miàn duì zhāng qiān mò de zhì wèn ， lǐ fán zhǐ shì wēi xiào bù dá 。
面对章阡陌的质问，李凡只是微笑不答。
Facing Zhang Qianmo's questioning, Li Fan merely smiled without answering.
“ méi xiǎng dào xī rì de tiān xià dì yī jiào ， rú jīn yǐ jīng lún luò dào hé yāo shòu wéi wǔ de dì bù le 。”
“没想到昔日的天下第一教，如今已经沦落到和妖兽为伍的地步了。”
"Who would have thought that the former number one sect in the land has now fallen to the point of associating with demons and beasts."
zhāng qiān mò liǎn shàng shǎn guò yī sī qīng miè zhī sè ：“ kàn lái zhè xiē nián ， xiān dào zōng mén de nǔ lì méi yǒu bái fèi 。”
章阡陌脸上闪过一丝轻蔑之色：“看来这些年，仙道宗门的努力没有白费。”
Zhang Qianmo's face flashed a trace of disdain. "It seems these years of effort by the Immortal Dao sects haven't been in vain."
lǐ fán shén sè bù biàn ， yǔ qì yōu yōu dào ：“ zhāng shī xiōng ， shì shàng yǒu xiē shì ， qí shí bìng bú shì biǎo miàn kàn shàng qù nà me jiǎn dān 。”
李凡神色不变，语气幽幽道：“章师兄，世上有些事，其实并不是表面看上去那么简单。”
Li Fan remained calm, his voice echoing softly, "Senior Brother Zhang, there are some things in this world that aren’t as simple as they appear on the surface."
“ rú guǒ wǒ shuō ， wǒ gēn shén me xuán tiān jiào ， yì diǎn guān xì dōu méi yǒu 。 nǐ xìn me ？”
“如果我说，我跟什么玄天教，一点关系都没有。你信么？”
"If I say I have no connection with the Xuan Tian Sect. Would you believe me?"
zhāng qiān mò yòng kàn bái chī de yǎn shén kàn zhe lǐ fán ， yī fù nǐ kàn wǒ huì xìn ma de yàng zi ， lěng hēng bù yǔ 。
章阡陌用看白痴的眼神看着李凡，一副你看我会信吗的样子，冷哼不语。
Zhang Qianmo looked at Li Fan with a look of disdain, as if to ask if he would believe him. He snorted coldly and said nothing.
lǐ fán xiào le xiào ， méi yǒu zài jiū jié zhè ge wèn tí 。
李凡笑了笑，没有再纠结这个问题。
Li Fan smiled and didn't dwell further on this issue.
dǎ liàng zhe zhāng qiān mò ， fān kàn zhe fù shēn lǐ chén de jì yì ， què shì fā xiàn le yǐ wǎng méi yǒu fā xiàn de yī xiē yǒu qù de xì jié 。
打量着章阡陌，翻看着附身李尘的记忆，却是发现了以往没有发现的一些有趣的细节。
He sized up Zhang Qianmo while flipping through the memories attached to Li Chen's body, discovering some interesting details that hadn’t been noticed before.
sī suǒ zhōng chén mò le piàn kè ， chū yán shì tàn dào ：“ xuán tiān jiào a ， nà kě shì hǎo duō nián zhī qián de shì qíng 。 nǐ men xiān dào zōng mén bà qí shì wèi jìn jì ， zì wǒ rù zǐ xiāo zōng yǐ lái ， zhè me duō nián ， jìng rán cóng lái méi yǒu tīng shuō guò yǒu guān xuán tiān jiào de rèn hé xiāo xī 。”
思索中沉默了片刻，出言试探道：“玄天教啊，那可是好多年之前的事情。你们仙道宗门把其视为禁忌，自我入紫霄宗以来，这么多年，竟然从来没有听说过有关玄天教的任何消息。”
After a moment of contemplation, he spoke tentatively, "The Xuan Tian Sect. That was something from long ago. Your sect regards it as taboo. Since I joined the Purple Void Sect, there hasn't been any news about the Xuan Tian Sect for so many years."
“ shī xiōng nǐ yě bǐ wǒ dà bù liǎo duō shǎo ， zhǒng zhǒng yǐn mì ， nǐ yòu shì zěn me zhī dào de zhè me qīng chǔ de ？”
“师兄你也比我大不了多少，种种隐秘，你又是怎么知道的这么清楚的？”
"Senior Brother Zhang, you're not much older than me. How did you come to know so much about this?"
zhāng qiān mò shén sè wēi biàn ， bù guò yī jiù méi yǒu huí dá 。
章阡陌神色微变，不过依旧没有回答。
Zhang Qianmo's expression changed slightly but didn’t reply.
lǐ fán jiàn zì jǐ de cāi cè dé dào le yìn zhèng ， yú shì jì xù jiā mǎ ：“ cóng qián wǒ jiù jué de ， shī fù hái yǒu shī shū ， duì nǐ de tài dù yǒu xiē qí guài 。”
李凡见自己的猜测得到了印证，于是继续加码：“从前我就觉得，师父还有师叔，对你的态度有些奇怪。”
Seeing his guess confirmed, Li Fan continued pressing, "I always felt that my master and senior brothers treated you oddly."
“ zhī qián wǒ hái yǐ wéi shì shī xiōng nǐ de tiān fù tài hǎo de yuán gù 。”
“之前我还以为是师兄你的天赋太好的缘故。”
"I thought it was because of your exceptional talent."
“ xiàn zài xiǎng lái ……”
“现在想来……”
"Thinking back now..."
lǐ fán xiào le xiào 。
李凡笑了笑。
Li Fan smiled. Zhang Qianmo’s face darkened.
zhāng qiān mò de liǎn sè màn màn yīn chén xià lái 。
章阡陌的脸色慢慢阴沉下来。
"Moreover, although we are both disciples, the magical arts and powers you possess far surpass mine!"
“ zài jiā shàng ， nǐ wǒ suī tóng wèi shī xiōng dì ， dàn shī xiōng nǐ de yī shēn shù fǎ shén tōng ， kě bǐ wǒ yào gāo chū tài duō ！”
“再加上，你我虽同为师兄弟，但师兄你的一身术法神通，可比我要高出太多！”
"In particular, your [Purple Core Rebirth Technique]..."
“ yóu qí shì nǐ nà 【 zǐ dān niè pán fǎ 】……”
“尤其是你那【紫丹涅槃法】……”
At this point, Zhang Qianmo's expression changed dramatically. He gave Li Fan a deep look as if to engrave it in his memory forever.
lǐ fán shuō dào zhè lǐ ， zhāng qiān mò zhōng yú chè dǐ sè biàn 。
李凡说到这里，章阡陌终于彻底色变。
Instantly, the aura that had already diminished to that of an ordinary person was rapidly vanishing.
shēn shēn de kàn le lǐ fán yī yǎn ， sì hū yào jiāng qí yǒng yuǎn jì zhù 。
深深的看了李凡一眼，似乎要将其永远记住。
Li Fan was taken aback and hurried forward to check but it was too late.
chà nà zhī hòu ， yuán běn jiù yǐ jīng shuāi jiǎn zhì fán rén yì bān de qì xī ， zhèng zài kuài sù xiāo shī 。
刹那之后，原本就已经衰减至凡人一般的气息，正在快速消失。
When he reached Zhang Qianmo's side, Senior Brother Zhang had completely lost his life force.
lǐ fán yǒu xiē è rán ， lián máng shàng qián chá kàn ， què yǐ jīng lái bù jí le 。
李凡有些愕然，连忙上前查看，却已经来不及了。
"Fake death?"
děng tā zǒu dào zhāng qiān mò shēn biān shí ， zhāng shī xiōng yǐ jīng chè dǐ shī qù le shēng mìng de qì xī 。
等他走到章阡陌身边时，章师兄已经彻底失去了生命的气息。
"Nirvana?"
“ jiǎ sǐ ？”
“假死？”
Li Fan didn’t lower his guard as he examined. After a long while, he stood up and rubbed his chin.
“ niè pán ？”
“涅槃？”
The result was unexpected.
lǐ fán méi yǒu fàng sōng jǐng tì ， jiǎn chá qǐ lái 。
李凡没有放松警惕，检查起来。
Zhang Qianmo had truly died.
guò le xǔ jiǔ ， lǐ fán qǐ shēn ， mō le mō xià bā 。
过了许久，李凡起身，摸了摸下巴。
And unlike before, he hadn't been reborn from the Purple Core.
jié guǒ yǒu xiē chū hū yì liào zhī wài 。
结果有些出乎意料之外。
He had completely perished.
zhāng qiān mò jū rán zhēn de sǐ le 。
章阡陌居然真的死了。
If this were in the real world, an anomaly would have appeared above him at that moment.
bìng qiě ， méi yǒu shì zhī qián nà bān ， sǐ hòu cóng zǐ dān zhōng niè pán chóng shēng 。
并且，没有似之前那般，死后从紫丹中涅槃重生。
"Secret techniques to seal all acupoints and still be able to commit suicide..."
ér shì chè dǐ yǔn luò le 。
而是彻底陨落了。
"Knowledge of ancient secrets, different status within the sect."
ruò shì zài xiàn shí shì jiè ， cǐ shí tóu dǐng yīng gāi jiù huì yǒu yì xiàng jiàng lín 。
若是在现实世界，此时头顶应该就会有异像降临。
"A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator with a heaven-defying ambition. His vision is terrifying..."
“ quán shēn yào xué bèi fēng ， réng rán néng zì wǒ liǎo duàn de mì fǎ ……”
“全身要穴被封，仍然能自我了断的秘法……”
Li Fan pondered and sighed, "It seems Senior Brother Zhang has another identity."
“ zhī xiǎo shàng gǔ yǐn mì ， zài mén pài zhōng shēn fèn dì wèi yǐn yǐn bù tóng 。”
“知晓上古隐秘，在门派中身份地位隐隐不同。”
"Too bad..."
“ suī zhǐ zhù jī xiū wèi ， què yǒu nì tiān hóng yuàn 。 yǎn jiè gāo de xià rén ……”
“虽只筑基修为，却有逆天宏愿。眼界高的吓人……”
For safety's sake, he didn't remove the Desolation Stone Needle but instead searched through Zhang Qianmo’s body directly.
lǐ fán ruò yǒu suǒ sī ， gǎn tàn dào ：“ kàn lái zhè wèi zhāng shī xiōng ， lìng yǒu shēn fèn a 。”
李凡若有所思，感叹道：“看来这位章师兄，另有身份啊。”
Apart from a storage ring, there were no other valuable items.
“ kě xī ……”
“可惜……”
His spirit tried to enter the ring to see what was inside but was blocked by a flash of purple lightning.
jǐn shèn qǐ jiàn ， méi yǒu jiāng jué xiān shí zhēn qǔ xià ， ér shì zhí jiē zài zhāng qiān mò shī tǐ shàng mō suǒ qǐ lái 。
谨慎起见，没有将绝仙石针取下，而是直接在章阡陌尸体上摸索起来。
"Seems there are restrictions that can’t be broken," Li Fan lamented after failing ten times. "Forget it, I won't bring this back anyway."
chú le yī méi chǔ wù jiè ， méi yǒu qí tā yǒu jià zhí de dōng xī 。
除了一枚储物戒，没有其他有价值的东西。
Li Fan gave up and continued on his way towards the central city where the Everlasting Life Tree stood.
shén shí shì tú zuān rù jiè zhǐ zhōng ， kàn kàn lǐ miàn yǒu xiē shén me 。
神识试图钻入戒指中，看看里面有些什么。
As he neared, he released his own aura.
què bèi yī dào zǐ diàn shǎn shuò ， zǔ lán zài wài 。
却被一道紫电闪烁，阻拦在外。
"Which senior brother is here?" came Song HeSong’s slightly surprised voice.
“ kàn lái yǒu jìn zhì ， wú fǎ pò jiě 。” cháng shì le shí duō cì ， dōu méi néng chéng gōng ， lǐ fán yǒu xiē yí hàn 。
“看来有禁制，无法破解。”尝试了十多次，都没能成功，李凡有些遗憾。
Soon after, a figure in gray Daoist robes approached Li Fan.
“ bà le ， fǎn zhèng yě dài bù huí xiàn shí 。”
“罢了，反正也带不回现实。”
"It's really Senior Brother Li!"
lǐ fán suǒ xìng zhí jiē fàng qì 。
李凡索性直接放弃。
Li Fan didn't chat but directly said coldly, "Senior Brother Song, you’ve done a good job managing this Ning Yuan City!"
“ zhāng shī xiōng shì jiě jué le ， jiē xià lái ， jiù shì nà wèi sòng guǎn shì le 。”
“章师兄是解决了，接下来，就是那位宋管事了。”
Song HeSong was taken aback by Li Fan's immediate accusation. He thought it might be because the plot to ambush them had been exposed and prepared to attack.
xiǎng le xiǎng ， lǐ fán zài mì shì zhōng wā le gè kēng ， bǎ zhāng qiān mò de shī tǐ fàng le jìn qù 。
想了想，李凡在密室中挖了个坑，把章阡陌的尸体放了进去。
But he hesitated and asked tentatively, "What do you mean?"
suí hòu yòng nà kuài xiān jué shí bǎn gài zhù 。
随后用那块仙绝石板盖住。
Li Fan snorted, "Zhang Senior Brother and I found some forbidden objects in the city. If these were exposed on our Purple Void Sect’s territory, not only would it be your small position at stake but also the sect itself might suffer significant repercussions."
zhī hòu zhí bēn chéng zhōng yāng wǎng shēng shòu shù ér qù 。
之后直奔城中央往生寿树而去。
"Forbidden objects?" Song HeSong was confused.
kuài yào jiē jìn shí ， fàng chū zì shēn qì xī 。
快要接近时，放出自身气息。
Feigning fear, Song HeSong asked, "What exactly is this object that caused such a great taboo? Please enlighten me!"
“ shì nǎ wèi shī xiōng qián lái ？！” sòng hé sòng lüè xiǎn jīng yà de shēng yīn chuán lái 。
“是哪位师兄前来？！”宋和颂略显惊讶的声音传来。
*The First Cause of All*
hěn kuài ， yī xí huī sè dào páo de shēn yǐng jiù lái dào lǐ fán miàn qián 。
很快，一席灰色道袍的身影就来到李凡面前。
Li Fan turned and flew towards Bai Sir's courtyard.
“ yuán lái shì lǐ shī xiōng dāng miàn ！”
“原来是李师兄当面！”
"FOLLOW ME!"
lǐ fán méi yǒu gēn tā hán xuān ， ér zhí jiē lěng shēng shuō dào ：“ sòng guǎn shì ， zhè níng yuǎn chéng ， nǐ guǎn de hǎo a ！”
李凡没有跟他寒暄，而直接冷声说道：“宋管事，这宁远城，你管的好啊！”
Song HeSong hesitated as he scanned the area with his spirit. The ambush by Chu Liang and others was still in place, so he cautiously followed.
sòng hé sòng bèi zhè lǐ fán shàng lái jiù xīng shī wèn zuì de tài dù hǔ zhù le ， hái yǐ wéi shì dōng chuāng shì fā 、 zì jǐ děng rén mái fú de shì qíng bào lù le 。
宋和颂被这李凡上来就兴师问罪的态度唬住了，还以为是东窗事发、自己等人埋伏的事情暴露了。
Soon, he arrived at the entrance to the underground chamber.
xià yì shí jiù yào dòng shǒu 。
下意识就要动手。
Li Fan’s surprised voice echoed from below: "Where is Senior Brother Zhang?"
bù guò hái shì rěn zhù le ， shì tàn xìng de wèn dào ：“ shī xiōng ， nǐ zhè shì hé yì ？”
不过还是忍住了，试探性的问道：“师兄，你这是何意？”
Song HeSong used his spirit to scan but found no signs of an ambush before following him inside.
lǐ fán hēng le yī shēng ：“ wǒ gēn zhāng shī xiōng zài chéng nèi ， fā xiàn le yī xiē jìn jì zhī wù 。 ruò shì zhè xiē dōng xī bèi rén bào guāng chū xiàn zài wǒ zǐ xiāo zōng lǐng dì ， bié shuō shì nǐ zhè yī xiǎo xiǎo de guǎn shì ， kǒng pà zōng mén dōu yào shòu dào bù xiǎo de qiān lián 。”
李凡哼了一声：“我跟章师兄在城内，发现了一些禁忌之物。若是这些东西被人曝光出现在我紫霄宗领地，别说是你这一小小的管事，恐怕宗门都要受到不小的牵连。”
Seeing the broken stone statue standing in the chamber, Song HeSong paused. His spirit couldn’t sense this statue at all.
“ jìn jì zhī wù ？” sòng hé sòng bù jīn yǒu xiē máng rán 。
“禁忌之物？”宋和颂不禁有些茫然。
"Could it be that the forbidden object you mentioned is this stone statue?" Song HeSong asked.
zuò chū huáng kǒng bù zhī de shén qíng ， sòng hé sòng wèn dào ：“ jiū jìng shì hé wù ， fàn le rú cǐ dà de jì huì ？ hái qǐng shī xiōng jiào wǒ ！”
做出惶恐不知的神情，宋和颂问道：“究竟是何物，犯了如此大的忌讳？还请师兄教我！”
Li Fan nodded and approached: "Yes, precisely this [Xuan Tian God Statue]!"
《 zhū jiè dì yī yīn 》
《诸界第一因》
"Xuan Tian God Statue..." Song HeSong frowned, as if he had heard of this name before.
lǐ fán zhuǎn shēn cháo zhe bái xiān shēng de yuàn luò fēi qù 。
李凡转身朝着白先生的院落飞去。
After a moment, he seemed to recall something, his body trembling slightly, his pupils constricting.
“ gēn wǒ lái ！”
“跟我来！”
Suddenly, he stared at the faceless stone statue again.
sòng hé sòng kàn zhe lǐ fán yuǎn qù de bèi yǐng ， yóu yù le piàn kè 。
宋和颂看着李凡远去的背影，犹豫了片刻。
At that moment...
shén shí yī sǎo ， chǔ liáng děng rén yī rán hái zài jì huà dì diǎn mái fú ， méi chū shén me chà zi 。
神识一扫，楚良等人依然还在计划地点埋伏，没出什么岔子。
"Pfft!"
zhàng zhe zì jǐ jīn dān xiū wèi ， sòng hé sòng hái shì yǒu shì wú kǒng de qiǎo rán gēn shàng 。
仗着自己金丹修为，宋和颂还是有恃无恐的悄然跟上。
A stone needle pierced through his dantian from behind.
hěn kuài ， tā jiù lái dào dì xià mì shì de rù kǒu 。
很快，他就来到地下密室的入口。
He was shocked beyond words and tried to retaliate but found his internal energy flow halted.
lǐ fán yǒu xiē jīng yà de shēng yīn cóng xià miàn chuán chū ：“ yí ？ zhāng shī xiōng ne ？”
李凡有些惊讶的声音从下面传出：“咦？章师兄呢？”
The next thirty-five Desolation Stone Needles awaited him.
sòng hé sòng shén shí sǎo shì yī quān ， méi yǒu fā xiàn mái fú ， yě gēn zhe zuān rù jìn qù 。
宋和颂神识扫视一圈，没有发现埋伏，也跟着钻入进去。
With all acupoints sealed, Song HeSong collapsed on the ground.
zài kàn qīng mì shì zhōng chù lì de nà zūn cán pò wú miàn shí xiàng hòu ， wēi wēi yí zhèng 。
在看清密室中矗立的那尊残破无面石像后，微微一怔。
Rage filled his mind as he asked weakly, "Senior Brother, what is your intention? I indeed had no knowledge of this Xuan Tian God Statue hidden in the city."
yīn wèi zhè zūn shí xiàng ， jū rán wán quán bù zài tā de shén shí gǎn yìng fàn wéi zhī nèi 。
因为这尊石像，居然完全不在他的神识感应范围之内。
"Even if I have failed in my duties, it doesn’t warrant such severe punishment..."
“ mò fēi shī xiōng suǒ shuō de jìn jì zhī wù ， jiù shì zhè zūn shí xiàng ？” sòng hé sòng bù jīn wèn dào 。
“莫非师兄所说的禁忌之物，就是这尊石像？”宋和颂不禁问道。
Li Fan cut him off mercilessly, plunging his heart into despair.
lǐ fán diǎn diǎn tóu ， kào le guò lái ：“ bù cuò ， jiù shì zhè 【 xuán tiān shén xiàng 】！”
李凡点点头，靠了过来：“不错，就是这【玄天神像】！”
"If you also colluded with outsiders and intended to do something improper, a Golden Core cultivator posing as an Energy Cultivator is truly unfair to you!"
“ xuán tiān shén xiàng ……” sòng guǎn shì méi tóu wēi zhòu ， sì hū zài xǔ jiǔ zhī qián ， céng jīng tīng guò zhè ge míng zì 。
“玄天神像……”宋管事眉头微皱，似乎在许久之前，曾经听过这个名字。
Song HeSong's face turned pale.
piàn kè zhī hòu ， tā páng fó xiǎng qǐ le shén me ， shēn qū wēi chàn ， tóng kǒng shōu suō 。
片刻之后，他彷佛想起了什么，身躯微颤，童孔收缩。
He wanted to make one last desperate effort but it was in vain.
měng dì zài cì wàng xiàng nà zūn wú miàn shí xiàng 。
勐地再次望像那尊无面石像。
Li Fan approached step by step: "Let me see what you know."
jiù zài zhè shí ……
就在这时……
Watching Song HeSong take out tools like hammers, knives, and nails from a wooden box and place them on the table methodically, Li Fan’s face revealed an unsettling smile.
“ pū chī ！”
“噗嗤！”
Cold sweat began to form on Song HeSong's forehead as he watched his fate unfold before him.
Facing Zhang Qianmo's questioning, Li Fan merely smiled without answering.
"Who would have thought that the former number one sect in the land has now fallen to the point of associating with demons and beasts."
Zhang Qianmo's face flashed a trace of disdain. "It seems these years of effort by the Immortal Dao sects haven't been in vain."
Li Fan remained calm, his voice echoing softly, "Senior Brother Zhang, there are some things in this world that aren’t as simple as they appear on the surface."
"If I say I have no connection with the Xuan Tian Sect. Would you believe me?"
Zhang Qianmo looked at Li Fan with a look of disdain, as if to ask if he would believe him. He snorted coldly and said nothing.
Li Fan smiled and didn't dwell further on this issue.
He sized up Zhang Qianmo while flipping through the memories attached to Li Chen's body, discovering some interesting details that hadn’t been noticed before.
After a moment of contemplation, he spoke tentatively, "The Xuan Tian Sect. That was something from long ago. Your sect regards it as taboo. Since I joined the Purple Void Sect, there hasn't been any news about the Xuan Tian Sect for so many years."
"Senior Brother Zhang, you're not much older than me. How did you come to know so much about this?"
Zhang Qianmo's expression changed slightly but didn’t reply.
Seeing his guess confirmed, Li Fan continued pressing, "I always felt that my master and senior brothers treated you oddly."
"I thought it was because of your exceptional talent."
"Thinking back now..."
Li Fan smiled. Zhang Qianmo’s face darkened.
"Moreover, although we are both disciples, the magical arts and powers you possess far surpass mine!"
"In particular, your [Purple Core Rebirth Technique]..."
At this point, Zhang Qianmo's expression changed dramatically. He gave Li Fan a deep look as if to engrave it in his memory forever.
Instantly, the aura that had already diminished to that of an ordinary person was rapidly vanishing.
Li Fan was taken aback and hurried forward to check but it was too late.
When he reached Zhang Qianmo's side, Senior Brother Zhang had completely lost his life force.
"Fake death?"
"Nirvana?"
Li Fan didn’t lower his guard as he examined. After a long while, he stood up and rubbed his chin.
The result was unexpected.
Zhang Qianmo had truly died.
And unlike before, he hadn't been reborn from the Purple Core.
He had completely perished.
If this were in the real world, an anomaly would have appeared above him at that moment.
"Secret techniques to seal all acupoints and still be able to commit suicide..."
"Knowledge of ancient secrets, different status within the sect."
"A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator with a heaven-defying ambition. His vision is terrifying..."
Li Fan pondered and sighed, "It seems Senior Brother Zhang has another identity."
"Too bad..."
For safety's sake, he didn't remove the Desolation Stone Needle but instead searched through Zhang Qianmo’s body directly.
Apart from a storage ring, there were no other valuable items.
His spirit tried to enter the ring to see what was inside but was blocked by a flash of purple lightning.
"Seems there are restrictions that can’t be broken," Li Fan lamented after failing ten times. "Forget it, I won't bring this back anyway."
Li Fan gave up and continued on his way towards the central city where the Everlasting Life Tree stood.
As he neared, he released his own aura.
"Which senior brother is here?" came Song HeSong’s slightly surprised voice.
Soon after, a figure in gray Daoist robes approached Li Fan.
"It's really Senior Brother Li!"
Li Fan didn't chat but directly said coldly, "Senior Brother Song, you’ve done a good job managing this Ning Yuan City!"
Song HeSong was taken aback by Li Fan's immediate accusation. He thought it might be because the plot to ambush them had been exposed and prepared to attack.
But he hesitated and asked tentatively, "What do you mean?"
Li Fan snorted, "Zhang Senior Brother and I found some forbidden objects in the city. If these were exposed on our Purple Void Sect’s territory, not only would it be your small position at stake but also the sect itself might suffer significant repercussions."
"Forbidden objects?" Song HeSong was confused.
Feigning fear, Song HeSong asked, "What exactly is this object that caused such a great taboo? Please enlighten me!"
*The First Cause of All*
Li Fan turned and flew towards Bai Sir's courtyard.
"FOLLOW ME!"
Song HeSong hesitated as he scanned the area with his spirit. The ambush by Chu Liang and others was still in place, so he cautiously followed.
Soon, he arrived at the entrance to the underground chamber.
Li Fan’s surprised voice echoed from below: "Where is Senior Brother Zhang?"
Song HeSong used his spirit to scan but found no signs of an ambush before following him inside.
Seeing the broken stone statue standing in the chamber, Song HeSong paused. His spirit couldn’t sense this statue at all.
"Could it be that the forbidden object you mentioned is this stone statue?" Song HeSong asked.
Li Fan nodded and approached: "Yes, precisely this [Xuan Tian God Statue]!"
"Xuan Tian God Statue..." Song HeSong frowned, as if he had heard of this name before.
After a moment, he seemed to recall something, his body trembling slightly, his pupils constricting.
Suddenly, he stared at the faceless stone statue again.
At that moment...
"Pfft!"
A stone needle pierced through his dantian from behind.
He was shocked beyond words and tried to retaliate but found his internal energy flow halted.
The next thirty-five Desolation Stone Needles awaited him.
With all acupoints sealed, Song HeSong collapsed on the ground.
Rage filled his mind as he asked weakly, "Senior Brother, what is your intention? I indeed had no knowledge of this Xuan Tian God Statue hidden in the city."
"Even if I have failed in my duties, it doesn’t warrant such severe punishment..."
Li Fan cut him off mercilessly, plunging his heart into despair.
"If you also colluded with outsiders and intended to do something improper, a Golden Core cultivator posing as an Energy Cultivator is truly unfair to you!"
Song HeSong's face turned pale.
He wanted to make one last desperate effort but it was in vain.
Li Fan approached step by step: "Let me see what you know."
Watching Song HeSong take out tools like hammers, knives, and nails from a wooden box and place them on the table methodically, Li Fan’s face revealed an unsettling smile.
Cold sweat began to form on Song HeSong's forehead as he watched his fate unfold before him.