However, what surprised Li Fan somewhat was that although those who had successfully passed the Oath of the Dharma Transmitters no longer held the reins of governance, they had not left the core of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' power either.
Instead, they were granted supervisory powers as a supplementary arm to the Council of Dharma Transmitters.
It seemed that through this incident, Jiang had also recognized the internal issues within the Dharma Transmitters. If left unchecked, problems would certainly arise again in the future.
"I wonder if Mo Rubin will ultimately pass Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang's trial."
"There's no harm in revealing some details of the trial's illusion to the Alliance. After all, they already possess the method to enter it now, and with the Alliance's resources, they'll find qualified candidates sooner or later."
Thinking this, Li Fan transmitted an overview of the illusion's first act, Retrieving Longevity Fruits in Ningyuan, to Dharma Transmitter Zhou.
However, he did not claim to have successfully passed the trial. Instead, he fabricated a story based on the most probable sequence of events for a first-time entry:
While retrieving the Longevity Fruits, he was severely injured by Manager Song. Though he barely clung to life under Senior Brother Zhang's protection, he fell into a coma, lingering in a muddled daze day in and day out. That lasted until one night, when he was inexplicably possessed and lost consciousness.
Before long, Dharma Transmitter Zhou replied solemnly, "The information you provided is crucial, Fellow Daoist. It will be of tremendous help in our subsequent exploration of the illusion."
To express gratitude, Dharma Transmitter Zhou also represented the Council of Dharma Transmitters in conferring upon Li Fan the nominal title of Senior Elder of the Alliance.
It carried no real power, but it allowed free entry and exit from the Alliance Headquarters, and its clearance level was only slightly below that of a Dharma Transmitter.
"However, you cannot openly assume this post of Senior Elder, Fellow Daoist. After all, in the eyes of the other uninformed Dharma Transmitters, you were executed by Jiang for false accusations," Dharma Transmitter Zhou added as a reminder.
This supposed Senior Elder title was clearly meant to win over the Myriad Realms Association behind Li Fan.
During this crisis of the Profound Heaven Sect's possessions, the Myriad Realms Association had demonstrated more than enough formidable power.
They even possessed secrets that eluded the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
Using a nominal post to deepen cooperation between the two sides was undeniably worthwhile.
Yet the Alliance would likely never dream that the so-called Myriad Realms Association was merely Li Fan's one-man show.
During the year-plus that Li Fan had disappeared in seclusion, everything within the Association had proceeded in an orderly fashion, continuing to develop steadily according to the established plan, with regular summaries compiled and reported to him.
Li Fan reviewed these messages one by one.
The one that caught his attention most was reported by the Empire.
The location of the pocket world where Xu Ke resided was finally confirmed!
A weathered old man, carrying a coffin on his back.
Identical to the one Li Fan had seen before.
Although the Imperial Daughter was thrilled to have found her ancestor, she had not lost her head and met with Xu Ke on her own in defiance of Li Fan's orders.
"Then let me go meet him."
"I'm quite interested in Mr. Bai's contingency arrangements."
"Qinghui Province."
Li Fan headed straight for his destination.
"Even though turning into the Seven-Colored Divine Light is fast enough, it's still far inferior to Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang's ability to reach anywhere with a single thought."
In the trial illusion, he had only temporarily borrowed Mr. Bai's body.
Yet once Li Fan returned to reality, the immense disparity still left him feeling a slight sense of loss.
A faint pang of regret even sprouted in his heart.
The moment this emotion arose, Li Fan's heart jolted with alarm.
He immediately circulated the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Incantation to dispel it.
Yet the technique, which had never failed before, inexplicably proved useless.
"Hmph."
"There is nothing in this Xuanhuang Realm worth my regret. Even immortal artifacts transcendent above the mortal realm are things I can cast aside like old shoes!"
"A mere Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang dares try to shake my resolve?"
At the thought that after reverting with Anchored Reality, everything he had lost could be reclaimed anew, the slight discordant emotions in Li Fan's heart vanished in an instant.
"The Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Incantation was why I was different from other cultivators from the very moment I entered the Fallen Immortal Realm."
"Even back when it was just the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation, it probably served as a unique marker by which the Fallen Immortal Realm recognized me."
"Yet when it comes to Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang, it simply goes on strike. It seems things of unknown origin can never be trusted completely."
"In all things, one must rely on oneself."
A flicker of gloom crossed Li Fan's eyes.
"The Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation..."
Before this, Li Fan had never considered sharing this technique with anyone else.
Yet this minor mishap had served as a wake-up call.
"Passing it to a suitable candidate, pushing them to inherit the title of Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang, or to inherit the immortal spiritual energy and brave the void beyond the High Wall—both are solid ideas."
Faces flashed past Li Fan's mind in rapid succession.
While contemplating a suitable candidate, Li Fan arrived at the place where Xu Ke was hiding.
"This place..."
"Like Jiushan Province, it seems to have formed from the remains of a demonic beast."
At the entrance to the pocket world, Li Fan acutely sensed a familiar aura.
During the trial illusion, living day and night alongside that multitude of beasts for over a decade had ingrained instincts in him. Though back in reality, he could still recognize the lingering demonic beast aura here.
"This is what one calls an expansion of cognition."
In just an instant, he broke through the array formations and restrictions at the pocket world's entrance.
Li Fan slipped inside quietly.
The Empire's intelligence was spot-on. This pocket world was a desolate, rocky desert landscape.
As far as the eye could see, everything was shrouded in a dull gray.
Not far off, a towering stone mountain seemed to connect heaven and earth—likely the sole feature giving purpose to this pocket world.
Li Fan was drawn to it at first glance.
Xu Ke was right at the summit of this stone mountain.
Li Fan attempted to fly up, only to discover with some surprise that he could not take flight at all.
This was not due to Li Fan's strength, but rather the unique rules restricting this pocket world.
Forcing flight was not impossible, but he would have to prepare to face the backlash of the pocket world's Heavenly Dao.
Li Fan had no wish to sour the atmosphere right off the bat.
And so, he looked up, his gaze piercing through tens of thousands of li of distance to land directly on Xu Ke atop the summit.
The white-haired old man also seemed to sense something at that moment, turning his gaze downward.
Their eyes met.
In the next moment, Li Fan took a step forward.
Instead of flying, he tore through space itself, appearing right beside Xu Ke.
His expression was calm and composed, leaving behind only two spatial fissures—one at his starting point and one at his destination—that were slow to dissipate.
"Fellow Daoist Xu Ke?"
Li Fan came straight to the point, directly naming the white-haired old man.
Xu Ke was not in the least surprised by Li Fan's sudden appearance. Instead, he asked point-blank, "Did you learn of me from the Fallen Immortal Realm?"
Hearing this, Li Fan's eyes narrowed.
His tried-and-true tactic of seizing the initiative had actually failed this time.
Chapter 1090