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Chapter 213: 199 – Threatening He Zhenghao
Chapter 213: 199 – Threatening He Zhenghao
Chapter 213: 199 – Threatening He Zhenghao
Translator: 549690339
Affected by the Formless Killing Machine, the fish surrounding Zhou Qingang suddenly went into a frenzy.
Ignoring the pressure emanating from his body, they tore at him ferociously.
Without his Divine Soul to protect him, in just a moment, a trace of fresh blood colored the surrounding water.
Zhou Qingang was reduced to nothing but bones.
A heart shaped like a stone with seven holes and emitting a seven-colored radiance was left behind at the scene.
The radiance was incredibly dim.
With its owner dead, this [Heart of Sevenfold Subtlety] had lost the wonder of heaven and earth, turning into an insignificant common stone that sank to the bottom of the sea.
Li Fan waited a few days at the scene. Seeing that the unusual death scene hadn’t attracted any other cultivators, he finally made his move.
Ignoring everything else, he only absorbed the [Heart of Sevenfold Subtlety] to refuel [Real].
After that, Li Fan returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Island without attracting anyone’s notice.
Zhou Qingang’s disappearance hadn’t raised any suspicions yet.
A Foundation Establishment Cultivator disappearing for a dozen days and being uncontactable was nothing out of the ordinary.
Li Fan didn’t rush to reveal Zhou Qingang’s spy identity, but instead studied the [Heart of Sevenfold Subtlety] first.
“Intricate as an eight-sided mirror, deep as the sea; confusing minds, ambiguous about the truth.”
Three days later, Li Fan sighed deeply, his eyes sparkling with an inexplicable look.
“Although it’s only an average human oddity and offers no special benefits for cultivation, as a Foundation Establishment strange object used by a spy, it couldn’t be any better.”
In his Dantian, [Real] emitted a gentle radiance which slowly transformed into the appearance of the [Heart of Sevenfold Subtlety].
Li Fan felt as if he had donned countless layers of deception and that no one could easily see through his heart any longer.
“This object is extraordinary!”
Li Fan quietly praised it in his mind.
Then, Li Fan began studying the secret technique [Change as the Heart Desires] that went with it.
It wasn’t a cultivation technique, but a disguise secret technique created specifically for the Heart of Sevenfold Subtlety by Zhou Qingang’s organization.
After setting a specific appearance in mind, the Heart of Sevenfold Subtlety and the secret technique would interact to instantly transform the user into another person.
Body shape, features, all would be different from the original.
The transformation was a real one that couldn’t be seen through with spells like [Breaking Delusion].
The only downside was that it couldn’t change the user’s aura.
That’s why Zhou Qingang had been exceptionally cautious every time he transformed.
He would find a secluded place with no one around to hide his aura.
However, being targeted by Li Fan who had the Formless Killing Machine, no matter how cautious he was, it was useless.
As Li Fan pondered on [Change as the Heart Desires], he was also pondering.
“I previously had the idea of emulating the Foundation Establishment strange object using [Real] to impersonate others.”
“Now that I have the Heart of Sevenfold Subtlety and this disguise secret technique, impersonating others will be even more realistic.”
“Additionally, I have ‘The Golden Seal of the Jade Realm of a Thousand Mechanisms’ to discern auras and ‘The Secret of Swapping Day and Night’ to understand fate.”
“If I could mimic aura and fate along with the transformation, I believe nobody would be able to distinguish between the real and the fake.”
“If I could achieve that…”
Li Fan’s mind was a whirl of thoughts that sprang up all at once.
“After the divided spiritual clones achieved the hundred thousand contribution points from the Celestial Palace of Clouds and Waters, they won’t be idling.”
To test how effective the Heart of Sevenfold Subtlety was, Li Fan went to Liuli Island through a teleportation array.
He didn’t see He Zhenghao, he didn’t know where he had gone.
Li Fan didn’t bother with him for the time being. Instead, he changed his appearance and began to spin a tale in front of Manager Zhao.
The ability of Manager Zhao to distinguish the truth of words was effectively neutralized and he was easily fooled.
Leaving behind a stunned Manager Zhao, Li Fan retreated to a deserted place and returned to his original appearance.
He sent a message to He Zhenghao: “Daoist He, where are you now?”
After a while, He Zhenghao’s somewhat tired voice came through: “I’ve taken on a task. I’m currently building a defensive Array Technique for a Daoist’s Cave Mansion. May I ask why Daoist Li Fan is looking for me?”
Li Fan chuckled coldly: “Still doing tasks? He Zhenghao, do you know that a major disaster is about to befall you?”
He Zhenghao was startled: “Why would you say that, Daoist Li Fan?”
“We need to discuss this face to face. Return to Liuli Island quickly. The situation is urgent, any delay would lead to troubles..” Li Fan spoke in a serious tone.
“Alright…please wait for me, Daoist Li Fan.” Perhaps it was due to Li Fan’s performance during the Spirit Mist Grass incident that had made He Zhenghao fully trust him. This time, he did not have any doubts about what Li Fan had said. His tone was panicky and he cut the communication off right away.
After a bit of time had passed, He Zhenghao finally arrived, looking drawn and tired, as though he hadn’t rested for a long time.
There was a hint of fear in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.
“Daoist Li Fan,” said He Zhenghao as he saw Li Fan, he was about to speak.
Li Fan just raised his hand and cut him off.
Under Li Fan’s watchful gaze, He Zhenghao activated the Mountain River Star Struggle Array.
The seriousness of Li Fan made him even more unsettled.
“Daoist He, are you familiar with Zhou Qingang, the guardian of Taian Island?” Li Fan asked.
He Zhenghao was startled, then replied truthfully: “Ah, Zhou Qingang. I do know him quite well. We have a pretty decent relationship. He even often comes to me to learn about Array Techniques. Why do you ask?”
“Humph. It’s a good thing you didn’t lie to me,” Li Fan said coldly. “If you had just told me half a lie, I would have turned around and left.”
This made He Zhenghao even more anxious.
Seeing that the atmosphere was ripe, Li Fan stopped keeping him in suspense and brought out the Shadow Stone.
The conversation between Zhou Qingang and the man with the broken stone face was played out.
“That He Zhenghao also suffered heavy losses this time. I applied for these hundred thousand contribution points, trying to take advantage of this opportunity to deepen our relationship.”
“This person is proficient in array techniques, and even participated in the setup of the Island Protection Array. He’s naive and easily manipulated. With his help, I could certainly fully master the array techniques quickly.”
At first, because Zhou Qingang was not appearing as he usually does, He Zhenghao couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
As the conversation continued, He Zhenghao suddenly realized what had
happened.
When he heard his name mentioned in the conversation, his complexion turned ashen pale.
Big beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and He Zhenghao started shaking uncontrollably.
After putting away the Shadow Stone, Li Fan looked at He Zhenghao, his face stern. “Daoist He, how much information about the Island Protection Array have you leaked?”
“Not much, really not much!” He Zhenghao started stuttering, trying to defend himself.
“Still not confessing honestly! Do you really want me to submit this Shadow Stone and let the people from the Martial Arts Battle Hall interrogate you?” Li Fan shouted fiercely.
He Zhenghao shook in fear at first, but then he grasped the meaning in Li Fan’s words and hope quickly flashed in his eyes.
He grabbed Li Fan’s hands and repeated, “Daoist, save me! Daoist, save me!”
Li Fan shook him off: “If you truly want me to save you, tell me everything about this Zhou Qingang, and tell the truth!”
He Zhenghao, looking utterly miserable, started speaking honestly.
After listening, Li Fan was momentarily speechless.
It turned out that a large part of the array structure data submitted by Zhou Qingang was indeed thanks to He Zhenghao’s contributions.
“He would flatter me every other day, boasting about my array techniques skills, and then asking for my help with array content.”
“I was so flattered that I just.. ‘
“Who could have imagined that Zhou Qingang, a fellow guard of Misthaven
Ocean, was a spy!”
“How could I have been fooled by his sweet talk!”
He Zhenghao had a look of utter despair on his face.
“Whether you knew it or not, it doesn’t change the fact that you’ve revealed the secrets of the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals.” Li Fan sneered.
“Daoist He, you should know the consequences, right?”
He Zhenghao shivered, “Dismissal, investigation. Demotion of authority level, perhaps even abolishment of cultivation…”
The more he thought about it, the more scared he became, feeling that his life was becoming increasingly bleak.
Adding to that losing all of his life’s savings and taking on tasks non-stop these days to accumulate contribution points again.
He had been mentally and physically exhausted.
Under the multitude of blows, He Zhenghao couldn’t hold it any longer, his mental state collapsed, and he burst into tears.
“Why am I so miserable! I’ve lost all my savings, and now there’s this trouble!”
“How am I supposed to go on!”
Li Fan didn’t budge.
After crying for a while, seeing that Li Fan had no reaction, He Zhenghao felt a bit embarrassed.
Wiping his tears, He Zhenghao pleaded with a sob, “Daoist, you must save me!”
“This Shadow Stone must not be submitted! Otherwise, I’ll definitely be ruined!”
Li Fan retorted, “Reporting a spy, that’s a major achievement. I assume Daoist is aware of that.”
He Zhenghao hesitated, “I can compensate you…”
Li Fan laughed, “Daoist, you’re now penniless, what can you offer me? I don’t lack contribution points. You may not know, but I made six hundred thousand from the Spirit Mist Grass incident!”
Upon hearing this, He Zhenghao’s eyes widened, and he gazed at Li Fan in disbelief.
“What, you don’t believe me?” Li Fan asked, looking at He Zhenghao slantingly.
“I believe, I believe.” He Zhenghao quickly nodded.
The envy and regret in his eyes deepened, “I really regret not listening to you back then!”
After a while, He Zhenghao thought for a moment, then said, “I have half of the ‘Comprehensive Guide to the Hundred Veins Array’, it is the culmination of my life’s…”
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Li Fan.
“Array techniques, I’m not that interested. I just took the position of Array Repair Staff as a stepping stone.”
It took He Zhenghao a long time to hesitate and awkwardly say, “I also have a daughter who is at the Foundation Establishment Stage. I can introduce her to you…”
Li Fan looked stern, rejecting him righteously, “What kind of person do you think I am! Don’t bring this up again!”
He Zhenghao sighed with relief, only to turn bitter again as he racked his brains for ideas.
He realized by now, Li Fan did seem to be willing to let him off the hook.
However, it also seemed that Li Fan did want something from him.
But besides this, what did he, He Zhenghao, have?
He thought for a long time, but couldn’t find an answer.
He Zhenghao couldn’t help but laugh bitterly, “Daoist, don’t toy with me. If you want something, just say it.”
Li Fan smiled slightly, patting He Zhenghao’s shoulder.
“What I want is you.”
Upon hearing this, He Zhenghao was taken aback. His face turned pale and he unconsciously jumped back, looking at Li Fan warily.
“Hehe, Daoist, what are you thinking about?”
“I mean, I want you to follow me and my commands henceforth.” Li Fan stood in front of He Zhenghao, speaking slowly..