lǐ fán bù zhī dào yǐ jīng yǒu duō jiǔ ， méi yǒu hǎo hǎo de kàn guò zì jǐ le 。
李凡不知道已经有多久，没有好好的看过自己了。
Li Fan hadn't properly looked at himself for a long time. In his mind, he always saw himself as the skinny scholar from when he was 20 years old.
tā nǎo hǎi zhōng xià yì shí rèn wéi de zì jǐ de yàng zi ， què shì dìng gé zài 20 suì shí de shòu ruò shū shēng mú yàng 。
他脑海中下意识认为的自己的样子，却是定格在20岁时的瘦弱书生模样。
After all, no matter how much his appearance aged, once he activated *Truly Real*, he would revert to that same appearance upon returning to the anchor point.
bì jìng wú lùn tā de róng mào zěn me lǎo qù ， dào tóu lái ， yí dàn fā dòng 【 hái zhēn 】。
毕竟无论他的容貌怎么老去，到头来，一旦发动【还真】。
So, for Li Fan, aging was merely a false proposition. The fear of old age, illness, and death—things that all living beings in this world feared—were just temporary states that he could easily escape from.
huí dào máo diǎn de tā ， jiù hái shì zhè fú yàng mào 。
回到锚点的他，就还是这幅样貌。
Even his own changes were somewhat indifferent to him. How much more so for the countless lives in this Xuanhuang Realm?
suǒ yǐ duì yú lǐ fán ér yán ， shuāi lǎo ， qí shí shì yí gè wěi mìng tí 。
所以对于李凡而言，衰老，其实是一个伪命题。
Kou Hong, Dao Xuanzi, He Zhenghao, Zhang Ziliang, Xiao Heng...
shì jiān shēng líng dōu wèi jù wú bǐ de ： lǎo 、 bìng 、 sǐ ， duì tā lái shuō ， zhǐ bù guò shì yī zhǒng suí shí kě yǐ bǎi tuō de 、 yī shí zhī jiān de “ zhuàng tài ”。
世间生灵都畏惧无比的：老、病、死，对他来说，只不过是一种随时可以摆脱的、一时之间的“状态”。
Each of these people's fates would change with every cycle of Li Fan's actions.
lián zì jǐ shēn shàng fā shēng de zhè xiē biàn huà ， lǐ fán dōu yǒu xiē mǒu zhǒng chéng dù de “ mò shì ”。
连自己身上发生的这些变化，李凡都有些某种程度的“漠视”。
A fierce enemy from a previous life might become a close friend in the next. Perhaps they could even become loyal subordinates to Li Fan.
gèng hé kuàng zhè xuán huáng jiè de yún yún zhòng shēng ne 。
更何况这玄黄界的芸芸众生呢。
What about after that?
kòu hóng 、 dào xuán zi 、 hé zhèng hào 、 zhāng zhì liáng 、 xiāo héng ……
寇洪、道玄子、何正浩、张志良、萧恒……
Perhaps they would be just another soul caught up in the crossfire during one of Li Fan’s battles, becoming innocent victims.
děng děng zhè xiē rén ， měi yī shì lún huí ， tā men de mìng yùn dū huì suí zhe lǐ fán xíng dòng ér fā shēng biàn huà 。
等等这些人，每一世轮回，他们的命运都会随着李凡行动而发生变化。
But...
shàng yī shì pīn sǐ xiāng bó de chóu dí ， xià yī shì jiù kě néng biàn chéng bǎ jiǔ yán huān de zhì yǒu 。
上一世拼死相搏的仇敌，下一世就可能变成把酒言欢的挚友。
No matter what happened to them, once Li Fan activated *Truly Real*, their state would revert to the moment he had chosen as his anchor point.
zài xià yī shì ， shuō bù dìng jiù chéng wéi le lǐ fán zhōng xīn gěng gěng de shǒu xià 。
再下一世，说不定就成为了李凡忠心耿耿的手下。
So, were all these experiences in this life and the next just another form of illusion?
zài yǐ hòu ne ？
再以后呢？
People often mock those who are extremely selfish by saying that "the world doesn't revolve around you. Why should others always make way for you?"
huò xǔ tā men huì chéng wéi yī dào ， lǐ fán yǔ rén dòu fǎ guò chéng zhōng ， bèi yāng jí de wú gū wáng hún ba 。
或许他们会成为一道，李凡与人斗法过程中，被殃及的无辜亡魂吧。
But for Li Fan, at least within the Xuanhuang Realm he was in,
dàn ……
但……
the world indeed revolved around him.
wú lùn tā men yǒu hé zāo yù ， yí dàn lǐ fán fā dòng 【 hái zhēn 】， tā men de “ zhuàng tài ”， yòu huì huí dào lǐ fán xuǎn dìng de máo dìng shí kè 。
无论他们有何遭遇，一旦李凡发动【还真】，他们的“状态”，又会回到李凡选定的锚定时刻。
A thought and the world reset.
nà me ， duì tā men ér yán ， zhè yī shì yòu yī shì de jīng lì ， suàn bù suàn lìng wài mǒu zhǒng yì yì shàng de xū huàn ne ？
那么，对他们而言，这一世又一世的经历，算不算另外某种意义上的虚幻呢？
The past faded into the mist.
rén men zài fěng cì yī xiē jí duān zì sī de rén de shí hòu ， dōu xǐ huān shuō xiē zhū rú “ shì jiè yòu bú shì wéi zhe nǐ zhuǎn de ， píng shén me bié rén yào chù chù ràng zhe nǐ ” zhī lèi de huà 。
人们在讽刺一些极端自私的人的时候，都喜欢说些诸如“世界又不是围着你转的，凭什么别人要处处让着你”之类的话。
How could Li Fan possibly treat the people of this world as equals when they were just pawns in his game?
dàn duì lǐ fán lái jiǎng ， shì jiè ， zuì qǐ mǎ tā suǒ zài de zhè ge xuán huáng jiè 。
但对李凡来讲，世界，最起码他所在的这个玄黄界。
Even if it required the *Truly Real* artifact to achieve this, Li Fan couldn't view the myriad lives of Xuanhuang as his "kind."
dí què shì yǐ tā wèi hé xīn ér yùn zhuàn de 。
的确是以他为核心而运转的。
Li Fan stared at himself in the mirror for a long time but didn’t notice any of the "silent" changes High Yuan had mentioned.
yī niàn qǐ ， shì jiè zhòng zhì 。
一念起，世界重置。
This might indicate that even Li Fan hadn't noticed some subtle transformations within him.
wǎng xī guò wǎng ， jǐn chéng yún yān 。
往昔过往，尽成云烟。
Just like how his psychological age continued to grow with each use of *Truly Real*.
shì wèn zài zhè yàng de qíng kuàng xià ， lǐ fán yòu zěn me huì jiāng zhè ge shì jiè zhōng de rén ， dàng zuò hé zì jǐ tóng yī wèi gé de cún zài ne ？
试问在这样的情况下，李凡又怎么会将这个世界中的人，当做和自己同一位格的存在呢？
---
jí biàn zhǐ shì jiè zhù yì bǎo 【 hái zhēn 】 cái néng zuò dào zhè diǎn ， dàn néng gòu nì zhuǎn guāng yīn de lǐ fán ， dí què wú fǎ jiāng xuán huáng jiè de zhòng shēng ， dàng zuò zì jǐ de “ tóng lèi ” lái duì dài 。
即便只是借助异宝【还真】才能做到这点，但能够逆转光阴的李凡，的确无法将玄黄界的众生，当做自己的“同类”来对待。
In reality, Li Fan wasn't as unchanged as he thought. While *Truly Real* could reverse time, Li Fan, as the carrier of *Truly Real*, had developed the ability to remain "changing" even within its effects.
lǐ fán duān xiáng jìng zhōng zì jǐ xǔ jiǔ ， què bìng méi yǒu fā xiàn gāo yuǎn suǒ shuō de nà zhǒng “ mò rán ”。
李凡端详镜中自己许久，却并没有发现高远所说的那种“默然”。
"I thought my acting was already good enough..." Li Fan said with a slight self-deprecating smile.
zhè huò xǔ shuō míng ， kǒng pà lián lǐ fán zì jǐ ， yě méi yǒu zhù yì dào zì jǐ shēn shàng zhèng zài fā shēng de mǒu zhǒng qián yí mò huà de biàn huà 。
这或许说明，恐怕连李凡自己，也没有注意到自己身上正在发生的某种潜移默化的变化。
He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. His gaze seemed more lively and full of passion, showing a newfound love for everything around him.
jiù xiàng nà jiù suàn suí zhe yī cì cì 【 hái zhēn 】， yě réng rán zài wěn bù zēng zhǎng de 【 xīn lǐ nián líng 】 yī yàng 。
就像那就算随着一次次【还真】，也仍然在稳步增长的【心理年龄】一样。
Li Fan continued to observe himself closely, making adjustments.
lǐ fán de shēn shàng ， qí shí bìng bú shì xiàng tā zì shēn rèn wéi de nà bān ， shǐ zhōng yī chén bù biàn de 。
李凡的身上，其实并不是像他自身认为的那般，始终一尘不变的。
After some time, he stopped moving.
【 hái zhēn 】 néng nì zhuǎn guāng yīn ， dàn shì lǐ fán zuò wéi 【 hái zhēn 】 de zài tǐ ， què shì yǒu le néng gòu zài 【 hái zhēn 】 zhī xià ， réng rán bǎo chí “ biàn ” de néng lì 。
【还真】能逆转光阴，但是李凡作为【还真】的载体，却是有了能够在【还真】之下，仍然保持“变”的能力。
"Temporarily corrected."
“ wǒ hái yǐ wéi zì jǐ de yǎn jì yǐ jīng gòu chū sè le ……” lǐ fán wēi wēi zì cháo dào 。
“我还以为自己的演技已经够出色了……”李凡微微自嘲道。
"But acting is still just acting. No matter how convincing it may be, it's not real."
lǐ fán yǎn jīng bì qǐ piàn kè ， děng zài dù zhēng kāi de shí hòu ， yǎn shén sì hū fā shēng le xiē xǔ wēi miào de biàn huà 。
李凡眼睛闭起片刻，等再度睁开的时候，眼神似乎发生了些许微妙的变化。
"There are too many people in this world with unimaginable abilities. Even a simple guard at Cunyun Sea has such keen insight."
sì hū biàn dé gèng jiā líng dòng 、 xiān huó ， duì shì jiān zhōu wéi de yī qiè dōu yǒu le nà me yī sī rè ài 。
似乎变得更加灵动、鲜活，对世间周围的一切都有了那么一丝热爱。
"I doubt I can deceive everyone in the world right now."
lǐ fán zài dù zǐ xì guān chá zhe ， bù tíng de tiáo zhěng 。
李凡再度仔细观察着，不停的调整。
"But that’s fine. It’s not a major flaw."
xǔ jiǔ zhī hòu ， tā fāng cái tíng zhǐ le dòng zuò 。
许久之后，他方才停止了动作。
"Those who are utterly devoid of emotion and righteousness do exist."
“ zàn shí gǎi guò lái le 。”
“暂时改过来了。”
Li Fan adjusted himself slightly, dismissing this minor issue without much concern.
“ bù guò ， yǎn jì bì jìng shì yǎn jì 。 wú lùn zài zěn me xiàng ， yě bú shì zhēn de 。”
“不过，演技毕竟是演技。无论再怎么像，也不是真的。”
The idea that he might be a long-lived Celestial Emperor who had fallen from grace seemed rather absurd to him.
“ zhè ge shì jiè ， yǒu zhe nán yǐ xiǎng xiàng néng lì de rén tài duō 。 jiù lián cóng yún hǎi yī pǔ tōng zhàn gǎng xiū shì ， dōu yǒu rú cǐ mǐn ruì de dòng chá néng lì 。”
“这个世界，有着难以想象能力的人太多。就连丛云海一普通站岗修士，都有如此敏锐的洞察能力。”
"I actually don't have any deep meaning. I just wanted an excuse to avoid the potential war in Tianling State," Li Fan said to himself.
“ xiǎng yào piàn guò tiān xià suǒ yǒu rén ， xiǎng lái mù qián yě shì zuò bú dào de 。”
“想要骗过天下所有人，想来目前也是做不到的。”
Alone and quietly, Li Fan left Ten Thousand Immortals Island and dove into the sea.
“ bù guò wú fáng ， yě bú shì shén me dà bù liǎo de pò zhàn 。”
“不过无妨，也不是什么大不了的破绽。”
He descended several thousand meters to ensure no one could follow him.
“ shì jiān de 【 jué qíng jué yì zhī rén 】， yě bú shì méi yǒu 。”
“世间的【绝情绝义之人】，也不是没有。”
Li Fan then activated *Truly Real True Spirit Transformation* and reverted to his original appearance. He buried all items he had received from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance under a new identity, using *One Hand遮天* to conceal them.
duì yú zhè ge xiǎo chā qǔ ， lǐ fán jǐn jǐn shì zì shēn shāo zuò tiáo zhěng ， bìng méi yǒu zěn me fàng zài xīn shàng 。
对于这个小插曲，李凡仅仅是自身稍作调整，并没有怎么放在心上。
Naked, Li Fan changed into new clothes and returned to the surface of the sea.
ér gāo yuǎn tā men nǎo bǔ tā lǐ fán kě néng shì diē luò jìng jiè de cháng shēng tiān zūn ， gèng shì ràng tā gǎn dào yǒu diǎn tí xiào jiē fēi 。
而高远他们脑补他李凡可能是跌落境界的长生天尊，更是让他感到有点啼笑皆非。
He first borrowed some suitable clothing from nearby human islands before heading towards the island where Tiānbǎo Tower was located.
“ wǒ qí shí zhēn méi yǒu shén me shēn yì 。 chún cuì zhǐ shì xiǎng zhǎo gè jiè kǒu ， duǒ guò wèi lái kě néng bào fā de tiān líng zhōu dà zhàn ér yǐ 。”
“我其实真没有什么深意。纯粹只是想找个借口，躲过未来可能爆发的天灵州大战而已。”
Soon enough, he arrived at his destination.
dú zì yī rén 、 qiāo qiāo lí kāi le wàn xiān dǎo de lǐ fán ， qián rù hǎi dǐ 。
独自一人、悄悄离开了万仙岛的李凡，潜入海底。
Since he didn’t hide his aura, Empress Saint of the Empire, who was a green phoenix bird beside Xu Ke in the past, sent out a mental warning.
yì zhí shēn rù zhì shù wàn mǐ de hǎi gōu zhī xià ， què bǎo liǎo wú rén zhuī zōng 。
一直深入至数万米的海沟之下，确保了无人追踪。
"Friend, what brings you here?"
lǐ fán zhè cái fā dòng 【 qí xuán zhēn líng biàn 】， biàn huí le zì shēn yuán běn yàng mào 。
李凡这才发动【奇玄真灵变】，变回了自身原本样貌。
Li Fan stopped and stood in mid-air with a slight smile on his face.
bìng jiāng yǐ “ shàng gǔ tiān jī zōng xiū shì ” zhè ge shēn fèn rù shì yǐ lái ， cóng wàn xiān méng chù dé dào de suǒ yǒu wù pǐn ， quán dōu zàn shí mái le qǐ lái ， bìng yǐ 【 zhǐ shǒu zhē tiān 】 zhē yǎn 、 fēng cún 。
并将以“上古天机宗修士”这个身份入世以来，从万仙盟处得到的所有物品，全都暂时埋了起来，并以【只手遮天】遮掩、封存。
He simply replied "Alliance."
quán shēn chì tiáo tiáo yī piàn ， lǐ fán zì jǐ biàn huàn le yī shang ， chóng xīn fǎn huí hǎi miàn 。
全身赤条条一片，李凡自己变幻了衣裳，重新返回海面。
---
xiān shì zài fù jìn fán rén dǎo yǔ jiè le yī tào hé shēn yī wù huàn shàng ， suí hòu zhí bēn 【 dì guó 】 děng rén suǒ zài de dǎo yǔ ér qù 。
先是在附近凡人岛屿借了一套合身衣物换上，随后直奔【帝国】等人所在的岛屿而去。
Soon after, Xiao Qing personally flew out to greet him. After observing Li Fan for a moment, she led him into the secret room of the island.
bù duō shí ， tā biàn lái dào le mù dì dì 。
不多时，他便来到了目的地。
Li Chenfeng seemed not to be on the island; he was somewhere else.
yóu yú tā bìng méi yǒu yǎn shì zì shēn qì xī ， suǒ yǐ kuài yào kào jìn de shí hòu ， dì guó shèng shī ， yě jiù shì dāng nián xǔ kè shēn biān nà zhǐ qīng luán niǎo ， biàn fā lái le shén shí jǐng gào 。
由于他并没有掩饰自身气息，所以快要靠近的时候，帝国圣师，也就是当年许克身边那只青鸾鸟，便发来了神识警告。
Even the Locking Spirit mechanism of Wu Xiashēng had temporarily lost its effect.
“ dào yǒu yǒu hé guì gàn ？”
“道友有何贵干？”
Li Fan replayed the scene recorded in his识海* through the Dao Stone and found that he had left Xuanhuang Realm.
lǐ fán tíng zhù shēn xíng ， lì yú kōng zhōng ， wēi wēi yī xiào 。
李凡停住身形，立于空中，微微一笑。
However, this time’s departure location was different from when he returned to the Empire last time.
zhǐ shì huí fù le “ lián hé ” èr zì 。
只是回复了“联合”二字。
"Is it not the Empire but another small world?"
bù jiǔ zhī hòu ， xiǎo qīng qīn zì fēi chū ， qián lái yíng jiē 。
不久之后，小青亲自飞出，前来迎接。
A thought flashed through Li Fan's mind, but he didn’t voice it. He merely noted it in his heart.
zǐ xì guān chá le lǐ fán yī huì ， suí hòu jiāng tā yíng dào dǎo yǔ mì shì zhōng 。
仔细观察了李凡一会，随后将他迎到岛屿密室中。
"Are you also a member of the Interdimensional Alliance?" Xiao Qing asked bluntly.
lǐ chén fēng sì hū bù zài dǎo shàng ， bù zhī qù le hé chù 。
李晨风似乎不在岛上，不知去了何处。
"Yes. I have come on behalf of our leader to inform you that we will temporarily halt cooperation," Li Fan said calmly.
lián wú xiāng shā jī de suǒ líng yě zàn shí shī qù le xiào guǒ 。
连无相杀机的锁灵也暂时失去了效果。
"What?!" Despite living for thousands of years, Xiao Qing was still taken aback by this sudden news.
lǐ fán huí fàng shí hǎi zhōng huà dào shí jì lù de huà miàn ， fā xiàn tā què shì lí kāi le xuán huáng jiè 。
李凡回放识海中化道石记录的画面，发现他却是离开了玄黄界。
She stood up and stared at Li Fan with her phoenix eyes tightly focused.
bù guò zhè cì lí qù de wèi zhì ， hé shàng yī cì fǎn huí dì guó shí de ， bìng bù xiāng tóng 。
不过这次离去的位置，和上一次返回帝国时的，并不相同。
"What does this mean?"
“ bú shì dì guó ， ér shì lìng wài de xiǎo shì jiè ？”
“不是帝国，而是另外的小世界？”
She then suspiciously scrutinized him, narrowing her eyes: "Are you really a member of the Interdimensional Alliance?"
lǐ fán xīn zhōng yī dòng ， bù guò méi yǒu shēng zhāng ， zhǐ shì àn zì jì zài xīn zhōng 。
李凡心中一动，不过没有声张，只是暗自记在心中。
She had begun to doubt his identity.
“ zhè wèi dào yǒu ， yě shì wàn jiè lián hé huì de rén ？” xiǎo qīng kāi mén jiàn shān de wèn dào 。
“这位道友，也是万界联合会的人？”小青开门见山的问道。
A faint aura of intent flowed through the air. Li Fan gestured for Xiao Qing not to be too tense as he explained:
“ bù cuò 。 wǒ shòu dà rén zhī mìng ， qián lái gào zhī gè wèi ， kǒng pà zán men de hé zuò ， yào zàn shí zhōng zhǐ le 。” lǐ fán dàn dàn dì shuō dào 。
“不错。我受大人之命，前来告知各位，恐怕咱们的合作，要暂时中止了。”李凡淡淡地说道。
"We didn’t intend to go back on our word; it’s just that circumstances have changed."
“ shén me ？！” nǎ pà xiǎo qīng yǐ jīng huó le shàng qiān nián ， cǐ kè tīng dào rú cǐ tū rán de xiāo xī ， yě shì yī zhèn cuò è 。
“什么？！”哪怕小青已经活了上千年，此刻听到如此突然的消息，也是一阵错愕。
"Not only you, but we’ve also temporarily cut off contact with all other small worlds."
jīng dé zhí jiē zhàn qǐ le lái ， yī shuāng fèng yǎn ， jǐn jǐn dīng zhe lǐ fán 。
惊得直接站起了来，一双凤眼，紧紧盯着李凡。
"The higher-ups want us to remain dormant for a while and wait until the situation calms down before resuming operations."
“ zhè shì shén me yì si ？”
“这是什么意思？”
Xiao Qing's furrowed brows did not relax. Before she could speak, Li Fan said: "I know you’re eager to leave Xuanhuang Realm."
suí jí ， tā yǒu xiē hú yí de dǎ liàng zhe lǐ fán ， yǎn jīng wēi mī ：“ nǐ zhēn shì wàn jiè lián hé huì de rén ？”
随即，她有些狐疑的打量着李凡，眼睛微眯：“你真是万界联合会的人？”
"But indeed, circumstances are special; we had no choice."
jìng rán shì yǐ jīng huái yí qǐ le lǐ fán de shēn fèn 。
竟然是已经怀疑起了李凡的身份。
"After all, we benefited greatly from our last transaction and hope to complete the remaining part as soon as possible."
kōng qì zhōng shā yì huǎn huǎn liú dòng ， lǐ fán gǒng le gǒng shǒu ， shì yì xiǎo qīng bié tài jǐn zhāng 。
空气中杀意缓缓流动，李凡拱了拱手，示意小青别太紧张。
(End of Chapter)
Li Fan hadn't properly looked at himself for a long time. In his mind, he always saw himself as the skinny scholar from when he was 20 years old.
After all, no matter how much his appearance aged, once he activated *Truly Real*, he would revert to that same appearance upon returning to the anchor point.
So, for Li Fan, aging was merely a false proposition. The fear of old age, illness, and death—things that all living beings in this world feared—were just temporary states that he could easily escape from.
Even his own changes were somewhat indifferent to him. How much more so for the countless lives in this Xuanhuang Realm?
Kou Hong, Dao Xuanzi, He Zhenghao, Zhang Ziliang, Xiao Heng...
Each of these people's fates would change with every cycle of Li Fan's actions.
A fierce enemy from a previous life might become a close friend in the next. Perhaps they could even become loyal subordinates to Li Fan.
What about after that?
Perhaps they would be just another soul caught up in the crossfire during one of Li Fan’s battles, becoming innocent victims.
But...
No matter what happened to them, once Li Fan activated *Truly Real*, their state would revert to the moment he had chosen as his anchor point.
So, were all these experiences in this life and the next just another form of illusion?
People often mock those who are extremely selfish by saying that "the world doesn't revolve around you. Why should others always make way for you?"
But for Li Fan, at least within the Xuanhuang Realm he was in,
the world indeed revolved around him.
A thought and the world reset.
The past faded into the mist.
How could Li Fan possibly treat the people of this world as equals when they were just pawns in his game?
Even if it required the *Truly Real* artifact to achieve this, Li Fan couldn't view the myriad lives of Xuanhuang as his "kind."
Li Fan stared at himself in the mirror for a long time but didn’t notice any of the "silent" changes High Yuan had mentioned.
This might indicate that even Li Fan hadn't noticed some subtle transformations within him.
Just like how his psychological age continued to grow with each use of *Truly Real*.
---
In reality, Li Fan wasn't as unchanged as he thought. While *Truly Real* could reverse time, Li Fan, as the carrier of *Truly Real*, had developed the ability to remain "changing" even within its effects.
"I thought my acting was already good enough..." Li Fan said with a slight self-deprecating smile.
He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. His gaze seemed more lively and full of passion, showing a newfound love for everything around him.
Li Fan continued to observe himself closely, making adjustments.
After some time, he stopped moving.
"Temporarily corrected."
"But acting is still just acting. No matter how convincing it may be, it's not real."
"There are too many people in this world with unimaginable abilities. Even a simple guard at Cunyun Sea has such keen insight."
"I doubt I can deceive everyone in the world right now."
"But that’s fine. It’s not a major flaw."
"Those who are utterly devoid of emotion and righteousness do exist."
Li Fan adjusted himself slightly, dismissing this minor issue without much concern.
The idea that he might be a long-lived Celestial Emperor who had fallen from grace seemed rather absurd to him.
"I actually don't have any deep meaning. I just wanted an excuse to avoid the potential war in Tianling State," Li Fan said to himself.
Alone and quietly, Li Fan left Ten Thousand Immortals Island and dove into the sea.
He descended several thousand meters to ensure no one could follow him.
Li Fan then activated *Truly Real True Spirit Transformation* and reverted to his original appearance. He buried all items he had received from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance under a new identity, using *One Hand遮天* to conceal them.
Naked, Li Fan changed into new clothes and returned to the surface of the sea.
He first borrowed some suitable clothing from nearby human islands before heading towards the island where Tiānbǎo Tower was located.
Soon enough, he arrived at his destination.
Since he didn’t hide his aura, Empress Saint of the Empire, who was a green phoenix bird beside Xu Ke in the past, sent out a mental warning.
"Friend, what brings you here?"
Li Fan stopped and stood in mid-air with a slight smile on his face.
He simply replied "Alliance."
---
Soon after, Xiao Qing personally flew out to greet him. After observing Li Fan for a moment, she led him into the secret room of the island.
Li Chenfeng seemed not to be on the island; he was somewhere else.
Even the Locking Spirit mechanism of Wu Xiashēng had temporarily lost its effect.
Li Fan replayed the scene recorded in his识海* through the Dao Stone and found that he had left Xuanhuang Realm.
However, this time’s departure location was different from when he returned to the Empire last time.
"Is it not the Empire but another small world?"
A thought flashed through Li Fan's mind, but he didn’t voice it. He merely noted it in his heart.
"Are you also a member of the Interdimensional Alliance?" Xiao Qing asked bluntly.
"Yes. I have come on behalf of our leader to inform you that we will temporarily halt cooperation," Li Fan said calmly.
"What?!" Despite living for thousands of years, Xiao Qing was still taken aback by this sudden news.
She stood up and stared at Li Fan with her phoenix eyes tightly focused.
"What does this mean?"
She then suspiciously scrutinized him, narrowing her eyes: "Are you really a member of the Interdimensional Alliance?"
She had begun to doubt his identity.
A faint aura of intent flowed through the air. Li Fan gestured for Xiao Qing not to be too tense as he explained:
"We didn’t intend to go back on our word; it’s just that circumstances have changed."
"Not only you, but we’ve also temporarily cut off contact with all other small worlds."
"The higher-ups want us to remain dormant for a while and wait until the situation calms down before resuming operations."
Xiao Qing's furrowed brows did not relax. Before she could speak, Li Fan said: "I know you’re eager to leave Xuanhuang Realm."
"But indeed, circumstances are special; we had no choice."
"After all, we benefited greatly from our last transaction and hope to complete the remaining part as soon as possible."
(End of Chapter)