Liu San did not answer right away. Instead, he pondered for a moment before posing a question.
"Young Master, do you know if the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals has established anything like an outpost within the White Mist Barrier?"
Li Fan was slightly taken aback. "Why do you ask, Elder Liu?"
Stroking his beard, Liu San said slowly, "Earlier, while piloting the Puxian True Boat through the boundless white mist, I happened to spot a group of strange-acting cultivators traveling together in the distance.
"They had no protection whatsoever, completely exposed to the Essence-Devouring White Mist. They moved sluggishly, as if searching for something.
"Even more bizarre, I couldn't sense the slightest trace of life from them. At first, I assumed they were corpses that had perished long ago, acting purely on instinct. But just as I moved closer to get a better look, one of them turned his head as though noticing my presence, and a sweep of divine sense reached out toward me.
"My primary mission at the time was to locate the Valley of Longevity. To avoid unnecessary trouble, I sent out a mental pulse to signal I had no hostile intent, then took the initiative to withdraw.
"The Valley of Longevity is concealed inside the white mist. In the future, when our Medicine King Sect comes and goes, we might cross paths with that group. It would be best to plan ahead."
As Liu San recounted the tale, Li Fan's expression grew increasingly solemn.
"Cultivators inside the white mist who possess no aura of life, yet behave just like living cultivators?"
Almost instantly, Li Fan thought of his previous life—that team of Alliance cultivators who had walked out of the white mist past year 400 of the anchor, seemingly alive yet dead.
*Reversing the laws of life and death... Has she already succeeded at this point?*
Li Fan immediately pressed Liu San for detailed information about that group of cultivators.
A moment later, Li Fan felt somewhat reassured.
*Muddle-headed, like walking corpses. Still quite far from true resurrection. Even so, traits of life have indeed been rekindled within their dead bodies.*
That Longevity Heavenly Venerable—who had attained the Dao in secret by reversing the principles of life and death without the world ever noticing—was an enigma of the highest order.
In Li Fan's previous life, she had not revealed herself even through the unification of Xuanhuang and the reign of the Heavenly Alliance.
Evidently, she was deliberately concealing her identity. Whatever her motives, she definitely did not wish to be disturbed.
"This matter is indeed exceedingly bizarre. However, it has nothing to do with our Medicine King Sect; if the sky falls, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals will hold it up. If you happen to encounter them again in the future, just steer clear of them," Li Fan instructed after pretending to ponder for a bit.
Liu San found Li Fan's words sensible and nodded, no longer dwelling on it.
"The Valley of Longevity is currently located within the White Mist Barrier at the border between Luoyan Province and Luoying Province." Liu San retrieved a map and marked the location.
"Roughly around here. Inside the white mist, one's perception of distance tends to distort slightly. However, the general direction is unmistakable."
Li Fan glanced at it and committed the coordinates to memory.
"It is not too far from the Congyun Sea; we can relocate there at any time. Moreover, Luoyan Province is far more prosperous than the Congyun Sea, making it a much better first springboard for the resurgence of our Medicine King Sect.
"However, to avoid arousing Zhou Qing'ang's suspicions, our affairs here in the Congyun Sea must be handled gradually, untangling ourselves step by step," Li Fan explained.
"The Young Master may decide as he sees fit. So many years have already passed; a few moments more make no difference. Besides, I have resealed the entrance to the Valley of Longevity using a secret technique. It is utterly impossible for outsiders to notice it," Liu San agreed with a nod.
With that settled, Li Fan returned to the main topic and suggested having a spar.
Liu San's interest was piqued at once. "It seems the Young Master has made gains cultivating the new method?"
"Indeed. Elder Liu, you cannot imagine—the Alliance's Heavenly Profound Mirror is truly a peerless divine artifact. It possesses all manner of miraculous powers, and can even help me deduce divine abilities. Unfortunately, your cultivation is too high, Elder Liu, and your background cannot be hidden; otherwise, you could experience it in person," Li Fan remarked with sighing admiration, tinged with a hint of regret.
"Haha, no matter how many benefits it offers, my life is already nearing its end. As long as you and the sect can enjoy them, that is enough!" Liu San chuckled, paying it no mind.
Next, the two went into the martial chamber within the Medicine King Sect Cauldron to hold a spar.
Though called a spar, it was really just Liu San acting as a sparring partner.
No matter how extraordinary the Sky-Breaking Heart Sword was, attempting to bridge two major realms and injure Liu San at the Dao Integration realm was still a bit of a stretch.
Even so, Liu San was full of praise for the divine ability.
"The Young Master truly lives up to being the Sect Master's chosen successor, actually managing to comprehend such an intent-based divine ability!
"A palm to shatter the heavens, a sword moving with thought. Its lethality is astonishing, and it catches opponents entirely off guard. If you were to break through to the Soul Formation realm, Young Master, even I might find it rather troublesome to deal with this ability."
Liu San extended his left index finger, looking at the faint trace of blood on it as he spoke.
Looking at his "handiwork," Li Fan gained a clear idea of the Sky-Breaking Heart Sword's potency.
He had not actually gone all out, having only mobilized the power of a single grotto-heaven domain.
If the power of all Five Elements Grotto-Heavens were channeled together, the burst of destructive might would surely be more than ten times greater.
By then, it would not be a mere scratch.
*Able to injure, but unable to kill. After all, the gulf in strength between Dao Integration and Nascent Soul is not as small as the gap between Foundation Establishment and Nascent Soul,*
Li Fan understood in his heart.
Over the subsequent period, Li Fan instructed Liu San to select a few trustworthy disciples from among the slumbering members of the Medicine King Sect and awaken them first.
Before long, Crimson Flame would burn the sea and catastrophe would descend, burying all of Li Fan's foundation in this place along with it.
Once that happened, laundering their identities would no longer be so easy.
Therefore, he had to take advantage of this final window of opportunity to accelerate the process of getting the Medicine King Sect cultivators into the Alliance as quickly as possible.
Liu San was also well aware that under the current rule where dharmas cannot be cultivated concurrently, cultivation manuals were exceedingly hard to come by—especially higher-level ones. Consequently, he was exceptionally cautious when selecting candidates. However, in his earlier years he had never been enamored with authority, mostly following behind Liu Ruchen to focus on cultivation and alchemy.
As a result, he had no trusted confidants of his own, and only possessed a general understanding of the disciples' moral characters.
After deliberate consideration, he even approached Li Fan in secret and took the initiative to propose the idea of "forcible control."
Though this played right into Li Fan's hands, appearances still had to be maintained.
Li Fan adopted a hesitant expression and lowered his head in silence.
Seeing this, Liu San could not help but urge, "Young Master, one must remember that benevolence cannot command an army. Our current circumstances are exceptional, and we cannot afford the slightest slip-up. Human hearts are fickle and impossible to fathom completely. We cannot expect everyone to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly and risk their lives for the revival of the Medicine King Sect as we do."
As if recalling something, Liu San sneered, "Within our Medicine King Sect, there are quite a few with treacherous bones in their backs.
"Back then..."
Liu San paused, then continued, "Today, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals is even more formidable than the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao were. There is no guaranteeing that once they wake up and witness the Alliance's grandeur, they won't develop thoughts of defecting."
Chapter 629