Chapter 495

## Initial Exploration of the Five Elders Association

The Five Elders Association's territory currently comprises four known regions: the Land of No Worries, the Realm of Truth, the One Mind Immortal Sect, and the Human Dao Celestial Realm. The last region remains unknown for now. The scholar never mentioned it during his lectures, adding to its mystery.

Currently, exploring the Realm of Truth and the One Mind Immortal Sect carries the highest risk. The Human Dao Celestial Realm and the Land of No Worries, however, pose little threat.

Li Fan, knowing full well the dangers, still chose to head into the risky areas. This was, of course, because he had long admired Senior Sister Zhao... Alright, the true reason was that Li Fan wanted to seize the rare opportunity of controlling a puppet with a wisp of consciousness to investigate the territory of the One Mind Celestial Venerable.

From his previous life's experiences, Li Fan knew that under Senior Sister Zhao's power, individual entities would connect to form a single whole. This was known as "Myriad Minds United." Undoubtedly, once an individual was assimilated, or perhaps devoured, and joined Senior Sister Zhao, their past experiences and memories would be shared by the entire collective. This was certainly unacceptable for Li Fan, who possessed the ability of Restoration. Therefore, for Li Fan's true self, the One Mind Immortal Sect posed an even greater danger than the Realm of Truth.

However, using this puppet body of Jiao Xiuyuan for exploration would significantly reduce the risk. This decision was based on several considerations: Firstly, according to the scholar's account, not all cultivators within the One Mind Immortal Sect had become part of Senior Sister Zhao. As one of the most formidable hunters in the world, Senior Sister Zhao was also extremely "picky." Only the most elite cultivators in her territory, after layers of selection, were qualified to enter the rumored "Immortal Sect." Even ordinary cultivators were not easily assimilated by this Celestial Venerable, let alone a puppet body made of wood. Thus, the probability of Li Fan being targeted was minimal. Secondly, this puppet was one of Jiao Xiuyuan's clones and contained a hidden self-destruct mechanism. Even if Senior Sister Zhao grew tired of rich delicacies and occasionally wished for something light, deciding to devour this puppet body, what she would ultimately obtain would likely be nothing more than a piece of withered wood. The wisp of consciousness attached to it would have already dissipated.

Of course, one could not underestimate the terrifying power of the Eternal Celestial Venerable.

Li Fan sped north, actively "trimming" this wisp of his consciousness along the way. He purged all past memories from his consciousness, retaining only the thought of "going to the One Mind Immortal Sect." Naturally, the side effects were quite obvious. Having barely managed to control the body with just a wisp of consciousness, after continuous weakening, the consciousness became even frailer. The control grew uncoordinated, making "Jiao Xiuyuan" appear extremely dull and unintelligent. However, as long as he could transmit what he saw, heard, and felt back to his true self, it would be enough.

Li Fan continued to control the puppet body, hurrying towards the One Mind Immortal Sect.

"Daoist Jiao, wait for me!" Soon after, Lü Fan finally caught up, panting. "I've thought about it, and I'll go with you."

"Although there are many rare treasures in the Land of No Worries, it would be wonderful to personally witness the peerless Senior Sister Zhao," Lü Fan said, a hint of yearning in his eyes.

Li Fan turned his head, glanced at him, and asked indifferently, "Who are you, Daoist?"

Lü Fan was taken aback. However, seeing that Li Fan did not seem to be joking, Lü Fan carefully observed him, assuming there was something wrong with Jiao Xiuyuan's puppet. He then had no choice but to reintroduce himself.

Li Fan said nothing more, merely nodded slightly, his pace unwavering.

Lü Fan felt a little dejected, but since he had already offered, he couldn't very well back out directly.

The two traveled in silence, steadily approaching the territory of the One Mind Immortal Sect.

Within the Five Elders Association's territory, teleportation arrays naturally existed. However, they were all set up within the towns of the prefectures, and cultivators from the Myriad Immortals Alliance who had not yet been naturalized were not qualified to use them.

Unlike the Myriad Immortals Alliance, the Five Elders Association did not have a central immortal city in each prefecture. Instead, there were scattered large towns throughout the regions where mortals and cultivators coexisted. Cities were divided into inner and outer zones. High circular walls separated the two, with cultivators residing in the inner city and mortals in the outer city, mutually undisturbed. Beyond the towns, various cultivators had also built their own cave dwellings and sect gates throughout the mountains and wilderness. The overall structure bore a striking resemblance to the cultivation world of ancient times. Customs varied greatly; the only similarity was the white mist barrier that stretched across the land, serving as the boundary between the different prefectures.

Li Fan's current location was Wuding Prefecture, within the Human Dao Celestial Realm. Passing through the Essence-Devouring White Mist Wall ahead would lead to the neighboring Xuanyin Prefecture.

To Li Fan's surprise, quite a few people were gathered by the white mist barrier, hawking their wares like mortal vendors.

"'Puxian True Boats! Thirty thousand Spirit Points per boat! Buy two, get one free! Generous discounts for bulk purchases!'"

"'For those wishing to cross the white mist barrier, take a look! For just one hundred Spirit Points, you can ride a Puxian True Boat and save fifteen days of lifespan! One hundred Spirit Points – you can't lose, you can't be cheated!'"

"'Large quantities of Puxian Boat rentals available! Interested parties, contact us quickly!'"

The shouts rose and fell, bustling like a mortal marketplace. Their words, however, caught Lü Fan's attention.

"Daoist Jiao, come quickly and look! These are flying boats built entirely from a large quantity of Puxian True Leaves!" Lü Fan exclaimed, having inspected them closely for a moment.

Seeing Li Fan, who had lost his memories, look utterly confused, he patiently explained, "After the incident with the Puxian True Leaf grass, its price didn't collapse because news spread that artifacts made from this material could reduce the lifespan devoured by the Essence-Devouring White Mist."

"However, it had only ever been rumored. I'd never seen an actual artifact that truly worked. Who knew that here in the Five Elders Association, they'd be everywhere..."

He had hoped for a response from Li Fan, but to his surprise, Li Fan remained dazed and unresponsive. Lü Fan, feeling like he was talking to a wall, sighed and said no more, turning instead to inquire with the cultivator-vendors by the roadside.

What they referred to as "Spirit Points" was the Five Elders Association's common currency. It was essentially the same as the Myriad Immortals Alliance's Contribution Points. Upon joining the Five Elders Association, one could receive free cultivation techniques, but at the cost of signing a Soul Contract. It was said that once enough Spirit Points were accumulated, one could sever the Soul Contract and redeem themselves. However, very few cultivators managed to do so. The vast majority of cultivators chose to exchange their Spirit Points for higher-tier cultivation techniques, enhancing their ability to earn more Spirit Points. Beyond selling oneself, everyday transactions and virtually all aspects of life within the Five Elders Association were inseparable from contracts.