Chapter 580: Han Yi Meets Azure Wind
Chapter 580: Han Yi Meets Azure Wind
Those million contribution points were hard-earned. Who knows how long it will take for this wave of providence backlash to pass.
I should be more cautious.
After a moment's thought, Han Yi decided that seeing was believing. Since he kept running into dead ends in Yuandao Province anyway, he might as well return to the Congyun Sea and make a proper assessment.
And so Han Yi, who had come to Yuandao Province on a whim, returned to his old haunts on the strength of an overheard rumor.
When he arrived back in the Congyun Sea, the fervor with which the surrounding cultivators were discussing the "Secretary-Envoy's fundraising plan" far exceeded his expectations.
Not everyone believed it without question, but a significant portion were staunch supporters of Li Fan.
Believers and skeptics regarded each other as fools, each side intent on converting the other.
Amidst the endless debates, the topic only grew hotter with each passing day, drawing in yet another wave of cultivators who had originally chosen to watch from the sidelines.
Yet as Han Yi observed this scene of roaring excitement, a strange chill passed through his heart.
Before he could trace the source of that unease, a piece of news swept through the entire Myriad Immortals Alliance in an instant.
It made countless cultivators breathe a sigh of relief, and it pushed the discussion around Li Fan's fundraising plan to a new peak.
The Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council were going to cease hostilities.
Li Fan's—no, Master Li's prediction had come true again.
Ever since Li Fan had first spread the word, people had been pulling strings to verify it. Public opinion had churned without a definitive result.
Until today, when the prophecy was fulfilled.
Discerning eyes could see that the Myriad Immortals Alliance's leadership had seized the moment to retreat gracefully, but that insight changed nothing. Li Fan's already legendary divination arts were pushed to yet another zenith.
Many cultivators who had been firmly convinced that the fundraising was Li Fan's final cash grab before disappearing began to waver. And those who had been sitting on the fence, faced with this undeniable fact, chose to join the growing ranks of contributors.
Following the crowd is a human instinct.
Han Yi still hesitated, held back by his lingering unease.
Then, from nowhere, a rumor emerged.
It claimed that cultivator enthusiasm had been so overwhelming that the contribution points raised had already exceeded the original target. As a result, the fundraising which had been promised to have no upper limit might be terminated early.
No one knew who had started it, but the rumor was detailed and convincing. It instantly panicked those who had not yet committed.
He Zhenghao, the Secretary-Envoy's representative, stepped forward at once to debunk it with righteous indignation. But his denial could not change the fact that the rate at which he was accepting contribution points had visibly slowed.
That, ironically, seemed to confirm the rumor's truth.
The cultivators grew more frantic still.
At that point, Han Yi could no longer hold himself back. Swept up in the blazing atmosphere, his head ran hot, and he handed over every last one of his remaining 910,000 contribution points.
When a cold sea breeze cleared his head and his senses returned to him, he felt a twinge of regret.
No matter what, I should have kept some in reserve.
But it was too late. Both parties had already signed the Contract Document. Once submitted, contribution points could not be withdrawn during the five-year lock-up period.
If a life-or-death emergency arose requiring immediate funds, one would have to pay a thirty-percent penalty on the principal, and the substantial interest would be forfeited entirely. The losses were simply too steep. Unless forced to the brink, almost no cultivator would choose that path.
According to He Zhenghao, the harsh terms existed to guard against malicious sabotage. The vast capital amassed through Li Fan's high-profile fundraising had long attracted envious eyes, and certain parties had been trying every available method to smear Li Fan's name and elbow their way in for a share of the profits.
So many cultivators are involved, and Li Fan is currently the highest authority in the Congyun Sea. Surely there won't be a problem.
Han Yi tried to reassure himself, but the hollow sense of loss in his chest refused to lift. He dwelt on his unease for a long time but couldn’t pinpoint the source.
Now penniless again, Han Yi felt momentarily adrift. With nowhere in particular to go, he wandered the Congyun Sea in a daze.
He did not know how much time had passed when he suddenly jolted to alertness. He scanned his surroundings quickly, struck by a powerful sense of familiarity.
This feeling... Strange, I'm certain I've never been here before.
A flicker of gravity entered Han Yi's eyes. Having cultivated the Heavenly Providence Scripture, his spiritual sense was keen, and he did not dismiss this fleeting sense of deja vu. He began to operate his technique slowly, surveying his surroundings with greater care.
Hmm?
After a moment, his gaze fixed on a specific point in the sky. All living beings possessed their own fortune, and through Han Yi's eyes that fortune was visible. Yet here, a patch of empty air displayed a strange, distorted anomaly.
Something is hidden here!
A thrill of excitement shot through him. Convinced his luck had finally turned and a great opportunity had fallen into his lap, Han Yi first discreetly checked for any nearby cultivators. Finding himself alone, he flew carefully upward toward the anomaly.
There is definitely something wrong here.
After the better part of a day, Han Yi had confirmed his suspicion. Yet no matter what he tried, he could find no way into the hidden space.
The longer he lingered, the greater the risk that another cultivator might stumble upon it. He had no intention of sharing an opportunity this significant.
Gradually, his patience frayed.
Then another blurry image flashed through his mind.
Han Yi stilled. Without pausing to wonder where the inspiration had come from, he narrowed his eyes and mimicked the movements of the cultivator he had glimpsed.
He backed away to a distance, then accelerated to his utmost speed and charged straight toward that hidden patch of sky.
A flash of black light swallowed him.
The next moment, Han Yi found himself inside the space, face to face with two entities standing in silence.
Azure Wind.
A sword fragment.
His eyes went blood-red and his mind erupted into chaos. Han Yi almost lost control entirely, nearly lunged straight toward the Soul Arbiter of heaven and earth.
At that critical moment, the Xuan Bird Feather within his dantian intervened once more.
A dim light enveloped him, granting him a thin thread of temporary clarity.
A look of grim determination crossed his face. He wrenched his gaze away, refusing to look upon the bizarre spectacle of Azure Wind holding the sword captive within that space. Instead, he channeled every ounce of his cultivation and drove himself away, fleeing the space entirely.
It was not long before Han Yi broke free.
He coughed up mouthfuls of blood. Within him, the Xuan Bird Feather had been severely damaged, its plumes curled and withered.