“ shī fù ？” tīng dào zhè ge cí de lǐ fán ， zhǐ jué de yǒu diǎn huǎng hū 。
“师父？”听到这个词的李凡，只觉得有点恍惚。
"Master?" Hearing this term, Li Fan felt a bit dazed.
zài dāng jīn de xiū xiān jiè ， zì jǐ xiū xíng dōu bú shì yì shì 。 shuí hái huì qù chuán dào shòu yè jiě huò 。
在当今的修仙界，自己修行都不是易事。谁还会去传道授业解惑。
In today's world of cultivation, his own practice was already no easy task. Who would go about imparting teachings and guiding others?
zì cóng tà shàng xiū xíng yǐ lái ， zhè me xiē nián ， tā dōu cóng lái méi jiàn guò zhèng ér bā jīng de shī tú guān xì 。
自从踏上修行以来，这么些年，他都从来没见过正儿八经的师徒关系。
Since he embarked on the path of cultivation many years ago, he had never seen a proper master-student relationship.
dài zhe hào qí ， lǐ fán cháo zhe shēng yīn chuán lái de fāng xiàng wàng qù 。
带着好奇，李凡朝着声音传来的方向望去。
Curious, Li Fan looked towards the direction from which the voice came.
zhǐ jiàn zhè jù xíng dù chén zhōu biān ， zhàn zhe yī lǎo yī xiǎo ， dàn yī zhuó 、 qì zhì jù shì shí fēn xiāng sì de liǎng wèi xiū shì 。
只见这巨型渡尘舟边，站着一老一小，但衣着、气质俱是十分相似的两位修士。
There stood an old man and a young boy beside this giant dust-crossing boat. Both were dressed in green robes but exuded similar appearances as cultivators.
liǎng rén jiē shì shēn chuān qīng shān ， lǎo de hè fà tóng yán 、 miàn sè hóng rùn ， xiǎo de què shì mǎn liǎn cāng sāng 、 yī fù kàn pò shì shì de mú yàng 。
两人皆是身穿青衫，老的鹤发童颜、面色红润，小的却是满脸沧桑、一副看破世事的模样。
The elder was hale and hearty with white hair, while the younger had a weathered face, seemingly having seen through the world.
ràng lǐ fán jīng yì de shì ， gāng gāng tīng dào de nà zhì nèn de hái tóng shēng yīn ， jū rán shì cóng bái fà cāng cāng de lǎo zhě kǒu zhōng chuán chū 。
让李凡惊异的是，刚刚听到的那稚嫩的孩童声音，居然是从白发苍苍的老者口中传出。
What surprised Li Fan was that the innocent voice he just heard came from the mouth of the elderly man with white hair.
zhǐ jiàn tā shén sè měng dǒng ， mǎn shì hào qí de dī tóu kàn zhe shēn páng de xiǎo hái ， xún wèn dào 。
只见他神色懵懂，满是好奇的低头看着身旁的小孩，询问道。
He looked puzzled, his gaze fixed on the young boy beside him as he asked curiously.
nà xiǎo hái kàn shàng qù bù guò wǔ liù suì dà xiǎo ， dàn kǒu zhōng huà yǔ ， què jué fēi zhì tóng néng yán 。
那小孩看上去不过五六岁大小，但口中话语，却绝非稚童能言。
The child appeared to be no more than five or six years old, but his words were far beyond a child's comprehension.
“ wàn wù cóng wú dào yǒu ， yǒu guī yú wú 。”
“万物从无到有，有归于无。”
"From nothingness comes all. From all, back to nothingness."
“ wǔ xíng guī yī ， yě zhǐ bù guò shì biàn chéng tā yuán běn de yàng zi bà le 。”
“五行归一，也只不过是变成它原本的样子罢了。”
"All five elements returning to one is merely transforming into their original state."
qīng shān hái tóng xiào zhe huí dá dào 。
青衫孩童笑着回答道。
The young boy in green smiled and replied.
qīng shān lǎo zhě xiǎng le xiǎng ， dùn jué zhī dào le dá àn ， shí fēn gāo xìng de shuō dào ：“ wǒ zhī dào le shī fù ， nǐ de yì si shì ， bù jiǔ hòu ， zhè lǐ jiāng huì zhòng guī yī piàn hùn dùn xū kōng ， jiù xiàng xiān qián wǒ men kàn de nà yàng 。 duì bú duì ？”
青衫老者想了想，顿觉知道了答案，十分高兴的说道：“我知道了师父，你的意思是，不久后，这里将会重归一片混沌虚空，就像先前我们看的那样。对不对？”
After some thought, the elderly man seemed to have understood and said with great joy, "I see, Master. Your meaning is that soon, this place will revert to a chaotic void, just like what we saw earlier, right?"
hái tóng hē hē yī xiào ， yòng cí xiáng de yǎn shén kàn zhe lǎo zhě ：“ nǐ shuō de méi cuò 。 rú guǒ méi yǒu wài jiè gān yù ， ràng tā zì yóu fā zhǎn yǎn huà ， dí què huì shì zhè yàng 。”
孩童呵呵一笑，用慈祥的眼神看着老者：“你说的没错。如果没有外界干预，让它自由发展演化，的确会是这样。”
The child chuckled and looked at the elder with a kind gaze, "You're correct. Without external interference, allowing it to develop freely, indeed it would be so."
“ kě rú guǒ yǒu yī tiān ， wài rén chuǎng rù zhè lǐ ， jiāng zhè dòng tiān nèi de wù zhì qǔ zǒu yī xiē 。 nà jiù bù hǎo shuō gē 。”
“可如果有一天，外人闯入这里，将这洞天内的物质取走一些。那就不好说咯。”
"But if one day outsiders enter here and take away some of the substances within this cave heaven, that's another story."
hái tóng kàn zhe xià fāng de wǔ xíng dòng tiān ， yǒu xiē xī xū dào 。
孩童看着下方的五行洞天，有些唏嘘道。
Looking down at the Five Elements Cave Heaven, the child sighed.
lǐ fán wén yán ， wēi wēi yí zhèng ， jì rán mī zhuó yǎn zǐ xì dǎ liàng qǐ yǎn qián zhè duì shī tú lái 。
李凡闻言，微微一怔，既然眯着眼仔细打量起眼前这对师徒来。
Li Fan was slightly stunned by what he heard, and began to scrutinize the old man and young boy as if they didn't exist.
zhè yī lǎo yī xiǎo ， wán quán dāng lǐ fán bù cún zài shì de 。
这一老一小，完全当李凡不存在似的。
The elder furrowed his brows, seemingly pondering his master's words. After a moment, he suddenly understood: "This cave heaven has elements flowing seamlessly like one entity, perfect without flaw. It can transform from one into five or revert to all five together. But if outsiders take parts from each element, it will disrupt the balance. Then..."
lǎo zhě méi tóu jǐn suǒ ， fǎng fú zài sī suǒ zhe zì jǐ shī fù de huà 。
老者眉头紧锁，仿佛在思索着自己师父的话。
"Then..."
piàn kè zhī hòu ， tā huǎng rán dà wù ：“ zhè chù dòng tiān ， wǔ xíng liú zhuǎn 、 hùn ruò yī tǐ 、 wán měi wú xiá 。 jì néng yī huà wèi wǔ 、 yě néng wǔ xíng zhòng guī yī 。 dàn shì rú guǒ yǒu wài lái zhě zì wǔ xíng zhōng gè qǔ yī bù fèn ， jiù huì dǎo zhì wǔ xíng shī héng 。 rán hòu ……”
片刻之后，他恍然大悟：“这处洞天，五行流转、混若一体、完美无瑕。既能一化为五、也能五行重归一。但是如果有外来者自五行中各取一部分，就会导致五行失衡。然后……”
At this point, the elder seemed stuck and couldn't think of what to say next.
“ rán hòu ……”
“然后……”
The young boy in green chuckled and continued his sentence: "Actually, if only a small scale and over a long period is taken, the Five Elements Cave Heaven can self-regulate through its inherent attributes without causing imbalance."
shuō dào zhè ， lǎo zhě fǎng fú qiǎ ké le yì bān ， jiē xià lái què shì wú lùn rú hé yě xiǎng bù chū lái le 。
说到这，老者仿佛卡壳了一般，接下来却是无论如何也想不出来了。
"But fear the sudden large-scale plundering of resources from several elemental cave heavens..."
qīng shān hái tóng shěn rán yī xiào ， jiē zhe duì fāng de huà shuō dào ：“ qí shí rú guǒ zhǐ shì xiǎo guī mó 、 zhǎng shí jiān de jué qǔ ， wǔ xíng dòng tiān kào zhe zì shēn shǔ xìng liú zhuǎn ， zì wǒ tiáo jié ， yě bú huì dǎo zhì wǔ xíng shī héng 。”
青衫孩童哂然一笑，接着对方的话说道：“其实如果只是小规模、长时间的攫取，五行洞天靠着自身属性流转，自我调节，也不会导致五行失衡。”
"The regulation mechanism will be overwhelmed, leading to a complete loss of balance in this Five Elements Cave Heaven."
“ jiù pà duǎn shí jiān nèi 、 zhǐ dà liàng sōu guā mǒu jǐ gè shǔ xìng dòng tiān nèi de zī yuán ……”
“就怕短时间内、只大量搜刮某几个属性洞天内的资源……”
"Master, what happens after it's completely unbalanced?" The elderly man in green asked curiously.
“ dòng tiān de tiáo jié jī zhì rù bù fū chū ， shǐ de cǐ chù wǔ xíng dòng tiān nèi ， chè dǐ shī qù wǔ xíng píng héng 。”
“洞天的调节机制入不敷出，使得此处五行洞天内，彻底失去五行平衡。”
The young boy in green now put on a serious expression: "Do you remember the Five Elements Sect I told you about when we first met?"
“ shī fù ， chè dǐ shī héng hòu yòu huì zěn me yàng ？” qīng shān lǎo zhě hào qí dì wèn dào 。
“师父，彻底失衡后又会怎么样？”青衫老者好奇地问道。
The elder nodded. "Disciple remembers. This Five Elements Sect is an affiliated sect of the Great Dao Sect. A few years ago, their sect leader came to our Peril-Overcoming Sect for a visit, and I saw him!"
qīng shān hái tóng cǐ shí shōu liǎn qǐ xiào róng ：“ nǐ hái jì de wèi shī dāng chū wèi nǐ jiǎng shù guò de wǔ xíng zōng me ？”
青衫孩童此时收敛起笑容：“你还记得为师当初为伱讲述过的五行宗么？”
Hearing this dialogue between master and disciple, Li Fan's heart was shaken.
lǎo zhě diǎn diǎn tóu ：“ tú ér jì de 。 zhè wǔ xíng zōng nǎi shì dà dào zōng fù shǔ zōng mén ， qián xiē nián tā men zhǎng mén lái wǒ men dù è zōng bài shān de shí hòu ， wǒ hái jiàn guò ne ！”
老者点点头：“徒儿记得。这五行宗乃是大道宗附属宗门，前些年他们掌门来我们渡厄宗拜山的时候，我还见过呢！”
He finally confirmed that these two were not truly present on the dust-crossing boat. Instead, they appeared like mirages!
cǐ shí ， tīng jiàn shī tú liǎng duì huà de lǐ fán ， xīn zhōng jù zhèn 。
此时，听见师徒两对话的李凡，心中剧震。
The conversation between them seemed to take place in an ancient world where the Great Peril-Overcoming Sect still existed before the great calamity struck.
zhōng yú què dìng ， yǎn qián de èr rén gēn běn bú shì zhēn shí cún zài yú zhè dù chén zhōu shàng de 。
终于确定，眼前的二人根本不是真实存在于这渡尘舟上的。
Li Fan scanned his surroundings and found people coming and going on the boat, but for some reason, no one else could see this illusion except him.
ér shì lèi sì yú hǎi shì shèn lóu bān de huàn jǐng ！
而是类似于海市蜃楼般的幻景！
Without drawing attention, Li Fan continued observing the dialogue between the ancient Peril-Overcoming Sect master and disciple.
shī tú liǎng de duì huà ， yǎn rán fā shēng zài dà jié shàng wèi jiàng lín 、 zōng mén yī rán cún zài de shàng gǔ xiū xiān jiè 。
师徒两的对话，俨然发生在大劫尚未降临、宗门依然存在的上古修仙界。
The young boy in green continued: "This Five Elements Sect actually wasn't weak back then. Besides our Ten Daoist Sects, it was considered one of the top cultivation sects in the Xuanhuang Realm. Within its sect lies a secret realm called [Five Elements Heaven]. It almost forms an independent world with abundant resources that seem endless."
lǐ fán sǎo shì sì zhōu ， fā xiàn dù chén zhōu shàng rén lái rén wǎng ， què bù zhī wèi hé ， chú le zì jǐ zhī wài ， méi yǒu qí tā rén néng kàn dào zhè chù huàn jǐng 。
李凡扫视四周，发现渡尘舟上人来人往，却不知为何，除了自己之外，没有其他人能看到这处幻景。
"Compared to this Five Elements Great Cave Heaven, it is far superior."
méi yǒu shēng zhāng ， lǐ fán jì xù guān mó zhe shàng gǔ dù è zōng shī tú liǎng de duì huà 。
没有声张，李凡继续观摩着上古渡厄宗师徒两的对话。
"With the support of this secret realm, if the Five Elements Sect slowly developed over centuries, they might rise to become one of the top sects in the land."
zhǐ tīng qīng shān hái tóng jiē zhe jiǎng dào ：“ zhè wǔ xíng zōng ， qí shí dāng nián de shí lì yě bù ruò 。 chú le wǒ men xiān dào shí zōng zhī wài ， yě suàn de shì xuán huáng jiè shǔ yī shǔ èr de xiū xiān dà pài le 。 zōng nèi yǒu yī chù mì jìng ， míng yuē 【 wǔ xíng tiān 】。 jī hū zì chéng yī jiè ， wù chǎn zhī fēng ， kān chēng wú qióng wú jìn 。”
只听青衫孩童接着讲道：“这五行宗，其实当年的实力也不弱。除了我们仙道十宗之外，也算的是玄黄界数一数二的修仙大派了。宗内有一处秘境，名曰【五行天】。几乎自成一界，物产之丰，堪称无穷无尽。”
"Unfortunately, the previous, previous Five Elements Sect leader, Lan Xiangfeng, was shortsighted..."
“ bǐ qǐ zhè lǐ de wǔ xíng dà dòng tiān ， hái yào yuǎn yuǎn shèng zhī 。”
“比起这里的五行大洞天，还要远远胜之。”
At these words, the young boy in green snorted with a look of disappointment.
“ yī tuō cǐ chù mì jìng ， wǔ xíng zōng ruò shì màn màn fā zhǎn ， lì jīng bǎi qiān nián ， wèi bì bù néng jìn shēng tiān xià shǒu qū yī zhǐ de dà zōng mén 。”
“依托此处秘境，五行宗若是慢慢发展，历经百千年，未必不能晋升天下首屈一指的大宗门。”
The elderly man in green widened his eyes and remained silent, waiting for more.
“ zhǐ kě xī ， qián qián rèn wǔ xíng zōng zhǎng mén lán xiàng fēng shǔ mù cùn guāng ……”
“只可惜，前前任五行宗掌门蓝向枫鼠目寸光……”
After a moment, the young boy in green continued: "Back then, the Sword Heaven Sect is said to have needed an enormous amount of [Primordial Essence Gold] to forge that legendary [God-Slaying Divine Weapon]."
shuō dào zhè lǐ ， qīng shān hái tóng lěng hēng yī shēng ， yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī hèn tiě bù chéng gāng de nù qì 。
说道这里，青衫孩童冷哼一声，眼中闪过一丝恨铁不成钢的怒气。
"This Primordial Essence Gold was rare, appearing randomly in metal veins. It's hard to find and obtain. The Sword Heaven Sect had already scoured almost everything on the market but still fell short."
qīng shān lǎo zhě dèng dà le yǎn jīng ， bù gǎn yán yǔ ， jìng dài xià wén 。
青衫老者瞪大了眼睛，不敢言语，静待下文。
"Word spread that there might be a large stock of this gold within the Five Elements Heaven secret realm. Thus, the Sword Heaven Sect leader personally sought out the Five Elements Sect."
guò le piàn kè ， qīng shān hái tóng fāng cái shuō dào ：“ bǐ shí ， tiān jiàn zōng jù shuō wèi le duàn zào nà bǐng chuán shuō zhōng 【 pò jiè shén bīng 】， xū yào tiān liàng de 【 tài yuán jīng jīn 】。”
过了片刻，青衫孩童方才说道：“彼时，天剑宗据说为了锻造那柄传说中【破界神兵】，需要天量的【太元精金】。”
"The notorious old man was so proud that he would bow to no one. Lan Xiangfeng immediately felt elated and lost his sense of direction."
“ zhè tài yuán jīng jīn shí fēn nán dé ， zhǐ huì suí jī bàn shēng yú jīn shǔ kuàng mài zhōng ， kě yù bù kě qiú 。 tiān jiàn zōng yǐ jīng jī hū bǎ shì miàn shàng jī hū néng zhǎo de quán dōu sōu guā le ， hái yuǎn méi yǒu dá dào suǒ xū 。”
“这太元精金十分难得，只会随机伴生于金属矿脉中，可遇不可求。天剑宗已经几乎把市面上几乎能找的全都搜刮了，还远没有达到所需。”
"Moreover, the price offered by the Sword Heaven Sect was too high, swaying all the elders in the Five Elements Sect."
“ tīng shuō wǔ xíng zōng nèi wǔ xíng tiān mì jìng zhōng ， huò xǔ huì yǒu dà liàng de cún huò 。 yú shì tiān jiàn zōng zhǎng mén qīn zì qiú shàng mén qù 。”
“听说五行宗内五行天秘境中，或许会有大量的存货。于是天剑宗掌门亲自求上门去。”
"So, the Five Elements Sect began to dig extensively for Primordial Essence Gold within the secret realm. This alone wouldn't have caused the tragedy that followed."
“ nà ge xiōng míng hè hè de lǎo pǐ fū shì hé děng gāo ào ， jū rán huì xiàng wǔ xíng zōng dī tóu 。 lán xiàng fēng dùn shí piāo piāo rán ， gāo xìng de zhǎo bù zhe běi le 。”
“那个凶名赫赫的老匹夫是何等高傲，居然会向五行宗低头。蓝向枫顿时飘飘然，高兴的找不着北了。”
"Perversely, they listened to someone's advice and decided not to waste the various metals found during mining. They might as well sell them too. Other sects heard about the large stock of metal ores in the Five Elements Sect and came to buy from them."
“ zài jiā shàng tiān jiàn zōng chū jià shí zài tài gāo ， wǔ xíng zōng quán tǐ zhǎng lǎo yě quán dōu bèi shuō dòng le 。”
“再加上天剑宗出价实在太高，五行宗全体长老也全都被说动了。”
"Driven by greed, the Five Elements Sect's mining activities became more frenzied."
“ yú shì wǔ xíng zōng kāi shǐ zài mì jìng zhōng dà sì wā jué 【 tài yuán jīng jīn 】。 guāng shì zhè yàng ， yě bú huì zào chéng hòu miàn de cǎn jù 。”
“于是五行宗开始在秘境中大肆挖掘【太元精金】。光是这样，也不会造成后面的惨剧。”
"They even hired scattered cultivators when they felt short-handed."
“ piān piān tā men bù zhī tīng le shéi de gǔ huò ， shuō fǎn zhèng wā jué tú zhōng kāi cǎi chū de gè zhǒng jīn shǔ kuàng shí ， yě bù néng làng fèi ， bù rú yě shùn biàn yì qǐ mài le 。 ér qí yú zōng mén yě tīng shuō le wǔ xíng zōng yǒu dà liàng jīn shǔ kuàng shí de xiāo xī ， fēn fēn shàng mén lái shōu gòu 。”
“偏偏他们不知听了谁的蛊惑，说反正挖掘途中开采出的各种金属矿石，也不能浪费，不如也顺便一起卖了。而其余宗门也听说了五行宗有大量金属矿石的消息，纷纷上门来收购。”
"One day, the massive loss of metallic elements led to an imbalance within the Five Elements Heaven."
“ lì lìng zhì hūn xià ， wǔ xíng zōng kāi jué jīn shǔ xìng kuàng mài de jǔ dòng yù fā fēng kuáng 。”
“利令智昏下，五行宗开掘金属性矿脉的举动愈发疯狂。”
"This inevitably evolved towards a state of annihilation where all five elements returned to one."
“ xián rén shǒu bù gòu ， shèn zhì hái gù yōng sàn xiū 。”
“嫌人手不够，甚至还雇佣散修。”
"Once the missing metallic element couldn't satisfy the need for unification, the remaining four elements—wood, water, fire, and earth—began chaotic, ceaseless energy collisions..."
“ zhōng yú yǒu yī tiān ， jīn shǔ xìng de dà liàng liú shī ， dǎo zhì wǔ xíng tiān nèi shǔ xìng shī héng 。”
“终于有一天，金属性的大量流失，导致五行天内属性失衡。”
"The result was a massive explosion that completely destroyed Five Elements Heaven."
“ wú kě bì miǎn de cháo zhe wǔ xíng guī yī de jì miè zhuàng tài yǎn biàn 。”
“无可避免的朝着五行归一的寂灭状态演变。”
"The loss to the Five Elements Sect was unimaginable. The core strength nearly perished, leaving them in decline."
“ bìng qiě ， dāng quē shī de jīn shǔ xìng wú fǎ mǎn zú wǔ xíng guī yī de xū qiú zhī hòu ， shèng yú mù shuǐ huǒ tǔ sì shǔ xìng fā shēng liǎo wú xù 、 yǒng bù tíng zhǐ de néng liàng pèng zhuàng ……”
“并且，当缺失的金属性无法满足五行归一的需求之后，剩余木水火土四属性发生了无序、永不停止的能量碰撞……”
"Driven by survival, they had no choice but to seek refuge with the Great Dao Sect, relying on old ties and becoming an affiliated sect."
“ zuì zhōng jié guǒ jiù shì ， yī cháng dà bào zhà chè dǐ jiāng wǔ xíng tiān cuī huǐ 。”
“最终结果就是，一场大爆炸彻底将五行天摧毁。”
After this speech, the young boy in green sighed deeply.
“ zhěng gè wǔ xíng zōng ， sǔn shī yuǎn bù néng yòng cǎn zhòng liǎng gè zì lái xíng róng 。 zhōng jiān lì liàng jìn hū sǐ jué ， cóng cǐ yī jué bù zhèn 。”
“整个五行宗，损失远不能用惨重两个字来形容。中坚力量近乎死绝，从此一蹶不振。”
Li Fan, listening from the side, felt a chill run down his spine. The fate of ancient Five Elements Heaven was eerily similar to that of today's Five Elements Great Cave Heaven.
“ wèi qiú shēng cún ， zhǐ néng zhǔ dòng tóu kào dà dào zōng ， píng zhe dāng nián de yì diǎn xiāng huǒ zhī qíng ， dāng gè fù shǔ zōng mén 。”
“为求生存，只能主动投靠大道宗，凭着当年的一点香火之情，当个附属宗门。”
So, would there be a catastrophic explosion after all elements returned to one here?
yī xí huà bì ， qīng shān hái tóng xī xū bù yǐ 。
一席话毕，青衫孩童唏嘘不已。
Muttering under his breath, Li Fan looked at the Peril-Overcoming Sect master and disciple again, only to find their figures becoming increasingly blurry. The words they spoke were indistinct as well.
páng tīng de lǐ fán què dùn jué xīn tóu yǒng qǐ yī gǔ liáng yì 。
旁听的李凡却顿觉心头涌起一股凉意。
(End of Chapter)
"Master?" Hearing this term, Li Fan felt a bit dazed.
In today's world of cultivation, his own practice was already no easy task. Who would go about imparting teachings and guiding others?
Since he embarked on the path of cultivation many years ago, he had never seen a proper master-student relationship.
Curious, Li Fan looked towards the direction from which the voice came.
There stood an old man and a young boy beside this giant dust-crossing boat. Both were dressed in green robes but exuded similar appearances as cultivators.
The elder was hale and hearty with white hair, while the younger had a weathered face, seemingly having seen through the world.
What surprised Li Fan was that the innocent voice he just heard came from the mouth of the elderly man with white hair.
He looked puzzled, his gaze fixed on the young boy beside him as he asked curiously.
The child appeared to be no more than five or six years old, but his words were far beyond a child's comprehension.
"From nothingness comes all. From all, back to nothingness."
"All five elements returning to one is merely transforming into their original state."
The young boy in green smiled and replied.
After some thought, the elderly man seemed to have understood and said with great joy, "I see, Master. Your meaning is that soon, this place will revert to a chaotic void, just like what we saw earlier, right?"
The child chuckled and looked at the elder with a kind gaze, "You're correct. Without external interference, allowing it to develop freely, indeed it would be so."
"But if one day outsiders enter here and take away some of the substances within this cave heaven, that's another story."
Looking down at the Five Elements Cave Heaven, the child sighed.
Li Fan was slightly stunned by what he heard, and began to scrutinize the old man and young boy as if they didn't exist.
The elder furrowed his brows, seemingly pondering his master's words. After a moment, he suddenly understood: "This cave heaven has elements flowing seamlessly like one entity, perfect without flaw. It can transform from one into five or revert to all five together. But if outsiders take parts from each element, it will disrupt the balance. Then..."
"Then..."
At this point, the elder seemed stuck and couldn't think of what to say next.
The young boy in green chuckled and continued his sentence: "Actually, if only a small scale and over a long period is taken, the Five Elements Cave Heaven can self-regulate through its inherent attributes without causing imbalance."
"But fear the sudden large-scale plundering of resources from several elemental cave heavens..."
"The regulation mechanism will be overwhelmed, leading to a complete loss of balance in this Five Elements Cave Heaven."
"Master, what happens after it's completely unbalanced?" The elderly man in green asked curiously.
The young boy in green now put on a serious expression: "Do you remember the Five Elements Sect I told you about when we first met?"
The elder nodded. "Disciple remembers. This Five Elements Sect is an affiliated sect of the Great Dao Sect. A few years ago, their sect leader came to our Peril-Overcoming Sect for a visit, and I saw him!"
Hearing this dialogue between master and disciple, Li Fan's heart was shaken.
He finally confirmed that these two were not truly present on the dust-crossing boat. Instead, they appeared like mirages!
The conversation between them seemed to take place in an ancient world where the Great Peril-Overcoming Sect still existed before the great calamity struck.
Li Fan scanned his surroundings and found people coming and going on the boat, but for some reason, no one else could see this illusion except him.
Without drawing attention, Li Fan continued observing the dialogue between the ancient Peril-Overcoming Sect master and disciple.
The young boy in green continued: "This Five Elements Sect actually wasn't weak back then. Besides our Ten Daoist Sects, it was considered one of the top cultivation sects in the Xuanhuang Realm. Within its sect lies a secret realm called [Five Elements Heaven]. It almost forms an independent world with abundant resources that seem endless."
"Compared to this Five Elements Great Cave Heaven, it is far superior."
"With the support of this secret realm, if the Five Elements Sect slowly developed over centuries, they might rise to become one of the top sects in the land."
"Unfortunately, the previous, previous Five Elements Sect leader, Lan Xiangfeng, was shortsighted..."
At these words, the young boy in green snorted with a look of disappointment.
The elderly man in green widened his eyes and remained silent, waiting for more.
After a moment, the young boy in green continued: "Back then, the Sword Heaven Sect is said to have needed an enormous amount of [Primordial Essence Gold] to forge that legendary [God-Slaying Divine Weapon]."
"This Primordial Essence Gold was rare, appearing randomly in metal veins. It's hard to find and obtain. The Sword Heaven Sect had already scoured almost everything on the market but still fell short."
"Word spread that there might be a large stock of this gold within the Five Elements Heaven secret realm. Thus, the Sword Heaven Sect leader personally sought out the Five Elements Sect."
"The notorious old man was so proud that he would bow to no one. Lan Xiangfeng immediately felt elated and lost his sense of direction."
"Moreover, the price offered by the Sword Heaven Sect was too high, swaying all the elders in the Five Elements Sect."
"So, the Five Elements Sect began to dig extensively for Primordial Essence Gold within the secret realm. This alone wouldn't have caused the tragedy that followed."
"Perversely, they listened to someone's advice and decided not to waste the various metals found during mining. They might as well sell them too. Other sects heard about the large stock of metal ores in the Five Elements Sect and came to buy from them."
"Driven by greed, the Five Elements Sect's mining activities became more frenzied."
"They even hired scattered cultivators when they felt short-handed."
"One day, the massive loss of metallic elements led to an imbalance within the Five Elements Heaven."
"This inevitably evolved towards a state of annihilation where all five elements returned to one."
"Once the missing metallic element couldn't satisfy the need for unification, the remaining four elements—wood, water, fire, and earth—began chaotic, ceaseless energy collisions..."
"The result was a massive explosion that completely destroyed Five Elements Heaven."
"The loss to the Five Elements Sect was unimaginable. The core strength nearly perished, leaving them in decline."
"Driven by survival, they had no choice but to seek refuge with the Great Dao Sect, relying on old ties and becoming an affiliated sect."
After this speech, the young boy in green sighed deeply.
Li Fan, listening from the side, felt a chill run down his spine. The fate of ancient Five Elements Heaven was eerily similar to that of today's Five Elements Great Cave Heaven.
So, would there be a catastrophic explosion after all elements returned to one here?
Muttering under his breath, Li Fan looked at the Peril-Overcoming Sect master and disciple again, only to find their figures becoming increasingly blurry. The words they spoke were indistinct as well.
(End of Chapter)