suī rán yǒu shí hòu huì xīn tài piāo hū ， dàn shì lǐ tài shī yǒu gè yōu diǎn ， nà jiù shì bù sǐ yào miàn zi 、 zhī cuò néng gǎi 。
虽然有时候会心态飘忽，但是李太师有个优点，那就是不死要面子、知错能改。
Although his mindset would sometimes fluctuate, Master Li had one advantage: he never lost face and could admit when he was wrong.
jì rán xuán tiān jiào de dǐ yùn ， yǒu xiē chāo hū xiǎng xiàng 。
既然玄天教的底蕴，有些超乎想象。
Since the foundation of the Xuan Tian Sect seemed to exceed expectations,
nà me jiù xiān gǎi biàn jì huà ， zàn qiě bù zhāo rě tā men jiù shì 。
那么就先改变计划，暂且不招惹他们就是。
he decided to change his plans for now and avoid them for the time being.
zhè me xiǎng zhe ， lǐ fán dǎ suàn dòng yòng qī cǎi shén guāng 、 jiāng zhè zūn wú miàn shén xiàng chóng xīn fēng yìn qǐ lái 。
这么想着，李凡打算动用七彩神光、将这尊无面神像重新封印起来。
Thinking this way, Li Fan planned to use the Seven-Colored Divine Light to reseal the faceless deity statue.
zhèng yù zhè me zuò de lǐ fán ， dòng zuò què shì hū de yī jiāng 。
正欲这么做的李凡，动作却是忽的一僵。
Just as he was about to do so, Li Fan suddenly stiffened mid-action.
yīn wèi zài nà ge shùn jiān ， zhè zūn shén xiàng fǎng fú huó guò lái le yī yàng 。
因为在那个瞬间，这尊神像仿佛活过来了一样。
At that moment, the statue seemed to come alive.
jí biàn zhè zūn shí xiàng méi yǒu yǎn jīng ， lǐ fán yě shí fēn qīng xī de gǎn jué dào ， tā “ kàn le ” zì jǐ yī yǎn 。
即便这尊石像没有眼睛，李凡也十分清晰的感觉到，祂“看了”自己一眼。
Even though it had no eyes, Li Fan distinctly felt that it "looked" at him.
lǐ fán bù jīn měng dì cháo hòu yuǎn dùn le yī duàn jù lí ， tóng shí xīn zhōng zhǔn bèi hái zhēn 。
李凡不禁猛地朝后远遁了一段距离，同时心中准备还真。
Li Fan quickly retreated a distance and prepared for the Truly Real Technique.
zú zú shù xī zhī hòu ， jiàn jiē xià lái yī qiè píng jìng 。 méi yǒu yì zhuàng fā shēng ， lǐ fán zhè cái chóng xīn huǎn huǎn kào jìn 。
足足数息之后，见接下来一切平静。没有异状发生，李凡这才重新缓缓靠近。
After several breaths of waiting, seeing nothing amiss, he cautiously approached again.
wú miàn shí xiàng gēn zhī qián zì jǐ fàng zhì tā de shí hòu yī yàng 。
无面石像跟之前自己放置祂的时候一样。
The faceless stone statue was just as it had been before.
sì hū gāng gāng nà yī piē ， zhǐ shì zì jǐ de huàn jué 。
似乎刚刚那一撇，只是自己的幻觉。
It seemed like his previous glimpse might have been an illusion.
lǐ fán shèn zhì hái fān yuè le nǎo hǎi zhōng huà dào shí jì lù de huà miàn 。
李凡甚至还翻阅了脑海中化道石记录的画面。
Li Fan even reviewed the images recorded by the Dao Path Stone in his mind.
lǐ miàn de shí xiàng jìng jìng chù lì ， rú tóng fán wù 。
里面的石像静静矗立，如同凡物。
Inside, the statue stood quietly, like any ordinary object—nothing special.
bìng méi yǒu shén me tè shū de dì fāng 。
并没有什么特殊的地方。
"Could I have misjudged this?" Li Fan wondered doubtfully.
“ nán bù chéng ， zhēn shì wǒ kàn cuò le ？” lǐ fán yǒu xiē hú yí 。
“难不成，真是我看错了？”李凡有些狐疑。
After some thought, he decided to eliminate this potential threat.
sī lǜ piàn kè ， tā hái shì zuì zhōng jué dìng bù liú zhe zhè ge huò huàn 。
思虑片刻，他还是最终决定不留着这个祸患。
He cast beams of Seven-Colored Divine Light to reseal and store the faceless deity statue.
dǎ chū dào dào qī cǎi shén guāng ， jiù yào jiāng wú miàn shén xiàng fēng yìn 、 shōu qǐ 。
打出道道七彩神光，就要将无面神像封印、收起。
However, his expression suddenly changed dramatically.
rán ér ， jiē xià lái lǐ fán què shì miàn sè jù biàn 。
然而，接下来李凡却是面色巨变。
Because, even though the statue was right in front of him, it seemed as if it didn't exist at all!
yīn wèi ， míng míng zhè shí xiàng jiù zài yǎn qián ， què yòu fǎng fú gēn běn bù cún zài yī yàng ！
因为，明明这石像就在眼前，却又仿佛根本不存在一样！
The attempt to seal with the Seven-Colored Divine Light was in vain; he returned empty-handed.
qī cǎi shén guāng fēng yìn le gè jì mò ， kōng shǒu ér guī 。
七彩神光封印了个寂寞，空手而归。
Li Fan was momentarily stunned.
lǐ fán wēi wēi zhèng zhù 。
李凡微微怔住。
He tried touching the statue with his hand.
tā shì tú yòng shǒu qù chù mō shí xiàng 。
他试图用手去触摸石像。
The icy touch felt incredibly real.
bīng liáng de chù gǎn ， wú bǐ zhēn shí 。
冰凉的触感，无比真实。
But when Li Fan focused on using his divine sense to lock onto and store it, the divine sense detected nothing at the statue's location.
dàn lǐ fán xīn niàn wēi dòng ， xiǎng yào yòng shén shí jiāng qí suǒ dìng 、 bǎ tā shōu rù chǔ wù kōng jiān zhōng de shí hòu 。
但李凡心念微动，想要用神识将其锁定、把它收入储物空间中的时候。
It was impossible.
shén shí gǎn yìng zhōng ， shí xiàng suǒ zài què yòu kōng wú yī wù 。
神识感应中，石像所在却又空无一物。
This strange scene had already surpassed Li Fan’s comprehension.
gēn běn wú fǎ zuò dào 。
根本无法做到。
"Could this be the lingering spirit of Xuan Tian Wang?" Li Fan’s expression fluctuated between anger and fear.
zhè guǐ yì de yí mù ， yǐ rán yǒu xiē chāo chū le lǐ fán de rèn zhī 。
这诡异的一幕，已然有些超出了李凡的认知。
He could confirm that before now, the statue hadn’t undergone such changes.
“ nán bù chéng shì xuán tiān wáng yīn hún bù sàn ？” lǐ fán liǎn sè yīn qíng bù dìng 。
“难不成是玄天王阴魂不散？”李凡脸色阴晴不定。
But just with that glimpse, something mysterious seemed to have transformed on the statue, making it appear both present and absent.
lǐ fán kě yǐ kěn dìng ， zài cǐ zhī qián ， shí xiàng hái méi yǒu fā shēng zhè zhǒng yì biàn 。
李凡可以肯定，在此之前，石像还没有发生这种异变。
"Surely, this is not a delusion. Even the Dao Path Stone couldn't record it..."
dàn jiù suí zhe gāng gāng de nà yī piē ， sì hū zài shí xiàng shēn shàng fā shēng le mǒu zhǒng xuán miào de biàn huà 。
但就随着刚刚的那一撇，似乎在石像身上发生了某种玄妙的变化。
Li Fan’s face darkened.
shǐ de shí xiàng biàn chéng le rú jīn zhè zhǒng ， zài yòu fēi zài de tè shū zhuàng tài 。
使得石像变成了如今这种，在又非在的特殊状态。
Now he understood what it meant to invite deities but struggle to send them away.
“ guǒ rán bú shì wǒ de cuò jué 。 lián huà dào shí dōu wú fǎ jì lù ……”
“果然不是我的错觉。连化道石都无法记录……”
This stone statue remained here, as if it had settled in the Spirit Wood World just like a permanent resident.
lǐ fán de liǎn sè dùn shí yīn chén le xià lái 。
李凡的脸色顿时阴沉了下来。
He had painstakingly built his base, only for an unremovable bomb to be placed there... and this bomb was something Li Fan himself had casually set down...
cǐ shí de tā ， zǒng suàn zhī dào shén me jiào zuò qǐng shén róng yì sòng shén nán le 。
此时的他，总算知道什么叫做请神容易送神难了。
Li Fan’s face twitched involuntarily.
zhè zūn shí xiàng ， jū rán jiù dāi zài cǐ dì bù zǒu le 。
这尊石像，居然就呆在此地不走了。
Just as he considered abandoning the Spirit Wood World and starting anew,
dàng zhēn rú tóng zài zhè wàn jiè lián hé huì zǒng bù de líng mù jiè ān jiā le yì bān 。
当真如同在这万界联合会总部的灵木界安家了一般。
a melodious female voice suddenly appeared in the hall.
zì jǐ xīn xīn kǔ kǔ dǎ zào de jī dì ， bèi ān zhì le yī kē wú fǎ chāi xiè de zhà dàn 。 piān piān zhè kē zhà dàn hái shì lǐ fán yī shí xīn xuè lái cháo ， qīn zì fàng xià de ……
自己辛辛苦苦打造的基地，被安置了一颗无法拆卸的炸弹。偏偏这颗炸弹还是李凡一时心血来潮，亲自放下的……
"Merciful True Immortal of Red Dust, may my exploration into the Fire Realm be smooth and successful..."
lǐ fán de liǎn dùn shí chōu le chōu 。
李凡的脸顿时抽了抽。
Li Fan’s heart skipped a beat. He looked around but found no source of the sound.
zhèng zài xiǎng zhe ， yào bù yào jiāng zhè líng mù jiè shě qì 、 lìng qǐ lú zào de shí hòu 。
正在想着，要不要将这灵木界舍弃、另起炉灶的时候。
However, the prayer continued incessantly.
“ hóng chén cí bēi zhēn xiān bǎo yòu ， wǒ dà lí cǐ cì tàn suǒ huǒ jiè zhī xíng ， néng gòu yī qiè shùn shùn lì lì ……”
“红尘慈悲真仙保佑，我大离此次探索火界之行，能够一切顺顺利利……”
It started with Su Yuning from the Departed World, followed by He Zhenghao, Cao Hong, Dao Xuanzi, and others.
yī dào dòng tīng de nǚ shēng ， hū de chū xiàn zài zhè dà diàn dāng zhōng 。
一道动听的女声，忽的出现在这大殿当中。
One after another, their voices echoed in his mind.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng bù yóu yī tiào 。
李凡心中不由一跳。
Li Fan carefully examined these sounds and realized they were directly appearing in his thoughts!
zuǒ yòu wàng qù ， bìng méi yǒu fā xiàn shēng yīn de lái yuán 。
左右望去，并没有发现声音的来源。
Moreover, whenever he focused on a particular voice,
dàn zhè qí dǎo shēng bìng méi yǒu xiāo shī ， fǎn ér xù xù bù duàn 。
但这祈祷声并没有消失，反而絮絮不断。
the corresponding scene would quickly appear before him as if he were there.
cóng zuì kāi shǐ de ， lí jiè sū yǔ qíng de shēng yīn 。 dào hòu lái hé zhèng hào ， kòu hóng 、 dào xuán zi děng rén de 。
从最开始的，离界苏语晴的声音。到后来何正浩，寇洪、道玄子等人的。
He could feel the state of the person making the prayer.
fēn zhì tà lái ， jiē lián chū xiàn 。
纷至沓来，接连出现。
And...
lǐ fán zǐ xì yán jiū le yī fān ， cái fā xiàn zhè xiē shēng yīn jìng rán shì zhí jiē chū xiàn zài zì jǐ nǎo hǎi zhōng de ！
李凡仔细研究了一番，才发现这些声音竟然是直接出现在自己脑海中的！
Li Fan sensed that, with effort, he could even respond to these prayers.
ér qiě ， zhǐ yào zì jǐ jiāng zhù yì lì jí zhōng zài mǒu yī dào shēng yīn shàng 。
而且，只要自己将注意力集中在某一道声音上。
"What is going on?"
hěn kuài ， shēng yīn duì yìng de huà miàn yě suí zhī chū xiàn 。
很快，声音对应的画面也随之出现。
He was utterly shocked to discover such abilities almost identical to those of legendary deities.
wǎn ruò shēn lín qí jìng bān ， lǐ fán néng gòu gǎn dào qí qiú zhě de zhuàng tài 。
宛若身临其境般，李凡能够感到祈求者的状态。
"Could this be what I did with the True Immortal of Red Dust's narrative?
shèn zhì ……
甚至……
I used the faceless deity statue as a medium to connect me and the members of the Interstellar Alliance."
lǐ fán xīn zhōng hái yǐn yǐn yǒu suǒ gǎn ， zhǐ yào tā yuàn yì ， yě néng duì zhè xiē qí qiú zhě jìn xíng huí yìng 。
李凡心中还隐隐有所感，只要他愿意，也能对这些祈求者进行回应。
"Thereby, I could receive their feedback on their cultivation progress..."
“ zhè shì zěn me huí shì ？”
“这是怎么回事？”
"But that was only due to the effects of the Sitting Immortal Technique. That’s all it can do."
cóng lái bù zhī dào ， zì jǐ hái yǒu zhè zhǒng gēn chuán shuō zhōng de shén míng jī hū wán quán yí zhì de néng lì 。
从来不知道，自己还有这种跟传说中的神明几乎完全一致的能力。
"Now..."
lǐ fán chè dǐ zhèn jīng le 。
李凡彻底震惊了。
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, his expression intense.
tā měng rán kàn xiàng dà diàn zhōng jìng jìng chù lì de wú miàn shén xiàng ， xīn zhōng zhī dào ， zhè yī qiè kěn dìng shì tā gǎo de guǐ 。
他猛然看向大殿中静静矗立的无面神像，心中知道，这一切肯定是它搞的鬼。
Although there seemed to be no immediate danger, he had already considered whether to truly activate the technique.
“ dāng chū wǒ biān zào le hóng chén cí bēi zhēn xiān de shuō cí ， yǐ wú miàn shí xiàng wèi zhōng zhuǎn ， jiāng wǒ hé wàn jiè lián hé huì de chéng yuán chǎn shēng guān lián 。”
“当初我编造了红尘慈悲真仙的说辞，以无面石像为中转，将我和万界联合会的成员产生关联。”
Despite not understanding the underlying principles, this faceless deity statue undoubtedly hid powers far beyond his comprehension.
“ yīn ér néng gòu dé dào tā men xiū wèi jìn bù hòu de fǎn kuì xiū wèi ……”
“因而能够得到他们修为进步后的反馈修为……”
Li Fan silently invoked the Truly Real Technique.
“ dàn nà shì 《 zuò xiān jué 》 de gōng xiào ， yě xiàn yú rú cǐ le 。”
“但那是《坐仙诀》的功效，也限于如此了。”
The prompt for virtualization and returning to the anchor point appeared instantly.
“ xiàn zài ……”
“现在……”
"The current scene will be virtualized, and I can return to the anchor point."
lǐ fán yǎn jīng mī qǐ ， shén qíng wú bǐ nóng zhòng 。
李凡眼睛眯起，神情无比浓重。
The surroundings began to blur.
suī rán mù qián sì hū zàn shí méi yǒu rèn hé wēi jī ， dàn tā yǐ jīng zài xīn zhōng kǎo lǜ ， shì fǒu yào hái zhēn le 。
虽然目前似乎暂时没有任何危机，但他已经在心中考虑，是否要还真了。
"Using the Truly Real Technique hasn't been affected..."
jǐn guǎn bù zhī dào zhè qí zhōng de yuán lǐ ， dàn hěn xiǎn rán ， zhè zūn wú miàn shén xiàng bèi hòu ， dìng rán yǐn cáng zhe yuǎn chāo lǐ fán rèn zhī de lì liàng 。
尽管不知道这其中的原理，但很显然，这尊无面神像背后，定然隐藏着远超李凡认知的力量。
"I could restart at any time if I wanted."
lǐ fán zài xīn zhōng mò niàn hái zhēn 。
李凡在心中默念还真。
Li Fan pondered but ultimately chose not to.
hái zhēn de tí shì shà shí tiào le chū lái 。
还真的提示霎时跳了出来。
He wasn’t influenced by some mysterious force; he simply didn’t want to truly activate it given that no danger had materialized and the source of all these anomalies was still unclear.
“ shì fǒu jiāng dāng qián chǎng jǐng xū nǐ huà ， huí guī máo diǎn 。”
“是否将当前场景虚拟化，回归锚点。”
If he were to suddenly activate it now, it would be too embarrassing!
zhōu wéi chǎng jǐng yě suí zhī biàn dé xū huà 。
周围场景也随之变得虚化。
"Even True Immortals in the Immortal Void have faced them."
“ hái zhēn de shǐ yòng méi yǒu shòu dào yǐng xiǎng ……”
“还真的使用没有受到影响……”
"Just a stone statue..."
“ zhǐ yào wǒ yuàn yì ， néng gòu suí shí zhòng kāi 。”
“只要我愿意，能够随时重开。”
Li Fan coldly dismissed this thought and forced himself to remain calm.
lǐ fán chén yín ， zuì zhōng hái shì xuǎn zé le fǒu 。
李凡沉吟，最终还是选择了否。
He focused on the deity statue and the various voices appearing in his mind.
zhè bìng bú shì tā shòu dào le shén me shén mì lì liàng yǐng xiǎng ， wú fǎ zuò chū hái zhēn de jué dìng 。
这并不是他受到了什么神秘力量影响，无法做出还真的决定。
He realized that all these voices belonged to members of the Interstellar Alliance who had sworn an oath under the name of the True Immortal of Red Dust.
ér shì rú jīn yī qiè wēi xiǎn dōu méi yǒu fā shēng ， jiù lián dǎo zhì zhè zhū duō yì cháng fā shēng de lái yuán dōu méi yǒu gǎo qīng chǔ ……
而是如今一切危险都没有发生，就连导致这诸多异常发生的来源都没有搞清楚……
It was unrelated to the true immortal.
tā jiù zhè yàng bèi xià dé zhí jiē hái zhēn de huà ， yě wèi miǎn yǒu xiē tài diū rén ！
他就这样被吓得直接还真的话，也未免有些太丢人！
They just saw the faceless deity statue and associated it with the supposed True Immortal of Red Dust.
“ jiù suàn shì xiān xū zhōng de zhēn xiān ， wǒ yě céng dāng miàn shì zhī 。”
“就算是仙墟中的真仙，我也曾当面视之。”
From then on, regardless of their willingness, they would occasionally see the statue in their minds.
“ bù guò yī zūn shí xiàng ér yǐ ……”
“不过一尊石像而已……”
The more often they visualized it, the deeper their connection with the statue became.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng lěng hēng yī shēng ， qiáng shǐ zì jǐ lěng jìng xià lái 。
李凡心中冷哼一声，强使自己冷静下来。
When a boundary was crossed, these voices appeared in Li Fan’s mind.
xīn zhōng jí zhōng zài shén xiàng yǐ jí nǎo hǎi zhōng chū xiàn de zhū duō shēng yīn shàng 。
心中集中在神像以及脑海中出现的诸多声音上。
"Of course, Xuan Tian Sect is called that for a reason."
lǐ fán fā xiàn ， zhè xiē shēng yīn de zhǔ rén ， wú yī lì wài ， dōu shì lián hé huì zhōng 、 yǐ “ hóng chén cí bēi zhēn xiān ” de míng yì ， céng jīng duì zhe wú miàn shén xiàng qǐ shì de nà xiē rén 。
李凡发现，这些声音的主人，无一例外，都是联合会中、以“红尘慈悲真仙”的名义，曾经对着无面神像起誓的那些人。
"When Xuan Tian Sect members roamed the world, could Xuan Tian Wang sense and know his followers' conditions like I can?"
yǔ hóng chén cí bēi zhēn xiān wú guān 。
与红尘慈悲真仙无关。
"That would truly make him akin to a deity."
zhǐ bù guò tā men dāng chū kàn dào le wú miàn shén xiàng ， bìng qiě jiāng wú miàn shén xiàng yǔ suǒ wèi de hóng chén cí bēi zhēn xiān guān lián le qǐ lái 。
只不过他们当初看到了无面神像，并且将无面神像与所谓的红尘慈悲真仙关联了起来。
"Deity..."
yú shì ， bù guǎn tā men yuàn yì yǔ fǒu 。
于是，不管他们愿意与否。
Li Fan felt a connection with one of the most deeply linked believers—Su Yuning from the Departed World.
tā men cóng cǐ yǐ hòu dū huì shí bù shí nǎo hǎi zhōng fú xiàn chū wú miàn shén xiàng 。
他们从此以后都会时不时脑海中浮现出无面神像。
Despite her extraordinary talent as an incarnation of the Heavenly Dao of the Departed World, she was only at the early stage of Golden Core cultivation due to resource limitations in Great Li.
ér guān xiǎng de cì shù yuè duō ， tā men gēn shén xiàng zhī jiān de lián xì yě jiù yuè shēn 。
而观想的次数越多，他们跟神像之间的联系也就越深。
All the spiritual energy in Great Li came from the Immortal Spirit Tower.
yú shì ， dāng tū pò le yí gè jiè xiàn zhī hòu ， jiù huì chū xiàn zài lǐ fán de nǎo hǎi zhōng 。
于是，当突破了一个界限之后，就会出现在李凡的脑海中。
Her rapid ascension to this realm was undoubtedly a prodigy.
“ nán guài xuán tiān jiào bèi chēng zhī wèi xuán tiān jiào 。”
“难怪玄天教被称之为玄天教。”
Li Fan sensed Su Yuning’s condition through the faceless deity statue as if using his divine sense directly.
“ dāng chū xuán tiān jiào zhòng biàn bù tiān xià ， xuán tiān wáng shì bú shì yě néng xiàng wǒ zhè bān ， néng gòu suí shí gǎn yìng bìng zhī xiǎo xìn tú de zhuàng kuàng ？”
“当初玄天教众遍布天下，玄天王是不是也能像我这般，能够随时感应并知晓信徒的状况？”
Every detail was clear, nothing hidden.
“ nà kě zhēn de gēn shén míng wú yì le 。”
“那可真的跟神明无异了。”
"Even..."
“ shén míng ……”
“神明……”
Li Fan felt something that seemed insignificant to him but was immense for Su Yuning—a burst of refined spiritual energy.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng yī dòng ， gǎn shòu dào nǎo hǎi zhōng lián xì zuì shēn de nà wèi xìn tú 。
李凡心中一动，感受到脑海中联系最深的那位信徒。
It disappeared from Li Fan and appeared on Su Yuning.
zhèng shì lí jiè de sū yǔ qíng 。
正是离界的苏语晴。
(End of Chapter)
Although his mindset would sometimes fluctuate, Master Li had one advantage: he never lost face and could admit when he was wrong.
Since the foundation of the Xuan Tian Sect seemed to exceed expectations,
he decided to change his plans for now and avoid them for the time being.
Thinking this way, Li Fan planned to use the Seven-Colored Divine Light to reseal the faceless deity statue.
However...
Just as he was about to do so, Li Fan suddenly stiffened mid-action.
At that moment, the statue seemed to come alive.
Even though it had no eyes, Li Fan distinctly felt that it "looked" at him.
Li Fan quickly retreated a distance and prepared for the Truly Real Technique.
After several breaths of waiting, seeing nothing amiss, he cautiously approached again.
The faceless stone statue was just as it had been before.
It seemed like his previous glimpse might have been an illusion.
Li Fan even reviewed the images recorded by the Dao Path Stone in his mind.
Inside, the statue stood quietly, like any ordinary object—nothing special.
"Could I have misjudged this?" Li Fan wondered doubtfully.
After some thought, he decided to eliminate this potential threat.
He cast beams of Seven-Colored Divine Light to reseal and store the faceless deity statue.
However, his expression suddenly changed dramatically.
Because, even though the statue was right in front of him, it seemed as if it didn't exist at all!
The attempt to seal with the Seven-Colored Divine Light was in vain; he returned empty-handed.
Li Fan was momentarily stunned.
He tried touching the statue with his hand.
The icy touch felt incredibly real.
But when Li Fan focused on using his divine sense to lock onto and store it, the divine sense detected nothing at the statue's location.
It was impossible.
This strange scene had already surpassed Li Fan’s comprehension.
"Could this be the lingering spirit of Xuan Tian Wang?" Li Fan’s expression fluctuated between anger and fear.
He could confirm that before now, the statue hadn’t undergone such changes.
But just with that glimpse, something mysterious seemed to have transformed on the statue, making it appear both present and absent.
"Surely, this is not a delusion. Even the Dao Path Stone couldn't record it..."
Li Fan’s face darkened.
Now he understood what it meant to invite deities but struggle to send them away.
This stone statue remained here, as if it had settled in the Spirit Wood World just like a permanent resident.
He had painstakingly built his base, only for an unremovable bomb to be placed there... and this bomb was something Li Fan himself had casually set down...
Li Fan’s face twitched involuntarily.
Just as he considered abandoning the Spirit Wood World and starting anew,
a melodious female voice suddenly appeared in the hall.
"Merciful True Immortal of Red Dust, may my exploration into the Fire Realm be smooth and successful..."
Li Fan’s heart skipped a beat. He looked around but found no source of the sound.
However, the prayer continued incessantly.
It started with Su Yuning from the Departed World, followed by He Zhenghao, Cao Hong, Dao Xuanzi, and others.
One after another, their voices echoed in his mind.
Li Fan carefully examined these sounds and realized they were directly appearing in his thoughts!
Moreover, whenever he focused on a particular voice,
the corresponding scene would quickly appear before him as if he were there.
He could feel the state of the person making the prayer.
And...
Li Fan sensed that, with effort, he could even respond to these prayers.
"What is going on?"
He was utterly shocked to discover such abilities almost identical to those of legendary deities.
"Could this be what I did with the True Immortal of Red Dust's narrative?
I used the faceless deity statue as a medium to connect me and the members of the Interstellar Alliance."
"Thereby, I could receive their feedback on their cultivation progress..."
"But that was only due to the effects of the Sitting Immortal Technique. That’s all it can do."
"Now..."
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, his expression intense.
Although there seemed to be no immediate danger, he had already considered whether to truly activate the technique.
Despite not understanding the underlying principles, this faceless deity statue undoubtedly hid powers far beyond his comprehension.
Li Fan silently invoked the Truly Real Technique.
The prompt for virtualization and returning to the anchor point appeared instantly.
"The current scene will be virtualized, and I can return to the anchor point."
The surroundings began to blur.
"Using the Truly Real Technique hasn't been affected..."
"I could restart at any time if I wanted."
Li Fan pondered but ultimately chose not to.
He wasn’t influenced by some mysterious force; he simply didn’t want to truly activate it given that no danger had materialized and the source of all these anomalies was still unclear.
If he were to suddenly activate it now, it would be too embarrassing!
"Even True Immortals in the Immortal Void have faced them."
"Just a stone statue..."
Li Fan coldly dismissed this thought and forced himself to remain calm.
He focused on the deity statue and the various voices appearing in his mind.
He realized that all these voices belonged to members of the Interstellar Alliance who had sworn an oath under the name of the True Immortal of Red Dust.
It was unrelated to the true immortal.
They just saw the faceless deity statue and associated it with the supposed True Immortal of Red Dust.
From then on, regardless of their willingness, they would occasionally see the statue in their minds.
The more often they visualized it, the deeper their connection with the statue became.
When a boundary was crossed, these voices appeared in Li Fan’s mind.
"Of course, Xuan Tian Sect is called that for a reason."
"When Xuan Tian Sect members roamed the world, could Xuan Tian Wang sense and know his followers' conditions like I can?"
"That would truly make him akin to a deity."
"Deity..."
Li Fan felt a connection with one of the most deeply linked believers—Su Yuning from the Departed World.
Despite her extraordinary talent as an incarnation of the Heavenly Dao of the Departed World, she was only at the early stage of Golden Core cultivation due to resource limitations in Great Li.
All the spiritual energy in Great Li came from the Immortal Spirit Tower.
Her rapid ascension to this realm was undoubtedly a prodigy.
Li Fan sensed Su Yuning’s condition through the faceless deity statue as if using his divine sense directly.
Every detail was clear, nothing hidden.
"Even..."
Li Fan felt something that seemed insignificant to him but was immense for Su Yuning—a burst of refined spiritual energy.
It disappeared from Li Fan and appeared on Su Yuning.
(End of Chapter)