Chapter 539

## A Deceptive Formation Reveals Heavenly Secrets

"Haha, those beast soul pearls you gave us last time were really effective."

"Especially the one that sealed the remnant soul of the Nine-Headed Crimson Serpent; it was truly extraordinary. Lan Yuchang, that fellow, was originally just a slightly strong mortal with some martial arts skills. But after absorbing it, his combat power surged. Even our ordinary Spirit Transformation cultivators couldn't match him during sparring sessions. According to Lan Yuchang, that was even with him holding back. If he had fought all out, tsk tsk..."

Li Fan spoke ceaselessly and without reservation, as if holding nothing back.

Xiao Qing's expression subtly changed after hearing the name "Nine-Headed Crimson Serpent." Then, hearing Li Fan say that someone had already managed to withstand the Nine-Headed Bird's overwhelming malevolence and successfully absorbed that beast soul pearl, her delicate body trembled slightly, and she blurted out, "Impossible! How could a mere mortal withstand that creature's ferocious aura...?"

Li Fan, however, frowned with displeasure, saying, "Don't be so surprised. Our Myriad Realms Alliance is full of talented individuals. What kind of extraordinary people don't we have? Just because your empire can't find suitable candidates doesn't mean we can't. You're not actually thinking that one transaction makes you comparable to us, are you?"

Li Fan spoke whatever came to his mind, like an inexperienced greenhorn, completely oblivious to subtlety. He wore a disdainful expression: "Our Myriad Realms Alliance conducted this transaction to help you. There are so many minor worlds surrounding the Xuanhuang Realm; we don't need your particular one. It is you who need the Myriad Realms Alliance's help, not the other way around."

Xiao Qing's face grew exceedingly grim upon hearing Li Fan's extremely unpleasant words. However, she eventually restrained herself and did not lash out. Li Fan continued his rambling, but finding no reaction from the other party, perhaps feeling it was pointless, he stopped mid-sentence.

Xiao Qing's gaze towards Li Fan was somewhat hostile. Yet, after this exchange, she no longer doubted Li Fan's identity. She then resumed their previous topic, softly asking, "Daoist friend, since both sides believed the transaction was mutually beneficial, why was the decision made to suddenly terminate it?"

Li Fan sighed and truthfully explained, "We encountered an unforeseen circumstance." He leaned forward slightly, drawing closer, and whispered, "According to our intelligence, a major war is highly likely to break out between the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Council of Five Elders soon. As you know, the period leading up to a war is often the most tense for both sides. As the saying goes, 'to deal with internal threats, one must first ensure external security.' If the Myriad Immortals Alliance were to discover any trace of our Myriad Realms Alliance at such a time, they might, to eliminate internal threats, concentrate their forces and wipe us out before engaging the Council of Five Elders."

Li Fan shook his head, showing no sign of embarrassment: "To be frank, although our slogan has always been to counterattack the cultivation world, our organization still has a considerable gap in strength compared to the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Council of Five Elders. We cannot deny this. We still need to accumulate more power, so for now, we can only lie low and avoid confrontation."

Suddenly, Li Fan's expression grew somewhat excited again: "What's more, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Council of Five Elders haven't engaged in a major conflict for many years. This war will undoubtedly be unprecedented in scale and brutality. While they fight among themselves, we can hide in the shadows and fish in troubled waters. Perhaps we can even reap benefits as bystanders and seize the opportunity to gain something."

Xiao Qing watched Li Fan's smug expression, but inwardly, she was half-convinced, half-skeptical about the so-called "imminent war" he spoke of. The Empire also had its own intelligence sources. Over the years, although the number of Law Breakers was not large, they were spread throughout the Xuanhuang Realm. During the time Xiao Qing had returned to the cultivation world, she had already established contact with most of them. Precisely because of their presence, Xiao Qing actually had some understanding of the current situation in the Xuanhuang Realm. As the saying goes, a great storm begins with the slightest ripple. A war's outbreak always has a cause, doesn't it? If the upcoming war was truly as devastating as the other party claimed, then there should be some clear signs of its impending outbreak by now.

"Perhaps they missed some details..."

As Xiao Qing fell into contemplation, Li Fan, however, cared nothing for her thoughts. Instead, he shamelessly began asking Xiao Qing for "beast soul pearls."

"Oh, when I came here this time, my comrades were all very envious. They insisted I bring back some 'local specialties' for them. Elder Qing, Saint Master Qing, your Empire has plenty of these. Just give me a few. I need to report back."

Xiao Qing almost burst out laughing in anger, looking at Li Fan's cheeky grin. But there was no need to argue with someone like him. Thinking this, Xiao Qing took out two beast soul pearls, equivalent to Golden Core stage strength, and handed them over. Yet, the other party was still not satisfied and brazenly tried to demand more. This time, Xiao Qing didn't hold back and directly ordered him to leave.

"I truly have no more beast soul pearls with me, Daoist friend. Please leave!"

Li Fan's expression changed instantly. Just moments ago, he was calling her "Saint Master," but now, hearing Xiao Qing's words, he immediately became sullen. He let out a cold snort and, without a word of farewell, simply flew away.

"How can there be people like this in the Myriad Realms Alliance? If he were in our Empire, he would have been thrown to the Rift Whales long ago!" Xiao Qing's teeth ached with suppressed fury.

"The previous Daoist friend was much better." She recalled how satisfied both parties had been during their last transaction. The subsequent transfer of goods had also been handled very smoothly. "It's a pity that person must be busy and unable to come," Xiao Qing thought with some regret.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she began contacting the Empire's covert agents, inquiring if there had been any abnormalities with the Myriad Immortals Alliance recently and if there were any signs of an impending war. Soon, her subordinate Law Breakers sent back their replies. Everything was as usual; there was no news of any war. This left Xiao Qing feeling somewhat uncertain.

"Is it true or false?"

While the Imperial Saint Master was racking her brain, He Zhenghao was already counting money until his hands cramped. A wide smile spread across his face. After receiving each transfer of contribution points, he would diligently record it and responsibly reply to the creditors.

"Rest assured, Daoist Qin, the contribution points have been received. Just wait patiently for your fortune!"

"Little Brother Wei, I've noted down your 10,000 contribution points. Oh, I know you accumulated this by putting everything on the line. And who hasn't? Just relax, surely the Emissary won't let you down, right?"