Manipulating Immortals in the Palm of His Hand

Manipulating Immortals in the Palm of His Hand

Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly and gazed into the distance, his expression seeming filled with endless nostalgia.

"Although my ancestor entered the Taiyan Sect back then, he did not enjoy cultivation. Instead, he was obsessed with the arts of deduction and calculation. That would have been no issue, but then the Great Heavenly Change came, and all mortals had to migrate.

"With my ancestor's Early Qi Refining cultivation, no one could have forced him if he had been unwilling. Yet his worldly ties remained unsevered. Seeing the family members lost and terrified, he volunteered to take charge of the mortals' migration. From then on, he remained here with the family."

Li Fan spoke eloquently, his voice brimming with emotion.

As Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi listened, what he said faintly matched the various Ancient Times tales they had heard before. Both slowly nodded.

Kou Hong was even more astonished. "The Taiyan Sect still existed during the Great Migration Era? I heard before that all Ancient Times sects had perished in the earlier Great Heavenly Calamity."

Li Fan was first taken aback, then shook his head. "Nothing but rumors passed from mouth to mouth. Though the Great Heavenly Calamity made it impossible to cultivate immortal arts together, the Taiyan Sect's techniques were as vast as a sea of stars. How could it be difficult for each person to receive one? The sect suffered considerable losses back then, but there was absolutely no possibility of its destruction."

Li Fan spoke with overbearing confidence. In particular, his words, "techniques as vast as a sea of stars, each person receiving one," left Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi dazzled and entranced.

Then Li Fan suddenly asked, "From the way you two speak, it seems the Taiyan Sect has not appeared in the outside world for a long time?"

Dao Xuanzi shook his head. "Not only the Taiyan Sect. Ancient Times sects such as the Supreme Sect, Great Dao Sect, and Heaven Sword Sect have all vanished without a trace."

Hearing this, Li Fan muttered to himself, "The immortal path is difficult. Just as my ancestor said, the sects chose to hide themselves away to avoid calamity..."

Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong exchanged a glance and secretly transmitted their voices. "I had already harbored doubts about the destruction of the Ancient Times sects. Thinking about it now, there truly is something strange about it. How could sects with such profound foundations disappear overnight?"

"No wonder they chose to withdraw from the world. If word got out that those sects still existed, then no matter how powerful they were, people would probably come knocking at their doors every few days."

In an instant, the two exchanged several sentences. Then Dao Xuanzi clasped his hands. "May I ask why you stopped us, Fellow Daoist?"

Li Fan sighed. "No cultivator has set foot in this place for hundreds or thousands of years. When I saw you two today, I knew you were the people my ancestor prophesied of before his death—the opportunity for my clan to escape its predicament. When I saw you about to fight to the death over a Core Formation Skill, I hurriedly spoke up to dissuade you."

Dao Xuanzi said frankly, "You have seen us make fools of ourselves, Fellow Daoist. But perhaps you do not know that techniques are scarce in the outside world. Turning against one another and slaughtering each other over a single technique is perfectly normal."

Li Fan shook his head repeatedly. "How could it come to this?"

Dao Xuanzi asked probing, "From your tone, Fellow Daoist, could it be..."

"Indeed. Before his death, my ancestor passed down a technique that leads directly to the Golden Core Realm," Li Fan declared proudly.

Dao Xuanzi took a deep breath. "What does Fellow Daoist seek?"

Kou Hong was overjoyed. "Excellent! If Dao Xuanzi can obtain this technique, then we brothers need not fight any longer."

"My ancestor's lifelong wish was to return to the Taiyan Sect in the Cultivation World. Before his death, aside from this technique, he also passed down a magical artifact called the Taiyan Boat. Though it has already been damaged, my ancestor once used the Taiyan Divination Art to calculate that, after some years, two cultivators would come to this place. One would excel in sword arts, while the other would love Artifact Crafting. They could help his descendants repair the Taiyan Boat and escape this land of death." Li Fan took a sip of wine and spoke slowly.

Both Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi changed expression.

"My brother Kou Hong is devoted to the path of Artifact Crafting, while sword arts are precisely what I excel at. Could the Taiyan Divination Art truly be so inconceivable?" Dao Xuanzi was stunned beyond measure, only recovering his senses after a long while.

"To possess such unfathomable divine might at the Qi Refining Stage—it is truly unimaginable..." Kou Hong was likewise left dumbstruck in shock.

Li Fan smiled. After a moment, he said again, "Words alone prove nothing. Please follow me and take a look at this technique first."

Delight appeared on Dao Xuanzi's face as he rose and followed. When he saw Kou Hong also intending to come along, he immediately became wary. "What? Brother Kou Hong has already obtained a Core Formation Skill, yet you are still not satisfied?"

Kou Hong said awkwardly, "All right, then I will not go over."

Dao Xuanzi snorted coldly and hurried after Li Fan.

When Li Fan saw that Kou Hong had not followed, just as he had expected, he finally let out a sigh of relief. He knew that his plans for this life had already succeeded halfway.

He led Dao Xuanzi through a mechanism and into the underground Secret Chamber of the Grand Tutor Estate.

Dao Xuanzi was just about to enter the Secret Chamber when a chill ran down his spine, and he stopped in his tracks.

He carefully swept the surroundings with his Divine Sense, then cried out in alarm, "Immortal-Mortal Miasma!"

It turned out that Immortal-Mortal Miasma had been hidden within every mechanism above, below, and on all four sides of the Secret Chamber. Its aura was so dense that it filled Dao Xuanzi with fear.

Li Fan smiled. "One must always guard against others. We mortals have no choice but to act this way in order to protect our family's greatest treasure."

Dao Xuanzi forced a smile, but he refused to take even half a step forward. Instead, he retreated slightly.

Li Fan said nothing. He entered the Secret Chamber and took a Jade Slip from a chest.

He did not leave the Secret Chamber, merely holding it where Dao Xuanzi could see it.

This Jade Slip was precisely the "Thousand Machines Jade Ring Golden Chapter" he had obtained from Kou Hong in his previous life! That was right, Li Fan was gambling.

According to Kou Hong's account in his previous life, he had snatched the technique and fled, so Dao Xuanzi had clearly never seen the true appearance of this technique.

This was the perfect bait to make Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi help him repair the Taiyan Boat! As for if Li Fan's guess proved wrong...

The many deathsworn within the Grand Tutor Estate had long since taken their positions. If they truly could not prevail...

At worst, he would change methods in the next life! Li Fan was utterly unflustered, because he discovered that Dao Xuanzi's mind had already been completely drawn to the golden Jade Slip in his hand.

"'Thousand Machines Jade Ring Golden Chapter,' a Nascent Soul Skill—it is actually a Nascent Soul Skill..." Dao Xuanzi's breathing grew somewhat heavy, and a hint of danger even flashed through his eyes.

Yet when he saw Li Fan's faintly smiling expression, along with the subtle sense of danger emanating from the Immortal-Mortal Miasma within the Secret Chamber, Dao Xuanzi instantly came back to his senses.

"Well? Was this old man speaking the truth?" Li Fan asked with a smile. "Before your brother Kou Hong, I only said that the technique left behind by my ancestor was a Core Formation Skill, because I feared he might entertain evil intentions again."

"Fellow Daoist's thoughts are meticulous. I am impressed," Dao Xuanzi said, looking as though he wholeheartedly agreed.

Then he said excitedly, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist. My brother Kou Hong is proficient in Artifact Crafting. I will certainly persuade him to give his full assistance in repairing the Taiyan Boat."

Li Fan laughed heartily. "Then I will leave it to you. Once it is done, I will certainly present this technique with both hands."

With longevity now within sight, Dao Xuanzi wished he could immediately drag Kou Hong over and begin the work.

Reluctantly watching Li Fan put away the technique and close the Secret Chamber, Dao Xuanzi impatiently went to find Kou Hong.