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Chapter 386: External Threats and Internal Worries

It was evident that Li Fan was not the only one who noticed this.

After the battle ended, Yan Hang and the others didn’t show any excitement as they watched Decaying Wood turn to ashes in the raging fire.

“Damn, these monsters seem to have grown stronger again.” Yan Hang glanced at the dried wound on his arm, his face ugly as he cursed.

The other four also had varying degrees of injuries.

“Quickly report the situation of this battle. Hopefully, they will come up with a solution soon. Otherwise, I’m afraid we won’t last much longer,” sighed a cultivator named Li Shifeng among the four.

Yan Hang snorted coldly but didn’t retort.

He opened the Records of Hundred Matters and closed his eyes to report.

Li Fan was also checking the Records of Hundred Matters.

Compared to when they first entered the Five Elements Subworld, the information recorded in it was much richer now.

“Overall progress of the grand formation is 78% complete.”

“It’s progressing faster than initially expected.”

“But obviously, things here are getting somewhat out of control.”

“I wonder what measures the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance will take next.”

Li Fan’s eyes flickered, his hands moving incessantly.

Could the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance really complete the construction of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Formation on schedule?

Li Fan could almost be certain that they would.

Currently, the main force inside the Five Elements Subworld consisted mostly of Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

But the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was not lacking in Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

Obviously, they hadn’t fully exerted their efforts yet.

If it’s found that the current strength is insufficient to accomplish the mission, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance will naturally increase its input.

As for whether the cultivators inside the Five Elements Subworld at this moment could hold on until the reinforcements arrived, that was another matter.

As Li Fan had expected, the constant increase in strength of the subworld’s monsters caused widespread anxiety.

Qin Buyi quickly came out to reassure everyone.

Firstly, she explained to everyone that due to the principle of mutual restraint among the Five Elements, they believed that monsters merging with all five attributes wouldn’t occur.

The most extreme situation would only give rise to monsters merging with four attributes.

But this extreme situation would only happen at the end of the process of “Five Elements Return to One”.

What everyone mainly needed to deal with were monsters merging with two or three attributes.

Secondly, the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was already aware of the current situation in the Five Elements Subworld.

Support would arrive soon.

Furthermore, the scale of the reinforcements was quite large, with a total number of people exceeding the combined total of all the cultivators currently working in the subworld.

There’s no need to worry.

Although everyone held a skeptical attitude towards Qi Buyi’s words, they finally breathed a sigh of relief after receiving definite assurance.

With emotions slightly eased, they worked nervously, awaiting the arrival of reinforcements.

Time continued to pass amidst this tense atmosphere.

In the blink of an eye, two years had passed since they entered the Five Elements Subworld.

During this time, there were indeed cultivators who came to support them.

However, it was far from the large-scale reinforcements promised by Qi Buyi.

Whenever questioned, Qi Buyi always came up with various excuses.

However, two new Dao Integration stage cultivators arrived, which somewhat reassured everyone.

With the arrival of these new support cultivators, through their mouths, everyone learned the reasons for the delayed reinforcements.

Externally, there had been significant unrest over the past two years.

Firstly, there were external threats.

The Five Elders Association had redeployed troops to the borders, showing signs of probing and provocation repeatedly.

Unlike before, they didn’t seem to have the intention of initiating large-scale conflicts.

Instead, they concentrated all their forces on Fenglei Island, which was separated from Tianling Province.

According to rumors from the grassroots, it seemed that the Five Elders Association coveted the mysteries of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Formation and wanted to seize the entire province from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

They conducted a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Formation.

However, Li Fan knew that this was just an excuse on the surface.

The true goal of the Five Elders Association should still be the void where the Five Elements Subworld was nurtured in Tianling Province.

“It seems that the truth cannot be concealed forever. Indeed, in two years, the changes in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance in Tianling Province are enough to arouse their vigilance,” Li Fan thought to himself.

In addition to the pressure brought by the Five Elders Association,

There was also unrest within the territory of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

During this period, voices opposing the widespread use of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Formation suddenly emerged from various places.

And those who voiced these opinions were not insignificant figures.

Most of them were cultivators with Nascent Soul stage or higher cultivation bases occupying important positions in various provinces.

It’s unclear what happened, but these cultivators, who had unanimously expressed absolute support for the construction of the Soul-Locking Formation not long ago,

suddenly changed their stance and clearly expressed their opposition.

Moreover, their opposition was not just for the sake of opposition, but rather had ample arguments and reasons.

This was their viewpoint:

It is well-known that no matter how exquisite a formation is, there will always be a day when it can be penetrated and cracked.

In the past, there have been many instances where protective formations leaked, catching the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance off guard.

This is also why protective formations must be completely replaced at regular intervals.

Now, after the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance has painstakingly and at great cost constructed the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Formation covering all its territories, can it guarantee that the formation will remain effective forever? If it’s analyzed and cracked by the Five Elders Association shortly after completion, wouldn’t that be a huge joke?

In addition, these individuals also harbor doubts about whether the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Formation can achieve the effects as advertised.

Because the notorious Thousand-Faced Demon Lord, who has been haunting the territories of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, has become more rampant lately.

Many high-ranking cultivators within the provinces have fallen victim to him.

Even in the provinces where the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Formation has been completed, it only slightly delays his killing spree.

In the end, he still manages to slip away.

Furthermore, even if he is captured, what then?

Since the Five Elders Association can cultivate one Thousand-Faced Demon Lord, they can certainly cultivate two or three.

The original purpose of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Formation, as advertised, was to make it impossible for any Five Elders Association cultivator within its borders to escape detection.

And now?

While others wreak havoc openly in your territory, you are powerless.

What use is this Tianxuan Soul-Locking Formation?

It must be said that these people’s viewpoints are quite reasonable.

So much so that when they raised their doubts to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters, it resonated with quite a few people.

As the opposition intensified, the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, instead of punishing these dissenters as usual, fell into a strange silence.

It is in this backdrop that the whereabouts of the Thousand-Faced Demon Lord became increasingly elusive, and his massacres grew more ferocious.

In addition to external threats and internal worries, Li Fan also heard an interesting story.

Amidst the escalating tensions, in the border region between the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association, the Nine Mountain Province, an organization called the Myriad Spirit Sect has recently gained momentum.

It has truly attracted the attention of many cultivators.

All because the Myriad Spirit Sect possesses a peculiar technique.

A technique where the more people cultivate it, the faster the cultivation speed.

Comments 18

  1. Offline
    + 00 -
    Ohhhh
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  2. Offline
    + 50 -
    Pls like or thank crisp09 for translating this chapter in the comments when it was mtl

    I am quite lost at this moment in the story, so many plot points and their connections vague, I love it, I can’t wait to see how the author builds upon this :)
    ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
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  3. Offline
    + 27 -
    Reading his becoming a chore
    So boring 😞
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  4. Offline
    Tim
    + 40 -
    A technique where the more people cultivate it, the faster the cultivation speed.

    Sounds like a classic pyramid scheme: join several cultivator friends, get money reward
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  5. Offline
    + 150 -
    **Chapter 386: External Threats and Internal Turmoil**

    Li Fan was clearly not the only one who noticed the change.

    After the battle ended, as the *Fallen Wood* burned to ashes within the roaring flames, Yan Hang and the others showed no trace of excitement.

    “Damn it, these monsters seem to have grown stronger again,” Yan Hang cursed, looking at a withered yellow wound on his arm, his expression grim.

    The other four were also more or less injured.

    “Let’s report this battle quickly. Hopefully the higher-ups will come up with a solution soon. Otherwise, I don’t think we’ll be able to hold out much longer,” said one of them, a cultivator named Li Shifeng, with a weary sigh.

    Yan Hang only gave a cold snort, not refuting him.

    He opened the *Heaven Supervisor Record*, closed his eyes, and began to report.

    Li Fan also glanced through the *Heaven Supervisor Record*.

    Compared to when he had first entered the Five Elements Cave Heaven, the information recorded within had grown far more abundant.

    > “Progress of the Grand Formation: 78% complete.”

    “All within expectations—perhaps even ahead of schedule,” Li Fan thought. “But clearly, things here are starting to spiral out of control.”

    “I wonder what measures the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance will take next.”

    His eyes flickered, but his hands did not pause.

    Would the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance truly be able to complete the *Heavenly Profound Spirit-Sealing Formation* on schedule?

    Li Fan was almost certain—they would.

    After all, the vast majority of cultivators operating within the Five Elements Cave Heaven were only at the Nascent Soul stage.

    The Alliance, however, was far from lacking in Spirit Transformation cultivators.

    They clearly had not yet deployed their full strength.

    If they determined that their current forces were insufficient to complete the task, the Alliance would naturally pour in more.

    As for whether the cultivators currently inside the Five Elements Cave Heaven could survive long enough to see that day—that was another matter entirely.

    ---

    Just as Li Fan expected, the monsters growing ever stronger soon caused unrest among the ranks.

    Qi Buyi quickly came forward to calm everyone.

    She first explained that, according to the principles of the Five Elements’ mutual restraint, monsters embodying the fusion of all five elements would not appear.

    At most, the most extreme case would be those born from four-element fusion—and even that would only occur at the final stage of the *Five Elements’ Unification* process.

    For now, the cultivators only needed to deal with monsters fusing two or three elemental attributes.

    Next, she reassured everyone that the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was fully aware of the situation within the Five Elements Cave Heaven.

    Reinforcements would arrive soon—
    and not just a small force, but a vast one, greater in number than all the cultivators currently stationed within the cave heaven combined.

    There was no need to worry.

    Although many took Qi Buyi’s words with skepticism, her firm assurance nonetheless eased their hearts somewhat.

    Their tension lessened. They continued their work in unease, waiting for reinforcements to come.

    Time passed amid that constant undercurrent of tension.

    In the blink of an eye, two years had passed since entering the Five Elements Cave Heaven.

    During this time, additional cultivators had indeed arrived to assist.

    Yet the number fell far short of the grand reinforcements Qi Buyi had promised.

    Whenever questioned, Qi Buyi always found excuses.

    Still, two new Integration-stage cultivators had arrived to oversee the situation, which somewhat steadied everyone’s nerves.

    Through conversations with the new arrivals, the cultivators finally learned why the promised reinforcements had been delayed—

    The outside world had been anything but peaceful.

    ---

    The first issue was external threats.

    The Five Elders Council had once again deployed troops along the borders, engaging in frequent probes and provocations.

    Unlike in the past, they showed no intention of launching a full-scale war—
    instead, they concentrated their forces on Fenglei Continent, which bordered the Heavenly Spirit Province.

    According to popular rumor, the Five Elders Council coveted the mysteries of the *Heavenly Profound Spirit-Sealing Formation* and sought to seize an entire province from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance to study it in detail.

    Li Fan knew this was nothing but a pretext.

    The Council’s true target was the void above the Heavenly Spirit Province—the birthplace of the Five Elements Cave Heavens themselves.

    “So the secret couldn’t be kept forever,” Li Fan thought quietly. “After all, two years of strange activity in the Heavenly Spirit Province were bound to draw attention.”

    In addition to external pressure from the Five Elders Council, internal unrest had also begun to brew within the Alliance.

    Recently, voices opposing the *Heavenly Profound Spirit-Sealing Formation* had risen across the territories.

    And these weren’t random dissenters—
    many were Spirit Transformation or higher cultivators occupying key positions in various provinces.

    For reasons unknown, cultivators who had once openly supported the grand formation now reversed their stance, expressing firm opposition.

    And their arguments were hardly baseless.

    Their reasoning was this:

    > “All formations, no matter how exquisite, can one day be analyzed and broken.”

    History held many examples where defensive formations had been compromised without the Alliance’s knowledge, leading to devastating surprise attacks.

    That was precisely why the Alliance had later required every major defensive array to be completely replaced at regular intervals.

    Yet now, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was expending immense effort and resources to construct a *Heavenly Profound Spirit-Sealing Formation* that would cover the entire realm—
    Could they truly guarantee it would remain unbroken forever?

    If, soon after completion, the Five Elders Council deciphered and bypassed it, would that not be the greatest humiliation imaginable?

    Furthermore, these dissenters questioned whether the formation could even achieve the effects it claimed.

    After all, the *Thousand-Faced Demon Lord*—who continued to wreak havoc within Alliance territory—had only grown more rampant in recent years.

    Even high-ranking cultivators across many provinces had fallen to him.

    And in provinces where the Spirit-Sealing Formation had already been completed, it had merely slowed his killings—it had not stopped him.

    Even if he were captured, what then?

    If the Five Elders Council could produce one *Thousand-Faced Demon Lord*, they could surely produce two—or three.

    The greatest purpose of the Spirit-Sealing Formation had been to make every infiltrator from the Five Elders Council visible and unable to hide.

    But now?

    The enemy rampaged openly within their own lands, and they could do nothing.

    What use, then, was this vaunted formation?

    Their reasoning was sound—so much so that their questioning struck a chord with many within the Alliance.

    The wave of dissent spread rapidly.

    Uncharacteristically, the Alliance headquarters did not punish the dissenters, instead falling into an eerie silence.

    ---

    Amidst such unrest, the *Thousand-Faced Demon Lord’s* movements grew ever more unpredictable, his massacres even more savage.

    And beyond both internal strife and external threats, Li Fan heard an odd rumor.

    As the situation worsened, in Jiushan Province—where the Alliance’s territory bordered that of the Five Elders Council—an organization called the Spirit Origin Sect was thriving.

    It had drawn considerable attention among cultivators.

    The reason?

    Within the Spirit Origin Sect, there existed a peculiar cultivation technique—

    The more people practiced it simultaneously, the faster each individual’s progress became.

    *(End of Chapter)*
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  6. Online Offline
    + 50 -
    The reason why multiple people can cultivate same technique is probably because it was mentioned that heavens have removed some restrictions from cultivators a while ago, that's why they started the tianxuan spirit lock formations
    Probably no one tried to share cultivation techniques, since it's not common sense, and this myriad spirit sect probably has some expert who knows the restrictions have lessened and doing this
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  7. Offline
    + 20 -
    Isn't that the Xiantian Sect's cultivation technique? Or whatever that sect name was
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  8. Offline
    + 30 -
    Suspicious pepeg_23
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  9. Offline
    + 70 -
    A technique where the more people cultivate it, the faster the cultivation speed.

    Fishy technique that suddenly came at a fishy time especially considering that it didn't come to light in the previous timelines
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  10. Offline
    + 120 -
    A technique where the more people cultivate it, the faster the cultivation speed.

    pyramid scheme
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