xiǎo pàng zi yè fēi péng de mò míng shī zōng ， shǐ de huāng dǎo shàng yuán běn yīn wèi xiū wèi dà jìn ér zhú jiàn biàn dé yǒu xiē piāo piāo rán de lí jiè zhòng rén ， shōu liǎn qǐ le xǔ duō 。
小胖子叶飞鹏的莫名失踪，使得荒岛上原本因为修为大进而逐渐变得有些飘飘然的离界众人，收敛起了许多。
The mysterious disappearance of Little Fat Ye Feipeng caused the inhabitants of the荒岛 to become more grounded, as they had grown somewhat arrogant due to their increased cultivation levels.
yán gé zūn xún “ tóu gǔ qián bèi ” de dīng zhǔ ， mēn shēng xiū liàn 、 dī diào fā zhǎn 。
严格遵循“头骨前辈”的叮嘱，闷声修炼、低调发展。
Following the "Senior Skull"’s instructions, Li Fan quietly practiced and developed his abilities in a low-key manner. However, Zhang Ziliang seemed unusually out of sync.
ér zhāng zhì liáng nà biān ， què sì hū yǒu diǎn fǎn cháng 。
而张志良那边，却似乎有点反常。
There was no news of him advancing to the Immortal Formation realm. He still appeared as just an array master deeply engrossed in阵法 research, but Li Fan knew there must be some hidden plot at play.
méi yǒu tā jìn shēng huà shén de xiāo xī chuán kāi 。
没有他晋升化神的消息传开。
Zhang Ziliang had survived the brutal battle in the Celestial Intelligence State this life not only because he had gained a breakthrough opportunity, but his mindset and beliefs seemed to have changed.
fǎng fú shén me dōu méi yǒu fā shēng shì de ， tā hái xiàng zhī qián biǎo xiàn chū de nà yàng ， dān chún zhǐ shì gè xīn zuì chén mí yú zhèn fǎ yán jiū de zhèn fǎ dà shī 。
仿佛什么都没有发生似的，他还像之前表现出的那样，单纯只是个心醉沉迷于阵法研究的阵法大师。
Zhang Ziliang did not hide these changes much, which is why Li Fan, who often interacted with him and was adept at reading people, quickly picked up on them.
dàn lǐ fán zhī dào ， zhè qí zhōng bì dìng yǒu mǒu zhǒng yīn móu zài àn zhōng yùn niàng 。
但李凡知道，这其中必定有某种阴谋在暗中酝酿。
Moreover, the materials needed for array crowns in the Heavenly Wisdom Mirror had recently shown slight increases, suggesting that Zhang Ziliang was secretly preparing something.
zhāng zhì liáng cǐ shì cóng tiān líng zhōu cǎn liè de dà zhàn zhōng cún huó xià lái ， bù jǐn jǐn shì dé dào le tū pò de qì jī 。
张志良此世从天灵州惨烈的大战中存活下来，不仅仅是得到了突破的契机。
"I remember this year, when the two Immortal Formation Deities,澜沧 and 皓轩, were about to clash in the Cunyun Sea," Li Fan thought. "If Purple Cloud Immortal Deity intervenes, it will tell us if Zhang Ziliang has leaked news of the Crimson Flame Sea."
tā zhěng gè rén de xīn tài 、 guān niàn ， sì hū dōu fā shēng le mǒu zhǒng biàn huà 。
他整个人的心态、观念，似乎都发生了某种变化。
"Everything is interconnected; a small detail can reveal much."
zhāng zhì liáng běn shēn bìng méi yǒu duì cǐ guò duō zhē yǎn 。
张志良本身并没有对此过多遮掩。
Although he was seated in the Heavenly Wisdom Mirror all day, Li Fan could still see through the blinding effects of the Unseen Killing Mechanism. By comparing and verifying his past experiences with these subtle details, he could know what was happening without leaving his seat.
suǒ yǐ cǐ qián gēn zhāng zhì liáng duō yǒu jiē chù 、 ér yòu jí shàn chá yán guān sè de lǐ fán ， mǐn ruì de chá jué dào le zhè diǎn 。
所以此前跟张志良多有接触、而又极善察言观色的李凡，敏锐的察觉到了这点。
This thought brought him a sense of satisfaction. However, just as he was enjoying this moment, Li Fan's mood suddenly changed when he discovered that the Unseen Killing Mechanism monitoring He Zhenghao had failed.
ér tiān xuán jìng zhōng ， zhì zào zhèn miǎn de cái liào ， zuì jìn dōu yǒu le bù tóng chéng dù de qīng wēi shàng zhǎng 。
而天玄镜中，制造阵冕的材料，最近都有了不同程度的轻微上涨。
Although it still locked onto his location, the mechanism couldn't detect any information about him or pinpoint his exact whereabouts.
zhè sì hū yě néng cóng cè miàn yìn zhèng ， zhāng zhì liáng shì zài qiāo qiāo zuò mǒu zhǒng zhǔn bèi 。
这似乎也能从侧面印证，张志良是在悄悄做某种准备。
The Unseen Killing Mechanism relied on divine vision and hearing, using heavenly mandate to its advantage. Such failures were rare, but not unheard of—like in the case of the ancient mystic who could challenge a Celestial Doctor.
“ wǒ jì de jīn nián ， lán cāng hé hào xuān liǎng wèi huà shén xiān jūn ， qià hǎo huì zài cóng yún hǎi bào fā yī cháng dà zhàn 。”
“我记得今年，澜沧和皓轩两位化神仙君，恰好会在丛云海爆发一场大战。”
He Zhenghao had yet to break through to the Golden Core realm; how could he block Li Fan’s Unseen Killing Mechanism?
“ zhǐ yào kàn dào shí hòu zǐ yún xiān jūn huì bú huì chā shǒu ， jiù zhī dào zhāng zhì liáng yǒu méi yǒu jiāng chì yán fén hǎi de xiāo xī tòu lù chū qù le 。”
“只要看到时候紫云仙君会不会插手，就知道张志良有没有将赤炎焚海的消息透露出去了。”
Something must have happened.
“ wàn shì wàn wù bǐ cǐ guān lián ， jiàn wēi kě zhī zhù 、 guǎn zhōng kě kuī bào 。”
“万事万物彼此关联，见微可知著、管中可窥豹。”
Li Fan was still very concerned about He Zhaohao, his only subordinate in this life. He planned to take him out of the Cunyun Sea before the Crimson Flame Sea arrived, but only if he remained under Li Fan's control.
“ wǒ suī zhěng rì duān zuò tiān xuán jìng zhōng ， dàn yǒu wú xiāng shā jī diǎn liàng shì yě 。 zài tōng guò zhè xiē cháng rén huò xǔ nán yǐ chá jué dào de xì jié ， duì bǐ yìn zhèng qián shì jiàn wén 。”
“我虽整日端坐天玄镜中，但有无相杀机点亮视野。再通过这些常人或许难以察觉到的细节，对比印证前世见闻。”
After a moment’s thought, Li Fan pulled out a communication spirit token and sent a message to He Zhenghao: "He Daoist, how are you?"
“ yě néng zuò dào zú bù chū hù ， ér zhī tiān xià shì 。”
“也能做到足不出户，而知天下事。”
There was no response for a long time. Li Fan frowned.
zhè me xiǎng zhe ， lǐ fán xīn zhōng bù miǎn yǒu xiē àn zì xīn xǐ 。
这么想着，李凡心中不免有些暗自欣喜。
"Where are you now, He Daoist?" he asked again, but still received no reply.
dàn jiù zài tā dài zhe zhè fèn nán dé de yú yuè zhī qíng ， chóng xīn jìn rù kǔ xiū hòu bù jiǔ 。
但就在他带着这份难得的愉悦之情，重新进入苦修后不久。
Rubbing his chin, Li Fan left the Heavenly Wisdom Mirror and headed straight to the transmission square. Just as he approached the Lustrous Isle’s teleportation array, He Zhenghao finally replied: "Eh? What does Fellow Daoist Li want?"
lǐ fán què shì hū de liǎn sè yī biàn ， zhōng duàn le xiū liàn 。
李凡却是忽的脸色一变，中断了修炼。
"I can only be here on Lustrous Isle," Li Fan said with a smile.
yīn wèi ， tā fā xiàn ， jiān shì hé zhèng hào de wú xiāng shā jī ， jū rán shī xiào le 。
因为，他发现，监视何正浩的无相杀机，居然失效了。
"That's perfect. It's been too long; let's catch up in person."
suī rán suǒ dìng hái zài ， dàn shì bù jǐn wú fǎ gǎn yìng dào nà biān huà miàn ， shèn zhì lián tā de jù tǐ wèi zhì dōu méi bàn fǎ què dìng le 。
虽然锁定还在，但是不仅无法感应到那边画面，甚至连他的具体位置都没办法确定了。
He Zhenghao quickly responded, his tone sounding panicked.
wú xiāng shā jī nǎi shì tiān shì dì tīng zhī shù ， jiǎ tiān mìng ér yòng zhī 。
无相杀机乃是天视地听之术，假天命而用之。
"Let’s make it another time. I have guests visiting and it’s not convenient..."
lún huí zhè me jiǔ ， shī xiào de qíng kuàng yǒu ， dàn hěn shǎo 。
轮回这么久，失效的情况有，但很少。
Li Fan smiled and ignored He Zhenghao’s suggestion as he activated the teleportation array. He wanted to see what tricks He Zhenghao had used to block the Unseen Killing Mechanism.
bǐ rú zhī qián qīng niú lā chē de fū zǐ shū wū nèi 。
比如之前青牛拉车的夫子书屋内。
After a moment, Li Fan saw a somewhat awkward and regretful He Zhenghao. But his attention was drawn to another person present—a young girl who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old.
dàn nà kě shì néng gēn tiān yī dǎ shàng yī cháng de shàng gǔ guǐ yì ， shí lì zuì qǐ mǎ zài hé dào zhī shàng 。
但那可是能跟天医打上一场的上古诡异，实力最起码在合道之上。
She was tall with a strikingly beautiful face. Her eyes were filled with curiosity as she sized up the sudden appearance of Li Fan.
hé zhèng hào tā hái méi yǒu tū pò jīn dān ， zěn me kě néng píng bì lǐ fán de wú xiāng shā jī ？
何正浩他还没有突破金丹，怎么可能屏蔽李凡的无相杀机？
"Who is this?"
fā shēng le shén me ？
发生了什么？
"Who is this?"
duì yú hé dào yǒu ， lǐ fán hái shì hěn zhòng shì de 。
对于何道友，李凡还是很重视的。
Li Fan and the girl asked in unison.
zuò wéi cǐ shì wéi yī shōu fú de shǒu xià ， lǐ fán hái zhǔn bèi zhǎo gè jiè kǒu ， zài chì yán fén hǎi jiàng lín qián ， bǎ tā yì qǐ dài chū cóng yún hǎi 。
作为此世唯一收服的手下，李凡还准备找个借口，在赤炎焚海降临前，把他一起带出丛云海。
He Zhenghao cleared his throat, blocking Li Fan’s view by standing protectively in front of the girl. "Hahaha! Fellow Daoist, you really are swift to act; here so quickly!"
jiù tā yī tiáo xiǎo mìng ne 。
救他一条小命呢。
"I’ll introduce you: This is my daughter, He Xinxin."
dàn qián tí shì tā bù néng tuō lí lǐ fán de zhǎng kòng 。
但前提是他不能脱离李凡的掌控。
"Xinxin, this fellow daoist is Li Fan, a dear friend of mine," He Zhenghao said, masking his embarrassment well.
chén yín le piàn kè ， lǐ fán tāo chū tōng xùn líng fú ， gěi hé zhèng hào fā le xùn xī 。
沉吟了片刻，李凡掏出通讯灵符，给何正浩发了讯息。
Li Fan’s gaze swept over He Xinxin, and he noticed something unusual. Despite her young age, she seemed to have impressive natural talent, already at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
“ hé dào yǒu ， jìn kuàng rú hé ？”
“何道友，近况如何？”
If not for Li Fan helping him with the《Mountain River Concealing Dragon Technique》, her cultivation would likely surpass his!
xǔ jiǔ ， méi yǒu huí yìng 。
许久，没有回应。
With a higher innate ability but no connection to her father...
lǐ fán zhòu le zhòu méi 。
李凡皱了皱眉。
Li Fan suddenly understood. "Fellow Daoist, you really know how to live off someone else’s efforts. I wonder why you came here on your own."
“ hé dào yǒu ， xiàn zài rén zài hé chù a ？”
“何道友，现在人在何处啊？”
"Are you getting old and useless?" Li Fan maliciously speculated.
děng le yī huì ， hái shì méi yǒu huí yìng 。
等了一会，还是没有回应。
Seeing Li Fan staring intently at his daughter, He Zhenghao felt a bit anxious and quickly tried to redirect his attention: "Hahaha, Fellow Daoist, please sit down."
mō le mō xià bā ， lǐ fán qǐ shēn lí kāi tiān xuán jìng ， zhí bēn chuán fǎ guǎng chǎng 。
摸了摸下巴，李凡起身离开天玄镜，直奔传法广场。
He hurriedly invited Li Fan to the mountain pavilion.
kuài yào zǒu dào liú lí dǎo chuán sòng zhèn qián ， hé zhèng hào zhè cái màn yōu yōu de huí fù guò lái ：“ yí ？ lǐ fán dào yǒu zhǎo wǒ hé shì ？”
快要走到琉璃岛传送阵前，何正浩这才慢悠悠的回复过来：“咦？李凡道友找我何事？”
"You really treat me like an outsider," said Li Fan, sipping his tea slowly. "I’ve never heard you mention having a daughter before."
“ wǒ hái néng qù nǎ ， dāng rán shì zài liú lí dǎo shàng a 。”
“我还能去哪，当然是在琉璃岛上啊。”
Sure enough, He Xinxin’s expression turned slightly unhappy as she glared at her father with those beautiful eyes.
lǐ fán jiǎo bù yī dùn ：“ hē hē ， nà zhèng hǎo 。 xǔ jiǔ bú jiàn ， zhèng hǎo zhǎo nǐ dāng miàn xù jiù 。”
李凡脚步一顿：“呵呵，那正好。许久不见，正好找你当面叙旧。”
He Zhenghao inwardly groaned and quickly tried to defend himself: "Fellow Daoist, you really have a good memory! I said last time that I wanted to introduce my daughter..."
hé zhèng hào lì mǎ huí fù le xiāo xī ， yǔ qì sì hū yǒu diǎn jīng huāng 。
何正浩立马回复了消息，语气似乎有点惊慌。
His words were cut off by an unsettling feeling. He Zhenghao stopped mid-sentence as he noticed the increasingly suspicious look in his daughter’s eyes.
“ bù rú gǎi tiān ba ？ wǒ yǒu kè lái fǎng ， bú shì hěn fāng biàn ……”
“不如改天吧？我有客来访，不是很方便……”
He Zhenghao’s mind went blank as he tried to explain himself, but Li Fan saved him: "Haha, you remind me; I remember now."
lǐ fán wēi wēi yī xiào ， lǐ dōu bù lǐ hé zhèng hào de jiàn yì ， jìng zhí fā dòng le chuán sòng zhèn 。
李凡微微一笑，理都不理何正浩的建议，径直发动了传送阵。
"At that time, she was arguing with me about getting a gift for our first meeting."
tā dào yào kàn kàn ， hé zhèng hào shǐ le shén me shǒu duàn ， néng gòu jiāng wú xiāng shā jī píng bì 。
他倒要看看，何正浩使了什么手段，能够将无相杀机屏蔽。
Li Fan tapped his head and pretended to recall.
piàn kè zhī hòu ， lǐ fán jiàn dào le miàn shàng pǒ yǒu xiē gān gà hé ào huǐ zhī sè de hé zhèng hào 。
片刻之后，李凡见到了面上颇有些尴尬和懊悔之色的何正浩。
"Since your father didn’t greet me, there were no gifts prepared in advance."
bù guò tā de zhù yì lì cǐ shí què jí zhōng zài le zài chǎng de lìng wài yī rén shēn shàng 。
不过他的注意力此时却集中在了在场的另外一人身上。
"Just something small," he said as he pulled out a flag from his storage ring, half a person’s height.
yī wèi kàn shàng qù zhǐ yǒu shí liù qī suì de shào nǚ 。
一位看上去只有十六七岁的少女。
He Xinxin took the flag and saw that it was black and yellow with the characters "Ten Thousand Immortals" written on it. It was the same array flag Li Fan had bought for this life to use in emergencies, worth 10,000 contribution points.
shēn xíng gāo tiǎo ， miàn róng qīng lì 。
身形高挑，面容清丽。
"Females need to be cautious when traveling; here’s a set of flags for your protection," said Li Fan with a smile, ignoring He Zhenghao’s worried gaze.
The mysterious disappearance of Little Fat Ye Feipeng caused the inhabitants of the荒岛 to become more grounded, as they had grown somewhat arrogant due to their increased cultivation levels.
Following the "Senior Skull"’s instructions, Li Fan quietly practiced and developed his abilities in a low-key manner. However, Zhang Ziliang seemed unusually out of sync.
There was no news of him advancing to the Immortal Formation realm. He still appeared as just an array master deeply engrossed in阵法 research, but Li Fan knew there must be some hidden plot at play.
Zhang Ziliang had survived the brutal battle in the Celestial Intelligence State this life not only because he had gained a breakthrough opportunity, but his mindset and beliefs seemed to have changed.
Zhang Ziliang did not hide these changes much, which is why Li Fan, who often interacted with him and was adept at reading people, quickly picked up on them.
Moreover, the materials needed for array crowns in the Heavenly Wisdom Mirror had recently shown slight increases, suggesting that Zhang Ziliang was secretly preparing something.
"I remember this year, when the two Immortal Formation Deities,澜沧 and 皓轩, were about to clash in the Cunyun Sea," Li Fan thought. "If Purple Cloud Immortal Deity intervenes, it will tell us if Zhang Ziliang has leaked news of the Crimson Flame Sea."
"Everything is interconnected; a small detail can reveal much."
Although he was seated in the Heavenly Wisdom Mirror all day, Li Fan could still see through the blinding effects of the Unseen Killing Mechanism. By comparing and verifying his past experiences with these subtle details, he could know what was happening without leaving his seat.
This thought brought him a sense of satisfaction. However, just as he was enjoying this moment, Li Fan's mood suddenly changed when he discovered that the Unseen Killing Mechanism monitoring He Zhenghao had failed.
Although it still locked onto his location, the mechanism couldn't detect any information about him or pinpoint his exact whereabouts.
The Unseen Killing Mechanism relied on divine vision and hearing, using heavenly mandate to its advantage. Such failures were rare, but not unheard of—like in the case of the ancient mystic who could challenge a Celestial Doctor.
He Zhenghao had yet to break through to the Golden Core realm; how could he block Li Fan’s Unseen Killing Mechanism?
Something must have happened.
Li Fan was still very concerned about He Zhaohao, his only subordinate in this life. He planned to take him out of the Cunyun Sea before the Crimson Flame Sea arrived, but only if he remained under Li Fan's control.
After a moment’s thought, Li Fan pulled out a communication spirit token and sent a message to He Zhenghao: "He Daoist, how are you?"
There was no response for a long time. Li Fan frowned.
"Where are you now, He Daoist?" he asked again, but still received no reply.
Rubbing his chin, Li Fan left the Heavenly Wisdom Mirror and headed straight to the transmission square. Just as he approached the Lustrous Isle’s teleportation array, He Zhenghao finally replied: "Eh? What does Fellow Daoist Li want?"
"I can only be here on Lustrous Isle," Li Fan said with a smile.
"That's perfect. It's been too long; let's catch up in person."
He Zhenghao quickly responded, his tone sounding panicked.
"Let’s make it another time. I have guests visiting and it’s not convenient..."
Li Fan smiled and ignored He Zhenghao’s suggestion as he activated the teleportation array. He wanted to see what tricks He Zhenghao had used to block the Unseen Killing Mechanism.
After a moment, Li Fan saw a somewhat awkward and regretful He Zhenghao. But his attention was drawn to another person present—a young girl who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old.
She was tall with a strikingly beautiful face. Her eyes were filled with curiosity as she sized up the sudden appearance of Li Fan.
"Who is this?"
"Who is this?"
Li Fan and the girl asked in unison.
He Zhenghao cleared his throat, blocking Li Fan’s view by standing protectively in front of the girl. "Hahaha! Fellow Daoist, you really are swift to act; here so quickly!"
"I’ll introduce you: This is my daughter, He Xinxin."
"Xinxin, this fellow daoist is Li Fan, a dear friend of mine," He Zhenghao said, masking his embarrassment well.
Li Fan’s gaze swept over He Xinxin, and he noticed something unusual. Despite her young age, she seemed to have impressive natural talent, already at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
If not for Li Fan helping him with the《Mountain River Concealing Dragon Technique》, her cultivation would likely surpass his!
With a higher innate ability but no connection to her father...
Li Fan suddenly understood. "Fellow Daoist, you really know how to live off someone else’s efforts. I wonder why you came here on your own."
"Are you getting old and useless?" Li Fan maliciously speculated.
Seeing Li Fan staring intently at his daughter, He Zhenghao felt a bit anxious and quickly tried to redirect his attention: "Hahaha, Fellow Daoist, please sit down."
He hurriedly invited Li Fan to the mountain pavilion.
"You really treat me like an outsider," said Li Fan, sipping his tea slowly. "I’ve never heard you mention having a daughter before."
Sure enough, He Xinxin’s expression turned slightly unhappy as she glared at her father with those beautiful eyes.
He Zhenghao inwardly groaned and quickly tried to defend himself: "Fellow Daoist, you really have a good memory! I said last time that I wanted to introduce my daughter..."
His words were cut off by an unsettling feeling. He Zhenghao stopped mid-sentence as he noticed the increasingly suspicious look in his daughter’s eyes.
He Zhenghao’s mind went blank as he tried to explain himself, but Li Fan saved him: "Haha, you remind me; I remember now."
"At that time, she was arguing with me about getting a gift for our first meeting."
Li Fan tapped his head and pretended to recall.
"Since your father didn’t greet me, there were no gifts prepared in advance."
"Just something small," he said as he pulled out a flag from his storage ring, half a person’s height.
He Xinxin took the flag and saw that it was black and yellow with the characters "Ten Thousand Immortals" written on it. It was the same array flag Li Fan had bought for this life to use in emergencies, worth 10,000 contribution points.
"Females need to be cautious when traveling; here’s a set of flags for your protection," said Li Fan with a smile, ignoring He Zhenghao’s worried gaze.