Chapter 296: Death Leads to Emptiness

**Angry Squid**

"Why am I sent back again? Could there still be a turn of events?" A hint of doubt in his heart, Li Fan returned to Tianyu City.

After some thought, instead of heading directly to the Cosmos Villa, Li Fan first went to the Heavenly Profound Mirror in Tianyu City.

Upon entering his exclusive space within the Heavenly Profound Mirror, his clone, far away in Congyun Sea, paused its cultivation of the Creation Furnace Art and began searching for rare treasures of heaven and earth that could enhance spiritual perception and affinity.

Information about various items appeared one after another. Li Fan browsed through them and selected the High-Grade Human-Tier Wonder, the Ghostly Hairpin. He then sent the Ghostly Hairpin into the Bone Vanguard Realm. His true self immediately initiated a ritual, completing the absorption of the wonder within the Vanguard Mirror.

Within his Dantian, the True Essence slowly transformed, eventually taking on the appearance of half a Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart and half a Ghostly Hairpin. After completing all of this, Li Fan returned to reality and then hurried towards the Cosmos Villa.

The transformation of his True Essence into the Ghostly Hairpin was naturally Li Fan's hope to increase his chances of identifying soul contracts. The reason Li Fan hadn't done this earlier, during the closed training, was out of concern for his own safety. It was highly probable that the Cosmos Villa was under constant surveillance by someone. His performance had originally been mediocre, but after acquiring a wonder, his scores would gradually rise... Such a clear difference would likely attract unwanted attention. There was no need to take that risk.

Outside the villa, within the Heavenly Profound Mirror, his concerns were significantly reduced. At the very least, judging from the current situation, the Heavenly Profound Mirror could be temporarily trusted.

When Li Fan re-entered the Cosmos Villa, there was no longer a series of formation tests; instead, he appeared directly before Ji Hongdao.

"Greetings, Senior!" Li Fan bowed.

"Hmm, so fast?" Ji Hongdao was somewhat surprised. "Good. It saves us from any further complications." He sighed, his expression seemingly fatigued.

"May I ask, Senior, what has happened?" Li Fan inquired.

"Alas, it's a long story." As he handed a Cosmos Token back to Li Fan and led him to see Huangfu Song, Ji Hongdao explained the reason for his sudden recall.

"What? Tantai Tao and more than a dozen others went out to relax together, encountered an accident, and unfortunately died?" Li Fan thought he had misheard, staring blankly at Ji Hongdao.

It was no wonder Li Fan was so surprised, as it was simply too preposterous. Tantai Tao was the most outstanding cultivator among all those participating in this training session. As early as the first assessment, he had received two "top-tier" evaluations. His identification rate for soul contracts was an astonishing one hundred percent. Anyone with discerning eyes could tell that such a person was destined for extraordinary achievements in the future.

Inevitably, some cultivators tried to strike up conversations and form connections with him during breaks in the training. On the surface, Tantai Tao was polite to everyone, treating everyone courteously. In reality, his standards were extremely high, and he was only willing to associate with cultivators who also ranked highly in the assessments. Thus, over the course of roughly half a year, a small group led by Tantai Tao gradually formed. Its dozen-plus members all possessed exceptional talent in the art of formations. Their cultivation levels were also strong, with the weakest being Golden Core cultivators. Tantai Tao himself, though young, had already achieved the Nascent Soul stage. It was no exaggeration to call these individuals favored by heaven. Yet, such a group, in Tianyu State, the heartland of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, had unexpectedly died?

Seeing Li Fan's expression, Ji Hongdao's words were filled with regret: "Tantai Tao and the others said they had been cooped up for half a year and wanted to use the time before the second phase of closed training began to go out, relax, and clear their minds. They were already quite strong, and each of them had protective measures gifted by their elders. Moreover, this is Tianyu State, where there's usually no danger. I thought it over and agreed to their request. Who would have thought..."

"Alas, a single misstep! Just one misstep!" Ji Hongdao sighed repeatedly. "With more than a dozen people suddenly dying, the allocated slots for the second phase immediately became vacant. To avoid waste, we had no choice but to fill the positions by moving down the list based on the first round's assessment results, selecting substitute members. This is why you were recalled so urgently."

Li Fan didn't feel it was shameful to be a substitute. Compared to those talented cultivators who had inexplicably perished, his luck was far, far better. After a moment of hesitation, Li Fan still couldn't help but ask, "Senior Ji, what exactly kind of accident was it..."

Ji Hongdao waved his hand, interrupting Li Fan's question: "This matter involves quite a lot. Knowing too much might harm you instead."

Li Fan nodded, saying no more.

Before long, Li Fan saw Huangfu Song again. He looked at Li Fan and said with a smile, "How about it, young man? My premonition was quite accurate, wasn't it? I said I'd see you again soon, and here you are, back so quickly."

"Senior's divine might!" Li Fan cupped his hands.

"Could it be that Tantai Tao and the others' accident was Senior's doing..."

Before Li Fan could finish his sentence, Huangfu Song's expression suddenly changed upon hearing him. He slapped Li Fan, simultaneously dispelling the memory seal and interrupting Li Fan's words.

"Young man, you mustn't speak such nonsense," Huangfu Song said, looking at Li Fan with a forced smile and an unfriendly gaze. "It's fine if you babble nonsense, but if someone else takes it seriously... These young fellows are all well-connected and have significant influence. Even Guan Xingxiu has been suspended, let alone me; I wouldn't be able to handle it."

Ji Hongdao said impatiently, "Both of you, say less." He ended their conversation. Ji Hongdao's status was clearly above Huangfu Song's, and as soon as he spoke, Huangfu Song indeed fell silent.

"You should return to the villa and wait for now," he instructed Li Fan. "Another Soul Gathering Pearl has been prepared for you in the Cosmos Token. Don't be negligent during this time; seize the opportunity to comprehend it."

"Thank you, Senior," Li Fan expressed his gratitude.

Ji Hongdao waved his hand, and Li Fan returned to the familiar villa. However, whether it was the exact same room he had stayed in before was hard to say.

"Guan Xingxiu." Recalling Huangfu Song's earlier words, Li Fan's heart stirred, and he began searching for information about Guan Xingxiu.

"Commander of the Tianyu State Garrison Command...""One of the candidates for the next Chief Commander of the Garrison Command."

Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly as he pondered. The so-called accident was likely just an excuse. By all appearances, this matter reeked of conspiracy.

"The Exalted Celestial Jicheng will step down as Chief Commander of the Garrison Command. Presumably, the struggle for this position has reached a fever pitch. At this critical moment, such a major case occurred within the jurisdiction of Guan Xingxiu, a strong contender. This led to his suspension... It seems that some people have gone quite mad in their pursuit of this Chief Commander position. Wait... no. This method of framing is too crude; it's obvious at a glance. So, it could also be a self-inflicted injury ploy by Guan Xingxiu himself. First, withdraw from the central vortex, fade from view. Then, strike unexpectedly and win by unconventional means. Of course, it's also possible that the opponent is exploiting this very psychology, openly framing him. Regardless of the truth, these so-called geniuses like Tantai Tao were easily and inexplicably crushed before the true power-holders of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, serving as mere tools to attack political rivals. What good is high talent then? Once dead, all becomes naught."

Li Fan sighed inwardly, took out the golden Soul Gathering Pearl, and skillfully drew out a wisp of spiritual essence.