A Brief Reprieve

Having witnessed firsthand the power of the ancient Xuanmen cultivators of Emei during his two trips to the South China Sea—their willingness to burn mountains and seas, and their annihilation of entire clans and demons— Li Fan felt a chill in his heart and was filled with dread.

He used to think that Profound Heaven Sword Intent's antisocial personality disorder was mainly caused by the objective background of the historical era and the lack of a warm, healthy, and positive family environment from childhood. ('Profound Heaven Sword Intent,... what?') But now it seems that all the big shots in the Xuanmen are actually domineering, ruthless, cold-blooded, and heartless. The education system and values of the Xuanmen probably have a great influence on them.

This is why, after Ink Bamboo Mountain broke ties with the Divine Sect, essentially offering a pledge of allegiance, Emei gave the Abbot extra face, inviting him to peaches and arranging a marriage alliance, speaking politely and amicably. Without the many misunderstandings and twists of fate that followed, or if Ink Bamboo Mountain's secret plans had been slightly revealed, he would likely have been obliterated by the South Bright Li Fire.

And if Emei alone is this powerful, what about the other Nine Great Xuan Sects that are on par with Emei, and the many ancient sects? What about the hidden power systems behind them? It's clear the Central Plains is incredibly dangerous. Only these foolish monsters would dare to get involved in such a perilous situation that could lead to the annihilation of entire sects. Now look at their fate! So tragic! Those pots of stew... just looking at them makes my stomach rumble...

It took a whole day and night for Ink Bamboo Mountain to manage the mutated coral sea and the nearby mutated mermaids.

It wasn't a simple matter of burning and burying them, killing them all and calling it a day. Instead, they used magic to squeeze out all the evil energy from the root, severing the life force of all living things. The remaining shriveled corpses after the evil energy was squeezed out were all carefully sealed and collected. The samples of various Devil Embryo were collected, categorized, and stored in jars and coffins of various sizes. They were wrapped in layers of ink-line talismans, paper towels, and banners, numbered, and recorded. Then, they used mechanical flying boats to fill three or four boats and transported them all back to Ink Bamboo Mountain for research.

Han the Divine Lord also watched with great interest, occasionally chatting with the Real Persons of Lou Guan, discussing and asking questions about the academic issues concerning the Tai Su Devil Embryo. When asking questions, he showed none of the imposing aura of a great god who could wipe out 100,000 demons with a wave of his hand; he was quite sincere and humble.

Ink Bamboo Mountain didn't hide anything from the Emei deity. This method of exorcising demons and dispelling evil was not a secret; all Daoist sects in the world practiced it. However, Lou Guan's side had the expertise of observing stars and qi, and they also had many experimental subjects on the five peaks of Mo Zhushan for practice. Therefore, their understanding of the Non-Thing of Devil Embryo was more profound and thorough, both in theory and practice. Thus, the True Person of Lou Guan allowed her to observe, and would occasionally bring up a coral specimen to discuss the growth habits of these Devil Embryo.

Han Xiangmo learned very quickly; she memorized the various incantations and formations after only one reading and deduced most of them. It seems that although the Three Great Sects represent the conservative forces of ancient times, they do indeed encompass the elite of the world. These Sect Leader and deities are only temporarily constrained by their own numerous inheritances, and haven't had time to master all the various Cultivation Method, which is why their research on the Tai Su Devil Embryo is lagging behind. Their progress in exploring the new Tai Su methods is not as good as that of the impoverished rogue cultivators like those from Ink Bamboo Mountain, who can only study and explore unprecedented new paths. But once they are introduced to the field and given some guidance, their speed in mastering the new methods is probably much faster than that of the 'dull-witted' rogue cultivators.

Seeing that Han the Divine Lord was very interested in the Daoist methods and procedures for dealing with the Devil Embryo at Ink Bamboo Mountain, and even asked for a Jade Pure Bottle to study it carefully, becoming so engrossed in discussing academic issues that he forgot about himself, Li Fan also dived into the sea to help clean up the battlefield.

The mutated coral sea on the surface of the sea has been largely cleaned up. Yao Xuanzhou is directing the cultivators of Ink Bamboo Mountain to break through and search for the remaining hidden Devil Embryo Non-Thing the seabed. Of course, there are also those warehouses hidden under the coral roots on the seabed. The Golden Core cultivators broke through the honeycomb-like grid formations and used magic to move the supply materials of the Demon Race army out.

Theoretically, these spoils should be divided equally between Emei and Ink Bamboo Mountain. The Demon Race's level of array formations and arithmetic is a joke in front of the orthodox Xuanmen sect. They can only create a dry and cool barrier at the bottom of the sea to store the items. Although the array formation is not sophisticated, forcibly breaking it open would destroy the contents with the seawater. And if they were to calculate the method and unravel it one by one, it would be quite time-consuming and laborious.

As an elite of the Xuanmen sect, Han the Divine Lord didn't care about the trash used by the monsters in the sea, so she didn't waste her time and let Ink Bamboo Mountain take it and carry it away.

Sigh, the Three Great Sects are really rolling in money; they have no idea how miserable it is for independent cultivators...

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent says that's not quite right. It's just that the Storage Jade has a limited quantity. Taking too much junk is just taking up opportunities and it's not worth it. Even if you bring it back to Emei from afar, you still have to refine it repeatedly to purify the demonic energy before you can use it. There's really no need to waste that effort."

However, some of the equipment is quite good. Those armored soldiers are probably made of refined gold from the seabed, enough to melt down and forge swords. I should remind Xiao Yao not to waste it...

Oh, right, you failed the test! You haven't been doing enough practice problems! Go and solve all those magic arrays yourself!

Then the silver leaf went to Yao Xuanzhou to instruct him on the matter of forging the sword...

Incidentally, it seems that after reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, one can communicate with 'objects' like the Profound Heaven Sword Intent through Divine Sense, without needing system translation anymore.

Li Fan shrugged and flew down to the bottom of the hive. He was too lazy to calculate them one by one. He just wanted to unlock the sealing array of a meat warehouse first, and then he could fill his stomach first.

He's been on drugs non-stop since he came to Lei Marsh, and hasn't eaten a proper meal. Just now, a bunch of seafood was placed in front of him, tempting him. If Han Xiongshen hadn't been standing next to him, Qiongqi would probably have gone berserk. Since the big shots are busy cleaning up the battlefield and don't have time to pay attention to him, he'll have a hearty meal of the Demon Race's military rations to fill his stomach.

So Li Fan ducked into the warehouse and quickly found a shelf full of meat from ferocious sea monsters brimming with spiritual energy. He knew it was a delicacy for the demon generals and kings. To prevent Han the Divine Lord from suddenly rushing down and seeing his demonic magic, he deliberately deactivated the magic array. He didn't fully reveal his Qiongqi Dao Body; instead, he turned his neck and twisted his head, creating a huge tiger head. Then, eight arms appeared, and he used both hands and feet to stuff all sorts of delicacies from the mountain and sea into his mouth, tearing apart flesh and blood, spilling soup and juices everywhere. He ate heartily until he finally satisfied his appetite.

Just as he was enjoying his meal, he suddenly felt a hand reach out and stroke the fur on Qiongqi's head.

"I recognize you."

Damn it! It's that toad again! It's like a persistent ghost!

Li Fan's facial hair stood on end, and he almost choked on the meat in his mouth.

Jade Toad Granny's escape technique was truly divine. She appeared without any warning or Profound Heaven Sword Intent. Li Fan was caught off guard when she sat on his shoulder.

At this moment, he could feel the Demon King in human form flicking his ear with one hand, chuckling, "You're from E Shenyu, the disciple of Mo Shan who stabbed me with a sword? I've never seen you before. You're not even at the Nascent Soul Realm yet, and you already have the Golden Dragon White Star in your hands... What, does the Grand Master want to take you as a disciple?"

Li Fan swallowed the meat in his throat, mentally preparing himself for the possibility of having his head ripped off.

But Jade Toad Granny lowered her head and sniffed carefully beside him. "This smell... boy, did you pick up a white cat?"

Li Fan frowned and cautiously pulled out the heterochromatic Persian cat from his sleeve.

Suddenly, her hand felt lighter, and the cat was snatched away by Jade Toad Granny, who held it affectionately in her arms.

"Oh! Baiyun! You really got it, hehe! I knew it, that body was harmed by your Ink Bamboo Mountain, hehe... Never mind, it's good that Baiyun is alright, hehehehe..."

Huh? Could it be... that it doesn't have the memories of that human body...?

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, his mind racing as he considered a way to escape. He coldly said, "Jade Toad Granny, now that we're in a net of heaven and earth, do you think you can escape this time? Why don't you let me raise this raccoon?"

Jade Toad Granny was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter, "What a fool! So what if you can't escape? Do you think I don't have a third body? On the contrary, there are some things happening on Ink Bamboo Mountain. If that earth-shattering deity above finds out, it will be quite a mess, won't it?"

A vein throbbed on Li Fan's forehead as his mind raced with calculations.

Although Jade Toad Granny Chan was also at the Transformation Stage, she was forced to this point, having to secretly hide in the Ling King's warehouse to steal meat to eat. This shows that her injuries had not healed, and it was impossible for her to escape from under the noses of Han the Divine Lord Master Yao again.

The idea of a triple body is made to sound so simple. But if it doesn't have the memories of that human body, even if it still possesses one Dao body, it probably has no connection to this toad here. It wouldn't want to die like this, would it?

Given Han the Divine Lord's personality, if he encountered a demon, he would most likely kill it, both body and soul. But what if something unexpected happens?

If this toad decides to fight to the death and deliberately reveals some deadly secrets, or if Han the Divine Lord captures it and searches its soul, then Emei might find out everything that Ink Bamboo Mountain has been hiding all these years.

... Unable to afford to gamble, it can simply use Li Fan as a shield to escape. Although it may not have a chance to get out, it should have enough time to expose everything about Ink Bamboo Mountain.

Although Han Xiangmo has a connection with the Beichen Sword Sect, his ex-girlfriend is a tainted relationship, isn't she? As the Divine Lord of Emei, the true core of the sect, his priority is naturally Emei's interests. And if Emei, the leader of the Three Great Sects, knew about Ink Bamboo Mountain's trump card, he had already witnessed the worst-case scenario...

Although his heart was ice-cold, Li Fan still said, "Then why don't you hurry up and make your move, leak everything out, and we'll fight each other to the death. The Three Great Sects will wipe out the entire Ink Bamboo Mountain sect, wouldn't that be just what you wanted?"

Upon hearing this, Jade Toad Granny Chan chuckled, "Why would I want to destroy Ink Bamboo Mountain? Haven't you been chasing after me all this time?"

Alright, alright, what I want is in the hands of the Grand Master, and there's still a chance to get it back. But if it falls into the hands of the Three Great Sects, I'm afraid the hope is slim. There's no reason for them to get it for nothing.

"Why don't we call it quits for now? Just pretend you never saw me, quietly take the things from the warehouse, and leave with them. Later, when no one else is around, we can settle things with each other, see who's the better fighter. Wouldn't that be better?"

Li Fan sneered, "Fine, I dare to agree, but do you dare to believe me?"

The Persian cat meowed.

Jade Toad Granny Chan laughed, "I know that the disciples chosen by Mo Shan are all righteous and righteous, the hardest to bribe with benefits, and they are not afraid of being threatened with death. Killing them directly is the cleanest and most efficient way. How about this, take this to Fatty Yao and see if he is willing to stop here."

As it spoke, it actually abandoned a black box, tossed it into Li Fan's arms, and then, in a flash, it grabbed the cat and disappeared without a trace.

Li Fan was puzzled for a moment. He looked around for a while, but he didn't know what kind of method Jade Toad Granny was using. With his current Golden Core Stage Divine Sense, he couldn't detect her at all. The black box, which was probably made of wood, seemed to be used to store scriptures.

Li Fan hesitated for a moment, then opened the box. He saw that there were indeed letters and documents inside, but after a quick glance, he didn't find any hidden weapons, poisons, talismans, or curse-like items.

Behind him came a toad's soft, ghostly chuckle, whether it was mocking his timidity or something else, he couldn't tell.

Li Fan frowned and closed the book box.

He truly hadn't expected that the Jade Toad Granny would pull such a stunt on him, actually letting him go back to deliver the message!

These are deep-seated hatreds; do you really think a few letters will grant them a way out? Or is there another set of incriminating evidence against Ink Bamboo Mountain?

I'm afraid that's true. Since Jade Toad Granny was originally a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain who betrayed her, and used to work in the inner circle, she might have a lot of dirty information about Ink Bamboo Mountain on her hands, which she might use to save her life when it matters.

But did Jade Toad Granny really think Yao Xuanzhou would spare her life based on just a few letters?

The answer is yes.

Yao Xuanzhou opened the book box and glanced at the envelope. He gasped, then seemed to suddenly understand something. He shook his head and sighed, finally closing the book box and storing it in his Storage Jade, giving Li Fan a helpless look.

It's obvious that Lei Marsh's numerous schemes and underhanded tactics have reached their limit; we won't pursue this further.

At that moment, Li Fan felt an inexplicable and intense sense of powerlessness.

This is due to both the incredibly strong presence of Han the Divine Lord on the sea surface and the complete disappearance of Jade Toad Granny beneath the seabed.

Whether in terms of strength, cultivation, or cunning, his current abilities are no match for these two Divine Transformation cultivators; he can only play a minor role, delivering messages and acting as an extra.

Even Yao Xuanzhou was no match for her. Faced with True Cultivator whose cunning, skill, and knowledge were all a level higher, he could only helplessly shut his mouth and watch as Jade Toad Granny slipped away right under the noses of all the true cultivators.

It wasn't because Jade Toad Granny was so powerful, nor because Ink Bamboo Mountain was unbeatable; it was simply because the Three Great Sects were too strong.

A war can only break out when both sides believe they have a chance of winning. But if the outcome of resistance is an obvious defeat, how many people would have the courage to challenge tyranny? Even monsters wouldn't fight.

Therefore, as long as the people from the Three Great Sects are present, all the grudges, love affairs, and conspiracies between the rogue cultivators and demons must be put aside.

Disrespectful provocations against the Three Great Sects of Xuanmen orthodox Buddhism will only bring about pure destruction.

The Tianyi Divine Palace has been away for too long and has long forgotten this principle. The South China Sea has also been separated from the Central Plains for a long time and has hardly remembered the terror that drove their ancestors out of the sea.

Perhaps this is why Emei went to great lengths to gather its elite forces to suppress the rogue cultivators and demons far away, demonstrating its power as the legitimate successor of the Central Plains, the leader of the Xuanmen sect, and the ruler of the world?

Therefore, Li Fan's adventure in the South China Sea actually came to an end the moment he met Han Xiangmo.

Although he lingered in the South China Sea for the next few days, he did not seek opportunities or hunt monsters for treasure on his own. Instead, he simply followed the group of cultivators from Ink Bamboo Mountain as Han the Divine Lord's henchmen and supporters, obeying her orders and running Fourth Department to deal with the lingering problems caused by the Demon Race invasion.

For example, after clearing out all the remaining demons and monsters, he went to E Shenyu to arrange the funeral for the Shi Family and sent a letter to summon the scattered cultivators of the Ten Continents and Seven Islands to come and participate in the funeral of the Shi Family's Seven Sacrifices.

Those who fail to come when summoned will be killed without mercy.

Of course, this wasn't the first time the Xuanmen had burned mountains and boiled seas in the South China Sea. So, apart from those die-hards who were eliminated by the Demon Race in the first place, most of the surrendering Cultivation Family immediately sent people over.

That makes perfect sense; the wind blows in both directions, and trees bend in both directions. Besides, the corpses of the Demon Race army were thrown onto E Shenyu for all to see. They wanted to come and confirm with their own eyes who the victor really was.

Upon seeing the seafood hot pot set meal served to the Demon Race army, these patriarchs, who had been wavering between two sides, readily bowed to the deity of Emei, swearing their loyalty to the Xuanmen sect.

Han the Divine Lord was too lazy to manage them. He simply reassured the various families, instructed them to manage their skills, eliminate the Demon Race, and maintain order. After all, the Xuanmen did not need the absolute loyalty of rogue cultivators; mere superficial obedience was enough.

Of course, as a reward for the Shi Family's resolute resistance against the Demon Race and the sacrifice of the entire family, Shi Kai, the orphan of the Shi Family, was accepted as Outer Sect Disciple by Emei.

In fact, when Li Fan returned Shi Feng's Zanma Knife, he asked Shi Kai if he wanted to become a disciple of the Ink Bamboo Mountain.

However, the son of the Shi Family recognized Yao Xuanzhou, so after much hesitation, he only kowtowed three times to Li Fan to express his gratitude for Li Fan's help. He was very moved, but his two uncles died at the hands of Ink Bamboo Mountain by mistake, so he planned to stay on E Shenyu to cultivate and rebuild the Shi Family one day.

That would be suicide! Who knows if the Ling King would come to kill them the moment they left? In the end, thanks to Li Fan's introduction, Shi Kai got a chance to try out the Outer Sect of Emei. No one knows what his future opportunities will be like.

But all I can say is that everything is predestined, and every sip and bite is predetermined...