Chapter 891

A seemingly ordinary wooden sword was planted upright in the ground.

It was no different from the one Li Fan had once seen in the Heavenly Sword Sect of the Fallen Immortal Realm.

As if the passage of time held no sway over it—

even after a thousand years, it remained unchanged.

Gazing upon this sight, Li Fan even began to doubt himself, feeling as though the wooden sword he had seen in the Fallen Immortal Realm had been this very one.

“I wonder what method that brat Shuo Feng used to take this wooden sword away…”

By now, Li Fan had also discerned some clues.

Here, amidst tens of thousands of broken swords, an array faintly took form with the [Sword] as its core.

To forcefully claim this heaven-bestowed treasure was not only to endure the resistance of the [Sword] itself—one would also have to face the combined assault of every sword present here.

Even with Li Fan’s current cultivation, though he could barely manage it, it would certainly cause a tremendous disturbance and draw the attention of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.

“No… the proper way is to let it willingly follow me.”

“Unfortunately…”

When Li Fan tried to convey his intent, the wooden sword paid him no heed whatsoever.

Fortunately, he had never truly planned to seize it.

He retrieved a Dao Comprehension Pill, swallowed it, then sat cross-legged upon the ground, attuning himself to the sword intent emanating from the wooden sword.

At this moment, Li Fan was seated closest to the wooden sword, among all the broken swords in the Sword Tomb.

Ignoring the faint hostility radiating from the other blades, he simply immersed himself in deep comprehension.

With the help of the Dao Comprehension Pill, coupled with his already decent talent, and the insights he had previously gained in the Fallen Immortal Realm—in an instant, countless images flooded into his mind.

“Hm?”

“It seems that even this wooden sword itself has undergone some kind of transformation over the course of thousands of years…”

“Compared to what I saw in the Fallen Immortal Realm, it has become even more…”

Li Fan thought for a long while but could not find the proper words.

Perfect? But the sword that Mr. Bai had once casually condensed was already the embodiment of the Xuanhuang World’s sword dao—flawless beyond flaw.

Stronger? The difference was not in strength, but in nature. The wooden sword of a thousand years past was by no means weaker than the one before him now.

“Rather, it should be said that as the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang World shifted, this heaven-bestowed treasure changed along with it.”

“In short, the sword before me is now the one more capable of unleashing greater power in the present Xuanhuang World.”

Li Fan’s heart stirred with realization.

While he was in the Sword Tomb, diligently comprehending the true essence of the Xuanhuang Sword Dao—seeking to replicate Mr. Bai’s feat of conjuring a heaven-bestowed treasure with bare hands.

Elsewhere, in the Congyun Sea, on Haixuan Island—a cultivator by the name of Yan Longjiang quietly sought out the clone, Ji Shaoli.

Seeing Yan’s hesitant demeanor, Ji Shaoli smiled.

“Fellow Daoist Yan, speak freely. You are one of the founding elders of our Congyun Sea Mutual Aid Association. Our current success owes much to your tireless efforts in spreading its name.”

Yan Longjiang finally lowered his voice nervously:

“When the six of us first joined the Association, Fellow Daoist Ji once promised to provide each of us with a cave-heaven necessary for advancing to the Nascent Soul True Lord stage…”

“I wonder if that promise still stands…”

He swallowed hard, his face full of unease.

It was hard to blame him. The Mutual Aid Association of today was no longer what it once was. In just a few short years, it had grown deep-rooted and far-reaching, with many of its members already serving in positions within the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, their futures boundless.

As for Ji Shaoli himself, he had grown ever more unfathomable. Even Dao Integration Immortal Sages treated him with utmost respect.

If he refused, Yan Longjiang dared not show the slightest hint of dissatisfaction.

But to Yan’s surprise, Ji Shaoli turned out to be far more approachable than he had imagined.

“Haha, Fellow Daoist Yan, what are you saying? When I, Ji, speak, my word is law. Just a mere Cave-Heaven—giving it as a reward to one who has rendered merit to our association, why would I be reluctant?” Ji Shaoli patted Yan Longjiang’s shoulder to reassure him.

He then asked, “Fellow Daoist Yan, what path of cultivation do you practice? What type of Cave-Heaven would you prefer?”

In truth, Ji Shaoli had already long since investigated the other’s circumstances, but he still asked this question.

Hearing this, Yan Longjiang was overjoyed and hurriedly replied: “I cultivate the Seven Fiends Wind-Controlling True Art. As for the Cave-Heaven… I dare not be greedy, just something a little more spacious will suffice.”

Yan Longjiang spoke softly.

Ji Shaoli gave a slight nod, and after a brief pause, an appropriate target appeared in his mind.

Without further words, he brought Yan Longjiang quietly toward their destination.

At Juchao Isle, Ji Shaoli stood guard as his protector.

In just seven days, Yan Longjiang successfully devoured the Fiery Wind Cave-Heaven.

Suppressing the lingering fluctuations of his aura, Yan Longjiang respectfully bowed to Ji Shaoli.

“Many thanks, Fellow Daoist, for fulfilling this. This grace is beyond repayment. In the future, I will serve the Mutual Aid Association unto death!”

Ji Shaoli waved his hand dismissively. “There are too many eyes here. Let’s return and speak further.”

Not long after the two departed, A middle-aged cultivator in a green robe strolled leisurely to the vicinity of the Fiery Wind Cave-Heaven.

He looked around carefully, making sure no one else was present.

Forming hand seals, he tried to enter the Cave-Heaven.

But—nothing happened.

His expression changed drastically. Refusing to believe it, he tried again.

Still no response.

This time, he panicked completely.

He pulled out a talisman to send a message.

Before long, a burly cultivator in black robes arrived at the scene.

The black-robed cultivator concealed his appearance, but the aura he exuded was already of the Soul Transformation realm.

After a round of inspection, his face turned extremely unsightly.

“This Fiery Wind Cave-Heaven… has been stolen!”

The green-robed cultivator was utterly shocked: “What? The Cave-Heaven is gone?”

He stared blankly ahead. “Who would dare such a thing!”

Murderous intent flashed in the eyes of the black-robed cultivator, impossible to suppress.

“Heh… normally, only our Xiang Clan seizes things from others. And now? Someone dares to bully us instead!”

“Investigate! Pursue this to the very end! I want to see who is so arrogant!”

The Xiang Clan reacted swiftly.

In less than half a cup of tea’s time, five or six more cultivators rushed to the scene.

After casting several spells, they revealed two blurry silhouettes.

“Unfortunately, the other party is no amateur. They used secret arts to conceal themselves. This is the best restoration we can manage.”

The white-haired man leading the investigation spoke with some regret.

“Can you trace their path?”

“Not too much time has passed. It should be possible.” The white-haired man nodded.

He took out a golden square compass and tossed it into the air.

Two faint silver trails appeared before everyone’s eyes.

“Judging from the direction, they are heading toward Juchao Heaven City.”

“Hmph, could it actually be someone from within the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance?” The Xiang Clan’s black-robed cultivator ground his teeth in a cold sneer.

“Most likely cultivators from another prefecture, not from our Juchao region. What I don’t understand is, how did information about the Fiery Wind Cave-Heaven leak out?” the white-haired man said, puzzled.

“Speaking of which, have you heard of something recently?”

“Oh?”

“Not long ago, the Immortal-mortal Miasma suddenly erupted. After it subsided, the Immortal Alliance sent people to investigate beneath Qiling Prefecture. They discovered traces of a Spirit of Heaven and Earth once active there, but it had suddenly vanished.” The white-haired man spoke via voice transmission.

“What do you mean?” The black-robed cultivator narrowed his eyes.

“That vanished Spirit of Heaven and Earth had been repairing the underground void beneath Qiling Province. Its disappearance directly caused the eruption of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.”