chén yín piàn kè hòu ， lǐ fán hái shì méi yǒu xuǎn zé jì xù gù nòng xuán xū ， ér shì diǎn tóu dào ：“ bù cuò 。 dào yǒu yòu shì zěn me suàn chū lái de ？”
沉吟片刻后，李凡还是没有选择继续故弄玄虚，而是点头道：“不错。道友又是怎么算出来的？”
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan did not continue to play mind games but nodded and said, "Not bad. How did you figure it out?"
xǔ kè yòng tā nà lüè xiǎn dī chén de shēng yīn ， qīng xiào zhe shuō dào ：“ yǔ shì jiè wèi dí zhī rén ， chú le yǔn xiān jìng zhōng ， xuán huáng jiè yòu nǎ lǐ hái huì cún zài wǒ de xìn xī ne ？”
许克用他那略显低沉的声音，轻笑着说道：“与世界为敌之人，除了陨仙境中，玄黄界又哪里还会存在我的信息呢？”
Xu Ke used his slightly low voice to chuckle and said, "Those who are enemies of the world, apart from the陨仙境, where else would my information exist in the Xuanhuang Realm?"
lǐ fán wēi wēi yí zhèng ：“ yǔ shì wèi dí ？ zhè shì hé yì ？”
李凡微微一怔：“与世为敌？这是何意？”
Li Fan was slightly taken aback: "Enemies of the world? What does that mean?"
zhè xià lún dào xǔ kè yǒu xiē yí huò le ：“ nǐ bù zhī dào wǒ pì gǔ xià zuò de shì shén me dōng xī ma ？”
这下轮到许克有些疑惑了：“你不知道我屁股下坐的是什么东西嘛？”
Now Xu Ke looked somewhat puzzled. "Don't you know what I'm sitting on?"
lǐ fán tǎn rán yáo le yáo tóu 。
李凡坦然摇了摇头。
Li Fan shook his head frankly.
“ nà nǐ lái zhǎo wǒ ？” xǔ kè jǐn jǐn dīng zhe lǐ fán ， shén sè mò míng 。
“那你来找我？”许克紧紧盯着李凡，神色莫名。
"Then why are you looking for me?" Xu Ke stared intently at Li Fan, his expression inexplicable.
“ wǒ xún dào yǒu ， yī shì wèi le bāng zhù dì guó hòu bèi 、 shí xiàn tā men bì shēng xīn yuàn 。”
“我寻道友，一是为了帮助帝国后辈、实现他们毕生心愿。”
"I sought out my dao friend to help the empire's younger generation and fulfill their lifelong wishes," Li Fan said with a bow. "And secondly, to understand all the aftereffects left by Master Bai. After gaining deep insight into his actions, I was deeply moved by his righteousness. However, due to incomplete information from the陨仙境 and fragmented memories from different periods, it took me quite some effort to find where my dao friend is hiding. I hope you can help me clear up these doubts," Li Fan said sincerely.
“ èr cái shì wèi le liǎo jiě dāng nián bái xiān shēng suǒ liú de zhǒng zhǒng hòu shǒu 。 liǎo jiě dào tā de suǒ zuò suǒ wéi zhī hòu ， wǒ shēn shēn bèi qí dà yì zhé fú 。 dàn kǔ yú zài yǔn xiān jìng zhōng suǒ huò xìn xī bù quán 、 jìn shì bù tóng shí qī de jì yì suì piàn 。 suǒ yǐ pǒ fèi le yī fān gōng fu ， cái zhǎo dào dào yǒu cáng shēn zhī chù 。 xiǎng yào dào yǒu bāng wǒ jiě huò 。” lǐ fán gǒng le gǒng shǒu ， chéng kěn de shuō dào 。
“二才是为了了解当年白先生所留的种种后手。了解到他的所作所为之后，我深深被其大义折服。但苦于在陨仙境中所获信息不全、尽是不同时期的记忆碎片。所以颇废了一番功夫，才找到道友藏身之处。想要道友帮我解惑。”李凡拱了拱手，诚恳的说道。
Hearing Li Fan's attitude towards Master Bai, Xu Ke's expression softened considerably.
sì hū shì tīng dào lǐ fán duì bái xiān shēng de tài dù zhī hòu ， xǔ kè de shén qíng dùn shí róu hé le xǔ duō 。
似乎是听到李凡对白先生的态度之后，许克的神情顿时柔和了许多。
"The empire?" His eyes narrowed as if lost in thought.
“ dì guó ？” tā de yǎn jīng mī qǐ ， sì hū xiàn rù le huí yì 。
“帝国？”他的眼睛眯起，似乎陷入了回忆。
"That was the dao lineage left by you and Little Qing, Little Hong in the world of the fallen Nine Heads," Li Fan reminded him.
“ jiù shì dāng nián ， dào yǒu liú zài chì jiǔ tóu yǔn luò shì jiè de dào tǒng 。” lǐ fán chū shēng tí xǐng dào 。
“就是当年，道友留在赤九头陨落世界的道统。”李凡出声提醒道。
"Oh…" Xu Ke finally remembered.
“ a ……” xǔ kè zhè cái xiǎng le qǐ lái 。
“啊……”许克这才想了起来。
"Little Qing, Little Hong…" He showed signs of reminiscence.
“ xiǎo qīng 、 xiǎo hóng ……” tā xiǎn lù chū zhuī yì de shén qíng 。
“小青、小红……”他显露出追忆的神情。
"They are still alive. However, that Heavenly Fate Xuan Bird has already perished while searching for your whereabouts." Li Fan handed over a black feather.
“ liǎng wèi réng rán jiàn zài 。 zhǐ bù guò nà zhǐ tiān mìng xuán niǎo ， què shì wèi le sōu xún dào yǒu zōng jì ， yǐ jīng yǔn luò le 。” lǐ fán shuō zhe ， jiāng yī wù dì le guò qù 。
“两位仍然健在。只不过那只天命玄鸟，却是为了搜寻道友踪迹，已经陨落了。”李凡说着，将一物递了过去。
It was the last Xuan Bird feather left by Xiao He in the Beast Kindom Realm.
zhèng shì xiǎo hēi liú zài shòu zhǒng jiè de zuì hòu yī gēn xuán niǎo zhī yǔ 。
正是小黑留在兽种界的最后一根玄鸟之羽。
Xu Ke took the black feather with trembling hands. A glimmer of sorrow flashed across his eyes before he slowly said, "I have wronged it."
xǔ kè jiē guò nà gēn qī hēi de yǔ máo ， shuāng shǒu yǒu xiē chàn dǒu 。 yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī bēi chuàng ， xǔ jiǔ zhī hòu ， tā cái huǎn huǎn shuō dào ：“ shì wǒ duì bù qǐ tā 。”
许克接过那根漆黑的羽毛，双手有些颤抖。眼中闪过一丝悲怆，许久之后，他才缓缓说道：“是我对不起它。”
"Can I take this?" Xu Ke asked.
“ cǐ wù …… kě fǒu sòng gěi wǒ ？” xǔ kè wèn dào 。
“此物……可否送给我？”许克问道。
"It's just returning something to its rightful owner. If Xiao He knew that the Xuan Bird feather he left behind would eventually return to you, he could rest in peace," Li Fan sighed.
“ bù guò shì wù guī yuán zhǔ bà le 。 ruò shì xiǎo hēi zhī dào ， zì jǐ liú xià de xuán niǎo zhī yǔ néng gòu zuì zhōng huí dào dào yǒu shēn biān ， tā yě néng míng mù le 。” lǐ fán tàn le kǒu qì 。
“不过是物归原主罢了。若是小黑知道，自己留下的玄鸟之羽能够最终回到道友身边，他也能瞑目了。”李凡叹了口气。
"Thank you." Xu Ke solemnly placed the Xuan Bird feather in his chest.
“ duō xiè 。” xǔ kè zhèng zhòng de jiāng xuán niǎo zhī yǔ shōu zài huái zhōng 。
“多谢。”许克郑重的将玄鸟之羽收在怀中。
The towering stone mountain was suddenly filled with absolute silence once again.
gāo sǒng de shí shān zhī shàng ， shà shí yòu xiàn rù le jué duì de jì jìng zhī zhōng 。
高耸的石山之上，霎时又陷入了绝对的寂静之中。
At the top of this desolate world, it seemed that even the wind did not exist.
cǐ chù huāng liáng shì jiè dǐng duān ， sì hū lián fēng dōu bù cún zài 。
此处荒凉世界顶端，似乎连风都不存在。
Only the eternal silence that had lasted for ages.
zhǐ yǒu gèn gǔ liú chuán zhì jīn de ， yǒng héng de sǐ jì 。
只有亘古流传至今的，永恒的死寂。
Li Fan was not in a hurry; he just waited patiently alongside Xu Ke to experience the desolation above the heavens.
lǐ fán yě bù zháo jí ， zhǐ shì péi zhe xǔ kè jīng lì zhè tiān shàng de huāng jì ， nài xīn děng dài 。
李凡也不着急，只是陪着许克经历这天上的荒寂，耐心等待。
After some time, Xu Ke finally spoke up.
xǔ jiǔ zhī hòu ， xǔ kè zhōng yú zài dù chū shēng 。
许久之后，许克终于再度出声。
Due to the effects of the previous combination attack, his attitude towards Li Fan had changed significantly.
yóu yú zhī qián nà yī tào zǔ hé quán de xiào guǒ ， cǐ shí tā duì dài lǐ fán de tài dù yǐ rán dà bù xiāng tóng 。
由于之前那一套组合拳的效果，此时他对待李凡的态度已然大不相同。
"How much do you know?" Xu Ke asked.
“ nǐ mù qián yǐ jīng zhī dào le duō shǎo ？” xǔ kè wèn dào 。
“你目前已经知道了多少？”许克问道。
"You and Xiao He traveled far south to the Holy Beast Mountain as per Master Bai's instructions. All your subsequent actions were aimed at cultivating a裂解鲸 that could endlessly reproduce and open up voids. This was done so that people in various small worlds forced out by the Immortal-Demon Mist could stay away from Xuanhuang," Li Fan said slowly.
“ dāng nián nǐ gēn xiǎo hēi yuǎn fù nán míng shèng shòu shān ， shí zé shì bái xiān shēng jiāo dài yù shòu zōng de rèn wù 。 bāo kuò jiē xià lái yī xì liè jǔ dòng ， jiù shì wèi le zuì zhōng péi yù chū ， néng gòu wú xiàn zēng zhí 、 kāi pì xū kōng de liè jiě jīng 。 shǐ de yīn wèi xiān fán zhàng dàn shēng ， ér bèi pò bèi qiān xǐ de gè gè xiǎo shì jiè fán rén men ， néng gòu jǐn liàng yuǎn lí xuán huáng 。”
“当年你跟小黑远赴南冥圣兽山，实则是白先生交代御兽宗的任务。包括接下来一系列举动，就是为了最终培育出，能够无限增殖、开辟虚空的裂解鲸。使得因为仙凡瘴诞生，而被迫被迁徙的各个小世界凡人们，能够尽量远离玄黄。”
"The so-called Immortal-Demon Mist is also a product of Master Bai's actions after going against reason. As the Great Heaven Sovereign of Xuanhuang, he ultimately ended his own life."
“ ér suǒ wèi xiān fán zhàng ， yě shì bái xiān shēng nì lǐ zhī hòu de chǎn wù 。 tā shēn wèi xuán huáng dà tiān zūn ， què zuì zhōng yīn cǐ jié shù le zì jǐ de xìng mìng 。”
“而所谓仙凡瘴，也是白先生逆理之后的产物。他身为玄黄大天尊，却最终因此结束了自己的性命。”
...
……
……
Li Fan spoke out one by one the conclusions he had deduced from both the陨仙境 and the real world.
lǐ fán yī zì yī jù de jiāng zì jǐ cóng yǔn xiān jìng 、 yǐ jí xiàn shí shì jiè zhōng pīn còu chū tuī lǐ chū de jié lùn huǎn huǎn dào lái 。
李凡一字一句的将自己从陨仙境、以及现实世界中拼凑出推理出的结论缓缓道来。
"You know quite a bit."
“ nǐ zhī dào de hái zhēn bù shǎo 。”
“你知道的还真不少。”
"Thank you for your effort," Xu Ke actually performed a bow to show his respect.
“ yǒu xīn le 。”
“有心了。”
"But I have many questions that I can't resolve. Please help me clear them up; otherwise, I fear I will be restless day and night." Li Fan said solemnly.
“ zhè ge shì jiè shàng ， hái néng jì de bái xiān shēng de ， yòu yǒu duō shǎo ne ？” xǔ kè jū rán gěi lǐ fán xíng le yī lǐ ， yǐ biǎo xīn zhōng jìng yì 。
“这个世界上，还能记得白先生的，又有多少呢？”许克居然给李凡行了一礼，以表心中敬意。
"Why did Master Bai sacrifice himself to protect the common people with the Immortal-Demon Mist? Why do you think it was effective?"
“ dàn wǒ què yǒu zhū duō bù jiě 、 yǔ wú fǎ shì huái de dì fāng ， hái qǐng dào yǒu wèi wǒ jiě huò 。 fǒu zé ， wǒ jīn hòu kǒng pà qǐn shí nán ān 、 yè bù néng mèi 。” lǐ fán sù rán dào 。
“但我却有诸多不解、与无法释怀的地方，还请道友为我解惑。否则，我今后恐怕寝食难安、夜不能寐。”李凡肃然道。
"If you believe in the effectiveness of the Immortal-Demon Mist, what would history have been like if there had never been an Immortal-Demon Mist from the beginning?" Xu Ke asked.
“ bái xiān shēng shēn wèi xuán huáng dà tiān zūn ， dāng shí de shí lì yǐ rán shì xuán huáng jiè zuì qiáng 。 tā wèi hé xuǎn zé xī shēng zì jǐ ， yòng xiān fán zhàng zhè zhǒng shǒu duàn qù bǎo hù fán rén ？”
“白先生身为玄黄大天尊，当时的实力已然是玄黄界最强。他为何选择牺牲自己，用仙凡瘴这种手段去保护凡人？”
Li Fan pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Even without the Immortal-Demon Mist, the calamity of not being able to practice immortal techniques simultaneously would still exist. Eventually, cultivators would fall into a dead end where they would suspect and kill each other. During this process..."
“ nǐ rèn wéi ， xiān fán zhàng yǒu yòng ma ？ ruò shì xuán huáng jiè cóng shǐ zhì zhōng méi yǒu dàn shēng guò xiān fán zhàng ， nà me lì shǐ yòu huì zěn me fā zhǎn ？” xǔ kè fǎn wèn dào 。
“你认为，仙凡瘴有用吗？若是玄黄界从始至终没有诞生过仙凡瘴，那么历史又会怎么发展？”许克反问道。
"The fire that burns in one's city can spread to others. In the wasteland of cultivation, is there any place for common people? It’s fortunate if even one survives. Those infected by the Immortal-Demon Mist and forced to migrate to small worlds, although many die during the process, are still better off than those who would have faced their fate in Xuanhuang," Xu Ke said on Li Fan's behalf.
lǐ fán sī cǔn piàn kè ， zhī hòu xú xú shuō dào ：“ méi yǒu xiān fán zhàng ， dàn fǎ bù kě tóng xiū de jié nàn yī rán cún zài 。 zuì zhōng xiū shì men hái shì huì xiàn rù hù xiāng cāi jì 、 shā lù de jué jìng zhī zhōng 。 zài zhè ge guò chéng zhōng ……”
李凡思忖片刻，之后徐徐说道：“没有仙凡瘴，但法不可同修的劫难依然存在。最终修士们还是会陷入互相猜忌、杀戮的绝境之中。在这个过程中……”
Li Fan nodded slowly in agreement.
“ chéng mén shī huǒ hái yāng jí chí yú 。 xiū xiān fèi tǔ zhōng ， yòu qǐ yǒu fán rén de róng shēn zhī suǒ ？ wàn bù cún yī ， dōu shì xìng shì le 。 bèi xiān fán zhàng gǎn rǎn ， ér hòu yòu bèi pò qiān xǐ dào xiǎo shì jiè 。 suī rán zhè ge guò chéng zhōng ， huì sǐ bù shǎo rén 。 dàn gēn liú xià xuán huáng jiè zhōng huì zāo yù de jié jú xiāng bǐ ， jī hū kě yǐ hū lüè bù jì le 。” xǔ kè bāng lǐ fán shuō dào 。
“城门失火还殃及池鱼。修仙废土中，又岂有凡人的容身之所？万不存一，都是幸事了。被仙凡瘴感染，而后又被迫迁徙到小世界。虽然这个过程中，会死不少人。但跟留下玄黄界中会遭遇的结局相比，几乎可以忽略不计了。”许克帮李凡说道。
"So you mean that Master Bai foresaw the future of the Xuanhuang Realm for thousands of years from the beginning of the calamity?" Li Fan asked again.
lǐ fán wén yán ， huǎn huǎn diǎn tóu ， biǎo shì tóng yì 。
李凡闻言，缓缓点头，表示同意。
"For Master Bai, this wasn't a difficult task." Xu Ke said matter-of-factly.
“ suǒ yǐ shuō ， bái xiān shēng zǎo zài dà jié jiàng lín zhī chū ， jiù yù jiàn le xuán huáng jiè jīn hòu shù qiān nián de mìng yùn ？” lǐ fán yòu wèn dào 。
“所以说，白先生早在大劫降临之初，就预见了玄黄界今后数千年的命运？”李凡又问道。
"Then why didn’t he fight and retreat instead? Even at the cost of his own life, but without the courage to face the Propagation Heaven Sovereign?" There was a hint of resentment in Li Fan's voice.
“ zhè duì bái xiān shēng lái shuō ， bìng bú shì shén me nán shì 。” xǔ kè lǐ suǒ dāng rán dào 。
“这对白先生来说，并不是什么难事。”许克理所当然道。
"Before the Immortal Path, the Propagation Heaven Sovereign is above." After a moment of silence, Xu Ke sighed and quoted Master Bai’s past lamentation.
“ jì rán rú cǐ ……” lǐ fán yǔ qì shén qíng dùn shí yī biàn 。
“既然如此……”李凡语气神情顿时一变。
Then he explained, "Let alone whether Master Bai had already successfully faced the Propagation Heaven Sovereign at that time."
“ fǎ bù kě tóng xiū de dà jié ， nǎi shì chuán fǎ tiān zūn chuán bō xīn fǎ yī shǒu dǎo zhì de 。 zhǐ yào zhè ge zuì kuí huò shǒu zhǎn shā ， wèi bì bù néng bō luàn fǎn zhèng ！ bái xiān shēng tā wèi hé jìng rán bù zhàn ér xuǎn zé tuì suō ？”
“法不可同修的大劫，乃是传法天尊传播新法一手导致的。只要这个罪魁祸首斩杀，未必不能拨乱反正！白先生他为何竟然不战而选择退缩？”
"In fact, even if Master Bai could kill the Propagation Heaven Sovereign, it wouldn't prevent the Xuanhuang calamity from happening."
“ lián zì jǐ de xìng mìng dōu bù zài hū ， què yòu méi yǒu gēn chuán fǎ yī zhàn de yǒng qì ？” lǐ fán de shēng yīn zhōng ， sì hū yǒu nóng nóng de yuàn qì 。
“连自己的性命都不在乎，却又没有跟传法一战的勇气？”李凡的声音中，似乎有浓浓的怨气。
"Have you seen the person-dog hybrid beast in Ningyuan City and the underground secret chamber?"
“ qián yǒu xiān lù tà bù dé ， chuán fǎ tiān zūn zài shàng tou 。” xǔ kè chén mò zhī hòu ， wēi wēi yī tàn ， shuō chū le zhè jù bái xiān shēng céng jīng de gǎn kǎi 。
“前有仙路踏不得，传法天尊在上头。”许克沉默之后，微微一叹，说出了这句白先生曾经的感慨。
"I have," Li Fan replied.
ér hòu yòu jiě shì dào ：“ xiān bù shuō ， bái xiān shēng dāng shí shì fǒu shì yǐ jīng nì lǐ chéng gōng de chuán fǎ tiān zūn duì shǒu 。”
而后又解释道：“先不说，白先生当时是否是已经逆理成功的传法天尊对手。”
"The beast had a human body and dog limbs. Master Bai tried to save their lives by collecting suitable human limbs, intending to remove their dog limbs and reattach them with human ones."
“ shí jì shàng ， bái xiān shēng de tuī yǎn zhōng ， jiù suàn zhū shā chuán fǎ 、 yě wú fǎ zǔ zhǐ xuán huáng jiè dà jié jiàng lín 。”
“实际上，白先生的推衍中，就算诛杀传法、也无法阻止玄黄界大劫降临。”
"But since the dog's limbs were already integrated into their bodies in daily life, all of Master Bai’s attempts failed," Xu Ke said calmly.
“ níng yuǎn chéng 、 dì xià mì shì ， nà rén gǒu hé yī de shòu zhǒng guài wù ， nǐ kě zēng jiàn guò ？”
“宁远城、地下密室，那人狗合一的兽种怪物，你可曾见过？”
"Most died directly during the transfer surgery. Even those that seemed successful often didn't survive a month due to the rapid loss of vitality."
“ jiàn guò 。”
“见过。”
"No matter how hard Master Bai tried, the outcome remained unchanged," Xu Ke continued.
“ nà shòu zhǒng ， rén zhī shēn qū 、 gǒu zhī sì zhī 。 bái xiān shēng céng jīng shì tú wǎn jiù guò tā men de shēng huó 。 tā sōu jí dào le hé shì de rén lèi sì zhī ， xiǎng yào jiāng tā men de gǒu zhī qǔ chū 、 chóng xīn jiāng rén lèi zhī tǐ jiē huí 。”
“那兽种，人之身躯、狗之四肢。白先生曾经试图挽救过他们的生活。他搜集到了合适的人类四肢，想要将他们的狗肢取出、重新将人类肢体接回。”
Li Fan slowly began to understand.
“ dàn shì yóu yú ， gǒu zhī sì zhī zǎo yǐ jīng zài píng rì de shēng huó zhōng ， gēn tā men de shēn qū róng wéi yī tǐ 。 suǒ yǐ bái xiān shēng duō cì de cháng shì ， wú yī lì wài de shī bài le 。”
“但是由于，狗之四肢早已经在平日的生活中，跟他们的身躯融为一体。所以白先生多次的尝试，无一例外的失败了。”
"So you mean Xuanhuang faced the same situation?"
“ dà bù fèn dōu shì zhí jiē zài zhuǎn yí shǒu shù zhōng sǐ qù 。 ér jiù suàn nà xiē kàn qǐ lái chéng gōng de ， shù hòu wǎng wǎng yě huó bù guò yí gè yuè 。 jiù yīn wèi shēng mìng lì de fēng kuáng liú shì 、 fēn fēn cǎn sǐ 。”
“大部分都是直接在转移手术中死去。而就算那些看起来成功的，术后往往也活不过一个月。就因为生命力的疯狂流逝、纷纷惨死。”
Xu Ke sighed: "Water spilled cannot be retrieved."
“ rèn píng bái xiān shēng rú hé nǔ lì ， jié guǒ shǐ zhōng bù biàn 。”
“任凭白先生如何努力，结果始终不变。”
"The changes made by the Propagation Heaven Sovereign in the Xuanhuang Realm have already taken place."
xǔ kè shí fēn píng jìng de jiǎng jiě dào 。
许克十分平静的讲解道。
"To reverse them would require efforts that are at least ten or a hundred times more," Xu Ke said.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan did not continue to play mind games but nodded and said, "Not bad. How did you figure it out?"
Xu Ke used his slightly low voice to chuckle and said, "Those who are enemies of the world, apart from the陨仙境, where else would my information exist in the Xuanhuang Realm?"
Li Fan was slightly taken aback: "Enemies of the world? What does that mean?"
Now Xu Ke looked somewhat puzzled. "Don't you know what I'm sitting on?"
Li Fan shook his head frankly.
"Then why are you looking for me?" Xu Ke stared intently at Li Fan, his expression inexplicable.
"I sought out my dao friend to help the empire's younger generation and fulfill their lifelong wishes," Li Fan said with a bow. "And secondly, to understand all the aftereffects left by Master Bai. After gaining deep insight into his actions, I was deeply moved by his righteousness. However, due to incomplete information from the陨仙境 and fragmented memories from different periods, it took me quite some effort to find where my dao friend is hiding. I hope you can help me clear up these doubts," Li Fan said sincerely.
Hearing Li Fan's attitude towards Master Bai, Xu Ke's expression softened considerably.
"The empire?" His eyes narrowed as if lost in thought.
"That was the dao lineage left by you and Little Qing, Little Hong in the world of the fallen Nine Heads," Li Fan reminded him.
"Oh…" Xu Ke finally remembered.
"Little Qing, Little Hong…" He showed signs of reminiscence.
"They are still alive. However, that Heavenly Fate Xuan Bird has already perished while searching for your whereabouts." Li Fan handed over a black feather.
It was the last Xuan Bird feather left by Xiao He in the Beast Kindom Realm.
Xu Ke took the black feather with trembling hands. A glimmer of sorrow flashed across his eyes before he slowly said, "I have wronged it."
"Can I take this?" Xu Ke asked.
"It's just returning something to its rightful owner. If Xiao He knew that the Xuan Bird feather he left behind would eventually return to you, he could rest in peace," Li Fan sighed.
"Thank you." Xu Ke solemnly placed the Xuan Bird feather in his chest.
The towering stone mountain was suddenly filled with absolute silence once again.
At the top of this desolate world, it seemed that even the wind did not exist.
Only the eternal silence that had lasted for ages.
Li Fan was not in a hurry; he just waited patiently alongside Xu Ke to experience the desolation above the heavens.
After some time, Xu Ke finally spoke up.
Due to the effects of the previous combination attack, his attitude towards Li Fan had changed significantly.
"How much do you know?" Xu Ke asked.
"You and Xiao He traveled far south to the Holy Beast Mountain as per Master Bai's instructions. All your subsequent actions were aimed at cultivating a裂解鲸 that could endlessly reproduce and open up voids. This was done so that people in various small worlds forced out by the Immortal-Demon Mist could stay away from Xuanhuang," Li Fan said slowly.
"The so-called Immortal-Demon Mist is also a product of Master Bai's actions after going against reason. As the Great Heaven Sovereign of Xuanhuang, he ultimately ended his own life."
...
Li Fan spoke out one by one the conclusions he had deduced from both the陨仙境 and the real world.
"You know quite a bit."
"Thank you for your effort," Xu Ke actually performed a bow to show his respect.
"But I have many questions that I can't resolve. Please help me clear them up; otherwise, I fear I will be restless day and night." Li Fan said solemnly.
"Why did Master Bai sacrifice himself to protect the common people with the Immortal-Demon Mist? Why do you think it was effective?"
"If you believe in the effectiveness of the Immortal-Demon Mist, what would history have been like if there had never been an Immortal-Demon Mist from the beginning?" Xu Ke asked.
Li Fan pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Even without the Immortal-Demon Mist, the calamity of not being able to practice immortal techniques simultaneously would still exist. Eventually, cultivators would fall into a dead end where they would suspect and kill each other. During this process..."
"The fire that burns in one's city can spread to others. In the wasteland of cultivation, is there any place for common people? It’s fortunate if even one survives. Those infected by the Immortal-Demon Mist and forced to migrate to small worlds, although many die during the process, are still better off than those who would have faced their fate in Xuanhuang," Xu Ke said on Li Fan's behalf.
Li Fan nodded slowly in agreement.
"So you mean that Master Bai foresaw the future of the Xuanhuang Realm for thousands of years from the beginning of the calamity?" Li Fan asked again.
"For Master Bai, this wasn't a difficult task." Xu Ke said matter-of-factly.
"Then why didn’t he fight and retreat instead? Even at the cost of his own life, but without the courage to face the Propagation Heaven Sovereign?" There was a hint of resentment in Li Fan's voice.
"Before the Immortal Path, the Propagation Heaven Sovereign is above." After a moment of silence, Xu Ke sighed and quoted Master Bai’s past lamentation.
Then he explained, "Let alone whether Master Bai had already successfully faced the Propagation Heaven Sovereign at that time."
"In fact, even if Master Bai could kill the Propagation Heaven Sovereign, it wouldn't prevent the Xuanhuang calamity from happening."
"Have you seen the person-dog hybrid beast in Ningyuan City and the underground secret chamber?"
"I have," Li Fan replied.
"The beast had a human body and dog limbs. Master Bai tried to save their lives by collecting suitable human limbs, intending to remove their dog limbs and reattach them with human ones."
"But since the dog's limbs were already integrated into their bodies in daily life, all of Master Bai’s attempts failed," Xu Ke said calmly.
"Most died directly during the transfer surgery. Even those that seemed successful often didn't survive a month due to the rapid loss of vitality."
"No matter how hard Master Bai tried, the outcome remained unchanged," Xu Ke continued.
Li Fan slowly began to understand.
"So you mean Xuanhuang faced the same situation?"
Xu Ke sighed: "Water spilled cannot be retrieved."
"The changes made by the Propagation Heaven Sovereign in the Xuanhuang Realm have already taken place."
"To reverse them would require efforts that are at least ten or a hundred times more," Xu Ke said.