máo dìng 1 nián ， dà xuán ， jiě lí shān diān 。
锚定1年，大玄，解离山巅。
One year later, in Great Xuan, atop the Disconnection Mountain.
èr shí suì de lǐ fán ， dú lì shān tóu ， bēi fù shuāng shǒu ， tiào wàng zhe yuǎn fāng yún hǎi 。
二十岁的李凡，独立山头，背负双手，眺望着远方云海。
Li Fan, twenty years old, stood alone on the peak, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed into the distance at the clouds below.
zhāo yáng cóng dōng fāng rǎn rǎn shēng qǐ ， zhàn fàng chū wàn dào guāng máng ， jiāng yún duǒ rǎn de tōng hóng 。
朝阳从东方冉冉升起，绽放出万道光芒，将云朵染的通红。
The sun rose from the east, casting a thousand rays of light that painted the clouds crimson red.
lǐ fán nián qīng de miàn páng ， yǎn shén zhōng què liú lù chū yī sī cāng sāng 。
李凡年轻的面庞，眼神中却流露出一丝沧桑。
Yet there was an air of weariness in Li Fan's youthful face.
“ lì jīng sān qiān nián shí guāng liú shì ， kàn lái duì wǒ yě bìng fēi méi yǒu yǐng xiǎng 。”
“历经三千年时光流逝，看来对我也并非没有影响。”
"Three thousand years have passed since I traversed this world. It seems to have had some effect on me."
lǐ fán wēi wēi tàn le kǒu qì 。
李凡微微叹了口气。
Li Fan sighed softly.
zài zì dòng hái zhēn ， huí dào jiě lí shān diān de chà nà 。
在自动还真，回到解离山巅的刹那。
As he returned to the peak of Disconnection Mountain, memories from his time as a transformed entity flooded back like a tidal wave.
yǐ shēn huà wù qī jiān suǒ jīng lì de zhǒng zhǒng shì qíng ， rú cháo shuǐ bān xiàng tā yǒng lái 。
以身化物期间所经历的种种事情，如潮水般向他涌来。
That period was longer than all one hundred lifetimes he'd experienced in human form combined. Even though he could not remember everything clearly after transforming into an entity, and most of those three thousand years were spent alone on the desolate earth, accepting the memories of the [Breaking Array Jade Plate] within a short time still made Li Fan feel the terrifying power of time.
nà shì bǐ zì tā chuān yuè yǐ lái ， yǐ rén shēn jīng lì de shàng bǎi shì jiā qǐ lái ， dōu hái yào màn cháng de yī duàn suì yuè 。
那是比自他穿越以来，以人身经历的上百世加起来，都还要漫长的一段岁月。
Fortunately, it took him about a day to completely eliminate the negative effects brought by that memory. At the same time, hesort outed the history of Xuanhuang for the past three thousand years since his fall.
jí biàn yǐ shēn huà wù hòu ， bù shì rén shēn nà bān néng gòu xiáng jìn de jiāng yī qiè dōu jì yì qīng chǔ 。
即便以身化物后，不似人身那般能够详尽的将一切都记忆清楚。
Some things, like the conflict between the Xuan Network and cultivators, were predictable before he transformed into an entity. But the collapse of Xuanhuang in just a thousand years was something Li Fan hadn't anticipated.
jí biàn zhè sān qiān nián de shí guāng ， jué dà duō shù dōu shì tā gū jì yī wù ， tǎng zài yǐ chéng fèi xū de dà dì shàng 。
即便这三千年的时光，绝大多数都是他孤寂一物，躺在已成废墟的大地上。
"What happened after everyone at the Covering Heaven Alliance obtained the blueprint for the Heavenly Xuan Lock Spirit Formation?"
duǎn shí jiān nèi jiāng 【 pò zhèn yù pán 】 de jì yì yī gǔ nǎo jiē shòu ， réng rán ràng lǐ fán gǎn shòu dào le guāng yīn nà mó sǔn yī qiè de kě bù lì liàng 。
短时间内将【破阵玉盘】的记忆一股脑接受，仍然让李凡感受到了光阴那磨损一切的可怖力量。
"Logically speaking, even if the battle was intense, one side should have emerged victorious. How did it end up seeming like mutual destruction?"
hǎo zài ， yòng le chà bu duō yī tiān de shí jiān ， tā yǐ jīng wán quán jiāng qí dài lái de fù miàn yǐng xiǎng xiāo chú ， bìng qiě tóng shí duì zì jǐ yǔn luò hòu ， xuán huáng jiè sān qiān duō nián de lì shǐ jìn xíng le shū lǐ 。
好在，用了差不多一天的时间，他已经完全将其带来的负面影响消除，并且同时对自己陨落后，玄黄界三千多年的历史进行了梳理。
Thinking about this, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a bit helpless.
yǒu xiē shì qíng ， bǐ rú xuán wǎng hé xiū shì de dòu zhēng shì tā zài yǐ shēn huà wù zhī qián ， shì kě yǐ yù liào dào de 。
有些事情，比如玄网和修士的斗争是他在以身化物之前，是可以预料到的。
At the crucial moment, that young man, Han Wuxiu, had turned off the lights and pulled the plug, causing hundreds of years' worth of information to be lost.
dàn xuán huáng jiè huì zài duǎn duǎn qiān nián nèi pò miè ， què shì lǐ fán méi yǒu xiǎng dào de 。
但玄黄界会在短短千年内破灭，却是李凡没有想到的。
"But I can't blame him."
“【 fù tiān huì 】 zhòng rén dé dào tiān xuán suǒ líng zhèn de zhèn fǎ lán tú hòu ， jiū jìng fā shēng le shén me shì ？”
“【覆天会】众人得到天玄锁灵阵的阵法蓝图后，究竟发生了什么事？”
"The Covering Heaven Alliance and Xuan Network were about to clash. The [Breaking Array Jade Plate] sent by this old acquaintance was full of mysteries. Even knowing the blueprint for the Lock Spirit Formation, which was an absolute secret, showed just how strange it was."
“ àn lǐ lái jiǎng ， jiù suàn shuāng fāng zhàn dòu de zài jī liè ， yě zǒng guī yǒu yī fāng cǎn shèng cái duì 。 zěn me xiàng shì tóng guī yú jìn le ？”
“按理来讲，就算双方战斗的再激烈，也总归有一方惨胜才对。怎么像是同归于尽了？”
"Real precautions must be taken."
xiǎng dào zhè lǐ ， lǐ fán yě bù jīn yǒu xiē wú nài 。
想到这里，李凡也不禁有些无奈。
"At that time, he had already become a cultivator of the Transcendence Realm, no longer the innocent and naive youth from before. The final battle's outcome would determine the fates of many Covering Heaven Alliance cultivators."
zuì guān jiàn de shí hòu ， bèi hán wú yōu nà xiǎo zi guān dēng lā zhá 。
最关键的时候，被韩无忧那小子关灯拉闸。
"Sealing me away made sense in this context."
dǎo zhì le shù bǎi nián de xìn xī quē shī 。
导致了数百年的信息缺失。
"Considering the [Furnace Hundred Appearances Technique], I won't hold it against him."
“ bù guò ， yě bù néng guài tā 。”
“不过，也不能怪他。”
Li Fan smiled slightly, reaching out to catch a black-feathered red-tailed bird perched on a tree at the peak.
“ fù tiān huì 、 xuán wǎng jué zhàn zài jí ， wǒ zhè ge gù rén zhī hòu sòng lái de 【 pò zhèn yù pán 】， kě wèi shì chù chù tòu lù zhe guǐ yì 。 jū rán lián suǒ líng zhèn lán tú zhè děng jué duì de jī mì dōu zhī dào 。”
“覆天会、玄网决战在即，我这个故人之后送来的【破阵玉盘】，可谓是处处透露着诡异。居然连锁灵阵蓝图这等绝对的机密都知道。”
The spirit energy flowed through his body as he closed his eyes and concentrated.
“ shí zài bù kě bù fáng 。”
“实在不可不防。”
After half an hour, Li Fan suddenly opened his eyes. He released the bird and took a deep breath. Golden light enveloped him, shrinking his form until it was indistinguishable from the black-feathered red-tailed bird that had been on the peak.
“ bǐ shí tā yǐ jīng chéng wéi huà shén xiū shì ， bù zài shì dāng chū nà ge dān chún tiān zhēn de shào nián 。 zuì zhōng yī zhàn ， gèng shì guān xì zhe fù tiān huì zhòng duō xiū shì de shēng sǐ cún wáng 。”
“彼时他已经成为化神修士，不再是当初那个单纯天真的少年。最终一战，更是关系着覆天会众多修士的生死存亡。”
The bird, mistaking Li Fan for one of its own kind, flew closer out of curiosity.
“ xuǎn zé bǎ wǒ fēng yìn qǐ lái ， yě zài qíng lǐ zhī zhōng 。”
“选择把我封印起来，也在情理之中。”
"Sure enough, Han Wuxiu is a prodigy; he can already understand this divine technique after reaching Golden Core Realm and comprehending The Heavenly Medicine Immortal Scripture."
“ kàn zài 《 róng lú bǎi xiāng gōng 》 de fèn shàng ， wǒ jiù bù gēn nǐ jì jiào le 。”
“看在《熔炉百相功》的份上，我就不跟你计较了。”
Li Fan sighed as he returned to his original form, startling the bird away.
lǐ fán wēi wēi yī xiào ， shēn shǒu jiāng shān diān shù shàng de yī zhī hēi yǔ chì wěi de fēi niǎo shè yú shǒu zhōng 。
李凡微微一笑，伸手将山巅树上的一只黑羽赤尾的飞鸟摄于手中。
After being blood-sacrificed by Han Wuxiu, Li Fan had developed an extraordinary connection with him. Even though there was only a trace of true spirit lingering within him, he could observe and feel the world through Han Wuxiu's eyes.
líng qì zài qí quán shēn yóu zǒu ， bì mù níng sī 。
灵气在其全身游走，闭目凝思。
Thus, when Han Wuxiu mastered and practiced the [Furnace Hundred Appearances Technique], so did Li Fan, who already had a deep understanding of The Heavenly Medicine Immortal Scripture.
xiǎo bàn tiān hòu ， lǐ fán huò rán zhēng kāi shuāng yǎn 。
小半天后，李凡豁然睁开双眼。
"Unfortunately, as his age and cultivation increased, especially after the tragic deaths of Xiao Heng and others, his personality changed. He even began to be more cautious with the [Breaking Array Jade Plate] that he carried since childhood."
jiāng fēi niǎo fàng shēng ， shēn hū yì kǒu qì 。
将飞鸟放生，深呼一口气。
"I was unable to perceive subsequent Transcendence Realm techniques."
jīn huáng sè de guāng máng dùn shí lǒng zhào quán shēn ， guāng yǐng zhōng ， lǐ fán shēn qū bù duàn suō xiǎo 。
金黄色的光芒顿时笼罩全身，光影中，李凡身躯不断缩小。
"But knowing it wouldn't help much anyway, as The World-Blending Passage Through Tribulation Scripture is likely still controlled by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."
bù guò piàn kè gōng fu ， hé xiān qián nà zhǐ kàn shàng qù yī mú yī yàng de fēi niǎo ， biàn chū xiàn zài jiě lí shān diān 。
不过片刻功夫，和先前那只看上去一模一样的飞鸟，便出现在解离山巅。
Li Fan shook his head and returned his thoughts to Xuanhuang's future.
bìng qiě wán quán méi yǒu xiū shì de qì xī liú lù 。
并且完全没有修士的气息流露。
"Until I was sealed away in 711 AD, although many things seemed to have happened,"
shèn zhì nà zhǐ hēi yǔ chì wěi dōu bǎ lǐ fán dàng zuò tóng lèi ， hào qí de fēi jìn chá kàn 。
甚至那只黑羽赤尾都把李凡当做同类，好奇的飞近查看。
"in reality, they could be categorized into two types."
“ hán wú yōu zhè xiǎo zi guǒ rán tiān zī fēi fán ， jīn dān qī xiū wèi biàn kě zì xíng cóng 《 tiān yī xiān jīng 》 zhōng wù chū zhè děng shén gōng 。”
“韩无忧这小子果然天资非凡，金丹期修为便可自行从《天医仙经》中悟出这等神功。”
"One type were events that would inevitably occur according to the predetermined course of history in Xuanhuang."
lǐ fán gǎn tàn zhe ， biàn huí yuán běn yàng mào 。
李凡感叹着，变回原本样貌。
"For instance, at 51 AD, Blue Feather Immortal failed to achieve immortality..."
dùn shí bǎ hēi yǔ chì wěi niǎo jīng zǒu 。
顿时把黑羽赤尾鸟惊走。
Recalling the thunderous "Who?" before Blue Feather's complete disappearance, Li Fan frowned slightly.
yǐ shēn huà wù ， bèi hán wú yōu xīn xuè jì liàn zhī hòu 。
以身化物，被韩无忧心血祭练之后。
"Or during those centuries, the strange phenomena grew more prevalent. Eventually, they became so severe that they could be used on a large scale to produce [Heaven-Defying Arrows]."
lǐ fán biàn hé hán wú yōu chǎn shēng le yī zhǒng shén qí de lián xì 。
李凡便和韩无忧产生了一种神奇的联系。
"I wonder if there is any connection between Xuanhuang's collapse and these strange phenomena."
ràng jí biàn zhǐ yǒu yì diǎn zhēn líng cún zài de lǐ fán ， yě dé yǐ jiè zhe hán wú yōu de yǎn jīng ， qù guān chá 、 gǎn shòu zhè ge shì jiè 。
让即便只有一点真灵存在的李凡，也得以借着韩无忧的眼睛，去观察、感受这个世界。
"Right, there was also that team of Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance cultivators who emerged from the devouring essence white fog, still alive after death..."
suǒ yǐ dāng hán wú yōu lǐng wù bìng xiū xíng 《 róng lú bǎi xiāng gōng 》 zhī hòu ， tóng yàng duì 《 tiān yī xiān jīng 》 shí fēn liǎo jiě de lǐ fán ， yě gēn zhe zhǎng wò le zhè mén qí gōng 。
所以当韩无忧领悟并修行《熔炉百相功》之后，同样对《天医仙经》十分了解的李凡，也跟着掌握了这门奇功。
"Hmm?"
“ kě xī de shì ， hòu lái suí zhe nián líng hé xiū wèi de zēng jiā 。 yóu qí shì xiāo héng děng rén cǎn sǐ zhī hòu ， tā de xìng gé yě fā shēng le biàn huà 。 lián cóng xiǎo jiù xié dài zài shēn biān de 【 pò zhèn yù pán 】 dōu duō le yī sī fáng fàn 。”
“可惜的是，后来随着年龄和修为的增加。尤其是萧恒等人惨死之后，他的性格也发生了变化。连从小就携带在身边的【破阵玉盘】都多了一丝防范。”
Suddenly, Li Fan paused in thought.
“ zhī hòu de huà shén gōng fǎ ， wǒ què shì méi néng tóng bù gǎn zhī le 。”
“之后的化神功法，我却是没能同步感知了。”
"Blue Feather's failure to achieve immortality and the appearance of those posthumously unaware cultivators in the white fog."
“ bù guò jí biàn zhī dào le kǒng pà yě wú yòng ， bì jìng nà mén 《 hùn shì dù è jué 》， rú jīn dà gài lǜ réng bèi wàn xiān méng zhǎng guǎn 。”
“不过即便知道了恐怕也无用，毕竟那门《混世渡厄诀》，如今大概率仍被万仙盟掌管。”
"Might it be that..."
lǐ fán yáo yáo tóu ， sī lù chóng xīn fǎn huí xuán huáng jiè jīn hòu de lì shǐ zǒu xiàng lái 。
李凡摇摇头，思路重新返回玄黄界今后的历史走向来。
A glint flashed in his eyes as he recalled what the black-robed Unity had said: Blue Feather Immortal had set up a [Devouring Essence Return-to-Life Great Formation] before his death, attempting to reverse the laws of life and death to achieve immortality.
“ zhí dào máo dìng 711 nián 、 wǒ bèi fēng yìn zhī qián ， suī rán kàn shì fā shēng le xǔ duō shì qíng 。“
“直到锚定711年、我被封印之前，虽然看似发生了许多事情。“
"Judging from the results, it seems he failed."
“ dàn shí jì shàng ， kě yǐ fēn wéi liǎng dà lèi 。”
“但实际上，可以分为两大类。”
"The 'Who' could have two meanings. One is that someone disrupted Blue Feather's attempt to defy natural law."
“ yī lèi shì ， xuán huáng jiè àn zhào jì dìng lì shǐ guǐ jì ， zhù dìng huì fā shēng de shì qíng 。”
“一类是，玄黄界按照既定历史轨迹，注定会发生的事情。”
"The other..."
“ bǐ rú ， máo dìng 51 nián ， lán yǔ xiān zūn zhèng cháng shēng shī bài ……”
“比如，锚定51年，蓝羽仙尊证长生失败……”
Li Fan narrowed his eyes: "The laws of life and death had already been reversed; the path to immortality was taken by another. He didn't notice this, which is why Blue Feather felt so bitter."
huí xiǎng qǐ lán yǔ chè dǐ xiāo shī zhī qián de nà shēng xiǎng chè tiān dì de “ shì shuí ”， lǐ fán bù jīn wēi wēi zhòu méi 。
回想起蓝羽彻底消失之前的那声响彻天地的“是谁”，李凡不禁微微皱眉。
"There are only a few Longevity Heaven Emperors in this world. As an old Unity, Blue Feather shouldn't be unaware of how they achieved their immortality."
“ zài bǐ rú ， shù bǎi nián jiān ， xuán huáng jiè guǐ yì yù fā fàn làn 。 shèn zhì hòu lái ， dào le néng yòng lái bèi dà guī mó zhì zào 【 fèn tiān jiàn 】 de dì bù 。”
“再比如，数百年间，玄黄界诡异愈发泛滥。甚至后来，到了能用来被大规模制造【偾天箭】的地步。”
"Thus, there must be a powerful figure who has secretly become a Longevity Heaven Emperor without anyone knowing about it?"
“ jiù shì bù zhī ， zuì zhōng xuán huáng jiè de pò miè ， hé zhè guǐ yì yǒu méi yǒu guān lián 。”
“就是不知，最终玄黄界的破灭，和这诡异有没有关联。”
This theory seemed too incredible to Li Fan.
“ duì le ， hái yǒu nà duì cóng shì yuán bái wù zhōng zǒu chū 、 suī sǐ yóu shēng de wàn xiān méng xiū shì ……”
“对了，还有那队从噬元白雾中走出、虽死尤生的万仙盟修士……”
Yet he couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder: "Blue Feather sacrificed the lives of cultivators in Source Dao State to activate the Devouring Essence Return-to-Life Great Formation, yet he didn't escape the fate of being played by a supreme powerhouse."
“ ń ？”
“嗯？”
"Longevity Heaven Emperor..."
lǐ fán hū de wēi wēi zhèng zhù 。
李凡忽的微微怔住。
"The thoughts and actions of such powerful beings are impossible to fathom or predict."
“ lán yǔ zhèng dào shī bài 、 yǐ jí bái wù zhōng chū xiàn sǐ hòu bù zì zhī de xiū shì 。”
“蓝羽证道失败、以及白雾中出现死后不自知的修士。”
"In my previous life, the conflict between the Xuan Network and cultivators was so fierce. Yet these Longevity Heaven Emperors seemed to have disappeared collectively, never appearing from start to finish."
“ mò fēi ……”
“莫非……”
"Even as cultivators were on the brink of extinction, they remained indifferent."
lǐ fán yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī jīng guāng 。
李凡眼中闪过一丝精光。
In fact, Li Fan had his own conjectures about why this happened.
“ dì shí èr de shí hòu ， cóng nà hēi yī hé dào kǒu zhōng ， wǒ dé zhī lán yǔ xiān zūn yǔn luò qián bù xià le 【 shì yuán fǎn shēng dà zhèn 】， qǐ tú nì zhuǎn sǐ shēng zhī lǐ ， yǐ zhèng cháng shēng 。”
“第十二的时候，从那黑衣合道口中，我得知蓝羽仙尊陨落前布下了【噬元返生大阵】，企图逆转死生之理，以证长生。”
The key lay in the golden obelisks built across Xuanhuang after the Xuan Network's rule. These obelisks had fired beams of light into the sky four times.
“ cóng hòu lái de jié guǒ kàn ， tā zuì zhōng hái shì shī bài le 。”
“从后来的结果看，他最终还是失败了。”
Li Fan guessed that the Heavenly Alliance might have intended to use these obelisks' power to break Xuanhuang free from the influence of the Immortal Wasteland.
“ ér nà jù ‘ shì shuí ’， yǒu liǎng zhǒng jiě shì 。 yī zhǒng shì ， lán yǔ nì tiān dì zhī lǐ de guò chéng bèi rén pò huài 。”
“而那句‘是谁’，有两种解释。一种是，蓝羽逆天地之理的过程被人破坏。”
(End of chapter)
One year later, in Great Xuan, atop the Disconnection Mountain.
Li Fan, twenty years old, stood alone on the peak, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed into the distance at the clouds below.
The sun rose from the east, casting a thousand rays of light that painted the clouds crimson red.
Yet there was an air of weariness in Li Fan's youthful face.
"Three thousand years have passed since I traversed this world. It seems to have had some effect on me."
Li Fan sighed softly.
As he returned to the peak of Disconnection Mountain, memories from his time as a transformed entity flooded back like a tidal wave.
That period was longer than all one hundred lifetimes he'd experienced in human form combined. Even though he could not remember everything clearly after transforming into an entity, and most of those three thousand years were spent alone on the desolate earth, accepting the memories of the [Breaking Array Jade Plate] within a short time still made Li Fan feel the terrifying power of time.
Fortunately, it took him about a day to completely eliminate the negative effects brought by that memory. At the same time, hesort outed the history of Xuanhuang for the past three thousand years since his fall.
Some things, like the conflict between the Xuan Network and cultivators, were predictable before he transformed into an entity. But the collapse of Xuanhuang in just a thousand years was something Li Fan hadn't anticipated.
"What happened after everyone at the Covering Heaven Alliance obtained the blueprint for the Heavenly Xuan Lock Spirit Formation?"
"Logically speaking, even if the battle was intense, one side should have emerged victorious. How did it end up seeming like mutual destruction?"
Thinking about this, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a bit helpless.
At the crucial moment, that young man, Han Wuxiu, had turned off the lights and pulled the plug, causing hundreds of years' worth of information to be lost.
"But I can't blame him."
"The Covering Heaven Alliance and Xuan Network were about to clash. The [Breaking Array Jade Plate] sent by this old acquaintance was full of mysteries. Even knowing the blueprint for the Lock Spirit Formation, which was an absolute secret, showed just how strange it was."
"Real precautions must be taken."
"At that time, he had already become a cultivator of the Transcendence Realm, no longer the innocent and naive youth from before. The final battle's outcome would determine the fates of many Covering Heaven Alliance cultivators."
"Sealing me away made sense in this context."
"Considering the [Furnace Hundred Appearances Technique], I won't hold it against him."
Li Fan smiled slightly, reaching out to catch a black-feathered red-tailed bird perched on a tree at the peak.
The spirit energy flowed through his body as he closed his eyes and concentrated.
After half an hour, Li Fan suddenly opened his eyes. He released the bird and took a deep breath. Golden light enveloped him, shrinking his form until it was indistinguishable from the black-feathered red-tailed bird that had been on the peak.
The bird, mistaking Li Fan for one of its own kind, flew closer out of curiosity.
"Sure enough, Han Wuxiu is a prodigy; he can already understand this divine technique after reaching Golden Core Realm and comprehending The Heavenly Medicine Immortal Scripture."
Li Fan sighed as he returned to his original form, startling the bird away.
After being blood-sacrificed by Han Wuxiu, Li Fan had developed an extraordinary connection with him. Even though there was only a trace of true spirit lingering within him, he could observe and feel the world through Han Wuxiu's eyes.
Thus, when Han Wuxiu mastered and practiced the [Furnace Hundred Appearances Technique], so did Li Fan, who already had a deep understanding of The Heavenly Medicine Immortal Scripture.
"Unfortunately, as his age and cultivation increased, especially after the tragic deaths of Xiao Heng and others, his personality changed. He even began to be more cautious with the [Breaking Array Jade Plate] that he carried since childhood."
"I was unable to perceive subsequent Transcendence Realm techniques."
"But knowing it wouldn't help much anyway, as The World-Blending Passage Through Tribulation Scripture is likely still controlled by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."
Li Fan shook his head and returned his thoughts to Xuanhuang's future.
"Until I was sealed away in 711 AD, although many things seemed to have happened,"
"in reality, they could be categorized into two types."
"One type were events that would inevitably occur according to the predetermined course of history in Xuanhuang."
"For instance, at 51 AD, Blue Feather Immortal failed to achieve immortality..."
Recalling the thunderous "Who?" before Blue Feather's complete disappearance, Li Fan frowned slightly.
"Or during those centuries, the strange phenomena grew more prevalent. Eventually, they became so severe that they could be used on a large scale to produce [Heaven-Defying Arrows]."
"I wonder if there is any connection between Xuanhuang's collapse and these strange phenomena."
"Right, there was also that team of Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance cultivators who emerged from the devouring essence white fog, still alive after death..."
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Li Fan paused in thought.
"Blue Feather's failure to achieve immortality and the appearance of those posthumously unaware cultivators in the white fog."
"Might it be that..."
A glint flashed in his eyes as he recalled what the black-robed Unity had said: Blue Feather Immortal had set up a [Devouring Essence Return-to-Life Great Formation] before his death, attempting to reverse the laws of life and death to achieve immortality.
"Judging from the results, it seems he failed."
"The 'Who' could have two meanings. One is that someone disrupted Blue Feather's attempt to defy natural law."
"The other..."
Li Fan narrowed his eyes: "The laws of life and death had already been reversed; the path to immortality was taken by another. He didn't notice this, which is why Blue Feather felt so bitter."
"There are only a few Longevity Heaven Emperors in this world. As an old Unity, Blue Feather shouldn't be unaware of how they achieved their immortality."
"Thus, there must be a powerful figure who has secretly become a Longevity Heaven Emperor without anyone knowing about it?"
This theory seemed too incredible to Li Fan.
Yet he couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder: "Blue Feather sacrificed the lives of cultivators in Source Dao State to activate the Devouring Essence Return-to-Life Great Formation, yet he didn't escape the fate of being played by a supreme powerhouse."
"Longevity Heaven Emperor..."
"The thoughts and actions of such powerful beings are impossible to fathom or predict."
"In my previous life, the conflict between the Xuan Network and cultivators was so fierce. Yet these Longevity Heaven Emperors seemed to have disappeared collectively, never appearing from start to finish."
"Even as cultivators were on the brink of extinction, they remained indifferent."
In fact, Li Fan had his own conjectures about why this happened.
The key lay in the golden obelisks built across Xuanhuang after the Xuan Network's rule. These obelisks had fired beams of light into the sky four times.
Li Fan guessed that the Heavenly Alliance might have intended to use these obelisks' power to break Xuanhuang free from the influence of the Immortal Wasteland.
(End of chapter)