lín xíng qián ， gāo yuǎn yě jiāng “ xǐ bái shàng gǔ mì jìng xiū shì shēn fèn ” zhè jiàn chāi shì ， zhuǎn jiāo gěi le hé zhèng hào 。
临行前，高远也将“洗白上古秘境修士身份”这件差事，转交给了何正浩。
Before departure, Gao Yuan also passed on the task of "whitewashing the ancient secret realm cultivator's identity" to He Zhenghao.
“ zhōu qīng áng ” yě shì zài dù ná chū le yī bǐ hǎo chù fèi yǐ biǎo chéng yì 。
“周青昂”也是再度拿出了一笔好处费以表诚意。
"Zhou Qingang" once again offered a bribe to show sincerity.
dōu shì lǎo tóng liáo le ， hé zhèng hào zì rán mǎn kǒu yīng xià 。 shùn dài zhī yú ， hé zhèng hào yě xún wèn qǐ le zhōu qīng áng shì fǒu yǒu lí kāi cóng yún hǎi de dǎ suàn 。
都是老同僚了，何正浩自然满口应下。顺带之余，何正浩也询问起了周青昂是否有离开丛云海的打算。
As old colleagues, He Zhenghao naturally agreed without hesitation. In addition, he inquired about Zhou Qingang’s plans to leave Cunyun Sea.
zhōu qīng áng hā hā yī xiào ， shuō jué wú cǐ shì 。
周青昂哈哈一笑，说绝无此事。
Zhou Qingang laughed and said there was no such plan.
hé zhèng hào yī tīng ， dùn shí fàng xià xīn lái 。 lián zhōu qīng áng zhè wèi mì shǐ dà rén xīn fù zhōng de xīn fù ， dōu méi yǒu suǒ wèi duǒ bì zāi huò de dǎ suàn ， shuō míng tiān dì zhī pò jiàng lín suī rán yǒu xiē fēng xiǎn ， dàn kěn dìng bú huì tài dà 。
何正浩一听，顿时放下心来。连周青昂这位秘使大人心腹中的心腹，都没有所谓躲避灾祸的打算，说明天地之魄降临虽然有些风险，但肯定不会太大。
He Zhenghao immediately felt relieved. Even the heart's core of a secret envoy like him had no intention of avoiding disaster, which indicated that although the arrival of the Heavenly Soul would bring some risks, they were definitely not significant.
yù fā kěn dìng le zì jǐ xuǎn zé de tā ， zài yě bù qù duō xiǎng 。 zhǐ shì hǎo shuō dǎi shuō ， jiāng nǚ ér quàn zǒu zhī hòu ， kāi shǐ chǔ lǐ qǐ “ mì jìng xiū shì rù méng ” zhè jiàn shì qíng lái 。
愈发肯定了自己选择的他，再也不去多想。只是好说歹说，将女儿劝走之后，开始处理起“秘境修士入盟”这件事情来。
His confidence in his choice grew stronger, and he stopped overthinking it. After persuading his daughter to leave, he began handling the matter of "secret realm cultivator's joining the alliance."
zài tā yǎn zhōng ， zhè qí shí gēn tā hái shì liú lí dǎo zhèn shǒu shí ， bāng zhù lí jiè fán rén tōu dù shì yī mǎ shì 。
在他眼中，这其实跟他还是琉璃岛镇守时，帮助离界凡人偷渡是一码事。
In his eyes, this was akin to helping demigods cross the boundary when he was still the guardian of Lustrous Isle. It involved charging per head and was handled with ease.
dōu shì àn rén tóu shōu fèi ， chǔ lǐ qǐ lái shú luò wú bǐ 。
都是按人头收费，处理起来熟络无比。
His胆量 far surpassed Gao Yuan’s, and he had no fear of being investigated by the Immortal Alliance.
bìng qiě tā de dǎn zi bǐ qǐ gāo yuǎn yào dà le xǔ jiǔ ， sī háo méi yǒu wàn yī bèi xiān méng chá chǔ de dān xīn 。
并且他的胆子比起高远要大了许久，丝毫没有万一被仙盟查处的担心。
As a result, the progress in recruiting and whitewashing the Medicine King Sect cultivators accelerated significantly.
yīn cǐ ， yào wáng zōng xiū shì de rù méng 、 xǐ bái jìn dù ， yù fā xùn sù le 。
因此，药王宗修士的入盟、洗白进度，愈发迅速了。
One after another, cultivators were awakened through bloodline transfer, joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, and received contribution points from Li Fan’s scattered transfers.
yī pī yòu yī pī de xiū shì bèi dù xuè yuán hòu huàn xǐng ， jiā rù wàn xiān méng ， shōu dào lǐ fán fēn sàn zhuǎn yí guò qù de gòng xiàn dù 。
一批又一批的修士被渡血缘后唤醒，加入万仙盟，收到李凡分散转移过去的贡献度。
However, even with this, it was merely a drop in the bucket compared to the billions of contribution points on Li Fan's body.
dàn jí biàn rú cǐ ， duì yú lǐ fán shēn shàng nà shàng yì de gòng xiàn lái jiǎng ， yě bù guò shì bēi shuǐ chē xīn 。
但即便如此，对于李凡身上那上亿的贡献来讲，也不过是杯水车薪。
To ensure all contribution points could be transferred before the Crimson Flame Devastating Sea, Li Fan secretly exchanged and acquired standardized spirit stones from other cultivators.
wèi le gǎn zài chì yán fén hǎi zhī qián ， jiāng gòng xiàn dù quán dōu zhuǎn yí 。 lǐ fán yī biān àn zhōng xiàng qí tā xiū shì ， duì huàn 、 shōu gòu zhì shì líng shí 。
为了赶在赤炎焚海之前，将贡献度全都转移。李凡一边暗中向其他修士，兑换、收购制式灵石。
He also re-established contact with the Five Elders Association through Zhou Qingang. This time, their meeting was much more swift than before.
yī biān zài dù lián xì qǐ le wǔ lǎo huì 。
一边再度联系起了五老会。
Soon, Zhou Qingang met with the head of the Five Elders Association again.
yī rán shì tōng guò zhōu qīng áng hé duì miàn jiē chù 。 zhè cì jiē tóu ， duì fāng de dòng zuò bǐ qǐ yǐ qián yào xùn sù xǔ duō 。
依然是通过周青昂和对面接触。这次接头，对方的动作比起以前要迅速许多。
The familiar figure in black clothes, whose face could not be seen, clearly knew about the previous transaction.
hěn kuài ， zhōu qīng áng jiù zài cì jiàn dào le wǔ lǎo huì fāng miàn de fù zé rén 。
很快，周青昂就再次见到了五老会方面的负责人。
He asked, "Has there been any result from what happened last time?"
shú xī de shēn chuān hēi yī ， kàn bù qīng róng mào 。 dàn duì fāng xiǎn rán duì shàng cì jiāo yì de nèi róng shì qīng chǔ de 。
熟悉的身穿黑衣，看不清容貌。但对方显然对上次交易的内容是清楚的。
Zhou Qingang smiled slightly. "It seems this matter is really important to you. It’s been so long since then, yet you still haven’t forgotten."
kāi kǒu jiù wèn dào ：“ shì fǒu shì zhī qián de shì qíng yǒu jié guǒ le ？”
开口就问道：“是否是之前的事情有结果了？”
The matter in question was when the Five Elders Association had Zhou Qingang investigate the identity of an ancient cultivator unearthed from the Purple Heaven Relic.
zhōu qīng áng wēi wēi yī xiào ：“ kàn lái zhè jiàn shì duì nǐ men zhēn de hěn zhòng yào a 。 yǐ jīng guò qù le zhè me jiǔ ， nǐ men hái yī rán niàn niàn bù wàng 。”
周青昂微微一笑：“看来这件事对你们真的很重要啊。已经过去了这么久，你们还依然念念不忘。”
Li Fan had already learned about it from Jiao Xiuyuan and used it as leverage for this transaction.
shàng cì de shì qíng ， zì rán jiù shì wǔ lǎo huì wěi tuō “ zhōu qīng áng ”， bāng máng diào chá cóng zǐ xiāo zōng yí jì zhōng wā jué chū lái shàng gǔ xiū shì shēn fèn 。
上次的事情，自然就是五老会委托“周青昂”，帮忙调查从紫霄宗遗迹中挖掘出来上古修士身份。
The Five Elders Association cultivators were straightforward. "Although we are in a ceasefire now, everyone knows that peace is fleeting. No one can predict when war will break out again. Besides, the overall peace only applies to some areas; there are still confrontations between the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and us."
zhè jiàn shì lǐ fán yǐ jīng cóng jiāo xiū yuǎn kǒu zhōng dǎ tàn qīng chǔ ， zhèng hǎo suàn zuò cǐ cì jiāo yì de chóu mǎ 。
这件事李凡已经从焦修远口中打探清楚，正好算做此次交易的筹码。
"We have found a way to counteract the [Heavenly Locking of the Profound], but we need more intelligence to completely neutralize its effects."
wǔ lǎo huì xiū shì yě shì tǎn rán dào ：“ suī shuō rú jīn shuāng fāng chǔ yú tíng zhàn qī ， dàn shéi dōu qīng chǔ ， hé píng zhù dìng shì duǎn zàn de 。 shuí yě wú fǎ yù liào dào ， zhàn zhēng shén me shí hòu huì zài dù bào fā 。 kuàng qiě ， yě zhǐ shì zhěng tǐ hé píng ér yǐ 。 zài mǒu xiē dì fāng ， wàn xiān méng hái shì gēn wǒ men chǔ yú duì zhì zhuàng tài ne 。”
五老会修士也是坦然道：“虽说如今双方处于停战期，但谁都清楚，和平注定是短暂的。谁也无法预料到，战争什么时候会再度爆发。况且，也只是整体和平而已。在某些地方，万仙盟还是跟我们处于对峙状态呢。”
Zhou Qingang nodded without showing any surprise.
“ mù qián wàn xiān méng de 【 xuán tiān suǒ yōu 】， wǒ men yě jǐn jǐn shì zhǎo dào le xiāng zhì héng de bàn fǎ ， xiǎng yào chè dǐ wǎ jiě tā de zuò yòng ， hái xū yào gèng duō de qíng bào 。”
“目前万仙盟的【玄天锁幽】，我们也仅仅是找到了相制衡的办法，想要彻底瓦解它的作用，还需要更多的情报。”
"Regarding the identity of that ancient cultivator, I’ve already gathered information. What kind of price are you willing to pay this time?" he said with a smile.
zhōu qīng áng yǎn shén wēi dòng ， méi yǒu biǎo xiàn chū yì yàng ， ér shì diǎn diǎn tóu 。
周青昂眼神微动，没有表现出异样，而是点点头。
"Is this true?" The Five Elders Association cultivator seemed surprised and stood up, staring intently at Zhou Qingang.
“ nà wèi bèi wā jué chū de shàng gǔ xiū shì shēn fèn ， wǒ yǐ jīng dǎ tīng qīng chǔ le 。 nǐ men wǔ lǎo huì zhè cì yòu yuàn yì fù chū shén me yàng de dài jià ne ？” tā zuǐ jiǎo lù chū yī sī wēi xiào ， huǎn huǎn dào 。
“那位被挖掘出的上古修士身份，我已经打听清楚了。你们五老会这次又愿意付出什么样的代价呢？”他嘴角露出一丝微笑，缓缓道。
Zhou Qingang nodded proudly.
】
】
"Good! Good!" He repeated several times, "The methods of your Covering Heaven Club are truly formidable!"
“ cǐ yán dàng zhēn ？” sì hū gěi le duì fāng yí gè dà dà jīng xǐ ， wǔ lǎo huì xiū shì jìng rán zhí jiē zhàn le qǐ lái ， sǐ sǐ dīng zhe zhōu qīng áng 。
“此言当真？”似乎给了对方一个大大惊喜，五老会修士竟然直接站了起来，死死盯着周青昂。
"I’ll get back to you shortly after reporting to the higher-ups."
zhōu qīng áng ào rán diǎn tóu 。
周青昂傲然点头。
The black-clothed cultivator turned away and fell silent. Zhou Qingang carefully observed but could not discern how he contacted the Five Elders Association. It was clear that they were a spy organization, so they couldn’t be underestimated.
“ hǎo ， hǎo ！” duì fāng yī lián chóng fù le shù shēng ，“ nǐ men fù tiān huì shǒu duàn ， guǒ rán fēi tóng xiǎo kě ！”
“好，好！”对方一连重复了数声，“你们覆天会手段，果然非同小可！”
Soon, the Five Elders Association cultivar returned.
“ shāo děng piàn kè ， wǒ lì mǎ gēn shàng miàn huì bào ！”
“稍等片刻，我立马跟上面汇报！”
This time with vigor, he began discussing terms with Zhou Qingang.
hēi yī xiū shì zhuǎn guò shēn qù ， xiàn rù le chén mò zhī zhōng 。
黑衣修士转过身去，陷入了沉默之中。
"The previous batch of [True诱果] and [Humanity Star Dust] worked well; we need more..."
zhōu qīng áng zǐ xì duān xiáng ， què yě méi néng chá jué chū duì fāng shì zěn me gēn wǔ lǎo huì guān fāng qǔ dé lián xì de 。 zhǐ néng shuō bì jìng shì wǔ lǎo huì de jiàn dié zǔ zhī ， bù néng wán quán xiǎo qù 。
周青昂仔细端详，却也没能察觉出对方是怎么跟五老会官方取得联系的。只能说毕竟是五老会的间谍组织，不能完全小觑。
After some haggling, they reached a mutually satisfactory agreement.
bù jiǔ hòu ， wǔ lǎo huì xiū shì yòu huí guò shēn lái 。
不久后，五老会修士又回过身来。
"Need it quickly. The sooner the better," Zhou Qingang said pointedly.
zhè cì zhōng qì shí zú ， kāi shǐ gēn zhōu qīng áng tán qǐ le tiáo jiàn 。
这次中气十足，开始跟周青昂谈起了条件。
The Five Elders Association cultivar stared at Zhou Qingang before nodding in understanding.
“ shàng yī pī de 【 zhēn shí yòu guǒ 】、 hái yǒu 【 rén dào xīng chén 】 dōu shí fēn hǎo yòng ， dōu yào zài lái yī xiē ……”
“上一批的【真实诱果】、还有【人道星尘】都十分好用，都要再来一些……”
"By the way, there’s one more thing."
jīng guò yī fān tǎo jià huán jià ， zuì zhōng yǐ yí gè shuāng fāng dōu bǐ jiào mǎn yì de jià gé ， dá chéng le jiāo yì 。
经过一番讨价还价，最终以一个双方都比较满意的价格，达成了交易。
Just as both were about to finalize their contract, Zhou Qingang suddenly asked, "I have some contribution points with a complicated origin. I need them converted into clear and untraceable standardized spirit stones. Can you help me?"
“ hěn jí ， yuè kuài wán chéng jiāo yì yuè hǎo 。” zhōu qīng áng yì yǒu suǒ zhǐ dào 。
“很急，越快完成交易越好。”周青昂意有所指道。
The Five Elders Association cultivar was initially stunned, thinking Zhou Qingang had changed his mind. After understanding the conditions, he smiled and said, "It’s no big deal."
wǔ lǎo huì xiū shì dīng zhe zhōu qīng áng kàn le kàn ， diǎn tóu biǎo shì zhī dào 。
五老会修士盯着周青昂看了看，点头表示知道。
"How many do you need?" he asked.
“ duì le ， hái yǒu yī jiàn shì 。”
“对了，还有一件事。”
"Not much, just a couple of billion," Zhou Qingang casually replied.
dāng shuāng fāng jí jiāng wán quán qì yuē qiān dìng zhī qián ， zhōu qīng áng hū de yòu wèn dào ：“ wǒ yǒu yì diǎn gòng xiàn dù ， lái lì bǐ jiào má fán 。 xū yào zhuǎn huà chéng lái yuán qīng bái 、 wú fǎ bèi zhuī zōng de zhì shì líng shí 。 néng bù néng shùn biàn bāng wǒ zhè ge máng ？”
当双方即将完全契约签订之前，周青昂忽的又问道：“我有一点贡献度，来历比较麻烦。需要转化成来源清白、无法被追踪的制式灵石。能不能顺便帮我这个忙？”
The Five Elders Association cultivar froze in place.
wǔ lǎo huì xiū shì xiān shì yī lèng ， hái yǐ wéi zhōu qīng áng fǎn huǐ le 。 dāng tīng qīng chǔ duì fāng de tiáo jiàn hòu ， dāng jí xiào le xiào ， bù yǐ wéi yì dào ：“ xiǎo shì ， méi wèn tí 。”
五老会修士先是一愣，还以为周青昂反悔了。当听清楚对方的条件后，当即笑了笑，不以为意道：“小事，没问题。”
"More... or less?" He was unsure if he had heard correctly.
“ nǐ xū yào duō shǎo ？” tā suí hòu wèn dào 。
“你需要多少？”他随后问道。
Zhou Qingang repeated the number.
“ bù duō ， yě jiù liǎng sān gè yì ba 。” zhōu qīng áng yě jiù suí kǒu shuō dào 。
“不多，也就两三个亿吧。”周青昂也就随口说道。
"This... friend, give me a moment. I need to seek permission." He wiped his forehead with sweat and his voice trembled slightly.
wǔ lǎo huì xiū shì dùn shí shí huà le 。
五老会修士顿时石化了。
Zhou Qingang waved him off, urging him to hurry.
“ duō …… shǎo ？” yī shí jiān ， tā huái yí zì jǐ tīng cuò le 。
“多……少？”一时间，他怀疑自己听错了。
It took longer than before for the black-clothed spy to almost collapse.
zhōu qīng áng yú shì yòu chóng fù le yī biàn 。
周青昂于是又重复了一遍。
"Alright, your request has been approved. However..."
“ zhè …… dào yǒu shāo děng ， wǒ hái xū yào qǐng shì yī fān 。” tā mǒ le mǒ é tóu xū hàn ， lián yǔ qì dōu yǒu xiē chàn dǒu 。
“这……道友稍等，我还需要请示一番。”他抹了抹额头虚汗，连语气都有些颤抖。
He was nervous: "We might need to adjust the supply list."
zhōu qīng áng huī huī shǒu ， ràng tā gǎn jǐn qù bàn 。
周青昂挥挥手，让他赶紧去办。
"Hmm?" Zhou Qingang looked displeased and turned away.
bǐ zhī qián de qǐng shì huā fèi le gèng zhǎng yī duàn shí jiān ， hēi yī xiū shì jìn hū xū tuō 。
比之前的请示花费了更长一段时间，黑衣修士近乎虚脱。
"Wait! Wait!" The black-clothed cultivar hurriedly stopped him.
“ é ， shàng miàn dā yìng le nǐ de yāo qiú 。 bù guò ……”
“额，上面答应了你的要求。不过……”
"All is well that ends well! The number of standardized spirit stones you need is too high. It’s even harder not to draw attention from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance," he explained.
tā yǒu xiē tǎn tè ：“ gāng gāng suǒ shuō de wù zī qīng dān ， kě néng yào tiáo zhěng xià 。”
他有些忐忑：“刚刚所说的物资清单，可能要调整下。”
"Why should I bother with this if it wasn’t a difficult task? I could have handled it myself." Zhou Qingang coldly retorted.
“ ń ？” zhōu qīng áng lù chū le yī fù bù mǎn de shén qíng ， zhuǎn tóu jiù zǒu 。
“嗯？”周青昂露出了一副不满的神情，转头就走。
The Five Elders Association cultivar nodded, unable to argue.
“ qiě màn ！ qiě màn ！” hēi yī xiū shì lián máng shàng qián lā zhù 。
“且慢！且慢！”黑衣修士连忙上前拉住。
After further negotiations, they reached an agreement.
“ wàn shì hǎo shāng liáng ma ！ dào yǒu nín zhè xū yào de zhì shì líng shí shù liàng ， yě shí zài tài duō le 。 hái xiǎng yào bù yǐn qǐ wàn xiān méng de chá jué ， gèng shì nán shàng jiā nán ！” tā jiě shì zhe 。
“万事好商量嘛！道友您这需要的制式灵石数量，也实在太多了。还想要不引起万仙盟的察觉，更是难上加难！”他解释着。
A golden light flew into Zhou Qingang’s body as the black-clothed spy slowly dissolved and vanished.
“ rú guǒ bú shì nán shì ， wǒ zhǎo nǐ men zuò shén me ？ zì jǐ jiù gǎo dìng le 。” zhōu qīng áng lěng hēng dào 。
“如果不是难事，我找你们做什么？自己就搞定了。”周青昂冷哼道。
However, his face showed no fear or panic.
wǔ lǎo huì xiū shì lián lián diǎn tóu ， bù gǎn fǎn bó 。
五老会修士连连点头，不敢反驳。
He only instructed Zhou Qingang about the next meeting location and details.
shuāng fāng yòu xié shāng le yī fān ， zuì zhōng hái shì dá chéng le xié yì 。
双方又协商了一番，最终还是达成了协议。
Once the black-clothed spy was completely gone, Zhou Qingang carefully observed for a moment before shaking his head.
suí zhe yī dào jīn guāng fēi rù zhōu qīng áng tǐ nèi ， hēi yī jiàn dié yě shì huǎn huǎn róng jiě zài jīn guāng zhī zhōng ， xiāo shī bú jiàn 。
随着一道金光飞入周青昂体内，黑衣间谍也是缓缓溶解在金光之中，消失不见。
"Using a person as a contract, not fearing life or death. Truly bizarre."
rán ér tā de liǎn shàng ， què shì tóng yàng de méi yǒu sī háo kǒng jù hé jīng huāng 。
然而他的脸上，却是同样的没有丝毫恐惧和惊慌。
He destroyed all traces of the meeting and quietly returned.
zhǐ shì dīng zhǔ zhōu qīng áng ， xià cì jiāo yì yuē dìng de dì diǎn yǔ xì jié 。
只是叮嘱周青昂，下次交易约定的地点与细节。
Ten days later, Zhou Qingang met another black-clothed spy with an extremely similar aura but clearly not the same individual.
dāng hēi yī jiàn dié chè dǐ xiāo shī bú jiàn hòu ， zhōu qīng áng yuán dì zǐ xì guān chá piàn kè ， wēi wēi yáo tóu 。
当黑衣间谍彻底消失不见后，周青昂原地仔细观察片刻，微微摇头。
Just like last time, he handed over a [Clear Stone Mother], containing everything on the supply list.
“ yǐ rén wéi qì ， bù jù shēng sǐ 。 hái zhēn shì xié mén 。”
“以人为契，不惧生死。还真是邪门。”
After checking it briefly, Li Fan informed him about the identity of the unearthed ancient cultivator.
dāng xià jiāng cǐ chù hén jì jìn shù huǐ qù ， qiǎo rán fǎn huí 。
当下将此处痕迹尽数毁去，悄然返回。
"Heavenly Law King?"
shí tiān zhī hòu ， zhōu qīng áng yòu jiàn dào yī wèi qì xī jí wéi xiāng sì 、 dàn shì xiǎn rán bú shì tóng yī rén de hēi yī jiàn dié 。
十天之后，周青昂又见到一位气息极为相似、但是显然不是同一人的黑衣间谍。
Upon hearing this, the other party was clearly shocked as well.
hé shàng cì yī yàng ， jiāng yī méi 【 kōng míng shí mǔ 】 dì le guò lái ， qīng dān suǒ xū de wù zī quán dōu zài qí zhōng 。
和上次一样，将一枚【空明石母】递了过来，清单所需的物资全都在其中。
However, they seemed to have expected this and quickly regained composure.
Before departure, Gao Yuan also passed on the task of "whitewashing the ancient secret realm cultivator's identity" to He Zhenghao.
"Zhou Qingang" once again offered a bribe to show sincerity.
As old colleagues, He Zhenghao naturally agreed without hesitation. In addition, he inquired about Zhou Qingang’s plans to leave Cunyun Sea.
Zhou Qingang laughed and said there was no such plan.
He Zhenghao immediately felt relieved. Even the heart's core of a secret envoy like him had no intention of avoiding disaster, which indicated that although the arrival of the Heavenly Soul would bring some risks, they were definitely not significant.
His confidence in his choice grew stronger, and he stopped overthinking it. After persuading his daughter to leave, he began handling the matter of "secret realm cultivator's joining the alliance."
In his eyes, this was akin to helping demigods cross the boundary when he was still the guardian of Lustrous Isle. It involved charging per head and was handled with ease.
His胆量 far surpassed Gao Yuan’s, and he had no fear of being investigated by the Immortal Alliance.
As a result, the progress in recruiting and whitewashing the Medicine King Sect cultivators accelerated significantly.
One after another, cultivators were awakened through bloodline transfer, joined the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, and received contribution points from Li Fan’s scattered transfers.
However, even with this, it was merely a drop in the bucket compared to the billions of contribution points on Li Fan's body.
To ensure all contribution points could be transferred before the Crimson Flame Devastating Sea, Li Fan secretly exchanged and acquired standardized spirit stones from other cultivators.
He also re-established contact with the Five Elders Association through Zhou Qingang. This time, their meeting was much more swift than before.
Soon, Zhou Qingang met with the head of the Five Elders Association again.
The familiar figure in black clothes, whose face could not be seen, clearly knew about the previous transaction.
He asked, "Has there been any result from what happened last time?"
Zhou Qingang smiled slightly. "It seems this matter is really important to you. It’s been so long since then, yet you still haven’t forgotten."
The matter in question was when the Five Elders Association had Zhou Qingang investigate the identity of an ancient cultivator unearthed from the Purple Heaven Relic.
Li Fan had already learned about it from Jiao Xiuyuan and used it as leverage for this transaction.
The Five Elders Association cultivators were straightforward. "Although we are in a ceasefire now, everyone knows that peace is fleeting. No one can predict when war will break out again. Besides, the overall peace only applies to some areas; there are still confrontations between the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and us."
"We have found a way to counteract the [Heavenly Locking of the Profound], but we need more intelligence to completely neutralize its effects."
Zhou Qingang nodded without showing any surprise.
"Regarding the identity of that ancient cultivator, I’ve already gathered information. What kind of price are you willing to pay this time?" he said with a smile.
"Is this true?" The Five Elders Association cultivator seemed surprised and stood up, staring intently at Zhou Qingang.
Zhou Qingang nodded proudly.
"Good! Good!" He repeated several times, "The methods of your Covering Heaven Club are truly formidable!"
"I’ll get back to you shortly after reporting to the higher-ups."
The black-clothed cultivator turned away and fell silent. Zhou Qingang carefully observed but could not discern how he contacted the Five Elders Association. It was clear that they were a spy organization, so they couldn’t be underestimated.
Soon, the Five Elders Association cultivar returned.
This time with vigor, he began discussing terms with Zhou Qingang.
"The previous batch of [True诱果] and [Humanity Star Dust] worked well; we need more..."
After some haggling, they reached a mutually satisfactory agreement.
"Need it quickly. The sooner the better," Zhou Qingang said pointedly.
The Five Elders Association cultivar stared at Zhou Qingang before nodding in understanding.
"By the way, there’s one more thing."
Just as both were about to finalize their contract, Zhou Qingang suddenly asked, "I have some contribution points with a complicated origin. I need them converted into clear and untraceable standardized spirit stones. Can you help me?"
The Five Elders Association cultivar was initially stunned, thinking Zhou Qingang had changed his mind. After understanding the conditions, he smiled and said, "It’s no big deal."
"How many do you need?" he asked.
"Not much, just a couple of billion," Zhou Qingang casually replied.
The Five Elders Association cultivar froze in place.
"More... or less?" He was unsure if he had heard correctly.
Zhou Qingang repeated the number.
"This... friend, give me a moment. I need to seek permission." He wiped his forehead with sweat and his voice trembled slightly.
Zhou Qingang waved him off, urging him to hurry.
It took longer than before for the black-clothed spy to almost collapse.
"Alright, your request has been approved. However..."
He was nervous: "We might need to adjust the supply list."
"Hmm?" Zhou Qingang looked displeased and turned away.
"Wait! Wait!" The black-clothed cultivar hurriedly stopped him.
"All is well that ends well! The number of standardized spirit stones you need is too high. It’s even harder not to draw attention from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance," he explained.
"Why should I bother with this if it wasn’t a difficult task? I could have handled it myself." Zhou Qingang coldly retorted.
The Five Elders Association cultivar nodded, unable to argue.
After further negotiations, they reached an agreement.
A golden light flew into Zhou Qingang’s body as the black-clothed spy slowly dissolved and vanished.
However, his face showed no fear or panic.
He only instructed Zhou Qingang about the next meeting location and details.
Once the black-clothed spy was completely gone, Zhou Qingang carefully observed for a moment before shaking his head.
"Using a person as a contract, not fearing life or death. Truly bizarre."
He destroyed all traces of the meeting and quietly returned.
Ten days later, Zhou Qingang met another black-clothed spy with an extremely similar aura but clearly not the same individual.
Just like last time, he handed over a [Clear Stone Mother], containing everything on the supply list.
After checking it briefly, Li Fan informed him about the identity of the unearthed ancient cultivator.
"Heavenly Law King?"
Upon hearing this, the other party was clearly shocked as well.
However, they seemed to have expected this and quickly regained composure.