“Hold your breath and focus. Split a strand of your consciousness and bring it to my hand!”
Outside, the sound of wailing grew louder. Jiao Xiuyuan, who had just received his contribution points, spoke to Li Fan in a deep voice.
As he spoke, a newly formed branch extended from his palm. A single green leaf stood proudly at the tip, solitary and independent.
Upon hearing this, Li Fan immediately split a small part of his consciousness and directed it towards the branch in Jiao Xiuyuan’s hand.
As soon as he approached, he felt an inexplicable pull from the green leaf at the tip of the branch. Unable to control himself, he plunged straight into it.
His vision gradually became clear, and in an instant, Li Fan felt that apart from his true self and his clone, he now had an additional body.
Fortunately, he had the secret technique of Dao Transformation, which allowed him to be accustomed to multitasking over the years. Otherwise, it might have been difficult for him to adapt.
Controlling the puppet body felt almost the same as using his clone technique in terms of perception. However, he could clearly sense the separation between consciousness and the physical body, unlike the seamless unity of his clone.
It felt more like he was “driving” rather than inhabiting a living body.
“Oh, and when the puppet body is damaged, a forced self-destruct mechanism will activate to prevent the consciousness from being captured. You might experience some shock to your soul…”
His voice gradually faded until it became barely audible.
As the split consciousness familiarized itself with the puppet body, Li Fan’s true self rushed towards the location of Qingfeng Hall from his memory.
By this time, the entire Ten Thousand Immortal Island had already been drawn to the front of the purple door in the sky by the “Heaven and Earth Displacement Formation.” It was continuously being devoured by the teleportation Formation entering the territory of the Five Elders Association.
The cultivators who had just attempted to break through the blockade with their numbers were all reduced to ashes.
After this bloody lesson, the remaining cultivators, who were still alive, sat on the ground in despair, waiting for their unknown fate to unfold.
Meanwhile, Li Fan strode into the inconspicuous shop of Qingfeng Hall. It was now empty, with no sign of the sloppy old man.
He called out a few times, but no one responded.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan took out a pile of top-grade spirit stones from his storage ring and placed them on the floor of Qingfeng Hall.
“Are these enough to buy a way out?” Li Fan asked loudly.
There was no response for a long time. Li Fan then took out another pile of top-grade spirit stones and added them.
The total value was now close to a million contribution points.
This time, the seemingly empty Qingfeng Hall finally reacted. A wisp of green ripple spread through the air, forming a familiar green door.
Li Fan’s heart stirred, and he stepped through it.
After a brief blur of his vision, he found himself back in the space he had visited before. The ancient tree mentioned by Jiao Xiuyuan stood before him.
However, the human face on the tree had disappeared, making it look no different from an ordinary tree.
“What a generous move, Daoist friend,” a crisp female voice suddenly rang out just as Li Fan was about to speak.
“Ah Liu, since we’ve accepted his offering, let’s help him leave.”
“Yes, Miss,” the human face appeared on the ancient tree, glanced at Li Fan, and responded in a muffled voice.
“Honored guest, please step inside.” The ancient tree opened its giant mouth, revealing a passage.
“Thank you, young lady!” Li Fan cupped his hands in the direction of the voice and then stepped into the hole in the ancient tree.
As soon as Li Fan’s figure disappeared, the ancient tree closed its mouth and returned to its original appearance.
“Miss…”
“Hehe, the way ancient cultivators speak is quite interesting,” a silvery laugh echoed in the air as the branches and leaves of the ancient tree quivered in response.
…
The experience felt similar to using a long-distance teleportation formation. The surrounding scenery shifted from darkness to a kaleidoscope of colors, and then everything brightened.
After adjusting to the discomfort in his body, Li Fan looked around and found that he was still in Qingfeng Hall.
However, there were now one or two other cultivators present in the hall, and the distant sounds of the market, calm and unhurried, indicated that he was no longer in the dangerous territory of Congyun Sea.
After discreetly scouting the area, Li Fan finally figured out his current location.
He had already reached the heartland of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, in Xuanwei Prefecture, near Tianyun Prefecture.
It seemed the news of the fall of Ten Thousand Immortal Island had not yet reached this place. For now, Li Fan redirected his attention back to the puppet body on the island.
Amid the desperate cries of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance cultivators, the island was finally completely engulfed by the purple teleportation formation.
After a long period of darkness, when the sky lit up again, what unfolded before their eyes was a strange scene.
It had been daytime moments ago, but after passing through the purple door and arriving at the territory of the Five Elders Association, it was now night.
There was no bright moon in the sky, but countless brilliant stars sparkled, competing with each other in radiance.
Rivers of stars flowed across the sky, with mesmerizing light and shadows, creating a breathtaking spectacle.
For most of the people present, it was the first time they had ever seen such a magnificent starry sky, and nine out of ten were so captivated by the sight that they lost themselves in it.
The once wailing Ten Thousand Immortal Island fell silent in an instant.
“Members of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, welcome to the Humane Heavenly Land.”
A middle-aged cultivator in a white robe flew above the crowd and spoke loudly.
“I know you may have many misunderstandings about our Five Elders Association. But don’t worry, it won’t be long before you completely dispel these misunderstandings.”
“By then, I’m sure you will make the right choice to abandon the darkness and join our Five Elders Association.”
The white-robed cultivator said with a smile.
Seeing that the Five Elders Association didn’t seem as vicious as rumored, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. However, they didn’t believe a word of the “misunderstandings” he mentioned.
“First, I ask you all to leave this island.”
As the white-robed cultivator spoke, a group of burly cultivators flew out.
They were armed with sharp weapons and clad in heavy armor. They looked more like soldiers than cultivators.
Sensing their aura, each of them had a cultivation level of Nascent Soul.
All the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance cultivators present turned pale, not daring to resist, and allowed themselves to be escorted off Ten Thousand Immortal Island.
“It seems they’re not here specifically for me, but just for the island.”
“That’s strange. What’s so special about Ten Thousand Immortal Island?”
Blending into the crowd, Li Fan watched with a serious expression as the white-robed cultivator flew onto the island.
Then, dozens of other powerful cultivators appeared one after another and entered the island.
Explosive roars echoed as building after building on the island collapsed.
They seemed to be searching for something.