Chapter 820: A Sudden Turn in the War
The failure of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance’s offensive was not only due to the treacherous terrain of Jiushan Province, where teleportation arrays were ineffective and cultivators below the Nascent Soul realm could not fly over the mountains.
The complete betrayal of the Lingyuan Sect was another major reason for the Alliance's repeated setbacks.
It was unclear what promises the Five Elders Council had made to the Lingyuan Sect.
This organization, which had been fickle under the Alliance’s rule, seemed to have undergone a complete transformation after falling under the Council’s control, displaying an absolute and unwavering loyalty.
They had even gone so far as to capture several Alliance negotiators who tried to infiltrate their ranks, handing them over as a show of their fealty.
Thwarted in their attack on Jiushan Province, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance shifted its strategy.
They pivoted from offense to defense.
Heavy reinforcements were dispatched to fortify the border provinces.
"The Heavenly Origin Vitality Formation..."
Li Fan looked up at the sky, which had turned a dull, earthy yellow, and felt the vital energy being periodically drawn from his surroundings, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"The Alliance's defensive formation certainly has some merit. A pity it's a far cry from the Heavenly Profound Spirit Locking Array. With the Dissociation Disc in hand, I could shatter it in an instant." A series of images flashed through his mind.
A moment later, with a simple flick of his fingers and a quiet incantation, it was as if a vacuum had formed around him.
The Heavenly Origin Vitality Formation's function of drawing essence from heaven and earth ceased to have any effect in his vicinity.
More importantly, no one detected the slightest anomaly.
"With the Alliance's defensive formation active, the Five Elders Council shouldn't be able to break through anytime soon under normal circumstances."
"The war might descend into a stalemate, and then, forgotten by all, slowly fade away..."
"No, that won't do at all! Allow me to lend you all a hand!"
With a faint chuckle, Li Fan’s figure moved like a phantom, speeding toward the border of Shilin Province.
He didn't cross the defensive line into Jiushan Province.
Instead, he arrived near a small border city named Heshi, not far from the White Mist Barrier.
A unit of cultivators from the Martial Hall of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was stationed in the city.
The Guardian of Heshi, his face etched with tension, accompanied them, inspecting the arrays, restrictions, and other defensive measures.
Without alerting the guards, Li Fan slipped into the city unnoticed.
After the inspection team finally dispersed, he quietly sought out the Guardian of Heshi.
The guardian, named Yu Dayi, was merely a Golden Core cultivator.
He was a portly man with a kind, harmless-looking face that suggested honesty.
Having just taken a break, he was sipping a cup of spirit tea to calm his nerves when Li Fan appeared before him without any warning.
His expression changed, and he was about to call for help.
But then he noticed the stranger studying him with an intrigued expression, and a thought flickered in his mind. The shout that was on the tip of his tongue was swallowed back down.
"And you are?" Yu Dayi asked, his eyes narrowing.
"The Federation of All Worlds. You should be familiar with the name," Li Fan replied, his voice deliberately strange and distorted.
The color drained from Yu Dayi's face, but he remained cautious and gave no confirmation.
Li Fan, however, continued to look him up and down, letting out a strange laugh. "Infiltrated to the core, riddled with spies. The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance truly shows signs of its impending doom!"
At Li Fan's words, Yu Dayi's aura instantly became elusive and dangerous.
"No need to worry. Apart from our Federation of All Worlds, no one else knows about your status as a spy for the Five Elders Council," Li Fan remarked coolly, glancing at him.
At this, Yu Dayi finally dropped his pretense.
Although he had no idea how he had been exposed, Yu Dayi maintained the basic composure of a spy, responding calmly, "Your Excellency has sought me out for what reason, exactly...?"
"What else could it be? Your Five Elders Council has been a great disappointment. After taking Jiushan Province, you should have pressed your advantage and swallowed a few more provinces. Why have you grown content and stopped moving?"
Yu Dayi’s expression turned grim. "Does Your Excellency truly believe the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is so easily dealt with? The successful surprise attack on Jiushan Province was the result of meticulous planning. Do you not see how heavily fortified this border is? The defensive formation enveloping the entire province alone is not so easily breached."
"Heh heh, the weak always love to make excuses. Or perhaps you're afraid of that Dharma Spreader, and that's why you daren't make a decisive move?" Li Fan sneered, casting a dismissive glance at Yu Dayi.
Before the other could respond, Li Fan continued as if talking to himself, "But your concerns are valid. Now is indeed not the time for a full-scale invasion."
"However, advancing a little further, expanding your gains just a bit, is hardly enough to provoke the Dharma Spreader's intervention."
As he spoke, Li Fan tossed a jade slip toward him.
Yu Dayi reacted swiftly, catching it and inspecting its contents.
He could no longer maintain his composure. "The weaknesses of the Heavenly Origin Vitality Formation?"
He stared at Li Fan, his eyes wide with shock. "This is..."
"You can test it for yourself to see if it's real or fake. The only question is whether you have the nerve," Li Fan said with a sinister smile.
Before Yu Dayi could say another word, Li Fan's figure flickered and vanished from his sight.
Yu Dayi gripped the jade slip tightly, his face a storm of conflicting emotions.
This cultivator, claiming to be from the Federation of All Worlds, was a complete mystery. His tone was astonishingly arrogant.
Not only did he know his secret identity, but he was also privy to something as top-secret as the Alliance's defensive formation.
"..."
Yu Dayi was caught in a state of hesitation.
"Should I relay this information?"
"The front lines are too heavily guarded now. To succeed, I would have to sacrifice this hard-won identity."
After a long period of contemplation, Yu Dayi meticulously reviewed the contents of the jade slip again.
Then, he went alone to a quiet corner of the city, facing the Heavenly Origin Vitality Formation that enveloped the province.
Almost half a day later, Yu Dayi’s outward expression remained unchanged.
But beneath the surface, his body had begun to tremble uncontrollably.
It was a tremor born of sheer excitement.
"It's actually real." Yu Dayi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the thrill surging within him.
He went about his duties as usual, his demeanor perfectly normal.
Three days later, he seized a rare opportunity and left Heshi City under a plausible pretext.
Li Fan's form slowly materialized from the shadows.
"I hope the Five Elders Council won't disappoint me."
...
Yu Dayi's sudden disappearance quickly drew the attention of the Martial Hall cultivators stationed in the city.
By the time they confirmed he had truly defected and issued a wanted notice along the border, Yu Dayi had already returned to Jiushan Province and reconnected with his organization.
The peace lasted for less than half a month.
Before the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance could even complete its internal investigation into the spy incident at Heshi City, the Five Elders Council unleashed an attack as sudden and violent as a thunderstorm.
It was not just Shilin Province.
War erupted simultaneously all along the border.
The protective formation, one of the Alliance’s greatest assets, was utterly useless, like a phantom barrier.
Caught completely off guard, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance suffered devastating losses.
In less than seven days, news arrived that several provinces had fallen.
Only Shilin Province, thanks to its heavy concentration of troops, was still holding on, albeit with great difficulty.
The sudden turn of the war took everyone by surprise.
Panic instantly spread among the cultivators of the Immortal Alliance.
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