“ bù guò ， wǒ kàn dào yǒu gěi wǒ de zhè fèn yuán lì ， sì hū bǐ qǐ zhèng cháng xiū liàn suǒ de ， yào ……”
“不过，我看道友给我的这份源力，似乎比起正常修炼所得，要……”
"However, I see that the source power you gave me seems to be... more advanced?"
“ gèng jiā gāo jí ？”
“更加高级？”
"More refined?"
bǎi huā dào rén zhēn zhuó le yī fān yòng cí ， huǎn huǎn wèn dào 。
百花道人斟酌了一番用词，缓缓问道。
Flower Hundred Daoist carefully chose his words before slowly asking.
lǐ píng zì rán bú huì gào sù bǎi huā ， zhī suǒ yǐ zhè yuán lì de xiào guǒ yào yuǎn shèng xún cháng ， shì yīn wèi xiǎng yào jiè zhù zhòng shēng xìn yǎng zhī lì 、 shēng huá yuán lì biàn wèi yuán lì jīng cuì suǒ de 。
李平自然不会告诉百花，之所以这源力的效果要远胜寻常，是因为想要借助众生信仰之力、升华源力变为源力精粹所得。
Li Ping naturally wouldn't tell Flower Hundred Daoist that the reason this source power was far superior to normal cultivation was because he wanted to harness the faith of all beings and refine it into a purer form. However, all current attempts had failed.
bù guò mù qián de zhǒng zhǒng cháng shì jiē yǐ shī bài gào zhōng 。
不过目前的种种尝试皆以失败告终。
After all, even the existence abandoned by true immortals transcended mundane forces; it wasn't easy to control.
bì jìng jí biàn shì zhēn xiān shě qì de cún zài ， yě shì chāo yuè fán sú de lì liàng 。 bìng bú shì nà me róng yì zhǎng kòng de 。
毕竟即便是真仙舍弃的存在，也是超越凡俗的力量。并不是那么容易掌控的。
"It's just your illusion. How are you recovering? It’s almost done, so let's get going," Li Ping said indifferently.
“ dào yǒu de cuò jué bà le 。 huī fù de rú hé ？ chà bu duō le ， jiù kuài shàng lù ba 。” lǐ píng dàn dàn dì shuō dào 。
“道友的错觉罢了。恢复的如何？差不多了，就快上路吧。”李平淡淡地说道。
Flower Hundred Daoist awkwardly smiled and had no other choice but to sigh before bidding farewell and leaving.
bǎi huā dào rén gān gà de xiào le xiào ， yě bié wú tā fǎ ， zhǐ dé tàn le kǒu qì ， gào cí yuǎn xíng 。
百花道人尴尬的笑了笑，也别无他法，只得叹了口气，告辞远行。
"Once the main base is absolutely secure, we can consider invading other small worlds."
“ què bǎo dà běn yíng de jué duì ān quán zhī hòu ， jiù kě yǐ kǎo lǜ duì qí tā xiǎo shì jiè de zhēng fá le 。”
“确保大本营的绝对安全之后，就可以考虑对其他小世界的征伐了。”
"We know the exact locations of each small world. We could even directly infiltrate them, transfer their entrances to the nearby voids near Great启 (This term is often used as a name or to mean 'to open'/'initiate', but without context, it's hard to determine its exact meaning here)."
“ duì měi gè xiǎo shì jiè de jù tǐ wèi zhì dōu liǎo rú zhǐ zhǎng ， shèn zhì kě yǐ zhí jiē xiān qián fú jìn qù ， jiāng rù kǒu zhuǎn yí dào dà qǐ fù jìn de xū kōng zhōng 。”
“对每个小世界的具体位置都了如指掌，甚至可以直接先潜伏进去，将入口转移到大启附近的虚空中。”
"Spirit Wood, Empire..."
“ líng mù 、 dì guó ……”
“灵木、帝国……”
"And the Dark Realm."
“ yǐ jí yōu jiè 。”
“以及幽界。”
As Holy Emperor Li Ping returned to his throne and sat there pondering the future direction of the Holy Dynasty.
zhèng dāng shèng huáng lǐ píng fǎn huí shèng huáng zuò zhōng ， duān zuò zhe sī kǎo zhe shèng cháo wèi lái zǒu xiàng de shí hòu 。
正当圣皇李平返回圣皇座中，端坐着思考着圣朝未来走向的时候。
Disciple Sun Erlang sought an audience.
dì zǐ sūn èr láng què shì qiú jiàn 。
弟子孙二郎却是求见。
"Uh, Master. A thing I caught from the fishing pond..." Sun Erlang looked somewhat uneasy.
“ é ， shī zūn 。 zhī qián cóng diào yú chí zhōng diào shàng lái de yí gè wù pǐn ……” sūn èr láng kàn shàng qù yǒu xiē zhuì zhuì bù ān 。
“额，师尊。之前从钓鱼池中钓上来的一个物品……”孙二郎看上去有些惴惴不安。
"Just speak your mind,"
“ dàn shuō wú fáng 。”
“但说无妨。”
Sun Erlang then recounted the details of what happened.
suí jí sūn èr láng jiāng shì qíng de yuán wěi jiǎng le chū lái 。
随即孙二郎将事情的原委讲了出来。
Since the end of the previous fishing competition, most of those who won prizes were absorbed by various institutions within the Holy Dynasty. Among them was a middle-aged man named Quan Ruochu, whom Sun Erlang took under his wing.
yuán lái zì cóng shàng yī jiè diào yú dà sài jié shù zhī hòu ， nà xiē zuì zhōng dé dào jiǎng shǎng de chuí diào zhě ， jī běn quán dōu bèi shèng cháo gè gè jī gòu suǒ xī shōu 。
原来自从上一届钓鱼大赛结束之后，那些最终得到奖赏的垂钓者，基本全都被圣朝各个机构所吸收。
What he caught from the fishing pond was a white light cluster. Li Ping personally checked it and found that it was just an ordinary object called "Darkorchid". So he didn't pay much attention to it at the time.
ér qí zhōng yī wèi jiào zuò quán ruò chū de zhōng nián nán zi ， bèi sūn èr láng kàn zhòng ， shōu rù huī xià 。
而其中一位叫做全若初的中年男子，被孙二郎看重，收入麾下。
But according to Sun Erlang, after Quan Ruochu carefully cultivated this seemingly low-grade Darkorchid for some time, it began to exhibit abilities completely beyond reason.
tā zì diào yú chí zhōng chuí diào shàng lái de ， shì yī bái sè guāng tuán 。
他自钓鱼池中垂钓上来的，是一白色光团。
"Quan Ruochu is in his middle years but has achieved nothing. His parents are dead, and he has no wife or children. His only love was fishing and raising flowers; he had a calm nature with no ambitions. So when he caught the white light cluster, he wasn't particularly upset. In fact, compared to other treasures, he loved this Darkorchid more."
dāng shí lǐ píng qīn zì jìn xíng guò yàn chá ， nǎi shì míng wèi 【 yōu lán àn huā 】 de xún cháng wù jiàn ， suǒ yǐ yě bìng méi yǒu zěn me zài yì 。
当时李平亲自进行过验查，乃是名为【幽兰暗花】的寻常物件，所以也并没有怎么在意。
"I originally thought that like normal flowers, it would grow in soil and be nourished by spiritual energy. But after Quan Ruochu planted it, no matter how carefully he tended to it, the flower remained weak and on the verge of withering. The passionate Quan Ruochu, desperate to save this Darkorchid, did something truly bizarre," Sun Erlang bowed his head and whispered to the Holy Emperor.
dàn cǐ kè ， jù sūn èr láng suǒ shuō ， zhè míng miàn shàng bù guò zuì duō yuán yīng céng jí pǐn zhì dì yōu lán àn huā ， jīng guò quán ruò chū yī duàn shí jiān de jīng xīn péi yǎng zhī hòu ， què shì zhǎn xiàn chū le wán quán bù fú hé cháng lǐ de néng lì 。
但此刻，据孙二郎所说，这明面上不过最多元婴层级品质的幽兰暗花，经过全若初一段时间的精心培养之后，却是展现出了完全不符合常理的能力。
"He actually planted the Darkorchid on himself! Using his own flesh as soil and infusing it with his essence..."
“ quán ruò chū cǐ rén ， suī yǐ zhì zhōng nián ， què yí shì wú chéng 。 fù mǔ jiē wáng ， wú qī wú hòu 。 shēng píng suǒ ài ， wéi yǒu diào yú yǎng huā ， xìng qíng dàn rán 、 méi yǒu shén me yě xīn 。 suǒ yǐ diào shàng lái bái sè guāng tuán zhī hòu ， tā dào yě méi yǒu duō me jǔ sàng 。 shèn zhì bǐ qǐ qí tā bǎo wù ， tā duì zhè yōu lán àn huā gèng jiā xǐ ài 。”
“全若初此人，虽已至中年，却一事无成。父母皆亡，无妻无后。生平所爱，唯有钓鱼养花，性情淡然、没有什么野心。所以钓上来白色光团之后，他倒也没有多么沮丧。甚至比起其他宝物，他对这幽兰暗花更加喜爱。”
"Just a few days later, he transformed from a fairly robust man into a gaunt figure barely clinging to life. But he didn't give up; he still intended to pour his last bit of strength into it."
“ yuán běn yǐ wéi ， zhè yōu lán àn huā shì gēn zhèng cháng huā duǒ yī yàng ， tǔ rǎng shēng zhǎng 、 líng qì zī yǎng 。 dàn quán ruò chū zài jiāng qí zhòng zhí zhī hòu ， rèn píng rú hé jīng xīn zhào liào ， tā dōu shǐ zhōng yǎn yǎn yī xī 、 kuài yào diāo xiè de yàng zi 。 ài huā xīn qiè de quán ruò chū ， wèi le jiù huó zhè yōu lán àn huā ， jìng rán gàn le yī jiàn fěi yí suǒ sī zhī shì 。” sūn èr láng fǔ shǒu ， dī shēng wèi shèng huáng jiǎng shù zhe 。
“原本以为，这幽兰暗花是跟正常花朵一样，土壤生长、灵气滋养。但全若初在将其种植之后，任凭如何精心照料，它都始终奄奄一息、快要凋谢的样子。爱花心切的全若初，为了救活这幽兰暗花，竟然干了一件匪夷所思之事。”孙二郎俯首，低声为圣皇讲述着。
"I hadn't seen him for several days. When I went to look for him, that's what I found."
“ tā jìng rán jiāng yōu lán àn huā zhǒng zài le zì jǐ shēn shàng ！ yǐ zì jǐ ròu shēn wèi tǔ rǎng ， jīng xuè jiāo guàn ……”
“他竟然将幽兰暗花种在了自己身上！以自己肉身为土壤，精血交灌……”
Sun Erlang's voice was low: "I wanted to directly remove this demon flower but Quan Ruochu threatened his life, saying 'the flower lives, the person lives; the flower dies, the person dies.'"
“ bù guò shù tiān ， tā jiù cóng yī hái suàn jīng zhuàng de nán zi 、 biàn dé gǔ ròu rú chái ， qì ruò yóu sī ！ dàn tā yī jiù méi yǒu fàng qì ， réng rán dǎ suàn yòng zuì hòu de xīn xuè jiāo guàn 。”
“不过数天，他就从一还算精壮的男子、变得骨肉如柴，气若游丝！但他依旧没有放弃，仍然打算用最后的心血交灌。”
"Considering it’s a treasure bestowed by you, Master, I hesitated and didn't act. But seeing how weak Quan Ruochu was becoming, I couldn’t bear to watch him die."
“ wǒ jǐ tiān bú jiàn tā de zōng yǐng ， shàng mén qián qù xún zhǎo tā de shí hòu ， suǒ jiàn jiù shì zhè yàng yī fù chǎng jǐng 。”
“我几天不见他的踪影，上门前去寻找他的时候，所见就是这样一副场景。”
Li Ping had already pinpointed Quan Ruochu's location as Sun Erlang spoke and carefully examined his condition.
sūn èr láng shēng yīn dī chén ：“ wǒ běn yù zhí jiē jiāng zhè yāo huā chǎn chú ， bù guò quán ruò chū què yǐ zì shēn xìng mìng xiàng bī ， shuō shén me huā zài rén zài 、 huā wáng rén wáng ……”
孙二郎声音低沉：“我本欲直接将这妖花铲除，不过全若初却以自身性命相逼，说什么花在人在、花亡人亡……”
After Sun Erlang finished speaking, Li Ping shook his head with a stern voice.
“ ér qiě kǎo lǜ dào zhè shǐ zhōng shì shī zūn suǒ cì bǎo wù ， suǒ yǐ wǒ yóu yù jiān 、 jiù méi yǒu dòng shǒu 。 dàn kàn zhe quán ruò chū shēn tǐ yuè lái yuè xū ruò ， lí sǐ yě bù yuǎn le ， dì zǐ zhōng jiū wú fǎ zuò dào lěng yǎn páng guān 。”
“而且考虑到这始终是师尊所赐宝物，所以我犹豫间、就没有动手。但看着全若初身体越来越虚弱，离死也不远了，弟子终究无法做到冷眼旁观。”
"Erhusband, you disappoint me."
lǐ píng zài sūn èr láng shuō huà de shùn jiān ， biàn yǐ jīng suǒ dìng le quán ruò chū suǒ zài de fāng wèi ， zǐ xì chá kàn qǐ tā tǐ nèi de zhuàng kuàng lái 。
李平在孙二郎说话的瞬间，便已经锁定了全若初所在的方位，仔细查看起他体内的状况来。
Sun Erhusband's body trembled slightly, his head buried even lower.
bì jìng zhǐ shì lán sè guāng tuán ， bìng méi yǒu shén me tè bié xuán miào zhī chù ， yī kàn zhī xià jiù yǐ jīng liǎo rán 。
毕竟只是蓝色光团，并没有什么特别玄妙之处，一看之下就已经了然。
"As a commander, one should lead the entire army without being swayed by personal or small group emotions."
děng dài sūn èr láng jiǎng shù wán bì hòu ， lǐ píng yáo le yáo tóu 、 yǔ qì sēn rán 。
等待孙二郎讲述完毕后，李平摇了摇头、语气森然。
"This is your first time seeking an audience since joining my sect. Is this all for such a trivial matter?"
“ èr láng ， nǐ tài ràng wǒ shī wàng le 。”
“二郎，你太让我失望了。”
After a long silence, Sun Erhusband said hesitantly: "Master's wisdom. If I had died instantly, perhaps I wouldn't have cared. But watching someone familiar slowly wither and die before my eyes... I couldn’t remain calm."
sūn èr láng shēn qū wēi wēi yī chàn ， tóu lú mái dì gèng dī le 。
孙二郎身躯微微一颤，头颅埋地更低了。
"I hope you will punish me."
“ wèi shuài zhě ， yīng tǒng lǐng quán jūn ， bù wèi gè rén 、 shèn zhì jǐ shí shàng bǎi de yī xiǎo bù fèn ， ér dòng yáo zì jǐ de qíng gǎn 。”
“为帅者，应统领全军，不为个人、甚至几十上百的一小部分，而动摇自己的情感。”
Li Ping’s voice echoed like thunder in the Holy Emperor's throne.
“ nǐ zì bài rù wǒ mén xià hòu ， zhè shì dì yī cì zhǔ dòng qiú jiàn wǒ ba ？ jū rán jiù zhǐ shì wèi le cǐ shì ？”
“你自拜入我门下后，这是第一次主动求见我吧？居然就只是为了此事？”
"Disappointing not just because of your indecisiveness but also for your lack of discernment. Demon flower..."
sūn èr láng zài chén mò liáng jiǔ zhī hòu ， sè shēng dào ：“ shī zūn míng jiàn 。 ruò shì chà nà sǐ qù ， wǒ huò xǔ huì wú dòng yú zhōng 。 dàn yǎn zhēng zhēng kàn zhe shú xī zhī rén ， shēng mìng màn màn bèi xī qǔ 、 diāo xiè 。 dì zǐ xīn zhōng dí què wú fǎ bǎo chí píng jìng 。”
孙二郎在沉默良久之后，涩声道：“师尊明见。若是刹那死去，我或许会无动于衷。但眼睁睁看着熟悉之人，生命慢慢被吸取、凋谢。弟子心中的确无法保持平静。”
"Go back and check again!"
“ hái wàng shī zūn chǔ fá 。”
“还望师尊处罚。”
With a wave of his hand, Li Ping drove Sun Erhusband away.
lǐ píng de shēng yīn ， hōng míng bù duàn 、 wǎn rú tiān shàng shén léi ， huí dàng zài shèng huáng zuò zhōng 。
李平的声音，轰鸣不断、宛如天上神雷，回荡在圣皇座中。
Sun Erhusband first felt a tightening in his heart before realizing something and rushed to Quan Ruochu's residence with joy.
“ wǒ zhī suǒ yǐ duì nǐ shī wàng ， bù jǐn jǐn shì yīn wèi yōu róu guǎ duàn ， gèng yīn wèi nǐ shì fēi bù fēn 。 yāo huā ……”
“我之所以对你失望，不仅仅是因为优柔寡断，更因为你是非不分。妖花……”
Guided by the Holy Emperor's guidance, Sun Erhusband carefully observed once more and finally uncovered the mystery of the Darkorchid.
“ nǐ zài huí qù zǐ xì kàn kàn ba ！”
“你再回去仔细看看吧！”
Although it appeared that the Darkorchid was continuously consuming Quan Ruochu’s essence, a miraculous force also emerged, maintaining his lifeforce.
lǐ píng dà shǒu yī huī ， jiāng sūn èr láng qū zhú chū qù 。
李平大手一挥，将孙二郎驱逐出去。
During this life-and-death struggle, the Darkorchid grew rapidly while Quan Ruochu underwent a complete transformation.
sūn èr láng xiān shì xīn tóu yī jǐn 、 ér hòu fǎng fú míng bái le shén me ， dà xǐ zhī xià lián máng gǎn wǎng quán ruò chū de zhù chù 。
孙二郎先是心头一紧、而后仿佛明白了什么，大喜之下连忙赶往全若初的住处。
"His only chance for survival is tied to this Darkorchid. If I had rashly cut it off, both flower and person would have died! I nearly made a grave mistake!" Sun Erhusband felt a chill down his spine.
jīng yóu shī zūn de tí diǎn ， sūn èr láng zài dù zǐ xì guān chá zhī hòu ， zhōng yú fā xiàn le yōu lán àn huā de ào mì 。
经由师尊的提点，孙二郎再度仔细观察之后，终于发现了幽兰暗花的奥秘。
He sealed the entrance, ensuring no one disturbed them, and brought over a miniature "Heavenly Furnace" to maintain the spiritual energy concentration around them. Only then did he feel relieved.
suī rán biǎo miàn kàn shàng qù ， zhè yōu lán àn huā zài bù duàn tūn shì quán ruò chū de jīng xuè 。 dàn yòu tóng shí ， fēn huà chū yī lǚ shén qí de lì liàng ， wéi chí zhe quán ruò chū de shēng mìng zhī huǒ bù miè 。
虽然表面看上去，这幽兰暗花在不断吞噬全若初的精血。但又同时，分化出一缕神奇的力量，维持着全若初的生命之火不灭。
"Thankfully, Master's guidance," he said with some relief.
jiù zài zhè jiāng sǐ wèi sǐ zhī jiān ， yōu lán àn huā zhuó zhǎng chéng zhǎng 。
就在这将死未死之间，幽兰暗花茁长成长。
However, Sun Erhusband didn't know that the Darkorchid indeed protected Quan Ruochu’s last lifeline out of instinct rather than gratitude for his cultivation. With only Qi Condensation Realm abilities, Quan Ruochu couldn’t withstand such reckless absorption and was destined to die eventually without external help.
tóng shí quán ruò chū yě màn màn fā shēng zhe chè dǐ tuì biàn 。
同时全若初也慢慢发生着彻底蜕变。
The reason he seemed to be improving in appearance was solely due to the Holy Emperor Li Ping's assistance.
“ tā de yī xiàn shēng jī ， quán dōu xì yú zhè yōu lán àn huā 。 ruò shì wǒ dāng shí lǔ mǎng jiāng qí zhǎn duàn ， jiù shì yí gè huā sǐ rén wáng de jié jú 。 xiǎn xiē fàn xià dà cuò ！” sūn èr láng bù jīn gǎn dào yī zhèn hòu pà 。
“他的一线生机，全都系于这幽兰暗花。若是我当时鲁莽将其斩断，就是一个花死人亡的结局。险些犯下大错！”孙二郎不禁感到一阵后怕。
"Right or wrong."
jiāng rù kǒu fēng bì ， bù yǔn xǔ rèn hé wài rén dǎ rǎo 。 tóng shí jiāng yī zuò wēi xíng 【 tiān dì hōng lú 】 bān lái fù jìn ， bǎo zhèng zhōu wéi de líng qì nóng dù 。
将入口封闭，不允许任何外人打扰。同时将一座微型【天地烘炉】搬来附近，保证周围的灵气浓度。
"Until the final outcome is reached, no one can judge correctly."
zuò wán zhè yī qiè hòu ， sūn èr láng fāng cái sōng le kǒu qì 。
做完这一切后，孙二郎方才松了口气。
"One must walk every step of the way to justify oneself."
“ duō kuī le shī zūn zhǐ diǎn 。” tā yǒu xiē qìng xìng dào 。
“多亏了师尊指点。”他有些庆幸道。
"The process... isn't important."
bù guò sūn èr láng bìng bù zhī dào de shì ， yōu lán àn huā dí què hù zhù le quán ruò chū yī lǚ xīn mài bù cuò 。
不过孙二郎并不知道的是，幽兰暗花的确护助了全若初一缕心脉不错。
Holy Emperor Li Ping sat on his throne, his thoughts slightly agitated.
dàn bìng bú shì gǎn jī tā de zāi zhòng zhī ēn ， bù guò shì zài méi yǒu zhǎo dào xīn de sù zhǔ zhī qián de qiú shēng běn néng bà le 。
但并不是感激他的栽种之恩，不过是再没有找到新的宿主之前的求生本能罢了。
...
ér zhǐ yǒu liàn qì qī xiū wèi de quán ruò chū ， gēn běn jīn bù qǐ yōu lán àn huā rú cǐ sì wú jì dàn de xī qǔ ， chè dǐ sǐ wáng shì chí zǎo de shì qíng 。
而只有炼气期修为的全若初，根本禁不起幽兰暗花如此肆无忌惮的吸取，彻底死亡是迟早的事情。
In an endless white mist, within a maze.
rú guǒ méi yǒu wài lì xiāng zhù de huà 。
如果没有外力相助的话。
"This... how many frozen corpses are here?"
ér tā zhī suǒ yǐ kàn shàng qù qì sè yuè lái yuè hǎo le ， chún cuì shì yīn wèi shèng huáng lǐ píng bāng le yī bǎ 。
而他之所以看上去气色越来越好了，纯粹是因为圣皇李平帮了一把。
Commodity Young Lord, brought into the Reversal Life and Death Great Array by Holy Embryo Li Ping, exclaimed in shock at the horrifying scene before him.
“ shì zhèng shì xié ， shì duì shì cuò 。”
“是正是邪，是对是错。”
—
It turned out I actually reached the goal for today's update? Boss, you're so clueless!
“ zài méi yǒu dá dào zuì zhōng jié jú zhī qián ， shéi dōu wú fǎ zhèng què píng jià 。”
“在没有达到最终结局之前，谁都无法正确评价。”
Tomorrow, I'll have to cry over this money.
"However, I see that the source power you gave me seems to be... more advanced?"
"More refined?"
Flower Hundred Daoist carefully chose his words before slowly asking.
Li Ping naturally wouldn't tell Flower Hundred Daoist that the reason this source power was far superior to normal cultivation was because he wanted to harness the faith of all beings and refine it into a purer form. However, all current attempts had failed.
After all, even the existence abandoned by true immortals transcended mundane forces; it wasn't easy to control.
"It's just your illusion. How are you recovering? It’s almost done, so let's get going," Li Ping said indifferently.
Flower Hundred Daoist awkwardly smiled and had no other choice but to sigh before bidding farewell and leaving.
"Once the main base is absolutely secure, we can consider invading other small worlds."
"We know the exact locations of each small world. We could even directly infiltrate them, transfer their entrances to the nearby voids near Great启 (This term is often used as a name or to mean 'to open'/'initiate', but without context, it's hard to determine its exact meaning here)."
"Spirit Wood, Empire..."
"And the Dark Realm."
As Holy Emperor Li Ping returned to his throne and sat there pondering the future direction of the Holy Dynasty.
Disciple Sun Erlang sought an audience.
"Uh, Master. A thing I caught from the fishing pond..." Sun Erlang looked somewhat uneasy.
"Just speak your mind,"
Sun Erlang then recounted the details of what happened.
Since the end of the previous fishing competition, most of those who won prizes were absorbed by various institutions within the Holy Dynasty. Among them was a middle-aged man named Quan Ruochu, whom Sun Erlang took under his wing.
What he caught from the fishing pond was a white light cluster. Li Ping personally checked it and found that it was just an ordinary object called "Darkorchid". So he didn't pay much attention to it at the time.
But according to Sun Erlang, after Quan Ruochu carefully cultivated this seemingly low-grade Darkorchid for some time, it began to exhibit abilities completely beyond reason.
"Quan Ruochu is in his middle years but has achieved nothing. His parents are dead, and he has no wife or children. His only love was fishing and raising flowers; he had a calm nature with no ambitions. So when he caught the white light cluster, he wasn't particularly upset. In fact, compared to other treasures, he loved this Darkorchid more."
"I originally thought that like normal flowers, it would grow in soil and be nourished by spiritual energy. But after Quan Ruochu planted it, no matter how carefully he tended to it, the flower remained weak and on the verge of withering. The passionate Quan Ruochu, desperate to save this Darkorchid, did something truly bizarre," Sun Erlang bowed his head and whispered to the Holy Emperor.
"He actually planted the Darkorchid on himself! Using his own flesh as soil and infusing it with his essence..."
"Just a few days later, he transformed from a fairly robust man into a gaunt figure barely clinging to life. But he didn't give up; he still intended to pour his last bit of strength into it."
"I hadn't seen him for several days. When I went to look for him, that's what I found."
Sun Erlang's voice was low: "I wanted to directly remove this demon flower but Quan Ruochu threatened his life, saying 'the flower lives, the person lives; the flower dies, the person dies.'"
"Considering it’s a treasure bestowed by you, Master, I hesitated and didn't act. But seeing how weak Quan Ruochu was becoming, I couldn’t bear to watch him die."
Li Ping had already pinpointed Quan Ruochu's location as Sun Erlang spoke and carefully examined his condition.
After Sun Erlang finished speaking, Li Ping shook his head with a stern voice.
"Erhusband, you disappoint me."
Sun Erhusband's body trembled slightly, his head buried even lower.
"As a commander, one should lead the entire army without being swayed by personal or small group emotions."
"This is your first time seeking an audience since joining my sect. Is this all for such a trivial matter?"
After a long silence, Sun Erhusband said hesitantly: "Master's wisdom. If I had died instantly, perhaps I wouldn't have cared. But watching someone familiar slowly wither and die before my eyes... I couldn’t remain calm."
"I hope you will punish me."
Li Ping’s voice echoed like thunder in the Holy Emperor's throne.
"Disappointing not just because of your indecisiveness but also for your lack of discernment. Demon flower..."
"Go back and check again!"
With a wave of his hand, Li Ping drove Sun Erhusband away.
Sun Erhusband first felt a tightening in his heart before realizing something and rushed to Quan Ruochu's residence with joy.
Guided by the Holy Emperor's guidance, Sun Erhusband carefully observed once more and finally uncovered the mystery of the Darkorchid.
Although it appeared that the Darkorchid was continuously consuming Quan Ruochu’s essence, a miraculous force also emerged, maintaining his lifeforce.
During this life-and-death struggle, the Darkorchid grew rapidly while Quan Ruochu underwent a complete transformation.
"His only chance for survival is tied to this Darkorchid. If I had rashly cut it off, both flower and person would have died! I nearly made a grave mistake!" Sun Erhusband felt a chill down his spine.
He sealed the entrance, ensuring no one disturbed them, and brought over a miniature "Heavenly Furnace" to maintain the spiritual energy concentration around them. Only then did he feel relieved.
"Thankfully, Master's guidance," he said with some relief.
However, Sun Erhusband didn't know that the Darkorchid indeed protected Quan Ruochu’s last lifeline out of instinct rather than gratitude for his cultivation. With only Qi Condensation Realm abilities, Quan Ruochu couldn’t withstand such reckless absorption and was destined to die eventually without external help.
The reason he seemed to be improving in appearance was solely due to the Holy Emperor Li Ping's assistance.
"Right or wrong."
"Until the final outcome is reached, no one can judge correctly."
"One must walk every step of the way to justify oneself."
"The process... isn't important."
Holy Emperor Li Ping sat on his throne, his thoughts slightly agitated.
...
In an endless white mist, within a maze.
"This... how many frozen corpses are here?"
Commodity Young Lord, brought into the Reversal Life and Death Great Array by Holy Embryo Li Ping, exclaimed in shock at the horrifying scene before him.
—
It turned out I actually reached the goal for today's update? Boss, you're so clueless!
Tomorrow, I'll have to cry over this money.