Zhang Xu stroked his beard, his expression solemn. "The resonance between bloodlines is profoundly mysterious, yet one cannot dismiss it lightly. Brother Sun, perhaps you could have a message sent on your behalf to confirm matters with your family."
Hua Yueye chimed in with agreement.
"Thank you both for the guidance, fellow Daoists." Sun Ang—who was in fact Li Fan's true self—pondered for a moment, then cast a spirit talisman flying out of the Law-Deduction Jade's space.
Each garrison Dao Integration cultivator had to stand guard for a century just to earn a single opportunity to use such a talisman. Had it not been for Xu Yuanxian's earlier "favor" remitting a century of Sun Ang's garrison service, even if he wished to contact the outside world now, he would have had no way to do so.
Less than half a day later, Sun Luyuan, the family head of the Sun Clan, arrived in person.
"Your eldest uncle has unfortunately fallen."
The expression on Li Fan's face turned from shock into deep self-reproach and grief. "Before my eldest uncle departed, I had a faint premonition..."
Sun Luyuan consoled him, "Life and death are fickle. Lu Chang's demise had nothing to do with you, Lu'er. You do not need to blame yourself."
"I..."
Sun Luyuan paused, then changed his tone. "These are turbulent times, but as long as I am here, the Sun family will not collapse. You may remain here at ease."
"When necessary, I will find a way to get you out."
Sun Luyuan gave a solemn promise.
Knowing that the Sun family had already secretly defected to the Sacred Dynasty of Great Qi, Li Fan naturally understood the true meaning behind Sun Luyuan's words. For now, however, he could only play along. "I can endure it. We must not squander more of the family's resources for my sake."
***
Just as the two members of the Sun family were playing out a scene of profound kinly devotion, Fu Yuansheng, whose body Li Fan's split divine soul had possessed, was facing a monstrous wave of malice from various members of his own clan.
"Little Sheng, what kind of blind dog luck did you stumble into to actually obtain a Dao Integration cultivation technique?"
"Yuansheng, the family has treated you well all these years, hasn't it? It is time you repay the clan."
"Sheng'er, in less than two days, more than a dozen Soul Formation cultivators have come knocking on our door. Any one of them is someone our Fu family cannot afford to offend! For the sake of the Fu family's future, why don't you just hand the technique over?"
"Fu Yuansheng, don't think being lucky once means you'll be lucky your whole life! You are merely a petty Golden Core cultivator; how could you possibly protect a true Dao Integration technique? Rather than having it forcibly stripped from you later, hand it over voluntarily in exchange for a bright future!"
The moment he stepped out of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters, the transmissions previously blocked flooded in all at once. The naked greed and malice dripping from every word were enough to make a cultivator's spiritual energy stagnate. If Fu Yuansheng had not already ceased to be himself, he likely would have been driven to a shattered Dao heart on the spot by his own blood relatives.
Watching the messages that showed no sign of stopping—and grew even harsher the longer he left them unanswered—Li Fan's expression turned subtle.
"The wickedness of human hearts can truly reach such depths!"
"As the saying goes, different lands foster different folk. Within the borders of the Sacred Dynasty, such a thing would never happen. The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals has truly run out of fortune!"
"Allow me to give it one more push!"
Li Fan smiled faintly, and then his expression instantly turned anguished and consumed by grief and indignation.
Instead of returning to the Fu family, he took a teleportation array directly to Tianshu Immortal City, openly appearing before the world.
Fu Yuansheng's appearance swiftly caught the attention of several people.
Even those unaware of the situation quickly sensed the peculiar looks from those around them, and after a few quiet inquiries, they understood at once.
The focus of everyone's attention, Fu Yuansheng, appeared to be hounded beyond reason and panicking in despair.
He did not go into hiding or flee via teleportation array. Instead, as if he had lost his mind, he flew straight out of Tianshu City on his own power.
A great number of onlookers promptly chased after him.
How fast could a Golden Core cultivator possibly fly? Soon, a dense crowd formed behind Fu Yuansheng.
Not all of them harbored designs on the technique; the vast majority were merely along to watch the spectacle.
Li Fan feigned a panicked expression, but in truth, he was casually leading the mob along at an unhurried pace.
He was waiting for an opportunity to thoroughly ignite the situation.
After aimlessly fleeing for the better part of a day, the figure Li Fan had been waiting for finally appeared.
It was Fu Linmu, nominal father of Fu Yuansheng.
"You wretched ingrate! The family head summoned you, yet you refused to return. What do you think you are doing?" As soon as Fu Linmu appeared, he unleashed a barrage of furious rebukes.
Behind Fu Linmu stood a cultivator with folded arms and slightly narrowed eyes. Judging from his aura, he was at the Soul Formation stage.
Li Fan halted, appearing terrified of his father.
Fu Linmu continued to plead with reason and emotion before introducing the identity of the squinting Soul Formation cultivator behind him.
"This is Senior Fu Tongtian of Tianquan Province. He shares our ancestral lineage."
"Our Fu family cannot possibly protect that Dao Integration technique of yours. Leaving it in your hands will bring disaster, not fortune. You might as well present it to Senior Fu..."
Under Fu Linmu's persuasion, Li Fan appeared to struggle painfully, looking as though he were on the verge of relenting.
Right at that moment, another uninvited guest arrived.
It was another elder of the Fu family, bringing along yet another Soul Formation cultivator to contest ownership of the true Dao Integration technique.
Li Fan pretended to look bewildered, as if unsure of whom to obey.
While the two Soul Formation cultivators locked horns, more Soul Formation experts caught wind of the news and hurried over.
"Fellow Daoists, it is merely a Dao Integration technique; it is hardly worth fighting to the death over. Why not discuss it peacefully?" someone suggested, completely disregarding the wishes of Fu Yuansheng, the rightful owner, and already treating the technique as something in their pocket.
"Indeed. If the price we must pay is too steep, we might as well honestly purchase one through the Tianxuan Mirror."
"Why don't we first hear what kind of technique this fine scion of the Fu family asked the Law-Deduction Jade to derive?"
The gathered Soul Formation cultivators quickly reached a consensus, turning their eyes in unison toward Li Fan.
Little did they know, this played entirely into his hands.
Even before entering the Law-Deduction Jade's space, he had anticipated that he would use this technique to stir up storms. Thus, the foundational blueprints he supplied to the jade were of the highest caliber.
The final technique obtained was naturally extraordinary. Even for Li Fan at present, it held a degree of utility.
Feigning agonizing torment, the disguised Fu Yuansheng took a deep breath as though resigning himself to fate, speaking each word with heavy emphasis: "The technique I obtained is called the Heaven-Reaching Spirit-Echoing Avatar Technique."
"Our current new method goes against the heavens. Yet to break through realms, one must rely on all manner of natural resources. For the great clans and prominent families, this is manageable. But for powerless individuals like us, even with supreme aptitude, we remain constrained!"
Li Fan's words struck a chord with many cultivators present, drawing nods of deep resonance.
Li Fan continued, "That is why I always dreamed of breaking free from these limitations one day. Thanks to Senior Qianxun's favor in gifting me a Law-Audience Jade Plaque, I finally had the chance to turn my dream into reality."
"This Heaven-Reaching Spirit-Echoing Avatar Technique can continually strengthen one's resonance with the Xuanhuang heaven and earth, greatly dampening the Heavenly Dao's hostility. Through that resonant bond, one can locate the Nascent Soul Grotto-Heavens, the transformations of nascent vitality, and other essential breakthrough materials. Cultivated to its apex, sensing the locations of the Essence of Heaven and Earth becomes an effortless feat..."
"With this technique, give me, Fu Yuansheng, a little time, and attaining Dao Integration would no longer be a delusion. But I never imagined... I never imagined..."
"The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals would hound a bottom-tier cultivator like me to such an extent! Giving me not even a shred of opportunity!"
The more Li Fan spoke, the more grief-stricken and furious he became, his eyes bloodshot.
Then, with a wide wave of his sleeve, he projected the general summary of the Heaven-Reaching Spirit-Echoing Avatar Technique into the sky, displaying it for all to see.
With just a single glance, the Soul Formation cultivators present could tell its extraordinary quality.
It was definitely not something a mere Golden Core cultivator could fabricate.
The Soul Formation experts exchanged varied expressions. The atmosphere abruptly grew tense and grave.
"Enough."
One of them wiped away the text from the sky, then glanced around at the crowd. "There is no need to dwell on the value of this technique, I assume."
"Indeed. Even among Dao Integration techniques, there are tiers. If what this boy says is true, the value of this technique is the highest I have ever seen in my life."
"Heh, in my view, even if more than half of us die here, winning this technique would still be worth it!"
The Soul Formation cultivators traded heated words, the smell of gunpowder growing thicker by the second.
The Fu family members present, however, wore faces that turned increasingly ghastly.
Had they known Fu Yuansheng had comprehended a supreme technique capable of founding an immortal cultivation dynasty, they would have done everything in their power to shield him!
Even if they had to sell it, they could have negotiated far better terms!
Regardless of the Fu clan's bitter regret, the final ownership of the Heaven-Reaching Spirit-Echoing Avatar Technique was suddenly interrupted by a newly ascended Dao Integration expert.
This person went by the title of Immortal Venerable Chi Liu. He had broken through to the Dao Integration stage only a few days prior.
He had not yet found a suitable cultivation technique and happened to hear about Fu Yuansheng's affair. On a whim, he had dropped by to watch the commotion.
He never anticipated such an unexpected boon.
The gulf between Dao Integration and Soul Formation was like heaven and earth. Since Chi Liu wanted it, the Soul Formation cultivators naturally could not contest him.
Moreover, Chi Liu was not alone; behind him stood a clan of considerable strength.
Ultimately, under the dual pressure of power and backing, the Soul Formation cultivators backed out of the contest one after another.
To prevent complications from prolonged delays, the final victor, Immortal Venerable Chi Liu, demanded that Fu Yuansheng surrender the technique on the spot.
"I only hope that after Senior receives this technique, you can show some favor to our Fu family."
Li Fan sighed toward the heavens, his words leaving the Fu family members present burning with shame.
Watching Chi Liu fly closer, Li Fan transmitted the complete Heaven-Reaching Spirit-Echoing Avatar Technique via divine sense.
"It truly is a supreme wondrous method." Chi Liu's face bloomed with delight.
"Boy Fu, sign this contract acknowledging your voluntary relinquishment of the technique's ownership. Rest assured, I will not treat your Fu family shabbily..." Chi Liu said in a deep voice.
"Junior obeys." Li Fan bowed his head, reaching out to take the golden deed.
Right at that moment...
As if affected by the lingering impressions of the Heaven-Reaching Spirit-Echoing Avatar Technique's scripture, Chi Liu suddenly felt a trance wash over his mind.
The Fu Yuansheng before him seemed to twist into a grotesque, terrifying monster that belonged only in nightmares, baring claws and fangs as it lunged toward his face.
Startled, Chi Liu instinctively unleashed a streak of red light.
It struck Fu Yuansheng squarely in the torso.
The might of a Dao Integration cultivator—even an unconscious, casual strike—was not something a Golden Core cultivator could withstand.
With an expression of utter disbelief frozen on his face, Fu Yuansheng's body disintegrated inch by inch within a breath, his life and Dao extinguished!
This sudden turn of events stunned everyone.
The crowd stared in shock at Immortal Venerable Chi Liu, who had just struck down a cultivator in broad daylight.
Chi Liu himself looked dumbfounded.
He stared blankly at his own palm.
"Could it be that because I just broke through, the influence of the Essence of Heaven and Earth has not entirely dissipated?"
"Fortunately, the Heaven-Reaching Spirit-Echoing Avatar Technique is already in my hands." That was the second thought that flashed through Chi Liu's mind.
"Sheng'er!" After a deathly silence, the Fu family members finally came to their senses.
They wailed in grief and fury.
Quite a few glared at Chi Liu with boundless hatred, disregarding the colossal chasm between themselves and a Dao Integration cultivator.
Above them, the death anomaly arrived late, silently narrating the cause of Fu Yuansheng's demise.
As the killer, Chi Liu felt vaguely uncomfortable under the gazes of these ants.
However, since he was in the wrong and in full view of the public, he could not easily lash out.
He merely stated, "Do not worry. My word holds true. I will not mistreat your Fu family."
The sobbing of the Fu family slowly subsided.
After all, the dead were dead; there was no sense in throwing their lives away by defying a Dao Integration expert for a corpse.
Chi Liu departed with the Fu family.
The gathered Soul Formation cultivators sighed in amazement. "It seems this technique was simply too precious. Immortal Venerable Chi Liu chose to silence the boy to ensure absolute secrecy."
"He wouldn't even trust a contract? Isn't this newly ascended Dao Integration expert a bit too suspicious?"
"What good is a contract? There are countless bizarre methods in this world; what if someone could breach a contract without suffering the penalty?"
"And that was with so many people watching. In private, his conduct would likely be even more unrestrained!"
"Dao Integration cultivators truly carry immense prestige! Once you reach their level, the Alliance's laws become practically optional, don't they?"
"Naturally. Anyone with half a brain knows the Alliance would never truly punish a Dao Integration cultivator over a mere Golden Core boy. Even if they issue a penalty, it will just be for show."
"Entering the Dao Integration realm truly changes everything. Just like the boundary-leaving rainbow light from before—only Dao Integration cultivators have the qualifications to journey through the sea of stars."
***
Having lost their appetite for conversation, the Soul Formation cultivators drifted off one by one.
Yet the vast number of low-level cultivators remaining—Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul—lingered for a long time without departing.
They looked up at the fading death anomaly in the sky, a feeling of shared grief washing over them.
Under the influence of a mysterious power beyond their perception, that emotion gradually turned into a slow-burning flame of wrath.
"In the eyes of the Alliance's upper echelons, we truly are nothing more than ants."
"What happened to the Alliance laws? So they only apply to us?"
"Today, Fu Yuansheng died. Tomorrow, which of us will be the next to die in vain?"
***
In the silence, a peculiar atmosphere was brewing.
Though nothing was spoken aloud, the glances they exchanged revealed everything.
However, constrained by the Alliance's deterrence, none dared give voice to their inner thoughts.
Perhaps...
All they needed was an opportunity.
Only after a long while did the gathered cultivators completely disperse.
A wisp of Li Fan's divine soul coalesced into an ethereal silhouette, reappearing in the world.
"Now that the fire is lit, it will probably sweep across the entire Alliance without me fanning the flames." Li Fan was immensely pleased with his handiwork.
Subsequent developments unfolded precisely as he had predicted.
Although footage of Immortal Venerable Chi Liu slaying Fu Yuansheng in broad daylight quickly spread throughout the Alliance via the Tianxuan Mirror, the Fu family had already expressed their understanding toward Chi Liu's "momentary misjudgment caused by unstable cultivation right after breakthrough." Consequently, the Alliance ceased pursuing the matter, merely levying a token penalty of a few contribution points.
On the contrary, once news spread that Chi Liu had obtained the Heaven-Reaching Spirit-Echoing Avatar Technique, countless clans scrambled to verify the truth.
Many declared their willingness to offer vast fortunes in exchange for Chi Liu's help in sensing and locating the Essence of Heaven and Earth.
For a time, the newly ascended Dao Integration cultivator's standing rose even higher than that of certain veteran Dao Integration experts.
As for the innocently slain Fu Yuansheng, he was gradually forgotten with the passage of time.
***
"How truly ironic! The guilty goes unpunished and is rewarded instead."
Within the Sacred Dynasty of Great Qi, Wang Xuanba looked over the document in his hands, clicking his tongue in marvel.
"If this were in our Great Qi, let alone ordinary officials, even a direct disciple of the Sacred Emperor like me would face heavy punishment for such an act. At the very least, one would be thrown into the Nether Prison for several centuries. How could it be brushed aside so lightly? The Alliance is truly won... ah, no, the Alliance is truly rotten to the core!" Ou Shangtian shook his head repeatedly.
Sun Erlang glanced at Ou Shangtian and gave a helpless smile. "Master's intention is that this incident can be publicized as a textbook example for pre-war mobilization."
"It can even be used to shake the very foundations of the Alliance. After all, the overwhelming majority of cultivators in the Alliance are below the Soul Formation stage."
Ou Shangtian curled his lip. "What is the point of winning over those useless weaklings? However many come, I can kill just as many!"
Sun Erlang's expression hardened. "Mind your words! A just cause finds abundant support, while an unjust cause finds little. The Alliance has lost the hearts of the people. Our Sacred Dynasty's campaign is an endeavor aligned with popular will and sentiment."
"Marching with a righteous cause and wielding the Dao ensures invincibility!"
He was the eldest disciple after all, so Ou Shangtian dared not retort directly, merely muttering in a low voice, "Say what you will; in the end, it still comes down to strength."
After a bit of banter, the fellow disciples returned to the main topic.
"Shangtian, how is the construction of your Vientiane Teleportation Array coming along?" Sun Erlang asked.
Ou Shangtian wore a smug expression. "Leave it to me, Senior Brother; you can rest easy. I have already completed targeting coordinates for every province in the Alliance. As soon as Master gives the order, the soldiers of our Great Qi can instantly traverse the Vientiane Teleportation Array to reach their designated provinces. Then, using the Puxian True Vessels under the cover of the White Mist Barrier, I guarantee we can descend upon the Heavenly Cities of every province without anyone noticing!"
Wang Xuanba followed up, "The spies planted within the Alliance have also completed their connections. Once the time is right, the Tianxuan Mirrors and teleportation arrays across every Alliance province will fail simultaneously."
A miniature map of the Alliance's territory appeared before the group.
"When that time comes, each province will become an isolated island, overwhelmed by its own crises. Their defensive strengths have already been scouted. Devouring them piecemeal will pose no problem."
"The crux of the matter lies in the four central provinces of the Alliance and the Alliance Headquarters."
Scanning the roster of primary cultivators stationed in each province, Sun Erlang fixed his gaze on the very center of the miniature map.
After a moment's contemplation, Sun Erlang said, "When Master summoned me earlier, he dropped a subtle hint. When the time comes, he will employ earth-shattering means to directly seal off the four central provinces and the Alliance Headquarters. We will not need to worry about reinforcements from headquarters; we need only focus on resolving the battles in each province as quickly as possible."
"Additionally, there are the Alliance's secret realms hidden within the white mist and across various provinces. Before war begins, we will seal them off using arrays. Submerged Dragon Abyss, Fengwu City, Mount Cangmang, Chizha Immortal City... Although the forces stationed in each are not immense, combined, they cannot be underestimated. We must neutralize them one by one."
The other disciples listened with grave seriousness to Sun Erlang's battle plan.
Only Ou Shangtian wore a cheeky grin. "I have experienced the Alliance's mastery of arrays firsthand. It is hardly worth mentioning. The sealing array Master created personally will easily trap them for half a year to a year!"
"The only thing is, could we run short on materials for laying the arrays?" Ou Shangtian suddenly frowned, asking in confusion.
Sun Erlang smiled and produced a chunk of Kongming Stone Mother, placing it before everyone.
Ou Shangtian swept his gaze over the supplies contained inside the Stone Mother and instantly jumped to his feet in shock. "So much? Did we rob the Alliance's treasury?"
Sun Erlang chuckled heartily. "Master gave me three pieces in total. Every single one is packed to the brim. From what I know, Senior Ou Daozi was also granted abundant supplies. So you do not need to worry about strategic resources. Just prepare your arrays properly."
At the mention of his father, Ou Shangtian's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously.
Sun Erlang then turned his gaze toward the silent duo, Su Yuqing and Liuli.
Ever since the Sacred Emperor dispatched them to guard the subterranean netherworld, they had grown noticeably taciturn, as if tainted by the nether darkness itself.
"Junior Sister, how goes the formation of the reinforcements from the pocket worlds?" Sun Erlang asked.
"Faster than expected. Rest assured, the All-Realms Coalition will arrive on the battlefield on time," Su Yuqing said softly, her voice carrying a resolve she had not previously possessed.
While enlightening the Nether Race in the subterranean netherworld, she had faintly grasped the possible link between a pocket world's Heavenly Dao and its inhabitants.
Coupled with her past experience in the Li Realm, where she was favored and possessed by the Heavenly Dao, she was naturally predisposed to earning the affinity of pocket worlds' Heavenly Daos far more easily than other cultivators.
Leveraging this advantage, she traveled through various pocket worlds under the Sacred Emperor's decree.
Wielding both carrot and stick, combining enticements and coercion, she assembled a genuine "All-Realms Coalition" with terrifying efficiency.
Although expectations were modest regarding the actual combat prowess this coalition could display when the time came, their vast momentum would certainly suffice to bolster military prestige.
Most importantly, it prevented them from making trouble while the Sacred Dynasty fought its decisive battle against the Alliance.
"By the way, where has Senior Sister Lin Ling gone? Why haven't I seen her lately?" Ou Shangtian asked, somewhat curious.
Sun Erlang was evasive. "She has her own assignment from Master; I am not entirely sure either. But rest assured, she will certainly not miss this grand feast."
The disciples looked back toward the miniature map of the Alliance in unison.
Anticipation gleamed in every pair of eyes.
***
In the Sacred Dynasty's secret realm, within the testing ground—or rather, the academy—built for Master Yin.
Master Yin scratched his scalp, shoving the true self Dao foundation that had poked out from the crack in his skull back inside.
He sounded somewhat uncertain. "Isn't doing this a bit too hasty?"
"My Foundation Establishment method can be called a resounding success. But the Hunyuan Golden Core has only had half a chapter derived. As for everything beyond that, it is entirely a castle in the air, a reflection in water. It looks exquisite at first glance, but a single poke will burst it; it cannot withstand scrutiny!"
Sacred Emperor Li Ping sat at a wooden desk, occasionally browsing through a phantom manuscript, making deletions and revisions.
Around him, starry river-like anomalies born of enlightenment warped space, flickering in and out of view.
Master Yin forced himself to look away from the astonishing spectacle.
After a long while, the Sacred Emperor turned the final page of the phantom book, then began revising anew from the first page.
Only then did he reply, "As the saying goes, 'When the true is used as false, the false also becomes true.' So long as we make the world's cultivators believe this is a 'new new method' capable of breaking away from the system of Chuanfa's teachings and enabling independent cultivation..."
"Even if that belief lasts for only a few days, it will be enough."
"Besides, with this new new method being so obscure and diametrically opposed to Chuanfa's methods, how long do you think it will take the cultivators of Xuanhuang to verify its authenticity?"
As the Sacred Emperor spoke, he used his finger as a pen to make further amendments to the phantom book of the new new method.
Master Yin did not answer, merely muttering that phrase under his breath: "When the true is used as false, the false also becomes true..."
After a long silence, realization dawned upon him. "Indeed. Precisely because the world has never seen a new new method before, once we announce it and the most easily verifiable Foundation Establishment method proves true, they will naturally assume for the time being that all subsequent methods are genuine as well."
"And my repeated revisions are merely meant to make this deception more convincing," the Sacred Emperor said with a self-deprecating smile.
"Yet what is the point? In the end, it cannot shake Chuanfa's foundation, can it?" Master Yin scratched his scalp again.
"The methods of Chuanfa and the new new method are mutually incompatible. To practice this, one must switch allegiances and rebuild their Dao path from scratch. Those who choose to do so might not even be one in a thousand, but it is still a matter of waxing and waning."
"More importantly..."
As he spoke, the Sacred Emperor completed another round of edits on the phantom book.
Making no further changes, he closed the phantom tome.
Pressing both hands upon it, dazzling starlight surged across the covers.
In merely a few breaths, the phantom book—originally pure optical illusion—actually attained physical substance.
It became a genuine "book" existing in the mortal realm.
Handing this copy of the new new method to Master Yin, the Sacred Emperor stood up and continued, "More importantly, if we publish this new new method and the Alliance remains helpless to stop us..."
"Chuanfa will inevitably rush back from the distant starry skies," the Sacred Emperor said in a deep voice.
"This is what is called attacking what the enemy must save."
A gleam flashed across Master Yin's eyes, and he nodded slowly.
"Are you... confident in facing Chuanfa?" Master Yin asked after a moment's hesitation.
"It is merely a matter of giving my all," the Sacred Emperor paused, then spoke candidly.
Chapter 1286