“ jīn liàn pò kōng ？“ tiān yáng yǒu xiē lèng zhù ， bù guò piàn kè hòu fǎn yìng guò lái 。
“金链破空？“天阳有些愣住，不过片刻后反应过来。
"Golden chain breaking through the void? Tianyang was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered."
“ hǎo xiàng shì yǒu nà me yī duàn huà miàn 。 bù guò wǒ bù tài dǒng nà shì shén me yì si ， méi yǒu guò duō zài yì 。”
“好像是有那么一段画面。不过我不太懂那是什么意思，没有过多在意。”
"It seems like there's a scene, but I'm not quite sure what it means. I didn't pay much attention to it."
tiān yáng gèng jiā zhù zhòng huáng quán líng tǐ zhōng suǒ yùn hán de kōng jiān lì liàng de yùn yòng 。
天阳更加注重黄泉灵体中所蕴含的空间力量的运用。
Tianyang focused more on the spatial power contained within the Soul-Quenching Spirit Body.
ér běn jiù duì kōng jiān néng lì zhī zhī bù duō de lǐ fán ， zé shì wán quán bǎ zhù yì lì jí zhōng zài le nà xiē shàng gǔ yǐn mì shàng 。
而本就对空间能力知之不多的李凡，则是完全把注意力集中在了那些上古隐秘上。
Li Fan, who already knew little about spatial abilities, concentrated entirely on the ancient secrets hidden here.
rú máng rén mō xiàng ， gè yǒu bù tóng 。
如盲人摸象，各有不同。
Like blind men feeling an elephant, each had a different perspective.
lǐ fán yòu kàn xiàng cǐ chù de huáng quán zhī shuǐ 。
李凡又看向此处的黄泉之水。
Li Fan then looked at the Yellow Springs water again.
“ zhè tiáo dà hé ， kān chēng hún yīn jiè de chuàng shì zhī hé 。 dàn shēng sǐ lún huí yǐ jīng pò miè ， jí biàn zài zěn me wěi lì jiā yú shēn ， tā zhè zhǒng bù duàn yǎn huà chū líng tǐ de xíng wéi zhù dìng dǎo zhì tā yǒu gān hé de nà yī tiān 。”
“这条大河，堪称魂阴界的创世之河。但生死轮回已经破灭，即便再怎么伟力加于身，它这种不断衍化出灵体的行为注定导致它有干涸的那一天。”
"This great river is akin to the creation river of Soul-Quenching Realm. But with the cycle of life and death broken, even if it exerts immense power, its constant generation of spirit bodies will inevitably lead to its drying up one day."
“ huáng quán gān hé ， wàn yì líng tǐ piāo yáo ér chū ……”
“黄泉干涸，万亿灵体飘摇而出……”
"When the Yellow Springs dry up, trillions of spirit bodies will emerge..."
“ zhèng cháng qíng kuàng xià ， zhè ge guò chéng kě néng xū yào gè jǐ qiān shàng wàn nián 。115 shì de shí hòu tí qián fā shēng ， hěn yǒu kě néng shì nà sān yǎn lú gǔ yīn wèi mǒu zhǒng yuán yīn bèi dài rù huáng quán zhī zhōng 。”
“正常情况下，这个过程可能需要个几千上万年。115世的时候提前发生，很有可能是那三眼颅骨因为某种原因被带入黄泉之中。”
"Normally, this process might take a few thousand years. It happened prematurely in 115th Era, possibly because that three-eyed skull was somehow brought into the Yellow Springs for some reason."
“ wèi le fù shēng ， nà lú gǔ jiāng huáng quán shuǐ de lì liàng jìn shù xī qǔ 。”
“为了复生，那颅骨将黄泉水的力量尽数吸取。”
"To revive itself, the skull absorbed all the power from the Yellow Springs."
qián shì de jiàn wén yǐ jí jīn shēng de shí dì diào chá ， ràng lǐ fán tuī lǐ chū le fā shēng zài zhè xuán huáng zuì piān yuǎn fù shǔ xiǎo shì jiè de kě néng zhēn xiàng 。
前世的见闻以及今生的实地调查，让李凡推理出了发生在这玄黄最偏远附属小世界的可能真相。
Li Fan deduced the possible truth based on his past experiences and current investigations of this most remote small world within the Yellow Springs.
chén yín xǔ jiǔ ， lǐ fán méi yǒu dòng zhè yī jiù shēng shēng bù xī de huáng quán zhī shuǐ 。
沉吟许久，李凡没有动这依旧生生不息的黄泉之水。
After much contemplation, Li Fan did not interfere with the still active Yellow Springs water.
gēn tiān yáng lí qù zhī qián ， lǐ fán mò mò xiǎng dào ：“ rú guǒ cǐ shì yǒu táo lí xuán huáng jiè de cháng shì ， huò xǔ zhè hún yīn jiè shì gè jué jiā de shì yàn dì diǎn 。”
跟天阳离去之前，李凡默默想到：“如果此世有逃离玄黄界的尝试，或许这魂阴界是个绝佳的试验地点。”
As he left Tianyang, Li Fan silently thought: "If there's an attempt to escape from Soul-Quenching Realm in this world, perhaps Soul-Quenching Realm would be a perfect testing ground."
chuān guò màn cháng de kōng jiān tōng dào ， yòu yòng le jìn yí gè yuè de gōng fu ， lǐ fán yǔ tiān yáng zhōng yú fǎn huí le xuán huáng jiè 。
穿过漫长的空间通道，又用了近一个月的功夫，李凡与天阳终于返回了玄黄界。
Traveling through long spatial passages and taking nearly a month of effort, Li Fan and Tianyang finally returned to the Yellow Springs realm.
bàn nián shí jiān guò qù ， wǔ lǎo huì yǔ wàn xiān méng zhī jiān de zhàn huǒ ， yě yǐ jīng chè dǐ bèi diǎn rán 。
半年时间过去，五老会与万仙盟之间的战火，也已经彻底被点燃。
Half a year had passed since the fierce battles between the Five Elders Association and the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance were ignited.
zhǐ shì lǐ fán yě méi yǒu xiǎng dào ， zhè cì zhǔ dòng tiāo qǐ zhēng duān de ， jìng rán shì zhī qián yì zhí luò yú xià fēng de wàn xiān méng 。
只是李凡也没有想到，这次主动挑起争端的，竟然是之前一直落于下风的万仙盟。
But Li Fan did not expect that this time, it was the previously underdog Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance that initiated the conflict.
yī chū shǒu ， jiù dǎ le gè wǔ lǎo huì cuò shǒu bù jí 、 shèn zhì hái yī jǔ shōu fú le jiǔ shān zhōu shī dì ！
一出手，就打了个五老会措手不及、甚至还一举收服了九山州失地！
Their first move caught the Five Elders off guard and even conquered lost territories in Nine Mountains Province!
nà xiē wǔ lǎo huì fèi le jí dà gōng fu 、 jiàn zào zài jiǔ tiáo shān mài zhī shàng de bì lěi ， xiǎn de wán quán jiù gēn xiào huà yī yàng ！
那些五老会费了极大功夫、建造在九条山脉之上的壁垒，显得完全就跟笑话一样！
The fortifications built by the Five Elders on nine mountain ranges seemed utterly laughable now.
qǔ dé rú cǐ zhàn guǒ ， wàn xiān méng què yī fǎn cháng tài de méi yǒu dà sì xuān chuán 。
取得如此战果，万仙盟却一反常态的没有大肆宣传。
Despite such a victory, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance did not make much of it.
xiān méng zhòng zhǐ zhī dào qián fāng bù duàn jié bào chuán lái ， dàn wàn xiān méng jiū jìng shì rú hé qǔ dé zhè bān bù kě sī yì de zhàn guǒ de ， què shì zhòng shuō fēn yún 、 méi yǒu gè kào pǔ de dìng lùn 。
仙盟众只知道前方不断捷报传来，但万仙盟究竟是如何取得这般不可思议的战果的，却是众说纷纭、没有个靠谱的定论。
The Ten Thousand Immortals' forces only knew that they were receiving continuous good news. But how exactly they achieved this incredible result was widely speculated with no clear conclusion.
zhǐ shì dà jiā dōu fēn fēn cāi cè ， huò xǔ gēn zhī qián de 【 sān shí sān xiān xuǎn zhě 】 jì huà yǒu guān 。
只是大家都纷纷猜测，或许跟之前的【三十三仙选者】计划有关。
Many guessed it might be related to the previous "Thirty-Three Chosen Ones" plan.
zhè bàn nián lǐ ， zuò zhèn hǎi xuān dǎo de fēn shēn jì shào lí ， yě céng qián wǎng xiǎo miào diào yú chí biān ， shì tú cóng shí bǎn qián bèi kǒu zhōng ， liǎo jiě nà yī zhàn de zhēn xiàng 。
这半年里，坐镇海轩岛的分身季绍离，也曾前往小庙钓鱼池边，试图从石板前辈口中，了解那一战的真相。
During these months, Season Shao Li's avatar had also visited the Fishing Pond Temple on Sea轩Island and attempted to learn about that battle from Senior Stoneboard. But he seemed engrossed in understanding the "Fishing" technique and ignored him.
dàn duì fāng què sì hū chén jìn zài duì 【 diào 】 zhī dào de lǐng wù zhōng ， gēn běn bù lǐ bù cǎi 。
但对方却似乎沉浸在对【钓】之道的领悟中，根本不理不睬。
Due to their defeat, the Five Elders Association began to doubt the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's reliability regarding the interdimensional alliance.
ér yóu yú qián xiàn zhàn bài ， wǔ lǎo huì nà biān duì yú 【 wàn jiè lián hé huì 】， sì hū yě biàn dé yǒu xiē bù xìn rèn qǐ lái 。
而由于前线战败，五老会那边对于【万界联合会】，似乎也变得有些不信任起来。
Several attempts at contacting them for more information were met with silence.
jǐ cì zhǔ dòng lián xì 、 shì tú gǎo qīng chǔ zhàn zhēng nèi mù de xíng wéi ， dōu wú rén huí yìng 。
几次主动联系、试图搞清楚战争内幕的行为，都无人回应。
Season Shao Li had no choice but to put it aside temporarily.
jì shào lí zhǐ dé zàn qiě xiān zuò bà 。
季绍离只得暂且先作罢。
Lin Ling had recently become closer to Lustrous Fish.
lín líng zhè duàn shí jiān què shì gēn liú lí jiàn jiàn shú luò qǐ lái 。
林灵这段时间却是跟琉璃渐渐熟络起来。
Although Lin Ling possessed Daoist union cultivation, she was still a newborn and maintained the innocence of a child. She always initiated playtime with Lustrous Fish.
lín líng suī rán yǒu hé dào xiū wèi ， dàn què gāng dàn shēng bù jiǔ 、 xiǎo hái xīn xìng ， yì diǎn bù bǎi qián bèi de jià zi 。
林灵虽然有合道修为，但却刚诞生不久、小孩心性，一点不摆前辈的架子。
Over time, this seemingly innocent yet somewhat alert young Daoist began to lower her guard around Lustrous Fish.
měi cì dōu zhǔ dòng zhǎo liú lí wán shuǎ 。
每次都主动找琉璃玩耍。
Spending all day together with Lustrous Fish, Li Fan noticed that Lin Ling seemed more "awake" when he saw her again.
màn màn shǐ de zhè yǒu wài biǎo kàn dāi méng 、 shí zé yǒu xiē jī jǐng de xiǎo dào tóng ， fàng xià le fáng bèi 。
慢慢使得这有外表看呆萌、实则有些机警的小道童，放下了防备。
Or perhaps she was becoming more like a human.
ér zhěng rì gēn liú lí hùn zài yì qǐ ， dāng lǐ fán zài dù jiàn dào lín líng zhī hòu ， què shì mǐn ruì de fā xiàn 。
而整日跟琉璃混在一起，当李凡再度见到林灵之后，却是敏锐的发现。
Li Fan observed the small Daoist hiding behind Lin Ling, deep in thought.
zhè yuán běn yǒu xiē měng měng dǒng dǒng de tiān shēng zhī líng ， sì hū yǒu xiē “ kāi qiào ” le 。
这原本有些懵懵懂懂的天生之灵，似乎有些“开窍”了。
But for now, he didn't intervene. He merely instructed Lin Ling: "Follow me to the border of Nine Mountains Province."
huò zhě shuō ， gèng xiàng “ rén ” le 。
或者说，更像“人”了。
As usual, Lin Ling would not ask questions but simply nod and comply.
lǐ fán kàn zhe duǒ zài lín líng shēn hòu de xiǎo dào tóng ， ruò yǒu suǒ sī 。
李凡看着躲在林灵身后的小道童，若有所思。
This time, however, a hint of doubt flashed across her eyes as she hesitated.
bù guò zàn shí què méi yǒu guǎn tā ， zhǐ fēn fù lín líng dào ：“ nǐ gēn wǒ qù yī tàng jiǔ shān zhōu biān jìng 。”
不过暂时却没有管她，只吩咐林灵道：“你跟我去一趟九山州边境。”
Li Fan's eyes flickered before he explained simply: "After my half-year absence, I've discovered something new. It might be helpful for the current situation with the Five Elders Association."
ruò shì yǐ wǎng ， lín líng dìng rán shén me dōu bú huì wèn ， zhǐ shì diǎn tóu yīng xià 。
若是以往，林灵定然什么都不会问，只是点头应下。
Lin Ling bid farewell to Lustrous Fish and then accompanied Li Fan through the flowing underground veins.
dàn zhè cì ， lín líng yǎn zhōng què shǎn guò yī sī yí lǜ ， yù yán yòu zhǐ 。
但这次，林灵眼中却闪过一丝疑虑，欲言又止。
Soon, they arrived at a remote area in Nine Mountains Province.
lǐ fán mù guāng shǎn dòng ， bù guò hái shì jiǎn dān jiě shì dào ：“ zhè cì wǒ wài chū bàn zǎi ， yǒu le xiē xīn fā xiàn 。 huò xǔ duì yú wǔ lǎo huì rú jīn de jú shì yǒu xiē bāng zhù 。”
李凡目光闪动，不过还是简单解释道：“这次我外出半载，有了些新发现。或许对于五老会如今的局势有些帮助。”
After checking around and confirming no hidden cultivators were present, they quietly emerged from underground.
lín líng zhè cái gēn liú lí gào bié 。
林灵这才跟琉璃告别。
With his divine sense sweeping over the familiar yet strange "Nine Mountains Province," both Li Fan and Lin Ling momentarily lost their thoughts.
ér hòu dài zhe lǐ fán ， chuān xíng yú dì mài bēn liú zhōng 。
而后带着李凡，穿行于地脉奔流中。
"Perhaps Nine Mountains Province will be renamed soon."
bù duō shí ， èr rén dào dá le jiǔ shān zhōu mǒu chù piān pì zhī dì 。
不多时，二人到达了九山州某处偏僻之地。
Recovering after a moment, Li Fan sighed softly.
xiān shì chá tàn le yī fān ， què rèn zhōu wéi méi yǒu xiū shì mái fú hòu ， qiǎo rán zuān chū dì dǐ 。
先是查探了一番，确认周围没有修士埋伏后，悄然钻出地底。
The once majestic nine mountain ranges in Nine Mountains Province had been entirely flattened for unknown reasons. The formerly rugged terrain now lay as a vast plain.
shén shí sǎo guò ， kàn zhe zhè chù shú xī yòu shí fēn mò shēng de “ jiǔ shān zhōu ”， lǐ fán yǔ lín líng jù shì yǒu le nà me yī shùn jiān shī shén 。
神识扫过，看着这处熟悉又十分陌生的“九山州”，李凡与林灵俱是有了那么一瞬间失神。
However, the regions transformed from the corpses of the beast Qian were inherently unstable.
“ kǒng pà jīn hòu ， jiǔ shān zhōu yào gǎi míng le 。”
“恐怕今后，九山州要改名了。”
After this catastrophic battle, their instability became even more pronounced.
piàn kè zhī hòu ， huí guò shén lái de lǐ fán wēi wēi gǎn tàn dào 。
片刻之后，回过神来的李凡微微感叹道。
Black spatial rifts could be seen everywhere in the sky, flickering like lightning.
jiǔ shān zhōu dà dì shàng ， yuán běn héng gèn zhe de jiǔ tiáo xióng wěi shān mài ， jìng rán bù zhī wèi hé zhǒng wēi lì ， wán quán xuē qù 。
九山州大地上，原本横亘着的九条雄伟山脉，竟然不知为何种威力，完全削去。
"Perhaps I can bring Tianyang here after he completes his seclusion," Li Fan thought.
yuán běn dì shì xiǎn yào de zhōu yù ， hè rán biàn chéng le yī mǎ píng chuān de píng yuán 。
原本地势险要的州域，赫然变成了一马平川的平原。
"Master, it seems there's a terrifying presence lingering here."
zhǐ shì ， yóu yì shòu 【 tiān 】 shī shēn huà zuò de dì yù ， běn jiù kōng jiān bìng bù wěn dìng 。
只是，由异兽【兲】尸身化作的地域，本就空间并不稳定。
Lin Ling’s focus was different from Li Fan’s.
cǐ fān yòu jīng lì le yī cháng jīng shì dà zhàn ， zhè zhǒng bù wěn dìng biàn dé yuè fā xiǎn zhù qǐ lái 。
此番又经历了一场惊世大战，这种不稳定变得越发显著起来。
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before saying with some alarm:
tiān qióng zhī shàng ， suí chù kě jiàn hēi sè de kōng jiān liè xì 。
天穹之上，随处可见黑色的空间裂隙。
"Something that even Daoist union cultivators find terrifying must be Longevity Realm power. Add to the shocking sight of Nine Mountains being flattened..."
rú tóng shǎn diàn bān ， bù tíng shēng miè 。
如同闪电般，不停生灭。
"Could it be that the Transmission Technique wielded its power?"
“ děng tiān yáng bì guān jié shù lǐng wù zhī hòu ， huò xǔ kě yǐ dài tā lái cǐ cān guān cān guān 。” lǐ fán xīn zhōng bù yóu shǎn guò zhè ge niàn tou 。
“等天阳闭关结束领悟之后，或许可以带他来此参观参观。”李凡心中不由闪过这个念头。
But Li Fan quickly dismissed this idea.
“ zhǔ rén ， zhè lǐ sì hū cán cún zhe mǒu zhǒng jí wéi kě pà de qì xī 。”
“主人，这里似乎残存着某种极为可怕的气息。”
"The Transmission Technique should remain indifferent if there's no threat to the Yellow Springs realm."
lín líng de guān zhù diǎn gēn lǐ fán bù tóng 。
林灵的关注点跟李凡不同。
"But who else in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance has Longevity Realm power besides the Transmission Technique?"
tā bì zhuó yǎn ， shēn xī le kǒu qì ， ér hòu yǒu xiē jīng jì de shuō dào 。
她闭着眼，深吸了口气，而后有些惊悸的说道。
"Could it be the Easternmost from ancient texts, or perhaps the curator of the Museum of Wonders, Emperor Sanmao?"
“ néng ràng hé dào dōu gǎn dào kě pà ， jué duì shì cháng shēng jìng zhàn lì le 。 zài jiā shàng zhè jiǔ shān bèi yí wéi píng dì de hài rén jǐng xiàng ……”
“能让合道都感到可怕，绝对是长生境战力了。再加上这九山被夷为平地的骇人景象……”
Li Fan recalled the rumors among the Ten Thousand Immortals' populace.
“ nán bù chéng shì chuán fǎ chū shǒu le ？”
“难不成是传法出手了？”
"Could it really be that Thirty-Three Chosen Ones plan?"
bù guò hěn kuài lǐ fán fǒu rèn le zhè zhǒng cāi xiǎng 。
不过很快李凡否认了这种猜想。
Li Fan's eyes narrowed.
“ bù shè jí xuán huáng jiè běn shēn ān wēi ， duì yú zhè zhǒng céng cì de zhēng duān ， chuán fǎ yīng gāi wú dòng yú zhōng cái duì 。”
“不涉及玄黄界本身安危，对于这种层次的争端，传法应该无动于衷才对。”
Wei Qi Zheng, one of the chosen, had received a fragment of the End Disintegration Disc from Li Fan before.
“ kě wàn xiān méng chú le chuán fǎ ， hái yǒu nǎ wèi cháng shēng jìng zhàn lì ？”
“可万仙盟除了传法，还有哪位长生境战力？”
Although it lacked real-time communication capabilities, it could record most of what happened to Wei Qi Zheng in detail.
“ zhǐ cún zài yú diǎn jí jì zǎi zhōng de dōng jí ， yì huò zhě shì bó wù shén cáng guǎn guǎn zhǎng dì sān mò ？”
“只存在于典籍记载中的东极，亦或者是博物神藏馆馆长帝叁貘？”
If he ever met Wei Qi Zheng again or if Wei Qi Zheng perished and the disc was damaged, the information would be synchronized with Li Fan.
lǐ fán yòu xiǎng dào le xiān méng mín jiān de chuán wén 。
李凡又想到了仙盟民间的传闻。
Despite his curiosity about the Ten Thousand Immortals' methods, Li Fan knew that now was not the time to reap the fruits of his efforts.
“ gāi bú huì ， zhēn de shì nà sān shí sān xiān xuǎn zhě jì huà ba ？”
“该不会，真的是那三十三仙选者计划吧？”
The longer this "钉子" remained hidden, the more secrets he could uncover.
lǐ fán yǎn jīng mī qǐ 。
李凡眼睛眯起。
"Let's wait a bit longer."
xiān xuǎn zhě zhī yī de wèi qí zhèng ， lǐ fán céng jiāng yī piàn qiè xià lái de zhōng mò jiě lí dié zèng yǔ gěi tā 。
仙选者之一的卫奇正，李凡曾将一片切下来的终末解离碟赠与给他。
Suppressing these thoughts, Li Fan first initiated a special signal for meeting with the Five Elders Association.
suī rán méi yǒu shí shí chuán shū de tōng xùn gōng néng ， dàn shì què néng gòu jiāng wèi qí zhèng suǒ jīng lì de jué dà duō shù shì qíng xiáng jìn jì lù xià lái 。
虽然没有实时传输的通讯功能，但是却能够将卫奇正所经历的绝大多数事情详尽记录下来。
After waiting for a long time without any response, Li Fan did not give up. He repeatedly sent out signals.
zhǐ yào zài cì jiàn dào wèi qí zhèng ， yì huò zhě shì wèi qí zhèng shēn yǔn 、 jiě lí dié zài sǔn huài de shùn jiān 。
只要再次见到卫奇正，亦或者是卫奇正身陨、解离碟在损坏的瞬间。
After repeating this process seven times, a faint response came from somewhere in Nine Mountains Province.
dōu néng jiāng bǎo cún de xìn xī tóng bù gěi lǐ fán 。
都能将保存的信息同步给李凡。
Upon arriving, Li Fan found that the signal was emitted by a smooth stone mirror-like surface.
suī rán duì wàn xiān méng de shǒu duàn yǒu xiē hào qí ， bù guò lǐ fán yě zhī dào ， cǐ kè hái bú dào shōu gē guǒ shí de shí hòu 。
虽然对万仙盟的手段有些好奇，不过李凡也知道，此刻还不到收割果实的时候。
(End of Chapter)
"Golden chain breaking through the void? Tianyang was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered."
"It seems like there's a scene, but I'm not quite sure what it means. I didn't pay much attention to it."
Tianyang focused more on the spatial power contained within the Soul-Quenching Spirit Body.
Li Fan, who already knew little about spatial abilities, concentrated entirely on the ancient secrets hidden here.
Like blind men feeling an elephant, each had a different perspective.
Li Fan then looked at the Yellow Springs water again.
"This great river is akin to the creation river of Soul-Quenching Realm. But with the cycle of life and death broken, even if it exerts immense power, its constant generation of spirit bodies will inevitably lead to its drying up one day."
"When the Yellow Springs dry up, trillions of spirit bodies will emerge..."
"Normally, this process might take a few thousand years. It happened prematurely in 115th Era, possibly because that three-eyed skull was somehow brought into the Yellow Springs for some reason."
"To revive itself, the skull absorbed all the power from the Yellow Springs."
Li Fan deduced the possible truth based on his past experiences and current investigations of this most remote small world within the Yellow Springs.
After much contemplation, Li Fan did not interfere with the still active Yellow Springs water.
As he left Tianyang, Li Fan silently thought: "If there's an attempt to escape from Soul-Quenching Realm in this world, perhaps Soul-Quenching Realm would be a perfect testing ground."
Traveling through long spatial passages and taking nearly a month of effort, Li Fan and Tianyang finally returned to the Yellow Springs realm.
Half a year had passed since the fierce battles between the Five Elders Association and the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance were ignited.
But Li Fan did not expect that this time, it was the previously underdog Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance that initiated the conflict.
Their first move caught the Five Elders off guard and even conquered lost territories in Nine Mountains Province!
The fortifications built by the Five Elders on nine mountain ranges seemed utterly laughable now.
Despite such a victory, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance did not make much of it.
The Ten Thousand Immortals' forces only knew that they were receiving continuous good news. But how exactly they achieved this incredible result was widely speculated with no clear conclusion.
Many guessed it might be related to the previous "Thirty-Three Chosen Ones" plan.
During these months, Season Shao Li's avatar had also visited the Fishing Pond Temple on Sea轩Island and attempted to learn about that battle from Senior Stoneboard. But he seemed engrossed in understanding the "Fishing" technique and ignored him.
Due to their defeat, the Five Elders Association began to doubt the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's reliability regarding the interdimensional alliance.
Several attempts at contacting them for more information were met with silence.
Season Shao Li had no choice but to put it aside temporarily.
Lin Ling had recently become closer to Lustrous Fish.
Although Lin Ling possessed Daoist union cultivation, she was still a newborn and maintained the innocence of a child. She always initiated playtime with Lustrous Fish.
Over time, this seemingly innocent yet somewhat alert young Daoist began to lower her guard around Lustrous Fish.
Spending all day together with Lustrous Fish, Li Fan noticed that Lin Ling seemed more "awake" when he saw her again.
Or perhaps she was becoming more like a human.
Li Fan observed the small Daoist hiding behind Lin Ling, deep in thought.
But for now, he didn't intervene. He merely instructed Lin Ling: "Follow me to the border of Nine Mountains Province."
As usual, Lin Ling would not ask questions but simply nod and comply.
This time, however, a hint of doubt flashed across her eyes as she hesitated.
Li Fan's eyes flickered before he explained simply: "After my half-year absence, I've discovered something new. It might be helpful for the current situation with the Five Elders Association."
Lin Ling bid farewell to Lustrous Fish and then accompanied Li Fan through the flowing underground veins.
Soon, they arrived at a remote area in Nine Mountains Province.
After checking around and confirming no hidden cultivators were present, they quietly emerged from underground.
With his divine sense sweeping over the familiar yet strange "Nine Mountains Province," both Li Fan and Lin Ling momentarily lost their thoughts.
"Perhaps Nine Mountains Province will be renamed soon."
Recovering after a moment, Li Fan sighed softly.
The once majestic nine mountain ranges in Nine Mountains Province had been entirely flattened for unknown reasons. The formerly rugged terrain now lay as a vast plain.
However, the regions transformed from the corpses of the beast Qian were inherently unstable.
After this catastrophic battle, their instability became even more pronounced.
Black spatial rifts could be seen everywhere in the sky, flickering like lightning.
"Perhaps I can bring Tianyang here after he completes his seclusion," Li Fan thought.
"Master, it seems there's a terrifying presence lingering here."
Lin Ling’s focus was different from Li Fan’s.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before saying with some alarm:
"Something that even Daoist union cultivators find terrifying must be Longevity Realm power. Add to the shocking sight of Nine Mountains being flattened..."
"Could it be that the Transmission Technique wielded its power?"
But Li Fan quickly dismissed this idea.
"The Transmission Technique should remain indifferent if there's no threat to the Yellow Springs realm."
"But who else in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance has Longevity Realm power besides the Transmission Technique?"
"Could it be the Easternmost from ancient texts, or perhaps the curator of the Museum of Wonders, Emperor Sanmao?"
Li Fan recalled the rumors among the Ten Thousand Immortals' populace.
"Could it really be that Thirty-Three Chosen Ones plan?"
Li Fan's eyes narrowed.
Wei Qi Zheng, one of the chosen, had received a fragment of the End Disintegration Disc from Li Fan before.
Although it lacked real-time communication capabilities, it could record most of what happened to Wei Qi Zheng in detail.
If he ever met Wei Qi Zheng again or if Wei Qi Zheng perished and the disc was damaged, the information would be synchronized with Li Fan.
Despite his curiosity about the Ten Thousand Immortals' methods, Li Fan knew that now was not the time to reap the fruits of his efforts.
The longer this "钉子" remained hidden, the more secrets he could uncover.
"Let's wait a bit longer."
Suppressing these thoughts, Li Fan first initiated a special signal for meeting with the Five Elders Association.
After waiting for a long time without any response, Li Fan did not give up. He repeatedly sent out signals.
After repeating this process seven times, a faint response came from somewhere in Nine Mountains Province.
Upon arriving, Li Fan found that the signal was emitted by a smooth stone mirror-like surface.
(End of Chapter)