NOVPUBConsidering this, Yan Fangzhou snorted coldly in his heart.
"After all, my undercover identity is top secret, known only to the Respectful one."
Yan Fangzhou couldn’t help feeling a bit proud, a trace of a smile appearing on his face as he greeted Shang Tianci.
Shang Tianci held Yan Fangzhou’s hands tightly and looked him over, all the while murmuring, "As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters."
To tell the truth, Shang Tianci did feel somewhat guilty about having lured Yan Fangzhou to the Spirit Tree Realm and subjected him to the torment of confinement.
However, pressured by Li Fan’s tyranny, Shang Tianci dared not voice any objections. He merely hoped that Yan Fangzhou would soon see the situation clearly and find his way back to the right path.
Now it seemed that Li Fan’s re-education of Yan Fangzhou had been very successful.
"Before I came, the Respectful one had instructed me. Let bygones be bygones; let’s try not to bring up the past again. From today on, Fangzhou and I are both brothers of the United Federation of All Realms," Shang Tianci thought, exchanging a smile with Yan Fangzhou.
Everything was understood without words.
Under the guidance of Shang Tianci, Yan Fangzhou toured the entire Spirit Tree Realm.
"The Union is truly advancing by leaps and bounds; compared to it, the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals seems quite too decayed."
Yan Fangzhou, observing the [Heaven and Earth Furnace] not far away continuously releasing Spiritual Energy, saw a flicker of unusual color in his eyes.
Shang Tianci also exclaimed with a sigh, "Yes, in just a few years, the Spirit Tree Realm has undergone such tremendous changes..."
"Perhaps, joining the United Federation of All Realms that day was the most correct decision I’ve made in my life."
Both of them felt the same way. 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
At the same time, a thought arose in their minds, "Why not persuade the other brothers from [Shanhe Pavilion] onto the right path?"
"It’s an inevitable trend for the United Federation to counter-attack the Xuanhuang World, we can’t let them waste their years in the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals."
"Moreover, the Union is currently in a rapid growth phase. Joining now means being at the elder level in the future. If they wait a few more years, they might miss the opportunity even if they beg to join."
...
The two brothers hit it off immediately and began to ponder together.
And Li Fan, who had witnessed their actions, simply smiled. These geniuses from the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals within Shanhe Pavilion still had their uses to him.
Deriving [The Primordial Golden Pill] and the subsequent methods surely required a genius’s participation.
"I don’t seek to achieve this in one lifetime; as long as I can push forward the progress, that’s a victory."
"Master..." As Li Fan thought this, Lin Ling’s sudden telepathic message resounded in his Spirit Consciousness.
The voice was a bit nervous, and also hesitant.
"Hehe, come to the secret room to see me."
Before long, Lin Ling’s figure appeared in front of Li Fan, slowly kneeling down.
"Your heart seems somewhat lost and restless," Li Fan said calmly, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed.
Lin Ling pursed her lips, seeming to want to speak but stopping herself.
Both her thoughts and expressions were much richer than when she had first come into being.
Li Fan chuckled and said, "You naturally arose from Heaven and Earth, and it is your instinct to submit to the strong. When you were naïve and unaware of the ways of the world, you didn’t mind recognizing me as your master. Now that you’ve experienced the mortal world, a multitude of dissatisfied and resentful thoughts have begun to emerge in your heart, haven’t they?"
Lin Ling’s body shook, and she quickly bowed deeply, repeatedly saying she dared not.
In truth, only she knew the reality of the situation.
During her time outside the Spirit Tree Realm, she learned that the Elder Leyline Ancient Tree she encountered was very dissatisfied with her acknowledgment of Li Fan as her master.
Although it hadn’t directly encouraged Lin Ling to rebel, it did transfer many memories from the ancient trees to her.
These allowed Lin Ling’s "mind" to grow rapidly.
Indeed, these thoughts made Lin Ling consider leaving Li Fan’s side to explore the wider Profound Yellow Big World.
```
However, upon her return to the Spirit Tree Realm and witnessing the many changes within the world, she suddenly developed a heightened sense of alarm about betraying Li Fan.
It seemed...
If she truly were to betray him, great disaster would probably be imminent.
Heaven and Earth give birth to all things, and spiritual sense is most accurate. This sense of alarm lingered persistently, and these days Lin Ling felt as if she were constantly trapped under the watchful eyes of a natural predator, restless and uneasy.
Unable to bear it, she finally decided to confess everything to Li Fan.
Just as she was about to speak, she heard Li Fan chuckle, "You foolish child..."
"Well, today I shall let you witness what true power really is."
Lin Ling was stunned, suddenly looking up.
But she only felt an overwhelmingly powerful aura bursting forth from her master, so strong it was hard to imagine. He was merely at the Nascent Soul Transformation Realm, but his oppressive force made her, a cultivator at the Realm of Unification, feel utterly overwhelmed.
"Realms cannot explain everything. If I wanted to kill you, it would be as simple as crushing an ant."
Li Fan’s voice suddenly came from above Lin Ling’s head.
Lin Ling felt his hand lightly press on the top of her head.
It was as if her fate’s throat was being strangled, and her body became rigid, instantly unable to move.
Lin Ling had the feeling that if Li Fan exerted just a bit more strength, she would be dead in an instant!
Moreover, it was not through control via the Heart of Wood that she could be killed. It was pure overpowering strength!
Lin Ling was utterly horrified, completely unable to comprehend how the Golden Core Cultivator from the other day had suddenly become so immensely powerful.
"Could it be that master has been disguising his true strength all along?"
The thought that emerged in Lin Ling’s spirit consciousness brought a chill to her.
Under the oppressive threat of life and death, she harbored no more thoughts of defiance.
Time passed, and eventually, Li Fan finally released his right hand and resumed sitting cross-legged in the void in front of her.
Lin Ling collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
And then struggled to rise, kowtowing to Li Fan and begging for forgiveness.
She detailed her process of harboring rebellious thoughts extensively.
"Leyline Ancient Tree..." A glint of cold light flashed through Li Fan’s eyes, and he noted it in his heart.
"You seem to still have something left unsaid?"
At Li Fan’s statement, Lin Ling’s body shook violently once more.
"Yes, master. However, it is just my speculation, it may not be true."
"But it’s alright to speak it."
Lin Ling hesitated for a bit, but finally gritted her teeth and said, "I suspect that Elder Stone Plate was dragged away by something unknown in the Fishing Pond. It’s likely that Little Liuli secretly tipped them off!"
"Hm?" As soon as these words were uttered, even Li Fan was somewhat surprised.
Lin Ling whispered, "Initially, I was not certain and thought that Little Liuli kept drawing me closer to the Fishing Pond just to take advantage of Elder Stone Plate."
"But on the day the anomaly occurred, when Elder Stone Plate was suddenly yanked forward, there was no fear or horror on Little Liuli’s face."
"It was as if she had known all along this scene would happen."
"Although she quickly pretended to be scared shortly thereafter, the fleeting change in her expression did not escape my observation."
"This Taoist Luli is definitely hiding something!"
Lin Ling asserted confidently.
```
