webnovel Chapter 1182: The Hidden Dangers of the Immeasurable Pill!
Chapter 1182: The Hidden Dangers of the Immeasurable Pill!
Standing on Flame Mountain, Ning Fan felt deeply moved.
For the first time in his life, he saw reincarnation so close, saw... another self from a parallel universe!
Forty-two reincarnations, forty-two volcanoes, this may not be a coincidence!
It seemed Ning Fan suddenly attained a certain enlightenment; all his previous misunderstandings about reincarnation became clear at this moment, and his comprehension deepened!
If he sets the reincarnation space he is currently in as the forty-third reincarnation, then the reincarnation traces of Flame Mountain should have been left in the previous reincarnation—the forty-second reincarnation, where the sequence of time and space has a causality-based primary and secondary relationship!
Amid those reincarnation traces, Ning Fan detected a familiar yet unfamiliar aura.
It was the aura of Nifan!
Apart from Barbaric Wilderness Mountain, every one of the other forty-two volcanoes bore traces of Nifan’s presence!
Those traces don’t exist in this space but exist in other parallel spaces!
Ning Fan’s eyes revealed a look of reminiscence; he remembered meeting Nifan for the first time during the chaos of the wilderness. That time, he encountered an enemy named Xin Jia, who held a Through-Sky Stone with the words ’Nifan’ inscribed on it.
Within that Through-Sky Stone was sealed a Fuli Ancient Demon! That Fuli Ancient Demon was Nifan! Nifan was released by Xin Jia from the Through-Sky Stone, intending to use Nifan’s power to kill Ning Fan.
Nifan, at first confused, also wanted to kill Ning Fan.
But then, Nifan sensed Ning Fan’s Fuli aura, halted his actions, and subsequently vanished into ashes.
Yet at the very last moment of turning to ashes, Nifan’s eyes suddenly regained clarity, revealing a smile towards Ning Fan. It seemed like enlightenment, realization, satisfaction, and comfort.
Ning Fan would never forget Nifan’s smile at that time!
That smile felt like the past and future of the same person merging together, like meeting oneself across different times and exchanging a smile...
Ning Fan recalled that in the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain, in the Netherworld, he had once fallen into an illusion wherein he became Nifan, riding the Ya Tiangou with the cultivation of a Saint and rampaging through the Six Paths of Reincarnation...
He also remembered when he first met the sword ancestor at the Supreme Pill Sacred Domain; the sword ancestor spoke unexplained words to him, one of which was thus.
[It turns out to be Ning Fan... turns out... it’s not Nifan, no wonder I’ve searched so long and couldn’t find him...]
Experience after experience led Ning Fan to firmly believe he had a deep connection with this Nifan.
Upon hearing the words of the Black Demon, Ning Fan seemed to find more evidence proving that he and the once-existing Nifan were actually the same person.
If Ning Fan’s one life of reincarnation is likened to a circle, then in this circle of reincarnation, Nifan doesn’t exist.
But if there exist prior parallel spaces to Ning Fan’s current life of reincarnation, then one could find Nifan in those parallel spaces.
Nifan may not necessarily be Ning Fan’s past; he could be Ning Fan’s future or an existence differing from past and future, similar to materialization.
These concepts are hard to understand, and Ning Fan dared not think deeply. With reincarnation, the more you seek its source, the less you find; the more closely you attempt to observe, the less clear it becomes.
Because reincarnation inherently harbors countless contradictory answers!
In the world exists against-fate thunder techniques and ancient demon cavities, such heaven-defying divine skills. Upon mastering them, practitioners can traverse different reincarnation spaces and roam freely in the ancient and future of the same reincarnation.
Some cultivators who couldn’t comprehend reincarnation, upon learning about such crossing secret techniques existing in the world, began pondering all sorts of strange reincarnation paradoxes, and Ning Fan had seen similar paradoxes in some rare texts.
One paradox is this: if a person can truly return to the past, then before his grandmother conceived his mother, he kills his grandmother, what happens?
In the view of these cultivators, if this person’s grandmother is dead, history in the past would change, his mother would never be born, and he would never be born either!
Thus, this group believes his presence would be erased by reincarnation!
But if this person’s existence is erased, he won’t have the ability to return to the past and kill his grandmother again. This outcome contradicts the previous fact of him killing his grandmother, linking the starting point and endpoint fails, leading to an unexplained paradox.
In order to explain this paradox, another group invented the concept of parallel spaces!
If the grandmother this person kills is not his grandmother in his reincarnation space but in another parallel space, doesn’t everything become understandable?
Parallel spaces do not interfere with each other; this is the second group’s conclusion.
Hence comes another problem...
The third group begins questioning!
Killing the grandmother in a parallel space truly doesn’t affect the history of their own space? Who proves this conclusion?
Alright, let’s assume it truly doesn’t have any impact. But what if this time, the person doesn’t go to a parallel dimension to kill the grandmother and instead kills the grandmother in the past of the current timeline?
This time, the concept of parallel universes is not allowed. The paradox cannot be sidestepped in this manner.
This time, let’s assume once this person kills the grandmother of this timeline, his existence is definitely erased. Then, after being erased, he wouldn’t possess the ability to go back to the past... How should he proceed to make reincarnation a complete circle, to execute this act of killing the grandmother?
A paradox is called a paradox not because there is no solution, but because the solution exceeds your common knowledge!
From Ning Fan’s perspective, once a master begins to delve into such trivial paradoxes, it indicates they have already entered the misconception of reincarnation.
Failing to see the true appearance of Mount Lux, simply because you’re entrenched within the mountain itself. When you’re inside reincarnation studying reincarnation, what’s so strange about not finding an answer?
Because the answer might have long exceeded your common knowledge, it’s not something you can deduce using the theories based on common sense! Even if you genuinely deduce an answer, it may seem quite reasonable, but more often than not, that answer is wrong.
Studying reincarnation is too brain-draining!
Therefore, although Ning Fan faintly felt that he and Nifan are the same person, even sensed that Nifan left traces of reincarnation in the Black Demon Sect, he had no intention of deeply exploring these mysteries of reincarnation!
He knew the reincarnation knowledge he possessed at this moment was insufficient to find the answer! Even if forced to search, it might not be correct.
"If I find something strange in reincarnation, it only shows I’ve lived a short time and seen too little; if there’s a causal contradiction within reincarnation, it only indicates my current reincarnation knowledge isn’t enough to see through the true cause... Reincarnation is intriguingly mysterious, but precisely because of this, I won’t dabble in it now or seek trouble unnecessarily."
"As for the grandmother paradox... I have no interest in knowing the solution. What intrigues me more is finding out which deranged master first proposed this paradox. To desire to return to the past to kill one’s grandmother... How much hatred must one harbor against their maternal family, and is there something wrong with their mind?"
Ning Fan remarked speechlessly.
Truly, he is a person of resilient spirit; even though the matter with Nifan shook him greatly, he managed to calm down about 70% of his state of mind in an exceptionally short period.
After taking a deep breath, Ning Fan returned to Barbaric Wilderness Mountain. He spent several more days to completely restore his state of mind.
After returning to his best state, Ning Fan once again went to the secret chamber of the Black Demon Sect Leader within the mountain belly of Barbaric Wilderness Mountain to receive the remaining memories and insights of the First Generation Black Demon Sect Leader.
[...The Extreme Ice Immortal resents me for splitting the Liangyi Sect, hence he renamed the White Sect to the White Demon Sect and constantly opposed me. Unfortunately, I am a Quasi-Saint in Palm Position, and he’s no match for me, thus he couldn’t prevail; because the remnants of the Zhu Rong’s Power of Bestowal in Barbaric Wilderness Mountain aided me, I could add 30% strength to our Black Demon Sect. The Extreme Ice Immortal later invited three Quasi-Saints to join forces to annihilate our Black Demon Sect, seize Barbaric Wilderness Mountain, but ultimately, I defeated them with accumulated Bestowal, Palm Position Power! The Extreme Ice Immortal was severely injured and fled back to the White Demon Sect into slumber, hidden from the world; I couldn’t bear to kill him out of camaraderie from our past collaborations...]
Upon hearing these words, Ning Fan frowned.
He guessed the identity of the slumbering Quasi-Saint inside the White Demon Sect!
That Quasi-Saint is highly likely to be the Extreme Ice Immortal mentioned in the memories of the First Generation Black Demon Sect Leader, a traitor to the Heavenly Court!
What caught Ning Fan’s attention even more was the mention of the Power of Bestowal by the First Generation Black Demon Sect Leader. It’s because Barbaric Wilderness Mountain holds the power of the Bestowal of Zhu Rong inside that it was able to add 30% strength for the Black Demon Sect Leader!
Throughout the cultivation history’s long river, the name Zhu Rong appears at a considerable frequency, and every occurrence is related to fire.
If Barbaric Wilderness Mountain truly possesses the power of Zhu Rong’s Bestowal, then the reasoning behind its lava being able to burn a Quasi-Saint becomes quite plausible.
"The power of Zhu Rong’s Bestowal seems to be a power related to fire, and indeed can be augmented with Fire Control Position power usage. Although, whether the Bestowal obtained when Phoenix Yin Yang is cultivated to its extreme is Zhu Rong’s Bestowal or another fire-related Bestowal, I am uncertain..."
Ning Fan dispelled the distracting thoughts and continued listening to the utterances of the First Sect Leader.
[...The power of Zhu Rong’s Bestowal was left by the Liangyi Sage, it’s a testament to the Black Demon Sect’s orthodox possession of the Liangyi Sect’s legitimacy. The White Demon Sect is not orthodox! Although the Black Demon Sect split from the Liangyi Sect, one thing must be remembered! The Black Demon Sect may disrespect the Liangyi Sect, even Zidou Immortal Domain, but never the Liangyi Sage! The founder of the Black Demon Sect is by no means the meager ant Nan Xuanzi, but the Liangyi Sage!]
[This painting contains all of my fire cultivation insights throughout my lifetime, which will benefit the disciples in the future!]
Listening up to this point, finally copious amounts of fire cultivation insights began transmitting to Ning Fan’s divine sense!
These were the fire cultivation insights of the First Generation Black Demon Sect Leader throughout his life!
Absorbing these insights, Ning Fan’s Phoenix Yin Yang power surged, and he vaguely felt the Bestowal of Phoenix Yin Yang was nearing genuine mastery!
At this point, the utterances from the painting left with the First Generation were reduced to the last sentence.
[...The transmission of insights ends here for this. I have only one final matter to remind you, descendants. Remember diligently! Remember assiduously! The Immeasurable Pill is a conspiracy! All of the Gloomy Wood growing in Zidou Illusion Realm possesses significant risks, tampered with, and should not be used in medicine! If you insist on consuming such Immeasurable Pill, one day you will follow in the tragic footsteps of my ancestor, Nangong Divine Master, meeting a premature demise...]
Ning Fan furrowed his brow!
Is the First Generation Sect Leader fearmongering? What does it mean that the Immeasurable Pill is a conspiracy? What does it mean that all Gloomy Wood growing in the Dreamland Realm has inherent hazards and shouldn’t be used for medicine!
Nangong Divine Master appeared several times in the recollections of the First Generation Black Demon Sect Leader, and from the Sect Leader’s tone, it seems this person eventually met untimely death due to some hidden dangers of the Immeasurable Pill...
The First Generation Sect Leader previously mentioned that he initially didn’t wish to split up the Liangyi Sect, but after learning of the death of his ancestor, Nangong Divine Master, he split the two factions in rage.
The division of Liangyi Sect into the White Demon Sect and the Black Demon Sect—what does this signify? And what connection does it have with Nangong Divine Master’s death?
"The First Generation Sect Leader said the Immeasurable Pill is a conspiracy, and advised future generations against using the Immeasurable Pill for cultivation. He has no reason to scare his descendants... Could it be that there’s genuinely something amiss with the Immeasurable Pill..."
Ning Fan’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper!
If the Immeasurable Pill truly has hidden dangers, then should he still consume it in the future to increase his cultivation!
The main method for Eternal Cultivators to improve their cultivation is by consuming Immeasurable Pills! If he doesn’t consume the Immeasurable Pill, his cultivation speed will be very slow, very slow...
...
In the following month, Ning Fan was in seclusion, examining his own body.
He had consumed quite a few Immeasurable Pills along the way, and if they really have hidden dangers, then his body is likely already affected in some way.
Unfortunately, no matter how Ning Fan checked, he couldn’t find any abnormalities in his body.
He still had a small amount of Eight Hundred Million Years Yin Chen Wood, and similarly, no matter how he inspected it, he couldn’t find any tampering or hidden dangers.
Could the First Ancestor be just fearmongering?
Or are the hidden dangers of the Immeasurable Pill and the Eight Hundred Million Years Yin Chen Wood too high-level for him to detect, even with his current vision in the Second Realm of Tianren?
Which answer is true?
If the Immeasurable Pill indeed has major hidden dangers, Ning Fan would rather have his cultivation improve slowly than use such perilous means to increase it.
But if all of this is just a misconception by the First Ancestor?
Then Ning Fan would abandon the shortcut of enhancing his cultivation with the Immeasurable Pill due to believing a rumor, suffering a significant loss either way.
"The Immeasurable Pill is too important in my cultivation enhancement plan! This matter must be clarified, otherwise if I misjudge, the error on either side could result in a huge price to pay!"
With a heavy heart, Ning Fan entered the Xuan Yin Treasure once.
This time, he wasn’t there for cultivation in Xuan Yin Treasure, nor to seek Dual Cultivation.
He was there to find Nalan Zi!
Nalan Zi once triggered the Art of Tri-life; this technique can only be used three times in a lifetime, and after all three uses, one dies. Nalan Zi has already unconsciously used it once, predicting the present chaotic situation at the Boundary River early. During the Era of Decline, nearly no one could foresee this, showing how accurate Nalan Zi’s Art of Tri-life is.
"I saw the future, a terrifying future... Four Heavens will be isolated, Northern Heavens will have a great war... then the royal clan will die, falling by the hand of the Western Demon Ancestor... Ling Er, who was consumed by the royal clan, will also die, will also die..."
Facts have already proven the wonder of the Art of Tri-life, so this time, Ning Fan planned to borrow Nalan Zi’s second use of the Tri-life technique to determine if the hidden dangers of the Immeasurable Pill exist.
He didn’t know if Nalan Zi could foresee a result; whether she could or not, Ning Fan would owe her a favor. After all, the opportunities to employ the Art of Tri-life are extraordinarily precious, diminishing with each use.
"Is the master asking me to use the Art of Tri-life to help him with some matter?" Nalan Zi said hesitantly, with her blind eyes closed.
She was naturally willing to help Ning Fan, so Ning Fan would owe her a favor. This way, with Ning Fan’s personality, he’d be more dedicated in helping her save her sister.
But the issue is... she doesn’t know any Art of Tri-life!
Although Ning Fan said she had unconsciously triggered the Art of Tri-life before, she lost all memories of the magic afterward and doesn’t recall ever using the Art of Tri-life.
"You wouldn’t be deceiving me, would you? The Art of Tri-life is the highest forbidden technique of our Purple Cuckoo race and ranks in the top ten Demon Arts from ancient times. How could a mere beginner like me know such profound Demon Art..." Nalan Zi said insecurely.
"Do you think I’d lie to you about this kind of thing?" Ning Fan said speechlessly; after all these years of associating, he no longer harbored the hatred he once had for Nalan Zi.
"That makes sense..." Nalan Zi nodded.
"I found some ancient books and got some information on the Art of Tri-life. I’ll read them to you; try to comprehend the content and see if you can trigger the Art of Tri-life again..."
Ning Fan retrieved dozens of ancient books, each documenting some information about the Art of Tri-life. Ning Fan read the paragraphs word by word to Nalan Zi.
Nalan Zi blushed; she and Ning Fan had engaged in many intimate actions, yet it was the first time she sat beside Ning Fan, listening to him read a book.
When they worked together, they were in close proximity. However, Nalan Zi felt this moment with Ning Fan was the closest she had ever been.
This man seems to genuinely need the Art of Tri-life for something troublesome.
In that case, I’ll try a bit harder to help him...
Ning Fan read continuously for a whole day.
After listening to some notes on the Art of Tri-life, Nalan Zi seemingly found a way and could now actively trigger the Art of Tri-life.
This matter, however, Nalan Zi didn’t tell Ning Fan. Because once she did, she was certain Ning Fan wouldn’t read to her anymore, but would instead immediately demand her use the Art of Tri-life for divination.
She still wanted to hear Ning Fan read to her for a while...
This feeling, so warm...
"Wait! This man seems to know mind-reading; my little thoughts must have long been discovered by him!" Suddenly, Nalan Zi’s face changed as she remembered Ning Fan’s abilities, fearing her little thoughts had already been seen through by Ning Fan, thus angering him.
Fortunately, Ning Fan didn’t seem to use mind-reading because he was still reading to her...
"It seems he hasn’t seen my little thoughts. If he knew, with his personality, he wouldn’t bother to read to me anymore..." Nalan Zi breathed a sigh of relief.
Ning Fan continued reading to Nalan Zi aloud, but internally he was quite speechless.
Nalan Zi’s little thoughts, he had long seen through them!
However, this time he needed something from her, so he didn’t mind accommodating Nalan Zi a little. This woman loved to hear him read? He would read more then, what harm was there.
And so, this time he read until dawn of the second day.
Only then did Ning Fan close the book. He had no more texts related to the Art of Tri-life to read.
Unbeknownst to when it started, Nalan Zi had already fallen asleep on the table to the sound of Ning Fan’s reading.
And so.
When Nalan Zi woke up, she was almost frightened to tears by her own foolish act. Sleeping soundly in front of the great Ning Fan, she really was living too carelessly! It seems the comfortable life of recent years had made her forget the fear once instilled by Ning Fan! This was not good! It must change!
"I’m sorry! Master, I didn’t mean to fall asleep! Master took the time to explain the key points of the Art of Tri-life to me, and yet I didn’t listen carefully, please punish me!"
"You haven’t been listening carefully since I started the fifth book..." Ning Fan said speechlessly.
"Yes, yes, because when Master reached the fifth book, I grasped the key to triggering the Art of Tri-life, and there was no need to listen carefully to the rest... Oh! No, Master, I didn’t mean to deceive you! I just, I just... Please have mercy, Master!" Nalan Zi cried anxiously.
"Alright, I’ve long seen through your little thoughts, and I didn’t intend to blame you, so why are you crying? There’s no need to explain, nor is there any need for an explanation. It’s me who needs your help, so what’s wrong with doing some small things for you? Now, do you still need me to read to you? If you need, at most I can read you ten more books, anymore and you won’t listen..."
"No, no need, I can start the divination for Master now..." Nalan Zi said, her face flushed.
"Very well, then help me calculate this matter..."
Ning Fan told Nalan Zi the matter he wanted divined.
Two hours later, Ning Fan carried the exhausted Nalan Zi, who had fainted from excessive use of demonic power, back to bed, placed an expensive pill in her mouth to help her recover her Primordial Qi, and covered her with a light quilt.
Upon leaving the Xuan Yin Treasure, it was visibly evident how gloomy Ning Fan’s face was.
This gloom wasn’t directed at Nalan Zi, but rather at the result of her divination!
[The Immeasurable Pill is a conspiracy! All the Eight Hundred Million Years Yin Chen Wood in this Illusion Realm have been tampered with, and all Zidou Descendants are caught in the scheme! Consuming problematic Immeasurable Pills will inevitably lead to a tragic death one day in the future! If Master needs Immeasurable Pills, you can purchase them from other worlds through the Ancient Kingdom Trade Array... Due to consuming problematic Immeasurable Pills, your entire cultivation has potential issues, and to preserve life, you must find a way to eliminate these issues, which happens to be available in Beitian...]
Ning Fan could only feel an unprecedented conspiracy engulfing all Zidou Descendants!
Who tampered with all the Yin Chen Wood in the Illusion Realm! His goal was to harm all Zidou Descendants who consumed Immeasurable Pills!
Yet it isn’t immediate death upon consumption of the Immeasurable Pill... It seems certain preconditions must be met to be harmed by these Immeasurable Pills. The Nangong Divine Master who tragically died back then must have met that condition. Ning Fan hasn’t met the condition, so like most Zidou Descendants, he hasn’t been harmed yet.
What could be the prerequisite for being harmed by the Immeasurable Pill...
He doesn’t know! Ning Fan only knew that from this moment on, he would never consume problematic Immeasurable Pills again! That was just courting death!
If he absolutely needed Immeasurable Pills, he would find a way to purchase them through the Ancient Kingdom Trade Array! Otherwise, he would have to resort to other methods to enhance his cultivation!
Wait!
If the Eight Hundred Million Years Yin Chen Wood of the Zidou Illusion Realm had issues, he might have harmed someone!
"The day I lacked the main material for crafting Immeasurable Pills, I directly exchanged a large batch of Yin Chen Wood for finished Immeasurable Pills. It was a private transaction, with a Dreamland Realm called Little Mountain Realm. I remember the trade partner was a Saint Level Female Cultivator codenamed Mistress Qiuling, and she urgently needed a large batch of Yin Chen Wood at that time... Since my Yin Chen Wood had issues, it most likely had already harmed her..."
Ning Fan decided to find time to contact that Saint Level Female Cultivator again and ask about her current situation.
Even though Ning Fan knew he would never meet that female cultivator in this lifetime, he still felt somewhat guilty. It was problematic items he sold, and he should compensate that Saint Level Female Cultivator!
Of course, this matter would have to wait until he had the time to do it!
The most pressing matter now is to follow Nalan Zi’s divination, to retrieve a secret technique from somewhere in Beitian! Ning Fan needed to use this secret technique to eliminate the cultivation risk within himself!
"The ’Multilayer Soul-Sealing Technique’... This technique is not the renowned Great Divine Power of Beitian, but rather an unassuming Divine Skill in the Scripture Pavilion of a minor Enlightenment faction in Beitian. Since no one has successfully cultivated it, it has never been paid much attention. If not for Nalan Zi’s divination, I wouldn’t have even heard of this technique’s name... But can this technique really remove the cultivation risk in me..."