dāng chū yóu lì wǔ lǎo huì ， huàn jìng pò suì shí ， chà nà zhī jiān zhí miàn zhào shī jiě de lǐ fán ， céng jīng xīn zhōng gǎn dào le yī gǔ zhí miàn hào hàn tiān dì de hán yì 。
当初游历五老会，幻境破碎时，刹那之间直面赵师姐的李凡，曾经心中感到了一股直面浩瀚天地的寒意。
Back then, when Li Fan faced Zhao Senior Sister during his travels with the Five Elders Association and the illusion shattered, he had felt a chill akin to confronting the vastness of the heavens.
tiān yī qiáng zé qiáng yǐ ， què méi yǒu gěi lǐ fán zhè zhǒng gǎn jué 。
天医强则强矣，却没有给李凡这种感觉。
The Heavenly Physician was indeed formidable, but it didn't give Li Fan that same feeling.
shèn zhì nà shuāng qǐng kè jiān zhèn yā yú fù hé fū zǐ de jù shǒu ， yě jǐn jǐn shì ràng lǐ fán jué de zhàn lì qiáng ， dàn méi yǒu běn zhì dì shēng biàn 。
甚至那双顷刻间镇压渔父和夫子的巨手，也仅仅是让李凡觉得战力强，但没有本质的升变。
Even the massive hands that instantly suppressed the Fisher Father and Master only made him feel the sheer power, without any fundamental transformation.
zhè shì xiū shì xīn zhōng běn néng suǒ jué ， xuán bù kě yán 。
这是修士心中本能所觉，玄不可言。
This was an instinctive perception of a cultivator, something beyond explanation.
dàn lǐ fán xīn zhōng yǐn yǐn jué de ， yīng gāi wèi zhēn 。
但李凡心中隐隐觉得，应该为真。
But Li Fan felt that this should be true.
“ bù guǎn tiān yī mù qián hái shì bú shì cháng shēng jìng ， tā dōu biǎo xiàn chū lái le ， ràng cháng shēng jìng jì dàn de shí jì zhàn lì 。”
“不管天医目前还是不是长生境，他都表现出来了，让长生境忌惮的实际战力。”
"Regardless of whether the Heavenly Physician is currently in the Longevity Realm or not, he has shown his actual combat strength that makes even the Longevity Realm take notice."
“ zài zhè zhǒng xiū shì miàn qián ， nǎ pà zài duō de pào huī ， yě méi yǒu yì yì 。”
“在这种修士面前，哪怕再多的炮灰，也没有意义。”
"In front of such cultivators, all cannon fodder becomes meaningless."
“ wǔ wèi tiān zūn ， yě kěn dìng bú huì qīn zì dòng shǒu ， suǒ yǐ zhàn zhēng yě jiù bèi jiào tíng le 。”
“五位天尊，也肯定不会亲自动手，所以战争也就被叫停了。”
"The Five Heavens Sages definitely won't personally intervene, so the war was called off."
lǐ fán ruò yǒu suǒ sī 。
李凡若有所思。
Li Fan pondered deeply.
xiǎng zhe tiān yī xiàn shēn zhè yí mù ， jiē xià lái gāi rú hé yǐng xiǎng xuán huáng jiè lì shǐ zǒu xiàng 。
想着天医现身这一幕，接下来该如何影响玄黄界历史走向。
Thinking about the scene where the Heavenly Physician appeared and how it would influence the historical course of the Xuanhuang Realm, suddenly, a long-unyielding, unfruitful killing intent from the Formless realm resounded.
hū de ， yī dào jiān shì xǔ jiǔ 、 cháng jiǔ méi yǒu shōu huò de wú xiāng shā jī ， què shì tū rán chuán lái le huí yìng 。
忽的，一道监视许久、长久没有收获的无相杀机，却是突然传来了回应。
"Hm?"
“ ń ？”
“嗯？”
Li Fan's mind stirred as his attention instantly spanned millions of miles to the Yuanyin Island, where Yin Senior was located.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng yī dòng ， zhù yì lì shùn jiān kuà yuè le wàn wàn lǐ zhī yáo ， luò zài le cóng yún hǎi 、 yīn yīn dǎo de ， yīn shàng rén shēn shàng 。
李凡心中一动，注意力瞬间跨越了万万里之遥，落在了丛云海、殷殷岛的，殷上人身上。
After much research on the Immortal-Demon Mist, he seemed to have finally discovered something.
yán jiū xiān fán zhàng xǔ jiǔ ， tā sì hū zhōng yú fā xiàn le shén me 。
研究仙凡瘴许久，他似乎终于发现了什么。
Now, he lay dazed and helpless on the ground.
cǐ kè diē dǎo zài dì ， máng rán wú cuò 。
此刻跌倒在地，茫然无措。
"No, no, no. I must be mistaken."
“ bù bù bù ， yí dìng shì wǒ gǎo cuò le 。”
“不不不，一定是我搞错了。”
"This is impossible!"
“ zhè gēn běn bù kě néng ！”
“这根本不可能！”
The shock and fear on Yin Senior's face were evident.
yīn shàng rén liǎn shàng ， mǎn shì yǎn shì bú zhù de jīng bù zhī sè 。
殷上人脸上，满是掩饰不住的惊怖之色。
As if he had discovered a fact that was too hard for him to accept, he frantically pulled at his hair, desperately trying to calm down.
fǎng fú fā xiàn le shén me tā gēn běn nán yǐ jiē shòu de shì shí ， shí fēn yòng lì de sī chě zhe zì jǐ de tóu fà ， pò qiè de xiǎng yào shǐ de zì jǐ lěng jìng xià lái 。
仿佛发现了什么他根本难以接受的事实，十分用力的撕扯着自己的头发，迫切的想要使得自己冷静下来。
"No, no, no!"
“ bù ， bù ， bù ！”
“不，不，不！”
But he couldn't control himself.
bù guò ， tā gēn běn wú fǎ kòng zhì zì shēn 。
不过，他根本无法控制自身。
The discovery seemed to have shaken his core beliefs so much that he nearly went mad.
sì hū fā xiàn de nà jiàn shì qíng ， jí dà de chōng jī le tā de sān guān ， ràng tā jǐ yù fā fēng 。
似乎发现的那件事情，极大的冲击了他的三观，让他几欲发疯。
He repeatedly hit the ground with his head, ignoring the blood streaming down.
bù duàn yòng tóu zhuàng jī zhe dì miàn ， nǎ pà xiān xuè zhí liú ， yě háo bù zài yì 。
不断用头撞击着地面，哪怕鲜血直流，也毫不在意。
After an indeterminate amount of time, his face was a bloody mess, making it hard to discern his expression.
bù zhī guò le duō jiǔ ， liǎn shàng mǎn shì xuè ròu mó hú ， gēn běn kàn bù qīng shén qíng 。
不知过了多久，脸上满是血肉模湖，根本看不清神情。
"I must be mistaken. How could such people exist in this world?"
“ kěn dìng shì wǒ gǎo cuò le ， shì shàng zěn me kě néng yǒu zhè zhǒng rén 。”
“肯定是我搞错了，世上怎么可能有这种人。”
"How could he possibly be like that!"
“ tā yòu zěn me kě néng shì zhè zhǒng rén ！”
“他又怎么可能是这种人！”
"Start over!"
“ zhòng lái ！”
“重来！”
As if finding hope, Yin Senior quickly got up and ignored the blood on his face.
shì shì zhǎo dào le zhèng míng zì jǐ de xī wàng ， yīn shàng rén lián máng pá qǐ ， yě gù bù shàng cā shì zì jǐ liǎn shàng de xuè wū 。
似是找到了证明自己的希望，殷上人连忙爬起，也顾不上擦拭自己脸上的血污。
He released several more ordinary test subjects, extracted the Immortal-Demon Mist from their bodies, and began to study it again.
zài dù shì fàng chū jǐ wèi fán rén shí yàn zhě ， cóng tā men tǐ nèi chōu qǔ xiān fán zhàng ， yán jiū qǐ lái 。
再度释放出几位凡人实验者，从他们体内抽取仙凡瘴，研究起来。
...
……
……
"This Yin Senior is acting crazy. I wonder what he discovered."
“ zhè yīn shàng rén ， fēng fēng diān diān ， bù zhī dào jiū jìng fā xiàn le shén me 。”
“这殷上人，疯疯癫癫，不知道究竟发现了什么。”
Li Fan frowned.
lǐ fán méi tóu wēi zhòu 。
李凡眉头微皱。
"Another riddle man."
“ yòu shì yí gè mí yǔ rén 。”
“又是一个谜语人。”
"Why not just probe his mind for clarity?"
“ bù rú zhí jiē sōu hún ， nòng gè qīng chǔ ！”
“不如直接搜魂，弄个清楚！”
A flicker of malice flashed in Li Fan's eyes, but quickly subsided as he forcefully suppressed the thought.
lǐ fán yǎn zhōng lì qì yī shǎn ér shì 。
李凡眼中戾气一闪而逝。
Although Yin Senior only appeared to have Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation, there were too many strange things about him.
bù guò hěn kuài ， zhè ge niàn tou jiù bèi qí qiáng xíng yā xià 。
不过很快，这个念头就被其强行压下。
He couldn't completely rule out the possibility that he was feigning weakness to trap others. If Li Fan forcibly probed his mind, it might backfire on him.
suī rán zhè yīn shàng rén ， biǎo miàn kàn shàng qù zhǐ yǒu zhù jī xiū wèi 。
虽然这殷上人，表面看上去只有筑基修为。
"I'll hold my tongue!"
dàn shì tā de shēn shàng ， tòu lù chū zhǒng zhǒng guǐ yì 。
但是他的身上，透露出种种诡异。
With the Xuanhuang Realm teeming with hidden elders, Li Fan grimaced as he recalled the recent setbacks from both Ruo Mu and the Heavenly Physician.
bù néng wán quán pái chú ， tā bàn zhū chī hǔ de xián yí 。 rú guǒ zì jǐ qiáng xíng sōu hún ， fǎn dào shì yǒu kě néng bèi qí fǎn zhì 。
不能完全排除，他扮猪吃虎的嫌疑。如果自己强行搜魂，反倒是有可能被其反制。
He took a deep breath to calm himself down.
“ rěn le ！”
“忍了！”
"Continue monitoring. I hope to see the truth before he immolates himself."
xuán huáng jiè wēi jī sì fú ， yǐn cáng de dà lǎo tài duō 。
玄黄界危机四伏，隐藏的大老太多。
For some time, Li Fan first resurrected his clone.
zuì jìn jiē lián zāo dào ruò mù hé tiān yī shuāng chóng dǎ jī de lǐ fán ， liǎn chōu le chōu ， bù yóu de shēn xī le kǒu qì ， píng xī zì jǐ nèi xīn de zào dòng 。
最近接连遭到若木和天医双重打击的李凡，脸抽了抽，不由得深吸了口气，平息自己内心的躁动。
To do this, he returned to Cunyun Sea and dug up the coffin of Zhou Qingang.
“ jì xù jiān shì ba ， xī wàng zài tā zì fén qián ， néng kuī shì dào zhēn xiàng 。”
“继续监视吧，希望在他自焚前，能窥视到真相。”
Looking at the still sleeping Zhou Qingang with a smile on his face in the illusion, Li Fan coldly snorted.
jiē xià lái yī duàn shí jiān ， lǐ fán shǒu xiān chóng xīn bǎ fēn shēn jì liàn le chū lái 。
接下来一段时间，李凡首先重新把分身祭练了出来。
"Maybe it's better not knowing."
wèi cǐ ， hái tè dì chóng fǎn le yī tàng cóng yún hǎi dǐ ， jiāng mái zàng zhōu qīng áng de guān cái gěi chóng xīn wā le chū lái 。
为此，还特地重返了一趟丛云海底，将埋葬周青昂的棺材给重新挖了出来。
This time, he extracted more blood and added some spirit stones into the stone coffin to maintain his vitality before burying him again.
kàn zhe yī rán chén jìn zài huàn mèng zhōng ， shú shuì bù zhǐ 、 liǎn shàng xiào róng fú xiàn de zhōu qīng áng ， lǐ fán lěng hēng yī shēng 。
看着依然沉浸在幻梦中，熟睡不止、脸上笑容浮现的周青昂，李凡冷哼一声。
He then recreated his clone.
“ shén me dōu bù zhī dào ， kě néng yě shì zhǒng xìng fú ba 。”
“什么都不知道，可能也是种幸福吧。”
All the previous items carried by the clone were reduced to ashes.
zhè cì duō chōu qǔ le jǐ fèn jīng xuè ， yòu zài shí zhì guān cái zhōng bǔ chōng duī fàng le xiē líng shí ， wéi chí tā de shēng jī 。
这次多抽取了几份精血，又在石制棺材中补充堆放了些灵石，维持他的生机。
After returning to Cunyun City, there would be some trouble.
】
】
But overall, it was a minor issue that wouldn't affect the grand scheme of things.
zhè cái chóng xīn jiāng qí mái zàng 。
这才重新将其埋葬。
As his clone rushed back to Cunyun City, Li Fan stood on the sea surface and gazed at the sky.
qīng chē shú lù ， zài dù liàn zhì chū fēn shēn 。
轻车熟路，再度炼制出分身。
The [Heavenly Earth Dice] suddenly appeared in his hand, with light flickering across its surface.
zhǐ shì fēn shēn zhī qián xié dài de zhǒng zhǒng ， jǐn jiē huà zuò fēi huī 。
只是分身之前携带的种种，尽皆化作飞灰。
Soon, Li Fan understood.
huí cóng yún chéng hòu ， bù miǎn yào yǒu yī fān má fán 。
回丛云城后，不免要有一番麻烦。
"As predicted, the date of the Crimson Flame Sea's destruction seems to be significantly advanced."
bù guò zǒng de lái shuō ， dōu shì xiǎo shì ， bù yǐng xiǎng dà jú 。
不过总的来说，都是小事，不影响大局。
"..."
fēn shēn gǎn huí cóng yún chéng de tóng shí ， lǐ fán běn zūn yì lì yú hǎi miàn zhī shàng ， tái tóu níng shì zhe cāng qióng 。
分身赶回丛云城的同时，李凡本尊屹立于海面之上，抬头凝视着苍穹。
"The Heavens?"
shǒu zhōng 【 tiān dì qián kūn tóu 】 zhà rán fú xiàn ， qí shàng guāng yǐng biàn huàn 。
手中【天地乾坤骰】乍然浮现，其上光影变幻。
After much contemplation, Li Fan shook his head silently.
bù jiǔ zhī hòu ， lǐ fán xīn zhōng liǎo rán 。
不久之后，李凡心中了然。
"Better if it comes sooner. It will burn all traces away."
“ gēn zhī qián yù cè de yī yàng ， sì hū chì yán fén hǎi de rì qī ， yào dà fú dù tí qián le 。”
“跟之前预测的一样，似乎赤炎焚海的日期，要大幅度提前了。”
"Should I release Mo Shi again...?"
“……”
“……”
Li Fan recalled his plan for Heavenly Sun Immortal.
“ tiān zì bèi me 。”
“天字辈么。”
"I'll ask him when the time comes."
lǐ fán sī cǔn xǔ jiǔ ， zuì zhōng hái shì àn zì yáo le yáo tóu 。
李凡思忖许久，最终还是暗自摇了摇头。
"It's a choice between becoming a divine spirit forever or taking a chance at unification. Let him decide."
“ lái de kuài diǎn yě hǎo ， jiāng yī qiè hén jì fén jǐn 。”
“来的快点也好，将一切痕迹焚尽。”
"But according to his nature, I estimate he will choose the latter with high probability."
“ zhì yú yào bù yào zài fàng chū mò shā ……”
“至于要不要再放出墨杀……”
A moment later, Li Fan's thoughts paused.
lǐ fán xiǎng qǐ le zhī qián duì tiān yáng zhēn rén de dǎ suàn 。
李凡想起了之前对天阳真人的打算。
"I always thought that after refining the Crimson Flame and successfully achieving unification, facing Mo Shi would be a death sentence."
“ dào shí hòu wèn wèn tā hǎo le 。”
“到时候问问他好了。”
"But Heavenly Sun is special. He has already died once before."
“ shì yī bèi zi de huà shén ， hái shì bó yī bó hé dào de jī huì ， jiù ràng tā zì jǐ qù xuǎn ba 。”
“是一辈子的化神，还是搏一搏合道的机会，就让他自己去选吧。”
"Now, he’s more of a puppet with a fragment of his will attached rather than a living being."
“ bù guò ， àn zhào tā 【 tiān yáng yī shēng 、 bù ruò yú rén 】 xìng zi ， wǒ gū jì tā shí yǒu bā jiǔ huì xuǎn zé hòu zhě ba 。”
“不过，按照他【天阳一生、不弱于人】性子，我估计他十有八九会选择后者吧。”
"There might still be a chance to escape."
shǎo qǐng ， lǐ fán sī xù hū de yī dùn 。
少顷，李凡思绪忽的一顿。
"Mo Shi's world-destroying incursions have always been confined within the Cunyun Sea. If he flees far away..."
“ zhī qián wǒ zǒng rèn wéi ， jì liàn chì yán 、 chéng gōng hé dào yǐ hòu ， duì shàng mò shā ， shì bì sǐ de jú miàn 。”
“之前我总认为，祭炼赤炎、成功合道以后，对上墨杀，是必死的局面。”
Li Fan was quite interested in having a combat-ready henchman with unification power.
“ dàn tiān yáng tā yǒu xiē tè shū 。 tā běn jiù sǐ guò yī cì le 。”
“但天阳他有些特殊。他本就死过一次了。”
Originally, Mo Shi had seemed invincible to Li Fan.
“ xiàn zài de tā ， yǔ qí shuō shì shēng mìng tǐ ， bù rú shuō shì fù zhuó le yī sī tiān yáng zhí niàn de kuǐ lěi 。”
“现在的他，与其说是生命体，不如说是附着了一丝天阳执念的傀儡。”
But after seeing the true strength of the Heavenly Physician, his viewpoint subtly changed.
“ wèi bì méi yǒu táo dé yī mìng de jī huì 。”
“未必没有逃得一命的机会。”
The Heaven's Defying Sword could still engage in prolonged battle against Mo Shi despite its remnants.
“ mò shā jǐ cì miè shì ， dōu shì jú xiàn zài cóng yún hǎi de fàn wéi zhī nèi 。 ruò shì yuǎn dùn ér chū ……”
“墨杀几次灭世，都是局限在丛云海的范围之内。若是远遁而出……”
This indicated that Mo Shi wasn't entirely unbeatable.
duì yú néng yǒu gè hé dào zhàn lì de dǎ shǒu ， lǐ fán hái shì shí fēn xīn dòng de 。
对于能有个合道战力的打手，李凡还是十分心动的。
"It’s worth a try."
yuán lái lǐ fán de guān niàn zhōng ， mò shā jī hū shì děng tóng yú wú dí bān de cún zài 。
原来李凡的观念中，墨杀几乎是等同于无敌般的存在。
"Even if it fails, there's no loss."
bù guò zài jiàn dào le tiān yī de zhēn zhèng shí lì hòu ， zhè yī guān diǎn qiǎo rán fā shēng le gǎi biàn 。
不过在见到了天医的真正实力后，这一观点悄然发生了改变。
So Li Fan decided to proceed.
tiān shā cán jiàn ， shàng qiě néng zài mò shā miè shì zhōng gēn qí áo zhàn xǔ jiǔ 。
天煞残剑，尚且能在墨杀灭世中跟其鏖战许久。
With a finger calculation, he realized it was now the 15th year of anchoring.
shuō míng mò shā ， yě bìng fēi bù kě pǐ dí 。
说明墨杀，也并非不可匹敌。
The Crimson Flame would soon descend; preparations needed to be made early.
“ kě yǐ yī shì 。”
“可以一试。”
"The 15th year..."
“ shī bài le yě bù sǔn shī shén me 。”
“失败了也不损失什么。”
Li Fan suddenly felt a stir in his mind and pondered for a moment before taking out a communication spirit token from his storage ring to contact Jiao Xiuyuan.
yú shì lǐ fán jué dìng xià lái 。
于是李凡决定下来。
To his surprise, Jiao Xiuyuan refused the call.
qiā zhǐ yī suàn ， cǐ shí yǐ jīng shì máo dìng 15 nián le 。
掐指一算，此时已经是锚定15年了。
After a while, Li Fan tried again.
chì yán hěn kuài jí jiāng jiàng shì ， yào zǎo zuò zhǔn bèi cái shì 。
赤炎很快即将降世，要早做准备才是。
Jiao Xiuyuan rejected him once more.
“ máo dìng 15 nián ……”
“锚定15年……”
Li Fan wasn't angry but didn’t let go easily.
lǐ fán hū de xīn zhōng yī dòng ， chén yín piàn kè ， cóng chǔ wù jiè zhōng qǔ chū tōng xùn líng fú ， lián xì qǐ jiāo xiū yuǎn qǐ lái 。
李凡忽的心中一动，沉吟片刻，从储物戒中取出通讯灵符，联系起焦修远起来。
After six attempts, Jiao Xiuyuan finally answered.
bù céng xiǎng dào ， jiāo xiū yuǎn jū rán jù jiē le 。
不曾想到，焦修远居然拒接了。
"Hmph, Jiao Senior has become successful recently? You're now turning your back on me?" Li Fan coldly remarked.
guò le piàn kè ， lǐ fán zài dù fā qǐ lián xì 。
过了片刻，李凡再度发起联系。
"No, no. I was just too busy with something important!" Jiao Xiuyuan complained.
jiāo xiū yuǎn yòu jù jué le 。
焦修远又拒绝了。
"Your excuse is rather lame. Who doesn’t know you have countlessincarnations? If one clone has an issue, do all a million clones have issues?" Li Fan said doubtfully.
lǐ fán yě bù nǎo nù ， bù yī bù shě 。
李凡也不恼怒，不依不舍。
"Heh, Senior Friend truly possesses divine foresight! You actually knew I was about to breakthrough recently?" Jiao Xiuyuan asked in surprise.
rú cǐ ， liù cì zhī hòu ， jiāo xiū yuǎn cái zhōng yú jiē tōng le chuán xùn 。
如此，六次之后，焦修远才终于接通了传讯。
Li Fan fell silent for a moment.
“ hēng ， jiāo dào yǒu zuì jìn shì fā dá le ？ rú jīn fān liǎn bù rèn rén le ？” lǐ fán lěng hēng yī shēng 。
“哼，焦道友最近是发达了？如今翻脸不认人了？”李凡冷哼一声。
"Haha. But this time's promotion will be more challenging than expected. Without other opportunities, it might take much longer," Jiao Xiuyuan said with regret.
“ nǎ yǒu ， nǎ yǒu ， gāng gāng shí zài shì zhòng yào de shì ， chōu bù kāi shēn a ！” jiāo xiū yuǎn wěi qū de shuō dào 。
“哪有，哪有，刚刚实在是重要的事，抽不开身啊！”焦修远委屈的说道。
"Oh? How so?" Li Fan casually asked.
Back then, when Li Fan faced Zhao Senior Sister during his travels with the Five Elders Association and the illusion shattered, he had felt a chill akin to confronting the vastness of the heavens.
The Heavenly Physician was indeed formidable, but it didn't give Li Fan that same feeling.
Even the massive hands that instantly suppressed the Fisher Father and Master only made him feel the sheer power, without any fundamental transformation.
This was an instinctive perception of a cultivator, something beyond explanation.
But Li Fan felt that this should be true.
"Regardless of whether the Heavenly Physician is currently in the Longevity Realm or not, he has shown his actual combat strength that makes even the Longevity Realm take notice."
"In front of such cultivators, all cannon fodder becomes meaningless."
"The Five Heavens Sages definitely won't personally intervene, so the war was called off."
Li Fan pondered deeply.
Thinking about the scene where the Heavenly Physician appeared and how it would influence the historical course of the Xuanhuang Realm, suddenly, a long-unyielding, unfruitful killing intent from the Formless realm resounded.
"Hm?"
Li Fan's mind stirred as his attention instantly spanned millions of miles to the Yuanyin Island, where Yin Senior was located.
After much research on the Immortal-Demon Mist, he seemed to have finally discovered something.
Now, he lay dazed and helpless on the ground.
"No, no, no. I must be mistaken."
"This is impossible!"
The shock and fear on Yin Senior's face were evident.
As if he had discovered a fact that was too hard for him to accept, he frantically pulled at his hair, desperately trying to calm down.
"No, no, no!"
But he couldn't control himself.
The discovery seemed to have shaken his core beliefs so much that he nearly went mad.
He repeatedly hit the ground with his head, ignoring the blood streaming down.
After an indeterminate amount of time, his face was a bloody mess, making it hard to discern his expression.
"I must be mistaken. How could such people exist in this world?"
"How could he possibly be like that!"
"Start over!"
As if finding hope, Yin Senior quickly got up and ignored the blood on his face.
He released several more ordinary test subjects, extracted the Immortal-Demon Mist from their bodies, and began to study it again.
...
"This Yin Senior is acting crazy. I wonder what he discovered."
Li Fan frowned.
"Another riddle man."
"Why not just probe his mind for clarity?"
A flicker of malice flashed in Li Fan's eyes, but quickly subsided as he forcefully suppressed the thought.
Although Yin Senior only appeared to have Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation, there were too many strange things about him.
He couldn't completely rule out the possibility that he was feigning weakness to trap others. If Li Fan forcibly probed his mind, it might backfire on him.
"I'll hold my tongue!"
With the Xuanhuang Realm teeming with hidden elders, Li Fan grimaced as he recalled the recent setbacks from both Ruo Mu and the Heavenly Physician.
He took a deep breath to calm himself down.
"Continue monitoring. I hope to see the truth before he immolates himself."
For some time, Li Fan first resurrected his clone.
To do this, he returned to Cunyun Sea and dug up the coffin of Zhou Qingang.
Looking at the still sleeping Zhou Qingang with a smile on his face in the illusion, Li Fan coldly snorted.
"Maybe it's better not knowing."
This time, he extracted more blood and added some spirit stones into the stone coffin to maintain his vitality before burying him again.
He then recreated his clone.
All the previous items carried by the clone were reduced to ashes.
After returning to Cunyun City, there would be some trouble.
But overall, it was a minor issue that wouldn't affect the grand scheme of things.
As his clone rushed back to Cunyun City, Li Fan stood on the sea surface and gazed at the sky.
The [Heavenly Earth Dice] suddenly appeared in his hand, with light flickering across its surface.
Soon, Li Fan understood.
"As predicted, the date of the Crimson Flame Sea's destruction seems to be significantly advanced."
"..."
"The Heavens?"
After much contemplation, Li Fan shook his head silently.
"Better if it comes sooner. It will burn all traces away."
"Should I release Mo Shi again...?"
Li Fan recalled his plan for Heavenly Sun Immortal.
"I'll ask him when the time comes."
"It's a choice between becoming a divine spirit forever or taking a chance at unification. Let him decide."
"But according to his nature, I estimate he will choose the latter with high probability."
A moment later, Li Fan's thoughts paused.
"I always thought that after refining the Crimson Flame and successfully achieving unification, facing Mo Shi would be a death sentence."
"But Heavenly Sun is special. He has already died once before."
"Now, he’s more of a puppet with a fragment of his will attached rather than a living being."
"There might still be a chance to escape."
"Mo Shi's world-destroying incursions have always been confined within the Cunyun Sea. If he flees far away..."
Li Fan was quite interested in having a combat-ready henchman with unification power.
Originally, Mo Shi had seemed invincible to Li Fan.
But after seeing the true strength of the Heavenly Physician, his viewpoint subtly changed.
The Heaven's Defying Sword could still engage in prolonged battle against Mo Shi despite its remnants.
This indicated that Mo Shi wasn't entirely unbeatable.
"It’s worth a try."
"Even if it fails, there's no loss."
So Li Fan decided to proceed.
With a finger calculation, he realized it was now the 15th year of anchoring.
The Crimson Flame would soon descend; preparations needed to be made early.
"The 15th year..."
Li Fan suddenly felt a stir in his mind and pondered for a moment before taking out a communication spirit token from his storage ring to contact Jiao Xiuyuan.
To his surprise, Jiao Xiuyuan refused the call.
After a while, Li Fan tried again.
Jiao Xiuyuan rejected him once more.
Li Fan wasn't angry but didn’t let go easily.
After six attempts, Jiao Xiuyuan finally answered.
"Hmph, Jiao Senior has become successful recently? You're now turning your back on me?" Li Fan coldly remarked.
"No, no. I was just too busy with something important!" Jiao Xiuyuan complained.
"Your excuse is rather lame. Who doesn’t know you have countlessincarnations? If one clone has an issue, do all a million clones have issues?" Li Fan said doubtfully.
"Heh, Senior Friend truly possesses divine foresight! You actually knew I was about to breakthrough recently?" Jiao Xiuyuan asked in surprise.
Li Fan fell silent for a moment.
"Haha. But this time's promotion will be more challenging than expected. Without other opportunities, it might take much longer," Jiao Xiuyuan said with regret.
"Oh? How so?" Li Fan casually asked.