“ dōng ！ dōng ！ dōng ！”
“冬！冬！冬！”
"Dong! Dong! Dong!"
sì hū cóng lǐ fán kǒu zhōng shuō chū “ tiān yī ” èr zì ， jiāng fǎn zhé guài wù de qíng xù chè dǐ yǐn dòng 。
似乎从李凡口中说出“天医”二字，将反折怪物的情绪彻底引动。
It seemed that the word "Tianyi" (Heavenly Medicine) spoken by Li Fan had completely stirred up the emotions of the twisted monster.
tā shí fēn yòng lì 、 yī xià yī xià yòng tóu zá zhe dì miàn 。
它十分用力、一下一下用头砸着地面。
With great force, it repeatedly struck the ground with its head, creating cracks in the hard and desolate earth. At the same time, it emitted intermittent wails, tears streaming down its face.
bǎ jiān yìng 、 kū jì de dà dì ， dōu zá chū dào dào liè wén 。
把坚硬、枯寂的大地，都砸出道道裂纹。
Although this monster was repulsive, Li Fan felt a strange sense of sorrow at the scene before him.
tóng shí zuǐ lǐ bù duàn fā chū duàn duàn xù xù dì wū yè shēng ， xuè lèi héng liú 。
同时嘴里不断发出断断续续地呜咽声，血泪横流。
"Could the tragic events here really have been caused by Heavenly Medicine?"
suī rán zhè guài wù miàn mù kě zēng ， dàn shì cǐ qíng cǐ jǐng ， jìng rán ràng lǐ fán gǎn jué dào le tā mò míng de qī cǎn 。
虽然这怪物面目可憎，但是此情此景，竟然让李凡感觉到了他莫名的凄惨。
The image of that kind old man from next door instantly flashed through Li Fan's mind. On the surface, he appeared gentle and smiling, but his actions were shocking.
“ zhè lǐ de cǎn ān ， jū rán zhēn shì tiān yī zuò de ？”
“这里的惨桉，居然真是天医做的？”
A chill ran down Li Fan’s spine as he recalled the mournful cries of anger emitted by everyone in the Cloud Water Heaven Palace after seeing Heavenly Medicine's statue. The destruction of the Cloud Water Heaven Palace must have been directly related to Heavenly Medicine.
lǐ fán nǎo hǎi zhōng shà shí fú xiàn chū nà ge fǎng fú lín jiā lǎo tóu bān hé ǎi kě qīn de xíng xiàng 。
李凡脑海中霎时浮现出那个仿佛邻家老头般和蔼可亲的形象。
"However, where exactly is this place? Why has it become a fragment of space appearing within the white fog barrier?"
biǎo miàn shàng kàn shàng qù cí méi shàn mù ， miàn dài xiào róng 。
表面上看上去慈眉善目，面带笑容。
"Why would Heavenly Medicine indiscriminately slaughter these cultivators?"
shí jì zuò wéi ， què rú cǐ hài rén tīng wén 。
实际作为，却如此骇人听闻。
"And...?"
lǐ fán xīn zhōng yǒng qǐ yī zhèn è hán 。
李凡心中涌起一阵恶寒。
Li Fan gradually calmed his shock as he watched the twisted monster continue its head-knocking. It had survived in Heavenly Medicine's toxic hands and thrived for so long in this maze, even withstanding the might of Li Fan’s Great Five Elements Annihilation Sword.
zài lián xiǎng dào xī rì yún shuǐ tiān gōng nèi qín táng zhòng rén zài jiàn dào tiān yī diāo xiàng hòu ， qí qí fā chū de nà zhǒng yuàn qì chōng tiān de āi háo 。
再联想到昔日云水天宫内秦堂众人在见到天医凋像后，齐齐发出的那种怨气冲天的哀嚎。
All signs pointed to its formidable strength. But now, it seemed like a commoner wronged, pleading for justice before his "Blue Sky Grand Official."
kàn lái dāng chū yún shuǐ tiān gōng de fù miè ， yě jué duì gēn tiān yī tuō bù liǎo gān xì 。
看来当初云水天宫的覆灭，也绝对跟天医脱不了干系。
Li Fan, who had served as an official for many years, was very familiar with this scene.
“ zhǐ shì ， zhè lǐ dào dǐ shì nǎ lǐ ？ yòu wèi hé huì chéng wéi kōng jiān suì piàn ， chū xiàn zài bái wù bì zhàng zhōng ？”
“只是，这里到底是哪里？又为何会成为空间碎片，出现在白雾壁障中？”
Why would this happen?
“ tiān yī yòu wèi shén me yào duì zhè xiē xiū shì jìn xíng háo wú qū bié de tú shā ？”
“天医又为什么要对这些修士进行毫无区别的屠杀？”
It couldn’t be because Li Fan’s power was stronger than the twisted monster's. Rather...
“ bìng qiě ……？”
“并且……？”
"Recognized the wrong person?"
lǐ fán jiāng xīn zhōng zhèn jīng huǎn huǎn píng fù ， kàn zhe yī rán zài bú zhù kòu tóu de fǎn zhé guài wù 。
李凡将心中震惊缓缓平复，看着依然在不住叩头的反折怪物。
"Yes, that must be it. As to why this twisted monster recognized me..."
tā dāng chū néng zài tiān yī de dú shǒu zhōng cún huó xià lái ， bìng qiě hái dú zì zài cǐ chù mí yù zhōng shēng cún le zhè me jiǔ 。
它当初能在天医的毒手中存活下来，并且还独自在此处迷域中生存了这么久。
In his limited life cycle of reincarnation, "misrecognition" had happened once.
lǐ fán yǐn yǐ wéi ào de dà wǔ xíng jì miè jiàn lián tā de pí máo dōu wú fǎ shāng jí 。
李凡引以为傲的大五行寂灭剑连它的皮毛都无法伤及。
To verify his theory, he circulated a golden core in his body and summoned a thread of Heavenly Saber energy, forming a sword.
zhǒng zhǒng jì xiàng ， zú yǐ shuō míng tā de shí lì zhī qiáng hàn 。
种种迹象，足以说明它的实力之强悍。
Sure enough, the twisted monster became even more agitated as it sensed the familiar aura.
dàn xiàn zài ， tā què fǎng fú yí gè shòu le mò dà yuān qū píng mín lǎo bǎi xìng ， zài lǐ fán zhè ge “ qīng tiān dà lǎo yé ” miàn qián ， kòu shǒu hǎn yuān 。
但现在，它却仿佛一个受了莫大冤屈平民老百姓，在李凡这个“青天大老爷”面前，叩首喊冤。
Its wails never ceased, almost as if trying to dig a hole through the ground.
céng jīng wèi guān duō nián de lǐ fán ， duì yǎn qián de yí mù jué duì shì shí fēn shú xī de 。
曾经为官多年的李凡，对眼前的一幕绝对是十分熟悉的。
"Sky Saber Sword, Old Fisherman."
wèi shén me huì zhè yàng ？
为什么会这样？
Li Fan’s eyes flashed with a glint as he looked at the monster kneeling before him.
zì rán bù kě néng shì yīn wèi lǐ fán de shí lì bǐ zhè fǎn zhé guài wù qiáng 。
自然不可能是因为李凡的实力比这反折怪物强。
"It is only because it feels the Heavenly Saber method within my Great Five Elements Annihilation Sword and considers me its master of the Sky Saber Sword."
ér shì yīn wèi ……
而是因为……
Even the old fisherman himself almost made this mistake. This twisted monster had been trapped here for countless years, relying on instinct alone, leading to a misrecognition.
“ rèn cuò rén le ？”
“认错人了？”
"Thus, Old Fisherman might be the leader among the fallen cultivators in this maze. Heavenly Medicine must have clashed with him back then."
“ méi cuò ， yīng gāi jiù shì rú cǐ 。 zhì yú zhè tóu fǎn zhé guài wù wèi shén me huì rèn cuò ……”
“没错，应该就是如此。至于这头反折怪物为什么会认错……”
"The incomplete Sky Saber Sword and Old Fisherman's amnesia and madness could very well be the work of Heavenly Medicine."
zài lǐ fán yǒu xiàn de lún huí shēng yá zhōng ，“ rèn cuò ” zhè zhǒng shì ， tóng yàng fā shēng guò yī cì 。
在李凡有限的轮回生涯中，“认错”这种事，同样发生过一次。
However, Li Fan soon felt something was off. If it really was done by Heavenly Medicine, he would surely be much stronger now compared to when the tragedy occurred.
wèi le yàn zhèng zì jǐ de cāi cè ， tǐ nèi jīn dān liú zhuǎn ， lǐ fán dān dú zhào huàn chū yī sī tiān shā zhī lì ， níng jié chéng jiàn 。
为了验证自己的猜测，体内金丹流转，李凡单独召唤出一丝天煞之力，凝结成剑。
He couldn’t have been unaware of the old fisherman’s existence.
guǒ rán ， gǎn shòu dào lüè dài shú xī de qì xī ， fǎn zhé guài wù yù fā jī dòng le 。
果然，感受到略带熟悉的气息，反折怪物愈发激动了。
Why not completely eliminate him instead of letting him live?
kū háo zhī shēng bù jué yú ěr ， gèng shì fǎng fú yào bǎ dì miàn kē chū gè dà dòng chū lái 。
哭嚎之声不绝于耳，更是仿佛要把地面磕出个大洞出来。
Was this truly as Li Fan had suspected—Old Fisherman had become something strange and unremovable?
“ tiān shā jiàn ， yú fù lǎo rén 。”
“天煞剑，渔父老人。”
"Heavenly Medicine..."
lǐ fán kàn zhe guì zài zì jǐ miàn qián de guài wù ， yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī dào jīng guāng 。
李凡看着跪在自己面前的怪物，眼中闪过一道精光。
Li Fan's eyes narrowed. He wasn't a man of great magnanimity; Heavenly Medicine, using the "Observation, Smelling, Inquiry, and Pulse-taking" technique, had discovered his true form.
“ tā zhī suǒ huì duì wǒ rú cǐ āi qiú ， zhǐ shì yīn wèi gǎn shòu dào wǒ dà wǔ xíng jì miè jiàn zhōng de tiān shā zhī fǎ ， bǎ wǒ dàng zuò le tiān shā jiàn zhī zhǔ 。”
“它之所会对我如此哀求，只是因为感受到我大五行寂灭剑中的天煞之法，把我当做了天煞剑之主。”
He directly broke through the defenses of the Heavenly Mirror to capture him alive.
“ lián yú fù lǎo rén zì jǐ dōu chà diǎn rèn cuò ， zhè zhǐ guài wù bèi guān zài zhè lǐ bù zhī dào duō shǎo nián ， shén zhì bù qīng 、 quán kào běn néng xíng shì 。”
“连渔父老人自己都差点认错，这只怪物被关在这里不知道多少年，神智不清、全靠本能行事。”
The fear from that moment was still etched in Li Fan's memory.
“ cuò rèn yě shì zhèng cháng 。”
“错认也是正常。”
But with such a vast gap between their powers now, he kept his desire for revenge hidden deep within.
“ zhè me kàn lái ， yú fù lǎo rén ， kě néng shì zhè piàn mí yù zhōng yǔn luò xiū shì de lǐng xiù jí rén wù 。 dāng nián tiān yī tú lù zhòng rén ， dìng rán hé tā fā shēng guò chōng tū 。”
“这么看来，渔父老人，可能是这片迷域中陨落修士的领袖级人物。当年天医屠戮众人，定然和他发生过冲突。”
Now realizing Old Fisherman and Heavenly Medicine were mortal enemies, Li Fan felt a tinge of excitement.
“ tiān shā jiàn cán quē bù quán ， yú fù lǎo rén biàn dé shī yì 、 fēng fēng diān diān ， huò xǔ jiù shì tiān yī de shǒu bǐ 。”
“天煞剑残缺不全，渔父老人变得失忆、疯疯癫癫，或许就是天医的手笔。”
"In the next life, perhaps I can cause him some trouble."
dàn hěn kuài ， lǐ fán jiù jué de yǒu xiē bù tuǒ 。
但很快，李凡就觉得有些不妥。
"If Old Fisherman recovers the Sky Saber Sword and finds me during the battle between Heavenly Medicine and the Master..."
ruò zhēn de shì tiān yī suǒ wèi ， duō huó le zhè me jiǔ ， yǐ tā rú jīn de shí lì ， bǐ qǐ cǎn ān fā shēng shí ， dìng rán hái yào qiáng shàng xǔ duō 。
若真的是天医所为，多活了这么久，以他如今的实力，比起惨桉发生时，定然还要强上许多。
Li Fan's eyes flickered as he pieced together his plan based on his experiences across several lives. He smirked, putting it aside for now.
bù kě néng bù zhī dào yú fù lǎo rén de cún zài 。
不可能不知道渔父老人的存在。
Returning his attention to the twisted monster, Li Fan said, "The Black Death Talisman can still hold out for a day. Perhaps its escape is our only hope."
wèi shén me bù zhǎn cǎo chú gēn ， ér shì yì zhí fàng rèn yú fù lǎo rén cún huó yú shì ne ？
为什么不斩草除根，而是一直放任渔父老人存活于世呢？
He withdrew the Heavenly Saber energy and tried to comfort and communicate with the monster.
hái shì zhēn de gēn lǐ fán zhī qián suǒ cāi xiǎng de nà yàng ， yú fù lǎo rén yǐ jīng chéng wéi guǐ yì ， gēn běn wú fǎ xiāo chú ？
还是真的跟李凡之前所猜想的那样，渔父老人已经成为诡异，根本无法消除？
In his words, he revealed that he had been deceived by Heavenly Medicine and was now searching for an exit to seek revenge in the outside world.
“ tiān yī ……”
“天医……”
The twisted monster's mind was gone, and it took nearly half a day before it finally understood Li Fan’s intentions. It stopped its head-knocking and began to spin its head, seemingly pondering something.
lǐ fán shuāng yǎn mī qǐ 。
李凡双眼眯起。
Soon, it crawled out of the pit and occasionally turned around, signaling for Li Fan to follow.
tā kě bú shì shén me dà dù zhī rén ， xī rì tiān yī yǐ “ wàng wén wèn qiè ” zhī shù ， fā jué le tā běn tǐ de cún zài 。
他可不是什么大度之人，昔日天医以“望闻问切”之术，发觉了他本体的存在。
Near the twelfth relic site, the forces in this domain were still disoriented.
zhí jiē pò kāi tiān xuán jìng de fáng hù ， yù jiāng tā shēng qín 。
直接破开天玄镜的防护，欲将他生擒。
The leading twisted monster suddenly appeared from behind or flashed forward unpredictably, changing positions erratically as they moved forward.
dāng shí xīn zhōng nà zhǒng kǒng jù ， lǐ fán yì zhí dōu nán yǐ wàng huái 。
当时心中那种恐惧，李凡一直都难以忘怀。
*The Wondrous Affinity with Immortal Trees*
zhǐ bù guò mù qián hé tiān yī shí lì chā jù shí zài guò yú xuán shū ， zhǐ dé jiāng fù chóu de xiǎng fǎ láo láo cáng zài xīn zhōng 。
只不过目前和天医实力差距实在过于悬殊，只得将复仇的想法牢牢藏在心中。
Li Fan followed closely behind the twisted monster, using it as a reference point to adjust his flight direction. After half a day, the faint black light on the Black Death Talisman was becoming weaker and seemed about to extinguish.
rú jīn fā jué le yú fù lǎo rén hé tiān yī kě néng shì sǐ duì tou ， lǐ fán jiù yǒu diǎn chǔn chǔn yù dòng le 。
如今发觉了渔父老人和天医可能是死对头，李凡就有点蠢蠢欲动了。
Following the twisted monster, Li Fan continued deeper into the maze, seemingly arriving at its center.
“ xià yī shì ， huò xǔ kě yǐ gěi tā zhǎo diǎn má fán 。”
“下一世，或许可以给他找点麻烦。”
Inside a circular pit formed by a meteor impact, many figures stood. Like before, they were lifeless corpses, but these had undergone strange transformations. Some had turned to stone like statues, while others had become crystalline and luminescent. Even some bodies resembled trees with cracked bark.
“ ruò shì yú fù lǎo rén xún huí tiān shā jiàn ， bìng qiě zài tiān yī hé fū zǐ dà zhàn shí ， zhèng hǎo zhǎo shàng mén qù 。”
“若是渔父老人寻回天煞剑，并且在天医和夫子大战时，正好找上门去。”
What chilled Li Fan the most was the insect-like transformation. They appeared normal, but upon closer inspection, their entire bodies were hollowed out by countless tiny black maggots that continued wriggling even after many years.
lǐ fán mù guāng shǎn dòng ， jié hé jǐ shì de jīng lì ， nǎo hǎi zhōng chà nà jiān sī suǒ hǎo le dà zhì de jì huà 。
李凡目光闪动，结合几世的经历，脑海中刹那间思索好了大致的计划。
...
lěng xiào yī shēng ， zàn qiě xiān jiāng qí fàng zài yī biān ， lǐ fán chóng xīn kàn xiàng yǎn qián de fǎn zhé guài wù 。
冷笑一声，暂且先将其放在一边，李凡重新看向眼前的反折怪物。
The further they went towards the center of the circular pit, the more obvious the transformations became. Standing corpses turned into sticky substances attached to the ground. Li Fan could sense a terrifying presence ahead, causing the twisted monster's pace to slow and its body to tremble slightly.
“ hēi sǐ fú hái néng jiān chí yī tiān ， huò xǔ tuō kùn de xī wàng ， jiù luò zài tā shēn shàng le 。”
“黑死符还能坚持一天，或许脱困的希望，就落在它身上了。”
At a certain point, it stopped entirely, unwilling to move further.
jiāng tiān shā zhī lì shōu qǐ ， lǐ fán shì tú ān fǔ bìng hé tā gōu tōng 。
将天煞之力收起，李凡试图安抚并和它沟通。
After calming the twisted monster, Li Fan had no choice but to proceed alone while keeping his guard up, ready for anything.
yán yǔ zhōng biǎo míng zì jǐ bèi tiān yī kuāng piàn kùn zài cǐ dì ， zhèng xún zhǎo chū kǒu ， dào wài jiè zhǎo tā fù chóu 。
言语中表明自己被天医诓骗困在此地，正寻找出口，到外界找他复仇。
Unlike what he expected, the center of the circular pit was just a broken stone lying quietly. There seemed to be some writing on the stone, now faintly visible.
fǎn zhé guài wù de shén zhì jǐn sàng ， jī hū fèi le dà bàn tiān de shí jiān ， cái nòng dǒng lǐ fán de yì si 。
反折怪物的神智尽丧，几乎废了大半天的时间，才弄懂李凡的意思。
However, through the remaining traces on the stone, Li Fan could vaguely make out one word: "Chaos."
"Dong! Dong! Dong!"
It seemed that the word "Tianyi" (Heavenly Medicine) spoken by Li Fan had completely stirred up the emotions of the twisted monster.
With great force, it repeatedly struck the ground with its head, creating cracks in the hard and desolate earth. At the same time, it emitted intermittent wails, tears streaming down its face.
Although this monster was repulsive, Li Fan felt a strange sense of sorrow at the scene before him.
"Could the tragic events here really have been caused by Heavenly Medicine?"
The image of that kind old man from next door instantly flashed through Li Fan's mind. On the surface, he appeared gentle and smiling, but his actions were shocking.
A chill ran down Li Fan’s spine as he recalled the mournful cries of anger emitted by everyone in the Cloud Water Heaven Palace after seeing Heavenly Medicine's statue. The destruction of the Cloud Water Heaven Palace must have been directly related to Heavenly Medicine.
"However, where exactly is this place? Why has it become a fragment of space appearing within the white fog barrier?"
"Why would Heavenly Medicine indiscriminately slaughter these cultivators?"
"And...?"
Li Fan gradually calmed his shock as he watched the twisted monster continue its head-knocking. It had survived in Heavenly Medicine's toxic hands and thrived for so long in this maze, even withstanding the might of Li Fan’s Great Five Elements Annihilation Sword.
All signs pointed to its formidable strength. But now, it seemed like a commoner wronged, pleading for justice before his "Blue Sky Grand Official."
Li Fan, who had served as an official for many years, was very familiar with this scene.
Why would this happen?
It couldn’t be because Li Fan’s power was stronger than the twisted monster's. Rather...
"Recognized the wrong person?"
"Yes, that must be it. As to why this twisted monster recognized me..."
In his limited life cycle of reincarnation, "misrecognition" had happened once.
To verify his theory, he circulated a golden core in his body and summoned a thread of Heavenly Saber energy, forming a sword.
Sure enough, the twisted monster became even more agitated as it sensed the familiar aura.
Its wails never ceased, almost as if trying to dig a hole through the ground.
"Sky Saber Sword, Old Fisherman."
Li Fan’s eyes flashed with a glint as he looked at the monster kneeling before him.
"It is only because it feels the Heavenly Saber method within my Great Five Elements Annihilation Sword and considers me its master of the Sky Saber Sword."
Even the old fisherman himself almost made this mistake. This twisted monster had been trapped here for countless years, relying on instinct alone, leading to a misrecognition.
"Thus, Old Fisherman might be the leader among the fallen cultivators in this maze. Heavenly Medicine must have clashed with him back then."
"The incomplete Sky Saber Sword and Old Fisherman's amnesia and madness could very well be the work of Heavenly Medicine."
However, Li Fan soon felt something was off. If it really was done by Heavenly Medicine, he would surely be much stronger now compared to when the tragedy occurred.
He couldn’t have been unaware of the old fisherman’s existence.
Why not completely eliminate him instead of letting him live?
Was this truly as Li Fan had suspected—Old Fisherman had become something strange and unremovable?
"Heavenly Medicine..."
Li Fan's eyes narrowed. He wasn't a man of great magnanimity; Heavenly Medicine, using the "Observation, Smelling, Inquiry, and Pulse-taking" technique, had discovered his true form.
He directly broke through the defenses of the Heavenly Mirror to capture him alive.
The fear from that moment was still etched in Li Fan's memory.
But with such a vast gap between their powers now, he kept his desire for revenge hidden deep within.
Now realizing Old Fisherman and Heavenly Medicine were mortal enemies, Li Fan felt a tinge of excitement.
"In the next life, perhaps I can cause him some trouble."
"If Old Fisherman recovers the Sky Saber Sword and finds me during the battle between Heavenly Medicine and the Master..."
Li Fan's eyes flickered as he pieced together his plan based on his experiences across several lives. He smirked, putting it aside for now.
Returning his attention to the twisted monster, Li Fan said, "The Black Death Talisman can still hold out for a day. Perhaps its escape is our only hope."
He withdrew the Heavenly Saber energy and tried to comfort and communicate with the monster.
In his words, he revealed that he had been deceived by Heavenly Medicine and was now searching for an exit to seek revenge in the outside world.
The twisted monster's mind was gone, and it took nearly half a day before it finally understood Li Fan’s intentions. It stopped its head-knocking and began to spin its head, seemingly pondering something.
Soon, it crawled out of the pit and occasionally turned around, signaling for Li Fan to follow.
Near the twelfth relic site, the forces in this domain were still disoriented.
The leading twisted monster suddenly appeared from behind or flashed forward unpredictably, changing positions erratically as they moved forward.
*The Wondrous Affinity with Immortal Trees*
Li Fan followed closely behind the twisted monster, using it as a reference point to adjust his flight direction. After half a day, the faint black light on the Black Death Talisman was becoming weaker and seemed about to extinguish.
Following the twisted monster, Li Fan continued deeper into the maze, seemingly arriving at its center.
Inside a circular pit formed by a meteor impact, many figures stood. Like before, they were lifeless corpses, but these had undergone strange transformations. Some had turned to stone like statues, while others had become crystalline and luminescent. Even some bodies resembled trees with cracked bark.
What chilled Li Fan the most was the insect-like transformation. They appeared normal, but upon closer inspection, their entire bodies were hollowed out by countless tiny black maggots that continued wriggling even after many years.
...
The further they went towards the center of the circular pit, the more obvious the transformations became. Standing corpses turned into sticky substances attached to the ground. Li Fan could sense a terrifying presence ahead, causing the twisted monster's pace to slow and its body to tremble slightly.
At a certain point, it stopped entirely, unwilling to move further.
After calming the twisted monster, Li Fan had no choice but to proceed alone while keeping his guard up, ready for anything.
Unlike what he expected, the center of the circular pit was just a broken stone lying quietly. There seemed to be some writing on the stone, now faintly visible.
However, through the remaining traces on the stone, Li Fan could vaguely make out one word: "Chaos."