hái méi děng 【 qīng 】 shuō huà ， shén yù zi biàn shuǎi le shuǎi fú chén 。
还没等【青】说话，神谕子便甩了甩拂尘。
Before Qin Fan could even speak, Shenyu Zi waved his whisk.
tiān kōng wèi zhī hūn àn ， yī zhāng xiě mǎn le jīn sè zì fú de fú zhǐ ， shà shí jiān chū xiàn zài dǎo yǔ shàng kōng 。
天空为之昏暗，一张写满了金色字符的符纸，霎时间出现在岛屿上空。
The sky darkened as a piece of paper filled with golden characters appeared above the island.
zhē tiān bì rì ， sì hū xià yī miǎo jiù yào jiāng dì guó zhòng rén quán dōu zhèn yā 。
遮天蔽日，似乎下一秒就要将帝国众人全都镇压。
It overshadowed everything, seemingly about to suppress everyone in the empire.
qīng bó rán sè biàn ， liǎng dào qīng sè guāng máng ， wǎn ruò lì rèn bān fēi shàng gāo kōng 。
青勃然色变，两道青色光芒，宛若利刃般飞上高空。
Qing's expression changed dramatically. Two streaks of green light shot up into the air like sharp blades and collided with the large paper talisman.
hé jù dà de fú zhǐ zhuàng jī zài yì qǐ 。
和巨大的符纸撞击在一起。
The golden paper was torn apart, revealing the sky once again. However, the characters on it did not disappear; instead, they floated down to the ground.
jīn sè fú zhǐ bèi cóng zhōng sī suì ， chóng xīn lù chū cāng qióng 。
金色符纸被从中撕碎，重新露出苍穹。
From Qing’s body, a series of light sabers emerged, one by one, dissolving the characters. It was clear that both parties were holding back in their confrontation.
rán hòu fú zhǐ shàng de nà xiē jīn sè zì fú què méi yǒu xiāo shī 。
然后符纸上的那些金色字符却没有消失。
The strange phenomena caused only affected the island and those watching like Li Fan and Li Chenfeng didn’t feel any impact.
ér shì piāo piāo sǎ sǎ ， luò xiàng xià fāng 。
而是飘飘洒洒，落向下方。
After a moment, when Qing had completely suppressed Shenyu Zi’s golden talisman, she repressed her anger to ask what he intended. However, she found that the mysterious man who used the golden talisman left after speaking with Li Fan.
cóng qīng de shēn shàng ， bù duàn yǒng xiàn chū dào dào guāng rèn 。
从青的身上，不断涌现出道道光刃。
Qing narrowed her eyes but did not stop him as Li Fan approached calmly.
yī yī jiāng zì fú xiāo jiě 。
一一将字符消解。
"What does the Interdimensional Alliance intend?" Qing asked icily.
kàn de chū lái ， liǎng rén de jiāo shǒu dōu jí wéi kè zhì 。
看的出来，两人的交手都极为克制。
Li Fan shrugged. "We have no ill intentions. But since we are to cooperate, we need to assess your strength and see if it’s worth it."
yǐn dòng de tiān dì yì xiàng zhǐ jú xiàn zài dǎo yǔ zhōu wéi ， lián guān zhàn de lǐ fán 、 lǐ chén fēng děng rén dōu sī háo méi yǒu shòu dào yǐng xiǎng 。
引动的天地异像只局限在岛屿周围，连观战的李凡、李晨风等人都丝毫没有受到影响。
"Fortunately, you’ve managed to gain some approval from above," Qing snorted coldly as she stared at Li Fan.
guò le piàn kè ， děng qīng jiāng shén yù zi de jīn fú chè dǐ zhèn yā hòu 。
过了片刻，等青将神谕子的金符彻底镇压后。
Li Fan smiled nonchalantly. "The Interdimensional Alliance has agreed with the cooperation plan you proposed."
jiāng nù qì qiáng yā xià ， tā zhèng yù jié wèn duì fāng yì yù hé wèi 。
将怒气强压下，她正欲诘问对方意欲何为。
"We will help accelerate the empire's departure from Xuanhuang World, and in return, you need to allocate a portion of your strength into our organization," he continued.
què fā xiàn nà shī zhǎn chū jīn fú de shén mì rén ， zài duì lǐ fán shuō le shén me hòu ， jiù zì gù zì dì lí kāi le 。
却发现那施展出金符的神秘人，在对李凡说了什么后，就自顾自地离开了。
"But," Li Fan paused slightly, "considering both parties' current situations, the organization believes that we can gradually implement this cooperation plan."
qīng wēi mī shuāng yǎn ， méi yǒu zhì zhǐ 。
青微眯双眼，没有制止。
"How exactly?" Qing’s tone softened.
kàn zhe lǐ fán dà dà fāng fāng de fēi jìn 。
看着李凡大大方方的飞近。
Li Fan tossed a storage ring over. Qing took it and examined it, her eyes widening in surprise.
“ nǐ men wàn jiè lián hé huì shén me yì si ？”
“你们万界联合会什么意思？”
Inside were various supplies needed by the empire—Qing Ling Crystal, Ten Thousand Flowers Green Ancient Silk, Through-Arm Xuan参...
zhè shí ， qīng cái miàn dài hán shuāng de wèn dào 。
这时，青才面带寒霜的问道。
Although the quantities were less than expected, each type was complete. After being away from Xuanhuang World for thousands of years, she didn’t know how prices had changed.
lǐ fán sǒng le sǒng jiān ：“ wǒ men bìng wú è yì 。 bù guò jì rán yào hé zuò ， zì rán yào kàn kàn nǐ men de shí lì rú hé ， shì fǒu zhí de 。”
李凡耸了耸肩：“我们并无恶意。不过既然要合作，自然要看看你们的实力如何，是否值得。”
But Qing knew that the value of these supplies in this storage ring would be significant.
“ hǎo zài ， nǐ men suàn shì miǎn qiǎng dé dào le shàng miàn de rèn kě 。”
“好在，你们算是勉强得到了上面的认可。”
Qing’s expression softened as well.
qīng lěng hēng yī shēng ， dīng zhe lǐ fán 。
青冷哼一声，盯着李凡。
"This is the first batch," Li Fan said. "You need a large quantity, so we will only purchase them gradually to avoid drawing attention from Xuanhuang World."
lǐ fán zé shì bù yǐ wéi yì ， wēi xiào zhe shuō dào ：“ lián hé huì tóng yì le nǐ zhī qián tí chū de hé zuò fāng àn 。”
李凡则是不以为意，微笑着说道：“联合会同意了你之前提出的合作方案。”
He explained further. Hearing his words, Qing found some sense in it and nodded slowly.
“ wǒ men bāng zhù dì guó jiā sù wán chéng tuō lí xuán huáng jiè de jì huà ， nǐ men zé xū yào fēn chū yī bù fèn lì liàng róng rù lián hé huì 。”
“我们帮助帝国加速完成脱离玄黄界的计划，你们则需要分出一部分力量融入联合会。”
"We are also looking for a suitable location for the empire's branch," he continued. "Safety and secrecy must be guaranteed. It’s not easy to find such places in today’s Xuanhuang World, so we will need more time."
“ bù guò ma ……”
“不过嘛……”
"For your concerns and our sincerity, these supplies are provided free of charge," Li Fan said. "I’ll come back after about a year when the next batch is ready."
lǐ fán wēi wēi dùn le dùn ：“ kǎo lǜ dào shuāng fāng mù qián de qíng kuàng ， zǔ zhī rèn wéi ， kě yǐ zhú bù shí xíng hé zuò jì huà 。”
李凡微微顿了顿：“考虑到双方目前的情况，组织认为，可以逐步实行合作计划。”
"But by then, I hope you'll have an attitude towards us at the Interdimensional Alliance."
“ zěn me gè zhú bù fǎ ？” qīng de yǔ qì jiàn huǎn 。
“怎么个逐步法？”青的语气渐缓。
Li Fan bowed and left without waiting for Qing’s response.
lǐ fán rēng le gè chǔ wù jiè guò qù ， qīng jiē guò jiè zhǐ ， chá kàn zhī hòu ， chī le yī jīng 。
李凡扔了个储物戒过去，青接过戒指，查看之后，吃了一惊。
"Immortal Master…" Li Chenfeng looked at Qing, hesitating to speak further.
lǐ miàn zhuāng de ， hè rán shì dì guó suǒ xū yào de zhǒng zhǒng wù zī 。
里面装的，赫然是帝国所需要的种种物资。
Qing frowned as she carefully examined the storage ring. After finding nothing suspicious, she cautiously put it away.
qīng líng jīng 、 wàn huā bì gǔ sī 、 tōng bì xuán cān ……
青灵晶、万花碧古丝、通臂玄参……
"At least from what he said, their intention of cooperation seems genuine," she said to Li Chenfeng and others. "He’s right; we can gradually implement this plan. We can exchange some less critical technologies first."
suī rán shù liàng shǎo le yī xiē ， dàn nán dé shì měi gè zhǒng lèi jù quán 。
虽然数量少了一些，但难得是每个种类俱全。
"In case anything changes, we can still cut our losses in time."
lí kāi le xuán huáng jiè shù qiān nián ， bù zhī dào rú jīn wù jià jǐ hé 。
离开了玄黄界数千年，不知道如今物价几何。
Qing continued, "I need to go back for a while and discuss with the Empress and Hong."
bù guò qīng yě zhī dào ， zhè méi chǔ wù jiè zhōng wù zī de jià zhí ， jué duì bù fēi 。
不过青也知道，这枚储物戒中物资的价值，绝对不菲。
What she didn’t say was that she felt something odd about the Interdimensional Alliance representative. It seemed far more complicated than it appeared.
yú shì qīng de miàn sè yě màn màn róu hé qǐ lái 。
于是青的面色也慢慢柔和起来。
On Ten Thousand Immortals Island, after thanking Shenyu Zi once again, Li Fan used his Heavenly Mirror to check for messages.
“ zhè shì dì yī pī wù zī 。”
“这是第一批物资。”
The results of the major exam had been announced, bringing mixed reactions—some were happy while others were disappointed.
“ nǐ men suǒ xū yào de shù liàng shí zài tài duō ， wèi le bù yǐn qǐ xuán huáng jiè shì lì de chá jué ， wǒ men yě zhǐ shì fēn pī màn màn cǎi gòu 。”
“你们所需要的数量实在太多，为了不引起玄黄界势力的察觉，我们也只是分批慢慢采购。”
There was still significant controversy over some positions. But soon enough, it faded away.
lǐ fán jiě shì dào 。
李凡解释道。
In the Western South Sea of Cunyun Sea, a series of storms destroyed more than ten islands inhabited by ordinary people. The price of the rare product, Green Xuan Dew, fluctuated slightly. Li Fan bought low and sold high, making a small profit.
qīng wén yán ， jué de yǒu xiē dào lǐ ， huǎn huǎn diǎn tóu 。
青闻言，觉得有些道理，缓缓点头。
The Taihua Mountains’ Taiwu Range suddenly collapsed for unknown reasons. As he scanned this news, Li Fan’s gaze sharpened.
“ tóng shí ， wǒ men yě zhèng zài wù sè wèi lái dì guó fēn zhī de luò jiǎo diǎn 。”
“同时，我们也正在物色未来帝国分支的落脚点。”
"Hmm? Ten Pule of Taihua Mountain? I remember only seeing Nine Pules in the previous lifetimes."
“ ān quán yǔ yǐn mì xìng ， dōu yào de dào jué duì de bǎo zhèng 。 zài dāng jīn de xuán huáng jiè ， bìng bù hǎo zhǎo 。 suǒ yǐ huán shàng xū děng dài yī duàn shí jiān 。”
“安全与隐秘性，都要得到绝对的保证。在当今的玄黄界，并不好找。所以还尚需等待一段时间。”
"It seems like there have been some heavy casualties," Li Fan thought to himself but didn’t delve deeper into it. He recorded the incident and continued browsing other important news.
lǐ fán jì xù shuō zhe 。
李凡继续说着。
Next, he searched for updates on "Old Fisher," "Martial Maniac," "Clock Divine Technique," and "Suo Feng."
“ wèi le xiāo chú nǐ men yí lǜ ， tóng shí zhǎn xiàn zǔ zhī de chéng yì 。 zhè xiē wù zī ， suàn shì miǎn fèi tí gōng gěi dì guó de 。”
“为了消除你们疑虑，同时展现组织的诚意。这些物资，算是免费提供给帝国的。”
Old Fisher was still lingering near the central four states of Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
“ děng dà gài yī nián hòu ， xià yī pī wù zī cǎi gòu wán bì ， wǒ huì zài lái 。”
“等大概一年后，下一批物资采购完毕，我会再来。”
Martial Maniac and Clock Divine Technique had yet to gain much recognition. Suo Feng hadn’t started his cultivation again, remaining a famous Golden Dan Immortal.
“ bù guò ， nà shí hòu ， wǒ men wàn jiè lián hé huì ， xī wàng kàn dào dì guó de tài dù 。”
“不过，那时候，我们万界联合会，希望看到帝国的态度。”
Based on his experience in the previous life, Li Fan speculated about their possible encounters with good fortune.
“ rán hòu zài tán jiē xià lái de hé zuò shì xiàng 。”
“然后再谈接下来的合作事项。”
A month later, after emerging from his seclusion, Li Fan felt it was time and transferred 500,000 contribution points to He Zhenghao.
lǐ fán gǒng le gǒng shǒu ， yě bù děng qīng de dá fù ， zhí jiē lí kāi le 。
李凡拱了拱手，也不等青的答复，直接离开了。
"Good luck this time; I sensed an opportunity early on and completed my goal quickly," he said lazily.
“ shèng shī ……”
“圣师……”
He Zhenghao’s excited voice soon followed. "Senior’s divine power is truly incredible!"
lǐ chén fēng kàn zhe qīng ， yù yán yòu zhǐ 。
李晨风看着青，欲言又止。
"Hmm. Even with the sect's secret techniques, the backlash is inevitable. The next collection will still be at the previously agreed-upon time. You should tell them."
qīng zhòu zhe méi ， jiāng chǔ wù jiè zǐ xì chá kàn le yī biàn ， méi yǒu fā xiàn shén me māo nì zhī hòu ， xiǎo xīn yì yì de shōu qǐ 。
青皱着眉，将储物戒仔细查看了一遍，没有发现什么猫腻之后，小心翼翼的收起。
After giving instructions, Li Fan swallowed a悟道丹 and retreated into seclusion again.
“ mù qián kàn lái ， duì fāng hé zuò de yì tú hái shì bǐ jiào zhēn chéng de 。”
“目前看来，对方合作的意图还是比较真诚的。”
Time passed swiftly, and before long, it was year 9 of the anchoring period.
“ tā shuō de méi cuò ， kě yǐ zhú bù màn màn zhǎn kāi hé zuò 。 xiān yòng nà xiē bù zěn me jǐn yào de jì shù gēn duì fāng jìn xíng jiāo huàn 。”
“他说的没错，可以逐步慢慢展开合作。先用那些不怎么紧要的技术跟对方进行交换。”
During this period, Li Fan’s plans began to bear fruit. Several dozen feedbacks on cultivation levels emerged from his dantian one after another.
“ yí dàn yǒu shén me biàn gù ， yě kě yǐ jí shí zhǐ sǔn 。”
“一旦有什么变故，也可以及时止损。”
With the dual benefits of启灵丹and 悟道丹over the past year, he reached the late Golden Dan stage within a few days after breaking through the bottleneck.
qīng duì lǐ chén fēng děng rén shuō dào 。
青对李晨风等人说道。
Li Fan exhaled slowly and paused his cultivation.
“ wǒ yào huí qù yī tàng ， zài gēn dì nǚ hé hóng shāng yì xià 。”
“我要回去一趟，再跟帝女和红商议下。”
"Next, whether to intimidate the empire or explore the Void in Tianling State, acting alone might be too challenging."
qīng yǒu jù huà méi shuō de shì ， bù zhī wèi hé ， tā zǒng jué de zhè lián hé huì shǐ zhě shēn shàng ， yǒu gǔ shuō bù qīng de guǐ yì 。
青有句话没说的是，不知为何，她总觉得这联合会使者身上，有股说不清的诡异。
"Perhaps, I should find some assistance," Li Fan thought for a moment before quietly leaving Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
sì hū yuǎn bù xiàng biǎo miàn shàng kàn shàng qù de nà me jiǎn dān 。
似乎远不像表面上看上去的那么简单。
He headed straight towards the Heavenly Yang Cave. After trying dozens of times, he finally managed to conjure a face that resembled his second senior brother Ling Xiao.
Before Qin Fan could even speak, Shenyu Zi waved his whisk.
The sky darkened as a piece of paper filled with golden characters appeared above the island.
It overshadowed everything, seemingly about to suppress everyone in the empire.
Qing's expression changed dramatically. Two streaks of green light shot up into the air like sharp blades and collided with the large paper talisman.
The golden paper was torn apart, revealing the sky once again. However, the characters on it did not disappear; instead, they floated down to the ground.
From Qing’s body, a series of light sabers emerged, one by one, dissolving the characters. It was clear that both parties were holding back in their confrontation.
The strange phenomena caused only affected the island and those watching like Li Fan and Li Chenfeng didn’t feel any impact.
After a moment, when Qing had completely suppressed Shenyu Zi’s golden talisman, she repressed her anger to ask what he intended. However, she found that the mysterious man who used the golden talisman left after speaking with Li Fan.
Qing narrowed her eyes but did not stop him as Li Fan approached calmly.
"What does the Interdimensional Alliance intend?" Qing asked icily.
Li Fan shrugged. "We have no ill intentions. But since we are to cooperate, we need to assess your strength and see if it’s worth it."
"Fortunately, you’ve managed to gain some approval from above," Qing snorted coldly as she stared at Li Fan.
Li Fan smiled nonchalantly. "The Interdimensional Alliance has agreed with the cooperation plan you proposed."
"We will help accelerate the empire's departure from Xuanhuang World, and in return, you need to allocate a portion of your strength into our organization," he continued.
"But," Li Fan paused slightly, "considering both parties' current situations, the organization believes that we can gradually implement this cooperation plan."
"How exactly?" Qing’s tone softened.
Li Fan tossed a storage ring over. Qing took it and examined it, her eyes widening in surprise.
Inside were various supplies needed by the empire—Qing Ling Crystal, Ten Thousand Flowers Green Ancient Silk, Through-Arm Xuan参...
Although the quantities were less than expected, each type was complete. After being away from Xuanhuang World for thousands of years, she didn’t know how prices had changed.
But Qing knew that the value of these supplies in this storage ring would be significant.
Qing’s expression softened as well.
"This is the first batch," Li Fan said. "You need a large quantity, so we will only purchase them gradually to avoid drawing attention from Xuanhuang World."
He explained further. Hearing his words, Qing found some sense in it and nodded slowly.
"We are also looking for a suitable location for the empire's branch," he continued. "Safety and secrecy must be guaranteed. It’s not easy to find such places in today’s Xuanhuang World, so we will need more time."
"For your concerns and our sincerity, these supplies are provided free of charge," Li Fan said. "I’ll come back after about a year when the next batch is ready."
"But by then, I hope you'll have an attitude towards us at the Interdimensional Alliance."
Li Fan bowed and left without waiting for Qing’s response.
"Immortal Master…" Li Chenfeng looked at Qing, hesitating to speak further.
Qing frowned as she carefully examined the storage ring. After finding nothing suspicious, she cautiously put it away.
"At least from what he said, their intention of cooperation seems genuine," she said to Li Chenfeng and others. "He’s right; we can gradually implement this plan. We can exchange some less critical technologies first."
"In case anything changes, we can still cut our losses in time."
Qing continued, "I need to go back for a while and discuss with the Empress and Hong."
What she didn’t say was that she felt something odd about the Interdimensional Alliance representative. It seemed far more complicated than it appeared.
On Ten Thousand Immortals Island, after thanking Shenyu Zi once again, Li Fan used his Heavenly Mirror to check for messages.
The results of the major exam had been announced, bringing mixed reactions—some were happy while others were disappointed.
There was still significant controversy over some positions. But soon enough, it faded away.
In the Western South Sea of Cunyun Sea, a series of storms destroyed more than ten islands inhabited by ordinary people. The price of the rare product, Green Xuan Dew, fluctuated slightly. Li Fan bought low and sold high, making a small profit.
The Taihua Mountains’ Taiwu Range suddenly collapsed for unknown reasons. As he scanned this news, Li Fan’s gaze sharpened.
"Hmm? Ten Pule of Taihua Mountain? I remember only seeing Nine Pules in the previous lifetimes."
"It seems like there have been some heavy casualties," Li Fan thought to himself but didn’t delve deeper into it. He recorded the incident and continued browsing other important news.
Next, he searched for updates on "Old Fisher," "Martial Maniac," "Clock Divine Technique," and "Suo Feng."
Old Fisher was still lingering near the central four states of Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
Martial Maniac and Clock Divine Technique had yet to gain much recognition. Suo Feng hadn’t started his cultivation again, remaining a famous Golden Dan Immortal.
Based on his experience in the previous life, Li Fan speculated about their possible encounters with good fortune.
A month later, after emerging from his seclusion, Li Fan felt it was time and transferred 500,000 contribution points to He Zhenghao.
"Good luck this time; I sensed an opportunity early on and completed my goal quickly," he said lazily.
He Zhenghao’s excited voice soon followed. "Senior’s divine power is truly incredible!"
"Hmm. Even with the sect's secret techniques, the backlash is inevitable. The next collection will still be at the previously agreed-upon time. You should tell them."
After giving instructions, Li Fan swallowed a悟道丹 and retreated into seclusion again.
Time passed swiftly, and before long, it was year 9 of the anchoring period.
During this period, Li Fan’s plans began to bear fruit. Several dozen feedbacks on cultivation levels emerged from his dantian one after another.
With the dual benefits of启灵丹and 悟道丹over the past year, he reached the late Golden Dan stage within a few days after breaking through the bottleneck.
Li Fan exhaled slowly and paused his cultivation.
"Next, whether to intimidate the empire or explore the Void in Tianling State, acting alone might be too challenging."
"Perhaps, I should find some assistance," Li Fan thought for a moment before quietly leaving Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
He headed straight towards the Heavenly Yang Cave. After trying dozens of times, he finally managed to conjure a face that resembled his second senior brother Ling Xiao.