Judging from Li Fan's experiences in his previous lives, during the Crimson Flame Sea Scorching event, any cultivator who attempted to achieve Dao Unity with Crimson Flame inevitably met their end.

Ink Death, who had executed the heaven's will of destruction, was truly too terrifying.

A cultivator who had just achieved Dao Unity stood no chance of resisting It.

Little Junior Brother Tian Yang's actual combat strength is likely inferior to the past life’s Zhang Zhiliang. I won't send him to his death.

A puppet body is different from a human one. To increase combat power, breaking through realms isn't the only method.

Although the cost is high, once the Congyun Sea is destroyed and I abscond with the funds, it won’t be a problem.

After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan ultimately abandoned the plan of having Tian Yang risk attempting Dao Unity. Instead, he focused on observing and standing guard.

Fifteen days later, as the resources were completely exhausted, Tian Yang completed his final transformation.

His puppet body was perfectly refined, and his cultivation stabilized at the final-stage Spirit Transformation realm.

Little Junior Brother Tian Yang relies almost entirely on brute force in combat. He still needs tempering.

Having finished his cultivation with nothing else to do, Tian Yang silently stood up and followed behind Li Fan.

Li Fan retrieved a set of clothing from his storage ring and dressed Tian Yang. At the same time, he imparted a secret technique to him.

"Little Junior Brother, from now on, you will study this secret technique. Once you have mastered it, you can join me on future tasks," Li Fan instructed.

Tian Yang nodded solemnly and began to study it with intense focus.

Possessing only basic instincts, the Heavenly Mechanisms Sect's secret technique was somewhat complex for Tian Yang.

Fortunately, with Li Fan's careful guidance and his own single-minded dedication, he would gradually master it through diligent practice.

While Tian Yang diligently improved himself under Li Fan's direction, Li Fan turned his attention to Spirit Mist Island.

He found time to visit Spirit Mist Island, silently locking onto the island's guardian with Formless Killing Mechanism.

He then returned to the Tianxuan Mirror, quietly purchasing Spirit Mist Grass while waiting patiently.

Soon, the day that the Dracowhale exotic beast had attacked Spirit Mist Island in his past life arrived.

However, for some unknown reason, even as the sun set, that Dracowhale had still not appeared.

A sense of foreboding immediately arose in Li Fan's heart.

Just as he feared, another three days passed, and Spirit Mist Island remained completely unharmed.

Li Fan finally became certain: the variables brought about by his arrival in the Xuanhuang World nearly a year early were ultimately unavoidable.

Instead of rushing to act recklessly, Li Fan first carefully investigated the whereabouts of the missing Dracowhale exotic beast.

Such a creature, with strength comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, possessing a budding intelligence of its own, and capable of growing stronger by devouring others, shouldn't have just vanished without a trace.

After most of the day had passed with no leads, Li Fan finally obtained an answer by posting an anonymous bounty mission.

It turned out this Dracowhale exotic beast had recently been slain by a Golden Core artifact forging master named Yue Zaisen.

All valuable materials from it had been harvested by him.

The other party even inquired if Li Fan needed any specific parts, offering to sell them at a low price.

Li Fan feigned interest, asked a few questions, and purchased several sections of Dracowhale bone.

After completing the transaction, Li Fan made casual conversation, attempting to learn the reason his behavior differed from previous lifetimes. It wasn’t any great secret, and with Yue Zaisen off his guard, Li Fan soon coaxed the information out of him.

It turned out that the reason he had suddenly taken it upon himself to search for materials all over the Congyun Sea floor was entirely due to a request from his good friend Mu Rong, who wanted a top-quality defensive artifact forged.

As for why Mu Rong, who had been perfectly fine, had this sudden desire for a defensive artifact, Yue Zaisen hadn’t asked.

Mu Rong... Li Fan terminated the communication, his expression shifting.

This name was not unfamiliar to him. They had even crossed paths before. This person was none other than Chen Ying’s assistant. In Li Fan’s past lifetime, before Chen Ying departed for the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens, he had left Mu Rong’s contact information for Li Fan, telling him to seek Mu Rong directly if he had any questions.

Could it be that after seeing Chen Ying purchase so many life-preserving artifacts, he also developed a sense of crisis, hence this move?

Or perhaps Chen Ying said something to him...

Li Fan felt a wave of helplessness wash over him. In any case, the Dracowhale had not attacked Spirit Mist Island. Steering the course of events back on track would require Li Fan to take action personally.

The risk is not small. It must be done without leaving a trace. Li Fan did not act hastily. Instead, he first carefully began to formulate a plan in his mind.

Disguise myself as an exotic beast and attack it? Or utilize the power of the Five Elders Council?

The likelihood of exposure is high for both.

Perhaps I don’t necessarily have to fixate on Spirit Mist Grass. Any spirit plant or herb that meets the conditions of stable demand and only grows in certain special regions would suffice.

Let me first check if any similar alternatives exist.

As this idea struck Li Fan, he began a meticulous search within the Tianxuan Mirror.

There were quite a few targets that met his conditions. Li Fan added further filters, focusing on those with abnormal price fluctuations recently. This narrowed the field to just a handful.

Li Fan examined them one by one, finally settling his gaze on a spirit plant named Samantabhadra True Leaf.[1]

This medicinal herb had a relatively long growth cycle and wasn’t commonly used. It was primarily used to create a type of talisman called the Clarity-Discernment True Talisman.

In the era before the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array had been invented, spies of the Five Elders Council were everywhere. Most of them, like Zhou Qing’ang, mastered secret arts of transformation that could even deceive the tests of the White Jade Heart-Questioning Platform.

When the Clarity-Discernment True Talisman was first invented several hundred years ago, it had rendered significant service, uncovering many Five Elders Council spies.

Thus, a customary rule was established: before entering certain critical areas of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, one must first pass verification via the Clarity-Discernment True Talisman.

Later, although the Five Elders Council learned from their mistake and improved their spies’ concealment methods, rendering the Clarity-Discernment True Talisman largely ineffective, using it had become a habit.

The Five Elders Council naturally couldn’t openly proclaim that the Clarity-Discernment True Talisman had lost its efficacy.

No one in the Myriad Immortals Alliance ordered its removal either.

Moreover, a chain of interests had formed around the production and manufacture of the Clarity-Discernment True Talisman.

For these multiple reasons, the Myriad Immortals Alliance now required a significant quantity of Samantabhadra True Leaf every year.

And recently, for some unknown reason, the price of Samantabhadra True Leaf, which had always been stable, had slowly begun an abnormal decline.

Li Fan frowned slightly.

He remembered that in his past life, as the price of Spirit Mist Grass skyrocketed, it had dragged the market prices of other spirit plants and herbs up with it.

This Samantabhadra True Leaf was the exception.

1. It is named after the Bodhisattva of Universal Goodness and Practice in Buddhism (普贤菩萨). ☜