Li Fan’s gaze remained fixed on the phantom of the King of Profound Heaven.
At this point in time, Xuanyuan Hong did not appear remarkably different from any ordinary cultivator.
Had he not already learned of the King of Profound Heaven through Ji Yuzhen’s fragmented memories, Li Fan would never have believed that such a seemingly ordinary person would become the protagonist of a future era—whose impact on the Xuanhuang Realm would endure even to this day.
The scene recorded in the stele did not last long.
Amidst the joyous banquet where guests and hosts enjoyed themselves to the full, it vanished abruptly.
Although this first projection retrieved from the Crimson River held little actual value, it undoubtedly marked an auspicious beginning, granting breakthrough progress to the Nether Seeking department’s work within the Myriad Realms Association.
As the saying went, the first step was always the hardest. With a first success achieved, a second and third would surely follow in short order.
As the High Envoy, Li Fan’s true body did not personally step forward to bestow the commendation. Instead, he passed the red string to his clone, Li Qing, to confer on his behalf.
Before every cultivator of the Nether Seeking department, this man named Ji Ling took the rewarded red string, his face flushed crimson with excitement.
Because exploring the Crimson River had depleted a substantial amount of his lifespan, Ji Ling—though only twenty-three years old—already looked like a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties.
However, after switching to the true Soul Formation technique taught by Li Qing, he would have the chance to break through from the Nascent Soul realm and thereby gain a vastly extended lifespan.
At this moment, with surging emotions, Ji Ling stood before the stele carved with his own name and shared his experiences exploring the Crimson River with the dense crowd of over a thousand Nether Seeking cultivators gathered below.
Seeing how people who were once of far nobler birth and higher cultivation than himself were now listening intently to his speech, Ji Ling felt a sense of accomplishment beyond words.
"Were it not for the benevolence of the Compassionate True Immortal of the Red Dust, how could a lowly mortal like me ever attain such fortune?"
Deep emotion welled in Ji Ling's heart, and his devotion to the Merciful Immortal ascended to new heights.
From the shadows, Li Fan took in the entire scene and offered a faint smile.
...
Once the Myriad Realms Association was set on the right track, it expanded with unimaginable speed.
Meanwhile, Dharma Transmitter Zhou did not keep Li Fan waiting long before sending word.
"It has been verified. Among the five-member council of Dharma Transmitters currently holding supreme power in the Alliance, three of them are actually fiends who cultivated Profound Heaven Sect techniques!" Zhou said through gritted teeth.
"As for the remaining two, Chen and Shang, even if they haven't been possessed by Profound Heaven monsters, their minds have undoubtedly been ensnared! Death would be too good for them!
"We can begin our move!"
Dharma Transmitter Zhou then invited Li Fan for a detailed in-person discussion.
Having waited for this for some time, Li Fan naturally agreed with pleasure.
With a shift of Li Fan's thought, Tianyang reverted from his armor form back to the appearance of a cultivator.
He still retained the look of the young boy in his early teens from when he was alive, making no effort to alter his appearance.
When the two arrived once more at Dharma Transmitter Zhou's private pocket world, the eyes of both Dharma Transmitters immediately fell upon Tianyang.
"This is..."
At Li Fan's subtle prompt, Tianyang did not restrain his aura; instead, he deliberately projected the terrifying pressure belonging to Longevity realm combat strength. So pronounced was it that the two Dharma Transmitters recognized his extraordinary caliber at a glance.
Not for a moment did they dare look down on him on account of his youthful appearance.
Never mind experts of the Longevity realm—even among their fellow Dharma Transmitters, there was no shortage of eccentrics with peculiar preferences.
"This is Elder Tian of our Myriad Realms Association, responsible for assisting in the capture of the Profound Heaven Sect remnant Mo Rubin and related matters," Li Fan introduced with a solemn expression.
Tianyang fully assumed the haughty airs of a Longevity realm powerhouse, offering only a cold grunt by way of acknowledgment.
He did not even look straight at Dharma Transmitters Zhou and Wei.
Although Tianyang indeed displayed genuine Longevity realm might, Zhou and Wei had, after all, once stood at the very pinnacle of power in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and the Xuanhuang Realm. Being treated with such disdain naturally stirred up irritation in their hearts.
While they dared not show it on their faces, their minds raced, and a scheme quickly formed.
*We can use this opportunity to test his strength.*
*Indeed. Aura alone is not enough to truly verify a Longevity realm existence.*
Zhou and Wei exchanged a glance, after which Zhou offered a suggestion.
"During this period, we were fortunate enough to find clues regarding another comrade who departed from the Dharma Transmitter Council. We might be able to persuade him to join our cause.
"However, this person has a rather eccentric temperament. When madness takes him, he recognizes neither kith nor kin—he would attack even Jiang without hesitation. The two of us alone might not be able to persuade him. But if Senior Tian were to step in..."
Li Fan immediately saw through their petty scheme.
Still, it was understandable.
To have an unheard-of Longevity realm powerhouse abruptly pop up in a Xuanhuang Realm they thought they knew intimately was a hard pill for anyone to swallow all at once.
Li Fan feigned consulting Tianyang before nodding in agreement.
With no time to lose, Zhou and Wei immediately took the lead to seek out this third Dharma Transmitter.
Along the way, they provided Li Fan with a detailed briefing: "This person is named Huang. Born deformed with two heads and four arms, he was abandoned by his birth parents by the roadside. Right on the brink of starvation, he was fortunate enough to encounter the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable, after which he became one of the most loyal Dharma Transmitters.
"He cultivates a unique technique imparted by the Heavenly Venerable, which has tempered his physical body nearly to the utmost extreme. When fighting, he can tear ordinary Dao Integration cultivators apart with sheer brute force.
"Furthermore, his madness is merely a facade. No matter the situation, Huang maintains absolute, rational calm. Putting on such an act is actually a tactic designed to intimidate opponents before battle even begins.
"However, facts prove that this tactic is remarkably effective. Over all these years, members of the Dharma Transmitter Council have largely avoided crossing him. Even when unfortunate enough to have him show up at their door, most would simply hold their noses and endure it until he left."
...
It seemed Zhou and Wei also harbored some trepidation toward Huang, given how thoroughly they explained him.
Time slipped by in idle conversation as they drew closer to their destination.
Upon arriving in Quyang Province, the surrounding air gradually grew sweltering.
Free-floating fire-attribute energy in the atmosphere rioted erratically.
From time to time, massive fireballs plummeted from the sky, slamming violently into the ground and churning up towering waves of molten lava.
"This place is..."
"The Ten-Thousand-Li Flame-Scorched Shoal?"
Back in his 114th lifetime, he had assisted in constructing the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation within the Spirit-Dissolving Ravine deep in this region.
"Could it be...?"
Recalling the eerie green river in the Spirit-Dissolving Ravine capable of suppressing spiritual energy activity, a suspicion could not help but surface in Li Fan's mind.
And reality aligned precisely with his guess.
Passing through the Ten-Thousand-Li Flame-Scorched Shoal, the three arrived above the Spirit-Dissolving Ravine.
The Alliance cultivators mining Spirit-Dissolving Stones down below were completely oblivious to their arrival.
Chapter 1060