Immortality Simulator-Chapter 3: Mortals Seek To Capture Immortals

Time seemed to accelerate.

Li Fan carried out his plans methodically, step by step. With the experience of two lifetimes, everything proceeded with seamless ease.

He still participated in the imperial examinations. But this time, armed with decades of political experience, his essays far surpassed those of his previous life. He achieved first place in the provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations, earning the rare distinction of “triple honors” and shaking the world with his fame!

Afterward, citing the need to gain experience, he requested an assignment to a regional post. His destination, naturally, was Wen County.

Though the court was puzzled and found it a pity, they approved his request.

Thus, in Anchor Year 3, he returned to Wen County.

This time, things went far better than in his past life. His immense reputation, combined with his thorough understanding of every local official’s temperament, allowed him to bring the entire county under his control with minimal effort.

He began promoting and grooming his trusted aides from his previous life, steadily expanding his influence.

At the same time, he drafted blueprints for flintlock firearms, ordering craftsmen to produce them while personally guiding them through the technical challenges. He then dispatched his men to recruit skilled artisans from across the land in secret, striving to develop even more advanced weaponry.

The mining operations in the mountains were not idle either. Li Fan disbanded all bandit groups in the nearby mountain ranges, sending the members into forced labor in the mines. Using the resources from these mines, he established numerous workshops deep in the mountains, mass-producing handicrafts and ironware. Secretly, he organized merchant caravans to trade these goods far and wide, amassing wealth.

In Anchor Year 4, Li Fan’s covert investigations finally led him to the body double of Emperor Xuanjing—the very reason his assassination plot had nearly failed in his past life. Fortunately, his meticulous planning and contingencies back then had saved him from disaster. This time, Li Fan himself was the one to train the double, and after six months, the latter’s impersonation was flawless.[1]

In Anchor Year 5, a great drought struck Jiangnan. Li Fan ordered his trusted men to disguise themselves as refugees and storm the Prince of Langya’s estate. Under the pretense of leading a rescue, Li Fan orchestrated an inside job, slaughtering the prince and his entire family before deploying the body double.

From then on, Li Fan usurped the Prince of Langya’s position, secretly taking control of his estate.

News of the Prince of Langya’s family being massacred, with only the prince himself surviving, shocked the court. The enraged emperor dispatched troops to suppress the “rioting refugees.” Meanwhile, Li Fan was rewarded for his “meritorious service” and promoted to Prefect of Jianghuai Prefecture.

His influence expanded further. Yet, from this point onward, he grew cautious. Instead of outward expansion, he kept a low profile, focusing on technological advancement and productivity.

In Anchor Year 7, locusts arrived as expected. Thanks to Li Fan’s preparations, Jianghuai Prefecture remained unscathed. He petitioned the court to open granaries and aid the afflicted. The court agreed.

Seizing this opportunity, Li Fan absorbed a massive influx of refugees into his domain. These displaced people settled under his rule, causing his power to surge exponentially.

In Anchor Year 9, the wedding between the Prince of Langya and the granddaughter of the Grand Secretary proceeded as scheduled. That night, Li Fan stormed the bridal chamber, terrifying the princess consort. When she learned he had killed the real prince and replaced him with a double, she raged, denouncing him as a traitor. Unfazed, Li Fan laughed heartily and ordered her to write a detailed account of the horrifying truth in a letter.

Posing as the prince’s messenger, Li Fan carried this letter to the capital and met the Grand Secretary in secret.

Calmly, Li Fan revealed his control over the Prince of Langya’s estate and asserted that he had defiled the Grand Secretary’s granddaughter that very night. Though startled, the Grand Secretary remained composed and asked what Li Fan’s intentions were.

Li Fan bluntly stated that the Grand Secretary had been in office for too long and had made too many enemies. Moreover, all his sons were incompetents. Once the Grand Secretary died, his family would surely fall into ruin. If the Grand Secretary aided Li Fan at the right moment, Li Fan would ensure his family’s prosperity for generations.

After a long silence, the Grand Secretary asked what he wanted. Li Fan merely smiled and said all would be revealed in time, then departed like a passing breeze.

In Anchor Year 10, the Princess Consort of Langya gave birth to a son. It was, of course, Li Fan’s. He sent a letter to the Grand Secretary’s estate, announcing the “joyous news.”

In Anchor Year 15, the emperor finally fell gravely ill. Upon receiving the edict of succession, Li Fan and his trusted followers raced to the capital under the cover of night.

Once the false Prince of Langya ascended the throne, Li Fan used imperial edicts to install his loyalists throughout the court. With the Grand Secretary’s covert cooperation, he seized control without resistance.

In Anchor Year 16, rebellions erupted across the land. Li Fan used the chaos to plant his men in the military, promoting them rapidly under the guise of quelling the uprisings. Within three to four years, the army was firmly in his grasp.

By Anchor Year 20, the realm had stabilized from the upheaval of the imperial transition. Li Fan decisively poisoned the false Emperor Xuanjing, eliminating the last potential threat.

After installing his own son as emperor, Li Fan proclaimed himself Grand Preceptor, stepping from the shadows into the open, and once again holding supreme power over the empire.

From then on, the gears of Great Xuan’s development not only continued turning, but accelerated under Li Fan’s will!

Anchor Year 35, the Grand Preceptor’s Estate.

Li Fan frowned slightly as he read the secret report handed to him.

“So, the fog over the Abyssal Chasm disperses for half a day every fifteen years?”

“Indeed, Grand Preceptor. We have been stationed by the Abyssal Chasm, observing day and night. Finally, some days ago, we witnessed it.” As the kneeling Seeker of Immortals recounted the scene, his face was still etched with awe.

“When the fog lifted, faint light shone from the depths. Through telescopes, we caught a glimpse of upside-down landscapes. Each observer saw something different, but there were some things we all saw: endless mountain ranges with majestic structures hidden among them, towering cities with millions of people on plains, floating citadels wrapped in radiant light, filled with mythical beasts and birds...” The Seeker paused, then whispered, “It was truly inconceivable.”

So they truly came from the Abyssal Chasm. Though he had long suspected it, hearing confirmation stirred excitement in Li Fan. Yet having lived for numerous years, he managed to keep his expression neutral.

“Have you found a way to descend into the abyss?” he asked coolly.

The Seeker’s breath hitched, and his face turned pale. He kowtowed in apology. “Please forgive our incompetence. We have tried every method, but beyond a certain depth, sudden gales shred everything. Even our strongest armor can’t last more than a few moments.”

Li Fan showed no disappointment. Dismissing the Seeker, he murmured to himself, “Then it seems I must still wait for you...”

***

Anchor Year 50, Great Xuan, Xuanjing.

The once-bustling capital was eerily silent.

Under the Grand Preceptor’s decree, most citizens had been forcibly relocated a month prior, ostensibly to “avoid calamity.” Some scoffed at the absurd excuse, but Li Fan didn’t force the unwilling, merely advising them to dig cellars for shelter. These holdouts dismissed it as a joke.

Upon receiving the reports, Li Fan simply shrugged and let them be. He’d done his part.

Now, hidden in Xuanjing’s streets and alleys, were elite forces that had spent years preparing to capture the two cultivators.

Everything was ready. All that remained was for the targets to arrive.

That night, beneath a bright moon, the two cultivators appeared on schedule.

“Dao Xuanzi! Do not push me too far!” Kou Hong’s furious roar echoed through Xuanjing.

Rat-tat-tat-tat... Countless tongues of fire erupted. A deluge of bullets instantly engulfed the two immortals like a waterfall!

1. TL’s understanding of this: In the last life, the Prince of Langya aka Emperor Xuanjing employed a double to help him escape Li Fan’s assassination attempt. In this life, Li Fan found the body double first and recruited him. ☜