"I will borrow this body for the time being and keep it hidden first. When we need to get in touch in the future, I will still use this method," Mo Rubin said in conclusion.
Li Fan nodded in agreement.
Earlier, the two had agreed in detail on the various points requiring attention in their upcoming cooperation, yet Li Fan had not asked Mo Rubin to pry into the Alliance's secrets. As the saying went: to take, one must first give. In Li Fan's view, this connection with Mo Rubin was still in its development phase, far from harvest time.
*Once I help him advance his standing among the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' Dharma Transmitters this time, perhaps I can make a modest request.*
Such were his thoughts after Mo Rubin's divine sense completely vanished from his sea of consciousness.
Over the next ten days, under Li Fan's subtle guidance, all cultivators practicing God Descends upon the Body converged toward Luoyan Province.
According to Mo Rubin's plan, he would soon arrive in Luoyan Province in his capacity as a Dharma Transmitter.
Throughout Luoyan Province, officials of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals at all levels would inevitably treat the occasion with the highest standard of protocol.
Furthermore, Mo Rubin would draw all surveillance and investigative attention to himself, creating an ideal breeding ground for Li Fan to spread God Descends upon the Body throughout Luoyan Province to his heart's content.
This would last for a month, during which Li Fan had to bewitch as many cultivators as possible.
Then, these cultivators would be dispersed across the Alliance, waiting until shortly after Mo Rubin concluded his inspection and returned to Alliance headquarters.
At that point, they would erupt all at once.
Once the situation spiraled completely out of control, Mo Rubin would volunteer to take charge of utterly exterminating these rebels.
With Li Fan, the mastermind, serving as an inside collaborator, resolving the matter flawlessly would be effortless.
Such was the overarching plan.
Naturally, during actual execution, various unforeseen contingencies were very likely to arise. Mo Rubin had already prepared contingency plans for them.
It truly gave the impression of devising strategies within a command tent and deciding victory a thousand li away.
Of course, compared to Li Fan, he still fell slightly short.
Soon, more than thirty thousand cultivators practicing God Descends upon the Body received Li Fan's prompts.
Each set out for Luoyan Province.
To prevent this sudden surge in traffic from arousing the suspicion of the Alliance's authorities, Li Fan orchestrated their movements: some traveled via teleportation formations, while others flew through the air.
In staggered batches over ten days, they arrived across Luoyan Province one after another and went into hiding.
They also began observing nearby cultivators and scouting suitable candidates.
Although Luoyan Province was not as prosperous as the Alliance's four central provinces, it was still a premier, top-tier province.
Immortal Venerable Jicheng, Commander-in-Chief of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' Garrison Court, hailed from Luoyan Province.
After rising to great power, he had lent considerable support to his home region.
Many scions of clans within Luoyan Province had secured positions at Alliance headquarters, and over the years, they had in turn funneled benefits back home.
Through years of deep entrenchment, the local network of connections was tangled and unfathomably deep.
Only a figure of a Dharma Transmitter's stature could compel the whole of Luoyan Province to treat the visit with such utmost caution.
In Li Fan's sea of consciousness, a map of Luoyan Province slowly unfolded.
Red dots representing the God Descends upon the Body cultivators dotted every corner of Luoyan Province.
Sensing the information transmitted back by his subordinates, Li Fan could not help but nod to himself: *A land blessed with outstanding talents. Even setting aside the disciples of prominent clans, the overall caliber of cultivators here is far superior to that backwater Congyun Sea.*
*Mhm...*
*Everything is in place. All that remains is Mo Rubin.*
Li Fan first had his subordinates make contact with their chosen targets and build rapport.
There was no rush to act immediately; instead, they first gradually gained their targets' trust.
The conversations of thirty thousand people converged into Li Fan's sea of consciousness.
Presiding at the center, Li Fan relied on his powerful divine sense and exceptional emotional intelligence to consistently provide the optimal responses.
Furthermore, these thirty thousand-plus God Descends upon the Body cultivators did not all operate individually.
For those of lesser ability, Li Fan deliberately grouped them together. Chiming in with one another, their efficiency in bewitching others was even higher than that of cultivators working alone.
Soon, within just a few days, over ten thousand pairs of "bosom friends" sprang up across Luoyan Province.
Li Fan watched the tens of thousands of different scenes floating before him with a detached expression.
To him, striking up acquaintances, chatting, and gaining trust were merely a series of multiple-choice questions.
With Li Fan's current experience and shrewdness, finding the optimal solution among countless options was child's play.
Moreover, choices that were entirely devoid of emotion and governed by pure rationality often advanced relationships all the more effectively.
*When first forged, a friendship burns brightest. I must strike while the iron is hot...* he thought quietly.
A mere day later than scheduled, an unusual atmosphere seemed to blanket Luoyan Province.
From within the thirty thousand scenes, countless voices of discussion flowed into Li Fan's ears.
"Huh? Why haven't I seen Eldest Young Master Cai around lately? Could he have found some new novelty to play with?"
"Now that you mention it, it's strange. I haven't run into Brother Zhang for days either."
"Damn it, I went to Luoyan Heavenly City to handle some business today, and they actually turned me away. No reason given—just wouldn't let me in! Bah!"
"Those fellows from the Martial Practice Hall have certainly been far more diligent lately. But no matter how I look at it, doesn't it seem like they're just putting on a show?"
"Hiss..."
Piecing together these anomalous signs, the cultivators of Luoyan Province quickly caught on.
Some big shot had arrived in Luoyan Province.
As for just how prominent or what their true identity was, they had no way of knowing.
The clever ones, however, had already decided to stay in secluded cultivation within the Heavenly Profound Mirror and avoid going outside for the near future.
Otherwise, they might vanish into thin air for who knew what reason.
Within Luoyan Province, the surface remained calm.
The cultivators knew better than to step out of line.
They merely gathered with close friends to discuss it in private.
And now, it was finally Li Fan's turn to show his prowess.
Stirring the emotions of his target cultivators and striking a chord with them was actually quite simple.
The vast majority possessed no background and had reached their current stage purely through their own efforts.
Most were in the Foundation Establishment realm, with a minority of Golden Core cultivators among them.
Nascent Soul cultivators were fewer still—scarcely one in a thousand.
Li Fan's bewitching voice echoed in their ears:
"Hmph, these clans monopolize Luoyan Province. Lowly cultivators like us will probably never see the light of day."
"Indeed, nothing good ever comes our way. We're not even qualified to know what's happening..."
"Tsk, tsk, what a wretched life we lead."
"Cultivating purely on our own without resources, just how high a realm can we ever reach? Without a grotto-heaven, even peerless geniuses are trapped dead in their tracks at Nascent Soul. As I see it, those scions of prominent clans aren't necessarily better than me. Take that Eldest Young Master Cai: lacking for nothing, yet still stuck at late Golden Core to this day. A complete and utter waste! If it were me..."
...
Anger and resentment spread through the hearts of the cultivators at the bottom.
Chapter 966