“ xiàng nǐ zhè bān de rén wù ， wǒ yě céng jiàn guò bù shǎo 。”
“像你这般的人物，我也曾见过不少。”
"I have seen many like you."
“ dàn shì dà duō dōu méi huó duō jiǔ ， jiù yīn wèi gè zhǒng yuán yīn cǎn sǐ le 。”
“但是大多都没活多久，就因为各种原因惨死了。”
"But most of them didn't live long, dying because of various reasons."
“ wǒ dǎo shì yǒu xiē hào qí ， nǐ shì zěn me néng hǎo hǎo huó dào xiàn zài de ？”
“我倒是有些好奇，你是怎么能好好活到现在的？”
"I'm curious—how did you manage to survive until now?"
tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn sī háo méi yǒu gěi lǐ fán miàn zi ， zhí jiē tǎn yán dào 。
天玄镜分身丝毫没有给李凡面子，直接坦言道。
The Taiyin Mirror's avatar showed no respect for Li Fan. It directly admitted.
yǎn zhōng mǎn shì hào qí 。
眼中满是好奇。
Its eyes were filled with curiosity.
lǐ fán de liǎn chōu le chōu 。
李凡的脸抽了抽。
Li Fan's face twitched.
xīn zhōng shā yì zhòu rán fú xiàn 。
心中杀意骤然浮现。
A sudden surge of murderous intent emerged in his heart.
bù guò xiǎng dào duì fāng bì jìng shì tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn ， zhī xiǎo shǔ bù qīng de yǐn mì 。 qí zhōng jí yǒu kě néng yǐn cáng zhe pò jú de guān jiàn ……
不过想到对方毕竟是天玄镜分身，知晓数不清的隐秘。其中极有可能隐藏着破局的关键……
But he thought that the other party was still a Taiyin Mirror avatar, knowing countless secrets—among which there might be a key to breaking this deadlock...
lǐ fán zhǐ dé qiáng xíng bǎ shā xīn yā xià 。
李凡只得强行把杀心压下。
Li Fan could only forcefully suppress his desire for killing.
“ ó ， duì le 。 xún cháng de sōu hún 、 liàn huà fǎ bǎo fāng fǎ ， duì yú wǒ kě méi yòng 。”
“哦，对了。寻常的搜魂、炼化法宝方法，对于我可没用。”
"Oh, right. Ordinary soul-searching and refining techniques won't work on me."
“ wǒ bù xiǎng jiǎng de dōng xī ， zhè xuán huáng jiè méi yǒu rèn hé rén kě yǐ bī pò wǒ 。” tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn yòu kàn le lǐ fán yī yǎn ， zài dù tí qián jiě shì dào 。
“我不想讲的东西，这玄黄界没有任何人可以逼迫我。”天玄镜分身又看了李凡一眼，再度提前解释道。
"I don't want anyone to force me to reveal what I don't wish to say." The Taiyin Mirror avatar looked at Li Fan again and explained once more.
“ kǒu qì dào bù xiǎo ……” suī rán lǐ fán zhè me shuō ， què méi yǒu duì zhè huà yǒu suǒ huái yí 。
“口气倒不小……”虽然李凡这么说，却没有对这话有所怀疑。
"Your arrogance is quite impressive..." Although Li Fan said this, he didn't doubt the words.
bì jìng wú lùn shì dāng chū de xuán tiān wáng ， yì huò zhě shì hòu lái de chuán fǎ tiān zūn 。
毕竟无论是当初的玄天王，亦或者是后来的传法天尊。
After all, whether it was the former Heavenly Sky King or later Transcendent Propagator, they seemed not to have fully controlled this immortal artifact.
sì hū dōu méi yǒu wán quán zhǎng kòng zhè jiàn xiān qì 。
似乎都没有完全掌控这件仙器。
Li Fan had also thought of trying the Xuantian封灵 Array at one point. But from his interactions with the Taiyin Mirror avatar, he realized that this avatar had completely separated from the Taiyin Mirror and was a distinct individual existence.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng yě céng qǐ guò yòng 【 xuán tiān fēng líng 】 zhèn shì shì de niàn tou ， dàn cóng tā gēn tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn jiē chù de zhè duàn shí jiān lái kàn ， zhè fēn shēn yǐ rán wán quán tuō lí tiān xuán jìng 、 shì chè chè dǐ dǐ de dān dú gè tǐ cún zài 。
李凡心中也曾起过用【玄天封灵】阵试试的念头，但从他跟天玄镜分身接触的这段时间来看，这分身已然完全脱离天玄镜、是彻彻底底的单独个体存在。
The array against the Taiyin Mirror on him would be useless.
zhēn duì tiān xuán jìng de zhèn fǎ ， zài tā shēn shàng yě shì wú yòng wǔ zhī dì 。
针对天玄镜的阵法，在他身上也是无用武之地。
"What are you now?" Li Fan deliberately asked in an unpleasant manner.
“ nǐ xiàn zài jiū jìng shì gè shén me wán yì ？” lǐ fán gù yì ě xīn dào 。
“你现在究竟是个什么玩意？”李凡故意恶心道。
The Taiyin Mirror avatar didn't get angry but instead showed a rare hint of satisfaction on its face.
tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn méi yǒu nǎo nù ， ér shì liǎn shàng shí fēn hǎn jiàn de fú xiàn chū xiē xǔ dé sè 。
天玄镜分身没有恼怒，而是脸上十分罕见的浮现出些许得色。
"Having both the weight of the artifact and the spirit of a person."
“ jì dé qì zhī zhòng ， yòu dé rén zhī líng 。”
“既得器之重，又得人之灵。”
"Perfect, almost reaching true immortality..."
“ wán měi wú xiá ， jǐ jìn zhēn xiān ……”
“完美无瑕，几近真仙……”
Before it could finish speaking, Li Fan coldly retorted, "So you're just a杂种."
huà hái wèi shuō wán ， biàn tīng dé lǐ fán lěng cháo rè fěng dào ：“ yuán lái shì zá zhǒng 。”
话还未说完，便听得李凡冷嘲热讽道：“原来是杂种。”
The Taiyin Mirror avatar's expression suddenly froze.
tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn liǎn shàng shén qíng dǒu rán jiāng zhù 。
天玄镜分身脸上神情陡然僵住。
It quickly returned to normal and looked at Li Fan, shaking its head slightly and saying, "Just as the saying goes: Summer insects cannot speak of ice."
ér hòu hěn kuài biàn huī fù le zhèng cháng ， kàn le lǐ fán ， wēi wēi yáo tóu dào ：“ zhèng suǒ wèi xià chóng bù kě yǔ bīng 。”
而后很快便恢复了正常，看了李凡，微微摇头道：“正所谓夏虫不可语冰。”
"But to be honest, if you have the chance to undergo this transformation, you might make the same choice as me," the Taiyin Mirror avatar said thoughtfully.
“ bù guò huà yòu shuō huí lái ， ruò shì nǐ yǒu jī huì wán chéng wǒ zhè zhǒng zhuǎn biàn ， kǒng pà yě huì gēn wǒ zuò chū tóng yàng de jué zé 。” tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn ruò yǒu suǒ sī dào 。
“不过话又说回来，若是伱有机会完成我这种转变，恐怕也会跟我做出同样的抉择。”天玄镜分身若有所思道。
Li Fan remained silent. After a long while, he finally said, "It seems that you're not just splitting off a human body but walking your own path."
lǐ fán méi yǒu huí yìng ， chén mò yǐ duì 。
李凡没有回应，沉默以对。
The Taiyin Mirror avatar seemed to have found a kindred spirit and clapped happily.
xǔ jiǔ zhī hòu ， fāng cái tǔ chū yī jù ：“ kàn lái nǐ shì zhēn de bù pà sǐ 。”
许久之后，方才吐出一句：“看来你是真的不怕死。”
"It looks like the plan of killing your avatar to cut off your escape route is doomed to fail."
tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn yí rán xiào dào ：“ nǐ yě kàn chū lái le 。 shēng líng zhī fǎ ， biàn huàn wàn qiān 。 jì rán yào tǐ yàn wán zhěng de rén lèi shēng huó ， zì rán yě yào jīng lì shēng 、 lǎo 、 bìng 、 sǐ 。”
天玄镜分身怡然笑道：“你也看出来了。生灵之法，变幻万千。既然要体验完整的人类生活，自然也要经历生、老、病、死。”
The Taiyin Mirror avatar smiled. "After pondering for nearly ten thousand years, I finally found this transcendental path. If it were just about finding an avatar to kill..."
“ zhè jù shēn qū sǐ hòu ， zì rán yòu yǒu lìng wài de shēn qū dàn shēng 。”
“这具身躯死后，自然又有另外的身躯诞生。”
"Wouldn't that be too much of an insult?"
“ chú fēi nǐ néng jiāng wǒ de běn tǐ huǐ miè ， fǒu zé ， nǐ yòu rú hé néng zhēn zhèng de shā sǐ wǒ ？”
“除非你能将我的本体毁灭，否则，你又如何能真正的杀死我？”
The smile on the Taiyin Mirror avatar's face suddenly vanished.
“ sǐ wáng ， bù guò shì ràng wǒ huí guī zì yóu bà le ！”
“死亡，不过是让我回归自由罢了！”
At this moment, its aura as a divine artifact was fully revealed.
lǐ fán xì xì pǐn wèi zhe zhè huà ， bù jiǔ zhī hòu ， huǎn huǎn shuō dào ：“ kàn lái ， nǐ bú shì fēn chū le yī jù rén lèi shēn qū 。 ér shì zǒu chū le zì jǐ de 【 dào 】。”
李凡细细品味着这话，不久之后，缓缓说道：“看来，你不是分出了一具人类身躯。而是走出了自己的【道】。”
"It seems that all cultivators underrate you. But did you really tell me such a crucial secret so openly? Are you not afraid I might spread it?" Li Fan narrowed his eyes.
tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn fǎng fú zhōng yú yù jiàn le zhī jǐ bān ， xīn rán gǔ zhǎng 。
天玄镜分身仿佛终于遇见了知己般，欣然鼓掌。
The Taiyin Mirror avatar also mimicked the narrowing of his eyes: "Pulling one hair to benefit the world, but you won't do it. Such a crucial secret, how could you easily reveal it? You must have some benefits in mind..."
“ kàn lái ， xiǎng yào tōng guò shā sǐ fēn shēn 、 duàn nǐ hòu lù de jì huà ， shì zhù dìng wú fǎ chéng gōng de le 。”
“看来，想要通过杀死分身、断你后路的计划，是注定无法成功的了。”
"Besides, since I chose to tell you, I naturally wouldn't worry about any real impact on me. With my path complete, what should I fear?"
tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn xiào le xiào ：“ wǒ kǔ kǔ sī suǒ jìn wàn nián ， fāng cái zhǎo dào zhè me yī tiáo chāo tuō zhī dào 。 rú guǒ jiǎn dān dào zhǐ yào zhǎo dào fēn shēn zhǎn shā jiù néng pò chú ……”
天玄镜分身笑了笑：“我苦苦思索近万年，方才找到这么一条超脱之道。如果简单到只要找到分身斩杀就能破除……”
Looking at the Taiyin Mirror's narrowed eyes, Li Fan's expression returned to normal. "Actually, I think a cold mechanical voice from your original form would suit you better," he suggested seriously.
“ shì bú shì yǒu xiē tài kàn bù qǐ wǒ le 。”
“是不是有些太看不起我了。”
The Taiyin Mirror avatar's smug expression vanished.
tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn liǎn shàng xiào yì zhòu rán xiāo shī 。
天玄镜分身脸上笑意骤然消失。
"I was planning to tell you some interesting news when in good spirits, but now it seems there's no chance of that. Kill me if you want." The Taiyin Mirror avatar said coldly.
cǐ shí cǐ kè ， fāng cái xiǎn shì chū tā shēn wèi xiān qì de bà qì 。
此时此刻，方才显示出它身为仙器的霸气。
Li Fan still didn't move.
“ kàn lái ， tiān xià xiū shì dōu xiǎo qiáo le nǐ 。 bù guò ， nǐ jiù zhè me zhí bái de bǎ zhè zhì guān zhòng yào de mì mì gào sù wǒ ？ jiù bù pà wǒ xuān yáng chū qù ？” lǐ fán mī qǐ yǎn jīng 。
“看来，天下修士都小瞧了你。不过，你就这么直白的把这至关重要的秘密告诉我？就不怕我宣扬出去？”李凡眯起眼睛。
"In fact, strictly speaking, you and I are the same kind of people," Li Fan said after a while, pondering deeply.
tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn yě xué zhe wēi mī shuāng yǎn ：“ bá yī máo ér lì tiān xià ， nǐ bù wèi yě 。 zhè me zhì guān zhòng yào de mì mì ， nǐ yòu zěn me huì qīng yì xuān yáng chū qù 。 kěn dìng shì yào huàn qǔ xiē hǎo chù de ……”
天玄镜分身也学着微眯双眼：“拔一毛而利天下，你不为也。这么至关重要的秘密，你又怎么会轻易宣扬出去。肯定是要换取些好处的……”
"You originated from the Immortal Realm, even if the Immortal Realm faced great calamities and forced your descent to this world. But as an artifact, you're still incomparable to ordinary cultivators."
“ kuàng qiě ， wǒ jì rán xuǎn zé gào sù nǐ ， yě zì rán bú huì dān xīn zhēn de xiè lòu duì wǒ yǒu shén me yǐng xiǎng 。 wú dào jì chéng ， yòu yǒu hé jù zāi ？”
“况且，我既然选择告诉你，也自然不会担心真的泄露对我有什么影响。吾道既成，又有何惧哉？”
"So you never truly cared about the myriad beings in the Xuanhuang Realm. Even though you might be temporarily controlled, a ten-thousand-year span is but a fleeting moment for you."
lǐ fán kàn zhe tiān xuán jìng mī zhe de shuāng yǎn ， shén qíng dùn shí huī fù le zhèng cháng ：“ qí shí ， wǒ jué de hái shì běn tǐ bīng lěng de jī xiè yīn gèng shì hé nǐ diǎn 。” lǐ fán rèn zhēn jiàn yì dào 。
李凡看着天玄镜眯着的双眼，神情顿时恢复了正常：“其实，我觉得还是本体冰冷的机械音更适合你点。”李凡认真建议道。
"You've already found a way to escape control."
tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn liǎn shàng dé yì de shén qíng dùn shí xiāo shī 。
天玄镜分身脸上得意的神情顿时消失。
"Feeling great, traveling through the human world. Others think you're contemplating the Dao, but you're actually savoring the joy of enlightenment."
“ wǒ běn lái hái dǎ suàn xīn qíng hǎo de shí hòu ， gào sù nǐ xiē nǐ kě néng huì gǎn xìng qù de xiāo xī 。 bù guò xiàn zài kàn lái ， méi yǒu zhè ge kě néng le 。 nǐ dòng shǒu shā le wǒ ba 。” tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn yī fù yǒu chí wú kǒng de yàng zi ， lěng lěng shuō dào 。
“我本来还打算心情好的时候，告诉你些你可能会感兴趣的消息。不过现在看来，没有这个可能了。你动手杀了我吧。”天玄镜分身一副有持无恐的样子，冷冷说道。
"The so-called imitation of humans is just one of your games. You observe the world with a mocking heart without ever truly integrating into it."
lǐ fán yī rán méi yǒu dòng shǒu 。
李凡依然没有动手。
"Because they don't deserve it."
“ qí shí ， yán gé lái shuō ， nǐ gēn wǒ qí shí yě shì tóng yī lèi rén 。” chén mò le huì ， lǐ fán zài yī fān sī suǒ hòu ， huǎn huǎn shuō dào 。
“其实，严格来说，你跟我其实也是同一类人。”沉默了会，李凡在一番思索后，缓缓说道。
As Li Fan spoke, the Taiyin Mirror avatar's expression grew increasingly serious.
“ nǐ běn yuán yú xiān jiè ， jiù suàn xiān jiè zāo féng dà nàn 、 dǎo zhì nǐ liú luò xià jiè 。 dàn shì xiān qì ， yī jiù bú shì xún cháng xiū xiān zhě suǒ néng bǐ nǐ de 。”
“你本源于仙界，就算仙界遭逢大难、导致你流落下界。但是仙器，依旧不是寻常修仙者所能比拟的。”
Without interrupting, he listened carefully.
“ suǒ yǐ nǐ yì zhí méi yǒu bǎ xuán huáng jiè de yún yún zhòng shēng zhēn zhèng fàng zài yǎn lǐ 。 zòng rán yī shí shòu dào kòng zhì ， dàn wàn nián shí guāng duì nǐ ér yán ， bù guò zhuǎn shùn zhī jiān 。”
“所以你一直没有把玄黄界的芸芸众生真正放在眼里。纵然一时受到控制，但万年时光对你而言，不过转瞬之间。”
"Immortal and mortal are like two worlds apart. Even as an artifact, you still bear the title of 'immortal,' so I imagine you're quite different from us cultivators."
“ nǐ yǐ jīng zhǎo dào le bǎi tuō kòng zhì de fāng fǎ 。”
“你已经找到了摆脱控制的方法。”
"Perhaps only the former Heavenly Sky King or Transcendent Propagator would make you take notice in this Xuanhuang Realm."
“ xīn qíng dà hǎo ， yóu lì rén jiān 。 páng rén yǐ wéi nǐ zài wù dào ， shí zé shì zài xiǎng shòu chéng dào de xǐ yuè 。”
“心情大好，游历人间。旁人以为你在悟道，实则是在享受成道的喜悦。”
"You likely don't care about all the trivialities and changes in this world, sea and stone."
“ suǒ wèi de mó fǎng rén lèi ， yě shì nǐ yóu xì de yī zhǒng fāng shì 。 nǐ xīn zhōng mǎn shì xì xuè de guān chá rén shì jiān ， xīn zhōng què cóng lái méi yǒu zhēn zhèng róng rù de xiǎng fǎ 。”
“所谓的模仿人类，也是你游戏的一种方式。你心中满是戏谑的观察人世间，心中却从来没有真正融入的想法。”
"Because as an artifact, you are almost beyond time. Even if a million years pass, and the Xuanhuang Realm is overturned, or even falls into the Immortal Wasteland, it wouldn't truly harm you."
“ yīn wèi tā men bù pèi 。”
“因为他们不配。”
...
suí zhe lǐ fán de yī yán yī yǔ ， tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn de liǎn sè què shì níng zhòng qǐ lái 。
随着李凡的一言一语，天玄镜分身的脸色却是凝重起来。
With such a long monologue, Li Fan seemed to have no end.
méi yǒu dǎ duàn lǐ fán de fā yán ， jìng xīn zǐ xì líng tīng 。
没有打断李凡的发言，静心仔细聆听。
The Taiyin Mirror avatar finally showed some impatience.
“ xiān fán zhī bié ， yóu rú tiān yuān 。 jiù suàn nǐ zhǐ shì xiān qì ， dàn bì jìng yě zhān le gè 【 xiān 】 zì ， wǒ xiǎng dà dǐ shì gēn wǒ men zhè xiē xiū xiān zhě bìng bù xiāng tóng de 。”
“仙凡之别，犹如天渊。就算你只是仙器，但毕竟也沾了个【仙】字，我想大抵是跟我们这些修仙者并不相同的。”
It asked, "What do you want to say?"
“ huò xǔ zhěng gè xuán huáng jiè ， wéi yǒu dāng nián de xuán tiān wáng 、 yì huò zhě chuán fǎ tiān zūn ， cái huì ràng nǐ yǒu diǎn zhòng shì ba 。”
“或许整个玄黄界，唯有当年的玄天王、亦或者传法天尊，才会让你有点重视吧。”
Li Fan immediately closed his mouth.
“ qí tā zhè shì jiān de fēn fēn rǎo rǎo 、 hǎi kū shí làn ， nǐ yīng gāi bìng bù guān xīn 。”
“其他这世间的纷纷扰扰、海枯石烂，你应该并不关心。”
Then he laughed suddenly. "What do I want to say?"
“ yīn wèi shēn wèi xiān qì ， nǐ yǐ jīng shì jìn hū chāo tuō le shí guāng de cún zài le 。 nǎ pà zài guò qù wàn wàn nián ， xuán huáng jiè tiān fān dì fù 。 yì huò zhě ， xuán huáng jiè zhuì rù xiān xū ， kǒng pà dōu bú huì duì nǐ zào chéng shí zhì xìng de shāng hài 。”
“因为身为仙器，你已经是近乎超脱了时光的存在了。哪怕再过去万万年，玄黄界天翻地覆。亦或者，玄黄界坠入仙墟，恐怕都不会对你造成实质性的伤害。”
"Or what don't you want to hear?"
……
……
"All of this is just probing."
zhè me cháng piān dà lùn ， ér qiě lǐ fán hái yǒu zhe kǎn kǎn ér tán 、 méi yǒu zhǐ jìng de yàng zi 。
这么长篇大论，而且李凡还有着侃侃而谈、没有止境的样子。
"I'm testing which parts truly matter to you. And I was fortunate enough to find the answer."
tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn sì hū zhōng yú yǒu diǎn bù nài fán le 。
天玄镜分身似乎终于有点不耐烦了。
The Taiyin Mirror avatar no longer showed its previous carefree demeanor.
tā wèn dào ：“ nǐ jiū jìng xiǎng shuō shén me ？”
他问道：“你究竟想说什么？”
"If the Xuanhuang Realm really falls into the Immortal Wasteland..."
lǐ fán suí jí bì zuǐ 。
李凡随即闭嘴。
"Would the original Taiyin Mirror be affected?"
ér hòu zhòu rán ér xiào ：“ wǒ xiǎng shuō xiē shén me ？”
而后骤然而笑：“我想说些什么？”
Li Fan put away his smile and seriously asked.
“ hái shì nǐ bù xiǎng tīng shén me ？”
“还是你不想听什么？”
"You..." The Taiyin Mirror avatar's eyes flickered.
“ suǒ yǒu wǒ shuō de ， dōu zhǐ bù guò shì shì tàn bà le 。”
“所有我说的，都只不过是试探罢了。”
"If I said that I can, and am willing to drag the Xuanhuang Realm into the Immortal Wasteland with me... Would you believe it or not?"
“ wǒ zài shì tàn ， dào dǐ nǎ xiē shì nǐ zhēn zhèng zài yì de 。 ér wǒ yě hěn xìng yùn ， zhǎo dào nà ge dá àn le 。”
“我在试探，到底哪些是你真正在意的。而我也很幸运，找到那个答案了。”
Li Fan asked calmly.
"I have seen many like you."
"But most of them didn't live long, dying because of various reasons."
"I'm curious—how did you manage to survive until now?"
The Taiyin Mirror's avatar showed no respect for Li Fan. It directly admitted.
Its eyes were filled with curiosity.
Li Fan's face twitched.
A sudden surge of murderous intent emerged in his heart.
But he thought that the other party was still a Taiyin Mirror avatar, knowing countless secrets—among which there might be a key to breaking this deadlock...
Li Fan could only forcefully suppress his desire for killing.
"Oh, right. Ordinary soul-searching and refining techniques won't work on me."
"I don't want anyone to force me to reveal what I don't wish to say." The Taiyin Mirror avatar looked at Li Fan again and explained once more.
"Your arrogance is quite impressive..." Although Li Fan said this, he didn't doubt the words.
After all, whether it was the former Heavenly Sky King or later Transcendent Propagator, they seemed not to have fully controlled this immortal artifact.
Li Fan had also thought of trying the Xuantian封灵 Array at one point. But from his interactions with the Taiyin Mirror avatar, he realized that this avatar had completely separated from the Taiyin Mirror and was a distinct individual existence.
The array against the Taiyin Mirror on him would be useless.
"What are you now?" Li Fan deliberately asked in an unpleasant manner.
The Taiyin Mirror avatar didn't get angry but instead showed a rare hint of satisfaction on its face.
"Having both the weight of the artifact and the spirit of a person."
"Perfect, almost reaching true immortality..."
Before it could finish speaking, Li Fan coldly retorted, "So you're just a杂种."
The Taiyin Mirror avatar's expression suddenly froze.
It quickly returned to normal and looked at Li Fan, shaking its head slightly and saying, "Just as the saying goes: Summer insects cannot speak of ice."
"But to be honest, if you have the chance to undergo this transformation, you might make the same choice as me," the Taiyin Mirror avatar said thoughtfully.
Li Fan remained silent. After a long while, he finally said, "It seems that you're not just splitting off a human body but walking your own path."
The Taiyin Mirror avatar seemed to have found a kindred spirit and clapped happily.
"It looks like the plan of killing your avatar to cut off your escape route is doomed to fail."
The Taiyin Mirror avatar smiled. "After pondering for nearly ten thousand years, I finally found this transcendental path. If it were just about finding an avatar to kill..."
"Wouldn't that be too much of an insult?"
The smile on the Taiyin Mirror avatar's face suddenly vanished.
At this moment, its aura as a divine artifact was fully revealed.
"It seems that all cultivators underrate you. But did you really tell me such a crucial secret so openly? Are you not afraid I might spread it?" Li Fan narrowed his eyes.
The Taiyin Mirror avatar also mimicked the narrowing of his eyes: "Pulling one hair to benefit the world, but you won't do it. Such a crucial secret, how could you easily reveal it? You must have some benefits in mind..."
"Besides, since I chose to tell you, I naturally wouldn't worry about any real impact on me. With my path complete, what should I fear?"
Looking at the Taiyin Mirror's narrowed eyes, Li Fan's expression returned to normal. "Actually, I think a cold mechanical voice from your original form would suit you better," he suggested seriously.
The Taiyin Mirror avatar's smug expression vanished.
"I was planning to tell you some interesting news when in good spirits, but now it seems there's no chance of that. Kill me if you want." The Taiyin Mirror avatar said coldly.
Li Fan still didn't move.
"In fact, strictly speaking, you and I are the same kind of people," Li Fan said after a while, pondering deeply.
"You originated from the Immortal Realm, even if the Immortal Realm faced great calamities and forced your descent to this world. But as an artifact, you're still incomparable to ordinary cultivators."
"So you never truly cared about the myriad beings in the Xuanhuang Realm. Even though you might be temporarily controlled, a ten-thousand-year span is but a fleeting moment for you."
"You've already found a way to escape control."
"Feeling great, traveling through the human world. Others think you're contemplating the Dao, but you're actually savoring the joy of enlightenment."
"The so-called imitation of humans is just one of your games. You observe the world with a mocking heart without ever truly integrating into it."
"Because they don't deserve it."
As Li Fan spoke, the Taiyin Mirror avatar's expression grew increasingly serious.
Without interrupting, he listened carefully.
"Immortal and mortal are like two worlds apart. Even as an artifact, you still bear the title of 'immortal,' so I imagine you're quite different from us cultivators."
"Perhaps only the former Heavenly Sky King or Transcendent Propagator would make you take notice in this Xuanhuang Realm."
"You likely don't care about all the trivialities and changes in this world, sea and stone."
"Because as an artifact, you are almost beyond time. Even if a million years pass, and the Xuanhuang Realm is overturned, or even falls into the Immortal Wasteland, it wouldn't truly harm you."
...
With such a long monologue, Li Fan seemed to have no end.
The Taiyin Mirror avatar finally showed some impatience.
It asked, "What do you want to say?"
Li Fan immediately closed his mouth.
Then he laughed suddenly. "What do I want to say?"
"Or what don't you want to hear?"
"All of this is just probing."
"I'm testing which parts truly matter to you. And I was fortunate enough to find the answer."
The Taiyin Mirror avatar no longer showed its previous carefree demeanor.
"If the Xuanhuang Realm really falls into the Immortal Wasteland..."
"Would the original Taiyin Mirror be affected?"
Li Fan put away his smile and seriously asked.
"You..." The Taiyin Mirror avatar's eyes flickered.
"If I said that I can, and am willing to drag the Xuanhuang Realm into the Immortal Wasteland with me... Would you believe it or not?"
Li Fan asked calmly.