Trivial Matters

Has Zhang Dali... already been eliminated by the company?

Or is there some other plan in store, a feigned death to escape, like Xuan Tian before, disappearing without a trace?

Didn't he say he had already mastered the <Enlightenment Scroll>? Surely he didn't just boast before he died?

Li Fan was also unable to judge. He simply couldn't understand this kind of battle at the level of enlightenment. He could only see various flashes of light, and then it was all over.

However, given this situation, it's no wonder the system was keeping it from him, insisting on waiting until he achieved enlightenment before signing the contract. Now Li Fan understands. There's no other way; achieving enlightenment is like being an ant, and without enlightenment, one is nothing but a paramecium. Fighting against the system is a joke; it's completely useless.

Whether you're a Dao Lord, a Dharma King, or a Celestial Emperor, I can wipe out your company with a single shot—that's how domineering I am!

Perhaps the limit that the Taiji Realm can accommodate, the realm of Feather Transformation Immortal, is, within the company's system of reference, no more than a dangerous wild animal?

Perhaps only those Tai Su Dao Ancestor and Non-Thing Devil Embryo, according to the Mood System, are considered 'unknown viruses,' and the risk to the civilization on the system's side is still uncertain. But honestly, given the current environment of the Taiji Realm, there isn't much malevolent energy to use. Those Non-Thing and Demon Gods can be easily dealt with even by Li Fan, and they pose no real threat to the company.

Therefore, all things considered, the strongest force in this world is still the company backed by the system civilization. The Three Great Sects are manipulated by them, and the two peripheral systems, Mood and Legion, are simply incomparable.

Unfortunately, Li Fan's first close encounter with the company resulted in murder and theft of silk. He figured that given the company's current modus operandi, they probably wouldn't let him off easily. Perhaps the fate of Dali and the God Lord was just around the corner for him!

To be honest, it seems these Cultivation Method from the Divine Cult are truly professional for escaping and resurrection! But even the Blood God Child Great Law can't withstand the company's attacks. Perhaps it would be better to abandon these techniques and start refining the Blood Demon Great Path Body...?

However, Li Fan was certain that even a powerful company like his wouldn't be so bored as to use an orbital cannon to attack a half-crippled Nascent Soul Stage cultivator like him. Unless they were really burning money, in which case a single shot could shatter a section of Yinshan Mountain without warning, and even Dali couldn't escape, then no matter how much Li Fan struggled, there would be nothing he could do.

Moreover, he has now been tricked by Dali, his abdomen has been disemboweled, and all his vital essence has been drained. His condition is really bad. If another Armored Soldier he encountered before falls from the sky, it would probably be enough to deal with him.

Even without sending people specifically to hunt them down, this vast icy plain is teeming with demons and wild beasts, and if you encounter any particularly powerful ones, it will likely be difficult to defeat them.

So Li Fan accepted it and stayed put to heal his wounds. After all, even if there was real danger, at least he had the Sun Sword Array here to fight back; surely it wasn't like there were Blood God Child possessing bodies everywhere?

So Li Fan first collected Brother Yan's remains. Li Fan also glanced at the sword box in Yan Shixiong's arms, and to his surprise, the sword box was empty.

There were no sword pellets, no divine skills, not even any fancy inscriptions or scriptures; just an empty sword box, which he clutched to his chest like a treasure. Perhaps it was a tribute to Xuan Tian...

So Li Fan wrapped the remains and the sword box together in his robe and put them away, waiting until nightfall.

The False Moon finally appeared, but Li Fan stared at Moon for a long time without being able to go to the Tai Su Realm.

Ah... so this is what geniuses are like...

However, with the nourishing evil energy provided by the False Moon, Li Fan was able to recover again. Besides, there was no point in just lying there basking in the Moon, so he simply opened the <Scroll of Diligent Practice and Enlightenment> and started reading.

Tsk, I still don't understand...

Although Li Fan had collected quite a few celestial books, such as the "Key Scroll" and the "Mount Tai Scripture," he himself couldn't understand what these scriptures were talking about. To use an inappropriate analogy, even the teachings of the Xuantian Sect were better than these celestial books!

Honestly, no matter what, the teaching level of the Xuanmen sect is still acceptable. At least Li Fan can follow the instructions, practice breathing exercises, regulate his breath and circulate his Qi, and know what to do first and what to do next.

But these heavenly books are just obscure and difficult-to-understand characters, without even punctuation marks. They are incomprehensible to read, and if you look at them for too long, you will feel dizzy and your eyes will blur. They are clearly the ravings of a madman, without any logic at all!

Oh, it really does seem to have been written by a madman...

Therefore, Li Fan really couldn't understand why the elite cultivators of the Three Great Sects, whose own Cultivation Method took hundreds of years to perfect, would find that the Heavenly Book of the Luo Sect was faster to cultivate than the Xuanmen methods.

Even though he couldn't understand it, Li Fan could still memorize it by rote. He could treat these words as code, force himself to memorize them, and upload them to the system.

However, one thing is certain: Qiongqi's clone's memory is indeed worse than Li Yi's original body. It took eight or nine readings to barely memorize it, whereas before it could read ten lines at a glance and had an unforgettable memory! It seems that Li Yi's body still holds some secrets that have yet to be unlocked...

Just as Li Fan was engrossed in studying the Dao Enlightenment Scroll, a thought suddenly struck him, Blood Infant fell out of the void and gestured at Li Fan.

Oh, the main body has made contact with the system.

Li Fan's mind went blank, his soul left his body, and before his eyes flickered with light and shadow. The 'Yinshan' reappeared before him.

Of course, the real Yinshan Mountain has already been blown up. This is the set of the encrypted chat room of the mood system. Yang Fish Boy stands in front of Li Fan with a serious expression.

"Li Fan, something terrible has happened! The company has just taken action!"

Li Fan, "... Oh."

"You don't understand the seriousness of the problem! The company actually deployed a cruiser!"

Li Fan: "Oh, so you guys call that thing a cruiser..."

"Yes, that thing is... what do you mean? Which thing?"

So Li Fan and the Pisces Boy first exchanged information, sharing the general plot of the period when the system communication was interrupted. They also asked for paper and pen, and before he could forget all the scriptures in his mind, he immediately wrote down the <Scroll of Diligent Practice and Enlightenment> from memory.

Sigh, Daoist Qiongqi's primordial spirit stumbled and struggled for a long time before finally memorizing it. When he silently recited it using his original body and primordial spirit, can you believe that he wrote it with Yang Fish Boy was still silent?

Okay, fine, I'm a genius, that's all...

Seeing that the two fish were still deep in thought, Li Fan took the opportunity to check their mood.

Current mood: 10.2k/10.2k. Energy fully charged, ready to draw prizes. All three flowers are gone.

Li Fan flipped through the pages and saw that after killing the Blood God Child, his mood limit was 10.8k. Later, he cultivated two Pure Void Primordial Spirits, each consuming 1200 mood limit points. Then, with the Dao Body possessed by Qiongqi, he broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage Foundation Establishment Formation, resulting in a total increase of 1800 mood limit points.

Okay, then I'll do a lottery on my main body later, quickly learn some more Ink Mountain Cultivation Method through body-splitting, and then refresh the Three Flowers skill again... Damn, leveling up two accounts in rotation is already a bit overwhelming...

At this moment, the Yang Fish Boys exchanged a glance, and the Yang Fish Boy said, "Li Fan, now that you've already contacted the company, is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

There were so many of them, it was like a mountain!

Li Fan thought for a moment, "I now feel that Li Yi's original body is extremely valuable. It seems that the risk of stealing the raw silk this time is really too high. And what if one day the secret is exposed and that cruiser chases us to Ink Bamboo Mountain and wipes out our entire family? Do you have any way to deal with that?"

Yin Fish Tongzi said, "They won't do that. If they wipe out the entire sect, where will they find those remaining followers? Besides, the company has been eyeing the resources in Ink Bamboo Mountain for a long time. I don't think they'll go so far as to directly attack and wipe out the entire sect. At most, they'll target you personally."

Li Fan, "..."

Yang Fish Tongzi thought for a moment, "Are you studying the programming tutorials I gave you before? They include script tutorials on camouflaging signals and concealing your whereabouts. We also kept the information about the company's previous attempts to hack into us. We'll update the puppet later, so as long as you carry the puppet with you, you can avoid being discovered by the company to some extent."

Okay, that means there are a whole bunch more tutoring options now...

"What exactly is the use of those silk threads?"

Yang Fish Tongzi shook his head. "I don't know. I need to get the sample research data before I can speculate on its uses. And to be honest, the company has been operating in this world for so long, and to be able to secretly maintain a cruiser in full working order, it probably has a well-established production base. With a production line of this scale, there are just too many things the company can do. I can't even guess."

Li Fan: "... So you're a psychological counseling company, and they're an arms factory, right?"

Yin Fish Tong Zi: "Hahaha, you underestimate the company too much. It's a large enterprise that can bid for a whole plane, a proper universe-level corporate empire! An arms factory, you say!"

Li Fan: "... Then why are you making such a fuss over a cruiser...?"

The two boys exchanged a glance, and then Yang Fish said, "We're not surprised by the cruiser itself, we're surprised that the ship could be deployed. From your description, the gamma-ray cannon on that ship is military-grade and can already cause irreversible and permanent modifications to the ecosystem of Earth-like planets."

Therefore, according to the regulations on the safety management of military systems, this type of weapon, which can be classified as a destroyer-level weapon, cannot be used automatically by intelligent auxiliary systems alone. The final launch command must be authorized by a taxpayer citizen."

Yin Fish said, "In other words, there is a full-time employee on this earth who possesses full citizenship rights and a senior professional title in the company."

Li Fan was taken aback and was about to speak when Yin Fish interrupted him, "The one you killed was an android, a expendable grunt used to wear SBS and fight in close combat. He wasn't even an Apostle."

Yang Fish Tongzi crossed his arms, his brows furrowed. "Could it be that the company's special envoy has already arrived? But it can't be that fast. I clearly haven't found any contact with the door. Could it be that a full-time employee of the company has been in an active state all these years? But why has it been on standby all this time...?"

Li Fan shrugged. "Is it the fox Zhang Dali was talking about?"

Yin Fish Tongzi: "Those beast-eared girls are clearly genetically engineered Bio-Human toys. But maybe she's an apostle, or perhaps all these years, the official employees on the other side have been hiding in the Ziwei Yuan, having fun."

"Perhaps..." Yang Fish Tongzi glanced at Li Fan and said, "Li Fan, in principle, we don't interfere with your hobbies in your spare time. But frankly speaking, in this world, our power cannot compete with that of a company. If it's for collecting the Heavenly Book or protecting your personal safety, we can do our best, but when it comes to saving the world and advancing civilization, we can't help you."

Li Fan shrugged. He had seen it coming long ago, and Zhang Dali had made it very clear: only by overturning this 'sky' could peace be restored. But the gap between this 'sky' and the earth was simply too vast, not even a century or two behind. It couldn't be bridged by gathering a group of brothers who cared for the common people and shouting a few passionate words.

Or perhaps there's a system that can help narrow this gap, but that's not enough; at least another one is needed. Or perhaps that's still not enough, then something else needs to be added, like a virus or something similar...

Only by combining all of these might we have a chance to gamble...

"I will prioritize collecting the Heavenly Book. Also..." Li Fan nodded, then suddenly thought of something, "You said that once I achieve enlightenment, I will sign a contract and become a full-time employee, could you mean... the kind of 'full-time employee' with weapon authorization?"

Li Fan narrowed his eyes. "So you have plenty of those too, right? Like that cruiser, real weapons that require my 'authorization'?"

The two boys watched him silently, neither nodding nor shaking their heads.

The three were silent for a moment, then Li Fan sighed, "Okay, let's change the subject. By your standards, both Li Yi and Li Fan should be considered locals, right? How can someone like that become a full-time employee?"

Yin Fish Tongzi glanced at his companion and then replied, "It's actually not that difficult. As long as the company agrees to issue the certificate and the system confirms that you are a citizen with a legal tax payment record, you can sign a formal employee contract. That's why I told you to hurry up and raise the fish."

Li Fan had a look on his face that said, 'What the hell is the connection between these two???'

Yang Fish Tongzi sighed, "You'll understand when you achieve enlightenment."

The negotiation with the system ended there. Li Fan planned to try his luck in the lottery and tell Xuan Tian about finding Yan Xingyun's body. He then returned to his original body and found himself sitting in a small boat, drifting on the boundless water.

Holy crap? Did they travel a thousand miles, all the way to the South China Sea?!

Xuan Tian said, "What South Sea! It's still a long way off! This is the Yunmeng Great Swamp! To the north is the Jingji Si Prefecture, and to the south is Hengshan. Only after passing Hengshan will you be considered out of the Central Plains and close to your hometown, the Li Country."

Although Xuan Tian was somewhat directionally challenged, he still recognized landmarks in the Central Plains such as Yunmeng Marsh and Hengshan Mountain, and even gave a tour guide-like explanation.

"Back then, this place was the Southern Country territory of the four sects of the Immortal Palace. It was a vast expanse of lakes and rivers that irrigated the land, making it a fertile plain for thousands of miles."

But after the Immortal Venerable ascended to heaven, the ancestor of the Ling King of the South Sea, Left General Meng Zhang, led the various Demon Race in rebellion, diverting seawater to flood the Three Realms, and fought all the way here to fight a decisive battle with the Immortal Palace. Many demon kings and immortal generals used their magic, causing mountains to collapse and rivers to change course. In the end, the floodwaters submerged three thousand miles of the Southern Country, harming eight million people. To this day, the flood has not receded, and countless cities and villages are still buried beneath it.

After this battle, the Immortal Palace issued an edict ordering the eight celestial armies to exterminate all Demon Race in the world. No one was to return to the court until all these demons were wiped out and expelled from the Central Plains. Almost all of Meng Zhang's dragons were wiped out, and many demon gods lost their lineage. They were even beheaded on the Demon-Slaying Platform, their heads sealed in the Three Enclosures, and their demon bodies suppressed at the bottom of the lake.

"Hey, it's a pity you left in such a hurry, otherwise you could have gone to see the Demon-Suppressing Platform from back then. It had so many heads hanging there, all sorts of strange and unusual things, it was quite interesting."

Li Fan glanced at him sideways, "I didn't expect you, Xuan Tian, to be so knowledgeable about these trivial matters of the Immortal Palace!"

Xuan Tian: "Absolutely! I've specifically studied the official system of the Immortal Palace. I've checked the ancestors of even the slightly famous ones, going back eight generations, although it's not very useful..."

"Oh, by the way, there's a county magistrate in that Immortal Palace named Zhang Xun. I've heard he's quite famous, do you know him?"

Xuan Tian said, "Hey! It's one thing for you to use the Three Dukes' rank to test me, but now you're asking me about the county magistrate?"

"Sigh, never mind if I don't know..."

Xuan Tian, "Who doesn't know him! I actually know this Zhang guy! Back when the Grand Commandant was assassinated, the old troops of the Northern Expedition rebelled and swept all the way to the Jingji. Along the way, everyone surrendered at the mere sight of him. But Zhang Xun led the people under his jurisdiction to the city walls and defend them to the death. They held out for two years until the Conquering West General returned to his army. He saved the lives of the nobles of the Three Palaces!"

Hehe, of course it was useless anyway, since I killed all those people after I came out of the Ten Ultimate Formation.

However, although this Zhang fellow is somewhat blindly loyal, I've heard he's a decent person, diligent in his duties, loves the people, isn't afraid of powerful figures, and is upright and outspoken. He has a high reputation among the common people and is also very famous in the Immortal Palace. I heard that the Immortal Palace posthumously conferred upon him the title of Duke, and he's probably still serving as the City God somewhere!

Li Fan frowned for a moment, "How did that guy surnamed Zhang... die?"

Xuan Tian: "He starved to death. Nobody sent a single soldier or ration to save him. You know, the Immortal Palace has always been like that."