Taking Charge of the Medicine King Sect

The Lord Secret Emissary's attitude was abundantly clear. He had known about this matter long ago, and he hardly cared. However, he was deeply displeased that Gao Yuan had tried to slander a colleague. "Gao Yuan, oh Gao Yuan, you really lost your head! Lord Secret Emissary possesses heavenly means—how could petty maneuvers like Zhou Qing'ang's ever escape his discerning eye? "To think I tried to play smart... "It seems I've enjoyed peaceful days for too long and lost my edge." Gao Yuan was consumed with regret. Still, the blunder had already been made, and fretting over it now would solve nothing. "Fortunately, judging by his reminder about 'unity,' the lord still holds some regard for our past ties." Having been taken down a peg by Li Fan, Gao Yuan could not afford to take Zhou Qing'ang's request lightly. Theoretically speaking, for any cultivator to join the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, approval from alliance headquarters was required. Only after a cultivator's information was submitted to alliance headquarters would the Heavenly Profound Mirror generate their user authorization. In practice, however, matters were not enforced so rigidly. Because the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals governed over a hundred provinces, if every matter required headquarters' approval, the alliance's overall operational efficiency would plummet. In reality, each province held a degree of autonomy, allowing them to temporarily grant newly inducted cultivators access to the Heavenly Profound Mirror. All they had to do was periodically report the roster of new inductees. Once headquarters verified the identities of the newcomers, formal access to the Heavenly Profound Mirror space would be issued. The newcomers themselves remained completely oblivious to this process. Furthermore, inducting cultivators at the Golden Core stage or below generally entailed nothing more than routine questioning. Only those of profound cultivation, unknown origins, or those taking official posts within the Alliance system had to undergo testing at the White Jade Heart-Interrogation Platform. ... With matters on the Alliance side arranged, Li Fan sprang into action. "Elder Liu, several thousand years have passed, and the world has changed drastically. I originally intended to locate the Valley of Longevity mentioned by the Sect Master, but the terrain has shifted so immensely that all my inquiries have led nowhere. "I fear I must trouble you to make a trip in person," Li Fan said with a solemn expression. "In this era, Dao Integration cultivators are rare. As long as you are careful, Elder Liu, you shouldn't run into much trouble. "If luck is against you and you encounter some unforeseen mishap, escape is the best policy—saving your life comes first. After all, the Medicine King Sect's future revival cannot happen without you, Elder Liu." Li Fan tightly grasped Liu San's hands, giving his parting instructions with reluctance. "Rest assured, Young Master. This old servant followed the Sect Master through thick and thin from the humblest beginnings. When it comes to combat, I might indeed be a notch below others. But when it comes to staying alive, humph... "This old servant will hardly prove inferior to these cultivators thousands of years later," Liu San said, brimming with confidence. With that, he took the map Li Fan handed him and examined it closely. After a moment, he frowned deeply. "Thousands of years have passed; the world has indeed turned upside down. Still, this old servant will surely accomplish the mission." Li Fan hastily added, "Whether you succeed or not, Elder Liu, you must return within thirty days. We also cannot do without you here in the Congyun Sea." Liu San cupped his hands and said no more. Leaving behind a communication talisman, he transformed into a ray of azure light and streaked toward the Alliance inland. Having sent Liu San off, Li Fan entered the Medicine King Cauldron. After completing the Bloodline Transfer for over forty Foundation Establishment cultivators in succession, feeling slightly dizzy, Li Fan finally stopped. Shifting into the appearance of Liu Yihang, Li Fan began waking these Medicine King Sect disciples one by one. At first, all was well. Without actively circulating their cultivation methods, the newly awakened cultivators were groggy and did not perceive the heavenly restriction that dharmas cannot be cultivated concurrently. Yet as more and more disciples awoke, a strange atmosphere began brewing among them. Subconsciously, they put distance between themselves and their fellow disciples, dangerous glints flashing in their eyes. Watching this unfold, Li Fan did not stop. Instead, he kept awakening the slumbering Foundation Establishment cultivators. The air inside the Medicine King Cauldron grew heavier and heavier, thick killing intent gradually suffusing the space. Finally, once the number of awakened cultivators in this confined space exceeded thirty, something seemed to be triggered, and they instantly sensed the anomaly in their cultivated techniques. Their eyes turned blood-red in an instant. They glared at their fellow sect brothers as if staring at mortal enemies. Just as they were about to tear into each other in a fight to the death, Li Fan suddenly unleashed his grotto-heaven domain, suppressing them all at once. He even layered on the Insect Binding divine ability, rendering them completely immobile. "Disciples of the Medicine King Sect, hear my command!" Li Fan's voice boomed like thunder, temporarily jolting them back to their senses. "Immediately cultivate this Taishang Primordial Scripture and dissolve the Scripture of Saving the World and Cultivating Longevity!" Owing to the Bloodline Transfer, despite their immense reluctance, the Foundation Establishment cultivators ultimately complied one after another under Li Fan's unrelenting urging. Before long, they gradually regained their faculties. "Senior Brother Liu, what in the world happened just now?" The disciples were terrified and bewildered. Li Fan concisely repeated the explanation he had previously given Liu San. For a time, gasps of shock, cries of doubt, weeping, and frantic panic filled the Medicine King Cauldron. Li Fan merely watched them with cold eyes. Only when they slowly calmed down did Li Fan say in a heavy voice, "The Medicine King Sect now stands at the precipice of life and death. Having received Adoptive Father's dying bequest to take charge of the sect, I must bear responsibility for you all. "The world today is not what it once was. Perils lurk everywhere beyond. For our Medicine King Sect to regain a foothold will be fraught with difficulty. One misstep, and we will be doomed beyond redemption! "In such extraordinary times, not the slightest mistake can be tolerated. You must strictly obey my orders. "Whosoever disobeys shall be executed without mercy!" Li Fan said, dripping with murderous intent. These disciples had already been infused with Li Fan's essence blood, and after such intimidation, how could any of them dare harbor disloyal thoughts? They hastily shouted in unison, "We obey Senior Brother's command!" "Hm?" Li Fan narrowed his eyes, showing displeasure. A sharp-witted disciple caught on and promptly cried anew, "We obey the Sect Master's command!" The rest finally realized and chimed in loudly to show their loyalty. Li Fan nodded slightly. Having subdued these thirty Medicine King Sect disciples, Li Fan temporarily halted the awakenings. "All of you, return to your rooms, change into these clothes, and carry nothing on your persons. "Once done, gather back here." Li Fan distributed a pile of black garments to them and instructed. The disciples obeyed without hesitation. Before long, thirty black-clad Foundation Establishment cultivators had assembled before Li Fan. Bringing them out of the Medicine King Cauldron, he waited for his avatar Zhou Qing'ang to arrive. Roughly half a day later, Zhou Qing'ang quietly arrived. "No matter what you encounter, do not panic. Simply remain silent. Senior Zhou will handle everything; follow his instructions in all matters!" Li Fan said. The disciples all nodded in agreement. And so, led by Zhou Qing'ang, the first batch of Medicine King Sect disciples arrived at Congyun City, towering amidst the clouds. In terms of grandeur, the ancient Medicine King Sect headquarters had been in no way inferior to Congyun City. Thus, they showed little surprise. Other cultivators in the city, seeing a group of unfamiliar faces trailing Zhou Qing'ang, felt a passing curiosity, but assumed it was official city business and paid it no mind. With Zhou Qing'ang, the de facto administrator, leading the way, the group proceeded without obstruction and arrived smoothly at the Administration Hall. Gao Yuan was already waiting there. "Fellow Daoist Gao, I trouble you!" Zhou Qing'ang cupped his hands. "Think nothing of it, think nothing of it." Gao Yuan dared not put on airs and hastily replied, while closely scrutinizing the cultivators behind Zhou Qing'ang. Just as agreed, they were all Foundation Establishment cultivators, but the feeling they gave Gao Yuan was peculiar. "This is..." Gao Yuan narrowed his eyes. After a moment, as if realizing something, his pupils shrank violently. "Ancient method cultivators?!" he could not help asking Zhou Qing'ang tentatively. Zhou Qing'ang smiled faintly. "Well? I didn't deceive you, did I? These people were indeed discovered in a secret realm by a good friend of mine. "Just like Lord Secret Emissary, they are genuine ancient cultivators!" "No wonder the lord turned a blind eye to this matter," Gao Yuan realized with sudden clarity. At the same time, his mind was thoroughly put at ease: there was no way these people could be spies from the Five Elders Association! Not to mention the divide between the ancient and modern methods; whether in temperament or their Dao Foundations and Golden Cores, ancient cultivators were worlds apart from modern ones. Anyone with a slightly sharp spiritual perception could tell the difference. To send ancient cultivators as spies... The Five Elders Association wouldn't be stupid to such a degree. Besides, ancient cultivators had vanished from the world ages ago. Even if the Five Elders Association wanted to, they wouldn't necessarily find suitable candidates. With this thought, Gao Yuan's doubts dissolved completely. Since they truly weren't spies and merely wished to conceal their identities as ancient cultivators, things were easy. Gao Yuan then produced a talisman seal and personally registered them, questioning each cultivator's identity in turn. "Meng Wushi, naturalized loose cultivator, Foundation Establishment cultivation..." "Ji Yu, naturalized loose cultivator..." Though the Congyun Sea lay on the periphery of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, it was still a province, and tens of thousands of cultivators joined the alliance each year. Adding a few more drew no notice whatsoever. Before long, these thirty disciples from the ancient Medicine King Sect had quietly become nominal members of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.