lǐ fán zài kōng jiān tōng dào zhōng jí chí ， kuài yào dá dào dì guó xiǎo shì jiè zhī qián ， zhōng mò jiě lí dié jiù yǐ jīng jiāng xún tiān jiàn shàng de shí wàn zhèn fǎ quán bù xī shōu 、 zhuǎn huà ， pò jiě 。
李凡在空间通道中疾驰，快要达到帝国小世界之前，终末解离碟就已经将巡天箭上的十万阵法全部吸收、转化，破解。
Li Fan sped through the spatial channel, nearly reaching the small world of the empire when the End Time Disintegration Disc had already absorbed and transformed all ten thousand array formations on the Heaven-Watching Arrow.
lǐ fán wēi wēi zhù zú ， shuāng yǎn shè chū yī dào yín sè guāng máng ， qǐng kè zhī jiān jiù jiāng fù zhuó zài xún tiān jiàn biǎo miàn de zhè xiē zhèn fǎ wán quán mǒ qù 。
李凡微微驻足，双眼射出一道银色光芒，顷刻之间就将附着在巡天箭表面的这些阵法完全抹去。
He paused slightly, his eyes emitting a silver light that instantly wiped away these array formations from the surface of the arrow.
zhè shí wàn zhèn fǎ bù jǐn jǐn yǒu zhe jiā sù 、 dìng wèi 、 zēng fú děng gōng néng ， céng céng duī dié zhī xià ， gèng xíng chéng le yī céng zhuāng jiǎ 。 shǐ de xún tiān jiàn běn shēn de yìng dù dá dào le yī zhǒng fěi yí suǒ sī de dì bù 。
这十万阵法不仅仅有着加速、定位、增幅等功能，层层堆叠之下，更形成了一层装甲。使得巡天箭本身的硬度达到了一种匪夷所思的地步。
These ten thousand array formations not only accelerated, located, and amplified; they also formed an armor when layered upon each other, making the core material of the Heaven-Watching Arrow incredibly hard.
bù guò cǐ kè suí zhe zhè xiē zhèn fǎ de xiāo shī ， xún tiān jiàn lù chū nèi bù hé xīn de yuán shǐ cái liào 。
不过此刻随着这些阵法的消失，巡天箭露出内部核心的原始材料。
However, as these array formations vanished, the original materials inside the arrow were revealed.
lǐ fán zhè cái fā xiàn ， zhè xún tiān jiàn sì hū hái shì yī zhǒng huó wù ！
李凡这才发现，这巡天箭似乎还是一种活物！
Li Fan realized that this Heaven-Watching Arrow seemed to be a living entity!
zài yī céng jiān yìng de jiǎo zhì xià ， chuán lái xì wēi de shén shí bō dòng 。 bō dòng fú dù jí ruò ， ruò bú shì lǐ fán de shén hún qiáng dù hái zài yì bān de hé dào xiū shì zhī shàng ， gǎn yìng jí wéi mǐn ruì 。 jī hū jiù yào jiāng qí hū lüè guò qù ！
在一层坚硬的角质下，传来细微的神识波动。波动幅度极弱，若不是李凡的神魂强度还在一般的合道修士之上，感应极为敏锐。几乎就要将其忽略过去！
Beneath a layer of tough keratin, faint mental波动 could be detected. The intensity was so weak that if not for Li Fan's soul strength being above average among ordinary Daoists and his keen senses, he would have almost ignored it.
“ zhè shì shén me dōng xī ……”
“这是什么东西……”
"What is this thing..."
lǐ fán bù jīn lái le xìng qù 。
李凡不禁来了兴趣。
Li Fan found himself intrigued.
fēn chū yī lǚ tóng yàng xì xiǎo de shén shí ， shì tú gēn xún tiān jiàn jiāo liú 。 dàn xún tiān jiàn fǎng fú bèi xià dào le shì dé ， jī hū zài chà nà zhī jiān jiù shōu liǎn le zì shēn de shén shí bō dòng ， zài wú huó wù jì xiàng 。
分出一缕同样细小的神识，试图跟巡天箭交流。但巡天箭仿佛被吓到了似得，几乎在刹那之间就收敛了自身的神识波动，再无活物迹象。
He sent out a similar thin stream of consciousness to communicate with the Heaven-Watching Arrow. But the arrow seemed frightened, quickly retracting its mental波动 as if nothing was alive anymore.
zhè yí mù ， xiàng jí le shòu dào jīng xià de wū guī ， xùn sù suō jìn ké zhōng 。
这一幕，像极了受到惊吓的乌龟，迅速缩进壳中。
This scene reminded him of a turtle that had been startled and quickly retracted into its shell.
zhè zhī hòu ， rèn píng lǐ fán zài zěn me shì tàn ， xún tiān jiàn yě jiān jué méi yǒu zài xiǎn lù shǔ yú shēng mìng de jì xiàng 。
这之后，任凭李凡再怎么试探，巡天箭也坚决没有再显露属于生命的迹象。
No matter how Li Fan probed after this, the Heaven-Watching Arrow showed no signs of life.
wú nài zhī xià ， lǐ fán zhǐ hǎo zàn qiě xiān jiāng qí shōu rù zì shēn dòng tiān ， liú xià yī lǚ shén shí shí kè guān chá 。 děng tā fàng xià jiè bèi hòu zài shuō 。
无奈之下，李凡只好暂且先将其收入自身洞天，留下一缕神识时刻观察。等它放下戒备后再说。
Unable to help himself, he temporarily stored it in his own Inner World, leaving behind a stream of consciousness to monitor it. He would wait until it lowered its guard before making any further moves.
“ nán guài wàn xiān méng zài duǎn duǎn shí jiān nèi ， jiù néng shí xiàn shàng qiān méi xún tiān jiàn de fù gài 。 yuán lái zhǐ shì wèi zhī huó wù 、 dié jiā shàng fù hé zhèn fǎ ……”
“难怪万仙盟在短短时间内，就能实现上千枚巡天箭的覆盖。原来只是未知活物、叠加上复合阵法……”
"Of course, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance could cover so many arrows within such a short time; they only needed unknown living entities and layered composite array formations..."
“ ń ， yīng gāi hái yǒu gè zǒng kòng shū niǔ ， xié tiáo quán bù xún tiān jiàn 。”
“嗯，应该还有个总控枢纽，协调全部巡天箭。”
"Yes, there should be some central control hub coordinating all these arrows."
xiǎng qǐ zhī qián wàn xiān méng yǔ wǔ lǎo huì dà zhàn zhōng xún tiān jiàn biān zhì ér chéng de jù wǎng huà miàn ， lǐ fán xīn zhōng àn zì sī cǔn dào 。
想起之前万仙盟与五老会大战中巡天箭编制而成的巨网画面，李凡心中暗自思忖道。
Recalling the massive net formed by Heaven-Watching Arrows during the battle between the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council, Li Fan thought to himself.
“ rú jīn fù hé zhèn fǎ wǒ yǐ jīng quán bù wán chéng pò jiě 。 rú guǒ néng zài jiě xī chū zhè zhǒng huó wù de xìng zhì ……”
“如今复合阵法我已经全部完成破解。如果能再解析出这种活物的性质……”
"Now that I've fully decoded the composite array formations. If I can analyze this living entity..."
“ wǒ yě néng pī liàng zhì zào chū xún tiān jiàn ！”
“我也能批量制造出巡天箭！”
"I could mass-produce Heaven-Watching Arrows!"
“ wú lùn shì zì yòng ， hái shì jiāng mì mì mài gěi wǔ lǎo huì ， dōu shì dà yǒu bì yì 。”
“无论是自用，还是将秘密卖给五老会，都是大有裨益。”
"Whether for personal use or selling the secret to the Five Elders Council, it would be highly beneficial."
xīn qíng bù cuò de lǐ fán ， què méi yǒu dé yì wàng xíng 。
心情不错的李凡，却没有得意忘形。
Despite his good mood, Li Fan did not get carried away.
kàn zhe bù yuǎn chù de dì guó xiǎo shì jiè ， bìng méi yǒu zhí jiē xiàn chū shēn xíng 。
看着不远处的帝国小世界，并没有直接现出身形。
He did not immediately reveal himself before the small world of the empire but first used his consciousness to thoroughly search and ensure there were no traps set by the empire. Only then did he unleash his power.
ér shì xiān yòng shén shí zǐ xì sōu suǒ le yī biàn ， què bǎo dì guó fāng biàn méi yǒu bù xià shén me xiàn jǐng zhī hòu ， zhè cái jiāng lì liàng jī fā 。
而是先用神识仔细搜索了一遍，确保帝国方便没有布下什么陷阱之后，这才将力量激发。
With the Soul-Forging Technique加持, five eerie blood moons suddenly descended upon the sky of the empire's small world.
rán hún jué jiā chí xià ， wǔ lún yāo yì de xuè yuè shà shí jiān jiàng lín yú dì guó xiǎo shì jiè tiān mù zhī shàng 。
燃魂决加持下，五轮妖异的血月霎时间降临于帝国小世界天幕之上。
Darkness fell as the original sun was obscured.
hēi àn jiàng lín ， yuán běn de tài yáng bèi zhē bì 。
黑暗降临，原本的太阳被遮蔽。
Terrifying deities and demons emerged from the blood moons, quickly occupying every corner of the empire.
yī zūn zūn kǒng bù de shén mó ， cóng xuè yuè zhōng fēi chū 。 hěn kuài jiù zhàn jù le dì guó de gè gè wèi zhì 。
一尊尊恐怖的神魔，从血月中飞出。很快就占据了帝国的各个位置。
The oppressive阴暗气息 emanating from them froze the minds of ordinary people in the empire. They were so terrified that they stood motionless without even a hint of fear.
cóng tā men shēn shàng sàn fà chū de zhì yīn zhì àn qì xī ， ràng dì guó fán rén men shèn zhì sī wéi dōu yào xiàn rù dòng jié zhī zhōng 。
从祂们身上散发出的至阴至暗气息，让帝国凡人们甚至思维都要陷入冻结之中。
Yi Xing's cold voice echoed as ghostly entities descended upon the empire.
lián kǒng jù de niàn tou dōu bù céng yǒu ， zhǐ shì quán bù jiāng zhí zài yuán dì 。
连恐惧的念头都不曾有，只是全部僵直在原地。
"Three years have passed, how did you manage my task?"
guǐ yù jiàng lín dì guó ， lǐ fán lěng mò wú bǐ de shēng yīn bù duàn huí dàng 。
鬼蜮降临帝国，李凡冷漠无比的声音不断回荡。
His voice reverberated throughout the entire empire like thunder.
“ sān nián zhī qī yǐ dào ， jiāo dài nǐ men de shì qíng rú hé le ？”
“三年之期已到，交代你们的事情如何了？”
At this moment, green and red lights, along with a female imperial princess, flew to Li Fan's side.
shēng ruò léi tíng ， chuán biàn zhěng gè dì guó 。
声若雷霆，传遍整个帝国。
"Greetings, senior."
cǐ kè dì guó zhōng rén ， wú yī bù xiàn rù jí duān de kǒng jù zhī zhōng 。 fǎng fú qīn yǎn kàn dào le wú shù shén mó qīng ér yì jǔ dì jiāng dì guó chè dǐ sī suì de huà miàn 。
此刻帝国中人，无一不陷入极端的恐惧之中。仿佛亲眼看到了无数神魔轻而易举地将帝国彻底撕碎的画面。
Li Fan's aura had grown significantly stronger than before. The three could barely maintain their freedom of movement.
guò le piàn kè ， qīng yǔ hóng 、 yǐ jí dì nǚ sān dào guāng máng fēi shēn lái dào lǐ fán miàn qián 。
过了片刻，青与红、以及帝女三道光芒飞身来到李凡面前。
"Mission accomplished; over these three years, we have devoted all our national resources to upgrading the spirit energy synthesis technology," one of them finally dared to reply.
“ jiàn guò qián bèi 。”
“见过前辈。”
Li Fan's gaze fixed on him, causing a pause in his heart.
bǐ qǐ shàng yī cì lái ， lǐ fán suǒ liú lù de qì xī yòu qiáng le bù zhǐ yī chóu 。
比起上一次来，李凡所流露的气息又强了不止一筹。
"Hahaha..."
sān rén yě zhǐ shì miǎn qiǎng néng bǎo chí zhù zì yóu xíng dòng ér yǐ 。
三人也只是勉强能保持住自由行动而已。
"Very good! Let me see it." After only a moment, Li Fan's laughter made him relax.
“ xìng bù rǔ mìng ， zhè sān nián jiān wǒ men qīng jǐn quán guó zhī lì ， zhōng yú wán chéng le líng qì hé chéng jì shù de shēng jí 。” zuì zhōng hái shì qīng zhuàng zhe dǎn zi huí fù dào 。
“幸不辱命，这三年间我们倾尽全国之力，终于完成了灵气合成技术的升级。”最终还是青壮着胆子回复道。
They arrived at the imperial treasury. At the position where the [All-Encompassing Furnace] had been, a large machine now stood.
lǐ fán de mù guāng suǒ dìng ， ràng qīng xīn tóu yī zhì 。
李凡的目光锁定，让青心头一滞。
It resembled an hourglass, and something could be heard dripping from its top to bottom.
“ hā hā hā hā ……”
“哈哈哈哈……”
"Senior, please look," said Qing as she pressed a button on the hourglass device.
“ hěn hǎo ！ dài wǒ qù kàn kàn ba 。” bù guò piàn kè zhī hòu ， lǐ fán de dà xiào shēng ràng tā bù yóu sōng le kǒu qì 。
“很好！带我去看看吧。”不过片刻之后，李凡的大笑声让她不由松了口气。
The dripping sound became more urgent.
yī lù lái dào dì gōng bǎo kù zhōng ， zài yuán běn 【 wàn xiàng róng lú 】 suǒ zài de wèi zhì ， cǐ kè bǎi fàng zhe yī tái jù dà de jī qì 。
一路来到帝宫宝库中，在原本【万象熔炉】所在的位置，此刻摆放着一台巨大的机器。
When it reached a certain point, the lower part of the hourglass suddenly opened a small hole.
wài biǎo hǎo sì yí gè shā lòu ， shèn zhì kě yǐ tīng dào sì hū yǒu shén me dōng xī ， zhèng cóng shā lòu de shàng fāng dī luò zhì xià fāng 。
外表好似一个沙漏，甚至可以听到似乎有什么东西，正从沙漏的上方滴落至下方。
A pure spirit energy then shot out from this hole.
“ qián bèi qǐng kàn 。” qīng àn xià le shā lòu zhuāng zhì shàng de yí gè àn niǔ 。
“前辈请看。”青按下了沙漏装置上的一个按钮。
Due to the high concentration of spirit energy, it initially formed "spirit rain," which gradually turned into white mist and dissipated in the air.
dī dā dī dā shēng yù fā jí cù le 。
滴答滴答声愈发急促了。
Li Fan extended his hand and caught a strand of spirit energy.
dāng kuài dào yí dìng de jìng dì zhī hòu ， xià fāng shā lòu hū de dǎ kāi le yí gè xiǎo kǒu 。
当快到一定的境地之后，下方沙漏忽的打开了一个小口。
Apart from the faint hint of bloodiness, it was almost indistinguishable from natural spirit energy.
suí hòu yī gǔ jīng chún de líng qì cóng zhè xiǎo kǒu zhōng pēn shè ér chū 。
随后一股精纯的灵气从这小口中喷射而出。
However, compared to the spirit energy catalyzed by strange beasts' flesh, its quality was much superior.
yóu yú líng qì nóng dù jí gāo ， shèn zhì yī kāi shǐ xíng chéng le “ líng yǔ ”。 suí hòu cái huǎn huǎn biàn chéng bái wù ， xiāo sàn zài kōng qì lǐ 。
由于灵气浓度极高，甚至一开始形成了“灵雨”。随后才缓缓变成白雾，消散在空气里。
After the burst of spirit energy, the ticking sound of the metal hourglass nearly disappeared for a long time. Only occasionally did a low rumbling sound appear.
lǐ fán shēn shǒu ， bǔ zhuō le yī lǚ líng qì 。
李凡伸手，捕捉了一缕灵气。
But Li Fan noticed that as time passed, the frequency of the ticking increased.
chú le qí zhōng réng rán jiā zá zhe de xì wēi xuè xīng qì ， jī hū gēn tiān rán de líng qì méi yǒu rèn hé qū bié le 。
除了其中仍然夹杂着的细微血腥气，几乎跟天然的灵气没有任何区别了。
It seemed that once it reached the previous speed, more spirit energy would be produced.
bù guò jí biàn rú cǐ ， gēn zhī qián yòng yì shòu xuè ròu cuī huà ér chéng de líng qì xiāng bǐ ， zhì liàng yě yào qiáng shàng tài duō 。
不过即便如此，跟之前用异兽血肉催化而成的灵气相比，质量也要强上太多。
Using his consciousness to penetrate the metal hourglass, Li Fan discovered that the upper part was filled with countless tiny flesh tissues.
pēn fā chū yī zhèn líng qì zhī hòu ， jīn shǔ shā lòu de dī dā shēng jī hū xiāo shī bú jiàn 。
喷发出一阵灵气之后，金属沙漏的滴答声几乎消失不见。
No, rather than flesh, they resembled a collection of certain fungi.
hěn zhǎng shí jiān cái yǒu dī luò de shēng yīn chū xiàn 。
很长时间才有低落的声音出现。
The blood and qi were very weak; even self-awareness did not exist. Their sole mission was to absorb nutrients and reproduce themselves.
dàn lǐ fán chá jué dào ， suí zhe shí jiān de tuī yí ， dī dā shēng xiǎng qǐ de pín lǜ shì yuè lái yuè gāo de 。
但李凡察觉到，随着时间的推移，滴答声响起的频率是越来越高的。
"Interesting."
xiǎng lái zhǐ yào zài dá dào zhī qián de sù dù ， jiù yòu huì yǒu xīn de líng qì pēn chū 。
想来只要再达到之前的速度，就又会有新的灵气喷出。
Qing, observing carefully, explained: "Before, spirit energy could only be produced from the cores within specific strange beasts. It took them at least half a year to grow and form their cores."
shén shí chuān tòu jīn shǔ shā lòu ， jìn rù nèi bù zhī hòu ， lǐ fán fā xiàn shā lòu de shàng bàn bù fèn ， chōng chì zhe wú shù xì xiǎo de xuè ròu zǔ zhī 。
神识穿透金属沙漏，进入内部之后，李凡发现沙漏的上半部分，充斥着无数细小的血肉组织。
"This is still after we have compressed their reproductive cycle to its extreme."
bù ， yǔ qí shuō xiàng shì xuè ròu ， gèng xiàng shì mǒu zhǒng jūn lèi de jí hé 。
不，与其说像是血肉，更像是某种菌类的集合。
"But even so, the efficiency of producing spirit energy was too low. So we changed our approach and cultivated those strange beasts in a targeted manner for evolution."
qì xuè hěn ruò ， shèn zhì lián zì wǒ yì shí dōu bù cún zài 。 wéi yī de shǐ mìng jiù shì xī shōu yǎng fèn 、 fán zhí zì shēn 。
气血很弱，甚至连自我意识都不存在。唯一的使命就是吸收养分、繁殖自身。
"We removed all other functions, retaining only the core production function."
“ yǒu qù 。”
“有趣。”
"Then we integrated the characteristics of the fastest-reproducing fungi..."
qīng chá yán guān sè ， cǐ shí yě qià dào hǎo chù de wèi lǐ fán jiě shuō qǐ lái ：“ zhī qián de líng qì ， zhǐ néng cóng tè dìng yì shòu tǐ nèi de shòu hé zhōng chǎn chū 。 cóng chū shēng dào yùn yù jīng hé ， yì shòu dà gài yào jīng lì zuì shǎo bàn nián de shí jiān 。”
青察言观色，此时也恰到好处的为李凡解说起来：“之前的灵气，只能从特定异兽体内的兽核中产出。从出生到孕育晶核，异兽大概要经历最少半年的时间。”
"After hundreds of generations of iteration, we finally obtained this almost perfect creation."
“ zhè hái shì wǒ men yǐ jīng jiāng fán yǎn zhōu qī yā suō dào jí zhì de qíng kuàng xià 。”
“这还是我们已经将繁衍周期压缩到极致的情况下。”
Qing's tone was steady, but her eyes still showed uncontainable excitement regarding their research.
“ dàn jí biàn shì zhè yàng ， chǎn shēng líng qì de xiào lǜ yě hái shì tài dī le 。 yú shì wǒ men zhuǎn biàn le sī lù ， duì nà xiē yì shòu jìn xíng le dìng xiàng jìn huà de péi yǎng 。”
“但即便是这样，产生灵气的效率也还是太低了。于是我们转变了思路，对那些异兽进行了定向进化的培养。”
"As you can see, these strange beasts began reproducing themselves from birth."
“ jiāng yī qiè qí tā gōng néng quán dōu tuì huà diào ， zhǐ bǎo liú shēng chǎn shòu hé de gōng néng bù fèn 。”
“将一切其他功能全都退化掉，只保留生产兽核的功能部分。”
"They bypassed the [reproductive] process and could reproduce endlessly through self-replication. The nutrients required were merely water and sunlight like any ordinary fungi."
“ zài róng rù fán zhí sù dù zuì kuài de yì zhí jūn lèi yì shòu de tè xìng ……”
“再融入繁殖速度最快的一直菌类异兽的特性……”
"After forming cores within them, these strange beasts would die, separating their bodies from the cores."
“ jīng guò shàng bǎi dài de dié dài péi yǎng ， zuì zhōng dé dào le zhè zhǒng jī hū yǐ jīng wán měi de zào wù 。”
“经过上百代的迭代培养，最终得到了这种几乎已经完美的造物。”
"The cores are collected in the lower funnel while the corpses are decomposed into nutrients to be absorbed by their kind."
qīng yǔ qì chén wěn ， dàn shè jí dào tā men de yán jiū chéng guǒ ， yǎn zhōng hái shì réng rán yǒu zhǐ bú zhù de xīng fèn 。
青语气沉稳，但涉及到她们的研究成果，眼中还是仍然有止不住的兴奋。
"This cycle continues. This device only needs a fixed amount of nutrients added occasionally to produce spirit energy continuously."
Li Fan sped through the spatial channel, nearly reaching the small world of the empire when the End Time Disintegration Disc had already absorbed and transformed all ten thousand array formations on the Heaven-Watching Arrow.
He paused slightly, his eyes emitting a silver light that instantly wiped away these array formations from the surface of the arrow.
These ten thousand array formations not only accelerated, located, and amplified; they also formed an armor when layered upon each other, making the core material of the Heaven-Watching Arrow incredibly hard.
However, as these array formations vanished, the original materials inside the arrow were revealed.
Li Fan realized that this Heaven-Watching Arrow seemed to be a living entity!
Beneath a layer of tough keratin, faint mental波动 could be detected. The intensity was so weak that if not for Li Fan's soul strength being above average among ordinary Daoists and his keen senses, he would have almost ignored it.
"What is this thing..."
Li Fan found himself intrigued.
He sent out a similar thin stream of consciousness to communicate with the Heaven-Watching Arrow. But the arrow seemed frightened, quickly retracting its mental波动 as if nothing was alive anymore.
This scene reminded him of a turtle that had been startled and quickly retracted into its shell.
No matter how Li Fan probed after this, the Heaven-Watching Arrow showed no signs of life.
Unable to help himself, he temporarily stored it in his own Inner World, leaving behind a stream of consciousness to monitor it. He would wait until it lowered its guard before making any further moves.
"Of course, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance could cover so many arrows within such a short time; they only needed unknown living entities and layered composite array formations..."
"Yes, there should be some central control hub coordinating all these arrows."
Recalling the massive net formed by Heaven-Watching Arrows during the battle between the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council, Li Fan thought to himself.
"Now that I've fully decoded the composite array formations. If I can analyze this living entity..."
"I could mass-produce Heaven-Watching Arrows!"
"Whether for personal use or selling the secret to the Five Elders Council, it would be highly beneficial."
Despite his good mood, Li Fan did not get carried away.
He did not immediately reveal himself before the small world of the empire but first used his consciousness to thoroughly search and ensure there were no traps set by the empire. Only then did he unleash his power.
With the Soul-Forging Technique加持, five eerie blood moons suddenly descended upon the sky of the empire's small world.
Darkness fell as the original sun was obscured.
Terrifying deities and demons emerged from the blood moons, quickly occupying every corner of the empire.
The oppressive阴暗气息 emanating from them froze the minds of ordinary people in the empire. They were so terrified that they stood motionless without even a hint of fear.
Yi Xing's cold voice echoed as ghostly entities descended upon the empire.
"Three years have passed, how did you manage my task?"
His voice reverberated throughout the entire empire like thunder.
At this moment, green and red lights, along with a female imperial princess, flew to Li Fan's side.
"Greetings, senior."
Li Fan's aura had grown significantly stronger than before. The three could barely maintain their freedom of movement.
"Mission accomplished; over these three years, we have devoted all our national resources to upgrading the spirit energy synthesis technology," one of them finally dared to reply.
Li Fan's gaze fixed on him, causing a pause in his heart.
"Hahaha..."
"Very good! Let me see it." After only a moment, Li Fan's laughter made him relax.
They arrived at the imperial treasury. At the position where the [All-Encompassing Furnace] had been, a large machine now stood.
It resembled an hourglass, and something could be heard dripping from its top to bottom.
"Senior, please look," said Qing as she pressed a button on the hourglass device.
The dripping sound became more urgent.
When it reached a certain point, the lower part of the hourglass suddenly opened a small hole.
A pure spirit energy then shot out from this hole.
Due to the high concentration of spirit energy, it initially formed "spirit rain," which gradually turned into white mist and dissipated in the air.
Li Fan extended his hand and caught a strand of spirit energy.
Apart from the faint hint of bloodiness, it was almost indistinguishable from natural spirit energy.
However, compared to the spirit energy catalyzed by strange beasts' flesh, its quality was much superior.
After the burst of spirit energy, the ticking sound of the metal hourglass nearly disappeared for a long time. Only occasionally did a low rumbling sound appear.
But Li Fan noticed that as time passed, the frequency of the ticking increased.
It seemed that once it reached the previous speed, more spirit energy would be produced.
Using his consciousness to penetrate the metal hourglass, Li Fan discovered that the upper part was filled with countless tiny flesh tissues.
No, rather than flesh, they resembled a collection of certain fungi.
The blood and qi were very weak; even self-awareness did not exist. Their sole mission was to absorb nutrients and reproduce themselves.
"Interesting."
Qing, observing carefully, explained: "Before, spirit energy could only be produced from the cores within specific strange beasts. It took them at least half a year to grow and form their cores."
"This is still after we have compressed their reproductive cycle to its extreme."
"But even so, the efficiency of producing spirit energy was too low. So we changed our approach and cultivated those strange beasts in a targeted manner for evolution."
"We removed all other functions, retaining only the core production function."
"Then we integrated the characteristics of the fastest-reproducing fungi..."
"After hundreds of generations of iteration, we finally obtained this almost perfect creation."
Qing's tone was steady, but her eyes still showed uncontainable excitement regarding their research.
"As you can see, these strange beasts began reproducing themselves from birth."
"They bypassed the [reproductive] process and could reproduce endlessly through self-replication. The nutrients required were merely water and sunlight like any ordinary fungi."
"After forming cores within them, these strange beasts would die, separating their bodies from the cores."
"The cores are collected in the lower funnel while the corpses are decomposed into nutrients to be absorbed by their kind."
"This cycle continues. This device only needs a fixed amount of nutrients added occasionally to produce spirit energy continuously."