Chapter 473: Suddenly, a Year Passed

Just as the cultivators of the Divine Brush Sect were despairing, something even more enraging occurred. Sect Master Chu Youhong, shockingly, disregarded the lives of his disciples, taking the ultimate treasure, the Heaven-Painting Brush, along with numerous collections from the sect's treasury, and directly broke through the void to flee.

Although it did, to some extent, draw a good deal of fire from the Brushstroke Gate, for a sect master to be so irresponsible was truly shameful. This act made the surviving Divine Brush Sect cultivators, still fighting desperately, feel immense resentment. If the enemy hadn't been so ruthless and taken no prisoners, they likely would have surrendered on the spot and defected to the Brushstroke Gate.

In this battle, virtually everyone in the Divine Brush Sect perished, except for Chu Youhong and a few fortunate individuals who managed to escape. Although the Brushstroke Gate failed to seize the Heaven-Painting Brush, it did annex large territories and resources from the Divine Brush Sect, significantly increasing its strength. It instantly became one of the top, most renowned sects in the surrounding region.

As for Chu Youhong, it was as if he, along with the Heaven-Painting Brush, had completely vanished from the world.

Twenty years later, a surviving cultivator from the Divine Brush Sect happened to encounter Chu Youhong and angrily questioned him why he had abandoned his disciples to their fates and fled alone. Chu Youhong, however, showed no shame and uttered words that have been passed down through the long history of the Xuanhuang Realm to this day:

"Even if all of you were to die, it wouldn't matter. As long as I live, the Divine Brush Sect still exists. My master entrusted the Divine Brush Sect to me before he died, and I must not let it be destroyed in my hands."

Chu Youhong looked utterly self-righteous. The cultivator was dumbfounded upon hearing this. He wanted to retort but merely opened his mouth, unable to say anything. His original resolve for a desperate revenge was forgotten, and he could only watch in a daze as Chu Youhong gracefully departed.

Because these remarks were so outrageous, they quickly spread throughout the cultivation world at that time. Some mocked him, while others had a sudden realization and regarded his words as profound truths. There were even those who couldn't stand Chu Youhong's behavior and wanted to personally go and teach him a lesson. But after this incident, that person vanished as if into thin air and was never seen again. It wasn't until later, when the Great Tribulation descended upon the world and the Brushstroke Gate mysteriously collapsed overnight, that some began to wonder if it was his doing.

"To be utterly selfish for the sake of the greater good is truly an act incomprehensible to ordinary people." After pondering carefully, Li Fan couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "Perhaps the Brushstroke Gate's spy had already reached the position of Senior Disciple, yet still chose to betray and seize by force, precisely because of this reason. Having recognized the true nature of his master, he felt that inheriting the Heaven-Painting Brush through normal means would certainly be a distant prospect. Thus, left with no other choice, he resorted to this desperate measure. When encountering such an eccentric individual, there indeed wasn't a better solution."

Li Fan shook his head slightly and then searched for the words "Nan Ming." He indeed found fragmented information about "Nan Ming Demon Mountain." However, when he tried to view more details, he found that his authority level was insufficient.

"Demon Mountain..." Li Fan murmured. "It seems to be related to the remaining demonic beasts barely surviving in the world." Li Fan's eyes flickered, and he temporarily noted it down.

Time flowed by, and in a blink, Anchor Year 10 arrived. In this year, apart from occasional minor skirmishes between the border states and the Five Elders Society, all other states remained peaceful. The Cloudmist Sea was also peaceful.

As a special commissioner of the Martial Arts Hall, Li Fan did not need to perform specific tasks. He only needed to find time to go to the Martial Arts Hall, drink some tea, and check in. If he truly had no time, he could also spend some contribution points to entrust other cultivators to handle it for him. So his life was quite leisurely.

After transferring the 15 million contribution points raised in the third round, along with interest, totaling 23 million contribution points, to He Zhenghao, He Zhenghao looked at the astronomical sum of contribution points and was immediately stunned on the spot. It took him most of the day to finally come to his senses, his eyes red. For a brief moment just then, He Zhenghao couldn't help but entertain the idea of absconding with the funds. However, upon thinking of the owner of these contribution points, a jolt went through him, and he immediately sobered up. Unless he defected directly to the Five Elders Society, he would only gain them to lose his life.

The rational He Zhenghao began contacting everyone who had previously invested and returned the contribution points one by one. The cultivators who received the benefits were overjoyed. However, He Zhenghao's next words made them somewhat annoyed and disappointed again.

"Due to unforeseen circumstances, Master Li's fundraising plan will be suspended." He Zhenghao sighed slightly, saying, "Everyone, please return for now. Once the situation calms down and Master Li decides to resume fundraising, I will inform everyone."

These words were ambiguous. But the more vague such words were, the more they tended to spark baseless speculation. Unforeseen circumstances? The situation calming down? This Master Li was someone who could even overwhelm Nascent Soul cultivators with money. Yet now, he was forced to suspend the fundraising.

"Someone's interests must have been affected. Hiss..." The cultivators present all showed expressions of understanding, and after exchanging glances, all fell silent. While inwardly angry that they couldn't get rich by riding his coattails, they also felt indignant for Li Fan.

"Once everything returns to normal, be sure to inform me first," they all said this to He Zhenghao privately. He Zhenghao, who had received many gifts and made a small fortune, naturally agreed enthusiastically.

Li Fan paused the contribution point fundraising this time partly because the total amount of contribution points was growing too fast, vaguely showing signs of getting out of control, and he wanted to slow it down for a while. But he had also indeed received a warning from within the Myriad Immortals Alliance. "That's fine," Li Fan thought, "I'll keep them waiting for now. I'll restart the plan before the Crimson Flame Burning Sea event."

Li Fan wasn't particularly concerned about this matter. When cultivators who had profited from the fourth investment began spending their contribution points to increase their strength, streams of cultivation feedback, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, continuously appeared in Li Fan's Dantian. Even without cultivating himself, his cultivation base was steadily increasing every day. Moreover, Li Fan's double blessings from the Enlightenment and Dao Comprehension Pills had almost never ceased. In just one short year, he achieved what would take an ordinary cultivator decades of arduous cultivation. Li Fan felt that Golden Core perfection was within reach, and he would likely be ready to form his Nascent Soul soon.

This year, every three months, he would visit Shenhua Island to extract some Kunpeng essence blood from Ye Feipeng for research. His understanding of the Kunpeng bloodline power gradually deepened.

Along the way, Li Fan also entered the Fallen Immortal Realm once more. Xu Ke received a commission from Lu Ya to deliver a wooden box to Nan Ming. This wooden box was extremely important, sealed by several different powers. Li Fan even sensed the aura of the Immortal Beast Emperor San Mo. Therefore, for the rest of the journey, Li Fan traveled with Xu Ke the entire time, riding an Azure Luan Bird. The land of Nan Ming seemed to be extremely far from the Beast Taming Sect. Even until their time ran out, they had not reached their destination. This trip to the Fallen Immortal Realm had to be hastily abandoned.

Just like this, time advanced to Anchor Year 11. In this year, the long-sealed Cloudwater Heavenly Palace would reappear in the world.