Chapter 822: Mountain Collapse Once Again

To be frank, it was no easy task to build the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Realms Federation to be truly grand and worthy of its name.

Setting aside the complexities of overall planning and successfully constructing the vast complex of buildings, just designing a structure befitting the words "Ten Thousand Realms Federation" required considerable effort.

Fortunately, Li Fan had previously overseen the reconstruction of Congyun Celestial City, making him relatively experienced in this area. He had also communicated with the architectural masters dispatched by the Immortal Alliance Headquarters for support. So, in all fairness, the blueprint personally designed by Li Fan was not too bad.

However... Li Fan still felt it lacked a certain flair.

"After all, I'm self-taught, not a professional," he mused. "It seems I need to find a reliable person to oversee this."

Li Fan couldn't remain in the Spiritwood Realm indefinitely. Now that Lin Ling's strength had advanced significantly and she had received substantial resource support from the Council of Five Elders, it was time to consider Tianyang's Dao-integration plan. Planning for the Soul of Heaven and Earth, even with the detailed information obtained from Mr. Bai, couldn't guarantee absolute certainty and still carried considerable risk. Naturally, the more thorough the preparation, the better.

If Tianyang successfully integrated with the Dao, Li Fan would then need to consider officially devouring the Five Elements Great Grotto-heaven and returning to the Nascent Soul realm. He was almost certain to be too busy to free himself. Therefore, before that, he needed to find a reliable individual to be responsible for the construction in the Spiritwood Realm.

Information about many cultivators flashed through his mind. After a moment, Li Fan locked onto his target: the master builder, Ou Daozi. Although he only possessed the Soul Transformation cultivation, he had an absolutely unparalleled talent and insight in architectural design. It was said that many buildings within the Immortal Alliance Headquarters were his creations. The reconstruction and renovation of Immortal Alliance Celestial City had also sought Ou Daozi's opinion.

However, later, he became dissatisfied with the Immortal Alliance forcibly erasing his memories after the blueprint design was completed. Thus, he chose to retire to the mountains and forests, vowing never again to contribute to the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

Even though Ou Daozi held no official position, he was not someone Li Fan could easily persuade at this moment. So, Li Fan planned to directly use a True Alluring Fruit. Ou Daozi's own strength was not weak, and combined with his unique talent, it wouldn't be considered a waste. The only difficulty was how to trick or persuade the other party to consume the True Alluring Fruit. Li Fan, who was quite experienced in this matter, had prepared several plans and would act according to the situation. If all else failed, he would have to resort to forceful persuasion.

After lingering in the Spiritwood Realm for a few more days, he put away the hundred Immortal Alliance entrance exam question sets duplicated by Shang Tianci. Only then did he depart with Lin Ling and Tianyang. They still traveled amidst the ley line currents. It had to be said that with Lin Ling, daily travel in the Xuanhuang Realm was indeed much more convenient.

Half a day later, they reached their destination: Guanglan Province, Fuxing Mountain. This province was located south of the Immortal Alliance, relatively remote and not very prosperous. It was almost on par with Congyun Sea in terms of provincial status. However, Fuxing Mountain within its borders was somewhat renowned.

Originally, it wasn't called Fuxing Mountain, but Baoyuan Mountain. About two years ago, Guanglan Province, which had always been peaceful, suddenly experienced a violent tremor. Tens of thousands of cultivators witnessed Baoyuan Mountain collapse amidst a tremendous roar. The phenomenon lasted for almost half a day, and an unknown number of cultivators in the mountain tragically died, unable to escape in time.

Just as the cultivators were still reeling in shock, something astounding happened. Under the gaze of countless cultivators, Baoyuan Mountain, which had fallen underground and transformed into a ten-thousand-zhang abyss, actually reappeared, enveloped in a yellow glow! The scene at the time was like shattered porcelain being restored; like tea poured into a river returning to its bowl. As if time had reversed, Baoyuan Mountain, which had indeed turned into ruins, reverted back!

Such a bizarre event was bound to cause a huge stir. But precisely because it was so mystical, cultivators who hadn't witnessed it themselves simply wouldn't believe it.

However, even though the mountain reappeared, the effects of its collapse did not vanish. The cultivators who tragically died in the landslide, and the surging earth veins caused by the mountain's collapse, were undeniably real. Therefore, after extensive investigation and verification, most cultivators accepted this fact, even if they didn't fully believe it. They grew increasingly curious about how such a strange event had occurred.

The Myriad Immortals Alliance was no different. They dispatched several investigation teams, one after another, practically turning Baoyuan Mountain inside out. Yet, they still couldn't find the reason. As time slowly passed, the Immortal Alliance, making no progress, had to temporarily abandon its high-profile investigation. Only one investigator was left to stand guard there. Occasionally, cultivators who happened to hear about the events of that year would come, drawn by curiosity, to investigate. This was because Baoyuan Mountain also acquired a new name: Fuxing Mountain.

However, Fuxing Mountain's scenery was indeed unremarkable, with nothing particularly appealing. Over time, fewer and fewer people came, and it gradually faded from memory.

During his previous cycles of reincarnation, Li Fan had also taken the time to visit and explore it. He too found nothing unusual. If not for Ou Daozi this time, he wouldn't have revisited the place. Having inquired about the other party's exact dwelling, Li Fan and his companions headed straight into Fuxing Mountain.

Upon arrival, they found the thatched hut in the mountain already deserted. "Hmm?" Li Fan couldn't help but frown slightly. His divine sense swept through the hut, and after carefully observing the traces, Li Fan realized that the occupants had only recently left. Furthermore, besides Ou Daozi, there seemed to be signs of another person living there. "It's a child, probably Ou Daozi's son." Recalling some information, Li Fan made his judgment. "But they left in such a hurry..." "Are they fleeing from some enemy?" Li Fan stroked his chin.

"Master, are you looking for the people from this hut? I can find them." Just as Li Fan was feeling a little puzzled, Lin Ling spoke up proactively.

"Oh? How?" Li Fan became interested.

"There are many trees in the mountains; I just ask them," Lin Ling said somewhat shyly.

Receiving Li Fan's approval, Lin Ling excitedly began to cast her spell. A moment later, countless tiny green lights surged from all parts of Fuxing Mountain. They converged like a river of green light, flowing into Lin Ling's body.

"I see them!" Soon after, Lin Ling happily clapped her hands and flew away.

Li Fan and Tianyang followed closely behind. "This is interesting. They didn't escape through a Celestial City teleportation array. Instead, they fled into the desolate mountains and wild forests." "Was it a desperate escape, or...?" As Li Fan followed their escape path, his initially indifferent attitude turned into genuine interest.