What is this... He Zhenghao has broken through to the late-stage Foundation Establishment realm?

Li Fan was somewhat surprised.

Only a little over two months. That’s even faster than in the previous life.

What happened?

After checking the surveillance recordings of He Zhenghao stored within the Dao Transformation Stone crystal, Li Fan couldn't help but chuckle wryly.

Recently, He Zhenghao had truly been riding a wave of success.

News of how he had “defied fate” after receiving guidance from a “senior of the Heavenly Mechanisms Sect” had spread like wildfire across the Congyun Sea.

Because he had previously cultivated the Mountain-Sitting Art, He Zhenghao had started building connections and goodwill very early. Coupled with his genuine talent in arrays, his relationships with the array masters of the Strategy Array Hall were solid.

Though still only a Foundation Establishment cultivator, He Zhenghao’s network of personal connections had become impressively strong.

In Li Fan’s previous life, it was thanks to He Zhenghao that he had managed to join the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

This time, by sheer stroke of luck, He Zhenghao had switched to a Nascent Soul technique perfectly suited to him.

To anyone watching, it was obvious: barring a major mishap, He Zhenghao’s breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm was all but guaranteed.

A Nascent Soul array master with strong social skills—his status had shifted completely in the eyes of the Congyun Sea’s cultivators.

Visitors arrived in endless streams, and He Zhenghao welcomed them all with beaming smiles and unflagging hospitality. So many congratulatory gifts arrived that his hands grew tired from receiving them, and his mood soared.

His cultivation progressed in leaps and bounds, swiftly advancing to the late-stage Foundation Establishment realm.

Naturally, the visiting cultivators began probing for information about that “ancient Heavenly Mechanisms Sect cultivator.” After all, who wouldn’t be envious of someone who managed to double their fortunes overnight? Everyone naturally hoped to latch onto the senior’s coattails.

At first, He Zhenghao deflected with vague excuses: “I haven’t contacted him recently,” or “I haven’t seen that senior in a long time.”

But as the inquiries grew more frequent and came from higher-status cultivators, He Zhenghao began to buckle under the pressure.

His steadfast refusal to reveal even a fragment of information drew dissatisfaction, and accusations of “hogging the opportunity” began circulating.

Even Chu Ming, the Administration Hall Nascent Soul cultivator who had referred Li Fan to the Myriad Immortals Alliance after receiving He Zhenghao’s request, started questioning him after repeatedly failing to reach Li Fan.

Heaven knew He Zhenghao truly had no idea where Li Fan had gone. He couldn't reach him through the Tianxuan Mirror, and Li Fan had not even left a communication spirit talisman.

Facing mounting pressure from cultivators across the Congyun Sea, He Zhenghao was practically on the verge of tears from anxiety.

He longed to slap his past self from two months ago. Why did you have to go around boasting to everyone?!

Watching the constant stream of greetings and inquiries in the Tianxuan Mirror, the corner of Li Fan’s mouth curved slightly.

Let the atmosphere simmer a little longer; it’s almost ready.

Five million contribution points will be enough for the first phase of my plan. But for now, Fellow Daoist He will have to hold the fort a little longer.

Li Fan then shifted his perception to check on the situation with the Foundation Establishment Master.

Li Chenfeng had returned, accompanied by a veiled woman in a green gown.

The three of them treated this woman with utmost reverence, addressing her as

“Holy Master.”

Since arriving in the Xuanhuang World, this Holy Master had never left a certain secret chamber on the island. When Li Chenfeng entered and exited the chamber, Li Fan caught glimpses of her manipulating a device resembling an armillary sphere.[1]

Holy Master? Li Fan mused inwardly. Interesting. It just so happens that the agreed three months are up. This “envoy of the Myriad Worlds Coalition” shall go and meet her then.

Li Fan sensed no danger from this woman in green. Instead, a faint, elusive sense of familiarity brushed against his awareness. It was so faint that even after scouring the memories stored within his Dao Transformation Stone, he couldn't pinpoint its source.

This only deepened his intrigue.

He immediately shifted back to his appearance from that day and sped toward the destination. Before long, he arrived above the island. Looking down, he saw Li Chenfeng and the other two already waiting at the entrance.

"Senior, please follow us," Li Chenfeng said in a low voice, leading Li Fan into the secret chamber.

Li Fan's expression remained neutral, but inwardly, his guard was up. He fixed his gaze on the woman seated not far away, her features obscured.

"And this is?" he asked.

"I am just an old woman entrusted by the Imperatrix to verify whether the so-called 'Immortal Ruins' are real," the woman in green replied. Though she referred to herself as "old," her voice was clear and melodious, like that of a young girl.

"Oh? And have you determined anything?" Li Fan asked with interest, studying the device before her.

At its center, a golden sphere remained motionless, while numerous spheres of varying colors orbited it erratically along different trajectories.

The woman in green shook her head slightly with a sigh. "It seems something is obscuring the existence of the Immortal Ruins. Detection is impossible. However, it is true that this place has grown even more anomalous."

Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly. "This place is more anomalous?"

With a wave of her hand, the woman stored the device away. "This is the Void Latitude-Longitude Positioning Instrument, an apparatus that took the Empire several millennia to complete. It is capable of marking and locking onto one's position within the boundless void, as well as surveying and mapping the surrounding environment.

"It was originally intended for departing from the Xuanhuang Realm and navigating voyages through the void. Using it now to probe the Immortal Ruins is, in a way, putting it to good use."

Li Fan listened quietly as she spoke.

"Here, the Xuanhuang World, the main world..." A flicker of nostalgia passed through the woman's eyes. "The data mapped by the positioning instrument is completely chaotic. It's as if there’s a massive distortion field warping spacetime and interfering with the measurements.

“Theoretically, the observational results are consistent with your description of an all-devouring Immortal Ruins."

Li Fan said coldly, "I have no reason to deceive you in this matter."

The woman in green gave a faint smile. "No, you have indeed deceived us."

Li Fan's gaze sharpened, his heart tightening abruptly. "What do you mean?"

The woman looked toward the sky of the Xuanhuang World and said slowly,

"Because even if the Immortal Ruins truly exist," she said, "Our Empire will not be devoured by it after we are separated from the Xuanhuang World.

"And it's not just us. None of the many minor worlds captured by the Ten Immortal Dao Sects in the past will meet such a fate either."

Li Fan remained silent.

The woman in green continued, her voice calm and deliberate. "The reason is simple: we do not exist in the same spacetime as the Xuanhuang World at all.

"We are connected only by the Immortal-Severing Passageway.

"If we cut that link, we will attain complete freedom.

"While the Xuanhuang World... will ultimately face annihilation."

1. armillary sphere — an ancient astronomical instrument used to model celestial movements ☜