Chapter 550: A Suspicious Array Reveals Heavenly Mechanisms
"Heh, those Beast Soul Pearls you provided last time were truly useful," Li Fan said, with no restraint and no discretion whatsoever. "Especially the one that sealed the remnant soul of Crimson Nine-Heads. That fellow Lan Yuchang was originally just a slightly robust mortal with some martial skills.
"But after absorbing it, his combat power exploded. The ordinary Spirit Transformation cultivators in our ranks were completely outmatched when sparring with him.
"According to Lan Yuchang himself, that was even while he was holding back.
"If he were to fight with all his might, tsk tsk..."
Little Qing's expression shifted slightly at the name "Crimson Nine-Heads."
Then, hearing Li Fan claim that someone had already withstood the overwhelming ferocity of the nine-headed bird and successfully absorbed that Beast Soul Pearl, her delicate frame trembled. "Impossible!" she blurted. "How could a mortal withstand that creature's murderous aura?"
Li Fan immediately put on an offended look. "Such bumpkins. Our Myriad Worlds Coalition is teeming with talent; what kind of extraordinary individuals don't we have?
"Just because your Empire couldn't find a suitable candidate doesn't mean we can't.
"You don't actually think that one transaction makes us equals, do you?"
He had the air of a greenhorn fresh out into the world, saying whatever came to mind, utterly ignorant of the concept of tact.
He looked down his nose at her. "Our Myriad Worlds Coalition traded with you as a favor.
"There are so many minor worlds around the Xuanhuang World; yours would hardly be missed.
"You are the ones who need the Myriad Worlds Coalition, not the other way around."
Little Qing's face went dark at Li Fan's words. Yet she held herself in check and said nothing.
Li Fan prattled on a while longer, but when he got no reaction from her, the fun seemed to drain out of it, and he trailed off.
Little Qing's gaze held open ill will. Even so, after this exchange, she had no remaining doubts about Li Fan's identity.
She returned to the previous subject, keeping her voice light. "Fellow Daoist, since the transaction benefits both parties, why was it suspended so abruptly?"
Li Fan sighed and spoke plainly. "We truly ran into a force majeure."
He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. "According to our intelligence, a major conflict is likely to erupt soon between the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council.
"As you know, the period just before war breaks out is when both sides are at their most vigilant.
"The saying goes, 'to secure the outside, one must first pacify the inside.' If the Myriad Immortals Alliance were to catch even the slightest trace of our Myriad Worlds Coalition right now, there's no telling what they might do. To eliminate internal threats before turning against the Five Elders Council, they might concentrate their forces and wipe us out first."
Li Fan shook his head, looking not the least bit embarrassed. "To be blunt: although we've always used 'retaking the cultivation world' as our slogan, our organization still lags somewhat behind the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council in raw strength. There's no point pretending otherwise.
"We need to accumulate more power, so for now we can only keep our heads down and stay out of their way."
Then his expression shifted again, this time lighting up with excitement. "Besides, this is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. The Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council haven't clashed in a major conflict for many years.
"When this war comes, it will be unlike anything seen before. They'll be like dogs tearing at each other's throats while we stay hidden in the shadows, fishing in troubled waters.
"We might even sit back and reap the rewards, snatching benefits while they bleed each other dry."
Watching Li Fan's smug face, Little Qing felt a prickle of doubt about this so-called impending war.
The Empire had its own intelligence sources.
Over the years, the technique thieves, though not numerous, had spread throughout the Xuanhuang World.
Since her return to the cultivation world, Little Qing had reestablished contact with the vast majority of them.
It was precisely through them that she had built a decent picture of the current situation in the Xuanhuang World.
As the saying goes, a great storm begins with a whisper in the grass.
A war must have a cause. If the coming conflict was truly as devastating as he claimed, there should already be signs, precursors, something visible on the horizon.
Perhaps we've overlooked some detail.
While Little Qing was lost in thought, Li Fan paid no attention to what she might be thinking.
Instead, he had the gall to ask her for more Beast Soul Pearls.
"Ah, when I came this time, the brothers back home were practically drooling. They insisted I bring back some local specialties.
"Master Qing, Holy Master Qing.
"You Empire folks must have these things by the cartload. Just spare a few for me, so I can go back and report my mission accomplished."
Looking at Li Fan's cheeky, grinning face, Little Qing nearly laughed in exasperation.
But there was no point arguing with someone like him.
With that thought, Little Qing retrieved two Beast Soul Pearls, each equivalent to the power of a Golden Core cultivator, and handed them over.
Yet the man still wasn't satisfied, shamelessly trying to wheedle a few more.
This time, Little Qing didn't hold back. She showed him the door directly.
"I truly have no more Beast Soul Pearls on me, Fellow Daoist. Please, see yourself out!"
Li Fan's face changed with startling speed.
One moment he was calling her "Holy Master," and the next, the moment her words landed, his expression curdled.
With a cold snort, he didn't even bother with a farewell before flying off.
How can someone like that exist in the Myriad Worlds Coalition? If this were our Empire, he'd have been tossed to the Realm-Splitting Whales long ago!
Little Qing gritted her teeth.
The Fellow Daoist from last time was so much better.
She thought back to the previous transaction, where both parties had parted thoroughly satisfied, and the subsequent handover of goods had been handled without a single hitch.
It's a pity that person seems rather busy, unable to get away from work. A trace of regret moved through her.
Pulling her thoughts back, she began contacting the Empire's hidden agents, inquiring whether the Myriad Immortals Alliance had shown any unusual activity recently, and whether there were any signs of an impending war.
Before long, her subordinate technique thieves sent their replies one after another.
Everything was as normal as ever. Not a sign of war anywhere.
Now it was Little Qing's turn to feel uncertain.
Truth or lie?
***
Just as this Empire Holy Master was wrestling with a headache, He Zhenghao was counting so much money he felt his hand was going to cramp.
A grin split his face from ear to ear. With every transfer of contribution points he received, he meticulously recorded it and sent a dutiful reply to each creditor.
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Qin, your contribution points have been received. Just sit back and wait for your fortune to roll in!"
"Young Brother Wei, your ten thousand contribution points are duly noted. Ah, I know it took everything you had to scrape that together. Who among us hasn't sacrificed? Have no fear—do you really think the Secretary-Envoy would let you down?"