Chapter 1097: A Strategy to Throw Heaven and Earth into Chaos

The allure of True Immortals was simply too great for cultivators. Since the immortal path was severed, becoming an immortal had become an unattainable dream for them. But now, a True Immortal’s remains had suddenly appeared in the world. What’s more, all signs indicated that these True Immortal remains were very likely real!

At this point, regardless of any lingering doubts, cultivators chose to first acquire these remains. Even if they weren’t genuine True Immortal remains, judging by the various phenomena they caused, the benefits gained would still be considerable!

Consequently, Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators left their Heavenly Cities and searched everywhere for traces of the True Immortal’s remains. Even many Five Elders Council cultivators who were shopping in Jiushan Province traveled long distances to join the excitement.

With the establishment and development of the Jiushan Free Trade Zone, the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council had maintained peace for a long time. Their relationship had further eased; as long as an application was approved, cultivators from both sides could visit the other’s territory. It seemed they intended to prove through this method that they were more suitable for cultivators’ survival than the other. However, there had been no reports of anyone changing their allegiance. Their exchanges remained superficial.

Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators were mostly wary of these Five Elders Council members. While grouping together to search for the True Immortal’s remains, they also tried to keep their distance as a precaution.

“Do you think these True Immortal remains might be a tactic from the Five Elders Council? Intentionally stirring up trouble for us. Everyone’s just focused on business, and our vigilance against the Five Elders Council decreases year by year. Alas, this isn’t good.”

“Indeed, who knows when they might suddenly attack again! The Five Elders Council is no good!”

“What are you thinking? Did the Five Elders Council also create those inexplicably appearing World Spirits? This is our Myriad Immortals Alliance territory. We ourselves don’t even know about the existence of these World Spirits; if the Five Elders Council knew so clearly, we might as well surrender sooner!”

The occasional appearance of Five Elders Council cultivators did not deter the Myriad Immortals Alliance from pursuing the True Immortal’s remains. With the emergence of a second fortunate individual, their desire grew even stronger.

The second cultivator fortunate enough to have close contact with the True Immortal’s remains was named Xue Mu. He was a Foundation Establishment formation master. In fact, he didn't actually touch the True Immortal’s remains, only being blocked by the golden light surrounding them. But the instant the golden light entered his body, countless bizarre and unimaginable formations instantly appeared in Xue Mu's mind. The immense volume of information almost burst his Sea of Consciousness. In that critical moment between life and death, Xue Mu subconsciously released his grip. The True Immortal’s remains then vanished once more.

Yet, Xue Mu, who had missed out on an immense opportunity, felt no regret. Instead, after a long moment of stunned silence, his face lit up with ecstasy, and he burst into laughter, looking up at the sky. It was later revealed that in that seemingly brief instant, he had acquired at least a hundred formations from the True Immortal’s remains. Even more importantly, the level of these formations generally surpassed those of the Xuanhuang Realm by several tiers. It was likely that even the Myriad Immortals Alliance's most powerful formation currently couldn't compare to any single one in his mind.

Although his strength had not increased, for Xue Mu, the formation master, this gain was far more significant than improving by several major cultivation realms! Soon, Xue Mu was taken away by representatives from the Myriad Immortals Alliance's Formation Strategy Hall headquarters. Internal news that followed shortly after confirmed the advanced nature of the formations he had acquired in his Sea of Consciousness.

Aside from a true immortal, what other entity could possess such ability? This undoubtedly solidified the rumors about the True Immortal’s remains. After the news spread, some individuals within the Myriad Immortals Alliance could no longer sit still.

In the Spiritwood Realm, Li Fan connected with Preacher Zhou. “The matter of the True Immortal’s remains has been causing quite a stir lately. What are your thoughts on it, fellow Daoist?”

Li Fan quickly replied, stating firmly: “It’s baseless, pure rumor! Fellow Daoist Zhou, you absolutely must not believe it!”

“You’re so certain?” This time, it was Preacher Zhou's turn to be suspicious.

Li Fan sneered, “The immortal path has been severed for so many years, and none of our colleagues from various realms have ever seen the corpse of a True Immortal.”

“The Xuanhuang Realm—”

“It’s the same there. How can it be such a coincidence that it suddenly appeared without any warning? And the news spread instantly to everyone. I suspect someone is secretly pulling strings behind this!” Li Fan declared confidently.

“But the accompanying World Spirits are indeed genuine. In fact, two people in the Immortal Alliance have already successfully advanced to the Dao Integration stage because of them. I truly can't imagine what force in the Xuanhuang Realm could so casually offer so many Dao Integration resources as bait?” Preacher Zhou did not believe Li Fan's words and retorted.

Li Fan seemed to be stumped by the question. After a long silence, he sighed, “The more this is the case, the more it indicates a grand scheme by the other party! While your Myriad Immortals Alliance reaps abundant rewards, we are filled with apprehension.”

Hearing this, Preacher Zhou suddenly asked, “It's truly not a scheme orchestrated by you all?”

“What kind of talk is that! Our Myriad Realms Alliance has been dormant for many years; how could we suddenly stir up such trouble?” Li Fan's tone was somewhat displeased. “In my opinion, it might instead be an enemy of your Myriad Immortals Alliance. Having ruled the Xuanhuang Realm for thousands of years, haven’t you made any mortal enemies?”

“Hmm?!” Li Fan's words seemed to trigger a thought. Preacher Zhou was somewhat taken aback, and after a brief silence, she hastily disconnected the communication.

At this moment, an inscrutable expression finally appeared on Li Fan's face. Needless to say, all these disturbances were, naturally, Li Fan's doing. Utilizing the dark power of the black puppet, the True Immortal’s remains were able to travel back and forth across different regions, appearing and disappearing unpredictably, evading the pursuit of countless cultivators. And by secretly twisting heavenly edicts, Li Fan directed individual World Spirits to appear, making the entire performance even more realistic.

As for the two beneficiaries of this incident, Zhang Haobo and Xue Mu, although they were completely unrelated to him in this life, they were acquaintances from his previous reincarnation experiences. Li Fan didn't mind being a good person and helping them out along the way.

However, as he extensively spread false heavenly mandates across various regions, the Xuanhuang Realm's tolerance and vigilance were nearing their limit. He would likely have to cease his activities for a while.

“The setup is complete; I'm not worried about them failing to enter the game. Such a chaotic situation should be able to conceal my true intentions.” Li Fan chuckled softly. “However, Preacher Zhou's final reaction was a bit strange. What did she remember? Could it be that the Myriad Immortals Alliance truly has an enemy capable of using several Dao Integration promotion resources as bait?”

As Li Fan pondered this, he couldn't help but frown.