"What is it that you are afraid of?"
These words struck straight at the heart. Cold sweat broke out across He Zhenghao's forehead the moment he heard them.
"This subordinate harbors no disloyalty whatsoever! Please see clearly, my Lord!" he pledged at once.
"Think carefully on it, and conduct yourself well!" Li Fan gave a cold snort. His phantom projection shattered and vanished without a trace.
Only after a long while did He Zhenghao dare to straighten his bowed back.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he let out a long breath. Remembering that his daughter was right beside him, he cleared his throat with a dry cough and instantly recovered his composure.
Fortunately, He Xinxin had not noticed her father's embarrassment. Instead, patting her chest with a small hand, she marveled, "Senior Li carries such immense authority! He's barely any different from the Dao Integration Immortal Venerables I saw back home. He truly scared me half to death."
"Humph, naturally. The Lord Secret Emissary is very likely a Longev—" Halfway through, He Zhenghao realized the impropriety of what he was saying and abruptly caught himself.
Seeing that his daughter had not picked up on the implication, He Zhenghao changed the subject.
"What did the Lord mean by those words just now?
"He didn't outright deny Xinxin's deduction. He only said he wouldn't leave..."
A moment later, a flicker of dread crossed He Zhenghao's eyes.
*Could it be that a cataclysmic upheaval really will take place in the Congyun Sea?*
He fell into deep contemplation.
***
Deep within the Administration Hall, Li Fan watched every nuance of He Zhenghao's expression, his heart entirely untroubled.
*Relinquish power and flee for his life? Or cling to wishful thinking, unwilling to depart for the sake of wealth and authority...*
*Fellow Daoist He, what choice will you make?*
Based on Li Fan's understanding of He Zhenghao, there was no doubt he would choose to stay in the Congyun Sea. Even so, Li Fan hoped He Zhenghao in this lifetime might offer a pleasant surprise.
No longer dwelling on He Zhenghao, Li Fan used his Secret Emissary Token to convene the numerous officials and personnel within the Congyun Sea's administrative system.
"The Lord hasn't summoned us in quite a while. I wonder what urgent matter has arisen?"
"It is rather strange. I haven't heard of any critical assignments lately."
The crowd murmured amongst themselves.
Meanwhile, He Zhenghao remained torn, his expression distant and unsettled.
Noticing this, Gao Yuan wore a pensive look. Rather than asking right away, he quietly noted it in his mind.
Before long, once everyone had assembled, Li Fan made a poised and leisurely appearance.
"Greetings, Lord Secret Emissary!" the assembly bowed in unison.
"No need to be formal. Please sit," Li Fan said, his demeanor warm and approachable.
"I called you all here today for no pressing emergency. As you know, though I hold the post of Secret Script Emissary of Congyun Immortal City, I have always been hands-off. The administrative affairs of the Congyun Sea have never fallen into neglect, and our annual ranking among all provinces has even risen. All of this is naturally thanks to everyone's hard work."
Li Fan paused, sweeping his gaze across their faces, before continuing, "One good turn deserves another. I recently deduced an opportunity, and it is only right to share it with you all."
Hearing this, the eyes of the cultivators present lit up. What kind of figure was Li Fan? A master who did not even bat an eye at tens of millions of contribution points!
An opportunity coming from his mouth was bound to be extraordinary! Expectant glances locked onto him.
"I have deduced that before long, a cave estate will rise from the depths of the Congyun Sea. The opportunity lies within that cave estate!" Li Fan said solemnly.
A stir ran through the cultivators at these words.
"Of course, fortune and peril always walk hand in hand. As for whether you choose to pursue it, that is entirely up to you," Li Fan concluded flatly. With a faint, half-smile, he vanished from their sight.
Once certain that Li Fan had departed, the hall erupted into a flurry of excitement.
"What could the Lord Secret Emissary mean by this? Calling us all this way just to deliver a single line?"
"Bizarre! Truly bizarre!"
"A seabed cave estate—could it be the ruins of an ancient sect? Hiss, for the Lord to call it an opportunity and summon us with such fanfare, it must be incredible!"
...
Excitement flushed their faces as chatter filled the air.
Yet He Zhenghao's mind was clouded with mounting doubts and confusion.
"Fellow Daoist He, do you happen to know any inside details?"
Just then, he heard a voice transmission from Gao Yuan.
After a brief hesitation, He Zhenghao gave Gao Yuan a brief account of recent events, hoping to hear his perspective.
"An upheaval is about to occur in the Congyun Sea?" Gao Yuan was initially startled, yet kept his expression unchanged.
"Yet the Lord said he will not leave. After questioning your motives, he suddenly announced the cave estate opportunity..."
Gao Yuan's thoughts raced as he pondered the pieces.
Before long, a realization struck him.
"So that's how it is!"
"Brother Gao, enlighten me!" He Zhenghao pressed eagerly, as if grasping a lifeline.
"The Lord is using this cave estate opportunity to wake us up! If a cataclysm is coming to the Congyun Sea, why is the Lord unwilling to leave?"
"Because fortune and peril walk hand in hand!" Gao Yuan said excitedly. "With the resources at the Lord's command, what kind of opportunity could he possibly value so highly?"
"It could only be that single leap to the heavens..."
"An anima of Heaven and Earth?"
He Zhenghao's eyes met Gao Yuan's, both arriving at the same realization.
"So that's it..." He Zhenghao muttered to himself, as though everything had finally fallen into place.
"The Lord's cultivation fell from the Longevity realm. If he wishes to prove his path to Longevity once more, he likely still has to follow the steps of the new method. He certainly wouldn't pass up this chance at Dao Integration. I've heard that whenever an anima of Heaven and Earth descends into the world, it invariably stirs up a storm of blood and slaughter. When that time comes, let alone Golden Core cultivators like us, even Nascent Soul and Soul Formation experts might not survive.
"The descent of an anima of Heaven and Earth cannot be spoken of plainly; doing so might trigger heavenly premonitions and invite unforeseen variables. Yet as the Lord's old subordinates, he cannot bear to watch us perish needlessly in the disaster. So he found another way, using this matter to drop a hint and wake us up."
...
He Zhenghao felt enlightened.
Amidst his surging excitement, an inappropriate sentiment began to sprout.
*An anima of Heaven and Earth...*
He Zhenghao's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So, Brother Gao, what are your thoughts?" After a while, he looked toward Gao Yuan, whose expression was shifting through rapid emotions.
"Fellow Daoist He, have you ever heard a certain saying?" Gao Yuan looked at him.
"Which one?"
"No merit is greater than following a rising dragon!" Gao Yuan said in a hushed tone.
"If the Lord successfully achieves Dao Integration, and we, as the subordinates who stood steadfast by his side..."
Listening to this, a flame of ambition suddenly flared within He Zhenghao's chest.
Deep in his mind, a thought even surfaced that he would never dare utter aloud.
*An anima of Heaven and Earth belongs to the virtuous.*
*If the Lord Secret Emissary fails at offering sacrifice to the anima of Heaven and Earth, might I... have a sliver of a chance myself?*
After all, in the long history of the Xuanhuang Realm, such occurrences were not entirely unprecedented.
Chapter 632