Chapter 884: The Preacher Appears

The Wooden Sword Heavenly Anomaly would specifically set aside time for one-on-one instruction. This unassuming black sword must have something extraordinary about it. Li Fan's divine sense slowly swept over it, but no matter how he looked, it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary piece of mortal iron, as if he could easily snap it in half.

But just as the Wooden Sword lost its spiritual essence, and the other remaining swords looked around in confusion, the black sword itself was undergoing subtle changes.

"It's like being slowly tempered by fire, purifying it and removing the dross. It seems incredibly simple, but in reality, like the Wooden Sword, it embodies the principle of all paths leading to one, and the grand dao being simply profound." Gradually, Li Fan perceived the mystery within.

"Is this the Wooden Sword Heavenly Anomaly intending to create another body for itself?" This thought suddenly emerged in Li Fan's mind. "The other remaining swords might still need a long time to transform into complete conceptual existences. But this black sword, thanks to the Wooden Sword Heavenly Anomaly's special guidance, is not far from fully completing its transformation."

"Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the Wooden Sword was willing to depart with Shuo Feng," Li Fan mused.

Looking at the yet-to-form black sword, Li Fan temporarily abandoned the idea of taking it. "It should still be another decade or so... This can be considered a fruit borne by the Wooden Sword Heavenly Anomaly. If I could take it, it would solidify the Heavenly Sword Sect's claim within the Spiritwood Realm."

Although the reason for the Wooden Sword Heavenly Anomaly's actions was currently unclear, it did not prevent Li Fan from making full use of it.

Returning to his original spot, he stayed in the sword mound for a few more days. Only after he could no longer glean any new insights from the Wooden Sword did Li Fan reluctantly depart. Before leaving, Li Fan did not forget to use a secret technique to conceal the sword mound. He also left a mark. If anyone else trespassed, he would immediately sense it.

"The Heavenly Sword Sect matter is settled; next is the Medicine King Sect."

The location of the Medicine King Sect ruins was no secret. They were situated deep within an unfrequented mountain range in Sixstring Prefecture. Over the years, the site had long been thoroughly plundered by cultivators. Only unwanted scraps and junk remained, scattered across the ground. When Li Fan arrived, he found no other living person within a hundred-mile radius.

A faint, foul stench permeated the air, causing an involuntary feeling of disgust. "The Medicine King Sect's actions truly resonate with me," Li Fan thought to himself. "Even when the entire sect was preparing to flee, they still left behind this disgusting miasma to prevent others from occupying their former grounds." This peculiar odor was indeed left by the Medicine King Sect years ago. It had nearly merged with the land here, lingering for thousands of years without dissipating. Unless it was dispelled, no one would want to live in such a foul-smelling place.

While the Medicine King Sect's tactic was somewhat repulsive, it was certainly effective. Li Fan looked at the relatively well-preserved ruins and, following Jiao Xiuyuan's instructions, entered the abandoned workshop. Enduring the stench, he activated his spiritual energy and unearthed several small Medicine King Cauldrons buried deep underground.

"There are actually thirty-six cauldrons?" Li Fan's expression was unreadable. Although he had previously entrusted Jiao Xiuyuan with helping to excavate the small Medicine King Cauldrons, the latter had sworn there were only twenty-something. "Oh, Fellow Daoist Jiao..."

Li Fan shook his head slightly, making a mental note of this. As usual, he conducted another thorough search. Apart from these old cauldrons, the Medicine King Sect truly had nothing else of value. Li Fan then headed straight for the Violet Cloud Sect.

Meanwhile, on Haixuan Island.

Ji Shaoli suddenly felt a wave of unease. "Strange, I've clearly made ample preparations. Logically, even if a Dao Integration cultivator arrived in person, I should be able to retreat calmly." "Where is this sense of danger coming from?"

Ji Shaoli, who always trusted his premonitions, suddenly stood up, his expression extremely grave. He paced back and forth, but the sense of danger did not subside. Instead, it intensified. His heart pounded violently, as if a great calamity was imminent!

Ji Shaoli knew something was wrong. He checked the island's teleportation array and found that it had indeed been sealed, rendering it unusable! "Do they want to trap me like a turtle in a jar?"

A glint of cold light flashed in Ji Shaoli's eyes. Attempts to activate teleportation arrays also proved futile. It was as if something had sealed off the entire space around Haixuan Island!

Though startled, Ji Shaoli remained calm. He held a withered branch, sensing that the power of the earth veins beneath his feet was not restricted. He breathed a slight sigh of relief. Lin Ling, after a period of growth, had been with the Daoist child Liuli every day and had made significant progress in her strength. Moreover, with her spiritual essence growing day by day, her relationship with the ancient earth vein tree had also improved. She had obtained this withered earth vein branch from it, and anyone holding it could use it to travel through the earth veins.

With a means of escape, Ji Shaoli did not leave immediately. He wanted to see who exactly was targeting him. The ability to shut down the bidirectional teleportation array on Myriad Immortals Island, combined with the fact that all the connections he had maintained with substantial contributions were utterly useless... All indicated the enemy's immense power. This was definitely not something the Xiang family, a local power, could achieve.

Ji Shaoli was not afraid of the truth coming out, as long as he could understand the reason for his failure. Humming a little tune, he brewed two cups of spiritual tea. Ji Shaoli patiently awaited his guests. The members of the mutual aid society on Haixuan Island had already been sent away by him under a pretext. As for the two earthly oddities he had promised Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi, Ji Shaoli had also given them the specific information. Whether they could find them alive... would depend on their own fortunes.

Ji Shaoli did not have to wait long. Suddenly, a young man appeared beside Ji Shaoli. What made Ji Shaoli's pupils contract was that the youth appeared without any aura fluctuations. It was as if he had been there all along. The reason that shocked him even more... He had seen this young man before!

"A Law Transmitter?!" Ji Shaoli blurted out. This was precisely during the scene in the Immortalfall Realm where Li Fan's main body had witnessed Ning Yuan retrieving the Longevity Fruit—one of the cultivators spreading the new laws that he had seen when soul-searching the earliest members of the Myriad Immortals Alliance!

"Hm?" The youth was somewhat surprised that Ji Shaoli had identified him immediately. "Interesting."

The youth's gaze was piercing as he stared at Ji Shaoli. The next moment, Ji Shaoli's clone felt his thoughts and body completely frozen. Even the escape methods he had prepared beforehand proved useless! As if his soul was being extracted, a blurry figure began to emerge from Ji Shaoli's body.

At this very moment, two streaks of seven-colored radiance suddenly appeared, striking towards the youth. But the instant they neared the youth, they were caught between two of his fingers, unable to advance even half an inch.

"What is this..." The youth looked at the seven-colored divine light in his hand, a hint of surprise in his eyes. After suppressing and putting it away with a flick of his hand, the youth looked at Ji Shaoli once more.