The Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation circulated on its own, and within a few breaths, even the damage to his divine sense had completely vanished.
"Phew..."
"Not only did he neutralize my Formless Killing Intent with a mere gesture, but he could even strike my divine sense from such an immense distance."
"If I hadn't had the Heavenly Venerable Wuyou statue protecting me, my sea of consciousness might have suffered devastating trauma."
Li Fan looked down at the Manifest Heavenly Venerable Statue in his hand. After emitting a faint white glow, it dissolved like mist and disappeared without a trace.
"Old Man Yufu, beyond Dao Integration... he truly is terrifying."
Startled as Li Fan was, he felt no fear; instead, a gleam of excitement flashed across his eyes.
He had never anticipated that matters would proceed so smoothly.
Ever since he noticed Han Yi drifting dazed all the way toward the heartlands of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and halting in Luoyan Province, Li Fan had faintly sensed what was about to unfold.
Although he had previously used the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique to secretly plant thoughts of the sword trapped by Azure Wind as well as Old Man Yufu's movements over the years into Han Yi's mind, aiming to pass the news of the trapped sword to Yufu through him, in Li Fan's original expectations, Han Yi should have required additional guidance before he could find Old Man Yufu across the vast expanse of multiple provinces.
Yet perhaps it was the doing of heavenly fortune, or perhaps some other unseen factor was at work behind the scenes.
Han Yi's movements had been surprisingly swift, far exceeding Li Fan's expectations.
Taking virtually no detours, he had locked straight onto Old Man Yufu's location.
Old Man Yufu was a great opportunity meant for everyone, so cultivators in the heartlands of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals would spontaneously search for his tracks. Once he was discovered, they would quickly spread the word—a matter of each helping all, and all helping each. Moreover, Yufu often lingered in a single region for a period of time, making his general whereabouts easily verifiable.
Having cycled through multiple reincarnations, Li Fan naturally knew this quite well.
Thus, after seeing Old Man Yufu with his own eyes through the Heaven and Earth Perspective, Li Fan was overjoyed.
His plan to pit Yufu, the Heavenly Physician, and the Master into a three-way clash was on the verge of succeeding.
Back when he used the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique to plant those thoughts in Han Yi, he had also left a wisp of aura containing the Heaven Fiend method inside Han Yi's body. It was a trace so subtle that even Li Fan himself could barely detect it, but if detonated under Li Fan's deliberate manipulation, he believed Old Man Yufu would never overlook it.
When that time came, Yufu would naturally see where the sword trapped by Azure Wind was located through the memories in Han Yi's mind.
Likewise, Yufu would also see the scene in Han Yi's mind where the Heavenly Physician manifested at the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
Whether it was the Master or Yufu, Li Fan was certain they harbored an irreconcilable hatred for the Heavenly Physician.
Retrieving the Heaven Fiend Sword to restore a portion of his strength before doing battle with the Heavenly Physician would surely cause the Heavenly Physician that much more trouble.
The plan was splendid, yet a mishap had occurred on Han Yi's end.
Even though Old Man Yufu had appeared before him no fewer than a dozen times, Han Yi had consistently failed to notice anything unusual about him.
This had caused Li Fan, following from afar the whole way, to shake his head repeatedly.
Still, it was out of the question for him to personally put himself in harm's way, so he could only remain at a great distance, patiently keeping watch.
Fortunately, though the process suffered some deviations, the outcome ultimately steered back onto the intended course.
When Han Yi lost his senses and charged toward Old Man Yufu, even Li Fan could not help secretly cheering his courage.
Yet the glance Old Man Yufu cast upward right after made him realize things had taken a terrible turn.
...
"Fortunately, I came prepared, and I'm no longer the insignificant Foundation Establishment cultivator I was back then."
Exhaling a long breath and regaining his spirits, Li Fan pondered his next move.
"Barring any accidents, Yufu should now be aware of the happenings in the Congyun Sea."
"He must be heading for the Congyun Sea right now."
"When immortals clash, mortals suffer. My true body had better stay clear of the fray."
With a thought, Li Fan shifted his attention onto his clone, Zhou Qing'ang.
By now, the turmoil in the Congyun Sea was gradually subsiding. Cultivators devoted the vast majority of their energy to cultivating and comprehending the techniques they had just exchanged for.
Inside the Administration Hall, a rare tranquility had settled in.
Without attracting anyone's attention, Li Fan controlled his clone, Zhou Qing'ang, all the way to the outside of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
At this time, the area was virtually deserted as well, with only a few cultivators occasionally entering or exiting in small groups.
Li Fan pondered for a moment. Rather than rushing inside the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, he waited patiently.
Three days later.
A sudden gust of wind swept past, snapping his robes loudly.
Li Fan looked up at the sky.
Reaching out his hand, he felt the wind steadily growing stronger.
A surge of excitement welled up inside him.
"Yufu is in position. Will the Master come?"
Judging from his past experiences, Li Fan could be virtually certain the answer was yes.
Merely a faint trace of aura exuded by the Heavenly Physician's avatar statue was enough to draw the Master.
In this life, an old acquaintance like Yufu was present as well.
There was all the less reason for the Master not to show up!
Besides, this point in time was originally not far from when the Master had made his appearance.
Thus, Li Fan concluded that his scheme for this life had succeeded!
"Next, I just need to find a good vantage point to watch the show."
Li Fan took out a gourd of fine wine from his storage ring, patted it with a chuckle, and then entered the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
After clearing the three trials at lightning speed, Li Fan did not leave.
Instead, carrying the fine wine, he chatted aimlessly about trivial matters with Senior Brother Qin.
In truth, he was waiting patiently.
As time ticked by, Senior Brother Qin naturally knew nothing of boredom, yet the scene Li Fan had been waiting for remained elusive.
Consequently, a hint of anxiety inevitably crept into his heart.
"Haha, Junior Brother, you really aren't being fair! On the surface you're dragging me into drinking, but your heart isn't in it at all!"
"Out with it—did you take a fancy to some junior sister? Don't worry, tell your senior brother all about it."
"If it's a good match, I can even play matchmaker for you!"
"Of course, a senior sister wouldn't be out of the question either!"
Senior Brother Qin took a deep swig of wine, half-drunk and half-awake, laughing heartily.
Just as Li Fan was about to reply, he suddenly noticed the entire world violently shaking.
Senior Brother Qin, who was mid-drink, abruptly stiffened as well.
Then, he began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Heavenly Physician..."
Every trace of drunkenness vanished from him as he ground his teeth in fury.
Boom!
The illusion shattered layer by layer. When Li Fan reappeared outside the gates of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, the first thing that met his eyes was the confrontation between Yufu and the Heavenly Physician.
Unlike the previous life, after seeing the Heavenly Physician, the wave upon wave of hateful wails and shrieks inside the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace were noticeably more subdued.
It was as though there was some presence they held in dread, so that despite harboring such profound hatred in their hearts, they dared not vent and unleash it with abandon.
Yufu stared at the Heavenly Physician, the black baleful qi around his body churning incessantly as if boiling.
Yet there was no sign of the fragment of the Heaven Fiend Sword in his hand.
Though Yufu did not speak, the killing intent in his eyes was plain for all to see.
Yet for reasons unknown, he held back from striking.
The Heavenly Physician's expression, on the other hand, was not nearly as solemn.
He merely wore a somewhat intrigued look. "Fascinating."
"Tianjue, have you recovered your memories?" the Heavenly Physician asked.
Chapter 596