Chapter 1053: A Meeting of Dharma Transmitters
"Not bad. You've finally made some progress."
"Not only is your acting getting more convincing, but your scheme finally has some substance to it," the white-haired elder remarked.
The lead cultivator in black grew frantic. "Senior, you've truly misunderstood!"
He hastily ordered his companions to release the formation restraining the old man. "Senior, you're free now. Surely this can't still be part of the act, can it?"
The white-haired elder's eyes narrowed. "I was the one who designed the Alliance's Deepest Prison. If I truly wanted to leave, do you think that place could actually hold me?"
"You can't even figure that much out..."
The disbelief in the elder's gaze deepened.
"I told you they were liars. Senior, you should come with me instead," Li Fan said with a smile, taking in the scene. "I'm all alone. Even if I had ill intentions, I'd be no match for you."
"You..." The white-haired elder found himself unable to read the young man before him.
A mission that had been proceeding with exceptional smoothness was now deadlocked in a way no one could have anticipated.
Every second they lingered increased the risk of being discovered by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
The lead cultivator, feeling helpless, grew increasingly anxious.
Gritting his teeth, he was already contemplating taking the elder by force and bringing him back under duress.
Just then, a crisp sigh echoed from above.
"Old man Wei, you're as self-important as ever."
The moment the voice appeared, the faces of the black-clad cultivators lit up. "Senior Zhou!"
Meanwhile, the aura of the white-haired elder—Dharma Transmitter Wei—shifted dramatically.
His previously murky eyes flashed with a sharp light as he stared intently upward.
A woman with a refined face, dressed in simple white robes, had appeared without a sound.
Dharma Transmitter Wei studied her for a moment, slightly stunned. "It... it really is you..."
He turned to the group of black-clad cultivators, his expression turning peculiar. "Does that mean these little ones were telling the truth?"
Dharma Transmitter Zhou sighed again.
"When you spend all your time thinking about schemes and conspiracies, everything starts to look fake."
"A lot has happened in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance recently. I suspect the Dharma Transmitter Council has been corrupted, which is why I wanted to get you out."
"But if I had come myself, I would have had to see that insufferably smug look on your face. So I sent these kids instead."
"I just didn't expect..."
Dharma Transmitter Zhou's tone was odd—listless and lacking energy.
Hearing this, the white-haired elder's expression froze for a moment.
But he quickly broke the awkwardness with a hearty laugh.
To divert attention, he immediately fixed his gaze on Li Fan.
"If you're real, then what's the deal with this kid?"
Li Fan, unperturbed, clasped his hands in a salute. "Greetings, Seniors."
"This whole farce was simply to arrange a meeting with you both."
Wei and Zhou exchanged a glance, both wearing amused expressions.
"The Alliance will be here soon. We should move."
Dharma Transmitter Zhou traced a line in the air with her slender hand, opening a spatial passage. She led the black-clad cultivators inside.
The white-haired elder glanced back at Li Fan. "Kid, you have the guts to follow?"
Li Fan mulled it over for a moment before following them into the small world.
"Huh? This place..."
When he saw his surroundings clearly, Li Fan almost thought he had fallen into another illusion.
The architectural style of this small world was strikingly similar to the world he had lived in before his transmigration.
Skyscrapers clawed at the night sky.
A fine, misty rain was falling, slicking the darkness.
Countless neon signs on the buildings' facades painted the nocturnal city in a bizarre, kaleidoscopic glow.
The sight, both distant and deeply familiar, left Li Fan momentarily dazed.
He wasn't the only one.
Dharma Transmitter Wei was also having trouble adjusting.
"What do you think? It's quite a sight, isn't it? I took a vacation in the Land of Carefree Joy and found this kind of scenery rather nice, so I replicated it here."
Dharma Transmitter Zhou's voice drifted over.
Li Fan followed the sound and saw that she had changed her clothes.
She now wore a crisp white blouse and tight-fitting trousers.
She even had a pair of black-framed glasses perched on her face.
She looked less like a Dharma Transmitter and more like a city professional.
"Your taste..."
"...is as incomprehensible as ever," Dharma Transmitter Wei finished, shaking his head in disapproval.
"And you're as hidebound and disagreeable as ever," Dharma Transmitter Zhou retorted sarcastically.
"I think it's quite nice," Li Fan interjected. "This outfit suits you particularly well, Senior."
The gazes of both Dharma Transmitters fell upon Li Fan.
"Hehehe, a young person's taste is so much better than some old fossil's. This is why I enjoy collecting young people," Dharma Transmitter Zhou said with a smile, sizing up Li Fan.
"Kid, if you have an objective, you'd better state it plainly. An old man like me has very little patience," Dharma Transmitter Wei said, his expression souring.
Li Fan, however, could see that Wei's anger was just a pretense.
The three of them now stood on the top floor of the tallest skyscraper. Through massive glass walls, the sprawling, glittering city below was laid out before them.
The entire floor was spartan, furnished only with an office desk and a sofa in the center, set upon a red carpet that covered the entire floor.
Li Fan made himself at home, casually leaning back into the sofa.
Then he stated the reason he had sought out Dharma Transmitter Zhou. "I want to know what really happened at the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters five years ago."
"And where the real Heavenly Profound Mirror is now."
Dharma Transmitter Wei had been locked away for many years and hadn't yet caught up with the situation.
But the placid expression on Dharma Transmitter Zhou's face slowly vanished. She scrutinized Li Fan, as if trying to discern his origins.
"Appearing before me out of nowhere and demanding such top secrets."
"Little one, where does this confidence of yours come from?"
Zhou's tone shifted from languid to icy. "You're only at the Nascent Soul stage. Even if the Grotto-Heaven you've absorbed is a bit more vast than most, you're still just a Nascent Soul."
"How dare you speak to me like that?"
Li Fan's expression didn't change. "This is how I've always spoken to you Dharma Transmitters. The fact that you're probing me with words instead of attacking directly—doesn't that prove my confidence is well-founded?"
The atmosphere instantly grew tense again.
But it shattered in an instant with Dharma Transmitter Zhou's enchanting smile.
"You're right."
"It's been a long time since I've seen a young man as outstanding as you. Why don't you become part of my collection?"
"If you're willing, I can tell you any secret you want to know."
Dharma Transmitter Zhou's tone once again became as languid as before.
(End of Chapter)
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