“No wonder they say that merchants are never truly honest. That old fox Ji Wangxian clearly has ulterior motives.”
After listening to Li Fan’s explanation, Huo Yuzhu cursed under his breath.
Then, his expression softened slightly as he looked at Li Fan. “It seems I wrongly accused you.”
Li Fan was indifferent. “I was inexplicably placed under control. Does the Sect Master have any leads on this?”
After all, as the nominal leader of one of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, his knowledge and experience were undoubtedly exceptional.
Huo Yuzhu pondered for a moment before answering, “I once heard that the entire Ji Clan—no, the entire World Chamber of Commerce—was created by Ji Wangxian for the sake of his cultivation.”
“Although Ji Wangxian has yet to break through to the Longevity Immortal realm, all of his contemporaries have essentially perished. Even those who are still alive are aged and decrepit. Yet he alone remains eternally youthful, looking as if he were still a young man.”
“This must be related to the cultivation technique he practices. No one, aside from himself, knows exactly what it is, but it is almost certain to involve bloodlines and desire.”
“I fear it’s not just you—perhaps every cultivator of the Ji Clan is under Ji Wangxian’s control,” Huo Yuzhu said darkly.
Huo Yuzhu did not answer immediately. Instead, he paced back and forth in deep thought.
Li Fan remained patient, waiting silently.
After a long while, Huo Yuzhu finally stopped. With a wave of his hand, he cast multiple layers of restrictions, sealing the chamber’s space completely.
Only then did he whisper, “Our Heavenly Sword Sect possesses a secret art that mimics the process of forging a sword. It refines a cultivator’s soul and flesh into the Supreme Sword Body. If successful, the sword becomes the body, and the body becomes the sword, achieving the ultimate unity between man and blade.”
“The Supreme Sword Body repels all foreign energies. Ji Wangxian’s method of control would inevitably lose its effect.”
“However…”
Huo Yuzhu paused before continuing, “This technique is extremely dangerous. Throughout the history of our Heavenly Sword Sect, only a handful of cultivators have succeeded. Even our senior disciple, who was an unparalleled genius, failed and was left with lasting afflictions…”
Without hesitation, Li Fan said directly, “I am willing to give it a try.”
Huo Yuzhu nodded slightly, his eyes showing approval. “If you truly succeed in cultivating the Supreme Sword Body, then what harm is there in making you the next Sect Master of Heavenly Sword Sect?”
“In the cultivation world, strength reigns supreme. If I can reach the same level as Senior Brother Situ, then I wouldn’t care for the position of Sect Master,” Li Fan replied indifferently.
Huo Yuzhu was momentarily speechless.
Inside the sealed chamber, the two of them discussed the matter in detail and ultimately reached an agreement.
From then on, Li Fan would act openly, drawing the attention of the entire sect, while Huo Yuzhu would secretly travel to the Five Elements Sect.
As the Sect Master of Heavenly Sword Sect, Huo Yuzhu naturally had his own supporters. Just as in real history, persuading the Sect Master of Five Elements Sect to sell the Taiyuan Essence Gold shouldn’t be too difficult.
Furthermore, having already anticipated the possibility of spies from the World Chamber of Commerce within Five Elements Sect, Huo Yuzhu would be even more cautious this time, ensuring that no information leaked.
As expected, seven days later, Huo Yuzhu returned safely.
He exchanged no words with Li Fan, merely giving a glance that conveyed everything unspoken.
Time passed. With a sufficient supply of Taiyuan Essence Gold, the forging of the World-Rifting Divine Weapon progressed at a pace several times faster than expected.
By this point, Li Fan no longer needed to extract insights from the wooden sword left behind by Mr. Bai before infusing them into the sword embryo.
Now, he simply remained beside the sword, greedily absorbing its profound mysteries, and no one objected.
Just as Li Fan sensed that this Fallen Immortal Realm was nearing the end of its existence, the World-Rifting Divine Weapon, forged with the full strength of the sect, was finally completed.
The Ji Clan seemed to have learned of this through some unknown means and sent a team of cultivators, led by Ji Shiwen, under the pretense of offering congratulations.
In truth, they had come to claim the fruit of others’ labor.
The massive World-Rifting Divine Weapon stood towering, its exterior resembling ordinary gray stone—unassuming in appearance.
However, Li Fan, who spent his days comprehending the sword, could vaguely sense a terrifying power emanating from it.
Situ Yao gathered the members of Heavenly Sword Sect at the back mountain.
“The divine weapon has been forged, and everyone’s contributions have been invaluable.”
“As I promised, the one who contributed the most Taiyuan Essence Gold shall become the Sect Master of Heavenly Sword Sect.”
Upon hearing this, Ji Shiwen’s face lit up with joy.
But the next words from Situ Yao made his expression twist in rage.
“According to the statistics from the Elders’ Council, Huo Yuzhu contributed a total of 86,912 catties of Taiyuan Essence Gold, the highest among everyone!”
“Therefore, the next Sect Master of Heavenly Sword Sect shall continue to be him!”
The scene fell into an instant silence.
“Impossible! There’s no way someone contributed more than our Ji family…” Ji Shiwen’s furious voice shattered the silence.
“Hm? Are you questioning me?” Situ Yao narrowed his eyes, gazing at Ji Shiwen.
Ji Shiwen immediately choked on his words.
“Well then, let me make you accept your loss wholeheartedly. Your Ji family contributed a total of 86,911 catties of Taiyuan Essence Gold—just one cattie short…” Situ Yao shook his head slightly, appearing as if he deeply regretted it.
Ji Shiwen’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. He pointed a trembling finger at Situ Yao, his whole body shaking with anger.
“This is outrageous! This is outright bullying! Do you not fear being ridiculed by the world for such actions?!”
Situ Yao’s expression turned cold. “Ji brat, considering that you did contribute a significant amount of Taiyuan Essence Gold, I’ll overlook your earlier remarks. But if you continue to spout nonsense…”
He snorted coldly. Ji Shiwen shuddered and had to swallow back the words stuck in his throat.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, he abruptly turned to look at Li Fan.
Yet, to his surprise, Li Fan also wore a look of disbelief, his soul seemingly lost, as if he too was utterly confused.
Thus, the selection of the Sect Master came to a dramatic conclusion.
After seeing off the guests, Heavenly Sword Sect officially began its migration into the World-Rifting Divine Weapon.
Everything that could be taken was taken.
Even the spiritual fields outside the sect were dug up and transplanted in their entirety.
The World-Rifting Divine Weapon was said to be a world of its own, so there was no concern about space limitations.
However, under Situ Yao’s orders, the wooden sword left behind by Mr. Bai and countless flying swords left behind by fallen elders in the Sword Tomb remained untouched.
His explanation was that the sword intent was too strong and could conflict with the World-Rifting Divine Weapon.
As for the true reason, only he knew.
Soon, the day of departure arrived.
The disciples transformed into streaks of sword light, entering the divine weapon in waves.
Situ Yao, however, stood there watching as several powerful presences rapidly approached.
He revealed a cold and confident smile.
“There’s no need for you all to see us off. The mess left behind in Xuanhuang Realm is yours to clean up. We, Heavenly Sword Sect, simply lack the ability to do so,” he said loudly.
“Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you—Ji Wangxian, that kid, is quite the schemer. He’s planted plenty of spies within our Ten Great Immortal Sects.”
As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward a rapidly approaching figure.
“Zhao Xuan!”
Ji Wangxian’s voice rang out from afar.
At the same time, as if beyond his control, Li Fan suddenly shot toward Situ Yao.
A strange, multicolored radiance surged from his body.
Just as he was about to reach Situ Yao, however, he abruptly stopped.
Turning his head, he cast a mocking smile at Ji Wangxian.
Ji Wangxian instantly understood everything, his face twisting in fury.
However, Situ Yao grabbed Li Fan and vanished into the World-Rifting Divine Weapon.
“Little Ji, thank you for sending us such a promising talent for Heavenly Sword Sect!”
Ji Wangxian’s face was dark enough to drip water.
Raising his left hand, an endless stream of copper coins seemed to converge upon his palm.
Yet at that very moment, an incomparable burst of radiance erupted from the World-Rifting Divine Weapon.
The image of the copper coins instantly dissipated.
He could only watch helplessly as a sword light tore through the heavens.
That overwhelming, time-and-space-severing power forced even him to flee a thousand miles away to evade its might.
When the light finally faded, Heavenly Sword Sect and the World-Rifting Divine Weapon had vanished without a trace.
