163: System Nirvana: The Awakening of the Invisible Anchor and Resurrection Counterattack

Inside the secret Immortal Cave, the light was dim.

Lin Fan sat cross-legged, the three beautiful figures before him representing his last lingering attachment to the world outside the cave.

Zhao Linger knelt before him, her eyes still red, and in those gentle, watery eyes, only his reflection could be seen.

Her jade-like hand rested lightly on Lin Fan's wrist, her warm spiritual energy carefully probing, afraid that he might still have hidden injuries from his life-and-death struggle with the Spirit Transformation Old Monster.

"Brother Lin Fan, are you really... decided to Cultivate in seclusion now?"

Her voice held a trace of imperceptible tremor.

Every time Lin Fan said he was going into "seclusion," it meant an unknown, thrilling gamble.

"Yes, this time the harvest is too great; if I don't digest it, I won't feel at ease."

Lin Fan clasped her cool, small hand in his, the warmth of his palm conveying a reassuring strength.

Su Meier gracefully approached, her fluffy, snow-white fox tail already wrapped around Lin Fan's other arm, gently swaying, betraying the unease in her heart.

Her captivating, foxy eyes scanned Lin Fan up and down, her tone carrying her usual playful chiding.

"Oh my, you really are a troublesome fellow."

"You just barely escaped death from the lair of an Spirit Transformation Old Monster, haven't even caught your breath, and now you're going to stir up trouble again."

"My poor little heart, you'll shatter it eventually."

Despite her words, the fox tail wrapped around Lin Fan's arm tightened even more, as if afraid he would vanish the next second.

Li Hanyue still stood a few steps away; she didn't approach, merely watching him silently with her clear, cold, star-like eyes.

The frost patterns on the scabbard of the long sword in her hand seemed to brighten slightly with her emotions.

After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice as clear as ever, yet containing an undeniable trust.

"Go."

"Everything outside the cave, we will handle."

A simple sentence, worth a thousand words.

A warm current surged in Lin Fan's heart. He looked at the three women before him, each with a distinct style, yet all showing him the purest concern, and his determination to become stronger, no matter the cost, grew even firmer.

What he wanted to protect, wasn't it this very beauty before him?

"Don't worry, this time it's just a simple secluded Cultivation."

"There will be no danger whatsoever."

Lin Fan's tone was incredibly sincere, his eyes clear, showing no Impurities.

The three women looked at his "harmless" appearance, feeling a little relieved, yet still sensing that something wasn't quite right.

They knew Lin Fan too well.

The more this man guaranteed safety, the crazier his plans usually were.

In the end, they still chose to believe him.

After Lin Fan personally set up one top-tier concealment and defensive Formation after another, all improved from Xuanji Zi's Formation diagrams, completely isolating the entire Immortal Cave from the outside world, the three women departed, looking back with every step.

The stone door of the Immortal Cave slowly closed.

The last sliver of light was completely swallowed.

Darkness and deathly silence once again enveloped this small space.

Lin Fan's gentle smile instantly vanished, replaced by extreme calm and focus.

He closed his eyes, his mind fully sinking into his Sea of Consciousness.

The golden scriptures of the Ten Thousand Tribulations Undying Body, like a great sun, slowly rose in his Sea of Consciousness; each ancient character contained the supreme Profound Truth of resisting all tribulations and achieving an immortal Physical Body.

The Cultivation Technique began to operate.

A surging vital essence of life poured out from every corner of his limbs and bones.

Every cell of his Physical Body cheered and rejoiced.

Deep within his bones, fine golden light seemed to flow slowly; each cycle of the Universe made his bone structure tougher and astonishingly dense.

Muscle fibers reorganized in a profound way, and a faint precious light shimmered on his skin's surface.

This pure progress, stemming from the essence of life, filled his heart with a heroic spirit of controlling everything.

At the same time, the vast Xuanji Zi Formation diagrams, under his Divine Thought analysis, were thoroughly integrated.

Countless intricate Formation nodes, complex energy circuits, and ingenious spatial runes all transformed into his own knowledge reserves.

He even felt that if he wished, he could instantly construct a blessed land no less inferior to Xuanji Zi's lair.

Calm, and powerful.

Just as Lin Fan was about to put this Formation knowledge into practice and construct a new, absolutely safe Rebirth network.

A sudden change occurred.

The long-dormant System light screen in his mind suddenly lit up.

It was no longer the usual crimson representing a death warning.

Instead, it was an unprecedented, dazzling golden stream of light.

The light was sacred, majestic, and blazing, as if the entire Universe was celebrating the arrival of this moment.

Lin Fan's mind was completely drawn to this sudden anomaly.

Immediately after.

A majestic and infinitely joyful System prompt, like the grand sound of the Great Dao, resounded throughout his entire Sea of Consciousness.

"Congratulations, Host!"

"Due to the Host completing an SSS+ rank 'Perfect Death' and obtaining a 'immortal realm fragment (Giant)', the System's core algorithm optimization has been successfully triggered!"

"Authority elevated!"

"Rebirth module Nirvana upgrade!"

A series of prompts made Lin Fan's breathing hitch.

Before he could react, a more detailed stream of information, like a bursting flood, surged into his mind.

"Rebirth cooldown time significantly shortened, now upgraded to—Instant Rebirth!"

"When Soul Energy is sufficient, the moment the Host's consciousness dissipates, the Divine Soul can instantly condense and the Physical Body can be reshaped at the designated anchor point!"

Instant Rebirth!

Lin Fan's heart gave a violent twitch.

The meaning represented by these four words was simply a qualitative leap.

Cooldown time had always been one of his biggest constraints.

Now, that constraint was gone.

As long as he had enough Soul Energy, he could truly achieve infinite continuation of life, seamlessly connected.

The surprise wasn't over; the System prompt continued.

"Cost: Instant Rebirth will lead to a doubled consumption of Soul Energy and requires a higher intensity of the Host's Divine Soul Origin. Please pay attention to Soul Energy reserves."

Lin Fan understood.

There was no free lunch in the world.

This small cost, in his opinion, was completely acceptable, even a huge gain.

Soul Energy could be accumulated slowly, and the Divine Soul Origin could be enhanced through Cultivation and Heaven And Earth Treasure.

But the ability of "Instant Rebirth" was priceless.

What excited Lin Fan even more was the next prompt.

"Rebirth anchor point network upgraded!"

"Available anchor points increased to five!"

"All anchor points come with 'Void Realm Hiding' and 'Dynamic Transfer' abilities! They can switch physical locations or enter spatial rifts at the Host's will, completely isolating tracking and locking!"

Lin Fan's eyes shone with terrifying brightness.

This meant he could construct a truly dynamic, undiscoverable, and un-lockable "undying network."

His security had increased by more than a hundredfold.

However, what made Lin Fan's pupils suddenly contract and his heart almost leap out of his chest was the final prompt.

"New core function unlocked—'Rebirth Counterattack'!"

"Description: The instant the Host is reborn, they can optionally unleash an attack that surpasses their current Realm by one major Realm!"

"Cooldown: One day."

The art of "courting death" was no longer about passive defense.

Instead, it was an active counterattack, a fatal blow!

Countless tactics for utilizing this new ability flashed through Lin Fan's mind.

Luring enemies to attack with full force, reviving the moment he was killed, and then using a Soul Transformation Stage strike to blast the dumbfounded enemies into dust.

What a wonderful scene that would be.

After the surprise and ecstasy, Lin Fan's eyes gradually filled with a light called "scheming."

He couldn't wait to try it out.

With a thought, he took out several high-level Talismans from his storage ring, and using the miniature blasting Formation from Xuanji Zi's Formation diagrams as a blueprint, he quickly set up a small but astonishingly powerful self-destructing Talisman Formation at the other end of the Immortal Cave.

Having done all this, he took a deep breath and walked in without hesitation.

"Boom—!"

The Talisman Formation activated, and a violent energy instantly engulfed him.

His Physical Body was torn apart, his Immortal Grade Nascent Soul exploded in the energy storm, and his consciousness sank into a brief Void Realm.

Death.

Then, Rebirth!

Almost at the very instant his consciousness dissipated, his Divine Soul instantly condensed on the meditation cushion in the center of the Immortal Cave.

A vast power, far exceeding the Nascent Soul Realm, appeared out of thin air within his newly formed body.

It was a terrifying might belonging to the Soul Transformation Stage, capable of tearing space and annihilating Laws!

"This is it!"

Lin Fan suppressed the ecstasy in his heart, condensed this power onto his right fist, and slammed it against the cave wall.

He didn't use any techniques, just a pure release of power.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

The indestructible stone wall of the Immortal Cave, which he had fortified with layers of defensive Formations, actually trembled violently under this punch.

At the point of impact, a tiny, visible crack appeared!

This was merely the aftershock of the power.

Just a straightforward punch.

Lin Fan felt the residual destructive power, which transcended boundaries, on his fist, and his heart surged.

His eyes were filled with ambition and boundless imaginings for the future.

A new, bolder, and crazier plan began to form in his mind.

He wanted to combine the intricate spatial Formations from Xuanji Zi's Formation diagrams and scatter the five anchor points across the continent.

One hidden in a ten-thousand-zhang trench deep in the Eastern Sea.

One concealed in the heart of the magma beneath the Western Desert.

One placed in the poisonous miasma forbidden zone of the Southern Border.

One set in the ten-thousand-year-old glacier of the Northern Lands.

And the last one, hidden within the endless Void Realm rifts, drifting with the currents, untraceable.

A truly indestructible "undying System."

Just as Lin Fan was immersed in infinite planning for his new abilities.

The last sentence of Xuanji Zi's log once again appeared in his mind.

"However... it is also a chess piece of the Heavenly Dao!"

And the System's previous urgent warning about the Heavenly Dao Forbidden Zone.

A homologous aura.

Uncontrolled energy.

Lin Fan slowly raised his head, his gaze seemingly penetrating the thick cave walls, looking towards the distant Heavenly Dao Forbidden Zone.

An uncontrollable urge surged in his heart.

He not only needed to prepare for new adventures.

He also needed to figure out what secrets lay behind his seemingly Heaven-Defying abilities.

Was he the chess player?

Or was he just a crucial chess piece in this game, one that could be discarded at any time?