"The branch we established by the Crimson River has not yet been discovered."
"If we are fortunate enough to make it out alive, we can rendezvous there."
"The Crimson River's power is unique in nature and should effectively block the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals from tracking us," Li Fan said to Liu Ruchen, Daoist Baihua, and other core members of the Federation, having already devised a plan for what to do once they escaped.
As for how the Spirit Wood Realm's exact location had been exposed, Li Fan actually already had an inkling of an answer in mind.
However, now was not the time for reckonings.
Nor did Li Fan utter cold words demanding that they die rather than surrender.
Bound by the power of the Faceless True Immortal, even if they wanted to surrender, they likely could not.
While the people of the Spirit Wood Realm prepared for their desperate gamble to break out, Sacred Embryo Li Fan quietly went before the stone statue of the Faceless True Immortal.
The stone statue was merely a vessel.
The True Immortal's power had long since revived through the ever-expanding network of Federation members.
"Yet without a doubt, compared to other ordinary members, It would value Its own statue somewhat more."
"In truth, I could choose to throw the statue out and let the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals face the True Immortal's power head-on. But..."
"Such a trick can work once, but never twice. Later on, I am still counting on It to play Its game against the Immortal of the Immortal Ruins."
Under Sacred Embryo Li Fan's brooding gaze, the faceless stone statue slowly turned translucent.
Then it vanished.
Nether Prison.
Li Fan watched expressionlessly as the stone statue slowly materialized out of thin air before him.
Wherever the Web of the True Immortal stretched, the power of the True Immortal could naturally flow at will.
His previous bestowals of cultivation and knowledge upon Federation members had actually been carried out through this method.
It was just that this was his first time attempting to transfer a physical object.
"If I truly chose to devote myself completely to the Faceless True Immortal, dedicating myself without reservation to become a genuine emissary of the True Immortal, perhaps with the aid of that vast True Immortal power, I could relocate the entire Spirit Wood Realm with a single thought," Li Fan thought, staring at the statue.
The Nether Prison underwent no change whatsoever with the arrival of the True Immortal statue.
Concealed within, Li Fan stowed the statue away and refocused his attention on the Spirit Wood Realm.
The Federation members were hurriedly preparing to evacuate.
Sacred Embryo Li Fan, however, was calmly and methodically laying down a formation.
Noticing a figure appear behind him, Li Fan's movements paused slightly.
"Envoy... must we truly do this?"
The newcomer was Lin Ling, the spirit of the Spirit Wood Realm's giant tree.
"Once this formation is activated, I fear everything in the Spirit Wood Realm will be reduced to ash," Lin Ling said, her face pale as she looked at the silver lines faintly visible across the land.
Li Fan gave a slight smile. "This is a strategic relocation. Why should we let the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals have such fertile land for nothing? Of course it must be destroyed. But as for you..."
"I haven't been paying attention lately, yet your mastery of formations has improved considerably. To think you can see the intent behind my array?" Li Fan's gaze swept over Lin Ling.
Lin Ling pursed her lips. "I don't have that kind of ability. It's just that my heart is linked with the spirit wood. Facing mortal danger, I felt an instinctive premonition, that's all."
"We will return one day, won't we? Even if we yield this place to the Alliance for now, what of it? I believe that under your lead, Envoy, that day will not be far off."
Who could have imagined that the once naive and ignorant tree spirit would utter such tactful words of counsel?
The Sacred Embryo's hands paused slightly in laying the formation.
After a moment of silence, Li Fan asked, "For the Alliance to pinpoint our Spirit Wood Realm's exact location so quickly, there must be a traitor among us. Do you have any leads?"
Lin Ling's body shuddered violently, and she cried out in alarm, "It wasn't me!"
Li Fan glanced at her. "If it were you, would you still be standing before me, speaking safe and sound?"
Lin Ling instantly felt a great weight lifted from her chest and exhaled a long breath as if drained of strength.
Having witnessed the Spirit Wood Realm rise from nothing over the years, and having seen Li Fan's various methods, she truly did not harbor the slightest thought of betrayal.
Compared to Li Fan, the people out there in the Xuanhuang Realm seemed far more innocent.
Offending the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals didn't necessarily mean death.
But offending Li Fan...
Lin Ling wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, thought for a moment, and quickly replied, "Actually, it might not be that our Federation has a traitor. While the entrance to the Spirit Wood Realm is well-hidden, it cannot be concealed from everyone in the world."
"At the very least, I know of one who is very clear on it. Furthermore..."
Lin Ling cautiously glanced at Li Fan and said softly, "It seems to have some history with you, Envoy."
Li Fan's eyes narrowed at once. "You mean the Earth Vein Ancient Tree?"
Lin Ling nodded.
"Back when I was on good terms with him, my frequent travels in and out of the Spirit Wood Realm were all within his sight. Though we later broke off contact, our Spirit Wood Realm's location has never changed. And wherever the earth veins reach, his gaze follows..."
"More crucially, I could previously faintly sense the gaze cast by the Earth Vein Ancient Tree. But ever since the Alliance began attacking us, his prying gaze has never appeared again. It's just like a thief with a guilty conscience. If he wasn't the informant, why wouldn't he be watching us die with schadenfreude right now, given the enmity between us?" Lin Ling reasoned soundly.
Hearing this, Li Fan nodded slightly.
"You have done well. We shall spare the Spirit Wood Realm for now." Sacred Embryo Li Fan halted his work on the formation.
"One must look at a person with fresh eyes after an absence. It would have been even better had you warned me sooner," Li Fan encouraged her.
Lin Ling's face flushed red with excitement.
Dismissing Lin Ling so she could prepare to flee, Li Fan gazed into the distance outside the Spirit Wood Realm.
"Heh, just like his ancestor, holding grudges so tightly."
"What a coincidence. So do I."
Li Fan approved of Lin Ling's deduction.
After all, the entrance to the Spirit Wood Realm was extraordinarily secretive, known only to a few. Eliminating them one by one quickly narrowed down the suspect.
As for the possibility that Lin Ling was the mole and that her entire deduction was fabricated to clear her own name...
Li Fan trusted his own judgment.
He also trusted his ability to read people.
"The Earth Vein Ancient Tree..."
"To be so bold and reckless, relying on being one with the earth veins. Hmph."
In an instant, Li Fan had already thought of a way to deal with him.
"Ruomu drools over these descendants left on the surface back in the ancient days. If I can deliver him a grand gift, perhaps it might even improve the relationship between us."
Punishing the Earth Vein Ancient Tree, however, would have to wait until the next life.
Li Fan noted down this grudge for now. Waiting until the people of the Spirit Wood Realm were mostly prepared, he gathered Liu Ruchen and the others once more.
"Once we charge out, follow behind Tianyang."
"Form this battle array."
In a deep voice, Li Fan imparted the formation to the people of the Spirit Wood Realm.
Chapter 1117