Chapter 577: The Endgame Of The Congyun Sea
Upon hearing Zhou Qing'ang's deductions, Gao Yuan couldn't help but slap the table in admiration. "If this plan succeeds, the vast majority of cultivators throughout the entire Congyun Sea will owe the Secretary-Envoy a debt of gratitude.
"Even if the two Spirit Transformation Immortal Eminences, Hong Xi and Zi Yun, were to return, they would have to weigh the consequences before daring to move against him.
"The Secretary-Envoy's foresight is truly profound. He thinks a hundred steps ahead with every move he makes. It is beyond our ability to fathom."
He Zhenghao sighed in wonder as well. Who would have thought that a seemingly simple wealth-gathering scheme could contain so many intricate layers?
Both men were utterly convinced.
Yet they remained completely unaware that they had overlooked the most critical link in this seemingly flawless, self-consistent plan.
Namely, whether Li Fan could actually achieve a two-hundred-percent return in five years after absorbing a truly astronomical amount of contribution points.
Perhaps it was because Li Fan had already demonstrated his remarkable abilities so many times that they had been gradually conditioned to accept them without question.
Or perhaps it was their own self-concocted theory that he was an Eternal Heavenly Venerable who had fallen from a higher realm, which had elevated their trust in him to a point beyond question.
In any case, they harbored not a shred of doubt about Li Fan's ability to meet the goals of this fundraising venture.
A mere tripling of the investment in five years? How could that possibly pose a challenge for the esteemed Secretary-Envoy?
But in reality...
To be perfectly honest, even though Li Fan had lived through several lifetimes and was privy to future events of the Congyun Sea, he truly could not accomplish it this time.
It wasn't a matter of incompetence. It was simply that when assets swelled to a certain magnitude, the difficulty of doubling them again increased exponentially.
To put it bluntly, Li Fan was nothing more than a speculator, profiting from buying low and selling high. He was not a creator of wealth.
He was not the Myriad Immortals Alliance, capable of generating contribution points without limit or restriction.
With tens of millions in contribution points, he might barely manage to double the sum through his manipulations. But if it were hundreds of millions, or even billions, it would be impossible—unless another cataclysmic war broke out between the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council, and he had foreknowledge of it once more.
But failing to deliver didn't matter.
From the very beginning, he had never intended to fulfill the promised returns.
This was precisely why the fundraising venture was set for a full five years. In five years, the Crimson Flame Sea Scorching event would arrive, turning the Congyun Sea into a lifeless wasteland.
If everyone was dead, the debts naturally wouldn't need repaying.
Better for Li Fan to put those contribution points to use than to let them be reclaimed by the Myriad Immortals Alliance after their owners perished.
So Li Fan felt not a twinge of pressure.
As for the talk of Immortal Eminences Lan Cang and Hao Xuan returning along with a host of Nascent Soul cultivators... While factually true, it was a story concocted purely to deceive He Zhenghao and Gao Yuan.
Whether they returned or not, Li Fan couldn't care less. If they dared set foot back in the Congyun Sea, death would likely be their only fate.
He did, however, hope that Zhang Zhiliang and the other array masters he was familiar with might live a little longer in this lifetime.
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. The figure of "Zhou Qing'ang" spoke once more. "Fellow Daoists, you two have already disappointed the Secretary-Envoy once. You must not waste this final chance to redeem yourselves.
"The Secretary-Envoy's plan must be executed without error!"
Both men nodded.
They understood all too well that if the two Spirit Transformation Immortal Eminences returned and Li Fan fell from power, their own fates as his handpicked inner circle would be equally grim. It wasn't a matter of loyalty so much as sheer self-preservation; this time, they had to give it their all.
Still, Gao Yuan was the more cautious of the two. After a long hesitation, he asked carefully, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, do you have any proof from the Secretary-Envoy? It isn't that we don't trust you, but the matter is of great importance..."
Zhou Qing'ang gave a derisive snort and was about to reply when both men felt their storage rings vibrate.
Something stirred in their memory. Their faces went pale. They hurriedly retrieved the source of the disturbance—the Consciousness Jade Slips Li Fan had entrusted to them before entering seclusion.
The jade slips flew into the air and merged into one. From the human figurine, Li Fan's voice emerged: "You are not wrong. This matter is indeed significant enough to warrant my personal attention."
Both He Zhenghao and Gao Yuan jolted with sudden fright. They dropped into prostration immediately, crying out, "We greet the Secretary-Envoy!"
Their stomachs clenched tight. Li Fan's words made it clear he had witnessed their entire exchange with Zhou Qing'ang from the very beginning. In fact, from the moment he had entered seclusion, their every move had been under his watch.
Terrified, they pressed their foreheads to the floor and did not dare look up without his command.
"He Zhenghao!"
"Yes!" He Zhenghao answered at once.
"Select some representatives from among the cultivators who previously participated in the fundraising plan. Arrange a meeting ten days from now. I will personally explain this new five-year plan, and in doing so, set your minds at ease," Li Fan said gravely.
He Zhenghao felt a wash of relief at being given a task. He accepted without hesitation.
"Gao Yuan!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Gao Yuan's voice trembled slightly.
"Compile a list of Congyun Sea cultivators who perished in the recent battle at Tianling Province. Deliver it to me in ten days."
Gao Yuan hastened to agree.
The light from the Consciousness Jade Slip grew dimmer and dimmer until it was nearly imperceptible. With a soft clatter, it fell to the ground. Li Fan's parting words accompanied its fall: "In my absence, Zhou Qing'ang shall act with my full authority. His words are my command."
Zhou Qing'ang bowed his head slightly, offering repeated thanks to the Secretary-Envoy. The corners of his mouth curved upward, smug satisfaction plain on his face.
He Zhenghao and Gao Yuan looked on with a sour pang of envy and regret.
That trust from the Secretary-Envoy should have been ours!
But they dared not voice a single complaint, and nodded in obedience.
With Li Fan's personal appearance confirming the veracity of Zhou Qing'ang's proposed plan, the two thoroughly chastened men set about carrying out his will with diligence and meticulous care.
After several years of management, their command over Congyun City was in practice more efficient than even Li Fan's own. Under their direction, news of the war's imminent end and the launch of a new fundraising plan spread throughout the cultivator community of the Congyun Sea in a single day.
It caused an uproar. Minds stirred restlessly, and messages flooded He Zhenghao from all quarters demanding to know the truth of the matter.
He Zhenghao, naturally, added his own embellishments to the tale.
And so, ten days later, a gathering of cultivators assembled, awaiting Li Fan's arrival.