Chapter 437: Thousand Years Summoning Heavenly Yang

Before Qing could speak, Shen Yuzi flicked his whisk. The sky darkened as a talisman covered in golden characters instantly appeared above the island, blotting out the sun and seemingly ready to suppress everyone from the Empire the next second.

Qing's expression changed drastically. Two streaks of azure light, like sharp blades, shot into the sky and collided with the colossal talisman. The golden talisman was torn apart, revealing the sky once more. However, the golden characters on the talisman did not vanish; instead, they drifted downwards.

From Qing's body, blades of light continuously emerged, neutralizing each character. It was evident that both sides were exercising extreme restraint in their exchange. The extraordinary phenomena they caused were confined to the vicinity of the island, and even observers like Li Fan and Li Chenfeng were completely unaffected.

A moment later, after Qing had completely suppressed Shen Yuzi's golden talisman, she suppressed her anger. She was about to question the other party's intentions but found that the mysterious person who had cast the golden talisman simply left on their own after saying something to Li Fan.

Qing narrowed her eyes but did not stop him. She watched Li Fan fly openly closer. "What is the meaning of this, from your Myriad Realms Alliance?" Qing finally asked, her face etched with cold displeasure.

Li Fan shrugged. "We mean no harm. But since we're talking about cooperation, we naturally need to assess your strength and whether you're worth it," he said. "Fortunately, you've barely managed to gain approval from higher-ups."

Qing scoffed, staring at Li Fan. Li Fan, unfazed, smiled and said, "The Alliance has agreed to the cooperation plan you previously proposed."

"We will help the Empire accelerate its plan to detach from the Xuanhuang Realm, and in return, you will need to integrate a portion of your forces into the Alliance." Li Fan paused slightly. "However," he continued, "considering the current circumstances of both parties, the organization believes that the cooperation plan can be implemented gradually."

"How gradually?" Qing's tone softened.

Li Fan tossed over a storage ring. Qing took the ring and, after inspecting its contents, was surprised. It contained various materials the Empire needed: Azure Spirit Crystals, Myriad Flower Jade Silk, Arm-Reaching Xuan Ginseng... Although the quantities were small, it was rare to find every type included. Having been away from the Xuanhuang Realm for thousands of years, she was unsure of current prices. However, Qing knew that the value of the materials in the storage ring was absolutely substantial. Consequently, Qing's expression gradually softened.

"This is the first batch of supplies," Li Fan explained. "The quantities you need are simply too vast. To avoid alerting the forces of the Xuanhuang Realm, we can only procure them slowly in batches."

Hearing this, Qing felt it made sense and nodded slowly. "At the same time," Li Fan continued, "we are also looking for a base for your future Imperial branch. Absolute guarantees of safety and secrecy are required. Such a place is not easy to find in the current Xuanhuang Realm, so you will need to wait a while longer."

Li Fan continued, "To dispel your doubts and demonstrate the organization's sincerity, these supplies are provided to the Empire free of charge. I will return in about a year, once the next batch of supplies has been acquired. However, at that time, our Myriad Realms Alliance hopes to see the Empire's stance. Then we can discuss further cooperation matters."

Li Fan cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and departed without waiting for Qing's reply.

"Holy Master..." Li Chenfeng looked at Qing, hesitant to speak.

Qing frowned. She meticulously re-examined the storage ring and, finding nothing amiss, carefully put it away. "For now, it seems their intention to cooperate is quite sincere," Qing said to Li Chenfeng and the others. "He's right, we can gradually expand the cooperation. Let's start by exchanging less critical technologies with them. Should anything unforeseen happen, we can minimize our losses in time."

"I need to go back and discuss this further with Empress and Hong." What Qing didn't say was that, for some reason, she always felt an inexplicable strangeness about this Alliance envoy. He seemed far from as simple as he appeared on the surface.

Myriad Immortals Island.

After thanking Shen Yuzi again, Li Fan, as usual, began searching for information in the Heavenly Profound Mirror. The results of the entrance examination were being released sequentially, naturally bringing joy to some and sorrow to others. There was still considerable controversy regarding the admissions for some positions, but it quickly subsided.

In the southwestern sea of the Cloud Sea, wind disasters raged, causing over ten mortal islands to vanish. The price of the specialty Jade Dew experienced a slight fluctuation, and Li Fan made a small profit by buying low and selling high. The Void Mountain Range, one of the ten branches of Mount Taihua in Taihua State, suddenly collapsed for unknown reasons. As he scanned this information, Li Fan's gaze sharpened slightly. "Hmm? Ten branches of Mount Taihua? I recall only seeing nine branches in previous lives," he murmured. "It seems the casualties this time are quite severe." Li Fan pondered but did not delve deeper. He merely noted it as important and continued browsing other news.

Afterwards, Li Fan separately searched for the recent statuses of "Old Man Fisherman," "Martial Fanatic," "Zhong Shentong," and "Shuofeng." Old Man Fisherman was still wandering bewildered near the central four states of the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Martial Fanatic and Zhong Shentong had not yet made a name for themselves. Shuofeng had not yet begun his re-cultivation and was still the renowned Deity Transformation Immortal Lord. Li Fan, based on his experiences from previous lives, speculated on the likely times of their fortuitous encounters.

A month later, Li Fan awoke from his seclusion. Feeling that the time was right, he directly transferred 500,000 contribution points to He Zhenghao. "My luck was good this time; I quickly sensed the opportunity and completed the objective early," Li Fan said in a leisurely tone.

A moment later, He Zhenghao's ecstatic voice came through. "Senior's divine abilities are truly incredible!" "Heh heh. Even with the sect's secret arts, backlash is still unavoidable," Li Fan said. "The next recruitment will still be at the previously agreed time. Go explain it clearly to them." After giving his instructions, Li Fan ignored He Zhenghao, swallowed another Enlightenment Pill, and re-entered seclusion.

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, it was Anchor Year 9. During this period, Li Fan's arrangements began to show initial results. Over twenty streams of feedback cultivation, varying in intensity, emerged in Li Fan's Dantian one after another. Combined with nearly a year of diligent cultivation, boosted by both the Spirit Awakening and Enlightenment Pills, Li Fan, after reaching the peak of the middle stage of Golden Core, was fortunately only troubled by the Heavenly Calamity bottleneck for just over ten days. He then naturally ascended to the late stage of Golden Core.

Li Fan slowly exhaled, pausing his cultivation. "Next, whether it's deterring the Empire's people or exploring the void of Tianling State," he mused, "acting alone might be insufficient. Perhaps I can find some assistance." Li Fan pondered for a moment, then quietly left Myriad Immortals Island. He headed straight for Tianyang's Immortal Abode. Along the way, he attempted dozens of transformations, finally managing to conjure a face quite similar to Tianyang's second senior brother, Ling Xiao.