Chapter 837: Senior Sister’s Numerous Identities

The situation was worse than expected. It wasn't just Congyun Sea; Senior Sister Zhao's picture albums were secretly circulating throughout the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Cultivators all had their pride, so naturally, they wouldn't publicize the fact that they were secretly browsing these albums. However, the content of these albums was truly captivating. As long as one's resolve wasn't overly firm, after viewing them, they would generally be filled with countless fantasies and an unsettled mind. Even if they sought out other cultivators for release, their desires would remain unfulfilled. All they wanted was to see more picture books about Senior Sister Zhao.

At this point, even more explicit and realistic corresponding albums would always appear secretly. They gradually enticed cultivators, leading them step by step into the abyss. Most critically, the timing chosen was excellent. The Myriad Immortals Alliance's attention, from top to bottom, was focused on the grand entrance examination. They were completely unaware that, quietly and in unnoticed corners, something extremely dangerous was quietly spreading throughout the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

"Are they already so impatient that they've started probing?""Have they already realized that The Dharma Protector has left the Xuanhuang Realm?"

Ji Shaoli's expression was unreadable. The methods of an Immortal Venerable, even those of the weakest among the Immortal Sovereigns, were a dimensionality reduction attack for ordinary cultivators. They were almost impossible to guard against. Even those at the Dao Integration realm were within this "ordinary" scope.

Thus, Li Fan was not at all surprised that He Zhenghao had fallen victim. Even though He Zhenghao constantly thought of his wife and daughters, after viewing Senior Sister Zhao's scandalous exploits, his soul was utterly captivated. One must remember that even though Daoist He was no longer impressive in Li Fan's eyes, He Zhenghao was, in fact, already an outstanding cultivator. He had no power or influence, struggling solely on his own. Despite being suppressed, he still managed to become an island guardian. Moreover, he had made significant achievements in the art of formations, able to converse cheerfully with numerous formation masters from the Strategy Formation Hall. How many cultivators in the world were inferior to him! Yet, when faced with Senior Sister Zhao's picture albums, even He Zhenghao reacted this way. The behavior of other cultivators could thus be imagined.

"This is something a hundred times more dangerous than any Heart-Intention Ascension Elixir," Ji Shaoli mused. "The Myriad Immortals Alliance actually allowed it to spread, completely unaware. Should I warn them...?" Ji Shaoli was somewhat undecided. Even though he wanted to see the Myriad Immortals Alliance suffer a devastating defeat and reveal their last trump card, he still felt a degree of apprehension deep down when facing the methods of the One-Hearted Heavenly Venerable.

"The Myriad Immortals Alliance should have its own way of dealing with this. I don't need to worry." After pondering for a moment, Ji Shaoli ultimately abandoned the idea of meddling. He chose to stand by and watch. He merely instructed the cultivators within the mutual aid society to absolutely avoid viewing any such picture albums out of temporary curiosity. At the same time, he urged them to closely observe any quiet changes occurring in secret.

However, Ji Shaoli soon realized that he had still underestimated the One-Hearted Heavenly Venerable's abilities. As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat. Simply knowing the danger didn't mean one could completely extinguish the desire. Moreover, precisely because they already knew the true identity of the picture album's protagonist—a top powerhouse of the Xuanhuang Realm, the ruling Heavenly Venerable of the Five Elders' Council—they became even more curious about the content of the albums. At the same time, they harbored a glimmer of hopeful delusion and confidence in themselves, thinking, *It's just one look, what's the big deal...?* Once such a thought arose, it was difficult to make it disappear. Instead, it grew day by day as time passed, leaving people's minds muddled. After their desires remained unfulfilled, they expanded without limit.

By the time Ji Shaoli noticed something was wrong, three members of the mutual aid society had already succumbed. They had secretly obtained the picture albums and were secretly observing them. While greatly alarmed, Ji Shaoli had no choice but to confine them all to a dark room, supervising them as they purified their minds.

"It's truly impossible to guard against," he thought, listening to the voices filled with resentment and curses emanating from the darkness, and observing their frenzied behavior. Ji Shaoli's expression changed. "This is just the initial stage, and I immediately cut off their influence. But for those cultivators who have fallen deep into it..." A faint chill spread through Ji Shaoli's heart. "While Senior Sister Zhao might be a bit weaker in actual combat, her influence on cultivators is truly no less than that of any Heavenly Venerable."

To prevent more members of the mutual aid society from succumbing, Ji Shaoli simply recalled them all. He sealed off Haixuan Island once more. "Anyway, there's still some time until the entrance examination. I refuse to believe the Myriad Immortals Alliance is completely unaware of this. Let's see how they respond."

Just as Ji Shaoli had expected, as more and more cultivators became influenced by Senior Sister Zhao's picture albums, the Myriad Immortals Alliance finally noticed some inklings. And the measures taken by the Myriad Immortals Alliance truly taught Ji Shaoli a lesson. They didn't publicly or with great fanfare attempt to ban the circulation of the picture albums. The authorities didn't even proactively mention the albums' existence. Instead, almost overnight, thousands of different secret texts suddenly began circulating throughout the Myriad Immortals Alliance. All of them had previously been banned from circulation and trade.

This included "The Dharma Protector Seizing the Grand Primeval True Scripture Illustrated," which Li Fan had previously seen, as well as "The Demon Infant Who Devoured Father and Mother, and the Tale of Forgetting Worries," "The Scholar's Reckless Words Leading to a River's Halt Illustrated," and more. There were both written books and illustrated records. The content was bizarre and mysterious, and none of them were entirely alike. Some even contradicted each other. But they all had one thing in common: all of them were about the five Immortal Venerables of the Five Elders' Council.

Prior to this, cultivators of the Myriad Immortals Alliance only knew that these five Immortal Venerables existed within the Five Elders' Council. They knew nothing else. Now, so many secret tales had suddenly emerged. Naturally, this attracted their attention. Soon, the content of these secret texts became the hottest topic in the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Wherever one went, cultivators discussing them could be seen everywhere. Even those who were generally indifferent to worldly affairs specifically started paying attention amidst this atmosphere of widespread discussion.

Ji Shaoli also discovered that, under these circumstances, the appeal of Senior Sister Zhao's picture albums had unknowingly weakened. Among the secret texts released by the Myriad Immortals Alliance, there were naturally quite a few about the One-Hearted Heavenly Venerable. They didn't intentionally downplay the erotic elements; instead, while describing the deeds of a powerful individual who rose from obscurity and revitalized their sect, they also mixed in much content that made one's blood boil. Beautiful as they were, compared to the content of the picture albums disseminated by the Five Elders' Council, they lacked that fatal allure. After viewing them, people no longer became so obsessed they couldn't eat or sleep. Instead, after a period of excitement, they would naturally fade from memory.

Ji Shaoli mused thoughtfully, "When the veil of mystery is gone, the attraction diminishes level by level. After seeing it once, seeing it again just feels dull and uninteresting. Although they don't know that the picture albums about Senior Sister Zhao disseminated by the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders' Council are actually two completely different things." He added, "Of course, this atmosphere of widespread discussion also serves as a hindrance."