CHAPTER 1931: CHAPTER 1522: THE HIDDEN EMPEROR CRAFTS THE IMMORTAL BOAT

In an instant, Li Fan found himself overpowered, surprised in his heart yet unyielding with his words.

He similarly asked, "Reverse Boat?"

His eyes fixed intently on the ragged man’s shoulder, where the outwardly renewed wooden boat rested.

The ragged man chuckled, releasing Li Fan.

"As expected of a disciple of Lord Guardian Hill, truly knowledgeable." Without any intention to conceal, he openly acknowledged the identity of the treasure in his hand.

"Lord Guardian Hill..." Li Fan murmured this familiar yet strange name to himself, as various images flashed through his Spirit Consciousness. Simultaneously, he became aware of the peculiarities within his own body.

Upon entering this painting, recalling the past, the previous intracranial pain was mysteriously absent. It seemed he could freely browse through his memories.

Yet, with an inexplicable intuition, Li Fan sensed that such actions would inevitably lead to unfavorable outcomes.

The intense sense of contradiction instinctively made Li Fan aware of the strange nature of this place.

Seeing Li Fan silent, the ragged man was not irritated but posed another question: "Being a Guardian Disciple, you should disdain my Reverse Boat. So why have you come here, little brother?"

"I thought I would never see another person again in this lifetime," the ragged man lamented wistfully.

Li Fan noticed that although he had transferred a large amount of life energy into the painting, it seemed entirely absorbed by the Reverse Boat. Yet, the ragged man, owner of the Reverse Boat, received none of it, remaining unchanged.

His appearance, though middle-aged, revealed an indescribable aura of death.

Li Fan, nurturing abundant life energy within him, naturally sensed life energy with great acuity.

During the silent moment, he finally confirmed that the ragged man before him was not a truly existing living being, but merely an existence like a projection.

However, Li Fan did not lower his guard because of this.

After all, the power shown by the ragged man earlier was quite fearsome. Just a fleeting projection exerted such pressure; it’s hard to imagine what realm the ragged man was at his peak.

"Eternal Life Path, Guardian Disciple."

"Could this be the source of infinite life energy within me?" Li Fan faintly recalled more.

Since the other party did not show obvious hostility, Li Fan intended to probe further, and gain more information.

He spoke solemnly: "Sir, you might be somewhat generalizing. As a Guardian Disciple, why can’t one covet treasures like the Reverse Boat? Reversing time is such an extraordinary chance of Creation! Not necessarily inferior to the Eternal Life Path!"

The ragged man, upon hearing this, looked at Li Fan with some surprise.

Then, as if having thought of something, he smiled with relief, and unexpectedly directly tossed the wooden boat over.

"Surely Lord Guardian Hill is trapped in the Realm of Eternal Silence; hence only passing down the Tao Lineage, unable to teach disciples. This Reverse Boat, you may look into it. See if it is as magical as you imagined?"

Since the other dared to toss it, Li Fan dared to catch it.

Holding the Supreme Treasure Reverse Boat, he began a careful observation.

Apparently sensing the endless life energy within Li Fan, the Treasure Boat grew increasingly greedy, like a Black Hole, attempting to seize more. Li Fan did not completely cut off the transmission of life energy, but consciously continued to pass through thin streams of life energy. Meanwhile, borrowing this thread of life energy, he sensed the internal state of the Reverse Boat.

He had always been curious why this treasure reputed to reverse time needed life energy to maintain its existence, much like World Creatures.

Remarkably, though the wooden boat was merely palm-sized, it seemed heavy as a Mountain. Li Fan exerted all his strength to barely manage it. His Divine Thought followed the flowing life energy, delving into the Treasure Boat’s interior.

Finding the interior state of the Reverse Boat was even worse than its exterior.

Terrifying cracks spread across every corner of the Treasure Boat, akin to dreadful scars. Through these fissures, Li Fan vaguely saw countless scenes not belonging to this time and space.

Li Fan intuitively realized that this was no illusion. These scenes were not merely phantasms. If one were inadvertently to fall into these crevices, they might truly become lost in the chaos of time-space currents.

Avoiding these extremely perilous crevices, Li Fan’s Divine Thought attempted to pinpoint the destination of life energy within the entire Reverse Boat.

Influenced by the pervasive temporal fissures, his sense of life energy became chaotic. After considerable effort, he finally understood.

"Reverse, reverse."

Li Fan squatted down, gently stroking the deck of the Treasure Boat, in contemplation: "Though it appears to be merely an object, it is indeed a living being. Going against the flow requires exhausting one’s lifespan. Under the scourging of the Force of Time, the consumption is not just hundreds of times more. Moreover, besides life energy, it seems to consume some other things..."

Li Fan squinted his eyes.

In his view, this Reverse Boat was like an aged elder nearing death. Though desperately trying to survive by absorbing external life energy, at most it could manage to keep barely breathing. And it was hard to say how long such a life extension could continue.

If not for Li Fan’s presence today, contributing a massive wave of life energy, who knows when this world-shattering Immortal Supreme Treasure would silently vanish, accompanied by this painting.

"How could it be like this?"

Li Fan inevitably felt a bit disappointed in his heart.

Having thought he had found the news of a treasure capable of reversing time, he hadn’t expected it to be in a nearly ruined state from severe overexertion.

Upon repeatedly verifying this truth, Li Fan’s thoughts withdrew from the Reverse Boat.