"Thank you for the trouble, Fellow Daoist!" He Zhenghao cupped his hands with a beaming smile, then set off to return alongside Gao Yuan.
Watching their receding backs, Li Fan wore an inscrutable expression.
"Corrupted to such a degree in a mere year's time..."
"Heh. Not long ago, the two of them were guessing that I was a Longevity Heavenly Venerable who had suffered a drop in cultivation, hoping to follow behind me to secure a bright future."
"And now they dare to deceive both their superiors and those below them."
A glint of cold light flashed through Li Fan's eyes.
After all, the battle of Tianling Province in this lifetime had been orchestrated entirely by his own hand.
He had also long anticipated that some of the cultivators participating in the fundraising plan would perish in the battle of Tianling Province.
However, he had never brought this up to He Zhenghao of his own accord.
It was precisely to see what choice He Zhenghao would make when faced with unclaimed principal.
And the result...
"The human heart truly cannot withstand the test."
"Especially in the face of so many contribution points. Once accustomed to astronomical figures easily in the hundreds of millions, how could one remain content with one's own meager stipend?"
"They were bound to seek a bit of extra income."
Li Fan shook his head inwardly; it wasn't so much disappointment.
It was merely that he had originally intended, for the sake of the Mountain-Sitting Art and the hard work He Zhenghao had put in over previous lifetimes, to arrange a way out for him when the Crimson Flame Burning Sea arrived in the future.
As for now...
He would reconsider it in the next life.
Expressionless, Li Fan began selecting the personnel for this conscription from among the cultivators within the Congyun Sea system.
Indeed, at the start of a war, the first to be conscripted were members within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' system.
After all, if one enjoyed the special treatment of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, one naturally had to bear the corresponding responsibilities.
"Zhu Yongshou..."
"This person was once insolent. Circle him."
"Qi Yan. Hmm, no recollection of him. Never saw this person at the groundbreaking ceremony for the reconstruction of Congyun City, nor at the immortal city's foundation-laying ceremony. Circle him too."
"Zhao Kuo, Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals Congyun Sea Cultivator Feedback Collection Specialist?"
Li Fan glanced over the entry and paused slightly.
He had reincarnated in the Congyun Sea for so many years, and in this lifetime had been presiding over the government affairs of the Congyun Sea for some time.
Yet he had never once had the privilege of laying eyes on this person.
What happened to collecting feedback?
"If you don't die, who will?" Li Fan made a sweep of his brush, circling this person as well.
...
In just a short while, the Cultivator Conscription Roster that had caused He Zhenghao and Gao Yuan such immense agonizing was complete.
Generally speaking, Li Fan was fairly casual when choosing cultivators' names.
After all, in Li Fan's eyes, even if they could escape the great battle of Tianling Province, they could not escape the Crimson Flame Burning Sea.
It was merely the difference between dying earlier or later.
On the requisition order, the two of them had already stamped the Divine Seal of the Secret Script Emissary that Li Fan had specially left behind before entering seclusion.
Now it only required "Zhou Qing'ang" to add his seal and issue it.
Before long, "Zhou Qing'ang" completed the final procedure.
"Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. Zhou Qing'ang did all of this; it has nothing to do with me, Li Fan."
Li Fan felt not the slightest burden in his heart.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou truly acts with vigor and dispatch! Heh, looks like we'll have to trouble you again next time!" He Zhenghao's admiring voice soon came through.
Li Fan smiled slightly and brushed him off perfunctorily.
Beneath the sea, inside the crystal palace.
After a mere half a day, Sima Changkong, who had gone out to gather ingredients for brewing wine, hurried back.
"Oh? Brother Sima, so quick?" Li Fan could not help asking in surprise.
"Alas, Brother Li misunderstands."
Sima Changkong shook his head repeatedly, explaining, "An urgent matter came up, which is why I rushed back so suddenly."
"The ingredients for the Tianqing Brew are difficult to gather, and I haven't had time to prepare them yet. If you wish to drink to your heart's content, Fellow Daoist, you may have to wait a little longer." An apologetic look appeared on his face.
"No matter!" Li Fan waved his hand, indicating he did not mind.
"What on earth happened to make Brother Sima in such a rush?" Li Fan then asked curiously.
"Some extraordinary things appeared on the battlefield in Tianling Province, and my Blood-Dividing Avatar was unfortunately destroyed. So I had to hurry back to craft a new one," Sima Changkong replied, looking somewhat helpless.
"Extraordinary things?" Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly, ushering Sima Changkong inside the crystal palace to sit.
"Yes. When I saw it, I was startled out of my wits as well." Sima Changkong seemed exhausted, having pushed his escape technique to the utmost to return.
Yet after resting for only a brief moment, he retrieved a black canister from somewhere.
Forming hand seals, he crushed the canister.
An instant later, a copious amount of blood gushed forth from it.
It seemed as though it had just been drawn from a body, its pungent, coppery scent still sharp.
The blood squirmed in midair, slowly taking on a vague humanoid shape.
Making no attempt to hide from Li Fan, Sima Changkong lightly tapped his forehead with his right index finger, drawing out a droplet of blood that gleamed with seven-colored radiance.
He then melded it into the mass of blood before him.
A faint glow shone forth, and before long, a clone identical to Sima Changkong appeared before the two of them.
Retrieving garments to clothe the clone, the clone cupped its hands toward the two of them and flew off into the distance toward Tianling Province.
Only then did Sima Changkong breathe a sigh of relief.
Yet he appeared even weaker, his face pale, barely able to stand steadily.
Seeing this, Li Fan hurried forward to support him and help him sit down.
Only after quite a while did Sima Changkong recover his breath.
"How are you feeling, Fellow Daoist?" Li Fan did not rush to inquire about the situation on the battlefield of Tianling Province, asking with concern first instead.
"I'm fine. A short rest will do," Sima Changkong shook his head slightly, speaking feebly.
"That is good. So this body of Fellow Daoist is your true self? I had thought it was merely another Blood-Dividing Avatar."
"Heh, after cultivating the Bloodline Historical Records, how could there still be any 'true self'?" Sima Changkong said with a wry smile. "It's just that only here in the Congyun Sea do I still have essence blood stored, enabling me to immediately craft a new clone."
Hearing this, Li Fan understood at once.
Soon, however, he frowned and said, "Observing your method of crafting clones, Brother Sima, it seems to severely deplete your vital essence?"
"You are not mistaken, Fellow Daoist. That is why I need to drink some Tianqing Brew regularly to replenish my body's deficits," Sima Changkong nodded.
"Good grief! Then my indulging in so much of Brother Sima's Tianqing Brew, wouldn't that mean..." Li Fan stamped his foot and sighed, putting on a look of deep remorse.
"Heh, Brother Li, there is no need to take it to heart!" Sima Changkong comforted Li Fan instead.
"As I told you before, cultivating our Sima clan's Blood History method makes one's lifespan no different from that of a mortal."
"A human life is a mere few decades—truly like a white colt fleeting past a crevice, gone in an instant."
"In such a brief life, having met a kindred spirit like Brother Li, I can die with no regrets."
"Therefore, one should drink one's fill today while wine is at hand! You accompany me in drinking heartily each day, Fellow Daoist—I cannot thank you enough, so how could I ever blame you?" Sima Changkong explained.
Chapter 562