Shang Tianci paused, then said with utter secrecy, "This purple gourd can physically manifest the scenes recorded in the verdant gourd into reality!"
"Provided there is enough energy, that is."
"With my current capabilities, I can recreate at most a great lake spanning a hundred li."
"If I advance to Dao Integration, creating nine mountain ranges in a single thought wouldn't be difficult at all!"
Pride resonated in Shang Tianci's tone.
Li Fan's interest was indeed piqued. "Oh? Are there any restrictions on the landscapes you manifest? How long do they endure? Can you manifest them inside Xuanhuang pocket worlds?"
"No restrictions whatsoever," Shang Tianci said, lifting his chin proudly. "It only requires a single manifestation to exist permanently. There is no difference between it and genuine terrain. Whether in the main Xuanhuang Realm, a grotto-heaven, or a pocket world, it can be used anywhere!"
"A fellow member of the Mountain and River Pavilion once had a whimsical thought," Shang Tianci whispered. "They said that if I cast this manifestation technique inside the internal grotto-heaven of a Nascent Soul cultivator, and the landscape I manifested was larger than the grotto-heaven itself, it would instantly burst the Nascent Soul cultivator apart!"
The Mountain and River Pavilion was an unofficial organization within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
Its members were all exceedingly gifted figures from various provinces. It had a strict minimum requirement for admission: anyone who achieved Core Formation past the age of twenty was barred from joining.
The pavilion did not have many members, numbering only around fifty.
Yet they supported each other, exceptionally united. As long as one passed the examination to join, they were treated as equals regardless of family lineage or background.
"That companion of yours has interesting ideas. A promising talent! If the opportunity arises, we could recruit him over to our side!" Li Fan let out a low chuckle.
"I was thinking the same thing. Yan Fangzhou is still quite young, yet he already has Soul Formation cultivation. If he joins us, he would definitely be a tremendous help!" Shang Tianci nodded in agreement.
"Soul Formation..." Li Fan's breath caught slightly before instantly returning to normal.
He cackled weirdly. "Try to interact with him more first and feel out his stance. When the time comes, I'll step in."
Just as Shang Tianci was about to reply...
A sharp, urgent alarm suddenly rang out from the distant Taihua Heavenly City.
In an instant, it echoed across the entire Taihua Mountain Range.
The moment cultivators heard the alarm, information naturally surfaced in their minds:
"The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals enters Grade A combat readiness effective immediately."
"Cultivators of the Martial Practice Halls, Garrison Courts, and Formation Planning Halls of each province: return to your heavenly cities at once to await further orders."
"Checkpoints and patrols are to be established along all provincial borders to strictly guard against hostile infiltrators."
...
Li Fan smiled faintly. "The Alliance has finally reacted."
Shang Tianci, however, harbored a faint worry. "I wonder how far things will escalate."
"Rest assured. It will take time for the Five Elders Association to digest Jiushan Province. And the Alliance will certainly not swallow this insult lying down—they are bound to take Jiushan Province back."
"Therefore, for a long time to come, both sides will wrestle over Jiushan Province. A conflict breaking out in other provinces is unlikely."
"Assuming there are no other exceptional factors, that is," Li Fan added suddenly.
Though Shang Tianci had been misled by Li Fan for the moment, he was, after all, young and good-natured at heart.
Thinking that his own actions might have partially contributed to the outbreak of an unrelenting, brutal war, he felt uneasy.
Li Fan did not bother to console him, simply letting his thoughts run wild.
*If all goes as expected, the Five Elders Association will soon try to contact me using the method left on my jade slip.*
*No hurry. I'll make them wait and whet their appetite first.*
As Li Fan contemplated how to demand an exorbitant price and reap a fortune in the upcoming deal,
a sudden chill brushed against his heart.
"Hmm?"
His mind snapped to alertness.
*Strange, this sensation is...*
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, inspecting his inner self.
He instantly located the source of the anomaly.
The secret technique, Extirpating the Profound!
This was a secret technique taught to him by Jiang Yushan of the Medicine King Sect in his 115th lifetime, used in ancient times to identify remnants of the Profound Heaven Sect!
Because he wanted to gather as much secret information on the Profound Heaven Sect as possible, Li Fan had kept Extirpating the Profound active at all times after emerging into the Xuanhuang Realm this lifetime.
Originally, he hadn't held much hope in his luck.
He hadn't expected that after randomly teleporting with Shang Tianci, he would actually run into one!
"Mount Taixu."
Li Fan's gaze swept over the surroundings.
*One of the Ten Ranges of Taihua. In the near future, it will mysteriously collapse. Forgotten by the world thereafter, leaving only the Nine Ranges of Taihua.*
*Could there actually be a remnant of the Profound Heaven Sect here?*
Li Fan could not help but feel intrigued.
Although he knew for certain that one of the Dharma Kings of the Profound Heaven Sect was slumbering beneath the ruins of the Purple Cloud Sect,
Li Fan currently had no intention of capturing him.
At least not yet.
As one of the most formidable combatants in the ancient Profound Heaven Sect, a Profound Heaven Dharma King was certainly no weaker than an ordinary Dao Integration cultivator.
Furthermore, the sect's techniques were bizarre and profound, as Li Fan had experienced firsthand in Senior Sister Zhao's dream realm.
Even after slumbering for thousands of years, he was likely not someone the current Li Fan could handle.
If he failed to capture him and was instead forced into True Reversion...
Caution was still the best policy.
In any case, the man was there and wouldn't run away.
Once the Medicine King Cauldron returned and Li Fan brought Liu San and other Dao Integration figures under his command,
perhaps only then would he give it a try.
Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Li Fan wandered through Mount Taixu with Extirpating the Profound active.
The technique's sensing range was not very precise.
Even after nearly half a day, he still couldn't locate the source of the anomaly.
"Senior, are you looking for something?" Shang Tianci asked curiously.
"Yes. Mount Taixu seems to conceal some secret. Help me search for it as well." Li Fan glanced at Shang Tianci, an idea striking him.
He promptly taught him Extirpating the Profound, withholding only its specific purpose.
Once Shang Tianci learned it, he joined Li Fan in scouring the mountains.
It was fortunate that after the combat readiness alarm, panic had set in.
For safety's sake, most cultivators had retreated to Taihua Heavenly City.
Otherwise, the pair acting so suspiciously would surely have drawn suspicion.
After searching for most of the day, Shang Tianci's luck proved noticeably superior to Li Fan's after all.
As if having discovered something, he hurriedly sent a voice transmission: "Senior, over here!"
Li Fan's eyes flashed, and taking Tianyang along, he swiftly arrived beside Shang Tianci.
"How many rings?" Li Fan asked.
"Two."
In the Profound Heaven Sect, the higher the individual's rank, the more warning chimes Extirpating the Profound produced.
Back when it had sensed the Heavenly Profound Mirror, there had been three chimes.
Two rings, while inferior to the Heavenly Profound Mirror, meant this was by no means an insignificant figure.
"Intriguing."
Li Fan indeed felt the continuous alerts pulsing from Extirpating the Profound.
He looked around.
Before them lay a secluded mountain valley, utterly tranquil.
It seemed as though no one had disturbed it for a thousand years.
Chapter 813