Chapter 377: Dispute Among the Law Bearers

Oriana felt a slight nervousness. "This person's name is Li Fan, and he is..." She then concisely introduced Li Fan's life story to Chief Lu.

Although Huangfu Song hadn't proactively mentioned information about this person, Oriana had noticed his unusual gaze towards Li Fan that day. Knowing full well what kind of person his colleague was, Oriana immediately conducted a private investigation. Both the rumored extraordinary actions of Li Fan and the astonishing speed at which his deeds spread made Oriana believe that this person was by no means simple. It was even highly probable that Huangfu Song had come unannounced this time because of Li Fan. Now, with Chief Lu's sudden inquiry, his suspicions were indeed confirmed.

However, some things, even if one had guessed them, had boundaries. What could be said and what could not. Oriana, naturally, was exceptionally clear about this. As a subordinate, one merely needed to cooperate well with the superiors. If one were to act too clever, disrupting the plans of someone higher up, a dim future would be the least of their worries. It was more likely they would die an inexplicable death. Upon this thought, Oriana dared not delay, meticulously recounting all the surface information he had gathered.

Chief Lu noticed that her two subordinates seemed to have some ulterior motives. However, she had no intention of delving deeper. For there were few things in this world that truly concerned her, and these two Spirit Transformation formation masters were clearly not among them. It was her daughter's savior, however, who somewhat surprised her.

She had heard the name Li Fan before. In this day and age, to be able to risk one's life to save others from danger was indeed exceptionally rare. More importantly, his actions—remaining steadfast on the front lines of formation construction even with his lifespan nearing its end—were worthy of being publicized as a prime example and extensively documented. Perhaps this person was a truly born saint, morally upright; or perhaps his cultivation method was unique, and his actions were simply profitable. For the Myriad Immortals Alliance, none of that mattered. What mattered was that he truly did those things. What mattered was making most cultivators in the world believe it.

The name of a mere Core Formation cultivator could reach her ears. Naturally, this was the work of certain acquaintances behind the scenes. Chief Lu was not surprised by this at all. If her guess was correct, should Li Fan be on the verge of perishing before the formation was fully built, the alliance would even intervene to save his life. As a grand gesture to attract talent, it would serve as another round of publicity. This principle of ensuring everything served its purpose was a consistent method employed by that group of people.

As the figures of several Law Bearers flashed through her mind, a cloud of gloom instantly settled over Chief Lu's heart. As the very first group to actively propagate laws under the Law-Transmitting Celestial Venerable and establish the original Myriad Immortals Alliance, the Law Bearers had maintained supreme governing authority over the Myriad Immortals Alliance since the Celestial Venerable's disappearance. Not to mention their cultivation, none of them were inferior to her, Chief Lu. Their mere ability to have survived countless calamities over thousands of years made it so that no one dared to underestimate them. Not to mention, they subtly held the methods to restrain the Heavenly Profound Mirror...

"The Heavenly Profound Spirit Lock is merely the first step." Chief Lu let out a cold snort internally, suppressing her thoughts. Her gaze then fell upon the deeply aged cultivator below. "They believe everything is under control. I wonder how they would react if I were to intervene."

Before this, although he had been her daughter's savior, Chief Lu had not entertained any specific thoughts of repaying the favor. After all, he had saved her daughter back then and then promptly left without making any demands. In Chief Lu's eyes, this meant Li Fan himself had given up the opportunity. Now, however, this person had appeared before her again, acting as a pawn for that group of people. This made Chief Lu change her mind.

After a moment of contemplation, she checked Li Fan's ranking on the Grand Competition Gold Ranking.

"Forty-fifth place."

"Perhaps I can give him a hand..."

Upon this thought, she looked at Oriana and Huangfu Song and asked, "What do you think of this person?"

Huangfu Song and Oriana exchanged glances, muttering inwardly. *How could we possibly speak ill of him when you've specifically asked like this? It's good to have connections.*

With envy, the two spoke over each other, showering Li Fan with praise. They praised him to high heavens, making him out to be peerless. If Li Fan had been there to hear these compliments about himself, he might not have been able to help but blush.

When they finished, Chief Lu nodded, "He has made so many sacrifices for the popularization of the Heavenly Profound Spirit Lock Formation, yet the alliance has not issued any corresponding rewards. This is truly improper. If things continue like this, won't it dishearten cultivators throughout the world?"

Huangfu Song and Oriana were both shrewd individuals. Hearing Chief Lu's words, which clearly carried an underlying meaning, they were startled but dared not reply. She continued, "I would not have intervened if I didn't know about it. But now that I've seen it myself, I certainly cannot ignore it. However, after all, this would be overstepping my authority. It wouldn't be good to cause misunderstandings and gossip among certain people. At this critical juncture, our Myriad Immortals Alliance should be united from top to bottom. Do either of you have a good solution?"

The two suddenly recalled certain rumors they occasionally heard, and after a brief thought, they understood the meaning behind Chief Lu's words. However, such high-level conflicts were not something minor figures like themselves could get involved in. They secretly cursed their luck.

Feeling Chief Lu's gaze repeatedly sweeping over them, both felt an unspeakable pressure. When a superior asked a question, remaining silent was out of the question. Cold sweat broke out on their foreheads. At the critical moment, Huangfu Song suddenly remembered his previous conversation with Li Fan. With a sudden inspiration, he gritted his teeth and said, "To inform Chief, your humble subordinate had several heart-to-heart talks with Li Fan previously. Although this person's lifespan is nearing its end, he is still willing to dedicate himself until his last breath. Our Myriad Immortals Alliance never treats those who render meritorious service unfairly. However, despite his extreme dedication, this person is still only ranked in the forties or fifties. If he were given special preferential treatment, cultivators ranked above him might have complaints. If his ranking were slightly higher, it would be more justifiable."

Huangfu Song paused, then continued, "This person privately told me that he would have no regrets even if he were to die, regretting only that he could not visit all the wonderful secret realms of our Myriad Immortals Alliance..."

He had suddenly uttered this seemingly irrelevant remark. However, Chief Lu and Oriana, both familiar with the Grand Competition's scoring rules, naturally understood the hidden meaning behind his words.

"That is a good method," Chief Lu nodded slightly, acknowledging Huangfu Song's suggestion.

Huangfu Song couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Before he could relax, Chief Lu asked again.

"Do you have any recommended locations?"

Huangfu Song's heart instantly leaped to his throat again. In a flash, recalling Li Fan's words from before, Huangfu Song braced himself and replied, "Secret realms like the Five Elements Grand Grotto-Heaven and the Boundless Sea are, in your humble subordinate's opinion, good choices."