Zhou Qingang shrank his neck, indicating that he knew his mistake.

Seeing this, the face in the air softened a little: “This matter is of great importance. Even I cannot fully grasp all the details.”

“However, one thing is certain: we have reaped significant rewards this time.”

His tone carried a trace of excitement: “Even those above us have shown us more favor lately.”

“The funding has been remarkably generous, more than doubled.”

“And what about my share?” Zhou Qingang hurriedly asked.

“Hmph, why are you so anxious? When have I ever shortchanged you?” the face scolded.

“When we finalize the deal, the materials you need from Li Fan will be handed over to you along with your share.”

“Thank you, boss!” Zhou Qing’ang said gleefully. “Although I'm doing quite well these days, frequently receiving gifts from cultivators, no one ever complains about having too much money...”

“Enough, don’t get carried away. I didn’t expect you to become the commander this time. It seems like choosing He Zhenghao back then was indeed the right move.”

The face pondered for a moment, then added, “He Zhenghao and Li Fan both have strong backgrounds. You must maintain good relations with them.”

“When Congyun Immortal Island is rebuilt, even if Li Fan doesn’t become the true lord of the island, his status will undoubtedly be high. By staying close to him, you’ll advance much faster than if you struggled on your own. Your future prospects are limitless. By then, you will have thoroughly infiltrated the enemy ranks.”

“This time, we stepped in and helped them overcome their difficulties. Next time, they won’t be able to refuse when we need them.”

The face let out a low, sinister laugh.

“You’re brilliant, boss!” Zhou Qingang praised.

The two discussed the details of the transaction for a while longer, after which the face ended the communication.

Zhou Qing’ang, acting nonchalantly, made his way back to the bustling construction site of Congyun Immortal City, walking around as if showing off his authority.

“The image from the day of the anomaly on Ten Thousand Immortals Island…” Li Fan thought for a moment and took out a memory stone.

In his mind, the Dao Stone emitted a flowing light, capturing every detail of what had transpired that day.

In an instant, it was complete.

Out of habit, Li Fan double-checked it.

Upon reviewing it, however, he noticed something unusual.

The recording couldn’t capture the “green light” that destroyed the Martial Hall.

When he reviewed the recording, all that could be seen was the entire structure and over a dozen cultivators inexplicably vanishing into thin air, while the surviving cultivators were in utter panic, scrambling to escape.

Later, when Chief Lu arrived to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control, the scene appeared somewhat comical.

“Unrecordable, huh…” Li Fan tapped his fingers and fell into deep thought.

After spending several centuries in the illusionary realm of the Grand Dao Sect, Li Fan had learned many secrets that ordinary cultivators could not.

Some of these had faded from memory upon his return to reality, but others still lingered in his mind.

“Just like "It" hovering over Yuandao Prefecture, there are indeed terrifying existences in this world that cannot be recorded.”

“Whether with pen and paper, jade slips, or any other method, it’s impossible to document them.”

“If the restriction is strong enough, they may even disappear from people’s memories.”

“But all of this is based on the premise that these things truly exist…”

A gleam of insight flashed in Li Fan’s mind.

“It seems that a year ago, such unrecordable phenomena had not yet occurred.”

“So, could it be that the Mysterious Web has already appeared in the world?”

Li Fan was slightly startled.

“If the massive Tianxuan Spirit Locking Formation hasn’t been fully constructed yet, it’s likely still in its early stages.”

“For years, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance has been drawing its elite forces. Clearly, they’ve been busy. Even the unprecedented grand actions of the Five Elders Association must be connected to this.”

...

After a long period of contemplation, Li Fan looked at the memory stone in his hand and decided not to tamper with it further.

It had been a long time since the anomaly with the Mysterious Web on Ten Thousand Immortals Island. Now, with the Five Elders Association bringing up the matter again, Li Fan suspected their goal was likely the missing Elder Gongsun.

Not only the Five Elders Association, but even the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance had been searching for him.

To evade detection from the two most powerful forces in the Xuanhuang Realm for so long, Elder Gongsun Qixuan must be quite formidable.

“It’s possible he’s not intentionally hiding but is severely injured and has lost consciousness,” Li Fan thought as he shook his head, dismissing the idea.

Li Fan took the opportunity to hand the recording stone and the blueprint for Congyun Immortal City’s reconstruction to his clone, Zhou Qingang.

Ten days later, Zhou Qingang delivered these highly confidential items to the stone-faced man.

After verifying them, the man was ecstatic and didn’t go back on his word, handing over a storage ring filled with strategic materials.

With that, the crisis was easily resolved by Li Fan.

With sufficient materials, the construction of Congyun Immortal City sped up once more.

Li Fan made frequent appearances to show his dedication to the project.

The cultivators under him were full of enthusiasm.

There was, however, one group that couldn’t sit still.

In a dark room aboard the Dust-Crossing Boat.

“Zhou Kebao, this was your brilliant idea!”

“Yeah, why are you putting on airs now? Don’t you see that Congyun City is almost finished?”

“Weren’t you so confident that Li Fan was just pretending to be calm? What do you have to say now?”

...

Zhou Kebao’s face alternated between pale and flushed as he listened to his companions’ constant rebukes.

“There’s something fishy here! Definitely something fishy!” he defended.

“Not long ago, the information I gathered clearly stated that they were running out of resources.”

“How is it that they suddenly have an abundance of materials?”

“These are tightly controlled strategic resources. You can’t just buy them!”

Zhou Kebao’s face was full of confusion as his eyes darted, trying to unravel the secret.

But his words clearly didn’t convince everyone present.

“Forget all that. What do we do now?”

“When Li Fan finishes building the Immortal City, our materials will be worthless.”

“We’ll lose everything, not to mention that if Li Fan reports us, what then?”

“Zhou Kebao, you caused this mess, so you fix it. Go find Li Fan and negotiate!”

...

Amidst the cacophony of voices, Zhou Kebao was overwhelmed, the flash of inspiration he had felt slipping away before he could grasp it.

Seeing no other option, Zhou Kebao sighed deeply and yielded.

The next day, Zhou Kebao approached Li Fan.

Instead of playing tricks, he sincerely explained the entire situation.

“Daoist Li, your move was brilliant. We lost fair and square.”

“But this whole thing was Tantai Can’s idea from the beginning. We were just momentarily blinded…” Zhou Kebao said in shame.

Li Fan smiled but didn’t speak.

“So, what do you want now?”