Chapter 649: "Chaos" Confounds The Heavenly Venerables

In some unknown space, five statues with indiscernible features sat in a circle.

Their heads were bowed, gazing down at the center.

There, a massive luminous cloud mass floated in the air. Within it, one could dimly make out a miniature world with land, mountains, and flowing water.

The cloud mass was divided into isolated regions, large and small, each with a tiny point of light drifting above it.

At the edge of the glowing mass, black specks writhed across a small blue region.

Then it erupted, and several different hues of light burst forth at once.

Immediately after, as though a violent explosion had gone off, faint tremors radiated outward from that region into the surrounding cloud mass.

Like clouds stirred by a passing wind, the mass swayed and undulated gently.

Then, without warning, a vast tide of inky blackness surged out from the turbulent region at the edge of the glowing mass, swallowing everything in a single moment.

The region vanished from the glowing mass entirely, gone in the blink of an eye, as if some existence had opened its mouth and consumed it whole.

At the same moment, the eyes of four of the five statues snapped open... all except the one at the center, which kept its head bowed and eyes shut.

In unison, they fixed their gaze on the region that had turned to void.

An odd atmosphere settled over the space.

"Fellow Daoist One Mind, what do you make of it?"

"Hehe. My humble eyes are simply dazzled. I cannot see clearly."

"There is a force disrupting our perception. Wait, this seems to be..."

"Precisely."

"How can this be?"

Silence fell over the space in an instant as they seemed to focus on sensing something.

A long time passed before anyone spoke again.

"Besides 'Chaos,' there is the Xuanhuang Heavenly Palm, the Purple Firmament Dharma Body...

"The Xuanhuang World certainly hasn't been this lively in quite some time. This humble one truly looks forward to seeing more of it." Senior Sister Zhao's languid voice drifted through the space.

The other three paid her no mind.

"A single divine ability from each of us was summoned. It should be the one traded with the Heaven-Toppling Society."

"Zhou Qing'ang? Li Fan?"

"All dead?"

"Heh. How interesting."

"These are all trivial matters, and they could just as easily be a misdirection tactic meant to draw our attention. The crucial question is: why has 'Chaos' appeared in the Xuanhuang World again?"

"I will have my subordinates investigate, though it would be best not to hold out too much hope. This matter carries somewhat unusual implications."

"The Dao Teacher, that old fossil, seems to have gone quiet again recently."

"This humble one, on the other hand, finds herself recalling some rather interesting things. Hehe..."

The conversation wound on, and eventually the five statues fell silent once more, their eyes closing one by one.

The space returned to stillness.

***

Tianling Province.

Gazing in the direction of the Congyun Sea, Li Fan felt it the moment the connection was severed. He said nothing.

He swept his divine sense outward. No sign of imminent crisis.

Only after a long while did he finally allow himself to relax. Then he turned and made for Longevity Valley at full speed.

Just as I predicted. The Heavenly Venerable World Manifestation Statue is not just a tool to establish contact with the Five Pivot Assembly.

Senior Sister Zhao, the Daoist-robed cultivator, the scholar, the infant, the intangible golden foil... these should correspond to the Eternal Heavenly Venerables of the Five Elders Council.

Li Fan's eyes shifted with thought.

As the most valuable item obtained from his transaction with the Five Elders Council, he had never been willing to believe that the Heavenly Venerable World Manifestation Statue was nothing more than a simple tool for communication.

Even Li Fan's Consciousness Jade Slip carried a wisp of his own divine sense.

And so, though the Five Elders Council had never stated it outright, Li Fan was fairly certain the Heavenly Venerable World Manifestation Statue contained some measure of the five Eternal Heavenly Venerables' might.

Using it to mislead the public while probing Ink Death at the same time—nothing could have been more perfect.

What I don't know is whether my final request will actually be fulfilled: for Five Elders Council cultivators to conceal their identities, take command of the Samantabhadra True Boats, slip through the White Mist Barrier into the Myriad Immortals Alliance, and sow chaos across various locations.

Li Fan mulled it over.

According to the Five Elders Council spy involved in the transaction, commands issued through the Heavenly Venerable World Manifestation Statue were nearly equivalent to the decrees of a Heavenly Venerable in person. So long as they did not threaten the Council's rule, they would be carried out without question.

But these were not ordinary circumstances. The peace talks between the Five Elders Council and the Myriad Immortals Alliance had only just concluded, and Li Fan, the very person issuing the commands, had nearly pulled one over on the Council. Whether those orders would actually be carried out was hard to say.

No matter. My goal has been achieved. The situation has been thrown into complete chaos. So many forces erupted at once, with “Chaos” throwing a wrench into everything on top of that. It's a tangled mess by any measure.

Even if someone wants to investigate, they likely won't have the energy or the means to do it properly.

Li Fan, having returned to his original appearance, thought to himself.

The former Li Fan of the Heavenly Mechanisms Sect is dead. Now, all that exists is an ordinary, simple Nascent Soul cultivator.

Li Fan knew that this inexplicable death, along with the disappearance of hundreds of millions of contribution points from his account, would surely arouse suspicion.

But so what?

The man was dead. He had died right there on the battlefield, surrounded by powerhouses on all sides.

How could anyone investigate? Who would even dare?

The only course available was to turn the mountain back into a molehill, then let the whole affair quietly fade from memory.

As long as I lie low in Longevity Valley for a while longer, all of this will be forgotten.

By then, even if I swagger out shouting that I am Li Fan, it probably won't cause much of a stir.

A glint of light passed through his eyes. Then Li Fan turned and sped off toward Longevity Valley.

Half a month later, he finally arrived.

Within the Lifespan-Devouring White Mist, he located the marker Liu San had left behind, opened the seal, and stepped into Longevity Valley at last.

Dense wood-attribute spiritual qi rushed to meet him, warm and comforting.

"Young Master, you've arrived!"

Sensing Li Fan's presence, Liu San quickly flew over to greet him. "Did everything go smoothly?" he asked.

Li Fan nodded but did not say much.

Trusting Li Fan implicitly, Liu San did not press the matter.

"Focus on lying low for the next few years. Do not go out unless absolutely necessary. Concentrate all efforts on refining Longevity Pills." Li Fan immediately set the course of action for the coming period.

Liu San immediately agreed.

"Aside from the Longevity Pills, I've discovered some other pills that might also fetch a good price," Liu San then suggested.

"I've observed that the emotions of cultivators of the new methodology seem to fluctuate easily. Since Longevity Valley has every kind of medicinal herb imaginable, I could refine a Supreme Detachment Pill in my spare time."

Liu San explained the pill's effects to Li Fan.

It was very similar to Blue Flame, allowing the user to maintain a state of near-absolute rationality.

Not only would it let a cultivator fight at two hundred percent of their normal capacity, but it also proved remarkably effective when breaking through bottlenecks or achieving sudden epiphanies.

Li Fan found himself quite satisfied.

"Elder Liu, you're right. This pill will be widely acclaimed in the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

"But don't focus too much on quality. Just refine a few batches with lower medicinal potency," Li Fan cautioned.

"Ah, that reminds me."

As if recalling something, Li Fan began to tell Liu San and the others about the existence of the Fallen Immortal Realm.