According to Jiao Xiuyuan's earlier intelligence, Sikong Yi would visit this cave dwelling periodically.
Thus, Li Fan decided to simply wait here. He closed his eyes and began cultivating.
His luck proved decent. Over ten days later, Li Fan opened his eyes.
Sikong Yi and Baili Chen walked into their hidden cave dwelling expressionlessly. The instant they spotted Li Fan waiting in ambush inside, their faces froze in shock and disbelief.
"You..."
Before they could finish speaking, Li Fan captured them with the Insect Binding divine ability.
Without wasting words, he killed them on the spot, patiently repeating the process until they exhausted their resurrection chances. Once they were eliminated from the world for good, Li Fan collected the Heaven-Swapping Token that had fallen to the ground and began crafting an avatar.
In theory, an avatar's cultivation should only be one cultivation stage behind the true self's. But Li Fan discovered that, in order to create an avatar at the Foundation Establishment realm, a Curio of heaven and earth was still necessary.
Perhaps the original Heaven-Swapping Art was truly powerful, but after the Immortal Venerable propagated the Dao, it became rather useless.
No wonder the Heaven-Swapping Sect declined with each generation. Since this avatar is meant to be sacrificed anyway, there's no need to waste a Curio of heaven and earth on it. Final-stage Qi Refinement realm cultivation should be sufficient.
After some consideration, Li Fan began crafting the avatar.
This was already Li Fan's third time creating an avatar, so he was thoroughly familiar with the process.
Before long, a new avatar manifested in the world.
After dressing it, the avatar went to Lingyun Island to join the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
Li Fan remained where he was. He brought out He Zhenghao's communication spirit talisman and sent a message.
"Fellow Daoist He, during my travels these past few days, I've heard some unfavorable rumors about you."
He Zhenghao replied quickly: "Unfavorable rumors? Hehe, you must be mistaken, Fellow Daoist. I, He Zhenghao, have forged widespread connections, and both my reputation and public image are excellent. How could there possibly..."
"Oh? So those whispers saying you helped smuggle mortals into the cultivation world are false then? Those maliciously spreading such rumors are detestable indeed! But the rumors were quite detailed, something about the Li World..."
"Ahem, ahem, ahem..." Before Li Fan could finish, He Zhenghao's flustered voice came through. "Where did you hear of this, Fellow Daoist?
"Actually, this matter requires a face-to-face discussion. Are you free, Fellow Daoist? Could I trouble you to come to my Liuli Island?" He Zhenghao's voice carried some gravity.
"Haha. Sure, I'm free." Li Fan chuckled, put away the communication spirit talisman, and headed straight for Liuli Island.
He Zhenghao exited the teleportation array and greeted Li Fan. He then immediately activated the Mountain River Constellation Array.
After decades of studying arrays, Li Fan naturally had a far more discerning eye than before.
The mountains and rivers above rotated like stars. This array's power was clearly even greater than the Torrent Phantasm Grand Array Li Fan had previously purchased.
"Your island protection array is truly extraordinary!" Li Fan praised.
"Oh? Fellow Daoist is well-versed in arrays too?" Hearing this, a trace of surprise flashed across He Zhenghao's face.
"Only a little. It's just that the array path is vast and profound. I don’t have a master to guide me through the door, and have to study it by myself, so progress is painfully slow." Li Fan sighed.
"Heh heh, if you don't mind, Fellow Daoist, you can come here to my place. We can discuss arrays together." The moment they began talking about arrays, He Zhenghao's eyes lit up with fervor, momentarily forgetting why he had invited Li Fan over.
"I don't mean to boast, but when it comes to pure array proficiency, even ordinary Nascent Soul array masters on Myriad Immortals Island might not surpass me. Perhaps only three or four individuals, like Zhang Zhiliang and Gong Boyu, can barely claim to be superior." He puffed out his chest with pride. "The Mountain River Constellation Array was largely constructed by yours truely."
Li Fan chuckled softly but didn't take the bait. Instead, he redirected the conversation. "Let's set aside the topic of arrays for now. Did you call me here over the matter of smuggling mortals?"
He Zhenghao's expression froze, then he sighed heavily. "I won't hide it from you, Fellow Daoist. I have indeed been secretly running a operation assisting mortals in crossing borders. I always believed my cover was flawless, never imagining word would leak out. How exactly did you come to hear of this?" His face was a mix of sorrow and bewilderment.
"Some time ago, I took part in the fish betting game," Li Fan replied smoothly, having prepared his explanation. "It was there that I overheard whispers about your activities. As for the specific individuals involved, I didn't recognize them."
He Zhenghao's heart sank like a stone.
"What a disaster! The fish betting game draws countless cultivators each time! By now, news of my mortal smuggling operation has likely spread throughout the Congyun Sea!”
"Now, now, Fellow Daoist, there’s no need to frighten yourself," Li Fan quickly reassured him. "Besides, you’re just helping mortals return to the cultivation world. While somewhat taboo, it's hardly a capital offense. You're a Foundation Establishment cultivator and an island guardian, after all. Surely the Myriad Immortals Alliance wouldn't truly punish you severely?"
But He Zhenghao shook his head repeatedly, sighing deeply. "You don't engage in this trade, so it's natural that you wouldn't understand the full implications. Assisting in the smuggling of mortals isn't just about breaking taboos."
His voice dropped to a grave whisper. "If they choose to pursue this to the fullest extent, the most severe charge would be Treason Against the World. At that point, not even the Myriad Immortals Alliance would offer refuge, and neither would the Five Elders Council."
Li Fan was genuinely stunned. "Treason Against the World? How could it possibly be that severe?"
He Zhenghao explained with weary resignation, "It all traces back to that farce five hundred years ago."
As he elaborated, Li Fan began to understand the full story.
During the Great Migration long ago, mortals were relocated to thousands of minor worlds and grotto-heavens.
Over millennia, most of these places remained Immortal Forsaken Lands, barren of spiritual qi. Yet through strange twists of fate, some had developed extraordinary powers of their own.
In some, spiritual qi had resurged after the mortals there smuggled themselves over to the cultivation world and brought back methods to dispel the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, reopening paths to cultivation.
Others developed body refinement secret techniques, focusing purely on physical prowess. Eventually, their bodies became so resilient that ordinary Foundation Establishment attacks felt like nothing more than scratches.
Still others, though physically weak themselves, mastered ways to communicate with spirit beasts. By commanding these creatures in battle, they could unleash formidable combat strength.
Nursing centuries-old grudges from their forced exile, these minor worlds, persuaded by certain agitators, had somehow united. They formed an alliance and launched an attack on the cultivation world!
Reportedly, dozens of minor worlds joined the uprising, creating a massive wave of rebellion. The coalition forces appeared abruptly, catching the cultivators completely off guard.
"But they were nothing more than a disorderly mob after all. When the Dao Unity Immortal Venerable took action, they were easily suppressed!
"The entire process didn't seem to cost us many cultivators. That's why it's called a farce.
"Now that I think about it, it does make sense. Attacking the cultivation world? Heh, did they really think they would succeed?”
"Still, this precedent served as a warning. The Myriad Immortals Alliance and Five Elders Council have had to establish rules because of it."
He Zhenghao frowned deeply, his face clouded with concern.