suí zhe shí bǎn shū shēng cǐ huà de shuō chū ， lǐ fán de xīn zhōng shí zé yǐ jīng jǐn zhāng dào le jí diǎn 。
随着石板书生此话的说出，李凡的心中实则已经紧张到了极点。
As the Scholar of Stone Tablets spoke, Li Fan's heart was already on high alert.
rán ér ， xiàn zài de lǐ tài shī ， yǐ jù hé dào zhàn lì 。 gèng yǒu qī cǎi yù xū liú guāng děng zhū duō dà shén tōng bàng shēn 。
然而，现在的李太师，已具合道战力。更有七彩玉虚鎏光等诸多大神通傍身。
However, Master Li now possessed the power to fight at the Dao-Integration stage. With numerous great divine powers like Seven-Colored Jade Virtue Luminescence backing him up, he no longer easily succumbed to others' words.
yǐ jīng bú huì suí biàn bèi bié rén jǐ jù huà jiù xià hǔ de “ hái zhēn ” le 。
已经不会随便被别人几句话就吓唬的“还真”了。
Even if his opponent were the Eternal Heaven Sovereign!
nǎ pà duì fāng shì cháng shēng tiān zūn ！
哪怕对方是长生天尊！
Li Fan decided...
lǐ fán jué dìng ……
李凡决定……
To probe deeper into this person's true intentions!
zài tàn tàn duì fāng de dǐ xì ！
再探探对方的底细！
Thus, Li Fan feigned some confusion and surprise: "Beyond the Xuanhuang Realm? What does that have to do with me?"
yú shì ， lǐ fán zhuāng zuò jǐ fēn yí huò 、 yòu yǒu jǐ fēn chī jīng ：“ chāo tuō xuán huáng jiè zhī wài ？ zhè gēn wǒ yòu yǒu shén me guān xì ？”
于是，李凡装作几分疑惑、又有几分吃惊：“超脱玄黄界之外？这跟我又有什么关系？”
The Scholar of Stone Tablets smiled. "Since you won't admit it, let us see if there are any records in these stone tablets about you."
shí bǎn shū shēng xiào le xiào ：“ jì rán nǐ bù kěn chéng rèn ， nà jiù ràng wǒ men lái kàn kàn ， shí bǎn zhōng yǒu guān yú nǐ de jì zǎi ba 。”
石板书生笑了笑：“既然你不肯承认，那就让我们来看看，石板中有关于你的记载吧。”
Behind him, a layer of green light emerged from the stone tablet.
bèi hòu shí bǎn ， yī zhèn qīng guāng yǒng xiàn 。
背后石板，一阵青光涌现。
An aura of沧桑岁月 (sorrowful years) emanated from the scholar as various images began to appear around them. It was like falling into history's long river, with scenes from ancient Xuanhuang Realm unfolding before their eyes, like a scroll being unrolled.
cāng sāng suì yuè de qì xī ， zì shū shēng shēn shàng liú lù 。 èr rén zhōu wéi ， kāi shǐ bù duàn yǒu gè zhǒng yǐng xiàng huán rào 、 xiǎn xiàn 。
沧桑岁月的气息，自书生身上流露。二人周围，开始不断有各种影像环绕、显现。
The scholar even grunted and his body began to swell. His appearance and attire inexplicably changed rapidly. Sometimes he appeared as a handsome scholar, sometimes as a robust woodcutter, and at other times as a seductive beauty. Even occasionally, he wasn't human but a tree or flower. Above him, the stone tablet remained unchanged with perpetual green light.
jiù xiàng zhuì luò zhì lì shǐ cháng hé zhōng ， wǎng xī xuán huáng jiè zhōng fā shēng de yí mù mù chǎng jǐng ， huà juàn bān shū zhǎn kāi lái 。
就像坠落至历史长河中，往昔玄黄界中发生的一幕幕场景，画卷般舒展开来。
Finally, the images on the surrounding screens stabilized. The fluorescent light revealed Li Fan himself!
shū shēng gèng shì mèn hēng yī shēng ， shēn qū kāi shǐ péng zhàng 。
书生更是闷哼一声，身躯开始膨胀。
However, there was no scene of his flying out from Great Xuan. Not even the initial scene where he entered the Xuanhuang Realm through a spatial channel to capture Tianyang and subdue the Heavenly Yang Cave Palace.
tā de miàn róng 、 yǐ jí shēn shàng de yī wù ， bù zhī wèi hé ， jìng rán fēi sù lún fān biàn huàn 。
他的面容、以及身上的衣物，不知为何，竟然飞速轮番变幻。
He merely brought Tianyang into Stone Lin州 and found the entrance to the Spirit Wood Realm. After re-entering, he captured Shang Tianci in Jiuhshan State. In Taihua State underground, he discovered Mr. Bai's secret chamber. Returning to the Spirit Wood Realm, he led out Lin Ling with Dao-Integration power. First, they completed a transaction with the Five Elders Association, then rushed towards the Heavenly Spirit State's Five Elements Great Heavens.
yī huì shì jùn lǎng de shū shēng ， yī huì shì jiàn zhuàng de qiáo fū 。
一会是俊朗的书生，一会是健壮的樵夫。
...
yī huì yòu shì wǔ mèi de měi jiāo niáng 。
一会又是妩媚的美娇娘。
The scenes kept changing.
shèn zhì yǒu shí hòu dōu bú shì rén lèi 。
甚至有时候都不是人类。
However, Li Fan's vigilance immediately relaxed somewhat.
ér shì yī zhū shù ， yī duǒ huā 。
而是一株树，一朵花。
"Exactly as I thought."
tiān shàng fēi qín ， dì shàng zǒu shòu 。
天上飞禽，地上走兽。
"The World-Creating Stone Tablet records everything that happens in the Xuanhuang Realm. But only the initial Xuanhuang Realm!
……
……
"To know this: the current Xuanhuang Realm is a fusion of the original Xuanhuang realm, countless heavenly palaces and small worlds, even fragments from other cultivation realms!
wéi yǒu bèi hòu de shí bǎn ， qīng guāng yǒng héng ， shǐ zhōng bù biàn 。
唯有背后的石板，青光永恒，始终不变。
"The World-Creating Stone Tablet may not have records for these outsiders!"
zuì zhōng ， zhōu wéi huán rào guāng mù shàng de yǐng xiàng ， zhú jiàn kāi shǐ wěn dìng xià lái 。
最终，周围环绕光幕上的影像，逐渐开始稳定下来。
Still using the house analogy.
yíng guāng zhàn zhàn ， shàng miàn fú xiàn chū de ， zhèng shì lǐ fán ！
荧光湛湛，上面浮现出的，正是李凡！
The initial Xuanhuang Realm was just a single small room. But after years of expansion by countless cultivators, the Xuanhuang Realm had grown much larger than before.
bù guò ， què méi yǒu tā cóng dà xuán fēi chū de chǎng jǐng 。
不过，却没有他从大玄飞出的场景。
The original small room's World-Creating Stone Tablet, born with the world, had complete record-keeping authority.
shèn zhì yī kāi shǐ ， tā tōng guò kōng jiān tōng dào lái dào xuán huáng jiè ， zhí bēn tiān yáng dòng fǔ shōu fú tiān yáng de huà miàn dōu méi yǒu 。
甚至一开始，他通过空间通道来到玄黄界，直奔天阳洞府收服天阳的画面都没有。
But for these foreign lands, the World-Creating Stone Tablet lost its recording ability!
zhǐ shì tā dài zhe tiān yáng ， jìn rù shí lín zhōu 。
只是他带着天阳，进入石临州。
...
zhǎo dào le líng mù jiè de rù kǒu 。
找到了灵木界的入口。
The scenes continued to change, matching Li Fan’s expectations, with interruptions and gaps.
jìn rù fù yòu chū lái ， ér hòu yòu zài jiǔ shān zhōu zhuā huò shāng tiān cì 。
进入复又出来，而后又在九山州抓获商天赐。
Most crucially, places he frequently visited like Cunyun Sea, Spirit Wood Realm, Five Elements Great Heavens... were not recorded.
zài tài huá zhōu dì xià ， zhǎo dào le bái xiān shēng de mì shì 。
在太华州地下，找到了白先生的密室。
So, it was mostly scenes of him traveling non-stop.
fǎn huí líng mù jiè hòu ， yòu dài zhe hé dào shí lì de lín líng chū lái 。
返回灵木界后，又带着合道实力的林灵出来。
"That book scholar said I came here..."
xiān shì gēn wǔ lǎo huì wán chéng jiāo yì ， ér hòu zhí bēn tiān líng zhōu wǔ xíng dà dòng tiān ér qù 。
先是跟五老会完成交易，而后直奔天灵州五行大洞天而去。
"Where did the flaw lie?"
……
……
Li Fan's thoughts raced.
huà miàn bù duàn biàn huà 。
画面不断变化。
The images on the stone tablet were almost at present time. Suddenly, a split personality named Ji Shao Li appeared in the scene. As soon as he entered Yongyun State, the image abruptly cut off. After Ji Shao Li left Yongyun State and headed for Spirit Wood Realm, the screen dimmed. Then came his promotion to Yuan婴 realm and his swift flight across states after leaving Spirit Wood.
rán ér lǐ fán xīn zhōng de jǐng tì ， què shì dùn shí fàng sōng bù shǎo 。
然而李凡心中的警惕，却是顿时放松不少。
"Was it the Seven-Colored Divine Light that caught his attention?" Li Fan thought.
“ gēn wǒ suǒ xiǎng de yī yàng 。”
“跟我所想的一样。”
The next words from the Scholar of Stone Tablets confirmed his guess.
“ chuàng shì shí bǎn ， xuán huáng jiè zhōng suǒ fā shēng de yī qiè shì wù ， dū huì shì wú jù xì zì dòng jì lù 。 dàn yě jǐn jǐn shì ， zuì chū de xuán huáng jiè ér yǐ ！”
“创世石板，玄黄界中所发生的一切事物，都会事无巨细自动记录。但也仅仅是，最初的玄黄界而已！”
"I don't care about the authenticity of the Inter-Realm Alliance."
“ yào zhī dào ， xiàn zài de xuán huáng jiè kě shì yóu xuán huáng běn jiè ， jiā shàng wú shù dòng tiān 、 xiǎo shì jiè ， shèn zhì qí tā zhū duō xiū xiān jiè de suì piàn róng hé ér chéng de ！”
“要知道，现在的玄黄界可是由玄黄本界，加上无数洞天、小世界，甚至其他诸多修仙界的碎片融合而成的！”
"What I'm more interested in is where you obtained this Seven-Colored Divine Light," the scholar looked at Li Fan with intense eyes. "This object's power level cannot be nurtured by remnants of a state domain."
“ duì yú zhè xiē wài lái zhě ， chuàng shì shí bǎn shàng wèi bì néng gòu yǒu jì lù ！”
“对于这些外来者，创世石板上未必能够有记录！”
"Could it not have been something I personally discovered?" Li Fan countered.
hái shì ná fáng zi lái bǐ yù 。
还是拿房子来比喻。
The Scholar of Stone Tablets chuckled.
zuì chū de xuán huáng jiè ， zhǐ shì dān dú yī jiān xiǎo wū 。
最初的玄黄界，只是单独一间小屋。
"I carry the World-Creating Stone Tablet, so naturally, I am familiar with this divine light's aura. It almost condensed the laws of an entire world. If you had that ability, I wouldn't be asking questions here."
dàn jīng guò zhè me xiē nián ， wú shù xiū shì de kuò jiàn 。 xuán huáng jiè yǐ rán bǐ zhī qián dà shàng tài duō 。
但经过这么些年，无数修士的扩建。玄黄界已然比之前大上太多。
"Instead, it would be you," the scholar said calmly.
zuì kāi shǐ de xiǎo wū nèi ， yǔ tiān dì tóng shēng de chuàng shì shí bǎn ， yǒu zhe wán quán de jì lù quán xiàn 。
最开始的小屋内，与天地同生的创世石板，有着完全的记录权限。
Though there was no mocking tone, his expression and tone made Li Fan snort in cold laughter.
dàn duì yú zhè xiē wài lái zhī dì ， chuàng shì shí bǎn zé shī qù le jì lù de néng lì ！
但对于这些外来之地，创世石板则失去了记录的能力！
Seeing Li Fan remained silent, the Scholar of Stone Tablets continued: "Rest assured, I won’t take your things. This Seven-Colored Divine Light is powerful indeed, but to me, it’s just a nuisance."
……
……
"What I truly want to know is where this divine light was nurtured," the scholar admitted.
huà miàn jì xù biàn huàn 。
画面继续变幻。
Li Fan narrowed his eyes. "Senior, what do you mean? How can you be sure that the Seven-Colored Divine Light came from something specific? Couldn't it have been hidden in Yongyun State as a single treasure?"
gēn lǐ fán suǒ yù xiǎng de yī yàng ， shí duàn shí xù 。
跟李凡所预想的一样，时断时续。
The Scholar of Stone Tablets sighed.
zuì wèi guān jiàn de shì ， tā jīng cháng chū mò de cóng yún hǎi 、 líng mù jiè 、 wǔ xíng dà dòng tiān ……
最为关键的是，他经常出没的丛云海、灵木界、五行大洞天……
Suddenly, the surrounding screens turned pitch black before a flicker of seven-colored light appeared. In the darkness, this light was incredibly bright and obvious.
dōu bù zài jì lù de fàn wéi zhī nèi 。
都不在记录的范围之内。
"Did you understand?" the scholar asked Li Fan.
suǒ yǐ jī běn dōu shì tā zài gǎn lù 、 bù tíng de gǎn lù de huà miàn 。
所以基本都是他在赶路、不停的赶路的画面。
"This kind of treasure, no matter where it exists in the world and whether someone has refined it or not, will always be like this."
“ nà zhè shū shēng suǒ shuō ， wèi wǒ ér lái ……”
“那这书生所说，为我而来……”
"In the past..."
“ shì nǎ lǐ chū le pò zhàn ？”
“是哪里出了破绽？”
"Some people thoroughly searched Xuanhuang Realm. Apart from that Heavenly Xuan Mirror, there are no more treasures on realm artifacts now."
lǐ fán xīn niàn jí zhuǎn 。
李凡心念急转。
"So, your Seven-Colored Divine Light must have just appeared recently..."
shí bǎn chéng xiàn de huà miàn ， yǐ jīng kuài yào jiē jìn xiàn zài zhè ge shí jiān diǎn le 。
石板呈现的画面，已经快要接近现在这个时间点了。
Upon hearing this, Li Fan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
zhǐ jiàn fēn shēn jì shào lí ， tū rán chū xiàn zài huà miàn lǐ 。
只见分身季绍离，突然出现在画面里。
He hadn't expected such a powerful light to be so noticeable in the eyes of true powerhouses?
zài tā jìn rù yōng yùn zhōu de shùn jiān ， huà miàn jiù tū rán zhōng duàn 。
在他进入雍韵州的瞬间，画面就突然中断。
As he pondered how to respond to the Scholar of Stone Tablets' questions, he quickly formulated a plan.
ér hòu jì shào lí chū yōng yùn zhōu hòu ， zhí bēn líng mù jiè 。
而后季绍离出雍韵州后，直奔灵木界。
Feigning great difficulty and struggle, he finally sighed: "Alright, I knew this would eventually come out."
huà miàn hū de àn dàn ， zài jiù shì lǐ fán jìn shēng yuán yīng ， zì líng mù jiè chū lái hòu ， yù shǐ zhe qī cǎi shén guāng 、 kuài sù zài zhōu yù jiān fēi dùn 。
画面忽的黯淡，再就是李凡晋升元婴，自灵木界出来后，御使着七彩神光、快速在州域间飞遁。
"Senior, follow me; you'll see."
“ shì qī cǎi shén guāng yǐn qǐ le tā de zhù yì ？” lǐ fán bù yóu rú cǐ xiǎng dào 。
“是七彩神光引起了他的注意？”李凡不由如此想道。
Saying that, he woke Lin Ling from her daze, who had been watching silently without daring to speak. Then they descended underground towards Yongyun State.
ér jiē xià lái shí bǎn shū shēng suǒ shuō de huà ， yě yìn zhèng le tā de cāi cè 。
而接下来石板书生所说的话，也印证了他的猜测。
The Scholar of Stone Tablets strolled leisurely behind them in the earth's veins.
“ nà shén me wàn jiè lián hé huì de zhēn jiǎ ， wǒ qí shí bìng bù zài yì 。”
“那什么万界联合会的真假，我其实并不在意。”
Seeing this scene, Li Fan inwardly whistled.
“ wǒ gèng gǎn xìng qù de ， shì nǐ zhè qī cǎi shén guāng ， cóng yōng yùn zhōu de nǎ lǐ huò dé de 。” shū shēng kàn zhe lǐ fán ， mù guāng zhuó zhuó 。
“我更感兴趣的，是你这七彩神光，从雍韵州的哪里获得的。”书生看着李凡，目光灼灼。
But he also thought: "No wonder in the previous life, even with a Fishing Pond as a treasure, Zhong Shen Tong didn't guard it all the time. Instead, he wandered around."
“ cǐ wù de néng jí ， bú shì cán cún zhōu yù zhī dì ， néng gòu yùn yù de 。”
“此物的能级，不是残存州域之地，能够孕育的。”
"It seems that after leaving Yongyun State and revealing his Seven-Colored Divine Light, this Scholar of Stone Tablets discovered something amiss, leading him to seek out Zhong Shen Tong."
“ jiù bù néng shì wǒ zì jǐ lǐng wù chū de shén tōng ？” lǐ fán fǎn wèn dào 。
“就不能是我自己领悟出的神通？”李凡反问道。
"Compelled to lose ownership of his treasure."
shū shēng yǎ rán shī xiào 。
书生哑然失笑。
"Really careless."
“ wǒ shēn huái chuàng shì shí bǎn ， duì yú nǐ zhè qī cǎi guāng huá shàng liú lù de qì xī ， zì rán shí fēn shú xī 。 nà shì jìn hū níng jù le yí gè shì jiè tiān dào de lì liàng 。 rú guǒ nǐ yǒu zhè děng běn shì ， nà me jīn tiān zài zhè lǐ tí wèn de ， jiù bú shì wǒ 。”
“我身怀创世石板，对于你这七彩光华上流露的气息，自然十分熟悉。那是近乎凝聚了一个世界天道的力量。如果你有这等本事，那么今天在这里提问的，就不是我。”
(End of chapter)
As the Scholar of Stone Tablets spoke, Li Fan's heart was already on high alert.
However, Master Li now possessed the power to fight at the Dao-Integration stage. With numerous great divine powers like Seven-Colored Jade Virtue Luminescence backing him up, he no longer easily succumbed to others' words.
Even if his opponent were the Eternal Heaven Sovereign!
Li Fan decided...
To probe deeper into this person's true intentions!
Thus, Li Fan feigned some confusion and surprise: "Beyond the Xuanhuang Realm? What does that have to do with me?"
The Scholar of Stone Tablets smiled. "Since you won't admit it, let us see if there are any records in these stone tablets about you."
Behind him, a layer of green light emerged from the stone tablet.
An aura of沧桑岁月 (sorrowful years) emanated from the scholar as various images began to appear around them. It was like falling into history's long river, with scenes from ancient Xuanhuang Realm unfolding before their eyes, like a scroll being unrolled.
The scholar even grunted and his body began to swell. His appearance and attire inexplicably changed rapidly. Sometimes he appeared as a handsome scholar, sometimes as a robust woodcutter, and at other times as a seductive beauty. Even occasionally, he wasn't human but a tree or flower. Above him, the stone tablet remained unchanged with perpetual green light.
Finally, the images on the surrounding screens stabilized. The fluorescent light revealed Li Fan himself!
However, there was no scene of his flying out from Great Xuan. Not even the initial scene where he entered the Xuanhuang Realm through a spatial channel to capture Tianyang and subdue the Heavenly Yang Cave Palace.
He merely brought Tianyang into Stone Lin州 and found the entrance to the Spirit Wood Realm. After re-entering, he captured Shang Tianci in Jiuhshan State. In Taihua State underground, he discovered Mr. Bai's secret chamber. Returning to the Spirit Wood Realm, he led out Lin Ling with Dao-Integration power. First, they completed a transaction with the Five Elders Association, then rushed towards the Heavenly Spirit State's Five Elements Great Heavens.
...
The scenes kept changing.
However, Li Fan's vigilance immediately relaxed somewhat.
"Exactly as I thought."
"The World-Creating Stone Tablet records everything that happens in the Xuanhuang Realm. But only the initial Xuanhuang Realm!
"To know this: the current Xuanhuang Realm is a fusion of the original Xuanhuang realm, countless heavenly palaces and small worlds, even fragments from other cultivation realms!
"The World-Creating Stone Tablet may not have records for these outsiders!"
Still using the house analogy.
The initial Xuanhuang Realm was just a single small room. But after years of expansion by countless cultivators, the Xuanhuang Realm had grown much larger than before.
The original small room's World-Creating Stone Tablet, born with the world, had complete record-keeping authority.
But for these foreign lands, the World-Creating Stone Tablet lost its recording ability!
...
The scenes continued to change, matching Li Fan’s expectations, with interruptions and gaps.
Most crucially, places he frequently visited like Cunyun Sea, Spirit Wood Realm, Five Elements Great Heavens... were not recorded.
So, it was mostly scenes of him traveling non-stop.
"That book scholar said I came here..."
"Where did the flaw lie?"
Li Fan's thoughts raced.
The images on the stone tablet were almost at present time. Suddenly, a split personality named Ji Shao Li appeared in the scene. As soon as he entered Yongyun State, the image abruptly cut off. After Ji Shao Li left Yongyun State and headed for Spirit Wood Realm, the screen dimmed. Then came his promotion to Yuan婴 realm and his swift flight across states after leaving Spirit Wood.
"Was it the Seven-Colored Divine Light that caught his attention?" Li Fan thought.
The next words from the Scholar of Stone Tablets confirmed his guess.
"I don't care about the authenticity of the Inter-Realm Alliance."
"What I'm more interested in is where you obtained this Seven-Colored Divine Light," the scholar looked at Li Fan with intense eyes. "This object's power level cannot be nurtured by remnants of a state domain."
"Could it not have been something I personally discovered?" Li Fan countered.
The Scholar of Stone Tablets chuckled.
"I carry the World-Creating Stone Tablet, so naturally, I am familiar with this divine light's aura. It almost condensed the laws of an entire world. If you had that ability, I wouldn't be asking questions here."
"Instead, it would be you," the scholar said calmly.
Though there was no mocking tone, his expression and tone made Li Fan snort in cold laughter.
Seeing Li Fan remained silent, the Scholar of Stone Tablets continued: "Rest assured, I won’t take your things. This Seven-Colored Divine Light is powerful indeed, but to me, it’s just a nuisance."
"What I truly want to know is where this divine light was nurtured," the scholar admitted.
Li Fan narrowed his eyes. "Senior, what do you mean? How can you be sure that the Seven-Colored Divine Light came from something specific? Couldn't it have been hidden in Yongyun State as a single treasure?"
The Scholar of Stone Tablets sighed.
Suddenly, the surrounding screens turned pitch black before a flicker of seven-colored light appeared. In the darkness, this light was incredibly bright and obvious.
"Did you understand?" the scholar asked Li Fan.
"This kind of treasure, no matter where it exists in the world and whether someone has refined it or not, will always be like this."
"In the past..."
"Some people thoroughly searched Xuanhuang Realm. Apart from that Heavenly Xuan Mirror, there are no more treasures on realm artifacts now."
"So, your Seven-Colored Divine Light must have just appeared recently..."
Upon hearing this, Li Fan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
He hadn't expected such a powerful light to be so noticeable in the eyes of true powerhouses?
As he pondered how to respond to the Scholar of Stone Tablets' questions, he quickly formulated a plan.
Feigning great difficulty and struggle, he finally sighed: "Alright, I knew this would eventually come out."
"Senior, follow me; you'll see."
Saying that, he woke Lin Ling from her daze, who had been watching silently without daring to speak. Then they descended underground towards Yongyun State.
The Scholar of Stone Tablets strolled leisurely behind them in the earth's veins.
Seeing this scene, Li Fan inwardly whistled.
But he also thought: "No wonder in the previous life, even with a Fishing Pond as a treasure, Zhong Shen Tong didn't guard it all the time. Instead, he wandered around."
"It seems that after leaving Yongyun State and revealing his Seven-Colored Divine Light, this Scholar of Stone Tablets discovered something amiss, leading him to seek out Zhong Shen Tong."
"Compelled to lose ownership of his treasure."
"Really careless."
(End of chapter)