xiān zhōu zhòng zhǎng lǎo ， yuǎn bù xiàng tā men kàn shàng qù de zhè bān nián qīng 。 shù qiān nián lǐ ， tā men yī cì yòu yī cì de tōng guò gǔ zì jué ， fǎn sù zì shēn 。
仙舟众长老，远不像他们看上去的这般年轻。数千年里，他们一次又一次的通过古字诀，反溯自身。
The Inner Council members of the Starship were gathered in a small courtyard, their expressions solemn.
fǎn lǎo huán tóng ， wéi chí qīng chūn 。 dàn huí sù bìng bù néng gēn yǒng shēng huà děng hào 。 cāng lǎo ， réng rán zài tā men shēn shàng qiǎo rán jī lěi 。
返老还童，维持青春。但回溯并不能跟永生划等号。苍老，仍然在他们身上悄然积累。
"Only about ten years left," Li Fan said softly.
xiàn rú jīn ， lù yǔ zhī děng rén zāo shòu yīn shàng rén sǐ qì xí jī ， guò wǎng suì yuè jiān lěi jī de zhè xiē shuāi lǎo ， yě suí zhī yī tóng jù liè bào fā chū lái 。
现如今，陆宇之等人遭受殷上人死气袭击，过往岁月间累积的这些衰老，也随之一同剧烈爆发出来。
"A single trip cut my lifespan by half!" Lu Yu sighed bitterly. "My situation is similar to yours. I'm not even fifty..." The faces of Nan Ganglie and Xu Gongding were equally grim.
suǒ zào chéng de hòu guǒ zé shì ， zhè sǐ zì jué de xiào guǒ ， yuǎn bǐ xiǎng xiàng zhōng de hái yào hǎo 。 xiān zhōu sān rén mǎn tóu huá fà ， qǐng kè jiān bèi shuāng rǎn 。
所造成的后果则是，这死字诀的效果，远比想象中的还要好。仙舟三人满头华发，顷刻间被霜染。
The Inner Council would certainly conduct a thorough investigation into this incident, so they recounted their experiences in detail.
yī dào dào shēn suì de zhòu wén ， xùn sù zhàn lǐng le miàn páng 。 míng wèi fǔ xiǔ de qì xī ， zài tā men tǐ nèi yǒng xiàn 。
一道道深邃的皱纹，迅速占领了面庞。名为腐朽的气息，在他们体内涌现。
Zhen Dao Sheng comforted them, trying various methods to extend their lifespans but with little success.
“ gǔ ！” xǐng wù guò lái de lù yǔ zhī qiáng xíng zhèn dìng xià lái ， yòng lüè wēi chàn dǒu de shǒu ， xùn sù zài xū kōng zhōng shū jiù le yí gè gǔ zì fú 。
“古！”醒悟过来的陆宇之强行镇定下来，用略微颤抖的手，迅速在虚空中书就了一个古字符。
"Ugh!" The courtyard fell silent for a moment before Nan Ganglie suddenly slammed his hand on the stone table. "We suffered a great calamity and even lost four of those gray chess pieces..."
mù biāo bú shì wèi zhī zhī dí ， ér shì tā men zì jǐ ！
目标不是未知之敌，而是他们自己！
"It's an incredible humiliation! Zhen Dao Sheng should have led everyone to seek justice, at the very least to find out who the culprit is."
“ gǔ ” de lì liàng lǒng zhào xià ， ròu shēn jí sù de shuāi lǎo ， cái dé dào le yí dìng de huǎn jiě 。 dàn zhì biāo bù zhì běn 。
“古”的力量笼罩下，肉身急速的衰老，才得到了一定的缓解。但治标不治本。
But now, after so long, he hasn't done anything. When asked about it, his excuse was that they need more time for consideration... I swear, I think he's afraid of us!" Nan Ganglie vented his frustration.
yǎn qián sàn fà chū huí sù zhī lì de ， bìng fēi shì nà zhēn xiān zhuàn zì zhēn jì 。 bù guò shì zhuō liè de fǎng zào bà le 。
眼前散发出回溯之力的，并非是那真仙篆字真迹。不过是拙劣的仿造罢了。
Lu Yu frowned. "However, Zhen Elder's words weren't entirely wrong. That storm of death energy was indeed too mysterious and terrifying. Even after regaining my senses these few days, I still couldn't find a way to directly counter it. For the time being, we can't allow Starship to suffer another such blow."
huí sù guò wǎng zhuàng tài de fú dù ， yuǎn bǐ bù shàng zì shēn lǎo qù de sù dù 。 ér zhōu zāo sì nüè de sǐ qì fēng bào hái yǒu yù yǎn yù liè zhī shì ， zài zhè me xià qù ， kǒng pà zài chǎng sì rén dōu yào hěn kuài huà zuò sēn sēn bái gǔ ！
回溯过往状态的幅度，远比不上自身老去的速度。而周遭肆虐的死气风暴还有愈演愈烈之势，再这么下去，恐怕在场四人都要很快化作森森白骨！
Li Fan nodded in agreement: "Although unwilling, this is the truth. The appearance of death energy was too sudden and clearly targeted those gray chess pieces in our possession."
zài sǐ qì fēng bào hé gǔ zhī zhuàn zì shuāng chóng lì liàng de yǐng xiǎng xià ， lǐ fán gēn xū gōng dìng yě shū rán zhuǎn xǐng 。
在死气风暴和古之篆字双重力量的影响下，李凡跟胥公定也倏然转醒。
"Remember, there's still one on board the Starship. The unknown enemy might strike at any time..." Li Fan's words left everyone silent.
shén qíng jīng bù ， bù zhī suǒ cuò 。
神情惊怖，不知所措。
The Starship always prioritized the greater good over personal grudges. They could distinguish which mattered more to the overall interests of the Starship.
“ kuài zǒu ！” lù yǔ zhī kǔ kǔ zhī chēng ， duì zhe lǐ fán hǒu dào 。 lǐ fán běn jiù hēi bái xiāng jiàn de cháng fà ， yǐ jīng chè dǐ biàn dé xuě bái yī piàn 。
“快走！”陆宇之苦苦支撑，对着李凡吼道。李凡本就黑白相间的长发，已经彻底变得雪白一片。
"The enemy is coming in force!" Lu Yu sighed deeply, his eyes filled with worry. In response, a joint meeting was soon convened for all Inner Council members to discuss对策应对未知强敌。
bù guò tā kàn zhe fēng yìn yuán qiú xiāo shī de fāng xiàng ， yǒu xiē zhēng zhá ：“ kě nà huī sè qí zi ……”
不过他看着封印圆球消失的方向，有些挣扎：“可那灰色棋子……”
Li Fan, as an eyewitness to the incident, attended the meeting. Zhen Dao Sheng gave a summary: "The enemy must have targeted those gray chess pieces. The one we currently hold has lost some of its感应感知 ability, indicating that it was taken by them."
“ mìng méi le ， kě jiù shén me dōu méi le ！” lù yǔ zhī yǎn zhōng yě yǒu bù shě ， bù guò yī jiù sī hǒu dào 。
“命没了，可就什么都没了！”陆宇之眼中也有不舍，不过依旧嘶吼道。
"However, there are two uncertainties."
“ a a ！” fā xiè shì de cháng xiào shēng zhōng ， mù jiàn xū yǐng chū qiào ， zàn shí jiǎn qīng le sǐ qì de qīng xí 。
“啊啊！”发泄似的长啸声中，木剑虚影出鞘，暂时减轻了死气的倾袭。
"One is how they precisely located our position."
jiàn guāng shǎn dòng ， dài zhe sì rén cóng kě bù de màn tiān sǐ qì zhōng táo lí 。 sì rén de shēn yǐng xiāo shī zài tiān jì ， bǎi huā gēn yīn shàng rén cái màn màn xiǎn chū zhēn miàn mù 。
剑光闪动，带着四人从可怖的漫天死气中逃离。四人的身影消失在天际，百花跟殷上人才慢慢显出真面目。
"The other is what method they used to block the gray chess pieces'感应."
dǒu rán jiān kòng zhì bào fā rú cǐ dà guī mó de sǐ qì fēng bào ， duì chū xī shōu yīn yáng zhū de yīn shàng rén ér yán ， yě bìng bú shì jiàn róng yì de shì qíng 。
陡然间控制爆发如此大规模的死气风暴，对初吸收阴阳珠的殷上人而言，也并不是件容易的事情。
"As for the death energy storm..."
bù shòu kòng zhì shì de ， yī hēi yī bái de yǎn jīng zhōng ， xuán wō yuè zhuǎn yuè kuài 。 yīn shàng rén zhǐ dé bì yǎn píng fù 。
不受控制似的，一黑一白的眼睛中，漩涡越转越快。殷上人只得闭眼平复。
"After searching through Starship records, we found possible leads," Zhen Dao Sheng's words immediately caught everyone's attention.
ér bǎi huā ， zé shì àn zhào lǐ fán de dīng zhǔ ， dǎ chū yī dào dào jīn guāng 、 jiāng gāng gāng qiǎng lái de yuán qiú fēng yìn qǐ lái 。
而百花，则是按照李凡的叮嘱，打出一道道金光、将刚刚抢来的圆球封印起来。
Seeing Dao Sheng cough lightly and explain: "Death energy and life energy are opposing yet interdependent. In the darkest star sea after a great collapse, it would be theoretically impossible to have such vast amounts of death energy."
“ yě bù zhī ， gāng gāng gēn shèng shī tóng háng de nà sān rén jiū jìng shì shuí ？”
“也不知，刚刚跟圣师同行的那三人究竟是谁？”
"So, we speculate that this death energy comes from some cultivation world."
“ tā men dǎ chū de nà xiē zì fú ， sì hū gēn xīng hǎi zhōng cán cún de zhēn xiān zhī lì rú chū yī zhé ……”
“他们打出的那些字符，似乎跟星海中残存的真仙之力如出一辙……”
"Being able to use death energy as an offensive weapon, the amount of death energy they control must be unimaginable," Zhen Dao Sheng said with a heavy tone.
“ bù guò huà shuō chū lái ， shèng shī de yǎn jì dàng zhēn bù cuò 。 rú guǒ bú shì tā zhǔ dòng chuán yīn ràng wǒ men pèi hé ， jī hū lián wǒ dōu yào bèi qí piàn guò le 。” bǎi huā shén qíng wēi miào ， shǒu zhōng fēng yìn fǎ zhèn bù tíng 。
“不过话说出来，圣师的演技当真不错。如果不是他主动传音让我们配合，几乎连我都要被其骗过了。”百花神情微妙，手中封印法阵不停。
The Inner Council members quickly raised their doubts.
cǐ fēng yìn zhèn fǎ jí wéi jīng miào ， bù guò yǒu lǐ fán de zhǐ diǎn ， bǎi huā miǎn qiǎng yě néng wán chéng bù zhì 。…… cán jiè cháng chéng zhī wài 。
此封印阵法极为精妙，不过有李凡的指点，百花勉强也能完成布置。……残界长城之外。
"How could they gather so much death energy in such a short time? The star sea has been destroyed for ages."
táo chū shēng tiān de xiān zhōu yī xíng rén ， hái shì yī liǎn de jīng hún wèi dìng 。 zòng shǐ táo lí le sǐ qì fēng bào de fàn wéi ， dàn tā men tǐ nèi réng rán yǒu shǎo xǔ de sǐ qì cán cún 。
逃出生天的仙舟一行人，还是一脸的惊魂未定。纵使逃离了死气风暴的范围，但他们体内仍然有少许的死气残存。
"Completely illogical!" Zhen Dao Sheng sighed: "This is the key issue. These death energies might have been accumulated since ancient times, before the star sea was destroyed."
zài shí kè bù tíng dì xuē jiǎn tā men de shòu yuán 。
在时刻不停地削减他们的寿元。
"The enemy may be an ancient civilization like us."
“ xiān huí xiān zhōu 。” lù yǔ zhī cǐ kè yǐ jīng biàn dé shuāi bài zhì jí ， rú tóng qī bā shí suì de rén jiān lǎo sǒu ， sì hū kuài yào dá dào le shēng mìng de jìn tóu 。
“先回仙舟。”陆宇之此刻已经变得衰败至极，如同七八十岁的人间老叟，似乎快要达到了生命的尽头。
"They can predictively avoid attacks from True Sage inscriptions and know about gray chess pieces, catching us off guard. They never showed themselves..."
jiù lián zhè duǎn duǎn sì gè zì ， dōu shì tā hào jìn le lì qì cái néng shuō chū 。 qí tā jǐ rén de biǎo xiàn yě hǎo bú dào nǎ lǐ qù 。
就连这短短四个字，都是他耗尽了力气才能说出。其他几人的表现也好不到哪里去。
"From their actions, this unknown civilization is no weaker than our Starship." Zhen Dao Sheng's words led to a momentary silence.
yóu qí shì lǐ fán ， zhǐ néng wēi wēi yáo tóu ， biǎo shì zì jǐ yǐ jīng xū ruò dào jí diǎn 、 zài méi jīng lì shǐ chū dùn shù shén tōng le 。
尤其是李凡，只能微微摇头，表示自己已经虚弱到极点、再没精力使出遁术神通了。
All the Inner Council members frowned deeply in thought. Li Fan broke the silence: "I didn't expect that such a seemingly lifeless star sea could have other brilliant civilizations besides Starship and Great启."
sì rén zhōng wéi yǒu nán gōng liè zhuàng tài xiāng duì ér yán hǎo yī xiē 。 tā bāng xié zhe zhòng rén ， yī biān cháo zhe xiān zhōu fēi dùn 、 yī biān shì fàng qiú jiù xìn hào 。
四人中唯有南宫烈状态相对而言好一些。他帮携着众人，一边朝着仙舟飞遁、一边释放求救信号。
The Inner Council members' eyes all turned to Li Fan.
yī zhǎn chá shí jiān guò hòu ， zhōng dào gōng dài zhe qī míng xiān zhōu zhǎng lǎo cōng cōng gǎn dào 。 wèi le fáng zhǐ shì diào hǔ lí shān de jì cè ， jí biàn shì guān sì míng zhǎng lǎo de shēng sǐ ān wēi 、 tā men yě méi yǒu qīng cháo chū dòng 。
一盏茶时间过后，钟道恭带着七名仙舟长老匆匆赶到。为了防止是调虎离山的计策，即便事关四名长老的生死安危、他们也没有倾巢出动。
Seeing Dao Sheng's narrowed eyes, he asked: "Friend Dao, is it possible that your homeland, Great启, is the unknown enemy who attacked you?"
qián lái zhī yuán de zhōng dào gōng tā men kàn zhe yǎn yǎn yī xī 、 bèi fǔ xiǔ shuāi bài qì xī lǒng zhào de sì rén ， shén qíng yán sù 。
前来支援的钟道恭他们看着奄奄一息、被腐朽衰败气息笼罩的四人，神情严肃。
This was a question on everyone's minds. Zhen Dao Sheng asked this, and everyone stared at Li Fan eagerly for his answer.
bù guò yě zhī dào jiù mìng yào jǐn ， méi yǒu lì kè zhuī wèn shì qíng yuán yóu ， ér shì xiān jiāng sì rén dài huí jiù zhì 。
不过也知道救命要紧，没有立刻追问事情缘由，而是先将四人带回救治。
"Great启?" Li Fan was surprised by this question.
tōng guò 【 gǔ 】 zì fú zhēn jì ， yǐ jí zhū duō yán shòu fǎ bǎo de nǔ lì ， zhōng yú shǐ de jǐ rén zàn shí bǎi tuō le wēi jī 。
通过【古】字符真迹，以及诸多延寿法宝的努力，终于使得几人暂时摆脱了危机。
"How could... " He initially denied it instinctively. But soon, he seemed to realize something, frowned deeply, fell silent, and then spoke again softly: "Firstly, I can confirm that there are no monitoring methods from Great启 on me. I'm definitely not an internal spy."
sān rì hòu 。 lǐ fán lì yú xiǎo yuàn ， shén qíng yǒu xiē huǎng hū 。
三日后。李凡立于小院，神情有些恍惚。
"I don't have any evidence, but you've known me for so long; you must understand my character," Li Fan paused, proudly saying: "If I were a spy from Great启 targeting those gray chess pieces, with my unparalleled flight techniques in the star sea, I could have stolen them and left without all this trouble."
“ zhǐ shèng xià dà yuē shí nián shòu mìng le 。”
“只剩下大约十年寿命了。”
The meeting became even more silent. No one refuted him, and most accepted his explanation. However, several still looked at Li Fan suspiciously.
“ chū qù yī tàng ， jiù zhé sǔn le yí bàn ！” lù yǔ zhī wén yán ， kǔ xiào yī shēng ：“ wǒ de qíng kuàng ， yě gēn nǐ chà bu duō 。 bú dào bàn bǎi zhī shù ……” nán gōng liè gēn xū gōng dìng de liǎn sè ， tóng yàng yě shì nán kàn zhì jí 。
“出去一趟，就折损了一半！”陆宇之闻言，苦笑一声：“我的情况，也跟你差不多。不到半百之数……”南宫烈跟胥公定的脸色，同样也是难看至极。
Li Fan continued defending himself: "Moreover, when we were attacked, we were planning to continue searching deeper into the ruined boundary wall. If I was an internal spy, why not wait until I found more before notifying them to strike? Why return to Starship after completing the task?"
chū le zhè me dà de shì ， zhǎng lǎo huì kěn dìng yào zǐ xì diào chá de 。 tā men jiāng zì shēn zāo yù rú shí jiǎng shù 。
出了这么大的事，长老会肯定要仔细调查的。他们将自身遭遇如实讲述。
"If they hadn't had my flight techniques, those three Inner Council members might have perished long ago. Wouldn't it be better if they vanished without a trace? Why go through all this trouble?" Li Fan's words seemed to generate anger in him.
zhōng dào gōng hǎo shēng ān wèi le tā men yī fān ， bìng lì tú yòng gè zhǒng fāng fǎ wèi tā men yán shòu 。 dàn dōu shōu xiào shèn wēi 。
钟道恭好生安慰了他们一番，并力图用各种方法为他们延寿。但都收效甚微。
He snorted: "If I wanted to leave, who could stop me?"
“ hēng ！” xiǎo yuàn zhōng ān jìng le shǎo xǔ ， hū de nán gōng liè měng dì yī pāi yuàn zhōng shí zhuō ：“ zán men zāo shòu dà jié ， shùn dài lián sì méi huī sè qí zi dōu bèi qiǎng duó ……”
“哼！”小院中安静了少许，忽的南宫烈猛地一拍院中石桌：“咱们遭受大劫，顺带连四枚灰色棋子都被抢夺……”
No one from the Starship Inner Council dared to refute him. After all, that wooden sword phantom ignored almost all restrictions and was indeed unbelievable.
“ jiǎn zhí shì qí chǐ dà rǔ ！ tā zhōng dào gōng lǐ yīng lì kè lǜ zhòng qián qù ， bù shuō tǎo huí gōng dào 。 zuì qǐ mǎ jiāng xiōng shǒu de jù tǐ qíng kuàng dǎ tīng qīng chǔ 。”
“简直是奇耻大辱！他钟道恭理应立刻率众前去，不说讨回公道。最起码将凶手的具体情况打听清楚。”
Zhen Dao Sheng quickly stepped in to calm the situation. He chuckled and soothed: "Friend Dao doesn't need to be so agitated. We absolutely believe you, but we know little about Great启 behind you, naturally leading to suspicion."
“ xiàn zài kě hǎo ， dōu guò zhè me jiǔ le ， tā lèng shì yì diǎn dòng jìng dōu méi yǒu 。 yī wèn qǐ lái ， shuō de dǎo shì hǎo tīng 。 shén me xū cóng cháng jì yì …… wǒ pēi ！ wǒ kàn jiù shì tā men kàn dào wǒ men jǐ rén dà xiàn jiāng zhì de xià chǎng hòu ， pà le ！” nán gōng liè fā xiè zhe zì jǐ xīn zhōng de bù mǎn 。
“现在可好，都过这么久了，他愣是一点动静都没有。一问起来，说的倒是好听。什么需从长计议……我呸！我看就是他们看到我们几人大限将至的下场后，怕了！”南宫烈发泄着自己心中的不满。
Li Fan's anger subsided slightly. After a moment of thought, he replied cautiously: "Great启 has many factions. I only familiarize myself with my master's lineage..."
lù yǔ zhī zhòu le zhòu méi tou ：“ bù guò zhōng zhǎng lǎo shuō de dào yě méi cuò 。 nà sǐ qì fēng bào ， dí què tài guò guǐ jué 、 kě bù 。 nǎ pà wǒ zhè jǐ tiān huí guò shén lái bù duàn sī suǒ ， yě méi yǒu zhǎo dào néng gòu zhèng miàn yǔ zhī duì kàng de fāng fǎ 。 wǒ men sì rén zāo shòu zhòng chuāng ， xiān zhōu duǎn shí jiān nèi ， kě bù néng zài shòu dào tóng děng de dǎ jī le 。” lǐ fán yě diǎn tóu zàn tóng ：“ suī rán wú nài ， bù guò dí què shì zhè ge dào lǐ 。 zhè sǐ qì chū xiàn de tài guò tū rán ， míng xiǎn jiù shì chōng zhe wǒ men shǒu zhōng de huī sè qí zi ér lái 。”
陆宇之皱了皱眉头：“不过钟长老说的倒也没错。那死气风暴，的确太过诡谲、可怖。哪怕我这几天回过神来不断思索，也没有找到能够正面与之对抗的方法。我们四人遭受重创，仙舟短时间内，可不能再受到同等的打击了。”李凡也点头赞同：“虽然无奈，不过的确是这个道理。这死气出现的太过突然，明显就是冲着我们手中的灰色棋子而来。”
"But there is no record in Great启 of anyone having such vast amounts of death energy."
“ bié wàng le ， xiàn zài xiān zhōu zhōng hái yǒu yī méi 。 shuō bù dìng ， nà wèi zhī de dí rén huì suí shí dǎ shàng mén ……” lǐ fán de yī xí huà ， ràng zài chǎng jǐ rén shùn jiān chén mò le 。
“别忘了，现在仙舟中还有一枚。说不定，那未知的敌人会随时打上门……”李凡的一席话，让在场几人瞬间沉默了。
"Moreover, this face of mine is somewhat famous in Great启. If they were from Great启, they would never dare to attack me! Otherwise, even if I died, my master wouldn't spare them!" Li Fan was very certain.
xiān zhōu ， xiàng lái shì yǐ dà jú wèi zhòng 。 yī shí ēn chóu ， gēn xiān zhōu zhěng tǐ lì yì shú qīng shú zhòng ， tā men hái shì néng gòu fēn biàn de 。
仙舟，向来是以大局为重。一时恩仇，跟仙舟整体利益孰轻孰重，他们还是能够分辨的。
Zhen Dao Sheng nodded slightly and stopped questioning for now.
“ dí fāng lái shì xiōng xiōng a ！” lù yǔ zhī cháng tàn le yī shēng ， yǎn zhōng mǎn shì dān yōu 。 wèi le yìng duì zhè wèi zhī dà dí ， bù jiǔ hòu xiān zhōu zhào kāi le quán tǐ zhǎng lǎo lián hé huì yì 。
“敌方来势汹汹啊！”陆宇之长叹了一声，眼中满是担忧。为了应对这未知大敌，不久后仙舟召开了全体长老联合会议。
"I have some conjectures about this incident and want to share with everyone."
lǐ fán zuò wéi shì jiàn de qīn lì zhě ， yě chū xí le 。 zhōng dào gōng shǒu xiān zuò le zǒng jié xìng fā yán ：“ duì fāng ， dìng rán shì chōng zhe nà huī sè qí zi ér lái 。 xiàn zài ， wǒ men shǒu shàng de nà méi huī sè qí zi ， yǐ jīng shī qù le yī xiē duì qí tā qí zi de gǎn yìng 。 yīng gāi jiù shì bèi duì fāng lǔ zǒu de nà sì méi 。”
李凡作为事件的亲历者，也出席了。钟道恭首先做了总结性发言：“对方，定然是冲着那灰色棋子而来。现在，我们手上的那枚灰色棋子，已经失去了一些对其他棋子的感应。应该就是被对方掳走的那四枚。”
"The gray chess pieces have always been safe in the Starship's secret storage for years. Now they suddenly suffer an attack..."
“ bù guò ， yí diǎn yǒu èr 。”
“不过，疑点有二。”
"After eliminating the possibility of intentional leaks, perhaps too many chess pieces gathered at once drew their attention," Zhen Dao Sheng said loudly: "This unknown civilization might have been searching for gray chess piece traces over the years but couldn't find them due to lack of such pieces."
“ qí yī ， tā men shì rú hé qīng chǔ de suǒ dìng lù yǔ zhī zhǎng lǎo yī xíng wèi zhì de 。”
“其一，他们是如何清楚的锁定陆宇之长老一行位置的。”
"However, as we collected more, the number's aggregation led them to discover clues. Therefore, they were attacked and exposed..." The Inner Council members all fell silent at this.
“ qí èr ， tā men yòu shì yòng shén me fāng fǎ ， píng bì wǒ men huī sè qí zi gǎn yìng de 。”
“其二，他们又是用什么方法，屏蔽我们灰色棋子感应的。”
It sounded strange but was currently the most reasonable explanation.
“ zhì yú nà yòng lái xí jī de sǐ qì fēng bào ……”
“至于那用来袭击的死气风暴……”
"If my guess is true, then what we need to worry about now is the unknown civilization attacking Starship," Zhen Dao Sheng's tone changed suddenly.
“ jīng guò chá zhǎo xiān zhōu jì lù ， wǒ men yǐ jīng zhǎo dào le yī xiē kě néng 。” zhōng dào gōng de huà ， dùn shí xī yǐn le zhòng rén de zhù yì 。
“经过查找仙舟记录，我们已经找到了一些可能。”钟道恭的话，顿时吸引了众人的注意。
"The gray chess pieces can sense each other. That one turned into the Starship's outer armor could provide continuous positioning information..."
jiàn dào shēng qīng ké le yī shēng ， kāi kǒu jiě shì ：“ sǐ qì yǔ shēng jī ， duì lì yī cún 。 jīng lì dà pò miè ， jué dà shù qū yù xiàn rù chén jì de zhì àn xīng hǎi nèi ， cóng lǐ lùn shàng lái jiǎng 、 shì bù kě néng huì cún zài rú cǐ páng dà de sǐ qì de 。”
见道升轻咳了一声，开口解释：“死气与生机，对立依存。经历大破灭，绝大数区域陷入沉寂的至暗星海内，从理论上来讲、是不可能会存在如此庞大的死气的。”
"This is unacceptable for us." The Inner Council members' expressions changed.
“ suǒ yǐ wǒ men tuī cè ， zhè sǐ qì de lái yuán ， yīng dāng shì mǒu chù xiū xiān shì jiè 。”
“所以我们推测，这死气的来源，应当是某处修仙世界。”
"Immediate action is needed."
“ ér néng jiāng sǐ qì xiāo hào xìng dí dàng zuò jìn gōng de wǔ qì ， tā men shǒu zhōng suǒ zhǎng wò de sǐ qì shù liàng …… jué duì nán yǐ xiǎng xiàng 。” jiàn dào shēng de yǔ qì yǒu xiē chén zhòng 。
“而能将死气消耗性的当做进攻的武器，他们手中所掌握的死气数量……绝对难以想象。”见道升的语气有些沉重。
"We either detach the armor from the Starship or discard it."
xiān zhōu zhǎng lǎo wén yán ， hěn kuài jiù fēn fēn tí chū le xīn zhōng de yí huò 。
仙舟长老闻言，很快就纷纷提出了心中的疑惑。
"Or, find a way to block the gray chess pieces'感应," Zhen Dao Sheng summarized. The Inner Council members exchanged glances and fell into debate.
The Inner Council members of the Starship were gathered in a small courtyard, their expressions solemn.
"Only about ten years left," Li Fan said softly.
"A single trip cut my lifespan by half!" Lu Yu sighed bitterly. "My situation is similar to yours. I'm not even fifty..." The faces of Nan Ganglie and Xu Gongding were equally grim.
The Inner Council would certainly conduct a thorough investigation into this incident, so they recounted their experiences in detail.
Zhen Dao Sheng comforted them, trying various methods to extend their lifespans but with little success.
"Ugh!" The courtyard fell silent for a moment before Nan Ganglie suddenly slammed his hand on the stone table. "We suffered a great calamity and even lost four of those gray chess pieces..."
"It's an incredible humiliation! Zhen Dao Sheng should have led everyone to seek justice, at the very least to find out who the culprit is."
But now, after so long, he hasn't done anything. When asked about it, his excuse was that they need more time for consideration... I swear, I think he's afraid of us!" Nan Ganglie vented his frustration.
Lu Yu frowned. "However, Zhen Elder's words weren't entirely wrong. That storm of death energy was indeed too mysterious and terrifying. Even after regaining my senses these few days, I still couldn't find a way to directly counter it. For the time being, we can't allow Starship to suffer another such blow."
Li Fan nodded in agreement: "Although unwilling, this is the truth. The appearance of death energy was too sudden and clearly targeted those gray chess pieces in our possession."
"Remember, there's still one on board the Starship. The unknown enemy might strike at any time..." Li Fan's words left everyone silent.
The Starship always prioritized the greater good over personal grudges. They could distinguish which mattered more to the overall interests of the Starship.
"The enemy is coming in force!" Lu Yu sighed deeply, his eyes filled with worry. In response, a joint meeting was soon convened for all Inner Council members to discuss对策应对未知强敌。
Li Fan, as an eyewitness to the incident, attended the meeting. Zhen Dao Sheng gave a summary: "The enemy must have targeted those gray chess pieces. The one we currently hold has lost some of its感应感知 ability, indicating that it was taken by them."
"However, there are two uncertainties."
"One is how they precisely located our position."
"The other is what method they used to block the gray chess pieces'感应."
"As for the death energy storm..."
"After searching through Starship records, we found possible leads," Zhen Dao Sheng's words immediately caught everyone's attention.
Seeing Dao Sheng cough lightly and explain: "Death energy and life energy are opposing yet interdependent. In the darkest star sea after a great collapse, it would be theoretically impossible to have such vast amounts of death energy."
"So, we speculate that this death energy comes from some cultivation world."
"Being able to use death energy as an offensive weapon, the amount of death energy they control must be unimaginable," Zhen Dao Sheng said with a heavy tone.
The Inner Council members quickly raised their doubts.
"How could they gather so much death energy in such a short time? The star sea has been destroyed for ages."
"Completely illogical!" Zhen Dao Sheng sighed: "This is the key issue. These death energies might have been accumulated since ancient times, before the star sea was destroyed."
"The enemy may be an ancient civilization like us."
"They can predictively avoid attacks from True Sage inscriptions and know about gray chess pieces, catching us off guard. They never showed themselves..."
"From their actions, this unknown civilization is no weaker than our Starship." Zhen Dao Sheng's words led to a momentary silence.
All the Inner Council members frowned deeply in thought. Li Fan broke the silence: "I didn't expect that such a seemingly lifeless star sea could have other brilliant civilizations besides Starship and Great启."
The Inner Council members' eyes all turned to Li Fan.
Seeing Dao Sheng's narrowed eyes, he asked: "Friend Dao, is it possible that your homeland, Great启, is the unknown enemy who attacked you?"
This was a question on everyone's minds. Zhen Dao Sheng asked this, and everyone stared at Li Fan eagerly for his answer.
"Great启?" Li Fan was surprised by this question.
"How could... " He initially denied it instinctively. But soon, he seemed to realize something, frowned deeply, fell silent, and then spoke again softly: "Firstly, I can confirm that there are no monitoring methods from Great启 on me. I'm definitely not an internal spy."
"I don't have any evidence, but you've known me for so long; you must understand my character," Li Fan paused, proudly saying: "If I were a spy from Great启 targeting those gray chess pieces, with my unparalleled flight techniques in the star sea, I could have stolen them and left without all this trouble."
The meeting became even more silent. No one refuted him, and most accepted his explanation. However, several still looked at Li Fan suspiciously.
Li Fan continued defending himself: "Moreover, when we were attacked, we were planning to continue searching deeper into the ruined boundary wall. If I was an internal spy, why not wait until I found more before notifying them to strike? Why return to Starship after completing the task?"
"If they hadn't had my flight techniques, those three Inner Council members might have perished long ago. Wouldn't it be better if they vanished without a trace? Why go through all this trouble?" Li Fan's words seemed to generate anger in him.
He snorted: "If I wanted to leave, who could stop me?"
No one from the Starship Inner Council dared to refute him. After all, that wooden sword phantom ignored almost all restrictions and was indeed unbelievable.
Zhen Dao Sheng quickly stepped in to calm the situation. He chuckled and soothed: "Friend Dao doesn't need to be so agitated. We absolutely believe you, but we know little about Great启 behind you, naturally leading to suspicion."
Li Fan's anger subsided slightly. After a moment of thought, he replied cautiously: "Great启 has many factions. I only familiarize myself with my master's lineage..."
"But there is no record in Great启 of anyone having such vast amounts of death energy."
"Moreover, this face of mine is somewhat famous in Great启. If they were from Great启, they would never dare to attack me! Otherwise, even if I died, my master wouldn't spare them!" Li Fan was very certain.
Zhen Dao Sheng nodded slightly and stopped questioning for now.
"I have some conjectures about this incident and want to share with everyone."
"The gray chess pieces have always been safe in the Starship's secret storage for years. Now they suddenly suffer an attack..."
"After eliminating the possibility of intentional leaks, perhaps too many chess pieces gathered at once drew their attention," Zhen Dao Sheng said loudly: "This unknown civilization might have been searching for gray chess piece traces over the years but couldn't find them due to lack of such pieces."
"However, as we collected more, the number's aggregation led them to discover clues. Therefore, they were attacked and exposed..." The Inner Council members all fell silent at this.
It sounded strange but was currently the most reasonable explanation.
"If my guess is true, then what we need to worry about now is the unknown civilization attacking Starship," Zhen Dao Sheng's tone changed suddenly.
"The gray chess pieces can sense each other. That one turned into the Starship's outer armor could provide continuous positioning information..."
"This is unacceptable for us." The Inner Council members' expressions changed.
"Immediate action is needed."
"We either detach the armor from the Starship or discard it."
"Or, find a way to block the gray chess pieces'感应," Zhen Dao Sheng summarized. The Inner Council members exchanged glances and fell into debate.