“ shì 【 jī 】 zì ……”
“是【饥】字……”
"It's the character '饥'..."
cóng bù yuǎn chù de xiān zhōu hé dào xiū shì shēn shàng chuán lái de yǐn huì bō dòng ， lǐ fán fēn shén xùn sù zuò le pàn duàn 。
从不远处的仙舟合道修士身上传来的隐晦波动，李凡分神迅速做了判断。
The subtle波动emanating from the Daoist Immortal on the nearby immortal vessel quickly caught Li Fan's attention.
bìng méi yǒu jìn jù lí jiē jìn ， ér shì dài zài mù wū nèi guān chá 。
并没有近距离接近，而是待在木屋内观察。
Without getting too close, he stayed in the wooden house to observe.
“ yán zhǎng lǎo ……” píng rì lǐ yì zhí bǎn zhe gè liǎn de gōu zhǎng lǎo ， cǐ kè què shì diǎn tóu hā yāo 、 chǎn mèi wú bǐ 。
“阎长老……”平日里一直板着个脸的勾长老，此刻却是点头哈腰、谄媚无比。
"Yan Senior..." The usually stern Gou Senior bowed low and fawned excessively.
shān gǔ zhòng rén fù fěi bù yǐ ， dàn yě bù gǎn biǎo xiàn chū lái ， shèn zhì dī tóu bù gǎn zhí shì yǎn qián zhè wèi hé dào xiū shì 。
山谷众人腹诽不已，但也不敢表现出来，甚至低头不敢直视眼前这位合道修士。
The people in the valley whispered among themselves but dared not show it, even lowering their heads so as not to look at this Daoist Immortal up close. After all, in a commoner's eyes, Daoist Immortals were almost as legendary as deities.
bì jìng zài fán rén yǎn lǐ ， hé dào xiū shì yě jī hū gēn chuán shuō zhōng de xiān rén méi shén me liǎng yàng le 。
毕竟在凡人眼里，合道修士也几乎跟传说中的仙人没什么两样了。
"Yan Senior, I heard that several people died recently in the Punishment Valley?" Yan Senior asked in a deep voice.
“ gōu làng ， wǒ tīng shuō qián duàn shí jiān ， zhèn zuì gǔ jiē lián sǐ le wǔ rén ？” yán zhǎng lǎo chén shēng wèn dào 。
“勾莨，我听说前段时间，镇罪谷接连死了五人？”阎长老沉声问道。
Gou Ylang shivered and replied, "Indeed. It was just bad luck for those criminals who ventured out only a few times before their conditions worsened and they passed away. The Punishment Valley itself didn't experience any major issues..."
gōu làng shēn qū yī chàn ， lián shēng yīng dào ：“ què yǒu cǐ shì 。 bù guò shì nà jǐ gè zuì rén zì jǐ yùn qì bù hǎo ， zhǐ chū qù zuò yè le liǎng sān cì ， jiù bìng qíng è huà 、 yí mìng wū hū le 。 zhè zhèn zuì gǔ běn shēn què shì méi chū shén me luàn zi ……”
勾莨身躯一颤，连声应道：“却有此事。不过是那几个罪人自己运气不好，只出去作业了两三次，就病情恶化、一命呜呼了。这镇罪谷本身却是没出什么乱子……”
"Hmph! There's no such thing as good fortune..." A cold glint flashed in Yan Senior's eyes without further explanation.
“ hēng ！ nǎ yǒu shén me yùn qì ……” yán zhǎng lǎo yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī hán guāng ， méi yǒu guò duō jiě shì 。
“哼！哪有什么运气……”阎长老眼中闪过一丝寒光，没有过多解释。
His immense divine consciousness instantly enveloped the entire Punishment Valley.
páng dà de shén shí chà nà lǒng zhào zhěng gè zhèn zuì gǔ 。
庞大的神识刹那笼罩整个镇罪谷。
"Sure enough, this place has been contaminated."
“ guǒ rán ， cǐ chù yǐ jīng bèi wū rǎn le 。”
“果然，此处已经被污染了。”
Yan Senior's expression turned grim. He pointed at Li Fan's direction with a flicker of light from his finger.
yán zhǎng lǎo miàn sè shùn jiān yīn chén xià lái ， zhǐ jiān fú xiàn chū yì diǎn xīng guāng ， ér hòu cháo zhe lǐ fán fēn shén suǒ zài 、 zhèn zuì gǔ de jū zhù qū yáo yáo yī zhǐ 。
阎长老面色瞬间阴沉下来，指尖浮现出一点星光，而后朝着李凡分神所在、镇罪谷的居住区遥遥一指。
Infinite light and heat destroyed everything within range.
wú jìn de guāng hé rè jiāng fàn wéi nèi de yī qiè dōu cuī huǐ 。
无尽的光和热将范围内的一切都摧毁。
...
……
……
Outside the immortal vessel,
xiān zhōu zhī wài 。
仙舟之外。
the Saint Embryo Li Fan, who was meditating in seclusion, slowly lifted his head.
zhèng yǐn cáng zhe 、 bì guān lǐng wù de shèng tāi lǐ fán wēi wēi tái qǐ le tóu 。
正隐藏着、闭关领悟的圣胎李凡微微抬起了头。
"Truly remarkable for a civilization that has survived so long in the Darkest Star Sea. They are so cautious."
“ bù kuì shì néng gòu zài zhì àn xīng hǎi zhōng cún huó zhè me jiǔ de wén míng ， jū rán rú cǐ jǐn shèn 。”
“不愧是能够在至暗星海中存活这么久的文明，居然如此谨慎。”
"It seems we need to address the issue of being a major source of contamination if we want to infiltrate. Otherwise, even if we manage to hide well, causing mass deaths around us will inevitably lead to our exposure."
“ kàn lái xiǎng yào qián rù jìn qù ， yào jiě jué zì shēn shì gè dà chuán rǎn yuán wèn tí 。 fǒu zé jiù suàn yǐn cáng de zài hǎo ， yǐn qǐ zhōu wéi rén dà pī liàng sǐ qù ， yě huì shùn dài zhe bào lù 。”
“看来想要潜入进去，要解决自身是个大传染源问题。否则就算隐藏的再好，引起周围人大批量死去，也会顺带着暴露。”
"My soul has been in the Darkest Star Sea for too long. It's hard to change now. I still need to detach a fragment and conceal it. With previous experience, this can be done..."
“ wǒ zhè shén hún ， zài zhì àn xīng hǎi zhōng yǐ jīng dài le tài jiǔ 。 jī zhòng nán fǎn ， hái shì yào zhǎn chū yī lǚ fēn shén qián fú 。 yǒu le zhī qián de jīng yàn ， biàn kě rú cǐ zhè bān ……”
“我这神魂，在至暗星海中已经待了太久。积重难返，还是要斩出一缕分神潜伏。有了之前的经验，便可如此这般……”
For two months, there were no immortals leaving the vessel to gather relics.
jiē xià lái zú zú liǎng gè yuè de shí jiān ， dōu méi yǒu xiān zhōu rén wài chū sōu jí jiè miè yí wù 。
接下来足足两个月的时间，都没有仙舟人外出搜集界灭遗物。
But they clearly couldn't abandon these almost endless resources.
dàn duì yú wài jiè zhè jī hū wú qióng wú jìn de yí wù ， tā men hěn xiǎn rán shì bù kě néng fàng qì de 。
但对于外界这几乎无穷无尽的遗物，他们很显然是不可能放弃的。
Thus, Li Fan finally waited for another collection team.
yú shì lǐ fán zhōng yú zài dù děng lái le xīn de sōu jí xiǎo duì 。
于是李凡终于再度等来了新的搜集小队。
Following his earlier experience, he detached his soul fragment from among the relics and entered the immortal vessel with them.
àn zhào xiān qián de jīng yàn ， lǐ fán fēn shén hùn zài yí wù zhōng ， gēn zhe jìn rù xiān zhōu 。
按照先前的经验，李凡分神混在遗物中，跟着进入仙舟。
This time, however, the immortal vessel was much more cautious in handling the relics. While staying near them, the immortal vessel's cultivators always wore armor. After moving the relics to a sealed space, a faint rune shadow appeared above it when they left.
zhǐ shì zhè yī cì ， xiān zhōu duì yú yí wù de chǔ lǐ míng xiǎn yào jǐn shèn xǔ duō 。 gēn yí wù dài zài yì qǐ de shí hòu ， xiān zhōu xiū shì shǐ zhōng bǎo chí zhe shēn chuān zhuāng jiǎ 。 jiāng yí wù bān yùn dào yī chù mì fēng de kōng jiān ， tā men lí kāi zhī hòu ， kōng jiān shàng fāng jiù yǒu yī dào mó hú de fú lù xū yǐng chū xiàn 。
只是这一次，仙舟对于遗物的处理明显要谨慎许多。跟遗物待在一起的时候，仙舟修士始终保持着身穿装甲。将遗物搬运到一处密封的空间，他们离开之后，空间上方就有一道模糊的符箓虚影出现。
"What is this..."
“ zhè shì ……”
“这是……”
The runes emitted a soft glow that illuminated several dozen relics below.
fú lù fàng chū dàn dàn guāng huá ， zhào yìng zhe xià fāng de shí duō jiàn yí wù 。
符箓放出淡淡光华，照应着下方的十多件遗物。
Though Li Fan's soul fragment was also bathed in the light, it wasn't affected at all.
lǐ fán fēn shén suī rán yě tóng yàng mù yù zài guāng máng zhī zhōng ， què méi yǒu shòu dào rèn hé de yǐng xiǎng 。
李凡分神虽然也同样沐浴在光芒之中，却没有受到任何的影响。
Watching the true immortal inscriptions dissipate from around the relics through the dreamlike light, he felt those mysterious forces being absorbed by the rune shadow above.
zhǐ shì kàn zhe zhōu wéi yí wù shàng ， jí jiāng xiāo sàn de shǔ yú zhēn xiān zhuàn zì de lì liàng ， tōng guò zhè rú mèng shì huàn de guāng máng 、 bèi xī qǔ dào shàng fāng de nà fú lù xū yǐng lǐ 。
只是看着周围遗物上，即将消散的属于真仙篆字的力量，通过这如梦似幻的光芒、被吸取到上方的那符箓虚影里。
In no time, the power attached to these dozen relics vanished completely. They turned into worthless trash of the star sea.
shèn zhì lǐ fán fēn shén dōu gǎn jué dào ， yíng rào zài zì jǐ zhōu wéi de nà xiē zhǒng zhǒng shén mì lì liàng ， dōu bèi fú lù xī zǒu le 。
甚至李凡分神都感觉到，萦绕在自己周围的那些种种神秘力量，都被符箓吸走了。
The runes' faint glow disappeared as they left this space.
méi yòng duō zhǎng shí jiān ， zhè lǐ de shí duō jiàn yí wù shàng fù zhuó de lì liàng jiù chè dǐ xiāo shī 。 zhēn biàn chéng le xīng hǎi zhōng de háo wú jià zhí de lā jī 。
没用多长时间，这里的十多件遗物上附着的力量就彻底消失。真变成了星海中的毫无价值的垃圾。
"The utilization of true immortal inscriptions is higher than I expected."
fú lù wēi guāng yī shǎn ， cóng cǐ chù kōng jiān lí kāi 。
符箓微光一闪，从此处空间离开。
This space was sealed off, and Li Fan's soul fragment couldn't escape. But he wasn't in a hurry.
“ duì yú zhēn xiān zhuàn zì de lì liàng ， xiān zhōu de lì yòng chéng dù ， bǐ wǒ xiǎng xiàng zhōng de hái yào gāo yì diǎn 。”
“对于真仙篆字的力量，仙舟的利用程度，比我想象中的还要高一点。”
Someone would definitely come to deal with these "rubbish" eventually.
cǐ chù kōng jiān bèi chè dǐ fēng bì ， lǐ fán fēn shén yě táo bù chū 。 bù guò tā yě bìng bù zháo jí 。
此处空间被彻底封闭，李凡分神也逃不出。不过他也并不着急。
As predicted by Li Fan, two Qi Cultivators led by a Foundation Establishment cultivator entered after two days.
zhè duì shèng xià de “ lā jī ”， kěn dìng huì yǒu rén lái chǔ lǐ de 。
这对剩下的“垃圾”，肯定会有人来处理的。
"Move all of this onto the ship."
guǒ bù chū lǐ fán suǒ liào ， liǎng tiān hòu ， liǎng míng liàn qì qī de xiū shì zài yī míng zhù jī xiū shì de dài lǐng xià zǒu le jìn lái 。
果不出李凡所料，两天后，两名炼气期的修士在一名筑基修士的带领下走了进来。
"Be careful. Although the world-annihilating power is gone from these relics, they are genuine antiques. Their material quality must be excellent to survive in the star sea for so long. Send them to the [Forge Star Workshop], maybe we can salvage something," the Foundation Establishment cultivator instructed.
“ bǎ zhè xiē dōng xī dōu bān dào chuán shàng 。”
“把这些东西都搬到船上。”
The two Qi Cultivators were only about fifteen or sixteen years old, looking inexperienced.
“ dōu xiǎo xīn diǎn ， suī rán zhè xiē dōng xī de jiè miè zhī lì yǐ jīng bù zài ， dàn tā men què yě shì huò zhēn jià shí de lǎo gǔ dǒng le 。 néng zài xīng hǎi zhōng liú cún zhè me jiǔ ， shuō míng tā men cái zhì běn shēn jiù shí fēn bù sú 。 tǒng tǒng sòng dào 【 duàn xīng fāng 】 qù ， shuō bù dìng néng fèi wù lì yòng 。” nà míng zhù jī qī xiū shì fēn fù dào 。
“都小心点，虽然这些东西的界灭之力已经不在，但它们却也是货真价实的老古董了。能在星海中留存这么久，说明它们材质本身就十分不俗。统统送到【锻星坊】去，说不定能废物利用。”那名筑基期修士吩咐道。
Li Fan's soul fragment considered and attached itself to one of them.
liǎng wèi liàn qì xiū shì ， dōu zhǐ yǒu shí wǔ liù suì dà xiǎo 。 kàn shàng qù jiù shì shè shì bù shēn de yàng zi 。
两位炼气修士，都只有十五六岁大小。看上去就是涉世不深的样子。
Following the three, they left the sealed space and boarded a small flying boat to reach the so-called [Forge Star Workshop].
lǐ fán fēn shén sī cǔn piàn kè ， fù zhuó dào qí zhōng yī wèi shēn shàng 。
李凡分神思忖片刻，附着到其中一位身上。
It was an unknown white metal-made circular building.
gēn zhe sān rén ， lí kāi le mì bì kōng jiān ， chéng zuò le yī sōu xiǎo xíng fēi zhōu 、 lái dào le suǒ wèi de 【 duàn xīng fāng 】。
跟着三人，离开了密闭空间，乘坐了一艘小型飞舟、来到了所谓的【锻星坊】。
In the center of the circle was a blazing fireball. The terrifying heat waves emanating from its surface spoke of the immense energy within.
nà shì yóu wèi zhī de bái sè jīn shǔ dǎ zào de fēng bì huán xíng jiàn zhù 。
那是由未知的白色金属打造的封闭环形建筑。
Sometimes, thin flames were drawn into one of the tiny holes in the circular structure.
yuán huán zhōng yāng ， shì yī kē chì rè de huǒ qiú 。
圆环中央，是一颗炽热的火球。
The receptionist at the Forge Star Workshop wasn't a regular human form. Instead, it was a strange creature with a red body, two horns on its head, and a long tail trailing behind.
huǒ qiú biǎo miàn bù duàn fān téng de kǒng bù rè làng ， zài sù shuō zhe qí nèi bù yùn hán zhe de jù dà néng liàng 。
火球表面不断翻腾的恐怖热浪，在诉说着其内部蕴含着的巨大能量。
The three seemed very afraid of this entity. After they placed their items down, they eagerly left in their flying boat.
yǐn yuē kě yǐ kàn dào ， bù shí yǒu sī sī huǒ miáo ， bèi xī rù jìn yuán huán jiàn zhù zhōng yí gè xiǎo kǒng zhī zhōng 。
隐约可以看到，不时有丝丝火苗，被吸入进圆环建筑中一个小孔之中。
After much effort, they finally returned to their residence.
duàn xīng fāng zhōng fù zé jiē dài de ， bú shì xún cháng rén lèi mú yàng 。
锻星坊中负责接待的，不是寻常人类模样。
---
ér shì hún shēn chì hóng 、 tóu zhǎng liǎng jiǎo ， shēn hòu hái tuō zhe yī tiáo cháng cháng wěi ba de bàn rén 、 bàn shòu de qí guài cún zài 。
而是浑身赤红、头长两角，身后还拖着一条长长尾巴的半人、半兽的奇怪存在。
At the [Way Attainment Academy], which was a floating continent in the void,
sān rén duì qí sì hū shí fēn jù pà ， jiāng dōng xī fàng xià hòu ， jiù pò bù jí dài de jià shǐ fēi zhōu lí kāi le 。
三人对其似乎十分惧怕，将东西放下后，就迫不及待的驾驶飞舟离开了。
the academy towered high into the clouds.
jīng guò yī fān zhē teng ， tā men cái zhōng yú huí dào zì jǐ de zhù suǒ 。
经过一番折腾，他们才终于回到自己的住所。
They went to find their master and report back.
míng wèi 【 zhèng dào xué gōng 】 suǒ zài 。
名为【证道学宫】所在。
Their master, Zhao Wují, an old Foundation Establishment cultivator with white hair, asked, "Did you complete everything?"
yě shì piāo fú zài xū kōng zhōng de dān dú yī zuò dà lù 。
也是漂浮在虚空中的单独一座大陆。
The three lowered their heads as they responded, "Yes, Master. Everything is in order."
xué gōng gāo sǒng ， zhí chā yún xiāo 。
学宫高耸，直插云霄。
"Why did I send you on this special mission?" Zhao Wují continued.
tā men lái dào xué gōng xià céng ， qù zhǎo zì jǐ de shī zūn fù mìng 。
他们来到学宫下层，去找自己的师尊复命。
The three were stunned and didn't know how to answer.
sān rén de shī zūn shì yī wèi míng jiào zhào wú jí de yuán yīng xiū shì ， yǐ jīng bái fà cāng cāng 。
三人的师尊是一位名叫赵无极的元婴修士，已经白发苍苍。
"Recently, the Punishment Valley was razed to the ground. The survivors have been taken away for quarantine. It's said that the incident started from improper relic collection by the Punishment Valley," Zhao Wují explained.
jiàn dào sān rén fǎn huí ， tā shōu qǐ shǒu zhōng zhèng zài yuè dú de shū běn fǎ qì ， mǎn mù cí xiáng de wèn dào ：“ shì qíng dōu bàn hǎo le ma ？”
见到三人返回，他收起手中正在阅读的书本法器，满目慈祥的问道：“事情都办好了嘛？”
"Hmm..."
sān rén dī tóu huí yìng ：“ huí shī zūn ， yī qiè yǐ chǔ lǐ tuǒ dàng 。”
三人低头回应：“回师尊，一切已处理妥当。”
"This procedure has been set by the Daoist Central Bureau and has remained unchanged for a thousand years. Even when there were occasional mistakes, they never caused major issues. This time, it's causing such a commotion," Zhao Wují suddenly stopped.
“ nǐ men kě zhī ， wèi hé wǒ yào ràng nǐ men zhuān mén pǎo zhè yī tàng ？” zhào wú jí yòu wèn dào 。
“你们可知，为何我要让你们专门跑这一趟？”赵无极又问道。
At this moment, one of the Foundation Establishment disciples realized: "Master means that this is an opportunity for the Break Dao Pavilion to make trouble?"
sān rén jù shì lèng zhù ， bù zhī gāi rú hé zuò dá 。
三人俱是愣住，不知该如何作答。
"Exactly." Zhao Wují showed signs of teaching potential. "This isn't just about the Punishment Valley. In the future, wherever the Daoist Central Bureau's influence extends within the immortal vessels, they will face challenges from the Break Dao Pavilion."
“ qián bù jiǔ ， zhèn zuì gǔ bèi yí wéi píng dì 。 gǔ nèi xìng cún zhě ， yě quán bèi dài zǒu 、 gé lí guān chá 。 jù shuō shì qíng de qǐ yīn shì zhèn zuì gǔ wài chū shōu jí yí wù de zuò yè bù guī fàn ， yǐn qǐ le 【 jiè miè zhī lì 】 de chuán bō 。”
“前不久，镇罪谷被夷为平地。谷内幸存者，也全被带走、隔离观察。据说事情的起因是镇罪谷外出收集遗物的作业不规范，引起了【界灭之力】的传播。”
"The Daoist Central Bureau has held power for too long, and those who envy their leadership have waited too long."
“ hē hē ……”
“呵呵……”
Zhao Wují sighed.
“ zhè tào liú chéng ， shì yóu xiān shū yuàn dìng xià de ， guò wǎng qiān nián yì zhí rú cǐ 。 jiù suàn ǒu ěr chū xiàn shén me pī lòu ， yě cóng lái méi yǐn qǐ guò dà de má fán 。 zhè cì què nào dé zhè bān dà dòng jìng 。” zhào wú jí huà dǒu rán zhǐ zhù 。
“这套流程，是由仙枢院定下的，过往千年一直如此。就算偶尔出现什么纰漏，也从来没引起过大的麻烦。这次却闹得这般大动静。”赵无极话陡然止住。
The three disciples of Zhao Wují had different expressions upon hearing this.
zhè shí ， sān rén zhōng de zhù jī xiū shì dùn shí huǎng rán ：“ shī zūn shì shuō ， zhè shì duàn xiān lóu zài jiè jī fā nàn ？”
这时，三人中的筑基修士顿时恍然：“师尊是说，这是断仙楼在借机发难？”
One Foundation Establishment disciple's eyes moved as if calculating something.
“ bù cuò 。” zhào wú jí lù chū rú zǐ kě jiào de shén qíng ，“ bù jǐn jǐn shì zhèn zuì gǔ 。 jiē xià lái ， xiān zhōu nèi fán shì xiān shū yuàn de shì lì fàn wéi ， dōu yào yíng lái duàn xiān lóu de chōng jī 。”
“不错。”赵无极露出孺子可教的神情，“不仅仅是镇罪谷。接下来，仙舟内凡是仙枢院的势力范围，都要迎来断仙楼的冲击。”
Two Qi Cultivators, one was deep in thought about his master's words. The other, who was also the soul fragment attached to Li Fan, showed no concern at all.
“ xiān shū yuàn yǐ jīng zhǎng quán tài jiǔ ， yǎn hóng xiān zhōu lǐng dǎo quán de rén ， yě yǐ jīng děng dài le tài jiǔ le 。”
“仙枢院已经掌权太久，眼红仙舟领导权的人，也已经等待了太久了。”
He seemed lost in thought, floating far away.
"It's the character '饥'..."
The subtle波动emanating from the Daoist Immortal on the nearby immortal vessel quickly caught Li Fan's attention.
Without getting too close, he stayed in the wooden house to observe.
"Yan Senior..." The usually stern Gou Senior bowed low and fawned excessively.
The people in the valley whispered among themselves but dared not show it, even lowering their heads so as not to look at this Daoist Immortal up close. After all, in a commoner's eyes, Daoist Immortals were almost as legendary as deities.
"Yan Senior, I heard that several people died recently in the Punishment Valley?" Yan Senior asked in a deep voice.
Gou Ylang shivered and replied, "Indeed. It was just bad luck for those criminals who ventured out only a few times before their conditions worsened and they passed away. The Punishment Valley itself didn't experience any major issues..."
"Hmph! There's no such thing as good fortune..." A cold glint flashed in Yan Senior's eyes without further explanation.
His immense divine consciousness instantly enveloped the entire Punishment Valley.
"Sure enough, this place has been contaminated."
Yan Senior's expression turned grim. He pointed at Li Fan's direction with a flicker of light from his finger.
Infinite light and heat destroyed everything within range.
...
Outside the immortal vessel,
the Saint Embryo Li Fan, who was meditating in seclusion, slowly lifted his head.
"Truly remarkable for a civilization that has survived so long in the Darkest Star Sea. They are so cautious."
"It seems we need to address the issue of being a major source of contamination if we want to infiltrate. Otherwise, even if we manage to hide well, causing mass deaths around us will inevitably lead to our exposure."
"My soul has been in the Darkest Star Sea for too long. It's hard to change now. I still need to detach a fragment and conceal it. With previous experience, this can be done..."
For two months, there were no immortals leaving the vessel to gather relics.
But they clearly couldn't abandon these almost endless resources.
Thus, Li Fan finally waited for another collection team.
Following his earlier experience, he detached his soul fragment from among the relics and entered the immortal vessel with them.
This time, however, the immortal vessel was much more cautious in handling the relics. While staying near them, the immortal vessel's cultivators always wore armor. After moving the relics to a sealed space, a faint rune shadow appeared above it when they left.
"What is this..."
The runes emitted a soft glow that illuminated several dozen relics below.
Though Li Fan's soul fragment was also bathed in the light, it wasn't affected at all.
Watching the true immortal inscriptions dissipate from around the relics through the dreamlike light, he felt those mysterious forces being absorbed by the rune shadow above.
In no time, the power attached to these dozen relics vanished completely. They turned into worthless trash of the star sea.
The runes' faint glow disappeared as they left this space.
"The utilization of true immortal inscriptions is higher than I expected."
This space was sealed off, and Li Fan's soul fragment couldn't escape. But he wasn't in a hurry.
Someone would definitely come to deal with these "rubbish" eventually.
As predicted by Li Fan, two Qi Cultivators led by a Foundation Establishment cultivator entered after two days.
"Move all of this onto the ship."
"Be careful. Although the world-annihilating power is gone from these relics, they are genuine antiques. Their material quality must be excellent to survive in the star sea for so long. Send them to the [Forge Star Workshop], maybe we can salvage something," the Foundation Establishment cultivator instructed.
The two Qi Cultivators were only about fifteen or sixteen years old, looking inexperienced.
Li Fan's soul fragment considered and attached itself to one of them.
Following the three, they left the sealed space and boarded a small flying boat to reach the so-called [Forge Star Workshop].
It was an unknown white metal-made circular building.
In the center of the circle was a blazing fireball. The terrifying heat waves emanating from its surface spoke of the immense energy within.
Sometimes, thin flames were drawn into one of the tiny holes in the circular structure.
The receptionist at the Forge Star Workshop wasn't a regular human form. Instead, it was a strange creature with a red body, two horns on its head, and a long tail trailing behind.
The three seemed very afraid of this entity. After they placed their items down, they eagerly left in their flying boat.
After much effort, they finally returned to their residence.
---
At the [Way Attainment Academy], which was a floating continent in the void,
the academy towered high into the clouds.
They went to find their master and report back.
Their master, Zhao Wují, an old Foundation Establishment cultivator with white hair, asked, "Did you complete everything?"
The three lowered their heads as they responded, "Yes, Master. Everything is in order."
"Why did I send you on this special mission?" Zhao Wují continued.
The three were stunned and didn't know how to answer.
"Recently, the Punishment Valley was razed to the ground. The survivors have been taken away for quarantine. It's said that the incident started from improper relic collection by the Punishment Valley," Zhao Wují explained.
"Hmm..."
"This procedure has been set by the Daoist Central Bureau and has remained unchanged for a thousand years. Even when there were occasional mistakes, they never caused major issues. This time, it's causing such a commotion," Zhao Wují suddenly stopped.
At this moment, one of the Foundation Establishment disciples realized: "Master means that this is an opportunity for the Break Dao Pavilion to make trouble?"
"Exactly." Zhao Wují showed signs of teaching potential. "This isn't just about the Punishment Valley. In the future, wherever the Daoist Central Bureau's influence extends within the immortal vessels, they will face challenges from the Break Dao Pavilion."
"The Daoist Central Bureau has held power for too long, and those who envy their leadership have waited too long."
Zhao Wují sighed.
The three disciples of Zhao Wují had different expressions upon hearing this.
One Foundation Establishment disciple's eyes moved as if calculating something.
Two Qi Cultivators, one was deep in thought about his master's words. The other, who was also the soul fragment attached to Li Fan, showed no concern at all.
He seemed lost in thought, floating far away.