“ duì le ， wǒ hái bǎo liú le zhī qián xiāo huǐ tā shēn qū de jì yì ， rán hòu zài cǐ cì chuàng zào tā xīn shēn tǐ de shí hòu jiā le jìn qù ……”
“对了，我还保留了之前销毁她身躯的记忆，然后在此次创造她新身体的时候加了进去……”
"By the way, I retained her body's destruction memory from before and added it when creating her new body this time..."
“ nǐ men shì méi kàn dào ， tā gāng gāng sū xǐng shí hòu de nà fù biǎo qíng 。”
“你们是没看到，她刚刚苏醒时候的那副表情。”
"You didn't see how she looked just after waking up."
qiǎo gōng jū shì yuè shuō yuè xīng fèn 。
巧工居士越说越兴奋。
Craftsman Sage continued to get more excited as he spoke. Due to the gradual completion of the Source Power Essence Buffer Layer, the surroundings became increasingly bright, allowing him to clearly see everyone's gaze directed at him.
yīn wèi yuán lì jīng cuì huǎn chōng dài de zhú bù jiàn zào wán chéng ， zhōu wéi yīn ér biàn dé zhú jiàn míng liàng 。 tā yīn cǐ dé yǐ kàn qīng zhōu wéi rén kàn xiàng tā de mù guāng 。
因为源力精粹缓冲带的逐步建造完成，周围因而变得逐渐明亮。他因此得以看清周围人看向他的目光。
This made him even more smug.
yú shì tā yù fā dé yì le 。
于是他愈发得意了。
"I should have thought of this earlier. Since you can duplicate your own consciousness, preserving backups from other cultivators in the Heavenly Fate Realm shouldn't be a problem either," Li Fan suddenly appeared, his cold tone freezing Craftsman Sage on the spot.
“ wǒ zǎo gāi xiǎng dào de 。 jì rán nǐ néng gòu fù zhì bèi fèn zì jǐ de yì shí ， nà me bǎo cún yǒu tiān jī jiè qí tā xiū shì de yì shí bèi fèn ， yīng gāi yě bú shì wèn tí 。” lǐ fán tū rán chū xiàn ， lěng mò de yǔ qì ràng qiǎo gōng jū shì dùn shí jiāng zhù 。
“我早该想道的。既然你能够复制备份自己的意识，那么保存有天机界其他修士的意识备份，应该也不是问题。”李凡突然出现，冷漠的语气让巧工居士顿时僵住。
"Members of the Heavenly Fate Realm are absolute geniuses when it comes to refining artifacts. Our alliance is in need of such talents—how can you keep this to yourself?" Li Fan's gaze was unkind.
“ tiān jī jiè xiū shì ， dōu shì jué duì de liàn qì tiān cái 。 wǒ men lián hé huì zhèng shì yòng rén zhī jì ， nǐ zěn me kě yǐ cáng sī ne ？” lǐ fán mù guāng bù shàn 。
“天机界修士，都是绝对的炼器天才。我们联合会正是用人之际，你怎么可以藏私呢？”李凡目光不善。
Craftsman Sage could only awkwardly chuckle.
qiǎo gōng jū shì zé shì zhǐ néng gān gà de xiào le xiào 。
巧工居士则是只能尴尬的笑了笑。
"How many other people's consciousness backups do you have on your side? Hand them all over, and I'll let it go. Otherwise..."
“ nǐ nà biān ， hái yǒu jǐ rén de yì shí bèi fèn ？ quán dōu jiāo chū lái ， wǒ jiù jì wǎng bù jiù le 。 fǒu zé ……”
“你那边，还有几人的意识备份？全都交出来，我就既往不咎了。否则……”
Feeling a wave of murderous intent emanating from Li Fan, Craftsman Sage shuddered in fear. He even felt as if his neck was being crushed by an invisible giant hand, making it hard to breathe.
qiǎo gōng jū shì gǎn dào cóng lǐ fán shēn shàng chuán lái de zhèn zhèn shā yì ， bù yóu yī zhèn xīn jīng ròu tiào 。
巧工居士感到从李凡身上传来的阵阵杀意，不由一阵心惊肉跳。
And with this tightening sensation came an increasingly stronger trend.
shèn zhì gǎn dào zì jǐ de bó zi ， bèi yī shuāng wú xíng jù shǒu 、 sǐ sǐ kǎ zhǔ ， jī hū wú fǎ hū xī 。
甚至感到自己的脖子，被一双无形巨手、死死卡主，几乎无法呼吸。
He seemed like a worm caught in a web, unable to escape and only left to die helplessly.
ér qiě ， suí zhe zhè gǔ jǐn fù gǎn ， hái yǒu yuè lái yuè qiáng de qū shì 。
而且，随着这股紧缚感，还有越来越强的趋势。
Craftsman Sage knew that this was the power of the Compassionate Immortal of Red Dust. After reciting his oath of allegiance, he had already fallen into the True Immortal's net.
tā hǎo sì wǎng zhōng zhī chóng ， gēn běn wú fǎ zhèng tuō 、 zhǐ yǒu tú láo děng sǐ 。
他好似网中之虫，根本无法挣脱、只有徒劳等死。
Unless he could surpass Li Fan in strength, as an upper envoy, a mere connection like this would allow Li Fan to erase him with just a thought.
qiǎo gōng jū shì zhī dào zhè shì hóng chén cí bēi xiān de lì liàng 。
巧工居士知道这是红尘慈悲仙的力量。
Fortunately, Li Fan wasn't really here to kill him.
zài tā sòng dú wán chéng rù huì shì yán zhī hòu ， jiù yǐ jīng luò rù le zhēn xiān zhī wǎng zhōng 。
在他诵读完成入会誓言之后，就已经落入了真仙之网中。
As Craftsman Sage's consciousness began to blur, the tightening sensation instantly vanished.
chú fēi néng zài shí lì shàng chāo yuè ， fǒu zé dān dān píng jiè zhè zhǒng lián xì ， lǐ fán shēn wèi shàng shǐ ， jiù néng yī niàn jiāng tā mǒ shā 。
除非能在实力上超越，否则单单凭借这种联系，李凡身为上使，就能一念将他抹杀。
Craftsman Sage took deep breaths and wiped away his cold sweat, explaining hurriedly: "Just backups of the core elders."
hǎo zài lǐ fán bìng bú shì zhēn de yào zài cǐ shā tā 。
好在李凡并不是真的要在此杀他。
"I was in such a hurry when I escaped that day, so I could only take this much."
dāng qiǎo gōng de yì shí kuài yào mó hú zhī hòu ， jǐn fù gǎn shùn jiān xiāo shī 。
当巧工的意识快要模糊之后，紧缚感瞬间消失。
"The dark force is mysterious and powerful, but we can release them later to study together," Li Fan said indifferently.
chóng huò xīn shēng de qiǎo gōng dà kǒu chuǎn zhe cū qì ， cā le cā é tóu de lěng hàn ， lián shēng jiě shì shuō dào ：“ jiù zhǎng lǎo huì zuì hé xīn de jǐ rén ér yǐ 。”
重获新生的巧工大口喘着粗气，擦了擦额头的冷汗，连声解释说道：“就长老会最核心的几人而已。”
Craftsman Sage had no choice but to agree.
“ dāng shí wǒ táo de cōng máng ， jiù zhǐ lái de qǔ zhè me duō le 。”
“当时我逃的匆忙，就只来的取这么多了。”
After being frightened by Li Fan once, Craftsman Sage became much more obedient from then on.
“ yōu àn zhī lì shén mì yì cháng ， dào shí hòu jiù fàng tā men chū lái ， yì qǐ yán jiū ba 。” lǐ fán dàn dàn de shuō dào 。
“幽暗之力神秘异常，到时候就放他们出来，一起研究吧。”李凡淡淡的说道。
Three days later, the golden buffer layer was completed. Everyone couldn't help but marvel at the Red Dust Compassionate Immortal's divine power as they saw the thick darkness kept out.
qiǎo gōng jū shì zì rán zhǐ néng yīng xià 。
巧工居士自然只能应下。
Although the dark force was powerful, it couldn't match True Immortals. Even with a buffer in place, there was still some risk of loss.
bèi lǐ fán jīng xià guò yī cì ， qiǎo gōng jiē xià lái lǎo shí xǔ duō 。
被李凡惊吓过一次，巧工接下来老实许多。
Li Fan didn't plan to bring this back to the Spirit Wood Realm for research. Instead, he set up another research facility underground.
sān rì zhī hòu ， jīn sè de huǎn chōng dài jiù jiàn zào wán chéng 。
三日之后，金色的缓冲带就建造完成。
The four elders from the Heavenly Fate Realm were also released by Craftsman Sage at this time. Li Fan only then realized that the beautiful female immortal puppet mentioned earlier was actually Craftsman Sage's senior mentor, Shangguan Tuo.
kàn zhe bù yuǎn chù nóng nóng de hēi àn ， jìn shù bèi dǎng zài wài biān 。 zhòng rén bù yóu zài dù gǎn tàn hóng chén cí bēi xiān shén lì 。
看着不远处浓浓的黑暗，尽数被挡在外边。众人不由再度感叹红尘慈悲仙神力。
Shangguan Tuo had attempted to fully control the Ancestor in a risky move, merging her soul with the broken core of the Ancestor before making a backup of her consciousness. However, her rash actions nearly led to the collapse of the entire Heavenly Fate Realm, making her a heavy sinner.
yōu àn zhī lì suī qiáng ， què yě bù néng gēn zhēn xiān xiāng kàng héng 。
幽暗之力虽强，却也不能跟真仙相抗衡。
Thus, the elders at that time rejected the proposal to revive Shangguan Tuo and instead kept her consciousness backup hidden until it was taken out by Craftsman Sage before the destruction of the Heavenly Fate Realm.
suī shuō jiàn zào le huǎn chōng cuò shī ， dàn zhè yōu àn zhī lì ， hái shì yǒu diǎn shī kòng de fēng xiǎn de 。
虽说建造了缓冲措施，但这幽暗之力，还是有点失控的风险的。
What Li Fan hadn't expected was that Shangguan Tuo was actually Craftsman Sage's senior mentor.
lǐ fán bìng méi yǒu dǎ suàn jiāng qí dài huí líng mù jiè yán jiū 。
李凡并没有打算将其带回灵木界研究。
Craftsman Sage's gaze didn't show any signs of abnormality as he looked at everyone. The remaining three elders from the Heavenly Fate Realm remained silent about this act of dishonoring their master.
zhǐ shì zài zhè dì xià shì jiè zhōng ， lìng wài kāi pì le gè yán jiū chǎng suǒ 。
只是在这地下世界中，另外开辟了个研究场所。
After Li Fan asked Shangguan Tuo if she wanted to seek freedom, she rejected his offer. This left Li Fan curious.
tiān jī jiè sì míng zhǎng lǎo ， yě quán dōu bèi qiǎo gōng fàng le chū lái 。
天机界四名长老，也全都被巧工放了出来。
He glanced at Craftsman Sage, who immediately shuddered and hurriedly explained: "This really has nothing to do with me."
zhè shí hòu lǐ fán cái zhī dào ， yuán lái zhī qián nà ge guó sè tiān xiāng de nǚ xìng xiān guī ， jū rán shì qiǎo gōng cǐ qián tí dào de tiān jī jiè shǒu xí zhǎng lǎo shàng guān tuò 。
这时候李凡才知道，原来之前那个国色天香的女性仙傀，居然是巧工此前提到的天机界首席长老上官拓。
"They are just consciousness backups. To avoid the situation of two 'me's' fighting each other, their subjective initiative is suppressed, making them not entirely equivalent to true personalities. Only the Grand Elder himself knows how to remove these restrictions."
shàng guān tuò ， dāng nián céng jīng xiǎng yào wán quán zhǎng kòng 【 zǔ 】， yú shì bīng xíng xiǎn zhe 、 jiāng zì shēn shén hún róng rù 【 zǔ 】 de cán pò hé xīn 。 zài cǐ zhī qián ， zì rán shì yǐ jīng zuò hǎo le yì shí bèi fèn 。
上官拓，当年曾经想要完全掌控【祖】，于是兵行险着、将自身神魂融入【祖】的残破核心。在此之前，自然是已经做好了意识备份。
"This is a measure we took in the Heavenly Fate Realm to prevent large-scale use of consciousness backups that could endanger world safety."
bù guò tā de lǔ mǎng jǔ dòng ， què shì xiǎn xiē dǎo zhì le zhěng gè tiān jī jiè de bēng tā 。 kě wèi shì zuì niè shēn zhòng 。
不过她的鲁莽举动，却是险些导致了整个天机界的崩塌。可谓是罪孽深重。
"As for me, with the Heavenly Fate Realm gone, I have fewer concerns."
yú shì dāng shí de zhǎng lǎo huì chéng yuán ， què shì fǒu jué le jiāng shàng guān tuò chóng xīn huàn xǐng de tí yì 。
于是当时的长老会成员，却是否决了将上官拓重新唤醒的提议。
Craftsman Sage's tone betrayed his pride.
zhǐ shì jiāng tā de yì shí bèi fèn shēn cáng 。
只是将她的意识备份深藏。
"Speaking of which, they are second-class citizens within the Heavenly Fate Realm. So you're their superior?" Fang Zaiji stroked his chin and asked.
zuì zhōng zài tiān jī jiè huǐ miè zhī qián ， bèi qiǎo gōng dài chū 。
最终在天机界毁灭之前，被巧工带出。
Craftsman Sage nodded.
gèng ràng lǐ fán méi yǒu xiǎng dào de shì ， shàng guān tuò ， shí zé shì qiǎo gōng de shòu yè ēn shī 。
更让李凡没有想到的是，上官拓，实则是巧工的授业恩师。
Seeing Li Fan's expression, he quickly assured him: "Upper envoy, please rest assured. Although they consider themselves one rank lower than me, their research abilities are no different from mine. With our combined efforts, we should be able to figure out the usage of this dark force."
qiǎo gōng jū shì kàn zhe zhòng rén de yǎn shén ， shén sè jū rán bù xiǎn yī sī yì cháng 。
巧工居士看着众人的眼神，神色居然不显一丝异常。
"Then leave it to you."
ér tiān jī jiè shèng xià de nà sān míng zhǎng lǎo ， duì yú qiǎo gōng zhè kān chēng qī shī miè zǔ de xíng wéi ， jū rán yě shì bǎo chí le chén mò 。
而天机界剩下的那三名长老，对于巧工这堪称欺师灭祖的行为，居然也是保持了沉默。
Li Fan was uninterested in these matters of the Heavenly Fate Realm. As long as they could serve his purpose.
lǐ fán zài xún wèn shàng guān tuò ， shì fǒu yào xún qiú zì yóu zhī hòu 。 què dé dào le fǒu dìng de dá fù 。
李凡在询问上官拓，是否要寻求自由之后。却得到了否定的答复。
After giving instructions, Li Fan returned alone to the underground world.
zhè ràng lǐ fán bù jīn yǒu xiē hào qí 。
这让李凡不禁有些好奇。
Alone and surrounded by darkness, Li Fan felt no fear but quietly sensed his surroundings.
yǎn shén piē xiàng qiǎo gōng ， qiǎo gōng dùn shí dǎ le gè jī líng ， lián máng jiě shì qǐ lái 。
眼神瞥向巧工，巧工顿时打了个激灵，连忙解释起来。
"Just as I thought— even with the True Faceless Immortal's influence, it has been significantly weakened in this dark realm."
“ zhè qí shí zhēn gēn wǒ méi tài dà guān xì 。”
“这其实真跟我没太大关系。”
"Although I can't completely escape its effects, for me, it is already like a sanctuary."
“ tā men bì jìng zhǐ shì yì shí bèi fèn 。 wèi le bì miǎn chū xiàn liǎng gè 【 wǒ 】 zì xiāng cán shā de qíng kuàng ， suǒ yǐ zhè bèi fèn bèi yā zhì le zhǔ guān néng dòng xìng ， bìng bù néng wán quán děng tóng yú zhēn zhèng de rén gé 。 zhǐ yǒu dà zhǎng lǎo běn rén cái zhī dào jiě kāi xiàn zhì de fāng fǎ 。”
“他们毕竟只是意识备份。为了避免出现两个【我】自相残杀的情况，所以这备份被压制了主观能动性，并不能完全等同于真正的人格。只有大长老本人才知道解开限制的方法。”
"In the depths of the Dark Realm, I can activate the True Real and return whenever I want."
“ zhè yě shì wǒ men tiān jī jiè ， wèi le bì miǎn yǒu rén dà guī mó cǎi yòng yì shí bèi fèn 、 wēi hài shì jiè ān quán suǒ qǐ yòng de fáng hù cuò shī 。”
“这也是我们天机界，为了避免有人大规模采用意识备份、危害世界安全所启用的防护措施。”
With these thoughts, the long-standing threat pressing on Li Fan's heart finally eased.
“ zhì yú wǒ zì jǐ ma ， tiān jī jiè dōu méi le ， zì rán jiù méi yǒu nà me duō gù lǜ le 。”
“至于我自己嘛，天机界都没了，自然就没有那么多顾虑了。”
"But constant avoidance is useless."
qiǎo gōng jū shì yǔ qì zhōng yǎn shì bú zhù de dé yì 。
巧工居士语气中掩饰不住的得意。
"I've prepared so much in this world. I have great confidence that I can safely retreat from the clash between the True Faceless Immortal and the Immortals of the Void Realm."
“ zhè me shuō ， tā men zhǐ shì tiān jī jiè zhōng de èr děng rén 。 suǒ yǐ yào tīng nǐ zhè ge shàng děng rén de ？” fāng zài jì mō zhe xià bā ， wèn dào 。
“这么说，他们只是天机界中的二等人。所以要听你这个上等人的？”方再济摸着下巴，问道。
"How should I proceed?"
qiǎo gōng diǎn le diǎn tóu 。
巧工点了点头。
Li Fan, unusually calm in this life, pondered alone.
bù guò zài kàn jiàn le lǐ fán de shén qíng zhī hòu ， tā lì mǎ pāi zhe xiōng fù bǎo zhèng dào ：“ shàng shǐ qǐng fàng xīn 。 suī rán tā men zì rèn de shēn fèn yào dī wǒ yī děng ， dàn shì yán jiū tiān fù hái shì gēn běn zūn méi yǒu rèn hé de qū bié de 。 wǒ men jǐ rén hé lì ， xiǎng yào yán jiū chū zhè yōu àn zhī lì de yòng fǎ ， xiǎng lái yě bú shì shén me nán shì 。”
不过在看见了李凡的神情之后，他立马拍着胸腹保证道：“上使请放心。虽然他们自认的身份要低我一等，但是研究天赋还是跟本尊没有任何的区别的。我们几人合力，想要研究出这幽暗之力的用法，想来也不是什么难事。”
The darkness seemed to be a protective shield, allowing Li Fan unprecedented relaxation.
“ nà jiù jiāo gěi nǐ men le 。”
“那就交给你们了。”
"The power of the True Faceless Immortal remains in the Yellow-White Realm. Just because I don't provoke it doesn't mean I can avoid its attention."
duì yú tiān jī jiè de zhè xiē pò shì ， lǐ fán yě lǎn de guǎn 。
对于天机界的这些破事，李凡也懒得管。
"At some point, He will notice me. This is an unchangeable fact."
zhǐ yào tā men néng wèi zì jǐ suǒ yòng jiù xíng 。
只要他们能为自己所用就行。
"Unless I find a safe way to escape from the Yellow-White Realm."
jiāo dài xià qù zhī hòu ， lǐ fán yòu gū shēn fǎn huí le dì xià shì jiè zhī zhōng 。
交代下去之后，李凡又孤身返回了地下世界之中。
"But true immortals still exist beyond this wall."
dú zì yī rén ， shēn chù yōu àn 。
独自一人，身处幽暗。
"I cannot escape..."
lǐ fán xīn zhōng méi yǒu kǒng jù ， zhǐ shì jìng jìng de gǎn wù zhe zhōu wéi 。
李凡心中没有恐惧，只是静静的感悟着周围。
A glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
“ gēn wǒ xiǎng de yī yàng 。 zài yōu àn zhōng ， jiù suàn shì wú miàn zhēn xiān de yǐng xiǎng ， dōu bèi dà fú dù xuē ruò le 。”
“跟我想的一样。在幽暗中，就算是无面真仙的影响，都被大幅度削弱了。”
"Facing a True Immortal, sometimes being weaker can be advantageous."
“ suī rán hái bù néng zuò dào wán quán bǎi tuō ， dàn shì duì wǒ ér yán ， shí zé yǐ jīng xiāng dāng yú shì jiān bì hù suǒ le 。”
“虽然还不能做到完全摆脱，但是对我而言，实则已经相当于是间庇护所了。”
"In their neglect, I can observe properly."
“ yōu jiè shēn chù ， wǒ jiù kě yǐ fā dòng hái zhēn ， suí shí huí qù le 。”
“幽界深处，我就可以发动还真，随时回去了。”
Li Fan looked at the deep darkness surrounding him again.
xiǎng dào zhè lǐ ， cháng jiǔ yǐ lái yì zhí jǐn jǐn yā zài lǐ fán xīn tóu wēi xié ， zhōng yú jiǎn qīng le xǔ duō 。
想到这里，长久以来一直紧紧压在李凡心头威胁，终于减轻了许多。
"Just like this darkness. If something exists within it and is staring at me, with its strength far inferior to mine, posing no threat..."
“ dàn yī wèi de táo bì ， què shì wú yòng 。”
“但一味的逃避，却是无用。”
"How could I detect such a presence?"
“ cǐ shì zhǔn bèi le zhè me duō ， duì yú zài wú miàn zhēn xiān gēn xiān xū xiān rén de jiāo fēng zhōng ， ān rán chè tuì 。 wǒ yǐ jīng yǒu hěn dà de bǎ wò le 。”
“此世准备了这么多，对于在无面真仙跟仙墟仙人的交锋中，安然撤退。我已经有很大的把握了。”
(End of Chapter)
"By the way, I retained her body's destruction memory from before and added it when creating her new body this time..."
"You didn't see how she looked just after waking up."
Craftsman Sage continued to get more excited as he spoke. Due to the gradual completion of the Source Power Essence Buffer Layer, the surroundings became increasingly bright, allowing him to clearly see everyone's gaze directed at him.
This made him even more smug.
"I should have thought of this earlier. Since you can duplicate your own consciousness, preserving backups from other cultivators in the Heavenly Fate Realm shouldn't be a problem either," Li Fan suddenly appeared, his cold tone freezing Craftsman Sage on the spot.
"Members of the Heavenly Fate Realm are absolute geniuses when it comes to refining artifacts. Our alliance is in need of such talents—how can you keep this to yourself?" Li Fan's gaze was unkind.
Craftsman Sage could only awkwardly chuckle.
"How many other people's consciousness backups do you have on your side? Hand them all over, and I'll let it go. Otherwise..."
Feeling a wave of murderous intent emanating from Li Fan, Craftsman Sage shuddered in fear. He even felt as if his neck was being crushed by an invisible giant hand, making it hard to breathe.
And with this tightening sensation came an increasingly stronger trend.
He seemed like a worm caught in a web, unable to escape and only left to die helplessly.
Craftsman Sage knew that this was the power of the Compassionate Immortal of Red Dust. After reciting his oath of allegiance, he had already fallen into the True Immortal's net.
Unless he could surpass Li Fan in strength, as an upper envoy, a mere connection like this would allow Li Fan to erase him with just a thought.
Fortunately, Li Fan wasn't really here to kill him.
As Craftsman Sage's consciousness began to blur, the tightening sensation instantly vanished.
Craftsman Sage took deep breaths and wiped away his cold sweat, explaining hurriedly: "Just backups of the core elders."
"I was in such a hurry when I escaped that day, so I could only take this much."
"The dark force is mysterious and powerful, but we can release them later to study together," Li Fan said indifferently.
Craftsman Sage had no choice but to agree.
After being frightened by Li Fan once, Craftsman Sage became much more obedient from then on.
Three days later, the golden buffer layer was completed. Everyone couldn't help but marvel at the Red Dust Compassionate Immortal's divine power as they saw the thick darkness kept out.
Although the dark force was powerful, it couldn't match True Immortals. Even with a buffer in place, there was still some risk of loss.
Li Fan didn't plan to bring this back to the Spirit Wood Realm for research. Instead, he set up another research facility underground.
The four elders from the Heavenly Fate Realm were also released by Craftsman Sage at this time. Li Fan only then realized that the beautiful female immortal puppet mentioned earlier was actually Craftsman Sage's senior mentor, Shangguan Tuo.
Shangguan Tuo had attempted to fully control the Ancestor in a risky move, merging her soul with the broken core of the Ancestor before making a backup of her consciousness. However, her rash actions nearly led to the collapse of the entire Heavenly Fate Realm, making her a heavy sinner.
Thus, the elders at that time rejected the proposal to revive Shangguan Tuo and instead kept her consciousness backup hidden until it was taken out by Craftsman Sage before the destruction of the Heavenly Fate Realm.
What Li Fan hadn't expected was that Shangguan Tuo was actually Craftsman Sage's senior mentor.
Craftsman Sage's gaze didn't show any signs of abnormality as he looked at everyone. The remaining three elders from the Heavenly Fate Realm remained silent about this act of dishonoring their master.
After Li Fan asked Shangguan Tuo if she wanted to seek freedom, she rejected his offer. This left Li Fan curious.
He glanced at Craftsman Sage, who immediately shuddered and hurriedly explained: "This really has nothing to do with me."
"They are just consciousness backups. To avoid the situation of two 'me's' fighting each other, their subjective initiative is suppressed, making them not entirely equivalent to true personalities. Only the Grand Elder himself knows how to remove these restrictions."
"This is a measure we took in the Heavenly Fate Realm to prevent large-scale use of consciousness backups that could endanger world safety."
"As for me, with the Heavenly Fate Realm gone, I have fewer concerns."
Craftsman Sage's tone betrayed his pride.
"Speaking of which, they are second-class citizens within the Heavenly Fate Realm. So you're their superior?" Fang Zaiji stroked his chin and asked.
Craftsman Sage nodded.
Seeing Li Fan's expression, he quickly assured him: "Upper envoy, please rest assured. Although they consider themselves one rank lower than me, their research abilities are no different from mine. With our combined efforts, we should be able to figure out the usage of this dark force."
"Then leave it to you."
Li Fan was uninterested in these matters of the Heavenly Fate Realm. As long as they could serve his purpose.
After giving instructions, Li Fan returned alone to the underground world.
Alone and surrounded by darkness, Li Fan felt no fear but quietly sensed his surroundings.
"Just as I thought— even with the True Faceless Immortal's influence, it has been significantly weakened in this dark realm."
"Although I can't completely escape its effects, for me, it is already like a sanctuary."
"In the depths of the Dark Realm, I can activate the True Real and return whenever I want."
With these thoughts, the long-standing threat pressing on Li Fan's heart finally eased.
"But constant avoidance is useless."
"I've prepared so much in this world. I have great confidence that I can safely retreat from the clash between the True Faceless Immortal and the Immortals of the Void Realm."
"How should I proceed?"
Li Fan, unusually calm in this life, pondered alone.
The darkness seemed to be a protective shield, allowing Li Fan unprecedented relaxation.
"The power of the True Faceless Immortal remains in the Yellow-White Realm. Just because I don't provoke it doesn't mean I can avoid its attention."
"At some point, He will notice me. This is an unchangeable fact."
"Unless I find a safe way to escape from the Yellow-White Realm."
"But true immortals still exist beyond this wall."
"I cannot escape..."
A glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
"Facing a True Immortal, sometimes being weaker can be advantageous."
"In their neglect, I can observe properly."
Li Fan looked at the deep darkness surrounding him again.
"Just like this darkness. If something exists within it and is staring at me, with its strength far inferior to mine, posing no threat..."
"How could I detect such a presence?"
(End of Chapter)