Zhao’er Bao felt a chill at the center of his forehead. It was as though living threads of icy energy were burrowing into his mind before seeping deeper into his body and vanishing.
A cold dread gripped his heart, but then he heard the other speak: “Don’t worry. It’s just a wisp of cold energy. It will dissipate on its own in a few days. Nothing to fear.”
Zhao’er Bao felt like crying, but had no tears.
Tell that to the ghosts—this had to be some kind of terrifying restraint!
Remembering what he had experienced earlier inside the illusion, he shivered again and hurriedly declared, “Senior, you have my word! From now on, I will do whatever you say! I would never dare disobey you!”
Li Fan smiled faintly but did not reply.
He hadn’t lied. What he had sent into Zhao’er Bao’s body was indeed nothing more than a thread of cold energy produced by the Blue Flame phantom spirit. It served no real purpose and was purely for intimidation.
Threats from others were far less frightening than the suspicions brewed in one’s own mind.
Of course, he couldn’t rely solely on scaring Zhao’er Bao. Necessary countermeasures were still essential. Formless Killing Mechanism had already locked onto him in secret; there was no fear of him escaping.
After the stick, the carrot was also necessary.
Li Fan said to Zhao’er Bao, “I don’t need you to do anything else. Just continue as before; put all your effort into gathering artifacts from that unknown civilization. From time to time, I will check on your progress. Once we successfully coalesce the Dao resonance, you may join me to contemplate it.”
With that, Li Fan handed over a one-way communication spirit talisman.
Zhao’er Bao was overjoyed at the words, hastily accepting the talisman and swearing his loyalty once more.
“Let’s go. We’ll pay a visit to that girl with the treasure-attuned body,” Li Fan said coolly.
After more than a day of travel, the two returned to Yelan Island.
It was already night. Inside the Tianbao Pavilion, the two sisters were chatting in their room.
Li Fan, with Zhao’er Bao in tow, abruptly manifested before them. A trace of killing intent leaked out, locking the two in place.
He spoke indifferently, “You two. Are you willing to work for me?”
The sudden appearance of the figures startled the sisters. They were about to scream, but found they could make no sound.
Instantly, they understood the identity of the two before them: the legendary Immortal Masters.
The elder sister, Yin Yueting, turned deathly pale, but she knew they had no choice. Just as she was about to answer, she felt her younger sister subtly kick her right calf. Her heart eased at once, and the words spilled out: “We are willing to serve at the Immortal Master’s side.”
Li Fan shook his head inwardly; the girl had misunderstood. He signaled Zhao’er Bao to explain.
Zhao’er Bao put on the dignified air of an Immortal Master and laid out the whole story.
“You are to mobilize the power of Tianbao Pavilion and work with me to gather ancient artifacts.”
Seeing that her special constitution had already been exposed, Yin Yueting pressed her lips together and respectfully assented.
Yin Yuzhen, however, kept her head lowered, occasionally stealing curious glances at Li Fan, seemingly without a trace of fear. Unfortunately, Li Fan had concealed his form, and she would never get a clear look.
Li Fan observed the varied expressions of the three individuals and gave his final instructions.
To Zhao’er Bao, he said, “There are no cultivators stationed on Yelan Island. You will remain here, assist the Tianbao Pavilion’s expansion, and improve the efficiency of the search.
“Of course, be cautious in your actions. Do not attract the attention of other cultivators. If you are truly unlucky and encounter a cultivator you cannot match, prioritize your survival. I will come to handle it afterward."
Zhao'er Bao's expression turned solemn. "I appreciate your thorough consideration, Senior."
Li Fan continued, "Although these two girls are mortals, you are not to bully or oppress them. The task of collecting antiquities still requires their wholehearted effort."
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare," Zhao'er Bao responded repeatedly.
A flicker of joy appeared on Yin Yueting's face. She quickly pulled her younger sister into a kneeling position and bowed, expressing their commitment to spare no effort.
Li Fan nodded, then quietly departed, returning to Myriad Immortals Island.
The matter of collecting Dao resonance relics was just a small interlude in Li Fan’s cultivation journey. Having made these casual arrangements, he would now wait to see the final outcome.
What Li Fan cared more about was how, on two separate occasions, a subtle prompting from his spiritual sense had ultimately guided him to perceive the existence of those powerhouses above the Dao Unity realm.
Was it coincidence, or was there some inevitability to it?
If it was mere coincidence, then so be it. But if it wasn't, the implications were frightening.
The Eternal Heavenly Venerables try every method to conceal their tracks and hide their forms, yet the subtle guidances of heaven and earth point accurately toward Them.
When immortals fight, it's the mortals who suffer.
However, the opportunities are tangible and real...
Li Fan never believed that heaven and earth would possess no means of resistance against the Eternal Heavenly Venerables who defied their principle.
Even a chicken would squawk twice before it was killed. How much more so the Great Dao of heaven and earth?
Yet, it's not necessarily true that every cultivator will receive such guidance.
There might be some hidden secret behind this that I am not yet aware of.
After returning to Myriad Immortals Island, Li Fan once again began studying the array jade slip.
The work of collecting Dao resonance relics proceeded in an orderly manner under the joint management of Zhao'er Bao and Yin Yueting.
Time flowed swiftly by. In the blink of an eye, Anchor Year 19 arrived.
During this period, nothing major happened in the Congyun Sea. However, one peculiar matter attracted the attention of many cultivators and became a hot topic of conversation.
The protagonist of this event was none other than Zhang Haobo.
When Li Fan came out of seclusion to rest, he learned the details of the matter from the conversations of other cultivators.
"That Zhang Haobo is incredible now. He goes wherever stormfloods appear. With a sweep of his sword light, those stormfloods are often shattered before they can even form properly."
"Indeed. I heard the mortals of the Congyun Sea, who have long suffered from the stormfloods, have even started erecting spirit tablets of him and offering incense."
"Zhang Haobo? I have some impression of him. Wasn't he the one testing his sword techniques on those puppets in some cave dwelling before?"
"Now that you mention it, I think I remember. But back then, he was only at the Qi Refinement realm, wasn't he? How has he become so powerful after just a few years?"
"Correct. He has now reached the late-stage Foundation Establishment realm. His wind-slashing sword art is also astonishingly powerful. An ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator probably couldn't last more than a few rounds against him."
"I only went into seclusion for a while, and he's already at late-stage Foundation Establishment? How?"
"Geniuses are difficult to measure by common sense. I think he's currently using the stormfloods to test his swordsmanship."
"Everything you're discussing is old news. The latest update is that he is no longer just slashing the wind."
"Oh? What is he doing now?"
"You probably won't believe this, but right now, he's herding the wind!"
"Herding the wind? What does that mean?"
The cultivators glanced at one another, faces blank with confusion.
"Heh, you all know what shepherding is, right?"
"No... how is that possible?"
The cultivators exclaimed in disbelief.
Herding the wind? Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly. Zhang Haobo, what is he trying to do?
He activated Heaven Watches and Earth Listens, and his perspective instantly shifted.