Despite all my caution, I still ended up spotted by this batch of Five Elders Council spies.
And Han Yi, who should have had his soul searched, managed to escape because of it.
Those favored by providence find all matters going their way; those opposed by it find nothing but misfortune.
So this is what providence looks like in action.
Li Fan finally understood, in some small way, the agony Song Yang had suffered in the Fallen Immortal Realm while trying to wrest the Heaven's Will Xuan Bird from Xu Ke's grasp.
He stared at the whirlpool still spinning rapidly amid the ruins. After a brief hesitation, he chose not to enter in pursuit.
Some instinct told him that forcing a chase would come to no good.
If something could give the current Li Fan even a vague sense of danger, then whatever lay at the depths of that whirlpool was certainly no minor world that lacked supernatural power like the Li World or Great Xuan.
Enough. The monk can run, but the temple cannot. [1]
Formless Killing Mechanism had already locked onto Han Yi. Li Fan had simply lost his perception of him for the moment. The instant Han Yi returned to the Xuanhuang World, Li Fan would know.
He turned and rose back to the surface. The four Five Elders Council cultivators had been utterly annihilated under the Five Elements Extinction Sword, not a single hair remaining.
Li Fan took out an Image Recording Stone, captured the scene playing out across the sky, and made his unhurried way back to Myriad Immortals Island.
Four Nascent Souls perishing at once made for a spectacular sight. The phenomenon lingered in the sky for a long time, and even in these remote waters, it drew more than a few observers.
When they saw clearly what the phenomenon depicted, shock moved through them.
Four Nascent Soul Eminences had fallen simultaneously. And at the hands of a single person, no less:
Li Fan—the famed divination master of Congyun Sea, a cultivator of the ancient Heavenly Mechanisms Sect.
The confusion this produced was immediate.
Hadn't his cultivation fallen back to the Golden Core realm after his millennia of slumber? How had he managed to slay four Nascent Souls on his own?
He was known for divination, not combat, so why was his fighting ability so terrifying? And who were these four Nascent Soul cultivators? What quarrel had they picked with Master Li to earn such a merciless end?
Amid these unanswered questions, they carried the news to their friends and kin, and so the tale of Li Fan slaying four Nascent Soul cultivators spread swiftly across Congyun Sea.
At the Martial Hall on Myriad Immortals Island .
"You're here to claim a reward?" The cultivator on duty looked at Li Fan with open confusion. "What reward?"
"If I recall correctly, there are corresponding rewards for killing Five Elders Council spies," Li Fan said patiently.
He produced the Image Recording Stone and let it play.
"I killed four Nascent Soul cultivators from the Five Elders Council," he said, his tone even.
The Martial Hall cultivator erupted into a violent fit of coughing. He seized the Image Recording Stone and watched the playback again and again, his disbelief evident.
After a long moment, he finally looked up at Li Fan, face slack with shock. "You... please wait here a moment!"
He stumbled and scrambled deeper into the hall.
Faint exclamations of "What did you say?" drifted back.
Not long after, Li Fan was respectfully escorted into the reception chamber.
He sat, unhurried and at ease.
A crowd of cultivators soon filed in after him.
"Master Li." A Nascent Soul cultivator in earthen-yellow martial attire stepped forward. The faint smell of blood still clung to him. "We have confirmed that the recording in the Image Recording Stone is genuine." He hesitated, then asked with barely concealed hope, "Might I ask... have you already recovered your former cultivation?"
Li Fan took a sip of spirit tea, savored it, and set the cup down before shaking his head. "Recovered my cultivation? Nothing of the sort. I'm still stuck at late-stage Golden Core—that much should be obvious."
The reception chamber went still.
The martial-attired cultivator stared at him, at a loss for words. "Then how," he finally managed, flustered, "did you kill four Nascent Soul cultivators from the Five Elders Council?"
Li Fan's palm came down on the table with a sharp crack. The room flinched. He swept a contemptuous look across the assembled faces.
"What era do you think we're living in? Does killing someone always require getting your hands dirty?
"In ancient times, sects kept to themselves and hoarded their secrets like misers. They inflated prices for profit. High-grade artifacts, talismans... the costs were staggering, and obtaining even one was a monumental undertaking.
"But now? The Immortal Alliance controls half the Xuanhuang World. With the Tianxuan Mirror overseeing planning and logistics, there are no more profiteering merchants driving up prices.
"High-lethality disposable artifacts, array diagrams, talisman paper... they're practically given away for free."
He shook his head, a smug look settling over his face. "Having only just woken up after so long, I naturally have to give more thought to keeping myself alive. Buying a few things for a rainy day is perfectly sensible, don't you think?"
The martial-attired cultivator stared at him, jaw slack. "You mean to say... you killed four Nascent Soul cultivators entirely through purchased items?"
Li Fan raised an eyebrow. "You don't believe me?"
He reached into his storage ring and produced several pieces of Sky-Rending Gilded Thunder with a clatter, setting them on the table.
Unease swept through the Martial Hall.
Li Fan did not stop there.
Heaven-Scorching Wrath Array Diagram. Eight Desolations Extinguishing Divine Thunder. Soul-Anchoring Divine Needle. Demon-Sealing, Fiend-Subduing Banner.
One after another, priceless artifacts of slaughter emerged from his storage ring and piled up on the table.
The hall fell dead silent.
The cultivators stared at the small mountain of disposable artifacts before them, faces drained of color.
"So, does this count as enough? If not, no matter. I have more powerful items as well," Li Fan said, his tone almost bored.
The yellow-robed cultivator wiped cold sweat from his brow. "Enough! Enough! Master Li, please, put these away first! If they were to go off in here, I don't want to imagine the consequences!"
Li Fan nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand, recalling the arsenal.
The cultivators throughout the hall let out a collective breath.
These artifacts were all standard-issue goods sold through the Tianxuan Mirror, deliberately nerfed, inferior versions. Yet their power was undeniable, and the sheer quantity was overwhelming. If that pile had been unleashed, a Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn't stand a chance. Even a Spirit Transformation Immortal Eminence would be hard-pressed to walk away intact.
"They say this man uses divination arts to accumulate wealth with ease. Seeing this, it must be true."
"Having money really is something else. That pile is worth more than our entire squad's operating budget for half a year."
"I heard you can invest with him through He Zhenghao. Might be worth looking into."
A variety of expressions passed through the hall, minds busy with private calculations.
"Since there are no objections, let's discuss my reward." Li Fan took another sip of tea, then let his gaze drift slowly across the room. "Dealing with those black-robed Five Elders Council cultivators cost me considerably. Surely you don't expect me to take a loss?"
1. 跑得了和尚跑不了庙: A classic Chinese proverb meaning that even if a person escapes temporarily, their base, family, or assets remain behind—so they cannot evade consequences forever. ☜