Somewhere in an unknown space.
Five statues whose faces could not be clearly seen stood in a circle.
The statues bowed their heads, looking down upon the center.
There, a large glowing cloud floated in midair.
Within the cloud, miniature landscapes of land, mountains, rivers, and flowing waters were faintly discernible.
The cloud was partitioned into isolated regions of varying sizes, with a tiny speck of light suspended above each region.
At the edge of this luminous cloud, upon a small blue area, tiny black specks were constantly writhing.
Suddenly, in a fraction of an instant, several distinct glows erupted from this area.
Then, as if a fierce explosion had occurred, faint tremors rippled outward from the region toward the surrounding cloud.
Like clouds caught in a breeze, the cloud mass swayed and rippled gently.
Then, a vast wash of ink abruptly surged forth from the turbulent area at the luminous cloud's edge.
All at once, it swallowed it whole.
As if some entity had bitten it off in a single gulp, the region vanished completely from the luminous cloud in the blink of an eye.
At the same time.
Except for one statue in the center whose eyes remained closed and head bowed, the other four snapped their eyes open in an instant.
Together, they looked toward the area that had been reduced to utter nothingness.
An eerie atmosphere circulated through the space.
"Fellow Daoist Yixin, what do you think?"
"Tee-hee, my eyes were quite dazzled; I couldn't see clearly at all."
"A certain power has disturbed our perception. Wait, this seems to be..."
"Indeed."
"How could that be?"
The place instantly fell silent.
They seemed to be sensing something.
Only after a long while did voices ring out once more.
"Besides 'Chaos,' there are also the 'Xuanhuang Heavenly Palm' and the 'Purple Firmament Dharma Body'..."
"It truly has been a long time since the Xuanhuang Realm was so lively. I really look forward to more in the future," Senior Sister Zhao's languid voice chimed in.
The other three chose to ignore her.
"One divine ability was drawn out from each of us. It should be the statue traded to the Heaven-Overturning Alliance."
"Zhou Qing'ang? Li Fan?"
"Both dead?"
"Hehe, truly interesting."
"These are mere trifles, perhaps even a smokescreen intentionally meant to draw our attention. What matters is why 'Chaos' has reappeared in the Xuanhuang Realm."
"I shall order my subordinates to investigate. However, do not hold out too much hope. This matter carries a rather unusual undertone."
"That old fossil Chuanfa seems to have vanished again recently."
"This humble one, on the other hand, is reminded of something amusing. Tee-hee..."
...
Amid their ongoing exchange, the five statues finally closed their eyes once more.
The space sank back into silence.
Tianling Province.
Gazing into the distance toward the Congyun Sea, Li Fan fell silent as the images sensed in his mind abruptly cut off.
Focusing his senses, he detected no signs of impending danger.
Only after a long time did Li Fan finally put his mind at ease, speeding off toward the Valley of Longevity.
*Just as I expected, the Manifest Heavenly Venerable Statue is far more than a mere communication conduit to the Five Pivots Council.*
*Senior Sister Zhao, the Daoist-robed cultivator, the scholar, the infant, and that invisible golden foil...*
*They should correspond to the Longevity Heavenly Venerables of the Five Elders Association.*
Li Fan's eyes flickered.
As the most precious item obtained in his transaction with the Five Elders Association, Li Fan never believed that this Heavenly Venerable statue was purely a tool for communication.
Even his own Divided Spirit Jade Slip bore a wisp of his divine sense.
Therefore, although the Five Elders Association had not stated it explicitly, Li Fan still guessed that this Heavenly Venerable statue certainly harbored some of the might of the five Longevity Heavenly Venerables.
Using it to throw others off the scent while probing Mo Sha's true depth could not have been more suitable.
*I only wonder whether my final request—demanding that the Five Elders Association conceal their identities, pilot the Puxian True Boat, slip into the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals along the White Mist Barrier, and stir up unrest in various regions—will be fulfilled now that I've used the Manifest Heavenly Venerable statue in this manner,* Li Fan pondered inwardly.
Although according to the Five Elders Association spy he traded with, an order issued from the Manifest Heavenly Venerable statue was virtually equivalent to an edict from a Heavenly Venerable—one that would be resolutely executed as long as it did not imperil the rule of the Five Elders Association—it had not been long since the peace talks between the Five Elders Association and the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, and the user, Li Fan, had practically played the Five Elders Association for fools.
Whether those orders would be carried out was hard to say.
*No matter what, my goal has been achieved. The situation has been thoroughly thrown into chaos. With so many forces erupting all at once, compounded by the meddling of the Chaos formula, it's a complete tangled mess.*
*Even if someone wishes to investigate, they will likely be powerless.*
Having reverted to his original appearance, Li Fan reflected silently.
*The former Heavenly Mechanism Sect cultivator Li Fan is already dead. The one who exists now is merely an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.*
Li Fan knew that this inexplicable demise, along with the disappearance of hundreds of millions of contribution points from his account, would certainly arouse many suspicions.
Yet...
So what?
The man was dead. And he had died on a battlefield surrounded by formidable powerhouses.
How could anyone investigate?
Who would dare investigate?
Most likely, they could only downplay the major crisis and brush off the minor one, letting the whole matter dissolve into nothing.
*As long as I lie low in the Valley of Longevity for a while, all of this will be forgotten.*
*By then, even if I swagger about and openly declare my name is Li Fan, it probably won't cause much of a stir.*
...
Light flickered in Li Fan's eyes as he sped all the way toward the Valley of Longevity.
Just under half a month later, he finally arrived at his destination.
Within the Essence-Devouring White Mist, he found the markings left behind by Elder Liu, broke through the seal, and finally entered the Valley of Longevity.
Dense wood-attribute spiritual energy washed over him, making him narrow his eyes in comfort.
"Young Master, you're here!"
Sensing Li Fan's aura, Liu San hurriedly flew over to greet him.
"Did everything go smoothly?" he asked.
Li Fan nodded, offering no details.
Placing utmost trust in Li Fan, Liu San pressed no further.
"For the next few years, our main focus will be lying low. Do not leave unless strictly necessary, and pour all efforts into refining Longevity Pills," Li Fan laid out the course of action for the coming period.
Liu San agreed at once.
"Apart from Longevity Pills, I've found a few other pills that might fetch a good price as well," Liu San suggested.
"I've observed that cultivators of the new method seem prone to extreme emotional fluctuations. With every kind of medicinal ingredient readily available in the Valley of Longevity, I could refine Supreme Passionless Pills in my spare time."
Liu San explained the pill's effects to Li Fan.
They were remarkably similar to Li Fan's former Blue Flame, enabling the consumer to maintain a state of near-absolute rationality.
Not only could it draw out two hundred percent of one's combat power in battle, but it also worked wonders when breaking through bottlenecks or achieving sudden enlightenment.
Li Fan was thoroughly pleased upon hearing this.
"You're quite right, Elder Liu. This pill will surely be widely acclaimed in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
"However, do not pursue excessively high quality. Just strive to refine ones with lower medicinal potency," Li Fan instructed.
"By the way."
As if suddenly remembering something, Li Fan began introducing the existence of the Fallen Immortal Realm to Liu San and the others.
Chapter 648