“How long will it take for you to acquire the formation diagram?” the spy from the Five Elders Association impatiently asked, not even waiting for Li Fan to speak.
Li Fan pondered for a moment before answering, “At least twenty days.”
The other party’s expression immediately turned anxious. “Too slow! On the battlefield, things change in an instant. Twenty days… who knows what might happen by then…”
Midway through the sentence, the spy abruptly stopped and directly stated, “We cannot afford to wait that long!”
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, letting out a cold snort. “It seems the Five Elders Association is truly in a rush.”
“Even an initial version of the formation diagram isn’t something easily stolen. It requires careful planning. You can’t just snap your fingers and get it.”
Hearing this, the spy’s expression darkened.
“However…” At this point, Li Fan’s tone shifted. “There’s a slow way to do it, and there’s also a faster way.”
“If you want the diagram quickly, it depends on your sincerity.”
Li Fan’s face darkened slightly. “The price we just discussed was for the formation diagram. Now we need to discuss the cost of expediting the process.”
“Any issues?”
“If you’re unwilling to deal, then forget it…”
With that, he turned decisively and began to walk away.
“Wait! Let’s talk this through!” The spy panicked, rushing forward to bring Li Fan back.
“Don’t be so rash, Fellow Daoist Zhou. I already said everything is negotiable.” The spy forced a smile through gritted teeth.
Li Fan sat back down and said indifferently, “Agreeing to trade with you already poses a significant risk for my organization. Naturally, the benefits must be sufficient.”
Using his finger as a pen, he scribbled a few small characters on the stone table and continued, “Forget about contribution points. Some of the Five Elders Association’s specialties are very popular in our circles and can serve as bargaining chips.”
The spy leaned in to see items listed on the table: Enlightenment Pills, Samantabhadra True Boat, Carefree Crystals, Human Dao Stardust, and Truth-Defying Fruit…
His eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
Previously, when Li Fan had infiltrated the Five Elders Association by controlling Jia Xiuyuan’s puppet body, he not only gained some private time in Senior Sister Zhao’s illusion realm but also developed a decent understanding of the region’s general situation and culture. Ṙ
‘Enlightenment Pills’ and ‘Samantabhadra True Boat’ needed no further explanation.
‘Human Dao Stardust’, a specialty of the ‘Humane Dao Heavenly Domain’, corresponded to the stars formed by cultivators ascending to the heavens and merging into starlight. By absorbing stardust, one could clearly perceive the process of reshaping the world.
In the Humane Dao Heavenly Domain, the transformation of the heavens and earth followed a framework created by the ‘Human Dao Heavenly Sovereign’, albeit on a lower tier than the mystical principles of the Xuanhuang Realm. Nevertheless, it was highly valuable for cultivators seeking enlightenment, regardless of their level.
As for the ‘Truth-Defying Fruit’, it was a unique item from the Realm of Reality.
The fruit could be pre-programmed with specific information, which, once consumed, would warp the consumer’s thoughts. They would believe even the most implausible notions as absolute truth.
This ability to turn falsehood into reality made it incredibly potent.
Even Dao Integration cultivators below the Longevity Immortal Realm couldn’t resist its influence.
…
Moving his gaze from the stone table, the spy looked at Li Fan, who sat silently with his eyes closed, and felt his mouth go dry.
“Fellow Daoist Zhou, please wait.”
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he turned away.
This time, it took even longer than before.
His entire body trembled as though enduring some tremendous ordeal.
By the time the sky darkened, he finally reached a decision.
The spy, looking utterly drained and unsteady on his feet, took a deep breath before saying weakly, “Fine. But the quantities of each item must be negotiated further.”
Li Fan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and smiled.
“Agreed.”
What followed was a long bargaining session.
After much haggling, both sides reached an agreement.
The spy gave Li Fan a deep, meaningful look. “Now, it’s time to sign the ‘contract’.”
At that moment, something unexpected occurred.
Radiant golden light erupted from the spy’s body, engulfing him completely and coalescing into a golden ‘contract scroll’, which hovered silently before Li Fan.
The spy himself dissolved into the light, vanishing entirely.
Suppressing his discomfort, Li Fan picked up the golden scroll and examined it carefully.
The text was written in faint dark-gold characters.
The terms of the agreement matched what had been negotiated, with no discrepancies.
What caught Li Fan’s attention was that one side of the contract was left blank for him to sign, while the other bore five enigmatic and ever-shifting symbols.
Although he couldn’t decipher their meaning, Li Fan instinctively understood that these symbols represented the Five Elders Association’s ‘Five Longevity Immortal Heavenly Sovereigns’.
Recalling the brainwashing scholar’s lecture in the Five Elders Association’s valley, Li Fan had an epiphany.
“This contract seems to be related to the Five Elders Association’s ‘Soul Contracts’. The principal parties are the Longevity Immortal Sovereigns, though the content differs.”
As Li Fan reached out to sign, an indescribable sense of foreboding swept over him.
“Confirm.”
He responded inwardly.
The sensation persisted and intensified with each repetition.
On the third confirmation, a golden light shot into the depths of Li Fan’s soul, while the rest disappeared into the void.
“The contract is sealed. No one bound by it may break its terms,” Li Fan murmured with narrowed eyes.
“Not even the Longevity Immortal Heavenly Sovereigns…”
“Can defy it.”
“The only power capable of subduing someone as inscrutable as Senior Sister Zhao must be a similarly formidable Longevity Immortal Sovereign.”
“Perhaps even stronger.”
With this, Li Fan’s speculations about the Five Elders Association’s final, unknown Longevity Sovereign were finally validated.
It was the binding power of this Sovereign’s contracts that maintained the organization’s stability.
Far away, Li Fan’s main body meditated silently, monitoring his soul for any anomalies after his clone, Zhou Qingang, signed the contract.
Nothing seemed amiss.
Yet deep down, he had a strong premonition:
Should he violate the agreement, the repercussions would reverberate through his entire being, reaching even his main body.