Chapter 826-830: Three Ancient Trees of Xuanhuang (6k words)

"This is too fast!"

Li Fan was quite astonished.

Traveling from the Spirit Wood Realm to Jiushan Province would typically involve traversing almost half of Shilin Province. Considering the normal flying speed of a Yuanying cultivator, it would take at least five or six days. If Lin Ling carried Li Fan while flying in the sky, it would still take nearly half a day. However, by utilizing the power of the earth's veins, they had almost instantly reached their destination.

Even more crucially, traveling underground was silent and discreet. Currently, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders were in a standoff, with heavily guarded defenses along the border between Shilin Province and Jiushan Province. However, when Li Fan and Lin Ling traversed the area, they didn't attract the attention of either side.

"Pure and exclusive, the power of the earth's veins seems to lack a safe method for traversing in the Xuanhuang Realm." Li Fan recalled various pieces of knowledge about the earth's veins he had acquired before, silently contemplating.

After arriving in Jiushan Province, the flow of the earth's veins seemed to encounter some blockage, slowing down abruptly. Li Fan sensed Lin Ling's discomfort through their connection and signaled her to return to the surface.

Before emerging from the ground, Li Fan cautiously observed the surroundings, making sure there were no others nearby before breaking through the soil.

"The aura here is really uncomfortable," Lin Ling furrowed her brows.

"Jiushan Province was transformed from the corpses of ancient exotic beasts. It's normal for you to feel a slight aversion to it," Li Fan explained.

"Such a large area was formed from corpses?" Lin Ling widened her eyes. "Its strength during its lifetime must have been extremely terrifying. No wonder seniors are restricted here..."

Lin Ling mumbled.

"Seniors?" Li Fan's heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah! Just now, I was able to run so fast underground, all thanks to Senior's help!" Lin Ling innocently said, showing a piece of branch. "Master, look, this is the gift Senior gave me."

Li Fan couldn't help squinting his eyes.

The branch appeared withered, but it was different from the lifeless appearance. It was the result of being perennially soaked in the power of the earth's veins. From it, one could sense the vigorous and powerful surges of the earth's veins.

Li Fan had seen this branch once before, during the 115th generation, in Yuanyangzhou at the residence of West Gate Yu.

"The Earth Vein Tree?"

He immediately recalled West Gate Yu's speculation about the origin of this tree.

Back when Suomu was severely damaged by cultivators, some giant trunks had detached from its body and fallen into the world. After many years of reproduction, they each transformed into different ancient trees. This Earth Vein Tree was one of them.

Growing upside down, the roots of these ancient trees spread all over the Xuanhuang Realm.

"How did you communicate with that 'senior'?" Li Fan looked at Lin Ling and asked.

Lin Ling tilted her head, looking at Li Fan as if she couldn't understand his words.

After a while, she simply transmitted the entire process of her communication with the Earth Vein Ancient Tree to Li Fan.

The communication between ancient trees was different from that of humans. Almost as soon as they reached the earth's veins, they established a connection and completed the information exchange in a very short time.

For Lin Ling, a recently born junior, the Earth Vein Ancient Tree showed great affection. Not only did it not attack her, but it also actively helped her. At the same time, Lin Ling learned about other ancient trees in the Xuanhuang Realm from the Earth Vein Ancient Tree.

First was the oldest, the ancestor of all spirits, Suomu...

The Earth Vein Ancient Tree did not tell Lin Ling its name.

Only advising Lin Ling, Li Fan emphasized that the Mother Tree had unpredictable temperaments and might not treat fellow tree spirits favorably. Instead, it could potentially devour scattered ancient trees to nourish itself.

It was essential to keep a considerable distance.

Next were two entities on par with the Earth Vein Ancient Tree.

They both originated from Suomu and were among the strongest detached from its body.

One was the "Ten Thousand Spirits Ancient Tree," and the other was the "Heavenly Splendor Ancient Tree."

Although they came from the same source, their paths diverged entirely.

The Ten Thousand Spirits Ancient Tree chose to proliferate itself as much as possible, scattering countless branches in the world. Even if facing calamity, as long as one remained undestroyed, given enough time, it could regenerate.

On the other hand, the Heavenly Splendor Ancient Tree pursued the path of "All Things Returning to One." Constantly reducing and refining itself, hoping to one day transform back into an existence like "Suomu."

...

Some fragmentary images and information about the Ten Thousand Spirits Ancient Tree and the Heavenly Splendor Ancient Tree flashed through Li Fan's mind.

To his surprise, he had encountered both of them during his reincarnations in this realm.

The branches of the Ten Thousand Spirits Ancient Tree were precisely the material used by Jiao Xiuyuan to refine avatars for himself.

"The extensive branches, widespread throughout the Xuanhuang Realm, somewhat resonate with Jiao Daoist's 'Thousand Puppets Dao.'"

"I wonder what kind of relationship exists between Jiao Xiuyuan and the Ten Thousand Spirits Ancient Tree."

As for the Heavenly Splendor Ancient Tree, Li Fan had only encountered one of its sub-bodies.

That was the large tree with a human face seen in the Green Wind Hall, part of the lending organization on Wanxian Island.

In the 115th generation, when the Five Elders attacked Wanxian Island to relocate the entire island, the entire space was sealed, and all communication and teleportation methods failed. Li Fan had spent a significant amount to inquire from Jiao Xiuyuan about an escape method.

It was through the Green Wind Hall that he narrowly escaped a catastrophe.

"This human-faced tree is one of the sub-bodies of the Heavenly Splendor Ancient Tree."

"As for the female voice accompanying the Earth Vein Tree, I wonder who she is."

...

In addition to these two powerful ancient trees, the Earth Vein Ancient Tree introduced Lin Ling to several slightly less advanced juniors.

Like Lin Ling, they were tree spirits born with their own intelligence, mostly hiding in caves and small worlds within the Xuanhuang Realm. Due to their connection with the earth's veins, these tree spirits could subtly communicate with the Earth Vein Ancient Tree.

However, Lin Ling was the first one, like her, to be able to shape-shift and venture outside.

So, the Earth Vein Ancient Tree was very excited.

Regarding Lin Ling being under the control of a cultivator, the Earth Vein Ancient Tree seemed indifferent.

Only advising Lin Ling, the Earth Vein Ancient Tree mentioned that each spiritual tree had its own destiny. Lin Ling, who was recently born, seemed to understand vaguely and obediently accepted.

...

"I didn't expect so much to happen in the blink of an eye."

"All of this happened without me being fully aware. Even though I can completely control Lin Ling, it's still the case."

"The methods of ancient trees are truly mysterious."

"Fortunately, both the Earth Vein Ancient Tree and Lin Ling have relatively gentle temperaments. Unlike Suomu, which can be extreme."

"Otherwise, if they joined forces to secretly plot against me..."

"It would be challenging to defend against."

Li Fan sighed softly.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 827: Intimidating the Five Elders

Li Fan learned that neither the Wanxian Alliance nor the Five Elders could freely traverse the Earth Veins. It wasn't a matter of technical incapability but because doing so would provoke the Earth Vein Ancient Trees' attacks.

These ancient trees retained memories of Suomu being besieged by cultivators in the past. Although they didn't harbor extreme hatred like Suomu, their attitude was far from friendly. While they wouldn't actively seek trouble, if cultivators took advantage or went too far, they wouldn't remain indifferent.

Li Fan avoided attacks because the Earth Vein Ancient Tree spared him for Lin Ling's sake. The ancient tree, deeply rooted in the Xuanhuang realm, had a domino effect. Attempting to conquer it could lead to the catastrophic collapse of the entire region, resulting in countless cultivators dying instantly.

As those with spatial teleportation techniques didn't heavily rely on Earth Vein energy, both the Wanxian Alliance and the Five Elders chose to turn a blind eye.

"Exchange with the seniors more in the future," Li Fan advised Lin Ling, holding the Earth Vein branch. This branch was far more precious than the withered branches West Gate Feather obtained from Earth Vein eruptions.

Apart from benefiting Lin Ling's rapid growth, it allowed instantaneous travel to any location covered by Earth Vein energy, similar to the teleportation method of Shang Tiangi's Heaven Scenery Gourd. However, instead of individually collecting phenomena, the Earth Vein Ancient Trees' roots extended to every corner of the Xuanhuang Realm.

"It's a pity only Lin Ling can use it," Li Fan thought regretfully.

Lin Ling obediently integrated the Earth Vein branch into her chest.

With the minor episode concluded, Li Fan proceeded with his main task. After setting up a protective formation in the vicinity, he had Lin Ling temporarily hide. Then, he took out a jade talisman and crushed it, releasing a special wave that spread toward Jiushan Province.

Li Fan closed his eyes, waiting. On the Five Elders' side, it was evident they had been waiting for this wave for a while. Soon, several figures swiftly approached, including the spy from the Five Elders Li Fan had contacted before, Yu Dayi.

Having not seen each other for a while, his cultivation had already advanced from the Golden Core stage to the mid-Yuan Ying stage. Apparently, the information Li Fan provided earlier had played a significant role, earning him rewards.

Seeing Li Fan's figure from a distance, excitement lit up Yu Dayi's face. As he neared, he signaled for the others to stop, approaching Li Fan alone.

"Fellow Daoist, long time no see!" Yu Dayi greeted, clasping his hands.

Li Fan glanced at him and chuckled, "It seems the intelligence provided by our Multiverse Union is somewhat useful."

"Fellow Daoist is too modest...," Yu Dayi chuckled.

"Speaking of which, the last time we successfully occupied Jiushan Province, it seems your organization also secretly lent a hand."

"Helping twice in a row without any conditions..." Yu Dayi wore a puzzled expression.

"Just to gain the trust of your Five Elders," Li Fan replied nonchalantly.

"I know that even now, some within your Five Elders still believe that the so-called 'Multiverse Union' is just a fabrication by the Wanxian Alliance."

"Sacrificing a little to deceive more..."

As Li Fan spoke, Yu Dayi's face became somewhat awkward.

"Suspicion is normal. But it doesn't matter; as our future cooperation deepens, all distrust will dissipate," Li Fan said with a confident yet sinister laugh.

Yu Dayi paid little attention to other details but brightened up at the mention of "cooperation." Li Fan didn't disappoint him; he casually tossed over a jade slip.

After receiving the jade slip, Yu Dayi's eyelids twitched, but he couldn't contain his ecstatic expression.

The contents of the jade slip revealed the recent flaws in the Wanxian Alliance's newly transformed "Myriad Miles Landscape Formation."

Yet, Li Fan's next words poured cold water on Yu Dayi: "While we can provide the Wanxian Alliance's defensive formations' secrets, rendering their defenses practically nonexistent for you, we, the Multiverse Union, still advise against launching a major offensive now."

"Even if you can quickly mobilize forces capable of instantly crushing the Wanxian Alliance's resistance, it's not advisable."

"Our suggestion is to wait a bit longer," Li Fan said with a profound meaning.

"Why?" Yu Dayi couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Li Fan didn't answer but simply pointed his index finger to the sky.

Yu Dayi remained somewhat confused.

"Go back and report my words. They will understand my meaning," Li Fan said indifferently. "When the time is right, we will inform you."

Yu Dayi opened his mouth but didn't refute anything.

Li Fan tossed another jade slip, saying, "The Multiverse Union has already shown enough sincerity. The next step depends on the sincerity of your Five Elders."

Checking the list of resources listed in the jade slip, Yu Dayi's heart couldn't help but race. "These are a bit too..."

"Just report it. As long as you're not foolish, I believe they will agree," Li Fan said confidently.

Yu Dayi subtly glanced back at the five cultivators accompanying him. With a single command, they could instantly apprehend this mysterious cultivator before him.

"Four in the Yuan Ying stage, one in the Nascent Soul stage."

"The opponent is just a lowly Golden Core cultivator."

"No matter how you look at it, there's a good chance of winning."

Yu Dayi couldn't help but be tempted.

"Just need to capture him, then use secret methods to gain more information about the Multiverse Union."

At that moment, Yu Dayi was on the verge of giving the order. However, as he saw Li Fan glancing at him with an assured, ambiguous smile, he couldn't help but feel a slight unease.

After contemplating for a long time, Yu Dayi ultimately abandoned the plan. The unpredictable aura emanating from the opponent was one reason. The main reason was that, up to this point, the Multiverse Union had only initiated contact with the Five Elders.

If something went wrong and they turned hostile, the potential loss outweighed the gain. After all, resources had a price, but intelligence was invaluable.

In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Yu Dayi's mind. He sighed regretfully, arching his hand, "Fellow Daoist, come back in seven days. I'll surely provide you with a satisfactory response."

"Good! I hope your Five Elders don't act recklessly. Otherwise, we might have to find new partners," Li Fan said, clapping his hands.

Lin Ling, who had been hidden all along, finally revealed herself. Sensing Lin Ling's aura, Yu Dayi's pupils contracted.

Chapter 828: Majestic Five Caverns

Feeling the faint pressure emanating from the opponent, Yu Dayi could almost confirm that she was undoubtedly in the Unity Realm! If they had chosen to act just now, it would have been their group facing certain death!

Thinking about how they narrowly escaped death, cold sweat broke out on Yu Dayi's forehead.

"This Multiverse Union is truly cunning! A mere Golden Core cultivator comes for a trade, yet there's a Unity Realm expert backing them up," Yu Dayi couldn't help but curse inwardly.

"Fortunately, I'm cautious enough!"

As he was about to bow to Lin Ling, a green light enveloped the two of them.

After a moment, their figures disappeared without a trace, leaving the Five Elders' group with lingering fear.

"How did they leave? Did anyone see it?" Yu Dayi squinted, observing and then asking.

"No spatial fluctuations. Even if their escape speed was fast, there should be some traces. They disappeared without a trace in an instant..."

Everyone unconsciously looked down.

"The Earth Veins..." Yu Dayi pondered for a moment, his eyes showing a hint of seriousness.

Traveling once again through the surging Earth Veins, Lin Ling didn't directly return to the Spirit Wood Realm. Following Li Fan's signal, she headed towards the Heavenly Spirit Province.

Not long ago, news came from Tian Yang that he had reached the vicinity of the Five Elements Great Cavern.

Currently, there were no Wanxian Alliance cultivators guarding the surroundings.

Li Fan instructed Tian Yang to wait on the side and not to rush in.

Half a day later, Lin Ling met up with Li Fan and Tian Yang.

Curious about the silly Tian Yang, Lin Ling was intrigued, but Tian Yang seemed oblivious to Lin Ling's presence, standing quietly next to Li Fan.

Li Fan first observed the surrounding environment.

The entrance to the Five Elements Great Cavern was still not frequently visited by cultivators.

"I wonder what triggered its discovery."

Thinking this, Li Fan's actions were not slow.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the Disintegration Disk emitted a faint white light.

First, he laid down the "Concealing the Sky with One Hand" secret technique to prevent any leakage of breath. Then, he quickly set up an infinite array derived from the Disintegration Disk to seal the entrance.

This approach somewhat seemed like a cover-up, possibly leading other cultivators to notice something unusual...

"If I don't do this, the Five Elements Great Cavern will undoubtedly be discovered. With these arrangements, I can buy some time. Besides, with the infinite array and the secret technique, ordinary Unity Realm cultivators, unless they deliberately search carefully, shouldn't find anything."

"As long as I can delay until my Golden Core is perfect, I can devour it."

Li Fan thought this way, and soon, he completed the arrangement, concealing the entrance of the Five Elements Great Cavern.

Then, with Lin Ling and Tian Yang, he entered the cavern.

"Huh?" Upon entering the cavern, Lin Ling appeared surprised.

She looked towards the wood-elemental cavern.

There, stood a towering giant tree, reaching higher than Lin Ling herself, even surpassing the size of her original form in the Spirit Wood Realm.

"Is your predecessor there?" Li Fan asked.

After observing for a while, Lin Ling shook her head with some regret.

At the same time, her expression was somewhat strange. "According to the Earth Veins senior, they should be able to awaken their own consciousness by now. It's so strange. Could it be that something is missing here?"

Hearing this, Li Fan also seemed thoughtful.

"Between caverns and small worlds, it's not just a matter of size. This Five Elements Great Cavern is much broader than the Spirit Wood, and even the Great Profound and Departure Realms."

"Yet, it still falls within the category of caverns."

Li Fan carefully recalled the 115th era when Mr. Bai created a miniature Xuan Huang Realm by hand, comprehending the specific boundary between caverns and small worlds.

After some fruitless contemplation, Li Fan temporarily set aside his thoughts.

Instead of hastily exploring this wood-elemental cavern, he began searching for traces of other caverns.

"At this moment, among the Five Elements, only the wood-elemental cavern is visible externally. The others—metal, water, fire, and earth—are all concealed."

"However, the Five Elements circulate and are essentially one. With my personal experience of witnessing the entire cavern, finding them shouldn't be difficult."

Li Fan closed his eyes, and his divine sense swept through the wood-elemental cavern, tracing the changes in the wood-elemental spiritual energy in this world.

Before long, he discovered the entrances to the caverns of fire and water.

But Li Fan didn't enter directly.

Instead, he sought out the passages and headed to the outer void where the five great caverns converged.

Unlike the vast passages he experienced before, these had not been opened by the Wanxian Alliance.

Not only were the passages narrow and hard to find, but even the "void" outside the caverns was only thinly covered.

Li Fan transformed into a Rift-Cleaving Whale using the Furnace of Myriad Phenomena technique, making the void slightly wider and more stable.

After some effort, Li Fan finally witnessed the entirety of the Five Elements Great Caverns once again.

Five rings seemed to be connected head to tail, resembling a mixed palette.

Due to the lack of excessive exploitation and excavation by the Wanxian Alliance, the caverns were currently teeming with vitality.

Looking down upon the caverns, one could vaguely sense their integrated and robust aura.

"Tsk tsk, this scene is completely different from what I saw previously—those ravaged by the Wanxian Alliance."

"I still don't know what the Wanxian Alliance did in that era, mobilizing forces and almost emptying these Five Elements Great Caverns."

"However, if forced to a dead end in this era, maybe there's a chance to find out."

Li Fan stood still, admiring for a long time, before returning to the wood-elemental cavern.

He also widened the passage on the way back.

Finally, Li Fan and the others had the opportunity to carefully observe the entire wood-elemental cavern.

A giant tree canopy that occupied almost one-third of the sky instantly caught their eyes.

An oppressive feeling enveloped them.

Even Lin Ling seemed to feel a trace of discomfort.

Strangely, although the spirit tree occupied most of the space in the wood-elemental cavern, it did not encroach on the survival of other beings. Instead, it released strands of rich vitality, nurturing the surroundings.

The closer to the core of the spirit tree, the more intense the vitality, almost forming a faint green mist.

Countless varieties of plants competed for attention.

Even though Li Fan was well-versed in the Heavenly Physician's Manual, upon a cursory glance, most of the plants were unidentifiable.

As a result, Li Fan finally understood the meaning behind the Heavenly Xuan Mirror's announcement regarding the wood-elemental cavern, saying, "The cavern is extremely large, with extremely high wood-elemental spiritual energy. A vast variety of spiritual plants and herbs abound."

Now, this cavern belonged to Li Fan!

"Compared to the Five Elements cavern I created in the previous era, the resources here are much more abundant. I wonder how much time the Xuan Huang Realm spent nurturing it."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 829: Farewell, Senior Sister Zhao

"In comparison, the Medicine King Valley from the previous era was simply child's play."

"Relying solely on this wood-elemental cavern could establish a powerful force."

"Not to mention the other four elemental caverns."

Li Fan, who arrived in the Xuan Huang Realm ahead of the Wanxian Alliance's discovery, felt quite pleased.

After roughly touring the area, he sequentially went to the fire, earth, metal, and water elemental caverns.

Li Fan had spent quite some time in the water elemental cavern before.

But now, he realized that what he had seen back then was almost the aftermath of being completely emptied.

Unlike now, beneath the vibrant sea, numerous fish thrived.

Countless water-elemental herbs and minerals filled the entire sea area.

Even the well-traveled Li Fan couldn't help but be amazed.

The metal-elemental cavern was an immense underground world, covered in various rare veins and metallic life forms.

The fire-elemental cavern resembled the fiery world on the back of the Great Departure, but it wasn't as violent.

The earth-elemental world presented an unending mountainous landscape.

...

After a cursory tour, Li Fan, content with the experience, couldn't help but raise a question.

These Five Elements Great Caverns were simply too vast.

If he wanted to devour them with his Golden Core cultivation to achieve the Nascent Soul realm, it would probably take three to five years, if not more, and that's assuming he wouldn't be disturbed.

And that's under the premise that the Five Elements Great Caverns wouldn't resist.

In fact, when the scale reached the level of the Five Elements Great Caverns, even though it didn't belong to the category of "small worlds," it was almost indistinguishable from a "world."

Li Fan still vividly remembered the intense resistance from the consciousness of the caverns when they tried to set up the Heavenly Xuan Soul-Locking Array to cover all the caverns.

Countless bizarre and relentless monsters were generated, launching attacks.

Even with Lin Ling guarding, it might not have been manageable.

"Having too big of an appetite is also a problem," Li Fan couldn't help but frown.

Although challenging, Li Fan would absolutely not give up on these Five Elements Great Caverns.

His personal cultivation didn't matter much.

The main thing was not letting the Wanxian Alliance get their hands on it.

To avoid unnecessary complications in the current situation.

"While I haven't reached the Golden Core perfection, I need to think of a solution. If all else fails, I'll have to bide my time."

Staying in the Five Elements Great Caverns for some time, Li Fan left as the agreed time with the Five Elders approached.

"With two Dao Fusion experts supporting, I can try to relocate the entrance of the Five Elements Great Caverns. However, if the movement is too big, there might be a risk of the Wanxian Alliance discovering it," Li Fan thought before leaving, covering the entrance again.

Still using Lin Ling, they traversed the earth veins.

Soon, the three silently returned to the Jiushan Province.

When leaving the earth veins, Li Fan felt an uncommon sense of "reluctance" coming from Tianyang.

"Tianyang relies on the Earth-Fire Returning Yuan Formation to create a puppet body. It seems that the Earth Vein's power has some special use for him."

"Let Lin Ling take him around more. The Earth Vein's power in the Xuan Huang Realm is so abundant, taking advantage a bit should be fine, and the Earth Vein Ancient Tree probably won't mind."

Thinking like this, Li Fan instructed Lin Ling.

Lin Ling had a good impression of Tianyang, so she readily agreed.

Arriving at another location, Li Fan once again crushed a jade talisman, releasing a fluctuation.

Not long after, Yudayi hastily arrived.

This time, there was no grand mobilization, and only one more person accompanied him.

In an instant upon seeing the other party, alarm bells rang in Li Fan's mind.

Even though they hadn't met before, from the other person, Li Fan sensed a very familiar aura!

The answer was already clear; the person was a member of "万众一心" (Unity of Myriad Realms) — Senior Sister Zhao!

However, at this moment, Senior Sister Zhao didn't appear in her female form but as a very handsome teenage boy of around fifteen or sixteen.

"Is this the Daoist friend from the '万界联合会' (Myriad Realms Alliance)?" He looked at Li Fan and asked with a smile.

His eyes swept over Li Fan, almost trying to see through all the secrets.

Li Fan's heart shuddered, but he remained calm.

Senior Sister Zhao had many bodies, and the current one was only at the Nascent Soul stage.

Moreover, even the Dao Fusion Grandmaster couldn't know everything.

So, Li Fan wasn't worried that his secrets would be completely exposed with just one glance.

After collecting his thoughts, Li Fan narrowed his eyes and chose the "将军" ("General") title directly.

"Hehe, unexpectedly attracting the personal presence of the Grandmaster. What an honor!" He revealed a strange smile, staring at Senior Sister Zhao.

The smile on the teenage boy's face instantly froze.

At this moment, he truly looked at Li Fan seriously.

On the other hand, Yudayi seemed unaware of the true identity of the cultivator beside him. After hearing Li Fan's words, he paused slightly, looking a bit confused.

However, being a native cultivator of the Five Elders Association, he soon reacted after a moment.

Turning his head sharply, he stared at the teenager with a playful smile, and his expression froze.

His body couldn't help but tremble.

"Oh, caught red-handed."

"How interesting. It seems that your 'Myriad Realms Alliance' has some skills."

"I wonder if you welcome me to join?"

The teenage boy lightly smiled.

His tone, however, was like that of a charming woman, full of temptation.

It should have been bone-chilling, but when Li Fan heard it, he felt no discomfort.

"Hehe, actually, I also want to join the Grandmaster's Daoist sect."

Li Fan quickly retorted without reservation.

Senior Sister Zhao didn't get angry but giggled, "If we join forces, it's not impossible..."

Yudayi, on the side, listened with cold sweat streaming down, feeling weak in his legs.

He regretted not being deaf and missing this conversation between the Grandmaster and Li Fan.

At the same time, he had already classified the "Myriad Realms Alliance" and Li Fan as the most untouchable level.

Li Fan chuckled awkwardly and changed the subject, "What do we need?"

Senior Sister Zhao tossed a piece of "空灵石母" (Void Spirit Stone Mother) over.

Li Fan skillfully caught and inspected it, confirming it matched the list he provided.

He put it away.

"Aren't you afraid I might tamper with it?" Senior Sister Zhao suddenly spoke in a soft tone.

"Senior Sister, you are straightforward and upright; you wouldn't do such things," Li Fan replied.

Senior Sister Zhao's expression completely changed at this moment.

"In consideration of Senior Sister personally appearing, I'll provide you with a confidential piece of information for free."

"The '普贤真叶' (Universal True Leaf) can be used to craft a divine ark. It can traverse within the white mist, eliminating the side effects of the devouring elemental white mist."

Li Fan conveyed the message.

Without waiting for the other party's response, a green light enveloped him, and he disappeared on the spot.

Yudayi dared not move.

"A woman's thoughts are hard to fathom."

Only Senior Sister Zhao's light laughter echoed shortly afterward.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 830: Resolving the Storm Skillfully

Although Li Fan verbally expressed trust in Senior Sister Zhao, believing she wouldn't resort to illicit actions, he didn't directly return to the Spiritwood Realm after leaving Jiushan Prefecture. Instead, he quietly revisited the Misty Cloud Sea.

Except for treasures containing the power of the Grandmaster, like the True Temptation Fruit, all the regular items were handed over to the clone, Jishao Li, with the intention of using the Celestial Mirror to "whiten" these items: sell them and buy them back to eliminate any traces, even the valuable Void Spirit Stone Mother used for crafting spatial treasures.

While this process would incur some loss of contribution points, it was worth it to reduce the risk of attracting the attention of the Longevity Grandmaster.

Currently, during the intense battle between the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association, to avoid suspicion, Jishao Li needed time to clean these items. However, with the assistance of other members of the Misty Cloud Sea Mutual Aid Association, this process wouldn't be too slow.

"As for those treasures imbued with the power of the Grandmaster, involving other Grandmaster forces, it won't be easy for Senior Sister Zhao to tamper with them."

These were purely creations of the laws, and Li Fan had encountered them in the previous life.

After careful contemplation and ensuring there should be no issues, he finally let go of his worries.

Despite Li Fan's seemingly relaxed demeanor during the recent trade, when Senior Sister Zhao's voice sounded, memories of past moments with her in the illusionary realm involuntarily surged uncontrollably in his mind.

Fortunately, with Li Fan's resilient character and knowledge of Heart Refining techniques, he promptly suppressed these thoughts, preventing any mishaps.

Moreover, he unintentionally revealed a deep understanding of the Myriad Realms Grand Dao Sect, turning the tables on Senior Sister Zhao.

He created a false atmosphere of suspicion, making Senior Sister Zhao start to doubt and weakening the charm inadvertently emanating from her.

This allowed Li Fan to gain the upper hand.

"Indeed, being a Grandmaster of Longevity, even with just one body, requires my full effort," Li Fan couldn't help but sigh.

He separated some items like the Worry-Free Crystal Grid and Human Dao Stardust, leaving them on Haixuan Island.

Until a month later, when the members of the Mutual Aid Association had completed the "cleansing" of most of the resources, Li Fan, along with Lin Ling and Tianyang, returned to the Spiritwood Realm.

During this month of staying on the island, Pei Tuo, Xiang Xin, and others had the privilege of seeing Lin Ling and Tianyang with just a glimpse.

Although they didn't deliberately reveal their strengths, the faint pressure emanating from them still made the members of the Mutual Aid Association awe-stricken.

They increasingly believed that the Mutual Aid Association was undoubtedly a vast and powerful organization.

The Misty Cloud Sea branch was just established.

Silently rejoicing that they could join the Misty Cloud Sea Mutual Aid Association early, they became even more "loyal" to the association.

During the same month, it seemed that the Five Elders Association heeded Li Fan's advice before leaving and significantly eased their offensive.

The flames of war on the border gradually subsided.

However, the Five Elders Association did not idle.

Various rumors and gossip suddenly emerged within the Myriad Immortals Alliance's states.

Although these were all old matters, they stirred emotions within the Immortal Alliance.

For example, a leader in the Yanqian State's Martial Hall, out of personal grievances, had killed an ordinary cultivator. According to the rules of the Immortal Alliance, he should have been dismissed and investigated. However, the incident seemed to be forgotten over the years. It was only recently brought to light, shocking everyone. Surprisingly, this leader had been living a comfortable life all these years, merely being fined a meager amount.

Another example involved a consul in the You Tai State's Political Affairs Hall who neglected his duties during his term, leading to a disaster that could have been avoided. Hundreds of cultivators were implicated and died. At that time, the consul was removed from office. However, years later, people were surprised to find that the same consul had changed his identity and was now holding a higher position in the Tianyu State, even enjoying a promotion.

...

Various long-forgotten scandals resurfaced.

Even most of them were unheard of by Li Fan.

These were forgotten scandals buried in history.

Chapter 831: Ingenious Solution

At this moment, driven by a certain force, it suddenly revived!

Naturally, the Immortal Alliance cultivators were extremely resentful.

Although there hadn't been any disharmonious events yet, whispers like "The Immortal Alliance is corrupt, not worth sacrificing for" and "I'll go to my death, and you enjoy the benefits? It's better to perish together!" had begun circulating secretly.

While the Immortal Alliance took this situation very seriously and ordered strict investigations in all states, the vast number of opinions was not so easily suppressed. The situation not only failed to improve but intensified.

The previously reliable strategy of "delay" seemed to suddenly lose its effectiveness.

Seven days, fifteen days, one month...

As time passed, the lingering impact of various negative news persisted, and new dark events from the past were exposed. This overwhelmed the Immortal Alliance, leaving them a bit overwhelmed.

Jishao Li, the clone, meticulously collected and organized this "dirt," firmly storing it in his mind like a treasure.

"I didn't expect the Five Elders Association to have this move."

"But they're all priceless treasures!"

"Frequent forgetfulness can indeed continuously suppress negative emotions. However, if these forgotten memories, due to some opportunity, suddenly resurface and erupt all at once in a short time..."

"The destruction it brings is quite terrifying."

"Not inferior to a million-strong army!"

"Perhaps this also has to do with the temporary slowdown of the Forgetfulness Power covering the Immortal Alliance's territory by the Forgetless Grandmaster."

"These are means I can use in the future to reproduce and attack the Immortal Alliance. I need to study them well."

Jishao Li sighed with admiration for the surprises brought by the Five Elders Association.

After a month and a half of the incident outbreak, the Immortal Alliance finally took countermeasures.

The response, however, was beyond Li Fan's expectations.

After savoring it a bit, he couldn't help but applaud.

"This move is brilliant!"

"There are talented individuals within the Immortal Alliance!"

The Immortal Alliance's response was straightforward. Instead of forcing cultivators and prohibiting discussions on related topics, they issued a simple message to publicize worldwide.

The next Immortal Alliance recruitment exam would be held six months earlier than scheduled.

To counter the Five Elders Association's aggressive attacks, the quota for this recruitment would increase by fifty percent compared to previous years.

As soon as the news came out, the world was in shock!

Everyone hated privilege, yet everyone wanted to become privileged!

The various scandals that circulated were a complaint against injustice but also excellent propaganda material.

Do you want to be a victim of the events or someone above them?

If interested, come and apply!

With nearly half the number of positions increased and opportunities progressively rising, all Immortal Alliance cultivators were eager to try.

The storm settled with the waves smoothed out.

(End of this chapter)