Common Lives Refine Lingyuan

In the Spirit Wood Realm. Wreathed in flames, the Tianyang puppet suddenly dove down from the sky, plunging straight into the subterranean depths. Amid relentless rumbling, a deep tunnel was excavated in the blink of an eye. Densely packed treemen flew down into it. They had received Li Fan's orders to unearth the deeply buried ores and other resources in this location. If one looked out in all directions from the very crown of the spiritual tree, one would see scenes like this across the entire Spirit Wood Realm. "Master, it took the spiritual tree over four thousand years just to restore a bit of vitality here. The world's ecosystem remains exceedingly fragile. If we conduct such destructive mining..." the treeman chief cautioned anxiously. Li Fan merely smiled faintly. "Your vision is still too narrow. If resources are left unused and buried underground, they are no different from ordinary stones. Only by putting everything to proper use and developing as quickly as possible are we walking the correct path. "We need only grow strong enough before resources are depleted and the world wanes, so that we can plunder other worlds to nourish ourselves. "Confining yourself to a single realm and clinging to your ways will only allow you to survive on borrowed time. Sooner or later, you will still be swallowed by other worlds." Having clearly never heard such a theory before, the treeman chief froze on the spot. "Is... is that so?" Li Fan did not answer, merely putting on an unfathomable expression. Looking at the countless treemen toiling diligently throughout this realm, a sudden whim struck him. 'If I help these treemen elevate their overall strength, I wonder if it will grant me cultivation feedback through the Immortal-Sitting Art.' Treemen were incapable of cultivation; their strength was fixed from birth. And their strength depended on the spiritual tree itself. The mightier the spiritual tree, the stronger the treemen it produced. If handled with the right methods, an extraordinary marvel of Heaven and Earth like this would grow far faster than any cultivator. At the very least, Li Fan knew of no fewer than ten heavenly treasures capable of nourishing a spiritual tree. *** Sharing the complete global vision of the spiritual tree, Li Fan knew the locations of every valuable resource in this world with absolute clarity. Under Li Fan's direction, Tianyang moved like a loach burrowing through mud, spending several days opening up the tunnels first. After leaving the treeman chief to supervise the treemen's mining operations, Li Fan took Tianyang and temporarily returned to the Xuanhuang Realm. On the way out, he did not forget to make a detour to the Heavenly Mechanism Sect ruins, looting all the treasures clean, including the Heaven and Earth Qiankun Die. 'Currently, the Myriad Realms Association does not yet exist in this world. If I were to approach the Five Elders Association out of the blue and try to win their trust, it would probably take considerable effort, just like in previous lifetimes. 'Better to find a way to make a name for the Myriad Realms Association first... 'Anchor Year 6.' Various events that occurred during this year flashed through Li Fan's mind, and he soon settled on a suitable target. Before long, the Five Elders Association would launch a surprise assault on Jiushan Province in an attempt to seize the territory. However, word was somehow leaked. Far from succeeding, the surprise attack fell right into an ambush laid by the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, ending in a crushing defeat. The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals repeatedly cited this battle as a textbook victory, so Li Fan was thoroughly familiar with every detail of how it unfolded. Jiushan Province bordered both the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and the Five Elders Association. Formed from the carcass of the strange beast Tian, its space was exceptionally unstable, making teleportation arrays unusable throughout the entire provincial territory. The governance costs were consequently far too high, so the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals only constructed fortress cities at key locations along the Jiushan Mountain Defile to garrison troops, leaving most other places largely neglected. This gave rise to a peculiar sight rarely seen in other provinces: a motley mix of factions and characters from all walks of life. Aside from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, there were numerous local factions spearheaded by the Lingyuan Sect, as well as many hidden pawns cultivated by the Five Elders Association. Jiushan Province was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Whichever side occupied it would hold a commanding strategic advantage. The Five Elders Association had always wanted to incorporate it into their territory, but had struggled to find a way. The reason they would launch another attack in the near future was that they believed they had turned the Lingyuan Sect. As the largest local power in Jiushan Province, the Lingyuan Sect was technically under the rule of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, yet in truth remained relatively independent. The sect possessed numerous Nascent Soul and Soul Formation cultivators, and its disciples were exceptionally united—a force not to be underestimated. Once they turned traitor, working together from inside and outside could indeed take down Jiushan Province in one fell swoop. For precisely this reason, after several contacts with the Lingyuan Sect confirmed the sect would lend assistance, the Five Elders Association launched the surprise assault. Yet somehow, word leaked out, and reinforcements from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals arrived with astonishing speed, almost as if they had anticipated it all along. Seeing that the situation was lost, the Lingyuan Sect flipped allegiances again on the spot, turning to attack the Five Elders Association instead. This single battle completely dashed the Five Elders Association's plans to attack through Jiushan Province, causing them to shift their strategic focus toward Tianling Province. 'The Lingyuan Sect...' Li Fan quickly pondered the origins and course of the event. Recalling this rather peculiar organization, he frowned slightly. Though on the macro scale of the Xuanhuang Realm the Lingyuan Sect was nothing more than an ant, within Jiushan Province it absolutely could not be overlooked. Given the operational style of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, tolerating such an independent organization within their jurisdiction was remarkable. Aside from the province's unique geography, it also had to do with the fact that the Lingyuan Sect was like wild grass that could never be burned away. 'The Common People Lingyuan Technique. The more people cultivating it simultaneously, the faster the cultivation speed. It is even enough to offset the negative backlash brought about by the principle that dharmas cannot be cultivated concurrently.' Li Fan had possessed a general understanding of this method before, but he had no interest in practicing an art that was so obviously suspect. 'The Cult Master of the Lingyuan Sect has never appeared in any public venue. Their identity is shrouded in utter mystery. 'Even when the Lingyuan Sect was wiped out in the past, within a few short years it would quickly rise again thanks to the nature of their technique. 'Moreover, beyond the Common People Lingyuan Technique, the sect seems to possess other secret arts. Not only can they eliminate the mutual killing intent caused by cultivating the same technique, but they can also reuse and recycle grotto-heavens. 'Just like Shen Yurou, whom I encountered before—his Peach Blossom Grotto-Heaven had belonged to other cultivators in the past. '... 'There must be some special restriction. Otherwise, no matter how well their master hid, they would certainly have been ferreted out.' Li Fan slowly contemplated everything concerning the Lingyuan Sect. 'However, on this trip, there is no need for me to clash with them. 'I only need to help the Five Elders Association take Jiushan Province.' With that in mind, Li Fan stood atop the Tianyang puppet, speeding all the way toward Jiushan Province. Upon entering the territory of Jiushan, he set up a formation around himself to conceal his aura, then lay in wait near Mount Tianlao. 'The Five Elders Association would never guess that their defeat was not caused by an insider leaking word, but was purely a coincidence.' Just as Li Fan was thinking this, before long, he saw a youth clad in white slowly appear on the horizon.