years ago’?” Li Fan frowned slightly at the man before him, a Golden Core Lord clearly no older than a hundred years.

Han Zhong gave a bitter smile. “Because, this junior truly does not know how long it has been since I left the Xuanhuang Realm and then returned. The people I once knew have already died, and even my identity within the Immortal Alliance was erased because too much time had passed.”

“Even the Tianxuan Mirror no longer recognizes me. All the contribution points I had accumulated back then are completely gone.”

When Li Fan heard the words “left the Xuanhuang Realm,” his heart skipped a beat.

And when he heard the word “returned,” he became certain that the one responsible for the spatial disturbance earlier was none other than the man before him, Han Zhong.

This realization stirred Li Fan’s curiosity about the man’s experiences.

“Go on,” Li Fan said.

Seeing that Li Fan did not mock him, Han Zhong’s spirits lifted.

He casually lifted the wine jar beside him and took a deep swig, then continued, “Back then, I was young and arrogant. I doubted all forms of authority.”

“When I traveled to Nine Mountains Prefecture, I was awed by the sight of the nine mountain ranges stretching endlessly across the land, where cultivators were forbidden to fly. I also heard that using teleportation arrays within Nine Mountains Prefecture carried great risks…”

“At that time, I do not know what I was thinking, but I insisted on taking the risk and trying it myself.”

Han Zhong sighed deeply.

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, suddenly recalling something.

While studying the records of Nine Mountains Prefecture, he had once come across a strange rumor.

It told of an unfortunate cultivator who, driven by reckless curiosity, tried to use a teleportation array there—only to be sent outside the Xuanhuang Realm, never to return.

“You were that unlucky fool who was said to be teleported outside the Xuanhuang Realm?” Li Fan asked.

Han Zhong did not expect this senior to have heard of his story. His old face turned slightly red.

“Yes, that was this junior. Back then, I was ignorant and overconfident. I truly did something foolish.”

Li Fan’s curiosity deepened. “After you left the Xuanhuang Realm, where did you go? What did you see?”

A trace of fear and confusion flickered in Han Zhong’s eyes.

“In truth… I am not too sure where I was after leaving the Xuanhuang Realm. It was as if I was trapped inside an invisible bubble, drifting endlessly through boundless darkness.”

“Most of the time, everything outside was pitch black and unchanging. But occasionally, distorted scenes would flash by in an instant.”

“But…” Han Zhong shuddered. “At that time, I was almost driven mad. So I cannot be certain whether what I saw was real or merely an illusion.”

“So what exactly did you see?” Li Fan’s tone was already tinged with impatience.

“I saw…” Han Zhong fell silent for a long time.

His expression showed he was struggling internally.

Finally, he lowered his voice and said tremblingly, “I think I saw the Immortal Ancestor.”

As he spoke, he activated a Water Mirror Technique to display what he had witnessed.

On the round curtain of light appeared endless darkness.

Suddenly, a beam of golden light flared—so striking within that void.

As it drew nearer, the golden light gradually revealed a figure.

White-haired, with a long flowing beard. His expression was solemn, his presence naturally commanding respect.

And that face—throughout the Xuanhuang Realm and the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance—was one everyone knew.

It was exactly the same as the statues of the Immortal Ancestor erected in every floating celestial city.

“That… should be the Immortal Ancestor, right?” Han Zhong asked uncertainly.

Li Fan stared at the image on the light curtain and slowly nodded.

He was not surprised that the Immortal Ancestor would appear beyond the Xuanhuang Realm.

What truly caught his attention was what lay behind the Immortal Ancestor.

The Immortal Ancestor was soaring through the endless void, and from his body extended several golden chains—stretching far back, connected to something beyond sight.