Who Was the Winner?

"Ah! Their primordial spirits have been shattered? Why, why is this happening?! Why would fellow disciples be so ruthless?! What's going on?! Why are we all suddenly killing each other and betraying our sect?! Why—"

Before, although there was backstabbing and infighting, it was just grumbling and cursing, at least we could lie down and relax. Now, suddenly a group of people rushed in and said that your eight senior brothers had killed each other, their souls scattered and their bodies left no trace, and they could never rise again. The last hope of Penglai rests on you! Stop lying down and sit up!

Zhou Chengxue truly couldn't understand it at all; he was inexplicably being dragged away by the elders of the Shenzhen Palace.

Li Fan was also surprised. This guy surnamed Cheng, is he Cheng Chengzhi from the Gaozhen Palace? He's really decisive, directly betraying his sect and running away.

So, it turns out that Cheng's harassment of him back then was all an act? Thinking about it, he'd just been ordered by Shi Zai to disrupt Penglai, and then Liu Chengzong publicly warned him not to take the blame for others. Naturally, he'd realize his identity had been exposed and things were going badly. Without hesitation, he'd smashed his own grandson to smithereens in public, using that as an excuse to escape. That's really ruthless...

Li Fan was distracted and suddenly realized that the group of old men were about to leave with Zhou Chengxue in tow! No one was even paying attention to him! He quickly followed, chasing after Yi Si Shenjun, asking, "Palace Master! Palace Master! What about me? What about me?"

Before Yi Si Shenjun could speak, Godly Monarch impatiently said, "This is none of your business. It has been confirmed that Lingzhen's Shizai defected to the Demonic Sect and scattered the souls of the disciples. It seems that he also has help among the Inner Sect disciples. Therefore, we need to ask about the Demonic Sect's spies one by one, starting with Chengxue."

Li Fan asked repeatedly, "Could it be that the cult spy we captured before confessed and wronged Senior Brother Zhou? I'm willing to go along to testify and confront him face to face!"

His question made the old men's faces fall. Yi Si Shenjun hesitated for a moment, but glancing at Zhou Chengxue, who was still completely unaware, he spoke up in front of the two men, "That Demonic Sect spy... he escaped."

Li Fan was stunned. "He ran away? Palace Master, you must be kidding me. There are countless experts in Penglai. How could he possibly escape?"

At this moment, all the gods wore expressions of grief and indignation, along with a somewhat embarrassed and ashamed look.

Yi Si Shenjun softly, "They say... the guard eloped with him..."

The three old men immediately exploded, roaring in a fit of rage.

"Absurd! Absurd indeed!"

"What happened at Fanghu?! How could something like this happen?!"

"A dignified first-grade Divine Transformation artifact spirit actually eloped with a brat from a demonic sect! Unheard of! Absolutely unheard of!"

"Well... actually, the message left by the Sumera Treasure Mirror said that he was just an ordinary mortal. The two of them developed feelings for each other over time in the illusion and truly fell in love, so she couldn't bear to see him like that..."

"Bah! You mere mortal! How could a mortal possibly seduce the most precious treasure of Penglai!"

"It must be a master of the Ten Absolute Demonic Sect, at the level of a Dharma King! Only someone with the Primordial Spirit Technique could seize the soul of the Sumera Treasure Mirror!"

"You ruined my grand plan! Destroyed my foundation! Bombed my alchemy workshop! Killed my Daoist disciple! Stole my magical treasures! Ahhh! My Nine Truth Sect and the Ten Absolute Demonic Sect are sworn enemies! We will not rest until their entire clan is wiped out!!"

Seeing his grandmasters' impotent rage, Yi Si Shenjun was helpless. Then, as if remembering something, he slipped a jade pendant to Li Fan, "... In short, that Sumera Treasure Mirror is the sacred artifact of our Penglai sect, further blessed by the talismans of past patriarchs, possessing boundless power. It's just unexpected that she, after careful selection, actually recognized an outsider as her master. Alas, if she wants to escape, I'm afraid it will be very difficult to find her again..."

"By the way, the sect leader has now declared that all palaces must step forward and send people to seal off the sea and search the area where Xu Chengyang's accident occurred, looking for any clues that can deduce the cause and effect." Li Tang, since you have nothing to do, take my jade pendant and go down the mountain to represent the Shenzhen Palace to assist him.

So Li Fan was left alone in the Shenzhen Palace, staring blankly as the Divine Transformation experts of the Shenzhen Palace transformed into sword rainbows, carrying Zhou Chengxue to the horizon. He felt a chill in the wind, a lot of complaints welling up inside him, but he didn't know how to express them. In the end, he could only blurt out one sentence.

"Damn... you guys are all incredibly lucky..."

Well, although Li Fan's luck was fought for, it doesn't seem bad. So, the clone of Red-Haired Ghost Li Tang can now legitimately emerge from seclusion.

His previous clone had already cleaned up the crime scene, and it was Shi Zai who devoured the primordial spirits of the Penglai elites, so Li Fan had nothing to worry about. Taking the opportunity, he went directly to the Yulin Manor to check on the injuries of his main body.

To be fair, although the main body was quite badly injured this time, with sword wounds all over its body and severed limbs, the problem is actually not serious.

Because the severed hands and feet have been retrieved, and a clone was sacrificed to repair them, along with the Thousand-Faced Immortal's Dao Body, combined with the <<Jade Pure Jade Quality Flawless Escape>>, the original body is now buried like a cicada pupa under the octopus nest in the Yulin Manor. It is repairing its Dao Body with the evil energy of the Divine Sect and the spiritual energy of the Spiritual Spring, and there are currently no major problems.

However, in the final stage, a direct confrontation between the primordial spirits, resulting in the death of a Divine Transformation, is bound to cause damage.

Although his mood cap reached 17.6k, three of the Five Mountain Gods Bodies were dismantled and used as Yuan Shen swords. Moreover, Gui Xu Nascent Soul and Qiong Qi Yuan Shen were also severely damaged, and Kun's buttocks were burned off. There were a lot of wounded in the Divine Court. In the end, Li Fan himself completely collapsed and fainted. It is possible that he will not wake up for three or four years.

Now that the fatal injury to his Dao body has been stabilized, Li Fan plans to use his clone to carry out the second step of rescue. He will set up a Revered Heavenly Demon Array and have his main body Moon Worship to help his Returning Gui Xu Nascent Soul recover as soon as possible. After all, this clone was created using the special effects of his Dao Robe, and it would dissipate immediately if it suffered a fatal injury. Moreover, it is also consuming Returning Void True Essence, so he cannot delay any longer.

Unfortunately, this clone had no magical cultivation; it was merely a copied body with a few muscles. Therefore, Li Fan couldn't use any escape techniques and had to swim underwater. But what he didn't expect was that when Li Fan slowly swam to the vicinity of the Yulin Manor, he suddenly saw three Sword Light disappear into the sea and land directly in the manor!

Li Fan was shocked. What was going on? Someone had gotten there before him! Could it be... there was a cult spy among them?!

No, thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. The things about Xun Kingdom Zhen Country were actually done by Axiba and Li Fan! And the arrangements at the Yulin Manor were probably Shizai's doing! Now that Shizai's involvement with the Divine Cult has been exposed, the octopus eggs, unicorn horn, magic sword, and golden skull shrine array in the manor will be exposed sooner or later.

Therefore, if there are still inner chambers of the Divine Sect in the Three Mountains of Penglai, they will definitely take advantage of the last opportunity for the Dao Lords to investigate the internal strife of the Cheng generation and the last opportunity for the Nine Palaces disciples to leave the mountain to search, to move the Divine Sect's magical Magic Treasure in the Yulin Manor!

Although Li Fan had figured out the reason for this, he was now in a rather troublesome situation.

Judging from the Sword Light, these three inner members of the sect should only be at the Golden Core stage, at most Outer Sect Disciple. Therefore, they were completely unaware that Li Fan was nearby. But Sword Light! These guys all have flying swords! And Li Fan's current body is an avatar! He doesn't even have any magic power; one hit and he'll disintegrate!

Damn it, his main body won't wake up for a while. If only his plasma cannon and teleportation sword were still around... Oh, right, he has a lot of other weird and wonderful things, so we could still put up a fight.

So Li Fan took out the last set of protective clothing left by the Divine Sect and the complete set of armor from the Shenzhen Palace, put them on, held the Huan family fish spear in one hand and a Golden Brick in the other, tucked the Hundred Bone Fan and a Qiongqi talisman into his waistband, held the dog flying disc in his mouth, cast an invisibility talisman, and sneaked into the Yulin Manor.

Just as Li Fan had suspected, these were three Outer Sect Disciples of Penglai Sect. However, it was uncertain whether they were spies from the Divine Cult. They seemed unaware of the massacre of the Yulin Manor and were Fourth Department searching for Yulin Lao's whereabouts. Perhaps they were simply visiting a friend...

Li Fan, hiding in the back, heard a cultivator holding a ram's horn say, "There isn't a single Spirit Race. There's also no trace of heavenly demons around. I've been blowing my beast horn for a long time, but I can't summon even a single guardian."

A cultivator, dressed in a tattered and unrefined manner, with a fish-scale breastplate covered in runes and a sword strapped to his back, exclaimed anxiously, "What's going on! Could it be that Penglai has already discovered the layout of this place?!"

The person leading the group was dressed in Penglai Daoist robes, seemingly an Outer Sect Disciple. He held a talisman in his hand and was the youngest, but he looked to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. "Calm down. The talisman isn't damaged, which means the altar is still intact. That old scoundrel probably heard that something had happened and lost his courage, so he fled with his family!"

The armored rogue cultivator cursed angrily, "Hmph! They talk so loudly about reviving the Spirit Race, but when it comes to actual combat, they're as cowardly as mice! They're more trouble than they're worth!"

The leading Penglai disciple was also dissatisfied with the Yulin Manor's 'desertion in the face of battle,' saying, 'I'm afraid the magic Magic Treasure used to activate the formation was taken away. We don't have time to waste; we must immediately perform the ritual to break the seal!'

It seemed there was no one to be wrongly accused. The three Golden Core cultivators went directly to the Qilin mural. Working together, they set up a magic array, performed hand seals and incantations to break the seal.

Li Fan followed behind, and seeing that things were going so smoothly, he was overjoyed. He crept closer and, before the three of them could activate the magic array, he made his move!

A brick was thrown, hitting the Outer Sect Disciple squarely on the back of the head, causing his brains to splatter and him to die instantly.

With a single throw, the spear pierced the back of the uncultured and unskilled cultivator's head, embedding him in the wall.

He spat out a breath, and the dog-shaped frisbee flew to the ram-horned monk's face, and then...

A hand reached out from the void, extending two fingers, and caught the dog frisbee.

Those fingers were thin and long; though called fingers, they seemed more like bones covered by a layer of skin.

Huh?

Then it manifested out of the void, waved its sleeve, and swept away the Golden Core cultivator who had no idea what was happening.

"What's the rush? Can't we wait until they open the door?"

"It doesn't matter anyway, those demon eggs are probably hidden here."

Li Fan was startled and turned his head sharply, seeing an old man and a young boy, two Penglai cultivators dressed the same as the one who had manifested, exuding the same aura, walking out of the void.

Cold sweat instantly seeped out from Li Fan's back.

The Three Daoist Masters of Penglai Mountain...

Damn! Hiding behind someone's back is a tradition in Penglai, huh?!

The Manifestation Dao Lord examined the dog-shaped frisbee in his hand from side to side, frowning. "What is this thing?"

Li Fan broke out in a cold sweat. "It was a dog... uh, the plate of food. I was trying to get its attention, and then I snapped its head off..."

The Manifestation Dao Lord glared at Li Fan, tossed the dog-shaped frisbee back, and Li Fan hurriedly caught it. He was panicking like a ghost; he was doomed. His true form was hidden under the altar by the door. Three Dao Lords, playing ball...

"That's fine, Li Tang. You stay here and lie in ambush. Don't Door Opening."

"Yes... ah, ah? Not opening?" Li Fan suddenly raised his head.

The manifestation reached out and beckoned the talisman from the Outer Sect Disciple's hand, glanced at it, and then made a calculation with his fingers towards the jade unicorn mural.

"Once the seal is broken, the spies lurking inside will be alerted and scatter like birds and beasts. You will stay here and keep watch. If anyone comes, knock them all out and capture them."

The other two Dao Lords nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's lure them out and catch them all in one fell swoop."

"Tsk tsk, manifestation, you're still the most cunning one."

Li Fan watched as the three Dao Lords swiftly cleaned up the murder scene, erasing all the bloodstains before disappearing into the void. A cold sweat poured down Li Fan's body.

'Don't worry, they're gone again, in the blink of an eye.'

' Li Fan, actually your luck isn't bad either.'

Li Fan slumped down against the Qilin wall, his legs weak.

How insidious...

Penglai...

How insidious...

Seven days later, Li Fan returned to Penglai with dark circles under his eyes. Yes, he had dispelled his clone and reverted to his original form.

Although he could get a system alert, Li Fan didn't dare to be careless in the slightest because he didn't know if the three Dao Lords might be hiding in the shadows using other Magic Treasure artifacts or props. He dared not Moon Worship anymore, and with his heart in suspense, he naturally couldn't rest properly.

Finally, the original body, struggling against its drowsiness, crawled out of the soil, transformed into a Kun, and swam out through the passage of the spring.

The clone guarded the mountain for seven days without capturing any more traitors before receiving the jade talisman order to return.

If there had been even the slightest mistake, Li Fan would have been finished, but he managed to fool everyone in the end. It can only be said that his luck wasn't exceptionally good, but it certainly wasn't bad either.

"Achoo--yawn--" Although he really wanted to go to sleep, Li Fan knew that if he slept, it would definitely be 'four or five years later', so he had no choice but to force himself to come back.

"Li Lang, you're back! You look so haggard. Let me give you a massage." As soon as he entered, he saw Xiao Yushi instructing several maids on how to cultivate their inner energy.

"Okay, okay, but it has to be serious, not the inappropriate kind. My back is really sore from coming here so many times these past few days... Who are they?" Li Fan could tell at a glance that these were the remaining women of the Huan family. The one with the injured eye had also been healed. Of course, being able to produce a miraculous medicine like the Donghua Changchun Pill, Penglai's medical skills were definitely not lacking; it was a piece of cake. It seemed that the manifestation was giving them face.

"What's this about being proper or improper?" Xiao Yushi spat at Li Fan, then snuggled into Li Fan arms and acted coquettishly. "They're from the Huan family, they said the sect specially sent them to serve me. Honestly, the Huan and Xiao families have a feud from many years ago. I was just mentioning it casually, I didn't mean for you to have such thoughts. Alright, I appreciate your kindness, but they're also pitiful, don't bully them."

With the soft jade in his arms, Li Fan accepted it with a smile, offering no further explanation, but inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief.

Having finally completed half of the mission, and seeing that Xiao Yushi had some fellow sufferers to keep her company in this foreign land, that's perfect. We can use Xiao Yushi to return the Huan family's legacy, which would be a great achievement. However, the Huan family only has a few young girls now, and the South China Sea is rife with pirates and chaos. It's best to wait until they've temporarily taken refuge in Penglai and gained some cultivation before sending them back to Golden Scale Island.

Unfortunately, before Xiao Yushi could help him relax properly, the summons from the Shenzhen Palace arrived again.

"Greetings, Palace Master. It's not that I'm late, it's that the Sect Leader pulled me away to do a mission halfway through..." Li Fan didn't stand on ceremony, following the tradition of Penglai, always blaming the manifestation for any problems.

Lord Yisi waved his hand, "I know. The sect leader said you made a great contribution to Penglai this time and is willing to accept you into the inner sect of Zhizhen Palace, with the title 'Great Tang'. What do you think?"

Li Fan was stunned, not expecting that this guy would actually keep his word.

Yi Si Shenjun probably thought that Li Fan was bewildered that he could enter the Inner Sect, and even the lineage of the sect leader of the Zhenzhen Palace, after only two months of joining the sect, so he explained...

"Li Tang, you assisted in investigating the affairs within the sect, which was witnessed by the three Dao Lords and acknowledged by all the Divine Lords of the Palaces. We have no objection to accepting you as an Inner Sect."

However, my Shenzhen Palace's disciple is already the only one left in the sect. If we were to bring you into the Inner Sect as well, it would be taking too much advantage of us. That's why I'm asking your opinion on whether you'd like to transfer to the Zhenzhen Palace.

Although I am only a disciple registered in name with the sect leader, not a true successor, my treatment and etiquette are no different from those of a true Inner Sect disciple. Of course, if you can strive hard, study diligently, and master the five arts, then perhaps a few hundred years later, you could become a true disciple, hehe."

... Although that last "hehe" was a bit annoying, being able to freely enter and exit the mountain-protecting formation—isn't that the best thing?

"Yes, I am willing to follow the Palace Master's arrangements! I, Red-Haired Ghost Li Tang, am a righteous man. Even if I am transferred to the Zhenzhen Palace, I will always remember the earnest teachings of the ancestral masters of the Shenzhen Palace! I will never let you down! I will definitely contribute to the development of Penglai and create new glories! By the way, I haven't congratulated Brother Zhou on his promotion to Daozi yet. I wonder if he..."

"It's good that you agreed. Don't worry about him anymore. Now that we've investigated, the last traitor is Cheng Chengzhi, who is on the run. The sect has already notified Yuntai Peak and requested the Xuanmen Immortal Palace to assist in his capture."

However, the Zong and De generations are still lacking in skill, and the Cheng generation only has Chengxue to carry the torch. But the pills on Yuntai Peak cannot be neglected, so he has to travel back and forth between the three mountains to refine pills. You won't see him for a while."

Damn, you guys are really squeezing every last sheep out of the flock! Looks like being the last one left on the list isn't necessarily a good thing after all...

Lord Yisi was somewhat embarrassed, but also seemed relieved. "There's no other way; the sect is short-handed right now... Anyway, it's good that you agreed. From now on, you are Li Datang, an inner disciple of the Supreme Nine True Sect and the Palace of Supreme Truth. Your Daoist certificate and talisman have already been prepared for you."

Li Fan was taken aback. Over there, the Yi Si Shenjun had already presented him with a set of Daoist robes, along with Daoist certificates, talismans, and jade pendants. Before Li Fan could even express his gratitude, another set of gold-stamped documents, jade tablets, and jade gourds was pushed over from the other side.

"In addition, the two hundred Donghua Changchun Pills in this gourd are a reward from the sect leader for your task. There is also the seal of the Zhenhai Zhenren of Penglai Mountain, which was a task Chengxue was assigned to. He is currently extremely busy, and these tasks cannot be left undone. Since the sect cannot spare any manpower at the moment, they have all been transferred to you, Great Tang."

Li Fan was stunned again. He picked up the booklet and flipped through it. He saw that it was full of daily tasks such as patrolling the sea to collect rent, disaster relief and demon extermination, herb gathering and mining, house repair and array setting, and spirit beast breeding. Moreover, new tasks kept popping up from the back of the book. There were no tasks for almost half a month, and they were still being updated. The huge pile of tasks left him dumbfounded!

"Oh, this..."

Yi Si Shenjun smiled and said, "Alright, I'm handing everything over to you now. Great Tang, strive for excellence, the sect has high hopes for you. If anything comes up, handle it yourself. If you can't handle it, go find the manifestation of your Zhenzhen Palace. Don't disturb my cultivation unless it's absolutely necessary."

Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he drove Li Fan out of the palace gate.