Chapter 902: Progress After the Crisis
Chapter 902: Progress After the Crisis
A Dharma Transmitter—the highest-ranking figure in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance that Li Fan had encountered since arriving in the Xuanhuang Realm.
What was even more intriguing was that this Dharma Transmitter was not a true Dharma Transmitter at all.
His real identity was a treacherous Dharma King of the Xuantian Sect, harboring malevolent intent.
"Someone in a position like that... just a whisper of information would be of unimaginable value, a treasure beyond measure."
"The only challenge now is figuring out how to contact this Mo Rubin and, more importantly, how to earn his trust."
Just as with his experience in the Fallen Immortal Realm, Li Fan had only managed to glimpse a few fragments of Mo Rubin's memories.
However, none of the memories related to cultivation techniques, divine abilities, or secret arts had been retained.
So, if he wanted to maintain his disguise before this Dharma King of the Xuantian Sect and not give himself away, he would need to plan meticulously.
During this time, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association continued their constant strife.
The primary source of friction was still the Dharma Manifestation, which repeatedly appeared over the Five Elders Association's territory.
Its repertoire of techniques continued to grow, and the manifestation itself became increasingly vivid.
The latest images from the Five Elders Association revealed that subtle emotional fluctuations could now be observed on the once solemn, impassive face of the Dharma Spreader Heavenly Venerate.
It was a truly startling revelation.
Perhaps it was this increasingly realistic Dharma Manifestation that unsettled the five Longevity Immortals.
The next time the Dharma Manifestation appeared, roiling black clouds surged from the horizon, completely engulfing the heavens.
The entire prefecture was plunged into absolute darkness, sealed off from the world. The Dharma Manifestation, too, was utterly consumed by the gloom.
Li Fan never learned the final outcome.
However, after that battle, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance did indeed become much more restrained.
They deployed the Dharma Manifestation far less frequently, though they did not cease its use entirely.
Meanwhile, the Five Elders Association seemed to have lost hope that the Federation of All Worlds could unearth any intelligence regarding the thirty-three Immortal Candidates.
Their requests for assistance all but vanished.
The most they did was make feigned inquiries about the sudden collapse of the Congyun Sea Mutual Aid Association.
Li Fan simply replied that the Congyun Mutual Aid Association had no connection to the Federation of All Worlds.
The Federation of All Worlds was thriving.
The Five Elders Association would do well to mind its own affairs.
But fire cannot be wrapped in paper, and as the Dharma Manifestation appeared more frequently, rumors about it inevitably began to circulate within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
Even an official ban on public discussion couldn't deter the Alliance's cultivators, who discussed it with tireless enthusiasm.
For a time, theories abounded, with all sorts of speculation springing up like mushrooms after a spring rain.
Li Fan made a point to listen in and gather what he could.
Most were wild fantasies, easily dismissed with a moment's thought.
But one particular rumor piqued his interest.
The rumor suggested a connection between the Dharma Manifestation and the ubiquitous statues of the Dharma Spreader Heavenly Venerate found throughout the Alliance.
"Have any of you ever wondered why a towering statue of the venerable Dharma Spreader Heavenly Venerate stands in every single celestial city?"
"Furthermore, for those of you who have used the long-range teleportation arrays, you might have noticed something odd. The statues are hollowed out, used as conduits for the arrays themselves!"
"What an incredible act of disrespect!"
"The venerable Dharma Spreader may not concern himself with worldly affairs, but his divine power remains. Do you think the leaders of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance would dare do such a thing without his permission?!"
"I'm certain of it—there's something strange going on here!"
a cultivator named Yue Gu declared with utter conviction.
"Brother Yue has a point! It's no wonder I always feel a strange sense of unease whenever I use the long-range teleportation array and see that cloud cluster representing the Xuanhuang Realm."
"I think you're overthinking this. It's obvious the Dharma Manifestation is channeled through the thirty-three Immortal Candidates. What could it possibly have to do with the statues!"
Everyone held fast to their own opinions, and no one could be swayed.
Li Fan, however, found himself thinking back to the stone statues in the celestial cities, each depicting the Dharma Spreader with his tall, formal crown.
"The Xuanhuang Realm holds a uniquely important place in the Dharma Spreader's heart."
"Even if he has distanced himself for a time, he likely hasn't left the Darkest Star Sea. If I were him, to be on the safe side, I would absolutely leave behind some sort of contingency in the Xuanhuang Realm, just in case."
"Perhaps these statues are that contingency."
"And the thirty-three Immortal Candidates are the keys that activate it."
Li Fan mused, forming a tentative theory.
But he was in no hurry to verify it.
After all, he had already planted a Dissociation Disk inside Wei Qizheng, one of the Immortal Candidates. He just had to wait for Wei Qizheng's eventual demise, and the secrets recorded by the disk would be transmitted back to him.
Li Fan refused to believe that cultivators at the Dao Integration realm—the peak for any of the thirty-three Candidates—could channel the Dharma Manifestation so frequently without paying a steep price.
Therefore, he was confident that before his own time in this life was up, he would see the day Wei Qizheng finally perished.
As long as there were no unforeseen accidents.
Pushing the conflicts of the Xuanhuang Realm to the back of his mind for the moment, Li Fan entered a secret chamber within the Spirit Wood Realm and began refining a new clone.
His previous clone, Ji Shaoli, had been killed by the young Dharma Spreader. With the Xuanhuang Realm teeming with hidden dangers, not having a clone was a major inconvenience.
This time, Li Fan secretly took a trace of Su Yuqing's blood essence and began the refining process.
This time, however, was different. Now that he had mastered the Limitless Fullness and Emptiness technique, Li Fan could perform a special procedure on the clone's soul.
He severed all memories related to [Truth] from its divine soul.
He then altered the remaining portions.
The clone would still transmit its perceptions back to the original body, but it would only be able to passively and selectively receive information about the original's own experiences.
In the clone's modified memory, it believed itself to be a duplicate created by an ancient Dharma King of the Xuantian Sect who had just awakened from a long slumber.
Its memories were fragmented due to grievous injuries.
Yet, it vividly recalled the grace of the Xuantian King and was sworn to rebuild the Xuantian Sect.
To that end, it secretly gathered forces from various small worlds, organizing them into the Federation of All Worlds, amassing an army for the sect's revival.
Previously, such a feat of soul modification would have been beyond Li Fan's capabilities.
But with his mastery of the Limitless Fullness and Emptiness, it was now possible.
The method was still somewhat crude; his inability to make precise cuts could even cause direct trauma to the divine soul.
However, the absurdly potent soul-restoration ability of the Limitless Fullness and Emptiness allowed Li Fan, through trial and error, to achieve a rudimentary form of targeted soul modification.
This was the very method he had used to forge Ji Shaoli's memories and deceive the young Dharma Spreader.
...
Three days later.
Gazing at the androgynous, exquisitely handsome clone before him, Li Fan's face broke into a satisfied smile.
"True prudence means guarding against even one's own clones."
"And when necessary, being willing to sacrifice them as decoys."
This was the progress Li Fan had made after his encounters with the young Dharma Spreader and the Dharma King of the Xuantian Sect.
He pointed a finger at the space between the clone's brows. Its eyelids fluttered, and it slowly began to awaken.
"I'll call you Li Qing."
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