“Ha ha, that Beast Soul Bead you provided last time was truly useful.”
“Especially the one that sealed the remnant spirit of the ‘Red Nine-Head’. It’s extraordinary. That guy Lan Yuchang was originally just a slightly stronger mortal who knew some martial arts.”
“But after absorbing it, his combat power skyrocketed. Even our ordinary Soul Transformation cultivators aren’t his match in sparring.”
“According to Lan Yuchang, he was still holding back.”
“If he were to fight with all his strength… tsk tsk…”
Li Fan spoke without restraint, completely unguarded and talking endlessly.
Upon hearing the name ‘Red Nine-Head’, Xiao Qing’s expression changed slightly.
Then, when she heard Li Fan say that someone had managed to withstand the overwhelming hostility of the nine-headed bird and successfully absorbed the Beast Soul Bead, she trembled and blurted out, “Impossible! How could a mere mortal endure that beast’s vicious aura…?”
Li Fan immediately showed a look of disdain. “You’re ignorant. Our Federation Of All World’s has no shortage of talents. We have all sorts of extraordinary individuals.”
“Do you really think that trading with us once puts you on our level?”
Li Fan, seemingly inexperienced and reckless, spoke whatever was on his mind, without a hint of subtlety.
He sneered, “Federation of All World’s only trades with you to help you.”
“There are countless small worlds around the Xuanhuang Realm, so one less of you makes no difference.”
“You’re the one who needs the Federation of All World’s, not the other way around.”
…
Hearing Li Fan’s unbearably harsh words, Xiao Qing’s face turned exceedingly dark.
But in the end, she held back and didn’t lash out.
Li Fan continued his rambling, but noticing her lack of response, he grew a bit embarrassed and eventually stopped.
Xiao Qing now looked at Li Fan with a hint of displeasure.
After this episode, however, she no longer doubted Li Fan’s identity.
Returning to the previous topic, she asked softly, “Since we all agree that our transactions are mutually beneficial, why did you decide to suddenly halt them?”
Li Fan sighed and spoke truthfully, “We encountered some insurmountable factors.”
He leaned in closer and whispered, “According to our intelligence, a major war is likely to break out soon between the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and the Five Elders Association.”
“As you know, the period leading up to a war is often the tensest for both sides.”
“As the saying goes, ‘settle internal issues before external ones.’ If the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance discovered any traces of our Federation Of All World’s, they might prioritize eradicating us as a threat before engaging the Five Elders Association.”
Li Fan shook his head, unabashed. “To be fair, while we’ve always proclaimed the slogan of counterattacking the Immortal Cultivation Realm, the truth is our organization’s strength is still lacking compared to the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and the Five Elders Association. We can’t deny that.”
“We need more time to build our power, so we have to avoid direct confrontation for now.”
Suddenly, Li Fan’s face lit up with excitement, “Besides, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s been ages since the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and the Five Elders Association clashed on such a scale.”
“This battle is bound to be unprecedentedly fierce and chaotic. While they fight like dogs, we’ll lurk in the shadows, taking advantage of the situation.”
“Who knows, we might even gain something from this mess, a bit of profit on the side.”
Xiao Qing watched Li Fan’s smug expression, feeling doubtful about his talk of an “impending war.”
The empire also had its intelligence sources.
In recent years, although few, outlaws had spread across the Xuanhuang Realm.
During her recent return to the Immortal Cultivation Realm, Xiao Qing had established contact with most of them.
Thanks to their presence, Xiao Qing actually had some understanding of the current situation in the Xuanhuang Realm.
A great wind always starts from a gentle breeze.
The outbreak of war must have some cause, right?
If the coming war is truly as catastrophic as he says, there should already be signs of it by now.
“Perhaps they’ve overlooked some details…”
As Xiao Qing fell into contemplation, Li Fan didn’t care at all about her thoughts.
Instead, he thick-skinnedly started asking her for a Beast Soul Bead.
“Ah, the brothers back home are all quite envious. They asked me to bring back some souvenirs.”
“Master Qing, Saint Master Qing.”
“Anyway, these things are abundant in your empire, so just give me a few to bring back. That way, I can report back.”
Seeing his cheeky smile, Xiao Qing nearly laughed in exasperation.
But dealing with someone like him wasn’t worth getting upset over.
With that thought, she took out two Beast Soul Bead equivalent to the power of Golden Core-stage cultivators and handed them over.
Yet he was still unsatisfied, shamelessly asking for even more.
This time, Xiao Qing had enough and immediately issued an order for him to leave.
“I really don’t have any more Beast Soul Bead with me, so please go, Daoist Friend!”
Li Fan’s expression changed quickly.
Moments ago, he was all “Master Qing,” but upon hearing her refusal, his face instantly darkened.
With a cold huff, he flew off without a word of farewell.
“How could someone like him even be in the Federation of All World’s?”
“If he were in our empire, he’d have been fed to the Rift Whale by now!”
Xiao Qing gritted her teeth in frustration.
“That previous Daoist Friend was much better.”
She recalled the earlier transaction, where both sides were highly satisfied.
The subsequent exchanges of resources also went smoothly.
“Too bad, he’s likely busy and unable to come,” Xiao Qing thought with regret.
She collected her thoughts and began contacting the empire’s covert agents to inquire if there were any recent unusual activities in the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
Any signs of impending war?
Soon, responses came pouring in from her outlaws.
Everything was as usual; there was no word of any upcoming war.
Now, it was Xiao Qing’s turn to feel uncertain.
“Is it true or not?”
—
Meanwhile, He Zhenghao was busy counting money until his hands cramped.
Grinning from ear to ear, he recorded each contribution he received and promptly replied to the creditors.
“Rest assured, Daoist Qin, your contribution has been received. You just wait to get rich!”
“Wei, little brother, I’ve recorded your ten thousand contributions. Ah, I know it’s everything you own. Who isn’t in the same boat? Just relax. The Lord Envoy wouldn’t shortchange you!”
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