màn shān liè huǒ ， zài shén zhī yǐng xiàn shì de shùn jiān ， hū de yī zhì 。
漫山烈火，在神之影现世的瞬间，忽的一滞。
The flames of the Void, rising from the white mist, pierced through the shadow as if a sword. The shadow split in two and was quickly swallowed by the white mist, becoming indistinct once more.
wú xíng wēi yā zhī xià ， yuán běn zhèng wàng de huǒ shì shèng jí ér shuāi 。
无形威压之下，原本正旺的火势盛极而衰。
The only chance for the God's Shadow to win had vanished. With True Simulacrum still enveloping him, Li Fan restarted the mountain sea.
yǐ shén zhī yǐng wèi zhōng xīn ， kāi shǐ xùn sù xī miè 。
以神之影为中心，开始迅速熄灭。
...
xiāo shī de bù jǐn jǐn zhǐ shì zhēn líng zhī huǒ ， hái yǒu shān hǎi 、 xū jiè 。 yǐ jí rèn zhī zhōng de yī qiè 。
消失的不仅仅只是真灵之火，还有山海、虚界。以及认知中的一切。
This time, he seemed to have slept even longer. When his consciousness finally returned, there was a brief moment of confusion as he struggled to recall his last memories from his previous life. After a long period of silence, he managed to piece together everything that had happened.
shén zhī yǐng suǒ zài ， fǎng fú chéng le fàn wéi nèi de jué duì dī gǔ ， hóng xī zhōu zāo suǒ yǒu 。
神之影所在，仿佛成了范围内的绝对低谷，虹吸周遭所有。
"Whoa..."
huò xǔ shì yīn wèi tūn mò de shān hǎi xiāng duì yú shén lái shuō ， zài liàng jí céng miàn shàng shí zài shì bù zhí yī tí 。 yōu suì de shén zhī yǐng bìng méi yǒu yīn wèi jīng tūn ér chǎn shēng rèn hé de biàn huà 。
或许是因为吞没的山海相对于神来说，在量级层面上实在是不值一提。幽邃的神之影并没有因为鲸吞而产生任何的变化。
"After seeing the God's Shadow, I acted rather recklessly and impulsively. Was it because something influenced me?"
yī jiù jìng jìng zhù lì qián fāng 。
依旧静静伫立前方。
Li Fan frowned deeply, pondering for a while but unable to find an answer. The screen before him flickered with lines of text, seemingly urging him to make a choice.
pò suì shān hǎi zhī wài ， yuán běn zhèng jí sù gǎn lái de jù dà hōng míng shēng ， zài shén zhī yǐng zhēn zhèng xiàn shì zhī hòu ， fǎn ér zhú jiàn méi le dòng jìng 。
破碎山海之外，原本正急速赶来的巨大轰鸣声，在神之影真正现世之后，反而逐渐没了动静。
"Could True Simulacrum have changed again?"
kě guān cè fàn wéi zhī nèi ， jǐn jiē sǐ jì yī piàn 。
可观测范围之内，尽皆死寂一片。
He forced his chaotic thoughts aside and focused on observing the changes in True Simulacrum.
wéi yǒu zhēn líng yì sàn zhuàng tài xià de lǐ fán ， réng rán yǒu xiē yì shí liú cún 。
唯有真灵逸散状态下的李凡，仍然有些意识留存。
While his state had been reset to the anchor point, True Simulacrum was different.
què yǐ jīng wú lì zài zuò rèn hé cāo zuò ， zhǐ néng suí bō zhú liú bān ， cháo zhe shén zhī yǐng suǒ zài shēn yuān zhuì luò 。
却已经无力再做任何操作，只能随波逐流般，朝着神之影所在深渊坠落。
Firstly, there was the section for the Great Dao's Return to Truth:
“ zhè ……”
“这……”
"The Unceasing has entered."
“ jiù shì shén me ？”
“就是神么？”
"But the Eternity Dao..."
lǐ fán sī xù qián suǒ wèi yǒu de píng jìng 。
李凡思绪前所未有的平静。
"Guanchou's premonition was correct. There is indeed another form of Eternity in the unknown depths. Moreover, this entity who wields Eternity has reached a level that can barely be fathomed. They are able to resist some influence from the Great Dao's Return to Truth."
jí jiāng yuān zhuì ， xīn zhōng què méi yǒu rèn hé de kǒng huāng 。
即将渊坠，心中却没有任何的恐慌。
The Eternity Dao had entered but not fully.
fǎng fú qián fāng shén zhī yǐng shì zì jǐ gù tǔ ， huí guī zhǐ shì yīng yǒu sù mìng bà le 。
仿佛前方神之影是自己故土，回归只是应有宿命罢了。
All other characters representing the Great Dao were colorful and clear in their descriptions of power. However, this Eternity was just an invisible outline.
xīn tài píng hé zhī xià ， lǐ fán yīn ér néng gòu jǐn zì jǐ suǒ néng ， quán miàn zǐ xì de qù guān chá zhè xiàn shì de shén zhī yǐng 。
心态平和之下，李凡因而能够尽自己所能，全面仔细的去观察这现世的神之影。
Seeing this, Li Fan frowned slightly: "From what I can see, having Eternity here might not be a good thing."
zhǒng zhǒng gǎn wù ， yǒng shàng xīn tóu 。
种种感悟，涌上心头。
As if sensing his thoughts, the word 'Eternity' suddenly vanished, as if it had never existed.
“ jí biàn shén zhī dāng miàn ， yě fēi děng xián zhī bèi kě yǐ lǐng wù de 。”
“即便神之当面，也非等闲之辈可以领悟的。”
Li Fan's heart stirred. He recalled it and it reappeared.
“ shén wǎn ruò gāo jū jiǔ tiān zhī shàng ， jù lí shì rén tài yuǎn ， cháng rén nán yǐ kàn qīng 。”
“神宛若高居九天之上，距离世人太远，常人难以看清。”
"Being able to exist between truth and falsehood is truly amazing!" Li Fan praised.
“ ér wǒ zhēn jiān zhēn jiǎ dà dào ， běn jiù hǎo sì shēn chù tiān kōng zhī zhōng 。”
“而我真兼真假大道，本就好似身处天空之中。”
"I wonder who the true master of Eternity is."
“ jù shén jí jìn ， zhǐ shǒu kě chù ， yīn ér néng yǒu suǒ wù 。”
“距神极近，只手可触，因而能有所悟。”
In his previous life, he knew that Guanchou had some speculations about this matter due to their shared beliefs.
shí jiān duì lǐ fán lái shuō ， zài zhè yī kè dōu tíng zhǐ le bān 。
时间对李凡来说，在这一刻都停止了般。
"In the very beginning of the mountain sea, before even Guanchou was born. This could be the earliest time in ancient history. It might also have been the initial moment when the mountain sea separated."
wú jù wú wèi 、 wú xǐ wú tān 、 wú bēi wú nù 。
无惧无畏、无喜无贪、无悲无怒。
"Perhaps they suffered a severe blow during this struggle."
méi yǒu zhāo wén dào xī sǐ kě yǐ de gǎn kǎi ， yě méi yǒu duì shén xuán miào mò cè de jìng yǎng 。
没有朝闻道夕死可矣的感慨，也没有对神玄妙莫测的敬仰。
"The original form did not get entangled with the mountain sea as it evolved over time, but a fragment fell into the mountain sea..."
yǒu de zhǐ shì běn néng de kàn 。
有的只是本能的看。
Li Fan's thoughts wandered. Although there was no concrete evidence, his ability to resist the Great Dao's Return to Truth indicated that the true master of Eternity was extraordinary.
ér hòu sī xù shēng 。
而后思绪生。
"Perhaps they are even more formidable than the Three Sages. It would be wise not to provoke such a person."
“ fēi líng fēi wù ， fēi cún fēi wáng ， bù gòu bù jìng ， jié wài zhī jié 。”
“非灵非物，非存非亡，不垢不净，劫外之劫。”
Returning to the anchor point and starting anew, Li Fan regained his usual caution.
“ yìng wàn xiāng ér wú xíng ， shēng wàn fǎ ér wú niàn 。”
“映万相而无形，生万法而无念。”
"Besides the two Great Dways, there's also the璇玑 ring and the God's Shadow."
“ zhòng shēng jiē qí zi ， yì jiē qí yuān 。”
“众生皆其子，亦皆其渊。”
At the end of his previous life, he had faced the God's Shadow and used his infinite true essence flames to uncover its core.
“ zhī qí wèi zhōu ， zé nì yú zhōu ； wàng qí wèi dào ， zé shī yú dào 。”
“知其为舟，则溺于舟；望其为道，则失于道。”
"Far from being a shadow of the fallen Creator God,"
“ bù kě chuāi 、 bù kě dù 、 bù kě shì 、 bù kě wén ……”
“不可揣、不可度、不可视、不可闻……”
"It is an abstract manifestation of the concept of 'God' created by the Three Sages with their incomprehensible power."
yī jù jù ní nán dī yǔ ， zì lǐ fán nǎo hǎi zhōng bèng fā ér chū 。
一具具呢喃低语，自李凡脑海中迸发而出。
"Although it isn't a physical entity, the Three Sages have mastered creation. This shadow already possesses some divine abilities."
cǐ jiān fǎng fú chú què shén zhī yǐng yǔ lǐ fán zhī wài ， zài wú tā wù 。
此间仿佛除却神之影与李凡之外，再无他物。
"If the Three Sages had further insights into the mountain sea and the Void, or if they could harness the changes between truth and falsehood... perhaps what would be created wouldn't just be the God's Shadow but the actual form of a god."
lǐ fán kuī shén zhī yǐng de tóng shí ， shén zhī yǐng ， yě kuī jiàn le tā 。
李凡窥神之影的同时，神之影，也窥见了他。
The God's Shadow was the core of all that the Three Sages had discovered. Upon realizing others were trying to peek into their knowledge, they rushed to stop them.
èr zhě míng míng duì lì 。
二者冥冥对立。
However, after recognizing the exposure of the God's Shadow and understanding that it couldn't be stopped, they abandoned their attempts due to the potential destruction it would cause in the mountain sea and Void.
yuān zhuì zhòu rán jiā sù 。
渊坠骤然加速。
The God's Shadow truly lived up to its name. Once revealed, it caused everything in the mountain sea and Void to fall into it as if the Creator God was trying to revive through his shadow.
jì jìng de liú tǎng zhōng ， zhú jiàn yǒu dī yǔ shēng xiǎng qǐ 。
寂静的流淌中，逐渐有低语声响起。
Li Fan not only temporarily resisted the God's Shadow with his infinite true essence but also managed to extract something from it.
zǐ xì tīng lái ， jìng shì lǐ fán xiān qián jiàn shén zhī wù ！
仔细听来，竟是李凡先前见神之悟！
"Obtain one and obtain all."
fǎng fú shén zhī yǐng de shēn yuān zhōng ， yǒu zhe wú shù lìng wài de zì jǐ ， zài děng zhe lǐ fán yī tóng qián qù ！
仿佛神之影的深渊中，有着无数另外的自己，在等着李凡一同前去！
"This fragmented point is the very essence of the God's Shadow. It resembles a mold for the Consecrated Staff, Returning Sea Shovel, and All Beings Rod. With this, I can recreate the璇玑 ring with the help of the other sages."
“ guī qù 、 guī qù ……”
“归去、归去……”
In his subsequent battles against True Simulacrum, its complete defeat clearly showed that it was just an illusion and not a match for True Simulacrum.
jí jiāng zhuì rù shén zhī yǐng zhōng ， dàn lǐ fán sì hū yě jiē shòu le zhè ge sù mìng ， tǎn rán shòu zhī 。
即将坠入神之影中，但李凡似乎也接受了这个宿命，坦然受之。
Therefore, it couldn't be ignored and still existed within Li Fan's body after being reset.
hái zhēn bù zhī wèi hé ， yě yī yán bù fā ， rèn yóu lǐ fán shī wéi 。
还真不知为何，也一言不发，任由李凡施为。
But...
fǎng fú yī zhī jiǎo tà rù shēn yuān zhī zhōng ， lǐ fán suǒ gǎn jué dào de yīn yǐng ， zhú jiàn dà le qǐ lái 。
仿佛一只脚踏入深渊之中，李凡所感觉到的阴影，逐渐大了起来。
Li Fan closed his eyes briefly.
dàn xīn zhōng běn néng yǒng xiàn de gǎn wù ， què yīn cǐ fǎn ér shǎo le xiē 。
但心中本能涌现的感悟，却因此反而少了些。
Next moment, the infinite true essence in his body seemed to boil over.
shēn qū bèi wú xiàn lā cháng ， qián bàn duàn bù tíng cháo zhe shén zhī yǐng zhuì luò 。
身躯被无限拉长，前半段不停朝着神之影坠落。
As if he had relived the experience of being pulled into the abyss, his physical and spiritual form remained ordinary, but the infinite true essence silently dispersed.
ér hòu bàn duàn ， zé shì yī jiù zài chí xù zhe zhuì luò de guò chéng 。
而后半段，则是依旧在持续着坠落的过程。
In the void, there appeared an invisible mold. After Li Fan's true essence flowed through it, a shadow stood upright.
lǐ fán nài xīn děng zhe zì jǐ ， wán quán guī yú shén zhī yǐng zhōng 。
李凡耐心等着自己，完全归于神之影中。
Compared to the God's Shadow created by the Three Sages, this one was much simpler.
děng a děng a ……
等啊等啊……
"The God's Shadow is the Three Sages' interpretation of 'God',"
bù zhī guò qù le duō jiǔ ， zhōu zāo shān hǎi xū jiè yǐ rán jǐn bèi tūn shì 。
不知过去了多久，周遭山海虚界已然尽被吞噬。
"and this one is my interpretation based on my previous true essence infusion."
dàn ……
但……
"Although I fell behind in other aspects, with the changes between truth and falsehood aiding me..."
lǐ fán de zhuì luò ， què yī rán méi yǒu wán chéng ！
李凡的坠落，却依然没有完成！
"There is a unique charm to it."
“ zěn me huí shì ？”
“怎么回事？”
"It can be used to create the璇玑 ring!" Li Fan's eyes sparkled with confidence.
“ shì bú shì yǒu xiē jiǔ le ？”
“是不是有些久了？”
Unlike the God's Shadow created by the Three Sages, this one did not aggressively aim to consume everything in the mountain sea. Instead, it seemed to exist between reality and illusion, ethereal and uncertain.
nèi xīn de jué duì píng jìng ， bìng bù yì wèi zhe sī xù de wán quán lún sàng 。 běn néng de ， lǐ fán nǎo hǎi zhōng yǒu yí wèn yǒng xiàn 。
内心的绝对平静，并不意味着思绪的完全沦丧。本能的，李凡脑海中有疑问涌现。
It hovered over Li Fan like a ghostly presence, reflecting the Great Dao and Xuan Huang realms as well as nearby mountains and seas within its form.
yīn ér zài dù kāi shǐ le sī kǎo 。
因而再度开始了思考。
Like chisels etching into stone, these reflections carved into the shadow without leaving visible marks but deeply engraving it.
bìng qiě hěn róng yì jiù dé dào le dá àn 。
并且很容易就得到了答案。
As the creator of this shadow, Li Fan could clearly observe every change happening to it in real-time.
“ ó …… yuán lái shì yīn wèi ， wǒ zhī zhēn líng wú xiàn 。”
“哦……原来是因为，我之真灵无限。”
"This God's Shadow is both my insight manifested. After birth, it can actively help me understand everything around it."
fǎng fú yī shí jī qǐ qiān céng làng ， lǐ fán jiàn shén zhī hòu de “ píng jìng ” zhuàng tài ， suí zhī bèi dǎ pò 。
仿佛一石激起千层浪，李凡见神之后的“平静”状态，随之被打破。
"Although not as profound as the Great Dao's Return to Truth..."
“ sì hū ……”
“似乎……”
"It still differs only slightly."
“ shén yě méi shén me liǎo bù qǐ de ？”
“神也没什么了不起的？”
The shadow acted like a mirror, allowing Li Fan to explore the mountain sea through it. His understanding seemed to multiply by several times.
cǐ bān niàn tou yī chū ， shà shí jiān tiān fān dì fù ！
此般念头一出，霎时间天翻地覆！
"This change is the true essence of the changes between truth and falsehood."
“ dōng hǎi kě tūn tiān xià zhī shuǐ ， rán yǒu wú yuán zhī shuǐ tiān shàng lái ， zé yòu rú hé ？”
“东海可吞天下之水，然有无源之水天上来，则又如何？”
"My insight into the changes between truth and falsehood is akin to understanding all worldly principles. Previously, I had to convert these insights myself, but now with the help of the God's Shadow, this process has been simplified."
“ zòng qīng jǐn dōng hǎi zhī lì ， yì nán jiē yě 。”
“纵倾尽东海之力，亦难接也。”
"If I had acquired it at the beginning of my cultivation journey, I would have been overjoyed. Unfortunately..."
“ hē ！ zhōng jiū ……”
“呵！终究……”
"Once in the Sage Realm, innate talent and insight no longer play a decisive role."
“ zhǐ shì shén zhī yǐng bà le 。”
“只是神之影罢了。”
"While they can temporarily bridge the gap between me and the Three Sages, to truly compete with them..."
lǐ fán xīn zhōng kuì rán yī tàn 。
李凡心中喟然一叹。
"I still need the help of True Simulacrum."
cǐ kè yī rán zài wài de wú xiàn zhēn líng ， huà zuò yī zhī dà shǒu ， wēi wēi yòng lì yī chēng 。
此刻依然在外的无限真灵，化作一只大手，微微用力一撑。
Li Fan was fully aware of this.
The flames of the Void, rising from the white mist, pierced through the shadow as if a sword. The shadow split in two and was quickly swallowed by the white mist, becoming indistinct once more.
The only chance for the God's Shadow to win had vanished. With True Simulacrum still enveloping him, Li Fan restarted the mountain sea.
...
This time, he seemed to have slept even longer. When his consciousness finally returned, there was a brief moment of confusion as he struggled to recall his last memories from his previous life. After a long period of silence, he managed to piece together everything that had happened.
"Whoa..."
"After seeing the God's Shadow, I acted rather recklessly and impulsively. Was it because something influenced me?"
Li Fan frowned deeply, pondering for a while but unable to find an answer. The screen before him flickered with lines of text, seemingly urging him to make a choice.
"Could True Simulacrum have changed again?"
He forced his chaotic thoughts aside and focused on observing the changes in True Simulacrum.
While his state had been reset to the anchor point, True Simulacrum was different.
Firstly, there was the section for the Great Dao's Return to Truth:
"The Unceasing has entered."
"But the Eternity Dao..."
"Guanchou's premonition was correct. There is indeed another form of Eternity in the unknown depths. Moreover, this entity who wields Eternity has reached a level that can barely be fathomed. They are able to resist some influence from the Great Dao's Return to Truth."
The Eternity Dao had entered but not fully.
All other characters representing the Great Dao were colorful and clear in their descriptions of power. However, this Eternity was just an invisible outline.
Seeing this, Li Fan frowned slightly: "From what I can see, having Eternity here might not be a good thing."
As if sensing his thoughts, the word 'Eternity' suddenly vanished, as if it had never existed.
Li Fan's heart stirred. He recalled it and it reappeared.
"Being able to exist between truth and falsehood is truly amazing!" Li Fan praised.
"I wonder who the true master of Eternity is."
In his previous life, he knew that Guanchou had some speculations about this matter due to their shared beliefs.
"In the very beginning of the mountain sea, before even Guanchou was born. This could be the earliest time in ancient history. It might also have been the initial moment when the mountain sea separated."
"Perhaps they suffered a severe blow during this struggle."
"The original form did not get entangled with the mountain sea as it evolved over time, but a fragment fell into the mountain sea..."
Li Fan's thoughts wandered. Although there was no concrete evidence, his ability to resist the Great Dao's Return to Truth indicated that the true master of Eternity was extraordinary.
"Perhaps they are even more formidable than the Three Sages. It would be wise not to provoke such a person."
Returning to the anchor point and starting anew, Li Fan regained his usual caution.
"Besides the two Great Dways, there's also the璇玑 ring and the God's Shadow."
At the end of his previous life, he had faced the God's Shadow and used his infinite true essence flames to uncover its core.
"Far from being a shadow of the fallen Creator God,"
"It is an abstract manifestation of the concept of 'God' created by the Three Sages with their incomprehensible power."
"Although it isn't a physical entity, the Three Sages have mastered creation. This shadow already possesses some divine abilities."
"If the Three Sages had further insights into the mountain sea and the Void, or if they could harness the changes between truth and falsehood... perhaps what would be created wouldn't just be the God's Shadow but the actual form of a god."
The God's Shadow was the core of all that the Three Sages had discovered. Upon realizing others were trying to peek into their knowledge, they rushed to stop them.
However, after recognizing the exposure of the God's Shadow and understanding that it couldn't be stopped, they abandoned their attempts due to the potential destruction it would cause in the mountain sea and Void.
The God's Shadow truly lived up to its name. Once revealed, it caused everything in the mountain sea and Void to fall into it as if the Creator God was trying to revive through his shadow.
Li Fan not only temporarily resisted the God's Shadow with his infinite true essence but also managed to extract something from it.
"Obtain one and obtain all."
"This fragmented point is the very essence of the God's Shadow. It resembles a mold for the Consecrated Staff, Returning Sea Shovel, and All Beings Rod. With this, I can recreate the璇玑 ring with the help of the other sages."
In his subsequent battles against True Simulacrum, its complete defeat clearly showed that it was just an illusion and not a match for True Simulacrum.
Therefore, it couldn't be ignored and still existed within Li Fan's body after being reset.
But...
Li Fan closed his eyes briefly.
Next moment, the infinite true essence in his body seemed to boil over.
As if he had relived the experience of being pulled into the abyss, his physical and spiritual form remained ordinary, but the infinite true essence silently dispersed.
In the void, there appeared an invisible mold. After Li Fan's true essence flowed through it, a shadow stood upright.
Compared to the God's Shadow created by the Three Sages, this one was much simpler.
"The God's Shadow is the Three Sages' interpretation of 'God',"
"and this one is my interpretation based on my previous true essence infusion."
"Although I fell behind in other aspects, with the changes between truth and falsehood aiding me..."
"There is a unique charm to it."
"It can be used to create the璇玑 ring!" Li Fan's eyes sparkled with confidence.
Unlike the God's Shadow created by the Three Sages, this one did not aggressively aim to consume everything in the mountain sea. Instead, it seemed to exist between reality and illusion, ethereal and uncertain.
It hovered over Li Fan like a ghostly presence, reflecting the Great Dao and Xuan Huang realms as well as nearby mountains and seas within its form.
Like chisels etching into stone, these reflections carved into the shadow without leaving visible marks but deeply engraving it.
As the creator of this shadow, Li Fan could clearly observe every change happening to it in real-time.
"This God's Shadow is both my insight manifested. After birth, it can actively help me understand everything around it."
"Although not as profound as the Great Dao's Return to Truth..."
"It still differs only slightly."
The shadow acted like a mirror, allowing Li Fan to explore the mountain sea through it. His understanding seemed to multiply by several times.
"This change is the true essence of the changes between truth and falsehood."
"My insight into the changes between truth and falsehood is akin to understanding all worldly principles. Previously, I had to convert these insights myself, but now with the help of the God's Shadow, this process has been simplified."
"If I had acquired it at the beginning of my cultivation journey, I would have been overjoyed. Unfortunately..."
"Once in the Sage Realm, innate talent and insight no longer play a decisive role."
"While they can temporarily bridge the gap between me and the Three Sages, to truly compete with them..."
"I still need the help of True Simulacrum."
Li Fan was fully aware of this.