"Actually..."
After a moment of hesitation, Ji Hongdao sent via divine sense, "I only heard this by chance and have no idea whether it's true or false. Just treat it as entertainment, Brother Sun. Still, it would be best not to let word of this spread."
Having thoroughly established his disclaimer, his expression turned somewhat solemn before he continued, "The truth is, two of the five Heavenly Venerables of the Five Elders Association were originally members of our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals."
"Yet for some unknown reason..." Ji Hongdao shrugged.
Hearing this rumor for the first time, Sun Luyuan was seized by astonishment.
He wanted to inquire further, but seeing the other man raise a warning hand, he had the good sense not to bring it up again.
After all, such a matter was simply too hard to believe.
Lost in scattered thoughts, the two quietly returned to the Sun Clan.
"This trip ended up being in vain, and the issue of your brother inhabiting that mirror remains unresolved. What do you plan to do?" Ji Hongdao asked.
"I can only take it one step at a time," Sun Luyuan replied helplessly.
"Still, Brother Ji, you also mentioned that the formations in those ruins have been around for quite some time. That indicates my previous guess was likely wrong; after a calamity erupts within the Boundless Mirror, it might subside for a prolonged period. At the very least, my brother appears safe for the time being."
Ji Hongdao nodded at his words. "I have official duties to attend to, so I'll take my leave first. If anything comes up, feel free to contact me anytime."
"Thank you, Brother Ji!" Sun Luyuan said gratefully.
"Come now, no need to be polite." Ji Hongdao waved his hand.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he transformed into an escaping light and took to the sky.
The expression on Sun Luyuan's face gradually grew calm.
In truth, his reason for dissuading Ji Hongdao from reporting the discovery of the Archmage's remains went beyond his earlier arguments—he had his own plans.
*If the news of the Alliance discovering the Archmage's remains can truly trigger an all-out war between both sides...*
A dangerous glint flickered in Sun Luyuan's eyes.
*Perhaps this is an opportunity.*
*In the Boundless Mirror's deductions, that so-called Sacred Dynasty of Daqi could go toe-to-toe with the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals at its peak. What if they faced an Alliance freshly emerged from war, having suffered catastrophic losses...*
Sun Luyuan could never have guessed that his thoughts were running along the exact same lines as someone else's.
Once his initial shock subsided, that very scheme had surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
Yet after weighing the options, he had abandoned the idea of using the Archmage's remains as a pawn.
Drawing this half-immortal into the game carried far too great a risk.
And if he wished to achieve the same result, Li Fan held many other alternatives.
Such as the matter of Dongji being refined into a puppet.
Or fabricating a claim that the Alliance was also concealing a Rebirth Heavenly Venerable on the verge of attaining the Dao.
Whenever Li Fan wished, he could provoke a realm-wide war in the Xuanhuang Realm at a moment's notice.
However...
Recalling the rumor Ji Hongdao had mentioned aboard the Dust-Crossing Boat, Li Fan frowned slightly.
*Two of the five Heavenly Venerables of the Five Elders Association were originally members of the Alliance?*
*Yet they ended up on the opposing side...*
*Could it be grief and apprehension over Dongji's fate—the fox mourning the death of the hare?*
*Or was it because they learned Chuanfa was dismembering and partitioning the Xuanhuang Realm?*
For matters such as this, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals would naturally go to any length to conceal them.
Aside from the eyewitnesses back then, finding written records would be exceedingly difficult.
After all, across so many reincarnations, Li Fan had remained completely in the dark regarding this.
Fortunately, now that he knew, looking into it would be far easier.
While Li Fan was deep in thought, the conversation between Sun Luyuan and Sun Luyao had already concluded.
"Brother, will this method truly work?"
"Don't worry, elder brother, it's all but certain. This thought arose naturally right after I saw Archmage Tiandu. The Boundless Mirror must share some connection with him," Sun Luyao said with certainty.
"Very well, I'll find a way. But I've never heard of these 'You people' before; they must be a top secret of the Alliance. Getting hold of them won't be easy," Sun Luyuan said, brow furrowed.
"Don't rush, brother. I should still be able to hold out for a while longer," Sun Luyao offered comforting words with a smile.
Sun Luyuan sighed softly and left the secret chamber.
Indeed, the method Li Fan had provided to resolve the obliterating wind calamity within the Boundless Mirror drew inspiration from his earlier deduction.
Diverting trouble elsewhere!
Using an immortal artifact—or an existence approaching one—to lure out the calamity lurking inside the Boundless Mirror.
Li Fan surmised that the transfer of the obliterating calamity from Archmage Tiandu into the Boundless Mirror likely indicated it was extraordinarily sensitive to existences on the level of an "immortal."
Perhaps the mere detection of such an aura would prompt it to launch an attack proactively.
When that happened, the vast majority of its power could be drawn away.
Naturally, Li Fan could not use a genuine half-immortal artifact as bait, but crafting items that possessed an immortal aura was well within his capabilities.
It all relied on the condensed Source Power Essence provided by the You people.
*With golden Source Power Essence, supplemented by the Boundless Primordial Square—a formation that barely reaches the immortal grade—I should be able to produce a half-immortal artifact.*
*Even an empty shell will suffice.*
*Even if it fails, no harm done; it can simply serve as a test.*
Aside from the branch captured by the Sacred Dynasty of Daqi, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals held a large number of You people in its grasp.
With some effort and leveraging the Sun Clan's status and connections, securing a few should not be out of reach.
However, what truly caused Li Fan some concern now was the situation within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters.
Ever since receiving Chuanfa's message requiring sixteen Dao Integration cultivators to venture outside Xuanhuang, Alliance Headquarters had remained in complete lockdown.
Clearly, something was brewing.
*With the Alliance's foundation, artificially forcing sixteen individuals to the Dao Integration stage would be child's play.*
*There is no need for such a prolonged lockdown.*
*The only thing I can think of that warrants such extreme caution and paranoia over leaks...*
*is a method to break free of the Immortal Ruins and escape the Xuanhuang Realm!*
A sharp gleam flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
A primary reason why the various factions within the Xuanhuang Realm remained dormant was the presence of the Immortal Ruins.
There was no way out.
Without knowing of the High Wall's existence, if they discovered a method to safely depart the Xuanhuang Realm, countless people would certainly take it.
Without the slightest hesitation.
Just as had happened thousands of years ago in the Xuanhuang Realm.
When disaster looms, each flees for themselves!
*Even the Alliance itself must weigh whether someone within its ranks might seize the opportunity to escape.*
*After all, they cannot possibly make the existence of the High Wall public knowledge. Otherwise, the world would surely descend into chaos.*
With this in mind, Li Fan once again directed the Boundless Mirror to peer into the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
He had expected to find nothing, just like before.
Yet unexpectedly, he actually caught a few faint traces this time.
"Lucid Flowing Crystal. Purchase immediately. Do not make a scene; use covert operatives. Once obtained, destroy them."
"Lucid Flowing Crystal."
...
Three or four such messages were spreading from Alliance Headquarters via the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
Chapter 1212