Li Fan squinted his eyes.
Seeing the vast discrepancy in the itemized list that Zhou Kebao, this chubby man, sent him, Li Fan suppressed his initial urge to act out and instead calmed himself.
A slight adjustment had led to a 50% discrepancy in quantity.
This only meant that the actual number of materials was far greater than what he had in hand.
Although there had been some corruption and embezzlement within the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance recently, everyone at least made an effort to cover it up—putting on a facade to conceal their actions.
But to be this blatant, to the point of being utterly shameless?
Rebuilding a whole Immortal City is a huge task. Yet, for someone like Zhou Kebao to skim off the top so blatantly, right in front of Li Fan, the acting Island Lord, and with such large quantities…
There could only be one explanation: the people behind this were targeting Li Fan directly.
That’s right. Li Fan’s appointment as the acting Island Lord may have been legitimate and lawful.
Perhaps it was for him personally, or perhaps for the massive amount of contribution points associated with him.
Up until now, everything Li Fan had done—from trading rare Samantabhadra True Leaves to gathering and reinvesting the contributions of other cultivators—had been in the open, not intentionally concealed.
Except for his dealings with the empire, every transaction he had made was traceable.
It didn’t take precise calculations; even a rough estimate would reveal the staggering amount of contribution points currently in Li Fan’s possession.
With so much at stake, it was no wonder someone had taken notice of him.
Aside from wealth, there was also resentment.
Tantai Can, who suffered a loss during the Samantabhadra True Leaf speculation incident, might also be fanning the flames in this situation.
People often act only after thorough planning. As his thoughts raced, Li Fan’s gaze swept back over the list.
After a while, he nodded slightly and carefully put the list away.
At the same time, he asked casually, “Fellow Daoist Zhou, besides this list, is there anything else you need to hand over?”
“No, nothing more.” Zhou Kebao smiled broadly and shook his head repeatedly.
Seeing this, Li Fan sneered inwardly.
However, he didn’t confront him yet. Instead, he cupped his hands and said, “Rebuilding the Immortal City is a matter of great importance, involving many aspects. It’s extremely complex. I need to carefully consider the specifics.”
Li Fan pretended to ponder for a moment, then said, “How about this: I’ll make some preparations first. When it’s time to officially start the work, I’ll contact you, Fellow Daoist Zhou!”
Zhou Kebao patted his chest and readily agreed, “No problem! Acting Island Master Li, whatever you need, just say the word. I’ll fully cooperate to ensure we carry out the task entrusted by Master Jinglun perfectly.”
Li Fan didn’t respond to his flattery. He merely gave Zhou Kebao a cold, piercing look for a moment.
Then, with a sweep of his sleeve, he left, flying away from the Dust-Crossing Boat.
As Li Fan’s figure gradually disappeared into the distance, the smile on Zhou Kebao’s face slowly faded, replaced with disdain and mockery.
“Let’s see how you handle things in half a year…” he muttered coldly. He took out a communication talisman, and after contacting someone, he relayed everything that had transpired.
Zhou Kebao, thinking he had Li Fan tightly in his grasp and victory within reach, would never have imagined that his every move was being monitored by Li Fan through a heaven-wide omniscient view granted by a formless killing intent.
“As expected, there’s a traitor…”
“It seems I can’t count on help from Jinglun’s faction. If I want to rebuild the Immortal City, I’ll have to rely on the people under my control.”
Returning to the Island of Shenhua, Li Fan glanced at Tian Yang, who was standing by and watching the children from Outer realm, and felt slightly reassured.
“With Tian Yang, who possesses Soul Transformation strength, guarding the area, at least we can keep petty troublemakers at bay.”
“But it’s still not enough…”
Li Fan took out a glowing jade token, engraved with the character “Ten Thousand,” and began to sense it carefully.
This was the Island Lord’s token, given to him alongside the letter of appointment as acting Island Lord.
Aside from symbolizing his authority, its most significant function was that it allowed him to view and contact all the official cultivators under his jurisdiction.
A vast network of interpersonal relationships instantly emerged in Li Fan’s mind.
At the top, of course, was himself.
Below him, the cultivators were divided into various departments: the Formation Hall, Martial Arts Hall, Tianji Hall, and the guards of various islands, as well as external personnel from different departments.
Each node represented a cultivator.
By focusing on a single node, Li Fan could view the basic information of the corresponding cultivator and directly contact them.
“So, the number of official cultivators in the Congyun Sea is actually this large…”
Li Fan couldn’t help but feel slightly amazed.
Aside from the usual positions, there were some strange and obscure roles he had never heard of.
For example, the “Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance Congyun Sea Cultivator Feedback Collection Specialist,” the “Shilin State Liaison to Congyun Sea,” and the “Earth Vein Supervisor.”
One face after another appeared in his mind.
Li Fan had encountered many of these people before. He had always assumed they were just ordinary wandering cultivators, not realizing they held official positions.
Most of the nodes had dimmed, indicating that these cultivators had either perished or were out of contact.
But the number of active cultivators remaining was still quite substantial.
“It seems the main force for rebuilding the Immortal City will have to come from this group.”
“However, the quality of these people varies greatly, and I only know most of them in passing. How can I select the right ones?”
Li Fan frowned, eliminating from consideration the cultivators who had already been captured by the Five Elders Association.
He carefully reviewed the remaining cultivators.
Suddenly, his gaze paused on one of the cultivators.
“Hmm, this person…”
An idea instantly formed in Li Fan’s mind.
—
In a hidden cave somewhere in the Congyun Sea.
Gao Yuan, who had been in seclusion, suddenly woke up from a nightmare.
The other day, the Five Elders Association had attacked the Congyun Sea, forcibly taking the Ten Thousand Immortals Island and causing the deaths of hundreds of cultivators.
Gao Yuan had narrowly escaped the disaster by being away on business at the time.
However, the terrifying scene of those cultivators’ deaths had burned into his mind, becoming his inner demon.
“I didn’t expect the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance to be so incompetent. They couldn’t even defend an Immortal City from being taken, and instead, they locked down the Congyun Sea and vented their frustrations on their own people.”
“And to think I’ve been loyally guarding the gates of the Ministry of Governance for decades…”
“Maybe I should join the Five Elders Association instead…”
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Gao Yuan couldn’t help but think this way.
Just then, the official communication talisman, which he had assumed would never activate again, suddenly lit up.
Gao Yuan’s heart raced. He thought his treacherous thoughts had been discovered so quickly.
But when he nervously picked up the talisman and checked it, his face showed an odd expression of excitement.
“Acting Island Lord Li Fan?”