Chapter 339: Kidnapping Yan Fajue

Although the Derivation Jade appeared before him in the form of a little girl, Li Fan would never truly treat her as a child.

Since the Honored Master of Transmission re-established the Myriad Immortals Alliance in the Era of Desolation, the Derivation Jade had existed.

If his estimation was correct, the Derivation Jade had been working tirelessly for at least five or six thousand years.

This was enough for Li Fan to show her full respect.

The little girl looked up at Li Fan, nodded, and said, "Yes, deriving cultivation techniques is very hard work."

Suddenly, she widened her eyes and asked, "You have one-third of an hour remaining. Do you want to stay here for a bit longer, or leave now?"

Li Fan naturally understood the hint.

"I will wait until my time runs out before leaving."

"It is an honor for this junior to share a room with you."

A very satisfied expression immediately appeared on the little girl's face.

"Excellent! I can rest for another third of an hour," she exclaimed, a little excitedly.

During the remaining time, Li Fan didn't just stand there idly.

Under the subtle, almost imperceptible supervision from his surroundings, Li Fan began tentatively asking the Derivation Jade a few questions.

"Excuse me, are you a cultivator?"

"I was, a long time ago. But people need to rest, and they die. So, the Honored Master integrated me with the Derivation Jade," the little girl replied lazily, sprawled on the table, looking unconcerned.

"Now I can't die. I just get a little tired sometimes."

"How long have you been deriving cultivation techniques? Have you never rested?"

"How long? I don't remember. It's just always been like this. I can't rest until all the techniques have been derived. Though I can occasionally slack off," the girl said, a hint of helplessness on her face. "I really wish I could finish soon and go out to relax properly."

Li Fan and the Derivation Jade conversed smoothly, back and forth.

For some unknown reason, the hidden presence never stopped Li Fan's increasingly bold questions.

Thus, Li Fan gained a preliminary but relatively detailed understanding of the Myriad Immortals Alliance's most prized treasure.

Reluctantly, Li Fan's allotted time finally ran out.

"Alright, alright, time to say goodbye," the little girl said, waving her hand as she bid farewell to Li Fan.

"I hope there will be a day when I can see you again," Li Fan said, bowing respectfully.

Then he felt the surrounding light abruptly dim.

After a moment of darkness, when he opened his eyes, he found himself back outside the black stone stele of the Protector Hall.

The black-robed cultivator who had brought them there was still waiting.

Ximen Yue was also nearby, meditating with closed eyes, seemingly studying the newly acquired cultivation technique.

Han Yi, however, was nowhere to be seen; he hadn't emerged yet.

Li Fan didn't disturb the two, quietly standing to the side.

He tried to recall his experience of meeting the Derivation Jade just now. But his mind was a blank.

"As expected..." Li Fan realized.

Aside from the content of the cultivation technique, "Mysterious True Spirit Transformation," which was clearly imprinted in his mind and not forgotten, all other memories, from leaving the waiting room to appearing outside the black stone stele, including the entire segment of meeting the Derivation Jade, could not be recalled.

He couldn't even remember how he obtained the technique or what the Derivation Jade looked like.

"The Myriad Immortals Alliance's prized treasure is indeed heavily guarded."

"This must be some kind of restriction directly affecting cultivators, designed to prevent those with ulterior motives from prying into the Derivation Jade."

"No wonder apart from its existence, no other information about the Derivation Jade is known to the outside world."

"However..." Li Fan closed his eyes, concealing the emotions within them. "These restrictions are useless against me."

"All memories have already been synchronized with my main body."

In the Sky Profound Mirror in Tianyu City, Li Fan's main body appeared as calm as an ancient well. In reality, his mind was constantly replaying the scene of his first encounter with the little girl, the Derivation Jade.

"Forced labor for thousands of years, even integrating a cultivator with a celestial marvel to ensure efficiency, turning her into an immortal, sleepless laborer."

"The Myriad Immortals Alliance is truly heinous and insane."

"The Derivation Jade is too pitiful; it is only right that I save her."

During his conversation with the little girl, Li Fan learned that the Derivation Jade was her innate marvel. However, after the Honored Master of Transmission discovered it, he used a secret technique to modify her in order to maximize its utility. Her physical body vanished, and her consciousness completely merged with the Derivation Jade. She became a strange existence that was both human and a marvel.

From then on, she was neither aging nor mortal. Yet, she had to work ceaselessly and sleeplessly, continuously deriving cultivation techniques, until there were no more techniques left to derive.

The Honored Master had once promised her that the day all techniques were derived would be the day she could finally rest. The Derivation Jade naively believed that the Honored Master's "rest" truly meant rest. But in Li Fan's view, this "rest" was definitely not a benevolent term.

Both for the greater good and for personal reasons, Li Fan felt bound to save the Derivation Jade.

For other cultivators, stealing the Derivation Jade from a critical location like the Myriad Immortals Alliance headquarters, under such strict surveillance, would be an absolutely impossible task. However, for Li Fan, now that he had learned her information, it might not be impossible. In fact, Li Fan had already, in an instant, formulated a preliminary plan on how to proceed.

First, the Derivation Jade was guarded by cultivators. Based on his deductions, the guarding cultivators were at least at the Dao Integration realm. So, the first step in Li Fan's plan was to cultivate to the Dao Integration realm within the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Then, he would become a guardian of the Derivation Jade.

The second step was to foster a relationship with the Derivation Jade through daily interaction.

The third step: when the time was right, he would activate the 'Return to True' ability, going back to Anchor Year 1. During the preservation process, he would choose the third option: 'Memory of an individual closely related to oneself.'

The fourth step: he would repeat his actions from the previous life, returning to the Derivation Jade's side. Then, he would let her inherit the memories of that previous life. These decades, or even centuries, of memories would naturally include the arduous process and results of the Derivation Jade's technique derivation. With these memories, the Derivation Jade would no longer need to painstakingly derive techniques. When it was time to report her work, she would only need to present the techniques derived in the previous life, which were now in her memories. Using this great gift, he would continue to deepen his relationship with the Derivation Jade.

The fifth step: activate 'Return to True' again, repeating the third and fourth steps. Through countless cycles of reincarnated memories, the intimacy between Li Fan and the Derivation Jade would surely be pushed to its peak. Li Fan would then make the Derivation Jade acknowledge him as her master.

The final step: Li Fan would activate 'Return to True' and choose to preserve one item belonging to himself. He would choose the Derivation Jade. According to past experience, there would not be two identical marvels in the world. If an item brought back by 'Return to True' conflicted with an existing one, the weaker one would vanish, and the stronger one would remain. With countless lifetimes of memories, Li Fan's Derivation Jade would surely be more powerful than the one at Anchor Year 1. Therefore, the ultimate outcome would be the disappearance of the Myriad Immortals Alliance's Derivation Jade, and Li Fan's Derivation Jade would be preserved.

This was Li Fan's preliminary plan to 'abduct' the Derivation Jade. It was, undeniably, a very tempting prospect.

Although various problems were bound to arise during this process. For example, the first step – becoming a Dao Integration cultivator within the Myriad Immortals Alliance and infiltrating the Derivation Jade's side – was incredibly distant for the current Li Fan. Furthermore, the Derivation Jade likely had contingencies left by the Honored Master, making it impossible for her to easily acknowledge someone else as her master.

But... in the face of countless reincarnations, none of these issues truly mattered. As long as there was even a theoretical glimmer of possibility, for Li Fan, it was a predetermined certainty.

The Derivation Jade was the very foundation upon which the Myriad Immortals Alliance was established. And the Myriad Immortals Alliance, in turn, was the foundation for the Honored Master of Transmission's path to enlightenment. Although the Honored Master of Transmission now lived a carefree existence beyond worldly affairs, it was clear from the phrase 'the number of cultivators should be neither too many nor too few' that the Myriad Immortals Alliance was at least an important means for the Honored Master of Transmission to maintain a stable number of cultivators.

Li Fan was very curious: what would happen if the roots of the Myriad Immortals Alliance were dug up? How would this Honored Master of Transmission, who was as elusive as a dragon, react?