Chapter 820: Skilled Hands Solve the Crisis

Although Li Fan verbally expressed his trust that Senior Sister Zhao would never do anything underhanded, after leaving Jiushan State, he did not return directly to the Spiritwood Realm. Instead, he quietly went back to Congyun Sea.

Aside from treasures containing Celestial Venerable power, such as the True Temptation Fruit, all other conventional materials were handed over to his clone, Ji Shaoli. The plan was to "launder" these items using the Heavenly Profound Mirror: selling them and then buying them back to remove any potential traces. He didn't even keep the invaluable Void-Clarity Stone Mother, which could be used to refine spatial magic tools. Doing this would result in a slight loss of contribution points from the buy-sell cycle, but the reduced risk of being targeted by the Longevity Celestial Venerable made it worthwhile. Of course, with the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders' Association currently at war, Ji Shaoli might need some time to "launder" these materials without arousing suspicion. Still, with the help of the other members of the Congyun Sea Mutual Aid Society, the process wouldn't be too slow.

As for those ultimate treasures containing Celestial Venerable power, since they involved the power of other Celestial Venerables, it wouldn't be easy for Senior Sister Zhao to tamper with them. These were pure creations of laws, and Li Fan had encountered them in his previous life. After carefully examining them and confirming there were no issues, he finally relaxed.

Despite Li Fan appearing perfectly at ease during the recent transaction, in reality, when Senior Sister Zhao's voice resonated repeatedly in his mind, memories of intimacy with her in the illusion realm spontaneously resurfaced, beyond his control. Fortunately, Li Fan's willpower was strong, and he possessed the Heart Refinement Secret Art. He promptly suppressed these fantasies, thus avoiding any slip-ups. He even turned the tables, inadvertently revealing his apparent deep understanding of the Myriad Souls United Dao Sect. This created a smokescreen of doubt, making Senior Sister Zhao suspicious and diminishing the subtle enchanting power she unconsciously exuded. This allowed Li Fan to gain the upper hand.

"As expected of the Longevity Celestial Venerable; even just one of her bodies requires my full effort," Li Fan couldn't help but sigh.

He separated some Carefree Crystal Grids, Human Dao Stardust, and other items, leaving them on Haixuan Island. It was a month later that the Mutual Aid Society members completed the "laundering" of most of the materials. Only then did Li Fan return to the Spiritwood Realm with Lin Ling and Tian Yang. During their month-long stay on the island, Pei Tuo, Xiang Xin, and others were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of Lin Ling and Tian Yang. Even without intentionally displaying their strength, the faint pressure they exuded still deeply awed the Mutual Aid Society members. They became increasingly convinced that the Mutual Aid Society was indeed an immense and powerful organization, and that the Congyun Sea branch was merely newly established. While secretly rejoicing at being among the first to join the Congyun Sea Mutual Aid Society, their "loyalty" to the organization also grew stronger.

Also, during this month, the Five Elders' Association seemed to have taken Li Fan's advice before his departure and fully eased their offensive. The fighting along the border gradually ceased. However, the Five Elders' Association was not idle. In various states of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, all sorts of rumors suddenly began to emerge. Although these were old stories, they caused unrest among the Alliance's members. For instance, a certain leader of the Martial Arts Hall in Tianquan State, driven by personal vendetta, killed an ordinary cultivator. According to Alliance law, he should have been dismissed and investigated. However, the matter was dragged out and eventually faded from public memory. Recently, it was brought to light that this leader had been living comfortably all these years, merely receiving a light penalty of some docked salary! Another example: a certain official in the Bureau of Governance in Youtai State was derelict in his duties, leading to a preventable natural disaster within his jurisdiction, causing the tragic deaths of hundreds of cultivators. This official was dismissed at the time. Yet, people recently discovered that after only a few years, this official had changed his appearance and taken up a new, even higher, position in Tianyu State!

Such long-forgotten old cases exploded all at once! Most of them were even unknown to Li Fan. They were "black materials" forgotten by history, yet now they were suddenly revived, driven by some force! Alliance cultivators were naturally extremely indignant. Although no major disruptive incidents had occurred yet, rebellious sentiments like "The Immortal Alliance is corrupt, not worth fighting for," and "You get the rewards while I face death? Let's just perish together!" began to secretly circulate in various places. The Immortal Alliance took this situation very seriously and ordered strict investigations in all states. But how could public opinion be so easily suppressed? The situation did not improve; instead, it showed signs of escalating. And their usual foolproof tactic of "delaying" seemed to have suddenly lost its effectiveness. Seven days, fifteen days, a month... As time passed, the effects of the previous negative news had not dissipated. New dark events from the past continued to be exposed in various regions, instantly throwing the Myriad Immortals Alliance into a state of disarray.

His clone, Ji Shaoli, treasured these "black materials," collecting and organizing them, committing them firmly to memory. "I didn't expect the Five Elders' Association to have this move," he mused. "These are all invaluable assets! Frequent forgetting can indeed continuously suppress negative emotions. But conversely, if these forgotten memories suddenly surge and erupt all at once due to some catalyst in a short period, then the destruction they can bring is quite terrifying. No less than a million-strong army! Hmm, perhaps this also relates to the Carefree Celestial Venerable temporarily easing the power of forgetting that blankets the Myriad Immortals Alliance territory. These are all methods I can replicate later to attack the Myriad Immortals Alliance. I must study them carefully." Ji Shaoli marveled at the pleasant surprise the Five Elders' Association had provided him.

A month and a half after the incidents erupted, the Myriad Immortals Alliance finally made its move to counter. Their response also took Li Fan by surprise, but after a moment's consideration, he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. "What a brilliant move! There are capable individuals within the Myriad Immortals Alliance!" The Myriad Immortals Alliance's move was simple. There was no forced suppression of cultivators or prohibition on discussing related topics. Instead, a simple announcement was proclaimed throughout the land: The next grand entrance examination for the Immortal Alliance would be moved up to six months later, and to counter the fierce offensive of the Five Elders' Association, the number of recruitment slots would increase by fifty percent compared to previous years. Upon the release of this news, the world was shaken! Everyone hated privilege, yet everyone also wanted to become privileged! The circulating "black materials" were a bitter condemnation of injustice, but they also served as excellent propaganda. "Do you want to be a victim in these incidents, or one of the elites? If you're tempted, then come take the exam!" With the number of successful candidates almost half higher, the opportunities were significantly increased. Alliance cultivators were all eager to try, and the unrest naturally settled.