While his mind was racing, Li Fan didn’t stop speaking.
He said with a solemn expression, “This matter is extremely important. Based on our assessment, its significance surpasses even that of the ‘Tianxuan Spirit Lock’ and the unification prophecy of the ‘Xuan-huang.’”
He paused, glancing at the stony face of his counterpart, whose composure had clearly been shaken. Li Fan smiled subtly and continued, “If we let the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance complete this unchallenged, it could completely tip the power balance between your Five Elders Association and the Immortal Alliance.”
“The strength between the Five Elders Association and the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance has always been on par. However, because of the presence of the Immortal Ancestor, the Immortal Alliance has had a slight upper hand. If the Immortal Alliance’s power were to increase further, the Five Elders Association might forever remain underfoot, unable to regain ground.”
“This is something we don’t want to see,” Li Fan stated frankly.
“That’s why I’m here to find you so urgently. I understand that frequent communication from a spy to superiors may raise suspicion. However, the situation is pressing, and I had no choice but to reach out this way.” He sighed, shaking his head.
“Is this true?” The face in the stone grew even more serious. He didn’t believe Li Fan would deceive him on such a matter; surely, he must have some solid evidence.
But more important than the prophecy of ‘Xuan-huang’?
That was difficult to believe. Since he was the first to report the prophecy within their organization, the Five Elders Association had been taking significant action.
…
This illustrated the depth of the secrets tied to the unification prophecy. Yet now, this mysterious cultivator, hiding behind the guise of Zhou Qingang, claimed to know of something even more critical?
His heart pounded wildly, an unfamiliar sensation.
Could this be his chance to change his destiny?
“What is it?” he asked impatiently.
Li Fan held up one finger. “The usual price—ten million contribution points.”
Before the stone face could reply, Li Fan explained, “The development of any organization requires ample funding.”
“Though we too wish to prevent the Ten Thousand Immortals from becoming dominant, and you from losing your power balance, our first priority is to ensure our own survival and growth.”
“Don’t think it’s too much. Since you were willing to pay ten million contribution points last time…”
“Believe me, this time it’s worth it.”
Li Fan looked at the stone face earnestly. “Go on and request it from your superiors. I’ll wait here for your answer.”
After hesitating briefly, the face vanished from the stone.
Li Fan stood still, closed his eyes, and waited.
About the time it would take to burn an incense stick later, the face reappeared. “They approved it. How will we proceed with the transaction?”
Li Fan opened his eyes. “Soon, Li Fan, the Secret Envoy of Congyun Sea, will relaunch the contribution collection.”
“All you need to do is transfer the ten million contribution points to He Zhenghao, who will be in charge of the collection, within three months.”
“Hm… let’s use the alias Han Wuyou,” Li Fan suggested.
“Wuyou?” The face reacted with surprise, shaking his head quickly. “Better use a different name. That one is a bit… sensitive.”
Li Fan fell silent for a moment.
“Alright, let’s go with Liu Yihang,” he said.
“That’ll do. Now, about what you mentioned earlier…”
Before the face could finish, Li Fan interrupted.
“There’s no time to waste. Since you’ve agreed, I can tell you now.”
“But if you plan to renege on this over a mere ten million contribution points…” Li Fan chuckled darkly, “then we’ll know we misjudged you. The Five Elders Association isn’t fit to contend with the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.”
“Consider this piece of information a free gift from us.”
“I trust you’ll make the right choice.”
Li Fan pressed his hands on the smooth stone and transmitted the carefully crafted information through secret arts.
“There are four more hidden cave heaven, beyond the Wood Elemental Cave Heaven?”
“They form a Five Elements formation, and each cave heaven is filled with abundant resources, resembling a complete new world?!” The face exclaimed in astonishment after a moment.
“Remember, within three months, ten million contribution points.” Li Fan reminded him in a timely manner, snapping the face out of his shocked state.
Without waiting for a response, Li Fan slammed his hand down, shattering the stone into dust.
Then, he thoroughly destroyed the underwater ruins, erasing all traces, before swaggering back to Congyun City.
Meanwhile, back in the administration hall, Li Fan’s true self stood up.
“If nothing goes wrong, the Five Elders Association will certainly not sit idle now that they know of the Five Elements Cave-Heaven’ existence.”
“Most likely, as in my past life, they’ll send Dao Integration cultivators to launch a raid on the Five Elements Cave Heaven.”
“The Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance will likely respond fiercely, setting the stage for a massive battle.”
“I remember that in my previous life, the battle was brutal once it reached a deadlock. Every state’s Nascent Soul cultivators were pulled to the battlefield in Tianling State.”
“The death toll of cultivators was staggering. Though I officially have only a Golden Core cultivation, I did manage to kill several Nascent Soul cultivators. Given my true combat strength, it’s quite likely I’d be drafted.”
“The Tianling State battlefield… it’s best to keep my distance.”
With that in mind, Li Fan immediately summoned Gao Yuan and He Zhenghao and announced two things.
First, he claimed he felt an enormous, rare opportunity approaching. As the ruler of Congyun Sea, he was committed to ensuring the prosperity of all its cultivators, so he decided to relaunch the contribution collection plan.
This time, the upper limit of fundraising would be…
One hundred million.
Upon hearing this, He Zhenghao’s eyes widened in shock, frozen for a long moment.
Meanwhile, Gao Yuan looked at Li Fan with a fervent gaze.
Before they could regain composure, Li Fan announced the second matter.
The upcoming contribution collection was critical and had to be handled flawlessly.
So, effective immediately, he would enter deep seclusion.
All channels of communication would be closed to prevent any disturbances.
He would not emerge until everything was ready.
“This…” Hearing these seemingly contradictory orders, Gao Yuan and He Zhenghao frowned slightly, puzzled.
However, Gao Yuan reacted quickly and bowed. “As you command, my lord.”
“You can trust us—we won’t let you down!”
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