Chapter 893

Following the recent peril, Li Fan had once again advanced his capabilities.

The Dharma Preacher was the highest-ranking individual Li Fan had encountered in the Myriad Immortals Alliance since first setting foot in the Xuanhuang Realm. Even more intriguing, this Dharma Preacher was not truly a Dharma Preacher at all. His true identity was that of a malicious Dharma King from the Profound Heaven Sect.

"Once one reached the Dharma Preacher's position, any casual revelation of information would possess unimaginable and endlessly beneficial value."

"The only current challenge was how to contact Mo Rubin and earn his trust."

As with the Fallen Immortal Realm before, Li Fan had only managed to glimpse fragments of Mo Rubin's memories. However, any information within these memories pertaining to cultivation techniques, divine abilities, or secret arts had not been retained. Therefore, to maintain a convincing disguise and avoid exposure before this Profound Heaven Sect Dharma King, a long-term strategy was still required.

Mo Rubin's infiltration into the Myriad Immortals Alliance appeared to have no discernible impact on the current state of affairs in the Xuanhuang Realm. During this time, the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council remained locked in continuous conflict.

Most notably, the Dharma Preacher's Manifestation repeatedly appeared in the Five Elders Council's territory. The range of techniques it could employ grew, and the manifestation itself became increasingly lifelike. According to the latest images transmitted from the Five Elders Council, subtle emotional fluctuations could now be observed on the originally solemn and dignified face of the Dharma Preaching Celestial Venerable. This truly sent shivers down one's spine.

Perhaps it was this manifestation, increasingly resembling a true Dharma Preacher, that caused the five Longevity Celestial Venerables to feel a degree of unease. When the Dharma Preacher's Manifestation reappeared, rolling black clouds suddenly surged from the horizon, completely enveloping the sky. The entire province was instantly plunged into absolute darkness, sealed off both internally and externally, and the Dharma Preacher's Manifestation was utterly consumed by the gloom.

Li Fan remained unaware of the final outcome. However, after this battle, the Myriad Immortals Alliance did indeed become far more restrained. The frequency with which the Dharma Preacher's Manifestation was deployed significantly decreased, though it didn't cease entirely.

Meanwhile, the Five Elders Council seemed to have given up hope that the Myriad Realms United Association could gather any intelligence regarding the thirty-three Immortal Selects. Requests for assistance from them had virtually ceased. At most, they would feign interest in inquiries about the sudden collapse of the "Cloud Sea Mutual Aid Society." Li Fan simply replied that the Cloud Mutual Aid Society had no affiliation with the Myriad Realms United Association. The Myriad Realms United Association was thriving. The Five Elders Council simply needed to look after themselves.

However, secrets cannot be kept forever. As the Dharma Preacher's Manifestation was used more frequently, rumors about it finally began to circulate within the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Even though the Immortal Alliance officially forbade public discussion, it couldn't deter the enthusiastic cultivators who delighted in spreading the gossip. For a time, opinions varied widely, and various theories sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

Li Fan also made sure to discreetly inquire and gather information. Most of these were mere conjectures by cultivators, easily dismissed upon closer examination. However, one particular rumor caught Li Fan's attention. It claimed that the Dharma Preacher's Manifestation was very likely connected to the numerous statues of the Dharma Preaching Celestial Venerable found across the Immortal Alliance.

"Everyone, have you ever considered why a stone statue of the venerable Dharma Preaching Celestial Venerable stands in every Heavenly City?"

"Furthermore, I wonder if any of you have ever used a long-range teleportation array. The interior of these statues is actually hollowed out and serves as the conduit for these long-distance teleportation formations!"

"What an utter blasphemy!"

"Even though the venerable Dharma Preaching Celestial Venerable does not meddle in worldly affairs, his divine power remains. Would those in power in the Myriad Immortals Alliance dare to do this without his permission?!"

"I am certain there's something strange going on here!" A cultivator named Yue Gu declared with conviction.

"Brother Yue makes a lot of sense! No wonder every time I've used that long-range teleportation array and seen the cloud cluster representing the Xuanhuang Realm, I've felt an indescribable oddness in my heart."

"I, however, think you're overthinking it. It's clear that the Celestial Venerable's Manifestation is conjured through the thirty-three Immortal Selects. What does that have to do with those statues?"

Everyone held their own opinions, and no one could persuade anyone else.

Li Fan, meanwhile, recalled the high-crowned Dharma Preaching stone statues in the many Heavenly Cities and fell into deep thought.

"The Xuanhuang Realm holds a uniquely important position in the Dharma Preacher's heart."

"Even if he's temporarily absent, he shouldn't have left the Darkest Starry Sky. If I were the Dharma Preacher, for safety, I would definitely leave a contingency plan in the Xuanhuang Realm, in case of unforeseen circumstances."

"Perhaps these statues are the Dharma Preacher's means."

"And the thirty-three Immortal Selects are the keys to activating this method." Li Fan vaguely hypothesized in his mind.

However, Li Fan was not in a hurry to confirm this. He had already preemptively placed a 'Disintegration Disc' inside Wei Qizheng, one of the Immortal Selects. Once Wei Qizheng perished, the recorded secrets would be transmitted back to Li Fan. Li Fan didn't believe that the thirty-three Immortal Selects, whose cultivation maxed out at the Dao Integration realm, could so frequently activate the Celestial Venerable's Manifestation without paying a significant price. Therefore, before this life cycle concluded, he was certain he would witness Wei Qizheng's demise, provided no unforeseen anomalies occurred.

Temporarily setting aside the conflicts in the Xuanhuang Realm, Li Fan began to re-forge a clone in a secret chamber within the Spiritwood Realm. His previous clone, Ji Shaoli, had already perished at the hands of the young Dharma Preacher, and with the Xuanhuang Realm fraught with danger, being without a clone was incredibly inconvenient. This time, Li Fan secretly acquired a drop of Su Yuqing's essence blood and began the refinement process.

Unlike his previous clone refinements, Li Fan, having mastered the Boundless Fluctuation Method, performed a special treatment on the clone's soul. He excised all memories related to 'True Reversion' from the soul and altered the remaining portions. The clone would still transmit its perceptions to the main body, but the main body's experiences would only be passively and selectively received by the clone.

In the clone's fabricated memory, it was a duplicate created by an ancient Profound Heaven Sect Slumbering Dharma King after awakening. Due to severe injuries, its own memories were incomplete. Yet it remembered the Profound Heaven King's past benevolence and vowed to rebuild the Profound Heaven Sect. Thus, it secretly gathered forces from various minor realms and established the Myriad Realms United Association, all to recruit members and resources for the sect's revival.

Such a method of altering the soul was originally beyond Li Fan's capabilities. However, after mastering the Boundless Fluctuation Method, it became achievable. Although the technique was somewhat crude, potentially causing soul damage due to imprecise cutting, the Boundless Fluctuation Method's almost miraculous soul-restoration ability allowed Li Fan, through persistent experimentation, to painstakingly achieve targeted soul modification. It was this method that he used earlier to forge the memories of his previous clone, Ji Shaoli, and deceive the young Dharma Preacher.

Three days later. Gazing at the extraordinarily handsome clone before him, possessing both male and female features, Li Fan's face showed satisfaction.

"True caution means even guarding against one's own clones."

"And if necessary, it can be sacrificed as bait."

This represented Li Fan's advancement after his encounters with the young Dharma Preacher and the Profound Heaven Sect Dharma King. Pointing a finger towards its brow, the clone's eyebrows subtly twitched as it gradually awakened.

"I shall call you Li Qing."