Chapter 869

"Indeed, I misjudged before."

"Benar, dugaanku selama ini keliru."

"I originally thought that the things in this fishing pond had been placed inside a thousand years ago when it was first forged."

"Awalnya kupikir semua benda di kolam pancing ini sudah diletakkan seribu tahun lalu, ketika kolam ini pertama kali dibuat."

"But the item I fished out last time was not from that era at all."

"Tapi benda yang kudapatkan terakhir kali sama sekali bukan berasal dari era itu."

"It only appeared within the last five hundred years."

"Benda itu baru muncul dalam lima ratus tahun terakhir."

Stone Tablet Fisherman membuka telapak tangannya, memperlihatkan sebuah potongan batu giok hitam melengkung yang menyerupai tanduk.

"This is..." Li Fan couldn't recognize it.

"Ini..." Li Fan tidak bisa mengenalinya.

"The Conquering Heaven Horn - an invention of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance. Blowing it briefly invokes the power of the Heavenly Dao within a Prefecture," the Stone Tablet Fisherman explained concisely.

"Conquering Heaven Horn—sebuah penemuan dari Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance. Meniupnya secara singkat akan memanggil kekuatan Heavenly Dao dalam satu Prefecture," jelas Stone Tablet Fisherman singkat.

"The Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance?" Li Fan was momentarily stunned, then his expression shifted slightly.

"Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance?" Li Fan sejenak tertegun, lalu ekspresinya sedikit berubah.

Turning his gaze toward the fishing pond, countless thoughts surged through his mind.

Ia mengalihkan pandangannya ke kolam pancing, dan segudangide melonjak di benaknya.

"You understand now? The objects within this fishing pond are not unchanging. Instead, they are replenished with new items, not just from Xuanhuang but even from other cultivation worlds."

"Kau mengerti sekarang? Benda-benda di dalam kolam pancing ini tidak statis. Justru sebaliknya, benda-benda itu terus diperbarui dengan item baru, bukan hanya dari Xuanhuang, tetapi juga dari dunia kultivasi lain."

"As we fish in the starry skies, it is also fishing across the myriad realms..."

"Sementara kita memancing di langit berbintang, kolam ini juga memancing lintas myriad realms..."

The Stone Tablet Fisherman's words confirmed Li Fan's suspicions.

Kata-kata Stone Tablet Fisherman mengonfirmasi dugaan Li Fan.

A tidal wave of realization struck his mind, leaving him unable to calm down for a long time.

Gelombang besar pemahaman menghantam benaknya, membuatnya tidak bisa tenang untuk waktu yang lama.

Even though he had personally experienced the fishing pond's mysteries, he never imagined he still didn't fully grasp its nature.

Padahal ia sudahsendiri merasakan misteri kolam pancing ini, tak pernah ia bayangkan bahwa masih ada hal yang belum sepenuhnya ia pahami.

"So this is the power of an Immortal Artifact."

"Jadi inilah kekuatan sebuah Immortal Artifact."

"It not only contains countless treasures but also never runs out."

"Benda ini bukan hanya berisi harta karun tak terhitung, tetapi juga tidak pernah habis."

This was what Li Fan thought.

Itulah yang dipikirkan Li Fan.

However, the Stone Tablet Fisherman was focused on something else.

Namun, Stone Tablet Fisherman tengah fokus pada hal lain.

His usually calm tone carried a rare hint of excitement. "This is the true Dao of Fishing."

Nada bicaranya yang biasanya tenang kini membawa sedikit semangat yang langka. "Inilah Dao of Fishing yang sesungguhnya."

"This Immortal Artifact is not simple."

"Immortal Artifact ini tidak sederhana."

"If I can master it, perhaps I won't even need to rely on it anymore. I could fish across the myriad realms on my own and find whatever I seek." His voice carried a trace of eagerness.

"Jika aku bisa menguasainya, mungkin aku bahkan tidak perlu lagi mengandalkannya. Aku bisa memancing lintas myriad realms sendiri dan menemukan apa pun yang kucari." Suaranya membawa sedikit kerinduan.

Li Fan fell silent.

Li Fan terdiam.

Only now did he fully realize—

Baru sekarang ia sepenuhnya menyadari—

For a mystical object like the Genesis Stone Tablet, how could it possibly attach itself to someone ordinary?

Untuk sebuah objek mistis seperti Genesis Stone Tablet, bagaimana mungkin benda itu melekat pada orang biasa?

With this new discovery, the Stone Tablet Fisherman stopped fishing.

Dengan penemuan baru ini, Stone Tablet Fisherman berhenti memancing.

At the same time, he transformed.

Pada saat yang sama, ia bertransformasi.

No longer appearing as an old fisherman, he now looked like a newborn baby.

Tidak lagi tampak sebagai seorang pemancing tua, ia kini terlihat seperti bayi yang baru lahir.

He slept soundly by the pondside with his eyes closed.

Ia tidur nyenyak di tepi kolam dengan mata terpejam.

Days passed, yet he showed no signs of waking.

Hari-hari berlalu, namun tidak ada tanda-tanda ia akan bangun.

Li Fan shook his head and withdrew.

Li Fan menggelengkan kepalanya dan mundur.

"Even with the senior's level of comprehension, understanding the Dao of Fishing won't be a quick matter."

"Mesmo dengan tingkat pemahaman senior tersebut, memahami Dao of Fishing bukanlah perkara cepat."

"And yet, he's hogging the fishing pond, and no one dares to disturb him."

"Namun dia malah menguasai kolam pancing ini, dan tidak ada yang berani mengganggu."

Li Fan felt helpless.

Li Fan merasa tak berdaya.

He had no choice but to instruct Lin Ling to stay and keep watch, informing him at the first sign of movement.

Ia tak punya pilihan selain menyuruh Lin Ling tetap tinggal dan berjaga, mengabarinya begitu ada tanda-tanda pergerakan.

Li Fan then returned alone to the Spiritwood Realm.

Li Fan kemudian kembali sendirian ke Spiritwood Realm.

At that moment, he received a message from the Five Elders Association.

Saat itu, ia menerima pesan dari Five Elders Association.

"Even the Five Elders Association's contact was a fake."

"Kontak Five Elders Association itu juga palsu."

"That Stone Tablet Senior really gets into character," Li Fan mused, recalling the other party's tone and expressions, shaking his head in amusement.

"Stone Tablet Senior itu benar-benar bisa masuk ke karakternya," gumam Li Fan, mengingat nada dan ekspresi orang itu, sambil menggelengkan kepala geli.

"This must be one of his little amusements. Fortunately, he has a good temperament - at least he didn't kill me outright over some minor disagreement."

"Ini pasti salah satu hiburan kecilnya. Untungnya dia punya temperamen yang baik—setidaknya dia tidak langsung membunuhku karena masalah kecil."

During these past few days with the Stone Tablet Senior, aside from learning some ancient secrets—

Selama beberapa hari terakhir bersama Stone Tablet Senior, selain mempelajari beberapa rahasia kuno—

The most important thing was finally understanding the core conflict between the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and the Five Elders Association in the Xuanhuang Realm.

Hal yang paling penting adalah akhirnya memahami konflik inti antara Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance dan Five Elders Association di Xuanhuang Realm.

Li Fan recalled the senior's words:

Li Fan teringat kembali kata-kata senior itu:

"The Xuanhuang Realm is like a ship—one that is about to sink."

"Xuanhuang Realm itu seperti sebuah kapal—yang sedang hampir tenggelam."

"The Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and the Five Elders Association are fighting over who gets to take the helm."

"Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance dan Five Elders Association sedang berebut siapa yang berhak memegang kemudi."

"Both sides are absolutely convinced that they can prevent the Xuanhuang Realm from sinking, but only if one of them holds the final authority."

"Kedua pihak sama-sama yakin bahwa mereka bisa mencegah Xuanhuang Realm tenggelam, tetapi hanya jika salah satu dari mereka memegang otoritas penuh."

"Heh, just like the Ten Great Immortal Sects years ago."

"Heh, sama seperti Ten Great Immortal Sects bertahun-tahun lalu."

"It's not that they were blinded by power, but rather that escaping would require coordinating and concentrating the full strength of the entire realm. If there were internal betrayal..."

"Bukan karena mereka dibutakan oleh kekuasaan, melainkan karena melarikan diri memerlukan koordinasi dan pemusatan kekuatan seluruh realm. Jika ada pengkhianatan dari dalam..."

"So, fighting and killing don't matter. Once the very existence of the Xuanhuang Realm is truly threatened, both sides will still join forces—just like five hundred years ago, when those traitors returned."

"Jadi, perkelahian dan pembunuhan tidak masalah. Begitu keberadaan Xuanhuang Realm benar-benar terancam, kedua pihak tetap akan bersatu—sperti lima ratus tahun lalu, ketika para pengkhianat itu kembali."

When mentioning those traitors, the tone of the old fisherman of the Stone Tablet became uncharacteristically fierce.

Saat menyebutkan para pengkhianat itu, nada bicara pemancing tua Stone Tablet menjadi garang, sesuatu yang tidak biasanya.

"Five hundred years ago... That should refer to the counterattack from the small worlds. However, these small worlds seemed to be mere puppets. The true mastermind behind it was likely those cultivators who had once betrayed the Xuanhuang Realm."

"Lima ratus tahun lalu... Itu pasti merujuk pada serangan balik dari small worlds. Namun, small worlds itu sepertinya hanya boneka. Dalang sesungguhnya kemungkinan adalah para kultivator yang pernah mengkhianati Xuanhuang Realm."

Within the Spiritwood Realm, as he compared the old fisherman's words with the hidden secrets uncovered in prior investigations, Li Fan was deep in thought.

Di dalam Spiritwood Realm, saat membandingkan kata-kata pemancing tua itu dengan rahasia-rahasia tersembunyi yang terungkap dari investigasi sebelumnya, Li Fan tenggelam dalam pemikiran.

"As expected of the bearer of the Genesis Stone Tablet... He knows too many secrets. Too bad his strength isn't enough."

"Sesuai dugaan, pemilik Genesis Stone Tablet... Dia tahu terlalu banyak rahasia. Sayang kekuatannya tidak cukup."

"How much one can know entirely depends on how much the other party is willing to share."

"Berapa banyak yang bisa diketahui sepenuhnya bergantung pada berapa banyak yang mau dibagikan pihak lain."

"Otherwise, he would surely be subjected to relentless interrogation, day and night."

"Jika tidak, dia pasti akan diinterogasi tanpa henti, siang dan malam."

Li Fan's thoughts turned slowly.

Pikiran Li Fan berputar perlahan.

Through the perspective of the elder of the Stone Tablet, many things that had seemed obscured in a fog to Li Fan suddenly became clear.

Melalui perspektif elder of the Stone Tablet, banyak hal yang sebelumnya tampak kabur bagi Li Fan tiba-tiba menjadi jelas.

At that moment, after hearing the old fisherman's discussion on the struggle between the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and the Five Elders Association, Li Fan couldn't help but ask, "Then what about the Immortal Ancestor? What is his stance on all of this?"

Saat itu, setelah mendengar pembahasan pemancing tua tentang pertarungan antara Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance dan Five Elders Association, Li Fan tidak bisa menahan diri untuk bertanya, "Lalu bagaimana dengan Immortal Ancestor? Apa pendiriannya dalam semua ini?"

The old fisherman of the Stone Tablet seemed to have heard an incredibly amusing joke.

Pemancing tua Stone Tablet itu sepertinya mendengar lelucon yang sangat lucu.

He first burst into laughter, as if no one else was present.

Ia pertama kali tertawa terbahak-bahak, seolah tidak ada orang lain yang hadir.

Only after laughing heartily did he finally respond, "Immortal Ancestor?"

Baru setelah tertawa lepas, ia akhirnya menjawab, "Immortal Ancestor?"

"Even if the Xuanhuang Realm sinks..."

"Mesmo jika Xuanhuang Realm tenggelam..."

"The Dharma-Transmitting Immortal Ancestor can still fly, can't he?"

"Dharma-Transmitting Immortal Ancestor masih bisa terbang, bukan?"

"He simply doesn't care."

"Dia simplesmente tidak peduli."

"However..."

"Namun..."

The old fisherman's smile suddenly faded.

Senyum pemancing tua itu tiba-tiba hilang.

"This is just my speculation."

"ini hanya tebakan belaka."

"In reality, for the Immortal Ancestor—who views the Xuanhuang Realm as his personal possession—his stance is somewhat unpredictable."

"Padahal kenyataannya, bagi Immortal Ancestor—yang menganggap Xuanhuang Realm sebagai milik pribadinya—pendiriannya agak tidak bisa diprediksi."

"Otherwise, after all these years, he could have left long ago."

"If tidak, setelah bertahun-tahun ini, dia sudah bisa pergi sejak lama."

His voice gradually weakened until it became completely inaudible.

Suaranya pelan-pelan melemah hingga menjadi tidak terdengar sama sekali.

"The Dharma-Transmitting Immortal Ancestor can fly."

"Dharma-Transmitting Immortal Ancestor bisa terbang."

"So, he has already freed himself from the influence of the Immortal Ruins and can leave on his own."

"Artinya, dia sudah terbebas dari pengaruh Immortal Ruins dan bisa pergi sendiri."

Li Fan pondered silently.

Li Fan merenung dalam diam.

"I wonder... exactly how powerful one must be to escape from Xuanhuang?"

"Aku ingin tahu... sebenarnya seberapa kuat seseorang untuk bisa melarikan diri dari Xuanhuang?"

"Perhaps..."

"Mungkin..."

"I could give it a try."

"Aku bisa mencobanya."

A sudden thought emerged in Li Fan's mind.

Sebuah pemikiran tiba-tiba muncul di benak Li Fan.

Although, in the Xuanhuang Realm, aside from the Immortal Ancestor, there had never been a precedent of any Longevity Immortal successfully escaping...

Meskipun, di Xuanhuang Realm, selain Immortal Ancestor, tidak pernah ada preseden Longevity Immortal yang berhasil melarikan diri...

But Xuanhuang's longevity was bound to the realm itself.

Tapi umur panjang Xuanhuang terikat pada realm itu sendiri.

It was possible that the lack of escape wasn't due to insufficient strength, but rather the binding force acting as a counterbalance.

Bisa jadi ketidakmampuan melarikan diri bukan karena kekuatan yang kurang, melainkan karena kekuatan pengikat yang berfungsi sebagai penyeimbang.

Just like the Senior Stone Tablet.

Sama seperti Senior Stone Tablet.

"Besides, I don't necessarily have to rely solely on my own strength. External assistance could be an option as well."

"Selain itu, aku tidak harus mengandalkan kekuatanku sendiri. Bantuan dari luar juga bisa menjadi pilihan."

Li Fan recalled the 114th era, when countless obelisks stood towering over the Xuanhuang lands.

Li Fan teringat era ke-114, ketika obelisk-obelisk tak terhitung berdiri menjulang di atas tanah Xuanhuang.

"If I could use my Five Elements Cave-Heaven to achieve the Nascent Soul stage... and then merge the Five Elements into one, forging a new world..."

"Jika aku bisa menggunakan Five Elements Cave-Heaven untuk mencapai tahap Nascent Soul... lalu menggabungkan Five Elements menjadi satu, membentuk dunia baru..."

"And if I were to construct obelisks upon the land, harnessing their force for propulsion..."

"Dan jika aku membangun obelisk-obelisk di atas tanah, memanfaatkan kekuatannya untuk propelled..."

"Perhaps escaping the Xuanhuang Realm wouldn't be impossible."

"Mungkin melarikan diri dari Xuanhuang Realm bukan hal yang mustahil."

In truth, as someone who possessed the [Truth] ability, Li Fan had never planned to be trapped in an endless struggle with the Xuanhuang Realm.

Sebenarnya, sebagai seseorang yang memiliki kemampuan [Truth], Li Fan tidak pernah berencana terjebak dalam perjuangan tanpa akhir dengan Xuanhuang Realm.

If an alternative cultivation world could be found, it would certainly be preferable to staying in this forsaken place.

Jika dunia kultivasi alternatif bisa ditemukan, itu tentu lebih preferable daripada tetap tinggal di tempat terlantar ini.

After all, the Xuanhuang Realm—on the verge of collapse—was unpredictable, no matter what happened next.

Bagaimanapun, Xuanhuang Realm—yang di ambang kehancuran—tidak bisa diprediksi, tidak peduli apa yang terjadi selanjutnya.

Throughout his journey, Li Fan had encountered far too many demons, devils, and ghosts.

Sepanjang perjalanannya, Li Fan sudah terlalu sering bertemu iblis, setan, dan hantu.

"A kind of attempt, using a dual approach."

"Sejenis percobaan, menggunakan pendekatan ganda."

Li Fan silently calculated his next move.

Li Fan diam-diam menghitung langkah selanjutnya.