"Junior Brother?"
"Why have you been daydreaming for so long? Don't tell me you're thinking about all those fun places I mentioned earlier?"
"Don't worry. Once our business is wrapped up, whether it's Hongchen Workshop or the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, your senior brother will treat you to the full experience!"
Zhang Qianmo's voice snapped Li Fan out of his deep thoughts.
"Protect the mortals of Ningyuan City from catastrophe, is it...?" Looking at the somewhat irreverent Zhang Qianmo before him, Li Fan felt a stir in his heart.
Truth be told, Li Fan did not have much interest in becoming Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang.
Leaving aside the fact that under the current new method system, the might of Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang was far diminished compared to its peak, rendering it impossible for one person to suppress an entire realm on their own, becoming Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang would also inevitably force him into direct conflict with the two ruling authorities of the Xuanhuang Realm. It might even draw out Chuanfa in person.
Though he was not particularly frightened, rashly picking a fight with Chuanfa before understanding his true strength was foolish in the extreme.
Furthermore, even if he truly could become a Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang at the peak of power who could suppress an entire realm, what of it?
Power inevitably came with responsibility. Becoming Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang meant being imprisoned, bound to the Xuanhuang Realm far more deeply than an ordinary Longevity Heavenly Venerable, making escape virtually impossible.
Li Fan's goal was not merely the Longevity realm.
What he yearned for was to leave this Pitch-Black Star Sea sealed behind the High Wall, thereby attaining true transcendence and freedom.
However...
Having lofty ideals did not stop him from testing whether the trial of the Heart of Xuanhuang truly worked as he had guessed.
Having experienced the scenario of 'Retrieving Longevity Fruits in Ningyuan' countless times, now that he had a clear goal, a plan quickly formed in his mind.
"Senior Brother, just now in a daze, I felt as if I had a dream," he said slowly, feigning a bewildered expression.
"What?" Zhang Qianmo froze.
"Senior Brother, have you secretly cultivated a purple Golden Core?" Li Fan did not answer directly, asking instead.
The moment those words were spoken, Zhang Qianmo's gaze instantly turned sharp. "How do you know that?"
A dangerous aura abruptly surfaced around his body, faintly locking onto Li Fan.
Li Fan appeared completely oblivious to this, his face full of shock. "What I saw in my dream just now... was actually real?"
"Hmm?" Zhang Qianmo's expression tightened.
"Senior Brother, do you still remember a person named Chu Liang?" Li Fan immediately recounted everything he had "seen" in his dream—how they were about to be ambushed by scoundrels within Ningyuan City—in full detail.
"Hearing you say that, I do recall him. There really was such a figure back then..."
"He actually joined some Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and dares plot against our Purple Cloud Sect's secret techniques?" A purple glint flashed in Zhang Qianmo's eyes, brimming with killing intent.
With that, he was about to fly into the city to drag out those hiding vermin and eradicate them one by one.
"Senior Brother, wait!" Li Fan hurried to hold Zhang Qianmo back.
"After all, this was merely a scene I encountered in a dream. We have no concrete evidence. If it turns out to be completely groundless, wouldn't that..."
Zhang Qianmo said coldly, "So what if we kill them? Could it be that anyone would dare punish us over such a trivial matter?"
Li Fan offered a wry smile. "It wasn't easy to get permission to descend the mountain under the pretext of retrieving the Longevity Fruits. If we cause a disturbance, Master might never allow us to leave the mountain again. It's better to be prudent."
Hearing this, Zhang Qianmo's killing intent somewhat subsided.
"How about this: we send a voice transmission from outside the city first to summon Manager Song Hesong out. We capture him directly. If he resists and actually displays a cultivation realm beyond what he should be capable of..."
Li Fan paused. "Then it proves there is nothing wrong with what I foresaw in my dream. With that evidence in hand, we will also have an explanation for the sect."
Zhang Qianmo pondered for a moment and gave a slight nod. "Junior Brother, you've thought this through thoroughly. Let's do it that way."
Thus, the two quietly approached Ningyuan City and sent a transmission from a distance.
Only after a considerable wait did Song Hesong finally arrive.
"Greetings to both Senior—"
Song Hesong was just bowing in greeting when two bolts of Purple Cloud Divine Thunder came crashing down upon his head.
'When was I exposed?!' Song Hesong felt both shock and fury. Subconsciously surging with spiritual energy, he blocked the lightning.
Just as he was about to notify the few people lying in wait inside the city to strike early, he discovered that the surrounding space had already been locked down. His heart sank instantly.
'Although I can only draw upon Li Chen's own strength, my mastery of formations has long reached perfection.'
'Casually setting up a formation to trap a mere Golden Core cultivator is as easy as turning my palm.'
The formation Li Fan had laid out was not shockingly outlandish either; it was merely slightly modified from the Purple Cloud Sect formations he recalled from this body's memories.
Zhang Qianmo also noticed his junior brother's handiwork. "Good lad! And here I was wondering what you did cooped up in your room every day. Turns out you were studying formations all on your own?"
Zhang Qianmo's tone held a touch of pleasant surprise as he retrieved his halberd and clashed with Song Hesong.
Even though Song Hesong possessed Golden Core cultivation and Zhang Qianmo only had Foundation Establishment combat strength without drawing on his purple core,
under the combined efforts of the two fellow disciples and the aid of the formation,
Song Hesong was captured alive before long.
Zhang Qianmo acted decisively, immediately employing the Purple Empyrean Soul Searching Technique.
After a bout of struggling, Song Hesong slumped to the ground limp as mud.
Zhang Qianmo's face bore a sinister chill. "Junior Brother, what you foresaw was not off by a single hair! This damned dog!"
Saying that, he raised a hand to strike Song Hesong dead, but Li Fan stopped him.
"He is an outer manager of our sect after all. It's better to take him back and leave him to the sect to deal with."
Zhang Qianmo shook his head. "Ah, Junior Brother, you're fine in every way except for being far too merciful. Fine, we'll do as you say."
Li Fan smiled without speaking.
"There are still a few bandits from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals in the city. I'll go capture them right away."
"Wait!" Li Fan stopped Zhang Qianmo once more.
"What is it now?" Zhang Qianmo asked, exasperated.
"Senior Brother, what do you think of this Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals?" Li Fan asked in a grave voice.
"Clay chickens and pottery dogs, beneath notice!" Zhang Qianmo said arrogantly.
"Is that truly so?" Li Fan stared intently at Zhang Qianmo and asked again.
"Uh..." Looking at Li Fan's earnest expression, Zhang Qianmo hesitated.
Then he changed his tune: "All right. This new method is indeed bizarre. With aptitudes as shoddy as Song Hesong's, he was able to cultivate from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core in just a few years. If it isn't dealt with seriously, it could brew a massive calamity."
"Precisely. That is my thought as well. Right now, the orthodox immortal sects don't seem to take this Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals very seriously. Why not take this opportunity..."
Li Fan quietly transmitted his voice.
Zhang Qianmo's expression shifted. "You mean... lure the snakes out of their holes?"
Li Fan nodded. "Exactly. We use this opportunity to gather all the cultivators of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals near our Purple Cloud Sect's territory, and then wipe them out in one fell swoop!"
Chapter 1076