Chapter 531: The Ingenious Uses Of A Spy
The thoughts of beings at the Eternal Life realm lay beyond the comprehension of ordinary cultivators, even those of a pseudo-eternal lifeform confined to a corner of the Xuanhuang World.
Consider the realistic illusion Senior Sister Zhao had crafted during the induction process, one that resembled a "romance simulation."
What significance did it hold for her?
Li Fan was certain that with her strength, she could easily assimilate other cultivators without any need for such enticements. Yet she hadn't. Instead, she had chosen to play this game with him across centuries.
Could she truly be that bored?
He couldn't rule it out. But he preferred to believe there was something deeper behind it.
An ant spying on an Eternal Heavenly Venerable might think itself well-hidden, even undetectable. In reality, likely nothing escaped their notice. The moment a gaze landed on them, they already knew.
How else could one explain Senior Sister Zhao's final remark, or perhaps her warning?
What was true for Li Fan was likely also true for Yin Shangren, who had been trying to uncover the secrets of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.
With a thought, Li Fan activated Formless Killing Mechanism, and his gaze fell upon Yinyin Island.
Yin Shangren was conducting experiments on mortals, same as always.
"After all these years, the lethality of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma doesn't seem to have weakened at all. Only its contagiousness has diminished significantly compared to the original variant..."
Watching the mortal test subjects wail in agony, Li Fan recalled the scenes he had witnessed in Senior Sister Zhao's illusion. He compared the two in silence.
Yin Shangren was entirely absorbed, his expression focused. The cries of torment did not affect him in the slightest. The lives before him might as well have been consumable materials.
Li Fan watched for a while, then grew bored.
It'll still be some time before he finds anything worth noting. He withdrew his gaze.
His attention returned to the construction of Congyun Immortal City.
More than half of the six-month deadline had now passed. The city's foundational structure was largely complete, and work had moved on to key facilities: the statue of the Heavenly Venerable Dao Teacher, the ultra-long-range teleportation array, and the like. With cultivators dispatched from the Myriad Immortals Alliance headquarters assisting in the effort, none of that was a major concern.
The real issue was material shortages, which had become unavoidable over such a long construction period. The supplies Li Fan had been allocated were only sufficient if the project proceeded without a single mistake. It was only through He Zhenghao and Gao Yuan's coordination that the deficit hadn't surfaced yet.
And that saboteur, Zhou Kebao, had proven surprisingly patient. Even after all this time, he hadn't reached out to probe Li Fan for information.
I can't wait for him to come to me. I need to find another way.
Ordinary materials can be purchased with contribution points through Jiao Xiuyuan's channels. But the strategic supplies are another matter entirely. Those can’t be obtained through ordinary means. However...
Li Fan smiled faintly and took control of Zhou Qing'ang, the current Chief Coordinator of the Congyun Immortal City Reconstruction Project.
During the reconstruction, every cultivator had assigned duties. Despite the title, Zhou Qing'ang wasn't particularly busy. When no one was watching, "Zhou Qing'ang" slipped quietly out of Congyun City.
To prevent anyone from tailing him, he spent three days and nights concealed in the depths of the sea. Only after confirming he was completely clear did he finally make contact with the Five Elders Council.
The communication stone flickered, and after a moment, a blurred figure took shape within it.
"Hmm? Why are you initiating contact? Has something happened?"
Zhou Qing'ang's repeated meritorious service had apparently improved how he was regarded. Even though he was breaking protocol by reaching out first, there was no anger in the stone-face's tone, only genuine concern.
"Haha, relax, boss. No trouble happened at all, it's a heaven-sent opportunity!" Zhou Qing'ang said, his voice bright with excitement.
"Oh?" The face finally calmed down.
"Boss, you know I got the Chief Coordinator position through my connection with Fellow Daoist He Zhenghao." Zhou Qing'ang lowered his voice. "Well, recently we've run into some trouble."
He went on to explain, briefly, how certain factions within the Myriad Immortals Alliance were scheming against Li Fan by deliberately withholding supplies to pressure him.
The stone-face grew increasingly troubled as it listened.
"Intolerable. Absolutely intolerable. Master Li is not someone who would suffer such indignity." Zhou Qing'ang pressed on. "He told us privately that he'd sooner defect to the Five Elders Council than give in to those people."
Before he could finish, the stone-face cut in with poorly concealed excitement. "Oh? Li Fan intends to switch sides?"
Almost at once, suspicion sharpened its tone. "Or is this a trap? Something he arranged with the Myriad Immortals Alliance to lure us in?"
Zhou Qing'ang coughed. "Ahem, boss, he was clearly just venting his frustrations."
"Ah." The face went quiet.
Zhou Qing'ang pressed on quickly. "His defection is unlikely, I know. But the opportunity here is very real. He made a military pledge before Diyi Jinglun: if the construction isn't finished on time, he loses his head. Li Fan has been frantic over these missing supplies."
"You mean..." The face understood at once. "A trade?"
Zhou Qing'ang nodded vigorously and pressed both palms to the stone, transmitting a list of materials. "Exactly. Take a look, boss. Can we get our hands on these?"
Silence.
Then the face spoke, measured and slow. "It shouldn't be a problem."
"Perfect!" Zhou Qing'ang declared with confidence. "The higher-ups have always wanted the secrets behind the immortal city's protective arrays. With these materials as leverage, we wouldn't just get the protective array diagrams, we'd get the complete construction blueprints for the entire city."
The stone-face said nothing, but its temptation was plain.
"The importance rating of the array diagrams was downgraded two levels recently," it finally said after a pause. "Trading for them now wouldn't be particularly cost-effective." It continued, "If you can manage it, pry information from Li Fan about what actually happened on the day of the anomaly on Myriad Immortals Island. Better still if you could get him to record the events on an Image Recording Stone."
"Zhou Qing'ang" let a flicker of curiosity cross his face. "Boss, digging up the entire Myriad Immortals Island by its roots... that was us, wasn't it? Truly terrifying. I only regret I wasn't on the island myself. I could've seized the chance and gone straight home. But what exactly were we searching for with an operation that massive?"
The stone-face gave a cold snort. "Don't ask about things that aren't your concern. Just do your job properly."