Chapter 802: Cangsheng Refines the Spirit Yuan

The Spiritwood Realm.

Surrounded by flames, the Heavenly Sun Puppet suddenly descended from the sky, plunging into the ground. With continuous rumbling, a deep tunnel was excavated in the blink of an eye. Dense swarms of Treants flew and burrowed into it. They were following Li Fan's orders to excavate minerals and other resources buried deep underground here.

If one were to gaze around from the very top of the Spirit Tree, they would see that such scenes were commonplace throughout the Spiritwood Realm.

“Master, it took the Spirit Tree over four thousand years to just barely restore life here. The world's ecosystem is still very fragile. If we continue with such destructive excavation…” the Treant Chieftain advised, full of worry.

Li Fan smiled slightly. “Your perspective is too narrow. Resources, if unused and buried underground, are no different from ordinary rocks. The right path is to utilize everything to its fullest and develop as quickly as possible.”

“You only need to become strong enough to plunder and nourish yourselves from other worlds before your own resources are depleted and this world declines.”

“To confine yourselves to one realm and stagnate is to invite disaster. Even if you can survive for a while, you will eventually be swallowed by other worlds.”

The Treant Chieftain, clearly hearing such a theory for the first time, was stunned. “Is… is that so?”

Li Fan did not answer, merely displaying an inscrutable expression.

As he watched the countless Treants diligently working in this realm, an idea suddenly sparked in Li Fan’s mind: “If I help these Treants collectively increase their strength, I wonder if it will provide cultivation feedback for the Seated Immortal Art.” Treants cannot cultivate; their strength is fixed from birth. The strength of a Treants, in turn, depends on the Spirit Tree itself. The more powerful the Spirit Tree, the stronger the Treants it gives birth to.

For such natural spiritual entities, if the method is right, their growth can be far quicker than that of cultivators. At the very least, Li Fan himself knew of no fewer than ten heavenly treasures capable of nourishing Spirit Trees. Sharing the Spirit Tree’s global vision, Li Fan had a clear understanding of where valuable resources were hidden in this world.

Under Li Fan’s instruction, Heavenly Sun, like a loach burrowing, spent several days first opening up the main tunnel. After entrusting the Treant Chieftain with supervising the excavation work, Li Fan temporarily returned to the Xuanhuang Realm with Heavenly Sun. On his way out, he didn't forget to make a detour to the Heavenly Secret Sect ruins, thoroughly plundering all treasures, including the Heaven and Earth Dice.

“Currently, the Myriad Realms Alliance doesn't exist yet. If I just suddenly approach them, gaining the trust of the Council of Five Elders will likely be as difficult as in previous lives.”

“It would be better to first find a way to make the Myriad Realms Alliance famous…”

“Anchor Year 6.”

Various events from that year flashed through Li Fan’s mind, and he quickly found a suitable target. Soon, the Council of Five Elders would launch a surprise attack on Jiushan State, attempting to seize this territory. However, for some unknown reason, their plan was leaked. Not only did the ambush fail, but they instead fell into an encirclement set by the Myriad Immortals Alliance, ultimately ending in a crushing defeat. This incident was repeatedly cited by the Myriad Immortals Alliance as a classic case study. Therefore, Li Fan was very clear about the entire sequence of events and their details.

Jiushan State, bordering the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Council of Five Elders, was formed from the remains of the strange beast, Tian. Its space was extremely unstable, rendering teleportation arrays unusable within the state's boundaries. Consequently, the cost of administration was too high, and the Myriad Immortals Alliance merely built and garrisoned cities at key locations along the Jiushan Mountain Pass. Most other areas were largely ignored. This neglect fostered a peculiar situation rarely seen in other states: a chaotic mix of various forces. Besides the Myriad Immortals Alliance, there were numerous local powers, primarily led by the Lingyuan Sect, as well as many hidden agents cultivated by the Council of Five Elders.

Jiushan State was easy to defend but difficult to attack. Whichever side occupied it would gain a commanding strategic advantage. The Council of Five Elders had always wanted to incorporate it into their territory. However, they struggled to find a way to do so. Their reason for launching another attack soon was that they believed they had successfully incited the Lingyuan Sect to betray the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

The Lingyuan Sect, as the largest local power in Jiushan State, was nominally under the Myriad Immortals Alliance's rule, but was actually quite independent. The sect boasted many Nascent Soul and Spirit Transformation cultivators, and its members were exceptionally united. It was a force not to be underestimated. Indeed, if they defected and attacked from within, while the Council of Five Elders attacked from without, there was a real possibility of seizing Jiushan State in one fell swoop.

Precisely for this reason, after several contacts between the Council of Five Elders and the Lingyuan Sect, and confirming the latter's willingness to assist, they launched the surprise attack. However, for some unknown reason, the news leaked, and the Myriad Immortals Alliance's reinforcements arrived remarkably swiftly. It was as if they had anticipated it all along. Seeing that the tide had turned, the Lingyuan Sect immediately switched sides again, launching a counterattack against the Council of Five Elders. This battle utterly extinguished the Council of Five Elders' plans to attack from the Jiushan State direction, shifting their strategic focus towards Tianling State instead.

“The Lingyuan Sect…” Li Fan quickly pondered the cause and course of events. Recalling this rather strange organization, he slightly furrowed his brow. While the Lingyuan Sect might seem like mere ants within the overall structure of the Xuanhuang Realm, it was absolutely not to be overlooked when considering Jiushan State. Given the Myriad Immortals Alliance’s usual operating style, their tolerance for such an independent organization under their rule was unusual. Aside from Jiushan State’s unique terrain, it was also related to the Lingyuan Sect’s 'ever-resurgent' nature, like wildfire.

“The Myriad Beings Spirit Yuan Art. The more people who practice it simultaneously, the faster the cultivation speed of this technique. This is enough to counteract the negative effects typically associated with cultivation methods that cannot be practiced concurrently or by many.”

Li Fan had a general understanding of this cultivation method previously. However, he had no interest in practicing such a suspicious art, which was clearly problematic at first glance.

“The Lingyuan Sect Master has never appeared in any public setting. Their identity is extremely mysterious.”

“In the past, even if the Lingyuan Sect was eradicated, it would quickly resurface within a few years, thanks to the characteristics of its cultivation method.”

“Furthermore, besides the Myriad Beings Spirit Yuan Art, the sect seems to possess other secret arts. These not only resolve the mutual animosity that arises from cultivating the same technique together but also allow for the repeated and cyclical use of Grotto-heavens.”

“For instance, the Peach Blossom Grotto-heaven of Shen Yurou, whom I previously encountered, had appeared on past cultivators.”

“There must be some special restrictions. Otherwise, no matter how well he hides, he would surely be discovered.”

Li Fan slowly contemplated everything concerning the Lingyuan Sect. “However, for this trip, I don’t need to conflict with them. I just need to help the Council of Five Elders take Jiushan State.”

With that thought, Li Fan stood on the Heavenly Sun Puppet, galloping towards Jiushan State. After entering the Jiushan territory, he set up an array around himself to conceal his aura. He then found a place to lie in wait near Tianlao Mountain.

“The Council of Five Elders probably never imagined that their defeat wasn't due to an insider leaking information,” Li Fan mused. “But merely a coincidence.”

As Li Fan thought this, not long after, he saw a young man in white slowly appearing on the horizon.