The order came directly from the Administration Hall headquarters of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, complete with an Acting Island Master Token and detailed handover instructions. It was unmistakably genuine.
The official justification was that following the "Raid on Wanxian Island" incident, Li Fan was the highest-ranking surviving cultivator within the system in the Congyun Sea.
The two Soul Formation Immortal Lords, Ziyun and Hongxi, were unable to return for unforeseen reasons, so the position of Acting Island Master had naturally fallen to him.
Yet Li Fan felt not the slightest joy at this windfall.
After reading through the handover instructions once more, his brows knitted tightly.
Though Martial Practice Hall Special Executive was merely a nominal title, in terms of official bureaucratic rank, it was indeed a position reserved exclusively for cultivators at or above the Nascent Soul realm.
The grade was not low.
That part checked out. But across the vast Congyun Sea, there were bound to be quite a few cultivators within the system who held the same rank as him, scattered about and not captured by the Five Elders Association.
Why had this "grave responsibility" fallen squarely on Li Fan's shoulders?
He had no hidden backer in this life.
Was it a test, a warning, or an attempt to appease him?
Li Fan had no way of knowing.
Still, now that the order had been issued, overthinking it was pointless. Meet soldiers with generals, meet floodwaters with earth!
A cold glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes as he took flight toward the Congyun Sea.
Upon reaching the border of Shilin Province and drawing close to the Congyun Sea, he was once again stopped by the invisible barrier.
Li Fan drew out his communication talisman and infused it with spiritual energy to activate it.
A radiant glow bearing the character *Wan* shone from it, striking the barrier ahead.
Ripples spread across the surface. Li Fan tentatively reached out with his right hand. He felt an invisible substance adhere to his arm, shifting shape as he extended his limb forward.
At last, like a sticky bubble being punctured, it gave way. Thoughtful, Li Fan threw his entire body toward the invisible barrier.
The next instant, Li Fan's true body was back inside the Congyun Sea.
Following the location recorded in the handover instructions, Li Fan flew at full speed. Four days later, he reached his destination.
A massive, remarkably familiar Dust-Crossing Boat hovered quietly in the sky.
Upon the deck, numerous black-robed figures were faintly visible.
After musing for a moment, Li Fan flew up toward the Dust-Crossing Boat.
As though they had long known of his arrival, the passing black-robed cultivators made no move to stop him.
"Fellow Daoist Li Fan, come this way!" The instant his feet touched the deck, a voice resonated from deep within the boat.
Li Fan walked in the direction of the voice, unobtrusively sizing up the black-robed cultivators around him.
That familiar cold, murderous aura.
They had to be that group whose souls hailed from "Era," specialized in handling delicate and covert affairs.
The predecessors of the Heavenly Sorcerers who emerged after the establishment of the Profound Net in his previous life.
Not wanting to stir up trouble for now, Li Fan feigned an indifferent glance before looking away and continuing deeper inside.
Before long, he reached a room deep in the corridor and pushed the door open.
A white-haired young man sat before a long table with a grave expression.
Across the tabletop, countless characters and images flashed by in rapid succession.
Seeming to possess an inherent countermeasure against prying eyes, everything Li Fan saw was warped and blurred.
"Island Master Li, you have received the letter of appointment, so I will not waste words here."
Without looking up, his gaze never leaving the desk, the white-haired youth spoke impassively: "I have three main points to emphasize."
"First, the reconstruction work must be completed within six months."
"Second, the budget for this project is limited. You must exercise strict control over all material expenditures. If actual expenses exceed the approved ceiling and delay construction progress, you will bear the responsibility. Of course, if you complete the mission on time, that will naturally be a great merit, and rewards will certainly not be lacking!"
"Third, and most importantly..."
Only at this point did the white-haired youth raise his head to look at Li Fan.
Li Fan's heart jolted, for he discovered to his shock that the youth's eye sockets were completely hollow—filled with pitch-black emptiness.
"In the talisman appointment letter, there is no formal written instruction regarding this. Once I step outside this room, I will never admit to having said these words either. However, it is something you must carry out. If anything goes awry..."
The white-haired youth gave a cold snort and tapped his finger lightly on the table.
A streak of flowing light shot out from the surface of the desk, heading straight for Li Fan.
Li Fan raised a hand to block it. The moment the light touched his body, it vanished without a trace.
At the same time, a surge of information entered his mind.
"This is..."
Li Fan frowned slightly.
"The diagram for the Xuantian Nether-Locking Array," the white-haired youth explained, seemingly anticipating Li Fan's confusion.
"With Wanxian Island moved away, the Nether-Passage Tunnel Mouth at its base has been exposed. While constructing the new Congyun Immortal City, you must engrave the Xuantian Nether-Locking Array into the immortal city's foundation."
"With the array diagram guiding you, there is no need for you to be an expert in formations, so long as you are not entirely ignorant. As an ancient cultivator, this should pose no problem for you." Giving Li Fan no room to refuse, the white-haired youth preempted him.
"How should I address you, Fellow Daoist?" Li Fan frowned slightly, declining to agree outright and asking for his name instead.
The white-haired youth gazed at Li Fan with his eerie, hollow stare before finally saying, "Diyi Jinglun."
Li Fan's gaze narrowed slightly.
He had seen this name before.
In three years of cultivation, he went from mortal to Golden Core. As a Golden Core, he slew Nascent Souls and bested Soul Formations.
Decades ago, he was already at the pinnacle of Soul Formation. Yet when an opportunity for Dao Integration lay well within his grasp, he resolutely cast it aside—simply because that anima of Heaven and Earth was too weak and fell short of his standards.
The legendary figure who had left behind countless tales among cultivators: Young Master Jinglun.
Li Fan had long heard of his renown. He had never expected to encounter the man himself today.
Still, Li Fan had witnessed grand spectacles in his time. Unfazed, neither servile nor overbearing, he cupped his hands. "So it is Young Master Jinglun in person!"
"Even if this is an order from the Administration Hall headquarters of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, making me an Acting Island Master with no explanation and demanding that I set up some Xuantian Nether-Locking Array..."
"I cannot comply!"
Li Fan spoke in an uncompromising tone.
Diyi Jinglun's brow furrowed.
Feeling the space around his body grow progressively heavier, Li Fan's face betrayed not the slightest sign of distress.
He continued, "This matter is far too bizarre and reeks of conspiracy at every turn. Who can guarantee that your Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals will not slaughter the donkey once the mill is done turning?"
Hearing this, Diyi Jinglun paused, visibly taken aback.
With a faint smile, he withdrew his oppressive aura.
"So that is your concern..."
"There is truly no need."
Young Master Jinglun stood up and walked to the edge of the room.
With his movement, the entire bulkhead instantly became transparent.
As though standing atop the clouds, the vast Congyun Sea unfurled before them.
"Island Master Li, hailing from antiquity, you may not know that ever since the Great Tribulation descended, entities known as 'anomalies' have emerged across the world,"
Young Master Jinglun said slowly.
"And among all places, they appear most frequently and densely in a select few locations."
Chapter 494