Chapter 596: Xuantian Conceals Zixiao

Jiao Xiuyuan's curiosity was truly piqued. Information meant business opportunities and potential breakthroughs. He, therefore, spared no effort, engaging in infiltration and subversion. He spent countless resources, yet no cultivator was willing to reveal even a hint. They even subtly implied that the matter was extremely grave and unprecedented. They feared that if it were leaked, they would lose their lives before they could enjoy any benefits. With no progress possible, Jiao Xiuyuan reluctantly gave up, despite his unwillingness. Without any findings, there was naturally no reply for Li Fan.

Just as he was about to let the matter fade from memory, a turning point emerged. Shortly after the Great War of Tianling Province, a cultivator who had previously been tight-lipped and sworn to secrecy proactively contacted him in private.

Jiao Xiuyuan was somewhat surprised. The person frankly stated that times had changed, and the situation was different now. The confidentiality level of the information had been lowered by several degrees, so... Of course, the necessary compensation was still required. Thus, Jiao Xiuyuan acquired this secret information at a cost that even made him wince. The revelation indeed left him somewhat shocked.

Naturally, such a high-level secret could not be shared with Li Fan for free. Furthermore, Jiao Xiuyuan did not believe Li Fan could afford the price for such classified information. Consequently, he chose to simply let the matter slip from his mind. That was until today, when Li Fan came directly to him.

"Future of the Ultimate Legacy..."

"That is sufficient."

In an instant, numerous thoughts flashed through Jiao Xiuyuan's mind. He ultimately made a decision.

"Oh, look at my memory, I almost completely forgot!" Jiao Xiuyuan exclaimed, patting his head. "To be honest, Daoist friend, the matter you asked me to investigate is truly a top secret of the Immortal Alliance. If it were anyone else, even if they offered the highest contribution points, I wouldn't reveal a single detail."

"However..." Jiao Xiuyuan sized up Li Fan and said, "What kind of relationship do we have, Daoist friend? We've earned money together before."

"And now, there's your guidance today," Jiao Xiuyuan added, emphasizing his words. "It's no harm to tell you for free."

"However, this matter is not suitable for discussion via a communication talisman. If Daoist friend is truly interested, please come find me at the nearest Qianli Hall."

Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly. It seemed this matter was indeed extraordinary. Even Jiao Xiuyuan was being this cautious. He nodded then, ending the communication.

After a moment's thought, he used a teleportation array to return directly to Congyun Sea. He found Jiao Xiuyuan at the Qianli Hall branch in Congyun Immortal City. There weren't many customers to begin with. After asking them all to leave, Jiao Xiuyuan closed the main door and appeared to set up an isolation barrier around them before he began to explain to Li Fan.

"Daoist friend, are you familiar with the Xuantian Cult?" Jiao Xiuyuan started right off with a shocking question.

Li Fan's gaze flickered, and he nodded slightly. "An ancient evil cult that everyone has the right to exterminate."

Although the Xuantian Cult's existence was unknown to the modern world, as an ancient cultivator of the Heavenly Mystery Sect, Li Fan was naturally aware of it. Jiao Xiuyuan was not surprised by this. He continued, "The ancient cultivator the Myriad Immortals Alliance recently discovered, who had been in slumber, is one of the Twelve Dharma Kings of the former Xuantian Cult."

A sharp glint instantly flashed in Li Fan's eyes. "A Xuantian Cult Dharma King? And still alive?" he couldn't help but exclaim.

"Precisely. I was also quite startled when I first learned of it. To think this individual could survive for so long, spanning across several eras..."

"After all, they were entities that once unified the Xuanhuang Realm, so they certainly possess some profound abilities," Jiao Xiuyuan remarked with a sigh.

Li Fan, however, instantly fell into deep thought. According to previous intelligence from the Five Elders Association, this ancient cultivator had been unearthed by the Myriad Immortals Alliance from the ruins of the Purple Cloud Sect. However, they had been unable to ascertain the individual's true identity. This person also seemed extremely important to the Five Elders Association, to the extent that they had asked Li Fan to help investigate. Li Fan had initially thought it would be someone connected to Zhang Qianmo, but he never expected it to be a remnant of the ancient Xuantian Cult.

How could a Xuantian Cult Dharma King have been hidden within the Purple Cloud Sect? Li Fan was puzzled.

"Wait a moment..." Li Fan's eyes shifted as something came to mind. In the illusory realm of the Fallen Immortal Realm, while obtaining the Longevity Fruit from Ningyuan City, Li Fan had learned from Song Hesong, the city manager, that roughly two hundred years prior, during the Purple Cloud Sect's centennial celebration, special envoys from the Ten Immortal Dao Sects had arrived. They were there to track down a highly wanted criminal hidden within the Purple Cloud Sect. However, the investigation ultimately yielded nothing conclusive; they merely apprehended an inner sect disciple to account for their efforts.

"Could it be that the person who was lurking within the Purple Cloud Sect back then was this very Xuantian Cult Dharma King? And the Ten Immortal Dao Sects failed to find him, only capturing a scapegoat instead?" A jolt ran through Li Fan's heart as he connected these dots.

Jiao Xiuyuan, observing the subtle shifts in Li Fan's expression, also appeared to be deep in thought. He continued, "The reason the Myriad Immortals Alliance went to such great lengths, sparing no expense to dig up every inch of the ruins everywhere, just to find this Xuantian Cult Dharma King, is because this person is connected to the Xuantian Spirit Sealing Array."

Jiao Xiuyuan paused, observing Li Fan's expression, then continued, "The exact details aren't entirely clear, actually. But it seems that this Xuantian Cult Dharma King is a crucial component required to sustain the formation. At the time, with the war between the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association on the verge of erupting, the Immortal Alliance had pinned all its hopes of defeating the Five Elders Association on the Xuantian Spirit Sealing Array."

"Naturally, this Dharma King was kept under tight surveillance, with no room for error. Strangely enough, despite such precautions, the information somehow still leaked out. For such a peerless weapon of war, the Five Elders Association managed to find a way to break it in a remarkably short period. This completely defies logic. Who would believe there wasn't an insider? Given the complexity of that formation, even if a Dharma Transmission Heavenly Venerable were alive, it's unlikely they could have deciphered it so quickly without any prior knowledge." Jiao Xiuyuan sighed, "But this insider is truly deeply hidden. The Myriad Immortals Alliance has been conducting purges for a long time, yet they still haven't managed to find him. Isn't that strange?"

"It is indeed a bit unbelievable," Li Fan said, his expression calm, merely showing a hint of astonishment. "I can't help but feel that it's even possible someone within the Myriad Immortals Alliance deliberately leaked the formation, just to prevent the war from being one-sided," Li Fan mused casually.

"That couldn't be, that's a bit too..." Jiao Xiuyuan began, smiling, but his expression suddenly froze. "Then again, it's not entirely impossible," he said after a long pause, his face growing serious.

Li Fan was instantly speechless.

"By the way, what was the name of that Xuantian Cult Dharma King? And what did he look like?"

"Purple Cloud Sect..."

"I knew quite a few people from that sect back in the day," Li Fan added, prompting Jiao Xiuyuan.

Still caught in his thoughts about the previous possibility, Jiao Xiuyuan replied absently, "Oh, and he shares your surname."

"I think his name was..."

"Li Chen?"