“ qiě bù shuō nǎ lǐ yǒu zhè me duō yǔn luò jīn dān xiū shì de shī tǐ 。”
“且不说哪里有这么多陨落金丹修士的尸体。”
"Let's not talk about the fact that there are so many fallen Golden Core cultivators' corpses."
“ xiū shì sǐ hòu ， hái dào yú tiān 。 suī shuō jīn dān nǎi shì xiū shì duì yú tiān dì fǎ zé de gǎn wù níng jù ， dàn bì jìng hái yào yǐ tiān dì qí wù wèi dào jī 。”
“修士死后，还道于天。虽说金丹乃是修士对于天地法则的感悟凝聚，但毕竟还要以天地奇物为道基。”
"When a cultivator dies, their Dao returns to heaven. Although the Golden Core is an embodiment of one's understanding and mastery over the laws of the cosmos, it still relies on certain rare cosmic treasures as its foundation."
“ hái dào yú tiān hòu ， qí wù shī qí ， jīn dān zhōng níng jù zhī fǎ ， yě jiù shī qù le gēn jī 。 jīn dān chéng sè dà dǎ zhé kòu bù shuō ， shí jiān zhǎng le ， hái huì yǒu kuì sàn de fēng xiǎn ， wú fǎ cháng qī bǎo cún 。”
“还道于天后，奇物失奇，金丹中凝聚之法，也就失去了根基。金丹成色大打折扣不说，时间长了，还会有溃散的风险，无法长期保存。”
"After returning to heaven, these treasures lose their special properties, and the methods used to form the Golden Core also lose their base. Not only does this significantly reduce the quality of the Golden Core, but over time, there is a risk that it will disintegrate completely, making long-term preservation impossible."
fǎng fú shè jí dào le tā de zhuān yè lǐng yù ， xiǔ mù dào rén shuō de tóu tóu shì dào 。
仿佛涉及到了他的专业领域，朽木道人说的头头是道。
It seemed like he was discussing something within his expertise, and Daoist Xuanzi spoke with authority.
liǎn shàng yě huàn fā le yī sī nán dé de sè cǎi ， jǐn bēng zhe de zhòu wén yě zài bù jīng yì jiān shū zhǎn kāi lái 。
脸上也焕发了一丝难得的色彩，紧绷着的皱纹也在不经意间舒展开来。
A hint of rare color appeared on his face as the wrinkles around his eyes relaxed slightly.
“ dàn zhè yī qiè de wèn tí hé má fán ， zhǐ yào xiū shì shì zì yuàn de ， jiù kě yíng rèn ér jiě 。”
“但这一切的问题和麻烦，只要修士是自愿的，就可迎刃而解。”
"But all these problems can be easily resolved if the cultivators are willing to do it voluntarily," he said.
“ xiū shì huó zhe de shí hòu ， jiāng jīn dān wā chū ， biàn bú huì chù fā tiān dì è yì de jī zhì 。 yǒu zhe tiān dì qí wù zuò wéi hé xīn ， jīn dān yú shì néng cháng jiǔ bǎo cún 。”
“修士活着的时候，将金丹挖出，便不会触发天地恶意的机制。有着天地奇物作为核心，金丹于是能长久保存。”
"When a cultivator is alive, they can dig out their Golden Core without triggering any adverse reactions from heaven. With cosmic treasures serving as the core, the Golden Core can be preserved for a long time."
“ suī shuō xiū shì huì shī qù yī shēn xiū wèi ， biàn dé hé fán rén wú yì 。 dàn bù guò jīn dān jìng bà le ， cóng tóu zài xiū ， yòu bù fèi shén me gōng fu ！”
“虽说修士会失去一身修为，变得和凡人无异。但不过金丹境罢了，从头再修，又不废什么功夫！”
"Even though the cultivator would lose all their cultivation and become just like ordinary people, it's only the Golden Core realm. Starting over is not that difficult!"
“ zī yuán zú gòu ， zuì duō shí nián ， biàn néng chóng xīn níng jié chū xīn de jīn dān lái 。”
“资源足够，最多十年，便能重新凝结出新的金丹来。”
"With enough resources, we could produce new Golden Cores in just ten years."
“ ń ， suī shuō shēng chǎn zhōu qī réng rán yǒu diǎn zhǎng ， dàn yǐ wǒ men rú jīn xiū shì de shù liàng ， yě néng zuò dào měi nián shù bǎi méi jīn dān de fēng shōu le 。”
“嗯，虽说生产周期仍然有点长，但以我们如今修士的数量，也能做到每年数百枚金丹的丰收了。”
"Mm, although the production cycle is still somewhat lengthy, with our current number of cultivators, we can achieve a harvest of hundreds of Golden Cores each year."
xiǔ mù dào rén yòng zuì píng jìng de huà yǔ ， shuō zhe lìng rén máo gǔ sǒng rán de huà 。
朽木道人用最平静的话语，说着令人毛骨悚然的话。
Daoist Xuanzi spoke calmly but said something chilling.
“ cháng qī 、 wěn dìng ， wú hài 。 shì zhāng dé biāo nà ǒu rán jiān zǒu le gǒu shǐ yùn de xiǎo zi néng bǐ de ma ？”
“长期、稳定，无害。是张德彪那偶然间走了狗屎运的小子能比的吗？”
"Long-term and stable, harmless. Can it compare to that lucky son of Piao Debiao?"
“ bǐ bù liǎo ！”
“比不了！”
"Certainly not!"
“ suǒ yǐ dào yǒu rú guǒ yǒu xū qiú ， yí dìng yào yōu xiān kǎo lǜ wǒ men ！”
“所以道友如果有需求，一定要优先考虑我们！”
"So, if you have any needs, consider us first!" he looked at Li Fan with a hint of enthusiasm in his eyes.
xiǔ mù dào rén kàn zhe lǐ fán ， yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī rè qiè 。
朽木道人看着李凡，眼中闪过一丝热切。
Li Fan was clearly not convinced by such simple words and shook his head repeatedly. "Friend, don't deceive me. How many cultivators would willingly sacrifice their own Golden Core, only to do it every ten years? Just thinking about it makes me feel terrified..."
lǐ fán xiǎn rán bú huì bèi tā zhè me jiǎn dān yī xí huà shuō fú ， lián lián yáo tóu “ dào yǒu mò yào kuāng wǒ ， nǎ yǒu xiū shì huì zì yuàn bèi wā qù zì shēn jīn dān ， měi gè shí duō nián jiù chóng xīn xún huán yī cì de ？ jǐn jǐn shì xiǎng ， wǒ jiù kě yǐ gǎn dào nà zhǒng kǒng bù ……”
李凡显然不会被他这么简单一席话说服，连连摇头“道友莫要诓我，哪有修士会自愿被挖去自身金丹，每个十多年就重新循环一次的？仅仅是想，我就可以感到那种恐怖……”
"Wrong understanding, wrong understanding!" Daoist Xuanzi quickly interrupted.
“ wù huì ， wù huì a ！” xiǔ mù dào rén lián máng dǎ duàn le lǐ fán 。
“误会，误会啊！”朽木道人连忙打断了李凡。
"Nowadays, we can extract the Golden Cores without any pain or harm. The cultivators don't even feel any discomfort; in fact, some of them enjoy the sensation so much that they immediately return to cultivation after their cores are removed."
“ wǒ men xiàn zài zhāi qǔ jīn dān ， zǎo yǐ jīng néng gòu zuò dào wú tòng 、 wú hài le 。 nà xiē xiū shì bù jǐn bú huì gǎn dào tòng chǔ ， hái huì gǎn dào bié yàng de shū shuǎng ne 。 shèn zhì wǒ jiù zhī dào yǒu gè jiā huo ， wèi le néng gòu bù duàn tǐ yàn jīn dān bèi zhāi chú de kuài gǎn ， měi cì bèi qǔ chū tǐ nèi jīn dān hòu ， dū huì lì mǎ tóu rù dào zài cì xiū xíng de háng liè zhōng 。”
“我们现在摘取金丹，早已经能够做到无痛、无害了。那些修士不仅不会感到痛楚，还会感到别样的舒爽呢。甚至我就知道有个家伙，为了能够不断体验金丹被摘除的快感，每次被取出体内金丹后，都会立马投入到再次修行的行列中。”
"He is now our most efficient cultivator, producing double-core Golden Cores every three to four years on average."
“ tā rú jīn kě suàn shì wǒ men zuì yǒu xiào lǜ de xiū shì la ， píng jūn sān sì nián jiù néng péi yǎng chū yī méi shuāng fǎ jīn dān ó 。”
“他如今可算是我们最有效率的修士啦，平均三四年就能培养出一枚双法金丹哦。”
Daoist Xuanzi seemed completely unaware of any issues with his words and enthusiastically explained everything to Li Fan.
xiǔ mù dào rén wán quán bù jué dé zì jǐ suǒ shuō zhī huà ， yǒu shén me wèn tí ， shí fēn rè qíng de wèi lǐ fán jiǎng shù dào 。
朽木道人完全不觉得自己所说之话，有什么问题，十分热情的为李凡讲述道。
Even the cold-hearted Li Fan felt a chill in his heart as he looked at Daoist Xuanzi.
nǎ pà lěng mò rú lǐ fán ， cǐ shí kàn zhuó yǎn qián de xiǔ mù dào rén ， xīn zhōng yě bù jīn yǒng xiàn chū sī sī hán yì 。
哪怕冷漠如李凡，此时看着眼前的朽木道人，心中也不禁涌现出丝丝寒意。
"So, your worries are unnecessary," he said. "We have been vetted by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and officially recognized. Think about it; we provide materials every year to the alliance. If there were any quality issues, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance would come knocking first! So, you can rest assured!"
“ suǒ yǐ ， dào yǒu nǐ nà xiē dān xīn wán quán dōu shì duō yú de 。”
“所以，道友你那些担心完全都是多余的。”
Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Does the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance know what you do?"
“ wǒ men kě shì tōng guò wàn xiān méng de kǎo chá 、 shòu dào guān fāng rèn kě de 。 nǐ xiǎng a ， wǒ men měi nián kě dōu yào shàng gòng yí dìng shù liàng de cái liào gěi xiān méng de ， rú guǒ zhè xiē dōng xī zhēn yǒu zhì liàng wèn tí ， wàn xiān méng shǒu xiān jiù zhǎo shàng mén lái le ！ suǒ yǐ dào yǒu jǐn guǎn fàng xīn ！”
“我们可是通过万仙盟的考察、受到官方认可的。你想啊，我们每年可都要上供一定数量的材料给仙盟的，如果这些东西真有质量问题，万仙盟首先就找上门来了！所以道友尽管放心！”
"Of course, our ideas are too advanced for public disclosure," Daoist Xuanzi muttered.
lǐ fán liǎng yǎn wēi mī ：“ wàn xiān méng yě zhī dào nǐ men suǒ zuò zhī shì ？ dàn wèi hé wǒ cóng lái méi yǒu tīng shuō guò ？”
李凡两眼微眯：“万仙盟也知道你们所做之事？但为何我从来没有听说过？”
"That's why we keep it secret."
xiǔ mù wén yán ， xiǎo shēng dí gū dào ：“ hái bú shì wǒ men de lǐ niàn tài guò xiān jìn ， xiān méng shuō rú guǒ bèi gōng kāi ， kěn dìng huì yǐn qǐ dà zhòng de bù lǐ jiě 。”
朽木闻言，小声嘀咕道：“还不是我们的理念太过先进，仙盟说如果被公开，肯定会引起大众的不理解。”
"These ordinary people cannot accept such things, but someone like you should understand our methods?" he looked at Li Fan with hope.
“ suǒ yǐ cái mì ér bù xuān 。”
“所以才秘而不宣。”
Li Fan said half-jokingly, "I can understand, but I still find it hard to accept for now."
“ dōu shì xiē fán fū sú zǐ ， bù néng jiē shòu yě shì zhèng cháng 。 bù guò xiàng yú dào yǒu zhè bān de rén wù ， yīng gāi néng lǐ jiě wǒ men zuò fǎ ba ？”
“都是些凡夫俗子，不能接受也是正常。不过像于道友这般的人物，应该能理解我们做法吧？”
Daoist Xuanzi seemed to have found a kindred spirit and clapped in approval. "I knew it! You are someone of great wisdom!"
xiǔ mù dào rén mǎn huái qī dài ， kàn zhe lǐ fán 。
朽木道人满怀期待，看着李凡。
He stood up abruptly and paced back and forth while excitedly saying, "It's natural for one to feel empathy towards their own kind. It will take some time for you to fully change your mind."
“ lǐ jiě shì néng lǐ jiě ， zhǐ shì yī shí jiān ， hái shì yǒu xiē nán yǐ jiē shòu 。” lǐ fán bàn zhēn bàn jiǎ dào 。
“理解是能理解，只是一时间，还是有些难以接受。”李凡半真半假道。
"But I believe that once you visit us, you'll see the light soon enough!"
xiǔ mù dào rén fǎng fú fā xiàn le nán dé de zhì tóng dào hé zhī bèi ， pāi shǒu ér zàn dào ；“ wǒ jiù zhī dào ， méi yǒu kàn cuò ！ dào yǒu shì yǒu dà huì gēn zhī rén ！”
朽木道人仿佛发现了难得的志同道合之辈，拍手而赞道；“我就知道，没有看错！道友是有大慧根之人！”
"Would you like to come and have a look?"
tā měng dì zhàn qǐ ， lái huí de duó bù ， zuǐ lǐ xīng fèn de shuō dào ：“ wù shāng qí lèi ， nǎi shì zì rán zhī lǐ 。 dào yǒu nǐ zàn shí hái bù néng wán quán niǔ zhuǎn guān niàn ， yě shì zhèng cháng ！”
他猛地站起，来回的踱步，嘴里兴奋的说道：“物伤其类，乃是自然之理。道友伱暂时还不能完全扭转观念，也是正常！”
Li Fan was about to refuse outright when something unexpected happened.
“ bù guò wǒ xiāng xìn ， děng nǐ qīn zì qù wǒ men nà kàn yī kàn ， hěn kuài jiù huì zhuǎn biàn guò lái le ！”
“不过我相信，等你亲自去我们那看一看，很快就会转变过来了！”
He suddenly felt drawn to this old, frail cultivator, thinking of all the Golden Cores waiting for him. The idea of needing complete Golden Cores to unlock certain points made Li Fan change his mind.
“ zěn me yàng ， dào yǒu yào lái cān guān cān guān me ？”
“怎么样，道友要来参观参观么？”
"Sure! Why not take a look!"
lǐ fán xiǎng dōu bù xiǎng ， zhèng yù zhí jiē jù jué 。
李凡想都不想，正欲直接拒绝。
He agreed with a nod.
shuí céng yì liào zhī wài de shì qíng fā shēng 。
谁曾意料之外的事情发生。
The moment he spoke, Li Fan was filled with shock.
bù zhī zěn de ， kàn zhuó yǎn qián zhè wèi shuāi lǎo 、 chán ruò de xiū shì ， yòu xiǎng dào nà lǐ kě néng huì yǒu wú shù de jīn dān zài děng zhe zì jǐ 。
不知怎的，看着眼前这位衰老、孱弱的修士，又想到那里可能会有无数的金丹在等着自己。
He suddenly understood that this Daoist Xuanzi was far more dangerous than he had imagined!
xū yào wán zhěng jīn dān lái jiě suǒ máo diǎn de lǐ fán ， jìng rán guǐ shǐ shén chāi de zhuǎn biàn le niàn tou 。
需要完整金丹来解锁锚点的李凡，竟然鬼使神差的转变了念头。
Just wanted to buy some cultivator Golden Cores... How did I end up in such a mess?
“ hǎo ！ qù kàn yī kàn yě wú fáng ！”
“好！去看一看也无妨！”
Such bad luck!
tā diǎn tóu dā yìng dào 。
他点头答应道。
Li Fan cursed inwardly and silently repeated: "Still..."
huà shuō chū kǒu de shùn jiān ， lǐ fán xīn zhōng jiù chōng mǎn le zhèn hài 。
话说出口的瞬间，李凡心中就充满了震骇。
But halfway through, Li Fan stopped himself.
tā dǒu rán míng bái guò lái 。
他陡然明白过来。
He suddenly felt that it wasn't such a big deal after all.
yǎn qián zhè wèi huī páo xiū shì ， jué duì yào bǐ tā xiǎng xiàng zhōng de ， hái yào wēi xiǎn wú shù bèi ！
眼前这位灰袍修士，绝对要比他想象中的，还要危险无数倍！
Wasn't it still too early for him to practice the Truly Real method?
bù jiù shì xiǎng mǎi diǎn xiū shì jīn dān yòng yòng ma ， zěn me huì yù dào zhè zhǒng pò shì ！
不就是想买点修士金丹用用嘛，怎么会遇到这种破事！
After all, he had been officially recognized by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. It wouldn't be something as drastic as murder for money.
yùn qì zhēn shì tài dǎo méi le diǎn ！
运气真是太倒霉了点！
Moreover, he had spent so much time setting up this world and finally reached a certain stage. If he truly practiced the Truly Real method now, everything would have to start over, which seemed quite troublesome.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng àn mà ， kǒu zhōng mò niàn ：“ hái ……”
李凡心中暗骂，口中默念：“还……”
...
huà shuō yí bàn ， lǐ fán què zì jǐ zhǐ zhù le 。
话说一半，李凡却自己止住了。
Many thoughts flashed through Li Fan's mind in an instant, convincing him to change his decision.
tā de xīn zhōng ， hū de jué de yě méi shén me dà bù liǎo de 。
他的心中，忽的觉得也没什么大不了的。
"Daoist Xuanzi, how should I address you? And how do we get there?" Li Fan asked with interest.
yīng gāi hái méi yǒu dào zhí jiē hái zhēn de dì bù ba ？
应该还没有到直接还真的地步吧？
Daoist Xuanzi slapped his head and said regretfully, "Oops, almost forgot to introduce myself."
duì fāng bì jìng yě shì shòu dào wàn xiān méng rèn zhèng guò de ， zǒng bù zhì yú fā shēng móu cái hài mìng de shì qíng 。
对方毕竟也是受到万仙盟认证过的，总不至于发生谋财害命的事情。
"We are known as..."
ér qiě cǐ shì bù jú xǔ jiǔ ， hǎo bù róng yì cái fā zhǎn dào rú jīn de zhè zhǒng jú miàn 。
而且此世布局许久，好不容易才发展到如今的这种局面。
"[Frying Lives]"
yí dàn hái zhēn ， yī qiè yòu yào zhòng lái ， qǐ bù shì xiāng dāng má fán ？
一旦还真，一切又要重来，岂不是相当麻烦？
It seemed like a mistake on Li Fan's part. Daoist Xuanzi's tone and expression suddenly turned sinister when he spoke the last word.
……
……
But in an instant, he returned to his earlier enthusiastic demeanor.
zhū duō niàn tou shà shí jiān yī qí fú xiàn zài lǐ fán nǎo hǎi 。
诸多念头霎时间一齐浮现在李凡脑海。
"How do we get there?"
jìng rán shǐ de lǐ fán zì jǐ shuō fú le zì jǐ ， gǎi biàn le zhǔ yì 。
竟然使得李凡自己说服了自己，改变了主意。
"Grasp me firmly!"
“ xiǔ mù dào yǒu ， bù zhī gāi rú hé chēng hū nǐ men nà ， yòu gāi rú hé qù a ？” lǐ fán xiàn zài shì yī fù ráo yǒu xìng qù de biǎo qíng ， wèn dào 。
“朽木道友，不知该如何称呼你们那，又该如何去啊？”李凡现在是一副饶有兴趣的表情，问道。
Li Fan naturally grabbed Daoist Xuanzi's sleeve.
xiǔ mù yī pāi nǎo dài ， yǒu xiē ào nǎo dào ：“ ào ào ， chà diǎn wàng jì gēn yú dào yǒu jiè shào le 。”
朽木一拍脑袋，有些懊恼道：“奥奥，差点忘记跟于道友介绍了。”
"Stay steady!"
“ wǒ men nà ， bèi chēng zhī wèi ……”
“我们那，被称之为……”
Daoist Xuanzi shouted while muttering under his breath: "Heaven and earth are like wood, day and night consume life..."
“【 jiān rén shòu 】”
“【煎人寿】”
Suddenly, a thick cloud of smoke enveloped them. In an instant, everything around them was shrouded in gray mist.
bù zhī dào shì bú shì lǐ fán de cuò jué ， dāng xiǔ mù shuō chū zuì hòu yī jù huà shí ， yǔ qì biǎo qíng shùn jiān biàn dé yǒu xiē yīn sēn qǐ lái 。
不知道是不是李凡的错觉，当朽木说出最后一句话时，语气表情瞬间变得有些阴森起来。
The only things they could see were the distorted light and strange sounds rushing past.
jǐn jǐn piàn kè zhī hòu ， xiǔ mù huī fù le xiān qián nà shí fēn rè liè de biǎo qíng 。
仅仅片刻之后，朽木恢复了先前那十分热烈的表情。
Li Fan felt no sense of danger at this moment; instead, he felt a strange sense of belonging as if he belonged there.
“ zhì yú zěn me qù ……”
“至于怎么去……”
After what seemed like a long time, the gray fog dissipated. The surroundings became clearer.
“ dào yǒu zhuā zhù wǒ jiù hǎo ！”
“道友抓住我就好！”
"Daoist Yu, we've arrived!"
lǐ fán yú shì lǐ suǒ yīng dāng 、 shùn qí zì rán de zhuā zhù le xiǔ mù dào rén de xiù kǒu 。
李凡于是理所应当、顺其自然的抓住了朽木道人的袖口。
Following Daoist Xuanzi's call, Li Fan finally saw the scene before him: a towering tree with yellowed and spotted bark standing in front of them. Branches were covered in countless cultivators, like a tree full of fruit.
“ dào yǒu zhàn wěn le ！”
“道友站稳了！”
A new year brought Li Fan a fresh shock.
xiǔ mù gāo hū yī shēng ， kǒu zhōng niàn niàn yǒu cí ：“ tiān dì yǒu ruò mù ， rì yè xiāo shēng shòu ……”
朽木高呼一声，口中念念有词：“天地有若木，日夜销生寿……”
(End of Chapter)
"Let's not talk about the fact that there are so many fallen Golden Core cultivators' corpses."
"When a cultivator dies, their Dao returns to heaven. Although the Golden Core is an embodiment of one's understanding and mastery over the laws of the cosmos, it still relies on certain rare cosmic treasures as its foundation."
"After returning to heaven, these treasures lose their special properties, and the methods used to form the Golden Core also lose their base. Not only does this significantly reduce the quality of the Golden Core, but over time, there is a risk that it will disintegrate completely, making long-term preservation impossible."
It seemed like he was discussing something within his expertise, and Daoist Xuanzi spoke with authority.
A hint of rare color appeared on his face as the wrinkles around his eyes relaxed slightly.
"But all these problems can be easily resolved if the cultivators are willing to do it voluntarily," he said.
"When a cultivator is alive, they can dig out their Golden Core without triggering any adverse reactions from heaven. With cosmic treasures serving as the core, the Golden Core can be preserved for a long time."
"Even though the cultivator would lose all their cultivation and become just like ordinary people, it's only the Golden Core realm. Starting over is not that difficult!"
"With enough resources, we could produce new Golden Cores in just ten years."
"Mm, although the production cycle is still somewhat lengthy, with our current number of cultivators, we can achieve a harvest of hundreds of Golden Cores each year."
Daoist Xuanzi spoke calmly but said something chilling.
"Long-term and stable, harmless. Can it compare to that lucky son of Piao Debiao?"
"Certainly not!"
"So, if you have any needs, consider us first!" he looked at Li Fan with a hint of enthusiasm in his eyes.
Li Fan was clearly not convinced by such simple words and shook his head repeatedly. "Friend, don't deceive me. How many cultivators would willingly sacrifice their own Golden Core, only to do it every ten years? Just thinking about it makes me feel terrified..."
"Wrong understanding, wrong understanding!" Daoist Xuanzi quickly interrupted.
"Nowadays, we can extract the Golden Cores without any pain or harm. The cultivators don't even feel any discomfort; in fact, some of them enjoy the sensation so much that they immediately return to cultivation after their cores are removed."
"He is now our most efficient cultivator, producing double-core Golden Cores every three to four years on average."
Daoist Xuanzi seemed completely unaware of any issues with his words and enthusiastically explained everything to Li Fan.
Even the cold-hearted Li Fan felt a chill in his heart as he looked at Daoist Xuanzi.
"So, your worries are unnecessary," he said. "We have been vetted by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and officially recognized. Think about it; we provide materials every year to the alliance. If there were any quality issues, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance would come knocking first! So, you can rest assured!"
Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Does the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance know what you do?"
"Of course, our ideas are too advanced for public disclosure," Daoist Xuanzi muttered.
"That's why we keep it secret."
"These ordinary people cannot accept such things, but someone like you should understand our methods?" he looked at Li Fan with hope.
Li Fan said half-jokingly, "I can understand, but I still find it hard to accept for now."
Daoist Xuanzi seemed to have found a kindred spirit and clapped in approval. "I knew it! You are someone of great wisdom!"
He stood up abruptly and paced back and forth while excitedly saying, "It's natural for one to feel empathy towards their own kind. It will take some time for you to fully change your mind."
"But I believe that once you visit us, you'll see the light soon enough!"
"Would you like to come and have a look?"
Li Fan was about to refuse outright when something unexpected happened.
He suddenly felt drawn to this old, frail cultivator, thinking of all the Golden Cores waiting for him. The idea of needing complete Golden Cores to unlock certain points made Li Fan change his mind.
"Sure! Why not take a look!"
He agreed with a nod.
The moment he spoke, Li Fan was filled with shock.
He suddenly understood that this Daoist Xuanzi was far more dangerous than he had imagined!
Just wanted to buy some cultivator Golden Cores... How did I end up in such a mess?
Such bad luck!
Li Fan cursed inwardly and silently repeated: "Still..."
But halfway through, Li Fan stopped himself.
He suddenly felt that it wasn't such a big deal after all.
Wasn't it still too early for him to practice the Truly Real method?
After all, he had been officially recognized by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. It wouldn't be something as drastic as murder for money.
Moreover, he had spent so much time setting up this world and finally reached a certain stage. If he truly practiced the Truly Real method now, everything would have to start over, which seemed quite troublesome.
...
Many thoughts flashed through Li Fan's mind in an instant, convincing him to change his decision.
"Daoist Xuanzi, how should I address you? And how do we get there?" Li Fan asked with interest.
Daoist Xuanzi slapped his head and said regretfully, "Oops, almost forgot to introduce myself."
"We are known as..."
"[Frying Lives]"
It seemed like a mistake on Li Fan's part. Daoist Xuanzi's tone and expression suddenly turned sinister when he spoke the last word.
But in an instant, he returned to his earlier enthusiastic demeanor.
"How do we get there?"
"Grasp me firmly!"
Li Fan naturally grabbed Daoist Xuanzi's sleeve.
"Stay steady!"
Daoist Xuanzi shouted while muttering under his breath: "Heaven and earth are like wood, day and night consume life..."
Suddenly, a thick cloud of smoke enveloped them. In an instant, everything around them was shrouded in gray mist.
The only things they could see were the distorted light and strange sounds rushing past.
Li Fan felt no sense of danger at this moment; instead, he felt a strange sense of belonging as if he belonged there.
After what seemed like a long time, the gray fog dissipated. The surroundings became clearer.
"Daoist Yu, we've arrived!"
Following Daoist Xuanzi's call, Li Fan finally saw the scene before him: a towering tree with yellowed and spotted bark standing in front of them. Branches were covered in countless cultivators, like a tree full of fruit.
A new year brought Li Fan a fresh shock.
(End of Chapter)