dàn lǐ fán què zhī dào ， yī zhǒng néng gòu chè dǐ jiāng tā bīng fēng de fāng fǎ 。
但李凡却知道，一种能够彻底将它冰封的方法。
But Li Fan knew that there was a method to completely ice-seal it.
tiān líng huā jué jì zhī hòu ， xǔ duō yuán běn jué duì bǎo mì de shǒu duàn ， yě dōu màn màn liú chuán kāi lái 。
天灵花绝迹之后，许多原本绝对保密的手段，也都慢慢流传开来。
After the disappearance of Heavenly Spirit Flower, many techniques previously kept strictly confidential began to spread gradually.
qí míng 【 huā jiān jí 】， nǎi shì tōng guò huì huà de fāng fǎ ， jiāng tiān líng huā chè dǐ fēng cún zài huà zhōng 。
其名【花间集】，乃是通过绘画的方法，将天灵花彻底封存在画中。
Its name was "Flower Collection," which involved painting the Heavenly Spirit Flower and sealing it within a picture.
yuán běn de 【 huā jiān jí 】， bìng bú shì zhuān mén wèi tiān líng huā zhǔn bèi de 。
原本的【花间集】，并不是专门为天灵花准备的。
Originally, "Flower Collection" wasn't specifically prepared for the Heavenly Spirit Flower. Instead, it was made to depict all flowers under heaven.
ér shì wèi le huì jǐn tiān xià bǎi huā ér zuò 。
而是为了绘尽天下百花而作。
The author of "Flower Collection" was Zhao Chong, who loved flowers to an extreme extent. He vowed to see every flower in the world and planned to record them with his brush and ink.
huā jiān jí de zuò zhě míng wèi zhào chóng ， ài huā dào le jí diǎn 。
花间集的作者名为赵崇，爱花到了极点。
However, he lacked natural talent for painting. The paintings he created were worlds apart from real-life objects.
shì yào kàn biàn tiān xià suǒ yǒu huā duǒ 。
誓要看遍天下所有花朵。
"It's a profanation of true flowers."
suǒ yǐ tā dǎ suàn yòng dān qīng bǐ mò ， jiāng shì jiān huā duǒ quán dōu jì lù xià lái 。
所以他打算用丹青笔墨，将世间花朵全都记录下来。
After much thought, he devised this method of directly sealing physical objects within a picture.
nài hé tā běn rén yú huì huà yī dào ， tiān fù píng píng 。
奈何他本人于绘画一道，天赋平平。
Though it lost some of the artistic charm, the result was lifelike and extremely realistic.
suǒ huì zhī huà ， hé zhēn shí zhī wù ， jiǎn zhí pàn ruò yún ní 。
所绘之画，和真实之物，简直判若云泥。
Unfortunately, in his previous life, Zhao Chong’s "Flower Collection" did not include the Heavenly Spirit Flower. He believed that the more beautiful something was, the better to leave for last, so he never got around to painting it.
“ shì duì zhēn shí huā duǒ de xiè dú ”。
“是对真实花朵的亵渎”。
Only after the great battle at Heavenly Spirit State, when the beauty of the state could no longer be seen, did he regret his decision and cry out his remorse to anyone who would listen.
jiǎo jìn nǎo zhī zhī xià ， tā yú shì lìng pì xī jìng ， xiǎng dào le zhè zhǒng zhí jiē jiāng shí wù fēng cún de “ huì huà ” fāng fǎ 。
绞尽脑汁之下，他于是另辟蹊径，想到了这种直接将实物封存的“绘画”方法。
---
suī rán shī qù le xiē bǐ mò shén yùn ， dàn què xǔ xǔ rú shēng 、 zhēn shí wú bǐ 。
虽然失去了些笔墨神韵，但却栩栩如生、真实无比。
At this moment, Li Fan put the wooden box containing the Heavenly Spirit Flower into his pocket and continued pretending to browse in the store. Seeing the shopkeeper's disapproving look, he left sullenly.
zhǐ shì shàng yī shì ， zhào chóng suǒ zhe de huā jiān jí zhōng ， bìng méi yǒu liú yǒu tiān líng huā 。
只是上一世，赵崇所着的花间集中，并没有留有天灵花。
Outside the store, Li Fan rented a room at the Daoist Lecture Hall in the city. He bought three items—Ice Drip Dew, Like Form Capturing, and Thousand Color Silk—from the Heavenly Mirror separately.
gài yīn cǐ rén zǎo yǐ tīng shuō guò tiān líng huā zhī měi míng ， tā jué de yuè shì měi de ， jiù yòu yào liú dào zuì hòu 。
盖因此人早已听说过天灵花之美名，他觉得越是美的，就又要留到最后。
Although they weren't particularly expensive, it almost depleted all of his contribution points.
suǒ yǒu chí chí méi yǒu dòng bǐ 。
所有迟迟没有动笔。
He took out the seventeen petals of the Heavenly Spirit Flower and placed them on the Thousand Color Silk. Then he soaked them in Ice Drip Dew. As frost began to form on the petals, he pressed down Like Form Capturing.
zhí dào tiān líng zhōu dà zhàn hòu ， tiān líng měi jǐng bù zài 。
直到天灵州大战后，天灵美景不再。
Following Zhao Chong's description from his previous life, Li Fan operated with great steadiness.
tā cái zhuī huǐ mò jí ， féng rén biàn kū sù xīn zhōng huǐ hèn 。
他才追悔莫及，逢人便哭诉心中悔恨。
A myriad of colors bloomed on the Thousand Color Silk and passed through the Heavenly Spirit Flower, illuminating Like Form Capturing like a needle threading. This combined the sealed Heavenly Spirit Flower with the Thousand Color Silk and Like Form Capturing.
-----------------
-----------------
The light gradually dimmed until a thin, transparent "paper" appeared in his hands.
cǐ kè ， lǐ fán jiāng zhuāng yǒu tiān líng huā de mù hé shōu jìn huái zhōng ， jì xù jiǎ zhuāng zài diàn lǐ xián guàng 。
此刻，李凡将装有天灵花的木盒收进怀中，继续假装在店里闲逛。
Though it felt flat to the touch, what he saw was identical to a real flower blooming.
kàn dào diàn jiā bù shàn de yǎn shén ， yú shì cái xìng xìng rán lí kāi 。
看到店家不善的眼神，于是才悻悻然离开。
The scenery on each of the seventeen petals was clear. Even the slight tremor of the entire flower could be seen.
chū le diàn pù ， lǐ fán lái dào chéng zhōng lùn dào lóu ， zū le yī jiān fáng wū 。
出了店铺，李凡来到城中论道楼，租了一间房屋。
"This is all I need."
zài tiān xuán jìng zhōng fēn bié gòu mǎi le 【 bīng dī lù 】、【 rú xiāng shè 】、【 qiān sè juān 】 zhè sān yàng dōng xī 。
在天玄镜中分别购买了【冰滴露】、【如相摄】、【千色娟】这三样东西。
Li Fan exhaled with relief.
suī rán dōu bú shì shén me míng guì zhī wù ， què yě jī hū huā guāng le lǐ fán shēn shàng suǒ yǒu de gòng xiàn diǎn shù 。
虽然都不是什么名贵之物，却也几乎花光了李凡身上所有的贡献点数。
"The final step is to add a layer of spiritual awareness protection on the outside, to prevent malicious destruction."
jiāng shí qī bàn tiān líng huā qǔ chū ， zhì yú qiān sè juān shàng 。
将十七瓣天灵花取出，置于千色娟上。
"There's no rush."
suí hòu zài yòng bīng dī lù jìn pào 。
随后再用冰滴露浸泡。
Looking at his "painting," Li Fan knew that it would soon become an unparalleled existence in the Xuanhuang Realm. Its value would be incalculable.
jiàn huā bàn shàng hán qì jiàn qǐ ， zài jiāng rú xiāng shè yā xià 。
见花瓣上寒气渐起，再将如相摄压下。
Money was secondary; what mattered most was its unique appeal, which could accomplish things beyond mere contribution points.
lǐ fán àn zhào shàng yī shì zhào chóng suǒ miáo shù de zhì zuò huā jiān jí de fāng fǎ ， chén wěn cāo zuò zhe 。
李凡按照上一世赵崇所描述的制作花间集的方法，沉稳操作着。
Li Fan smiled and admired it for a moment before carefully putting it away.
qiān sè juān shàng ， zhàn fàng chū bǎi qiān gè sè guāng máng 。
千色娟上，绽放出百千各色光芒。
Leaving the Daoist Lecture Hall, he roamed through Heavenly Spirit City for another three days.
guāng xiàn chuán tòu guò tiān líng huā ， yìng zhào zài rú xiāng shè zhī shàng 。 rú chuān zhēn yǐn xiàn ， jiāng bèi bīng fēng de tiān líng huā ， hé qiān sè juān 、 rú xiāng shè jié hé zài yì qǐ 。
光线传透过天灵花，映照在如相摄之上。如穿针引线，将被冰封的天灵花，和千色娟、如相摄结合在一起。
On this day, Heavenly Spirit City suddenly erupted with cries of astonishment.
guāng mǎn zhú jiàn àn dàn ， hěn kuài ， yī zhāng báo rú chán yì de tòu míng “ zhǐ ”， jiù chū xiàn lǐ fán shǒu zhōng 。
光满逐渐暗澹，很快，一张薄如蝉翼的透明“纸”，就出现李凡手中。
"Look up at the sky!"
suī rán mō shàng qù zhǐ shì píng miàn ， dàn shuāng yǎn suǒ jiàn ， què gēn zhēn shí zhàn fàng de huā duǒ yī mú yī yàng 。
虽然摸上去只是平面，但双眼所见，却跟真实绽放的花朵一模一样。
Li Fan looked up to finally see the scene he had been waiting for. A vast, rolling black miasma covered the sky, appearing formidable but actually dry and lifeless within.
shí qī zhǐ huā bàn shàng de jǐng sè ， dōu qīng xī kě jiàn 。
十七只花瓣上的景色，都清晰可见。
Simultaneously, a message appeared in his mind:
shèn zhì hái néng kàn dào ， zhěng zhǐ huā duǒ ， zài wēi wēi chàn dòng 。
甚至还能看到，整只花朵，在微微颤动。
"Daoist cultivator Long Jiuyuan, a practitioner of True Reality cultivation for 286 years, achieved Dao Foundation with Scarlet Dragon Shedding. He accomplished Golden Core with潜势,腾龙,破法, and 死战."
“ zhè jiù xíng le 。”
“这就行了。”
"He devoured the Hundred Abyssal Cavern Heaven to form his Yuan婴, drew from the Thousand Waters to be born by Heavenly Spirit to transform its spirit."
lǐ fán sōng le kǒu qì 。
李凡松了口气。
"Ancestral Soul of Black Miasma, merging his body with Dao."
“ zuì hòu yào zuò de ， jiù shì zài zuì wài miàn biǎo shàng yī céng shén shí fáng hù ， fáng zhǐ yǒu rén è yì pò huài 。”
“最后要做的，就是在最外面表上一层神识防护，防止有人恶意破坏。”
"In Heavenly Spirit State, he was severely injured by cultivator Xu Hating."
“ dào yě bù jí 。”
“倒也不急。”
"He died and his Dao vanished, returning Dao to Heaven!"
lǐ fán kàn zhe zì jǐ shǒu zhōng de zhè fù “ huà zuò ”， zhī dào tā jiāng huì zài bù jiǔ zhī hòu ， chéng wéi zhěng gè xuán huáng jiè dú yī wú èr de cún zài 。
李凡看着自己手中的这副“画作”，知道它将会在不久之后，成为整个玄黄界独一无二的存在。
...
dào shí hòu ， tā de jià zhí yě huì wú fǎ gū liáng 。
到时候，它的价值也会无法估量。
"It really is him," Li Fan's eyes gleamed.
qián cái hái shì qí cì ， zuì zhǔ yào de ， shì nà dú yī fèn de xué tou 。
钱财还是其次，最主要的，是那独一份的噱头。
The death of a Daoist cultivator meant an inevitable war. Soon, the Great Alliance would issue a备战 announcement.
zú yǐ yòng lái wán chéng yī xiē ， guāng shì gòng xiàn dù wú fǎ zuò de shì qíng 。
足以用来完成一些，光是贡献度无法做的事情。
At that time, all borders would be sealed off.
lǐ fán wēi wēi yī xiào ， yòu mǎn yì de guān shǎng le piàn kè ， zuì hòu cái zhèng zhòng de jiāng qí shōu qǐ 。
李凡微微一笑，又满意的观赏了片刻，最后才郑重的将其收起。
He needed to leave this place before it became too dangerous and return to the relatively calm Congyunhai where the battle at Heavenly Spirit State was taking place.
lí kāi lùn dào lóu ， zài tiān líng chéng zhōng yòu huàng yōu le sān tiān 。
离开论道楼，在天灵城中又晃悠了三天。
While other cultivators were still in shock, Li Fan had already quietly stepped into the teleportation array.
zhè yī rì ， tiān líng chéng zhōng ， hū de chuán lái zhèn zhèn jīng hū shēng 。
这一日，天灵城中，忽的传来阵阵惊呼声。
Only after his figure vanished did the voices in Heavenly Spirit City start up again.
“ kuài kàn tiān shàng ！”
“快看天上！”
"Long Jiuyuan? When did he achieve Dao?"
lǐ fán wén shēng tái tóu ， zhōng yú jiàn dào zì jǐ qī dài yǐ jiǔ de yí mù 。
李凡闻声抬头，终于见到自己期待已久的一幕。
"That can't be right! How could he have died?!"
wǎn ruò wū yún yì bān de gǔn gǔn hēi zhǎo ， zhē tiān bì rì 。
宛若乌云一般的滚滚黑沼，遮天蔽日。
"Who is Xu Hating? He actually killed a Daoist cultivator?"
kàn shì wēi shì wú qióng ， shí zé nèi lǐ zǎo yǐ gān hé 、 shēng jī jǐn sàng 。
看似威势无穷，实则内里早已干涸、生机尽丧。
"The most promising descendant of the Long family has fallen. There's going to be some excitement."
yǔ cǐ tóng shí ， lǐ fán nǎo hǎi zhōng ， yī duàn huà yě tóng shí fú xiàn 。
与此同时，李凡脑海中，一段话也同时浮现。
...
“ hé dào xiū shì lóng jiǔ yuān ， fán xiū dào liǎng bǎi bā shí liù zài ， yǐ 【 chì lóng tuì 】 chéng jiù dào jī ， yǐ qián shì 、 téng lóng 、 pò fǎ 、 sǐ zhàn sì fǎ chéng jiù jīn dān 。”
“合道修士龙九渊，凡修道两百八十六载，以【赤龙蜕】成就道基，以潜势、腾龙、破法、死战四法成就金丹。”
The people from Heavenly Spirit State, recovering from their shock, let out incredulous cries.
“ tūn 【 bǎi yuān dòng tiān 】 yǐ chéng yuán yīng ， chōu 【 tiān líng jiāng shēng qiān shuǐ 】 yǐ huà qí shén 。”
“吞【百渊洞天】以成元婴，抽【天灵将生千水】以化其神。”
A massive storm was sweeping across the Great Alliance with Heavenly Spirit State at its center.
“ jì 【 hēi zhǎo zhī pò 】， yǐ shēn hé dào 。”
“祭【黑沼之魄】，以身合道。”
---
“ yú tiān líng zhōu zhī dì ， bèi xiū shì xǔ huà tíng suǒ zhòng shāng 。”
“于天灵州之地，被修士许化廷所重伤。”
Not long after,
“ shēn sǐ dào xiāo ， hái dào yú tiān ！”
“身死道消，还道于天！”
Congyunhai.
……
……
Wu Zhenghao, who had been closely monitoring the prices of his recently acquired goods and sweating profusely due to even minor price fluctuations, suddenly heard the clear and mechanical voice from the Heavenly Mirror.
“ hái zhēn de shì tā 。” lǐ fán shuāng yǎn jīng guāng yī shǎn 。
“还真的是他。”李凡双眼精光一闪。
"Effective immediately, the Great Alliance enters Level Two备战 status."
yī wèi hé dào xiū shì yǔn luò ， dà zhàn yǐ jīng bù kě bì miǎn 。
一位合道修士陨落，大战已经不可避免。
"All state territories activate their protective arrays."
hěn kuài ， wàn xiān méng jiù huì xià dá bèi zhàn gōng gào 。
很快，万仙盟就会下达备战公告。
"No movement between states for cultivators."
jiè shí ， gè zhōu biān jìng yě huì bèi fēng suǒ 。
届时，各州边境也会被封锁。
"All members of the internal system return to their state cities and await instructions."
tā yào gǎn zài zhè zhī qián ， yuǎn lí zhè chù shì fēi zhī dì ， huí dào tiān líng zhōu zhī zhàn zhōng xiāng duì píng jìng de cóng yún hǎi qù 。
他要赶在这之前，远离这处是非之地，回到天灵州之战中相对平静的丛云海去。
"Any external cultivators found are to be killed on sight, regardless of life or death."
zài bié de xiū shì dāi ruò mù jī de shí hòu ， lǐ fán yǐ jīng shì qiǎo rán tà rù le chuán sòng zhèn zhī zhōng 。
在别的修士呆若木鸡的时候，李凡已经是悄然踏入了传送阵之中。
...
děng lǐ fán de shēn yǐng chè dǐ xiāo shī ， tiān líng chéng nèi ， cǐ qǐ bǐ fú de shēng yīn fāng cái jiē lián xiǎng qǐ 。
等李凡的身影彻底消失，天灵城内，此起彼伏的声音方才接连响起。
The message was repeated three times before stopping.
“ lóng jiǔ yuān ？ tā shén me shí hòu hé dào de ？”
“龙九渊？他什么时候合道的？”
Wu Zhenghao was momentarily stunned. His eyes widened as he stood up in shock.
“ bú duì ！ tā zěn me sǐ le ？！”
“不对！他怎么死了？！”
Was the Great Alliance about to go to war with the Five Elders' Association?
“ xǔ huà tíng yòu shì shuí ？ jū rán néng gòu shā hé dào ？”
“许化廷又是谁？居然能够杀合道？”
Fear gripped him as he considered his next move. Just as he was about to contact Gao Yuan for advice, an idea struck him, and he hurriedly looked down at the prices of various items on the Heavenly Mirror.
“ lóng jiā zuì yǒu qián tú de hòu bèi jū rán jiù zhè me yǔn luò le ， zhè xià kě yǒu rè nào kàn gē 。”
“龙家最有前途的后辈居然就这么陨落了，这下可有热闹看咯。”
As a merchant, Wu Zhenghao's reaction was incredibly sharp.
……
……
While most cultivators in the Great Alliance were still reeling from the impending war, the price of Life Preserving Pills, Standard Heaven罡 Armor, Divine Might Lightning, and Hundred Battle Formation Diagrams...
cóng zhèn jīng zhī zhōng huǎn guò lái de tiān líng zhōu zhòng rén ， fēn fēn fā chū nán yǐ zhì xìn de jīng hū shēng 。
从震惊之中缓过来的天灵州众人，纷纷发出难以置信的惊呼声。
The goods Li Fan had instructed him to stockpile began to rise dramatically. Not just those listed, but any items related to survival or combat in the Heavenly Mirror saw a general increase.
yī cháng jù dà de fēng bào ， zhèng zài yǐ tiān líng zhōu wèi zhōng xīn ， cháo zhe zhěng gè wàn xiān méng xí juǎn ér qù 。
一场巨大的风暴，正在以天灵州为中心，朝着整个万仙盟席卷而去。
They knew that with such limited supplies, they couldn't withstand the rush of cultivators.
bù jiǔ zhī hòu 。
不久之后。
A great battle was coming; who could guarantee they wouldn't be on the battlefield?
cóng yún hǎi 。
丛云海。
More preparation meant more chances for survival. Compared to life, contribution points were insignificant.
zhèng zài jǐn jǐn dīng zhe xiān qián suǒ shōu gòu wù zī de jià gé ， bìng qiě yīn wèi jià gé qīng wēi bō dòng dōu xīn jīng dǎn zhàn 、 lěng hàn zhí mào de hé zhèng hào 。
正在紧紧盯着先前所收购物资的价格，并且因为价格轻微波动都心惊胆颤、冷汗直冒的何正浩。
Even if prices doubled, cultivators would still pay willingly.
hū de tīng dào le tiān xuán jìng nà qīng cuì ér jī xiè de shēng yīn 。
忽的听到了天玄镜那清脆而机械的声音。
...
“ zì jí kè qǐ ， wàn xiān méng jìn rù yǐ jí bèi zhàn zhuàng tài 。”
“自即刻起，万仙盟进入乙级备战状态。”
In an instant, Wu Zhenghao understood.
“ suǒ yǒu zhōu yù ， fáng hù dà zhèn quán bù kāi qǐ 。”
“所有州域，防护大阵全部开启。”
"His abilities are truly beyond human comprehension!"
“ suǒ yǒu xiū shì ， bù dé kuà zhōu yí dòng 。”
“所有修士，不得跨州移动。”
Looking at the rapidly rising prices of his goods, Wu Zhenghao was both elated and fearful. The former because the value of his stockpile, worth one billion contribution points, had increased by a third in such a short time. The latter because he feared that his speculative behavior might lead to punishment from the Great Alliance.
But Li Fan knew that there was a method to completely ice-seal it.
After the disappearance of Heavenly Spirit Flower, many techniques previously kept strictly confidential began to spread gradually.
Its name was "Flower Collection," which involved painting the Heavenly Spirit Flower and sealing it within a picture.
Originally, "Flower Collection" wasn't specifically prepared for the Heavenly Spirit Flower. Instead, it was made to depict all flowers under heaven.
The author of "Flower Collection" was Zhao Chong, who loved flowers to an extreme extent. He vowed to see every flower in the world and planned to record them with his brush and ink.
However, he lacked natural talent for painting. The paintings he created were worlds apart from real-life objects.
"It's a profanation of true flowers."
After much thought, he devised this method of directly sealing physical objects within a picture.
Though it lost some of the artistic charm, the result was lifelike and extremely realistic.
Unfortunately, in his previous life, Zhao Chong’s "Flower Collection" did not include the Heavenly Spirit Flower. He believed that the more beautiful something was, the better to leave for last, so he never got around to painting it.
Only after the great battle at Heavenly Spirit State, when the beauty of the state could no longer be seen, did he regret his decision and cry out his remorse to anyone who would listen.
---
At this moment, Li Fan put the wooden box containing the Heavenly Spirit Flower into his pocket and continued pretending to browse in the store. Seeing the shopkeeper's disapproving look, he left sullenly.
Outside the store, Li Fan rented a room at the Daoist Lecture Hall in the city. He bought three items—Ice Drip Dew, Like Form Capturing, and Thousand Color Silk—from the Heavenly Mirror separately.
Although they weren't particularly expensive, it almost depleted all of his contribution points.
He took out the seventeen petals of the Heavenly Spirit Flower and placed them on the Thousand Color Silk. Then he soaked them in Ice Drip Dew. As frost began to form on the petals, he pressed down Like Form Capturing.
Following Zhao Chong's description from his previous life, Li Fan operated with great steadiness.
A myriad of colors bloomed on the Thousand Color Silk and passed through the Heavenly Spirit Flower, illuminating Like Form Capturing like a needle threading. This combined the sealed Heavenly Spirit Flower with the Thousand Color Silk and Like Form Capturing.
The light gradually dimmed until a thin, transparent "paper" appeared in his hands.
Though it felt flat to the touch, what he saw was identical to a real flower blooming.
The scenery on each of the seventeen petals was clear. Even the slight tremor of the entire flower could be seen.
"This is all I need."
Li Fan exhaled with relief.
"The final step is to add a layer of spiritual awareness protection on the outside, to prevent malicious destruction."
"There's no rush."
Looking at his "painting," Li Fan knew that it would soon become an unparalleled existence in the Xuanhuang Realm. Its value would be incalculable.
Money was secondary; what mattered most was its unique appeal, which could accomplish things beyond mere contribution points.
Li Fan smiled and admired it for a moment before carefully putting it away.
Leaving the Daoist Lecture Hall, he roamed through Heavenly Spirit City for another three days.
On this day, Heavenly Spirit City suddenly erupted with cries of astonishment.
"Look up at the sky!"
Li Fan looked up to finally see the scene he had been waiting for. A vast, rolling black miasma covered the sky, appearing formidable but actually dry and lifeless within.
Simultaneously, a message appeared in his mind:
"Daoist cultivator Long Jiuyuan, a practitioner of True Reality cultivation for 286 years, achieved Dao Foundation with Scarlet Dragon Shedding. He accomplished Golden Core with潜势,腾龙,破法, and 死战."
"He devoured the Hundred Abyssal Cavern Heaven to form his Yuan婴, drew from the Thousand Waters to be born by Heavenly Spirit to transform its spirit."
"Ancestral Soul of Black Miasma, merging his body with Dao."
"In Heavenly Spirit State, he was severely injured by cultivator Xu Hating."
"He died and his Dao vanished, returning Dao to Heaven!"
...
"It really is him," Li Fan's eyes gleamed.
The death of a Daoist cultivator meant an inevitable war. Soon, the Great Alliance would issue a备战 announcement.
At that time, all borders would be sealed off.
He needed to leave this place before it became too dangerous and return to the relatively calm Congyunhai where the battle at Heavenly Spirit State was taking place.
While other cultivators were still in shock, Li Fan had already quietly stepped into the teleportation array.
Only after his figure vanished did the voices in Heavenly Spirit City start up again.
"Long Jiuyuan? When did he achieve Dao?"
"That can't be right! How could he have died?!"
"Who is Xu Hating? He actually killed a Daoist cultivator?"
"The most promising descendant of the Long family has fallen. There's going to be some excitement."
...
The people from Heavenly Spirit State, recovering from their shock, let out incredulous cries.
A massive storm was sweeping across the Great Alliance with Heavenly Spirit State at its center.
---
Not long after,
Congyunhai.
Wu Zhenghao, who had been closely monitoring the prices of his recently acquired goods and sweating profusely due to even minor price fluctuations, suddenly heard the clear and mechanical voice from the Heavenly Mirror.
"Effective immediately, the Great Alliance enters Level Two备战 status."
"All state territories activate their protective arrays."
"No movement between states for cultivators."
"All members of the internal system return to their state cities and await instructions."
"Any external cultivators found are to be killed on sight, regardless of life or death."
...
The message was repeated three times before stopping.
Wu Zhenghao was momentarily stunned. His eyes widened as he stood up in shock.
Was the Great Alliance about to go to war with the Five Elders' Association?
Fear gripped him as he considered his next move. Just as he was about to contact Gao Yuan for advice, an idea struck him, and he hurriedly looked down at the prices of various items on the Heavenly Mirror.
As a merchant, Wu Zhenghao's reaction was incredibly sharp.
While most cultivators in the Great Alliance were still reeling from the impending war, the price of Life Preserving Pills, Standard Heaven罡 Armor, Divine Might Lightning, and Hundred Battle Formation Diagrams...
The goods Li Fan had instructed him to stockpile began to rise dramatically. Not just those listed, but any items related to survival or combat in the Heavenly Mirror saw a general increase.
They knew that with such limited supplies, they couldn't withstand the rush of cultivators.
A great battle was coming; who could guarantee they wouldn't be on the battlefield?
More preparation meant more chances for survival. Compared to life, contribution points were insignificant.
Even if prices doubled, cultivators would still pay willingly.
...
In an instant, Wu Zhenghao understood.
"His abilities are truly beyond human comprehension!"
Looking at the rapidly rising prices of his goods, Wu Zhenghao was both elated and fearful. The former because the value of his stockpile, worth one billion contribution points, had increased by a third in such a short time. The latter because he feared that his speculative behavior might lead to punishment from the Great Alliance.