Translator: CinderTL
"Understood," the Imaginary Dao Venerable replied calmly. Unable to empathize with Li Chunjun's pain, he focused on addressing the problem objectively.
"Please provide a complete description of the deceased's condition so I can gather more data for my calculations."
"A complete description?"
"Yes, I need to know the specific circumstances: time of death, location, environment, whether the body still exists..." the Imaginary Dao Venerable pressed.
"I'm asking you for solutions, not interrogating me," Li Chunjun retorted.
"I'm merely trying to help you resolve this matter," the Imaginary Dao Venerable countered.
Li Chunjun stared at him—at this spirit-type Dao Venerable, a Special Life forged from the reincarnated body of the Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling, who had returned to zero. "So, you're stalling for time? For your master, the Ultimate Powerhouse of the False God Hall?"
He paused. "It's pointless. Even if Gui Ling returns—and even if he brings the other eight Ultimate Powerhouses with him—it won't change anything. The outcome was sealed the moment I grasped the Dao. Everything is beyond redemption. The only question is when I choose to take the final step and end it all."
The Imaginary Dao Venerable listened to Li Chunjun's words and fell silent for a moment.
Before a single breath had passed, a smile bloomed on his face.
A spirit-type life, wearing an emotional smile.
Unlike other dao unification beings who merely used expressions like "smiles, solemnity, or rage" as displays of their stance.
"I believe in you," the Imaginary Dao Venerable said. "Since I became Lord of the False God Realm so many years ago, if anyone has the best chance to change everything, it is undoubtedly you!"
He gazed at Li Chunjun. "Your potential surpasses even Profound Yellow, Primordial Origin, and Sundial. You are the most promising figure of all!"
Hearing the Imaginary Dao Venerable mention these names, Li Chunjun's keen mind immediately grasped the implication.
"The Supreme Council?"
"Yes," the Imaginary Dao Venerable nodded slightly.
Li Chunjun was surprised, yet it also made perfect sense.
If Di Jiang and his group had no informants within the False God Realm, how could their movements have evaded the False God Hall's surveillance and stirred up so much turmoil?
"I am a member of the Supreme Council, but only to save myself," the Imaginary Dao Venerable said calmly. "I have been imprisoned by the return to zero for 1,366,225,709 years. In another twenty-seven days, four hours, and fifteen minutes, I will have endured enough. All I have ever wanted is something insignificant: freedom!"
"Then you should trust that I can grant you freedom," Li Chunjun said.
"Of course," the Imaginary Dao Venerable replied. "Even before Dao Lord Di Jiang took notice of you, I had already been observing every detail of your progress. After all, I possess vast computational resources and ample leisure to process trivial matters. Your growth trajectory is astonishingly rapid, making you stand out even among the immeasurably vast multitude of living beings. Therefore, my trust in you surpasses even your own self-confidence."
"Then demonstrate your worth," Li Chunjun said.
"The one you wish to resurrect is your dearest kin. However, according to my information, she left no physical remains. Furthermore, her soul has... merged with yours. Therefore, only three methods remain available."
The Imaginary Dao Venerable responded.
"Three methods?" Li Chunjun asked, startled.
Not just one method, but three?
"First, the simplest approach: you could reverse-engineer your own soul's state, causing it to gradually disintegrate until her original soul state is restored."
As the Imaginary Dao Venerable spoke, countless streams of flowing light flickered before him, faintly tracing the pathways of soul power.
Li Chunjun's understanding of the great dao of the soul now surpassed even his comprehension of the great dao of the void and the great dao of destruction. He immediately grasped the Dao Venerable's intent from the method being demonstrated.
But...
He couldn't do it.
Because the process of refining souls and purifying them into energy had not been carried out by him.
It was the Human Emperor Banner.
And the true nature of the Human Emperor Banner...
He now had some suspicions.
Therefore, this method was impossible.
"The second method," Li Chunjun skipped over.
"The hope for the second method lies in your parents, or even other relatives."
With a wave of his hand, the Imaginary Dao Venerable conjured before him not only the great dao of the soul but also the great dao of life.
"The very structure of human life contains vast inherited information, encoded within DNA. You could find your parents, extract fragments of her DNA from them, and reconstruct her. Due to the inherent continuity of genetic information, the reconstructed individual could essentially be considered a resurrection of your beloved."
The Dao Venerable added, "I don't know if your parents are still alive, but as long as you have relatives, you can trace back through their DNA. With a touch of time power, you could reconstruct your ancestors, then use them to reconstruct your parents, and finally, through your parents, reconstruct your beloved..."
"This isn't resurrection," Li Chunjun said, his expression faintly detached. "It's merely life reconstruction."
"But whether you consider the physical body, DNA, or any other aspect, there would be no discernible difference between the two," the Imaginary Dao Venerable countered, pausing. "At most, it would be like recovering from an illness or experiencing amnesia, unable to recall past events."
"No," Li Chunjun said. "The third method."
"The third method..." Imaginary Dao Venerable hesitated for a moment.
After a long pause, he finally said, "This method involves time."
"The great dao of time?"
"Yes." Imaginary Dao Venerable nodded slightly. "After mastering the great dao of time, one gains the ability to rewind time. While this temporal reversal would be exceedingly difficult for other Dao Venerables who cultivate the Dao of Time, it is a relatively feasible approach for you."
"Rewinding time..." Li Chunjun's expression remained unchanged.
This was because...
As his understanding of the Dao of Time deepened, he had already considered this possibility carefully.
But...
"Rewinding time merely allows us to glimpse past temporal evolutions; it does not truly reverse the flow of time," Li Chunjun pointed out.
"Theoretically, that is correct. To truly reverse time, one must not only reverse karma but also invert the great dao itself. The power required for such a feat would be unimaginably vast, making it virtually impossible. However, if... we were to revive a life through deception, my calculations suggest a high probability of success."
Imaginary Dao Venerable replied.
"Deception?"
"Yes. By pulling a single, weak life form out of the temporal dimension."
The Imaginary Dao Venerable waved his hand, outlining the plan: "To achieve this, first, all traces of time left by the being you wish to resurrect must be completely erased. Furthermore, the traces left by the being wielding this power must also be erased. Only then can we use this deceptive method to rewind time, even reverse it."
The Dao Venerable turned to Li Chunjun. "Erasing all traces of time for both entities... that would be nearly impossible for others. But you can do it. Because the traces you and the person you wish to resurrect left in the river of time are exceptionally brief."
This plan was derived from Li Chunjun's unique nature, refined through vast computational power.
In Li Chunjun's mind, the profound mysteries of the great daos of time, karma, the soul, and life flowed ceaselessly, rapidly calculating the feasibility of this plan.
At that moment, the Imaginary Dao Venerable dropped another bombshell.
"Beyond your brief cultivation time, you possess an even more crucial advantage—void."
The Dao Venerable spoke with solemnity: "If I'm not mistaken, the void great dao inherently possesses the ability to erase one's own 'traces.' In other words, if your void great dao is strong enough, you could completely erase your own traces from the river of time, becoming a Special Life that transcends time itself."
"Traces."
Li Chunjun's thoughts were immersed in the great dao of time.
The Imaginary Dao Venerable's words held a certain truth.
Any life that exists in the world leaves traces behind.
These traces might linger within the consciousness of heaven and earth, or they might be recorded within the very fabric of time.
The Imaginary Dao Venerable's plan involved erasing all traces of Li Chunjun's existence, allowing him to completely escape the control of "time." Then, by leveraging this position above the great dao of time, he could rewind time and revive Li Wanqing.
But...
This Dao Venerable understood the mysteries of the void great dao, yet he failed to grasp its true implications.
Perhaps he knew, but pretended otherwise.
If Li Chunjun were to truly use the void great dao to erase all traces of his existence in the world...
He would effectively fall into true nothingness, vanishing from this world entirely.
At that moment, Li Chunjun couldn't discern whether the Imaginary Dao Venerable was truly assisting the Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling in his revenge, using this "Great Dao backlash" to banish him from the world of "existence," or...
Whether he was genuinely helping him devise a viable plan.
Because...
Trust is the most precious thing in the world.
"Should I trust you?" Li Chunjun asked.
"We share the same position," the Imaginary Dao Venerable replied calmly. "I am also a member of the Supreme Council."
He added calmly, "Of course, the final decision rests with you."
"No! I don't believe the Supreme Council is truly that powerful," Li Chunjun countered. "Almost everything the Supreme Council does is monitored by Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling of the False God Hall. And his method of monitoring the Supreme Council is you! You only pretended to be a member of the Supreme Council because you detected my contact with them. Given your access to information and my limited ties to the Supreme Council, it was easy for you to maintain this facade! You used two plans to lull me into complacency, then presented a third plan, leading me to dig my own grave!"
"I cannot persuade someone who is already prejudiced," the Imaginary Dao Venerable sighed.
"Persuasion is no longer necessary." Li Chunjun raised his hand.
Behind him, two Immortal Artifacts materialized.
Simultaneously, he activated the great dao of the soul and the great dao of creation, drawing power from both artifacts.
"By refining you to determine whether you are friend or foe, I will know if these plans are truly trustworthy."
(End of the Chapter)
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