第三千八百七十章 擦肩而过

readx();    “ nǐ què dìng fǎ lì bō dòng shì lín xiǎo zi de ？”

readx();    “你确定法力波动是林小子的？”

"Are you sure the power fluctuations are from Lin Xuan?"

“ bǎi fēn zhī bǎi de bǎ wò bù gǎn shuō ， dàn kě néng xìng yě shì fēi tóng xiǎo kě ， bì jìng wǒ céng yǔ tā jiāo shǒu guò ， zhè xiǎo zi fǎ lì bō dòng de shǔ xìng rú hé ， wǒ shì wú lùn rú hé ， yě bú huì wàng jì de 。” tiān yuán hóu rú cǐ zhè bān de shuō 。

“百分之百的把握不敢说，但可能性也是非同小可，毕竟我曾与他交手过，这小子法力波动的属性如何，我是无论如何，也不会忘记的。”天元侯如此这般的说。

"The truth is, I can't say with absolute certainty. But the likelihood is quite high. After all, I've fought him before. The nature of his power fluctuations—I won't forget it no matter how hard he tries to hide them," the Heavenly Essence Marquis said.

“ hēng ， dào lǐ shì zhè yàng méi cuò ， dàn shì qíng bì jìng yǐ guò qù le qiān nián zhī jiǔ ， shuí jiù gǎn bǎo zhèng nǐ de gǎn yìng yí dìng bú huì chū cuò 。” lǎo zhě bù yǐ wéi rán de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ 。

“哼，道理是这样没错，但事情毕竟已过去了千年之久，谁就敢保证你的感应一定不会出错。”老者不以为然的声音传入耳朵。

"Hmph. That's correct in theory, but a thousand years have passed. Who can guarantee that your senses are infallible?" the old man's disbelieving voice echoed.

“ nòng cuò yòu rú hé ， běn hóu yǐ jīng shuō guò ， yǔ nà lín xiǎo zi chóu shēn shì hǎi ， rèn hé yì diǎn zhū sī mǎ jì ， wǒ yě jué bú huì fàng guò 。” tiān yuán hóu qiáng yì nù qì de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， míng xiǎn shì yǒu xiē bù nài fán le 。

“弄错又如何，本侯已经说过，与那林小子仇深似海，任何一点蛛丝马迹，我也绝不会放过。”天元侯强抑怒气的声音传入耳朵，明显是有些不耐烦了。

"Even if I'm wrong, this Marquis has already stated my hatred for Lin Xuan runs deep. Any trace of him, no matter how faint, will not be overlooked," the Heavenly Essence Marquis said with a suppressed anger that betrayed his impatience.

“ bú shì běn xiān bù xiāng xìn nǐ ， ér shì zhào nǐ suǒ shuō ， dāng nián nà xìng lín de xiǎo jiā huo ， bù guò yī fēn shén qī de cún zài bà le ， nǐ zhī suǒ yǐ bèi tā hài dé nà me cǎn ， yě shì zhòng jì de yuán gù ， fǒu zé píng shí lì jué shèng fù ， nà lín xiǎo zi gēn běn jiù bù zhí yī zhàn de ？”

“不是本仙不相信你，而是照你所说，当年那姓林的小家伙，不过一分神期的存在罢了，你之所以被他害得那么惨，也是中计的缘故，否则凭实力决胜负，那林小子根本就不值一战的？”

"I don't doubt your sincerity, but based on what you say, that young Lin was merely a One Spirit Division cultivator back then. You were tricked into it; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been worth fighting even if we compared our strengths," the old man said with a hint of mockery.

“ bù cuò 。”

“不错。”

The Heavenly Essence Marquis remained silent for a moment before coldly retorting, "I know this growth rate is too rapid to be true, which is why I haven't made any conclusions. That hateful Lin Xuan might have been here; I'm just following leads and not letting go of any traces. If he’s not here, it will merely waste some time."

tiān yuán hóu ào rán de shuō 。

天元侯傲然的说。

Despite his doubts, the immortal was reluctant to press further when the other man had made his point.

zhè yě shì zuì ràng tā bù néng jiè huái de yì diǎn 。

这也是最让他不能介怀的一点。

Silence fell as they waited in place for a moment.

zì jǐ de shí lì míng míng yuǎn yuǎn shèng guò ， què bèi duì fāng yòng jì gěi kēng cǎn le ， fǒu zé ， hé kǔ luò dào huáng huáng rán rú sàng jiā zhī quǎn yì bān de dì bù 。

自己的实力明明远远胜过，却被对方用计给坑惨了，否则，何苦落到惶惶然如丧家之犬一般的地步。

Then, a purple light appeared in their line of sight. As the glow faded, a toad-like spirit beast came into view.

“ hēng ， zhè wèn tí jiù lái le ， nà shí hòu de lín xuān ， jǐn jǐn shì fēn shén qī de xiǎo bèi ér yǐ ， rú jīn mǎn dǎ mǎn suàn yě bù guò qiān nián guò qù ， yòu néng chéng zhǎng dào hé zhòng dì bù ， yào zhī dào cǐ dì suǒ yí liú de fǎ lì bō dòng ， kě shì dù jié hòu qī de ， qiān nián guāng yīn ， xiū liàn dào rú cǐ dì bù ， nǐ jué de kě néng me ， biàn shì dāng nián de ā xiū luó ， yì shì bàn bú dào de 。” lǎo zhě de shēng yīn bù wú jī fěng de shuō 。

“哼，这问题就来了，那时候的林轩，仅仅是分神期的小辈而已，如今满打满算也不过千年过去，又能成长到何种地步，要知道此地所遗留的法力波动，可是渡劫后期的，千年光阴，修炼到如此地步，你觉得可能么，便是当年的阿修罗，亦是办不到的。”老者的声音不无讥讽的说。

The sound was surprisingly loud and boisterous, "Kraa!" The Heavenly Essence Marquis's face turned grim.

zài tā kàn lái ， duì fāng shì xiǎng yào bào chóu ， kuài yào xiǎng fēng le ， jū rán fàn zhè me qiǎn xiǎn de cuò wù 。

在他看来，对方是想要报仇，快要想疯了，居然犯这么浅显的错误。

"Hmph! I told you earlier that this is just wasting time. This place had restrictions before. Your celestial toad, though powerful, can't distinguish the exact power fluctuations," the old man said, his expression turning stern as he felt a surge of spiritual energy around him.

tiān yuán hóu yǎ kǒu wú yán 。

天元侯哑口无言。

"Wait! What are you doing? If it's merely to waste some time, I have no objections. But without any evidence, chasing after a late-stage Immortal who could be outmatched by a single cultivator is something I can't ignore. According to the timeline, this couldn’t possibly be Lin Xuan. You’re acting foolishly and needlessly," the immortal's voice rose with anger.

zhè ge lòu dòng què rán shì tā suǒ wú fǎ jiě shì de 。

这个漏洞确然是他所无法解释的。

"Check it out, what’s the harm?" the Heavenly Essence Marquis said through gritted teeth.

chén mò piàn kè ， tā cái lěng lěng de kāi kǒu le ：“ běn hóu yě zhī dào zhè ge chéng zhǎng sù dù ， yǒu xiē guò yú lí pǔ ， suǒ yǐ wǒ yě méi yǒu xià jié lùn 。 nà kě wù de lín xiǎo zi jiù yí dìng zài zhè lǐ dài guò ， wǒ zhè zhǐ shì àn tú suǒ jì ， bù fàng guò rèn hé zhū sī mǎ jì ér yǐ ， jiù suàn bú shì yòu rú hé ， dà bù liǎo làng fèi yì diǎn diǎn shí jiān bà le 。”

沉默片刻，他才冷冷的开口了：“本侯也知道这个成长速度，有些过于离谱，所以我也没有下结论。那可恶的林小子就一定在这里待过，我这只是按图索骥，不放过任何蛛丝马迹而已，就算不是又如何，大不了浪费一点点时间罢了。”

"Just checking? It sounds easy. Your current strength might give you an edge, but that mysterious human expert who could single-handedly defeat three co-equal foreign demons isn’t someone to be trifled with. You’ll only cause trouble and alert him. If this ruins my plans, I won't let it go," the old man's voice was sharp with anger.

duì fāng huà shuō dào zhè bān dì bù ， nà zhēn xiān xīn lǐ ， suī rán yī jiù shì bù yǐ wéi rán yǐ jí ， dàn yě bù hǎo jì xù zhuī jiū xià qù 。

对方话说到这般地步，那真仙心里，虽然依旧是不以为然以极，但也不好继续追究下去。

The old man’s tone had softened as he added, "Don't worry; now that we're in this together, your enemies will be mine too. If you do meet Lin Xuan, I’ll help you take him down."

yú shì ， jìng jìng de děng zài yuán dì 。

于是，静静的等在原地。

...

wú shēng wú xī ， yī zhǎn chá de shí jiān guò qù 。

无声无息，一盏茶的时间过去。

Lin Xuan remained unaware of these events. Since embarking on his cultivation journey, countless powerful foes had fallen to his blade. The Heavenly Essence Marquis was but a minor player now; how could he still hold any grudges?

yī dào zǐ guāng chū xiàn zài le shì xiàn lǐ 。 guāng máng shōu liǎn ， què shì nà chán chú mú yàng de líng shòu yìng rù yǎn lián 。

一道紫光出现在了视线里。光芒收敛，却是那蟾蜍模样的灵兽映入眼帘。

These events unfolded in secret, and Lin Xuan knew nothing about them. The threat, however, remained ever-present. Eventually, the Heavenly Essence Marquis would come knocking again.

bié kàn zhǐ yǔ lóng yǎn dà xiǎo xiāng chà fǎng fú ， shēng yīn què hěn páng bó ，“ gū ” de jiào shēng chuán rù ěr duǒ ， tiān yuán hóu de liǎn sè dùn shí yīn qíng bù dìng qǐ lái le 。

别看只与龙眼大小相差仿佛，声音却很磅礴，“呱”的叫声传入耳朵，天元侯的脸色顿时阴晴不定起来了。

Currently, what concerned Lin Xuan most were the foreign demons. He had obliterated a demon city, leaving tens of thousands of demonic beings dead. The three Demon Sovereigns had been reduced to nothingness.

“ hēng ， lǎo fū gāng cái jiù céng jīng shuō guò ， nǐ zhè me zuò ， zhǐ shì làng fèi shí jiān bà le ， cǐ chù céng yǒu jìn zhì shǒu hù 。 nǐ zhè tiān chán shòu suī rán xuán miào ， dàn yě gēn běn méi yǒu yòng tú ， fēn biàn bù chū jù tǐ de fǎ lì bō dòng 。”

“哼，老夫刚才就曾经说过，你这么做，只是浪费时间罢了，此处曾有禁制守护。你这天蟾兽虽然玄妙，但也根本没有用途，分辨不出具体的法力波动。”

Having suffered such a loss, his enemies wouldn't let it go; they'd surely gather more powerful forces to seek revenge.

tiān yuán hóu tīng le liǎn sè yī lì ， hún shēn líng máng dà qǐ 。

天元侯听了脸色一厉，浑身灵芒大起。

Lin Xuan was well aware of this.

“ děng děng 。 nǐ yào zuò shén me ， ruò zhǐ shì dān gē yì diǎn shí jiān chá tàn ， lǎo fū wú huà kě shuō ， dàn zài méi yǒu rèn hé zhèng jù de qíng kuàng xià 。 hái yào qù zhuī yī néng yǐ shǎo dǎ duō de dù jié hòu qī qiáng zhě ， lǎo fū jiù bù néng zuò shì bù gù ， wǒ yǐ jīng shuō guò 。 gēn jù shí jiān tuī cè ， gēn běn jiù bù kě néng shì nà lín xiǎo zi de ， nǐ hái yào rú cǐ bù zhì ， zuò nà yī yì gū xíng zhī shì ……” nà zhēn xiān bó rán dà nù 。

“等等。你要做什么，若只是耽搁一点时间查探，老夫无话可说，但在没有任何证据的情况下。还要去追一能以少打多的渡劫后期强者，老夫就不能坐视不顾，我已经说过。根据时间推测，根本就不可能是那林小子的，你还要如此不智，做那一意孤行之事……”那真仙勃然大怒。

Though he wasn’t afraid, being caught in the crosshairs was troublesome. He didn’t have time to engage them further. The situation in Nael Dragon Realm was worse than expected, and he had no idea how Cloud Conceal Sect fared now. Returning to the main sect headquarters quickly would help lift his spirits.

“ qù kàn kàn yòu rú hé ？” tiān yuán hóu yǎo yá qiè chǐ de shuō 。

“去看看又如何？”天元侯咬牙切齿的说。

...

“ kàn kàn ， shuō dé qīng sōng ， nǐ xiàn zài de shí lì ， huò xǔ néng shèng shàng duì fāng yī chóu ， dàn zhè shén mì de rén lèi gāo shǒu ， jì rán néng gòu yǐ yī dí sān ， dǎ bài sān míng tóng jiē de yù wài tiān mó ， yě jué bú shì kě yǐ rèn nǐ róu niē de rén wù ， nǐ cǐ qù méi yǒu sī háo yòng tú ， hái dǎ cǎo jīng shé ， ruò shì huài le běn xiān de hǎo shì ， wǒ jué bú huì yǔ nǐ gàn xiū 。”

“看看，说得轻松，你现在的实力，或许能胜上对方一筹，但这神秘的人类高手，既然能够以一敌三，打败三名同阶的域外天魔，也绝不是可以任你揉捏的人物，你此去没有丝毫用途，还打草惊蛇，若是坏了本仙的好事，我绝不会与你干休。”

Lin Xuan's concerns were justified.

lǎo zhě shēng yīn qī lì ， xiǎn de nǎo nù yǐ jí ， yǐ jīng yòng shàng le wēi xié de yǔ qì 。

老者声音凄厉，显得恼怒以极，已经用上了威胁的语气。

Meanwhile, several thousand miles away, a magnificent demon city came into view. Built on a mountain, it stretched vast and imposing over hundreds of thousands of acres, with towering black demon towers piercing the sky like swords.

tīng duì fāng zhè me shuō ， tiān yuán hóu de liǎn sè gèng jiā yīn yù ， bīng lěng dé fǎng fú yào xià yǔ ， dàn tā xīn zhōng ， què shí yǒu suǒ gù jì ， bié kàn xiàn zài ， tā yōng yǒu shēn tǐ de zhǔ dǎo quán ， dàn ruò shì zhēn rě nù zhè míng yī fù yú zì jǐ de yuán yīng de zhēn xiān ， duì fāng bù gù yī qiè de huà ……

听对方这么说，天元侯的脸色更加阴郁，冰冷得仿佛要下雨，但他心中，确实有所顾忌，别看现在，他拥有身体的主导权，但若是真惹怒这名依附于自己的元婴的真仙，对方不顾一切的话……

The sky was darkening, and the dense demonic aura was thick and suffocating.

ruò què dìng shì lín xuān ， tā kě yǐ yì wú fǎn gù ， zhì duì fāng de wēi xié yú bù gù ， dàn xiàn zài jǐn jǐn shì yǒu yì diǎn huái yí ， ér qiě kě néng xìng hái hěn dī ， mào zhe yǔ nà xiān jiè lǎo guài wù nào fān de wēi xiǎn ， kě jiù yǒu xiē bù huá suàn 。

若确定是林轩，他可以义无反顾，置对方的威胁于不顾，但现在仅仅是有一点怀疑，而且可能性还很低，冒着与那仙界老怪物闹翻的危险，可就有些不划算。

This demonic aura differed from that of the ancient demon realm; it appeared pale amidst the darkness, sticky and nauseating to breathe.

quán héng lì bì ， tiān yuán hóu jué dìng fàng qì ：“ hǎo ba ， jiù yī nǐ 。”

权衡利弊，天元侯决定放弃：“好吧，就依你。”

Throughout the city, strange and bizarre buildings dotted the landscape—some floating in mid-air, others buried deep underground with only one entrance visible. The rest were scattered throughout the city, seemingly chaotic but following a hidden pattern.

“ hē hē ， zhè cái shì míng zhì xuǎn zé ， běn xiān yǐ jīng xiàng nǐ fēn xī guò ， qián fāng nà rén jué bù kě néng shì shén me lín xiǎo zi de ， suǒ yǐ nǐ gēn běn jiù bù yòng qù duō cǐ yī jǔ ， dǎ cǎo jīng shé ， nǐ fàng xīn ， xiàn zài běn xiān yǔ nǐ yī róng jù róng ， yī sǔn jù sǔn ， nǐ de chóu rén ， wǒ yě bú huì fàng guò ， ruò zhēn yù jiàn nà lín xiǎo zi ， wǒ yí dìng bú huì xiù shǒu páng guān ， huì fǔ zhù nǐ bào chóu de 。”

“呵呵，这才是明智选择，本仙已经像你分析过，前方那人绝不可能是什么林小子的，所以你根本就不用去多此一举，打草惊蛇，你放心，现在本仙与你一荣俱荣，一损俱损，你的仇人，我也不会放过，若真遇见那林小子，我一定不会袖手旁观，会辅助你报仇的。”

Innumerable foreign demons roamed the city, of various ranks and shapes, defying description.

lǎo zhě shēng yīn yī huǎn ， yǔ qì zhī zhōng ， chōng mǎn le kuān wèi zhī yì 。

老者声音一缓，语气之中，充满了宽慰之意。

PS: Happy National Day to all fellow daoists! May you be healthy and have everything go well. (To be continued...)