Just as the disciples of the Divine Brush Sect were falling into despair, an event occurred that filled them with even greater anger.

Sect Leader Chu Youhong, disregarding the lives of his disciples, fled with the treasured [Heavenly Painting Brush] and a significant portion of the sect's treasury, escaping into the void.

While his departure did divert some of the attention from the attacking Pointillism Sect, as the head of the sect, such a lack of responsibility was unforgivable.

Those who were still alive and desperately fighting for their lives felt immense hatred towards Chu Youhong.

Had the enemy not been so ruthless, leaving no survivors, many of them might have surrendered on the spot and switched sides to join the Pointillism Sect.

In this battle, almost the entire Divine Brush Sect was annihilated, with only Chu Youhong and a few lucky survivors escaping with their lives.

Although the Pointillism Sect failed to seize the Heavenly Painting Brush, they annexed much of the Divine Brush Sect's lands and resources, greatly strengthening their position. They quickly rose to become one of the most prominent sects in the region, their reputation growing significantly.

As for Chu Youhong, he disappeared from the world along with the Heavenly Painting Brush, seemingly vanishing without a trace.

Twenty years later, one of the surviving disciples from the Divine Brush Sect encountered Chu Youhong and furiously confronted him, demanding to know why he abandoned the sect and fled alone.

Chu Youhong, without any hint of remorse, spoke words that would be remembered throughout the history of the Xuanhuang Realm:

"Even if all of you died, it wouldn't matter."

"As long as I'm alive, the Divine Brush Sect still exists."

"My master entrusted the Divine Brush Sect to me before his death, and I will not allow it to be destroyed in my hands."

Chu Youhong's expression was one of complete righteousness.

The disciple, hearing this, was left speechless. Though he wanted to argue, no words came out.

The disciple's earlier resolve for revenge was forgotten as he stood there in a daze, watching Chu Youhong leave gracefully.

Because of these shocking words, they quickly spread throughout the cultivation world at that time.

Some laughed at him, while others saw his statement as profound wisdom.

There were even those who couldn't stand Chu Youhong's actions and wanted to personally confront him.

But after this incident, Chu Youhong disappeared completely, as if he had evaporated from the world. No one ever saw him again.

It wasn't until much later, when a great calamity descended upon the world, and the Pointillism Sect mysteriously collapsed overnight, that people began to suspect that it might have been Chu Youhong's doing.

...

"To be so selfish for the sake of the greater good is indeed something beyond the understanding of ordinary people."

Li Fan pondered deeply, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Perhaps that's why the Pointillism Sect's spy, who had risen to the position of Senior Brother, chose to betray them and seize power."

"Once he recognized the true nature of his master, he realized that inheriting the Heavenly Painting Brush through normal means would be impossible. He had no choice but to take drastic measures."

"Dealing with such an eccentric individual, there really weren't many other options."

Li Fan shook his head slightly and began to search for information about the term "Nanming."

He managed to find some scattered details about "Nanming Demonic Mountain."

However, when he tried to dig deeper, he discovered that his access level wasn't high enough.

"Demonic Mountain..."

"It seems to be related to the lingering demonic beasts in the world."

Li Fan's eyes flickered as he noted it down for later.

Time passed quickly, and soon, ten years had gone by.

This year, aside from occasional minor skirmishes between border states and the Five Elders Association, most regions remained peaceful.

The Congyun Sea was no exception.

As a special associate of the Martial Hall, Li Fan didn't have any specific duties to fulfill.

All he needed to do was drop by the Martial Hall occasionally, have some tea, and check in.

If he was too busy, he could even spend some of his contribution points to have another cultivator handle things for him.

As a result, he lived a fairly leisurely life.

After turning in the third collection of 15 million contribution points—amounting to a total of 23 million points—he handed it over to He Zhenghao.

He Zhenghao stared at the astronomical number of contribution points in disbelief, stunned for the better part of half a day before he finally regained his composure, his eyes red with emotion.

For a brief moment, He Zhenghao entertained the thought of absconding with the points.

However, the thought of whose contribution points these were made him shiver, and he quickly abandoned the idea.

Unless he defected directly to the Five Elders Association, there was no way he'd live long enough to enjoy the wealth.

Regaining his senses, He Zhenghao began returning the contribution points to the investors who had participated in the plan.

The cultivators, pleased with their profits, were ecstatic.

However, what He Zhenghao said next left them feeling both frustrated and disappointed.

"Due to unforeseen circumstances, Master Li's contribution plan will be temporarily suspended."

With a sigh, He Zhenghao explained, "Everyone, please return home. Once the situation settles and Master Li decides to reopen the plan, I will notify you all."

These vague words left much to interpretation.

But it was precisely this ambiguity that fueled their imaginations.

Unforeseen circumstances? Waiting for things to calm down?

This Master Li had been able to defeat even Nascent Soul cultivators with sheer wealth.

Yet now, he was forced to halt the plan due to some external pressure.

"It must have threatened someone's interests. Hmm..."

The gathered cultivators exchanged knowing glances and then fell silent.

Though they were frustrated at missing the chance to get rich, they also felt sympathy for Li Fan.

"Once things return to normal, be sure to notify me first."

In private, each of them made this request to He Zhenghao.

Having received many gifts and made a small fortune, He Zhenghao naturally agreed.

Li Fan's decision to pause the collection of contribution points was partly due to the rapid growth of the points' total, which was becoming a bit overwhelming. He wanted to slow things down temporarily.

But he had also received a warning from within the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.

"Very well, let's let them wait for a while. I'll resume the plan when it's closer to the Crimson Flame will Burn the Sea."

Li Fan didn't pay much attention to the matter.

As the cultivators who had profited from the fourth investment began spending their contribution points to strengthen themselves, a steady stream of feedback flowed back to Li Fan, enriching his cultivation like rivers flowing into the sea.

Even without actively cultivating, his cultivation level steadily increased each day.

Not to mention that Li Fan had almost never stopped using both Awakening Pills and Enlightenment Pills.

In just one short year, he had made as much progress as an ordinary cultivator would in decades of hard training.

Li Fan felt that his Golden Core was nearly perfected, and it wouldn't be long before he was ready to form a Nascent Soul.

This year, every three months, he made a trip to Shenhua Island to extract some Kunpeng blood essence from Ye Feipeng for his research.

His understanding of the power of Kunpeng bloodlines grew deeper with each visit.

During this time, Li Fan also made another trip to the Fallen Immortal Realm.

Xu Ke, acting on Lu Ya's behalf, needed to deliver a wooden box to the South Ming region.

This wooden box was of great importance, sealed with several different powers.

Li Fan even sensed the aura of the Longevity Beast Emperor, Sanmo, on it.

Thus, Li Fan accompanied Xu Ke throughout the journey, riding the Qingluan Bird.

It seemed that the South Ming region was extremely far from the Beast-Taming Sect.

Time ran out before they could reach their destination, so their journey to the Fallen Immortal Realm had to be cut short.

And so, time moved forward to the eleventh year.

This year, the long-sealed Cloud Water Heavenly Palace would reappear in the world.