Chapter 830: A Deft Hand Calms the Storm
Chapter 830: A Deft Hand Calms the Storm
Though Li Fan had claimed to trust Senior Sister Zhao implicitly, his actions told a different story.
After leaving Jiushan Province, he didn’t return directly to the Spirit Wood Realm.
Instead, he quietly slipped back to the Cong Yun Sea.
He handed over all the conventional materials to his clone, Ji Shaoli, keeping only the treasures imbued with the power of a Heavenly Sovereign, like the Truth Inducing Fruit.
His plan was to use the Tianxuan Mirror to ‘launder’ the items by selling them and then buying them back.
This would remove any potential traces left on them.
He didn't even keep the priceless Origin Magnetic Mother Stone, a material perfect for crafting spatial artifacts.
This process would cost him some contribution points, but it was a worthwhile price to pay to reduce the risk of attracting the attention of the Longevity Heavenly Sovereign.
Still, with help from the other members of the Congyun Mutual Aid Association, it wouldn't take too long.
“As for the supreme treasures imbued with the power of a Heavenly Sovereign,” he mused, “they involve the authority of other such beings. It wouldn't be so easy for Senior Sister Zhao to tamper with them.”
These were creations of pure law, all of which Li Fan had encountered in his past life.
After carefully examining them and confirming they were clean, he finally set his mind at ease.
Though Li Fan had appeared perfectly composed and in control during the transaction, the truth was that when Senior Sister Zhao’s voice had echoed in his mind, memories of their intimate moments together in the illusion had surfaced, unbidden and uncontrollable.
Fortunately, Li Fan’s will was ironclad, and he possessed a secret art for tempering the mind.
He had managed to suppress those distracting thoughts just in time, preventing any blunders.
He had even turned the tables, casually revealing what seemed to be a profound knowledge of the [Great Dao Sect of One Heart and One Mind].
It was a deliberate feint, designed to make Senior Sister Zhao second-guess herself, which in turn diminished the unconscious allure she radiated.
That was how Li Fan had ultimately gained the upper hand.
“As expected of a Longevity Heavenly Sovereign,” Li Fan sighed. “Even dealing with a single one of her bodies forces me to give it my all.”
He left a portion of the items, including the Carefree Crystal Lattices and Humanity Stardust, on Haixuan Island.
A month passed before the members of the Mutual Aid Association had finished ‘laundering’ the majority of the materials.
Only then did Li Fan, along with Lin Ling and Tianyang, return to the Spirit Wood Realm.
During that month on the island, Pei Tuo, Xiang Xin, and the others were fortunate enough to catch a fleeting glimpse of Lin Ling and Tianyang.
Though neither had intentionally revealed their power, the faint aura of pressure they exuded was enough to leave the association members deeply shaken.
This further solidified their belief that the Mutual Aid Association was a vast and formidable organization.
Their Cong Yun Sea chapter was merely its newest offshoot.
They secretly celebrated being among the first to join, and their ‘loyalty’ to the association deepened.
Also in that month, the Five Elders Council seemed to have heeded Li Fan’s parting advice, for they significantly eased up on their offensive.
The flames of war along the border began to die down.
But the Five Elders Council was far from idle.
Suddenly, all sorts of rumors began to circulate throughout the provinces of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
Though they were all old, forgotten scandals, they stirred up considerable unrest within the Alliance.
For instance, a team leader from the Martial Hall in Tianquan Province had once killed an ordinary cultivator out of a personal grudge. According to Alliance law, he should have been dismissed from his post and investigated. But the case was delayed and stalled until it faded from public memory. It was only recently, when someone dredged it up, that people realized with a shock that this team leader had been living comfortably all these years, having gotten away with nothing more than a token fine!
Then there was the case of an official from the Government Hall in Youtai Province whose negligence had led to a preventable disaster, resulting in the tragic deaths of hundreds of cultivators. He was dismissed at the time, but who would have known? As people were now being reminded, just a few years later, that same official had reemerged under a new identity, appointed to a new post in Tianyu Province—a promotion, no less!
...
Countless old cases like these erupted all at once!
Even Li Fan had never heard of the vast majority of them.
They were the kind of sordid tales that history had long since buried.
Yet now, propelled by some unseen force, they were all being resurrected at once.
The Alliance cultivators were naturally outraged.
Though no open conflicts had yet erupted, seditious sentiments were already spreading in the shadows: “The Alliance is corrupt; it’s not worth dying for.” “I’m sent to die while you reap the rewards? We might as well all go down together!”
The Alliance took the situation seriously, ordering strict investigations in every province, but public opinion is not so easily gagged.
Far from improving, the situation only threatened to escalate.
And the Alliance’s time-tested strategy of simply ‘stalling’ until things blew over seemed to have suddenly lost all its efficacy.
Seven days, fifteen days, a month...
As time went on, the impact of the initial wave of scandals had yet to fade when new skeletons were dragged out of the closet across the provinces.
The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was thrown into a state of utter disarray.
Meanwhile, his clone Ji Shaoli greedily collected and organized these ‘scandals’ as if they were priceless treasures, committing every detail to memory.
“I never thought the Five Elders Council had a card like this to play,”
“—and it’s all priceless information!”
“Forcing people to forget is an effective way to suppress negativity. But on the flip side, if all those buried memories are triggered to resurface at once...”
“The resulting chaos would be terrifying.”
“It’s a weapon no less powerful than an army of a million strong!”
“Hmm, perhaps this is also related to the [Carefree Heavenly Sovereign] easing up on the power of forgetfulness that blankets the Alliance's territory.”
“These are all tactics I can replicate to use against the Alliance in the future. I must study them carefully.”
Ji Shaoli clicked his tongue, marveling at the delightful surprise the Five Elders Council had delivered.
A month and a half after the storm of scandals began, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance finally made its countermove.
Their response was something Li Fan hadn't expected either.
But after a moment of consideration, he couldn't help but marvel at its brilliance.
“A brilliant move!”
“There’s a mastermind within the Alliance, that’s for sure!”
The Alliance’s move was remarkably simple.
They didn't try to silence the cultivators or forbid discussion of the topics.
They simply proclaimed a single piece of news to the world.
The Alliance’s next recruitment examination would be held ahead of schedule, in just six months’ time.
Furthermore, to counter the aggressive offensive from the Five Elders Council, the number of available positions would be increased by fifty percent.
The news sent shockwaves across the land.
Everyone despises privilege, yet everyone dreams of wielding it.
The circulating scandals were a cry against injustice, but they also served as the most effective recruitment propaganda.
Did you want to be a victim, or did you want to be one of the privileged?
If the latter tempted you, then come and take the examination.
With nearly fifty percent more openings, the chances of success had skyrocketed.
Cultivators across the Alliance were buzzing with anticipation, eager to try their luck.
And just like that, the storm calmed itself.
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