Chapter 477: Reincarnation Arranges the Heavenly Formation

“Han Wuyou,” who previously visited Sikong Yi, was naturally Li Fan's clone. It took considerable effort: feigning a desire to split 40% of the contribution points, helping Sikong Yi deal with cultivators practicing similar techniques, and offering strategies for a joint exploration of the Cloudwater Celestial Palace.

The ultimate goal was to implant a suggestion in Sikong Yi's mind, leading him to proactively request the task of transporting the white jade statue after completing the Celestial Physician's first assignment. Based on Sikong Yi's recent return trips to the Cloudwater Celestial Palace, Li Fan's plan seemed to have succeeded.

In this life, Li Fan intended to instigate a conflict between the Old Fisherman, the Master, and the Celestial Physician. However, all his machinations hinged on one major prerequisite: someone needed to transport the Celestial Physician's statue into the Cloudwater Celestial Palace. Only then would the Master sense the Celestial Physician's presence within the Cloudwater Celestial Palace and arrive by ox cart, crossing the sea.

Li Fan, of course, could not undertake such a dangerous mission himself. The Celestial Physician's four diagnostic arts—observation, auscultation, interrogation, and palpation—were truly terrifying. Even a well-prepared clone might not be able to deceive the Celestial Physician. Sikong Yi, who had previously submitted the Cloudwater Scroll and earned 100,000 contribution points, naturally became the ideal candidate for the task.

However, Li Fan was unsure if Sikong Yi had also received the Celestial Physician's request to transport the statue at that time, just like he had. To ensure events progressed as planned, the "Han Wuyou" visit was orchestrated. Even if Sikong Yi or the Celestial Physician harbored suspicions about the sudden appearance of Han Wuyou, Han Wuyou was already dead. Furthermore, he had died within the mysterious and treacherous Cloudwater Celestial Palace.

Li Fan believed that even the Celestial Physician would find it difficult to investigate the matter to their satisfaction. Moreover, in the Celestial Physician's eyes, Sikong Yi was, at most, just a greedy cultivator blinded by profit, eager to curry favor with a powerful entity. It was unlikely to spark an investigative interest.

Overall, Li Fan's scheme was seamless and left no trace, also eliminating any possibility of him being discovered. It was virtually perfect. This intricate calculation could only be achieved after reincarnating through several lives, experiencing various possibilities, and mastering extensive information. Others could not replicate it. Even a formidable expert like the Celestial Physician had unwittingly fallen into the invisible net Li Fan had woven. Although the influence was subtle, the act of "orchestrating a powerful entity beyond the Dao-integration stage to act in a pre-conceived direction" was significant in itself.

The gloom in Li Fan's heart vanished, and he felt the lingering shadow that had weighed on him for so long finally dissipating. "No matter how profound your cultivation, you will still fall into my trap!"

While his emotions surged, Li Fan did not let this temporary success go to his head. He deeply understood that this minor victory was predicated on his having gathered sufficient information about various possibilities. Moving forward, his advantages were exhausted. He now faced numerous unknowns and needed to proceed cautiously, step by step. "Better to give up than to force it."

"The Celestial Physician is in position. The next step is to inform the Old Fisherman about the Heavenly Fiend Sword being trapped in the Cloudwater Celestial Palace when the Master appears in Anchor Year 16." "This matter also requires an agent."

Instantly, Li Fan thought of a suitable candidate: "Han Yi..." Li Fan sensed the lock of the Formless Killing Intent; over a year had passed, and this person had still not returned to the Mysterious Yellow Realm from the Eye of the Sea. It seemed his extraordinary encounter this time might have been quite fruitful. "No matter, he can't escape my grasp."

Li Fan gazed for a moment at the Cloudwater Celestial Palace standing in the sky, then collected his thoughts and quietly returned, transforming into an island.

Ye Feipeng had recently been beaming with pride. Some time ago, the immortal master who had brought them to this island and then ignored them suddenly reappeared. He even, for the first time, began to inspect the cultivation progress of the children on the island. Those who cultivated diligently and made unexpected progress were rewarded with spirit stones and elixirs. However, those who were lax in their cultivation or whose progress had stagnated were punished by fighting the "Villain Puppet" for three days and three nights. Though called a fight, it was in reality a one-sided beating.

The "Villain Puppet" was the children's private nickname for the seemingly dull and foolish-looking puppet on the island. Initially, they thought this puppet would be very easy to deal with. After cultivating for a while, some children became eager to try and proactively initiated challenges. The first to dare was Sun Erlang, who possessed extraordinary talent and was proficient in all martial arts. In less than half a year, he had cultivated from an ordinary mortal to the mid-stage of Qi Condensation. Coupled with his martial arts mastery, he could display 200% of his combat power in actual fights. In usual sparring matches, almost none of the children on the island could withstand a single blow from him.

Consequently, Sun Erlang, whose ego was steadily growing, publicly initiated a challenge against the Tianyang Puppet. The result was predictable. Tianyang diligently followed Li Fan's instructions: as long as he didn't kill them or harm their cultivation foundation, he should beat them mercilessly. While exercising extreme precision, he profoundly made Sun Erlang realize the treachery of human hearts and the meaning of "playing the pig to eat the tiger." It seemed Tianyang was only slightly stronger than Sun Erlang, and with just a bit more effort, Sun Erlang could defeat him.

Tianyang constantly lured Sun Erlang into launching attack after attack, yet, at every crucial moment, Tianyang would regrettably "miss." The fiercely competitive Sun Erlang fought until he was exhausted and passed out; only then did the battle end. The next day, Sun Erlang woke up with a new understanding. After cultivating in seclusion for seven days and seven nights, he actually broke through directly to the late-stage of Qi Condensation.

Overjoyed, he decided to get his revenge and challenged Tianyang once more. The result... was still just a hair's breadth away! By now, all the children on the island realized something was off. This seemingly honest and simple puppet was actually deliberately toying with them! In a fit of rage, Sun Erlang was once again beaten unconscious.

In the following days, no matter what cultivation level the children displayed in their fights with it, the puppet would only use slightly superior strength. Some children were so frustrated they directly called Tianyang a "great villain." Others subtly understood that the Tianyang puppet was simply the most perfect training partner. They began to constantly seek out Tianyang for battles.

Ye Feipeng was naturally one of them. In truth, fighting was not his wish, but as the island's only "triple cultivation" practitioner, Ye Feipeng absolutely refused to be weaker than others. Unfortunately, his talent was not top-tier; initially, he could rely on the dual cultivation of his physical body and cultivation base to maintain an advantage. But as others' realms gradually improved, Ye Feipeng's performance in battles against Tianyang slowly caught up with by others.

Just as he was growing anxious, the immortal master arrived. While clearly distinguishing between rewards and punishments, the master still showed special favor to Ye Feipeng. After examining his cultivation progress and conducting a comprehensive physical check, the immortal master felt that the "Divine Sea-Calming Sword" technique he was currently cultivating might not be entirely suitable. Thus, the master dissolved his cultivation and bestowed upon him a new cultivation method, "Azure Sea Roaming Dragon Art."