The other party's attitude was initially friendly, but upon hearing Li Fan's question, his expression subtly changed.

"Hehe, fellow Daoist, you must have heard wrong. I don’t know anything about the original place where the teachings were spread!" He quickly waved his hand, as if trying to dismiss the conversation, implying Li Fan had the wrong person.

Without waiting for Li Fan to respond, he immediately flew away at a rapid speed, even faster than most Nascent Soul cultivators.

Li Fan had finally encountered someone in the know; how could he let this clue slip away so easily?

He quickly followed but maintained a safe distance, trailing far behind.

At the same time, he transmitted his voice, saying, "Fellow Daoist, don't misunderstand. I mean no harm. I'm just very interested in what you mentioned earlier."

The person ahead gave no response and instead accelerated, trying to shake off Li Fan.

However, Li Fan continued to follow closely, persistently trying to persuade him.

After more than half a day, the other party, seeing that he couldn't shake off Li Fan, finally began to slow down.

He looked around, ensuring no one was nearby, his face fluctuating between uncertainty and frustration.

After a moment of hesitation, he whispered, "This is not a suitable place to talk. Follow me, fellow Daoist."

Li Fan smiled slightly and cupped his hands, "In that case, thank you in advance, fellow Daoist!"

Following the man, they flew westward for hundreds of miles before diving into the depths of the ocean.

They arrived at a building resembling a crystal palace.

After inviting Li Fan into a room deep within the palace, the man sighed slightly and said, "It's not that I didn’t want to tell you earlier, but I feared speaking recklessly could bring disaster."

"What should I call you, fellow Daoist?" Li Fan nodded, not probing too deeply yet, but instead asking for his name first.

"I am Sima Changkong!" the man said, waving his hand, summoning a servant with a human upper body and a fish tail lower body.

The servant poured two cups of tea for them before bowing and leaving.

Li Fan glanced at the servant.

"Just a beast species, a personal preference, forgive me for the oddity," Sima Changkong said nonchalantly, sipping his tea.

"Beast species..." Li Fan's eyes flickered.

He had once discovered similar half-beast, half-human corpses in Mr. Bai’s basement in Ningyuan City. Senior Brother Zhang had also referred to them in the same way.

Li Fan had thought they were extinct, but it seemed they still existed.

However, Li Fan had no intention of making a fuss over it. He simply nodded slightly and steered the conversation back on track.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, correct?" Sima Changkong bluntly exposed the identity of Li Fan's clone.

"Now that we're in my private residence, feel free to speak your mind."

"Do you know why the Ten Thousand Immortal Island is called by that name?" Sima Changkong asked.

Li Fan had indeed wondered about this before.

Because the capital cities of the various regions were all named after their provinces, such as Daoyuan City, Shilin City, and Tianyun City.

Yet the base in the Congyun Sea was not called Congyun Island or City but was instead called Ten Thousand Immortal Island.

He had searched through records and found no special explanation, assuming it was merely a customary name.

But now it seemed there was a hidden reason behind it.

"I’d like to hear more," Li Fan said, his face solemn, listening intently.

"A long time ago, when the Congyun Sea was still a vast plain, there was a large lake."

"In the middle of the lake was an island. This was where the first Immortal Venerable of Dao Transmission gave his teachings to the people."

"At that time, thousands of cultivators and mortals gathered to listen to the Immortal Venerable’s teachings."

"They all comprehended the Immortal Laws of the Immortal Venerable, laying the foundation for the original Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance."

Sima Changkong spoke slowly.

"Perhaps due to the Immortal Venerable's blessing, even after the landscape changed over the centuries, the island never altered its shape."

"Several thousand years later, when the current Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance was established and selecting a capital city, they chose this island to honor the Immortal Venerable who had spread the teachings."

"In a sense, it wouldn’t be wrong to say this island is the origin of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance. Hence, people call it ‘Ten Thousand Immortal Island.'"

Sima Changkong succinctly explained the history to Li Fan while secretly observing his reaction.

Li Fan pondered Sima Changkong's words and furrowed his brow. "If this is the origin of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and the place where the Immortal Venerable first spread his teachings, why is it so little known today?"

"Why is it so hard to find any relevant information?"

"Moreover, how was it left so unguarded that someone managed to seize it?"

Li Fan shook his head, seemingly skeptical of Sima Changkong’s story.

Sima Changkong sighed deeply. "That’s exactly why I was hesitant to say too much earlier."

He paused for a moment, then continued in a low voice, "Tens of thousands of pioneers sacrificed their lives, spreading the new Dao method of the Immortal Venerable. That’s how the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance we see today came to be."

"This should have been a heroic tale, something all current cultivators should remember."

"But now, it has been downplayed, even sealed away."

"The reason is that the Immortal Venerable has not appeared for many years, and the ones in control of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance are no longer the original Tens Of Thousands Of Transmitters."

Sima Changkong drank the rest of his tea in one gulp and said, "The struggle between the old and new teachings was far more brutal than we can imagine. The sects at that time, facing something that threatened their rule, didn’t hesitate to use the sword."

"Almost all the true, pure Dao transmitters perished in the fight against the sects."

"Those who survived are merely opportunists who seized control of the Immortal Venerable’s legacy."

Sima Changkong's tone carried a hint of disdain.

...

Li Fan narrowed his eyes.

This explanation was barely acceptable.

In the mortal world, the rise and fall of power often led to the distortion or erasure of the achievements of former heroes, which was not uncommon.

The same principle seemed to apply in the cultivation world.

"An island that can survive the test of time without changing its shape might indeed conceal some secrets."

"The Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance must have thoroughly investigated it before. Not finding anything, they probably left it alone."

"But the Five Elders Association must have recently uncovered something, risking a full-scale war to seize the island."

Li Fan’s thoughts raced.

Before long, he looked at Sima Changkong, who was still brooding over the injustices, and asked, "Daoist Sima, you seem to know a lot about the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance's secrets."

"But according to what you've said, the symbolic significance of Ten Thousand Immortal Island seems greater than its actual value."

"Doesn’t it seem unworthy of the Five Elders Association to take such a risk and seize it by force? What do you think?"

Sima Changkong's expression grew serious.

After thinking for a moment, he said slowly, "I have a theory."

"The first Dao transmitters progressed quickly in their cultivation, so their customs and habits were still very similar to mortals."

"Mortals have a tradition of returning to their roots after death."

"Thus, after the Dao transmitters were killed in their battles with the immortal sects, their remaining bodies were often brought back to Ten Thousand Immortal Island for burial by their companions."