sì hū shì tīng dào le hé gān xiān de qīng shēng tàn xī ， yǐ jīng biàn huí yuán běn mú yàng de nǚ xìng zhēn xiān ， liǎn shàng mǎn shì cuò è 。
似乎是听到了何干仙的轻声叹息，已经变回原本模样的女性真仙，脸上满是错愕。
It seemed that the Daoist Sage, Dryness, indeed was a prodigy unparalleled in the Sea and Mountains. The events of his previous life had already proven the correctness of his path: moral perfection would lead to sainthood.
jǔ mù sì wàng ， shì tú xún zhǎo zì jǐ nà wèi “ jiù mìng ēn rén ” de shēn yǐng 。
举目四望，试图寻找自己那位“救命恩人”的身影。
And he was just as ruthless with himself as he was with others.
rán ér dào dé zhēn xiān ， zhōng jiū méi yǒu xiàn shēn 。
然而道德真仙，终究没有现身。
As his inner conscience gradually eroded away, the threshold for further loss became higher. Ordinary methods of destruction could no longer shake Dryness's heart in the slightest. Only by personally destroying someone whom he held extremely dear, like a blazing fire, would he be able to break through the final barrier.
yǒu yī jiù yǒu zài ， dāng xí guàn le shā lù zhī hòu ， xīn dǐ zài méi yǒu rèn hé de fù dān 、 jī hū chéng wéi le běn néng 。 cǐ fāng xiān dǎo xīng jiè nèi ， nǚ xìng zhēn xiān jī hū jiù shì wú dí de cún zài 。 guò wǎng shí hòu ， qí yú shēng líng jiē yīn tā de bì yòu fāng cái néng zài dào yān dà jié zhōng shēng cún xià qù 。
有一就有再，当习惯了杀戮之后，心底再没有任何的负担、几乎成为了本能。此方仙岛星界内，女性真仙几乎就是无敌的存在。过往时候，其余生灵皆因她的庇佑方才能在道湮大劫中生存下去。
Dryness had undoubtedly anticipated this scene when the moral division occurred and deliberately left these critical moments until the end.
dàn xiàn zài ， tā men de jiù shì ēn zhǔ ， què shì huà zuò liǎo wú qíng shōu gē tā men xìng mìng de shā lù jī qì 。
但现在，他们的救世恩主，却是化作了无情收割他们性命的杀戮机器。
Truly ingenious!
ér zài shén mì hēi qì de yǐng xiǎng xià ， zhè xiē lóu yǐ yě yī jiù hàn bù wèi sǐ de cháo zhe dǎo zhǔ fēng yōng ér qù 。
而在神秘黑气的影响下，这些蝼蚁也依旧悍不畏死的朝着岛主蜂拥而去。
The Daoist Sage of Dryness was indeed a prodigy unparalleled in the Sea and Mountains. The events of his previous life had already proven the correctness of his path: complete moral perfection would lead to sainthood. He was just as ruthless with others as he was with himself, slowly eroding away his inner conscience until it was completely gone.
zuì chū ， nǚ xìng zhēn xiān de liǎn shàng hái shí bù shí shǎn guò yī sī bù rěn ， dàn suí zhe tú lù de jìn xíng ， tā de shén qíng màn màn biàn de píng jìng 。
最初，女性真仙的脸上还时不时闪过一丝不忍，但随着屠戮的进行，她的神情慢慢变的平静。
Dryness's expression turned cold at this thought. It seemed that he could not tolerate any disagreement and was ready to act immediately.
shèn zhì hái yǒu xiē bù nài fán 。
甚至还有些不耐烦。
But Li Fan did not sense any malice from him; instead, he smiled and asked: "Do you think I am just rambling?"
ér dào dé zhēn xiān de nán nán huà yǔ ， yě shì shí xiǎng qǐ 。
而道德真仙的喃喃话语，也适时响起。
"Very well, let me show you."
“ wěi zhuāng de dào dé ， yī kào qíng gǎn 、 liáng zhī yuē shù ér chéng de dào dé ， huò néng chí xù yī shí 。 dàn zhōng bù néng wéi chí yī shì 。”
“伪装的道德，依靠情感、良知约束而成的道德，或能持续一时。但终不能维持一世。”
Li Fan pointed towards the Sea and Mountains, a short distance away from the island world.
“ dāo jiàn jiā shēn 、 shēng sǐ jué jìng shí ， kě fǒu réng tán dào dé ？”
“刀剑加身、生死绝境时，可否仍谈道德？”
"The worlds beyond that possibility have suffered less from the Catastrophe of Dao Annihilation. The life force within them is far more abundant than here."
“ bèi rén wù jiě 、 jǔ shì jiē dí shí ， kě fǒu réng tán dào dé ？”
“被人误解、举世皆敌时，可否仍谈道德？”
With a flick of his fingers, a flame suddenly appeared in the direction Li Fan had indicated.
“ gū dú luò mò 、 wú rén dǒng wǒ shí ， kě fǒu réng tán dào dé ？”
“孤独落寞、无人懂我时，可否仍谈道德？”
In just moments, it spread like wildfire, engulfing both the Celestial Realm and the Lower World's starry seas.
“ qián lù huī àn 、 zài wú xī wàng shí ， kě fǒu ……”
“前路灰暗、再无希望时，可否……”
This was not a grand spectacle for Dryness; he showed no signs of disturbance. However, what surprised him was that this person before him also remained completely unmoved.
“ réng tán dào dé ？”
“仍谈道德？”
Dryness scrutinized Li Fan again. He could sense that Li Fan was neither an evil-hearted nor insane individual. Yet, how could he casually destroy a possibility with such ease?
“ ruò réng néng háng dào dé zhě ， fāng wèi zhēn 【 dào dé 】。”
“若仍能行道德者，方为真【道德】。”
Even as the flames spread beyond the possibility and began to engulf larger areas of the Sea and Mountains, he showed no signs of panic.
“ hěn xiǎn rán ， nǐ bìng bú shì 。” hé gān xiān de shēng yīn zhōng ， dài zhe diǎn luò mò yǔ cháo fěng 。
“很显然，你并不是。”何干仙的声音中，带着点落寞与嘲讽。
"Do you consider me to be one who practices morality?" Li Fan asked with a smile.
ér fǎng fú bèi jiē chuān le yǐn cáng zài miàn jù xià de zhēn miàn mù shì de ， nǚ xìng zhēn xiān nǎo xiū chéng nù ， shén qíng zhú jiàn biàn dé zhēng níng 。 xiān lì céng céng zhèn dàng ， wǎn ruò qiān wàn bǐng ruì lì dāo gē 。 jìng shì yào jiāng yǎn qián suǒ jiàn yī qiè ， quán dōu huǐ miè dài jìn 。
而仿佛被揭穿了隐藏在面具下的真面目似的，女性真仙恼羞成怒，神情逐渐变得狰狞。仙力层层震荡，宛若千万柄锐利刀割。竟是要将眼前所见一切，全都毁灭殆尽。
"Without Dao or morality, without emotion or righteousness," Dryness replied in eight words.
rán ér zhǐ shì dān yī kě néng xìng zhōng gǒu huó zhēn xiān ， yòu rú hé néng chù jí chāo tuō jìng jiè de hé gān xiān ？
然而只是单一可能性中苟活真仙，又如何能触及超脱境界的何干仙？
Although he did not know why Li Fan could remain so calm, out of confidence in his own path, he gave this answer.
rú yān dào dé hēi qì ， bù dòng fēn háo 。
如烟道德黑气，不动分毫。
Li Fan sighed deeply. "You greatly misunderstand me! I have come to help you."
zhǐ shì jīng guò lián fān de shā lù ， sì nüè hēi qì yǐ jīng cóng zuì chū de mí sàn zhuàng tài ， màn màn níng hé 。
只是经过连番的杀戮，肆虐黑气已经从最初的弥散状态，慢慢凝合。
"Oh?"
huà zuò yī gēn gēn cū zhuàng zhì jí de jù dà zhù zi ， héng gèn yú xīng hǎi zhī nèi 。
化作一根根粗壮至极的巨大柱子，横亘于星海之内。
"I came here specifically to assist you on your path and help you achieve sainthood!" Li Fan said seriously.
lǐ fán zì shàng ér xià wàng qù ， kàn de fēn míng 。
李凡自上而下望去，看的分明。
Dryness's previously calm expression turned into a bitter laugh.
zhè xiē hēi sè tiān zhù suǒ shū jiù de ， zhèng shì 【 dào dé 】 èr zì ！
这些黑色天柱所书就的，正是【道德】二字！
"All nonsense, not a single word of truth. You're not weak; it wouldn't make sense for you to waste my time? Are you trying to buy more time?"
nǚ xìng zhēn xiān ， hǎo sì bèi kùn zài míng wèi 【 dào dé 】 de qiú lóng zuì zhōng yāng 。 rèn píng tā rú hé nǔ lì ， nǎ pà zhuàng dé tóu pò xuè liú ， yī jiù wú fǎ cóng zhōng tuō kùn 。
女性真仙，好似被困在名为【道德】的囚笼最中央。任凭她如何努力，哪怕撞得头破血流，依旧无法从中脱困。
"Are you his helper?" Dryness suddenly changed his expression as if he had just thought of something.
“ zhuī qiú 【 dào dé 】 zhě ， zhōng jiāng bèi dào dé suǒ kùn ， jì ér zāo shòu fǎn shì 。”
“追求【道德】者，终将被道德所困，继而遭受反噬。”
"Do not worry. I merely happened to encounter you and observed your moral flow, seeing that you are very close to the final sainthood. So I couldn't resist appearing."
fǎng fú yìn zhèng le hé gān xiān de huà ， nǚ xìng zhēn xiān de shēn qū ， sì hū zāo shòu hēi qì qīn shí bān ， màn màn biàn dé qī hēi yī piàn 。
仿佛印证了何干仙的话，女性真仙的身躯，似乎遭受黑气侵蚀般，慢慢变得漆黑一片。
"If my guess is correct, the 'he' you mentioned is the other half of the Moral Division. Is that right?"
tā zhēng zhá xiǎng yào qiú shēng ， cóng tàn huà zhuàng tài zhōng tuō lí chū lái 。
她挣扎想要求生，从碳化状态中脱离出来。
The phrase "Moral Division" caused Dryness's expression to change completely.
dàn měi yī cì de zì jiù ， què zhǐ néng gèng kuài jiāng zì jǐ tuī xiàng chè dǐ yān miè de shēn yuān 。
但每一次的自救，却只能更快将自己推向彻底湮灭的深渊。
He stared at Li Fan intently as a swirling mass of black energy spread around them: "You still claim not to know him? You can't possibly be unaware of each other."
bù guò duō shí ， nǚ xìng zhēn xiān biàn yǐ jīng chè dǐ chéng wéi le dào dé hēi qì de yī bù fèn ， róng rù nà dǐng tiān lì dì de dào dé tiān zhù zhī zhōng 。
不过多时，女性真仙便已经彻底成为了道德黑气的一部分，融入那顶天立地的道德天柱之中。
For Li Fan, the black energy that had driven all life in that possibility into madness and self-destruction caused no effect. He continued speaking calmly:
ér bàn suí zhe tā de shēn yǔn ， cǐ fāng xiān dǎo zhī nèi ， zài wú rèn hé cún huó shēng líng 。
而伴随着她的身陨，此方仙岛之内，再无任何存活生灵。
"You may seem like a morally empty immortal, but you are actually practicing morality. The other you is truly morally empty, truly practicing Dao..."
tiān dì jiān ， jìng qiāo qiāo yī piàn 。
天地间，静悄悄一片。
Li Fan slowly recounted his experiences from his previous life.
wéi yǒu hé gān xiān de jié yǔ huí dàng ：“ wéi yǒu jiāng dào dé huà zuò běn néng 。 bù qù zhuī qiú dào dé ， ér shì chéng wéi dào dé ！”
唯有何干仙的结语回荡：“唯有将道德化作本能。不去追求道德，而是成为道德！”
Dryness's expression became increasingly doubtful as he could not calm his mind anymore. This was the biggest secret on him, and there should be no one else in the Sea and Mountains who knew about it except for them.
xī nà le cǐ fāng xiān dǎo quán bù shēng líng xìng mìng de dào dé tiān zhù ， zài hé gān xiān dàn dàn de shēng yīn zhōng ， zài dù kuò zhāng 。
吸纳了此方仙岛全部生灵性命的道德天柱，在何干仙淡淡的声音中，再度扩张。
How did this person know all of these things?
jìng rán héng yuè le jiāng cǐ jiè wàn qiān xiān dǎo fēn gē kāi lái de dào yān zhī hǎi ， qǐng kè jiān jiāng cǐ kě néng xìng quán dōu lǒng zhào zài nèi 。
竟然横跃了将此界万千仙岛分割开来的道湮之海，顷刻间将此可能性全都笼罩在内。
"Could it be?" Dryness suddenly had a thought.
dào dé jiā suǒ zhī xià ， yì wàn wàn shēng líng ， yíng lái le mò shì 。
道德枷锁之下，亿万万生灵，迎来了末世。
Because his path contradicted common sense, after transcending, he did not go to the so-called beyond or other places like the Holy Dynasty. Instead, he silently practiced on his own.
“ rǔ děng jiē shì zì xiāng cán shā ér sǐ 。”
“汝等皆是自相残杀而死。”
But he had heard about the titles of the Beyond Sage and Great Microcosm Emperor.
“ rǔ zhī xiāo wáng ， yǔ wǒ hé gān 。”
“汝之消亡，与我何干。”
It was said that in the eyes of sages, only the survival of the Sea and Mountains as a whole mattered; life within it, even possibilities, were not very important to them. Only sages truly had the qualifications and strength to save the Sea and Mountains.
“ yǔ wǒ hé gān ？”
“与我何干？”
Thus, they occasionally helped or enlightened those who could achieve sainthood within the Sea and Mountains.
rú guǒ shuō dì yí gè cí hái cún zài zhe xiē xǔ de yóu yù ， nà me dì èr gè “ yǔ wǒ hé gān ” zé yǐ jīng shì wàn fēn dǔ dìng le 。
如果说第一个词还存在着些许的犹豫，那么第二个“与我何干”则已经是万分笃定了。
Could this person be an incarnation of one of these sages?
hé gān xiān de yǎn shén shēn chù ， yǐn yuē hái yǒu lèi guāng shǎn guò 。
何干仙的眼神深处，隐约还有泪光闪过。
If not, how could he have revealed his secret so easily? And why claim that he would help him achieve sainthood with such arrogance?
dàn tā de liǎn shàng ， zǎo yǐ jīng bīng lěng yī piàn 。
但他的脸上，早已经冰冷一片。
The more Dryness thought about it, the more convinced he became. His tone also became slightly more polite: "May I ask, where lies your path to sainthood?"
hé gān xiān zài mò mò zhù shì zhe cǐ kě néng xìng zhòng shēng 。
何干仙在默默注视着此可能性众生。
"The path to sainthood does not lie in you or me; it lies in him!" Li Fan pointed at a certain place in the Sea and Mountains.
ér lǐ fán zé yǐn nì zài àn chù ， qiǎo rán guān chá zhe hé gān xiān 。
而李凡则隐匿在暗处，悄然观察着何干仙。
Although he did not say so explicitly, Dryness understood what Li Fan meant.
“ hé gān xiān ， cóng bù qīn zì dòng shǒu shā rén 。”
“何干仙，从不亲自动手杀人。”
"Moral division but also moral unity."
“ ér shì lì yòng zhēn xiān zhuàn zì 、 dào dé hēi qì ， yì huò zhě qí tā fāng fǎ ， jiàn jiē xíng xiōng 。”
“而是利用真仙篆字、道德黑气，亦或者其他方法，间接行凶。”
This strange characteristic was the fundamental reason for their ability to exist independently. If either side were to lose this characteristic...
“ suī wú zhí jiē yīn guǒ ， què yǒu jiàn jiē yīn guǒ 。 rú cǐ zuò wéi ， fēi shì hé gān xiān tā zì qī qī rén 。 ér shì ……”
“虽无直接因果，却有间接因果。如此作为，非是何干仙他自欺欺人。而是……”
Li Fan revealed a meaningful smile: "It will become the other's path to sainthood!"
lǐ fán jiāng hé gān xiān jí qí xì wēi de shén tài biàn huà yǐ jí qì xī bō dòng quán dōu kàn zài yǎn lǐ ， ruò yǒu suǒ wù ：“ fén jǐn cán cún liáng zhī ， suǒ shèng xíng 、 sī ， jiē shì běn néng ， jiē wèi dào dé 。 zhè shì hé gān xiān de xiū xíng zhī fǎ 。”
李凡将何干仙极其细微的神态变化以及气息波动全都看在眼里，若有所悟：“焚尽残存良知，所剩行、思，皆是本能，皆为道德。这是何干仙的修行之法。”
Dryness naturally knew that what Li Fan said was correct, but the interdependence of morality and Dao made it difficult even with the secret technique of moral division to completely separate them.
“ rán ér zài liáng zhī fén miè de guò chéng zhōng ， tā de xīn shén tóng yàng yě huì shòu dào jù liè chōng jī 。 yǐ jiàn jiē xíng xiōng zhī fǎ ， kě xíng chéng yī dào xīn lǐ ān wèi píng zhàng ， cóng ér zuò wéi huǎn chōng 。”
“然而在良知焚灭的过程中，他的心神同样也会受到剧烈冲击。以间接行凶之法，可形成一道心理安慰屏障，从而作为缓冲。”
How could he easily make the other side lose this characteristic?
“ cóng mù qián qíng xíng kàn ， hé gān xiān jǐn cún de liáng zhī ， bìng bù duō le 。 zài lái zhè me jǐ cì ， huò xǔ hái zhēn néng gěi tā dá chéng zì shēn dào dé liú zhuǎn de wán měi jìng jiè 。 yǐ fēn liè zhī qū ， qí jù dào dé zhēn yì ， chéng jiù shèng zhě zūn wèi 。”
“从目前情形看，何干仙仅存的良知，并不多了。再来这么几次，或许还真能给他达成自身道德流转的完美境界。以分裂之躯，齐聚道德真意，成就圣者尊位。”
"The key lies in..."
kàn zhe xià fāng zài dào dé tiān zhù zhèn yā xià 、 shēng jī jiàn miè de xiān dǎo kě néng xìng ， lǐ fán sī xù wēi wēi yī dùn 。
看着下方在道德天柱镇压下、生机渐灭的仙岛可能性，李凡思绪微微一顿。
"Dao without morality, morality without Dao." Dryness continued pondering as Li Fan revealed the truth: "What you seek is salvation. If you see the Sea and Mountains perish and are unable to do anything about it, then you fall into 'no Dao'.
“ ruò shì yì bān fén jǐn liáng zhī de xíng dòng ， duì hé gān xiān de bāng zhù bù yīng yǒu zhè me dà 。”
“若是一般焚尽良知的行动，对何干仙的帮助不应有这么大。”
"And what he seeks is sainthood. If he sees the Sea and Mountains destroyed and remains indifferent, then he falls into 'no morality'."
“ fǒu zé shān hǎi wú yín ， tā suí biàn tú lù yī fān ， jiù néng chéng shèng le 。”
“否则山海无垠，他随便屠戮一番，就能成圣了。”
With just a few words, Li Fan made Dryness shudder with fear.
It seemed that the Daoist Sage, Dryness, indeed was a prodigy unparalleled in the Sea and Mountains. The events of his previous life had already proven the correctness of his path: moral perfection would lead to sainthood.
And he was just as ruthless with himself as he was with others.
As his inner conscience gradually eroded away, the threshold for further loss became higher. Ordinary methods of destruction could no longer shake Dryness's heart in the slightest. Only by personally destroying someone whom he held extremely dear, like a blazing fire, would he be able to break through the final barrier.
Dryness had undoubtedly anticipated this scene when the moral division occurred and deliberately left these critical moments until the end.
Truly ingenious!
The Daoist Sage of Dryness was indeed a prodigy unparalleled in the Sea and Mountains. The events of his previous life had already proven the correctness of his path: complete moral perfection would lead to sainthood. He was just as ruthless with others as he was with himself, slowly eroding away his inner conscience until it was completely gone.
Dryness's expression turned cold at this thought. It seemed that he could not tolerate any disagreement and was ready to act immediately.
But Li Fan did not sense any malice from him; instead, he smiled and asked: "Do you think I am just rambling?"
"Very well, let me show you."
Li Fan pointed towards the Sea and Mountains, a short distance away from the island world.
"The worlds beyond that possibility have suffered less from the Catastrophe of Dao Annihilation. The life force within them is far more abundant than here."
With a flick of his fingers, a flame suddenly appeared in the direction Li Fan had indicated.
In just moments, it spread like wildfire, engulfing both the Celestial Realm and the Lower World's starry seas.
This was not a grand spectacle for Dryness; he showed no signs of disturbance. However, what surprised him was that this person before him also remained completely unmoved.
Dryness scrutinized Li Fan again. He could sense that Li Fan was neither an evil-hearted nor insane individual. Yet, how could he casually destroy a possibility with such ease?
Even as the flames spread beyond the possibility and began to engulf larger areas of the Sea and Mountains, he showed no signs of panic.
"Do you consider me to be one who practices morality?" Li Fan asked with a smile.
"Without Dao or morality, without emotion or righteousness," Dryness replied in eight words.
Although he did not know why Li Fan could remain so calm, out of confidence in his own path, he gave this answer.
Li Fan sighed deeply. "You greatly misunderstand me! I have come to help you."
"Oh?"
"I came here specifically to assist you on your path and help you achieve sainthood!" Li Fan said seriously.
Dryness's previously calm expression turned into a bitter laugh.
"All nonsense, not a single word of truth. You're not weak; it wouldn't make sense for you to waste my time? Are you trying to buy more time?"
"Are you his helper?" Dryness suddenly changed his expression as if he had just thought of something.
"Do not worry. I merely happened to encounter you and observed your moral flow, seeing that you are very close to the final sainthood. So I couldn't resist appearing."
"If my guess is correct, the 'he' you mentioned is the other half of the Moral Division. Is that right?"
The phrase "Moral Division" caused Dryness's expression to change completely.
He stared at Li Fan intently as a swirling mass of black energy spread around them: "You still claim not to know him? You can't possibly be unaware of each other."
For Li Fan, the black energy that had driven all life in that possibility into madness and self-destruction caused no effect. He continued speaking calmly:
"You may seem like a morally empty immortal, but you are actually practicing morality. The other you is truly morally empty, truly practicing Dao..."
Li Fan slowly recounted his experiences from his previous life.
Dryness's expression became increasingly doubtful as he could not calm his mind anymore. This was the biggest secret on him, and there should be no one else in the Sea and Mountains who knew about it except for them.
How did this person know all of these things?
"Could it be?" Dryness suddenly had a thought.
Because his path contradicted common sense, after transcending, he did not go to the so-called beyond or other places like the Holy Dynasty. Instead, he silently practiced on his own.
But he had heard about the titles of the Beyond Sage and Great Microcosm Emperor.
It was said that in the eyes of sages, only the survival of the Sea and Mountains as a whole mattered; life within it, even possibilities, were not very important to them. Only sages truly had the qualifications and strength to save the Sea and Mountains.
Thus, they occasionally helped or enlightened those who could achieve sainthood within the Sea and Mountains.
Could this person be an incarnation of one of these sages?
If not, how could he have revealed his secret so easily? And why claim that he would help him achieve sainthood with such arrogance?
The more Dryness thought about it, the more convinced he became. His tone also became slightly more polite: "May I ask, where lies your path to sainthood?"
"The path to sainthood does not lie in you or me; it lies in him!" Li Fan pointed at a certain place in the Sea and Mountains.
Although he did not say so explicitly, Dryness understood what Li Fan meant.
"Moral division but also moral unity."
This strange characteristic was the fundamental reason for their ability to exist independently. If either side were to lose this characteristic...
Li Fan revealed a meaningful smile: "It will become the other's path to sainthood!"
Dryness naturally knew that what Li Fan said was correct, but the interdependence of morality and Dao made it difficult even with the secret technique of moral division to completely separate them.
How could he easily make the other side lose this characteristic?
"The key lies in..."
"Dao without morality, morality without Dao." Dryness continued pondering as Li Fan revealed the truth: "What you seek is salvation. If you see the Sea and Mountains perish and are unable to do anything about it, then you fall into 'no Dao'.
"And what he seeks is sainthood. If he sees the Sea and Mountains destroyed and remains indifferent, then he falls into 'no morality'."
With just a few words, Li Fan made Dryness shudder with fear.