“ rú guǒ zhēn yǒu tiān dōu zhuì luò ， nà me yí dìng shì hòu lái zhě wèi le miǎn huái ér dǎ zào de páng zhì pǐn 。” fāng zài jì rú cǐ shuō dào 。
“如果真有天都坠落，那么一定是后来者为了缅怀而打造的彷制品。”方再济如此说道。
"If the Heavenly Pillar really fell, it must have been crafted by a later arrival to commemorate its fall," Fang Zaiji said.
lǐ fán suī rán biǎo miàn diǎn tóu tóng yì ， xīn zhōng què shì zì yǒu lìng wài de xiǎng fǎ 。
李凡虽然表面点头同意，心中却是自有另外的想法。
Li Fan nodded outwardly in agreement but had his own thoughts. Although Fang Zaiji repeatedly emphasized that the shadow within the Heavenly Pillar was boundless and undoubtedly an actual Immortal, this entire matter exuded a strange aura from start to finish.
suī rán fāng zài jì kǒu kǒu shēng shēng ， tiān dōu zhōng nà dào xū yǐng yǒu zhe wú qióng ào miào 、 shì zhēn xiān wú yí 。 dàn zhè jiàn shì cóng shǐ zhì zhōng jiù tòu lù chū jǐ fēn guǐ yì de qì xī 。
虽然方再济口口声声，天都中那道虚影有着无穷奥妙、是真仙无疑。但这件事从始至终就透露出几分诡异的气息。
After the Immortal Path was severed for many years, how could there be true Immortals passing through the Xuanhuang Realm? Moreover, facing cultivators like ants, they would still proactively impart teachings and bestow techniques.
xiān lù duàn jué hòu xǔ duō nián ， jū rán huì yǒu zhēn xiān lù guò xuán huáng jiè 。 ér qiě miàn duì lóu yǐ yì bān de xiū xiān zhě men ， hái huì zhǔ dòng jiǎng dào 、 shòu fǎ 。
仙路断绝后许多年，居然会有真仙路过玄黄界。而且面对蝼蚁一般的修仙者们，还会主动讲道、授法。
How many cultivators passed by ordinary cities and actually descended to teach cultivation methods?
men xīn zì wèn ， yǒu duō shǎo xiū xiān zhě lù guò fán rén chéng chí hòu ， huì hǎo xīn de jiàng xià ， ér qiě hái wèi tā men chuán shòu xiū xiān zhī fǎ ？
们心自问，有多少修仙者路过凡人城池后，会好心的降下，而且还为他们传授修仙之法？
Probably, as with Suoxiong, casually slaughtering humans with a single sword and showing no concern was the norm.
】
】
For these rashly appearing cultivators, not killing them was already generous. How could they be so kind as to impart teachings?
kǒng pà xiàng shuò fēng nà bān ， suí yì yī jiàn jiāng fán rén dōu tú lù dài jìn 、 ér qiě hái háo bù zài yì ， cái shì cháng tài 。
恐怕像朔锋那般，随意一剑将凡人都屠戮殆尽、而且还毫不在意，才是常态。
Moreover, if what Fang Zaiji said was true, that shadow of the Heavenly Pillar clearly had issues. The act of teaching might not have been intentional but a spontaneous behavior.
duì yú mào shī shàng mén de xiū xiān zhě men ， bù dǎ shā jiù bù cuò le 。 zěn me huì hái hǎo xīn chuán dào ？
对于冒失上门的修仙者们，不打杀就不错了。怎么会还好心传道？
Thus, the child standing beside the Heavenly Pillar who only ever took action from the start—also known as the Great Sage of the Heavenly Pillar—seemed suspicious.
ér qiě ， rú guǒ fāng zài jì suǒ yán shǔ shí ， nà dào tiān dōu shēn yǐng míng xiǎn yǒu zhe wèn tí 。 jiǎng dào huò xǔ bú shì tā yǒu yì wèi zhī ， ér shì yī zhǒng zì fā de xíng wéi 。
而且，如果方再济所言属实，那道天都身影明显有着问题。讲道或许不是它有意为之，而是一种自发的行为。
"Perhaps this person was drawn by the Immortal Wasteland and forced to descend into the Xuanhuang Realm. His true strength might not be that of an actual Immortal, but the Xuantian Sect failed to capture the Heavenly Pillar back then, so he must have been no weakling. At least half a step below True Immortal."
nà me ， zài tiān dōu shēn yǐng páng chù lì 、 cóng shǐ zhì zhōng zhǐ yǒu tā yī rén chū guò shǒu de nà wèi tóng zi ， yě jiù shì tiān dōu dà fǎ shī ， jiù xiǎn de shí fēn kě yí le 。
那么，在天都身影旁矗立、从始至终只有他一人出过手的那位童子，也就是天都大法师，就显得十分可疑了。
"Perhaps allowing the Ten Daoist Sects' cultivators into the Heavenly Pillar was just to cause trouble for the Xuantian Sect. After all, Immortals would care about things of their own level."
“ huò xǔ cǐ rén ， shì bèi xiān xū xī yǐn 、 bèi pò jiàng lín dào xuán huáng jiè 。 ér tā de zhēn zhèng shí lì ， yě wèi bì néng suàn dé shàng shì xiān rén 。 bù guò ， dāng chū xuán tiān jiào méi néng jiāng tiān dōu ná xià ， yě dìng rán bù ruò jiù shì 。 zuì qǐ mǎ yě shì bàn bù zhēn xiān zhī jìng ， hé xuán tiān jiào zhōng de 【 xuán tiān wáng 】 xiāng dāng 。”
“或许此人，是被仙墟吸引、被迫降临到玄黄界。而他的真正实力，也未必能算得上是仙人。不过，当初玄天教没能将天都拿下，也定然不弱就是。最起码也是半步真仙之境，和玄天教中的【玄天王】相当。”
"Immortal Spirit Qi?"
“ ér ràng xiān dào shí zōng de xiū shì jìn rù tiān dōu ， huò xǔ zhǐ shì wèi le gěi xuán tiān jiào zhǎo diǎn má fán 。 bì jìng ， xiān rén huì zài yì de ， yīng gāi shì tóng yī gè děng jí de dōng xī 。”
“而让仙道十宗的修士进入天都，或许只是为了给玄天教找点麻烦。毕竟，仙人会在意的，应该是同一个等级的东西。”
Almost instantaneously, Li Fan, as a conspiracy theorist, imagined a grand drama.
“ xiān líng zhī qì ?”
“仙灵之气?”
Although these were unfounded guesses, one thing could be confirmed: the anomaly in Source Dao Province was likely related to the Heavenly Pillar.
jī hū shì chà nà jiān ， lǐ fán jiù yǐ yīn móu lùn zhě de shēn fèn ， nǎo bǔ chū le yī cháng dà xì 。
几乎是刹那间，李凡就以阴谋论者的身份，脑补出了一场大戏。
"Since we are both descendants of the Heavenly Pillar's purple aura, why don't you check out Source Dao Province?" Li Fan asked tentatively.
suī rán jiē shì méi yǒu gēn jù de cāi cè ， dàn yǒu yì diǎn xiàn zài jī hū kě yǐ kěn dìng 。 yuán dào zhōu de yì cháng ， yīng gāi jiù gēn tiān dōu tuō bù liǎo gān xì 。
虽然皆是没有根据的猜测，但有一点现在几乎可以肯定。源道州的异常，应该就跟天都脱不了干系。
Fang Zaiji shook his head repeatedly. "Haha, no need for that. A Convergence Sage who has lived for thousands of years is definitely more powerful than me. I would be like a lamb to the slaughter. Let's focus on our main task."
“ tóng shì tiān dōu zǐ qì de chuán rén ， xiān shēng bù qù yuán dào zhōu kàn kàn ？” lǐ fán shì tàn xìng de wèn dào 。
“同是天都紫气的传人，先生不去源道州看看？”李凡试探性的问道。
Li Fan smiled and nodded. After this little detour, they spent another half day before finally reaching the border of Stone Arrival Province.
fāng zài jì lián lián yáo tóu ：“ hē hē ， hái shì miǎn le 。 huó le jǐ qiān duō nián de hé dào ， kě jué duì bǐ wǒ lì hài le duō 。 wǒ guò qù qǐ bù shì yáng rù hǔ kǒu ？ zōng zhǔ ， zán men hái shì qù bàn zhèng shì ba 。”
方再济连连摇头：“呵呵，还是免了。活了几千多年的合道，可绝对比我厉害了多。我过去岂不是羊入虎口？宗主，咱们还是去办正事吧。”
The scene in front of them made Li Fan’s eyes widen in shock.
lǐ fán wēi wēi yī xiào ， diǎn le diǎn tóu 。
李凡微微一笑，点了点头。
From afar, the land was deeply sunken and blackened. Everywhere were flowing black lava, giving off an apocalyptic atmosphere.
jīng guò zhè yī duàn xiǎo chā qǔ ， liǎng rén yòu guò le dà bàn tiān ， zhōng yú lái dào le shí lín zhōu biān jìng 。
经过这一段小插曲，两人又过了大半天，终于来到了石临州边境。
Black molten fire would occasionally burst from beneath the ground, spreading into the air and baking everything to a crisp.
ér cǐ kè rù mù suǒ jiàn de chǎng jǐng ， ràng lǐ fán tóng kǒng wēi suō 。
而此刻入目所见的场景，让李凡童孔微缩。
What alarmed Li Fan even more were the numerous dark voids scattered on both the ground and in the sky of this charred basin. They looked like rotten apples, full of decay.
yuǎn tiào wàng qù ， dà dì shēn xiàn 、 jiāo hēi yī piàn 。 dào chù dōu shì liú dòng de hēi sè róng yán ， zhěng gè wǎn rú mò shì de qì xī 。
远眺望去，大地深陷、焦黑一片。到处都是流动的黑色熔岩，整个宛如末世的气息。
Moreover, he noticed that these black void regions weren’t completely static; they seemed to have their own life, slowly moving towards surrounding areas or suddenly jumping to another spot, swallowing everything within their reach.
bù shí gèng huì yǒu yī dào dào hēi sè róng huǒ zì dì dǐ pēn bó ér chū ， zài kōng zhōng yì sàn kāi lái ， jiāng kōng qì hōng kǎo de zhì rè 、 niǔ qū 。
不时更会有一道道黑色熔火自地底喷薄而出，在空中溢散开来，将空气烘烤的炙热、扭曲。
Even a Convergence Sage like Fang Zaiji was visibly serious in the face of this terrifying scene.
gèng ràng lǐ fán gǎn dào xīn jīng ròu tiào de shì ， zhè jiāo hēi pén dì de dì miàn 、 kōng zhōng ， dōu bù guī lǜ de fēn sàn zhe xǔ xǔ duō duō qī hēi yī piàn de kōng dòng 。
更让李凡感到心惊肉跳的是，这焦黑盆地的地面、空中，都不规律的分散着许许多多漆黑一片的空洞。
"Master, are we really going in?" he hesitantly asked.
jiù xiàng bèi zhù shí de píng guǒ bān ， mǎn mù chuāng yí 。
就像被蛀食的苹果般，满目疮痍。
Li Fan didn’t answer immediately but carefully observed for a while. "If we’re careful, it shouldn’t be an issue. The void caverns’ jumps appear random but follow certain rules. They only jump to relatively empty areas and avoid existing caverns."
ér qiě ， lǐ fán hái fā xiàn ， zhè xiē qī hēi de xū wú qū yù ， bú shì wán quán jìng zhǐ de 。 ér shì hǎo sì yǒu zhe zì jǐ de shēng mìng yì bān ， jì huì màn màn cháo zhe zhōu wéi rú dòng 、 yě huì hū rán jiān tiào yuè dào lìng wài yī chù dì diǎn 。 yī kǒu jiāng lǒng zhào qū yù nèi de yī qiè wù zhì tūn xià 。
而且，李凡还发现，这些漆黑的虚无区域，不是完全静止的。而是好似有着自己的生命一般，既会慢慢朝着周围蠕动、也会忽然间跳跃到另外一处地点。一口将笼罩区域内的一切物质吞下。
"So just keep a safe distance from the void caverns and proceed."
miàn duì zhè pǒ wèi hài rén de chǎng jǐng ， jiù lián hé dào jìng jiè de fāng zài jì ， yě shì miàn sè níng zhòng 。
面对这颇为骇人的场景，就连合道境界的方再济，也是面色凝重。
"Besides, we still have the True Cauldron of Medicine King."
“ zōng zhǔ ， zhēn de yào qù me 。” tā yǒu xiē yóu yù de wèn dào 。
“宗主，真的要去么。”他有些犹豫的问道。
Saying this, Li Fan threw the True Cauldron of Medicine King towards one of the dark voids.
lǐ fán méi yǒu mǎ shàng huí dá ， ér shì zǐ xì guān chá le xǔ jiǔ 。
李凡没有马上回答，而是仔细观察了许久。
"Master!" Fang Zaiji whispered in alarm.
“ xiǎo xīn diǎn de huà ， yīng gāi wèn tí bù dà 。 nà xiē xū kōng róng dòng de tiào zhuǎn kàn shàng qù háo wú guī lǜ ， shí zé zūn xún yí dìng de guī zé 。 zhǐ huì tiào yuè dào xiāng duì kòng bái de qū yù ， ér bú huì jiē jìn yuán běn jiù yǒu de róng dòng suǒ zài 。”
“小心点的话，应该问题不大。那些虚空溶洞的跳转看上去毫无规律，实则遵循一定的规则。只会跳跃到相对空白的区域，而不会接近原本就有的溶洞所在。”
The True Cauldron of Medicine King emitted a yellowish light that enveloped him. In the midst of nothingness, though the light gradually dimmed, it still held for several breaths.
“ suǒ yǐ zhǐ xū gēn xū kōng róng dòng bǎo chí yí dìng de jù lí ， yī lù qián xíng jiù kě yǐ le 。”
“所以只需跟虚空溶洞保持一定的距离，一路前行就可以了。”
"See? Even if we mistakenly enter, this long enough to escape," Li Fan said with a smile as he called back the True Cauldron of Medicine King.
“ kuàng qiě ， bú shì hái yǒu yào wáng zhēn dǐng me 。”
“况且，不是还有药王真鼎么。”
"You’re too optimistic, Master. What if something happens to the True Cauldron of Medicine King?" Fang Zaiji muttered.
shuō zhe ， lǐ fán jiāng yào wáng dǐng cháo zhe bù yuǎn chù de yī piàn qī hēi kōng dòng rēng le guò qù 。
说着，李凡将药王鼎朝着不远处的一片漆黑空洞扔了过去。
"Don’t worry. If that happens, I’m sure you can still forge another one for our Medicine King Sect," Li Fan said nonchalantly.
“ zōng zhǔ ！” fāng zài jì xiǎo shēng jīng hū dào 。
“宗主！”方再济小声惊呼道。
Fang Zaiji’s face brightened at this and stopped complaining as he followed Li Fan to use the True Cauldron of Medicine King to fly into the charred basin.
zhǐ jiàn yào wáng dǐng fā chū tǔ huáng sè guāng máng ， lǒng zhào jǐ shēn 。 zài yī piàn xū wú zhōng ， suī rán guāng huá zhú jiàn àn dàn ， dàn réng rán jiān chí le shí jǐ xī de shí jiān 。
只见药王鼎发出土黄色光芒，笼罩己身。在一片虚无中，虽然光华逐渐暗澹，但仍然坚持了十几息的时间。
Li Fan identified his direction, carefully navigating towards the location in his memory.
“ nǐ kàn ， jiù suàn wù rù ， zhè me zhǎng shí jiān de yě zú gòu wǒ men táo chū lái le 。” jiāng yào wáng zhēn dǐng huàn huí ， lǐ fán kàn zhe fāng zài jì ， xiào zhe shuō dào 。
“你看，就算误入，这么长时间的也足够我们逃出来了。”将药王真鼎唤回，李凡看着方再济，笑着说道。
"Truly terrifying. I wonder how a peaceful sea could suffer such calamity," Fang Zaiji muttered, looking around. "Back then, we never had anything like this happen. Judging by the trend, it seems the heavens want to completely destroy this place."
“ zōng zhǔ nǐ xīn yě tài dà le ， wàn yī yào wáng zhēn dǐng yǒu gè shǎn shī ， nà gāi rú hé shì hǎo 。” fāng zài jì dōu nāng dào 。
“宗主你心也太大了，万一药王真鼎有个闪失，那该如何是好。”方再济都囔道。
Li Fan remained silent.
“ bú shì hái yǒu nín ma 。 jiù suàn yào wáng zhēn dǐng méi le ， xiǎng bì xiān shēng nín yě néng wèi wǒ men yào wáng zōng liàn zhì chū yī zūn xīn de lái 。” lǐ fán háo bù zài yì dào 。
“不是还有您嘛。就算药王真鼎没了，想必先生您也能为我们药王宗炼制出一尊新的来。”李凡毫不在意道。
The Congyun Sea was vast and wide, but to avoid the omnipresent void caverns, their flight speed was affected. It took them over thirty days to reach the entrance of the small world.
yī xí huà shuō de fāng zài jì méi kāi yǎn xiào ， yě bù zài luō suo ， gēn zhe lǐ fán yù shǐ zhe yào wáng dǐng ， fēi rù jiāo hēi pén dì zhī zhōng 。
一席话说的方再济眉开眼笑，也不再啰嗦，跟着李凡御使着药王鼎，飞入焦黑盆地之中。
However, the scene here made Li Fan’s expression turn grim.
lǐ fán biàn bié zhe fāng xiàng ， xiǎo xīn yì yì cháo zhe jì yì zhōng de wèi zhì shǐ qù 。
李凡辨别着方向，小心翼翼朝着记忆中的位置驶去。
The original entry point had been completely consumed by the void. The entrance passage no longer existed.
“ zhēn shì kě bù kě wèi ， bù zhī dào hǎo hǎo yī piàn hǎi ， zěn me huì zāo dào rú cǐ jié nàn 。” kàn zhe zhōu wéi de jǐng sè 、 fāng zài jì zé zé gǎn tàn ，“ wǒ men nà shí hòu ， kě cóng lái méi yǒu zhè yàng de shì qíng fā shēng 。 kàn zhè shì tou ， zhè shì tiān dì yào chè dǐ jiāng cǐ chù huǐ miè a 。”
“真是可怖可畏，不知道好好一片海，怎么会遭到如此劫难。”看着周围的景色、方再济啧啧感叹，“我们那时候，可从来没有这样的事情发生。看这势头，这是天地要彻底将此处毁灭啊。”
Li Fan pondered for a moment and recalled where Han Yi emerged from the small world was elsewhere.
lǐ fán zé shì chén mò bù yǔ 。
李凡则是沉默不语。
So he set off in that direction.
cóng yún hǎi yuán běn jiù kuān guǎng wú bǐ ， wèi le duǒ bì wú chǔ bù zài de xū kōng róng dòng ， fēi xíng qǐ lái sù dù gèng shì shòu dào yǐng xiǎng 。 yīn ér zú zú yòng le sān shí duō tiān ， lǐ fán tā men cái gǎn dào le yì shòu xiǎo shì jiè de rù kǒu chù 。
丛云海原本就宽广无比，为了躲避无处不在的虚空溶洞，飞行起来速度更是受到影响。因而足足用了三十多天，李凡他们才赶到了异兽小世界的入口处。
Fortunately, their luck was good this time; they weren’t within the range of the void caverns but hidden beneath the black lava.
rán ér cǐ chù de chǎng jǐng ， ràng lǐ fán miàn sè biàn dé yǒu xiē nán kàn 。
然而此处的场景，让李凡面色变得有些难看。
"Master, if we enter and the exit is consumed by the void, how will we return?" Fang Zaiji noticed the signs and stopped Li Fan just as he was about to enter. "It would be a problem."
yuán běn rù kǒu de wèi zhì ， yǐ jīng chè dǐ bèi xū kōng suǒ tūn shì 。 nà rù kǒu tōng dào ， zì rán yě shì bù cún zài le 。
原本入口的位置，已经彻底被虚空所吞噬。那入口通道，自然也是不存在了。
"It’s fine; I have prepared for this."
lǐ fán chén yín piàn kè ， xiǎng qǐ dāng chū hán yì cóng xiǎo shì jiè zhōng chū lái de dì fāng ， shì zài lìng wài yī chù 。
李凡沉吟片刻，想起当初韩易从小世界中出来的地方，是在另外一处。
Saying this, Li Fan cleaned up the black lava. Then, from his storage ring, he took out a thin piece of paper and gently pressed it onto the small world entrance.
yú shì dòng shēn qián wǎng 。
于是动身前往。
As if ink had been dropped on paper, intricate patterns slowly emerged.
hǎo zài zhè cì de yùn qì bù cuò ， méi yǒu chù zài xū kōng róng dòng de fàn wéi nèi ， zhǐ shì yǐn cáng zài qī hēi de róng yán zhī xià 。
好在这次的运气不错，没有处在虚空溶洞的范围内，只是隐藏在漆黑的熔岩之下。
"What is this?" Fang Zaiji’s eyes narrowed; he couldn’t immediately identify its origin.
“ zōng zhǔ ， yào shì wǒ men jìn rù hòu ， zhè chū kǒu bèi xū kōng tūn shì le zěn me bàn ？ nà qǐ bù shì wǒ men jiù wú fǎ fǎn huí le ？” fāng zài jì yě kàn chū le cǐ dì de duān ní ， zhèng dāng lǐ fán yào jìn rù qí zhōng de shí hòu ， tā hū de zǔ lán 、 chū shēng wèn dào 。
“宗主，要是我们进入后，这出口被虚空吞噬了怎么办？那岂不是我们就无法返回了？”方再济也看出了此地的端倪，正当李凡要进入其中的时候，他忽的阻拦、出声问道。
"This is the Stealing Star Easy Constellation Scroll. It can copy and record the spatial node data of this passage. Once we enter the small world, perform the same operation at the opposite entrance to establish a new passage."
“ wú fáng ， wǒ zǎo yǒu zhǔn bèi 。”
“无妨，我早有准备。”
After all the patterns on the Stealing Star Easy Constellation Scroll were complete, Li Fan took out a door-shaped talisman and threw it onto the thin paper.
shuō zhe ， lǐ fán jiāng qī hēi róng yán qīng lǐ gān jìng 。 suí hòu cóng chǔ wù jiè zhōng qǔ chū yī zhāng báo zhǐ ， cháo zhe xiǎo shì jiè rù kǒu qīng qīng àn xià 。
说着，李凡将漆黑熔岩清理干净。随后从储物戒中取出一张薄纸，朝着小世界入口轻轻按下。
The talisman formed a pale door.
fǎng fú yì diǎn mò shuǐ dī zài zhǐ shàng ， sī sī huā wén huǎn màn fú xiàn 。
仿佛一点墨水滴在纸上，丝丝花纹缓慢浮现。
"Young Master, we can connect from this side," Liu San’s voice faintly came from within the door.
“ zhè shì ……” fāng zài jì yǎn jīng wēi mī ， yī shí jìng rán méi néng kàn chū qí lái lì 。
“这是……”方再济眼睛微眯，一时竟然没能看出其来历。
Li Fan pointed lightly, and the Stealing Star Easy Constellation Scroll flew into the door.
“ tōu xīng yì sù jiān ， kě yǐ jiāng cǐ chù kōng jiān tōng dào jié diǎn shù jù jìn xíng fù zhì 、 jì lù 。 suí hòu zài jìn rù xiǎo shì jiè zhōng ， jiāng duì miàn de tōng dào rù kǒu jìn xíng tóng yàng cāo zuò ， jiù kě yǐ chóng xīn jiàn lì yī tiáo xīn de tōng dào 。”
“偷星易宿笺，可以将此处空间通道节点数据进行复制、记录。随后再进入小世界中，将对面的通道入口进行同样操作，就可以重新建立一条新的通道。”
"Mr. Fang, let's go. Old Liu will prepare to establish a new passage in the Everlasting Valley," Li Fan said.
"If the Heavenly Pillar really fell, it must have been crafted by a later arrival to commemorate its fall," Fang Zaiji said.
Li Fan nodded outwardly in agreement but had his own thoughts. Although Fang Zaiji repeatedly emphasized that the shadow within the Heavenly Pillar was boundless and undoubtedly an actual Immortal, this entire matter exuded a strange aura from start to finish.
After the Immortal Path was severed for many years, how could there be true Immortals passing through the Xuanhuang Realm? Moreover, facing cultivators like ants, they would still proactively impart teachings and bestow techniques.
How many cultivators passed by ordinary cities and actually descended to teach cultivation methods?
Probably, as with Suoxiong, casually slaughtering humans with a single sword and showing no concern was the norm.
For these rashly appearing cultivators, not killing them was already generous. How could they be so kind as to impart teachings?
Moreover, if what Fang Zaiji said was true, that shadow of the Heavenly Pillar clearly had issues. The act of teaching might not have been intentional but a spontaneous behavior.
Thus, the child standing beside the Heavenly Pillar who only ever took action from the start—also known as the Great Sage of the Heavenly Pillar—seemed suspicious.
"Perhaps this person was drawn by the Immortal Wasteland and forced to descend into the Xuanhuang Realm. His true strength might not be that of an actual Immortal, but the Xuantian Sect failed to capture the Heavenly Pillar back then, so he must have been no weakling. At least half a step below True Immortal."
"Perhaps allowing the Ten Daoist Sects' cultivators into the Heavenly Pillar was just to cause trouble for the Xuantian Sect. After all, Immortals would care about things of their own level."
"Immortal Spirit Qi?"
Almost instantaneously, Li Fan, as a conspiracy theorist, imagined a grand drama.
Although these were unfounded guesses, one thing could be confirmed: the anomaly in Source Dao Province was likely related to the Heavenly Pillar.
"Since we are both descendants of the Heavenly Pillar's purple aura, why don't you check out Source Dao Province?" Li Fan asked tentatively.
Fang Zaiji shook his head repeatedly. "Haha, no need for that. A Convergence Sage who has lived for thousands of years is definitely more powerful than me. I would be like a lamb to the slaughter. Let's focus on our main task."
Li Fan smiled and nodded. After this little detour, they spent another half day before finally reaching the border of Stone Arrival Province.
The scene in front of them made Li Fan’s eyes widen in shock.
From afar, the land was deeply sunken and blackened. Everywhere were flowing black lava, giving off an apocalyptic atmosphere.
Black molten fire would occasionally burst from beneath the ground, spreading into the air and baking everything to a crisp.
What alarmed Li Fan even more were the numerous dark voids scattered on both the ground and in the sky of this charred basin. They looked like rotten apples, full of decay.
Moreover, he noticed that these black void regions weren’t completely static; they seemed to have their own life, slowly moving towards surrounding areas or suddenly jumping to another spot, swallowing everything within their reach.
Even a Convergence Sage like Fang Zaiji was visibly serious in the face of this terrifying scene.
"Master, are we really going in?" he hesitantly asked.
Li Fan didn’t answer immediately but carefully observed for a while. "If we’re careful, it shouldn’t be an issue. The void caverns’ jumps appear random but follow certain rules. They only jump to relatively empty areas and avoid existing caverns."
"So just keep a safe distance from the void caverns and proceed."
"Besides, we still have the True Cauldron of Medicine King."
Saying this, Li Fan threw the True Cauldron of Medicine King towards one of the dark voids.
"Master!" Fang Zaiji whispered in alarm.
The True Cauldron of Medicine King emitted a yellowish light that enveloped him. In the midst of nothingness, though the light gradually dimmed, it still held for several breaths.
"See? Even if we mistakenly enter, this long enough to escape," Li Fan said with a smile as he called back the True Cauldron of Medicine King.
"You’re too optimistic, Master. What if something happens to the True Cauldron of Medicine King?" Fang Zaiji muttered.
"Don’t worry. If that happens, I’m sure you can still forge another one for our Medicine King Sect," Li Fan said nonchalantly.
Fang Zaiji’s face brightened at this and stopped complaining as he followed Li Fan to use the True Cauldron of Medicine King to fly into the charred basin.
Li Fan identified his direction, carefully navigating towards the location in his memory.
"Truly terrifying. I wonder how a peaceful sea could suffer such calamity," Fang Zaiji muttered, looking around. "Back then, we never had anything like this happen. Judging by the trend, it seems the heavens want to completely destroy this place."
Li Fan remained silent.
The Congyun Sea was vast and wide, but to avoid the omnipresent void caverns, their flight speed was affected. It took them over thirty days to reach the entrance of the small world.
However, the scene here made Li Fan’s expression turn grim.
The original entry point had been completely consumed by the void. The entrance passage no longer existed.
Li Fan pondered for a moment and recalled where Han Yi emerged from the small world was elsewhere.
So he set off in that direction.
Fortunately, their luck was good this time; they weren’t within the range of the void caverns but hidden beneath the black lava.
"Master, if we enter and the exit is consumed by the void, how will we return?" Fang Zaiji noticed the signs and stopped Li Fan just as he was about to enter. "It would be a problem."
"It’s fine; I have prepared for this."
Saying this, Li Fan cleaned up the black lava. Then, from his storage ring, he took out a thin piece of paper and gently pressed it onto the small world entrance.
As if ink had been dropped on paper, intricate patterns slowly emerged.
"What is this?" Fang Zaiji’s eyes narrowed; he couldn’t immediately identify its origin.
"This is the Stealing Star Easy Constellation Scroll. It can copy and record the spatial node data of this passage. Once we enter the small world, perform the same operation at the opposite entrance to establish a new passage."
After all the patterns on the Stealing Star Easy Constellation Scroll were complete, Li Fan took out a door-shaped talisman and threw it onto the thin paper.
The talisman formed a pale door.
"Young Master, we can connect from this side," Liu San’s voice faintly came from within the door.
Li Fan pointed lightly, and the Stealing Star Easy Constellation Scroll flew into the door.
"Mr. Fang, let's go. Old Liu will prepare to establish a new passage in the Everlasting Valley," Li Fan said.