“ wéi yī néng zuò de ， jiù shì duì zhè xiē shì jiè cán zhī jiě pōu fēn xī ， huò xǔ hái néng tuī lǐ huán yuán zhè zhì àn xīng hǎi shēng qián zhī zhuàng 。”
“唯一能做的，就是对这些世界残肢解剖分析，或许还能推理还原这至暗星海生前之状。”
The only thing that could be done was to dissect and analyze these fragmented worlds. Perhaps, through deduction, they might even reconstruct the state of this darkest star sea before its demise.
“ bù guò ， bì jìng shì bǐ xuán huáng pǔ tōng xiū xiān jiè yào gāo chū shù gè céng jí de cún zài 。 jiù suàn shì shī tǐ ， yě néng cóng zhōng huò yì liáng duō 。”
“不过，毕竟是比玄黄普通修仙界要高出数个层级的存在。就算是尸体，也能从中获益良多。”
However, it was still a being several tiers above the ordinary cultivation world of Xuanhuang. Even as a corpse, there would be significant benefits from such an entity.
shèng tāi lǐ fán shēn shàng de qì xī zhòu rán yī biàn 。
圣胎李凡身上的气息骤然一变。
Li Fan's圣胎 (sacred embryo) suddenly changed in aura.
wǎn ruò yán jiāng bó rán pēn fā ， yuán běn jiù yǐ jīng huà shén diān fēng de tā ， qì xī zài shùn jiān péng zhàng le shù bèi 。
宛若岩浆勃然喷发，原本就已经化神巅峰的他，气息在瞬间膨胀了数倍。
It was akin to lava erupting, and his already peak-stage spirit transformation aura instantly expanded by several times.
zhǐ kě xī shèng tāi yī jiù méi yǒu táo chū fēn shēn 、 běn zūn zhī jiān de lián xì xiàn zhì 。
只可惜圣胎依旧没有逃出分身、本尊之间的联系限制。
Unfortunately, the sacred embryo still could not escape the limitations between its clone and original self.
fǎng fú cún zài zhe yī dào wú xíng jiā suǒ ， hěn hěn jiāng nà bào zhǎng de qì xī gěi yòu yā le huí qù 。
仿佛存在着一道无形枷锁，狠狠将那暴涨的气息给又压了回去。
As if a无形 shackles were pressing back down on that surging aura.
shèng tāi lǐ fán mèn hēng yī shēng ， jū rán tǔ chū yī kǒu xiān xuè 。
圣胎李凡闷哼一声，居然吐出一口鲜血。
Li Fan's sacred embryo grunted and actually spat out some blood.
tǐ nèi hēi jiàn yǎn huà xiǎo shì jiè zhōng ， yǒu wú shù hēi sè liè xì fú xiàn ， suí shí huì huǐ miè bān 。
体内黑剑衍化小世界中，有无数黑色裂隙浮现，随时会毁灭般。
Innumerable black fissures appeared in his body’s inner world, ready to destroy at any moment.
dàn shèng tāi lǐ fán de yǎn zhōng fǎn dào shì chōng mǎn le xīng fèn zhī qíng 。
但圣胎李凡的眼中反倒是充满了兴奋之情。
But Li Fan's eyes were filled with excitement.
“ tiān dì cán quē ， dào zé ruò huà 。”
“天地残缺，道则弱化。”
"The heavens and earth are incomplete; the Dao weakens."
“ guǒ rán ， zài zhè zhì àn xīng hǎi zhōng ， fēn shēn shì yǒu kě néng jìng jiè fǎn chāo běn zūn de ！”
“果然，在这至暗星海中，分身是有可能境界反超本尊的！”
"Indeed, in this darkest star sea, my clone might surpass the original self!"
shèng tāi lǐ fán huí wèi zhe nà shùn jiān péng zhàng de chōng jī gǎn 。
圣胎李凡回味着那瞬间膨胀的冲击感。
Li Fan savored the shock of that sudden expansion.
rú mán hèng jù lì ， jiāng tiān dì jiā suǒ qiáng xíng dǎ pò 。
如蛮横巨力，将天地枷锁强行打破。
It was like a brute force breaking through the shackles of heaven and earth.
“ wǒ pò guān de yuán dòng lì hái chà le yī xiē 。 bàn dào qīng tuí ， fǎn zāo fǎn shì 。”
“我破关的源动力还差了一些。半道倾颓，反遭反噬。”
"My breakthrough power is still lacking. I faltered halfway and ended up suffering a backlash."
“ ruò shì jī lěi de zài duō yì diǎn ， jiù néng yī gǔ zuò qì 、 zhí jiē chōng pò nà dào jiā suǒ 。”
“若是积累的再多一点，就能一鼓作气、直接冲破那道枷锁。”
"If I had accumulated more, I could have broken through that shackles in one go."
lǐ fán hū de xiǎng qǐ le ， zhī qián fēn shēn xiū liàn tūn tiān shí dì dà fǎ ， zuì zhōng qiáng xíng tū pò 【 tiān zhī è 】 de chǎng jǐng 。
李凡忽的想起了，之前分身修炼吞天食地大法，最终强行突破【天之厄】的场景。
Suddenly recalling his clone's previous forced breakthrough of the Heavenly Tribulation using the吞天食地大法 (Devour Heaven and Earth Great Technique), Li Fan said,
“ cǐ zhī wèi 【 yǐ lì pò dào 】。 ruò shì zhèng cháng dà shì jiè ， bù wèi zhēn xiān ， gēn běn bù jù bèi zhè yàng qiáng dà de lì liàng 。 dàn zhì àn xīng hǎi tiān cán dì quē ， yāo qiú bèi dà dà jiàng dī le 。”
“此之谓【以力破道】。若是正常大世界，不为真仙，根本不具备这样强大的力量。但至暗星海天残地缺，要求被大大降低了。”
"This is what it means to break the Dao with force. In a normal great world, such strength would not be possible unless one was a true immortal. But in this darkest star sea where heaven is incomplete and earth is lacking, the requirements are greatly reduced."
“ wǒ fēn shēn cǐ qián zài qiáng xíng dǎ pò tiān zhī è píng jǐng zhī hòu ， jiù zāo shòu dào le xuán huáng tiān dào 、 nà yī jù zhǎng de fǎn jī 。 zài zhè zhì àn xīng hǎi zhōng ， shèn zhì lián zhè zhǒng fǎn shì dōu kě néng bú huì jiàng lín 。”
“我分身此前在强行打破天之厄瓶颈之后，就遭受到了玄黄天道、那一巨掌的反击。在这至暗星海中，甚至连这种反噬都可能不会降临。”
"After forcefully breaking through the Heavenly Tribulation bottleneck, my clone suffered a backlash from Xuanhuang's heavenly Dao and that giant palm. In this darkest star sea, such backlashes might not even occur."
shèng tāi lǐ fán wǎn rú gāng gāng de zhào xián yì bān ， xīn zhōng chōng mǎn le huò rán kāi lǎng de xīn xǐ 。
圣胎李凡宛如刚刚的赵闲一般，心中充满了豁然开朗的欣喜。
Li Fan felt as if he had just experienced what Zhao Xian did, filled with a sudden sense of enlightenment.
“ yóu yī jí wàn 。 jì rán zhè ge gù yǒu dào zé néng bèi dǎ pò ， nà me qí tā de ， shì fǒu yě néng shí xiàn ？”
“由一及万。既然这个固有道则能被打破，那么其他的，是否也能实现？”
"From one to ten thousand. If this established Dao principle can be broken, could the same apply to others?"
“ yī jīng luò ， yǒu wàn wù shēng 。 xīng hǎi zhī wáng ， duì zuì zhōng xìng cún de xiū shì ér yán ， huò xǔ gèng shì yì wàn zài nán féng de dà jī yuán 。”
“一鲸落，有万物生。星海之亡，对最终幸存的修士而言，或许更是亿万载难逢的大机缘。”
"One whale falls, and myriad life thrives. The death of the star sea might present an unprecedented great opportunity for survivors."
“ chuán fǎ tā nà yuǎn chāo xún cháng xiū shì de shí lì biǎo xiàn ， chú le zhěng gè xuán huáng jiè xīn fǎ xiū shì dōu shì tā de jī shí zhī wài ， huò xǔ gēn zhè tuō bù liǎo gān xì 。”
“传法他那远超寻常修士的实力表现，除了整个玄黄界新法修士都是他的基石之外，或许跟这脱不了干系。”
"The performance of those sixteen Great Daoists in the transmission is not just because they are the foundation of all new cultivation methods in Xuanhuang's world. Perhaps this has something to do with it."
“ zài xīng hǎi zhōng dài le wàn nián ， kǒng pà yǐ jīng wú xiàn jiē jìn chuán shuō zhōng de xiān le 。”
“在星海中待了万年，恐怕已经无限接近传说中的仙了。”
"After ten thousand years in the star sea, he probably already approaches legendary immortals."
zhì àn xīng hǎi zhōng shèng tāi de lǐng wù ， ràng lǐ fán běn zūn yě shòu dào le jí dà de chōng jī 。
至暗星海中圣胎的领悟，让李凡本尊也受到了极大的冲击。
The enlightenment of the sacred embryo in the darkest star sea greatly impacted Li Fan.
xīng hǎi dà shì jiè tiān cán dì quē ， fǎn dào duì xiū shì dà yǒu bì yì de fā xiàn ， ràng tā shèn zhì qì xī dōu bù yóu wēi wēi yī luàn 。
星海大世界天残地缺，反道对修士大有裨益的发现，让他甚至气息都不由微微一乱。
The discovery that breaking against the Dao was beneficial for cultivators caused his aura to slightly fluctuate.
yǐn qǐ le huā yuè yè gēn zhāng xū liǎng wèi hé dào zhǎng lǎo de zhù yì 。
引起了花月夜跟张虚两位合道长老的注意。
This caught the attention of Flower Moon Night and Zhang Xu, two Great Dao elders.
“ sūn dào yǒu ？”
“孙道友？”
"Friend Sun?"
“ wú fáng ， zhǐ shì xiǎng qǐ jiā zhōng jiāo qī 、 xīn shén huàn sàn le 。” lǐ fán yǒu xiē cán kuì dào 。
“无妨，只是想起家中娇妻、心神涣散了。”李凡有些惭愧道。
"It's fine. I just thought about my beloved wife at home and lost focus." Li Fan said with some shame.
liǎng wèi zhèn shǒu miàn lù gǔ guài ， fēn fēn diǎn tóu biǎo shì lǐ jiě 。
两位镇守面露古怪，纷纷点头表示理解。
The two guardians looked at him strangely but nodded in understanding.
chóng xīn wěn dìng le xīn shén ， lǐ fán běn zūn jiāng hèn bù dé lì kè chōng chū xuán huáng jiè de xīn sī gěi qiáng xíng yā xià 。
重新稳定了心神，李凡本尊将恨不得立刻冲出玄黄界的心思给强行压下。
Stabilizing his mind, Li Fan suppressed his desire to immediately leave Xuanhuang's world.
“ cóng lái dōu shì jī yù yǔ wēi jī gòng cún 。”
“从来都是机遇与危机共存。”
"Opportunities and dangers coexist."
“ rú jīn de zhì àn xīng hǎi ， suī shuō duì xiū shì ér yán shì gè xiū liàn shèng dì 。 dàn háo wú yí wèn de shì ， nà lǐ tóng yàng wēi jī sì fú 。”
“如今的至暗星海，虽说对修士而言是个修炼圣地。但毫无疑问的是，那里同样危机四伏。”
"The current darkest star sea is a holy land for cultivation. But it is undoubtedly full of hidden dangers."
“ ruò bú shì shèng tāi shì tiān zhī qí zhù jī ， kǒng pà zǎo jiù yǔn luò zài bàn lù shàng le 。 miàn duì xīng hǎi zhōng nà xiē zhǒng zhǒng guǐ jué ， jiù suàn shì wǒ de wǔ xíng dà dòng tiān yǎn huà zhī shì jiè ， yě bù néng zhī chēng tài jiǔ 。”
“若不是圣胎是天之奇筑基，恐怕早就陨落在半路上了。面对星海中那些种种诡谲，就算是我的五行大洞天衍化之世界，也不能支撑太久。”
"If not for the sacred embryo being an extraordinary foundation establishment, he would have perished long ago. Facing the myriad oddities in this star sea, even my Five Elements Great Caverns' transformed world might not last long."
hēi àn xū kōng zhōng de nà wú xíng kōng dòng ， yǐ jí zhì mìng de hēi sè yì bìng ……
黑暗虚空中的那无形空洞，以及致命的黑色疫病……
The invisible void and fatal black plague...
wú lùn nǎ yí gè dōu shì bú shì rú jīn de lǐ fán néng gòu yìng duì de 。
无论哪一个都是不是如今的李凡能够应对的。
Neither could Li Fan handle them.
“ jiè zhù shèng tāi gǎn wù ， yě shì yī yàng 。”
“借助圣胎感悟，也是一样。”
"Even using the sacred embryo's insights is no different."
lǐ fán zhǐ néng rú cǐ ān wèi zì jǐ dào 。
李凡只能如此安慰自己道。
Li Fan consoled himself.
“ wàn xiān méng nà shí liù wèi hé dào ， ruò shì chū le xuán huáng jiè ， yīng gāi yě néng màn màn fā xiàn zhè ge mì mì 。”
“万仙盟那十六位合道，若是出了玄黄界，应该也能慢慢发现这个秘密。”
"The sixteen Great Daoists of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance should also gradually discover this secret once they leave Xuanhuang's world."
“ jiù shì bù zhī dào ， tā men hái néng bù néng huó zhe huí lái ？”
“就是不知道，他们还能不能活着回来？”
"But I wonder if they can return alive?"
duì yú zhè shí liù gè rén de jié jú ， lǐ fán shì chí bēi guān tài dù de 。
对于这十六个人的结局，李凡是持悲观态度的。
Li Fan was pessimistic about their fate.
xuán huáng jiè xiū shì ， zài chuán fǎ yǎn zhōng ， jué duì dōu zhǐ shì gōng jù bān de cún zài 。
玄黄界修士，在传法眼中，绝对都只是工具般的存在。
Xuanhuang's world cultivators were merely tools in Transcendental Transmission's eyes.
zhè cì zhào jí ， yīng gāi yě táo bù tuō zhè ge mìng yùn 。
这次召集，应该也逃不脱这个命运。
This gathering would not escape that fate either.
“ bù guò wǒ dǎo shì kě yǐ xiǎng bàn fǎ tōu xué ， méi yǒu huí dàng xīng lì jiù fēi chū xuán huáng jiè de fāng fǎ 。”
“不过我倒是可以想办法偷学，没有回荡星力就飞出玄黄界的方法。”
"However, I can try to secretly learn a method to leave Xuanhuang's world without the reverberating star energy."
“ zhè yī shì huí dàng xīng lì de chū xiàn ， chún shǔ ǒu ěr 。 méi yǒu bàn fǎ bǎo zhèng yǐ hòu néng gòu fù xiàn 。 ér jì yǐ jīng zhī xiǎo zhì àn xīng hǎi de zhòng yào xìng ， wǒ yòu qǐ néng cuò guò ？”
“这一世回荡星力的出现，纯属偶尔。没有办法保证以后能够复现。而既已经知晓至暗星海的重要性，我又岂能错过？”
"The appearance of this reverberating star energy was purely coincidental. There is no guarantee it will reappear in the future. Now that I know the importance of the darkest star sea, how could I miss out?"
“ jiù suàn xiàn zài zhè ge shí jiān diǎn shì jué mì ， wú fǎ dǎ tàn dào 。 dàn děng gè jǐ shí nián guò qù ， yì huò zhě děng dào shèng cháo dà qǐ wēi bī wàn xiān méng 、 shuāng fāng kāi zhàn de shí hòu ， zhè děng mì mì yě jiù wú rén gù xiá 、 bù nán dǎ tīng le 。”
“就算现在这个时间点是绝密，无法打探到。但等个几十年过去，亦或者等到圣朝大启威逼万仙盟、双方开战的时候，这等秘密也就无人顾暇、不难打听了。”
"Even if this time point is a secret and cannot be probed now, in decades or when the Holy Dynasty's might forces the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance into war, such secrets would no longer be a concern."
huà suī rú cǐ ， dàn lǐ fán què shì shí kè bǎo chí duì zhè shí liù rén de guān zhù 。
话虽如此，但李凡却是时刻保持对这十六人的关注。
Though he said so, Li Fan remained vigilant about these sixteen people.
tōng guò tiān xuán xiǎo jìng ， liú zài sūn jiā de fēn shén yǐ jīng néng wěn dìng bǎo chí xíng tǐ cún zài le 。 fēn shén shí lì de huī fù ， shùn dài zhe wú liàng jìng zhōng de sūn lù yáo yě biàn dé rì yì qiáng dà 、 gēn wú liàng jìng de róng hé yuè fā míng xiǎn 。
通过天玄小镜，留在孙家的分神已经能稳定保持形体存在了。分神实力的恢复，顺带着无量镜中的孙路遥也变得日益强大、跟无量镜的融合越发明显。
His clone in the Heavenly Xuan Mirror had already stabilized its form at Sun Family. The recovery of his clone’s strength also made Sun Lu Yao in the boundless mirror increasingly powerful and more integrated with it.
zhè yī tiān ， zài kuī tàn tiān xuán jìng de shí hòu ， sūn lù yáo hū de gǔ qǐ yǒng qì ， xiàng lǐ fán shuō dào ：“ qián bèi ， wǒ sì hū yòu gǎn yìng dào le ， lìng wài de wú liàng jìng suì piàn de wèi zhì 。”
这一天，在窥探天玄镜的时候，孙路遥忽的鼓起勇气，向李凡说道：“前辈，我似乎又感应到了，另外的无量镜碎片的位置。”
On this day, while probing the Heavenly Xuan Mirror, Sun Lu Yao suddenly gathered the courage to say to Li Fan,
“ huò xǔ jiāng qí xī shōu zhī hòu ， wú liàng jìng de néng lì huì jìn yí bù tí shēng 。”
“或许将其吸收之后，无量镜的能力会进一步提升。”
"Senior, I seem to have sensed another fragment of the Boundless Mirror."
zhī qián sūn jiā xiōng dì jī hū zhǎo biàn le zhěng gè wàn xiān méng lǐng dì ， zhǎo dào de nà kuài suì piàn dí què ràng wú liàng jìng yǒu le zhì dì biàn huà 。 ruò shì zài huī fù xiē ， shuō bù dìng hái zhēn de huì gěi lǐ fán dài lái jīng xǐ 。
之前孙家兄弟几乎找遍了整个万仙盟领地，找到的那块碎片的确让无量镜有了质的变化。若是再恢复些，说不定还真的会给李凡带来惊喜。
Perhaps absorbing it would further enhance the Boundless Mirror's abilities.
bù guò lǐ fán fēn shén què zhuāng zuò méi yǒu tīng dào shì de 。
不过李凡分神却装作没有听到似的。
The piece found by the Sun brothers indeed caused a qualitative change in the boundless mirror. If restored, it might bring surprises to Li Fan.
zhǐ shì nài xīn jiāng tiān xuán jìng kuī tàn wán chéng ， yī jiù méi yǒu zhǎo dào nà bèi chuán fǎ zhēng zhào de shí liù rén de xìn xī 。
只是耐心将天玄镜窥探完成，依旧没有找到那被传法征召的十六人的信息。
But his clone pretended not to hear.
ér hòu cái lěng lěng kàn xiàng sūn lù yáo ：“ shén me wèi zhì ？”
而后才冷冷看向孙路遥：“什么位置？”
It patiently completed probing the Heavenly Xuan Mirror and still failed to find information on the sixteen people summoned for transmission.
sūn lù yáo xiǎo xīn yì yì de jiāng gǎn yìng dào de xìn xī chuán lái 。
孙路遥小心翼翼的将感应到的信息传来。
Only then did he coldly ask, "Where is it?"
“ yí ？”
“咦？”
Sun Lu Yao cautiously transmitted the sensed location.
lǐ fán fēn shén zài kàn dào sūn lù yáo diǎn chū de nà ge wèi zhì hòu ， xīn zhōng bù jīn yǒu xiē chà yì 。
李凡分神在看到孙路遥点出的那个位置后，心中不禁有些诧异。
"Ah?"
zhèng shì wèi yú shí lín zhōu biān chuí de ， bǎi shí dòng tiān zhī zhōng 。
正是位于石临州边陲的，百石洞天之中。
Li Fan's clone was surprised upon seeing the location Sun Lu Yao pointed out—within the Hundred Stone Caverns at the edge of Shi Lin State.
tiān jī zōng yí jì ， yǐ jí líng mù jiè rù kǒu ， dōu zài zhè dì xià lián mián de róng dòng lǐ 。
天机宗遗迹，以及灵木界入口，都在这地下连绵的溶洞里。
The Heavenly Dao Sect's ruins and the entrance to the Spirit Wood World were in these underground caves.
“ wǒ zhī dào le 。”
“我知道了。”
"I understand."
lǐ fán fēn shén zhǐ dàn dàn de huí fù le jù ， bìng méi yǒu biǎo xiàn chū yào qù xún zhǎo de yàng zi 。
李凡分神只淡淡的回复了句，并没有表现出要去寻找的样子。
Li Fan’s clone replied indifferently, showing no sign of wanting to seek it out.
sūn lù yáo yě bù gǎn duō wèn 。
孙路遥也不敢多问。
Sun Lu Yao did not dare ask further.
zhí dào qī tiān zhī hòu ， sūn lù yuǎn chóng xīn lái dào mì shì ， dé dào lǐ fán zhǔn xǔ de sūn lù yáo cái pǒ wèi jí qiè de jiāng cǐ shì yòu shuō le yī biàn 。
直到七天之后，孙路远重新来到密室，得到李凡准许的孙路遥才颇为急切的将此事又说了一遍。
Seven days later, when Sun Lu Yuan returned to the secret room, only after receiving Li Fan's permission did Sun Lu Yao eagerly recount the matter again.
gēn lǐ fán de dàn rán jié rán xiāng fǎn ， sūn lù yuǎn dùn shí dà xǐ 。
跟李凡的淡然截然相反，孙路远顿时大喜。
Contrary to Li Fan's indifference, Sun Lu Yuan was overjoyed.
“ ruò shì néng zài xún yī méi suì piàn ， nǐ huò xǔ jiù bù yòng zài shòu zhè bān kǔ le ！”
“若是能再寻一枚碎片，你或许就不用再受这般苦了！”
"If you can find another fragment, perhaps you won't have to suffer so much!"
sūn lù yáo diǎn tóu fù hè 。
孙路遥点头附和。
Sun Lu Yao nodded in agreement.
“ duì le gē ， fú nà ge lǎo jiā huǒ zhī dào le tiān xuán jìng fēn shēn de xiāo xī hòu ， shén me fǎn yìng ？” sūn lù yáo yòu wèn dào 。
“对了哥，伏那个老家伙知道了天玄镜分身的消息后，什么反应？”孙路遥又问道。
"Brother, what reaction did that old fellow have when he learned about the Heavenly Xuan Mirror clone?" Sun Lu Yao asked again.
sūn lù yuǎn wén yán ， méi tóu zhòu qǐ ：“ tiān xuán jìng dàn shēng chū rén lèi fēn shēn 、 shì guān zhòng dà ， xū xú xú tú zhī 。 tā zàn shí méi yǒu dòng jìng wǒ yě néng lǐ jiě 。 bù guò qí guài de shì ， zì cóng shàng cì jiàn miàn zhī hòu ， wǒ jiù lián xì bù shàng tā le 。”
孙路远闻言，眉头皱起：“天玄镜诞生出人类分身、事关重大，需徐徐图之。他暂时没有动静我也能理解。不过奇怪的是，自从上次见面之后，我就联系不上他了。”
Sun Lu Yuan frowned upon hearing this: "The birth of a human clone from the Heavenly Xuan Mirror is significant. We must proceed with caution. I can understand his inaction for now. But it's strange; since our last meeting, I've been unable to contact him."
“ lián xì bù shàng ？”
“联系不上？”
"Unable to contact?"
“ bù guāng shì fú nà biān 。 shèn zhì lián wàn xiān méng zǒng bù dōu zàn shí jìn bù qù le ， sì hū yǒu shén me jí wéi zhòng yào de shì qíng 。”
“不光是伏那边。甚至连万仙盟总部都暂时进不去了，似乎有什么极为重要的事情。”
"Not just on that side. Even the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is temporarily inaccessible. Something extremely important must be happening."
( běn zhāng wán )
(本章完)
(End of Chapter)
The only thing that could be done was to dissect and analyze these fragmented worlds. Perhaps, through deduction, they might even reconstruct the state of this darkest star sea before its demise.
However, it was still a being several tiers above the ordinary cultivation world of Xuanhuang. Even as a corpse, there would be significant benefits from such an entity.
Li Fan's圣胎 (sacred embryo) suddenly changed in aura.
It was akin to lava erupting, and his already peak-stage spirit transformation aura instantly expanded by several times.
Unfortunately, the sacred embryo still could not escape the limitations between its clone and original self.
As if a无形 shackles were pressing back down on that surging aura.
Li Fan's sacred embryo grunted and actually spat out some blood.
Innumerable black fissures appeared in his body’s inner world, ready to destroy at any moment.
But Li Fan's eyes were filled with excitement.
"The heavens and earth are incomplete; the Dao weakens."
"Indeed, in this darkest star sea, my clone might surpass the original self!"
Li Fan savored the shock of that sudden expansion.
It was like a brute force breaking through the shackles of heaven and earth.
"My breakthrough power is still lacking. I faltered halfway and ended up suffering a backlash."
"If I had accumulated more, I could have broken through that shackles in one go."
Suddenly recalling his clone's previous forced breakthrough of the Heavenly Tribulation using the吞天食地大法 (Devour Heaven and Earth Great Technique), Li Fan said,
"This is what it means to break the Dao with force. In a normal great world, such strength would not be possible unless one was a true immortal. But in this darkest star sea where heaven is incomplete and earth is lacking, the requirements are greatly reduced."
"After forcefully breaking through the Heavenly Tribulation bottleneck, my clone suffered a backlash from Xuanhuang's heavenly Dao and that giant palm. In this darkest star sea, such backlashes might not even occur."
Li Fan felt as if he had just experienced what Zhao Xian did, filled with a sudden sense of enlightenment.
"From one to ten thousand. If this established Dao principle can be broken, could the same apply to others?"
"One whale falls, and myriad life thrives. The death of the star sea might present an unprecedented great opportunity for survivors."
"The performance of those sixteen Great Daoists in the transmission is not just because they are the foundation of all new cultivation methods in Xuanhuang's world. Perhaps this has something to do with it."
"After ten thousand years in the star sea, he probably already approaches legendary immortals."
...
The enlightenment of the sacred embryo in the darkest star sea greatly impacted Li Fan.
The discovery that breaking against the Dao was beneficial for cultivators caused his aura to slightly fluctuate.
This caught the attention of Flower Moon Night and Zhang Xu, two Great Dao elders.
"Friend Sun?"
"It's fine. I just thought about my beloved wife at home and lost focus." Li Fan said with some shame.
The two guardians looked at him strangely but nodded in understanding.
Stabilizing his mind, Li Fan suppressed his desire to immediately leave Xuanhuang's world.
"Opportunities and dangers coexist."
"The current darkest star sea is a holy land for cultivation. But it is undoubtedly full of hidden dangers."
"If not for the sacred embryo being an extraordinary foundation establishment, he would have perished long ago. Facing the myriad oddities in this star sea, even my Five Elements Great Caverns' transformed world might not last long."
The invisible void and fatal black plague...
Neither could Li Fan handle them.
"Even using the sacred embryo's insights is no different."
Li Fan consoled himself.
"The sixteen Great Daoists of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance should also gradually discover this secret once they leave Xuanhuang's world."
"But I wonder if they can return alive?"
Li Fan was pessimistic about their fate.
Xuanhuang's world cultivators were merely tools in Transcendental Transmission's eyes.
This gathering would not escape that fate either.
"However, I can try to secretly learn a method to leave Xuanhuang's world without the reverberating star energy."
"The appearance of this reverberating star energy was purely coincidental. There is no guarantee it will reappear in the future. Now that I know the importance of the darkest star sea, how could I miss out?"
"Even if this time point is a secret and cannot be probed now, in decades or when the Holy Dynasty's might forces the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance into war, such secrets would no longer be a concern."
...
Though he said so, Li Fan remained vigilant about these sixteen people.
His clone in the Heavenly Xuan Mirror had already stabilized its form at Sun Family. The recovery of his clone’s strength also made Sun Lu Yao in the boundless mirror increasingly powerful and more integrated with it.
On this day, while probing the Heavenly Xuan Mirror, Sun Lu Yao suddenly gathered the courage to say to Li Fan,
"Senior, I seem to have sensed another fragment of the Boundless Mirror."
Perhaps absorbing it would further enhance the Boundless Mirror's abilities.
The piece found by the Sun brothers indeed caused a qualitative change in the boundless mirror. If restored, it might bring surprises to Li Fan.
But his clone pretended not to hear.
It patiently completed probing the Heavenly Xuan Mirror and still failed to find information on the sixteen people summoned for transmission.
Only then did he coldly ask, "Where is it?"
Sun Lu Yao cautiously transmitted the sensed location.
"Ah?"
Li Fan's clone was surprised upon seeing the location Sun Lu Yao pointed out—within the Hundred Stone Caverns at the edge of Shi Lin State.
The Heavenly Dao Sect's ruins and the entrance to the Spirit Wood World were in these underground caves.
"I understand."
Li Fan’s clone replied indifferently, showing no sign of wanting to seek it out.
Sun Lu Yao did not dare ask further.
Seven days later, when Sun Lu Yuan returned to the secret room, only after receiving Li Fan's permission did Sun Lu Yao eagerly recount the matter again.
Contrary to Li Fan's indifference, Sun Lu Yuan was overjoyed.
"If you can find another fragment, perhaps you won't have to suffer so much!"
Sun Lu Yao nodded in agreement.
"Brother, what reaction did that old fellow have when he learned about the Heavenly Xuan Mirror clone?" Sun Lu Yao asked again.
Sun Lu Yuan frowned upon hearing this: "The birth of a human clone from the Heavenly Xuan Mirror is significant. We must proceed with caution. I can understand his inaction for now. But it's strange; since our last meeting, I've been unable to contact him."
"Unable to contact?"
"Not just on that side. Even the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is temporarily inaccessible. Something extremely important must be happening."
(End of Chapter)