Chapter 803: Heaven-Sent Twin Gourd

"Nine mountains, impossible to fly over," a cultivator sighed, gazing up at the sky. "Truly a rare and magnificent sight! A single mountain range of such grandeur would be enough to make any ordinary region famous throughout the world. Yet here, there are nine of them!"

The young man in white slowly walked to the foot of Tianlao Mountain, exclaiming with admiration. The youth had fair skin and a handsome appearance. However, his eyes occasionally revealed a determination uncharacteristic of his age. Around his neck hung a long rope woven from green vines, and tied to its end was a cerulean gourd.

The young man shook the gourd, then removed its stopper and pointed the opening towards the towering Tianlao Mountain Range before him. After slightly adjusting its position, he nodded with satisfaction.

"Collect!" he commanded softly. A ghostly image seemed to be drawn from the distant Tianlao Mountain and absorbed into the cerulean gourd. The young man brought his nose to the gourd's opening and sniffed carefully.

"Truly a magnificent view!" His face was alight with an expression of pure ecstasy.

The next moment, however, his expression suddenly froze, and his body became instantly immobile. A figure slowly materialized behind him, reached out, and took the cerulean gourd from his hand.

"The Heavenly View Gourd, this item is indeed quite good," the figure cackled eerily.

A flicker of terror immediately crossed the young man's eyes.

Li Fan instructed Tian Yang to hold the young man, while he himself put away the treasure gourd. "Shang Tianci, a member of the Immortal Alliance's Mountain River Pavilion. He formed a Golden Core at eighteen, truly a talent beyond compare. His companion artifact, the Heavenly View Gourd, can capture the essence of profound landscapes, creating almost identical, albeit slightly reduced, replicas within itself. Moreover, with a single thought, one can traverse the locations recorded within the Heavenly View Gourd. Had I not possessed the Spirit-Binding ability, even a Spirit Transformation stage cultivator might not have captured him so easily."

Li Fan's divine sense delved into the Heavenly View Gourd, where he observed various distinct landscapes scattered amidst swirling mist. Some of these scenes were not unfamiliar to Li Fan, for instance, the Ten Veins of Taihua and the Thousand Waters of Tianling. And Tianlao Mountain, which Shang Tianci had just absorbed into the Heavenly View Gourd, was also present!

"To dare to venture alone into the utterly chaotic Nine Mountains Province, fresh from forming a Golden Core, truly shows the audacity of youth. However, if it weren't for me, he truly would have been playing the role of the protagonist in the events that were about to unfold. During his travels, he would have coincidentally stumbled upon a surprise attack by the Five Elders Council. With the Spirit Essence Sect's internal cooperation, the Five Elders Council had already dispatched heavy forces to blockade Nine Mountains Province, allowing entry but no exit. They had also cut off all communications, ensuring no news could escape through conventional means. Their sole aim was to buy as much time as possible. Speed was of the essence in warfare; they intended to seize Nine Mountains Province in a single swift strike before the Myriad Immortal Alliance could react. Who knew, their luck would turn sour, encountering an anomaly like Shang Tianci. He possessed the ability to instantly teleport within Nine Mountains Province, a place where spatial transmission was otherwise impossible, all thanks to his companion artifact. This led to the leak of information and ultimately, the failure of their plans."

Li Fan's thoughts churned as he recalled the Myriad Immortal Alliance's official narrative regarding this matter from his previous life. "However, there's no guarantee that this was the complete truth of the matter. Further observation is required. As for this young man..."

Li Fan turned his head and cast a glance at the immobilized Shang Tianci. Tian Yang signaled, then knocked him unconscious with a single slap. Li Fan then flicked his finger, and a red orb of light containing his own essence blood instantly flew into the young man's body. This was the Bloodline Crossing technique, capable of influencing the mind.

"The Myriad Realms Alliance cannot rely solely on me. A genius such as this would be perfectly suited to serve as its public face."

Standing atop Tian Yang, Li Fan ascended to the summit of Tianlao Mountain. He casually set up an array around himself to conceal his aura, then gazed into the distance, awaiting the arrival of the Five Elders Council's army. "It should be soon."

While waiting, Li Fan began to examine the Heavenly View Gourd he had just acquired. Although this was Shang Tianci's companion artifact, he had, for some unknown reason, not used it to establish his Dao foundation. Instead, he merely carried it as an ordinary treasure.

Li Fan's divine consciousness permeated the cerulean gourd, attempting to connect with the landscapes within. He wanted to see if he could, like Shang Tianci, freely traverse these depicted scenes. However, they completely ignored Li Fan, showing no reaction whatsoever.

"It cannot be refined with spiritual energy. Even the Reversion technique cannot sense or absorb it... It seems this is truly an exclusive artifact for him." After a fruitless attempt, Li Fan shook his head slightly and gave up. "He didn't use such a treasure for foundation establishment. What, then, could his foundation-establishing artifact be?"

Li Fan approached the unconscious Shang Tianci and examined him closely. "Hmm?" A moment later, a flicker of surprise appeared in Li Fan's eyes. On the surface of Shang Tianci's Golden Core, a pattern of a purple-gold gourd was distinctly engraved. Its appearance was identical to the Heavenly View Gourd, but its aura was far more profound and noble.

"Twin gourds? How intriguing." Li Fan's gaze flickered.

However, he harbored no intention of directly seizing it. Firstly, Shang Tianci himself still held some utility. Secondly, this companion artifact, much like the Heavenly View Gourd, was most likely exclusive to him; it couldn't simply be snatched away. "Perhaps a Dao Incarnation like Mr. Bai could borrow it without hindrance. But as for me, I cannot."

The treasure was before him, yet he was not blessed to enjoy it. Yet, Li Fan felt no urgency whatsoever. He merely narrowed his eyes, silently assessing the progress of the Bloodline Crossing within Shang Tianci.

When Shang Tianci slowly regained consciousness and looked at the mysterious figure who had captured him, the fear in his heart had completely vanished. In its place, there was a newfound sense of closeness and trust.

"Young man, what are your thoughts on the Myriad Immortal Alliance?" Li Fan asked, his voice peculiar.

"Huh?" Shang Tianci was slightly taken aback, not expecting such an inexplicable question from his captor. He instinctively replied, "The Myriad Immortal Alliance is excellent! Everyone has access to cultivation methods, and there's no need to worry about personal safety..."

Li Fan snorted coldly, cutting him off: "Excellent? Can you not see how many cultivators toil for half their lives, simply for a single cultivation method? And if it were a truly profound technique, that might be understandable. Yet, they insist on dissecting these methods and selling them piece by piece. One for Foundation Establishment, then you must re-exchange for Golden Core cultivation. It's the same for Nascent Soul and Spirit Transformation! All just to treat us cultivators like beasts of burden!"

Shang Tianci was about to retort when Li Fan lightly tapped his glabella with a finger. In an instant, countless scenes flashed through his mind: low-level cultivators struggling desperately for meager contribution points. Shang Tianci, a preeminent genius of his generation, naturally had no idea how arduous it was for cultivators of ordinary aptitude to progress step by step from a mortal to Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core... just how difficult that path truly was. Many spent their entire lives trapped in realms he could effortlessly surpass, unable to advance an inch.

Experiencing this reality for the first time in his life, Shang Tianci's mind was violently shaken, leaving him speechless with shock.

Li Fan continued to subtly sway him with his words. Gradually, Shang Tianci's gaze began to change.