“ shī dì ？ shī dì ？”
“师弟？师弟？”
"Junior brother? Junior brother?"
zhōu wéi de yī qiè ， fǎng fú dōu hé zì jǐ gé jué le yī céng nián chóu de tòu míng wù zhì 。
周围的一切，仿佛都和自己隔绝了一层粘稠的透明物质。
Everything around seemed to be separated by a layer of sticky, transparent substance.
shēng yīn chuán dào ěr zhōng de shí hòu ， biàn dé niǔ qū gǔ guài 。
声音传到耳中的时候，变得扭曲古怪。
The voice that reached his ears was distorted and strange. The person seemed to have waved their hand.
nà rén sì hū shì huǎng le huǎng shǒu 。
那人似乎是晃了晃手。
When the scene appeared before Li Fan's eyes, it looked like a monstrous beast attacking him.
jǐng xiàng yìng rù lǐ fán yǎn lián zhī shí ， què fǎng fú yī tóu zhēng níng de jù shòu ， zài fā dòng gōng jī 。
景象映入李凡眼帘之时，却仿佛一头狰狞的巨兽，在发动攻击。
He suddenly became alarmed and instinctively wanted to counterattack.
měng rán yī jīng 。
猛然一惊。
However, he found that his Divine Sword Qionglong Branch and other divine techniques could not be used.
lǐ fán xià yì shí de xiǎng yào fā dòng fǎn jī 。
李凡下意识的想要发动反击。
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
què dǒu rán fā xiàn cóng yún jiàn 、 fān tiān zhǎng děng shén tōng què dōu shǐ bù chū lái le 。
却陡然发现丛云剑、翻天掌等神通却都使不出来了。
Then, "Fallen Immortal Realm," "ritual," and "first exploration" flashed through his mind.
lěng hàn bù yóu dì mào le chū lái 。
冷汗不由地冒了出来。
It was as if he had just emerged from underwater; the surroundings gradually became clear and bright.
suí hòu ，“ yǔn xiān jiè ”、“ yí shì ”、“ dì yī cì tàn suǒ ” děng cí huì huò rán fú xiàn yú nǎo hǎi zhōng 。
随后，“陨仙界”、“仪式”、“第一次探索”等词汇豁然浮现于脑海中。
Light and sound returned to normal.
rú tóng cóng shuǐ xià tū rán zuān chū ， zhōu wéi de jǐng xiàng zhú jiàn qīng xī míng liàng 。
如同从水下突然钻出，周围的景象逐渐清晰明亮。
"Junior brother? What are you thinking about? Why have you been so absent-minded for such a long time?"
guāng xiàn hé shēng yīn biàn dé zhèng cháng qǐ lái 。
光线和声音变得正常起来。
A young cultivator in purple and white robes, with an indigo lightning bolt mark between his eyebrows, was looking at him curiously.
“ shī dì ？ xiǎng shén me ne ？ zěn me lèng shén le zhè me jiǔ ？”
“师弟？想什么呢？怎么愣神了这么久？”
"It's the first time I've left the mountain in eighteen years. Maybe you're thinking of all those fun places your senior brother told you about before?"
yī míng chuān zhe zǐ bái xiàng jiàn dào páo ， méi jiān kè zhe zǐ sè shǎn diàn yìn jì de qīng nián xiū shì ， zhèng cháo zhe zhè biān dǎ liàng zhe 。
一名穿着紫白相间道袍，眉间刻着紫色闪电印记的青年修士，正朝着这边打量着。
"Don't worry, once everything is done, I'll take you to experience the Red Dust Shop and Drunken Immortal Hall!"
“ shí bā nián lái dì yī cì xià shān ， mò bú shì zài xiǎng zhe zhī qián shī xiōng gěi nǐ shuō de zhǒng zhǒng hǎo wán qù chù ？”
“十八年来第一次下山，莫不是在想着之前师兄给你说的种种好玩去处？”
The young cultivator winked, though he wasn’t being serious as a senior.
“ fàng xīn ， děng shì qíng bàn hǎo le 。 shén me hóng chén fāng 、 zuì xiān lóu ， shī xiōng dōu lǐng nǐ hǎo hǎo tǐ yàn yī fān ！”
“放心，等事情办好了。什么红尘坊、醉仙楼，师兄都领你好好体验一番！”
Li Fan slowly regained his composure.
nà qīng nián xiū shì jǐ méi nòng yǎn ， suī rán shì shī xiōng ， què méi gè zhèng jīng yàng 。
那青年修士挤眉弄眼，虽然是师兄，却没个正经样。
"Zixiao Sect, Li Chen."
lǐ fán cǐ kè huǎn huǎn huí guò shén lái 。
李凡此刻缓缓回过神来。
"FOLLOW Senior Brother Zhang Qianmo down to Ningyuan City to collect the [Eternal Fruit]."
“ zǐ xiāo zōng ， lǐ chén 。”
“紫霄宗，李尘。”
Several pieces of information flashed through Li Fan's mind in an instant.
“ gēn suí shī xiōng zhāng qiān mò xià shān qián wǎng níng yuǎn chéng ， shōu qǔ 【 shòu guǒ 】。”
“跟随师兄章阡陌下山前往宁远城，收取【寿果】。”
"Senior brother is jesting; we should focus on our business!" Li Fan replied coolly according to his usual character as Li Chen.
shà shí jiān ， shù duàn xìn xī chū xiàn zài lǐ fán nǎo hǎi zhōng 。
霎时间，数段信息出现在李凡脑海中。
"Ah, how boring!" Zhang Qianmo rolled his eyes and sighed.
“ shī xiōng shuō xiào le ， bàn zhèng shì yào jǐn ！” lǐ fán àn zhào nǎo hǎi zhōng lǐ chén yǐ wǎng de xìng gé ， dàn dàn dì huí fù le yī jù 。
“师兄说笑了，办正事要紧！”李凡按照脑海中李尘以往的性格，淡淡地回复了一句。
Then he lay down lazily, no longer paying attention to Li Fan.
“ āi ， zhēn shì wú qù ！” zhāng qiān mò bái le yī yǎn ， tàn le kǒu qì 。
“哎，真是无趣！”章阡陌白了一眼，叹了口气。
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Fan observed the surroundings.
suí hòu lǎn yáng yáng de tǎng le xià lái ， bù zài dā lǐ lǐ fán 。
随后懒洋洋的躺了下来，不再搭理李凡。
It seemed they were on a purple cloud. This purple cloud appeared to be a flying artifact, speeding through the sky at high altitude.
lǐ fán zé shì chèn zhe zhè ge jī huì ， guān chá qǐ zhōu wéi lái 。
李凡则是趁着这个机会，观察起周围来。
A protective array surrounded the outer edges of the purple cloud, blocking strong winds.
mù qián sì hū chù zài yī piàn zǐ sè yún cǎi shàng 。
目前似乎处在一片紫色云彩上。
Sitting on the purple cloud was quiet and comfortable.
zhè zǐ yún sì hū shì gè fēi xíng fǎ qì ， zhèng zài gāo kōng jí sù fēi xíng 。
这紫云似乎是个飞行法器，正在高空急速飞行。
"Is this the Fallen Immortal Realm...?"
zǐ yún wài wéi hǎo xiàng yǒu zhe yī quān fáng hù fǎ zhèn ， jiāng gāng fēng dōu dǐ dǎng zài wài 。
紫云外围好像有着一圈防护法阵，将罡风都抵挡在外。
Li Fan carefully sensed his surroundings, his eyes widening with surprise.
zuò zài zǐ yún shàng ， ān jìng qiě shū shì 。
坐在紫云上，安静且舒适。
"It's actually a world derived from the last moments of consciousness? So real..."
“ zhè lǐ jiù shì yǔn xiān jìng me ……”
“这里就是陨仙境么……”
He touched the purple cloud beneath him, feeling the omnipresent spiritual energy in the air.
lǐ fán zǐ xì gǎn yìng ， mù lù qí sè 。
李凡仔细感应，目露奇色。
"If not for my previous memories, I almost thought I had reincarnated."
“ jū rán shì yǔn luò qián yì niàn suǒ yǎn huà de shì jiè ？ rú cǐ zhēn shí ……”
“居然是陨落前意念所衍化的世界？如此真实……”
After a long while, Li Fan suppressed his shock.
lǐ fán yòng shǒu fǔ mō le shēn xià de zǐ yún ， gǎn shòu zhe kōng qì zhōng wú chǔ bù zài de líng qì 。
李凡用手抚摸了身下的紫云，感受着空气中无处不在的灵气。
"The first time entering, quite lucky to have an original identity."
“ ruò bú shì yǒu zhe zhī qián de jì yì ， wǒ jī hū dōu yào yǐ wéi zì jǐ shì zài cì chuān yuè le 。”
“若不是有着之前的记忆，我几乎都要以为自己是再次穿越了。”
Li Fan recalled Chen Ying's instructions. After entering the Fallen Immortal Realm, one might form a spirit consciousness avatar and explore on their own or directly possess the body of a living being there, obtaining its identity.
xǔ jiǔ zhī hòu ， lǐ fán fāng cái yā xià xīn tóu de zhèn jīng 。
许久之后，李凡方才压下心头的震惊。
Both situations had pros and cons.
“ dì yī cì jìn rù ， yùn qì bù cuò ， yǒu zhe yuán shǐ shēn fèn 。”
“第一次进入，运气不错，有着原始身份。”
Forming a spirit consciousness avatar could utilize his original abilities but lacked an identity, making him a complete outsider.
lǐ fán huí xiǎng zhe chén yīng jiāo dài de zhù yì shì xiàng 。
李凡回想着陈英交代的注意事项。
With no knowledge of the surroundings, exploring and seizing opportunities would be much harder. Moreover, the rate of being "corrupted" by the realm was significantly faster for a spirit consciousness avatar.
jìn rù yǔn xiān jìng hòu ， yǒu kě néng shì xíng chéng shén shí huà shēn ， zì xíng tàn suǒ 。
进入陨仙境后，有可能是形成神识化身，自行探索。
Having an original identity provided a layer of protection, slowing down the corruption process considerably.
yě yǒu kě néng huì zhí jiē zhàn jù yǔn xiān jìng yuán běn shēng líng de shēn qū ， qǔ dé qí shēn fèn 。
也有可能会直接占据陨仙境原本生灵的身躯，取得其身份。
This allowed him to stay longer in the Fallen Immortal Realm and participate more easily in certain events.
zhè liǎng zhǒng qíng kuàng gè yǒu lì bì 。
这两种情况各有利弊。
The downside was that his strength could only be as powerful as the possessed being's.
shén shí huà shēn néng fā huī zì jǐ yuán běn shí lì shén tōng ， dàn méi yǒu shēn fèn ， shì chè tóu chè dǐ de wài lái zhī rén 。
神识化身能发挥自己原本实力神通，但没有身份，是彻头彻底的外来之人。
He also had to be careful not to be noticed by familiar people, or he would be seen as "possessed," leading to relentless pursuit.
duì zhōu wéi de qíng kuàng yī wú suǒ zhī ， xiǎng yào tàn suǒ 、 huò qǔ jī yuán ， huì nán shàng bù shǎo 。
对周围的情况一无所知，想要探索、获取机缘，会难上不少。
Li Fan flipped through Li Chen’s memories, adapting quickly to this new identity while sensing the loss of his spirit consciousness.
ér qiě ， shén shí huà shēn de bèi 【 qīn shí 】 chéng dù ， yě yào kuài shàng xǔ duō 。
而且，神识化身的被【侵蚀】程度，也要快上许多。
Sure enough, even with a physical body protecting him, Li Fan could clearly feel that his spirit consciousness was constantly being corrupted.
ér yǒu zhe yuán shǐ shēn fèn ， yǒu zhe yī céng “ qū qiào ” zuò wéi zhē dǎng ， bèi 【 qīn shí 】 de sù dù dà dà jiàng dī 。
而有着原始身份，有着一层“躯壳”作为遮挡，被【侵蚀】的速度大大降低。
The intensity remained unchanged, but its total amount was slowly decreasing.
néng zài zhè yǔn xiān jìng tíng liú de shí jiān yě jiù zhǎng duō le 。
能在这陨仙境停留的时间也就长多了。
"When my spirit consciousness is completely corrupted, I will be forced to leave the Fallen Immortal Realm."
bìng qiě ， kě yǐ qīng ér yì jǔ de cān yù jìn mǒu xiē tè dìng shì jiàn zhī zhōng 。
并且，可以轻而易举的参与进某些特定事件之中。
"At this rate, should only last about half a month?"
huài chù jiù shì suǒ fā huī de shí lì zhǐ néng shì zhàn jù shēng líng de shí lì 。
坏处就是所发挥的实力只能是占据生灵的实力。
Li Fan frowned inwardly.
bìng qiě ， hái yào xiǎo xīn yìng duì ， bú yào ràng shēn biān shú xī zhī rén chá jué 。
并且，还要小心应对，不要让身边熟悉之人察觉。
"No wonder Chen Ying said that Golden Core cultivators could barely act here. I still have an original identity."
fǒu zé ， huì shì zhī bèi “ duó shě ”， yǐn lái wú qíng de zhuī shā 。
否则，会视之被“夺舍”，引来无情的追杀。
"If it were a spirit consciousness avatar directly descending, I might only stay for seven or eight days at most."
lǐ fán yī biān fān kàn zhe lǐ chén nǎo hǎi zhōng de jì yì ， jǐn kuài shì yìng zhè jù shēn fèn 。
李凡一边翻看着李尘脑海中的记忆，尽快适应这具身份。
"Never mind, no great expectations for good results on my first exploration. Just to broaden my horizons."
yī biān gǎn yìng zhe shén shí de sǔn hào qíng kuàng 。
一边感应着神识的损耗情况。
With these thoughts, Li Fan checked the details of Li Chen from Zixiao Sect.
guǒ rán ， jí shǐ yǒu zhe qū qiào fáng hù ， lǐ fán yě néng míng xiǎn de chá jué dào shén shí zhèng shí kè chǔ yú bèi qīn shí dāng zhōng 。
果然，即使有着躯壳防护，李凡也能明显的察觉到神识正时刻处于被侵蚀当中。
"This place is unknown territory. Zixiao Sect is the largest cultivation sect within a ten-thousand-mile radius."
qiáng dù méi biàn ， dàn zǒng liàng zhèng zài huǎn huǎn jiǎn shǎo 。
强度没变，但总量正在缓缓减少。
"Li Chen and Zhang Qianmo are both inner door disciples of Zixiao Sect, taught by Senior Immortal Ling Yunzi."
“ dāng shén shí wán quán bèi qīn shí dài jìn ， jiù huì bèi pò tuì chū yǔn xiān jìng le 。”
“当神识完全被侵蚀殆尽，就会被迫退出陨仙境了。”
"Their cultivation method is The True Art of Controlling Thunder from Zixiao. Their strength is late-stage Foundation Establishment."
“ àn zhào zhè ge sù dù ， yīng dāng zhǐ néng wéi chí bàn gè yuè de shí jiān ？”
“按照这个速度，应当只能维持半个月的时间？”
Li Fan flipped through his memories about the cultivation technique "The True Art of Controlling Thunder from Zixiao," but found it blank.
lǐ fán bù yóu dì àn zì zhòu méi 。
李凡不由地暗自皱眉。
Although he was at late-stage Foundation Establishment, there were no signs of any heavenly treasures within him.
“ nán guài chén yīng shuō ， jīn dān qī zhǐ néng zài zhè lǐ miǎn qiǎng xíng dòng 。 wǒ zhè hái shì yǒu yuán shǐ shēn fèn de qíng kuàng xià 。”
“难怪陈英说，金丹期只能在这里勉强行动。我这还是有原始身份的情况下。”
The Great Tribulation had not yet arrived, and Immortal techniques could still be practiced alongside others.
“ ruò shì shén shí huà shēn zhí jiē jiàng lín ， kǒng pà zhǐ néng zài zhè yǔn xiān jìng tíng liú gè qī bā tiān zuǒ yòu 。”
“若是神识化身直接降临，恐怕只能在这陨仙境停留个七八天左右。”
There was still no sign of the Immortal-凡 Pestilence.
“ bà le ， dì yī cì tàn suǒ yě méi zhǐ wàng yǒu shén me hǎo de shōu huò 。 quán dāng cháng cháng jiàn shí hǎo le 。”
“罢了，第一次探索也没指望有什么好的收获。权当长长见识好了。”
"Am I in this time point now..." According to Chen Ying's description, different regions within the Fallen Immortal Realm might have different timelines. The span of time was extremely long.
lǐ fán zhè me xiǎng zhe ， chá kàn qǐ le zǐ xiāo zōng lǐ chén de qíng kuàng lái 。
李凡这么想着，查看起了紫霄宗李尘的情况来。
Currently, the cultivation realm was relatively peaceful.
“ cǐ jiān bù zhī hé chù dì jiè 。 zǐ xiāo zōng nǎi shì fāng yuán wàn lǐ zuì dà de xiū xiān mén pài 。”
“此间不知何处地界。紫霄宗乃是方圆万里最大的修仙门派。”
So far, Li Fan’s start seemed quite favorable.
“ lǐ chén hé zhāng qiān mò ， dōu shì zǐ xiāo nèi mén dì zǐ 。 shī cóng yuán yīng zhēn jūn ， líng yún zi 。”
“李尘和章阡陌，都是紫霄内门弟子。师从元婴真君，凌云子。”
After a day and a half of contemplation on the purple cloud, Li Fan and Zhang Qianmo finally approached their destination: Ningyuan City.
“ xiū xíng gōng fǎ 《 zǐ xiāo yù léi zhēn jué 》。 shí lì ， zhù jī hòu qī 。”
“修行功法《紫霄御雷真诀》。实力，筑基后期。”
Zhang Qianmo yawned and stood up.
lǐ fán fān kàn nǎo hǎi zhōng guān yú 《 zǐ xiāo yù léi zhēn jué 》 de jì yì ， què fā xiàn shì yí piàn kòng bái 。
李凡翻看脑海中关于《紫霄御雷真诀》的记忆，却发现是一片空白。
"Junior brother, let's discuss something," he said with a mischievous smile. "I haven't seen my Scarlet Flame Companion for years; I'm itching to see her!"
suī rán shì zhù jī hòu qī xiū wèi ， dàn tǐ nèi què méi yǒu tiān dì qí wù de hén jì 。
虽然是筑基后期修为，但体内却没有天地奇物的痕迹。
"So..."
dà jié shàng wèi jiàng lín ， xiān fǎ réng kě tóng xiū 。
大劫尚未降临，仙法仍可同修。
He winked at Li Fan.
hái méi yǒu xiān fán zhàng chū xiàn 。
还没有仙凡瘴出现。
"Collecting the [Eternal Fruit] is your job."
“ xiàn zài chù zài zhè ge shí jiān diǎn me ……” gēn jù chén yīng de shuō fǎ ， yǔn xiān jìng nèi bù tóng de qū yù suǒ zài shí jiān jié diǎn dōu kě néng bù yí yàng 。
“现在处在这个时间点么……”根据陈英的说法，陨仙境内不同的区域所在时间节点都可能不一样。
He patted Li Fan’s shoulder and then transformed into a purple light, darting downward without waiting for a response.
shí jiān kuà dù yě jí zhǎng 。
时间跨度也极长。
"Separating our actions is better. To avoid revealing any flaws."
ér lǐ fán mù qián suǒ chù de shí jiān diǎn ， xiū xiān jiè hái suàn shì bǐ jiào hé píng de 。
而李凡目前所处的时间点，修仙界还算是比较和平的。
Li Fan was more than willing to control "Purple Cloud Flying," slowly descending.
zhè me kàn lái ， lǐ fán cǐ cì kāi jú ， hái suàn bǐ jiào shùn lì le 。
这么看来，李凡此次开局，还算比较顺利了。
"Which senior brother came this time?" Before landing, he saw another purple light approaching.
yī lù sī cháo qǐ fú ， zài zǐ yún shàng xiū xī le dà bàn tiān de shí jiān 。
一路思潮起伏，在紫云上休息了大半天的时间。
The cultivation technique aura emitted by the person was extremely similar to that of The True Art of Controlling Thunder from Zixiao Sect but much weaker.
lǐ fán hé zhāng qiān mò èr rén ， zhōng yú kuài jiē jìn le cǐ xíng de mù dì dì ： níng yuǎn chéng 。
李凡和章阡陌二人，终于快接近了此行的目的地：宁远城。
After standing still and Li Fan looking at him, it turned out to be a middle-aged man in gray robes with only late-stage Qi Condensation cultivation.
zhāng qiān mò dǎ le gè hā qiàn ， fān shēn zhàn qǐ 。
章阡陌打了个哈欠，翻身站起。
He seemed to recognize Li Fan and greeted him: "It's Senior Brother Li. I couldn't greet you properly; please forgive me!"
“ shī dì ， hé nǐ shāng liáng gè shì 。” zhāng qiān mò xī xiào zhe kàn zhe lǐ fán ， shuō dào ：“ wǒ kě shì hǎo jǐ nián méi jiàn dào wǒ de chì xiá xiāng hǎo le ， shí zài shì xīn yǎng nán nài ， yī kè yě děng bù liǎo a ！”
“师弟，和你商量个事。”章阡陌嬉笑着看着李凡，说道：“我可是好几年没见到我的赤霞相好了，实在是心痒难耐，一刻也等不了啊！”
At this moment, information about the person flashed through Li Fan’s mind.
“ suǒ yǐ ……”
“所以……”
"Song He Song, outer door disciple of Zixiao Sect, Ningyuan City Manager."
tā cháo lǐ fán zhǎ le zhǎ yǎn jīng 。
他朝李凡眨了眨眼睛。
"Let's get to business without any pleasantries. Take me to collect the [Eternal Fruit]," Li Fan said with a cold and haughty expression according to his usual manner.
“ shōu qǔ 【 shòu guǒ 】 zhè xiǎo shì ， jiù jiāo gěi nǐ le 。”
“收取【寿果】这小事，就交给你了。”
Song He Song didn’t mind; after all, there was a significant gap in status between outer and inner door disciples.
tā pāi le pāi lǐ fán de jiān bǎng ， yě bù děng lǐ fán huí yìng ， jiù huà zuò yī dào zǐ guāng ， cháo zhe xià fāng dùn qù 。
他拍了拍李凡的肩膀，也不等李凡回应，就化作一道紫光，朝着下方遁去。
Moreover, this person was at late-stage Foundation Establishment.
“ fēn kāi xíng dòng yě hǎo 。 yǐ miǎn lòu le pò zhàn 。”
“分开行动也好。以免漏了破绽。”
Calling him senior brother was already due to his position as the Ningyuan City Manager.
lǐ fán qiú zhī bù dé ， kòng zhì zhe 【 zǐ xiāo fēi yún 】， huǎn huǎn cháo xià jiàng luò 。
李凡求之不得，控制着【紫霄飞云】，缓缓朝下降落。
He hurriedly led Li Fan into Ningyuan City.
“ jīn cì shì nǎ wèi shī xiōng qián lái ？” hái wèi luò dì ， biàn jiàn tóng yàng yī dào zǐ sè dùn guāng huǎn huǎn kào jìn 。
“今次是哪位师兄前来？”还未落地，便见同样一道紫色遁光缓缓靠近。
There seemed to be an invisible barrier surrounding the city.
qí shēn shàng chuán lái de gōng fǎ qì xī bō dòng ， hé 《 zǐ xiāo yù léi zhēn jué 》 jí qí xiāng sì 。
其身上传来的功法气息波动，和《紫霄御雷真诀》极其相似。
After passing through it, Li Fan’s gaze focused on the sky.
"Junior brother? Junior brother?"
Everything around seemed to be separated by a layer of sticky, transparent substance.
The voice that reached his ears was distorted and strange. The person seemed to have waved their hand.
When the scene appeared before Li Fan's eyes, it looked like a monstrous beast attacking him.
He suddenly became alarmed and instinctively wanted to counterattack.
However, he found that his Divine Sword Qionglong Branch and other divine techniques could not be used.
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Then, "Fallen Immortal Realm," "ritual," and "first exploration" flashed through his mind.
It was as if he had just emerged from underwater; the surroundings gradually became clear and bright.
Light and sound returned to normal.
"Junior brother? What are you thinking about? Why have you been so absent-minded for such a long time?"
A young cultivator in purple and white robes, with an indigo lightning bolt mark between his eyebrows, was looking at him curiously.
"It's the first time I've left the mountain in eighteen years. Maybe you're thinking of all those fun places your senior brother told you about before?"
"Don't worry, once everything is done, I'll take you to experience the Red Dust Shop and Drunken Immortal Hall!"
The young cultivator winked, though he wasn’t being serious as a senior.
Li Fan slowly regained his composure.
"Zixiao Sect, Li Chen."
"FOLLOW Senior Brother Zhang Qianmo down to Ningyuan City to collect the [Eternal Fruit]."
Several pieces of information flashed through Li Fan's mind in an instant.
"Senior brother is jesting; we should focus on our business!" Li Fan replied coolly according to his usual character as Li Chen.
"Ah, how boring!" Zhang Qianmo rolled his eyes and sighed.
Then he lay down lazily, no longer paying attention to Li Fan.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Fan observed the surroundings.
It seemed they were on a purple cloud. This purple cloud appeared to be a flying artifact, speeding through the sky at high altitude.
A protective array surrounded the outer edges of the purple cloud, blocking strong winds.
Sitting on the purple cloud was quiet and comfortable.
"Is this the Fallen Immortal Realm...?"
Li Fan carefully sensed his surroundings, his eyes widening with surprise.
"It's actually a world derived from the last moments of consciousness? So real..."
He touched the purple cloud beneath him, feeling the omnipresent spiritual energy in the air.
"If not for my previous memories, I almost thought I had reincarnated."
After a long while, Li Fan suppressed his shock.
"The first time entering, quite lucky to have an original identity."
Li Fan recalled Chen Ying's instructions. After entering the Fallen Immortal Realm, one might form a spirit consciousness avatar and explore on their own or directly possess the body of a living being there, obtaining its identity.
Both situations had pros and cons.
Forming a spirit consciousness avatar could utilize his original abilities but lacked an identity, making him a complete outsider.
With no knowledge of the surroundings, exploring and seizing opportunities would be much harder. Moreover, the rate of being "corrupted" by the realm was significantly faster for a spirit consciousness avatar.
Having an original identity provided a layer of protection, slowing down the corruption process considerably.
This allowed him to stay longer in the Fallen Immortal Realm and participate more easily in certain events.
The downside was that his strength could only be as powerful as the possessed being's.
He also had to be careful not to be noticed by familiar people, or he would be seen as "possessed," leading to relentless pursuit.
Li Fan flipped through Li Chen’s memories, adapting quickly to this new identity while sensing the loss of his spirit consciousness.
Sure enough, even with a physical body protecting him, Li Fan could clearly feel that his spirit consciousness was constantly being corrupted.
The intensity remained unchanged, but its total amount was slowly decreasing.
"When my spirit consciousness is completely corrupted, I will be forced to leave the Fallen Immortal Realm."
"At this rate, should only last about half a month?"
Li Fan frowned inwardly.
"No wonder Chen Ying said that Golden Core cultivators could barely act here. I still have an original identity."
"If it were a spirit consciousness avatar directly descending, I might only stay for seven or eight days at most."
"Never mind, no great expectations for good results on my first exploration. Just to broaden my horizons."
With these thoughts, Li Fan checked the details of Li Chen from Zixiao Sect.
"This place is unknown territory. Zixiao Sect is the largest cultivation sect within a ten-thousand-mile radius."
"Li Chen and Zhang Qianmo are both inner door disciples of Zixiao Sect, taught by Senior Immortal Ling Yunzi."
"Their cultivation method is The True Art of Controlling Thunder from Zixiao. Their strength is late-stage Foundation Establishment."
Li Fan flipped through his memories about the cultivation technique "The True Art of Controlling Thunder from Zixiao," but found it blank.
Although he was at late-stage Foundation Establishment, there were no signs of any heavenly treasures within him.
The Great Tribulation had not yet arrived, and Immortal techniques could still be practiced alongside others.
There was still no sign of the Immortal-凡 Pestilence.
"Am I in this time point now..." According to Chen Ying's description, different regions within the Fallen Immortal Realm might have different timelines. The span of time was extremely long.
Currently, the cultivation realm was relatively peaceful.
So far, Li Fan’s start seemed quite favorable.
After a day and a half of contemplation on the purple cloud, Li Fan and Zhang Qianmo finally approached their destination: Ningyuan City.
Zhang Qianmo yawned and stood up.
"Junior brother, let's discuss something," he said with a mischievous smile. "I haven't seen my Scarlet Flame Companion for years; I'm itching to see her!"
"So..."
He winked at Li Fan.
"Collecting the [Eternal Fruit] is your job."
He patted Li Fan’s shoulder and then transformed into a purple light, darting downward without waiting for a response.
"Separating our actions is better. To avoid revealing any flaws."
Li Fan was more than willing to control "Purple Cloud Flying," slowly descending.
"Which senior brother came this time?" Before landing, he saw another purple light approaching.
The cultivation technique aura emitted by the person was extremely similar to that of The True Art of Controlling Thunder from Zixiao Sect but much weaker.
After standing still and Li Fan looking at him, it turned out to be a middle-aged man in gray robes with only late-stage Qi Condensation cultivation.
He seemed to recognize Li Fan and greeted him: "It's Senior Brother Li. I couldn't greet you properly; please forgive me!"
At this moment, information about the person flashed through Li Fan’s mind.
"Song He Song, outer door disciple of Zixiao Sect, Ningyuan City Manager."
"Let's get to business without any pleasantries. Take me to collect the [Eternal Fruit]," Li Fan said with a cold and haughty expression according to his usual manner.
Song He Song didn’t mind; after all, there was a significant gap in status between outer and inner door disciples.
Moreover, this person was at late-stage Foundation Establishment.
Calling him senior brother was already due to his position as the Ningyuan City Manager.
He hurriedly led Li Fan into Ningyuan City.
There seemed to be an invisible barrier surrounding the city.
After passing through it, Li Fan’s gaze focused on the sky.