yī qiè dōu zài lǐ fán zhǎng kòng zhī nèi ， lǐ fán chéng gōng qǔ dé le huī sè méi bān de liǎng kuài fù zhì 。
一切都在李凡掌控之内，李凡成功取得了灰色霉斑的两块复制。
Everything was under Li Fan's control. He successfully obtained two copies of the gray mold patches.
zhěng gè guò chéng yǒu jīng wú xiǎn 。
整个过程有惊无险。
The entire process was smooth and without any major issues.
“ xìng kuī wǒ yǒu 【 qī cǎi yù xū liú guāng 】 zhè děng bǎo wù ， jiù xiàng shì róng qì yì bān ， jiāng huī sè méi bān fēng zhù 。 fǒu zé de huà ， xún cháng shǒu duàn dìng rán nán yǐ jiāng qí kòng zhì 。”
“幸亏我有【七彩玉虚鎏光】这等宝物，就像是容器一般，将灰色霉斑封住。否则的话，寻常手段定然难以将其控制。”
"Thankfully, I have the [Seven-Colored Virtuous Elixir Radiance], a precious artifact that acts like a container to seal the gray mold patch. Otherwise, ordinary means would certainly not be able to control it."
“ zhè huī sè méi bān yí dàn táo tuō ， kǒng pà jiù shì yī cháng miè shì hào jié 。”
“这灰色霉斑一旦逃脱，恐怕就是一场灭世浩劫。”
"If this gray mold patch were to escape, it might trigger a world-destroying calamity."
shǒu chí zhè děng kě pà de wù jiàn ， lǐ fán liǎn shàng què shì sī háo méi yǒu jù sè 。
手持这等可怕的物件，李凡脸上却是丝毫没有惧色。
Holding such a terrifying object, Li Fan's face showed no signs of fear.
guān chá zhe sān gè guāng tuán nèi huī sè méi bān de bù tóng fǎn yìng 。
观察着三个光团内灰色霉斑的不同反应。
Observing the different reactions of the three light spheres containing the gray mold patches.
zuì dà de nà ge ， kàn dào le bèi yǐn yòu chū qù de méi bān de hòu guǒ zhī hòu ， biàn dé chóng xīn yǎn qí xī gǔ qǐ lái 。
最大的那个，看到了被引诱出去的霉斑的后果之后，变得重新偃旗息鼓起来。
The largest one calmed down after witnessing the consequences of being lured out. It quietly潜伏ed in the skull as before.
ān jìng dì qián fú zài lú gǔ nèi bù ， yī rú lǐ fán cǐ qián jiàn dào tā de nà yàng 。
安静地潜伏在颅骨内部，一如李凡此前见到它的那样。
The second light sphere seemed unwilling to be sealed and continued to frantically attack the surrounding seven-colored divine light.
ér dì èr gè guāng tuán ， sì hū réng rán duì zì jǐ bèi fēng suǒ xīn yǒu bù gān 。 yī jiù zài fēng kuáng cháo zhe zhōu wéi de qī cǎi shén guāng fā dòng qīn shí 。
而第二个光团，似乎仍然对自己被封锁心有不甘。依旧在疯狂朝着周围的七彩神光发动侵蚀。
But with Li Fan's continuous supply of daoist heavenly power, it was all for naught.
dàn zài lǐ fán yuán yuán bù duàn de dòng tiān zhī lì bǔ jǐ xià ， gēn běn shì tú láo wú gōng 。
但在李凡源源不断的洞天之力补给下，根本是徒劳无功。
The gray mold patch in the third light sphere had the least number. It appeared calmer due to being newly split. Its color was not as dark gray as its predecessors.
dì sān gè guāng tuán zhōng de huī sè méi bān ， shù liàng zuì shǎo 。 ér qiě sì hū yóu yú shì gāng gāng fēn liè chū lái bù jiǔ de yuán gù ， zuì wèi píng jìng 。 qí wài biǎo de yán sè ， yě bù xiàng qián liǎng gè tā de qián bèi nà yàng ， huī de shēn chén 。
第三个光团中的灰色霉斑，数量最少。而且似乎由于是刚刚分裂出来不久的缘故，最为平静。其外表的颜色，也不像前两个它的前辈那样，灰的深沉。
"This is..."
“ zhè shì ……”
“这是……”
Li Fan could now see the true form of the gray mold patches.
lǐ fán yīn cǐ néng gòu kàn dào le huī sè méi bān de zhēn zhèng mú yàng 。
李凡因此能够看到了灰色霉斑的真正模样。
They were composed of many lines with a regular pattern, like...
yóu xǔ duō héng shù yǒu lǜ de xiàn tiáo zǔ chéng ， jiù xiàng shì ……
由许多横竖有律的线条组成，就像是……
Some kind of text.
mǒu zhǒng wén zì 。
某种文字。
Li Fan's eyes narrowed involuntarily.
lǐ fán bù jīn mī qǐ le yǎn jīng 。
李凡不禁眯起了眼睛。
The large character on the vast land of Xuanhuang came to mind.
tā de nǎo hǎi zhōng ， chà nà fú xiàn zài xiān xū dà dì shàng de nà ge páng dà zì fú 。
他的脑海中，刹那浮现在仙墟大地上的那个庞大字符。
This hidden character in the gray mold patch seemed similar!
zhè huī sè méi bān zhōng yǐn cáng de ， sì hū gēn qí yǒu zhū duō xiāng sì zhī chù ！
这灰色霉斑中隐藏的，似乎跟其有诸多相似之处！
Although their scales differed greatly, Li Fan discovered that some "strokes" were nearly perfectly identical when viewed through a calligraphic perspective.
suī rán liǎng zhě chǐ dù xiāng chā shèn yuǎn ， dàn shì lǐ fán yǐ shū fǎ jiǎo dù lái kàn dài 、 bǐ duì zhī hòu 。
虽然两者尺度相差甚远，但是李凡以书法角度来看待、比对之后。
Unable to see the full character, Li Fan couldn't determine which exact character formed this terrifying world-destroying gray patch.
hái shì fā xiàn le qí zhōng yī bù fèn “ bǐ huà ”， shì jìn hū wán quán chóng hé de ！
还是发现了其中一部分“笔画”，是近乎完全重合的！
But he could conclude that it was one of the sources of chaos along with 饥 (hunger) and 乱 (chaos).
yóu yú wèi néng mù dǔ cǐ zì quán mào ， suǒ yǐ lǐ fán bù néng què dìng ， dào dǐ shì nǎ ge zì 、 xíng chéng le zhè kǒng bù de miè shì huī bān 。
由于未能目睹此字全貌，所以李凡不能确定，到底是哪个字、形成了这恐怖的灭世灰斑。
"The three are different."
dàn shì lǐ fán néng gòu duàn dìng ， zhè ge zì ， gēn 【 jī 】、【 luàn 】 yī yàng ， dōu shì zhū jiè dòng luàn de yuán tóu zhī yī ！
但是李凡能够断定，这个字，跟【饥】、【乱】一样，都是诸界动乱的源头之一！
"I've never seen the true character for 'chaos'. I only saw a copy made by a mysterious person."
“ sān zhě zhī jiān ， yì yǒu bù tóng 。”
“三者之间，亦有不同。”
"The complete character for hunger led to the formation of Xuanhuang. Countless cultivation realms were affected."
“ wǒ méi yǒu jiàn guò zhēn zhèng de luàn zì ， zhǐ kàn guò bèi shén mì rén lín mó de fù běn 。”
“我没有见过真正的乱字，只看过被神秘人临摹的副本。”
"This new character has no complete form, manifesting as countless gray mold patches that erode worlds."
“ wán zhěng de jī zì ， dǎo zhì le xiān xū de xíng chéng 。 wú jìn xū kōng 、 bù zhī dào duō shǎo xiū xiān jiè dōu yào shòu dào bō jí 。”
“完整的饥字，导致了仙墟的形成。无尽虚空、不知道多少修仙界都要受到波及。”
Characters flashed through Li Fan's mind.
“ ér zhè ge xīn de zì fú ， méi yǒu wán zhěng shí tǐ 。 huà zuò wú shù huī sè méi bān ， qīn shí zhū shì jiè 。”
“而这个新的字符，没有完整实体。化作无数灰色霉斑，侵蚀诸世界。”
He was trying to find one corresponding to the disaster brought by the gray mold patch.
lǐ fán nǎo hǎi zhōng ， yí gè gè zì kuài sù shǎn guò 。
李凡脑海中，一个个字快速闪过。
But none matched.
xiǎng yào zhǎo dào gēn huī sè méi bān dài lái de zāi è xiāng duì yīng de 。
想要找到跟灰色霉斑带来的灾厄相对应的。
"I see it now; what I've seen are just superficial manifestations."
dàn shì wú yī xiāng pǐ pèi 。
但是无一相匹配。
"Only the influence of true immortals' characters. Just like how Xuanhuang was attracted by the vast land..."
“ shì le ， wǒ suǒ kàn dào de ， dōu zhǐ bù guò shì biǎo xiàng 。”
“是了，我所看到的，都只不过是表象。”
"The attraction is merely an external manifestation. The true core can only be understood after seeing the character with one's own eyes. It’s a [hunger] character..."
“ dōu zhǐ shì zhēn xiān zhī zì zào jiù de wài zài yǐng xiǎng 。”
“都只是真仙之字造就的外在影响。”
"What is the essence of these gray mold patches?"
“ jiù xiàng wǒ cǐ qián jiàn dào ， xuán huáng jiè bèi xiān xū xī yǐn yī yàng ……”
“就像我此前见到，玄黄界被仙墟吸引一样……”
Li Fan quietly observed the three light spheres, lost in deep thought.
“ xī yǐn lì bù guò shì wài zài biǎo xiàn 。 zhēn zhèng de nèi hé ， zhǐ yǒu qīn yǎn jiàn dào zhēn xiān zhī zì ， cái néng míng bái 。 shì yí gè 【 jī 】 zì ……”
“吸引力不过是外在表现。真正的内核，只有亲眼见到真仙之字，才能明白。是一个【饥】字……”
After some time, he woke up from his reverie.
“ huī sè méi bān de běn zhì yòu shì shén me ne ？”
“灰色霉斑的本质又是什么呢？”
Clearly, guessing would not help Li Fan understand the mystery.
lǐ fán jìng jìng dì kàn zhe miàn qián de sān gè guāng tuán ， xiàn rù le cháng jiǔ de sī suǒ zhōng 。
李凡静静地看着面前的三个光团，陷入了长久的思索中。
"Perhaps more gray mold patches and observing their proliferation might reveal something."
bù zhī guò le duō jiǔ ， fāng cái cóng chén sī zhōng xǐng lái 。
不知过了多久，方才从沉思中醒来。
"But..."
hěn xiǎn rán ， guāng kào qù cāi ， yǐ lǐ fán de wù xìng 、 shì wú fǎ cān tòu qí zhōng ào mì de 。
很显然，光靠去猜，以李凡的悟性、是无法参透其中奥秘的。
After a moment's contemplation, Li Fan put this idea aside for now.
“ huò xǔ zài duō péi yǎng yī xiē huī sè méi bān 、 guān chá tā men zēng zhí de guò chéng ， jiù néng yǒu suǒ fā xiàn 。”
“或许再多培养一些灰色霉斑、观察它们增殖的过程，就能有所发现。”
Even though the seven-colored divine light had a natural sealing effect on the gray mold patch, it didn't mean its level was higher than that of the gray patch.
“ bù guò ……”
“不过……”
After all, his only ability was to seal the gray patch.
chén yín piàn kè ， lǐ fán hái shì zàn shí jiāng cǐ xiǎng fǎ yā xià 。
沉吟片刻，李凡还是暂时将此想法压下。
With time passing, the gray patch wouldn’t disappear or weaken. The seven-colored divine light would be continuously eroded.
jiù suàn qī cǎi shén guāng ， duì yú zhè huī sè méi bān yǒu zhe tiān rán de fēng suǒ zuò yòng 。 dàn què bìng bù yì wèi zhe qī cǎi yù xū liú guāng de céng jí ， yào gāo guò huī bān 。
就算七彩神光，对于这灰色霉斑有着天然的封锁作用。但却并不意味着七彩玉虚鎏光的层级，要高过灰斑。
In essence, he was merely delaying the gray patch's eruption with a fraction of a world’s daoist essence.
bì jìng lǐ fán néng zuò de ， yě jǐn jǐn shì fēng yìn huī bān ér yǐ 。
毕竟李凡能做的，也仅仅是封印灰斑而已。
"Just like how Xuanhuang could still maintain its existence for nearly ten thousand years under the vast land's attraction."
suí zhe shí jiān de liú shì ， huī bān bú huì zì xíng xiāo shī 、 jiǎn ruò 。 ér qī cǎi shén guāng què huì bèi bù duàn qīn shí 。
随着时间的流逝，灰斑不会自行消失、减弱。而七彩神光却会被不断侵蚀。
"Even with my Five Elements Great Heavenly Caverns, the seven-colored divine light wouldn’t be completely depleted."
zhēn yào shuō de huà ， zhǐ bù guò shì yòng yī jiè tiān dào běn yuán de lì liàng ， yán huǎn huī bān de bào fā 。
真要说的话，只不过是用一界天道本源的力量，延缓灰斑的爆发。
"But to be safe, three sealed light spheres are enough."
“ jiù gēn xuán huáng jiè ， réng néng zài xiān xū de xī yǐn xià wéi chí le jìn wàn nián shì yí gè dào lǐ 。”
“就跟玄黄界，仍能在仙墟的吸引下维持了近万年是一个道理。”
"After all, I’ve already achieved my goal."
“ jí biàn wǒ yǒu wǔ xíng dà dòng tiān ， qī cǎi shén guāng jī hū bù huì yǒu bèi xiāo hào guāng de fēng xiǎn 。”
“即便我有五行大洞天，七彩神光几乎不会有被消耗光的风险。”
He stored these light spheres deep within his own heavenly realm and heavily suppressed them.
“ dàn bǎo xiǎn qǐ jiàn ， sān gè fēng yìn guāng tuán yǐ jīng zú gòu duō le 。”
“但保险起见，三个封印光团已经足够多了。”
"With this in hand, even if a long-lived powerhouse comes, they will fall into my plans."
“ bì jìng wǒ de mù dì yǐ jīng dá dào le 。”
“毕竟我的目的已经达到了。”
As for the consequences of using the gray mold patch...
chóng xīn jiāng zhè xiē guāng tuán shōu yú zì shēn dòng tiān zuì shēn chù ， chóng chóng zhèn yā qǐ lái 。
重新将这些光团收于自身洞天最深处，重重镇压起来。
If Xuanhuang’s destruction was necessary, he would restart Truly Real Technique!
“ yǒu cǐ wù zài shǒu ， jiù suàn cháng shēng qiáng zhě lái ， yě yào luò yú wǒ de suàn jì zhōng 。”
“有此物在手，就算长生强者来，也要落于我的算计中。”
But Li Fan wouldn't use this last trump card easily.
zhì yú shǐ yòng huī bān huì zào chéng de hòu guǒ ……
至于使用灰斑会造成的后果……
With his great progress and补齐ed soul deficiencies, facing a long-lived heavenly sovereign could allow him to exchange blows.
dà bù liǎo xuán huáng miè shì 、 hái zhēn chóng qǐ biàn shì ！
大不了玄黄灭世、还真重启便是！
And with the seven-colored divine light protecting him, it was unlikely that he would be in such a dire situation where he couldn’t even activate Truly Real Technique.
bù guò zhè zuì hòu yī dào shā shǒu jiǎn 、 lǐ fán dào yě bú huì qīng yì shǐ yòng 。
不过这最后一道杀手锏、李凡倒也不会轻易使用。
Not being instantly killed and having time to activate Truly Real Technique under these conditions would be beneficial.
rú jīn tā shí lì dà jìn ， shén hún duǎn bǎn yǐ jīng bǔ qí 。 miàn duì cháng shēng tiān zūn ， yě néng guò shàng jǐ zhāo 。
如今他实力大进，神魂短板已经补齐。面对长生天尊，也能过上几招。
Li Fan began planning his next move.
zài jiā shàng yǒu qī cǎi shén guāng hù tǐ ， xiǎng lái yīng gāi bú huì zài chū xiàn zhī qián nà bān ， lián hái zhēn dōu wú fǎ shǐ yòng de qíng kuàng le 。
再加上有七彩神光护体，想来应该不会再出现之前那般，连还真都无法使用的情况了。
"Starting with ancient longevity techniques."
bú huì bèi shùn shā ， néng gòu jí shí hái zhēn 。
不会被瞬杀，能够及时还真。
Unfortunately, those who have survived until now are all ultimate old monsters.
zhè liǎng gè qián tí xià ， néng duō jī zǎn diǎn gēn cháng shēng jìng jiāo shǒu de jīng yàn ， yě shì bù cuò de 。
这两个前提下，能多积攒点跟长生境交手的经验，也是不错的。
For a moment, Li Fan couldn't find any weak points.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng yǐ jīng kāi shǐ móu huà zuì wèi hé shì de rén xuǎn 。
李凡心中已经开始谋划最为合适的人选。
...
“ jiù xiān cóng gǔ fǎ cháng shēng kāi shǐ 。”
“就先从古法长生开始。”
Just as Li Fan was about to act in the Spirit Wood Realm, the Thirty-Three Immortal Chosen Ones' transmission of the heavenly sovereign's teaching manifestation reappeared!
kě xī néng huó dào xiàn zài de gǔ fǎ cháng shēng ， kě wèi dōu shì jiū jí lǎo guài wù le 。
可惜能活到现在的古法长生，可谓都是究极老怪物了。
This time, the heavenly sovereign's manifestation appeared in Yongliang State, adjacent to Jiashan Prefecture!
yī shí jiān ， lǐ fán jìng rán méi néng zhǎo dào néng niē de ruǎn shì zi 。
一时间，李凡竟然没能找到能捏的软柿子。
Unlike its overwhelming and suppressive actions within Jiashan Prefecture, this time the heavenly sovereign's manifestation opened its eyes above the sky.
……
……
The endless masses in Yongliang State indeed felt a crisis of impending doom.
zhèng dāng lǐ fán zài líng mù jiè zhōng ， xīn sī chǔn chǔn yù dòng de shí hòu 。
正当李凡在灵木界中，心思蠢蠢欲动的时候。
But at this critical moment, a scholar's shadow blocked the heavenly sovereign's manifestation.
wài jiè ， sān shí sān xiān xuǎn zhě lián shǒu shī zhǎn de chuán fǎ tiān zūn fǎ xiàng ， què shì zài dù chū shǒu le ！
外界，三十三仙选者联手施展的传法天尊法相，却是再度出手了！
He raised his head slightly and seemed to be saying something.
zhè cì tiān zūn fǎ xiàng chū xiàn de dì diǎn ， hè rán zài wǔ lǎo huì jìng nèi ！
这次天尊法相出现的地点，赫然在五老会境内！
Slowly, the Yongliang State cultivators discovered that the heavenly sovereign's teaching manifestation in the sky was slowly closing its eyes!
yǔ jiǔ shān zhōu pí lín de yōng liáng zhōu ！
与九山州毗邻的雍良州！
Boom...
gēn zài jiǔ shān zhōu zhōng cuī gǔ lā xiǔ 、 zhèn yā yī qiè de biǎo xiàn bù yí yàng de shì ， zhè cì tiān zūn fǎ xiàng fú xiàn zài tiān qióng zhī shàng 、 zhēng kāi le shuāng yǎn zhī hòu 。
跟在九山州中摧古拉朽、镇压一切的表现不一样的是，这次天尊法相浮现在天穹之上、睁开了双眼之后。
With slight tremors, the heavenly sovereign's manifestation vanished into nothingness.
yōng liáng zhōu de wú jìn zhòng shēng ， dí què gǎn dào le dà nàn lín tóu de wēi jī jí jiāng lái lín 。
雍良州的无尽众生，的确感到了大难临头的危机即将来临。
The world-destroying calamity was thus averted.
dàn jiù zài zhè guān jiàn shí kè ， yī wèi shū shēng de xū yǐng ， lán zài le tiān zūn fǎ xiàng miàn qián 。
但就在这关键时刻，一位书生的虚影，拦在了天尊法相面前。
The scholar’s shadow also slowly disappeared. Countless cultivators bowed to the heavenly sovereign, expressing their gratitude.
zhǐ jiàn tā wēi yǎng tóu lú ， zuǐ chún wēi zhāng ， sì hū zài shuō xiē shén me 。
只见他微仰头颅，嘴唇微张，似乎在说些什么。
"It seems that within the area under the Longevity Heavenly Sovereign's逆行 influence, it's still difficult to contend with long-lived immortals."
ér màn màn de ， yōng liáng zhōu xiū shì men jìng rán fā xiàn ， tiān kōng zhōng de chuán fǎ tiān zūn fǎ xiàng ， jìng rán màn màn de chóng xīn bì shàng le shuāng yǎn ！
而慢慢的，雍良州修士们竟然发现，天空中的传法天尊法相，竟然慢慢的重新闭上了双眼！
"No wonder the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance hasn't been able to gain any substantial advantage over the Five Elders' Council for so many years."
hōng ……
轰……
"The heavenly sovereign’s power is just too strong."
qīng wēi de chàn dòng zhōng ， tiān zūn fǎ xiàng xū yǐng xiāo mǐ yú wú xíng 。
轻微的颤动中，天尊法相虚影消弭于无形。
"Instead of fighting cultivators, they are actually competing against five long-lived immortals."
yī cháng miè shì jié nàn ， yě jiù suí zhī bèi huà jiě 。
一场灭世劫难，也就随之被化解。
"There's no chance of winning."
shū shēng de shēn yǐng tóng yàng huǎn huǎn xiāo shī ， wú shù xiū shì cháo zhe tiān zūn kòu bài 、 biǎo shì zì jǐ de gǎn jī zhī qíng 。
书生的身影同样缓缓消失，无数修士朝着天尊叩拜、表示自己的感激之情。
When Li Fan received this message from the Five Elders' Council, he thought.
“ kàn lái ， zài cháng shēng tiān zūn nì lǐ lǒng zhào de qū yù nèi ， xiǎng yào gēn cháng shēng jìng xiū shì xiāng kàng héng ， hái shì yǒu diǎn miǎn qiǎng 。”
“看来，在长生天尊逆理笼罩的区域内，想要跟长生境修士相抗衡，还是有点勉强。”
But immediately, he frowned slightly.
“ yě nán guài zhè me duō nián lái ， wàn xiān méng yì zhí méi yǒu néng cóng wǔ lǎo huì shǒu zhōng zhàn dé shén me shí zhì pián yi 。”
“也难怪这么多年来，万仙盟一直没有能从五老会手中占得什么实质便宜。”
The Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance always acts after careful planning and never does meaningless things.
“ shí zài shì tiān zūn de lì liàng tài qiáng le 。”
“实在是天尊的力量太强了。”
They couldn't be unaware that the heavenly sovereign’s manifestation in their territory would not fare well. But they still did it anyway.
“ yǔ qí shuō shì gēn xiū shì men zhēng dòu ， bù rú shuō shì zài gēn wǔ wèi cháng shēng qiáng zhě dòu fǎ 。”
“与其说是跟修士们争斗，不如说是在跟五位长生强者斗法。”
"Could they be testing something?"
“ gēn běn méi yǒu shèng suàn 。”
“根本没有胜算。”
Li Fan became interested.
Everything was under Li Fan's control. He successfully obtained two copies of the gray mold patches.
The entire process was smooth and without any major issues.
"Thankfully, I have the [Seven-Colored Virtuous Elixir Radiance], a precious artifact that acts like a container to seal the gray mold patch. Otherwise, ordinary means would certainly not be able to control it."
"If this gray mold patch were to escape, it might trigger a world-destroying calamity."
Holding such a terrifying object, Li Fan's face showed no signs of fear.
Observing the different reactions of the three light spheres containing the gray mold patches.
The largest one calmed down after witnessing the consequences of being lured out. It quietly潜伏ed in the skull as before.
The second light sphere seemed unwilling to be sealed and continued to frantically attack the surrounding seven-colored divine light.
But with Li Fan's continuous supply of daoist heavenly power, it was all for naught.
The gray mold patch in the third light sphere had the least number. It appeared calmer due to being newly split. Its color was not as dark gray as its predecessors.
"This is..."
Li Fan could now see the true form of the gray mold patches.
They were composed of many lines with a regular pattern, like...
Some kind of text.
Li Fan's eyes narrowed involuntarily.
The large character on the vast land of Xuanhuang came to mind.
This hidden character in the gray mold patch seemed similar!
Although their scales differed greatly, Li Fan discovered that some "strokes" were nearly perfectly identical when viewed through a calligraphic perspective.
Unable to see the full character, Li Fan couldn't determine which exact character formed this terrifying world-destroying gray patch.
But he could conclude that it was one of the sources of chaos along with 饥 (hunger) and 乱 (chaos).
"The three are different."
"I've never seen the true character for 'chaos'. I only saw a copy made by a mysterious person."
"The complete character for hunger led to the formation of Xuanhuang. Countless cultivation realms were affected."
"This new character has no complete form, manifesting as countless gray mold patches that erode worlds."
Characters flashed through Li Fan's mind.
He was trying to find one corresponding to the disaster brought by the gray mold patch.
But none matched.
"I see it now; what I've seen are just superficial manifestations."
"Only the influence of true immortals' characters. Just like how Xuanhuang was attracted by the vast land..."
"The attraction is merely an external manifestation. The true core can only be understood after seeing the character with one's own eyes. It’s a [hunger] character..."
"What is the essence of these gray mold patches?"
Li Fan quietly observed the three light spheres, lost in deep thought.
After some time, he woke up from his reverie.
Clearly, guessing would not help Li Fan understand the mystery.
"Perhaps more gray mold patches and observing their proliferation might reveal something."
"But..."
After a moment's contemplation, Li Fan put this idea aside for now.
Even though the seven-colored divine light had a natural sealing effect on the gray mold patch, it didn't mean its level was higher than that of the gray patch.
After all, his only ability was to seal the gray patch.
With time passing, the gray patch wouldn’t disappear or weaken. The seven-colored divine light would be continuously eroded.
In essence, he was merely delaying the gray patch's eruption with a fraction of a world’s daoist essence.
"Just like how Xuanhuang could still maintain its existence for nearly ten thousand years under the vast land's attraction."
"Even with my Five Elements Great Heavenly Caverns, the seven-colored divine light wouldn’t be completely depleted."
"But to be safe, three sealed light spheres are enough."
"After all, I’ve already achieved my goal."
He stored these light spheres deep within his own heavenly realm and heavily suppressed them.
"With this in hand, even if a long-lived powerhouse comes, they will fall into my plans."
As for the consequences of using the gray mold patch...
If Xuanhuang’s destruction was necessary, he would restart Truly Real Technique!
But Li Fan wouldn't use this last trump card easily.
With his great progress and补齐ed soul deficiencies, facing a long-lived heavenly sovereign could allow him to exchange blows.
And with the seven-colored divine light protecting him, it was unlikely that he would be in such a dire situation where he couldn’t even activate Truly Real Technique.
Not being instantly killed and having time to activate Truly Real Technique under these conditions would be beneficial.
Li Fan began planning his next move.
"Starting with ancient longevity techniques."
Unfortunately, those who have survived until now are all ultimate old monsters.
For a moment, Li Fan couldn't find any weak points.
...
Just as Li Fan was about to act in the Spirit Wood Realm, the Thirty-Three Immortal Chosen Ones' transmission of the heavenly sovereign's teaching manifestation reappeared!
This time, the heavenly sovereign's manifestation appeared in Yongliang State, adjacent to Jiashan Prefecture!
Unlike its overwhelming and suppressive actions within Jiashan Prefecture, this time the heavenly sovereign's manifestation opened its eyes above the sky.
The endless masses in Yongliang State indeed felt a crisis of impending doom.
But at this critical moment, a scholar's shadow blocked the heavenly sovereign's manifestation.
He raised his head slightly and seemed to be saying something.
Slowly, the Yongliang State cultivators discovered that the heavenly sovereign's teaching manifestation in the sky was slowly closing its eyes!
Boom...
With slight tremors, the heavenly sovereign's manifestation vanished into nothingness.
The world-destroying calamity was thus averted.
The scholar’s shadow also slowly disappeared. Countless cultivators bowed to the heavenly sovereign, expressing their gratitude.
"It seems that within the area under the Longevity Heavenly Sovereign's逆行 influence, it's still difficult to contend with long-lived immortals."
"No wonder the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance hasn't been able to gain any substantial advantage over the Five Elders' Council for so many years."
"The heavenly sovereign’s power is just too strong."
"Instead of fighting cultivators, they are actually competing against five long-lived immortals."
"There's no chance of winning."
When Li Fan received this message from the Five Elders' Council, he thought.
But immediately, he frowned slightly.
The Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance always acts after careful planning and never does meaningless things.
They couldn't be unaware that the heavenly sovereign’s manifestation in their territory would not fare well. But they still did it anyway.
"Could they be testing something?"
Li Fan became interested.