Chapter 78: Yunshui Heavenly Palace Opens

"I'm sorry. I really can't help with this. I have a premonition that a Breakthrough is imminent, and I must go out to seek an Opportunity within two years, so I won't be able to guard Liuli Island for much time."

The Yunshui Heavenly Palace was set to open in just over a year, and Li Fan certainly wouldn't miss the chance to enter it first just for the sake of those few contribution points from guarding.

So, he could only flatly refuse He Zhenghao.

"I see, then I'll have to find someone else. I also wish you an early Foundation Establishment, Fellow Daoist!" He Zhenghao replied with regret.

No more messages came through the communication talisman.

Li Fan didn't care either. He spent contribution points to activate the auxiliary cultivation mode.

He began to Cultivate the Shadow-Following Technique.

After all, as just an auxiliary Cultivation Technique, the Shadow-Following Technique was much easier to Cultivate than the other two.

Under the double bonus of Spirit Awakening and the Exquisite Liuli Pearl, it took Li Fan less than ten days to Cultivate it to the Late Stage of Qi Refining.

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

He spent 100 contribution points to simulate a chase against a Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivator within the tianxuan mirror.

The surrounding space transformed into a continuous mountain range.

In the mountain forest, a figure was fleeing rapidly into the distance.

That was the designated target to be chased.

Watching the other's back get further and further away, with a stir of Li Fan's Divine Thought, his figure suddenly darkened.

It was as if he were veiled in darkness, becoming even harder to detect under the cover of the omnipresent shadows.

Just as the target was about to completely vanish from sight, Li Fan suddenly accelerated and flew to keep up.

Compared to the simple Wind-Riding Flight from before, Li Fan's speed had now greatly increased.

He even vaguely developed a certain connection with the locked-on target he was pursuing.

To some extent, the target's increase in speed also caused Li Fan's speed to accelerate.

It truly seemed as if Li Fan had become the other person's shadow, making it impossible for them to shake him off.

Furthermore, he could continuously shuttle and jump using the shadows on the ground.

In this way, it didn't take long at all for Li Fan to catch up to the figure ahead.

The surrounding scenery blurred for a moment, and the illusions of the mountains and the Cultivator disappeared simultaneously.

It changed back into a pitch-black space.

The chase ended, and Li Fan was very satisfied with the Shadow-Following Technique.

Its own effect of concealing aura was already impressive, and if paired with a Hiding Talisman, it would be even harder to notice.

Although that Si Kongyi was somewhat mysterious, his cultivation level should definitely be at the Late Stage of Qi Refining.

He had prepared so much in advance, and more importantly, he was acting with intent against an unsuspecting target.

Scheming for the Cloud Water Diagram shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Now everything was ready, waiting only for the intelligence from Jiao Xiuyuan and the official opening of the Yunshui Heavenly Palace.

Inside the tianxuan mirror, Li Fan's gaze was deep as he stared into the distance.

…

Two months later, Wanxian Island, Thousand Mile Hall.

Having received a message from Jiao Xiuyuan, Li Fan hurried over after activating a Hiding Talisman.

As soon as he met Jiao Xiuyuan, he feigned anger: "How does your Thousand Mile Hall handle things? It's just a minor Qi Refining Cultivator, yet it took so long to gather intelligence. I thought you'd forgotten about this and was planning to find someone else!"

Jiao Xiuyuan was a bit embarrassed, but he quickly pulled Li Fan in and activated the shop's Formation to block outside prying.

Only then did he explain in a low voice: "Keep your voice down! The reason it took so long is that there was a cause for the delay."

"Oh?" Li Fan's expression moved slightly as he waited for more.

"Hehe, to be honest with you, the difficulty of this task was beyond my expectations. The fifty contribution points we agreed on last time was really too little! You should know that for this matter, I had to ask a Senior at the Late Stage Foundation Establishment for help before it was settled…" Jiao Xiuyuan looked at Li Fan expectantly, his meaning obvious.

"What, you're going to break the contract?" Li Fan's eyes narrowed, staring at Jiao Xiuyuan with an unfriendly expression.

Jiao Xiuyuan rubbed his head: "Could you add a little more…"

Li Fan turned to leave.

Jiao Xiuyuan was so anxious he almost jumped: "Oh, my dear grandfather, I'm really having a run of bad luck! Two orders in a row have been loss-making business."

"Fine, fine, fine! We'll go by what was agreed, fifty it is!" he said through gritted teeth.

"Here, plus the previous deposit, it's exactly fifty contribution points." Li Fan said coldly, throwing over four Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

"It's not easy for me to earn this little bit of money from you." Jiao Xiuyuan said with a bitter face, catching the Spirit Stones before handing a Jade Slip to Li Fan.

Li Fan took the Jade Slip and checked it with his Divine Sense, his expression turning strange.

He then put away the Jade Slip and turned to leave.

Watching Li Fan's departing back, Jiao Xiuyuan's original fawning expression suddenly vanished.

He stroked the Spirit Stones in his hand and let out a series of cold laughs.

"One is mysterious and of unknown origin; the other is secretive and has suspicious motives."

"I'd like to see what you two are actually up to."

…

Inside the tianxuan mirror, Li Fan carefully read the contents of the Jade Slip once more before finally destroying it.

"Two people?"

Li Fan frowned slightly, suddenly finding it a bit tricky.

It turned out that according to the intelligence gathered by Jiao Xiuyuan, this Si Kongyi usually kept a low profile and rarely showed his face.

He also had a good friend named Hundred Mile Chen, who was also a male Cultivator.

This Hundred Mile Chen was slightly weaker, with a Middle Stage Qi Refining cultivation.

Si Kongyi and Hundred Mile Chen seemed to have an extremely good relationship; every time they went out on a mission, the two were always together, inseparable.

Furthermore, the two seemed to know some kind of Combined Attack Technique.

When killing enemies, they coordinated seamlessly, their minds in sync as if they were one person.

These two usually stayed within Wanxian Island and generally didn't go out except to do missions to accumulate contribution points.

Only during Jiao Xiuyuan's investigation did the two once mysteriously disappear.

They lost their tracks after leaving Wanxian Island, and it was unknown where they went.

"Who is this Hundred Mile Chen? Why do I have no impression of him at all?" Li Fan thought back carefully but couldn't find any information about Hundred Mile Chen in his memory.

"It seems this person likely perished in the ruins of the Yunshui Heavenly Palace."

"However, I didn't expect to have to target one more Cultivator. My current preparations don't seem to be enough."

"Fortunately, there's still plenty of time."

With thoughts churning in his mind, Li Fan began to plan anew.

…

One year later.

Anchoring Year 11, central waters of the Congyun Sea.

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

The thick vortex clouds had been dyed black, rotating slowly and continuously accumulating power.

The layers of clouds were like High Walls, guarding the center of the vortex.

There, streaks of blue light flashed incessantly.

With each of its flashes, this central sea area seemed to undergo some inexplicable change.

This anomaly naturally attracted many Cultivators.

There were even vague rumors that an ancient Sect ruin was about to appear here.

Thus, over these few months, more and more Cultivators gathered.

Li Fan was naturally among them.

His gaze swept through the crowd, pausing imperceptibly on Si Kongyi and Hundred Mile Chen.

Then, he saw Jiao Xiuyuan's figure again.

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

"This person probably thinks he's encountered an Opportunity and that there's some profit to be made."

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

A cold light flashed in Li Fan's eyes.

Thanks to book friend Sanren Xiemu for the reward. Thank you for the support!