lǐ fán miàn sè yīn chén ， yī yán bù fā 。
李凡面色阴沉，一言不发。
Li Fan's face was grim, and he said not a word.
xuán jí yùn zhuàn qǐ 《 wú jí yíng xū fǎ 》， shì tú xiū bǔ shén hún zhōng de sǔn shāng 。
旋即运转起《无极盈虚法》，试图修补神魂中的损伤。
He immediately activated the *Supreme Limitless Technique*, attempting to repair the damage in his soul.
dàn ràng tā dà gǎn yì wài de shì ， hào chēng “ qí lì bù jué 、 shén hún bù miè ” de wú jí yíng xū fǎ ， miàn duì zhè kū bài de shén hún ， jìng rán shī qù le xiū fù de xiào lì ！
但让他大感意外的是，号称“其力不绝、神魂不灭”的无极盈虚法，面对这枯败的神魂，竟然失去了修复的效力！
However, to his great surprise, the *Supreme Limitless Technique*—which claimed to be unending and indestructible—failed to restore his deteriorated soul!
chá jué dào shén hún zhōng de nà mǒ qī hēi ， sì hū yǒu màn yán kāi lái de qū shì 。 lǐ fán xīn zhōng yī chén ， guǒ duàn de xuǎn zé le jiāng zhè fǔ xiǔ de bù fèn jìn xíng le qiē gē 。
察觉到神魂中的那抹漆黑，似乎有蔓延开来的趋势。李凡心中一沉，果断的选择了将这腐朽的部分进行了切割。
The blackness within his soul seemed to be spreading. Li Fan's heart sank as he decisively cut away the corrupt part of his soul.
nǎo dài hǎo sì bèi dà chuí hěn hěn qiāo zhōng ， lǐ fán dùn shí yǎn mào jīn xīng 、 tóu yūn mù xuàn 。
脑袋好似被大锤狠狠敲中，李凡顿时眼冒金星、头晕目眩。
His head felt like it had been struck by a heavy hammer, causing him to see stars and feel dizzy.
liǎn sè biàn dé yǒu xiē cāng bái ， jiù shì zhè me yī shùn jiān ， wú jí yíng xū fǎ zuì shǎo dà bàn nián de zī yǎng shén hún xiào guǒ jiù bèi mǒ chú ！
脸色变得有些苍白，就是这么一瞬间，无极盈虚法最少大半年的滋养神魂效果就被抹除！
His face turned slightly pale. In that instant, the *Supreme Limitless Technique* lost its effect for at least half a year!
lǐ fán shà shí míng bái zài zì jǐ shēn shàng dào dǐ fā shēng le shén me 。
李凡霎时明白在自己身上到底发生了什么。
Li Fan suddenly understood what was happening to him.
rú guǒ bǎ shén hún qiáng dù liàng huà chéng jù tǐ shù zhí de huà ， nà me cǐ qián lǐ fán suǒ zāo yù dào de zhǒng zhǒng shén hún sǔn shāng ， quán dōu shì zàn shí duì zhè shù zhí jìn xíng xuē jiǎn 。 yùn zhuàn wú jí yíng xū zhī hòu ， shù zhí jiāng huì chóng xīn huí dào diān fēng 。
如果把神魂强度量化成具体数值的话，那么此前李凡所遭遇到的种种神魂损伤，全都是暂时对这数值进行削减。运转无极盈虚之后，数值将会重新回到巅峰。
If he quantified his soul strength into specific numbers, all the previous soul injuries had merely reduced those numbers temporarily. After activating the *Supreme Limitless Technique*, the numbers would return to their peak.
dàn shì zhè bù zhī lái lì de shén hún kū bài ， hè rán shì zhí jiē zuò yòng yú shén hún qiáng dù de shù zhí shàng xiàn ！
但是这不知来历的神魂枯败，赫然是直接作用于神魂强度的数值上限！
But this mysterious soul decay directly affected the upper limit of his soul strength!
wú jí yíng xū zòng shǐ zài néng xiū xiū bǔ bǔ ， shàng xiàn bèi píng kōng xuē qù ， yě shì wú kě nài hé ！
无极盈虚纵使再能修修补补，上限被凭空削去，也是无可奈何！
No matter how much the *Supreme Limitless Technique* could repair, with its upper limit slashed away, there was nothing he could do about it!
lǐ fán yǎn zhōng fàn qǐ yī sī wēi xiǎn de guāng máng 。 shēn xíng shǎn dòng ， xià yì shí shùn jiān yuǎn lí qián fāng làn zuì rú ní de hán zhōng 。
李凡眼中泛起一丝危险的光芒。身形闪动，下意识瞬间远离前方烂醉如泥的韩忠。
A dangerous glint appeared in Li Fan's eyes. He moved swiftly and instinctively stepped back from the heavily intoxicated Han Zhong.
zhè míng jiǔ guǐ fǎng fú quán rán méi yǒu yì shí dào fā shēng le shén me shì de ， yī jiù zài shuō zhe hú huà 。
这名酒鬼仿佛全然没有意识到发生了什么似的，依旧在说着胡话。
The drunkard seemed unaware of what had happened, still mumbling nonsense.
qiáng xíng àn nà zhù nèi xīn de shā yì ， lǐ fán mù guāng wēi shǎn ， yī dào pù bù hū de chū xiàn zài hán zǒng tóu dǐng 。
强行按捺住内心的杀意，李凡目光微闪，一道瀑布忽的出现在韩总头顶。
Li Fan forcibly suppressed his murderous intent as he glanced at Han. Suddenly, a waterfall appeared above Han's head.
suí hòu yuán yuán bù duàn de jiāo guàn zài hán zhōng shēn shàng 。
随后源源不断的交灌在韩忠身上。
Water continuously poured down onto Han Zhong.
“ ń ？ ń ！”
“嗯？嗯！”
"Hmm? Hmm!"
hán zhōng shì zhēn de zuì de hěn lì hài 。 bèi shuǐ chōng shuā le xǔ jiǔ ， cái yōu rán zhuǎn xǐng 。
韩忠是真的醉的很厉害。被水冲刷了许久，才悠然转醒。
Han Zhong was indeed very drunk. After being washed by the water for some time, he slowly regained consciousness.
tā yǒu xiē máng rán de kàn zhe tiān shàng de shuǐ zhù ， mǎn liǎn yí huò 。
他有些茫然的看着天上的水柱，满脸疑惑。
He looked up at the water column in confusion.
“ xǐng le ？” suí hòu lǐ fán bīng lěng de shēng yīn biàn chuán dào le tā de ěr duǒ lǐ 。
“醒了？”随后李凡冰冷的声音便传到了他的耳朵里。
"Are you awake?" Li Fan's cold voice echoed in his ears.
hán zhōng zhè cái fā xiàn zì jǐ wū zhōng bù zhī shén me shí hòu duō le míng bù sù zhī kè 。
韩忠这才发现自己屋中不知什么时候多了名不速之客。
Han Zhong realized that an unexpected guest had entered his room without him noticing.
yī biān shēn shǒu shì tú dǎng zhù shuǐ liú ， yī biān huǎn huǎn qǐ shēn 。
一边伸手试图挡住水流，一边缓缓起身。
As he tried to block the water with his hand, he slowly stood up.
“ nǐ shì ……”
“你是……”
"You are..."
“ wǒ shì shuí bìng bú zhòng yào de 。 zhòng yào de shì ， wǒ duì nǐ de zāo yù hěn gǎn xìng qù 。” lǐ fán mù guāng bù duàn zài hán zhōng shēn shàng lái huí dǎ liàng zhe 。
“我是谁并不重要的。重要的是，我对你的遭遇很感兴趣。”李凡目光不断在韩忠身上来回打量着。
"I don't care who I am. What matters is that I'm very interested in your situation," Li Fan's gaze swept over Han Zhong.
hán zhōng xīn lǐ dùn shí shēng qǐ sī sī hán yì 。
韩忠心里顿时升起丝丝寒意。
Han Zhong felt a chill run down his spine.
kàn chū le lái zhě bù shì shàn chá ， hán zhōng bù gǎn dài màn 。
看出了来者不似善茬，韩忠不敢怠慢。
Seeing that this person was no ordinary individual, Han Zhong didn't dare to be careless.
gǒng shǒu shí fēn gōng jìng de shuō dào ：“ qián bèi jǐn guǎn wèn ， wǒ yí dìng zhī wú bù yán 、 yán wú bù jìn 。”
拱手十分恭敬的说道：“前辈尽管问，我一定知无不言、言无不尽。”
He respectfully said, "Senior, please ask anything you wish. I will speak the truth."
lǐ fán wēi wēi diǎn tóu ：“ wǒ gāng gāng tīng nǐ zài zuì mèng zhōng shuō ， méi yǒu rén xiāng xìn nǐ ……”
李凡微微点头：“我刚刚听你在醉梦中说，没有人相信伱……”
Li Fan nodded slightly: "I heard from your drunken slumber that nobody believes you..."
“ cǐ suǒ wèi hé shì ？”
“此所谓何事？”
"What is it?"
hán zhōng wén yán ， shén sè biàn dé yǒu xiē gǔ guài 。
韩忠闻言，神色变得有些古怪。
Han Zhong's expression turned a bit strange upon hearing this.
“ qí shí shì wǎn bèi yī duàn ……”
“其实是晚辈一段……”
"It was actually my experience..."
“ pǒ wèi qí miào de jīng lì 。 wǒ céng yǔ páng rén sù shuō ， què wú rén kěn xìn 。 shèn zhì shàng bào xiān méng ， zuì hòu dōu bù liǎo liǎo zhī 。 rú guǒ qián bèi zhēn de duì cǐ gǎn xìng qù de huà ， wǒ kě yǐ chóng xīn jiǎng yī biàn 。”
“颇为奇妙的经历。我曾与旁人诉说，却无人肯信。甚至上报仙盟，最后都不了了之。如果前辈真的对此感兴趣的话，我可以重新讲一遍。”
"An interesting one. When I told others about it, no one believed me. Even when I reported to the Immortal Alliance, nothing came of it. If Senior is really interested, I can recount it again."
hán zhōng yǒu xiē tǎn tè de shuō dào 。
韩忠有些忐忑的说道。
Han Zhong said hesitantly.
dé dào le lǐ fán de shǒu kěn zhī hòu ， tā cái chén mò le piàn kè ， shì shì zài zǔ zhī yǔ yán 。
得到了李凡的首肯之后，他才沉默了片刻，似是在组织语言。
After receiving Li Fan's nod, he paused for a moment as if organizing his thoughts before continuing: "I don't know how many years ago, but I did something foolish..."
ér hòu fāng cái huǎn huǎn shuō dào ：“ bù zhī dào shì duō shǎo nián qián ， wǒ gàn le jiàn chǔn shì ……”
而后方才缓缓说道：“不知道是多少年前，我干了件蠢事……”
Li Fan interrupted him immediately: "What do you mean by 'unknown number of years'?" He frowned at the man in front of him who couldn’t be more than a hundred years old.
zhǐ dì yī jù huà ， jiù bèi lǐ fán dǎ duàn le 。
只第一句话，就被李凡打断了。
Han Zhong smiled bitterly. "Because, Senior, I really don't know how long it has been since I left the Xuanhuang World and returned. The people I knew have all passed away, even my Immortal Alliance identity was eliminated due to too much time having passed."
“ shén me jiào ， bù zhī dào shì duō shǎo nián qián ？” lǐ fán kàn zhuó yǎn qián zhè míng zuì duō bú huì chāo guò bǎi suì de jīn dān xiū shì ， wēi wēi zhòu méi 。
“什么叫，不知道是多少年前？”李凡看着眼前这名最多不会超过百岁的金丹修士，微微皱眉。
"Even the Heavenly Xuan Mirror couldn’t recognize me anymore. All the contributions I accumulated were lost."
hán zhōng kǔ xiào ：“ yīn wèi ， wǎn bèi dí què bù zhī dào zì cóng wǒ lí kāi xuán huáng jiè 、 dào yòu fǎn huí ， jiū jìng guò qù le duō jiǔ 。 shú xī de rén yǐ jīng sǐ qù ， shèn zhì yuán běn wǒ de xiān méng shēn fèn dōu yīn wèi guò qù le tài zhǎng shí jiān ， bèi xiāo chú 。”
韩忠苦笑：“因为，晚辈的确不知道自从我离开玄黄界、到又返回，究竟过去了多久。熟悉的人已经死去，甚至原本我的仙盟身份都因为过去了太长时间，被消除。”
When Li Fan heard "left the Xuanhuang World," his heart skipped a beat.
“ jiù lián tiān xuán jìng dōu rèn bù chū wǒ le 。 wǒ dāng nián jī zǎn de bù shǎo gòng xiàn dù ， quán dōu méi yǒu le 。”
“就连天玄镜都认不出我了。我当年积攒的不少贡献度，全都没有了。”
The word "returned" confirmed that Han Zhong was responsible for causing the abnormal spatial fluctuations.
lǐ fán zài tīng dào duì fāng shuō chū “ lí kāi xuán huáng jiè ” de shí hòu ， biàn xīn zhōng yī tiào 。
李凡在听到对方说出“离开玄黄界”的时候，便心中一跳。
This piqued Li Fan's curiosity about Han’s experiences.
ér hòu miàn de “ fǎn huí ”， gèng shì ràng tā què dìng ， yǐn qǐ nà dào yì cháng kōng jiān bō dòng de zuì kuí huò shǒu ， jiù shì yǎn qián de hán zhōng 。
而后面的“返回”，更是让他确定，引起那道异常空间波动的罪魁祸首，就是眼前的韩忠。
"Go on."
zhè ràng lǐ fán xīn zhōng bù yóu hào qí qǐ duì fāng de zāo yù lái 。
这让李凡心中不由好奇起对方的遭遇来。
Seeing no mocking from Li Fan, Han Zhong felt a surge of energy.
“ nǐ jì xù shuō 。”
“你继续说。”
He picked up a nearby wine jar and took a swig before continuing: "Back then, I was young and full of vigor. I doubted all authorities."
hán zhōng jiàn lǐ fán méi yǒu chū yán cháo fěng ， bù jīn jīng shén yī zhèn 。
韩忠见李凡没有出言嘲讽，不禁精神一震。
"When I traveled to the Nine Mountain State, I was amazed by its vastness and the fact that no one could fly there. I also heard that using teleportation arrays in this state is very risky..."
shùn shǒu tí qǐ shēn biān de jiǔ tán ， guàn le yī kǒu 。
顺手提起身边的酒坛，灌了一口。
"I don’t know why, but I decided to take a chance and try it."
ér hòu jì xù jiǎng shù dào ：“ dāng nián ， wǒ nián qīng qì shèng 。 duì yī qiè quán wēi dōu chí huái yí tài dù 。”
而后继续讲述道：“当年，我年轻气盛。对一切权威都持怀疑态度。”
Han Zhong sighed.
“ yóu lì dào le jiǔ shān zhōu de shí hòu ， bèi jiǔ shān héng gèn 、 xiū shì bù dé fēi de qí jǐng suǒ zhèn hàn 。 yòu tīng shuō zài jiǔ shān zhōu zhōng ， shǐ yòng chuán sòng zhèn yǒu hěn dà de fēng xiǎn ……”
“游历到了九山州的时候，被九山横亘、修士不得飞的奇景所震撼。又听说在九山州中，使用传送阵有很大的风险……”
Li Fan's eyes narrowed as he recalled something from his research on the Nine Mountain State.
“ wǒ nà shí hòu yě bù zhī dào zěn me xiǎng de ， piān piān yào zuò sǐ shì yī shì 。”
“我那时候也不知道怎么想的，偏偏要作死试一试。”
He had once come across an anecdote about a unlucky immortal who tried using a teleportation array in that state with aluckiness;侥幸 can also be translated as "侥幸心理" meaning "侥幸 psychology" or "relying on luck") (lucky) mindset.
hán zhōng tàn le kǒu qì 。
韩忠叹了口气。
The result was being sent to the Xuanhuang World and never returning.
lǐ fán què shì yǎn jīng mī qǐ ， shùn jiān xiǎng qǐ le shén me 。
李凡却是眼睛眯起，瞬间想起了什么。
"Are you that unfortunate soul who was supposedly sent out of the Xuanhuang World?" Li Fan asked.
zài dāng chū chá yuè jiǔ shān zhōu zī liào de shí hòu ， lǐ fán céng jīng kàn dào guò yī zé yì wén 。
在当初查阅九山州资料的时候，李凡曾经看到过一则佚闻。
Han Zhong was surprised that this senior knew about his story, turning red in embarrassment.
shuō shì céng jīng yǒu gè dǎo méi xiū shì ， huái zhe jiǎo xìng xīn lǐ ， piān yào zài jiǔ shān zhōu cháng shì shǐ yòng chuán sòng zhèn 。
说是曾经有个倒霉修士，怀着侥幸心理，偏要在九山州尝试使用传送阵。
"Yes, it was me. I was too naive back then and did something foolish."
jié guǒ zhí jiē bèi chuán sòng dào xuán huáng jiè zhī wài 、 zài yě méi yǒu huí lái 。
结果直接被传送到玄黄界之外、再也没有回来。
Li Fan became more interested: "After leaving the Xuanhuang World, where did you go? What did you see?"
“ nǐ jiù shì nà ge jù shuō bèi chuán sòng dào xuán huáng jiè zhī wài de dǎo méi dàn ？” lǐ fán bù jīn wèn dào 。
“你就是那个据说被传送到玄黄界之外的倒霉蛋？”李凡不禁问道。
A look of fear and confusion flashed across Han Zhong's eyes.
hán zhōng méi xiǎng dào zhè wèi qián bèi jū rán tīng shuō guò zì jǐ shì jì ， dùn shí lǎo liǎn yī hóng 。
韩忠没想到这位前辈居然听说过自己事迹，顿时老脸一红。
"In fact..."
“ zhèng shì wǎn bèi 。 dāng nián bù zhī tiān gāo dì hòu ， dí què zuò le jiàn chǔn shì 。”
“正是晚辈。当年不知天高地厚，的确做了件蠢事。”
"I'm not sure about my location after leaving the Xuanhuang World. It felt like I was trapped in an invisible bubble, drifting through endless darkness."
lǐ fán cǐ shí ， gèng jiā lái le xìng qù ：“ nǐ lí kāi xuán huáng jiè hòu ， qù le nǎ lǐ ？ yòu jiàn dào le xiē shén me ？”
李凡此时，更加来了兴趣：“你离开玄黄界后，去了哪里？又见到了些什么？”
"Most of the time outside is a constant blackness. But occasionally, there would be distorted scenes flashing by."
hán zhōng yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī kǒng jù ， yǐ jí mí wǎng 。
韩忠眼中闪过一丝恐惧，以及迷惘。
"But..."
“ qí shí ……”
“其实……”
Han Zhong shivered. "I was nearly driven mad at that time. So I'm not sure if what I saw were illusions."
“ wǒ yě bù tài qīng chǔ lí kāi xuán huáng jiè hòu wǒ suǒ zài de wèi zhì 。 fǎng fú bèi yī céng wú xíng de qì pào suǒ bāo guǒ zhe ， zài wú biān wú jì de hēi àn zhōng liú làng 、 piāo fú 。”
“我也不太清楚离开玄黄界后我所在的位置。仿佛被一层无形的气泡所包裹着，在无边无际的黑暗中流浪、漂浮。”
"What did you see?" Li Fan's tone had grown impatient.
“ wài jiè jué dà duō shù shí hòu ， dōu shì yǒng yuǎn bù biàn de hēi sè 。 dàn ǒu ěr ， yě huì yǒu xiē niǔ qū de guāng jǐng kuài sù shǎn guò 。”
“外界绝大多数时候，都是永远不变的黑色。但偶尔，也会有些扭曲的光景快速闪过。”
"I saw...," Han Zhong fell silent for a long moment, his expression showing he was struggling with something.
“ dàn ……”
“但……”
He then lowered his voice and trembled as he said: "I think I saw the Teaching Venerable."
hán zhōng dǎ le gè duō suo ：“ dāng shí wǒ kuài bèi bī fēng le 。 suǒ yǐ yě bù què dìng wǒ kàn jiàn de ， jiū jìng shì bú shì cuò jué 。”
韩忠打了个哆嗦：“当时我快被逼疯了。所以也不确定我看见的，究竟是不是错觉。”
Saying this, he used the Water Mirror Technique to show what he had seen.
“ suǒ yǐ nǐ jiū jìng kàn dào le shén me ？” lǐ fán de yǔ qì yǐ jīng yǒu xiē bù nài fán le 。
“所以你究竟看到了什么？”李凡的语气已经有些不耐烦了。
A circular screen displayed endless darkness. Suddenly, a golden light appeared, standing out in that dark void.
“ wǒ kàn dào le ……” hán zǒng chén mò le xǔ jiǔ 。
“我看到了……”韩总沉默了许久。
As it approached, its shape became visible.
liǎn shàng de biǎo qíng ， sì hū shì shuō míng ， tā zhèng zài zuò qiáng liè de xīn lǐ dòu zhēng 。
脸上的表情，似乎是说明，他正在做强烈的心理斗争。
It was bald with long white hair and beard, looking solemn and imposing without needing to be angry.
ér hòu tā cái yā dī le shēng yīn ， chàn chàn wēi wēi dì dào ：“ wǒ hǎo xiàng kàn dào le chuán fǎ tiān zūn 。”
而后他才压低了声音，颤颤巍巍地道：“我好像看到了传法天尊。”
This figure should be well-known throughout the Xuanhuang World and the Immortal Alliance!
shuō zhe ， tā biàn yǐ shuǐ jìng shù jiāng zì jǐ suǒ jiàn dào de huà miàn zhǎn shì chū lái 。
说着，他便以水镜术将自己所见到的画面展示出来。
Exactly like the stone statues of the Teaching Venerable on every floating city!
yuán xíng de guāng mù shàng ， shì méi yǒu biān jì de hēi àn 。
圆形的光幕上，是没有边际的黑暗。
"Is it...?"
hū rán ， yī dào jīn guāng zhà xiàn 。
忽然，一道金光乍现。
"It's probably the Teaching Venerable," Han Zhong asked uncertainly.
zài zhè piàn hēi àn zhōng shì rú cǐ de xiǎn yǎn 。
在这片黑暗中是如此的显眼。
Li Fan stared at the scene, nodding slowly.
lí dé jìn le ， nà dào jīn guāng yǐn yǐn xiǎn chū shēn xíng 。
离得近了，那道金光隐隐显出身形。
The appearance of the Teaching Venerable outside the Xuanhuang World wasn’t surprising to Li Fan. What truly mattered was what followed him.
mǎn tóu bái fà ， zhǎng xū piāo rán 。 shén qíng sù mù ， bù nù zì wēi 。
满头白发，长须飘然。神情肃穆，不怒自威。
He saw that the Teaching Venerable was flying through endless space, with several golden chains extending from his body and connecting to something behind him.
ér cǐ rén de yàng mào ， zài xuán huáng jiè 、 wàn xiān méng zhōng ， lǐ dāng wú rén bù xiǎo ！
而此人的样貌，在玄黄界、万仙盟中，理当无人不晓！
(End of Chapter)
Li Fan's face was grim, and he said not a word.
He immediately activated the *Supreme Limitless Technique*, attempting to repair the damage in his soul.
However, to his great surprise, the *Supreme Limitless Technique*—which claimed to be unending and indestructible—failed to restore his deteriorated soul!
The blackness within his soul seemed to be spreading. Li Fan's heart sank as he decisively cut away the corrupt part of his soul.
His head felt like it had been struck by a heavy hammer, causing him to see stars and feel dizzy.
His face turned slightly pale. In that instant, the *Supreme Limitless Technique* lost its effect for at least half a year!
Li Fan suddenly understood what was happening to him.
If he quantified his soul strength into specific numbers, all the previous soul injuries had merely reduced those numbers temporarily. After activating the *Supreme Limitless Technique*, the numbers would return to their peak.
But this mysterious soul decay directly affected the upper limit of his soul strength!
No matter how much the *Supreme Limitless Technique* could repair, with its upper limit slashed away, there was nothing he could do about it!
A dangerous glint appeared in Li Fan's eyes. He moved swiftly and instinctively stepped back from the heavily intoxicated Han Zhong.
The drunkard seemed unaware of what had happened, still mumbling nonsense.
Li Fan forcibly suppressed his murderous intent as he glanced at Han. Suddenly, a waterfall appeared above Han's head.
Pfft!
Water continuously poured down onto Han Zhong.
"Hmm? Hmm!"
Han Zhong was indeed very drunk. After being washed by the water for some time, he slowly regained consciousness.
He looked up at the water column in confusion.
"Are you awake?" Li Fan's cold voice echoed in his ears.
Han Zhong realized that an unexpected guest had entered his room without him noticing.
As he tried to block the water with his hand, he slowly stood up.
"You are..."
"I don't care who I am. What matters is that I'm very interested in your situation," Li Fan's gaze swept over Han Zhong.
Han Zhong felt a chill run down his spine.
Seeing that this person was no ordinary individual, Han Zhong didn't dare to be careless.
He respectfully said, "Senior, please ask anything you wish. I will speak the truth."
Li Fan nodded slightly: "I heard from your drunken slumber that nobody believes you..."
"What is it?"
Han Zhong's expression turned a bit strange upon hearing this.
"It was actually my experience..."
"An interesting one. When I told others about it, no one believed me. Even when I reported to the Immortal Alliance, nothing came of it. If Senior is really interested, I can recount it again."
Han Zhong said hesitantly.
After receiving Li Fan's nod, he paused for a moment as if organizing his thoughts before continuing: "I don't know how many years ago, but I did something foolish..."
Li Fan interrupted him immediately: "What do you mean by 'unknown number of years'?" He frowned at the man in front of him who couldn’t be more than a hundred years old.
Han Zhong smiled bitterly. "Because, Senior, I really don't know how long it has been since I left the Xuanhuang World and returned. The people I knew have all passed away, even my Immortal Alliance identity was eliminated due to too much time having passed."
"Even the Heavenly Xuan Mirror couldn’t recognize me anymore. All the contributions I accumulated were lost."
When Li Fan heard "left the Xuanhuang World," his heart skipped a beat.
The word "returned" confirmed that Han Zhong was responsible for causing the abnormal spatial fluctuations.
This piqued Li Fan's curiosity about Han’s experiences.
"Go on."
Seeing no mocking from Li Fan, Han Zhong felt a surge of energy.
He picked up a nearby wine jar and took a swig before continuing: "Back then, I was young and full of vigor. I doubted all authorities."
"When I traveled to the Nine Mountain State, I was amazed by its vastness and the fact that no one could fly there. I also heard that using teleportation arrays in this state is very risky..."
"I don’t know why, but I decided to take a chance and try it."
Han Zhong sighed.
Li Fan's eyes narrowed as he recalled something from his research on the Nine Mountain State.
He had once come across an anecdote about a unlucky immortal who tried using a teleportation array in that state with aluckiness;侥幸 can also be translated as "侥幸心理" meaning "侥幸 psychology" or "relying on luck") (lucky) mindset.
The result was being sent to the Xuanhuang World and never returning.
"Are you that unfortunate soul who was supposedly sent out of the Xuanhuang World?" Li Fan asked.
Han Zhong was surprised that this senior knew about his story, turning red in embarrassment.
"Yes, it was me. I was too naive back then and did something foolish."
Li Fan became more interested: "After leaving the Xuanhuang World, where did you go? What did you see?"
A look of fear and confusion flashed across Han Zhong's eyes.
"In fact..."
"I'm not sure about my location after leaving the Xuanhuang World. It felt like I was trapped in an invisible bubble, drifting through endless darkness."
"Most of the time outside is a constant blackness. But occasionally, there would be distorted scenes flashing by."
"But..."
Han Zhong shivered. "I was nearly driven mad at that time. So I'm not sure if what I saw were illusions."
"What did you see?" Li Fan's tone had grown impatient.
"I saw...," Han Zhong fell silent for a long moment, his expression showing he was struggling with something.
He then lowered his voice and trembled as he said: "I think I saw the Teaching Venerable."
Saying this, he used the Water Mirror Technique to show what he had seen.
A circular screen displayed endless darkness. Suddenly, a golden light appeared, standing out in that dark void.
As it approached, its shape became visible.
It was bald with long white hair and beard, looking solemn and imposing without needing to be angry.
This figure should be well-known throughout the Xuanhuang World and the Immortal Alliance!
Exactly like the stone statues of the Teaching Venerable on every floating city!
"Is it...?"
"It's probably the Teaching Venerable," Han Zhong asked uncertainly.
Li Fan stared at the scene, nodding slowly.
The appearance of the Teaching Venerable outside the Xuanhuang World wasn’t surprising to Li Fan. What truly mattered was what followed him.
He saw that the Teaching Venerable was flying through endless space, with several golden chains extending from his body and connecting to something behind him.
(End of Chapter)