duǎn zàn de yí huò guò hòu ， jǐn jiē zhe shēng qǐ de shì nóng nóng de wēi jī gǎn 。
短暂的疑惑过后，紧接着升起的是浓浓的危机感。
A brief moment of doubt was quickly replaced by a strong sense of danger.
“ néng ràng wàn xiān méng nà bāng rén zuò chū rú cǐ xùn sù 、 tǒng yī de fǎn yìng ， zhè shì shàng wéi yǒu ……”
“能让万仙盟那帮人做出如此迅速、统一的反应，这世上唯有……”
"Only one could have caused the Wanshen Alliance to react so swiftly and uniformly."
“ chuán fǎ tiān zūn ！”
“传法天尊！”
"Transmitting Sage!"
lǐ fán sī niàn jí zhuǎn 。
李凡思念急转。
Li Fan's thoughts raced.
“ chuán fǎ zhě de yǔn luò ， huì jīng dòng dào chuán fǎ tiān zūn ， zhè dào hái néng lǐ jiě 。”
“传法者的陨落，会惊动到传法天尊，这倒还能理解。”
"The fall of a Transmitting Sage would certainly attract the attention of the Transmitting Sage Sovereign, which is understandable." Li Fan frowned deeply. "But why would He choose to cooperate with the Rebirth? Why would He partner up with them?"
“ dàn wèi shén me tā huì xuǎn zé gēn wǎng shēng hé zuò ？”
“但为什么祂会选择跟往生合作？”
With the strength of the Transmitting Sage Sovereign, he was certain that He could immediately recognize the origin of the Rebirth upon seeing it.
lǐ fán méi tóu shēn shēn zhòu qǐ 。
李凡眉头深深皱起。
The Rebirth aimed to resurrect through a corpse and restore life in the devoured world. According to previous intelligence, the Transmitting Sage Sovereign had an extremely keen interest in the Xuanhuang Realm...
yǐ chuán fǎ tiān zūn de shí lì ， dāng tā jiàn dào wǎng shēng zhī hòu ， dìng rán shì yī yǎn jiù néng kàn chū qí gēn jiǎo 。
以传法天尊的实力，当祂见到往生之后，定然是一眼就能看出其跟脚。
Their stances were almost entirely opposite.
wǎng shēng qǐ tú jiè shī huán hún 、 fù shēng bèi tūn shì shì jiè ； ér cóng zhī qián de qíng bào dé zhī ， chuán fǎ tiān zūn shì duì xuán huáng jiè jí qí zài yì de ……
往生企图借尸还魂、复生被吞噬世界；而从之前的情报得知，传法天尊是对玄黄界极其在意的……
But based on current events, they seemed to have reached some kind of agreement within such a short time.
liǎng zhě de lì chǎng jī hū wán quán duì lì 。
两者的立场几乎完全对立。
"Is it because He was provoked and angered? Or is there another deeper reason?"
dàn àn zhào xiàn zài de qíng kuàng lái kàn ， tā men jìng rán zài rú cǐ duǎn shí jiān nèi ， jiù sì hū dá chéng le mǒu zhǒng xié yì 。
但按照现在的情况来看，他们竟然在如此短时间内，就似乎达成了某种协议。
Li Fan did not expect the cooperation between two Eternity Sovereigns. He immediately severed contact with the puppets currently executing tasks in the Xuanhuang Realm.
“ shì yīn wèi bèi rén xì shuǎ ， ér xīn shēng nǎo nù 。 hái shì yǒu qí tā shén me shēn céng cì de yuán yīn ？”
“是因为被人戏耍，而心生恼怒。还是有其他什么深层次的原因？”
His last command was for the puppets to disintegrate themselves.
liǎng wèi cháng shēng tiān zūn de lián shǒu rù chǎng ， shì lǐ fán méi yǒu xiǎng dào de 。
两位长生天尊的联手入场，是李凡没有想到的。
At the same time, he used an array to seal off the entrance from the Spirit Wood Realm to the Xuanhuang Realm. The connection to the underground world was temporarily closed as well.
tā shí fēn guǒ duàn de ， zhí jiē duàn kāi le gēn nà xiē zhèng zài xuán huáng jiè zhí xíng rèn wù de kuǐ lěi de lián xì 。
他十分果断的，直接断开了跟那些正在玄黄界执行任务的傀儡的联系。
He planned to bide his time and avoid trouble first.
zuì hòu yí gè xià dá de mìng lìng jiù shì ràng kuǐ lěi zì xíng jiě tǐ 。
最后一个下达的命令就是让傀儡自行解体。
While Li Fan could forcefully activate his apocalyptic setup at this moment, under the watchful eye of the Transmitting Sage Sovereign, those puppets that served as bait to attract immortal attention might not be able to leave the Xuanhuang Realm smoothly.
tóng shí ， yòng zhèn fǎ fēng suǒ le líng mù jiè tōng xiàng xuán huáng jiè de rù kǒu 。 zhì yú dì xià shì jiè nà biān ， yě shì zàn shí guān bì le lián tōng yōu jiè de tōng dào 。
同时，用阵法封锁了灵木界通向玄黄界的入口。至于地下世界那边，也是暂时关闭了联通幽界的通道。
Although the puppets had the support of dark energy and array protection, the Transmitting Sage Sovereign could not be underestimated. Li Fan was uncertain if he could complete this task under His watchful eye.
zhǔn bèi xiān bì bì fēng tou zài shuō 。
准备先避避风头再说。
Despite the sudden change, Li Fan remained calm.
lǐ fán gù rán néng zài zhè shí qiáng xíng tí qián fā dòng miè shì de bù zhì 。 dàn shǒu xiān ， chuán fǎ de zhù shì xià ， nà xiē fēi xiàng xiān xū 、 yǐn dòng qí zhōng xiān rén mù guāng de yú ěr kuǐ lěi ， dōu wèi bì néng shùn lì fēi chū xuán huáng jiè 。
李凡固然能在这时强行提前发动灭世的布置。但首先，传法的注视下，那些飞向仙墟、引动其中仙人目光的鱼饵傀儡，都未必能顺利飞出玄黄界。
"I still have plenty of time. I don't believe these two can keep an eye on me forever."
suī shuō yú ěr kuǐ lěi yǒu yōu àn zhī lì yǐ jí zhèn fǎ de yǎn hù ， dàn chuán fǎ tiān zūn ， jué duì bù kě xiǎo qù 。
虽说鱼饵傀儡有幽暗之力以及阵法的掩护，但传法天尊，绝对不可小觑。
"There's no such thing as a thousand days without a thief."
lǐ fán méi yǒu xìn xīn néng zài tā yǎn pí zi lǐ dì xià wán chéng cǐ shì 。
李凡没有信心能在祂眼皮子里地下完成此事。
"Besides, in their eyes, I'm just a petty schemer trying to stir up internal strife for personal gain."
zāo yù biàn shù ， lǐ fán suī jīng bù luàn 。
遭遇变数，李凡虽惊不乱。
"It is highly unlikely that they would guess my true intentions behind the apocalyptic plan."
“ wǒ hái yǒu de shì shí jiān 。 wǒ jiù bù xìn ， zhè liǎng wèi hái néng yì zhí dīng zhe bù chéng 。”
“我还有的是时间。我就不信，这两位还能一直盯着不成。”
"Just give me the chance...
“ cóng lái jiù méi yǒu qiān rì fáng zéi de dào lǐ 。”
“从来就没有千日防贼的道理。”
With this thought, Li Fan gradually calmed down.
“ kuàng qiě zài tā men yǎn zhōng ， wǒ zuì duō yě zhǐ shì gè xiǎng yào tiāo qǐ nèi dòu 、 ér hòu cóng zhōng móu lì de xiāo xiǎo zhī tú 。”
“况且在祂们眼中，我最多也只是个想要挑起内斗、而后从中谋利的宵小之徒。”
He suddenly recalled the scene he witnessed through the True Immortal's remains before his final departure.
“ yīng gāi méi yǒu kě néng ， cāi cè dào wǒ miè shì de zhēn zhèng móu huà 。”
“应该没有可能，猜测到我灭世的真正谋划。”
"The Rebirth Sovereign, with a body of white mist. He actually managed to resist the dark energy surge..."
“ zhǐ yào gěi wǒ zhuā zhù jī huì ……
“只要给我抓住机会……
"His power must be threatening the existence of the Xuanhuang Realm. This might also be one reason why the Transmitting Sage chose to cooperate with Him."
zhè me xiǎng zhe ， lǐ fán màn màn píng jìng xià lái 。
这么想着，李凡慢慢平静下来。
Li Fan suddenly thought of something else.
yòu mò dì huí xiǎng qǐ ， gāng gāng tōng guò zhēn xiān yí tuì zuì hòu kàn dào de nà yí mù chǎng jǐng 。
又蓦地回想起，刚刚通过真仙遗蜕最后看到的那一幕场景。
"The white mist barrier has appeared in the Xuanhuang Realm since the Great Calamity. On the surface, it divides the realm into regions. But in reality, it serves as a bonding agent fusing the Xuanhuang Realm with the devouring world."
“ wǎng shēng tiān zūn ， bái wù wèi qū 。 jìng rán néng yìng hàn yōu àn zhī lì xíng chéng de dà cháo ……”
“往生天尊，白雾为躯。竟然能硬撼幽暗之力形成的大潮……”
"And the white mist seems to be connected to the Rebirth Sovereign. This suggests that the Transmitting Sage and the Rebirth Sovereign likely knew each other before. That's why they could reach an agreement so quickly."
“ jué duì shì yǒu wēi xié dào xuán huáng jiè cún zài de shí lì le 。 huò xǔ zhè yě shì chuán fǎ huì xuǎn zé gēn tā hé zuò de yuán yīn zhī yī 。”
“绝对是有威胁到玄黄界存在的实力了。或许这也是传法会选择跟他合作的原因之一。”
As for the true identity of the Rebirth, Li Fan had several suspects.
lǐ fán hū de yòu xiǎng dào yì diǎn 。
李凡忽的又想到一点。
One of them was the Heavenly Physician.
“ bái wù bì zhàng ， zì cóng dà jié jiàng lín zhī hòu ， jiù kāi shǐ zài xuán huáng jiè zhōng chū xiàn 。 biǎo miàn shàng kàn ， héng gèn tiān dì ， fēn gē zhōu yù 。 shí zé shì jiāng xuán huáng jiè gēn tūn shì shì jiè róng hé zài yì qǐ de nián hé jì 。”
“白雾壁障，自从大劫降临之后，就开始在玄黄界中出现。表面上看，横亘天地，分割州域。实则是将玄黄界跟吞噬世界融合在一起的粘合剂。”
Originating from another cultivation realm, he viewed the world as a body and reversed its life and death.
“ ér bái wù yòu yǐn yǐn gēn nà wèi wǎng shēng tiān zūn yǒu suǒ guān lián 。 zhè me kàn lái ， chuán fǎ gēn wǎng shēng ， tā men liǎng gè hěn yǒu kě néng zhī qián jiù yǐ jīng hù xiāng rèn shí le 。 suǒ yǐ cái néng rú cǐ kuài de dá chéng xié yì 。”
“而白雾又隐隐跟那位往生天尊有所关联。这么看来，传法跟往生，他们两个很有可能之前就已经互相认识了。所以才能如此快的达成协议。”
He seemed to fit this description perfectly.
ér duì yú wǎng shēng de zhēn zhèng shēn fèn ， lǐ fán yě yǒu jǐ gè huái yí duì xiàng 。
而对于往生的真正身份，李凡也有几个怀疑对象。
The current Rebirth Sovereign's enlightenment was faster than in previous lifetimes. This might be due to Li Fan inheriting the Supplementing Scripture and resolving the concerns of the Water Cloud Heavenly Palace.
tiān yī ， jiù shì qí zhōng zhī yī 。
天医，就是其中之一。
Considering the Heavenly Physician's actions, it was almost certain that the Rebirth Sovereign had a connection with him—whether or not he was the actual person.
lái zì qí tā xiū xiān jiè 。 shì shì jiè rú rén tǐ ， nì zhuǎn qí sǐ shēng 。
来自其他修仙界。视世界如人体，逆转其死生。
Even if he wasn't, their relationship was certainly non-trivial.
wú lùn zěn me kàn ， tā dōu hěn fú hé zhè ge tiáo jiàn 。
无论怎么看，他都很符合这个条件。
The Heavenly Physician was elusive. Like the Transmitting Sage, he crossed the void alone, searching for remnants of cultivation realms in the darkest star sea to strengthen the Xuanhuang Realm.
ér cǐ shì wǎng shēng tiān zūn zhèng dào bǐ qián jǐ shì yào kuài shàng yī xiē ， hěn yǒu kě néng shì yīn wèi lǐ fán jì chéng le 【 bǔ tiān lù 】， bìng tì tā jiě jué le yún shuǐ tiān gōng zhòng rén yǐn yōu de yuán gù 。
而此世往生天尊证道比前几世要快上一些，很有可能是因为李凡继承了【补天录】，并替他解决了云水天宫众人隐忧的缘故。
Since their last meeting, they had not contacted each other again. Li Fan also did not proactively reach out to him and used the True Immortal's power to obscure his perception.
zài lián xiǎng dào cǐ qián tiān yī zài tiān jué 、 tiān yù děng rén de biǎo xiàn ， jī hū néng què dìng ， wǎng shēng tiān zūn jué duì gēn tiān yī yǒu suǒ guān lián 。
再联想到此前天医在天绝、天谕等人的表现，几乎能确定，往生天尊绝对跟天医有所关联。
"At this stage, no matter what I want to do, it will almost inevitably involve interacting with people of this level—Transmitting Sage and Heavenly Physician."
jiù suàn bú shì tiān yī běn rén ， yě jué duì guān xì fěi qiǎn 。
就算不是天医本人，也绝对关系匪浅。
"This is due to the Xuanhuang Realm being reduced to a corner of its former self."
tiān yī shén lóng jiàn shǒu bù jiàn wěi 。
天医神龙见首不见尾。
"Although I still know very little about them, at least..."
gēn chuán fǎ yī yàng ， zhī shēn héng dù xū kōng ， zài zhì àn xīng hǎi zhōng xún cháng zhǎo shàng qiě cán cún de xiū xiān jiè suì piàn 、 yòng lái zhuàng dà xuán huáng 。
跟传法一样，只身横渡虚空，在至暗星海中寻常找尚且残存的修仙界碎片、用来壮大玄黄。
"They have no knowledge of me."
zì cóng shàng cì yī bié hòu ， jiù zài yě méi yǒu gēn lǐ fán lián xì guò 。
自从上次一别后，就再也没有跟李凡联系过。
Li Fan's gaze was deep. "There is indeed a difference in strength, but even True Immortals can be calculated. How could I fear them?"
lǐ fán zì rán yě shì bú huì zhǔ dòng gēn tiān yī jiē chù 。
李凡自然也是不会主动跟天医接触。
"But for now, I will just bide my time."
bìng qiě hái yòng liǎo wú miàn zhēn xiān de lì liàng ， zhē bì le duì fāng de gǎn zhī 。
并且还用了无面真仙的力量，遮蔽了对方的感知。
...
“ shí lì dào le wǒ zhè ge jìng jiè ， wú lùn xiǎng yào gàn xiē shén me ， jī hū dōu wú fǎ bì miǎn de yào gēn chuán fǎ 、 tiān yī tā men zhè yī céng jí de rén pèng shàng le 。”
“实力到了我这个境界，无论想要干些什么，几乎都无法避免的要跟传法、天医他们这一层级的人碰上了。”
Despite the complete closure of the Spirit Wood Realm, Li Fan remained well-informed about events in the Xuanhuang Realm.
“ zhè shì xuán huáng jiè zhǐ shèng xià yī yú zhī dì shǐ rán 。”
“这是玄黄界只剩下一隅之地使然。”
Firstly, he used the Essence of the Heavenly Profound Mirror to eavesdrop on various gossip among cultivators.
“ suī rán wǒ réng rán duì tā men suǒ zhī shèn shǎo ， dàn hǎo zài ……”
“虽然我仍然对他们所知甚少，但好在……”
Secondly, he relied on the Transmitting Sage Zhou for intelligence.
“ tā men duì wǒ gèng shì yī wú suǒ zhī 。”
“他们对我更是一无所知。”
"Friend Zhou, something major must have happened at the Wanshen Alliance. The highest-level warning bell and your previous unavailability..."
lǐ fán mù guāng yōu yōu ：“ shí lì dí què yǒu suǒ chā jù ， dàn wǒ lián zhēn xiān dōu gǎn suàn jì ， yòu qǐ huì jù pà tā men 。”
李凡目光幽幽：“实力的确有所差距，但我连真仙都敢算计，又岂会惧怕他们。”
Zhou's tone seemed somewhat helpless. "A fellow Transmitting Sage has fallen."
“ bù guò zàn qiě rěn nài bà le 。”
“不过暂且忍耐罢了。”
Li Fan feigned shock and quickly asked more questions.
……
……
Zhou then briefly explained the situation. "I always knew that those True Immortal remains were a trap, but I never expected such power to harm a Transmitting Sage?" Li Fan was clearly surprised.
suī rán líng mù jiè wán quán fēng bì ， dàn lǐ fán réng rán duì xuán huáng jiè suǒ fā shēng zhī shì liǎo rú zhǐ zhǎng 。
虽然灵木界完全封闭，但李凡仍然对玄黄界所发生之事了如指掌。
"Have you caught the mastermind behind this? Do you have any leads?" Li Fan added as an afterthought.
yī shì tōng guò tiān xuán jìng běn yuán ， kuī tàn xiū shì men de gè zhǒng xián liáo xìn xī 。
一是通过天玄镜本源，窥探修士们的各种闲聊信息。
Zhou shook his head without giving detailed answers.
èr zì rán shì tōng guò chuán fǎ zhě zhōu dǎ tàn qíng bào le 。
二自然是通过传法者周打探情报了。
Li Fan did not press further and instead stated seriously, "I will report this matter to the Federation. If I find anything, I will inform you immediately."
“ zhōu dào yǒu ， wàn xiān méng kě shì yǒu dà shì fā shēng le ？ nà zuì gāo jí bié de yù jǐng zhōng shēng ， hái yǒu zhī qián wǒ dōu lián xì bù shàng nǐ ……”
“周道友，万仙盟可是有大事发生了？那最高级别的预警钟声，还有之前我都联系不上你……”
"Thank you for your cooperation." Zhou seemed unenthusiastic about Li Fan's response.
chuán fǎ zhě zhōu de yǔ qì zhōng ， sì hū yǒu xiē wú lì gǎn ：“ yǒu chuán fǎ zhě tóng bàn yǔn luò le 。”
传法者周的语气中，似乎有些无力感：“有传法者同伴陨落了。”
After cutting off communication, Li Fan began pondering potential scapegoats.
lǐ fán gù zuò shí fēn zhèn jīng de yàng zi ， ér hòu lián máng zhuī wèn 。
李凡故作十分震惊的样子，而后连忙追问。
But after much thought, he realized that in such a vast Xuanhuang Realm, there were few who could have the strength to carry out his actions.
chuán fǎ zhě zhōu zé shì jiāng shì qíng de yuán yóu jiǎn dān jiǎng shù le yī biàn 。
传法者周则是将事情的缘由简单讲述了一遍。
"Tricking the Five Elders' Association or the Taiyin Sect would be no easy task. Acting too cleverly might only draw unwanted attention."
“ wǒ zǎo jiù zhī dào ， zhè shén me zhēn xiān yí tuì 、 shì gè xiàn jǐng 。 dàn què méi xiǎng dào ， zhè bèi hòu de lì liàng ， jìng rán néng shāng hài dào chuán fǎ zhě ？” lǐ fán mǎn liǎn de bù kě sī yì 。
“我早就知道，这什么真仙遗蜕、是个陷阱。但却没想到，这背后的力量，竟然能伤害到传法者？”李凡满脸的不可思议。
Li Fan sighed inwardly and summed up his lessons: "I still need more disguises."
“ mù hòu de zhēn xiōng zhuā dào le me ？ yǒu xiàn suǒ me ？” lǐ fán yòu shùn biàn wèn le yī jù 。
“幕后的真凶抓到了么？有线索么？”李凡又顺便问了一句。
"If I had another identity at this moment, I could frame myself to clear my name.
chuán fǎ zhě zhōu yáo le yáo tóu ， méi yǒu xiáng xì huí dá 。
传法者周摇了摇头，没有详细回答。
"I should pay more attention in the future."
lǐ fán yě méi yǒu zài wèn ， ér shì zhèng sè dào ：“ wǒ yě huì jiāng cǐ shì fǎn kuì shàng bào gěi lián hé huì 。 rú guǒ yǒu shén me fā xiàn ， yí dìng huì dì yī shí jiān tōng zhī dào yǒu 。”
李凡也没有再问，而是正色道：“我也会将此事反馈上报给联合会。如果有什么发现，一定会第一时间通知道友。”
Even with Li Fan's self-proclaimed intelligence, he found himself at a loss for better strategies given his current situation. The main reason was that he inadvertently fell into the True Immortal's trap and couldn't immediately become one.
“ nà me jiù xiān xíng xiè guò le 。” chuán fǎ zhě zhōu sì hū duì lǐ fán zhè biān bìng méi yǒu bào shén me xī wàng ， fū yǎn zhe shuō dào 。
“那么就先行谢过了。”传法者周似乎对李凡这边并没有报什么希望，敷衍着说道。
Therefore, no matter what he did, he felt hesitant and constrained.
duàn kāi tōng xùn zhī hòu ， lǐ fán kāi shǐ sī suǒ qǐ kě yǐ jià huò de duì xiàng qǐ lái 。
断开通讯之后，李凡开始思索起可以嫁祸的对象起来。
But hiding in the depths of the Underworld and rushing to become an immortal would not be Li Fan's choice.
kě sī lái xiǎng qù ， ruò dà de xuán huáng jiè ， néng gòu yǒu shí lì bàn chéng lǐ fán suǒ zuò zhī shì de ， jìng rán liáo liáo wú jǐ le 。
可思来想去，偌大的玄黄界，能够有实力办成李凡所做之事的，竟然寥寥无几了。
"Even with all my maneuvering, there are times when I lose flexibility."
“ shèng xià nà jǐ gè fú hé tiáo jiàn de ， bǐ rú wǔ lǎo huì 、 tài yǎn zōng ， xiǎng yào zāi zāng gěi tā men ， hái zhēn bú shì yī jiàn róng yì de shì 。 ruò shì zì zuò cōng míng ， fǎn ér huì zhǔ dòng lù chū mǎ jiǎo 。”
“剩下那几个符合条件的，比如五老会、太衍宗，想要栽赃给他们，还真不是一件容易的事。若是自作聪明，反而会主动露出马脚。”
(End of Chapter)
A brief moment of doubt was quickly replaced by a strong sense of danger.
"Only one could have caused the Wanshen Alliance to react so swiftly and uniformly."
"Transmitting Sage!"
Li Fan's thoughts raced.
"The fall of a Transmitting Sage would certainly attract the attention of the Transmitting Sage Sovereign, which is understandable." Li Fan frowned deeply. "But why would He choose to cooperate with the Rebirth? Why would He partner up with them?"
With the strength of the Transmitting Sage Sovereign, he was certain that He could immediately recognize the origin of the Rebirth upon seeing it.
The Rebirth aimed to resurrect through a corpse and restore life in the devoured world. According to previous intelligence, the Transmitting Sage Sovereign had an extremely keen interest in the Xuanhuang Realm...
Their stances were almost entirely opposite.
But based on current events, they seemed to have reached some kind of agreement within such a short time.
"Is it because He was provoked and angered? Or is there another deeper reason?"
Li Fan did not expect the cooperation between two Eternity Sovereigns. He immediately severed contact with the puppets currently executing tasks in the Xuanhuang Realm.
His last command was for the puppets to disintegrate themselves.
At the same time, he used an array to seal off the entrance from the Spirit Wood Realm to the Xuanhuang Realm. The connection to the underground world was temporarily closed as well.
He planned to bide his time and avoid trouble first.
While Li Fan could forcefully activate his apocalyptic setup at this moment, under the watchful eye of the Transmitting Sage Sovereign, those puppets that served as bait to attract immortal attention might not be able to leave the Xuanhuang Realm smoothly.
Although the puppets had the support of dark energy and array protection, the Transmitting Sage Sovereign could not be underestimated. Li Fan was uncertain if he could complete this task under His watchful eye.
Despite the sudden change, Li Fan remained calm.
"I still have plenty of time. I don't believe these two can keep an eye on me forever."
"There's no such thing as a thousand days without a thief."
"Besides, in their eyes, I'm just a petty schemer trying to stir up internal strife for personal gain."
"It is highly unlikely that they would guess my true intentions behind the apocalyptic plan."
"Just give me the chance...
With this thought, Li Fan gradually calmed down.
He suddenly recalled the scene he witnessed through the True Immortal's remains before his final departure.
"The Rebirth Sovereign, with a body of white mist. He actually managed to resist the dark energy surge..."
"His power must be threatening the existence of the Xuanhuang Realm. This might also be one reason why the Transmitting Sage chose to cooperate with Him."
Li Fan suddenly thought of something else.
"The white mist barrier has appeared in the Xuanhuang Realm since the Great Calamity. On the surface, it divides the realm into regions. But in reality, it serves as a bonding agent fusing the Xuanhuang Realm with the devouring world."
"And the white mist seems to be connected to the Rebirth Sovereign. This suggests that the Transmitting Sage and the Rebirth Sovereign likely knew each other before. That's why they could reach an agreement so quickly."
As for the true identity of the Rebirth, Li Fan had several suspects.
One of them was the Heavenly Physician.
Originating from another cultivation realm, he viewed the world as a body and reversed its life and death.
He seemed to fit this description perfectly.
The current Rebirth Sovereign's enlightenment was faster than in previous lifetimes. This might be due to Li Fan inheriting the Supplementing Scripture and resolving the concerns of the Water Cloud Heavenly Palace.
Considering the Heavenly Physician's actions, it was almost certain that the Rebirth Sovereign had a connection with him—whether or not he was the actual person.
Even if he wasn't, their relationship was certainly non-trivial.
The Heavenly Physician was elusive. Like the Transmitting Sage, he crossed the void alone, searching for remnants of cultivation realms in the darkest star sea to strengthen the Xuanhuang Realm.
Since their last meeting, they had not contacted each other again. Li Fan also did not proactively reach out to him and used the True Immortal's power to obscure his perception.
"At this stage, no matter what I want to do, it will almost inevitably involve interacting with people of this level—Transmitting Sage and Heavenly Physician."
"This is due to the Xuanhuang Realm being reduced to a corner of its former self."
"Although I still know very little about them, at least..."
"They have no knowledge of me."
Li Fan's gaze was deep. "There is indeed a difference in strength, but even True Immortals can be calculated. How could I fear them?"
"But for now, I will just bide my time."
...
Despite the complete closure of the Spirit Wood Realm, Li Fan remained well-informed about events in the Xuanhuang Realm.
Firstly, he used the Essence of the Heavenly Profound Mirror to eavesdrop on various gossip among cultivators.
Secondly, he relied on the Transmitting Sage Zhou for intelligence.
"Friend Zhou, something major must have happened at the Wanshen Alliance. The highest-level warning bell and your previous unavailability..."
Zhou's tone seemed somewhat helpless. "A fellow Transmitting Sage has fallen."
Li Fan feigned shock and quickly asked more questions.
Zhou then briefly explained the situation. "I always knew that those True Immortal remains were a trap, but I never expected such power to harm a Transmitting Sage?" Li Fan was clearly surprised.
"Have you caught the mastermind behind this? Do you have any leads?" Li Fan added as an afterthought.
Zhou shook his head without giving detailed answers.
Li Fan did not press further and instead stated seriously, "I will report this matter to the Federation. If I find anything, I will inform you immediately."
"Thank you for your cooperation." Zhou seemed unenthusiastic about Li Fan's response.
After cutting off communication, Li Fan began pondering potential scapegoats.
But after much thought, he realized that in such a vast Xuanhuang Realm, there were few who could have the strength to carry out his actions.
"Tricking the Five Elders' Association or the Taiyin Sect would be no easy task. Acting too cleverly might only draw unwanted attention."
Li Fan sighed inwardly and summed up his lessons: "I still need more disguises."
"If I had another identity at this moment, I could frame myself to clear my name.
"I should pay more attention in the future."
Even with Li Fan's self-proclaimed intelligence, he found himself at a loss for better strategies given his current situation. The main reason was that he inadvertently fell into the True Immortal's trap and couldn't immediately become one.
Therefore, no matter what he did, he felt hesitant and constrained.
But hiding in the depths of the Underworld and rushing to become an immortal would not be Li Fan's choice.
"Even with all my maneuvering, there are times when I lose flexibility."
(End of Chapter)