“Is that so?” Li Fan nodded slightly, his face as calm as still water, but there was a faint tone of regret in his voice. “A minor oversight, not a sin of war.”
“Hmph, the fact that you deceived us for so long… truly, quite a skill!” The face on the smooth broken stone appeared and disappeared, indicating a significant inner turmoil.
“I should have noticed something amiss much earlier. For someone as mediocre as Zhou Qingang to achieve so many feats within just a few years…”
“Initially, I was blinded by his abundant successes, thinking he’d somehow defied fate and changed his fortune.”
“But in retrospect, a single instance can be chalked up to luck. However, for it to happen time and again, with fortune so overwhelmingly in his favor…”
“Hmph, he’s hardly someone destined by heaven,” the face remarked with a hint of remorse, staring intently at Li Fan, searching for any sign of smugness.
But Li Fan’s expression remained completely unchanged, not even the slightest hint of unease after his identity had been repeatedly exposed. This, in turn, left the face on the stone in a state of doubt, and he gradually fell silent.
The undersea ruins grew quiet.
After a moment, unable to contain himself, the face asked in a grave tone, “Who exactly are you?!”
“These are absolute secrets that only someone in a high position within the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance could know. For you to betray all of this for a few contribution points…”
“Is it to gain our trust and infiltrate us in reverse?”
After a round of careful deduction, the face concluded that Li Fan was one of their own.
“Relax. I’m no spy from the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance,” Li Fan replied calmly. “Quite the opposite, actually; my goals align with yours and those of the Five Elders Association.”
“We both seek…”
“To annihilate the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance!”
“What?” Although Li Fan’s tone was light, to the face, it landed like a thunderbolt.
“You…” The face seemed stunned, gazing at Li Fan in disbelief.
A moment later, he regained his composure but was filled with skepticism. “Trying to fool me again, are you?”
Li Fan, ignoring the reaction, continued, “The Immortal Alliance is tyrannical, treating all cultivators like cattle, exploiting them at will. It may appear that the Alliance’s rule is unbreakable and that all beings submit, yet…”
Li Fan’s tone shifted, sharp and proud. “We cultivators walk the path of defiance against heaven. We fear not the heavens, so why would we fear the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance?”
“Among all beings, there will always be those who would rather die than submit, who would prefer death on the battlefield over being herded like livestock!”
“Give me liberty, or give me death!”
…
The conviction in his words was so powerful that even the face on the opposite side couldn’t help but be moved.
At that moment, Li Fan’s tone shifted again. “However, the Alliance is mighty. Acting recklessly without a sound strategy would be akin to suicide.”
“We may not fear death, but neither do we wish to waste our lives meaninglessly without achieving anything.”
“So…” Li Fan cast a meaningful look at the face on the stone.
Hearing this, the face on the stone fell silent, seemingly deep in thought. “So, you’ve set your sights on us, the Five Elders Association?”
Li Fan admitted frankly, “Indeed. Judging by current intelligence, your Five Elders Association isn’t exactly noble either. But, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
He continued without hesitation, “Or perhaps, when two tigers fight, one must fall. We’ll let you tear each other apart, fight to the death, and when the dust settles, we’ll emerge to restore the heavens and rebuild the world!”
The face on the stone almost appeared to hear the most absurd thing in the world, too disdainful even to mock, simply scoffing, “So, a bunch of lunatics, then.”
Li Fan didn’t mind, replying earnestly, “When the legendary Immortal Ancestor of Dao Transmission’ sought to establish a new order and change the world, the majority of people back then must have also considered him a complete madman.”
“After all, the strict rule of the Ten Great Immortal Sects back then was in no way inferior to the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance today.”
“And where are those Ten Great Immortal Sects now?”
“If the Immortal Ancestor could achieve that, who’s to say we, the Heaven-Suppressing Society…”
Seemingly catching himself, Li Fan paused, then corrected, “…who’s to say we couldn’t do the same?”
The face squinted, casting a long look at Li Fan without further comment.
“In a way, you could say we’re natural allies at this point, don’t you think?” Li Fan continued.
“In fact, with our current strategy, we don’t have any plans to oppose your Five Elders Association.”
“We mean no harm, as you can see from the intelligence I provided earlier. If we’d intended to hinder you in secret, we could have easily caused you a substantial loss without you even realizing it.”
“Approaching you through Zhou Qingang’s identity was a necessity. In the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance’s domain, neither of us could afford to be exposed. If someone had approached you directly, you would’ve thought your cover was blown and vanished immediately.”
“Heh, people like you, I know all too well.”
“Speaking of Zhou Qingang, I just remembered. He’s still alive. I could even consider sending him back to you.”
Li Fan spoke fluently, as if reciting a monologue.
However, the face on the stone didn’t look too pleased. “That fool can die on his own.”
After a pause, suppressing his anger, the face asked in a deep voice, “So, you’re telling us all this because you want to cooperate?”
Li Fan chuckled, responding with a question, “Why ask when you already know? Realizing that Zhou Qingang’s cover was blown, you didn’t cut off communications immediately but instead kept chatting for this long. Isn’t it because you’re uncertain of my identity and still interested in the confidential information I might provide?”
“Surely, the spies of the Five Elders Association aren’t this idle?”
The face sneered but did not refute, tacitly acknowledging Li Fan’s words.
“Good, since we’re being forthright, let’s speak plainly. We’ve recently acquired new top-secret information,” Li Fan said, watching the face’s reaction.
As expected, the face showed a slight change in color, and a hint of desire flashed in his eyes.
“To him, it doesn’t matter if I’m truly Zhou Qingang or a real agent of the Five Elders Association. What matters is whether I can provide secrets about the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance,” Li Fan thought to himself, as clear as a mirror.
“No spy wants to keep this identity forever. To achieve glorious feats and retire with honor, free from fear, living a peaceful life—that’s their dream.”
“And I… can help him achieve that.”
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