Chapter 78

"Sorry. I am indeed powerless in this matter. I have a premonition that a breakthrough is imminent, and I must go out to seek opportunities within two years, so I cannot guard Liuli Island for a long time."

Yunshuitian Palace will open in a little over a year, and Li Fan definitely would not miss the chance to enter it first just for the contribution points required to guard the island.

Thus, he straightforwardly refused He Zhenghao.

"That's the case, then I can only find someone else. I also wish you success in your foundation establishment!" He Zhenghao replied with regret.

The communication talisman no longer transmitted any messages.

Li Fan did not pay attention and spent the contribution points to activate the auxiliary cultivation mode.

He began to cultivate the "Shadow Following Technique."

After all, it was just an auxiliary cultivation technique, and the "Shadow Following Technique" was much easier to cultivate compared to the other two techniques.

With the dual enhancements from the Spirit Awakening and the Linglong Liuli Pearl, it took Li Fan less than ten days to cultivate it to the late Qi Condensation stage.

At this moment, Li Fan was testing the effects of the "Shadow Following Technique."

He spent 100 contribution points to simulate a chase with a late Qi Condensation cultivator in the Tianxuan Mirror.

The surrounding space transformed into a continuous mountain range.

In the forest, a figure was rapidly fleeing towards the distance.

That was the target set for the chase.

As the figure's back grew more distant, Li Fan's divine sense stirred, and his figure suddenly darkened.

It was as if covered by a dark veil, making him even harder to detect under the omnipresent shadows.

As the target was about to completely disappear from sight, Li Fan suddenly accelerated and followed.

Compared to the simple wind riding before, Li Fan's speed had greatly increased.

He also seemed to have formed some kind of connection with the target he was chasing.

The target's increased speed also, to some extent, increased Li Fan's speed.

It was as if Li Fan had become the target's shadow, making it impossible to shake him off.

He could continuously use the shadows on the ground to leap and move.

Thus, it didn't take long for Li Fan to catch up with the figure ahead.

The surroundings blurred, and the mountain and cultivator illusions disappeared simultaneously.

It returned to a pitch-black space.

The chase ended, and Li Fan was quite satisfied with the "Shadow Following Technique."

Its ability to conceal one's aura was already quite good, and when paired with the Concealment Talisman, it would be even harder to detect.

Although Sikong Yi was somewhat mysterious, his cultivation was definitely at the late Qi Condensation stage.

With all the preparations he had made in advance, he had the upper hand.

Planning to obtain the "Yunshuitu Lu" should not be a big problem.

Now everything was ready; he just needed to wait for the information from Jiao Xiuyuan and the official opening of Yunshuitian Palace.

In the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan's gaze was distant as he stared into the distance.

...

Two months later, on Wanxian Island, Qianli Hall.

Li Fan, who received a message from Jiao Xiuyuan, hurriedly came after activating the Concealment Talisman.

Upon meeting Jiao Xiuyuan, he pretended to be angry: "How do you handle things in Qianli Hall? It's just a minor Qi Condensation cultivator, and it took you so long to gather information. I thought you had forgotten about it and was about to find someone else!"

Jiao Xiuyuan looked somewhat embarrassed but quickly held Li Fan back, activating the shop's array to isolate external eavesdropping.

He then whispered, "Keep your voice down! The delay was due to unforeseen circumstances."

"Hmm?" Li Fan's expression changed slightly, waiting for more.

"Hehe, to be honest, the difficulty of this task was beyond my expectations. The fifty contribution points we agreed on were really too little! You see, I had to ask a late Foundation Establishment senior for help to get this done..." Jiao Xiuyuan looked at Li Fan with pleading eyes, his meaning clear.

"What, are you going to break the agreement?" Li Fan narrowed his eyes, staring at Jiao Xiuyuan with a menacing look.

Jiao Xiuyuan rubbed his head: "Could you add a bit more..."

Li Fan turned to leave.

Jiao Xiuyuan was almost jumping with urgency: "Oh, my dear grandpa, I'm really having a bad year! Both of these tasks have been losing me money."

"Fine, fine! We'll stick to the agreement, fifty points it is!" he said through gritted teeth.

"Here, plus the deposit from before, it's exactly fifty contribution points." Li Fan coldly said, throwing four medium-grade spirit stones over.

"It's not easy to earn this much from you." Jiao Xiuyuan, with a bitter face, caught the spirit stones and then handed a jade slip to Li Fan.

Li Fan took the jade slip, checked it with his divine sense, and his expression changed.

He then put the jade slip away and left.

Watching Li Fan's retreating back, Jiao Xiuyuan's fawning expression suddenly disappeared.

He caressed the spirit stones in his hand and let out a cold laugh.

"One is mysterious and unknown, the other is secretive and suspicious."

"I want to see what you two are up to."

...

In the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan carefully read the content of the jade slip again before destroying it.

"Two people?"

Li Fan's brows furrowed, feeling a bit stuck.

According to the information gathered by Jiao Xiuyuan, Sikong Yi usually stayed secluded and rarely appeared in public.

He had a good friend named Baili Chen, also a male cultivator.

Baili Chen was slightly weaker, at the mid Qi Condensation stage.

Sikong Yi and Baili Chen seemed to have a very close relationship, always staying together whenever they went out, inseparable.

Moreover, the two seemed to know some kind of combined attack technique.

When fighting enemies, they cooperated seamlessly, as if they were one person.

The two generally stayed within Wanxian Island, only going out to complete tasks and earn contribution points.

However, during Jiao Xiuyuan's investigation, the two had once mysteriously disappeared.

After leaving Wanxian Island, they lost all traces, and no one knew where they had gone.

"Who is this Baili Chen, and why do I have no memory of him?" Li Fan carefully recalled but found no information about Baili Chen in his memory.

"It seems he must have perished in the Yunshuitian Palace ruins."

"However, I didn't expect there to be one more cultivator to deal with. My current preparations seem insufficient."

"Fortunately, there is still plenty of time."

With his mind racing, Li Fan began to plan again.

...

One year later.

In the central sea of Congyun Sea, which had been anchored for eleven years.

The thunderstorms that had been brewing in the sky for several months continued to rumble.

The thick vortex clouds had turned black, slowly rotating and accumulating power.

The clouds were like towering walls, guarding the center of the vortex.

There, blue light continuously flashed.

With each flash, the central sea seemed to undergo some indescribable changes.

This unusual phenomenon naturally attracted many cultivators.

There were even rumors that an ancient sect's ruins were about to appear here.

Thus, over the past few months, more and more cultivators gathered.

Li Fan was naturally among them.

His gaze swept over the crowd, pausing subtly on Sikong Yi and Baili Chen.

Then, he saw Jiao Xiuyuan's figure.

Jiao Xiuyuan stared at the vortex clouds in the sky, his expression quite excited.

"This person probably thinks he's found an opportunity and can gain some advantage."

"Little does he know, he's just seeking his own death."

A cold glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.