Many structures were built suspended over the green river, supported only by a few stone pillars.

The great whale exotic beast expelled a stream of air, gently placing the Dust-Crossing Boat onto an empty platform. Then it leaped into the river below.

An utterly bizarre scene soon unfolded.

Despite its colossal size, the beast plunged into the green river without raising a single splash. Only the ripples spreading in concentric circles on the water’s surface proved the whale’s dive had not been an illusion.

Dongfang led the group off the boat and down a corridor from the platform toward the cluster of buildings ahead.

Walking above the long river, everyone felt a tremor of unease—dreading that the stone pillars below might give way and send them plunging into the water.

This green river water seemed to share the same origin as the Spirit-Transforming Stone.

The convergence of countless waters amplified the suppression of spiritual qi to its limit here, and the power within Li Fan fell completely silent.

Without the support of his cultivation, Li Fan, whose great limit was approaching, felt the effects of aging more acutely than ever. Even walking a few steps left him slightly breathless. It seemed he might lose his footing and collapse to the ground at any moment.

Inwardly alarmed, Li Fan attempted to call upon Return to Truth and found that it still functioned normally.

Only then did he allow himself to relax.

After a long walk, they finally arrived at a great hall.

Huangfu Song wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a sigh. “Only people like you can endure living in this cursed place. Even though it’s not my first time here, I still can’t get used to it.”

“We don’t have a choice,” Dongfang replied calmly. “Life Spirit Pearls are limited. The grand array must be completed as soon as possible. There’s no room for delay.

“They’ve all been distributed to the workers to speed up construction. Not a single one is left to spare.” He smiled faintly. “Otherwise, I would have given one to you to make things a bit more comfortable, Brother Huangfu.”

Huangfu Song waved his hand. “Duty comes first. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get out of this wretched place.”

Dongfang nodded, about to respond, when his expression suddenly changed.

A streak of blue light flew in from outside and arrived before him.

Li Fan looked over and saw that it was a small green bird. It chirped nonstop as though delivering a message, wings fluttering rapidly as it hovered in the air.

Dongfang seemed to understand its “speech.” As the chirping continued, he abruptly rose to his feet, expression turning grave.

“I understand. You may go,” Dongfang said.

The bird dissolved into a streak of green light and vanished.

“What is it?” Huangfu Song asked, curiosity piqued by Dongfang’s tense demeanor.

Dongfang cupped his hands. “Brother Huangfu, please forgive me. I won’t be able to keep you company.

“I’ve just received an urgent notice. The Chief is coming to conduct an inspection. I need to make another round of checks immediately to ensure nothing goes wrong.”

Huangfu Song stiffened. “The Chief? Which Chief?”

Dongfang gave a bitter smile. “Who else could make me this nervous? Naturally, the highest one.”

Huangfu Song was visibly shaken. “Lu—”

“Shh.” Dongfang cut him off at once. “Just keep it to yourself, Brother Huangfu.”

Realizing who was coming, Huangfu Song’s expression turned solemn as well. “Understood. Official matters come first. You should go on, Brother Dongfang. Don’t delay.”

"From the rumors, this is not someone who will be easy to deal with..."

Huangfu Song nodded in agreement, about to say something more, when he suddenly froze in place.

He whipped his head around to stare at Li Fan, the shock on his face impossible to conceal.

There, the aged Li Fan sat with his eyes closed, seemingly resting. He appeared utterly indifferent to their conversation.

Is this the reason he wanted to come here? How is that possible?!

Coincidence, or...

The moment Dongfang was gone, Huangfu Song could no longer hold back. He pulled Li Fan into an empty room and shut the door.

"Kid." He lowered his voice and fixed Li Fan with a stare. "Did you already know Chief Lu was coming?"

Li Fan offered only a faint smile, neither denying nor confirming.

That was answer enough. Huangfu Song drew a sharp breath.

As a member of the Tianyu Province Strategy Array Hall, he knew all too well just how exalted Chief Lu's position truly was. Setting aside her Dao Unity cultivation, her role as the Myriad Immortals Alliance's Chief Array Master of the Strategy Array Hall, overseeing all array-related affairs across the entire Alliance, meant that crushing someone like Huangfu Song would cost her no more effort than crushing an ant.

Strictly speaking, every array master within the Strategy Array Halls of the Myriad Immortals Alliance answered to her. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

And Chief Lu was known to be anything but gentle.

After she assumed the position, every individual who had once competed with her for the role was suppressed one by one under various pretexts, then quietly erased from the world. Such naked retaliation not only failed to provoke any backlash; it was openly endorsed by the Alliance's highest decision-making body.

What followed were a series of swift, iron-fisted reforms and several brutal punishments. The result was simple: the entire Strategy Array Hall lived in fear, not daring to breathe a word of dissent.

Huangfu Song had even once heard Ji Hongdao mention offhandedly that the widespread implementation of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array had originally been proposed by Chief Lu herself.

Cold sweat crept down his brow as the countless rumors about her surfaced in his mind.

And yet, this unassuming young man before him had known of her inspection days in advance.

What did that imply?

Even if Chief Lu herself wasn’t Li Fan’s backer, they had to be closely related.

The realization made Huangfu Song’s mouth go dry.

No wonder every time I look at this kid, something feels different about him—nothing like an ordinary cultivator.

So he really does have backing. And backing this terrifyingly solid at that.

Scenes from Li Fan's past actions flashed through his mind, and everything suddenly clicked into place.

No wonder he fought so fiercely for rankings, yet remained utterly unruffled even as his lifespan dwindled away.

He was never afraid to begin with.

No wonder his reputation for selfless contribution spread so quickly, practically reaching every corner of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

It had all been planned from the start.

What “sacrifice for others?” He was simply using the opportunity to burnish his own name.

Thoughts raced through Huangfu Song’s mind, and he cursed inwardly.

Yet no matter how much he grumbled to himself, his expression instantly transformed, and a radiant smile bloomed across his face.

“Li boy—ah, forgive me. Young friend Li Fan, you truly are a venerable expert who hides his true depth!

“With connections like yours, why keep them concealed? You’re treating me far too much like an outsider!”

Li Fan’s expression did not change in the slightest. “Senior Huangfu, I’m not sure what you think you’ve deduced. But I believe you’ve misunderstood.

“I have no backing whatsoever,” he said solemnly.

Still pretending? Still acting? You’re just worried it’ll look bad if you admit it outright!

That was what Huangfu Song thought—but outwardly, he immediately nodded with a serious, understanding expression.

“I understand. I understand completely.”