第1364章 万古执念举

lǐ fán àn zì dǎ liàng zuǒ yòu 。

李凡暗自打量左右。

Li Fan carefully observed the endless underground river, gradually understanding. With renewed vigor, he wrote the character "显" in mid-air with great solemnity. The mysterious character instantly merged into the dark river like ink.

qīng míng zhū suì liè xiāo sàn zhī hòu ， hǎo sì yī kē wú xíng jù shí zhuì yú dì fèng wā dì 。

青冥珠碎裂消散之后，好似一颗无形巨石坠于地缝洼地。

The ripples began to resonate irregularly, as if another unrelated wave had appeared.

lián mián bù jìn 、 wǎn ruò mí gōng de xīng hǎi wā dì àn hé ， dàng yàng chū sī sī bō wén 。

连绵不尽、宛若迷宫的星海洼地暗河，荡漾出丝丝波纹。

Following the direction of this disturbance, Li Fan and Mo Rujin hurried forward.

mò míng qì xī yú qí zhōng yǒng dòng ， gěi cǐ chù zài tiān mò míng de shēng jī 。

莫名气息于其中涌动，给此处再添莫名的生机。

After more than thirty days of continuous exploration, they finally arrived at their destination.

sì hū qīng míng zhū chè dǐ de xiāo sàn ， jī huó le shén me 。

似乎青冥珠彻底的消散，激活了什么。

"Be careful, there seems to be a living being's aura ahead!" Mo Rujin suddenly warned through mental communication.

lǐ fán yǐn yǐn chá jué dào ， zhè lǐ dì fèng wā dì ， sì hū biàn dé yǒu xiē bù yí yàng le 。

李凡隐隐察觉到，这里地缝洼地，似乎变得有些不一样了。

Li Fan had already conjured an illusory wooden sword around him as he slowly approached. At the end of the dark river, a figure was sitting alone, his face wearing a fang mask!

「 kàn lái wàn nián lái ， qīng míng zhū jiù bù duàn cháo wài jiè shì fàng zì jǐ néng liàng 。 běn jiù kuài dá dào jí xiàn ， jí jiāng bèi chè dǐ chōu gàn 。」

「看来万年来，青冥珠就不断朝外界释放自己能量。本就快达到极限，即将被彻底抽干。」

"Xu Ke?" Seeing this familiar shape, Mo Rujin couldn't help shouting out loud.

「 wǒ men de kào jìn ， zhǐ bù guò shì lín mén yī jiǎo bà le 。」 lǐ fán tàn le kǒu qì 。

「我们的靠近，只不过是临门一脚罢了。」李凡叹了口气。

However, Li Fan hesitated for a moment before feeling a strange sensation. Xu Ke had lost both hands and feet long ago, but the figure in front of him was fully intact. Moreover...

mò rú bīn yě shì fā xiàn le zhè diǎn ， xiān qián yīn wèi jī dòng ér yòu biàn dé yǒu xiē shī tài de shén qíng ， zhú jiàn huǎn hé le xià lái 。

墨儒斌也是发现了这点，先前因为激动而又变得有些失态的神情，逐渐缓和了下来。

The clothes he wore were extremely familiar to Li Fan. They matched exactly with those of Xu Ke who had disappeared deep in the river.

tā huí wàng zhěng gè dì fèng wā dì ， yě shì huǎng hū jiān míng bái le cǐ chù cún zài de yì yì ： jī xù shēng jī 、 děng dài hé shì shí jī yī zhāo yǐn dòng 。 ér hòu yǐn dǎo xīng hǎi quán miàn fù sū ！

他回望整个地缝洼地，也是恍惚间明白了此处存在的意义：积蓄生机、等待合适时机一招引动。而后引导星海全面复苏！

"Is it Xu Ke?"

「 rú cǐ jīng miào de gōng chéng ， dìng rán bú huì shì xīng hǎi zì rán shēng chéng 。 gèng bù yòng tí hái yǒu qīng míng zhū zuò wéi shēng jī gōng yìng de yǐn zi ……」 mò rú bīn sī niàn jí zhuǎn 。

「如此精妙的工程，定然不会是星海自然生成。更不用提还有青冥珠作为生机供应的引子……」墨儒斌思念急转。

"Or is it Criminal Wu?"

「 nán bù chéng ， zhè lǐ shì xuān yuán dà gē de bù zhì ？ kě jiū jìng shì shén me shí hòu ？」

「难不成，这里是轩辕大哥的布置？可究竟是什么时候？」

"I wonder why his aura fluctuates so much..." Li Fan pondered, not wanting to act rashly.

「 qīng míng zhū zuò wéi xuān yuán dà gē zuì zhòng yào de bǎo bèi ， cóng lái bú huì lí shēn 。 jìng rán huì dāi zài zhè lǐ …… ér xuān yuán dà gē què xiāo shī zài nà mò míng de chí táng nèi 。」

「青冥珠作为轩辕大哥最重要的宝贝，从来不会离身。竟然会呆在这里……而轩辕大哥却消失在那莫名的池塘内。」

Mo Rujin, after a moment's shock, also noticed the differences between this figure and his old comrade. After careful observation, he concluded: "It seems like a strange fusion state? Could it be that Criminal Wu is reaching the end of his life span and using some method to continue existing?"

mò rú bīn de shén qíng ， yǒu xiē jīng yí bù dìng 。

墨儒斌的神情，有些惊疑不定。

However, Li Fan saw through this fusion; it was Xu Ke who was in the lead. It wasn't so much about the continuation of Criminal Wu as it was about the transmission.

「 cǐ shì wěi shí yǒu xiē gǔ guài 。」 lǐ fán hàn shǒu dào ，「 yào me ， shì dāng nián xuán tiān wáng zāo xí zhī rì 、 bìng méi yǒu zhí jiē shī zōng ， ér shì yīn zhòng shāng xiàn rù le chén shuì 。 zhí dào hòu lái sū xǐng ， cái yǒu le zhè dì fèng wā dì de bù zhì 。 huò xǔ xuán huáng jiè nà chù chí shuǐ ， jiù gēn zhè lǐ mǒu chù dì fèng xiāng lián 。」

「此事委实有些古怪。」李凡颔首道，「要么，是当年玄天王遭袭之日、并没有直接失踪，而是因重伤陷入了沉睡。直到后来苏醒，才有了这地缝洼地的布置。或许玄黄界那处池水，就跟这里某处地缝相连。」

"Truly a son of destiny, being struck by reverberating star power and still finding such an opportunity," Li Fan mused. "If Mo Rujin's guess is correct, Criminal Wu has been executing tasks for the Sky Emperor for thousands of years."

「 yào me ， jiù shì xuán tiān wáng zài yù xí zhī qián ， jiù yǐ jīng jiāng qīng míng zhū zhuǎn jiāo gěi le qí tā rén 。 zhè xiē nián ， yě yì zhí shì cǐ rén dài tì tā ， zhí xíng zhe gè zhǒng gēn fù sū xīng hǎi yǒu guān de jì huà ……」

「要么，就是玄天王在遇袭之前，就已经将青冥珠转交给了其他人。这些年，也一直是此人代替他，执行着各种跟复苏星海有关的计划……」

Xu Ke explained everything in detail.

「 jué bù kě néng ！」 lǐ fán huà hái méi shuō wán ， mò rú bīn jiù xià yì shí jiāng qí dǎ duàn 。

「绝不可能！」李凡话还没说完，墨儒斌就下意识将其打断。

Just as Li Fan had guessed, perhaps Criminal Wu initially intended to take over his body but ultimately chose to pass on his knowledge after realizing how similar Xu Ke was. The fusion became a transmission instead.

lǐ fán yì wèi shēn cháng de dīng zhuó mò rú bīn kàn le kàn ：「 mò xiōng ， kě fǒu gào zhī ， dāng nián shí èr fǎ wáng zhōng ， xuán tiān wáng zuì xìn rèn de shì nǎ yī wèi ？」

李凡意味深长的盯着墨儒斌看了看：「墨兄，可否告知，当年十二法王中，玄天王最信任的是哪一位？」

"Grandmaster's legacy is too vast; even if he allowed me to absorb it all at once, I would be unable to handle the pressure and fell into an unstable state..."

「 bù bì shuō shén me yī shì tóng rén zhī lèi de huà 。 qīn shū yǒu bié ， nǎi dà dào zhī lǐ ， jí biàn shì shèng rén yì nán yǐ bì miǎn 。」

「不必说什么一视同仁之类的话。亲疏有别，乃大道之理，即便是圣人亦难以避免。」

"Fortunately, with your help, this process has greatly accelerated," Xu Ke bowed in gratitude. Mo Rujin was still unaccustomed to hearing his old comrade's voice.

mò rú bīn lěng zhe liǎn ， yù yán yòu zhǐ 。

墨儒斌冷着脸，欲言又止。

Li Fan directly asked about Criminal Wu's connection to the star river underground.

ér hòu jìng rán zhí jiē jiāng yǎn jīng bì shàng ， yòng lái yǎn shì zì jǐ nèi xīn de bù píng jìng 。

而后竟然直接将眼睛闭上，用来掩饰自己内心的不平静。

"The legacy of Grandmaster Criminal seems to have intentionally hidden this aspect."

dàn zuì hòu ， mò rú bīn hái shì méi yǒu táo bì zhè ge wèn tí ：「 wǒ xiǎng ， rú guǒ xuān yuán dà gē zhēn yǒu zuì xìn rèn de rén 。 nà me yí dìng jiù shì xíng wú quē le 。」

但最后，墨儒斌还是没有逃避这个问题：「我想，如果轩辕大哥真有最信任的人。那么一定就是刑无缺了。」

"However, through some fragmented memories, I can infer its general outline," Xu Ke said. "The underground rivers spanning the entire star river were dug out by Grandmaster Criminal over these years using the power of the divine treasure, Qing Ming珠."

「 xíng wú quē ……」

「刑无缺……」

Xu Ke's words stunned Li Fan and Mo Rujin.

yǒu guān zhè wèi fǎ wáng de xìn xī ， shà shí chū xiàn zài lǐ fán nǎo hǎi zhōng 。

有关这位法王的信息，霎时出现在李凡脑海中。

"Grandmaster Criminal worked tirelessly for thousands of years without stopping. Even with his extraordinary cultivation, it was a heavy burden to move the divine treasure, Qing Ming珠," Xu Ke said sorrowfully. "He finally reached his limit and fell here in regret."

sì zhī quán quē ， wǔ guān bèi huǐ 。 yǒng yuǎn dài zhe yī fù qīng tóng liáo yá miàn jù ， jī hū cóng bù gēn páng rén jiāo liú 。

四肢全缺，五官被毁。永远带着一副青铜獠牙面具，几乎从不跟旁人交流。

Mo Rujin was deeply moved by this revelation.

「 xuán tiān jiào zhōng ， chú le xuān yuán dà gē zhī wài ， méi rén zhī dào xíng wú quē de zhēn zhèng shēn fèn 。 zhèng rú nǐ zhī qián jiǎng de ， qīn shū yǒu bié 。 wǒ men shí èr wèi fǎ wáng ， yě yīn wèi bǐ cǐ jiān de guān xì ， fēn chéng le yí gè gè xiǎo tuán tǐ 。」

「玄天教中，除了轩辕大哥之外，没人知道刑无缺的真正身份。正如你之前讲的，亲疏有别。我们十二位法王，也因为彼此间的关系，分成了一个个小团体。」

"Did he never complete the task assigned by Brother Xuan?" Mo Rujin asked, looking at the end of the underground river.

「 sūn xīng wàng yǔ sī kōng lǐn cháng xiāng zuò bàn ， shuō xiē bié rén tīng bù dǒng de huà ； gōng yě tiān zòng gēn tiān xíng kè měi měi xiāng tán shèng huān ， tuī bēi huàn zhǎn ； luò yì chén 、 niè dà niáng 、 jī yǔ zhēn ， sān niáng zǐ zǒng yǒu xiē shuō bù wán de qiāo qiāo huà ……」

「孙兴旺与司空凛常相作伴，说些别人听不懂的话；公冶天纵跟天行客每每相谈盛欢，推杯换盏；洛逸尘、聂大娘、姬予祯，三娘子总有些说不完的悄悄话……」

Xu Ke nodded: "This is what I will continue to do for the rest of my life. Since inheriting Grandmaster Criminal's legacy, it is only right that I help him finish his unfinished tasks."

「 ér wéi dú xíng wú quē ， yǒng yuǎn gēn qí tā fǎ wáng dōu bǎo chí zhe jù lí ， cóng bù zhǔ dòng gēn jiào nèi rèn hé rén jiāo liú 。 chū xiàn shí ， yě yǒng yuǎn gū líng líng yī rén 。 dàn měi cì jiāo dài de rèn wù ， tā dōu cóng bù chū chā cuò 、 dōu néng yǐ jí gāo de xiào lǜ wán chéng 。」 mò rú bīn miàn lù zhuī yì zhī sè 。

「而唯独刑无缺，永远跟其他法王都保持着距离，从不主动跟教内任何人交流。出现时，也永远孤零零一人。但每次交代的任务，他都从不出差错、都能以极高的效率完成。」墨儒斌面露追忆之色。

His tone was calm but resolute.

「 fǎng fú yī tái gē shě le zì jǐ qī qíng liù yù de jī qì ， bù zài wèi zì shēn ér huó 。」

「仿佛一台割舍了自己七情六欲的机器，不再为自身而活。」

Mo Rujin's expression changed as he looked at Xu Ke.

「 zhèng yīn wèi rú cǐ ， xuān yuán dà gē huò xǔ cái huì zuì xìn rèn tā 。」

「正因为如此，轩辕大哥或许才会最信任他。」

"Absurd..."

「 ér qiě ， dāng rì shì fā shí ， xíng wú quē sì hū dí què bù zài jiào nèi 。」 mò rú bīn zhòu méi dào 。

「而且，当日事发时，刑无缺似乎的确不在教内。」墨儒斌皱眉道。

"Even if we ignore the significance of this task, with the broken Qing Ming珠, how can you open new underground rivers now?"

lǐ fán wēi wēi diǎn tóu ：「 ruò dāng nián ， zhēn de shì zhè wèi xíng wú quē ná le qīng míng zhū de huà ， nà me zhè xiē nián lái 、 tā yīng gāi yì zhí zài wèi xuán tiān wáng de rèn wù ér bēn zǒu 。 bù zhī mò xiōng ， shì fǒu yǒu lián xì shàng zhè wèi xíng fǎ wáng de fāng fǎ ？」

李凡微微点头：「若当年，真的是这位刑无缺拿了青冥珠的话，那么这些年来、他应该一直在为玄天王的任务而奔走。不知墨兄，是否有联系上这位刑法王的方法？」

Xu Ke remained firm: "The meaning lies in completing Grandmaster Criminal's will."

mò rú bīn yáo tóu ：「 xíng wú quē cóng lái zhǐ gēn xuān yuán dà gē yǒu zhí jiē lián xì 。 bù guò ……」

墨儒斌摇头：「刑无缺从来只跟轩辕大哥有直接联系。不过……」

"As for the broken treasure..."

sì hū tū rán xiǎng dào le shén me ， mò rú bīn zài dù kàn xiàng zhī qián qīng míng zhū xiāo sàn de dì fāng 。

似乎突然想到了什么，墨儒斌再度看向之前青冥珠消散的地方。

A bright green light suddenly appeared on Xu Ke's mask, just like what Li Fan had seen on the original Qing Ming珠.

「 bù zhī dào ， néng bù néng zài yòng 【 xiǎn 】 zì jué ， duì qīng míng zhū shī zhǎn ？ dìng rán néng zài shùn téng mō guā ……」

「不知道，能不能再用【显】字诀，对青冥珠施展？定然能再顺腾摸瓜……」

"Grandmaster Criminal has turned this task of opening underground rivers into a natural instinct over thousands of years. Even without the treasure, I can do it!"

「 qīng míng zhū nǎi shì xiān qì ， kǒng pà zhēn xiān zhuàn zì duì qí wú yòng 。 kuàng qiě tā rú jīn yǐ jīng xiāo sàn le 。」 lǐ fán zhǐ le zhǐ zhōu wéi ， yī jiù dàng yàng bù zhǐ de bō wén shuō dào 。

「青冥珠乃是仙器，恐怕真仙篆字对其无用。况且它如今已经消散了。」李凡指了指周围，依旧荡漾不止的波纹说道。

"It is merely another repetition after so many years."

「 xiāo sàn 、 bìng bù yì wèi zhe xiāo shī 。 nǎ pà zài xuān yuán dà gē dé zì xiān jiè de zhū duō zhēn cáng zhī zhōng ， qīng míng zhū yě shì qí zhōng zuì wèi zhēn guì de yī lèi 。 yòu qǐ shì zhè bān róng yì chè dǐ xiāo shī de ？」

「消散、并不意味着消失。哪怕在轩辕大哥得自仙界的诸多珍藏之中，青冥珠也是其中最为珍贵的一类。又岂是这般容易彻底消失的？」

The green light illuminated the end of the dark river in front of them, witnessed by both Mo Rujin and Li Fan.

「 qīng míng zhū ， bìng fēi xiāo shī bú jiàn 、 ér shì yǐ lìng wài mǒu zhǒng tè shū de xíng shì ， huà zuò shēng jī 、 cún zài yú cǐ chù àn hé zhī nèi ……」

「青冥珠，并非消失不见、而是以另外某种特殊的形式，化作生机、存在于此处暗河之内……」

Sure enough, Xu Ke had opened up a new section of underground river!

mò rú bīn zhǎn dīng jié tiě de shuō dào ， yòu huī fù le xī rì xuán tiān jiào shí èr fǎ wáng de fēng cǎi ：「 nǐ jiù zhí jiē ， yǐ cǐ chù wú qióng shēng jī àn hé wèi duì xiàng shī zhǎn xiǎn zì jué jiù hǎo ！」

墨儒斌斩钉截铁的说道，又恢复了昔日玄天教十二法王的风采：「你就直接，以此处无穷生机暗河为对象施展显字诀就好！」

However, he only managed to advance less than three feet before the light suddenly stopped. Xu Ke then fell to the ground as if exhausted.

lǐ fán chóng xīn gǎn wù zhè wú biān dì fèng àn hé ， yǐn yǐn míng bái guò lái 。

李凡重新感悟这无边地缝暗河，隐隐明白过来。

"Can you finish this in your lifetime?" Li Fan coldly remarked.

dǎ qǐ jīng shén ， zài dù zhèng zhòng wú bǐ de ， líng kōng shū jiù le 【 xiǎn 】 zì 。 xuán ào wú bǐ de zì fú chéng xíng de shùn jiān ， jiù rú mò bān ， róng yú àn hé zhī zhōng 。

打起精神，再度郑重无比的，凌空书就了【显】字。玄奥无比的字符成型的瞬间，就如墨般，融于暗河之中。

"Progress is all that matters; there will be a day when it's completed," Xu Ke said with difficulty.

huí dàng zhe de bō wén ， guī lǜ de jié zòu hěn kuài bèi dǎ luàn 。

回荡着的波纹，规律的节奏很快被打乱。

"Just like Grandmaster Criminal said, the task assigned by Sky Emperor must have its significance."