Counterattacking the Cultivation World

According to the intelligence Jiao Xiuyuan had provided earlier, Sikong Yi visited this cave abode at regular intervals. Li Fan simply decided to wait here. Fortune was on his side. A dozen or so days later, Li Fan opened his eyes from his meditation. Sikong Yi and Baili Chen walked expressionlessly into their hidden cave abode. When they caught sight of Li Fan lying in ambush inside, astonishment and disbelief immediately surfaced on their faces. "You—" Before another word could be uttered, they were caught by Li Fan's Insect Binding divine ability. No words were wasted; he executed them on the spot. He waited until their resurrection count was completely exhausted and they had thoroughly vanished from the world. Li Fan gathered up the Stealing Heaven Changing Sun Token lying on the ground and began refining an avatar. Under normal circumstances, an avatar's cultivation lagged behind the true self by only one minor realm. However, Li Fan discovered that refining a Foundation Establishment avatar inevitably required adding a wonder of heaven and earth as a material. "Perhaps the Stealing Heaven Changing Sun Art was indeed formidable in ancient times, but after the Immortal Venerable imparted the Dharma, it became practically useless. "No wonder the Stealing Heaven Changing Sun Sect declined with each passing generation. "In any case, this avatar is meant to be sent to its death, so there is no point in wasting a wonder of heaven and earth. "A cultivation level of perfected Qi Condensation will suffice." After some consideration, Li Fan began refining the avatar. This was already Li Fan's third time refining an avatar, and he was thoroughly familiar with the process. Before long, the avatar once again appeared in the world. Donning its clothes, the avatar departed on its own for Lingyun Island to join the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals. Li Fan did not leave. Instead, he took out He Zhenghao's communication talisman and transmitted a message. "Fellow Daoist He, I have been traveling outside these past few days and happened to hear some unsavory rumors concerning you." He Zhenghao replied very quickly: "Unsavory rumors? Haha, you must be mistaken, Fellow Daoist. I make friends far and wide, and my reputation and public image are impeccable. How could there be..." "Oh? So those grapevine rumors saying you help mortals smuggle themselves across are all false? How truly abominable—to fabricate malicious slander like that! Yet the rumors were spun quite convincingly, mentioning the Li Realm and all..." "Cough, cough, cough..." Before Li Fan could finish, He Zhenghao's flustered voice came through. "Where did you hear this, Fellow Daoist?" "This matter requires a face-to-face discussion. Are you free, Fellow Daoist? If so, please trouble yourself to make a trip to my Liuli Island," He Zhenghao said, his tone turning somewhat grave. "Haha, I have time, plenty of time," Li Fan chuckled. Stowing the communication talisman, he headed straight for Liuli Island. Stepping out of the teleportation array, Li Fan exchanged greetings with He Zhenghao. Immediately afterward, He Zhenghao activated the Mountains and Rivers Starry Array. Having studied array formations for decades, Li Fan's discerning eye was entirely different from before. The mountains and rivers rotated overhead like celestial bodies. The power of this formation was noticeably superior even to the Kan Spirit Illusory Wave Grand Formation he had purchased. "This Island-Protecting Grand Formation of yours is truly extraordinary!" Li Fan praised. "Oh? You understand formations as well, Fellow Daoist?" A look of surprise flashed across He Zhenghao's face. "Only a little, only a little. The Dao of formations is vast and profound. Without an accomplished master to show the way, relying purely on self-study makes for excruciatingly slow progress," Li Fan said with a sigh. "Haha, if you don't mind, you can always come to my place to discuss them with me." The moment formations were mentioned, He Zhenghao grew animated, temporarily casting aside the reason he had invited Li Fan over in the first place. "I am not boasting. Speaking solely of formations and disregarding cultivation realm, even ordinary Nascent Soul formation masters on Wanxian Island might not surpass me. Perhaps only three or four people, such as Zhang Zhiliang and Gong Boyu, can barely edge me out. "Most of this Mountains and Rivers Starry Array was constructed by my own hands," He Zhenghao declared with utter confidence. Li Fan chuckled and did not pursue the topic. Instead, he asked, "Let us set aside the matter of formations for now. Did you call me over regarding that business of smuggling mortals?" The expression on He Zhenghao's face instantly froze. "Sigh." He let out a heavy sigh. "I won't conceal it from you, Fellow Daoist. I indeed run a secret business helping mortals smuggle themselves across. I always thought I had concealed it flawlessly, never expecting word to leak out. Where on earth did you hear about this?" He Zhenghao looked thoroughly distressed and bewildered. "Not long ago, I went to attend a fish picking session. That was when I overheard people casually discussing rumors about you. As for who they were specifically, I didn't recognize them," Li Fan replied, having already prepared his excuse. Upon hearing this, He Zhenghao felt his heart turn cold. "Disaster! Every time fish picking is held, an immense number of cultivators attend! The fact that I smuggle mortals might already have spread across the entire Congyun Sea by now!" "Haha, there is no need to frighten yourself like that, Fellow Daoist," Li Fan offered consolingly. "Besides, isn't it just helping mortals return to the cultivation world? Even if it touches upon a taboo, it isn't catastrophic. After all, you are a Foundation Establishment cultivator and an island warden. Could the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals truly do anything severe to you?" Li Fan added with deliberate nonchalance. He Zhenghao shook his head repeatedly, sighing. "You don't dabble in this line of work, so it's natural you don't know the inside story. Smuggling mortals across is far from just touching upon a taboo. "If they truly make an issue of it, in the worst-case scenario, it will be handled as the crime of realm treason. When that happens, forget the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals—not even the Five Elders Association would offer me shelter." Li Fan was genuinely taken aback this time. "The crime of realm treason? How could it be that severe?" He Zhenghao said helplessly, "Isn't it all because of that farce five hundred years ago?" Following his explanation, Li Fan finally understood what had happened. Back during the Great Migration Plan, the small worlds and grotto-heavens to which mortals were relocated numbered in the tens of thousands. Several millennia had passed since then. Those places had originally all been lands severed from immortality, completely devoid of spiritual energy. Yet through various strokes of fortune, some among them eventually birthed extraordinary forms of power. In some, spiritual energy revived, and mortal smugglers carried methods of dispelling the immortal-mortal miasma back to their homelands, reopening the immortal path. Some developed body-refining secret arts, focusing purely on tempering their physical forms. Their bodies grew so formidable that an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator's attacks felt like mere tickles. Some remained physically frail themselves, yet mastered methods to communicate with spirit beasts, unleashing formidable combat strength by directing those beasts in battle. ... Harboring resentment over having been forcibly driven from their homelands back then, these small worlds, swayed by someone's lobbying, actually managed to reach an agreement. They united to launch a counterattack on the cultivation world! It was said that several dozen small worlds responded at the time, creating an immense momentum. The allied forces of the small worlds appeared out of nowhere, catching the cultivators of that era completely off guard. "Yet in the end, they were nothing more than a disorganized mob. Once Dao Integration Immortal Venerables stepped in, they easily suppressed them! "Throughout the entire ordeal, we barely suffered any cultivator casualties. "That is why it was called a farce. "Come to think of it, counterattacking the cultivation world? Haha, how could that ever be possible! "Still, with that precedent set, both the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and the Five Elders Association established strict regulations regarding it." He Zhenghao furrowed his brows deeply, his face filled with anxiety.