“ qí guài ， tā rén ne ？” shāng shì huǎn huǎn xiū fù ， zhǎo le yī quān ， sì rén dōu méi néng zhǎo dào lǐ fán de zōng yǐng 。
“奇怪，他人呢？”伤势缓缓修复，找了一圈，四人都没能找到李凡的踪影。
"Strange, where is he?" As his injuries slowly healed, Li Fan's companions searched everywhere but still couldn't find any trace of him.
“ gāi bú huì tǐ lì hào jìn ， zì zhī bù dí ， jiù xiān xíng chè zǒu le ba ？”
“该不会体力耗尽，自知不敌，就先行撤走了吧？”
"Perhaps he has exhausted his strength and retreated because he knows he can't match us?"
wǔ lǎo huì de zhè jǐ wèi hēi yī xiū shì liǎn shàng shǎn guò yī sī yí huò 。
五老会的这几位黑衣修士脸上闪过一丝疑惑。
Theseveral black-robed cultivators from the Five Elders' Association exchanged glances, showing a hint of doubt on their faces.
“ cóng gāng gāng nà zhǎng de wēi shì lái kàn ， hěn yǒu kě néng 。 yī zhǎng jī hū dǎ suì wǒ men sì rén de dòng tiān fǎ yù ， zhè děng shén tōng shǐ chū ， jiù suàn tā zài zěn me qiáng ， yě yīng gāi shòu dào bù xiǎo de fǎn shì cái duì ……”
“从刚刚那掌的威势来看，很有可能。一掌几乎打碎我们四人的洞天法域，这等神通使出，就算他再怎么强，也应该受到不小的反噬才对……”
"Judging by that palm's power, it’s highly likely. A single strike nearly shattered our four realms. Even if he is incredibly strong, such a powerful technique should have caused significant backlash..."
“ zhè dào wèi bì ， gǔ xiū shì shàn zhàn ， zhè lǐ fán zhī qián míng xiǎn yǒu suǒ yǐn mán 。”
“这倒未必，古修士善战，这李凡之前明显有所隐瞒。”
"But this might not be true. Ancient cultivators are skilled in combat, and Li Fan has clearly been hiding his strength."
“ bù guǎn rú hé ， xiǎo xīn wèi shàng 。 xiān pò le zhè zhèn fǎ ！”
“不管如何，小心为上。先破了这阵法！”
"Regardless, caution is best. Let's break through this array first!"
sì rén duì shì yī yǎn ， lián shǒu gōng jī qǐ le lǐ fán bù xià de fēn guāng kùn lóng zhèn 。
四人对视一眼，联手攻击起了李凡布下的分光困龙阵。
The four of them exchanged glances, then attacked the disarrayed Light Splitting Dragon Pinning Formation that Li Fan had set up.
sì hū zhèn fǎ zhēn de méi yǒu le xiū shì zhǔ chí ， yuán běn láo bù kě pò de fáng yù biàn dé chán ruò wú bǐ 。
似乎阵法真的没有了修士主持，原本牢不可破的防御变得孱弱无比。
It seemed the array truly lacked a cultivator to maintain it; what was once an impenetrable defense now appeared weak and frail.
jù dà de jīn bō zài shùn jiān yáo yáo yù zhuì 。
巨大的金钵在瞬间摇摇欲坠。
The huge golden bowl began to wobble as if about to fall apart.
sì rén xīn xǐ zhī yú ， jiā kuài le gōng jī pín lǜ 。
四人欣喜之余，加快了攻击频率。
With renewed excitement, they accelerated their attacks.
jiù zài kùn lóng zhèn chè dǐ bèi tā men jī pò de chà nà ， màn tiān jīn guāng rú yǔ piāo luò 。
就在困龙阵彻底被他们击破的刹那，漫天金光如雨飘落。
Just as the Light Splitting Dragon Pinning Formation was completely shattered, a shower of golden light rained down from the sky.
lǒng zhào sì rén ， zhé shè chū xuàn mù dì guāng xiàn 。
笼罩四人，折射出炫目的光线。
It enveloped them, reflecting dazzling rays of light.
jīn guāng sì shè xià ， tā men bù jīn wēi wēi mī qǐ le yǎn jīng 。
金光四射下，他们不禁微微眯起了眼睛。
Under the burst of golden light, their eyes narrowed involuntarily.
“ xiǎo xīn ！”
“小心！”
"Be careful!"
jiù zài zhè shí ， wéi shǒu de xiū shì hū de dà hǎn tí xǐng dào 。
就在这时，为首的修士忽的大喊提醒道。
Suddenly, the leading cultivator shouted a warning.
huà yīn wèi luò ， bàn suí zhe hōng de yī shēng ， nà xiē piāo luò zài tā men shēn biān de jīn guāng ， jìng rán yǒu bù fèn jìng zhí bào liè kāi lái 。
话音未落，伴随着轰的一声，那些飘落在他们身边的金光，竟然有部分径直爆裂开来。
Before he could finish speaking, a thunderous explosion sounded as some of the golden light that had surrounded them began to explode in mid-air.
kǒng bù de néng liàng cóng bào zhà zhōng xīn yǒng chū ， cháo zhe zhōu wéi héng sǎo 。
恐怖的能量从爆炸中心涌出，朝着周围横扫。
Terrifying energy surged from the center of the explosions and swept across the area.
ér wěi zhuāng chéng jīn guāng de bào zhà yuán ， jìng rán yǒu shí liù qī gè zhī duō 。
而伪装成金光的爆炸源，竟然有十六七个之多。
The source of these explosions, disguised as golden light, numbered over sixteen.
sì fāng zuǒ yòu ， wán quán jiāng wǔ lǎo huì jǐ rén wéi zhù 。
四方左右，完全将五老会几人围住。
They completely surrounded the Five Elders' Association members on all sides.
“ liè kōng liú jīn léi ？！”
“裂空鎏金雷？！”
"Splitting Void Golden Lightning?!"
fèn nù yǔ zhèn jīng shēng zhōng ， liú jīn léi de guāng diǎn chà nà jiān biàn chéng guāng quān ， jìn shù jiāng tā men tūn mò 。
愤怒与震惊声中，鎏金雷的光点刹那间变成光圈，尽数将他们吞没。
Amidst anger and shock, the light points of the Golden Lightning transformed into rings, engulfing them entirely.
“ hōng hōng hōng ！”
“轰轰轰！”
"Ho! Ho! Ho!"
jīng tiān dòng dì de zhà liè shēng bù duàn zài zhè chù hǎi yù shàng huí xiǎng 。
惊天动地的炸裂声不断在这处海域上回响。
The deafening explosions echoed across the sea for what felt like an eternity.
bù zhī guò le duō jiǔ ， yī qiè yān xiāo yún sàn zhī hòu 。
不知过了多久，一切烟消云散之后。
After everything dissipated, their damaged realms slowly began to take shape from their bloodied flesh.
cán quē bù kān de dòng tiān fǎ yù zhōng ， jǐ rén rú dòng de xuè ròu huǎn huǎn 、 jiān nán chéng xíng 。
残缺不堪的洞天法域中，几人蠕动的血肉缓缓、艰难成形。
"Such a despicable trick..."
“ zhēn shì bēi bǐ ……”
“真是卑鄙……”
"I knew he didn’t go far!"
“ wǒ jiù zhī dào tā méi zǒu yuǎn ！”
“我就知道他没走远！”
Despite their shaken expressions, they quickly scanned around but still couldn't find Li Fan's whereabouts.
jǐ rén liǎn shàng mǎn shì jīng hún wèi dìng zhī sè ， kuài sù sǎo shì sì zhōu ， què yī rán méi yǒu fā xiàn lǐ fán shēn cáng yú hé chù 。
几人脸上满是惊魂未定之色，快速扫视四周，却依然没有发现李凡身藏于何处。
"Don't waste time with him; let’s retreat!" the leading cultivator gritted his teeth and said.
“ bié gēn tā jiū chán le ， wǒ men chè ！” wéi shǒu zhī rén yǎo yá dào 。
“别跟他纠缠了，我们撤！”为首之人咬牙道。
They suppressed the strange phenomena of their realms and sped towards Yongliang State on the edge of Cunyun Sea.
shōu liǎn qǐ dòng tiān yì xiàng ， jǐ rén zài gù bù dé qí tā ， cháo zhe cóng yún hǎi biān chuí de yōng liáng zhōu jí chí ér qù 。
收敛起洞天异像，几人再顾不得其他，朝着丛云海边陲的雍良州疾驰而去。
After flying for a long while, Yongliang State was already in sight. Li Fan had not reappeared.
fēi dùn le xǔ jiǔ ， yōng liáng zhōu hǎi àn xiàn yǐ jīng yuǎn yuǎn zài wàng le ， lǐ fán yě méi yǒu zài dù chū xiàn 。
飞遁了许久，雍良州海岸线已经远远在望了，李凡也没有再度出现。
It seemed he had given up pursuit.
fǎng fú fàng qì le duì tā men de zhuī jī yī yàng 。
仿佛放弃了对他们的追击一样。
The four finally breathed a sigh of relief.
sì rén bù jīn chè dǐ sōng le yì kǒu qì 。
四人不禁彻底松了一口气。
However, as they recalled the near-death experience, they couldn't help but feel something wasn’t right.
bù guò ， shì hòu huí xiǎng qǐ gāng gāng jiǔ sǐ yì shēng de jīng lì ， tā men yòu yǐn yuē jué de yǒu nǎ lǐ bú duì jìn 。
不过，事后回想起刚刚九死一生的经历，他们又隐约觉得有哪里不对劲。
"Ji Li Si, why do I think Li Fan is toying with us?"
“ bǐng liù ， wǒ zěn me jué de ， zhè lǐ fán zài yǒu yì xì shuǎ wǒ men ？”
“丙六，我怎么觉得，这李凡在有意戏耍我们？”
"...,"
“……”
“……”
Silence fell on the black-robed cultivator named Ji Li Si for a moment before he said in a somber voice, "Although I don’t want to admit it, under the circumstances, there’s something strange about him."
dài hào míng wèi bǐng liù de hēi yī xiū shì chén mò le piàn kè ， zhè cái chén shēng dào ：“ suī rán wǒ yě bù xiǎng chéng rèn ， bù guò cóng shí jì qíng kuàng lái kàn ， què shí yǒu xiē gǔ guài 。”
代号名为丙六的黑衣修士沉默了片刻，这才沉声道：“虽然我也不想承认，不过从实际情况来看，确实有些古怪。”
"He could have killed us after that palm strike. But he waited until we recovered our strength and only attacked again then."
“ míng míng tā kě yǐ zài nà yī zhǎng zhī hòu ， yòng liú jīn léi jié guǒ wǒ men de xìng mìng 。 dàn shì tā què yì zhí dào děng wǒ men huī fù yuán qì zhī hòu ， cái zài cì dòng shǒu 。”
“明明他可以在那一掌之后，用鎏金雷结果我们的性命。但是他却一直到等我们恢复元气之后，才再次动手。”
"As if giving us a chance to catch our breath."
“ fǎng fú gù yì gěi wǒ men chuǎn xī jī huì shì de 。”
“仿佛故意给我们喘息机会似的。”
Another black-robed cultivator chimed in, "We were severely injured just now. If we had attacked randomly, it would have been enough to kill us. But he didn’t do that; instead, he let us live..."
cǐ shí ， lìng yī wèi hēi yī xiū shì jiē huà dào ：“ wǒ men gāng gāng shēn shòu zhòng shāng ， zhǐ yào zài suí yì fā qǐ gōng jī ， jiù néng jiāng wǒ men chè dǐ zhǎn shā 。 dàn tā què méi yǒu zhè me zuò ， ér shì fàng le wǒ men yī bǎ ……”
此时，另一位黑衣修士接话道：“我们刚刚身受重伤，只要再随意发起攻击，就能将我们彻底斩杀。但他却没有这么做，而是放了我们一把……”
"What does he want?"
“ tā dào dǐ shén me yì si ？”
“他到底什么意思？”
The four exchanged glances, filled with confusion.
sì rén miàn miàn xiāng qù ， jìn shì bù jiě 。
四人面面相觑，尽是不解。
"Li Fan is an ancient immortal who has just awakened from a thousand-year slumber. Clearly, someone of his caliber wouldn’t be very loyal to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance," Ji Li Si pondered for a moment and said.
“ lǐ fán cǐ rén ， shì chén shuì shù qiān nián de shàng gǔ xiū shì ， gāng gāng sū xǐng bù jiǔ 。 xiǎn ér yì jiàn ， xiàng tā zhè zhǒng rén ， duì wàn xiān méng kěn dìng méi yǒu duō shǎo guī shǔ gǎn 。” bǐng liù sī suǒ le yī zhèn ， hū de chū shēng dào 。
“李凡此人，是沉睡数千年的上古修士，刚刚苏醒不久。显而易见，像他这种人，对万仙盟肯定没有多少归属感。”丙六思索了一阵，忽的出声道。
"You mean... he deduced our Five Elders' Association identities and wanted to make amends? That’s why he spared us?"
“ nǐ shì shuō ……” qí yú sān rén yǎn jīng yī liàng 。
“你是说……”其余三人眼睛一亮。
"Very likely."
“ tā cāi chū le wǒ men wǔ lǎo huì xiū shì de shēn fèn ， xiǎng jié gè shàn yuán ， suǒ yǐ cái gù yì ráo wǒ men yī mìng ？”
“他猜出了我们五老会修士的身份，想结个善缘，所以才故意饶我们一命？”
"So that makes sense!"
“ hěn yǒu kě néng 。”
“很有可能。”
"Does this mean we can recruit him into our Five Elders' Association?" Ji Li Si had an epiphany.
“ yuán lái rú cǐ ！”
“原来如此！”
"Based on the information we gathered, it was this person who first deduced the prophecy of [Heavenly Mysteries Locking Spirit, Unifying the Yellow and Black]. If we could win his favor, not only would the punishment for our failure be nullified, but we’d also earn a significant achievement."
“ nà shì bú shì yì wèi zhe ， wǒ men kě yǐ cè fǎn cǐ rén ， jiā rù wǒ men wǔ lǎo huì ？” bǐng liù yòu líng jī yī dòng dào 。
“那是不是意味着，我们可以策反此人，加入我们五老会？”丙六又灵机一动道。
This revelation made them all consider it seriously.
“ jù wǒ men dǎ tàn dào de xiāo xī ， zhèng shì cǐ rén zuì xiān tuī yǎn chū le 【 tiān xuán suǒ líng 、 xuán huáng guī yī tǒng 】 de chèn yǔ 。 ruò shì néng lā lǒng cǐ rén ， bù jǐn cǐ cì xíng dòng shī bài de chéng fá kě yǐ dǐ xiāo ， hái néng lì xià yī jiàn dà gōng 。”
“据我们打探到的消息，正是此人最先推衍出了【天玄锁灵、玄黄归一统】的谶语。若是能拉拢此人，不仅此次行动失败的惩罚可以抵消，还能立下一件大功。”
But in the end, reason prevailed over desire.
cǐ yán yī chū ， jǐ rén dōu yǒu xiē yì dòng 。
此言一出，几人都有些意动。
The leading cultivator said, "Let’s report this to headquarters first."
bù guò zuì zhōng hái shì lǐ zhì zhàn shèng le yù wàng 。
不过最终还是理智战胜了欲望。
"This person is too strange; we can’t let our guard down," another black-robed cultivator agreed.
wéi shǒu de xiū shì shuō dào ：“ hái shì xiān huí qù jiāng tā de qíng kuàng shàng bào zài shuō 。”
为首的修士说道：“还是先回去将他的情况上报再说。”
Ji Li Si felt a bit disappointed, "This person's movements are unpredictable. It will be difficult to track him down."
“ zhè rén hún shēn shàng xià tòu zhe gǔ guài ， bù dé bù fáng 。” lìng wài yī wèi hēi yī xiū shì diǎn tóu zàn tóng dào 。
“这人浑身上下透着古怪，不得不防。”另外一位黑衣修士点头赞同道。
"Indeed, if it weren’t for the task that brought us here and the chance encounter with his suspicious behavior, we wouldn't have had any way of dealing with him."
bǐng liù dùn jué yǒu xiē kě xī ：“ cǐ rén xíng zōng wú cháng 、 shén chū guǐ mò 。 xiǎng yào zhuī zōng dào tā ， zhe shí yǒu xiē kùn nán 。”
丙六顿觉有些可惜：“此人行踪无常、神出鬼没。想要追踪到他，着实有些困难。”
"He is a Heaven’s Secret Sect cultivator who excels in divination techniques. Blocking or shielding divination spells would be expected."
lìng yī rén jiē huà dào ：“ shì a ， yào bú shì zhè cì chū lái zhí xíng rèn wù ， qià hǎo zhuàng jiàn tā guǐ guǐ suì suì wài chū ， kǒng pà hái zhēn ná tā méi shén me bàn fǎ 。”
另一人接话道：“是啊，要不是这次出来执行任务，恰好撞见他鬼鬼祟祟外出，恐怕还真拿他没什么办法。”
The four discussed their findings as they flew closer to Yongliang State.
“ tā bì jìng shì tiān jī zōng xiū shì ， jīng tōng tuī yǎn zhī dào 。 néng gòu fǎn zhì 、 píng bì tuī yǎn fǎ shù ， yě shì zhèng cháng 。”
“他毕竟是天机宗修士，精通推衍之道。能够反制、屏蔽推衍法术，也是正常。”
But gradually, they noticed something amiss about the surroundings.
jǐ rén nǐ yī yán wǒ yī yǔ de jiāo liú zhe ， yǎn kàn lí yōng liáng zhōu yuè lái yuè jìn 。
几人你一言我一语的交流着，眼看离雍良州越来越近。
Even though it seemed close, no matter how hard they tried to fly, they remained on the azure Cunyun Sea and could never reach Yongliang State.
dàn màn màn de ， tā men chá jué dào le zhōu wéi huán jìng de yì cháng 。
但慢慢的，他们察觉到了周围环境的异常。
What was even more alarming was that when they looked closely at Yongliang State in the distance, it appeared somewhat blurry!
jí biàn kàn shàng qù jìn zài zhǐ chǐ ， dàn wú lùn tā men zěn me fēi ， què yī rán zhǐ shì zài wèi lán de cóng yún hǎi shàng 。
即便看上去近在咫尺，但无论他们怎么飞，却依然只是在蔚蓝的丛云海上。
It almost felt like an illusion.
shǐ zhōng lí yōng liáng zhōu chà shàng nà me yī sī jù lí ， wú fǎ dǐ dá 。
始终离雍良州差上那么一丝距离，无法抵达。
The four stopped flying, their faces grave as they stared ahead.
gèng ràng tā men sǒng rán ér jīng de shì ， yuǎn fāng yōng liáng zhōu de jǐng sè ， zǐ xì kàn shàng qù ， jìng rán yǒu xiē mó hú ！
更让他们悚然而惊的是，远方雍良州的景色，仔细看上去，竟然有些模糊！
After a moment, the leading black-robed cultivator exclaimed with alarm, "No good! It’s an illusion!"
fǎng fú bú shì zhēn shí cún zài ， ér shì xū jiǎ de yì bān 。
仿佛不是真实存在，而是虚假的一般。
"What?" The others were stunned before finally realizing and re-examining their surroundings in shock.
sì rén fēn fēn tíng zhǐ le fēi dùn ， miàn sè níng zhòng de dīng zhe qián fāng 。
四人纷纷停止了飞遁，面色凝重的盯着前方。
Clouds, winds, waves...
piàn kè zhī hòu ， wéi shǒu de hēi yī xiū shì dà jīng shī sè ：“ bù hǎo ！ shì huàn shù ！”
片刻之后，为首的黑衣修士大惊失色：“不好！是幻术！”
Everything around them suddenly froze.
“ shén me ？” qí yú jǐ rén lèng le lèng ， suí hòu zhōng yú yì shí dào le ， hài rán de chóng xīn shěn shì sì zhōu 。
“什么？”其余几人愣了愣，随后终于意识到了，骇然的重新审视四周。
Then, like cracks appearing on glass, it shattered into pieces.
yún 、 fēng 、 hǎi làng ……
云、风、海浪……
They could still hear the echoes of the Splitting Void Golden Lightning explosions. Their realms were in a terrible state, and their bodies were mangled beyond recognition!
zhōu wéi de yī qiè ， dōu zài chà nà jiān jìng zhǐ 。
周围的一切，都在刹那间静止。
Time had stopped at the moment Li Fan used the Golden Lightning to attack.
suí hòu rú tóng bō lí jìng miàn shàng chū xiàn de dào dào liè wén ， hōng rán suì liè kāi lái 。
随后如同玻璃镜面上出现的道道裂纹，轰然碎裂开来。
"He took advantage of our distraction when our realm was under pressure, pulling us into an illusion!" Ji Li Si finally understood and exclaimed.
ěr biān hái néng yī xī tīng dào liè kōng liú jīn léi bào zhà xíng chéng de huí yīn ， sì rén de dòng tiān cǎn bù rěn dǔ 、 shēn qū yě shì xuè ròu mó hú ， gēn běn méi yǒu huī fù yuán zhuàng ！
耳边还能依稀听到裂空鎏金雷爆炸形成的回音，四人的洞天惨不忍睹、身躯也是血肉模糊，根本没有恢复原状！
"Divination techniques, arrays, illusions..."
yuán lái shí jiān hái tíng liú zài lǐ fán yòng liú jīn léi tōu xí de chà nà 。
原来时间还停留在李凡用鎏金雷偷袭的刹那。
"Worthy of being an ancient immortal."
“ tā shì chèn zhe wǒ men dòng tiān fǎ yù shòu dào chōng jī de shùn jiān ， jīng shén huǎng hū ， bǎ wǒ men lā rù huàn xiàng zhī zhōng ！”
“他是趁着我们洞天法域受到冲击的瞬间，精神恍惚，把我们拉入幻象之中！”
The leading cultivator coughed and said with gritted teeth, "Let’s try using the realm to absorb surrounding energy. But we are hopeless; it seems he has already set up an array that makes this area a vacuum for energy."
bǐng liù zhōng yú xiǎng míng bái le ， bù yóu jīng hū dào 。
丙六终于想明白了，不由惊呼道。
This completely prevented the recovery of an infantile immortal's body through their realms.
“ tuī yǎn zhī shù 、 zhèn fǎ 、 huàn shù ……”
“推衍之术、阵法、幻术……”
"Brilliant!" He stared at the sky.
“ bù kuì shì shàng gǔ xiū shì 。”
“不愧是上古修士。”
There, Li Fan slowly emerged from the vortex.
wéi shǒu zhī rén ké le ké ， yǎo yá gǎn tàn dào 。
为首之人咳了咳，咬牙感叹道。
"Just coincidental..." Li Fan frowned and muttered to himself.
shì tú diào yòng dòng tiān ， xī shōu zhōu wéi líng qì 。 què jué wàng de fā xiàn ， bù zhī hé shí ， duì fāng yǐ jīng bù xià zhèn fǎ ， jiāng cǐ chù qū yù biàn chéng le líng qì de zhēn kōng dì dài 。
试图调用洞天，吸收周围灵气。却绝望的发现，不知何时，对方已经布下阵法，将此处区域变成了灵气的真空地带。
With his abilities, he could have easily killed these four Five Elders' Association members.
wán quán dù jué le yuán yīng xiū shì jiè zhù dòng tiān zhī lì kuài sù huī fù shēn qū de kě néng 。
完全杜绝了元婴修士借助洞天之力快速恢复身躯的可能。
But he took so much trouble because he wanted to use Cloud Water Dreaming Technique to find out why they had discovered him on this outing.
“ hǎo shǒu duàn ！” tā níng shì bàn kōng zhōng 。
“好手段！”他凝视半空中。
However, what he never expected was the bizarre answer he got.
nà lǐ ， lǐ fán zhèng huǎn huǎn xiàn chū shēn xíng 。
那里，李凡正缓缓现出身形。
Without hesitation, he swung his Five Elements Annihilation Sword several times.
“ còu qiǎo me ……” lǐ fán méi tóu wēi cù ， dī yǔ dào 。
“凑巧么……”李凡眉头微蹙，低语道。
The four severely injured Five Elders' Association members fell one by one under Li Fan's sword.
yǐ tā de shǒu duàn ， zǎo jiù kě yǐ qīng yì jiāng zhè wǔ lǎo huì de sì rén zǎi shā 。
以他的手段，早就可以轻易将这五老会的四人宰杀。
He didn't bother looking at the fallen realm as he realized that during their fight, a massive vortex on the seabed had suddenly generated suction, pulling Han Yi into a deep hole in the ruins.
zhī suǒ yǐ fèi le zhè me yī fān gōng fu ， jiù shì xiǎng tōng guò yún shuǐ huàn mèng gōng ， cóng tā men de nǎo zi lǐ ， zhǎo chū tā zhè cì wài chū bèi fā xiàn de yuán yīn 。
之所以废了这么一番功夫，就是想通过云水幻梦功，从他们的脑子里，找出他这次外出被发现的原因。
"Auspicious fortune..."
rán ér ràng tā gēn běn méi yǒu xiǎng dào de shì ， dé dào jū rán huì shì zhè me yí gè kàn shàng qù yǒu xiē lí pǔ de dá àn 。
然而让他根本没有想到的是，得到居然会是这么一个看上去有些离谱的答案。
Li Fan stood before the vortex, his expression thoughtful.
bù zài yóu yù ， wǔ xíng jì miè jiàn jiē lián huī chū 。
不再犹豫，五行寂灭剑接连挥出。
The next chapter will be uploaded at noon today.
sì wèi yuán běn jiù shēn shòu zhòng shāng de wǔ lǎo huì xiū shì zài shāo shāo dǐ dǎng le piàn kè hòu ， jiù fēn fēn cǎn sǐ zài lǐ fán jiàn xià 。
四位原本就身受重伤的五老会修士在稍稍抵挡了片刻后，就纷纷惨死在李凡剑下。
(End of Chapter)
"Strange, where is he?" As his injuries slowly healed, Li Fan's companions searched everywhere but still couldn't find any trace of him.
"Perhaps he has exhausted his strength and retreated because he knows he can't match us?"
Theseveral black-robed cultivators from the Five Elders' Association exchanged glances, showing a hint of doubt on their faces.
"Judging by that palm's power, it’s highly likely. A single strike nearly shattered our four realms. Even if he is incredibly strong, such a powerful technique should have caused significant backlash..."
"But this might not be true. Ancient cultivators are skilled in combat, and Li Fan has clearly been hiding his strength."
"Regardless, caution is best. Let's break through this array first!"
The four of them exchanged glances, then attacked the disarrayed Light Splitting Dragon Pinning Formation that Li Fan had set up.
It seemed the array truly lacked a cultivator to maintain it; what was once an impenetrable defense now appeared weak and frail.
The huge golden bowl began to wobble as if about to fall apart.
With renewed excitement, they accelerated their attacks.
Just as the Light Splitting Dragon Pinning Formation was completely shattered, a shower of golden light rained down from the sky.
It enveloped them, reflecting dazzling rays of light.
Under the burst of golden light, their eyes narrowed involuntarily.
"Be careful!"
Suddenly, the leading cultivator shouted a warning.
Before he could finish speaking, a thunderous explosion sounded as some of the golden light that had surrounded them began to explode in mid-air.
Terrifying energy surged from the center of the explosions and swept across the area.
The source of these explosions, disguised as golden light, numbered over sixteen.
They completely surrounded the Five Elders' Association members on all sides.
"Splitting Void Golden Lightning?!"
Amidst anger and shock, the light points of the Golden Lightning transformed into rings, engulfing them entirely.
"Ho! Ho! Ho!"
The deafening explosions echoed across the sea for what felt like an eternity.
After everything dissipated, their damaged realms slowly began to take shape from their bloodied flesh.
"Such a despicable trick..."
"I knew he didn’t go far!"
Despite their shaken expressions, they quickly scanned around but still couldn't find Li Fan's whereabouts.
"Don't waste time with him; let’s retreat!" the leading cultivator gritted his teeth and said.
They suppressed the strange phenomena of their realms and sped towards Yongliang State on the edge of Cunyun Sea.
After flying for a long while, Yongliang State was already in sight. Li Fan had not reappeared.
It seemed he had given up pursuit.
The four finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, as they recalled the near-death experience, they couldn't help but feel something wasn’t right.
"Ji Li Si, why do I think Li Fan is toying with us?"
"...,"
Silence fell on the black-robed cultivator named Ji Li Si for a moment before he said in a somber voice, "Although I don’t want to admit it, under the circumstances, there’s something strange about him."
"He could have killed us after that palm strike. But he waited until we recovered our strength and only attacked again then."
"As if giving us a chance to catch our breath."
Another black-robed cultivator chimed in, "We were severely injured just now. If we had attacked randomly, it would have been enough to kill us. But he didn’t do that; instead, he let us live..."
"What does he want?"
The four exchanged glances, filled with confusion.
"Li Fan is an ancient immortal who has just awakened from a thousand-year slumber. Clearly, someone of his caliber wouldn’t be very loyal to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance," Ji Li Si pondered for a moment and said.
"You mean... he deduced our Five Elders' Association identities and wanted to make amends? That’s why he spared us?"
"Very likely."
"So that makes sense!"
"Does this mean we can recruit him into our Five Elders' Association?" Ji Li Si had an epiphany.
"Based on the information we gathered, it was this person who first deduced the prophecy of [Heavenly Mysteries Locking Spirit, Unifying the Yellow and Black]. If we could win his favor, not only would the punishment for our failure be nullified, but we’d also earn a significant achievement."
This revelation made them all consider it seriously.
But in the end, reason prevailed over desire.
The leading cultivator said, "Let’s report this to headquarters first."
"This person is too strange; we can’t let our guard down," another black-robed cultivator agreed.
Ji Li Si felt a bit disappointed, "This person's movements are unpredictable. It will be difficult to track him down."
"Indeed, if it weren’t for the task that brought us here and the chance encounter with his suspicious behavior, we wouldn't have had any way of dealing with him."
"He is a Heaven’s Secret Sect cultivator who excels in divination techniques. Blocking or shielding divination spells would be expected."
The four discussed their findings as they flew closer to Yongliang State.
But gradually, they noticed something amiss about the surroundings.
Even though it seemed close, no matter how hard they tried to fly, they remained on the azure Cunyun Sea and could never reach Yongliang State.
What was even more alarming was that when they looked closely at Yongliang State in the distance, it appeared somewhat blurry!
It almost felt like an illusion.
The four stopped flying, their faces grave as they stared ahead.
After a moment, the leading black-robed cultivator exclaimed with alarm, "No good! It’s an illusion!"
"What?" The others were stunned before finally realizing and re-examining their surroundings in shock.
Clouds, winds, waves...
Everything around them suddenly froze.
Then, like cracks appearing on glass, it shattered into pieces.
They could still hear the echoes of the Splitting Void Golden Lightning explosions. Their realms were in a terrible state, and their bodies were mangled beyond recognition!
Time had stopped at the moment Li Fan used the Golden Lightning to attack.
"He took advantage of our distraction when our realm was under pressure, pulling us into an illusion!" Ji Li Si finally understood and exclaimed.
"Divination techniques, arrays, illusions..."
"Worthy of being an ancient immortal."
The leading cultivator coughed and said with gritted teeth, "Let’s try using the realm to absorb surrounding energy. But we are hopeless; it seems he has already set up an array that makes this area a vacuum for energy."
This completely prevented the recovery of an infantile immortal's body through their realms.
"Brilliant!" He stared at the sky.
There, Li Fan slowly emerged from the vortex.
"Just coincidental..." Li Fan frowned and muttered to himself.
With his abilities, he could have easily killed these four Five Elders' Association members.
But he took so much trouble because he wanted to use Cloud Water Dreaming Technique to find out why they had discovered him on this outing.
However, what he never expected was the bizarre answer he got.
Without hesitation, he swung his Five Elements Annihilation Sword several times.
The four severely injured Five Elders' Association members fell one by one under Li Fan's sword.
He didn't bother looking at the fallen realm as he realized that during their fight, a massive vortex on the seabed had suddenly generated suction, pulling Han Yi into a deep hole in the ruins.
"Auspicious fortune..."
Li Fan stood before the vortex, his expression thoughtful.
The next chapter will be uploaded at noon today.
(End of Chapter)