Chapter 566: The Anomaly In Tianling Province
"Thank you for your efforts, Fellow Daoist!" He Zhenghao said with a smile, cupping his hands before departing with Gao Yuan.
Li Fan watched their retreating figures, his expression unreadable.
In just a year, they've become this corrupted...
Not long ago, these two were convinced I was an Eternal Heavenly Venerable whose cultivation had regressed. They were eager to ride my coattails to a prosperous future. And now they dare deceive their superiors and conceal the truth from their subordinates
A cold glint passed through Li Fan's eyes.
After all, the war in Tianling Province in this lifetime was something he had personally set in motion. He had long anticipated that some cultivators participating in the fundraising plan would perish in the conflict there. Yet he had never breathed a word of this to He Zhenghao. He wanted to see what choice He Zhenghao would make when faced with unclaimed principal.
The result spoke for itself.
Human nature truly cannot withstand temptation. Especially when contribution points are involved at that scale. Once you grow accustomed to figures in the hundreds of millions, how can you remain content with your own meager salary? Of course you start looking for ways to supplement it.
Li Fan shook his head inwardly.
He wasn't exactly disappointed. It was simply that he had originally planned, out of consideration for the Mountain-Sitting Art and He Zhenghao's hard work across previous lifetimes, to arrange an escape route for him during the Crimson Flame Sea Scorching event.
Now, though... maybe next lifetime.
His face indifferent, Li Fan began selecting personnel for the current round of conscription from among the system-affiliated cultivators of the Congyun Sea.
That’s right. At a war's outset, the first to be summoned were always members of the Myriad Immortals Alliance's official system. After all, enjoying the Alliance's special privileges naturally came with corresponding responsibilities.
Zhu Yongshou. This one spoke disrespectfully once. Let’s circle him.
Qi Yan. No impression at all. Wasn't at the Congyun City reconstruction commencement ceremony, wasn't at the immortal city inauguration ceremony. Let’s circle him too.
Zhao Kuo, Myriad Immortals Alliance Congyun Sea Cultivator Opinion Feedback Collection Specialist?
Li Fan paused.
Including previous lifetimes, he had spent numerous years in the Congyun Sea. In this lifetime alone, he had overseen its administration for quite some time. And yet he had never once encountered this person.
So much for collecting feedback. You've certainly earned a spot.
Li Fan lifted his brush and circled the name.
Before long, the conscription roster that had so troubled He Zhenghao and Gao Yuan was complete.
Li Fan's selections had been, by any measure, rather arbitrary. In his eyes, it hardly mattered. Even those who escaped the Tianling Province war would not escape the Crimson Flame Sea Scorching event. The only difference was whether they died sooner or later.
The conscription order already bore the Secretary-Envoy Seal Li Fan had specifically left behind before entering seclusion, stamped by He Zhenghao and Gao Yuan. Now it only needed "Zhou Qing'ang" to affix his seal and issue it.
Soon, Zhou Qing'ang completed that final step.
Every grievance has its debtor, every debt its creditor. This was all Zhou Qing'ang's doing. It has nothing to do with me, Li Fan.
Li Fan felt not the slightest pressure.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou is truly decisive! Haha, it seems we'll have to trouble you again next time!" He Zhenghao's admiring voice followed shortly after.
Zhou Qing'ang smiled faintly and offered a perfunctory reply.
***
At the bottom of the sea, within the crystal palace...
Half a day later, Sima Changkong, who had gone out to gather ingredients for wine brewing, came rushing back.
"Oh? Brother Sima, that was fast." Li Fan couldn't help but sound surprised.
"Ah, you misunderstand, Fellow Daoist." Sima Changkong shook his head several times. "Something urgent came up, that's why I rushed back. The materials for the Sky Azure Brew are difficult to gather, and I haven't had a chance to prepare them yet. I'm afraid you'll have to wait a while longer if you wish to drink your fill." A trace of apology crossed his face.
"It's no trouble at all!" Li Fan waved a hand. "What happened to send you rushing back like this, Brother Sima?"
"Something formidable has appeared on the Tianling Province battlefield. One of my Blood Division Avatars was destroyed. I had to return immediately to create a new one," Sima Changkong replied, his expression tinged with resignation.
"Something formidable?" Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly as he ushered Sima Changkong back inside the crystal palace.
"Yes. It gave me quite a shock when I saw it," Sima Changkong said. He looked worn, clearly having pushed his movement technique to its limit.
After resting only briefly, he produced a black canister from somewhere. He formed a hand seal and shattered it.
Instantly, a great quantity of blood gushed forth. It had the look of blood drawn fresh from a body—the sharp, coppery scent still thick in the air. The blood writhed and churned, slowly forming a vague human silhouette.
Making no effort to conceal the process from Li Fan, Sima Changkong lightly touched his glabella with his right index finger and drew out a single drop of blood that shimmered with a full spectrum of color. He merged it into the swirling mass before him.
A faint radiance bloomed outward, and soon an avatar identical to Sima Changkong stood before them both. After being dressed, it cupped its hands in salute, then shot off toward Tianling Province.
Only then did Sima Changkong exhale.
He looked even more haggard now. His face was pale, and he could barely remain steady on his feet. Li Fan quickly moved to help him sit.
It was quite some time before Sima Changkong recovered.
"How are you feeling, Fellow Daoist?" Li Fan asked with concern, not yet pressing for details about the Tianling Province war.
"I'm fine. I just need to rest a little," Sima Changkong said weakly, giving a slight shake of his head.
"Good. So the body before me now is your true self? I had assumed it was another Blood Division Avatar."
"Heh. After cultivating the Bloodline Chronicles, there is no longer any such thing as a true self," Sima Changkong said with a bitter smile. "It's simply that I still have stores of essence blood here in the Congyun Sea, which is why I was able to craft a new avatar straight away."
Li Fan understood immediately.
A moment later, he frowned. "Watching you create that avatar, Brother Sima, it seems to consume a tremendous amount of vital essence."
"You are correct. That's why I need to drink Sky Azure Brew regularly, to replenish what my body lacks." Sima Changkong nodded.
"Then by drinking so much of your Sky Azure Brew all this time, I've been..." Li Fan stamped his foot with a sigh, schooling his face into an expression of deep regret.
"Heh, Brother Li, don't trouble yourself over it!" Sima Changkong said, waving off his concern.
"As I told you before, cultivating our Sima family's Blood History method reduces one's lifespan to that of a mortal's. A human life lasts but a few short decades, truly like a white steed glimpsed through a crack in a wall, gone before you can blink.
"To have met a true friend like you in such a fleeting existence, Brother Li, is enough for me to die content. So let us drink while we have wine today!
“That you drink with me so heartily each day, Fellow Daoist, is something I am profoundly grateful for. How could I possibly blame you?"