Inside Mingyue Palace.
Still unaware that danger was about to arrive, Li Fan was looking at a message from Kou Hong and could not help laughing ruefully.
“Brother Li Fan, you have no idea how unlucky Dao Xuanzi and I have been these past few years!
“Last time, we went through all that trouble to rush to Cangwu Province. No sooner had our front feet arrived than news broke that the flaming meteor had already been found.
“We didn’t even catch a glimpse of what it looked like before we had to slink back in defeat.
“This time, Dao Xuanzi and I ventured deep into the Baishi Grotto-Heaven on the border of Shilin Province, narrowly escaping with our lives before finally unearthing a technique scroll.
“You might not believe it, but it was actually a Nascent Soul true technique!
“I was thrilled out of my mind at the time. But when I looked closely, someone was already cultivating this technique!
“When we looked into it, damn it all, it was actually being sold in the Heavenly Profound Mirror!
“I practically spat up a mouthful of blood!
“Dao Xuanzi and I didn’t even dare take a single look at the technique’s contents! We were terrified the Protector Hall would come hunting us down!
“I really don’t know whether to call it good fortune or bad luck!”
…
“Baishi Grotto-Heaven…” Instead of replying to Kou Hong, Li Fan murmured the name to himself, put away the communication talisman, and opened the True Reversion interface.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Late Foundation Establishment
Physiological Age: 71/399
Psychological Age: 591/3669↑
Reversion Charging Progress: 200%
Anchor Charging Progress: 2%
Current Anchors: 1
Available Anchors: 2
In this life, aided by the Mountain-Sitting Formula, his cultivation speed was unimaginably swift.
At a mere seventy-one years of age, he had already broken through to late Foundation Establishment.
With his ominous premonitions growing increasingly pronounced, Li Fan had also spent these past years continuously liquidating Mingyue Palace’s contribution points.
First, he redeemed eight wonders of Man, directly unlocking the second anchor for True Reversion.
However, when attempting to unlock a third anchor, Li Fan discovered that the effect of ordinary wonders of heaven and earth had become negligible.
A single wonder of Man now increased progress by only one percent.
It was a pity that Li Fan lacked the authority to redeem a wonder of Earth.
Otherwise, with his ample supply of contribution points, he could have tested how effective a wonder of Earth would be.
Authority within the Heavenly Profound Mirror could only be raised by holding a position in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals—such as serving as a warden for an island or a city—and earning a certain amount of merit.
It was a system that ran entirely parallel to contribution points.
Li Fan remembered that recommending a cultivator to join the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals awarded both contribution points and merits.
Recommending an early Qi Condensation cultivator was recorded as a medium Grade D merit.
Recommending a late Qi Condensation cultivator was recorded as a superior Grade D merit.
However, as to how such merits within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals were converted into clearance levels, Li Fan, standing outside the official establishment, had found no answers even after searching.
Aside from wonders, Li Fan had also redeemed vast quantities of another resource.
Walking over to the Mind Ape God-Startling Formation, Li Fan looked at the dense white mist swirling around the perimeter and smiled faintly.
The white mist radiated a heart-palpitating aura that instinctively made one want to stay far away.
A web woven from golden light firmly sealed and anchored the white mist beside the Mind Ape God-Startling Formation.
“Essence-Devouring White Mist arranged into a grand god-startling array: the Essence-Devouring God-Startling Formation.
“It can amplify the mist’s lifespan-devouring properties to an extreme degree. Even against a Dao Integration cultivator, it should be able to hold them off for a brief moment.
“Unless they go ruthless, willing to suffer having their lifespan drained just to slay me.
“Still, it’s only a mere two million contribution points, and none of it was fleeced from them. Surely there wouldn’t be such deep-seated hatred.”
Upon second thought, however, Li Fan still felt uneasy.
“Who knows if I might run into some spiteful fool who can’t bear to see others quietly amass a fortune? No, I must prepare more.
“When a great powerhouse takes action, they will certainly seal space. We won’t be able to escape through random teleportation.
“I need to find a better way.”
…
While Li Fan was racking his brains, searching for an airtight plan to preserve his life, the two sisters Yin Yueting and Yin Yuzhen wore completely different expressions.
“Sister, is it true that you had a premonition of great auspiciousness coming our way? Why do I feel so uneasy?” Yin Yueting asked, bewildered. This was the first time she had ever doubted her younger sister’s gift.
“It’s not just me; even Xiaomei and Xiao Heng feel the same,” Yin Yueting added, her brow furrowing slightly.
Yin Yuzhen dismissed her worries and said earnestly, “It’s true, Sister! Great fortune! Truly, enormously great fortune!”
Yin Yuzhen gestured exaggeratedly with her hands. “Ever since I was born, I’ve never had such a strong premonition! Something wonderful is definitely going to happen!”
She spoke with absolute conviction.
Seeing how certain her sister was, Yin Yueting finally set her mind at ease.
She instinctively touched the square silver pendant hanging against her chest.
“With this random teleportation necklace distributed by Senior, even if we encounter disaster, we should be able to keep our lives,” Yin Yueting consoled herself.
…
By the shore of Mingyue Lake.
Mingyue Palace had ceased Dharma-lending for some time now, yet a small group of peak Qi Condensation cultivators remained gathered here.
They lingered in hopes that the grand enterprise would resume, allowing them to seize the upper hand.
On this day, the cultivators were chatting idly, discussing the current state of Yuandao Province.
After nearly seven years of frenzied slaughter, the great war between the Blue Feather and Burning Feather factions was finally approaching a standstill.
Both sides had suffered staggering casualties, to the point where they could barely sustain their standing.
Rumor had it that they had held several rounds of negotiations, yet they had failed to reach an agreement that satisfied both parties.
“What is that?” a cultivator gazing out across the lake suddenly cried out in shock.
The others immediately turned to look.
From the sky above, a slender silver thread hung straight down, coming from an unknown origin.
In a flash, it reached from the heavens to the earth.
It then swept swiftly around Mingyue Lake.
In just a few breaths, the silver-white thread had drawn a complete loop.
Like a set of shackles, it bound the eight-hundred-li Mingyue Lake.
Witnessing this bizarre scene, a few alert cultivators realized something was wrong and immediately flew off into the distance.
Most, however, remained rooted to the spot, utterly at a loss.
Once the silver-white thread encircled the lake, it gave off a faint radiance.
Then, as if hoisted upward by an unseen hand, it pulled!
In an instant, the earth shook violently.
Amid churning waters, the crowd of cultivators watched in stunned disbelief as the immense Mingyue Lake was dragged along, slowly rising into the air.
It was not just the lake water—the soil, bedrock, and even Mingyue Palace built upon the lake bottom were all hauled along, soaring higher and higher.
At this moment, it was not only Mingyue Lake.
Across the entirety of Yuandao Province, countless cultivators beheld a sight they would never forget.
From every corner of Yuandao Province, great lakes, peaks, and cities were caught by dozens of slender threads descending from the firmament, steadily drawn upward into the high heavens.
Chapter 158