Chapter 973: The Secrets of the Dharma Transmitters
In the Spirit Wood Realm.
"Hm? Why hasn't the gray mold erupted yet?" After waiting for nearly a month without hearing any news, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a little perplexed.
"This makes no sense."
After mulling it over and carefully reviewing his plan, Li Fan concluded that the problem could only lie with that particular Dharma Transmitter.
"As expected of one of the supreme rulers of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, a being who has survived since the great calamity of antiquity."
"While it can't compare to the 'Hunger' character from beyond the Immortal Ruins, the destructive power of the gray mold should still surpass that of an ordinary Longevity cultivator..."
"To think he could neutralize it so easily, so quietly..."
"Well, perhaps the proper way to use the gray mold is to let it secretly corrode various locations throughout the Xuanhuang Realm, and then trigger a simultaneous, multi-point outbreak..."
"Brother Xingwang, is everything well?"
"Who? What little thief is this!" Li Fan feigned ignorance, pretending he had already forgotten the other party.
Without another word, he prepared to launch an attack.
But without the aid of his thousands of mind-demons, Li Fan's spiritual consciousness alone was clearly no match for Mo Rubin at this moment.
Mo Rubin parried the assault while trying to awaken "Sun Xingwang's" memory.
After putting on a convincing show for a while, a faceless stone statue slowly materialized in the empty sea of consciousness, casting a faint golden glow.
Li Fan gradually ceased his attack.
He stared at Mo Rubin for a long moment, his expression unreadable as he said, "You've finally come."
"Hmph, the two of us almost never saw each other again."
Li Fan's tone was hostile, his eyes glaring. "Didn't we agree that you would step forward when the time came and take on the task of clearing out the mind-demons? Why was it some treacherous young man who showed up instead?"
"If it weren't for the divine protection of the Supreme Red Dust Compassionate Immortal at that critical moment, I nearly fell for his tricks and spilled all my secrets!"
"Or was this your plan all along? Using someone else to do your dirty work?"
A sliver of killing intent flickered across Li Fan's face.
Mo Rubin's expression faltered. "Brother Xingwang, don't misunderstand! I never expected Dharma Transmitter Jiang to act personally!"
"It's just that you caused such a massive disturbance, it nearly brought about the ruin of the Xuanhuang Realm."
"To be honest, I was startled myself."
A hint of resignation tinged Mo Rubin's voice.
"Oh? So you're saying it's my fault?"
Though the sea of consciousness was brightly lit, Mo Rubin suddenly felt a sinister chill creep in as soon as those words were spoken.
To prevent the man from flying into another rage, he quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Brother Xingwang, how exactly did you manage to repel him? Judging by his subsequent actions, it seems he returned empty-handed, having gained nothing."
Li Fan spoke with a touch of impatience. "I already told you, it was the protection of the Supreme Red Dust Compassionate Immortal! Otherwise, I would have foolishly believed that I was him and he was me!"
At that, Mo Rubin was finally certain that "Sun Xingwang" had genuinely escaped from the clutches of Dharma Transmitter Jiang.
After all, Dharma Transmitter Jiang's innate nature was a secret known only to the other few Dharma Transmitters.
Mo Rubin cast an inadvertent, thoughtful glance at the gradually fading statue above.
"However, our ultimate goal has been achieved. I have resolved the mind-demon crisis this time, so according to convention, I will be in charge of the Alliance's important affairs for the foreseeable future."
"So, it is time to put more pressure on the Xuantian Treasure Mirror," Mo Rubin declared.
Li Fan, however, waved his hand dismissively. "Same as always. You come up with the plan, and just tell me what you need me to do!"
Mo Rubin smiled. "Brother Xingwang, there's no need for you to take action this time. Just wait patiently. I will contact you again when there is progress."
"My main purpose this time was to confirm your situation. After all, Dharma Transmitter Jiang is an incredibly difficult opponent. Even I have always avoided direct confrontation with him..." Mo Rubin's tone grew heavy.
"Tell me everything about this Dharma Transmitter, so I won't be caught off guard again if I run into him in the future," Li Fan said, following his lead.
"I wanted to warn you on the day he made his move, but I was in the middle of a Dharma Transmitter council meeting. Sending that brief warning was the most I could do."
"Dharma Transmitter Jiang is the first among all Dharma Transmitters. He possesses the supreme characteristic of 'All Things Are One With Me'..."
"That Return to Ruins Realm was left behind by the Dharma Transmission Heavenly Venerate. It can infinitely 'Return to Origin'..."
"Aside from Dharma Transmitter Jiang, Dharma Transmitter Jiang is another extremely formidable adversary."
This time, Mo Rubin held nothing back, recounting all the information he knew about the various Dharma Transmitters.
"It's worth noting that, aside from Dharma Transmitter Jiang who has always been an open book, the other Dharma Transmitters more or less have their own undisclosed secrets."
"After all, they've held the highest authority in the Myriad Immortals Alliance for so many years, with a virtually inexhaustible supply of resources to command..."
"Who knows what strange things they've developed in secret. For example, that Sky Patrolling Arrow from before was based on a mature manufacturing plan provided by Dharma Transmitter Zhao."
...
Through their conversation, Li Fan not only learned the reason why the gray mold had failed to erupt, but for the first time, he also obtained a significant amount of intelligence on the Dharma Transmitters who had always operated from behind the scenes.
Each Dharma Transmitter belonged to the true privileged class of the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Their annual quota of contribution points was practically infinite, and their merit level was the absolute highest, Yan-Forty-Nine.
Their inclusion in the contribution and merit system was merely for show, to maintain the appearance of upholding the Alliance's institutions.
The Dharma Transmitters were bound to the Xuanhuang Realm and the Dao established by the Dharma Transmission Heavenly Venerate. Although this prevented them from ever achieving Longevity, they could still live as long as heaven and earth, effectively immortal.
Moreover, it was said that even if they were to fall for some reason, they could be resurrected and descend upon the world once more through a method of restoring a "backup."
Of course, an incident involving a Dharma Transmitter being attacked and killed had never occurred since the Alliance's founding.
Therefore, Mo Rubin couldn't vouch for the truth of this claim.
There were eighteen seats for the Dharma Transmitters, a number that had never changed since the Alliance was established.
And it would never change in the future.
They were the true upper echelon of the Myriad Immortals Alliance; any so-called systems or laws of the Alliance were utterly ineffective against them.
Only the resolutions made within the Dharma Transmitter council could have any impact on them.
They also possessed privileges that ordinary cultivators couldn't even begin to imagine.
For instance: conscription.
Within the territories of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, if a Dharma Transmitter took a fancy to any cultivator, for any reason whatsoever, they had the right to conscript that cultivator into their own small world.
And the chosen cultivator would vanish, as if they had simply evaporated from the world.
No records whatsoever would be left behind.
For thousands of years, the Dharma Transmitters had always done so.
(End of this chapter)
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