NOVPUBAt the beginning, Yan Fajue was a bit cautious. But once she truly tasted a bite, her expression instantly became incredibly vivid. Then she started devouring the food, wolfing it down in large mouthfuls.
"Ooh... so good... ooh..."
In no time at all, a whole heap of fried rice had disappeared into her stomach. After finishing, she touched her slightly bloated belly, looking surprised: "This fried rice, it’s like the real thing! How did you manage that?"
As she spoke, Yan Fajue let out a satisfied burp.
Li Fan said with a smile, "When the false is turned true, the true also becomes false; when the true is turned false, the false also becomes true. Distinguishing between truth and illusion is not so easy, is it?"
"Once you understand the essence of things well enough, you too can create something that verges on the illusionary yet seems real."
Yan Fajue plopped down on the ground: "Fried rice and such, I’ve only ever eaten it, never made it myself. Looks like I can’t hope to be self-sufficient. But..."
She took a glance at Li Fan: "Don’t tell me you used to be a chef..."
Li Fan’s face twitched, and he avoided the question, changing the topic: "Have you had enough to eat? Have you remembered that Immortal Character?"
Yan Fajue hastily shook her head: "Just one dish is nowhere near enough! Can you make some more?"
Li Fan snorted coldly, yet he still waved his hand lightly, and a kitchen stove, utensils, and ingredients appeared before him.
Amidst the flickering flames of the cookfire, dish after dish of fragrant delicacies was served up.
Yan Fajue, drooling, did not hesitate to stuff them into her mouth.
"Burp..."
After a truly satisfying feast, the little lolita’s belly was now round and full, looking quite indecorous as she lay straight on the ground.
"You know, although you’re not much to look at, your cooking skills are indeed impressive," Yan Fajue praised.
Li Fan responded indifferently, "It was just a small business I managed in my mortal days using these skills. It’s not worth mentioning."
Yan Fajue squinted her eyes contentedly, savoring the aftertaste that lingered on her tongue.
Then she said, "Hmm, I feel a bit sleepy, need to take a short nap. You keep watch yourself."
As she spoke, Yan Fajue was already snoring loudly, deeply asleep.
Within the Character Light Ball, strokes crisscrossed, forming a huge character that occupied the entire Vault of Heaven.
Previously in the Illusory Realm, the Mysterious Sound of the Tao that he had heard seemed to echo faintly again.
But it was intermittent, like an illusion.
Li Fan looked up at the character, motionless, until it slowly dispersed. Then he showed a thoughtful expression.
"It is, indeed, a True Immortal Seal Character. However, due to Yan Fajue’s incomplete memory, I cannot fully understand the meaning of this True Immortal Seal Character. Even this character she presented has deviated slightly from the original True Immortal Seal Character."
"But..."
Li Fan tried to write the character in the air with his hand.
But he would pause at crucial points and shake his head slightly.
"The structure of the strokes, the style of the turns, and various details of the brushwork all very closely resemble those I saw in the [Hunger], [Chaos], and similar characters. Yet, they are more beautiful, naturally integrated as if part of the heavens."
"The gap between the original and the counterfeit is surprisingly huge."
All the True Immortal Seal Characters Li Fan had encountered before seemed perfect in his eyes, with not a single flaw to be found, each one exuding the profound and holy Power of the True Immortal.
But everything pales in comparison.
Compared to this true rendition of the True Immortal Seal from Yan Fajue’s memory, those that had caused calamity in the Abyss Star Ocean looked as crude as a child’s scribbles.
But Li Fan realized that this gap only manifested when he displayed both versions in his Spirit Consciousness for comparison at the same time.
If Li Fan were to reproduce just a single character of [Hunger] or [Chaos], he would still instinctively regard it as flawless.
This was a very contradictory and wonderful experience.
After repeated attempts, Li Fan concluded: in relation to him, the True Immortal Seal Characters were like a vast ocean. On his own, he could only be engulfed within, unable to perceive the whole picture. However, if he had the true inscriptions of the Inscription Dao Immortal for comparison, it would be like the Anchor of Immobility, or like an eye from high above, enabling him to break free and see the reality.
Following the example of the Inscription Dao Immortal’s real inscriptions, Li Fan revised the True Immortal Seal Characters of [Hunger], [Chaos], and the like that he had mastered.
Indeed, the results were excellent. Although they still seemed the same upon a casual glance, Li Fan was absolutely certain that the modified True Immortal Seal Characters, improved according to the original, had increased their potency by at least one third.
"It’s a pity that this true Inscription Dao Immortal’s rendition is also incomplete. And, transferred from Yan Fajue’s memory, it is still somewhat distorted."
After a while, Li Fan woke from his enlightenment, took a deep breath.
"Considering the clues I currently have, there seem to be three major categories of True Immortal Seal Characters. The first category is like the Word Confusion Technique, which brings various disasters and destruction. The second category is the Return Character Curse, which are edicts of the Immortal World. And the last is this one..."
"The drops of rain that descend when the character manifests in this world can be called the ’Immortal Sound Jade Dew.’ It is also accompanied by the birth of the Mysterious Sound of the Tao, compelling various True Immortals to compete for it. It is probably closer to the legendary ’Inscription Tao.’"
Li Fan’s thoughts surged, and he couldn’t help but try once again to jot down and fix the missing Inscription Dao characters.
The result was, as you might expect, fruitless.
"The Immortal World has crumbled; where might the real Inscription Dao Immortal inscriptions be today?" Li Fan couldn’t help but think this way.
...
While Li Fan’s true form was learning about the hidden past of the Immortal World from Yan Fajue, gaining insights, the Faceless Saint Emperor Li Ping had finally completed the ultimate sealing of the Faceless True Immortal Statue and the Ancestral Temple’s Relic.
