“ nà kě zhēn shì tài yí hàn le 。” yǔ wén xīng yī liǎn wǎn xī de kàn zhe lǐ fán 。
“那可真是太遗憾了。”宇文星一脸惋惜的看着李凡。
"That's truly a pity," Yuwen Xing said with regret as he looked at Li Fan.
lǐ fán zhèng yù lí kāi ， què tū rán xiǎng dào le shén me 。
李凡正欲离开，却突然想到了什么。
Li Fan was about to leave when suddenly, an idea struck him. He asked, "Yuwen Daoist friend, do you know what cultivation realm Zhou is at? He guards this Tai'an Island."
chū shēng wèn dào ：“ yǔ wén dào yǒu ， bù zhī dào zhè tài ān dǎo zhèn shǒu ， shì shén me xiū wèi ？”
出声问道：“宇文道友，不知道这泰安岛镇守，是什么修为？”
Yuwen Xing was taken aback. He wondered why Li Fan would ask such a question. However, it wasn't a secret, so he replied, "Friend Zhou has reached the late Foundation Establishment stage. It's been just about two or thirty years since he broke through from early to mid-Foundation Establishment. I didn’t expect him to break through again so soon; it’s truly enviable!"
yǔ wén xīng lèng le xià ， bù zhī dào wèi shén me lǐ fán huì wèn zhè ge wèn tí 。
宇文星愣了下，不知道为什么李凡会问这个问题。
Yuwen Xing said with admiration.
bù guò zhè yě bú shì shén me mì mì ， dāng xià huí dá dào ：“ zhōu dào yǒu nǎi shì zhù jī zhōng qī xiū wèi 。 shuō qǐ lái ， tā cóng zhù jī qián qī tū pò dào zhù jī zhōng qī , yě hái mò guò qù duō jiǔ 。 yě jiù shì èr sān shí nián ba 。 méi xiǎng dào zhè me kuài jiù yòu yào tū pò le ， zhēn shì xiàn shā páng rén a ！”
不过这也不是什么秘密，当下回答道：“周道友乃是筑基中期修为。说起来，他从筑基前期突破到筑基中期, 也还没过去多久。也就是二三十年吧。没想到这么快就又要突破了，真是羡煞旁人啊！”
Li Fan nodded thoughtfully and replied, "Indeed."
yǔ wén xīng mǎn shì xiàn mù dì shuō dào 。
宇文星满是羡慕地说道。
"Zhou Qingang seems a bit suspicious..."
“ rú lái rú cǐ 。” lǐ fán ruò yǒu suǒ sī ， diǎn le diǎn tóu 。
“如来如此。”李凡若有所思，点了点头。
But Li Fan was planning to leave anyway, and this had nothing to do with him. He just noted it in his mind.
“ zhè zhōu qīng áng ， kàn lái yǒu diǎn yǒu wèn tí a ……”
“这周青昂，看来有点有问题啊……”
After bidding farewell to Yuwen Xing, Li Fan hurried along until he arrived at Night-Long Island. Su Xiaomei and the others were already gathered here.
bù guò fǎn zhèng tā yě dǎ suàn liū le ， zhè jiàn shì yě gēn tā méi shén me guān xì 。 zhǐ jì zài xīn shàng biàn shì 。
不过反正他也打算溜了，这件事也跟他没什么关系。只记在心上便是。
Six years later, everyone had changed dramatically. Su Changyu had successfully entered the Qi Condensation stage. He was cultivating with The Essence Collection Decree that Xiao Heng had exchanged for him. Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei hadn't been able to contact Li Fan in a while, so they joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance under Zhao Erbao's recommendation. They did tasks there and accumulated contributions.
lǐ fán gēn yǔ wén xīng gào cí zhī hòu ， yī lù jí xíng ， lái dào le yè lán dǎo 。
李凡跟宇文星告辞之后，一路疾行，来到了夜阑岛。
Both of them were now at the late Qi Condensation stage, preparing to enter Foundation Establishment. Meanwhile, Yin Yueting and her sister Yin Yuzhen had successfully rid themselves of the Immortal-Demon Mist but hadn't yet managed to gather qi into their bodies. Although both were at the Qi Condensation stage, Li Fan's concealment talisman would prevent Su Xiaomei from discovering his true cultivation level.
sū xiǎo mèi tā men quán yuán yǐ jīng jí jié wán bì le 。
苏小妹他们全员已经集结完毕了。
He asked Zhao Erbao, "How are the ancient relics for Dao Rhythm collected?"
liù nián guò qù ， zhòng rén fā shēng le tiān fān dì fù de biàn huà 。
六年过去，众人发生了天翻地覆的变化。
Zhao Erbao had been obedient in recent years and had suffered under Li Fan before. Seeing several children with high cultivation levels brought by Li Fan, he was terrified and dared not act recklessly. He truthfully replied, "We're still short but should be enough to recreate the Dao Rhythm within a year or two."
sū zhǎng yù yǐ jīng chéng gōng jìn rù liàn qì qī le 。
苏长玉已经成功进入炼气期了。
Li Fan shook his head and said, "It's too late now; let’s prepare to leave."
xiū xíng de què shì xiāo héng wèi tā duì huàn de 《 liǎn yù jué 》。
修行的却是萧恒为他兑换的《敛玉决》。
"Where are we going?" Zhao Erbao was confused.
xiāo héng hé sū xiǎo mèi jǐ nián jiān yì zhí lián xì bù shàng lǐ fán , jiù zài zhào èr bǎo de yǐn jiàn xià ， jiā rù le wàn xiān méng 。
萧恒和苏小妹几年间一直联系不上李凡, 就在赵二宝的引荐下，加入了万仙盟。
"We’re heading to Source Dao State," Li Fan replied without explaining why.
yì qǐ zuò xiē rèn wù ， jī zǎn gòng xiàn dù 。
一起做些任务，积攒贡献度。
Turning to Su Xiaomei and the others, he asked, "Do you want to come with me?"
liǎng rén rú jīn dōu yǐ jīng shì liàn qì hòu qī yuán mǎn ， zhèng zài wèi zhù jī zuò zhǔn bèi le 。
两人如今都已经是炼气后期圆满，正在为筑基做准备了。
"My master, wherever you go, I will follow," Su Xiaomei said happily, not asking for any explanation.
ér yīn yuè tíng hé yīn yǔ zhēn jiě mèi ， yě dōu chéng gōng qū zhàng 。
而殷玥婷和殷雨珍姐妹，也都成功祛瘴。
Although it had been so long, she still looked like a seven or eight-year-old child. She immediately showed her loyalty when Li Fan asked.
zhǐ shì hái wèi yǐn qì rù tǐ chéng gōng 。
只是还未引气入体成功。
"Of course we’ll follow Xiao Mei," Xiao Heng and Su Changyu agreed without hesitation.
suī rán dōu shì liàn qì yuán mǎn ， dàn lǐ fán shēn shàng cáng xíng fú jī fā ， yě bù pà bèi sū xiǎo mèi děng rén kàn chū zhēn shí xiū wèi 。
虽然都是炼气圆满，但李凡身上藏形符激发，也不怕被苏小妹等人看出真实修为。
Yin Yueting hesitated, clearly unwilling to leave the foundation of Tianbao Tower they had built over the years. Just as she was about to speak, Yin Yuzhen kicked her right leg hard. Turning to look at her sister, she said, "We’ll go with you."
tā duì zhào èr bǎo wèn dào ：“ dào yùn gǔ wù sōu jí de rú hé le ？”
他对赵二宝问道：“道韵古物搜集的如何了？”
Li Fan nodded and decided, "Let’s pack up and depart in seven days."
zhào èr bǎo zhè jǐ nián yì zhí dōu hěn lǎo shí ， yuán běn jiù zài lǐ fán shǒu xià chī jǐn le kǔ tóu 。
赵二宝这几年一直都很老实，原本就在李凡手下吃尽了苦头。
The reason for this long preparation was that transferring the ancient relics of Dao Rhythm was complicated; they couldn’t use spatial storage equipment but had to move each item individually. Fortunately, everyone worked together, and all the ancient relics were eventually moved onto the Taiyin Boat within the stipulated time.
hòu lái jiàn lǐ fán dài lái de jǐ gè xiǎo wá wá ， xiū wèi cèng cèng de wǎng shàng cuàn ， zhǐ jǐ nián jiù chāo guò le zì jǐ 。
后来见李凡带来的几个小娃娃，修为蹭蹭的往上窜，只几年就超过了自己。
Yin Yueting only took half of Tianbao Tower’s assets, leaving the rest for several elders who had been by her side through thick and thin.
xīn zhōng hài rán de tóng shí , gèng jiā bù gǎn zào cì le 。
心中骇然的同时, 更加不敢造次了。
They boarded the Taiyin Boat to leave. At this moment, a person from Tianbao Tower suddenly ran out, crying "Yin Manager" as he knelt on the ground and begged.
dāng xià lǎo shí jiāo dài dào ：“ hái chà yī xiē ， jiù néng zú gòu fù xiàn dào yùn le 。 yīng gāi zài huā gè yī liǎng nián shí jiān ， jiù chà bu duō le 。”
当下老实交代道：“还差一些，就能足够复现道韵了。应该再花个一两年时间，就差不多了。”
He was deeply attached to Yin Yueting and didn’t want her to leave. Li Fan looked over; it was familiar. He realized it was Sun Zhang, an elder from the previous life in Lustrous Isle. After some thought, Li Fan still invited him onto the Taiyin Boat. No one else from Tianbao Tower wanted to follow.
lǐ fán yáo le yáo tóu ：“ lái bù jí le 。 zhǔn bèi zǒu ba 。”
李凡摇了摇头：“来不及了。准备走吧。”
Li Fan then asked about a certain fat man named Ye Feipeng. From everyone’s answers, he learned that Ye Feipeng had been chosen by Wu Xingzou of the Ten Thousand Immortal Chamber when they last met years ago and was taken with him to an unknown destination in the Cloudy Sea.
“ zǒu ？ qù nǎ lǐ ？” zhào èr bǎo yǒu xiē máng rán 。
“走？去哪里？”赵二宝有些茫然。
Li Fan nodded but didn’t ask further. He then set up the Taiyin Boat and headed towards Source Dao State, a route he had already traveled before without any trouble.
“ yuán dào zhōu 。” lǐ fán huí dá dào ， què bù jiě shì wèi shén me 。
“源道州。”李凡回答道，却不解释为什么。
After more than a month of travel, they arrived at Zhuo Ling City. However, Li Fan hadn’t expected to bring so many ancient relics of Dao Rhythm. The courtyard he had prepared as a temporary base was too small; it couldn’t accommodate everything. So, he left the Taiyin Boat outside Zhuo Ling City and used an array to cover their tracks, commanding Su Xiaomei and the others to guard it.
lǐ fán jiē zhe kàn xiàng sū xiǎo mèi tā men 。
李凡接着看向苏小妹他们。
He then met with the city’s guardian and asked if there were suitable places for him to establish a cave dwelling nearby.
“ nǐ men kě yuàn gēn wǒ yì qǐ ？”
“你们可愿跟我一起？”
"Establishing a cave dwelling?"
“ shī fù nǐ qù nǎ lǐ , wǒ jiù qù nǎ lǐ 。” sū xiǎo mèi xiào xī xī dì shuō dào , yě bù wèn wèi shén me tū rán jiù yào lí kāi 。
“师父你去哪里, 我就去哪里。”苏小妹笑嘻嘻地说道, 也不问为什么突然就要离开。
The city’s guardian, Fei Nan, was at late Foundation Establishment. He was surprised by Li Fan's question because most Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance cultivators would settle in Source Dao Heavenly City or stay within the Heavenly Dao Mirror. Only scattered cultivators would venture to establish cave dwellings in the wilderness.
suī rán guò qù le zhè me jiǔ ， dàn tā bù zhī wèi shá , yī rán hái shì qī bā suì xiǎo hái de mú yàng 。
虽然过去了这么久，但她不知为啥, 依然还是七八岁小孩的模样。
However, some peculiar cultivators liked solitude. Fei Nan didn’t ask more and offered several locations after Li Fan generously provided a consultation fee of one hundred points of contribution.
cǐ kè jiàn dào lǐ fán fā wèn ， dāng jí biǎo le zhōng xīn 。
此刻见到李凡发问，当即表了忠心。
The first location was two thousand miles north of Zhuo Ling City, where there was a valley with natural barriers on both sides that protected it.
“ wǒ men zì rán gēn xiǎo mèi yì qǐ 。” xiāo héng hé sū zhǎng yù yě méi yǒu yì yì 。
“我们自然跟小妹一起。”萧恒和苏长玉也没有异议。
The second place was three thousand miles south, in the continuous mountain range called Dao Ling Mountain. Legend had it that before the Great Tribulation, this was the site of an ancient sect. There were many suitable peaks for establishing cave dwellings within the mountains, but there were frequent visits from cultivators exploring the ruins.
yīn yuè tíng què shì miàn lù nán sè , xiǎn rán shì shě bù dé zhè xiē nián ， dǎ pīn xià de tiān bǎo lóu jī yè 。
殷玥婷却是面露难色, 显然是舍不得这些年，打拼下的天宝楼基业。
The third location was more remote; five thousand miles west of Zhuo Ling City, near Stone Approach State, where there was a vast lake called Moonlight Lake. It covered several hundred square miles and had no valuable resources or ancient relics nearby with sparse qi concentration.
zhèng yóu yù jiān ， què bèi mèi mèi yīn yǔ zhēn hěn hěn tī le xià yòu tuǐ 。
正犹豫间，却被妹妹殷雨珍狠狠踢了下右腿。
...
huí tóu gēn mèi mèi duì shì le yī yǎn ， tā fāng cái shuō dào ：“ wǒ men yě yì qǐ 。”
回头跟妹妹对视了一眼，她方才说道：“我们也一起。”
After hearing this, Li Fan thanked Fei Nan and left. The third location seemed the most suitable for establishing a cave dwelling. However, he wasn’t in a hurry to decide; seeing was believing. He reunited with Su Xiaomei and others, set up the Taiyin Boat, and headed towards Moonlight Lake.
lǐ fán diǎn diǎn tóu ， zuì zhōng pāi bǎn ：“ shōu shí shōu shí ， qī rì zhī hòu chū fā 。”
李凡点点头，最终拍板：“收拾收拾，七日之后出发。”
As Li Fan’s group searched for their new base, a grand drama unfolded on Cloudy Sea at night. The sky was dark, and the stars were hidden. On Ten Thousand Immortal Island, everything was silent. Suddenly, without warning, a large sun appeared in the sky. The sunlight was intense, revealing all that had been hidden. It illuminated the Cloudy Sea as if it were daytime.
zhī suǒ yǐ yào zhǔn bèi zhè me jiǔ ， shí zài shì yīn wèi dào yùn gǔ wù de zhuǎn yí yǒu xiē má fán 。
之所以要准备这么久，实在是因为道韵古物的转移有些麻烦。
Beneath this sun, high above, a red transparent figure immediately revealed itself.
"That's truly a pity," Yuwen Xing said with regret as he looked at Li Fan.
Li Fan was about to leave when suddenly, an idea struck him. He asked, "Yuwen Daoist friend, do you know what cultivation realm Zhou is at? He guards this Tai'an Island."
Yuwen Xing was taken aback. He wondered why Li Fan would ask such a question. However, it wasn't a secret, so he replied, "Friend Zhou has reached the late Foundation Establishment stage. It's been just about two or thirty years since he broke through from early to mid-Foundation Establishment. I didn’t expect him to break through again so soon; it’s truly enviable!"
Yuwen Xing said with admiration.
Li Fan nodded thoughtfully and replied, "Indeed."
"Zhou Qingang seems a bit suspicious..."
But Li Fan was planning to leave anyway, and this had nothing to do with him. He just noted it in his mind.
After bidding farewell to Yuwen Xing, Li Fan hurried along until he arrived at Night-Long Island. Su Xiaomei and the others were already gathered here.
Six years later, everyone had changed dramatically. Su Changyu had successfully entered the Qi Condensation stage. He was cultivating with The Essence Collection Decree that Xiao Heng had exchanged for him. Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei hadn't been able to contact Li Fan in a while, so they joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance under Zhao Erbao's recommendation. They did tasks there and accumulated contributions.
Both of them were now at the late Qi Condensation stage, preparing to enter Foundation Establishment. Meanwhile, Yin Yueting and her sister Yin Yuzhen had successfully rid themselves of the Immortal-Demon Mist but hadn't yet managed to gather qi into their bodies. Although both were at the Qi Condensation stage, Li Fan's concealment talisman would prevent Su Xiaomei from discovering his true cultivation level.
He asked Zhao Erbao, "How are the ancient relics for Dao Rhythm collected?"
Zhao Erbao had been obedient in recent years and had suffered under Li Fan before. Seeing several children with high cultivation levels brought by Li Fan, he was terrified and dared not act recklessly. He truthfully replied, "We're still short but should be enough to recreate the Dao Rhythm within a year or two."
Li Fan shook his head and said, "It's too late now; let’s prepare to leave."
"Where are we going?" Zhao Erbao was confused.
"We’re heading to Source Dao State," Li Fan replied without explaining why.
Turning to Su Xiaomei and the others, he asked, "Do you want to come with me?"
"My master, wherever you go, I will follow," Su Xiaomei said happily, not asking for any explanation.
Although it had been so long, she still looked like a seven or eight-year-old child. She immediately showed her loyalty when Li Fan asked.
"Of course we’ll follow Xiao Mei," Xiao Heng and Su Changyu agreed without hesitation.
Yin Yueting hesitated, clearly unwilling to leave the foundation of Tianbao Tower they had built over the years. Just as she was about to speak, Yin Yuzhen kicked her right leg hard. Turning to look at her sister, she said, "We’ll go with you."
Li Fan nodded and decided, "Let’s pack up and depart in seven days."
The reason for this long preparation was that transferring the ancient relics of Dao Rhythm was complicated; they couldn’t use spatial storage equipment but had to move each item individually. Fortunately, everyone worked together, and all the ancient relics were eventually moved onto the Taiyin Boat within the stipulated time.
Yin Yueting only took half of Tianbao Tower’s assets, leaving the rest for several elders who had been by her side through thick and thin.
They boarded the Taiyin Boat to leave. At this moment, a person from Tianbao Tower suddenly ran out, crying "Yin Manager" as he knelt on the ground and begged.
He was deeply attached to Yin Yueting and didn’t want her to leave. Li Fan looked over; it was familiar. He realized it was Sun Zhang, an elder from the previous life in Lustrous Isle. After some thought, Li Fan still invited him onto the Taiyin Boat. No one else from Tianbao Tower wanted to follow.
Li Fan then asked about a certain fat man named Ye Feipeng. From everyone’s answers, he learned that Ye Feipeng had been chosen by Wu Xingzou of the Ten Thousand Immortal Chamber when they last met years ago and was taken with him to an unknown destination in the Cloudy Sea.
Li Fan nodded but didn’t ask further. He then set up the Taiyin Boat and headed towards Source Dao State, a route he had already traveled before without any trouble.
After more than a month of travel, they arrived at Zhuo Ling City. However, Li Fan hadn’t expected to bring so many ancient relics of Dao Rhythm. The courtyard he had prepared as a temporary base was too small; it couldn’t accommodate everything. So, he left the Taiyin Boat outside Zhuo Ling City and used an array to cover their tracks, commanding Su Xiaomei and the others to guard it.
He then met with the city’s guardian and asked if there were suitable places for him to establish a cave dwelling nearby.
"Establishing a cave dwelling?"
The city’s guardian, Fei Nan, was at late Foundation Establishment. He was surprised by Li Fan's question because most Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance cultivators would settle in Source Dao Heavenly City or stay within the Heavenly Dao Mirror. Only scattered cultivators would venture to establish cave dwellings in the wilderness.
However, some peculiar cultivators liked solitude. Fei Nan didn’t ask more and offered several locations after Li Fan generously provided a consultation fee of one hundred points of contribution.
The first location was two thousand miles north of Zhuo Ling City, where there was a valley with natural barriers on both sides that protected it.
The second place was three thousand miles south, in the continuous mountain range called Dao Ling Mountain. Legend had it that before the Great Tribulation, this was the site of an ancient sect. There were many suitable peaks for establishing cave dwellings within the mountains, but there were frequent visits from cultivators exploring the ruins.
The third location was more remote; five thousand miles west of Zhuo Ling City, near Stone Approach State, where there was a vast lake called Moonlight Lake. It covered several hundred square miles and had no valuable resources or ancient relics nearby with sparse qi concentration.
...
After hearing this, Li Fan thanked Fei Nan and left. The third location seemed the most suitable for establishing a cave dwelling. However, he wasn’t in a hurry to decide; seeing was believing. He reunited with Su Xiaomei and others, set up the Taiyin Boat, and headed towards Moonlight Lake.
As Li Fan’s group searched for their new base, a grand drama unfolded on Cloudy Sea at night. The sky was dark, and the stars were hidden. On Ten Thousand Immortal Island, everything was silent. Suddenly, without warning, a large sun appeared in the sky. The sunlight was intense, revealing all that had been hidden. It illuminated the Cloudy Sea as if it were daytime.
Beneath this sun, high above, a red transparent figure immediately revealed itself.