Immortality Simulator

Now Jiao Xiuyuan was genuinely curious. Information meant opportunity, a potential breakthrough. He exerted great effort conducting infiltration and subversion.

The costs were immense, and yet not a single cultivator was willing to divulge a word. They even hinted obliquely that the matter was of immense importance, unlike anything before. If word got out, they feared they might not live long enough to see their reward.

Seeing it was hopeless, Jiao Xiuyuan, though unwilling, had no choice but to let it go. With nothing to show, there was naturally no need to report to Li Fan.

Just as he was about to let the whole matter fade from memory, circumstances changed.

It was not long after the great battle in Tianling Province concluded. A cultivator known for being tight-lipped, one who had sworn to secrecy, reached out to him in private.

Jiao Xiuyuan was caught off guard. The man stated plainly that times had changed and the situation was different now. The secrecy of the matter had been downgraded several levels, so... Of course, compensation was still necessary.

And so, at a price that even made Jiao Xiuyuan wince, he learned the secret.

It shocked him deeply. Classified intelligence of that caliber couldn't simply be handed to Li Fan for free, and Jiao Xiuyuan doubted Li Fan could afford it regardless. So he chose to let the matter rest.

Until today, when Li Fan came to him directly.

The future of the Final Product... that should be sufficient.

In an instant, a cascade of thoughts passed through Jiao Xiuyuan's mind. He made his decision.

"Aiya, look at my memory. I nearly forgot!" Jiao Xiuyuan patted his own head.

"To be honest, Fellow Daoist, what you’ve asked me to investigate is a genuine top secret of the Myriad Immortals Alliance. For anyone else, it wouldn't matter how many contribution points they put on the table. I wouldn't say a word.

"But us?" Jiao Xiuyuan gave Li Fan an appraising look. "We've made money together. And on top of that, there's your guidance today." He gave the words a little extra weight. "Telling you for free is no trouble at all.

"However, this isn't something convenient to discuss over spirit talisman. If you're truly interested, Fellow Daoist, come find me at the nearest Thousand Li Hall."

Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly. If even Jiao Xiuyuan was being this cautious, the matter was clearly extraordinary.

He nodded immediately and ended the communication. After a moment's thought, he took a teleportation array to the Congyun Sea and found Jiao Xiuyuan inside the Thousand Li Hall shop in Congyun Immortal City.

There weren't many customers to begin with. After ushering them all out, Jiao Xiuyuan closed the main door, set up an isolation barrier, and finally began.

"Fellow Daoist, are you aware of the Xuantian Sect?"

It was a question that landed like a hammer blow.

Li Fan's gaze flickered. He gave a slight nod.

"An ancient heretical sect. One that all men should rightfully destroy."

The Xuantian Sect's existence was a secret in the present age, but as a cultivator from the ancient Heavenly Mechanisms Sect, Li Fan would naturally know of it. Jiao Xiuyuan wasn't surprised.

He continued, "The ancient slumbering cultivator the Myriad Immortals Alliance found is one of the Twelve Dharma Kings of the former Xuantian Sect."

A sharp light erupted in Li Fan's eyes.

"A Xuantian Sect Dharma King? Alive?" He couldn't hold the question back.

"Correct. I was just as shocked when I first heard it. This fellow actually managed to cling to life for so long, spanning several eras. But I suppose a sect that once unified the Xuanhuang World would have its methods." Jiao Xiuyuan exhaled slowly.

Li Fan fell into deep contemplation.

According to earlier intelligence from the Five Elders Council, this ancient cultivator had been unearthed by the Myriad Immortals Alliance from the ruins of the Purple Firmament Sect. His true identity remained unclear, yet he seemed to be of utmost importance to the Five Elders Council, who had tasked Li Fan with investigating the matter.

Li Fan had initially suspected a connection to Zhang Qianmo. He never imagined the figure would be a survivor of the ancient Xuantian Sect.

Why would a Xuantian Sect Dharma King be hiding within the Purple Firmament Sect?

He puzzled over it. Then something surfaced in his memory.

Within the Fallen Immortal Realm, during the Ningyuan Longevity Fruits Retrieval incident, he had learned from Song Hesong, the manager of Ningyuan City, that envoys from the Ten Immortal Dao Sects had arrived approximately two hundred years prior, during the Purple Firmament Sect's centennial celebration.

Their purpose was to pursue a wanted criminal believed to be hiding within the sect.

In the end, the matter went unresolved, with only an inner disciple apprehended as a scapegoat.

Could it be that the one hiding within the Purple Firmament Sect back then was this very Xuantian Sect Dharma King? And the Ten Immortal Dao Sects, having failed to root him out, captured a substitute to save face?

The realization sent a tremor through him.

Jiao Xiuyuan, watching the subtle shifts in Li Fan's expression, seemed to grow thoughtful himself.

He continued, "The reason the Myriad Immortals Alliance went to such extraordinary lengths, scouring every ruin and digging into the earth to find this Xuantian Sect Dharma King, is because he is connected to the Xuantian Spirit-Sealing Array."

He paused, studying Li Fan's face before adding, "The specific details aren't entirely clear to me. However, it seems a crucial component required to maintain the array necessitates this Dharma King's involvement.

"At the time, war between the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council was imminent. The Alliance had pinned its hopes for victory entirely on the Xuantian Spirit-Sealing Array. Naturally, they guarded this Dharma King with extreme vigilance, allowing no room for error.

"Strangely, despite such precautions, the information was leaked. And the Five Elders Council found a method to counter this peerless weapon of war in an astonishingly short time.

"It defies all logic. Who would believe there wasn't a traitor involved?

"Given the array's complexity, even if the Heavenly Venerable Dao Teacher were alive today, he might not have been able to decipher and dismantle it so swiftly without prior knowledge."

Jiao Xiuyuan sighed. "Yet this traitor is buried incredibly deep. The Myriad Immortals Alliance has conducted extensive internal purges and still hasn't managed to unearth him. Isn't that strange?"

"It is rather inconceivable," Li Fan agreed, his expression neutral as he feigned astonishment. "In fact, I sometimes wonder if someone within the Myriad Immortals Alliance leaked the array's secrets deliberately. Perhaps to prevent the war from becoming entirely one-sided."

Jiao Xiuyuan started to laugh. "That seems unlikely, a bit too—" His expression froze. After a long moment, he said, "Though that possibility cannot be entirely ruled out either."

His expression grew serious.

Li Fan had nothing to add.

"By the way, what was the name of that Xuantian Sect Dharma King? What did he look like? The Purple Firmament Sect... I actually knew quite a few people from that sect, back in the day," Li Fan pressed.

Jiao Xiuyuan was still lost in thought over the previous question and answered distractedly. "Oh, right. He shared your surname, actually.

"Seems he was called... Li Chen?"