Even though he had previously been played by Mo Rubin and had witnessed firsthand how formidable this Dharma King of the Profound Heaven Sect was, Li Fan had never imagined that within a few short years, the man could achieve something of this magnitude!
*If my guess is correct, his cultivation technique must allow him to possess more than one cultivator's body at the same time.*
*That Dharma Transmitter Chen might also be him.*
Li Fan was shaken to his core.
At the same time, fresh doubts suddenly arose in his mind: *Since he was the victor...*
*The total disappearance of Shuo Feng and Xuan Sushang's clan could still be explained as a move to muddy the waters and confound my deductions. But what about the Heavenly Profound Mirror? So many of its functions were shut down directly—that ought to be an indication that its true body had already departed, shouldn't it?*
Puzzled by these questions, Li Fan promptly inquired of Dharma Transmitter Zhou about the Heavenly Profound Mirror's abnormalities.
The answer she gave brought instant clarity to Li Fan.
"There isn't actually anything wrong with the Heavenly Profound Mirror itself; it's just that they seem to be borrowing its power to secretly plot something.
"Because of that, most of the Heavenly Profound Mirror's computational power was diverted, which is why functions like real-time transactions had to be suspended."
A faint look of rage surfaced on Dharma Transmitter Zhou's face. "I was wondering what could possibly be so important that they would go against the Heavenly Venerable's teachings to maintain stability. Now it turns out it was the scheming of a Profound Heaven Sect heretic!
"The Profound Heaven Mirror was originally the sect-protecting treasure of the old Profound Heaven Sect. Although our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals has controlled it for so many years, we have never been able to completely subjugate it. If it falls back into the hands of the Profound Heaven Sect..." Dharma Transmitter Zhou's expression grew uglier the more she thought about it.
"No, I have to go back immediately!"
Dharma Transmitter Zhou stood up abruptly, about to leave, only to be stopped by Dharma Transmitter Wei's cold voice.
"A Profound Heaven Sect remnant? Words alone prove nothing. Right now, they hold absolute power, with the five victors at the core controlling the other Dharma Transmitters...
"We are the 'rebels' now.
"Where do you think all the cultivators in this world of yours came from? Wasn't it because every opposing force was purged from top to bottom?
"Their current grip on power is likely even stronger than before," Dharma Transmitter Wei analyzed dispassionately.
Hearing this, Dharma Transmitter Zhou gradually regained her composure.
"I was too impatient.
"Before, I never imagined that this wasn't a case of Dharma Transmitters defecting, but someone taking advantage of a vulnerability to infiltrate..."
After a long pause, Dharma Transmitter Zhou said indignantly, "What on earth is Jiang doing? To actually sit by and watch this happen! Seeing the situation spin out of control, he should have sent a message to the Heavenly Venerable long ago!"
Dharma Transmitter Wei gave a cold chuckle. "Spun out of control? That is only true in the eyes of insiders like you and me.
"To the vast majority of people, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' current state is still as prosperous as ever. As for Jiang...
"He is a stubborn mule. Unless it's an insoluble crisis that threatens to overturn Xuanhuang, he would never send word to the Heavenly Venerable!"
Discontent laced the white-haired Dharma Transmitter's tone.
Li Fan also adopted a grave expression and spoke up, "The methods of this Profound Heaven Sect heretic have somewhat exceeded my expectations.
"Originally, I thought he was merely taking advantage of the chaos to snatch some benefits from Alliance headquarters. Now it seems this fiend's ambitions are immense! To have evaded our pursuit for ten thousand years, he does indeed possess some true skill.
"Facing such a troublesome enemy, I believe we can cooperate."
Both Dharma Transmitters turned their eyes to Li Fan at once.
"Our organization is called the Myriad Realms Association. It is an assembly of surviving cultivators from various cultivation worlds across this Pitch-Black Star Sea who worship our Master.
"We actually have no objection to your Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and the Five Elders Association occupying the main world. The vast populations scattered across the Xuanhuang Realm's many pocket worlds are more than enough for us to fulfill our duties to Master. But the traitors must be eliminated," Li Fan said in a resolute tone.
"Neither of you would want to see the foundation laid by the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable fall into the hands of an evil heretic, would you?"
The two Dharma Transmitters exchanged glances, then nodded slightly.
"If we wish to set things right, our current strength is indeed somewhat meager. But I wonder, just how strong is this Myriad Realms Association of yours?" Dharma Transmitter Wei asked tentatively.
Li Fan took on an arrogant look. "Our organization consists entirely of elite surviving cultivators from various cultivation worlds. We have two combatants at or near the Longevity realm, and quite a few at Dao Integration. Someone like me is merely an ordinary figure in the organization."
The two Dharma Transmitters were shaken, yet a hint of skepticism showed in their eyes.
"Of course, the organization cannot mobilize all of its forces just to punish traitors. Only the department I belong to will handle it. But you can rest assured: requesting at least one Longevity realm expert will pose absolutely no problem," Li Fan stated with utter conviction.
"How many Dharma Transmitters can you contact on your side?" Without waiting for them to respond, Li Fan changed the subject.
After pondering for a moment, Dharma Transmitter Zhou replied, "Over the years, four Dharma Transmitters have left the Council of Dharma Transmitters for various reasons. Aside from the two of us, the other two are completely unaccounted for. Finding them will likely take some effort."
Hearing this, Li Fan's brow furrowed at once.
"Moreover, after several rounds of purges, our remaining forces within the Alliance have been reduced to an absolute minimum. They are merely lying low in secret now..." Dharma Transmitter Zhou delivered another piece of bad news.
"If our Council of Dharma Transmitters has ended up like this, the lineage of Mirror Keepers is in an even sorrier state. Led by Mirror Keeper Cang, almost all of them have sided with the Profound Heaven Sect remnants..."
Having said her piece, Dharma Transmitter Zhou lapsed into silence.
The white-haired Wei offered his thoughts: "However, we aren't completely without a chance of winning.
"As things stand, there are two ways to turn the tide. First, find a way to make contact with the faction of Illusion-Reality Sages. As one of the contingencies left behind by the Heavenly Venerable in the past, they might just possess the power to deliver a decisive blow.
"However, the Illusion-Reality Sages are all hidden inside the Museum of Divine Archives. By now, the passages in and out of the Alliance headquarters must be strictly sealed. Reaching them will likely prove difficult."
Dharma Transmitter Zhou nodded. "Starting two years ago, none of my people have been able to freely enter or exit Alliance headquarters. Everyone must undergo strict scrutiny and be escorted by designated personnel."
"Then there is a second method: find Jiang directly," Dharma Transmitter Wei said slowly.
"Although Jiang stays year-round in his Guixu pocket world and hardly pays much attention to anything unless it threatens the Alliance's survival, still..."
A faint smile appeared in the white-haired elder's eyes. "If an apocalyptic crisis were to emerge in the Xuanhuang Realm, he would definitely step forward to resolve it.
"Ensuring the safety and stability of the Xuanhuang Realm was the mission entrusted to him by Lord Heavenly Venerable before his departure."
Chapter 1055