jiāo xiū yuǎn shēn huà wàn qiān kuǐ lěi ， lèng shì dú zì yī rén zhī chēng qǐ le 【 qiān lǐ táng 】 zhè ge biàn bù wàn xiān méng gè chù de páng dà shāng yè zǔ zhī 。
焦修远身化万千傀儡，愣是独自一人支撑起了【千里堂】这个遍布万仙盟各处的庞大商业组织。
Jiao Xiuyuan transformed into myriad puppets, supporting the vast commercial organization known as the Thousand Mile Hall single-handedly.
gè gè yí jì zhōng 、 xiǎn yǒu rén yān de huāng yě zhī shàng ， kě néng dū huì yǒu tā de yǐng zi 。
各个遗迹中、鲜有人烟的荒野之上，可能都会有他的影子。
His shadow might be found in every nook and cranny of the various ruins and desolate wildernesses across the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
shèn zhì néng yǐ yī jǐ zhī lì ， jiǎo dòng xuán huáng jiè fēng yǔ 。
甚至能以一己之力，搅动玄黄界风雨。
He could even stir up the winds and rains of Xuanhuang World with his own efforts, giving him a somewhat Taoist flavor through commerce.
pǒ yǒu diǎn yǐ shāng rù dào de wèi dào 。
颇有点以商入道的味道。
However, it seemed that Jiao Xiuyuan's luck was not particularly good.
dàn shì cǐ rén yùn dào sì hū yǒu diǎn bù jiā 。
但是此人运道似乎有点不佳。
While he claimed to never do any unprofitable deals, from Li Fan’s experience, Jiao Xiuyuan often ended up losing money in his business dealings.
zuǐ shàng shuō zhe cóng lái bù zuò kuī běn de mǎi mài ， dàn shì cóng lǐ fán gēn tā jiē chù de jīng lì lái kàn ， jiāo xiū yuǎn zuò shēng yì què sì hū jīng cháng kuī běn 。
嘴上说着从来不做亏本的买卖，但是从李凡跟他接触的经历来看，焦修远做生意却似乎经常亏本。
Initially, when they first met, he had accumulated a large number of Concealment Talismans, but due to the Five Elements Great Heavenly Caverns, the prices plummeted.
wú lùn shì zuì kāi shǐ jié shí tā de shí hòu ， tā tún jī le dà liàng cáng xíng fú ， jié guǒ yīn wèi wǔ xíng dà dòng tiān de yuán yīn ， dǎo zhì cáng xíng fú jià gé bào diē 。
无论是最开始结识他的时候，他囤积了大量藏形符，结果因为五行大洞天的原因，导致藏形符价格暴跌。
Later, after painstakingly excavating some small Medicine King Cauldrons, as long as the True Medicine King Cauldron returned, he would surely make a fortune.
hái shì hòu lái xīn kǔ wā jué chū le xiē xiǎo yào wáng dǐng ， zhǐ yào děng dào yào wáng zhēn dǐng huí guī ， tā bì rán néng zhuàn de pén mǎn bō mǎn 。
还是后来辛苦挖掘出了些小药王鼎，只要等到药王真鼎回归，他必然能赚的盆满钵满。
But it seemed that fate was against him; he had already sold off these small Medicine King Cauldrons at low prices early on.
dàn tā què fǎng fú tiān shēng méi nà ge mìng shì de ， zǎo zǎo jiù yǐ dī lián de jià gé bǎ zhè xiē xiǎo yào wáng dǐng jìn shù mài chū 。
但他却仿佛天生没那个命似的，早早就以低廉的价格把这些小药王鼎尽数卖出。
"Perhaps he indeed never lost money, but always missed out on big profits."
“ huò xǔ dí què bù céng kuī běn ， zhǐ shì sì hū měi měi dōu yǔ fā dà cái de jī huì shī zhī jiāo bì 。”
“或许的确不曾亏本，只是似乎每每都与发大财的机会失之交臂。”
"Even in my previous life, because of his greed and reluctance to stop, the huge wealth I could have gained ended up vanishing into thin air."
“ nǎ pà shàng yī shì gēn wǒ yì qǐ zuò zhuāng líng wù cǎo ， zuì zhōng yě yīn wèi tā de yī sī tān niàn 、 shōu shǒu tài màn ， dào shǒu de jù é cái fù shùn jiān huà wéi wū yǒu 。”
“哪怕上一世跟我一起做庄灵雾草，最终也因为他的一丝贪念、收手太慢，到手的巨额财富瞬间化为乌有。”
"In this life, he is truly profiting. But I wonder if there will be any changes in him."
“ zhǐ yǒu cǐ shì ， tā cái shì zhēn de huò lì pǒ fēng 。 yě bù zhī tā shēn shàng huì bú huì fā shēng shén me biàn huà 。”
“只有此世，他才是真的获利颇丰。也不知他身上会不会发生什么变化。”
Li Fan pondered as he carefully examined the items Jiao Xiuyuan had placed on the shelves, hoping to find something like those small Medicine King Cauldrons and make a small profit.
lǐ fán yī biān sī cǔn zhe ， yī biān zǐ xì guān chá zhe jiāo xiū yuǎn bǎi fàng zài huò jià shàng de wù jiàn ， kàn kàn néng bù néng zài zhǎo dào zhū rú xiǎo yào wáng dǐng zhī lèi de wù pǐn ， xiǎo xiǎo de jiǎn gè lòu 。
李凡一边思忖着，一边仔细观察着焦修远摆放在货架上的物件，看看能不能再找到诸如小药王鼎之类的物品，小小的捡个漏。
The items on the shelf were varied: various talismans, array diagrams, and elixirs.
huò jià shàng de dōng xī hěn zá ， gè shì fú lù 、 zhèn tú 、 dān yào ， yīng yǒu jìn yǒu 。
货架上的东西很杂，各式符箓、阵图、丹药，应有尽有。
Li Fan paid particular attention to items that seemed old or ancient.
lǐ fán zhuó zhòng zhù yì nà xiē kàn shàng qù dà duō dōu yǒu diǎn nián dài de wù pǐn 。
李凡着重注意那些看上去大多都有点年代的物品。
Most of them were in poor condition, bearing the marks of history.
tā men jué dà bù fèn cán pò bù kān ， chōng mǎn le lì shǐ de hén jì 。
它们绝大部分残破不堪，充满了历史的痕迹。
Rolls of paintings, various decorations, unknown but spiritless artifacts.
huà juàn 、 gè zhǒng zhuāng shì wù 、 bù zhī míng dàn yǐ jīng wán quán méi yǒu líng qì cán cún de fǎ qì 。
画卷、各种装饰物、不知名但已经完全没有灵气残存的法器。
Li Fan's gaze swept over each item.
lǐ fán shì xiàn yī yī jiāng qí sǎo guò 。
李凡视线一一将其扫过。
Suddenly, his eyes stopped on an ancient painting.
hū de ， zài yī fù gǔ huà shàng tíng zhù 。
忽的，在一副古画上停住。
His expression turned serious as he took down the painting and slowly unfolded it.
shén sè biàn dé yǒu xiē níng zhòng ， lǐ fán jiāng huà juàn qǔ xià ， xú xú zhǎn kāi 。
神色变得有些凝重，李凡将画卷取下，徐徐展开。
It wasn't the painting itself that was special; rather, its content caught Li Fan’s attention.
bìng bú shì zhè fú huà běn shēn yǒu shén me tè shū de dì fāng ， ér shì huà shàng de nèi róng ， xī yǐn le lǐ fán de zhù yì 。
并不是这幅画本身有什么特殊的地方，而是画上的内容，吸引了李凡的注意。
The painting depicted a magnificent mountain gate.
huà zhōng miáo huì de shì yī chù xióng wěi zhuàng lì de shān mén 。
画中描绘的是一处雄伟壮丽的山门。
Misty skies stretched endlessly, with dozens of cultivators standing in the clouds, pointing towards the distant horizon.
tiān dì máng máng yī sè ， shù shí wèi xiū shì lì yú yún duān ， yáo zhǐ yuǎn fāng 。
天地茫茫一色，数十位修士立于云端，遥指远方。
In the midst of the cloud sea, towering buildings atop the mountains vaguely appeared.
yún hǎi zhī zhōng ， shān dǐng wēi é de jiàn zhù qún yǐn yǐn ruò xiàn 。
云海之中，山顶巍峨的建筑群隐隐若现。
Phoenixes and dragons, various strange beasts, darted through the mountains.
luán niǎo 、 jiāo lóng ， zhǒng zhǒng yì shòu chuān suō yú shān jiān 。
鸾鸟、蛟龙，种种异兽穿梭于山间。
Below the square stood hundreds of young disciples, their faces filled with excitement and envy as they looked up at the cultivators in the sky.
shān xià de guǎng chǎng shàng ， zhàn lì zhe chéng bǎi shàng qiān wèi zhì qì wèi tuō de nián qīng dì zǐ 。
山下的广场上，站立着成百上千位稚气未脱的年轻弟子。
Truly a thriving scene!
tā men yǎng tóu kàn zhe tiān shàng de xiū shì men ， liǎn shàng mǎn shì xīng fèn yǔ xiàn mù 。
他们仰头看着天上的修士们，脸上满是兴奋与羡慕。
But...
dàng zhēn shì hǎo yī pài xīn xīn xiàng róng de zōng mén qì xiàng ！
当真是好一派欣欣向荣的宗门气象！
Li Fan had seen this sect before. The prosperity depicted in the painting was vastly different from what he saw there.
dàn ……
但……
Bodies scattered everywhere, blood flowed like rivers.
lǐ fán céng jīng jiàn guò zhè chù zōng mén ， bìng qiě hé huà zhōng de fán róng jǐng xiàng kě wèi shì dà xiāng jìng tíng 。
李凡曾经见过这处宗门，并且和画中的繁荣景象可谓是大相径庭。
The mountain gate lay shattered amidst ruins.
shī hái biàn dì 、 xuè liú chéng hé 。
尸骸遍地、血流成河。
This was exactly the scene Li Fan witnessed when the thick fog cleared at the Vast Abyss during his time in Great Xuan.
shān mén pò suì ， mǎn dì fèi xū 。
山门破碎，满地废墟。
The carved characters "Taoist Path Perished" on the cliff had deeply shocked him back then.
zhèng shì dāng chū tā zài dà xuán zhī shí ， dāng xū yuān zhōng de nóng wù sàn qù hòu ， tā zài shēn yuān dǐ bù kàn dào de chǎng jǐng 。
正是当初他在大玄之时，当墟渊中的浓雾散去后，他在深渊底部看到的场景。
Now, he knew that this must be a tragic aftermath of sect members fighting each other after the great calamity of forbidden techniques could not coexist.
zài shān yá jué bì shàng de kè zhe de 【 xiān dào wáng yǐ 】 sì zì ， zài dāng shí kě shì shēn shēn zhèn hàn liǎo dàng shí de lǐ fán 。
在山崖绝壁上的刻着的【仙道亡矣】四字，在当时可是深深震撼了当时的李凡。
"This is which sect? Why did I see it like this?"
xiàn zài lǐ fán yǐ jīng zhī dào ， zhè bì rán shì fǎ bù kě tóng xiū de dà jié jiàng lín hòu ， zōng mén dì zǐ hù xiāng cán shā hòu de cǎn àn xiàn chǎng 。
现在李凡已经知道，这必然是法不可同修的大劫降临后，宗门弟子互相残杀后的惨案现场。
Each person sees different scenery when they emerge from the Vast Abyss.
“ zhè dào dǐ shì nǎ ge zōng mén ？ wèi hé dāng chū wǒ huì kàn dào zhè lǐ ？”
“这到底是哪个宗门？为何当初我会看到这里？”
Li Fan might have seen this ruined sect by mere coincidence, but he believed there was a guiding significance to it.
yào zhī dào ， měi gè rén cóng xū yuān dǐ bù kàn dào de jǐng sè ， dōu shì gè bù xiāng tóng de 。
要知道，每个人从墟渊底部看到的景色，都是各不相同的。
He carefully folded the painting and wandered around, finding nothing of value.
lǐ fán néng kàn dào zhè chù pò bài de zōng mén ， huò xǔ zhǐ shì yīn wèi mǒu zhǒng qiǎo hé 。
李凡能看到这处破败的宗门，或许只是因为某种巧合。
Approaching Jiao Xiuyuan, Li Fan called out, "Jiao Daoist? Jiao Daoist!"
dàn lǐ fán gèng rèn wéi ， qí zhōng kě néng cún zài mǒu zhǒng zhǐ yǐn 。
但李凡更认为，其中可能存在某种指引。
Seeing no response, he reached out to search his body for clues about Jiao Xiuyuan's myriad puppet technique.
jiāng huà juàn xiǎo xīn shōu qǐ ， guàng le yī quān ， méi zài fā xiàn shén me yǒu jià zhí de dōng xī hòu 。
将画卷小心收起，逛了一圈，没再发现什么有价值的东西后。
Not that he had any particular interest in it, but this was a rare opportunity to study the technique.
lǐ fán lái dào le jiāo xiū yuǎn shēn biān 。
李凡来到了焦修远身边。
While The Wondrous Xuan Technique already was a groundbreaking divine art, it still had some minor flaws.
“ jiāo dào yǒu ？ jiāo dào yǒu ！”
“焦道友？焦道友！”
Derived from The Steal Heaven and Change Sun Art, it could only exist as one clone at a time, which was somewhat regrettable.
lǐ fán xiàng zhēng xìng de hǎn le jǐ jù ， jiàn tā réng rán méi yǒu fǎn yìng ， biàn shēn chū shǒu zài tā shēn shàng mō suǒ qǐ lái 。
李凡象征性的喊了几句，见他仍然没有反应，便伸出手在他身上摸索起来。
If he could integrate the myriad puppet technique further...
bú shì tā yǒu shén me tè bié de pǐ hào ， ér shì wèi le chèn zhè ge nán dé de jī huì ， yán jiū yán jiū jiāo xiū yuǎn de wàn qiān kuǐ lěi dào 。
不是他有什么特别的癖好，而是为了趁这个难得的机会，研究研究焦修远的万千傀儡道。
"Countless forms, hard to distinguish between real and fake."
suī rán 《 qí xuán zhēn líng biàn 》 yǐ jīng shì yī mén jīng shì hài sú de shén gōng le ， dàn réng rán yǒu xiē xiǎo xiǎo de quē diǎn 。
虽然《奇玄真灵变》已经是一门惊世骇俗的神功了，但仍然有些小小的缺点。
Li Fan’s thoughts raced while his hands moved without hesitation.
tuō tāi zì 《 tōu tiān huàn rì jué 》 de tā ， zhǐ néng tóng shí cún zài yī jù fēn shēn ， zhe shí yǒu diǎn kě xī 。
脱胎自《偷天换日诀》的它，只能同时存在一具分身，着实有点可惜。
"The clones are nearly indistinguishable from the real person. Even with divine sense penetration, it's difficult to detect any difference."
ruò shì néng zōng hé wàn qiān kuǐ lěi dào ， zài jìn yí bù ……
若是能综合万千傀儡道，再进一步……
"The control core seems in the brain, a blue light similar to that of the transformation stone."
“ wàn qiān huà shēn ， zhēn jiǎ nán biàn 。”
“万千化身，真假难辨。”
"I've seen puppets after they died; their color was like withered wood. Could Jiao Xiuyuan’s clones be made from some kind of wood?"
lǐ fán nǎo hǎi zhōng xiá xiǎng de tóng shí ， shǒu shàng de dòng zuò yě háo bù hán hú 。
李凡脑海中遐想的同时，手上的动作也毫不含糊。
...
“ gēn zhēn rén jī hū wán quán yī yàng ， nǎ pà yòng shén shí chuān tòu gǎn yìng ， yě nán yǐ fā xiàn qū bié 。”
“跟真人几乎完全一样，哪怕用神识穿透感应，也难以发现区别。”
Li Fan carefully examined this puppet, combining his knowledge and deeply pondering it, feeling as if he had gained something.
“ kòng zhì hé xīn sì hū shì zài nǎo bù ， gēn huà dào shí guāng máng xiāng sì de lán sè 。”
“控制核心似乎是在脑部，跟化道石光芒相似的蓝色。”
Just when he felt pleased, he suddenly noticed that Jiao Xiuyuan's eyelids trembled slightly.
“ wǒ céng jīng jiàn guò kuǐ lěi sǐ hòu de chǎng jǐng ， xiǔ mù bān de kū huáng zhī sè 。 nán dào jiāo xiū yuǎn de zhè xiē kuǐ lěi huà shēn ， dōu shì yòng mǒu zhǒng mù tou zhì zào de ？”
“我曾经见过傀儡死后的场景，朽木般的枯黄之色。难道焦修远的这些傀儡化身，都是用某种木头制造的？”
Heart racing, Li Fan quickly moved away.
“”
“”
A moment later, Jiao Xiuyuan’s previously dull eyes regained their vitality.
……
……
"Jiao Daoist, you're awake?" Li Fan asked with concern.
lǐ fán bù duàn fān kàn zhe miàn qián zhè jù kuǐ lěi ， jié hé zì jǐ suǒ xué ， xī xīn gǎn wù ， jué de zì jǐ yǐn yǒu suǒ de 。
李凡不断翻看着面前这具傀儡，结合自己所学，悉心感悟，觉得自己隐有所得。
"Hmm? Li Fan Daoist? Why are you here?" Jiao Xiuyuan looked at him suspiciously.
zhèng dāng tā àn zì huān xǐ de shí hòu ， què tū rán chá jué jiāo xiū yuǎn de yǎn pí wēi wēi chàn dǒu le jǐ fēn 。
正当他暗自欢喜的时候，却突然察觉焦修远的眼皮微微颤抖了几分。
Li Fan wanted to tell the whole story after his investigation but was constrained by a confidentiality agreement.
xīn zhōng yī tiào ， lǐ fán shùn jiān yuǎn lí 。
心中一跳，李凡瞬间远离。
He settled for telling Jiao Xiuyuan that he had come here to avoid the crowd.
piàn kè zhī hòu ， biàn fā jué jiāo xiū yuǎn yuán běn wú guāng de yǎn shén chóng xīn biàn dé líng dòng qǐ lái 。
片刻之后，便发觉焦修远原本无光的眼神重新变得灵动起来。
"I lost contact with this puppet shortly after Lu Xichan arrived, and I knew something big happened."
“ jiāo dào yǒu ， nǐ xǐng le ？” lǐ fán zhuāng zuò shí fēn guān xīn de wèn dào 。
“焦道友，你醒了？”李凡装作十分关心的问道。
"Confidentiality agreement..."
“ ń ？ lǐ fán dào yǒu ？ nǐ zěn me huì zài zhè lǐ ？” jiāo xiū yuǎn yǒu xiē hú yí de dǎ liàng zhe lǐ fán 。
“嗯？李凡道友？你怎么会在这里？”焦修远有些狐疑的打量着李凡。
Jiao Xiuyuan sized up Li Fan, guessing his reason for not mentioning it.
lǐ fán yuán běn xiǎng jiāng zì jǐ jiē shòu diào chá hòu de shì qíng yuán yuán běn běn dào lái ， zhǐ kě xī yǐ jīng qiān shǔ le bǎo mì xié yì ， yǒu kǒu nán yán 。
李凡原本想将自己接受调查后的事情原原本本道来，只可惜已经签署了保密协议，有口难言。
"No wonder there seems to be some unrest in Tianquan and Tianyu States..." Jiao Xiuyuan narrowed his eyes, about to delve deeper when he accidentally glanced at his shop. His face changed dramatically.
zhǐ dé tuì ér qiú qí cì ， gào zhī le jiāo xiū yuǎn zì jǐ yīn wèi duǒ bì cù yōng de rén qún ， suǒ yǐ cái lái zhè lǐ shāo zuò duǒ bì 。
只得退而求其次，告之了焦修远自己因为躲避簇拥的人群，所以才来这里稍作躲避。
He darted over to the shelves and checked again, exclaiming, "Why does it seem like a painting is missing?"
“ wǒ chá jué dào lù xī chán lái hòu bù jiǔ ， jiù hé cǐ jù kuǐ lěi shī qù le lián xì 。 dāng shí jiù zhī dào shì zhēn chū dà shì le ， guǒ rán rú cǐ 。”
“我察觉到陆溪婵来后不久，就和此具傀儡失去了联系。当时就知道是真出大事了，果然如此。”
"This was something I painstakingly found in a pile of trash!"
“ bǎo mì xié yì me ……”
“保密协议么……”
Just as Li Fan was about to say that the painting was with him, he was surprised to see this puppet explode into pieces.
jiāo xiū yuǎn dǎ liàng le yǎn lǐ fán ， cāi dào le tā bì ér bù tán de yuán yīn 。
焦修远打量了眼李凡，猜到了他避而不谈的原因。
Fortunately, no blood was splattered; only wood chips flew everywhere.
“ nán guài tiān quán 、 tiān yǔ zhōu nà biān ， sì hū yě yǒu diǎn bù tài píng ……” jiāo xiū yuǎn shuāng yǎn wēi mī ， zhèng yù shēn rù sī kǎo ， què wú yì jiān sǎo shì guò zì jiā diàn pù ， dāng jí miàn sè dà biàn 。
“难怪天权、天禹州那边，似乎也有点不太平……”焦修远双眼微眯，正欲深入思考，却无意间扫视过自家店铺，当即面色大变。
"Jiao Daoist!" Li Fan was momentarily stunned by the sudden change.
yí gè shǎn shēn lái dào huò jià qián ， tā yòu jiǎn chá le fān ， shī shēng dào ：“ zěn me hǎo xiàng shǎo le fú huà ？”
一个闪身来到货架前，他又检查了番，失声道：“怎么好像少了幅画？”
"I'm fine!" Another puppet emerged from under the counter.
“ zhè kě shì wǒ xīn xīn kǔ kǔ cóng yī duī lā jī zhōng fān chū lái de ！”
“这可是我辛辛苦苦从一堆垃圾中翻出来的！”
He looked gloomy and swept up the mess with a broom.
lǐ fán zhèng xiǎng shuō ， huà zài zì jǐ zhè lǐ 。
李凡正想说，画在自己这里。
"What just happened?" Li Fan asked curiously.
què jīng yà de fā xiàn ， miàn qián zhè jù kuǐ lěi ， jū rán “ pēng ” de yī shēng ， bèi zhà de sì fēn wǔ liè 。
却惊讶的发现，面前这具傀儡，居然“砰”的一声，被炸的四分五裂。
"It's because I did an unprofitable deal, so it’s hard to sustain myself," Jiao Xiuyuan shook his head and sighed without elaborating further.
hǎo zài bú shì xuè ròu héng fēi ， ér shì màn tiān de mù xiè 。
好在不是血肉横飞，而是漫天的木屑。
"Strange indeed. Why would a painting disappear like that? Who has thecourageto steal something from me?" After cleaning up, Jiao Xiuyuan stroked his chin in anger.
“ jiāo dào yǒu ！” lǐ fán yī shí jiān yě bèi zhè biàn gù jīng dāi le 。
“焦道友！”李凡一时间也被这变故惊呆了。
"Ahem, Jiao Daoist, I forgot to tell you earlier. When you lost consciousness, I saw this painting and took it," Li Fan said just as he heard these words.
Jiao Xiuyuan transformed into myriad puppets, supporting the vast commercial organization known as the Thousand Mile Hall single-handedly.
His shadow might be found in every nook and cranny of the various ruins and desolate wildernesses across the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
He could even stir up the winds and rains of Xuanhuang World with his own efforts, giving him a somewhat Taoist flavor through commerce.
However, it seemed that Jiao Xiuyuan's luck was not particularly good.
While he claimed to never do any unprofitable deals, from Li Fan’s experience, Jiao Xiuyuan often ended up losing money in his business dealings.
Initially, when they first met, he had accumulated a large number of Concealment Talismans, but due to the Five Elements Great Heavenly Caverns, the prices plummeted.
Later, after painstakingly excavating some small Medicine King Cauldrons, as long as the True Medicine King Cauldron returned, he would surely make a fortune.
But it seemed that fate was against him; he had already sold off these small Medicine King Cauldrons at low prices early on.
"Perhaps he indeed never lost money, but always missed out on big profits."
"Even in my previous life, because of his greed and reluctance to stop, the huge wealth I could have gained ended up vanishing into thin air."
"In this life, he is truly profiting. But I wonder if there will be any changes in him."
Li Fan pondered as he carefully examined the items Jiao Xiuyuan had placed on the shelves, hoping to find something like those small Medicine King Cauldrons and make a small profit.
The items on the shelf were varied: various talismans, array diagrams, and elixirs.
Li Fan paid particular attention to items that seemed old or ancient.
Most of them were in poor condition, bearing the marks of history.
Rolls of paintings, various decorations, unknown but spiritless artifacts.
Li Fan's gaze swept over each item.
Suddenly, his eyes stopped on an ancient painting.
His expression turned serious as he took down the painting and slowly unfolded it.
It wasn't the painting itself that was special; rather, its content caught Li Fan’s attention.
The painting depicted a magnificent mountain gate.
Misty skies stretched endlessly, with dozens of cultivators standing in the clouds, pointing towards the distant horizon.
In the midst of the cloud sea, towering buildings atop the mountains vaguely appeared.
Phoenixes and dragons, various strange beasts, darted through the mountains.
Below the square stood hundreds of young disciples, their faces filled with excitement and envy as they looked up at the cultivators in the sky.
Truly a thriving scene!
But...
Li Fan had seen this sect before. The prosperity depicted in the painting was vastly different from what he saw there.
Bodies scattered everywhere, blood flowed like rivers.
The mountain gate lay shattered amidst ruins.
This was exactly the scene Li Fan witnessed when the thick fog cleared at the Vast Abyss during his time in Great Xuan.
The carved characters "Taoist Path Perished" on the cliff had deeply shocked him back then.
Now, he knew that this must be a tragic aftermath of sect members fighting each other after the great calamity of forbidden techniques could not coexist.
"This is which sect? Why did I see it like this?"
Each person sees different scenery when they emerge from the Vast Abyss.
Li Fan might have seen this ruined sect by mere coincidence, but he believed there was a guiding significance to it.
He carefully folded the painting and wandered around, finding nothing of value.
Approaching Jiao Xiuyuan, Li Fan called out, "Jiao Daoist? Jiao Daoist!"
Seeing no response, he reached out to search his body for clues about Jiao Xiuyuan's myriad puppet technique.
Not that he had any particular interest in it, but this was a rare opportunity to study the technique.
While The Wondrous Xuan Technique already was a groundbreaking divine art, it still had some minor flaws.
Derived from The Steal Heaven and Change Sun Art, it could only exist as one clone at a time, which was somewhat regrettable.
If he could integrate the myriad puppet technique further...
"Countless forms, hard to distinguish between real and fake."
Li Fan’s thoughts raced while his hands moved without hesitation.
"The clones are nearly indistinguishable from the real person. Even with divine sense penetration, it's difficult to detect any difference."
"The control core seems in the brain, a blue light similar to that of the transformation stone."
"I've seen puppets after they died; their color was like withered wood. Could Jiao Xiuyuan’s clones be made from some kind of wood?"
...
Li Fan carefully examined this puppet, combining his knowledge and deeply pondering it, feeling as if he had gained something.
Just when he felt pleased, he suddenly noticed that Jiao Xiuyuan's eyelids trembled slightly.
Heart racing, Li Fan quickly moved away.
A moment later, Jiao Xiuyuan’s previously dull eyes regained their vitality.
"Jiao Daoist, you're awake?" Li Fan asked with concern.
"Hmm? Li Fan Daoist? Why are you here?" Jiao Xiuyuan looked at him suspiciously.
Li Fan wanted to tell the whole story after his investigation but was constrained by a confidentiality agreement.
He settled for telling Jiao Xiuyuan that he had come here to avoid the crowd.
"I lost contact with this puppet shortly after Lu Xichan arrived, and I knew something big happened."
"Confidentiality agreement..."
Jiao Xiuyuan sized up Li Fan, guessing his reason for not mentioning it.
"No wonder there seems to be some unrest in Tianquan and Tianyu States..." Jiao Xiuyuan narrowed his eyes, about to delve deeper when he accidentally glanced at his shop. His face changed dramatically.
He darted over to the shelves and checked again, exclaiming, "Why does it seem like a painting is missing?"
"This was something I painstakingly found in a pile of trash!"
Just as Li Fan was about to say that the painting was with him, he was surprised to see this puppet explode into pieces.
Fortunately, no blood was splattered; only wood chips flew everywhere.
"Jiao Daoist!" Li Fan was momentarily stunned by the sudden change.
"I'm fine!" Another puppet emerged from under the counter.
He looked gloomy and swept up the mess with a broom.
"What just happened?" Li Fan asked curiously.
"It's because I did an unprofitable deal, so it’s hard to sustain myself," Jiao Xiuyuan shook his head and sighed without elaborating further.
"Strange indeed. Why would a painting disappear like that? Who has thecourageto steal something from me?" After cleaning up, Jiao Xiuyuan stroked his chin in anger.
"Ahem, Jiao Daoist, I forgot to tell you earlier. When you lost consciousness, I saw this painting and took it," Li Fan said just as he heard these words.