hēi àn xū kōng zhī zhōng ， shù tóu liè jiè jīng zhèng zài hù xiāng zhuī zhú xī xì 。
黑暗虚空之中，数头裂界鲸正在互相追逐嬉戏。
In the dark void, several裂界鲸 were chasing and playing with each other.
ruò shì zǐ xì guān chá ， kě yǐ fā xiàn ， tā men qí zhōng zhī yī de shēn shàng ， jìng rán zhàn zhe yī zhī hēi yǔ chì wěi niǎo 。
若是仔细观察，可以发现，它们其中之一的身上，竟然站着一只黑羽赤尾鸟。
If one looked closely, a black-feathered red-tailed bird was standing on one of them. The bird leisurely strolled on the vast fish's body, while the裂界鲸 showed no signs of awareness.
niǎo ér yǒu xiē yí rán zì dé dì zài kuān guǎng de yú shēn shàng màn bù 。
鸟儿有些怡然自得地在宽广的鱼身上漫步。
This black-feathered red-tailed bird naturally was Li Fan.
ér liè jiè jīng duì cǐ méi yǒu sī háo chá jué 。
而裂界鲸对此没有丝毫察觉。
He effortlessly passed through the Immortal Desolation Array and, upon seeing the群 of裂界鲸, had a sudden idea to test the actual deception effect of his《熔炉万相功》.
zhè zhǐ hēi yǔ chì wěi niǎo ， zì rán jiù shì lǐ fán le 。
这只黑羽赤尾鸟，自然就是李凡了。
And so this occurred.
tā qīng chē shú lù de chuān guò xiān jué dà zhèn ， kàn dào liè jiè jīng qún hòu ， què shì tū fā qí xiǎng 。
他轻车熟路的穿过仙绝大阵，看到裂界鲸群后，却是突发奇想。
"The裂界鲸 are extremely sensitive to external energy. Even ordinary humans can track them from miles away."
xiǎng yào shì shì 《 róng lú wàn xiāng gōng 》 de shí jì qī piàn xiào guǒ jiū jìng rú hé 。
想要试试《熔炉万相功》的实际欺骗效果究竟如何。
"I'm so close, yet they show no signs of reaction. They must think I am just another bird."
zhè cái yǒu le zhè me yī chū 。
这才有了这么一出。
Li Fan was quite satisfied with the test results. He flapped his wings and quickly flew away from the群 of裂界鲸 towards the entrance to the Vast Abyss at the bottom.
“ liè jiè jīng duì yú wài jiè qì xī jí wéi mǐn gǎn ， nǎ pà shì fán rén dōu néng wàn lǐ zhuī zōng 。”
“裂界鲸对于外界气息极为敏感，哪怕是凡人都能万里追踪。”
"If Great Xuan really managed to escape the Immortal Desolation Realm through the efforts of these裂界鲸, would it be captured by the【Immortal Wastes】 like that Medicine King True Cauldron?"
“ wǒ rú cǐ jiē jìn ， tā men què méi yǒu rèn hé yīng jī fǎn yìng ， pà shì zài tā men kàn lái ， wǒ hé zhēn de niǎo ér wú yì le 。”
“我如此接近，它们却没有任何应激反应，怕是在它们看来，我和真的鸟儿无异了。”
"Who could have set up this群 of裂界鲸 back then?"
duì yú cè shì jié guǒ ， lǐ fán hěn shì mǎn yì 。
对于测试结果，李凡很是满意。
"It's unlikely to be one of the Ten Dao Sects. They know about the Immortal Wastes and let the裂界鲸 dig out a small world. Wouldn't that be digging their own graves?"
zhèn chì jí fēi ， lí kāi liè jiè jīng qún ， cháo zhe xū yuān dǐ bù de xuán huáng jiè rù kǒu gǎn qù 。
振翅急飞，离开裂界鲸群，朝着墟渊底部的玄黄界入口赶去。
The light in the cultivation world was just ahead. Looking back at the seemingly tireless裂界鲸, an idea suddenly flashed through Li Fan's mind.
“ rú guǒ dà xuán zhēn de zài liè jiè jīng de nǔ lì xià ， tuō lí le xuán huáng jiè 。 nà me shì fǒu huì zhí jiē bèi 【 xiān xū 】 fú huò ？ jiù gēn nà yào wáng zhēn dǐng yì bān ？”
“如果大玄真的在裂界鲸的努力下，脱离了玄黄界。那么是否会直接被【仙墟】俘获？就跟那药王真鼎一般？”
He didn’t pause as he continued his flight towards the Cunyun Sea and the border with Stone Lingzhou.
“ dāng nián zhè liè jiè jīng qún ， jiū jìng shì shéi de shǒu bǐ ？”
“当年这裂界鲸群，究竟是谁的手笔？”
His destination was the ruins of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect within the White Stone Cave Heaven.
“ bù guò yīng gāi bú shì xiān dào shí zōng suǒ wèi 。 tā men zhī xiǎo 【 xiān xū 】 de cún zài ， fàng rèn liè jiè jīng jiāng xiǎo shì jiè wā zǒu ， qǐ bù shì zì jué fén mù ？”
“不过应该不是仙道十宗所为。他们知晓【仙墟】的存在，放任裂界鲸将小世界挖走，岂不是自掘坟墓？”
This was where Cao Hong and Dao Xuanzi had found the《千机玉寰金章》.
xiū xiān jiè de guāng liàng jiù zài qián fāng bù yuǎn chù ， huí wàng zhe sì hū yǒng yuǎn bù zhī pí juàn de liè jiè jīng ， yí gè niàn tou hū rán fú xiàn zài lǐ fán de nǎo hǎi zhōng 。
修仙界的光亮就在前方不远处，回望着似乎永远不知疲倦的裂界鲸，一个念头忽然浮现在李凡的脑海中。
In his previous life, Xiao Heng, with the help of Lin Chu昌, had discovered several other techniques in addition to the golden chapter from the ruins, including the secret technique【One Hand遮天】.
jǐn jǐn shì yī shǎn ér guò ， shēn xíng méi yǒu sī háo tíng dùn 。
仅仅是一闪而过，身形没有丝毫停顿。
Li Fan couldn’t miss this opportunity. Although he appeared as an ordinary bird, Li Fan's flight speed was anything but slow.
xià yī kè ， lǐ fán chóng xīn chū xiàn zài wāng yáng dà hǎi zhī shàng 。
下一刻，李凡重新出现在汪洋大海之上。
After over twenty days, Li Fan arrived at the entrance of the Hundred Stone Cave Heaven.
hǎi tiān yī sè ， xián shī de fēng qīng fú 。
海天一色，咸湿的风轻拂。
The Hundred Stone Cave Heaven was a vast underground cave system on the edge of Stone Lingzhou.
lǐ fán shēn shēn xī le kǒu qì ， gǎn tàn dào 。
李凡深深吸了口气，感叹道。
Branching paths crisscrossed within the cave. Every so often, there would be a spacious underground hall that opened up. The halls were filled with grotesque rocks growing from the ceiling and walls, creating eerie shapes that resembled both humans and beasts, causing many cultivators to lose their way and never return.
“ hái shì lán sè de tiān kōng hǎo kàn a 。”
“还是蓝色的天空好看啊。”
The size of this Hundred Stone Cave Heaven was unknown. As one of the most dangerous areas in Stone Lingzhou, few willing explorers ventured here despite knowing about its secrets.
zài xuán wǎng lǒng zhào xià de yā yì shì jiè zhōng dài le shù bǎi nián ， rú jīn huí dào zuì chū de lǐ fán ， fāng cái míng bái zhè zhǒng wú jū wú shù de kě guì 。
在玄网笼罩下的压抑世界中待了数百年，如今回到最初的李凡，方才明白这种无拘无束的可贵。
Li Fan continued deeper into the cave without encountering anyone. The further he went, the more complex the paths became. Often, a single intersection had seven or eight different branches. Not only did his divine sense get affected to some degree, but the cave itself occasionally changed. Paths that were fine when going in would mysteriously disappear when trying to return.
méi yǒu xiān qù jiā rù wàn xiān méng ， lǐ fán biàn bié le fān fāng xiàng ， ér shì cháo zhe cóng yún hǎi hé shí lín zhōu jiāo jiè chù fēi qù 。
没有先去加入万仙盟，李凡辨别了番方向，而是朝着丛云海和石临州交界处飞去。
The geological structure of this cave was incredibly hard, making it impossible to forcibly carve out new paths.
tā de mù dì dì ， zhèng shì bái shí dòng tiān zhōng de tiān jī zōng yí jì 。
他的目的地，正是白石洞天中的天机宗遗迹。
"This Hundred Stone Cave Heaven, according to Lin Chu昌, might be a remnant of an ancient monster called【Return Origin Clam】."
yě jiù shì dāng chū kòu hóng hé dào xuán zi zhǎo dào 《 qiān jī yù huán jīn zhāng 》 de dì fāng 。
也就是当初寇洪和道玄子找到《千机玉寰金章》的地方。
"Deeply dwelling underground, the Return Origin Clam feeds on mountain and river veins. It's notorious for destroying terrain, even hollowing out entire regions."
shàng yī shì ， xiāo héng zài líng hú chāng de bāng zhù xià ， chú le jīn zhāng zhī wài ， hái cóng yí jì zhōng fā jué chū le ruò gān qí tā gōng fǎ 。
上一世，萧恒在令狐昌的帮助下，除了金章之外，还从遗迹中发掘出了若干其他功法。
Li Fan recalled what Han Wuxiu had heard.
bāo kuò mì shù 【 zhǐ shǒu zhē tiān 】。
包括秘术【只手遮天】。
"But one creature brings down another."
lǐ fán zì rán shì bù néng cuò guò 。
李凡自然是不能错过。
"In its body, there often exists a【Stone Spirit Worm】."
suī rán wài biǎo zhǐ shì yī zhī fán niǎo ， dàn shì lǐ fán fēi xíng de sù dù què yì diǎn dōu bù màn 。
虽然外表只是一只凡鸟，但是李凡飞行的速度却一点都不慢。
"The Return Origin Clam is greedy, consuming the veins without restraint, possibly even dying from overindulgence."
èr shí duō tiān hòu ， lǐ fán lái dào le bǎi shí dòng tiān zhī wài 。
二十多天后，李凡来到了百石洞天之外。
"Most of the time, it doesn't have enough time to digest and absorb the vein energy."
suǒ wèi bǎi shí dòng tiān ， nǎi shì shí lín zhōu biān chuí yí gè jù dà de dì xià róng dòng 。
所谓百石洞天，乃是石临州边陲一个巨大的地下溶洞。
"As a result, layers of vein stones form within its body."
dòng nèi wú shù dào lù fēn zhī jiāo cuò 。
洞内无数道路分支交错。
"This Stone Spirit Worm feeds on these vein stones, easing digestion while ensuring an endless supply of food for itself."
měi gé yī duàn jù lí ， jiù huì yǒu huò rán kāi lǎng ， xíng chéng yí gè kuān kuò de dì xià tīng táng 。
每隔一段距离，就会有豁然开朗，形成一个宽阔的地下厅堂。
"A perfect symbiotic relationship."
dà tīng nèi guài shí lín xún ， zì dǐng bù xiàng xià 、 qiáng bì cháo wài yě mán shēng zhǎng 。
大厅内怪石嶙峋，自顶部向下、墙壁朝外野蛮生长。
"Possibly, the intricate underground passages in this cave were dug by the Stone Spirit Worms."
xíng zhuàng gè yì ， shì rén shì shòu ， lìng rén xīn jì 。
形状各异，似人似兽，令人心悸。
As he flew, Li Fan carefully searched for the Stone Spirit Worms.
duō yǒu xiū shì zài qí zhōng mí shī le fāng xiàng ， cóng cǐ yī qù bù huí zhě 。
多有修士在其中迷失了方向，从此一去不回者。
After a few hours:
ér zhè piàn bǎi shí dòng tiān ， jiū jìng yǒu duō dà ， zé shì shuí yě bù zhī dào le 。
而这片百石洞天，究竟有多大，则是谁也不知道了。
"Here you are!"
zuò wéi shí lín zhōu yǒu shù de xiōng dì ， ráo shì zhī dào cǐ chù kě néng cáng yǒu shén me mì mì ， dàn shì yuàn yì qián lái tàn xiǎn de xiū shì què shì shǎo zhī yòu shǎo 。
作为石临州有数的凶地，饶是知道此处可能藏有什么秘密，但是愿意前来探险的修士却是少之又少。
Li Fan revealed his true form and quietly drew his Five Elements Annihilation Sword. A deep hole appeared on the stone wall.
lǐ fán bù duàn cháo zhe róng dòng nèi bù shēn rù ， lèng shì yí gè rén dōu méi yù dào 。
李凡不断朝着溶洞内部深入，愣是一个人都没遇到。
A greenish-gray figure darted towards the inner depths of the wall.
yuè wǎng shēn chù ， dào lù jiù yuè fù zá 。
越往深处，道路就越复杂。
"Bind Worm!"
wǎng wǎng yí gè lù kǒu ， yǒu zhe duō dá qī bā tiáo chà lù 。
往往一个路口，有着多达七八条岔路。
Li Fan suddenly activated his divine power, capturing it.
bìng qiě ， bù jǐn jǐn shì shén shí huì shòu dào yí dìng chéng dù de yǐng xiǎng 。
并且，不仅仅是神识会受到一定程度的影响。
A fat, greenish-gray worm, about the size of a baby, appeared before him. It was immobile and emitted a rapid chirping sound.
zhè piàn róng dòng běn shēn ， yě huì ǒu ěr fā shēng biàn huà 。
这片溶洞本身，也会偶尔发生变化。
Li Fan gently tapped it, causing a dull thud. The worm's flesh shook as it obeyed Li Fan’s warning.
lái shí hǎo hǎo de ， xiǎng yào huí qù hòu ， jiù huì fā xiàn yuán běn de dào lù mò míng xiāo shī le 。
来时好好的，想要回去后，就会发现原本的道路莫名消失了。
Injecting his spirit energy into its body, Li Fan closed his eyes to sense the worm's structure. Despite being able to eat vein stones, its physiological complexity was no greater than that of the ordinary bird he had previously transformed into.
piān piān zhè chù róng dòng nèi de dì zhì dōu jiān yìng wú bǐ ， xiǎng yào yìng shēng shēng kāi pì chū yī tiáo dào lù dōu bù xíng 。
偏偏这处溶洞内的地质都坚硬无比，想要硬生生开辟出一条道路都不行。
After a while, Li Fan released the worm.
zhè yě shì wèi hé bǎi shí dòng tiān rú cǐ xiōng xiǎn de yuán yīn 。
这也是为何百石洞天如此凶险的原因。
Instantly, golden light enveloped him as he transformed into the worm’s form. The fat worm fell to the ground and hurriedly dug away, ignoring this new companion.
“ jù nà líng hú chāng suǒ shuō ， zhè bǎi shí dòng tiān ， hěn kě néng shì shàng gǔ shí qī de yì shòu 【 guī yuán há 】 sǐ hòu suǒ huà 。”
“据那令狐昌所说，这百石洞天，很可能是上古时期的异兽【归元蛤】死后所化。”
The hole it created soon healed under Li Fan's watchful eye.
“ guī yuán há shēn jū dì xià ， yǐ shān chuān dì mài wèi shí ， shì chòu míng zhāo zhù de dì xíng pò huài zhě ， shèn zhì néng jiāng yī zhōu de dì xià quán dōu tāo kōng 。”
“归元蛤深居地下，以山川地脉为食，是臭名昭著的地形破坏者，甚至能将一州的地下全都掏空。”
"This place is indeed strange. Even though the Return Origin Clam is dead, exploring without special methods can be quite troublesome."
lǐ fán huí yì zhe hán wú yōu tīng dào de jiàn wén 。
李凡回忆着韩无忧听到的见闻。
"But now..."
“ bù guò ， yī wù xiáng yī wù 。”
“不过，一物降一物。”
Li Fan shook his worm body and burrowed into the stone wall.
“ tā de tǐ nèi ， wǎng wǎng bàn shēng cún zài zhe yī zhǒng 【 shí líng chóng 】。”
“它的体内，往往伴生存在着一种【石灵虫】。”
He felt these hard stones turn into crispy snacks as he effortlessly carved out a path.
“ guī yuán há tiān xìng tān lán ， tūn shì dì mài méi yǒu sī háo jié zhì ， shèn zhì yǒu kě néng bǎ zì jǐ chēng sǐ 。”
“归元蛤天性贪婪，吞噬地脉没有丝毫节制，甚至有可能把自己撑死。”
With the approximate location of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect ruins in mind, Li Fan headed straight towards it.
“ ér jué dà duō shì qíng kuàng xià ， tā men shì lái bù jí xiāo huà xī shōu tǐ nèi de dì mài zhī lì de 。”
“而绝大多是情况下，它们是来不及消化吸收体内的地脉之力的。”
Seven days later.
“ yǐ zhì yú zài tǐ nèi níng jié le chéng piàn chéng piàn de dì mài zhī shí 。”
“以致于在体内凝结了成片成片的地脉之石。”
A closed-off underground space with walls suddenly echoed with rumbling sounds.
“ zhè shí líng chóng ， jiù xǐ yǐ dì mài shí wèi shí 。 bāng zhù guī yuán há jiǎn qīng xiāo huà yā lì de tóng shí ， zì shēn què shì wán quán bù yòng dān xīn shí wù wèn tí le 。”
“这石灵虫，就喜以地脉石为食。帮助归元蛤减轻消化压力的同时，自身却是完全不用担心食物问题了。”
Soon, the transformed Stone Spirit Worm burst out from the stone wall and crashed to the ground on its back. It remained motionless until all the vein stones were digested into energy before Li Fan reverted to his human form.
“ wán měi de bàn shēng guān xì 。”
“完美的伴生关系。”
"Amazingly, it didn’t get too full."
“ kǒng pà zhè bǎi shí dòng tiān nèi cuò zōng fù zá de dì dào ， hěn kě néng jiù shì shí líng chóng men wā chū lái de 。”
“恐怕这百石洞天内错综复杂的地道，很可能就是石灵虫们挖出来的。”
Li Fan shook his head, silently amused.
In the dark void, several裂界鲸 were chasing and playing with each other.
If one looked closely, a black-feathered red-tailed bird was standing on one of them. The bird leisurely strolled on the vast fish's body, while the裂界鲸 showed no signs of awareness.
This black-feathered red-tailed bird naturally was Li Fan.
He effortlessly passed through the Immortal Desolation Array and, upon seeing the群 of裂界鲸, had a sudden idea to test the actual deception effect of his《熔炉万相功》.
And so this occurred.
"The裂界鲸 are extremely sensitive to external energy. Even ordinary humans can track them from miles away."
"I'm so close, yet they show no signs of reaction. They must think I am just another bird."
Li Fan was quite satisfied with the test results. He flapped his wings and quickly flew away from the群 of裂界鲸 towards the entrance to the Vast Abyss at the bottom.
"If Great Xuan really managed to escape the Immortal Desolation Realm through the efforts of these裂界鲸, would it be captured by the【Immortal Wastes】 like that Medicine King True Cauldron?"
"Who could have set up this群 of裂界鲸 back then?"
"It's unlikely to be one of the Ten Dao Sects. They know about the Immortal Wastes and let the裂界鲸 dig out a small world. Wouldn't that be digging their own graves?"
The light in the cultivation world was just ahead. Looking back at the seemingly tireless裂界鲸, an idea suddenly flashed through Li Fan's mind.
He didn’t pause as he continued his flight towards the Cunyun Sea and the border with Stone Lingzhou.
His destination was the ruins of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect within the White Stone Cave Heaven.
This was where Cao Hong and Dao Xuanzi had found the《千机玉寰金章》.
In his previous life, Xiao Heng, with the help of Lin Chu昌, had discovered several other techniques in addition to the golden chapter from the ruins, including the secret technique【One Hand遮天】.
Li Fan couldn’t miss this opportunity. Although he appeared as an ordinary bird, Li Fan's flight speed was anything but slow.
After over twenty days, Li Fan arrived at the entrance of the Hundred Stone Cave Heaven.
The Hundred Stone Cave Heaven was a vast underground cave system on the edge of Stone Lingzhou.
Branching paths crisscrossed within the cave. Every so often, there would be a spacious underground hall that opened up. The halls were filled with grotesque rocks growing from the ceiling and walls, creating eerie shapes that resembled both humans and beasts, causing many cultivators to lose their way and never return.
The size of this Hundred Stone Cave Heaven was unknown. As one of the most dangerous areas in Stone Lingzhou, few willing explorers ventured here despite knowing about its secrets.
Li Fan continued deeper into the cave without encountering anyone. The further he went, the more complex the paths became. Often, a single intersection had seven or eight different branches. Not only did his divine sense get affected to some degree, but the cave itself occasionally changed. Paths that were fine when going in would mysteriously disappear when trying to return.
The geological structure of this cave was incredibly hard, making it impossible to forcibly carve out new paths.
"This Hundred Stone Cave Heaven, according to Lin Chu昌, might be a remnant of an ancient monster called【Return Origin Clam】."
"Deeply dwelling underground, the Return Origin Clam feeds on mountain and river veins. It's notorious for destroying terrain, even hollowing out entire regions."
Li Fan recalled what Han Wuxiu had heard.
"But one creature brings down another."
"In its body, there often exists a【Stone Spirit Worm】."
"The Return Origin Clam is greedy, consuming the veins without restraint, possibly even dying from overindulgence."
"Most of the time, it doesn't have enough time to digest and absorb the vein energy."
"As a result, layers of vein stones form within its body."
"This Stone Spirit Worm feeds on these vein stones, easing digestion while ensuring an endless supply of food for itself."
"A perfect symbiotic relationship."
"Possibly, the intricate underground passages in this cave were dug by the Stone Spirit Worms."
As he flew, Li Fan carefully searched for the Stone Spirit Worms.
After a few hours:
"Here you are!"
Li Fan revealed his true form and quietly drew his Five Elements Annihilation Sword. A deep hole appeared on the stone wall.
A greenish-gray figure darted towards the inner depths of the wall.
"Bind Worm!"
Li Fan suddenly activated his divine power, capturing it.
A fat, greenish-gray worm, about the size of a baby, appeared before him. It was immobile and emitted a rapid chirping sound.
Li Fan gently tapped it, causing a dull thud. The worm's flesh shook as it obeyed Li Fan’s warning.
Injecting his spirit energy into its body, Li Fan closed his eyes to sense the worm's structure. Despite being able to eat vein stones, its physiological complexity was no greater than that of the ordinary bird he had previously transformed into.
After a while, Li Fan released the worm.
Instantly, golden light enveloped him as he transformed into the worm’s form. The fat worm fell to the ground and hurriedly dug away, ignoring this new companion.
The hole it created soon healed under Li Fan's watchful eye.
"This place is indeed strange. Even though the Return Origin Clam is dead, exploring without special methods can be quite troublesome."
"But now..."
Li Fan shook his worm body and burrowed into the stone wall.
He felt these hard stones turn into crispy snacks as he effortlessly carved out a path.
With the approximate location of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect ruins in mind, Li Fan headed straight towards it.
Seven days later.
A closed-off underground space with walls suddenly echoed with rumbling sounds.
Soon, the transformed Stone Spirit Worm burst out from the stone wall and crashed to the ground on its back. It remained motionless until all the vein stones were digested into energy before Li Fan reverted to his human form.
"Amazingly, it didn’t get too full."
Li Fan shook his head, silently amused.