Chapter 980: The Mole in the Xuanhuang Realm
Chapter 980: The Mole in the Xuanhuang Realm
At this thought, Yan Fangzhou scoffed inwardly.
"After all," he mused, "my identity as a spy is top secret. Only the Venerable One knows."
A flicker of pride touched Yan Fangzhou, and a faint smile graced his lips as he went to greet Shang Tianci.
Shang Tianci grasped Yan Fangzhou's hands firmly, looking him up and down. "It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright," he murmured, relief washing over him.
Truth be told, Shang Tianci felt a pang of guilt for having lured and tricked Yan Fangzhou into the Spirit Wood Realm, subjecting him to the torment of confinement.
However, under Li Fan's overwhelming influence, Shang Tianci hadn't dared to voice any dissent. He had simply hoped that Yan Fangzhou would soon grasp the reality of the situation and see the light.
It seemed now that Li Fan's methods of... re-education... had been remarkably successful.
"Before I came, the Venerable One gave his instructions. Let the past be the past; we shouldn't bring it up again. From this day forward, Fangzhou and I are brothers in the Federation of All Worlds." With this thought, Shang Tianci met Yan Fangzhou's gaze and they shared a knowing smile.
Led by Shang Tianci, Yan Fangzhou toured the entirety of the Spirit Wood Realm.
"The Federation is advancing at an incredible pace," Yan Fangzhou remarked. "Compared to this, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance seems utterly stagnant."
Yan Fangzhou’s gaze fell upon the Heaven and Earth Furnace in the distance, which continuously radiated spiritual energy, and a peculiar light glinted in his eyes.
Shang Tianci sighed in agreement. "Indeed. In just a few short years, the Spirit Wood Realm has undergone such a world-altering transformation..."
"Perhaps choosing to join the Federation of All Worlds was the best decision I've ever made."
They both shared the same sentiment.
Simultaneously, a thought surfaced in both their minds: what if they could persuade their other brothers from the Mountain and River Pavilion to join the righteous path?
"The Federation's counterattack on the Xuanhuang Realm is inevitable," they thought. "We can't let them waste their lives away in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."
"Besides, the Federation is expanding rapidly. If they join now, they'll be considered founding members. If they wait a few more years, they might not get the chance even if they begged for it."
...
The two brothers were in perfect accord and immediately began to scheme together.
Li Fan, who observed their every move, merely smiled. These prodigies from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's Mountain and River Pavilion were still of some use to him.
Deducing the method for the Mixed Origin Golden Core and the techniques beyond it truly required cultivators of their caliber.
"I don't expect to achieve it all in one lifetime," he mused. "As long as I can make progress, it's a victory."
"Master..." Just as Li Fan was contemplating this, Lin Ling's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
Her tone was apprehensive, tinged with hesitation.
"Heh, come see me in the private chamber."
A short while later, Lin Ling appeared before Li Fan and slowly knelt.
"Your heart seems lost, and your spirit is troubled," Li Fan stated calmly, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed.
Lin Ling pressed her lips together, words catching in her throat.
Both her thoughts and her expressions were far more complex than when she had first come into being.
Li Fan chuckled wryly. "You are a child of heaven and earth. It is in your nature to submit to the strong. When you were young and ignorant, you thought nothing of acknowledging me as your master. But now that you've experienced the mortal world, your heart is stirring with dissatisfaction and resentment. Am I wrong?"
Lin Ling's body trembled. She immediately prostrated herself again, stammering that she wouldn't dare.
In truth, only she knew the turmoil in her own heart.
During her time away from the Spirit Wood Realm, an ancient earth-vein tree she encountered had learned of her servitude to Li Fan and expressed extreme disapproval.
While the ancient tree hadn't directly urged her to rebel, it had shared with her countless scenes from its own memories.
This caused Lin Ling's "mind" to mature at an accelerated rate.
It had indeed stirred her thoughts, planting a desire to leave Li Fan's side and see the vast Xuanhuang Realm for herself.
But upon returning to the Spirit Wood Realm and witnessing its many changes firsthand, a sudden sense of alarm about betraying Li Fan had taken root in her heart.
It felt as if...
...if she were to truly betray him, a great catastrophe would befall her.
For a being born of heaven and earth, spiritual intuition is the sharpest of senses. The warning lingered, and for days, Lin Ling had felt as if she were constantly being watched by a predator, unable to find a moment's peace.
Unable to bear it any longer, she had decided to confess everything to Li Fan.
Just as she was about to speak, she heard Li Fan chuckle softly. "You foolish child..."
"Never mind. Today, I will let you witness what true power is."
Lin Ling froze, her head snapping up.
An unimaginably tyrannical aura erupted from her master. He was clearly only at the Nascent Soul stage, yet his oppressive presence made even her, a Dao Integration cultivator, feel utterly suffocated.
"Cultivation realms mean nothing. If I wished to kill you, it would be as simple as crushing an ant."
Li Fan's voice suddenly sounded from directly above her.
She felt a hand gently rest upon her head.
It felt as though the hand of fate itself had seized her by the throat. Lin Ling's body went rigid, instantly paralyzed.
Lin Ling sensed that if Li Fan applied even the slightest pressure, she would be instantly annihilated, her body and soul erased from existence.
And this wasn't through his control over her Heart of Wood—it was a true, absolute suppression of power!
Horror filled Lin Ling's heart. She couldn't fathom how the Golden Core cultivator she once knew had suddenly become so terrifyingly powerful.
"Could it be... that Master has been hiding his true strength all this time?"
The thought sent an even deeper chill through her.
Under the crushing pressure of imminent death, not a single rebellious thought remained in her mind.
After what felt like an eternity, Li Fan finally lifted his hand and resumed his seated position in the air before her.
Lin Ling immediately slumped to the floor, her body devoid of strength.
She then struggled back to her feet and kowtowed to Li Fan, begging for forgiveness.
She recounted in detail how her rebellious thoughts had taken root.
"An ancient earth-vein tree..." A cold glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes as he committed the name to memory.
"It seems there is something else you haven't said."
At his words, Lin Ling's body trembled violently once more.
"Yes, Master. But... this is only a suspicion. It might not be true."
"Speak freely."
Lin Ling hesitated for a moment before clenching her jaw and speaking. "I suspect that when the Creation Stone Slab was dragged away by that unknown entity in the Fishing Pool... it's very likely that Liuli was secretly responsible!"
"Hmm?" Even Li Fan was taken aback by this revelation.
Lin Ling explained in a hushed tone, "At first, I wasn't certain. I just thought Liuli kept pulling me toward the Fishing Pool to leech some benefits from the stone slab."
"But on the day it happened, at the exact moment the slab was violently dragged forward, little Liuli's face showed no fear, no horror."
"It was as if she knew it was going to happen all along."
"She recovered quickly and put on a frightened expression, but that momentary slip didn't escape my notice."
"That Daoist child, Liuli—there is definitely something wrong with her!"
Lin Ling declared with absolute certainty.
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