"That truly is a pity, then." Yuwen Xing looked at Li Fan with a face full of regret.
Li Fan was just about to leave when a thought suddenly struck him.
He spoke up and asked, "Fellow Daoist Yuwen, may I ask what the cultivation level of the Tai'an Island guardian is?"
Yuwen Xing was taken aback, unsure why Li Fan would ask such a question.
Still, it was no secret, so he readily answered, "Fellow Daoist Zhou is at the mid Foundation Establishment stage. Speaking of which, not much time has passed since he broke through from the early Foundation Establishment stage to the mid Foundation Establishment stage—only twenty or thirty years, at most. Who would have thought he would be on the verge of breaking through again so soon? It truly fills one with envy!"
Yuwen Xing spoke with boundless admiration.
"So that's how it is." Li Fan nodded thoughtfully.
*This Zhou Qing'ang seems to have something odd about him...*
However, since he was planning to slip away regardless, the matter had nothing to do with him anyway. He merely committed it to memory.
After bidding farewell to Yuwen Xing, Li Fan traveled at high speed all the way to Yelan Island.
Su Xiaomei and the others were already fully assembled.
Six years had passed, and earth-shattering changes had taken place among the group.
Su Changyu had successfully entered the Qi Condensation stage.
What he cultivated was the Jade Restraint Art, which Xiao Heng had exchanged for him.
Over the past few years, Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei had been unable to reach Li Fan, so through Zhao Erbao's introduction, they had joined the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
Together, they took on missions and accumulated contribution points.
Both of them were now at peak late Qi Condensation and were actively preparing for Foundation Establishment.
Meanwhile, the sisters Yin Yueting and Yin Yuzhen had also successfully cleared the miasma from their bodies.
They simply had not yet succeeded in drawing qi into their bodies.
Although both of the youths were at the peak of Qi Condensation, the Form-Concealing Talisman activated on Li Fan's person meant he did not have to worry about Su Xiaomei and the others discerning his true cultivation level.
He asked Zhao Erbao, "How is the collection of artifacts with Dao charm coming along?"
Zhao Erbao had behaved himself over the past few years, having previously suffered immensely at Li Fan's hands.
Later, seeing the few brats Li Fan brought along skyrocketing in cultivation and surpassing him in just a few short years, Zhao Erbao was terrified and dared not step out of line in the slightest.
He promptly gave an honest report: "We are still short a few before there's enough to reproduce the Dao charm. It should take another year or two, and that should be about enough."
Li Fan shook his head. "There's no time left. Prepare to leave."
"Leave? Where to?" Zhao Erbao asked, somewhat bewildered.
"Yuandao Province," Li Fan answered, offering no further explanation.
Li Fan then looked toward Su Xiaomei and the rest.
"Are you willing to come with me?"
"Wherever Master goes, I go," Su Xiaomei said with a giggle, not asking why they had to leave so abruptly.
Even after so much time, for some reason, she still maintained the appearance of a seven- or eight-year-old child.
Seeing Li Fan ask, she immediately declared her loyalty.
"Naturally, we go with Xiaomei." Xiao Heng and Su Changyu voiced no objections either.
Yin Yueting, however, wore a conflicted expression. She was clearly reluctant to abandon the foundation of Tianbao Pavilion that she had painstakingly built over these years.
While she hesitated, her younger sister, Yin Yuzhen, gave her right leg a sharp kick.
Turning around to exchange a glance with her sister, Yin Yueting finally said, "We will come as well."
Li Fan nodded and made the final call: "Pack your belongings. We depart in seven days."
The reason so much preparation time was required was that transporting the artifacts with Dao charm was rather cumbersome.
They could not be placed in spatial storage equipment and had to be hauled by hand, piece by piece.
Fortunately, with everyone working together, they managed to load all the artifacts with Dao charm onto the Taiyan Boat within the allotted time.
As for Tianbao Pavilion's assets, Yin Yueting took only half.
The rest was left behind for the several elders who had stood by her side and labored with her throughout the years.
Everyone boarded the Taiyan Boat, preparing to depart.
Just then, a man suddenly rushed out from the crowd of Tianbao Pavilion members, crying out "Shopkeeper Yin!" as he fell to his knees and kowtowed on the ground.
It turned out that Yin Yueting had shown him immense kindness, and he could not bear to see her leave.
Li Fan looked over and recognized an acquaintance.
It was Elder Sun Zhang, who had served Tianbao Pavilion on Liuli Island in his previous life.
After a moment's thought, Li Fan brought him aboard the Taiyan Boat as well.
Aside from him, no one else from Tianbao Pavilion was willing to leave.
Li Fan then asked about the fat youth named Ye Feipeng.
From the chatter of the group's responses, Li Fan learned the truth.
It turned out that several years ago, after his last meeting with Traveling Agent Wu of the Wanhua Merchant Guild, Ye Feipeng had caught the man's eye.
Wu had taken him along, departing from the Congyun Sea to parts unknown.
Li Fan nodded and pressed no further.
Afterward, he steered the Taiyan Boat and set out toward Yuandao Province.
Li Fan had already traversed this route once before, so the journey proceeded without any mishaps.
After more than a month of travel, they arrived at Zhuoling City.
However, Li Fan had not anticipated bringing along so many artifacts with Dao charm.
The courtyard he had previously prepared as a foothold was somewhat too small.
There was simply no way to fit everything inside.
Therefore, Li Fan landed the Taiyan Boat outside Zhuoling City, concealed its presence with formations, and ordered Su Xiaomei and the others to stand guard.
He then went to see the guardian of Zhuoling City to ask whether there were suitable places nearby to establish a cave abode.
"A cave abode?"
The guardian of Zhuoling City was named Fei Nan, a cultivator at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
Hearing Li Fan's question, he was somewhat surprised.
Typically, cultivators of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals would choose to settle directly upon Yuandao Sky City, or simply stay within the Heavenly Profound Mirror at all times.
Only loose cultivators would go through the arduous trouble of opening a cave abode in the wilderness.
Still, there were always eccentric cultivators who preferred solitude.
Fei Nan did not pry.
Furthermore, with Li Fan generously offering a consultation fee of one hundred contribution points, Fei Nan warmly provided several locations for Li Fan to choose from.
The first location was a canyon located over two thousand li north of Zhuoling City.
Looking down from the sky, the peaks on both sides formed natural barriers protecting the gorge in the center.
Moreover, the canyon was rich in spiritual energy and was not too far from Yuandao Sky City.
The second location lay over three thousand li south of Zhuoling City, where a continuous mountain range stretched out.
This range was called Daoling Mountain.
According to legend, before the Great Calamity, it had been the site of a certain sect.
Within the Daoling Mountain Range, there were quite a few peaks well-suited for opening a cave abode.
The downside was that cultivators occasionally ventured into the mountains to search for sect ruins.
The third location was relatively remote.
Over five thousand li west of Zhuoling City, near Shilin Province, there was a vast, mist-shrouded lake called Mingyue Lake, spanning hundreds of li.
The lake itself produced no valuable specialties, there were no ancient ruins in the vicinity, and the surrounding concentration of spiritual energy was completely ordinary.
Consequently, cultivators rarely went anywhere near it.
***
Having heard him out, Li Fan thanked Fei Nan and took his leave.
Among these places, that great lake seemed rather suitable for a cave abode.
However, Li Fan was in no hurry to make a decision; seeing was believing.
He immediately regrouped with Su Xiaomei and the others, steered the Taiyan Boat, and set course toward Mingyue Lake.
Just as Li Fan and his companions were searching for their future foothold...
Upon the Congyun Sea, a grand drama had already quietly raised its curtain.
By this time, it was deep in the night.
Neither stars nor moon were visible, leaving the world shrouded in total darkness.
Wanxian Island was wrapped in absolute silence.
Suddenly, without the slightest warning, a blazing sun appeared high in the firmament.
The sunlight poured down fiercely, laying all creation bare.
It illuminated the nighttime Congyun Sea until it was as bright as day.
And beneath the blazing sun, high up in the sky...
A crimson, translucent figure abruptly revealed its form.
Chapter 141