“ hā hā hā ……”
“哈哈哈……”
"Hmm, just a little slower than if I were doing it myself."
yǎn fǎ jué de yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī huāng zhāng ， xiǎng zhe fū yǎn guò qù 。
衍法珏的眼中闪过一丝慌张，想着敷衍过去。
"About the same speed as when I was showing off to those guys in the Immortal Alliance."
“ bié xiǎng méng hùn guò guān ， lǎo shí jiāo dài 。 yào bù rán ， wǒ kě yào hǎn rén le ！ fā xiàn le yǎn fǎ jué tú móu bù guǐ ， zhè kěn dìng shì dà gōng yī jiàn ba 。 shuō bù dìng wǒ dōu néng zhí jiē tí qián chū qù le 。” lǐ fán sì xiào fēi xiào dì wēi xié zhe 。
“别想蒙混过关，老实交代。要不然，我可要喊人了！发现了衍法珏图谋不轨，这肯定是大功一件吧。说不定我都能直接提前出去了。”李凡似笑非笑地威胁着。
Nodding slightly, Li Fan said, "So you'll be free in another forty years?"
“ shén me tú móu bù guǐ ！” yǎn fǎ jué qì hū hū dì dèng zhe lǐ fán 。
“什么图谋不轨！”衍法珏气呼呼地瞪着李凡。
Dianyi looked puzzled. "Freedom? What freedom?"
dàn zài zì fú guāng qiú zhī wài de lǐ fán běn zūn ， jìng rán zhēn de tū rán kāi kǒu le ：“ nà ge ……”
但在字符光球之外的李凡本尊，竟然真的突然开口了：“那个……”
"I wanted to escape before because I didn't want to work. But now that there's something for me to do for free, why would I run away? I need my rest."
zhèn shǒu hé dào zhāng xū yǐ jí huā yuè yè de mù guāng ， shà shí bèi xī yǐn guò qù 。
镇守合道张虚以及花月夜的目光，霎时被吸引过去。
Dianyi looked at Li Fan with disdain.
yǎn fǎ jué xiǎo luó lì dùn shí huāng le shén 。
衍法珏小萝莉顿时慌了神。
"Really?" she said.
“ bié ！ yǒu huà hǎo hǎo shuō ！” tā yí gè jiàn bù ， chōng dào nǐ zào rén gé miàn qián ， dèng dà le yǎn jīng ， kě lián bā bā dì kàn zhe lǐ fán 。
“别！有话好好说！”她一个健步，冲到拟造人格面前，瞪大了眼睛，可怜巴巴地看着李凡。
"What if I keep this avatar and you have to deal with it?"
ér yǎn fǎ jué kōng jiān zhōng ， lǐ fán běn zūn wēi wēi dùn le dùn ， jiē zhe shuō dào ：“ liǎng wèi dào yǒu ， wǒ xiǎng qǐng jiào xià 。 lèi sì zhè zhǒng shēn qǐng yǎn fǎ jué tuī yǎn chū lái de gōng fǎ ， shì fǒu kě yǐ wài zhuàn ？ wǒ zhī dào xiān méng fǎ dù guī dìng ， bù yǔn xǔ wài zhuàn 。 dàn ……”
而衍法珏空间中，李凡本尊微微顿了顿，接着说道：“两位道友，我想请教下。类似这种申请衍法珏推衍出来的功法，是否可以外传？我知道仙盟法度规定，不允许外传。但……”
Li Fan replied calmly, "Hmph, that won't be a problem." She suddenly stepped back, and the scene around her returned to its original state. Pointing at Li Fan's side, she said, "Transform!"
zhāng xū xiào zhe shuō dào ：“ sūn dào yǒu mò fēi shì xiǎng wèi zì jǐ nà gāng dàn shēng de ér zi móu qiú yī mén gōng fǎ ？ míng miàn lái shuō ， zhè yàng shì bù xíng de 。 bù guò fù zé jiān guǎn de ， dōu shì wǒ men hù fǎ táng zì jǐ rén 。 suǒ yǐ ……”
张虚笑着说道：“孙道友莫非是想为自己那刚诞生的儿子谋求一门功法？明面来说，这样是不行的。不过负责监管的，都是我们护法堂自己人。所以……”
As the light gathered, another figure slowly took shape.
zhāng xū lù chū le gè nǐ dǒng de yǎn shén 。
张虚露出了个你懂的眼神。
It was yet another avatar!
lǐ fán gǒng le gǒng ， biǎo shì míng bái 。
李凡拱了拱，表示明白。
"Can't split your mind in two! You can only control one of them!" Dianyi said as she pointed at the second avatar with a hand on her hip. "Get to work!"
ér zì fú guāng qiú nèi bù ， tīng dào sān wèi zhèn shǒu hé dào duì huà de yǎn fǎ jué ， zǒng suàn sōng le kǒu qì 。
而字符光球内部，听到三位镇守合道对话的衍法珏，总算松了口气。
"How do you know I can't?" Li Fan's voice echoed from the second avatar, mocking Dianyi.
“ nǐ zhè jiā huo ！” yǎn fǎ jué de shén qíng zài biàn ， cháng shì biǎo xiàn chū yī fù xiōng shén è shà de mú yàng 。
“你这家伙！”衍法珏的神情再变，尝试表现出一副凶神恶煞的模样。
Dianyi's face froze. "Okay, let's see how many minds you can split."
“ shuō shuō ba 。 dào dǐ xiǎng gàn shén me 。” nǐ zào rén gé shēn chū yòu shǒu ， qū zhǐ jiù yào zài yǎn fǎ jué nǎo dài shàng yī dàn 。
“说说吧。到底想干什么。”拟造人格伸出右手，屈指就要在衍法珏脑袋上一弹。
"Transform! Transform! Transform! …"
yǎn fǎ jué xià yì shí duǒ kāi ， dàn hěn kuài jiù yì shí dào duì fāng zhǐ shì nǐ zào qū tǐ 、 bìng bù cún zài shí tǐ ， yú shì nǎo xiū chéng nù 。
衍法珏下意识躲开，但很快就意识到对方只是拟造躯体、并不存在实体，于是恼羞成怒。
Dianyi kept pressing her fingers in mid-air, and one by one, more avatars appeared.
dàn lǐ fán zhǐ shì zài dù lù chū sì xiào fēi xiào de shén qíng ， jiù ràng yǎn fǎ jué yòu biàn sǒng le 。
但李凡只是再度露出似笑非笑的神情，就让衍法珏又变怂了。
One hundred, five hundred, a thousand…
zuì zhōng ， yì shí dào zì jǐ bú shì lǐ fán duì shǒu de yǎn fǎ jué ， rèn shū le 。
最终，意识到自己不是李凡对手的衍法珏，认输了。
The space inside the avatar sphere was filled with Li Fan's faces. They all mocked Dianyi with the same language.
“ hǎo ba ， gào sù nǐ yě xíng 。 dàn nǐ yào xiān dā yìng wǒ ， jué duì bù néng xiàng wàn xiān méng gào mì ！” yǎn fǎ jué shōu qǐ le liǎn shàng duō yú de biǎo qíng ， shí fēn yán sù de shuō dào 。
“好吧，告诉你也行。但你要先答应我，绝对不能向万仙盟告密！”衍法珏收起了脸上多余的表情，十分严肃的说道。
"Not enough."
lǐ fán zé shì xiào le xiào ， fǎn wèn dào ：“ wǒ ruò shì gēn wàn xiān méng yī xīn ， yòu qǐ huì jiè zhù qǐng nǐ yǎn fǎ de jī huì ， jiāng zhè nǐ zào rén gé zhī fǎ chuán gěi nǐ ？”
李凡则是笑了笑，反问道：“我若是跟万仙盟一心，又岂会借助请你衍法的机会，将这拟造人格之法传给你？”
"Only that much?"
yǎn fǎ jué wāi tóu sī cǔn le fān ， zhī dào lǐ fán suǒ shuō yǒu lǐ 。
衍法珏歪头思忖了番，知道李凡所说有理。
"What can you do?"
liǎng shuāng ròu hū hū xiǎo shǒu yī pāi ， zì fú guāng qiú zhōng jǐng xiàng huò rán wèi zhī yī biàn 。
两双肉乎乎小手一拍，字符光球中景象豁然为之一变。
"Keep going."
wú qióng wú jìn 、 zhí dá tiān jì de bái yù shū jià ， bǎi fàng zhe mì mì má má de bù tóng yù jiǎn 。
无穷无尽、直达天际的白玉书架，摆放着密密麻麻的不同玉简。
...
měi yī méi yù jiǎn ， dōu jì zǎi zhe yī mén gōng fǎ 。
每一枚玉简，都记载着一门功法。
The number of avatars had reached nearly ten thousand when Dianyi's forehead started to sweat.
“ dāng chū ， tiān zūn ràng wǒ qióng jìn tiān xià zhī fǎ 。”
“当初，天尊让我穷尽天下之法。”
She stopped and stared at the mass of Li Fans in front of her, unable to believe it. "You're not human!"
“ wǒ nà shí hòu hái tài guò nián qīng ， rèn wéi yǐ wǒ de néng lì ， zhǐ shì xiǎo shì yī zhuāng 。 yú shì hěn yú kuài de jiù dā yìng le 。 āi ， xiàn zài xiǎng lái ， zhēn shì hú tú a ！” yǎn fǎ jué lǎo qì héng qiū dì cháng xū duǎn tàn dào 。
“我那时候还太过年轻，认为以我的能力，只是小事一桩。于是很愉快的就答应了。哎，现在想来，真是糊涂啊！”衍法珏老气横秋地长吁短叹道。
"What are you?" she asked without insulting him. In Dianyi's mind, this was something beyond what an ordinary cultivator could achieve.
“ tuī yǎn bù wán ！ gēn běn tuī yǎn bù wán ！”
“推衍不完！根本推衍不完！”
Controlling one avatar required more than just splitting a divine consciousness; it was like splitting the soul into two and using one of them to control the avatar.
“ zhè me duō nián guò qù le ， jù lí dá chéng mù biāo hái yǒu hǎo jiǔ ！ wǒ gǎn jué wǒ dōu yào dào dá jí xiàn le ！”
“这么多年过去了，距离达成目标还有好久！我感觉我都要到达极限了！”
Being able to control so many avatars at once was equivalent to having your soul fragmented but still functioning normally. Dianyi had achieved this with her Heavenly Oddity ability.
yǎn fǎ jué zhuā le zhuā zì jǐ de tóu fà ， chóu méi kǔ liǎn dào 。
衍法珏抓了抓自己的头发，愁眉苦脸道。
But Li Fan…
“ wǒ zhī dào ， wǒ bì xū dé xiǎng gè bàn fǎ ， gǎi biàn zhè yī qiè ！” xiǎo luó lì de yǎn shén zhōng ， hū de shǎn guò yī sī jiān dìng 。
“我知道，我必须得想个办法，改变这一切！”小萝莉的眼神中，忽的闪过一丝坚定。
Dianyi's suspicions grew as she realized that he might be more powerful than she thought.
“ ó ？ zěn me gǎi biàn ？” lǐ fán dǎ liàng zhe zhōu wéi de gōng fǎ ， ráo yǒu xìng qù de wèn dào 。
“哦？怎么改变？”李凡打量着周围的功法，饶有兴趣的问道。
"Want to try again?"
“ hēng 。 běn gū nǎi nǎi dāng rán zì yǒu miào jì ！” yǎn fǎ jué shuāng shǒu chā yāo ， shí fēn dé yì dì shuō dào 。
“哼。本姑奶奶当然自有妙计！”衍法珏双手叉腰，十分得意地说道。
Ten thousand faces smiled simultaneously.
“ zǒng zhī zhǐ yào gěi wǒ wǔ shí nián de kòng xián shí jiān ， wǒ jiù néng zhǎo dào chè dǐ tí qián tuō lí kǔ hǎi de fāng fǎ ！ dào nà shí ， wǒ kěn dìng yào hǎo hǎo shuì shàng yī jiào 。”
“总之只要给我五十年的空闲时间，我就能找到彻底提前脱离苦海的方法！到那时，我肯定要好好睡上一觉。”
"I can handle a hundred thousand," Li Fan said calmly.
lǐ fán yě méi yǒu zhuī wèn ， ér shì chóng fù le zhè gè shù zì ：“ wǔ shí nián 。”
李凡也没有追问，而是重复了这個数字：“五十年。”
After carefully observing the original Li Fan in Dianyi's space, Dianyi noticed that he didn't seem stressed at all. He was sitting with his eyes closed, looking serene.
“ nà me xiàn zài yǒu zhè nǐ zào rén gé bāng nǐ de huà ， nǐ xū yào duō jiǔ cái néng dá chéng mù biāo ？”
“那么现在有这拟造人格帮你的话，你需要多久才能达成目标？”
Dianyi hesitated. It wasn't just ten thousand; it had reached her limit. But she was worried about being detected by the Immortal Alliance if they continued to argue.
yǎn fǎ jué dà yǎn jīng zhuǎn le zhuǎn ， qīng ké yī shēng ：“ wǒ hái méi shì guò ， zhè dōng xī de xiào lǜ jiū jìng zěn me yàng ne ？ yào bù nǐ xiān ràng wǒ ……”
衍法珏大眼睛转了转，轻咳一声：“我还没试过，这东西的效率究竟怎么样呢？要不伱先让我……”
After considering for a moment, Dianyi reluctantly gave in.
lǐ fán dāng jí yīng yǔn 。
李凡当即应允。
"Alright! You're pretty impressive!"
yī zhèn wēi guāng shǎn dòng hòu ， zài dù huī fù chéng zhī qián de jī xiè mú yàng 。
一阵微光闪动后，再度恢复成之前的机械模样。
She swallowed all the avatars and left only the original one.
“ zhǔ rén ， néng yǒu shén me wèi nín xiào láo de me ？” nǐ zào rén gé shí fēn jìng yè de wèn dào 。
“主人，能有什么为您效劳的么？”拟造人格十分敬业的问道。
Sighing contentedly, Dianyi said, "Okay, what do you want? I can see that your intentions are not good."
yǎn fǎ jué dà shǒu yī huī ， xià dá le ràng tā quán miàn jiē guǎn tuī yǎn gōng zuò de mìng lìng 。
衍法珏大手一挥，下达了让它全面接管推衍工作的命令。
Li Fan shook his head. "You misunderstood me."
jù dà zì fú guāng qiú bù duàn zhuǎn dòng ， yī mén mén gōng fǎ yù jiǎn chéng xíng ， chū xiàn zài bái yù shū jià shàng 。
巨大字符光球不断转动，一门门功法玉简成型，出现在白玉书架上。
"I came here to help you regain your freedom."
yǎn fǎ jué kàn zhe zhè xiē yù jiǎn chū xiàn ， bù láo ér huò de xǐ yuè gǎn dùn shí yǒng shàng xīn tóu ， ràng tā shǎ xiào bù zhǐ 。
衍法珏看着这些玉简出现，不劳而获的喜悦感顿时涌上心头，让她傻笑不止。
Dianyi was unconvinced. "Freedom? What's so great about it? Besides, I've been helping with the transmission for years. If I stop now, wouldn't that be a waste?"
qī tiān shí jiān yī huǎng ér guò 。
七天时间一晃而过。
"All I wanted to do was slack off," Dianyi repeated.
lǐ fán de shēng yīn hū de zài dù xiǎng qǐ 。
李凡的声音忽的再度响起。
"What did Transmission promise you in return?" Li Fan asked.
jiē guǎn nǐ zào rén gé de shùn jiān ， zì fú guāng qiú tuī yǎn gōng fǎ de jìn chéng yě bèi dǎ duàn 。
接管拟造人格的瞬间，字符光球推衍功法的进程也被打断。
"Hmph…" Dianyi refused to answer.
“ hū ……”
“呼……”
"Maybe I can help you and won't ask for anything in return," Li Fan said kindly.
“ hū hū ……”
“呼呼……”
Dianyi looked doubtful. "Is there such a thing?"
lǐ fán dìng jīng kàn qù ， zhǐ jiàn yǎn fǎ jué xiǎo luó lì zhèng háo wú yí tài de bǎi chéng dà zì 、 piāo fú zài kōng zhōng ， shuì dé zhèng xiāng 。
李凡定睛看去，只见衍法珏小萝莉正毫无仪态的摆成大字、漂浮在空中，睡得正香。
"I just couldn't stand seeing Transmission exploit others." Li Fan replied.
“ wú ……” lǐ fán jiāng qí hǎn xǐng zhī hòu ， xiǎo luó lì hái shǐ jìn cā le cā zì jǐ de shuāng yǎn 。
“唔……”李凡将其喊醒之后，小萝莉还使劲擦了擦自己的双眼。
Dianyi's eyes lit up as she realized something. "I see! You have a grudge against Transmission, and that's why you came to me to undermine his foundation!"
yǒu xiē mí hū de wèn dào ：“ yǐ jīng guò qù duō shǎo nián le ？”
有些迷糊的问道：“已经过去多少年了？”
Li Fan didn't deny it. "You can say so."
“ ń ？ cái qī tiān ！”
“嗯？才七天！”
Surprised by this, Dianyi began to think seriously. "Transmission said he could help me find my home. Can you do that?"
bù jiǔ zhī hòu ， dāng yǎn fǎ jué kàn qīng le shí jiān ， shà shí qīng xǐng guò lái 。
不久之后，当衍法珏看清了时间，霎时清醒过来。
"Home?" Li Fan's eyes flashed. "Tell me more about it."
“ shuì dé zhēn shuǎng a 。” tā zá ba zuǐ ， kàn shàng qù yǒu xiē bù shě 。
“睡得真爽啊。”她砸吧嘴，看上去有些不舍。
"Well," Dianyi sat down next to Li Fan and leaned back, her hands supporting her chin as she recalled something, "Before Transmission found me and turned me into Dianyi, I was just an ordinary girl with vague memories of my past life."
“ nǐ zěn me yòu lái le ？” suí hòu kàn xiàng lǐ fán ， shí fēn xián qì de shuō dào 。
“你怎么又来了？”随后看向李凡，十分嫌弃的说道。
"The scenes in those memories are where I truly belong."
lǐ fán bù shuō huà ， zhǐ shì jìng jìng kàn zhe tā 。
李凡不说话，只是静静看着她。
Dianyi said helplessly, "I'm only vaguely remembering. I can't recall the details, but if I see something that looks like home, I'll know for sure."
yǎn fǎ jué dùn shí sǒng le ：“ hǎo ba ， wǒ kàn kàn 。 ń ， zhǐ bǐ wǒ zì jǐ quán lì tuī yǎn ， xiào lǜ shāo wēi màn shàng le nà me yī xiē 。”
衍法珏顿时怂了：“好吧，我看看。嗯，只比我自己全力推衍，效率稍微慢上了那么一些。”
"I have a feeling this information about finding home is important to me…"
“ miǎn qiǎng gēn wǒ zài wàn xiān méng nà qún rén miàn qián biǎo xiàn chū lái de tuī yǎn sù dù yī yàng 。”
“勉强跟我在万仙盟那群人面前表现出来的推衍速度一样。”
Li Fan frowned at this.
lǐ fán wēi wēi diǎn tóu ：“ yě jiù shì shuō ， zhǐ yào zài guò gè sì shí nián ， nǐ jiù néng chéng gōng tuō shēn le ？”
李凡微微点头：“也就是说，只要再过个四十年，你就能成功脱身了？”
Just as he was about to speak, Dianyi suddenly said, "Don't be so naive. How could you fall for just his empty promises after all these years?"
yǎn fǎ jué yǒu xiē mò míng qí miào ：“ tuō shēn ？ shén me tuō shēn ？”
衍法珏有些莫名其妙：“脱身？什么脱身？”
"He did show me some images of my hometown, but I can't show them to you."
“ wǒ zhī qián xiǎng yào táo lí ， shì yīn wèi bù xiǎng gàn huó 。 bù guò xiàn zài yǒu zhè me hǎo de dōng xī miǎn fèi bāng wǒ gàn huó ， wǒ gàn má hái yào táo pǎo 。 měi tiān xiū xī bù hǎo ma 。”
“我之前想要逃离，是因为不想干活。不过现在有这么好的东西免费帮我干活，我干嘛还要逃跑。每天休息不好嘛。”
Dianyi gestured vaguely.
yǎn fǎ jué yī liǎn bǐ shì de kàn zhe lǐ fán 。
衍法珏一脸鄙视的看着李凡。
Nodding, Li Fan said, "I've heard that the Heavenly Oddity in Xuan Huang Heaven is either a world's law or an immortal weapon. Could your home be in the Immortal Realm?"
“ ó ？”
“哦？”
Dianyi looked disappointed. "Who knows? But I don't want to come from some Immortal Realm. Otherwise, I'd have no hope of going back."
“ nà wǒ ruò shì yì zhí zhàn jù zhe nǐ zào rén gé ， nǐ yòu yào rú hé yìng duì ？” lǐ fán dàn dàn de shuō dào 。
“那我若是一直占据着拟造人格，你又要如何应对？”李凡淡淡的说道。
"Right, how do you say you can help me?" Dianyi asked.
“ hēng hēng ， zhè kě nán bù dào wǒ 。” yǎn fǎ jué shēn xíng měng dì hòu tuì ， zhōu wéi jǐng xiàng yòu huí dào zhī qián 。
“哼哼，这可难不倒我。”衍法珏身形猛地后退，周围景象又回到之前。
"I need to know more about your home before making a conclusion," Li Fan replied.
“ gěi wǒ biàn ！” tā yáo yáo zhǐ lǐ fán shēn biān 。
“给我变！”她遥遥指李凡身边。
Dianyi was surprised. "I thought you would promise and trick me right away."
suí zhe guāng máng huì jù ， lìng wài yī dào shēn yǐng huǎn huǎn chéng xíng 。
随着光芒汇聚，另外一道身影缓缓成型。
"It seems like you're not as bad after all." Dianyi re-examined Li Fan.
hè rán yòu shì lìng wài yí gè nǐ zào rén gé ！
赫然又是另外一个拟造人格！
Li Fan smiled sarcastically, "But give me some time to show you all the possible scenarios one by one."
“ rén bù néng xīn fēn èr yòng ！ nǐ zhàn jù le yí gè ， hái néng zhàn jù dì èr gè bù chéng ！”
“人不能心分二用！你占据了一个，还能占据第二个不成！”
"Really?" Dianyi was still skeptical.
“ gěi wǒ gàn huó ！” yǎn fǎ jué yī shǒu chā yāo ， yī shǒu dé yì yáng yáng de zhǐ zhe dì èr nǐ zào rén gé ， fēn fù dào 。
“给我干活！”衍法珏一手叉腰，一手得意洋洋的指着第二拟造人格，吩咐道。
"What about your fifty-year plan? Can you tell me now?" Li Fan asked instead of answering directly.
“ nǐ yòu zěn me zhī dào ， wǒ bù xíng ？”
“你又怎么知道，我不行？”
After considering for a moment, Dianyi said softly, "It's not much. Just get some rest and grow up."
shuí liào dào ， zhè dì èr nǐ zào rén gé ， jìng rán yòu fā chū lǐ fán de shēng yīn 。
谁料道，这第二拟造人格，竟然又发出李凡的声音。
"When I'm bigger, stronger, it will be easier to handle these tasks."
cháo fěng de kàn zhe yǎn fǎ jué 。
嘲讽的看着衍法珏。
"Ten years' worth of work should take less than a year," she added with hope in her eyes.
yǎn fǎ jué liǎn shàng de shén qíng zhòu rán jiāng zhù 。
衍法珏脸上的神情骤然僵住。
Li Fan's eyes narrowed. "Just fifty years? No other conditions?"
“ hǎo hǎo hǎo ！ wǒ dào yào kàn kàn ， nǐ jiū jìng néng xīn fēn duō shǎo ！”
“好好好！我倒要看看，你究竟能心分多少！”
"What do you mean by just fifty years? Don't make this sound so easy." Dianyi was dissatisfied.
“ gěi wǒ biàn ！ biàn ！ biàn ！ biàn ！……”
“给我变！变！变！变！……”
She nodded, admitting, "That's right. I would have grown up if I had more time to rest."
yǎn fǎ jué xiǎo luó lì bù tíng dì zài kōng zhōng lián diǎn ， yī dào dào nǐ zào rén gé xū yǐng ， jiē lián shēng chéng 。
衍法珏小萝莉不停地在空中连点，一道道拟造人格虚影，接连生成。
"Derivation is like cultivation for me," she said firmly. "After all these years of practice, no progress at all—wouldn't that make me a fool?"
yì bǎi 、 wǔ bǎi 、 yī qiān ……
一百、五百、一千……
Dianyi argued confidently.
yī zhāng zhāng lǐ fán de miàn páng ， jiāng zhěng gè zì fú guāng qiú nèi bù kōng jiān zhàn jù 。
一张张李凡的面庞，将整个字符光球内部空间占据。
Li Fan remained silent but understood what Dianyi meant by growth. It was akin to the final separation and breakthrough, reaching the peak of human potential. And if her origin was an immortal weapon from the higher realms, restoring its former glory might be possible.
tā men yòng tǒng yī de yǔ yán ， cháo fěng dào 。
他们用统一的语言，嘲讽道。
(End of Chapter)
"Hmm, just a little slower than if I were doing it myself."
"About the same speed as when I was showing off to those guys in the Immortal Alliance."
Nodding slightly, Li Fan said, "So you'll be free in another forty years?"
Dianyi looked puzzled. "Freedom? What freedom?"
"I wanted to escape before because I didn't want to work. But now that there's something for me to do for free, why would I run away? I need my rest."
Dianyi looked at Li Fan with disdain.
"Really?" she said.
"What if I keep this avatar and you have to deal with it?"
Li Fan replied calmly, "Hmph, that won't be a problem." She suddenly stepped back, and the scene around her returned to its original state. Pointing at Li Fan's side, she said, "Transform!"
As the light gathered, another figure slowly took shape.
It was yet another avatar!
"Can't split your mind in two! You can only control one of them!" Dianyi said as she pointed at the second avatar with a hand on her hip. "Get to work!"
"How do you know I can't?" Li Fan's voice echoed from the second avatar, mocking Dianyi.
Dianyi's face froze. "Okay, let's see how many minds you can split."
"Transform! Transform! Transform! …"
Dianyi kept pressing her fingers in mid-air, and one by one, more avatars appeared.
One hundred, five hundred, a thousand…
The space inside the avatar sphere was filled with Li Fan's faces. They all mocked Dianyi with the same language.
"Not enough."
"Only that much?"
"What can you do?"
"Keep going."
...
The number of avatars had reached nearly ten thousand when Dianyi's forehead started to sweat.
She stopped and stared at the mass of Li Fans in front of her, unable to believe it. "You're not human!"
"What are you?" she asked without insulting him. In Dianyi's mind, this was something beyond what an ordinary cultivator could achieve.
Controlling one avatar required more than just splitting a divine consciousness; it was like splitting the soul into two and using one of them to control the avatar.
Being able to control so many avatars at once was equivalent to having your soul fragmented but still functioning normally. Dianyi had achieved this with her Heavenly Oddity ability.
But Li Fan…
Dianyi's suspicions grew as she realized that he might be more powerful than she thought.
"Want to try again?"
Ten thousand faces smiled simultaneously.
"I can handle a hundred thousand," Li Fan said calmly.
After carefully observing the original Li Fan in Dianyi's space, Dianyi noticed that he didn't seem stressed at all. He was sitting with his eyes closed, looking serene.
Dianyi hesitated. It wasn't just ten thousand; it had reached her limit. But she was worried about being detected by the Immortal Alliance if they continued to argue.
After considering for a moment, Dianyi reluctantly gave in.
"Alright! You're pretty impressive!"
She swallowed all the avatars and left only the original one.
Sighing contentedly, Dianyi said, "Okay, what do you want? I can see that your intentions are not good."
Li Fan shook his head. "You misunderstood me."
"I came here to help you regain your freedom."
Dianyi was unconvinced. "Freedom? What's so great about it? Besides, I've been helping with the transmission for years. If I stop now, wouldn't that be a waste?"
"All I wanted to do was slack off," Dianyi repeated.
"What did Transmission promise you in return?" Li Fan asked.
"Hmph…" Dianyi refused to answer.
"Maybe I can help you and won't ask for anything in return," Li Fan said kindly.
Dianyi looked doubtful. "Is there such a thing?"
"I just couldn't stand seeing Transmission exploit others." Li Fan replied.
Dianyi's eyes lit up as she realized something. "I see! You have a grudge against Transmission, and that's why you came to me to undermine his foundation!"
Li Fan didn't deny it. "You can say so."
Surprised by this, Dianyi began to think seriously. "Transmission said he could help me find my home. Can you do that?"
"Home?" Li Fan's eyes flashed. "Tell me more about it."
"Well," Dianyi sat down next to Li Fan and leaned back, her hands supporting her chin as she recalled something, "Before Transmission found me and turned me into Dianyi, I was just an ordinary girl with vague memories of my past life."
"The scenes in those memories are where I truly belong."
Dianyi said helplessly, "I'm only vaguely remembering. I can't recall the details, but if I see something that looks like home, I'll know for sure."
"I have a feeling this information about finding home is important to me…"
Li Fan frowned at this.
Just as he was about to speak, Dianyi suddenly said, "Don't be so naive. How could you fall for just his empty promises after all these years?"
"He did show me some images of my hometown, but I can't show them to you."
Dianyi gestured vaguely.
Nodding, Li Fan said, "I've heard that the Heavenly Oddity in Xuan Huang Heaven is either a world's law or an immortal weapon. Could your home be in the Immortal Realm?"
Dianyi looked disappointed. "Who knows? But I don't want to come from some Immortal Realm. Otherwise, I'd have no hope of going back."
"Right, how do you say you can help me?" Dianyi asked.
"I need to know more about your home before making a conclusion," Li Fan replied.
Dianyi was surprised. "I thought you would promise and trick me right away."
"It seems like you're not as bad after all." Dianyi re-examined Li Fan.
Li Fan smiled sarcastically, "But give me some time to show you all the possible scenarios one by one."
"Really?" Dianyi was still skeptical.
"What about your fifty-year plan? Can you tell me now?" Li Fan asked instead of answering directly.
After considering for a moment, Dianyi said softly, "It's not much. Just get some rest and grow up."
"When I'm bigger, stronger, it will be easier to handle these tasks."
"Ten years' worth of work should take less than a year," she added with hope in her eyes.
Li Fan's eyes narrowed. "Just fifty years? No other conditions?"
"What do you mean by just fifty years? Don't make this sound so easy." Dianyi was dissatisfied.
She nodded, admitting, "That's right. I would have grown up if I had more time to rest."
"Derivation is like cultivation for me," she said firmly. "After all these years of practice, no progress at all—wouldn't that make me a fool?"
Dianyi argued confidently.
Li Fan remained silent but understood what Dianyi meant by growth. It was akin to the final separation and breakthrough, reaching the peak of human potential. And if her origin was an immortal weapon from the higher realms, restoring its former glory might be possible.
(End of Chapter)