Chapter 535: Only One Hand Pushes Through the Bloody Battle

Even as thoughts churned in his mind, Li Fan continued to speak.

He said with a serious expression, "This matter is extremely important. Based on our assessment, its significance is no less than the prophecy of 'Heavenly Lock and Spirit, Xuanhuang Unified'."

"Even..." Li Fan's heart subtly smiled as he observed the stone face's completely unnerved expression.

He continued, "If the Myriad Immortals Alliance is allowed to complete this unimpeded, it could entirely shift the balance of power between the Myriad Immortals Alliance and your Five Elders' Council."

"The Five Elders' Council and the Myriad Immortals Alliance already have comparable overall strength. In fact, due to the presence of the Dharma-transmitting Heavenly Venerate, you are subtly at a disadvantage. If the Myriad Immortals Alliance's power increases further, I fear that from now on, your Five Elders' Council will always be suppressed, unable to recover, and perpetually at a disadvantage."

"This is something we wish to avoid," Li Fan stated candidly.

"This is also why I've come to you with such urgency. I'm aware that a spy contacting their superior so frequently will undoubtedly raise suspicions. However, this situation arose unexpectedly, and I had no choice but to resort to this drastic measure." Li Fan sighed, shaking his head.

"Is this true?" The stone face's tone grew deeply solemn. It believed the other party wouldn't deceive it on such a crucial matter; there had to be truth in his words.

Yet, something even more important than the prophecy of 'Xuanhuang Unified'...

This seemed a bit too alarmist.

Since he had been the first within the organization to report news of the prophecy, the Five Elders' Council had initiated a series of major actions.

His superiors had also become unusually benevolent towards him. They even promised that if he made another equivalent contribution, he could not only retire honorably from the front lines but also redeem his soul contract, thus becoming the most enviable "Carefree Recluse" among the Five Elders' Council cultivators.

This clearly indicated the immense secret hidden behind the prophecy of "Xuanhuang Unified."

But now, this enigmatic cultivator, disguised as Zhou Qing'ang, claimed to possess an even more crucial secret?

The stone face felt its heart pound with unprecedented intensity.

Could this be his chance to completely alter his destiny?

"What is it?" it asked impatiently.

Li Fan raised an index finger. "The usual. Ten million contribution points."

Before the stone face could respond, Li Fan explained, "The development of any organization relies on sufficient funding."

"While we also don't wish for the Myriad Immortals Alliance to grow too powerful and upset the balance of power between you, the prerequisite for all of this is to first secure our own existence and development."

"Don't consider it expensive. Given that you were willing to spend ten million contribution points last time..."

"Trust me, this time it will be well worth it."

Li Fan looked at the stone face, his eyes filled with sincerity. "Go quickly and apply to your superiors. I'll await your response here."

The stone face hesitated briefly, then swiftly vanished from the shattered stone.

Li Fan remained standing, eyes closed, waiting.

Approximately one stick of incense later, the stone face reappeared. "They agreed. How do we proceed with the transaction?"

Li Fan's eyes snapped open. "Soon, Li Fan, the Secret Emissary of Congyun Sea, will relaunch the contribution point collection."

"You simply need to hand over ten million contribution points to He Zhengmao, who is managing the collection, within three months."

"Hmm... let's use the alias Han Wuyou," Li Fan stated.

"Wuyou?"

The stone face was startled and quickly shook its head. "Let's choose another name. That one is a bit taboo."

Li Fan was silent for a moment.

"Then Liu Yihang," he suggested.

"That's acceptable. Now, about what you just mentioned..."

Before the stone face could finish speaking, Li Fan cut it off.

"The matter is urgent and cannot be delayed. Since you've already agreed, I can tell you now."

"As for violating the agreement over a mere ten million contribution points..."

Li Fan let out a low chuckle. "Then it would simply mean we misjudged you. Your Five Elders' Council isn't even fit to be the Myriad Immortals Alliance's opponent."

"Consider this information our free gift to you."

"I trust you will make the correct decision."

Li Fan placed his hands on the smooth, shattered stone, using a secret art to transmit the information he had already concocted in his mind.

"Beyond the Wood Attribute Cavern-Heaven, there are four other Cavern-Heavens?"

"They form a Five Elements formation, and each Cavern-Heaven is incredibly rich in resources, like a complete, nascent world?!" A moment later, the stone face's astonished cry echoed.

"Remember, ten million contribution points within three months," Li Fan reminded it, timely bringing the stunned stone face back to its senses.

Before the stone face could speak, Li Fan struck it with a palm, shattering the broken stone into dust.

He then proceeded to thoroughly destroy the underwater ruins, obliterating all traces, before confidently returning to Congyun City.

Meanwhile, in the Administration Hall, Li Fan's main body rose.

"If nothing unexpected occurs, the Five Elders' Council, upon learning of the Five Elements Great Cavern-Heavens' existence, will certainly not remain idle."

"There's a high probability they will dispatch Dao Integration cultivators to raid and seize the Five Elements Cavern-Heavens, just as they did in the previous life."

"The Myriad Immortals Alliance should also mount a counterattack, triggering an imminent great battle."

"I recall that in my previous life, once the battle became deadlocked, it was exceptionally brutal. Cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage from all states were conscripted to the Tianling State battlefield."

"Countless cultivators perished as a result. Although I officially possess only Golden Core cultivation in this life, I once slaughtered several combined Nascent Soul cultivators. Given the actual combat prowess I've demonstrated, there's a strong possibility I could be conscripted."

"The Tianling State battlefield..."

"It's best to keep a safe distance from it."

Therefore, Li Fan immediately summoned Gao Yuan and He Zhengmao, announcing two decisions.

The first was his declaration that he sensed a rare and momentous opportunity approaching. As the current de facto ruler of Congyun Sea, and operating on the principle of securing welfare for its cultivators, he decided to relaunch the contribution point collection plan.

The maximum amount for this collection would be...

One hundred million.

When Li Fan uttered "one hundred million," He Zhengmao's eyes widened, and he stood dumbfounded, taking a long time to recover.

Gao Yuan, on the other hand, looked at Li Fan with fervent adoration.

Before they could fully regain their composure, Li Fan announced a second decision.

This contribution point collection was of paramount importance and could not afford any failures.

He needed to make thorough preparations.

Therefore, effective immediately, he would enter deep secluded cultivation.

He would also disable all means of contact to prevent any disturbances.

He would only emerge from seclusion once everything was fully prepared.

"This..." Hearing Li Fan's seemingly contradictory commands — to enter seclusion while simultaneously collecting contribution points — Gao Yuan and He Zhengmao's brows furrowed in unison, appearing somewhat bewildered.

Gao Yuan, however, reacted a step faster, promptly saying, "We respectfully obey Secret Emissary Li's command."

"Your Excellency, rest assured, we will not fail your trust!"