Chapter 1524: The Fates of All Have Changed
If the Dao condensed within the form of "Crimson Flame" were to be measured, it would be no more than a single blade of grass. But the Dao Li Fan knew was a forest of towering, ancient trees, majestic and boundless.
Thus, as the great trees swayed their branches and leaves, they also inspired the grass below to follow their lead.
Crimson Flame, the Heavenly Spirit that spelled a destiny of renewed destruction for the inhabitants of the Cong Yun Sea, had now been effortlessly subdued by Li Fan.
“The previous incineration of the sea failed to achieve the Xuanhuang Realm's objective, so history is repeating itself.”
“It's like clearing land for farming by burning the forest; the process must be repeated until the very roots are utterly destroyed...”
Li Fan carefully considered the mission Crimson Flame had been given.
Along with this understanding, fragmented images flooded his mind. The physical strain wasn't as intense as when he had recalled memories of the great crossing. A sharp pain pulsed in his head, but after enduring it, he was able to make out most of the visions.
“So, it's a fragment of the Tianfa Realm that invaded the Xuanhuang Realm. No wonder the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang is so determined to eradicate it completely. But what exactly is the Tianfa Realm? And how did it fuse with this world?”
Li Fan was about to probe deeper, but waves of unspeakable pressure washed over him again. Wisely, he decided to let the matter rest for now.
“But it won't be long. This body's growth rate is even faster than I anticipated.”
For the past fifty years, aside from his Longevity and its passive benefits, Li Fan's body had shown no other peculiarities. However, since his recent exposure to spiritual energy, the true potential of this immortal form seemed to have been awakened.
He could feel himself growing stronger with every passing moment.
And he hadn't even begun to formally cultivate. This was all from his body's instinctual absorption of energy. He could scarcely imagine how rapid his progress would become once he truly set foot on the path of cultivation.
What puzzled him, however, was that the spiritual energy his body consumed wasn't being converted into spiritual power. Instead, it vanished without a trace, like water poured into sand.
His instincts told him this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, so he decided not to investigate further for now.
...
Li Fan fell silent, lost in thought. Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi, receiving no reply, understood their place as juniors and continued speaking. “Over twenty years ago, this land was a vast ocean. Then one day, disaster struck, and the sea gave way to solid ground.”
“Fortunately, the damage to the land and the surrounding space wasn't irreparable. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance cultivators, life has returned to this region, and it thrives once more.”
“The lord of the celestial city is He Zhenghao,” Dao Xuanzi explained, gesturing toward a massive citadel floating in the sky nearby. “He's a native of the old Cong Yun region and was lucky enough to survive the cataclysm. During the reconstruction, he stepped forward and shouldered the immense responsibility. When the city was finally complete, he was granted his title in recognition of his service.”
“I've heard he's a man of real character,” Kou Hong added, clicking his tongue in amazement. “They say he has powerful connections, too. On the day of his inauguration, dignitaries from all over the Alliance's Central Four Prefectures came to offer their congratulations. The spectacle...”
Dao Xuanzi nodded. “With his connections, he had no need to become the lord of some remote city. He must have done it for the sake of his homeland. That's why the cultivators of the Cong Yun Sea admire him so much. He's also known for being just and public-spirited. If you truly wish to join the Alliance, Senior, he would be the one to seek out.”
On their journey, Li Fan had fabricated a backstory, claiming to be the descendant of cultivators who had migrated to a small mortal world long ago.
Though neither of them could fathom how Li Fan had reached his current level of cultivation in a small world devoid of spiritual energy, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi knew better than to ask.
The cultivation world was home to countless wondrous arts and abilities; who was to say there wasn't a technique that allowed one to inherit the power of an ancestor?
“As for us,” Kou Hong continued, “we're accustomed to our freedom. We have no desire to join and be bound by their rules.”
Listening to their story, a vaguely familiar face suddenly appeared in Li Fan's mind.
“He Zhenghao...”
“He gives me a friendly impression. He must be an old acquaintance.”
“Starting with him is a good plan,” Li Fan thought, feeling more certain of his path.
His plan to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was less about finding a cultivation method and more about something else. He remembered that the Alliance possessed a supreme treasure known as the Tianxuan Mirror. And he, it seemed, had a profound connection to it.
He had even once been its master!
“All transactions within the Alliance are conducted through the Tianxuan Mirror. If I can gain its support, any resource I desire will be mine for the taking.”
“I just don't know if the method of controlling the mirror from my memories will still work in this era.”
In any case, this body was just an extension of himself. There was no harm in using it to test his theory.
Having made his decision, Li Fan glanced at Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi before turning toward the celestial city.
“I wonder what use these two will be.”
“Still, it's best to have a contingency.”
With that thought, he forced out a drop of his blood essence and flicked it toward each of their foreheads.
The instant the drop left his body, it transformed into a scintillating, crystalline green light. An endless torrent of life force poured from it, causing the surrounding plants to grow at a rate visible to the naked eye.
It looked less like blood and more like some legendary, world-altering treasure.
As the essence entered their bodies, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi were visibly rejuvenated, their vitality surging. Years of hidden injuries and ailments vanished in an instant. Bathed in the radiant light, the Foundation Establishment Wonders within them finally completed their metamorphosis.
Kou Hong's Gnarled Dragon Branch, once a single withered twig resembling a dragon, blossomed into a magnificent, thriving tree. Its verdant branches swayed in the light, their movements like a chorus of a thousand dancing dragons.
As for Dao Xuanzi's sword, Dao Xuan, the mottled rust that time had deposited upon its blade vanished completely, leaving it looking newly forged. Beyond its newfound sharpness and aura of longevity, something new seemed to be gestating deep within the steel. A single look confirmed it was now an extraordinary treasure.
And Li Fan was the source of this heaven-and-earth-shaking transformation.
After a moment of stunned silence, tears welled in the eyes of Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi. They prepared to offer Li Fan the highest rite of gratitude, to bow and kowtow before him, but by the time they recovered their senses, he was already gone.
“When we were captured, I thought our luck had run out, that our lives were over,” Kou Hong said, his voice thick with emotion. “I never imagined our fortunes would turn so dramatically. We not only escaped death but received such a profound gift.”
Dao Xuanzi silently vowed, “One day, when we have achieved greatness in our cultivation, we must repay this debt of gratitude.”
Both men felt as if all the hardships of their past lives had been swept away in that single moment. It was as if they had truly defied the heavens and rewritten their destinies. A new, profound aura began to emanate from them.
Influenced by this new aura, their perspectives began to shift in subtle, imperceptible ways. The change was barely noticeable now, but it would grow more pronounced as their cultivation advanced in the years to come.
“Trouble,” Kou Hong's expression hardened. “Someone's coming.”
“They must have been drawn by the commotion from our senior's gift. We can't let anyone know we possess such treasures. We have to go, now.”
Of one mind, the two vanished into the forests of the Cong Yun Mountains.
By the time other cultivators, drawn by the disturbance, rushed to the scene, they found nothing and remained oblivious to what had transpired.
...
Congyun Celestial City, the main chamber of the Government Hall.
He Zhenghao stared at the list before him, his face etched with frustration.
“This makes no sense at all.”
“In the latest performance assessment, Cong Yun is in the bottom ten again?” he lamented. “Xinxin, if you hadn't shown me this list ahead of time, I would never have believed it!”
He pored over the list again and again, then sighed deeply. “This isn't all my fault. Cong Yun was always a remote region. After the great calamity, we lost so many talented people. Very few have been willing to move here since. It's a miracle we can even keep the administration running. How are we supposed to compete with the other provinces?”
“Look at this item: ‘Number of cultivators in the province newly promoted to Soul Transformation or higher.’ Your own father is only at the Soul Transformation realm!”
“And the support resources promised by the Alliance headquarters still haven't been delivered.”
He Zhenghao grumbled on, a torrent of complaints pouring from him.
A light chuckle interrupted him. “Hee hee, Dad, stop complaining. If you really can't handle it, you can always go home and be a good son-in-law living with your wife's family.”
“You'd settled down for a few years, but then you started going on about needing to prove yourself. You went behind Mother's back, pulling strings to get this post as lord of Cong Yun. Regretting it now?”
He Zhenghao coughed, slightly embarrassed, and his expression turned serious. “Xinxin, what kind of talk is that? I admit there was some pride involved, but my main motivation was to rebuild Cong Yun. After all, your father has spent the better part of his life here.”
He Xinxin just smiled without replying.
He Zhenghao frowned again, looking at the list in his hand, pondering a plan for the next assessment.
But he suddenly heard his daughter let out a sound of surprise and uncertainty.
He Zhenghao shot his head up and saw that, at some unknown time, a young man was standing silently before him.
“Hm?”
A chill ran down He Zhenghao's spine.
The Government Hall was one of the most secure locations in the celestial city, protected by layers of formations and restrictive spells. Even a Soul Transformation master couldn't have infiltrated it so silently.
Who in the world was this man...?
A million thoughts raced through his mind, but he followed his instincts and made the wisest choice.
With a respectful expression, he asked in a low voice, “Senior, I...”
Li Fan studied He Zhenghao's face, which matched his memory perfectly, confirming his suspicions. This man seemed reliable. At the very least, he wasn't the one responsible for his grievous injuries and memory loss.
“I wish to join the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. I'll need you to recommend me,” Li Fan said lightly.
“Ah?” He Zhenghao, upon hearing this, thought he had misheard and was momentarily stunned.
Such a powerful cultivator, yet not a member of the Alliance.
Could he be from... the Five Elders Council?
He Zhenghao's expression changed abruptly.
Without the slightest hesitation, he activated his strongest trump card.
“Heavenly Net Array!”
Instantly, a web of crisscrossing lines of light filled the main chamber of the Government Hall.
Visions of sprawling mountains and rivers materialized within the web, coalescing above Li Fan's head with the intent to crush him.
But to He Zhenghao's utter astonishment, the young man merely glanced at it, and the Heavenly Net Array—the culmination of decades of his painstaking work—shattered into pieces and vanished.
“How is that possible?!”
Despite his reputation as the Heng family's son-in-law, He Zhenghao had earned his place in the Alliance's Central Four Prefectures through his own extraordinary talent with formations. He wasn't a man other cultivators looked down upon.
Otherwise, even if he begged and pleaded, others would not have arranged for him to get the position of Cong Yun's city lord.
A backwater it may be, but there's still profit to be made.
During his time as city lord, He Zhenghao knew very well just how much profit could be squeezed out of this position.
It was only because he, He Zhenghao, was a man of integrity, utterly incorruptible.
Otherwise, Cong Yun's performance in the assessments would have been even more dismal.
Li Fan looked at the dumbstruck He Zhenghao and repeated, “If you won't recommend me, then I'll go elsewhere.”
“I recall that recommending a cultivator to join the Alliance counts as a merit, does it not?”
Seeing that He Zhenghao still hadn't answered after a long moment, Li Fan's brow furrowed slightly.
But then he suddenly remembered something, and Li Fan added, “Oh. Right, don't worry. I'm not from the Five Elders Council.”
As if a switch had been flipped, He Zhenghao finally snapped out of it after hearing these words.
“Really...” Mustering his courage, he asked again in a weak voice.
Li Fan raised an eyebrow, and He Zhenghao hurriedly said, “Recommend, I'll recommend you! Senior, rest assured, leave everything to me.”
Only then did Li Fan nod slightly.
He Zhenghao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and forced himself to calm down.
He organized his thoughts and then said slowly, “For a senior of your profound cultivation to join the Alliance, we must report to headquarters. Then, you'll need to pass the trial of the Inquiry Platform...”
Li Fan waved his hand. “No need for such trouble. Just take me to see the Tianxuan Mirror here. Not the one on display in the city square. The one for the city lord's exclusive use, the one with more authority.”
He Zhenghao's expression instantly froze.
“This...”
He Zhenghao opened his mouth to speak several times but stopped himself.
Finally, after weighing the power gap between them, he said tactfully, “Senior. Joining the Alliance requires following a fixed procedure. Even as the lord of a province, I cannot simply break the rules...”
“I say you can, so you can,” Li Fan said just as directly.
Seeing the other's hesitation, Li Fan stretched out his hand and showed He Zhenghao the scene in his palm.
Within it, shining like a speck of faint light, was precisely the Heavenly Net Array that He Zhenghao had just deployed!
Li Fan blew gently, and this speck of light instantly split into two, then four, then eight.
In just a few breaths, they became like the stars in the sky, filling Li Fan's palm.
He Zhenghao could clearly feel the immense energy contained within each of these stars.
As its creator, He Zhenghao was perfectly clear on the power of his ultimate technique, the Heavenly Net Array.
If all of them were to detonate at once within the celestial city...
The city of Cong Yun, so painstakingly rebuilt, would likely be reduced to rubble once more!
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