"My homeland is named Great Li."
"Unlike yours, a towering volcano stands at the center of Great Li."
"Every so often, it erupts, claiming countless lives."
"What is more, in recent years, its disturbances have grown increasingly frequent."
"It is obvious that Great Li's ultimate fate is to be completely swallowed by volcanic lava."
"Several centuries ago, I came to the Xuanhuang Realm alone, trying to find a way to save my homeland."
Reminiscence showed in Li Fan's eyes as he spoke to Li Chenfeng and the others.
"Unfortunately, although I found a method to temporarily suppress the volcano, eradicating the danger once and for all remains beyond my reach at my current cultivation."
"However, that is not the main point."
Li Fan abruptly shifted the conversation.
"During my time in the Xuanhuang Realm, I have encountered many mortals like myself who smuggled their way here from minor worlds."
"Their lives are usually fraught with hardship. Moved by their plight, I have always done my best to lend a helping hand."
"It was precisely because of this that I was able to join the organization I belong to today. That is also why I came looking for you."
Li Chenfeng and the others froze. "What organization?"
Li Fan spoke with utter solemnity. "An organization dedicated to uniting all the outer territories to counterattack the cultivation world."
"Counter... attack the cultivation world?" All three men present were horrified.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Li Fan gave a slight nod.
"Indeed!"
"A thousand years ago, full of anguish and indignation, we were driven from our homeland."
"Over the long passage of time, the vast majority have lost all memory of their ancestral land."
"Yet there remains a group of people who have kept all of it etched into their hearts."
"They swore that one day, they would return here. They would take back everything that originally belonged to them."
Channeling his Seven-Apertures Exquisite Heart, Li Fan spoke in a voice laden with compelling allure.
"Compared to the minor worlds we inhabit, how vast is the Xuanhuang Realm?"
"Bursting with vitality, possessing everything one could desire."
"Yet it has been usurped by those damned cultivators! Meanwhile, we are forced to huddle in barren, cramped territories, struggling just to survive."
"How grossly unfair!" Li Fan fumed.
Li Chenfeng and his companions mentally compared the world where the Empire lay to the Xuanhuang Realm.
They could not help but nod in agreement.
"Compared to the colossal alliance of cultivators, we are well aware that our own strength is far too feeble."
"Only by uniting every ounce of strength is it possible to contend with them."
"In fact, five hundred years ago, we made an attempt."
"Regrettably, we had not gathered enough allies back then, and in the end, our efforts fell just short of success."
"Even so, we did not give up."
Li Fan's eyes burned bright as he gazed at Li Chenfeng and the others.
"All these years, we have been searching for new allies, quietly rebuilding our strength."
"The outer minor worlds are countless; no one knows how many have yet to be united."
"Yet just like you, all who smuggle themselves here tread with the utmost caution. Consequently, progress has been exceedingly slow."
"I only took notice of you recently. After a bit of testing, sure enough..."
Zhu Shaotang seemed to recall something and said in sudden realization, "The campaign to counterattack the cultivation world five hundred years ago?"
"That incident is indeed documented in the history of the Xuanhuang Realm compiled by the Empire."
A flicker of regret crossed Li Chenfeng's eyes, though he quickly masked it.
He fell into contemplation for a moment before asking cautiously, "So Senior's purpose in coming here today is to have our Empire join the organization?"
"Indeed!" Li Fan nodded.
Zhu Shaotang was about to speak when Li Chenfeng held him back.
This young man was clearly the leader among the three.
Looking at Li Fan, he gave a tactful reply: "Junior deeply admires the organization's grand ambitions."
"However, our Empire's strength is too weak. Even if we join, I fear we would be of little help and would only become a burden instead..."
Li Fan raised a hand, cutting off Li Chenfeng's words.
"I have already seen the Empire's strength clearly in your dreams."
"While it is not particularly formidable, it barely qualifies for the upper-middle ranks among the numerous worlds that have joined our organization."
"There is no need to belittle yourselves."
Li Fan looked at Li Chenfeng with a faint, knowing smile. "Besides, even for those minor worlds entirely devoid of supernatural power, the organization has never rejected their applications to join."
"After all, every bit of strength counts. If you lack power, providing manpower suffices."
"The organization will train qualified combatants for you free of charge."
The unmistakable refusal to take no for an answer was plain in Li Fan's words, and Li Chenfeng's smile gradually turned strained.
Just as he was about to make another effort to resist, he saw Li Fan's expression turn chillingly cold.
Li Chenfeng's heart sank to rock bottom.
A tense atmosphere began to spread through the secret chamber.
Yet for some reason, after a brief pause, Li Fan's demeanor softened once more.
He gave a cold snort and said, "I had not intended to tell you, but it seems you still pin your hopes on that ridiculous escape plan."
"What spineless defeatists..."
Li Fan said coldly, "I will tell you the truth: your plan to deploy one hundred thousand Realm-Rifting Whales in an attempt to escape the Xuanhuang Realm cannot possibly succeed."
"The moment you break away from the Xuanhuang Realm will be the very day of your Empire's demise!"
Li Chenfeng and the other two were completely stunned.
"Senior, what do you mean by that?"
"See for yourselves!"
Li Fan pointed a finger toward the foreheads of the three men.
In an instant, Li Chenfeng felt his surroundings dissolve into nothingness.
It was as if he stood amidst an endless void.
Far in the distance, an enormous cluster of light flickered.
A streak of light flew out from the cluster, attempting to break away.
Yet strangely, once it had traversed a certain distance from the light cluster,
it abruptly altered its flight trajectory, irreversibly soaring upward instead.
There, it was as if some terrifying monstrosity had opened a bloody, gaping maw, exerting a pull to swallow it whole.
...
Cold sweat broke out on the foreheads of Li Chenfeng and his companions, and they collapsed to the floor in sheer panic.
"What was that?"
Li Chenfeng stared fixedly at Li Fan, his eyes brimming with terror.
"Why do you think we are willing to risk our lives to counterattack the cultivation world?"
"Because we have nowhere left to flee,"
Li Fan said with utter mockery.
"That is the Immortal Ruins—an unknown, terrifying entity covetously watching over the entire Xuanhuang Realm."
"The Xuanhuang Realm is vast and boundless; before the Immortal Ruins, it may yet endure for quite some time."
"Yet as for the minor worlds we inhabit, that is far harder to say."
"Not to mention that utterly laughable plan your Empire painstakingly devised."
Li Fan dealt blow after blow to Li Chenfeng's composure.
The three men of the Empire also realized what kind of fate would await their nation if they broke away from the Xuanhuang Realm.
Their faces could not help but turn deathly pale.
"Thus, joining us is your only way out,"
Li Fan stated plainly.
Chapter 431