Chapter 566-570: Five Elders Sect Seeks Help (6k+ words)

The green viscous liquid covering the ground seemed to retain a self-awareness even after Sima Changkong's death. Like worms, it crawled slowly towards the surroundings. Even the hard floor of the crystal palace emitted a sizzling sound as it corroded under the influence of the green sticky substance.

Witnessing this gruesome scene, Li Fan couldn't help but take a sharp breath.

"What a domineering Mysterious Net! It can kill its targets by following the carrier that tries to record it."

"Wait..." Suddenly realizing something, Li Fan's face changed.

He took out a blood-red spiritual talisman from his storage ring and concentrated his thoughts, "Senior Sima, are you okay?"

After waiting for a long time, there was no response.

"Bad, it seems all his incarnations are gone together," Li Fan said with a wry smile.

The hunting ability of this Mysterious Net was terrifying.

Initially, Li Fan thought only this incarnation from Congyun Hai was destroyed, but now it seemed...

Sima Changkong's situation was dire.

This blood-colored communication talisman was specially refined by Sima Changkong using his own blood. As long as there was any "Blood Incarnation" remaining in the world, Li Fan could contact Sima Changkong through it.

But now, all the communications sent by Li Fan were like drops in the ocean.

The result was apparent.

The scenes of Sima Changkong and Li Fan drinking and discussing Dao, vividly present in his mind, were abruptly shattered.

"Goodbye, Sima Changkong! In the next life, I'll find you for a drink!"

Li Fan didn't feel much sorrow in his heart; he just shook his head slightly. He activated the Five Elements Annihilation Sword, destroying the crystal palace at the bottom of the sea, treating it as Sima Changkong's makeshift tomb.

"Actually able to achieve this level..."

"The aggressiveness surpasses my memories of the Mysterious Net from the previous life."

"It's definitely not some unfinished product." Li Fan's expression darkened slightly.

Since anchoring for nine years, there had been no news from the Heavenly Secrets in various states, the Strategy Hall's Yuanying-stage and above cultivators who were transferred to the Wanxian Alliance headquarters.

Later, the Wanxian Alliance even issued a recruitment order, recruiting talents from all over the world in the art of formations.

Now, four years had passed, and it seemed they should have achieved results.

"Wanxian Alliance has revealed their killer move; now let's see how the Five Elders Sect will respond."

"With my early warning, they shouldn't be without countermeasures."

"Unfortunately, the Tianlingzhou battlefield is too dangerous, and the only one who could provide live broadcasts, Senior Sima, has unfortunately met his end."

"The specific situation cannot be known."

Li Fan felt a little regretful.

But one thing was certain, with the deployment of such a powerful weapon like the Mysterious Net, the end of the Tianlingzhou battle should be near.

"Faster than expected."

"But for me, it's a good thing. Now that I've reached the Golden Core perfection, everything is ready."

"I just need to wait for the war to end, Wanxian Alliance to move the Five Elements Great Cave back to their territory, and then I'll go to explore the void in Tianlingzhou."

The feedback of cultivation from many subordinates of Congyun Hai continued to flow into Li Fan's dantian, stored in the Samsara Body.

Now, the first Samsara Body was already condensed to more than half.

Li Fan estimated the speed of his cultivation growth and thought to himself, "Once I step into the Yuanying realm, I'm afraid I'll instantly impact the mid-Yuanying stage."

Shaking his head, he temporarily abandoned the fantasy.

Before the war ended, he had to continue to endure.

He decided not to look for other places. Li Fan skillfully activated the Five Elements Annihilation Sword and created a cave in the depths of the trench, using formations and the Only-Hand-Covers-the-Sky technique to seal it, feeling a bit relieved.

In the past year, Li Fan had also visited the Falling Immortal Realm. However, the journey from the Southern Dark Demon Mountain back to the Beast Taming Sect was quite distant. Most of the time during that trip to the Falling Immortal Realm was spent on the road.

Li Fan possessed Little Black, dedicating himself to cultivating the improved "Natural Furnace Technique" by Mr. Bai. He didn't find it boring.

Upon returning to the sect with Xiao Qing carrying him and Xu Ke, Li Fan discovered that Luya and Emperor Three Marts were nowhere to be found. They had not appeared even by the time Li Fan left.

"It should be about half a year until the next entry."

"Let's prepare for the Nascent Infant stage."

In his mind, the Dao Stone's light circulated, and the insights into various Nascent Infant essence heart methods he had read before re-emerged. Upon rereading them, Li Fan felt a mutual confirmation and comparison, gaining a new understanding of himself.

Time passed swiftly, and three months had already gone by.

While Li Fan's original body was immersed in deep meditation and enlightenment, on this day, his clone Zhou Qing'ang suddenly received an invitation.

"Liu Yihang?" Li Fan's expression changed.

The Medicine King's True Cauldron had not returned yet. Obviously, this Liu Yihang couldn't be the adopted son of Medicine King Sect Master Liu Ruchen.

"So, he should be from the Five Elders Sect." Li Fan's expression changed.

In the last transaction, Li Fan requested the Five Elders Sect to deliver ten million contribution points to He Zhenghao under the alias Liu Yihang. On He Zhenghao's fundraising list, Liu Yihang's name did appear.

"It seems like something very urgent has happened."

"Without leaving contact information before, this time they actually took the risk to come directly."

Li Fan opened the invitation, memorized the meeting address, and then destroyed it with his spiritual power.

Late at night, he went alone to the appointment.

Five hundred miles northwest of Congyun Immortal City, there was an ordinary island without any cultivators guarding it.

In the center of the island, there was a bamboo forest.

In the bamboo forest stood a thatched cottage. Li Fan entered it and, looking at the figure in front of him, his gaze condensed.

"It's him."

Although the other party's appearance was concealed by a secret method, Li Fan still recognized him at a glance. This person was the Five Elders Sect contact person who negotiated the "Wanxian Alliance Entry Exam" deal at the Wan Cang Pavilion.

"How should I address you?"

"At the last meeting, I didn't even realize that you weren't the real Zhou Qing'ang."

"Hehe, when the boss told me, I was really frightened." The other party's tone was unfriendly.

"Is it for this question that you risked exposure and came to find me?"

"Boring!" Li Fan snorted and turned to leave.

The Five Elders Sect cultivator's face changed suddenly, "Wait!"

He hurriedly got up, blocking Li Fan, and softened his tone, "Friend, let's talk it out..."

Li Fan gave him a glance, turned around, and slowly sat back down.

The Five Elders Sect cultivator breathed a sigh of relief and explained the purpose of inviting Li Fan this time.

"The Xuan Tian Sealing Spirit Array?"

Li Fan squinted his eyes and refused outright, "No!"

The Five Elders Sect cultivator didn't feel discouraged. Instead, he saw hope, "Friend, your first reaction was not to ask what the Xuan Tian Sealing Spirit Array is but to refuse directly."

"This just shows that you are knowledgeable."

"Please help us!"

He spoke with sincerity.

Another chapter will be released later.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 567: The Great and Invisible

Although Li Fan didn't actually know what the "Xuan Tian Sealing Spirit Array" mentioned by the other party was, it wasn't difficult to guess. The object he referred to should be the mysterious net that had emerged on the Tian Lingzhou battlefield.

Remaining composed, Li Fan tested the waters, "According to our prediction, even if the Wanxian Alliance has the assistance of the 'Xuan Tian Sealing Spirit Array,' the Five Elders Sect shouldn't be in a constant retreat, revealing a declining situation, right?"

The other sighed, "We did miscalculate this time. No one expected that the Wanxian Alliance would so quickly recreate this ancient formation on the battlefield."

"Moreover, it seems even more domineering than recorded."

The Five Elders Sect cultivator sounded somewhat helpless, "Our countermeasures in the Five Elders Sect are not fully prepared yet. So, the situation on the Tian Lingzhou battlefield has become somewhat precarious."

"So, we urgently need a means to weaken the opponent's formation."

Li Fan didn't answer directly but rhythmically tapped the table with his fingers, as if carefully considering.

"Even with our strength, acquiring the formation diagram of the 'Xuan Tian Sealing Spirit Array' would require a tremendous cost. Even some cultivators who have infiltrated the Wanxian Alliance may have to sacrifice their lives for it. And success is not guaranteed."

After a long time, Li Fan finally spoke, looking hesitant.

Seeing that there might be a chance, the Five Elders Sect cultivator eagerly seized the opportunity, "Friend Zhou, rest assured, as long as you can obtain the diagram, everything is negotiable!"

Li Fan neither confirmed nor denied.

After pondering for a moment, he said in a deep voice, "It's a significant matter, and I can't make a decision on my own. How about this? In three days, I'll come back here to give you an answer."

Although the Five Elders Sect cultivator felt anxious, he knew the other party's reasoning was sound and reluctantly nodded.

"By the way, for our next meeting, let's choose a different location. It's autumn, and it's better to be careful." With that, he informed Li Fan of the location of another island.

Li Fan arched his hand, soared into the air, and returned to Congyun Immortal City.

"Tian Xuan Locking Spirit, Xuan Tian Sealing Spirit."

"Ancient, Tian Xuan Mirror..."

"Tian Xuan Sect?"

In the secret room, Li Fan's eyes flickered as he fell into contemplation.

"The scene of thousands of cultivators falling from the sky to the ground in an instant seems a bit familiar..."

"Oh right, Jiushan Province!"

The nine mountain ranges spanning Jiushan Province had the characteristic that cultivators couldn't fly over them. In the previous life, when Li Fan went to Jiushan Province's Wanfa Trading Company to make purchases, he witnessed several stubborn cultivators who met tragic ends by falling to their deaths.

"Could there be some connection among them?"

Li Fan then began to recall various information he had seen in the past.

Suddenly, some neglected information caught Li Fan's attention.

According to legend, the nine mountains in Jiushan Province were the meridians transformed after the death of an ancient beast. The names of the nine mountains were: Tian Chang, Tian Duan, Tian Xu, Tian Cu, Tian Jie, Tian Dai, Tian Lao, Tian Dong, and Tian Xi.

The nine mountains were clearly divided into real and hidden, faintly forming an array. This caused the spatial instability in Jiushan Province, making even teleportation arrays unusable.

...

All this information was something Li Fan already knew.

At that time, Li Fan didn't have a concrete concept of the appearance of demonic beasts in his mind. He felt that the story of meridians transforming into mountains after the death of a demonic beast was quite consistent with the temperament of ancient legends, and there was nothing particularly special about it.

However, in the Falling Immortal Realm, after personally visiting the sacred land of demonic beasts, Nanhua Mountain, and seeing many ancient demonic beasts renowned in ancient times, Li Fan noticed something inappropriate in this mythical story.

There was no other reason.

If the myth were true, the size of this demonic beast would be too large. It took Li Fan half a year to travel back and forth across the entire Jiushan Province. For the meridians to stretch across an entire province, how massive must this demonic beast have been during its lifetime?

Compared to this, beings like the Crimson Nine Heads, Purple Headless, and Azure Divine Dragon...

They were nothing more than ants.

Although size didn't necessarily correlate with strength, insisting that this demonic beast that transformed into the nine mountains was weak...

Li Fan certainly wouldn't think so.

"Perhaps, from this unknown beast, we can find the origin of the so-called 'Xuan Tian Sealing Spirit Array.'"

Even from the name, Li Fan almost confirmed that this formation had some connection with the ancient Xuan Tian Sect. However, nothing was absolute, and it could be a mere coincidence. Being cautious was not wrong.

So, using "beast transformed into the Jiushan Province" as a keyword, Li Fan began searching for relevant information in the Tian Xuan Mirror.

But the time was too long ago, making it impossible to verify. Various opinions circulated, but there was no definite answer. Li Fan looked through all of them and seemed to find nothing reliable.

Just when he was about to give up, a painting named "Encounter with Ancient Beasts" caught his attention. It wasn't a contemporary piece but a doodle by a disciple of the former God's Brush Sect.

After God's Brush Sect was absorbed by the Pointing Ink Sect, their belongings scattered. A wandering cultivator happened upon this painting, which was left behind after he perished in the calamity, with his storage ring plundered.

Items seemingly of no value were left behind, discarded on the roadside. Thousands of years later, a passing cultivator found them. According to the cultivator, Tang Bowen, he learned about the past by sensing the lingering resentment in the storage ring.

Of course, Tang Bowen's story was likely fabricated to inflate the price of the painting.

Regardless, the painting indeed dated back thousands of years. It depicted hundreds of diverse monsters, some of which Li Fan had encountered in the Fallen Immortal Realm.

What intrigued Li Fan was the hidden presence of another beast. In the peripheral part of the monster picture, it seemed that all these monsters were standing on the body of a colossal creature. Due to its immense size, it couldn't be depicted but was suggested by the over a hundred monsters on its back.

"Invisible and immense, named Heaven."

In the corner, a sentence was left.

This blank style of creation naturally attracted many cultivator comments.

Some with extensive knowledge instantly grasped the situation, saying, "I know this, it's the big turtle that turned into Jiushan Province after death."

Though the tone was mocking, it wasn't baseless.

Indeed, it was a king, and the number eight was involved.

Its name was "兲."

Its name was "Heaven."

"The '兲' Beast..."

A glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.

Chapter 568: Dark Transaction

The specific appearance of the 兲 beast, whether it truly resembles a turtle, is currently impossible to verify. However, with a specific name, searching for related information becomes much easier. Although most of it is just fragments, it can be reasonably determined that 兲 beast was an existence akin to a "totem" in the distant ancient times, seemingly closely related to a certain belief.

Li Fan pondered, "兲 beast should be affiliated with the Xuan Tian Sect. In the war where the Immortal Sects were annihilated, 兲 beast fell and transformed into Jiushan Province. Zhao Shijie once mentioned that the Xuan Tian Sect could bestow 'Marks' upon ordinary people, granting them various abilities possessed by cultivators. Since it can grant, it can also deprive. Perhaps, on the Tian Lingzhou battlefield, those cultivators targeted by the green light lost their ability to fly due to this, causing them to fall from the sky."

He continued, "In the previous life, the Xuan Wang I remember hardly showed this 'deprivation' ability. To eliminate resisting cultivators, they often needed the intervention of the black-robed 'Heavenly Artificers.' They were even stronger in surveillance and bestowing."

After a moment, Li Fan frowned, "天玄锁灵, 玄天封灵 might just be two sides of the same coin representing the former might of the Xuan Tian Sect. The so-called 'bestowing' and 'depriving' are actually both acts of replacing heaven, using the authority of heaven."

Thinking of this, Li Fan took out a blank encrypted jade slip, and the Dao Stone in his mind rotated slightly. The structural diagram of the Tian Xuan Sealing Spirit Array, familiar from the previous life, was completely engraved into the jade slip.

However, Li Fan made some modifications, deliberately obscuring the intricate structures in the central core of the array.

After nearly half a day, he completed the engraving of the array diagram, holding the jade slip with a complex expression. "The victory in Tian Lingzhou seems to give the appearance that the Ten Immortal Sects have the upper hand. However, all these apparent advantages are false."

"The Longevity Celestials of the Five Elders' Council only refrained from acting due to the agreement made with the Transmitter Celestial."

Li Fan suddenly froze. Originally, he thought that the Transmitter Celestial had left the Xuan Huang Realm. Once this was exposed, in front of the Five Longevity Celestials, who possessed strength equivalent to Transmitter Celestials, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance would be almost unable to resist. Leaking the Sealing Spirit Array diagram to the Five Elders' Council might lead to the rapid collapse of the situation, revealing the truth about his external strength.

However, he quickly realized the mistake in his cognition. In the previous life, it was only at the 41st anchor point when Zhao Shijie made a move to confirm that the Transmitter Celestial had already drifted away.

But when exactly the Transmitter Celestial left was unknown. Perhaps some clues could be glimpsed from the plan to fully popularize the Tian Xuan Sealing Spirit Array set by the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance from the 24th anchor point. However, Li Fan felt that when they, as various Array Dao geniuses, were undergoing training, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance was not in such a hurry. Perhaps the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance either didn't realize the departure of the Transmitter Celestial or because...

The Transmitter Celestial had not truly left at that time.

"Should I try to stir up trouble and test the waters?"

For a moment, Li Fan couldn't help but hesitate.

After contemplating for a long time, he ultimately temporarily gave up on this decision.

The main goal of this life was still to reach the Yuanying stage. Only if the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance won in the Tian Lingzhou battle, and the Five Elements Grand Dao Heaven was relocated, would Li Fan have the opportunity to explore the mysterious void continuously nurturing the Five Elements Grand Dao.

If the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance were defeated, with the nest overturned, there would be no room for him to move freely.

"But I can't give no pressure to the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance. Otherwise, the Five Elders' Council would continuously lose battles, and the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance might think that the opponent is simply not worth moving the Five Elements Grand Dao Heaven. That would be awkward."

After contemplating for a long time, Li Fan crushed the encrypted jade slip in his hand.

Then, he took out another blank one and began to engrave again.

This time, he removed the central part of the array, leaving only the structural diagram of the outermost array region.

"The so-called seeing the micro to understand the macro. The Five Elders' Council surely doesn't lack Array Dao geniuses. Revealing only a part of the array might not completely crack the Sealing Spirit Array, but countering it should not be a problem."

Li Fan, who had worked hard to complete his masterpiece, glanced around and stored the encrypted jade slip in a separate storage ring.

Three days later.

Li Fan met with the Five Elders' Council spies again.

"Friend Zhou, how did it go?" The spy couldn't wait to ask as soon as Li Fan appeared.

"The blueprint is obtainable," Li Fan straightforwardly replied.

The Five Elders' Council cultivator was first stunned, then his face was filled with unbelievably ecstatic joy. However, Li Fan quickly poured cold water on him, saying, "But only the external array structure..."

"And it's the original version. The Xuan Tian Sealing Spirit Array has undergone countless iterations and changes. It's likely completely different now."

"It can only serve as a reference for you."

Li Fan said indifferently.

The spy from the Five Elders' Council was somewhat disappointed at first, but soon he rallied his spirits.

Obtaining the original external structure diagram was already a significant achievement.

This was a more reasonable and expected result.

After all, the confidentiality level of the Xuan Tian Sealing Spirit Array was among the top secrets in the entire Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.

The losses suffered by the Five Elders' Council, including several deeply hidden spies, failed to extract even the slightest bit of information.

If the person in front of them could handle everything, accepting without reservation, then they might have to suspect whether this was a trap or if this person was the Transmitter Celestial himself.

"It's alright; having the original diagram is excellent."

The Five Elders' Council cultivator was full of expectation, looking at Li Fan, "What are your conditions?"

Li Fan said in a deep voice, "The value of the diagram, I believe you are clear in your heart. It's impossible to measure with contribution points. However, our request is simple."

Li Fan's eyes were profound, revealing a mysterious expression. "Your Five Elders' Council needs to cooperate with our actions at certain necessary times."

The Five Elders' Council spy was slightly stunned, then frowned, "What does that mean?"

Li Fan didn't answer but continued, "With the power of the 'Contract,' I believe you won't go back on your word."

"Rest assured, we won't make overly demanding requests."

"At critical moments, we may need the support of the Five Elders' Council in a certain province."

The Five Elders' Council spy fell silent.

"Wait a moment."

He turned away, closed his eyes, seemingly consulting with superiors.

After a long time, he turned back, drenched in sweat.

"We agree to this deal."

Chapter 569: Celestial Bound by Contract

"How long will it take for you to get the diagram?" The Five Elders' Council spy couldn't wait for Li Fan to speak and hurriedly asked.

Li Fan pondered for a moment and replied, "At least twenty days."

The person opposite instantly became somewhat anxious, "Too slow! The battlefield is constantly changing. In twenty days, who knows..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his words.

Directly stating, "We can't wait that long!"

Li Fan narrowed his eyes and coldly snorted, "It seems like the Five Elders' Council is really in a hurry."

"Even for the initial version of the diagram, it's not that easy to steal. It requires careful planning; it can't be obtained at will."

At these words, the Five Elders' Council spy's face turned somewhat unpleasant.

"But..." Just at this moment, Li Fan's tone suddenly changed, "There are slow methods and fast methods."

"If you want to get the diagram quickly, it depends on your sincerity."

Seeing Li Fan's blatant price increase, the Five Elders' Council spy exclaimed, "What else do you want?"

Li Fan showed an unhappy expression, "We just discussed the price of the diagram. Now, what we're talking about is the price of expediting the process."

"Is there a problem?"

"If you are unwilling to trade, then forget it..."

With that, he turned and walked away without hesitation.

"Wait! Let's talk!" The Five Elders' Council spy was suddenly flustered, hurriedly caught up, and brought Li Fan back.

"Friend Zhou, don't be so impulsive. I've said it; everything is negotiable," he gritted his teeth and said with a forced smile.

Li Fan sat back down and said indifferently, "This time, agreeing to trade with you puts our organization at great risk."

"Of course, we need sufficient benefits in return."

Li Fan used his finger to write a few lines on the stone table and then said, "We don't want contribution points. Some of the unique products of your Five Elders' Council are highly sought after and popular among us. They can be used as bargaining chips for the trade."

The Five Elders' Council spy took a closer look and saw the words "Enlightenment Pill, Universal Virtue True Boat, Worry-Free Crystal Grid, Human Dao Stardust, True Illusionary Fruit."

His eyelids jumped suddenly.

Previously, when Li Fan, utilizing the puppet body of Jiao Xiuyuan, went to the Five Elders' Council, he not only experienced the tenderness of Senior Sister Zhao in the illusion but also gained a rough understanding of the basic situation and customs within the Five Elders' Council.

Enlightenment Pill, Universal Virtue True Boat, and Worry-Free Crystal Grid were self-explanatory.

Human Dao Stardust was a specialty of the "Human Dao Celestial Realm" and corresponded to the stars in the sky transformed by cultivators.

In the Celestial Realm, cultivators had to change the heavens and the earth to ascend to the sky and transform into stars. By absorbing stardust, one could clearly perceive the process of the transformation of heaven and earth.

The change in laws involved was highly valuable to fusion path cultivators. It was beneficial for any other cultivator to cultivate.

True Illusionary Fruit was a unique item from the "True Illusionary Country."

It allowed the presetting of information contained in the fruit.

After swallowing it, one could distort the thoughts of cultivators, making them firmly believe in things they originally thought were "false."

Turning falsehood into truth had infinite uses.

Even in the Longevity Realm, although fusion path cultivators could resist its influence, they couldn't completely escape its impact.

....

As the gaze shifted away from the stone table, the Five Elders' Council spy looked up at Li Fan, who sat in silence, feeling a dryness in his mouth.

"Friend Zhou, wait a moment."

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he turned around again.

This time, it took even longer than before.

His entire body seemed to have experienced a tremendous shock, trembling continuously.

It wasn't until the sky darkened that there was finally a result on their side.

As if just going through a major battle, the Five Elders' Council spy was exhausted, almost stumbling.

Taking a deep breath, he weakly said, "It's possible, but the quantity of each item needs to be carefully negotiated."

Li Fan, who had been pretending to sleep with closed eyes, suddenly opened his eyes with a faint smile.

"Excellent!"

Next, they entered the negotiation phase between the two parties.

After a long time, when they finally reached an agreement, the Five Elders' Council spy looked deeply at Li Fan and said, "Next is the time to sign the contract."

Following this, something that made Li Fan slightly shocked happened.

A dazzling golden light surged from deep within the spy's body. Engulfing him completely, it transformed into a "contract" that floated quietly in front of Li Fan.

The Five Elders' Council cultivator seemed to dissolve into the golden light, disappearing completely.

Suppressing the discomfort in his heart, Li Fan took the golden contract and carefully read it.

The writing was a faint dark gold color.

The terms of the transaction on it were consistent with what the two had agreed upon before.

What concerned Li Fan was that the subject of the trade, one side was naturally left blank for him to sign.

The other side, however, was engraved on the contract, five mysterious symbols that constantly flickered and appeared.

Although he didn't understand the specific meaning of these symbols, the moment he saw them, Li Fan understood that they represented the five Longevity Elders of the Five Elders' Council.

Recalling the content the scholar in charge of brainwashing had talked about earlier in the Five Elders' Council valley, Li Fan had a sudden realization.

"This contract seems to be somewhat similar to the Five Elders' Council's 'Soul Contract.' Both involve the Longevity Elders, but the contents of the transactions are different."

As Li Fan touched the contract, he hesitated about which name to sign.

A strange sensation suddenly rushed into his heart.

"Confirm."

Li Fan replied in his mind.

The inexplicable sensation didn't disappear but reappeared more strongly this time.

Li Fan confirmed once again.

After three times like this, a golden light leaped into the depths of Li Fan's soul, and the rest shattered the void, disappearing into an unknown place.

"The contract is established, and those with names on it cannot violate it."

Li Fan squinted his eyes and sensed faintly.

"Even Longevity Elders..."

"Cannot."

"Forcefully."

"Break it."

"What could make Senior Sister Zhao, a powerful individual with unpredictable thoughts, submit, might only be another Longevity Elder at the same realm."

"Perhaps, this person's cultivation is even stronger."

At this point, Li Fan finally verified his conjecture about the last unidentified Longevity Elder in the Five Elders' Council.

It was the existence of the contract's power that allowed the Five Elders' Council to maintain order.

Meanwhile, the original Li Fan, thousands of miles away, carefully examined the changes in his body after the contract was signed by his clone, Zhou Qingang.

It seemed like nothing had happened.

But Li Fan had a faint premonition in his heart.

Once he violated the contract, the corresponding punishment would likely follow through the clone, affecting him.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 570: Unusual Tactics with White Mist

Up to this point, Li Fan still hadn't figured out what kind of punishment violating the Five Elders' Council contract would entail. However, he absolutely had no intention of testing it out himself. After all, every deal with the Five Elders' Council had filled Li Fan's pockets. He was eager for more such opportunities and had no reason to break the agreement willingly!

The Five Elders' Council spy had already vanished, leaving only Li Fan at the trading location. With a casual sweep, he destroyed the stone table with inscriptions and returned to Congyun City as Zhou Qingang.

On the way back, Li Fan contemplated some unusual signs during the negotiation process. The True Illusion Fruit, the Stardust of Humanity – treasures useful for cultivators in the Unity Realm – the Five Elders' Council agreed to provide only a limited quantity. Li Fan could understand this.

But when it came to the Puxian True Boat, the Five Elders' Council was unwilling to offer more, even preferring to compensate with other more precious items without making concessions. This puzzled Li Fan.

It made him wonder: The Puxian True Boat was something that could easily be found by his puppet when traveling through the Five Elders' Council. Why did its value suddenly skyrocket?

Li Fan was unable to comprehend what had transpired. It wasn't until Zhou Qingang returned to the Political Affairs Hall and casually saw the map of the Congyun Sea and surrounding areas hanging on the wall that a sudden insight flashed in his mind.

He stared at the natural boundaries of the various states on the map and seemed to grasp the significance of the existence known as the "White Mist Barrier."

"The so-called supply and demand determine the price."

"Although the actual value of the Puxian True Boat is not high, if the Five Elders' Council is currently massively requisitioning it and facing an extreme shortage..."

"All of this suddenly makes sense."

Li Fan's thoughts quickly turned.

"Is the Five Elders' Council planning to advance within the White Mist?"

"Following the White Mist Barrier, attacking the interior of the Immortal Alliance, or entering the depths of the White Mist?"

Even Li Fan himself was shocked by these sudden thoughts. For many years, due to the life-consuming nature of the White Mist, cultivators often avoided it. Who would have thought that these White Mist barriers could serve as natural passages?

Although it was known within the Immortal Alliance that Puxian True Leaves could somewhat reduce the impact of the life-consuming White Mist, practical application had not yet become widespread.

This was undoubtedly a major blind spot in the thinking of the Immortal Alliance.

Seemingly safe White Mist barriers might suddenly have countless hostile cultivators pouring out in the next moment. From any perspective, this was an extremely horrifying prospect.

"I hope it's just me being overly anxious. The Immortal Alliance has countless geniuses who will surely take precautions against such things..."

Li Fan muttered.

In the following days, "Zhou Qingang" deliberately made himself very busy. He accepted visit requests that he would normally reject outright. Whenever he had free time, he toured various islands in the Congyun Sea.

In just three or four days, he interacted with hundreds of individuals of different statuses.

This way, even if the Five Elders' Council wanted to investigate the source of his information, the traces of the Overarching Sky Union were almost impossible to find.

Moreover, even if the Five Elders' Council possessed extraordinary means and managed to capture and extract information from all these people, it was unlikely they would discover anything.

They probably wouldn't even dream that all the secrets of the Immortal Alliance came directly from Li Fan himself!

On the fifth day, Li Fan, holding the incomplete formation diagram, arrived alone at the Wan Cang Pavilion on Youlan Island.

In the deepest chamber, he met the contact for this transaction.

Still clad in black, concealing their features.

But Li Fan could discern that this cultivator was not the same person as the one from the previous encounter.

"Excellent! Friend Zhou is trustworthy, and we won't disappoint you either," the black-robed cultivator praised as he looked at Li Fan, who had arrived as agreed.

Li Fan inquired about the situation of the Five Elders' Council spy from earlier.

The black-robed cultivator spoke solemnly, "To fulfill the mission, he chose self-sacrifice. It is our destiny and our honor."

Evidently, the one Li Fan saw dissolved in golden light had truly perished.

With his life as the price, he obtained a contract imprinted with the symbols of the five Celestial Venerables.

The only strange thing was that there were no signs of falling in the sky, and the reason for this was unknown.

Li Fan nodded, choosing not to speak further. Instead, he handed over a storage ring containing an encrypted jade slip.

The black-robed cultivator solemnly accepted it, saying, "Please wait a moment, Friend."

With that, he left with the ring, disappearing without a trace.

Li Fan closed his eyes and patiently waited. He wasn't concerned about the safety of this clone. On one hand, the existence of the golden contract prohibited mutual harm. On the other hand, "Zhou Qingang" currently demonstrated himself as a member of the vast organization hidden within the Immortal Alliance, a member of the Overarching Sky Union. Moreover, he was the only means of contact with the Overarching Sky Union. Unless the Five Elders' Council was ready to sever ties with the Overarching Sky Union, never again receiving confidential information from them, they wouldn't act against Li Fan. Especially when, despite all their efforts, they couldn't find a single bit of information about the mysterious Overarching Sky Union. Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that the Five Elders' Council might resort to clever tactics, attempting to forcefully manipulate Li Fan using items like the True Illusion Fruit. Therefore, while waiting, Li Fan remained vigilant, ready to abandon this clone at any moment.

The efficiency of the Five Elders' Council was quite swift. In the time it took for a cup of tea, the black-robed cultivator returned to the secret chamber.

Although he tried to conceal it, one could vaguely sense the excitement in his heart.

"Your methods are indeed astonishing; I admire them! This is what we promised; please check it, Friend."

Saying this, the black-robed cultivator handed over a white stone.

"This is..." Li Fan's eyes flickered.

Fortunately, with his extensive knowledge, after a brief search in the memories stored in the Daoist Formation Stone, he instantly understood what this white stone was.

The Transparent Void Mother Stone.

A naturally occurring storage material.

Compared to ordinary storage rings, it had a larger storage space and could be absorbed and refined by cultivators to be stored inside their bodies. It was also a necessary material for crafting spatial treasures and was extremely precious, basically unavailable for purchase.

This item was not on the list of materials Li Fan had requested, indicating that it was a gift, serving solely as a storage device.

Li Fan nodded slightly, then opened his mouth, directly swallowing the Transparent Void Mother Stone into his abdomen.

However, he didn't rush to refine it but instead checked the contents inside first.

Naturally, the Five Elders' Council wouldn't be lacking in quantity. Ten thousand Enlightenment Pills, three hundred Puxian True Boats, three pieces of Stardust of Humanity...

All were consistent with the agreement.

Li Fan focused his attention on the statue in the center, radiating a five-colored brilliance.