Chapter 474
Guo Yezhong was a person deeply obsessed with the Dao of formations.
His mind was often imaginative, with sudden flashes of inspiration. He also loved drinking, and after becoming thoroughly intoxicated, he would share his wild and unrealistic ideas with his friends.
His friends would just laugh it off as drunken talk.
Not long ago, Guo Yezhong once again drank himself into a stupor.
He told his friends about a vision he had in a dream: the sky of Tianxuan hanging above like a spider's web, covering the world and binding all beings.
Because it was so bizarre, his friends again didn't take it seriously and dismissed it as a joke.
After Guo Yezhong sobered up, they even mocked him for it.
Who knew that as soon as Guo Yezhong heard this, his expression changed dramatically. He warned his friends not to speak of it, then left in a huff.
For the next several days, he locked his doors and refused all visitors.
Then, suddenly, he claimed to have gained some insight and left to seek an opportunity to break through to the Golden Core stage.
He never returned.
A few days later, a strange heavenly phenomenon occurred, leading others to discover his body.
...
"Bad wine brings misfortune!" Li Fan sighed softly, then fell into deep thought.
Was this the work of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance to prevent leaks by silencing him?
For the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, which was in urgent need of talent in the Dao of formations, there was no need for such drastic measures.
A simple recruitment order would have been enough to make him devote his life to the construction of the Tianxuan Spirit Locking Formation. There was no need to go to such extremes.
"Then the remaining possibility is that the Five Elders Association took action."
"After I revealed the secret of the 'Tianxuan Spirit Locking, Xuanhuang Unification' to the Five Elders Association, they must have been trying everything to gather information related to it."
"But due to the strict secrecy measures of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, they had little success."
"Until they discovered that an unremarkable Foundation Establishment cultivator, Guo Yezhong, had openly described a vision related to the Tianxuan Spirit Locking Formation while drunk."
"That's when disaster struck Guo Yezhong..."
Li Fan stroked his chin, piecing together what might have happened.
"Guo Yezhong, despite his immense talent in formations, probably didn't know much about the Tianxuan Spirit Locking Formation. At most, he had some vague concept."
"And the Five Elders Association's knowledge of formations is not inferior to the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance. With Guo Yezhong as a lead, what happens next is anyone's guess."
"The Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance is going even bigger this time compared to the last life, just for the sake of the Tianxuan Spirit Locking Formation."
"It's almost certain that with both sides vying for control, either the Tianxuan Spirit Locking Formation will never come into being, or it will evolve into something far more terrifying than in the last life."
"I can only hope the Five Elders Association holds their ground. If necessary, I can lend them a hand."
Li Fan pondered over the structure of the Spirit Locking Formation for a while before setting aside his thoughts.
As for this matter, which could alter the future course of history in the Xuanyuan Realm, the vast majority of the cultivators in the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance were completely unaware.
For them, life was as peaceful as ever, with no difference from usual.
They did missions, accumulated contribution points, exchanged them for cultivation techniques and resources, and then secluded themselves for cultivation.
Occasionally, they would take a break to relax and play.
This was their daily life.
The topics of casual conversation among the cultivators were nothing more than the latest genius to break through, or who had incredible luck and found a technique in some sect ruins.
But this year, one name had become a frequent subject of discussion.
Li Fan, a cultivator from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect.
He had accurately predicted the sharp rise in the price of Samantabhadra True leaves.
Though most of the participants in this event suffered heavy losses and hated Li Fan for it, they did not doubt his ability to predict.
In fact, at some point, a group of fanatical cultivators started praising Li Fan's predictive abilities.
They swore by his name, claiming that Li Fan's skill in divination was on par with the well-known masters of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
It seemed as though, apart from the Samantabhadra True leaf event, Li Fan had other accomplishments.
But when pressed for details, these people would clam up and adopt a "believe it or not" attitude.
Li Fan's rise to prominence wasn't just due to his predictive ability.
The real reason behind his fame was that Li Fan could help people get rich.
The whole sect knew that He Zhenghao of the Congyun Sea had handed over his contribution points to Li Fan for investment, and a year later, he received both principal and interest.
Although it looked like a pyramid scheme on the surface, Li Fan's reputation as an expert in divination gave it credibility.
Accumulating contribution points was incredibly difficult! A 50% return in one year was irresistible!
Driven by temptation, more and more cultivators approached He Zhenghao, eager to join the next round of investments.
There were so many inquiries that even He Zhenghao, who considered himself worldly, was overwhelmed.
He ended up hiding on Liuli Island behind the protective formation, too scared to come out.
Only after contacting Li Fan and receiving his approval did he relax.
Following Li Fan's advice, he issued a statement.
Due to the overwhelming number of requests, which far exceeded Li Fan's ability to manage, He Zhenghao was forced to make a difficult decision.
This time, they would only accept contribution points from 500 cultivators, sorted from the highest amount offered to the lowest.
This announcement caused many cultivators to curse silently.
Most hesitated briefly, then ultimately gave up.
However, a small number of people placed their trust in Li Fan and invested their contribution points.
With the introduction of this competitive system, the third round of contributions swelled to over 15 million.
An average of 30,000 per person.
And that was with everyone holding back and adopting a cautious approach.
He Zhenghao was overwhelmed with joy as he collected the funds.
Since Li Fan promised him 1% of the profit as a reward, he worked even harder.
He even encouraged the investors to dig deeper into their pockets.
While Li Fan was busy amassing wealth, the Empire's Foundation Establishment Masters were not idle either.
Although the 10 million contribution points gifted by Li Fan allowed these lawbreakers to complete their tasks early, they continued to accumulate contribution points and resources to quietly transport them back to the Empire.
One day, a special guest arrived on the island.
"I've saved for so long; it should be enough."
"With the help of this renowned Foundation Establishment Master, I'll surely break through to the Foundation Establishment stage this time."
"Then, I will take control of my fate, defying even the heavens. The cultivation world may be vast, but I, Han Yi, will be able to roam freely!"
A disheveled young man, slightly crazed, stood outside the courtyard of the Foundation Establishment Master, muttering to himself.