Under the influence of the Formless Killing Intent, the school of fish around Zhou Qingang suddenly went into a frenzy.
Ignoring the pressure emanating from him, they eagerly devoured his body.
Without the autonomous protection of his soul, in just a few moments, blood dyed the surrounding seawater red.
Zhou Qingang’s remains were gone.
A stone-like heart with seven holes in it, glowing with a seven-colored radiance, emerged at the scene.
The radiance was extremely dim.
With the death of its owner, the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart lost its nature as a Heavenly Treasure and became an inconspicuous ordinary stone, sinking to the bottom of the sea.
After waiting in place for several days and seeing that the death announcement didn’t attract other cultivators, Li Fan returned. He absorbed the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart to feed [Truth].
Afterward, without alerting anyone, Li Fan quietly returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
Zhou Qingang’s disappearance hadn’t attracted anyone’s attention.
For a Foundation Establishment cultivator to be out of contact for ten days was quite normal.
Li Fan didn’t rush to report Zhou Qingang as a spy; instead, he first immersed himself in comprehending the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart.
“Versatile in all aspects, a heart deep as the sea; beguiling hearts, truth and lie are indistinguishable.”
Three days later, Li Fan exhaled deeply, his eyes revealing an inexplicable expression.
“Although it’s just a mid-grade Human Treasure and has no special benefits for cultivation, as a Foundation Treasure for a spy, it’s invaluable.”
In his dantian, [Truth] emitted a gentle radiance, slowly transforming into the appearance of the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart.
Li Fan had the vague feeling that he had put on countless layers of masks, making it difficult for others to easily discern his true thoughts.
“This treasure is truly wonderful!”
Li Fan silently praised.
Then, Li Fan checked the matching secret technique, the Heart Changing Technique.
This wasn’t a cultivation technique but rather a method of disguise created by the organization Zhou Qingang served, specifically for the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart.
After setting a specific appearance in the mind, when the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart and the technique were mutually stimulated, one could instantly transform into the appearance of another person.
Body shape and appearance would all be perfectly imitated.
Furthermore, it was a genuine transformation that couldn’t be seen through by illusion-piercing methods.
The only issue was that it could only change the appearance; one’s own aura couldn’t be altered.
Therefore, every time Zhou Qingang transformed, he was extremely cautious.
Only after finding a secluded place without anyone around to conceal his aura would he change his appearance.
However, being targeted by Li Fan, who possessed the Formless Killing Intent, made all his caution useless.
While studying the Heart Changing Technique, Li Fan pondered.
“I’ve previously thought about using [Truth] to mimic Foundation Treasures and impersonate others before.”
“Now, with the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart and this disguising technique, impersonating others becomes even more realistic.”
“Furthermore, I have ‘Jade Cosmos Thousand Variations Sutra’ to discern auras and ‘Sun Stealing Technique’ to read fate.”
“If I can imitate both aura and fate, I’m afraid it will be truly difficult to tell the real from the fake.”
“If it works…”
Thoughts surged in Li Fan’s mind, and many ideas surfaced simultaneously.
“After the clone takes the 100,000 contribution points from the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, I will have many things to try.”
To test the effectiveness of the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart, Li Fan used a teleportation array to arrive at Liuli Island.
There was no sign of He Zhenghao anywhere, and Li Fan didn’t know where he had gone.
Li Fan temporarily didn’t bother with him. He just changed into another appearance and spoke nonsense in front of Steward Zhao.
Steward Zhao’s ability to distinguish between truth and lies had indeed lost its effect, and he was easily fooled.
Leaving behind a shocked Steward Zhao, Li Fan, when no one was around, reverted to his original appearance.
He sent a message to He Zhenghao: “Fellow Daoist, where are you now?”
After a while, He Zhenghao’s somewhat tired voice came, “I received a task and am currently constructing defensive formations for a fellow Daoist’s island. What does fellow Daoist Li Fan need from me?”
Li Fan sneered, “You’re still doing tasks? He Zhenghao, do you know that calamity is about to befall you?”
He Zhenghao was stunned, “Why does fellow Daoist say such things?”
“This matter needs to be discussed in person. Hurry back to Liuli Island. The situation is urgent, delays may lead to changes,” Li Fan solemnly said.
“Alright… I’ll be there soon, fellow Daoist, please wait.” Perhaps due to Li Fan’s performance during the Spirit Mist Grass incident, He Zhenghao was quite convinced. At this moment, he didn’t doubt Li Fan’s words. He sounded anxious and directly severed the communication.
After half a day, He Zhenghao finally arrived, looking somewhat exhausted and tired, as if he hadn’t rested well for a long time.
His eyes still had a hint of fear, but it was forcibly suppressed.
“Fellow Daoist…” He Zhenghao was about to speak when Li Fan waved his hand, indicating him to open the Mountain River Star Formation.
He Zhenghao became even more uneasy as he activated the formation.
“Fellow Daoist He, are you familiar with island guardian Zhou Qingang?” Li Fan asked.
He Zhenghao was stunned for a moment and truthfully answered, “Fellow Daoist Zhou, I’m familiar. We have a good relationship, and he consults me on formation knowledge from time to time. Why does Fellow Daoist ask?”
“Hmph. Fortunately, you didn’t deceive me just now,” Li Fan coldly said, “If you had uttered a false word, I would have turned around and left.”
He Zhenghao became even more anxious.
Seeing that the atmosphere was already ripe, Li Fan didn’t heighten the suspense any longer. He took out the recording stone.
He played back the conversation between Zhou Qingang and the stone face.
…
“This time, He Zhenghao suffered heavy losses. I applied for these 100,000 contribution points to deepen my relationship with him.”
“This person is proficient in formations and has participated in the construction of the island guardian formation. With his assistance, we can undoubtedly grasp the formation thoroughly sooner.”
…
At first, because Zhou Qingang didn’t have his original appearance, He Zhenghao couldn’t discern what was happening.
However, as the conversation unfolded, He Zhenghao instantly realized what had occurred.
And when he heard his name mentioned in the dialogue, his face turned even paler.
Sweat beads the size of soybeans rolled down He Zhenghao’s forehead, and his entire body couldn’t stop trembling.
After putting away the Memory Stone, Li Fan looked at He Zhenghao with a stern expression. “Fellow Daoist He, how much information about the island guardian formation have you leaked?”
“Not… not much! Really, not much!” He Zhenghao stammered, trying to defend himself.
“Stop lying! Do you want me to hand over this recording stone and let the Martial Hall investigate you?” Li Fan rebuked angrily.
He Zhenghao was initially scared, but he then caught the meaning in Li Fan’s words. Hope suddenly emerged in his eyes.
Grabbing Li Fan’s hands, he pleaded, “Fellow Daoist, save me! Please, save me!”
Li Fan pushed him away. “If you want me to save you, then tell me everything about Zhou Qingang truthfully.”
With a mournful face, He Zhenghao tearfully spilled the details.
After listening, Li Fan was somewhat speechless.
It turned out that a significant portion of the outer structural data of the guardian formation handed over by Zhou Qingang was actually sourced from He Zhenghao.
“He frequently praised me, boasting about my expertise in formations and seeking advice on formation details.”
“I was a bit flattered by the praise…”
“Who could have thought that as a fellow Cong Yun Sea island guardian, Zhou Qingang was actually a spy!”
“Why did I let his sweet words cloud my judgment!”
He Zhenghao wore an expression that seemed on the verge of tears.
“No matter if you knew or not, it doesn’t change the fact that you leaked confidential information of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.” Li Fan coldly snorted.
“Fellow Daoist He, you should know the consequences, right?”
He Zhenghao shivered, “Dismissal and thorough investigation. Deduction of permission levels, and they might even abolish my cultivation…”
The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became, feeling that his future was becoming bleak.
Added to the fact that he had lost his life savings before, and he had been frantically taking on tasks to accumulate contribution points again, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted.
Under the multiple blows, He Zhenghao couldn’t hold on any longer. His mindset collapsed, and he wailed bitterly.
“Why is my life so miserable! I’ve lost everything, and now, I’m stuck in this situation!”
Li Fan remained unmoved.
After crying for a while, seeing that Li Fan showed no signs of sympathy, He Zhenghao felt somewhat awkward.
Wiping away his tears, he said with a tearful voice, “Fellow Daoist, you must save me! You can’t hand over this recording stone! Otherwise, my future is ruined for sure!”
Li Fan asked, “Reporting a spy is a significant accomplishment. Fellow Daoist shouldn’t be unaware of that.”
He Zhenghao mumbled, “I can compensate you.”
Li Fan chuckled, “Fellow Daoist, you are currently penniless. What compensation can you offer me? I’m not lacking in contribution points. Perhaps you don’t know, but I made a profit of 600,000 contribution points during the Spirit Mist Grass incident!”
He Zhenghao, upon hearing this, widened his eyes, looking at Li Fan with disbelief.
“What, don’t believe it?” Li Fan asked with a sideways glance.
“I… I believe it,” He Zhenghao hurriedly nodded.
Envy and regret in his eyes grew stronger, “I really regret not listening to fellow Daoist’s advice back then!”
After a while, He Zhenghao thought and said, “I have half of the ‘Interpretation of the Hundred Veins Formation Diagram,’ my lifelong…”
Before he could finish, Li Fan interrupted him.
“I’m not very interested in formations. I only worked as a Formation Repairer as a stepping stone for entry.”
He Zhenghao hesitated for a while, then said with difficulty, “I have a daughter who is also at the Foundation Establishment level. I can introduce her to you…”
Li Fan’s expression became solemn as he sternly refused, “What do you take me for? Don’t mention this matter again!”
He Zhenghao breathed a sigh of relief but then wore a pensive expression.
He seemed to realize that Li Fan did indeed have the intention to spare him.
But at the same time, it seemed that Li Fan wanted something from him.
However, apart from what he had previously mentioned, He Zhenghao was currently penniless.
After pondering for a long time, he couldn’t come up with an answer.
He Zhenghao couldn’t help but smile bitterly, “Fellow Daoist, please don’t toy with me. Just tell me what you want.”
Li Fan smiled slightly, patted He Zhenghao’s shoulder, and said slowly, “I want you.”
He Zhenghao, upon hearing this, first froze, then his face turned pale. Subconsciously, he took a step back, looking at Li Fan warily.
“Hehe, fellow Daoist, what are you thinking?
“I am saying that I want you to obey me from now on.”
Li Fan stood in front of He Zhenghao and spoke slowly.