A Shady Deal

Whether the Tian Beast truly looked like a softshell turtle was something impossible to verify today. However, once he had a specific name, searching for relevant records became far easier. Though most accounts consisted only of scattered phrases, it was essentially certain that in the distant ancient era, the Tian Beast had existed as something akin to a totem. It seemed closely intertwined with a certain faith. Li Fan murmured thoughtfully, "The Tian Beast should belong to the Profound Heaven Sect. "During the war where the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao wiped out the Profound Heaven Sect, the Tian Beast fell and transformed into the nine mountains. "Senior Sister Zhao once said that the Profound Heaven Sect usurped Heaven's authority and could grant mortals [Imprints], allowing them to wield all manner of divine abilities usually reserved for cultivators. "Since it could grant them, it naturally could also strip them away. "Perhaps on the Tianling Province battlefield, the cultivators targeted by the green light lost their ability to fly for this very reason, plummeting from the sky in droves. "In my previous life, the Profound Net in my memory rarely exhibited such an ability to strip powers away. Eliminating rebellious cultivators usually required dispatching the black-robed Heavenly Sorcerers. "Its strength lay more in surveillance, bestowal, and similar functions." A moment later, Li Fan frowned inwardly. "Heavenly Profound Spirit Lock, Profound Heaven Spirit Seal... perhaps these are merely two sides of the same power originally held by the Profound Heaven Sect. "The so-called 'bestowing' and 'stripping' are both an act of Usurping Heaven—the exercise of Heaven's authority." With this thought, Li Fan produced a blank encrypted jade slip and subtly circulated the Dao Transformation Stone in his mind. The structural schematics of the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation, etched indelibly in his memory from his previous life, were swiftly inscribed into the jade slip. However, Li Fan made a few minor alterations, intentionally omitting the delicate structures of the central core. It took nearly half a day to complete the recording of the formation diagram. Holding the jade slip, his expression flickered between light and dark. "The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals won a great victory in Tianling Province and appears to hold the absolute upper hand. Yet all these apparent advantages are an illusion. "The Longevity Heavenly Venerables of the Five Elders Association have stayed their hands only because of their past agreement with Chuanfa. "In truth, the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable has already..." Suddenly, Li Fan paused. Initially, he had assumed that the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable had already departed the Xuanhuang Realm. If this truth came to light, the Alliance would stand virtually no chance before the Five Elders Association and its five Longevity Heavenly Venerables. Leaking the Spirit-Locking Formation diagram to the Five Elders Association might cause the Alliance's position to collapse rapidly, exposing the fact that they were strong in appearance but weak within. Yet he soon recognized a flaw in his reasoning. In his previous life, it was only in Year 41 of the Anchor Point that Senior Sister Zhao probed the situation, finally confirming that the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable had long drifted away. No one truly knew when he had left. One could only glimpse faint clues from the Alliance's plan, established in Year 24 of the Anchor Point, to roll out the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation everywhere. Even so, Li Fan recalled that when array prodigies like him were initially trained, the Alliance had not been in such a frantic rush. Perhaps it was because the Alliance had not yet realized Chuanfa's departure. Or perhaps... The Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable had genuinely not left yet at that time. *Should I fan the flames and probe them once?* Li Fan hesitated for a moment. After long contemplation, however, he ultimately set that idea aside for now. His primary objective in this life remained reaching the Nascent Soul realm. Only if the Alliance won the battle of Tianling Province and relocated the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven would Li Fan have the chance to explore the mysterious void that continually birthed the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens. If the Alliance suffered a crushing defeat, no eggs would remain unbroken beneath the overturned nest, leaving him with no room to move freely. *Still, I cannot leave the Alliance entirely without pressure. If the Five Elders Association suffers defeat after defeat, the Alliance will think their enemy is utterly feeble and won't feel any need to relocate the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven. That would be quite awkward.* After mulling it over, Li Fan crushed the encrypted jade slip in his hand to dust. He retrieved another blank one and began inscribing anew. This time, he removed the entire central portion of the formation, preserving only the structural diagrams of the outermost regions. "Discerning the whole from a single part. The Five Elders Association certainly has no shortage of array geniuses. Based on the fragment I provide, completely deciphering the Spirit-Locking Formation might be impossible. "Yet formulating some countermeasures against it shouldn't be an issue." Having labored to complete this masterpiece, Li Fan's eyes gleamed as he placed the encrypted jade slip into a separate storage ring. *** Three days later. Li Fan met once again with the spy from the Five Elders Association. "Fellow Daoist Zhou, what is the word?" The moment Li Fan appeared, the man asked impatiently. "We can obtain the diagrams," Li Fan said bluntly. The cultivator froze in surprise, followed by an expression of ecstatic disbelief. Before long, however, Li Fan poured cold water over his excitement. "However, it is only the structural diagram of the outer formation... "Moreover, it is only the first generation. This Profound Heaven Spirit-Sealing Formation has since undergone countless iterations and revisions; it has likely changed beyond recognition. "It can serve as a reference for you at best," Li Fan said indifferently. Hearing this, the cultivator felt a flicker of disappointment. Yet he soon rallied his spirits. Obtaining even the original outer formation diagram was already a monumental contribution. This outcome was far more reasonable and within expectations. After all, the secrecy level of the Profound Heaven Spirit-Sealing Formation ranked among the highest in the entire Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals. The Five Elders Association had sacrificed several deeply embedded spies without unearthing the slightest shred of information. Had the man before him made grandiose promises and agreed to everything without hesitation, he would have had to wonder whether this was an elaborate trap—or if the person standing before him was the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable himself. "No matter. An original diagram is already extraordinary." Looking at Li Fan with eager anticipation, the cultivator asked, "What are your conditions?" Li Fan said in a deep voice, "I believe you know the value of this diagram very well. I will not elaborate; it is simply something contribution points cannot measure. "However, our demand is quite simple." Li Fan's eyes grew profound, a faint, unfathomable expression crossing his face. "Your Five Elders Association must coordinate with our actions at certain critical moments." The spy started, his brow furrowing. "What do you mean by that?" Li Fan did not answer, continuing on his own, "With the power of a [Contract], I trust you will not go back on your word. "Rest assured, we will not make unreasonable demands. "At a crucial juncture, at most within the scope of a single province, we will require the Five Elders Association to provide assistance." The spy fell into silence. "Wait a moment." He turned his back and shut his eyes, seemingly seeking instructions from his superiors. After a long time, he finally turned back around, dripping with cold sweat. "We agree to this deal."