Rescue Operation

After a short halftime break, reorganizing the team and adjusting tactics, Li Fan felt ready again and was ready to fight once more!

Of course, given the Security Bureau, the company, Li Fan's configuration—all of whom are hostile to each other, harbor ulterior motives, and form an alliance based on lies—it would be quite fantastical for them to defeat Xiantong.

After all, the Security Bureau wanted to rescue people, the company wanted to clean up the mess, and Li Fan wanted to search for Qiongqi. If it weren't for Xiantong, this lunatic, interfering, they would have already been fighting each other, and no one would care about his life or death. But now they can't get around this lunatic.

Li Fan didn't have high expectations for defeating Xiantong to begin with; what he needed now wasn't combat power, but time.

Because the mood system also studied Li Fan's chip logs, the conclusion drawn from the analysis of the brief contact was that there was a 50% chance that Qiongqi had been quantum folded, transported to a higher dimension, and imprisoned in a prison of a higher-dimensional membrane.

In other words, Qiongqi is now being treated similarly to Canglong back then; it has been thrown out of the multiverse's sensing range...

The good news is that, unlike the unfortunate Canglong whose whereabouts are unknown, once the support equipment arrives, the three locations will still have the means to find Qiongqi and surgically create an ion chip.

Yes, that can-like thing they carried was a dimensional signal marker constraint, or in other words, a 'prison key,' similar in nature to the candlestick of the Moth Civilization.

In principle, a portion of the Qiongqi's quantum-stringed body is sealed inside the can as a signal beacon. This way, even if the location of the main body is unknown, the location and retrieval of the Qiongqi can still be maintained through quantum entanglement.

However, a problem arises: the can is obviously encrypted, and since it's a 'prison,' it naturally wouldn't upload the key to the network. The system cannot be unlocked by hacking; Li Fan must use his spiritual hacking skills to obtain the password from the memories of the agent who controls the key.

Moreover, these aluminum cans are disposable props used in three locations to temporarily capture and store important targets, specifically for missions where "if I can't have them, neither can you." If the agent's biometric genetic code cannot be detected within the device's signal radius for a certain period of time, the coordinate constraint device will automatically shut down.

If this device shuts down, is damaged, or its battery runs out, the built-in magnetic field of the binding quantum beacon will fail, causing the binding Qiongqi beacon to disappear and vanish. This unfortunate tiger will then be like the Azure Dragon, forever lost in the void.

Therefore, Li Fan and the system devised Plan A, which involved a direct, head-on approach.

First, he needs to recruit some cannon fodder to attract Xiantong's attention, and take the opportunity to figure out how to break Xiantong's Tai Su Yuan Shen technique. Then, he needs to obtain the key from the agent's memories and keep the agent alive until the key is activated and the beacon is found. If necessary, he can personally jump into the void to rescue Qiong Qi. Finally, he needs to clean up the mess and eliminate everyone involved, including companies and agents.

... Only with the remaining half-incense stick's worth of time left by Huixing's clone.

Damn, upon closer reflection, even Li Fan himself felt that such a forceful approach was unlikely to succeed.

Alternatively, we can follow the system's instructions and keep it simple: Plan B. We can simply break the can or kill the agent to disable the device.

Although Qiongqi was sacrificed, this lead was also cut off, and the Security Bureau and the company could no longer find out about his existence or the mood system.

Um...

Although Li Fan felt that the chances of rescuing Qiongqi were extremely slim, Qiongqi hadn't offended anyone after all. Since there was a chance, he should at least try. He would try Plan A first, and if that didn't work, he would deal with it later.

After all, a slim chance doesn't mean there's no chance at all.

After their brief encounter, Li Fan could tell that Xiantong Tong was indeed mentally unstable, difficult to reason with, and impossible to negotiate with. Frankly, Li Fan n't dare to transform into a Yan Xingyun and try to fool this crazy man who could tear apart anything...

However, this guy has an extremely strong sense of curiosity.

Recalling the image of the old madman squatting in front of him and poking his fingers, Li Fan could see that Xiantong Tong, like a newborn baby, harbored a strong curiosity and thirst for knowledge about both the system technology and the new Tai Su method.

So, the reason I called all the guys from the other side of the "door" over this time wasn't to "fight" with Xiantong, but to play along with him.

He wasn't expecting the agents from the Third Division and the company dogs to deal significant damage; as long as the novelty on the other side of the "door" could attract Xiantong's attention, Li Fan would have time to rescue Qiongqi. Who knows, by the time Qiongqi was rescued, he might not even need to lift a finger—the others might already be dead...

However, before going head-to-head with Xiantong to seize the opportunity, Li Fan first needs to find the people from the Security Bureau and the company. He needs to guide them, give them a push, and get them alive to Xiantong's doorstep for him to play with.

So Li Fan calculated the time, confirmed with the mood system that he had simulated the details of opening the can, took a deep breath, lit the soul incense again, and let the starlight shine out of his body!

Teleporting back to Juelong Ridge, it will be more difficult to enter Yuntai Peak this time, as the battle has already begun there.

Blood-red clouds filled the sky, a fierce wind arose, and countless demons attacked from all directions, clashing with the rays of light and auspicious clouds emanating from Yuntai Peak. For a moment, looking around, the sky was filled with dazzling light, lightning, and thunder, as bright as day.

It seems that the Pure Dharma King has launched a night raid on Yuntai Peak as agreed, actively diverting the Xuanmen masters.

The actions of the cult tonight were the easiest to predict.

Since we're all going to Kun Country anyway, we'll have to fight sooner or later. It's normal to test the waters and probe the enemy's strength. Victory and defeat are common in war. At this time, not all the people from Yuntai Peak have arrived, but the Divine Sect's army has been assembled. Even if we suffer a temporary setback, it's within our tolerance range. But if we can really support the 'Legion's' actions and inflict heavy damage on Yuntai Peak, we'll make a huge profit.

Li Fan traversed the clouds, roughly surveyed the battlefield, and calculated the route into the mountains.

On the side of the Nine Great Xuan Sects, although one sect leader has not yet arrived, one sect leader is still undecided, and three others have been shamefully kidnapped, there are still four Dao Lords remaining. Moreover, Yuntai Peak is certainly not lacking in ancient immortals thousands of years old who are studying for postgraduate and doctoral degrees. As a mobile fortress that has suppressed the world since the Immortal Palace, Yuntai Peak is armed to the teeth, with defensive arrays everywhere. How could it possibly fear a direct attack?

However, as representatives of the new generation of the Nine Great Xuan Sects, at this crucial moment when they are fighting for the interests of their sects, they naturally cannot back down at all, and would never say anything cowardly like "we should cower and defend, and the demonic sect will surely retreat".

Moreover, a quick calculation revealed that the Dao Lords and Sect Leaders knew that the Divine Sect's attack was a spur-of-the-moment, hasty test. Among the Ten Ultimate Venerables, apart from the Pure Dharma King, only two Enlightenment Stage Enforcement Venerable from the East and South came to help. With four against three, the advantage was in our hands!

And so it was decided. The leaders of the four mountains— Mao Mountain, Hotong Mountain, Wangwu Mountain, Magu Mountain— would form alliances, each seeking fellow Daoists, and lead their core disciples out of the mountains to set up formations to meet the enemy. Xiantong, that idiot, along with disciples from other sects, and those who remained on the sidelines, were left alone; they would be used as reserves to guard Yuntaishan, ready to provide flexible support at any time. And so it was decided—the battle began!

And that's how the fight started...

Li Fan roughly circled around and took a look at the formations set up by the four major sects... Wow... that's kind of cool...

Mao Mountain set up a Five Palaces Twenty-Eight Mansions Grand Luo Zhou Tian Star Ritual in the south.

Hotong Mountain has set up a Seventy-Two Veins Connecting Rivers and Wandering Immortals Formation on the West Mountain.

Wangwu Mountain guards the east side, setting up a triple calamity of death and destruction.

Magu Mountain, located north of Yuntai Peak, has activated the Seven Elements Summoning Demons and Six Heavens Subduing Gods Grand Array.

Li Fan didn't go into the specifics, but they were all unique skills that could rival the Ten Ultimate Formation, the trump cards of various sects and schools.

Although this was a hasty response, the Dao Lords gathered their disciples and, like Li Fan in the dilapidated temple, hastily set up this contraption without proper ritual preparation, its power was at least halved, and it lacked many of the profound mysteries and variations. However, it was not a place where just any Tom, Dick, or Harry could come and go as they pleased.

At this moment, the Divine Sect alone is attacking from all sides, causing a bloodbath. Those powerful figures at the Enlightenment and Divine Transformation levels haven't even had a chance to make a move yet, and the demons and monsters that entered the formation have already become the immortal opportunities of the disciples of the Four Great Mysterious Sects. In an instant, they were killed and ambushed within the formation, and a large number of them died.

To defeat the Divine Cult, it really is the Xuanmen (mystical sect) that matters.

However, it's a bit troublesome. The gatekeepers of the Guangxuan Sect alone are a major hurdle. Although Li Fan himself can get through the formation with the help of his arithmetic chip, it's hard to say about those outsiders.

If the Divine Sect drags this out for too long and fails to break through the formation's foundation and enter the melee, allowing these Xuanmen disciples to gain a foothold, then even if they eventually reach Xiantong, he probably won't have much time to maneuver.

Well, since we've already started fighting anyway, let's find the agents in the three locations on the battlefield first.

This time, the Third Division of the Security Bureau is really going all out, fighting to the bitter end! They're determined to complete the mission! They're stubborn as nails!

With the support team wiped out, the first rescue attempt failing, two members of the action team missing, and the intelligence team restricted from movement and moved from the server room to a conference room where they were confronted by a large group of people from the legal, intelligence, and technical departments, the Third Division clearly realized that not only had the infiltration mission failed, but it might have also touched upon core company secrets, making the mission's failure inevitable.

In reality, by the time the company officially intervened, it was highly unlikely that the Security Bureau could rescue the people through official channels by having the fleet jump over their doors. But retreating at that point would not only mean losing six agents and a ship, but also gaining nothing, leaving the Third Division in a difficult position.

It was at this moment that the two remaining members of the action team intercepted the 'last coordinates' of their teammate before the message was lost.

Although these professional agents had seriously suggested to their superiors that they consider the possibility of a trap—they were connected to the company's system, and this could very well be a 'poisoned cake' handed to them by the company.

Unfortunately, no matter the era, those who sit in their offices making decisions never understand the difficulties and feelings of those on the front lines. To them, losing eight people or losing six makes no difference. By the time they've dealt with the company and gone through the legal process, it's too late. But if they can rescue a few people and bring out some intelligence, at least they can keep their positions.

So the higher-ups slapped their heads and decided to give it another shot, even if it meant going all in! The remaining two agents in the action team had no choice but to grit their teeth and go for it.

However, the agents on the scene weren't fools. They knew that with two teams having failed in the operation, the situation was no longer something that could be solved by combat capabilities. Under such unknown circumstances, rescuing hostages and completing the mission was simply a pipe dream.

The key is to gather as much intelligence as possible, and the key is time.

The longer the investigation drags on, the less valuable intelligence will remain. The sooner they seize valuable, reportable intelligence, the more they can make an emergency evacuation, allowing them to deliver results for their boss without being sacrificed as scapegoats.

The two immediately hacked into the 49327 dimensional gateway, stole the company's bio-prosthetic body closest to the coordinates, and an emergency link was established. This was all under the company's surveillance. In order to get connected as quickly as possible, they didn't even try to hide their secrets and made a direct link. It was done so carelessly and crudely that it would be difficult not to be discovered.

The company even shared detailed information about the stolen prosthetic bodies with the Legion, clearly indicating their intention to prevent any of the three locations from escaping alive.

One of the stolen prosthetic bodies is located on Yuntai Peak; it is a Qilin.

Yes, it's the company's classic product, similar to the Zhu Long, a landscape-use synthetic beast disguised as a wild animal. I don't know why it can be accessed in a place like Yuntai Peak where there is severe interference, but considering that there are also things like the Luo Sect's telepathic communication devices, it's probably something like a surveillance camera left by the company.

The other stolen prosthetic body was a combat Bio-Human cyborg cyborg cultivated (produced) by the company and lurking among the natives. It also had an official title: Dachangqiu of the Kun Country!

Yes, the Dachangqiu of Kun Country, the Empress of Kun Country, the leader of the palace eunuchs is a combat Bio-Human of the company! A cybernetic vehicle! Divine Transformation combat eunuch!

Well, the question that had been bothering Li Fan for so long has been answered. He just found it quite strange—how come the eunuchs in this world are so powerful?

Their combat power is incredibly high, and they're clearly capable of cultivating immortality—there are elixirs and Cultivation Method for limb regeneration and regrowth, so why do so many people choose to become eunuchs? Even eunuchs in the Immortal Palace can't live forever, can they? What's the point of going through that ordeal?

Now I understand, this isn't a matter of 'reasonableness' or 'unreasonableness,' it's simply a 'setting,' or to put it more grandly, 'divine will.' A significant portion of these eunuchs are actually cyborgs used for Bio-Human by the company.

After all, how could Immortal Palace setting be complete without eunuchs, servants, and maids?

These NPCs, whose backgrounds are ordinary and whose presence is so inconspicuous that they don't attract attention, can be used very conveniently to advance the plot, coordinate with the natives, and maintain the 'player's' experience in secret.

Even if some eunuchs were found to be exceptionally powerful, the Three Great Sects would only assume that these eunuchs might be practicing unique Cultivation Method, the kind that require castration before mastery, or that they were brainwashed and trained by the Immortal Palace from childhood, controlled by secret medicines and spiritual restrictions—these were their servants and assassins. Moreover, normally, even the Divine Cult wouldn't consider actively possessing a eunuch...

In this way, what the company needed to hide was successfully overlooked by everyone.

Eunuchs are really useful. Not only can they be used to memorize scripts and recite lines, protect clients' safety, conduct various bio-warrior research, fight with natives at any time, instigate infighting among the Three Great Sects on behalf of the Immortal Palace, and obtain data comparisons of various cultivation paths, but their modified genetic material will not spread, 'pollute the natural environment,' or cause large-scale uncontrolled mutations in the native population.

These bio-engineered combat eunuchs, hidden in the shadows of the inner palace, participated in role-playing scenarios, provided combat experimental data, and protected the company's key personnel and various secrets. When their genetic bodies died of old age, to prevent the leakage of their genetic data, they would hide in royal tombs like Beimang Mountain, where they would be autonomously retrieved to feed the corpses or other chimera bio-engineered beasts, thus contributing to other experimental projects.

With a clear identity, production batch number, and birth date and time, Li Fan quickly figured out the background of this Dachangqiu of the Kun Country and found him on the battlefield.

This guy was really quite pitiful. He served in the Kun Country his whole life and was almost at retirement age when he lost his honor in his later years. The Divine Cult launched a surprise attack and destroyed the country, so he risked his life to protect the Kun Country's royal family and various confidential experimental data to escape.

This Dachangqiu was supposed to be quite loyal, and she even participated in the last great war, assisting Wen Tianjun in his attempt to restore the kingdom. Unfortunately, she suffered repeated defeats. She fought her way out of the chaos and joined the General of Anxi's camp with the remnants of the Lord of Pingxiang. During the standoff, she repeatedly broke through enemy lines. Because she was injured, she recuperated behind the front lines, but she still couldn't escape this calamity. She was directly possessed by a cybernetic body and forcibly taken over, and immediately rushed to the front lines to die.

What's even more ironic is that this Dachangqiu, who had fought against the Divine Cult his entire life, is now dressed in red, masked, wielding two large swords, mingling with the Divine Cult's army, and even leading the charge, hacking his way in. His adopted son and grandson had both died at the hands of the Divine Cult, yet he suddenly turns around and fights for them. He truly gives his all, even unto death—it's truly moving...

Of course, there's no such thing Dachangqiu anymore. The source of the Divine Cult's method of possession is actually the system technology they learned, virtual network consciousness transfer. Normally, the clone vehicle's consciousness would be reset and overwritten. Therefore, regardless of the system technology of any faction, or any kind of primordial spirit method, once a Bio-Human body is possessed, useless information such as memories and emotions will be directly deleted, and the so-called past life will be swept into the garbage dump of the subconscious.

The three agents now using the 'Dachangqiu' cybernetic body no longer need to worry about the psychological state of this stolen vehicle or whether anything is missing physiologically. They directly activate the full enhancement of the combat cybernetic body, ignoring the lifespan limit of the cybernetic body, injecting various enhancement drugs, and unleashing their peak combat power. Their strength is comparable to that of the expert Ziwei Yuan back then.

But isn't this crazy rush towards Yuntai Peak a bit too arrogant?

A Divine Transformation level body refinement expert, a combat Bio-Human with activated prosthetics and medication, charging ahead at the forefront—was he afraid the old Xuanmen sects would miss him due to their failing eyesight?

Just as Li Fan was wondering if the other party was courting death, the light suddenly dimmed, as if someone had drawn the curtains, turned off the lights, and turned the clock back from daytime to night.

No, it's nighttime, and someone definitely turned off the lights!

The lights on Yuntai Peak have been turned off!

The lights went out instantly, literally! Not only did the projected images of many immortal mountains and Immortal Pavilion, landscapes, flowers and forests, and auspicious clouds on precious peaks vanish in an instant, but the lights on the metal buildings also went out all at once. The intelligent robots on the cloud platforms also sparked and crashed, falling off the cliffs of the immortal peaks! In the surrounding night-like scenery, they were like fireflies falling, extremely conspicuous!

The Xuanmen were greatly alarmed!!

What?! The Divine Cult has really gotten powerful! They actually managed to bypass the four sect leaders and launch a sneak attack on Yuntai Peak!!

The cult was greatly alarmed!!

What?! Our army is so powerful! They actually managed to bypass the Xuanmen Gate and launch a surprise attack on Yuntai Peak!!

Enough said! Cheers!

Seeing their plan succeed, the Divine Cult's army grew even more determined. All the celestial demons and gods roared and howled, launching a fierce attack as if they had truly conquered Yuntai Peak! The Dharma Kings and Venerables led large groups of protectors in a decisive charge!

The four sect leaders were also caught off guard! Impossible! Why was there no warning, no reaction whatsoever!

After a quick calculation, the cause and effect were deduced!

... Well, it's nothing serious, just a traitor from the Demonic Sect who infiltrated Yuntai Peak and turned off the lights...

Ah... no, you've exposed a hidden traitor on Yuntai Peak! Just to turn off a light?? That's it???

Although they were suspicious and worried that the Divine Cult might have some other conspiracy, they were also confident that there were still a large number of Xuanmen masters on Yuntai Peak, and they couldn't foresee any real danger. So the Dao Lords of the four Xuanmen sects steadied themselves, quickly regained their composure, and took charge of the great formation to continue intercepting the Divine Cult's fierce attack!

Aside from a small number of fools with unstable Dao hearts and poor math skills who panicked and lost their composure, most Xuanmen disciples maintained their Dao hearts and were not frightened by the sudden change in the battlefield. They stabilized their formation, once again using their flying swords to fight against the Divine Sect's demonic army!

Of course, apart from Li Fan, no one else noticed that the eunuch agent had seized the opportunity of the light and shadow to take off his clothes, activate optical invisibility, and sneak into Yuntai Peak.