zhè wèi kàn shàng qù yǒu xiē nián qīng de yōu zú rén ， chàn chàn wēi wēi 、 xiàng lǐ fán jiě shì de tóng shí ， hái bù shí tái tóu kuī tàn lǐ fán liǎn sè 。
这位看上去有些年轻的幽族人，颤颤巍巍、向李凡解释的同时，还不时抬头窥探李凡脸色。
This young-looking member of the Phantom Clan, while trembling and explaining to Li Fan, would occasionally raise his head to peek at Li Fan's expression.
dàn tiān mìng shèng huáng de róng yán ， qǐ shì tā zhè zhǒng cū bǐ zhī tú néng gòu kàn qīng de ？
但天命圣皇的容颜，岂是他这种粗鄙之徒能够看清的？
But could a coarse brute like him truly comprehend the visage of the Heavenly Mandate Holy Emperor?
xīn zhōng yuè fā huáng kǒng ， tā jiāng zhè duàn shí jiān zì jǐ de fā xiàn jìn shù dào lái ：“ shèng huáng míng jiàn ， xiǎo rén zì guī fù hòu ， jiù jué duì zài wú èr xīn 。 rán xiàng yōu àn qí dǎo ， yǐ rán shì wǒ hū xī bān de běn néng 。 suǒ yǐ zhè duàn shí jiān ， zài xiàng shèng huáng nín dǎo gào de tóng shí ， nán miǎn yòu huì zì rán ér rán de xiàng yōu àn qí qiú 。”
心中越发惶恐，他将这段时间自己的发现尽数道来：“圣皇明鉴，小人自归附后，就绝对再无二心。然向幽暗祈祷，已然是我呼吸般的本能。所以这段时间，在向圣皇您祷告的同时，难免又会自然而然的向幽暗祈求。”
His heart grew increasingly fearful. He recounted all that he had discovered over this period: "Holy Emperor, may you see clearly, since I submitted myself, I have never harbored any other intentions. However, praying to the Dark Realm has become an instinct for me. Therefore, during my prayers to you, Holy Emperor, it's inevitable that I would also naturally pray to the Dark Realm."
“ yōu àn ， jiù xiàng wǎng cháng yī yàng ， huí yìng le wǒ ……”
“幽暗，就像往常一样，回应了我……”
"The Dark Realm responded as usual..."
shuō dào zhè lǐ ， mì shì zhōng de zhè shí duō míng yōu zú rén qí qí wàn fēn huáng kǒng de guì le xià lái 。
说到这里，密室中的这十多名幽族人齐齐万分惶恐的跪了下来。
With these words, the dozen or so Phantom Clan members in the secret chamber knelt down with immense fear.
hěn xiǎn rán ， zhè yàng de xiàn xiàng ， zài tā men shēn shàng dōu fā shēng guò 。
很显然，这样的现象，在他们身上都发生过。
Clearly, such phenomena had occurred to them all.
lǐ fán qīng qīng yī huī ， bǎ tā men quán dōu fú qǐ 。
李凡轻轻一挥，把他们全都扶起。
Li Fan gently waved his hand and helped them up.
duì yú zhè xiē yōu zú rén tóng shì èr zhǔ ， zhè yī shì de lǐ fán qí shí bìng bù zěn me zài yì 。
对于这些幽族人同侍二主，这一世的李凡其实并不怎么在意。
In this life, Li Fan wasn't overly concerned about the Phantom Clan serving two masters.
yīn wèi zài tā de yù xiǎng zhōng ， zhè xiē rén jǐn jǐn shì tā zài hái zhēn zhī qián de zhè jí duǎn shí jiān nèi ， yán jiū “ xìn yǎng zhī lì ” de gōng jù bà le 。
因为在他的预想中，这些人仅仅是他在还真之前的这极短时间内，研究“信仰之力”的工具罢了。
After all, he had only intended for these people to be tools for studying "faith power" in the short time before Truly Real Technique.
děng tā bù jiǔ fā dòng hái zhēn hòu ， xuán huáng jiè zhōng yī qiè dōu jiāng yān miè 。
等他不久发动还真后，玄黄界中一切都将湮灭。
Once he activated Truly Real Technique soon, everything in the Xuanhuang Realm would be obliterated.
gèng huáng lùn zhè xiē yōu zú rén 。
更遑论这些幽族人。
Let alone these Phantom Clan members.
tā gèng xiǎng zhī dào ， wèi shén me “ yōu àn ”， yě huì róng xǔ zhè zhǒng liǎng miàn sān dāo de xíng wéi fā shēng 。
他更想知道，为什么“幽暗”，也会容许这种两面三刀的行为发生。
What Li Fan was more curious about was why the Dark Realm allowed such double-dealing behavior.
ruò shì shēn wèi wú miàn zhēn xiān de xìn tú 、 dǎn gǎn shì fèng èr zhǔ ， kǒng pà zǎo jiù bèi zhēn xiān zhī lì sī dé fěn suì le 。
若是身为无面真仙的信徒、胆敢侍奉二主，恐怕早就被真仙之力撕得粉碎了。
If a true immortal believer dared to serve two masters as a faceless true immortal, they would likely have been torn apart by true immortal power long ago.
“ yào me jiù shì ， yōu àn bèi hòu de lì liàng zhǔ zǎi ， gāo shàng dào lìng rén fà zhǐ 、 duì zì jǐ de xìn tú dōu néng róng rěn rú sī 。”
“要么就是，幽暗背后的力量主宰，高尚到令人发指、对自己的信徒都能容忍如斯。”
"Either the force behind the Dark Realm is so noble that it can tolerate its followers like this."
“ yào me zé shì ……”
“要么则是……”
"Or..."
lǐ fán xīn zhōng shà shí bō lán qǐ fú ：“ tā lìng yǒu suǒ tú 。 xiǎng yào jiè zhù xìn tú men de zhè zhǒng bèi pàn xíng wéi ， qù gǎn rǎn gēn zì jǐ tóng gé de cún zài 。”
李凡心中霎时波澜起伏：“祂另有所图。想要借助信徒们的这种背叛行为，去感染跟自己同格的存在。”
Li Fan's heart stirred: "He has other plans. He wants to use his followers' betrayal to infect beings of the same rank as himself."
niàn jí zhì cǐ ， lǐ fán dùn shí biàn dé jǐng tì qǐ lái 。
念及至此，李凡顿时变得警惕起来。
With these thoughts, Li Fan became more vigilant.
tā xiàng lái shì bù dàn yǐ zuì dà de è yì lái chuǎi cè zhè shì shàng de qiáng dà cún zài de 。
他向来是不惮以最大的恶意来揣测这世上的强大存在的。
He was always willing to assume the worst about powerful existences in this world.
zǐ xì biàn bié zhe zì jǐ tǐ nèi nà sī sī suī rán bù duō 、 dàn què jí qí qiáng dà de chì hóng lì liàng 。
仔细辨别着自己体内那丝丝虽然不多、但却极其强大的赤红力量。
He carefully examined the faint but incredibly powerful red energy within him.
dàn jīng guò fǎn fù dí què rèn zhī hòu ， dí què méi yǒu zhǎo dào gēn yōu àn zhī lì chě shàng guān xì de jì xiàng 。
但经过反复的确认之后，的确没有找到跟幽暗之力扯上关系的迹象。
After repeated confirmation, there were no signs linking it to the Dark Realm's power.
“ nán dào shì wǒ duō lǜ le ？”
“难道是我多虑了？”
"Could I have been overly cautious?"
lǐ fán jīng guò duǎn zàn de sī cǔn zhī hòu ， hái shì zuò le jué dìng 。
李凡经过短暂的思忖之后，还是做了决定。
Li Fan decided after a brief thought. He wouldn't allow any uncertainties to affect his current activation of Truly Real Technique.
tā bú huì yǔn xǔ rèn hé biàn shù ， qù yǐng xiǎng zhè yī shì de hái zhēn jìn chéng 。
他不会允许任何变数，去影响这一世的还真进程。
First, he verbally praised these Phantom Clan members for their honesty.
xiān shì kǒu tóu duì zhè xiē yōu zú rén de tǎn yán zuò le bāo jiǎng 。
先是口头对这些幽族人的坦言做了褒奖。
After leaving the underground chamber, Li Fan ordered Wang Xuanbao to grant them rest—true sleep rather than just a metaphorical one.
děng lí kāi dì xià mì shì hòu ， lǐ fán què shì mìng lìng wáng xuán bà ， cì yǔ tā men ān mián 。
等离开地下密室后，李凡却是命令王玄霸，赐予他们安眠。
He didn’t want to be tainted by this impure faith power and worried that directly massacring the Phantom Clan might attract the attention of the Dark Realm's master.
bìng fēi shén me dài zhǐ ， ér shì zhēn zhèng yì yì shàng de chén mián 。
并非什么代指，而是真正意义上的沉眠。
So, he decided to turn them into living dead.
lǐ fán bù yuàn yì zài zhān rǎn zhè zhǒng bù chún jié de xìn yǎng zhī lì ， ér yòu dān xīn ruò shì zhí jiē tú lù yōu zú rén 、 fǎn dào shì kě néng huì yǐn qǐ yōu àn zhǔ zǎi de zhù yì 。
李凡不愿意再沾染这种不纯洁的信仰之力，而又担心若是直接屠戮幽族人、反倒是可能会引起幽暗主宰的注意。
"Looks like I need to find a way to address the Phantom Clan's low birth rate. Cultivators must start from the new generation."
suǒ yǐ gān cuì jiù ràng tā men biàn chéng huó sǐ rén zhuàng tài 。
所以干脆就让他们变成活死人状态。
Wang Xuanbao quickly completed his task and reported back to Li Fan.
“ kàn lái dé xiǎng gè bàn fǎ jiě jué yōu zú rén de shēng yù lǜ wèn tí ， péi yǎng xìn tú xū yào cóng xīn yí dài zhuā qǐ 。”
“看来得想个办法解决幽族人的生育率问题，培养信徒需要从新一代抓起。”
After years of continuously devouring and fusing with beast organizations, along with the enhanced version of 'Creation Furnace Technique', Wang Xuanbao had transformed from a three-meter giant into a normal-sized person—though he still looked robust.
wáng xuán bà hěn kuài jiù wán chéng le rèn wù ， fǎn huí xiàng lǐ fán fù mìng 。
王玄霸很快就完成了任务，返回向李凡复命。
With the abilities of many beasts combined and an extremely terrifying self-healing speed, even Golden Core Completionist Sun Erlang couldn't match him in combat.
jīng guò zhè xiē nián bù duàn tūn shì 、 róng hé yì shòu zǔ zhī ， zài jiā shàng xiū xíng qiáng huà bǎn běn 《 zào huà hōng lú gōng 》， wáng xuán bà fǎn dào shì cóng cǐ qián de sān zhàng jù rén ， biàn chéng le zhèng cháng rén dà xiǎo 。
经过这些年不断吞噬、融合异兽组织，在加上修行强化版本《造化烘炉功》，王玄霸反倒是从此前的三丈巨人，变成了正常人大小。
"Xuanbao, have you encountered any confusion or不解 during your cultivation recently?" Li Fan asked.
bù guò shì kàn shàng qù yǒu xiē kuí wú zhuàng shuò bà le 。
不过是看上去有些魁梧壮硕罢了。
It was to help Wang Xuanbao resolve his doubts while also checking on his condition to improve the Creation Furnace Technique.
jí zhū duō yì shòu de néng lì yú yī shēn ， zài jiā shàng jí qí kǒng bù de ròu shēn zì yù sù dù 。 jiù suàn shì jīn dān yuán mǎn de sūn èr láng ， sǐ dòu qǐ lái yě bú shì wáng xuán bà de duì shǒu 。
集诸多异兽的能力于一身，再加上极其恐怖的肉身自愈速度。就算是金丹圆满的孙二郎，死斗起来也不是王玄霸的对手。
"Master. My body has indeed grown stronger. I feel like I never run out of energy at any moment. But..."
“ xuán bà ， zuì jìn xiū xíng zhōng kě yǒu gǎn dào kùn huò 、 bù jiě de dì fāng ？” lǐ fán wèn dào 。
“玄霸，最近修行中可有感到困惑、不解的地方？”李凡问道。
Wang Xuanbao organized his thoughts and scratched his head: "I have gradually developed two feelings. One is a sense of impending danger, as if there's an enemy in the universe. This feeling was particularly strong when passing through the core realm of Xuanhuang."
shì bāng wáng xuán bà jiě huò ， yě shì liǎo jiě duì fāng shēn tǐ qíng kuàng 、 yì tú gǎi jìn zào huà hōng lú gōng 。
是帮王玄霸解惑，也是了解对方身体情况、意图改进造化烘炉功。
"The other is occasional whispers that I can't understand but give me a familiar and comforting sensation."
“ shī zūn 。 zuì jìn wǒ de shēn tǐ dí què shì yuè lái yuè qiáng zhuàng le ， měi shí měi kè dōu fǎng fú yǒu shǐ bù wán de jìn 。 dàn ……”
“师尊。最近我的身体的确是越来越强壮了，每时每刻都仿佛有使不完的劲。但……”
After hearing this, Li Fan said calmly: "Although you have achieved the body like a melting furnace, your intent hasn't. The杂念 from the beasts you devoured still linger in your heart. Don’t cultivate for now; go rest."
wáng xuán bà zǔ zhī le xià yǔ yán ， náo le náo tóu ：“ wǒ xīn zhōng què màn màn shēng chū liǎng zhǒng gǎn jué 。 yī shì méi yóu lái de wēi jī gǎn ， jiù hǎo xiàng tiān dì jiān cún zài zhe mǒu zhǒng tiān dí shì de 。 zhè zhǒng gǎn jué ， zài lù guò xuán huáng běn jiè de shí hòu yóu wèi qiáng liè 。”
王玄霸组织了下语言，挠了挠头：“我心中却慢慢生出两种感觉。一是没由来的危机感，就好像天地间存在着某种天敌似的。这种感觉，在路过玄黄本界的时候尤为强烈。”
Li Fan naturally knew why Wang Xuanbao's body was acting strangely but didn't explicitly say so.
“ dì èr zhǒng me ， jiù shì shí bù shí huì chū xiàn de ěr yǔ shēng 。 yě tīng bù míng bái zài jiǎng xiē shén me ， dàn què gěi wǒ mǒu zhǒng shú xī 、 qīn qiè de gǎn jué 。”
“第二种么，就是时不时会出现的耳语声。也听不明白在讲些什么，但却给我某种熟悉、亲切的感觉。”
He just instructed him to rest in the small world of Great Xuan.
lǐ fán tīng wán hòu ， dàn dàn de shuō dào ：“ nǐ rú jīn suī yǐ zuò dào le shēn shì róng lú ， dàn yì què méi yǒu 。 shǔ yú nà xiē bèi nǐ tūn shì de yì shòu zá niàn ， yī jiù yíng rào zài nǐ de xīn tóu 。 zuì jìn jiù bú yào xiū xíng le ， qù tiáo yǎng tiáo yǎng ba 。”
李凡听完后，淡淡的说道：“你如今虽已做到了身似熔炉，但意却没有。属于那些被你吞噬的异兽杂念，依旧萦绕在你的心头。最近就不要修行了，去调养调养吧。”
With the activation period approaching, Li Fan needed to eliminate all unstable factors.
lǐ fán zì rán zhī dào wáng xuán bà shēn tǐ zhī suǒ yǐ yì cháng de yuán yīn ， bù guò què méi yǒu míng shuō 。
李凡自然知道王玄霸身体之所以异常的原因，不过却没有明说。
Thus, under his will, the Great Xuan conquests halted. They were called "rest and prepare for battle."
zhǐ shì ràng tā zài dà xuán xiǎo shì jiè zhōng jìng yǎng 。
只是让他在大玄小世界中静养。
The people of Great Xuan praised the Heavenly Mandate Holy Emperor's great benevolence as time swiftly passed.
jù lí hái zhēn chōng néng qī xiàn yuè lái yuè jìn ， lǐ fán xū yào pái chú yī qiè bù wěn dìng de yīn sù 。
距离还真充能期限越来越近，李凡需要排除一切不稳定的因素。
By the end of 8th year, Li Fan, seeing that the charge was fully at 100%, rose from his throne in Xuanjing.
yīn zhī ， zài tā de yì zhì xià ， dà xuán zhēng fá zhū jiè de bù fá yě tíng zhì le xià lái 。
因之，在他的意志下，大玄征伐诸界的步伐也停滞了下来。
He quietly came to the underground chamber and woke up the Phantom Clan members. He opened the path to the Dark Realm.
měi míng qí yuē “ xiū yǎng shēng xī 、 bèi zhàn dài dí ”。
美名其曰“休养生息、备战待敌”。
In the depths of the Dark Sea,
dà xuán jūn mín fēn fēn zàn měi tiān mìng shèng huáng wěi dà rén cí ， shí jiān fēi sù liú shì 。
大玄军民纷纷赞美天命圣皇伟大仁慈，时间飞速流逝。
Li Fan activated the Truly Real Technique interface.
máo dìng 8 nián mò ， lǐ fán kàn zhe yǐ jīng bǎi fēn zhī bǎi de chōng néng jìn dù tiáo ， cóng xuán jīng shèng huáng zuò zhōng yì rán qǐ shēn 。
锚定8年末，李凡看着已经百分之百的充能进度条，从玄京圣皇座中毅然起身。
[You can choose one of the following options for retention:
méi yǒu jīng dòng rèn hé qí tā rén ， qiǎo rán lái dào dì xià mì shì nèi 。
没有惊动任何其他人，悄然来到地下密室内。
1. An item you possess during this simulation.
2. Your cultivation realm in this simulation.
3. A person closely related to you and their simulated memories, which they will inherit.
4. Abandon all choices and accelerate the charge.]
jiāng chén mián de yōu zú rén huàn xǐng ， dǎ kāi tōng wǎng yōu jiè de tōng dào 。
将沉眠的幽族人唤醒，打开通往幽界的通道。
...
yōu àn zhī hǎi shēn chù 。
幽暗之海深处。
The flickering light symbols had existed for eight years.
lǐ fán dǎ kāi le hái zhēn miàn bǎn 。
李凡打开了还真面板。
"Retain cultivation."
【 nǐ kě yǐ zài yǐ xià xuǎn xiàng zhōng xuǎn zé yī xiàng jìn xíng bǎo liú ：
【伱可以在以下选项中选择一项进行保留：
Li Fan silently thought as he heightened his vigilance.
1. běn cì mó nǐ zhōng zì shēn chí yǒu de yī jiàn wù pǐn 。
1.本次模拟中自身持有的一件物品。
At the same time, silver threads suddenly appeared on the sky domes of the conquered small worlds in Great Xuan, Separation Realm, and Beast Races, crisscrossing like a giant net enveloping all beings.
2. běn cì mó nǐ zhōng zì shēn de xiū xíng jìng jiè 。
2.本次模拟中自身的修行境界。
Few could sense the impending mortal danger, some even looking up at the sky in surprise.
3. běn cì mó nǐ zhōng yǔ zì shēn guān xì mì qiè de yī wèi rén yuán de mó nǐ jì yì 。 cǐ jì yì kě ràng gāi rén yuán jì chéng 。
3.本次模拟中与自身关系密切的一位人员的模拟记忆。此记忆可让该人员继承。
Only those with some cultivation felt an underlying unease.
4. fàng qì yǐ shàng xuǎn zé ， jiā kuài chōng néng jìn dù 。】
4.放弃以上选择，加快充能进度。】
The ever-present Dark Sea seemed to suddenly rise as an invisible wave.
……
……
A violent fluctuation descended upon Li Fan, causing fierce storms around him.
bù tíng shǎn dòng de guāng fú ， yǐ rán cún zài le bā nián 。
不停闪动的光符，已然存在了八年。
Basement, Golden Core, Essence Body...
“ jì chéng xiū wèi 。”
“继承修为。”
A dramatic change occurred within Li Fan's body.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng mò niàn ， tóng shí jǐng tì dá dào zuì gāo 。
李凡心中默念，同时警惕达到最高。
He saw his cloud-like Xuanhuang True Dao base instantly transform into a Golden Core.
yǔ cǐ tóng shí ， dà xuán 、 lí jiè 、 shòu zhǒng ， zhè xiē nián bèi zhēng fú de xiǎo shì jiè tiān mù shàng ， dǒu rán liàng qǐ le dào dào zòng héng jiāo cuò de yín sè xì xiàn 。
与此同时，大玄、离界、兽种，这些年被征服的小世界天幕上，陡然亮起了道道纵横交错的银色细线。
Then, in the explosion that devoured all light, the Five Elements Heavenly Palace was formed.
wǎn ruò yī zhāng jù wǎng ， jiāng zhòng shēng lǒng zhào zài nèi 。
宛若一张巨网，将众生笼罩再内。
The transformation completed what would normally take thousands of years in an instant.
wǎng nèi de zhòng shēng méi yǒu duō shǎo néng gòu chá jué dào zhì mìng de wēi jī jí jiāng jiàng lín ， hái yǒu xiē jīng qí de tái tóu kàn zhe tiān kōng 。
网内的众生没有多少能够察觉到致命的危机即将降临，还有些惊奇的抬头看着天空。
Majestic Five Elements, grand and magnificent.
wéi yǒu nà xiē yǒu xiē xiū wèi de “ qiáng zhě ”， xīn zhōng yǐn yǐn fàn qǐ bù ān 。
唯有那些有些修为的“强者”，心中隐隐泛起不安。
Then, the boundaries between them became blurred.
gèn gǔ bù biàn de yōu àn zhī hǎi ， fǎng fú hū de xiān qǐ yī zhèn wú xíng bō làng 。
亘古不变的幽暗之海，仿佛忽的掀起一阵无形波浪。
Changes unfolded rapidly within the Heavenly Palace.
rú kuáng fēng yì bān de bō dòng jiàng lín lǐ fán shēn shàng ， zài qí zhōu wéi yǐn dòng chū jù liè de fēng bào 。
如狂风一般的波动降临李凡身上，在其周围引动出剧烈的风暴。
"Xuanhuang's End of the World Transformation."
zhù jī 、 jīn dān 、 yuán yīng ……
筑基、金丹、元婴……
With the Five Elements converging, all changes in the newly born Heavenly Palace were aimed at addressing a non-existent apocalyptic crisis in this world.
tiān fān dì fù de biàn huà zài lǐ fán tǐ nèi zhòu rán fā shēng 。
天翻地覆的变化在李凡体内骤然发生。
The towering tree in the Wood Nature Heavenly Palace shed its leaves and left bare branches.
lǐ fán kàn dào ， zì shēn yún wù bān de hái zhēn dào jī ， qǐng kè jiān biàn chéng yī kē jīn dān 。
李凡看到，自身云雾般的还真道基，顷刻间变成一颗金丹。
Yet, it gradually transformed into something resembling gold or iron.
This young-looking member of the Phantom Clan, while trembling and explaining to Li Fan, would occasionally raise his head to peek at Li Fan's expression.
But could a coarse brute like him truly comprehend the visage of the Heavenly Mandate Holy Emperor?
His heart grew increasingly fearful. He recounted all that he had discovered over this period: "Holy Emperor, may you see clearly, since I submitted myself, I have never harbored any other intentions. However, praying to the Dark Realm has become an instinct for me. Therefore, during my prayers to you, Holy Emperor, it's inevitable that I would also naturally pray to the Dark Realm."
"The Dark Realm responded as usual..."
With these words, the dozen or so Phantom Clan members in the secret chamber knelt down with immense fear.
Clearly, such phenomena had occurred to them all.
Li Fan gently waved his hand and helped them up.
In this life, Li Fan wasn't overly concerned about the Phantom Clan serving two masters.
After all, he had only intended for these people to be tools for studying "faith power" in the short time before Truly Real Technique.
Once he activated Truly Real Technique soon, everything in the Xuanhuang Realm would be obliterated.
Let alone these Phantom Clan members.
What Li Fan was more curious about was why the Dark Realm allowed such double-dealing behavior.
If a true immortal believer dared to serve two masters as a faceless true immortal, they would likely have been torn apart by true immortal power long ago.
"Either the force behind the Dark Realm is so noble that it can tolerate its followers like this."
"Or..."
Li Fan's heart stirred: "He has other plans. He wants to use his followers' betrayal to infect beings of the same rank as himself."
With these thoughts, Li Fan became more vigilant.
He was always willing to assume the worst about powerful existences in this world.
He carefully examined the faint but incredibly powerful red energy within him.
After repeated confirmation, there were no signs linking it to the Dark Realm's power.
"Could I have been overly cautious?"
Li Fan decided after a brief thought. He wouldn't allow any uncertainties to affect his current activation of Truly Real Technique.
First, he verbally praised these Phantom Clan members for their honesty.
After leaving the underground chamber, Li Fan ordered Wang Xuanbao to grant them rest—true sleep rather than just a metaphorical one.
He didn’t want to be tainted by this impure faith power and worried that directly massacring the Phantom Clan might attract the attention of the Dark Realm's master.
So, he decided to turn them into living dead.
"Looks like I need to find a way to address the Phantom Clan's low birth rate. Cultivators must start from the new generation."
Wang Xuanbao quickly completed his task and reported back to Li Fan.
After years of continuously devouring and fusing with beast organizations, along with the enhanced version of 'Creation Furnace Technique', Wang Xuanbao had transformed from a three-meter giant into a normal-sized person—though he still looked robust.
With the abilities of many beasts combined and an extremely terrifying self-healing speed, even Golden Core Completionist Sun Erlang couldn't match him in combat.
"Xuanbao, have you encountered any confusion or不解 during your cultivation recently?" Li Fan asked.
It was to help Wang Xuanbao resolve his doubts while also checking on his condition to improve the Creation Furnace Technique.
"Master. My body has indeed grown stronger. I feel like I never run out of energy at any moment. But..."
Wang Xuanbao organized his thoughts and scratched his head: "I have gradually developed two feelings. One is a sense of impending danger, as if there's an enemy in the universe. This feeling was particularly strong when passing through the core realm of Xuanhuang."
"The other is occasional whispers that I can't understand but give me a familiar and comforting sensation."
After hearing this, Li Fan said calmly: "Although you have achieved the body like a melting furnace, your intent hasn't. The杂念 from the beasts you devoured still linger in your heart. Don’t cultivate for now; go rest."
Li Fan naturally knew why Wang Xuanbao's body was acting strangely but didn't explicitly say so.
He just instructed him to rest in the small world of Great Xuan.
With the activation period approaching, Li Fan needed to eliminate all unstable factors.
Thus, under his will, the Great Xuan conquests halted. They were called "rest and prepare for battle."
The people of Great Xuan praised the Heavenly Mandate Holy Emperor's great benevolence as time swiftly passed.
By the end of 8th year, Li Fan, seeing that the charge was fully at 100%, rose from his throne in Xuanjing.
He quietly came to the underground chamber and woke up the Phantom Clan members. He opened the path to the Dark Realm.
In the depths of the Dark Sea,
Li Fan activated the Truly Real Technique interface.
[You can choose one of the following options for retention:
1. An item you possess during this simulation.
2. Your cultivation realm in this simulation.
3. A person closely related to you and their simulated memories, which they will inherit.
4. Abandon all choices and accelerate the charge.]
...
The flickering light symbols had existed for eight years.
"Retain cultivation."
Li Fan silently thought as he heightened his vigilance.
At the same time, silver threads suddenly appeared on the sky domes of the conquered small worlds in Great Xuan, Separation Realm, and Beast Races, crisscrossing like a giant net enveloping all beings.
Few could sense the impending mortal danger, some even looking up at the sky in surprise.
Only those with some cultivation felt an underlying unease.
The ever-present Dark Sea seemed to suddenly rise as an invisible wave.
A violent fluctuation descended upon Li Fan, causing fierce storms around him.
Basement, Golden Core, Essence Body...
A dramatic change occurred within Li Fan's body.
He saw his cloud-like Xuanhuang True Dao base instantly transform into a Golden Core.
Then, in the explosion that devoured all light, the Five Elements Heavenly Palace was formed.
The transformation completed what would normally take thousands of years in an instant.
Majestic Five Elements, grand and magnificent.
Then, the boundaries between them became blurred.
Changes unfolded rapidly within the Heavenly Palace.
"Xuanhuang's End of the World Transformation."
With the Five Elements converging, all changes in the newly born Heavenly Palace were aimed at addressing a non-existent apocalyptic crisis in this world.
The towering tree in the Wood Nature Heavenly Palace shed its leaves and left bare branches.
Yet, it gradually transformed into something resembling gold or iron.